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• French president signs gay marriage into law

  May 18, 2013 3:32 PM

  PARIS - France will see its first gay weddings within days, after French President Francois Hollande signed a law Saturday authorizing marriage and adoption by same-sex couples and ending months of nationwide protests and wrenching debate. Hollande's office said he signed the bill Saturday morning, a day after the Constitutional... more »

• Group rallies in opposition to allowing gay Scouts

  May 17, 2013 2:53 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Opponents of allowing openly-gay members of the Boy Scouts gathered today in Baton Rouge to voice their concerns. About 15 members of the group "On My Honor" held signs and Scouting uniforms at the Pennington Boy Scouts building on Brookline Drive. It was one of 40... more »

• Young gay athletes set tone for NBA coming out

  May 4, 2013 12:08 PM

  CHICAGO - Over the past week, some have called NBA player Jason Collins a role model for being the first man in a major U.S. professional sport to come out as gay. In some ways, young athletes and their supporters have helped pave the way for pros like Collins. Ellen... more »

• House committee rejects gay discrimination ban

  May 1, 2013 2:32 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A ban on discrimination against state employees because of their sexual orientation has been rejected in a House committee. The 6-3 vote shelves the proposal by New Orleans Rep. Austin Badon. Badon says people should be judged on their employment qualifications, rather than on whether they are gay.... more »

• Collins says support after coming out 'incredible'

  April 30, 2013 9:05 AM

  LOS ANGELES - Jason Collins says the support that he's received since coming out has been "incredible." In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America", Collins says that he believes people are ready to support an openly gay basketball player. The 34-year-old became the first active player in... more »

• NBA veteran Jason Collins comes out as gay

  April 29, 2013 11:13 AM

  NEW YORK - NBA veteran center Jason Collins has become the first active male professional athlete in the major four American sports leagues to come out as gay. Collins wrote a first-person account posted Monday on Sports Illustrated's website. The 34-year-old Collins has played for six NBA teams in 12... more »

• Supreme Court hears DOMA case

  March 27, 2013 11:46 AM

  WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court is indicating it could strike down the federal law that prevents legally married gay couples from receiving a range of federal benefits for married people. Justice Anthony Kennedy, often the decisive vote in close cases, joined the four more liberal justices in raising questions about... more »

• Marriage equality weighed in Baton Rouge Play Video

  March 26, 2013 5:48 PM

  BATON ROUGE - As the Supreme Court of the United States weighs marriage equality issues, leaders in Louisiana are voicing their opinions on the matter too. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, spoke to a group in Central today, focusing on the importance of protecting children from... more »

• Court could avoid wide-ranging ruling on gay marriage

  March 26, 2013 5:18 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court could end up avoiding a major national ruling on whether America's gays have a right to marry. During arguments today on California's ban on same-sex marriage, several justices raised doubts that the case should even be before them. And Justice Anthony Kennedy -- possibly the... more »

• Justices hear arguments on Calif. gay marriage ban

  March 26, 2013 10:33 AM

  WASHINGTON - A lawyer seeking an end to California's ban on same-sex marriage is comparing it to bans on interracial marriages, a prohibition the Supreme Court declared illegal decades ago. In charged back-and-forth exchanges with justices, lawyer Theodore Olson said that the court should look to its 1967 Loving case,... more »

• Public braves snow for gay marriage case tickets

  March 25, 2013 10:48 AM

  WASHINGTON - People waiting to attend to gay marriage cases being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court have been undeterred by snow falling in the nation's capital. More than three dozen people were waiting Monday to get tickets to the cases, which will be heard Tuesday and Wednesday. Many of... more »

• Boy Scouts board meets amid talk of policy on gays

  February 6, 2013 7:12 AM

  IRVING, Texas - The Boy Scouts of America's policy excluding gay members and leaders could be up for a vote as soon as Wednesday, when the organization's national executive board meets behind closed doors under intense pressure from several sides. BSA announced last week it was considering allowing troops to... more »

• British lawmakers vote in favor of gay marriage

  February 5, 2013 2:24 PM

  LONDON- British lawmakers have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill to legalize same-sex marriages. The government-proposed bill would enable same-sex couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies, provided that the religious institution consents. In a first House of Commons vote on Tuesday, lawmakers voted 400 to... more »

• Merck Foundation stops giving to Boy Scouts

  December 10, 2012 12:34 PM

  WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. - Merck's charitable foundation has stopped giving money to the Boy Scouts of America. The Merck Foundation says the Boy Scouts' exclusion of gays from its ranks and leadership positions conflicts with giving guidelines and the company's nondiscrimination policy. The foundation says it will reconsider giving money... more »

• Court to hear gay marriage cases

  December 7, 2012 3:37 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court will take up California's ban on same-sex marriage, a case that could give the justices the chance to rule on whether gay Americans have the same constitutional right to marry as heterosexuals. The justices said Monday they will review a federal appeals court ruling that... more »

• Gay marriages could see Supreme Court action

  November 29, 2012 2:48 PM

  WASHINGTON - The running fight over gay marriage is shifting from the ballot box to the Supreme Court. Three weeks after voters backed same-sex marriage in three states and defeated a ban in a fourth, the justices are meeting Friday to decide whether they should deal sooner rather than later... more »

• UPS ends grants to Boy Scouts over discrimination

  November 12, 2012 4:14 PM

  ATLANTA - The UPS Foundation says it will no longer give grants to the Boy Scouts of America as long as the group excludes gays and lesbians from being scouts or scout leaders. The philanthropic arm of the Atlanta-based shipping giant made the change Thursday after an online petition protesting... more »

• Catholic bishops stay course on gay marriage fight

  November 12, 2012 2:41 PM

  BALTIMORE - The nation's Roman Catholic bishops say they won't change their strategy on gay marriage or birth control coverage despite the outcome of the election. Bishops have been in the forefront of opposing same-sex marriage. But voters decided ballot questions in four states last week in favor of gay... more »

• Wash. voters approve gay marriage

  November 8, 2012 3:34 PM

  OLYMPIA, Wash. - Voters in Washington state have approved gay marriage, joining Maine and Maryland as the first states to pass same-sex marriage by popular vote. Referendum 74 asked people to approve or reject a law legalizing same-sex marriage that Washington legislators passed earlier this year. The law was signed... more »

• White House: Obama opposes Boy Scouts' ban on gays

  August 8, 2012 5:25 PM

  NEW YORK - The White House says President Barack Obama, who is honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America, opposes the youth organization's policy of excluding gays as members and adult leaders. The Boy Scouts say they respect Obama's opinion and believe that "good people" can disagree on the... more »

• Sally Ride's secret from the grave

  July 25, 2012 7:55 PM

  The late astronaut, Sally Ride, who died this week protected her privacy and came out as being gay only in her obituary. The obituary she co-wrote before her death mentions her same-sex partner of 27 years. Her circle of family and friends have known for years she was gay but... more »

• UL Lafayette gay studies minor under fire

  July 13, 2012 11:52 AM

  LAFAYETTE - The head of a prominent conservative Christian group in Louisiana is critical of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette for offering a new minor in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender studies. The Advocate reports that the area of study was first offered in the spring. Louisiana Family Forum President Gene... more »

• Anderson Cooper: 'The fact is, I'm gay'

  July 2, 2012 11:02 AM

  NEW YORK - CNN's Anderson Cooper came out in a letter online, saying "the fact is, I'm gay." Cooper said Monday in a note to the Daily Beast's Andrew Sullivan that he had kept his sexual orientation private for personal and professional reasons, but came to think that remaining silent... more »

• President defends endorsement of gay marriage

  May 14, 2012 4:27 PM

  NEW YORK - President Barack Obama is defending his personal view that gay couples should have the right to marry. The President says the country has never gone wrong when it has "expanded rights and responsibilities to everybody." Mr. Obama was raising money before an audience of gay and... more »

• NC Governor: "We look like Mississippi"

  May 11, 2012 1:11 PM

  GREENVILLE - North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue says passage of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman makes the state "look like Mississippi." Perdue was in Greenville on Friday to tout her proposed state budget for 2012-2013. Perdue said people around the country are... more »

• WATCH: Obama voices his support for gay marriage

  May 9, 2012 2:37 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says he now supports same-sex marriage, ending months of equivocation on a subject with powerful election-year consequences. Obama says he has concluded that it is important for him to affirm that he thinks same-sex couples should be able to get married. He says he came... more »

• Former Rutgers student convicted in webcam case

  March 16, 2012 11:45 AM

  NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - A former Rutgers University student accused of using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate's love life has been convicted of bias intimidation and invasion of privacy in a case that exploded into the headlines when the victim of the snooping committed suicide. Twenty-year-old Dharun... more »

• Closings Tuesday in Rutgers webcam spying trial

  March 12, 2012 6:02 PM

  NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - The defense has rested in the trial of a former Rutgers University student who is accused of spying on his gay roommate. Defendant Dharun Ravi did not testify. Ravi is accused of using a webcam to watch and to record Tyler Clementi's sexual encounter with... more »

• Gay marriage bill signed

  March 1, 2012 4:38 PM

  ANNAPOLIS, MD. - Maryland's governor has signed a bill legalizing gay marriage, joining seven other states and the District of Columbia. Governor Martin O'Malley signed the bill today one week after its final passage by the Maryland Legislature. The law is scheduled to take effect in January 2013.... more »

• Washington state lawmakers pass gay marriage bill

  February 9, 2012 3:06 AM

  OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Washington state Legislature has voted to legalize gay marriage, setting the stage for the state to become the seventh in the nation to allow same-sex couples to wed. The action comes a day after a federal appeals court declared California's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional. The... more »

• Private charged in Wikileaks says being gay influenced him

  December 18, 2011 11:07 AM

  FORT MEADE, Md- Lawyers for the Army private charged in the biggest leak of classified information in U.S. history say he was influenced by his struggles with being a gay soldier. The military hearing continued Sunday to determine whether Pfc. Bradley Manning will stand trial at a court-martial for allegedly... more »

• Gay man's home vandalized, caught on tape

  October 4, 2011 5:54 PM

  BATON ROUGE - It's a crime that has one gay man offended, and scared that this may be just the beginning. For weeks, "bigots" as he calls them continue to steal a rainbow flag from his house; sometimes throwing it in the street or the front yard and often... more »

• Obama ends gays in military ban

  July 22, 2011 3:40 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has formally repealed the ban on gays serving openly in the military. Administration officials say Obama on Friday signed a certification ending the 17-year-old "don't ask don't tell" policy. The president took the step, as expected, after meeting in the Oval Office with... more »

• `2 dads' case goes to Supreme Court

  July 11, 2011 6:23 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A gay rights organization is seeking Supreme Court review of the case of a gay couple who wanted both their names to appear on the birth certificate of the Louisiana child they adopted in New York. Lambda Legal said Monday it filed for court review in... more »

• Court hears gay dads' birth certificate case

  January 19, 2011 3:16 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- Whether a child suffers harm from not having both adoptive parents' names on a birth certificate was one of the issues before an appeals court as Louisiana fought an order to put two homosexual men's names on the certificate of a child adopted in another state. Today's... more »

• Senate votes to overturn military gay ban

  December 18, 2010 4:32 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - In a landmark for gay rights, the Senate on Saturday voted to let gays serve openly in the military, giving President Barack Obama the chance to fulfill a campaign promise and repeal the 17-year policy known as "don't ask, don't tell." Obama was expected to sign... more »

• Senate sets final vote on lifting military gay ban

  December 18, 2010 12:05 PM

  WASHINGTON- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the Senate will take a final vote Saturday afternoon on legislation that would overturn the military ban on openly gay troops. The vote on ending the "don't ask, don't tell" policy is set for 3 p.m. before senators turn to a nuclear... more »

• House votes to repeal ban on open gays in military

  December 15, 2010 4:27 PM

  WASHINGTON - The House has voted to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that has stifled the service of gays in the military. The strong House vote to end the policy that since 1993 has barred openly gay people from military service shifts the debate to the Senate. There,... more »

• Senate blocks repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell'

  December 9, 2010 3:20 PM

  WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans have blocked legislation that would have repealed the military's policy of "don't ask, don't tell" and allowed gay troops to serve openly. Democrats failed Thursday to cinch a procedural deal with Republicans in the waning days of the lame-duck session. The 57-40 test vote fell three... more »

• Judge awards legal fees in Miss. lesbian prom case

  October 26, 2010 11:29 AM

  A federal judge has ordered a Mississippi school district to pay just over $81,000 in legal fees and expenses in a lawsuit filed by a lesbian student whose prom was canceled because she wanted to bring her girlfriend. U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson signed the order on Monday... more »

• Military recruiters told to accept gay applicants

  October 19, 2010 12:12 PM

  A Pentagon spokeswoman says recruiters have been told that they must accept gay applicants, following a federal court decision striking down the ban on gays serving openly in the military. Spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said Tuesday that top-level guidance has been issued to recruiting commands informing them that the military's "don't... more »

• Judge orders 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' injunction

  October 12, 2010 2:40 PM

  A federal judge has issued a worldwide injunction stopping enforcement of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, ending the military's 17-year-old ban on openly gay troops. U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips' landmark ruling Tuesday was widely cheered by gay rights organizations that credited her with getting accomplished what President Obama... more »

• Teen gang recruit beaten, sodomized for being gay

  October 8, 2010 1:02 PM

  Members of a New York City street gang found out one of their teenage recruits was gay, so they brutally beat and tortured him, his sexual partner, and another teenager according to police in New York City. Seven people were arrested on charges of assault, unlawful imprisonment, sodomy and menacing... more »

• Study: 1 in 5 urban gay and bisexual men have HIV

  September 23, 2010 11:30 AM

  A government study found one in five sexually active gay and bisexual men is infected with HIV, and nearly half of those infected don't know they have the disease. The study is considered the largest to look at urban gay and bisexual men at high risk for HIV, the... more »

• Archie Comics introduces first gay character

  April 23, 2010 12:54 PM

  Riverdale High is getting its first gay character. Archie Comics announced Thursday that in an issue out Sept. 1, the long-running comic will introduce its first "openly gay" character, Kevin Keller. The strapping blond will defeat Jughead in a burger eating contest, win the affection of Veronica and... more »

• General says gays should be allowed to serve in military

  February 22, 2010 1:27 PM

  Everyone should be allowed to serve in the U.S. military, regardless of their sexual orientation, says the top commanding general in Iraq. It's the first comment from a senior military leader on active duty since the Pentagon said it will study issue earlier this month. Gen. Raymond Odierno... more »

• Louisiana must put two dads' names on birth certificate

  February 18, 2010 5:21 PM

  The federal appeals court in New Orleans has ruled that Louisiana must put two dads' names on a revised birth certificate of a boy adopted by a gay couple. Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith,a couple from San Diego, Ca., adopted a boy in New York in 2006. The... more »

• Gates to announce senior-level review on gay ban

  February 2, 2010 5:50 AM

  Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to announce a yearlong study on allowing gays to openly serve in the military. President Barack Obama called on Congress to repeal the 1993 law, but Democrats have said they want more guidance on how a major upheaval can be avoided if the "don't... more »

• Police force first Mr. Gay China pageant to close

  January 15, 2010 6:14 AM

  Organizers of China first gay pageant say police forced them to cancel the event just one hour before it was to start. The event organizer says he was told by police that the event could not take place because he had not applied to stage the event "according to procedures."... more »

• Court blocks taping of gay marriage trial

  January 11, 2010 10:11 AM

  The Supreme Court is blocking a broadcast of the trial on California's same-sex marriage ban, at least for the first few days. The federal trial is scheduled to begin later Monday in San Francisco. It will consider whether the Proposition 8 gay marriage ban approved by California voters in November... more »

• Lawmakers in Mexico City legalize gay marriage

  December 21, 2009 4:43 PM

  Mexico City has become the first city in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage. The move gives homosexual couples rights like adopting children. The bill calls for changing the definition of marriage in the city's civil code. Right now, marriage is currently defined as the union of a man... more »

• Federal hate crime list to expand to protect gay people

  October 22, 2009 4:59 PM

  Physical attacks on people based on their sexuality or gender will join the list of federal hate crimes. It's a major expansion of a civil rights-era law, which protects people against hate crimes based on their race, religion, or national origin. Congress approved the measure Thursday and sent it... more »

• Appeals court hears arguments in gay adoption case

  October 7, 2009 11:43 AM

  A federal appeals court has heard arguments on whether Louisiana must put both fathers' names on the birth certificate of a boy born in Shreveport and adopted in New York State by a gay couple. Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith, now of San Diego, want both of their names... more »