gay rights

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Gay Marriage Arrives in Florida

Mass weddings held across state as ban expires

(Newser) - Florida's ban on same-sex marriage ended statewide at the stroke of midnight, and court clerks in some counties wasted no time, issuing marriage licenses and performing weddings for same-sex couples overnight. But they were beaten to the punch by a Miami judge who found no need to wait until...

Judge Grants First Gay Divorce in Florida

But the milestone will likely be appealed

(Newser) - A judge in Florida made a little history today by granting the state's first divorce of a gay couple, reports the AP . But because the decision involves two different states and pending appeals, thing get convoluted in the way that only gay-marriage cases can. In today's court hearing,...

Advocates Push LGBT 'Civil Rights Act'

But it could take a decade

(Newser) - With same-sex marriage sweeping the country and analysts predicting the Supreme Court will soon legalize it in all 50 states, gay rights advocates are turning their attention to new legislation: the LGBT version of 1964's Civil Rights Act. It may take a decade or more to be put into...

Egypt Jails 8 Men Over Video of Gay Wedding

They get 3-year sentences after YouTube posting

(Newser) - Eight men in Egypt have to spend the next three years in prison for the crime of celebrating a gay wedding, reports Reuters . The men were convicted today of "inciting debauchery" over the video, which surfaced on YouTube in August and purported to show the nation's first gay,...

Florida AG: Lesbians Can't Get Divorced

She blocks move to dissolve civil union

(Newser) - Florida's attorney general isn't going to allow same-sex divorce any sooner than she allows same-sex marriage. In a ruling this week, Pam Bondi opposed granting a divorce petition because doing so would have required recognizing the same-sex civil union and declaring the state's marriage laws unconstitutional, reports...

Bishops Scrap Friendlier Views on Gay Catholics

They vote down revision to draft document

(Newser) - Catholic bishops scrapped their landmark welcome to gays today, showing deep divisions at the end of a two-week meeting sought by Pope Francis to chart a more merciful approach to ministering to Catholic families. The bishops failed to approve even a watered-down section on ministering to homosexuals that stripped away...

Vatican Pulls Back on Gay-Friendly Views

Emphasizes Monday's report was a 'working document'

(Newser) - The Vatican made waves this week with a seemingly more open stance toward gay and divorced people—but now, Catholic officials are pulling back from Monday's statement amid a backlash from conservatives, CNN reports. The Vatican's earlier comment that "homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to...

Nation's First Same-Sex Marriage Ban Struck Down

Alaska ban is latest to fall

(Newser) - A federal judge has struck down Alaska's first-in-the-nation ban on gay marriages. US District Judge Timothy Burgess—who heard arguments Friday afternoon and promised a quick decision—released his 25-page decision yesterday afternoon. "Refusing the rights and responsibilities afforded by legal marriage sends the public a government-sponsored message...

So How Many States Now Allow Gay Marriage? 35-ish

Busy week adds confusion to the mix

(Newser) - This week's flurry of court rulings made it a little tricky to keep track of which states allow gay marriage. The upshot is that the Supreme Court's moves added seven more states to the yes column: Idaho, Indiana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin, bringing the total number...

Gay Marriage Bans in Idaho, Nevada Struck Down

9th circuit declares 2 more bans unconstitutional

(Newser) - A federal appeals court declared gay marriage legal in Idaho and Nevada yesterday, a day after the US Supreme Court effectively legalized same-sex marriage in 30 other states . The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco struck down the two states' bans on gay marriage, ruling they violated...

Court Rejects 2 More Gay Marriage Bans

Indiana, Wisconsin bans 'totally implausible,' judge says

(Newser) - Two more state bans on gay marriage were rejected as unconstitutional yesterday—the day after a federal judge in Louisiana broke a chain of more than 20 consecutive rulings overturning other bans . The US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, based in Chicago, ruled against the bans in Wisconsin...

Winning Streak Broken: Judge Upholds State's Gay Marriage Ban

Louisiana ruling will be appealed

(Newser) - A federal judge upheld Louisiana's ban on same-sex marriages yesterday, a rare loss for gay marriage supporters who had won more than 20 consecutive rulings overturning bans in other states. US District Judge Martin Feldman also upheld the state's refusal to recognize same-sex marriages performed legally in other...

NYC's St. Paddy's Parade Lets Gay Group March

OUT@NBCUniversal will carry own banner

(Newser) - For the first time, New York City's St. Patrick's Day parade, the biggest in the world, will allow a gay group to participate with a banner of its own, the AP reports. Previously, gay groups had only been allowed to join in combination with other groups, and their...

Tony Dungy Takes Heat, Says He's No Homophobe

Former NFL coach clarifies his Michael Sam comments

(Newser) - Tony Dungy says he's not prejudiced, despite his comment a couple days ago that he wouldn't have drafted openly gay player Michael Sam, TMZ reports. "I gave my honest answer, which is that I felt drafting him would bring much distraction to the team," Dungy said...

UK Ballroom Dance Council Moves to Ban Gay Couples

Current leaders would be unable to defend title

(Newser) - The UK's top ballroom dance authority is planning a big backward sashay when it comes to gay rights. The British Dance Council is considering a proposal that would ban same-sex couples from mainstream competitions, instead creating same-sex-only categories, the Guardian reports. The move would prevent the current leaders in...

Faith Groups to Obama: Let Us Discriminate Against Gays

They want Obama to grant them a 'robust' exemption in executive order

(Newser) - In the wake of the Hobby Lobby ruling , another faith-based issue for President Obama: Religious group leaders—including Michael Wear, the man who led the president’s faith-outreach initiative in 2012—are spearheading an effort that seeks a "robust" exemption for religious organizations from Obama’s still-unsigned anti-bias executive...

Elton John: WWJD? Approve of Gay Marriage

Says he wants to talk to Vladimir Putin about gay rights

(Newser) - Elton John is finally getting married , and the outspoken singer thinks Jesus would totally be down with gay marriage—even among priests ( he's claimed Jesus was himself gay in the past). "If Jesus Christ was alive today, I cannot see him, as the Christian person that...

2 More Courts Find Gay Marriage Bans Unconstitutional

Same-sex marriage's post-DOMA winning streak continues

(Newser) - Same-sex marriage continued its remarkable legal winning streak today, as a federal appeals court affirmed that Utah's ban was unconstitutional, and a separate court said the same of Indiana's ban. The Utah decision is the first such ruling from a federal appeals court, according to the AP . "...

Court: Alabama Can't Criminalize Gay Sex

Law said consent was 'no defense to prosecution'

(Newser) - An Alabama appeals court has ruled the state's ban on consensual gay sex is unconstitutional. The measure banned oral and anal sex, adding that "consent is no defense to a prosecution under this subdivision"; in a unanimous ruling, judges said the law was aimed at banning gay sex,...

1964 Memo Reveals Feds' Rampant Zeal in Firing Gays

'Once a homo always a homo,' document says

(Newser) - Lyndon Johnson may have signed the Civil Rights Act, but when it came to gay people, his administration was more than ready to discriminate. In a 1964 memo, revealed today by the New York Times , an administration official outlines just how dedicated the government was to rooting out homosexuals. "...

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