The Mayor Of Pittsburgh Is Throwing A Same-Sex Group Wedding

he Republican governor of Pennsylvania has announced he will not appeal a federal judge’s ruling striking down the state ban on same-sex marriage, and Pittsburgh’s Democratic mayor has decided to celebrate.

Mayor Bill Peduto has announced he will not only officiate, he will pick up the tab for the weddings and receptions of up to twenty same-sex couples during Pride Fest next month.

Gallup's Values And Beliefs Poll Finds Americans Are Still Split On Homosexuality's Origins

Despite national advances in the fight for same-sex marriage, Americans remain sharply split on the origins of homosexuality, a new Gallup survey has revealed.

New data from Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs poll found that 37 percent of Americans believed that people became gay or lesbian as the result of favors like upbringing and environment, compared with 42 percent who said that people were born gay. Interestingly, the latter result is down 5 percentage points from 2013, when 47 percent of respondents said they believed people were born gay or lesbian.

The poll revealed some religious, political and demographic splits, too: those with college educations, whites, females, liberals, Democrats, high-income earners, and those who seldom or never attend church were the most likely to believe that being gay or lesbian is something people are born with.

The results of the poll were based on a random sample of 1,028 adults, age 18 and over, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Results from an earlier Gallup poll found that support for marriage equality had reached an all-time high in the U.S., with 55 percent of respondents in favor of recognizing same-sex unions.

Duck Dynasty Dad Phil Robertson To Share His Views With Republican Leadership Conference

“Duck Dynasty” patriarch Phil Robertson will share his views tonight as the guest speaker at the opening night of the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans. 

Here’s the promo video released two weeks ago showing clips from 2011 of Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann and Allen West claiming victory in 2012.

Gay Marriage Will Become Law Of The Land

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch conceded Wednesday it's only a matter of time before gay marriage is legal across the country, even though he doesn't think that's the right way to go.

Hatch said people who can't see what's happening aren't living in the real world. He made the remarks during an appearance on KSL-Radio's Doug Wright Show (http://bit.ly/1koFdlh).

"Let's face it: anybody who does not believe that gay marriage is going to be the law of the land just hasn't been observing what's going on," said Hatch, a seven-term Republican senator who has been a proponent of keeping marriage exclusively between a man and a woman.

Ryland's Story

Two of the greatest things a parent can give a child in this life are unconditional love and acceptance, and the Whittingtons have done just that.

Incredible Story Of Transgender Son Will Have You Crying... And Then Cheering

Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Charlie Dent Comes Out For Gay Marriage

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) came out in support of gay marriage on Wednesday in an interview with The Washington Post.

"Life is too short to have the force of government stand in the way of two adults whose pursuit of happiness includes marriage," Dent told the Post. "As a Republican, I value equality, personal freedom and a more limited role for government in our lives... I believe this philosophy should apply to the issue of marriage as well."

Supreme Court Wades In To Oregon Marriage Ruling

Late yesterday, the National Organization For Marriage officially requested the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the ruling by a federal judge that found Oregon‘s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Today, Justice Anthony Kennedy responded, requesting information from both parties in the case.

That means Justice Kennedy may intervene in the case, stay the ruling, and halt any future marriages, or he may decline to accept NOM’s motion, or he may pass the entire case to the full Court, which would then make a determination to proceed or to decline to intervene.

Court watchers believe that NOM does not have standing to defend Oregon’s marriage ban, and that Judge Michael McShane appropriately ruled on the case when he handed down his decision nine days ago. NOM had waited eight days to make the formal request.

Houston Passes Wide-Reaching Non-Discrimination Ordinance

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The Houston city council this evening passed an historic non-discrimination ordinance that bans discrimination on the basis of “sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, familial status, marital status, military status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or pregnancy.” Houston, a city of more than 2.1 million people and America’s fourth-largest, had been the only major U.S. city without a non-discrimination ordinance. The vote was 11-6.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

‘We don’t serve fags’ at Big Earl’s in Pittsburg, Texas

A same-sex couple says they were told not to come back to a restaurant in East Texas because Big Earl’s “doesn’t serve fags.”

Collin Dewberry and Kelly Williams said tehy had breakfast at Big Earl’s in Pittsburg, Texas, and “everything seemed to be going fine” until after they paid their check. That’s when they were approached by “Big Eaarl’s” daughter and told them not to return.

Owner Earl Cheney says his daughter simply “told them the rules are on the door and it says ‘Welcome to Big Earl’s where men act like men, women act like ladies, no saggy pants and we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.’”

Cheney said it was the couple’s behavior — “touching legs” — that violated the restaurant’s policy, not their sexual orientation, but admits that his daughter used the gay slur.

“She’s a young lady, didn’t know what else to say, and they just kept on and she finally said we just don’t like fags,” he explained.

Jon Stewart Can't Deal With Arizona's 'Morally Repugnant' Anti-Gay Discrimination Bill

HRC Links Antigay Americans to Russia's Anti-LGBT Climate

 A new video from the Human Rights Campaign takes American antigay activists to task for stoking the flames of LGBT hatred in Russia.

ARIZONA SENATE PASSES BILL ALLOWING BUSINESSES TO REFUSE SERVICE TO GAYS BASED ON RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

Arizona's Senate has voted 17-13 to approve a bill allowing businesses to refuse service to gays based on religious beliefs, the Arizona Daily Star reports:

The 17-13 vote along party lines, with Republicans in the majority, came after supporters defeated an attempt to extend existing employment laws that bar discrimination based on religion and race to also include sexual orientation. Sen. Steve Yarbrough (pictured), R-Chandler, said that's a separate issue from what he is trying to do.

But Sen. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, said that's precisely the issue.

"The bill opens the door for discrimination against gays and lesbians," he said.

Yarbrough, however, said foes of SB 1062 are twisting what his legislation says.

"This bill is not about discrimination," he said. "It's about preventing discrimination against people who are clearly living out their faith."

What Happens When A Black Man And A White Man Try To Break Into The Same Car

STEPHEN COLBERT WELCOMES 'PIERS MORGAN ABUSER' AND TRANS ACTIVIST JANET MOCK

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Anglican Bishops Bar Priests From Celebrating Same-Sex Marriages

Just days after the head of the Church of England warned its bishops that opposing LGBT rights would paint the church in a bigoted light, the bishops adopted new guidelines saying priests should not bless same-sex unions.

With same-sex marriages set to begin in March in England and Wales, the House of Bishops drafted new guidelines that warn "blessing should not be provided" to same-sex weddings but suggests that priests "should respond pastorally and sensitively in other ways."

The guidelines, posted on the church's website Saturday, appear to be somewhat at odds with a bishops' report issued last year, which said priests "should be free to mark the formation of a permanent same-sex relationship in a public service," although they would not be obligated to do so. The Saturday posting states that an "informal kind of prayer, at the request of the couple, might be appropriate," with "the assumption that any prayer will be accompanied by pastoral discussion of the church's teaching and their reasons for departing from it."

Individuals married to a person of the same gender will continue to be barred from ordination, and the rules also prohibit "someone in holy orders" from entering a same-sex union.

Last week Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual head of the world's 77 million Christians in communion with the Anglican Church, warned that opposition to LGBT rights would have a negative impact on how some view the faith.

Chelsea Clinton Tackles LGBT Bullying: “Changing Laws Is Insufficient”

‘Juno’ And ‘Inception’ Star Ellen Page Announces ‘I Am Gay’

Ellen Page, best known for portraying intelligent and quirky characters in hit films including “Juno,” “Inception,” and “X-Men: The Last Stand,” Friday told an audience attending HRC’s Las Vegas conference for LGBT teens, “I’m here today because I am gay. And because maybe I can make a difference. To help others have an easier and more hopeful time. Regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility.”

Kansas Senate Rejects House ‘Freedom To Discriminate’ Bill

The Kansas State Senate has refused to consider a House bill that would make it legal to refuse service to gays due to “sincerely held religious beliefs”. Senate Republicans say the bill is too extreme.

House Bill 2453, which passed the House by a lopsided 72-49 vote, would have allowed anyone with religious objections to homosexuality to discriminate against gays at any time. Doctors. Teachers. Firefighters. Ambulance drivers.

From HB 2453:

“if it would be contrary to the sincerely held religious beliefs of the individual or religious entity…no individual or religious entity shall be required by any governmental entity to…[p]rovide any services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods, or privileges; provide counseling, adoption, foster care and other social services; or provide employment or employment benefits, related to, or related to the celebration of, any marriage, domestic partnership, civil union or similar arrangement; solemnize any marriage, domestic partnership, civil union or similar arrangement; or treat any marriage, domestic partnership, civil union or similar arrangement as valid.”

The Kansas Senate, with its 32-8 Republican majority, was expected to rubber stamp the legislation, but sanity has prevailed. Senate President, Republican Susan Wagle, told the Wichita Eagle that allowing government employees to discriminate went too far:

“I believe that when you hire police officers or a fireman that they have no choice in who they serve. They serve anyone who’s vulnerable, any age, any race, any sexual orientation. Public service needs to remain public service for the entire public.”

Lawmakers Cheer As Ugandan President Declares ‘War With The Homosexual Lobby’

After admonishing the Parliament of his own nation late last year for “repeatedly” breaking the law by passing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill without the required quorum, and strongly suggesting he would not sign it, the President of Uganda announced at his national party retreat last week that he will sign the bill.

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill mandates jail sentences — including life in prison — for those accused of having sex with members of their own gender, and for those who know LGBT people but do not report them to authorities. Jail is also mandated for those who support LGBT civil rights and the LGBT community.

Watch this video as the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, tells the lawmakers of his party he will sign the bill. Watch as he announces, “We shall have a war with the homosexual lobby, in the world, backed by these people and you.”

Watch as the stand, applaud, and cheer.

Anti-Gay Prejudice Is Killing Gay People

A study just released by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health finds that gay people living in communities entrenched with high levels of anti-gay bigotry, prejudice, and hate, are expected to die 12 years earlier than their peers living in more progressive and accepting environments.

“Shorter life expectancy of 12 years on average for LGB individuals in communities with high vs. low stigma,” a statement on the study reads.

“Our findings indicate that sexual minorities living in communities with higher levels of prejudice die sooner than sexual minorities living in low-prejudice communities, and that these effects are independent of established risk factors for mortality, including household income, education, gender, ethnicity, and age, as well as the average income and education level of residents in the communities where the respondents lived,” the study’s lead author, Mark Hatzenbuehler, PhD, assistant professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia, said in a statement. “In fact, our results for prejudice were comparable to life expectancy differences that have been observed between individuals with and without a high school education.”

The study looked at data from 1988 to 2008.

“In order to examine the relationship between prejudice and mortality, the researchers constructed a measure capturing the average level of anti-gay prejudice in the communities where LGB individuals lived… This information on sexual orientation and community-level prejudice was then linked longitudinally to mortality data via the National Death Index, through 2008. Thus, the authors were able to examine whether mortality risk differed for LGB individuals who lived in communities that were characterized by high versus low levels of prejudice. By the end of the study, 92% of LGB respondents living in low-prejudice communities were still alive; in contrast, only 78% of the LGB respondents living in high-prejudice communities were still alive.” [Bolding ours]

LOS ANGELES SEVENTH GRADER MAKES POIGNANT STOP-MOTION MOVIE IN SUPPORT OF GAY MARRIAGE

Scarlett Dennis, a 7th grader from Los Angeles, has created an artistic statement in support of same-sex marriage that demands to be seen. HuffPost reported on the young artist, whose minute-long stop-motion animated film, "The Story of Larry and Gerald," is a poignant and emotional call for gay rights. Larry and Gerald refuse to compromise their love, despite the protests they meet along the way, and something tells us that Ms. Dennis will be a similarly staunch advocate and ally for years to come.

First Openly Gay Eagle Scout

A Maryland teenager has become the first openly gay Boy Scout to achieve the youth organization’s highest rank.

Pascal Tessier, 17, accepted the Eagle Scout badge Monday night in Chevy Chase, Md. Tessier, who received the honor at a meeting of Boy Scout Troop 52, is the first known out scout to attain the Boy Scouts of America’s highest rank since the organization's national council voted to lift its ban on gay members (but not adult leaders) last May. The new policy went into effect January of this year.

“It’s just really amazing, and it honestly hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Tessier told The Washington Post. “We didn’t know if it was going to happen at all.”

Irish Archbishop: Stop Homophobia in the Church

The highest-ranking Catholic bishop in Ireland is denouncing those who use church teaching and scripture to discriminate against LGBT people.

Dublin's Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said on national public service broadcaster RTÉ's This Week that he lamented a culture of homophobia in Ireland.

""Anyone who grew up in Ireland would have told jokes that were pointed at the gay community ... it is part of the culture we grew up in, but we have to grow out of it," he said.

While restating the Roman Catholic Church's position that marriage should be exclusive to heterosexual couples in advance of an upcoming referendum of marriage equality in Ireland, he said that same-sex couples should not be prohibited from celebrating their unions in other ways.

Martin said that bigotry toward LGBT people is an insult to God.

"Anybody who doesn't show love towards gay and lesbian people is insulting God. They are not just homophobic if they do that, they are actually Godophobic because God loves every one of those people," he said.

Happy Valentine's Day

President and CEO Scott Fraser says:

“Our Gun Oil products for men and PINK products for women are designed for the wellness and sensual enjoyment of everyone, regardless of orientation, preference, and relationship status. In light of progressive advances in marriage equality and the right to serve our country sweeping across the U.S., we felt this view of life was a story that was not being told with the authenticity and compassion it deserved.”