May 18 2012 7:56 PM ET
Jeremiah Wright's Successor Backs Obama on Marriage
An influential preacher stands up for gay rights.
May 18 2012 2:50 PM ET
WATCH: The TV Moment That Activists Call a Game-Changer
An honest moment from a TV news show is being shared online, spiking traffic to LGBT websites, and activists say it could be the game changer needed to bring marriage equality to Australia. Finance Minister Penny Wong, a lesbian who is known for her direct answers, appeared alongside treasurer Joe Hockey on Q&A. An audience member asked Hockey why he opposes same-sex marriage. He said it's because he's a parent and wants the "very best" for them.
May 18 2012 2:01 PM ET
Mich. Lawmakers Won't Sign Award for Lesbian
A lesbian who was supposed to get one of the Kalamazoo YWCA's annual "Women of Achievement" awards got slighted Thursday, and now LGBT rights leaders want to know what happened.
May 18 2012 1:18 PM ET
Divorce Now Legal in Maryland Before Marriage
It's not yet legal to get married in Maryland, but an appeals court ruled today that same-sex couples can already get divorced. Maryland's Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that any Marylander legally wed in another state can get divorced in their home state. The case centers on Jessica Port and Virginia Cowan, who were married in California in 2008 during the brief period when it was legal. Two years later they sought a divorce in their home state of Maryland and were denied.
May 18 2012 12:26 PM ET
Malawi's President Wants to Scrap Antigay Laws
Malawi's new president wants to decriminalize being gay in her country, she announced in a national address. The Associated Press reports that President Joyce Banda, who took over after her predecessor died in office, user her first nationwide address to make her declaration. "Indecency and unnatural acts laws shall be repealed," she told Parliament, saying the country's "bad laws" her made their trading partners "uncomfortable."
May 18 2012 11:40 AM ET
Pelosi Calls Antigay GOP Proposal 'Fraud'
Nancy Pelosi had strong words for a Republican proposal to protect military chaplains from performing same-sex weddings, calling the whole idea a "fraud." "There’s nothing that says that chaplains act against their faith," the House Minority Leader said during a news conference Thursday, objecting to the suggestion from a reporter for a right-wing news site, CNSNews.com, that they needed a conscience clause. “But by ordering the chaplains that don’t believe in performing same-sex marriages," the reporter followed up, "by ordering them to do that, do you think that is —”
May 18 2012 10:29 AM ET
Protecting LGBT Refugees from Violence
Through the lens of two East African countries where anti-LGBT discrimination is pervasive, a new report by Human Rights First lays the groundwork for aiding vulnerable gay and transgender refugees.
May 17 2012 8:27 PM ET
The Powerful Ricketts Family Is Obviously Split Politically
Joe Ricketts and his lesbian daughter Laura Ricketts are on very different sides politically, as shown by an ad campaign that was reportedly in the works to take down President Obama.
May 17 2012 7:18 PM ET
Castro Daughter Granted Visa to Attend San Francisco Sexuality Conference
May 17 2012 5:49 PM ET
Protestors Face Off at St. Petersburg Anti-Homophobia Rally
Approximately 150 protestors faced off against 150 counter-protestors today in St. Petersburg’s first official pride rally held in the Russian city since a new law banning gay “propaganda” took effect last month.
May 17 2012 4:23 PM ET
Poll: Black Voters Are Changing Their Minds on Marriage
President Obama might be changing minds with his support for marriage equality, at least among African-American voters, a new poll shows.
May 17 2012 2:36 PM ET
No Gays Allowed on Oklahoma Election Board?
State law required Oklahoma's Republican governor to pick a Democrat for its Election Board, but the gay man she selected as most qualified isn't even getting a vote. Jim Roth was Gov. Mary Fallin's choice for the state's election board, having to name someone from a list provided by Democrats. Local newspapers point out Roth's long list of qualifications, including a term on the statewide Corporation Commission, and two terms as county commissioner.
May 17 2012 1:46 PM ET
New Rules Target Prison Rape Epidemic Facing LGBT Inmates
Advocates praise the new Justice Department standards, though questions remain about separate rules for immigration detention, to be finalized by the Department of Homeland Security.
