The Albany gay marriage back room
Gay City News reports that a high-stakes meeting that included the governor, senior Democratic lawmakers and top gay advocates offered “the best sign yet that marriage equality may become a reality by New Year’s Day.”
Says Gay City News:
Shortly after 8 p.m., Paterson, four senior Senate Democrats — Jeffrey Klein of …
Gay neo-Nazi film wins top prize
Gay neo-Nazi film wins top prize
Internet biz battles for .gay rights
Two internet businesses are fighting for the right to manage a possible top-level domain, “.gay.”
Gay Drag Queen Priest Stars In Hit Dance Single
A drag queen known by day as Father Anthony to his congregation has come out gay with a hit dance single. Big Mama Capretta’s new video Big Mama’s House is currently at 25 on the U.S. Billboard Club Play dance chart and has been viewed over 57,000 times on the video sharing website YouTube. “It’s Big Mama y’all!,” Father Anthony, also known as Vincent Capretta, says in a statement. “And I am no longer afraid to come out of the closet as a gay Catholic priest!”
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Drive to stop gay partnership law is dividing conservatives
Reporting from Seattle — A campaign to roll back gay rights that kicked off in Washington state over the weekend has split the Christian conservative community, with some wondering whether it is the right time for a fight and others arguing that time may be running out.On the heels of the recent California Supreme Court ruling that upheld Proposition 8′s prohibition against same-sex marriage, conservative groups here began collecting signatures for a ballot referendum to block a new Washington state law that substantially expands rights for domestic partners.
The law that Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire signed in May has been dubbed the “everything but marriage” bill. When it takes effect in July, it will expand previous domestic partnership laws to include issues like adoption, child support, pensions and other public-employee benefits.Washington’s secretary of state approved the referendum petitions Friday and signature collections began over the weekend. If referendum backers collect 120,577 signatures by July 25, the law would be suspended pending a vote in November.But some conservatives fear that public support for domestic partnership rights and a preoccupation with the economy could doom the effort — and make it harder to battle same-sex marriage down the road. See Drive to stop gay partnership law is dividing conservatives
Los Angeles Times
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Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed with the Obama administration and upheld Pentagon policy barring gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
The court said it will not hear an appeal from former Army Capt. James Pietrangelo II, who was dismissed under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The federal appeals court in Boston earlier threw out a lawsuit filed by Pietrangelo and 11 other veterans. He was the only member of that group who asked the high court to rule that the Clinton-era policy is unconstitutional.
During last year’s campaign, President Barack Obama indicated he supported the eventual repeal of the policy, but he has made no specific move to do so since taking office in January. Meanwhile, the White House has said it won’t stop gays and lesbians from being dismissed from the military.
In court papers, the administration said the appeals court ruled correctly in this case when it found that “don’t ask, don’t tell” is “rationally related to the government’s legitimate interest in military discipline and cohesion.”
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman referred requests for comment to the Justice Department, but said the military policy “implements the law.”
“The law requires the (Defense) Department to separate from the armed services members who engage in or attempt to engage in homosexual acts; state they are homosexual or bisexual; or marry or attempt to marry a person of the same biological sex,” Whitman said in a statement.
A legal advocacy group vowed to press ahead with efforts to reverse the policy despite the legal setback.
“We don’t see that at all as bad news for repeal,” said Kevin Nix, spokesman for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. “What happened today puts the ball back into the court of Congress and the White House to repeal the law, and that’s where we think it should be right now.”
See Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
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Top Obama gay appointees emerge
Top Obama gay appointees emerge
Gay top cop marries in Norway
Gay top cop marries in Norway
Top evangelical resigns after backing gay unions
(Washington) An outspoken and polarizing voice in conservative Christian politics resigned effective Thursday from the National Association of Evangelicals after a radio interview in which he voiced support for same-sex civil unions and said he is “shifting” on gay marriage.
The Rev. Richard Cizik’s comments – made on a Dec. 2 …
