Transgender Discrimination Is 'The Civil Rights Issue Of Our Time'

Vice President Joe Biden said transgender discrimination is "the civil rights issue of our time" during a visit to a Florida field office on Tuesday, according to pool reports.

Biden was meeting with volunteers at an Obama for America office in Sarasota, Fla., when he singled out one woman "who he thought had beautiful eyes," reads the pool report. The woman said something to Biden that was inaudible to the pool reporter, but Biden responded to her by saying it was the "civil rights issue of our time."

Brad Pitt Donates $100,000 To HRC's Gay Marriage Campaign

Brad Pitt has always been a strong advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, but his latest move might be his most profound yet.

As The Los Angeles Times is reporting, the Academy Award-nominated actor is donating $100,000 to the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) National Marriage Fund, which is focused on supporting initiatives in four states where same-sex marriage legislation will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot. Pitt's donation will be split evenly among Maine, Maryland and Washington, where ballot measures seek to legalize gay marriage, as well as Minnesota, where LGBT advocates are fighting an amendment which would effectively ban same-sex couples from tying the knot in the state's constitution.

"It's unbelievable to me that people's lives and relationships are literally being voted on in a matter of days," Pitt is quoted as saying on the HRC website. "In Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington, voters will go to the polls to decide if gay and lesbian couples -- our friends and neighbors -- are worthy of the same protections as everyone else."

Voting For Choice and Gay Rights Will Land You In Hell

Failed presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is using some pretty thinly veiled language to scare voters into making the “right”choice next week.

"Many issues are at stake, but some issues are not negotiable: The right to life from conception to natural death. Marriage should be reinforced, not redefined. It is an egregious violation of our cherished principle of religious liberty for the government to force the Church to buy the kind of insurance that leads to the taking of innocent human life.

Your vote will affect the future and be recorded in eternity. Will you vote the values that will stand the test of fire? This is Mike Huckabee asking you to join me November 6th and vote based on values that will stand the test of fire."

Coco Peru Tracks Down Suspiciously Similar Wig at Target

Miss Coco Peru was hearing whispers of a wig sold in Target that "sits dangerously close to the style of her own natural beautiful hair" so she went to investigate.

Happy Halloween

Mitt Romney Expresses Horror That Gays are Marrying and Parenting Children

Michelangelo Signorile points  to two hideous clips of Mitt Romney attacking gays recently posted to YouTube by Boston Globe reporter Murray Waas, which relate to his recent article about Romney's inconsistent policy as governor when it came to altering birth certificates to recognize same-sex couples legally married in the state after a 2003 court win.

Supreme Court To Decide Fate of Prop 8 and DOMA Cases in Conference on November 20

The Supreme Court will conference the DOMA cases and federal challenge to Proposition 8 in a private meeting on November 20, AFER reports:

The Justices will meet to discuss our case, along with several challenges to the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), at their private Conference scheduled for Tuesday, November 20.

The Court is expected to either:

Grant review of our Prop. 8 challenge, at which point AFER’s legal team, led by distinguished attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies, will submit written briefs and present oral arguments by April 2013. A final decision on Prop. 8 and marriage equality is expected by June 2013.

Deny review, making permanent the landmark federal appeals court ruling that found Prop. 8 UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Marriage equality will be restored in California.

Madonna Offered Ellen Words Of Wisdom On Coming Out

The Maine Marriage-Equality Story That Will Break Your Heart

In the video above, 68-year-old Joseph Stackpole reflects on his impending death from a rare strain of  leukemia. Stackpole and his partner of 16 years, 70-year-old Richard Johnson, were wed in Massachusetts but the lifelong Mainer wants to survive long enough to see same-sex marriage passed in his home state. “Suddenly your life could end any day,” Stackpole says, “and you’re leaving behind a husband who depends upon you and loves you.”

Jason Chaffetz Admits House GOP Cut Funding For Embassy Security

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) acknowledged on Wednesday that House Republicans had consciously voted to reduce the funds allocated to the State Department for embassy security since winning the majority in 2010.

On Wednesday morning, CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien asked the Utah Republican if he had "voted to cut the funding for embassy security."

"Absolutely," Chaffetz said. "Look we have to make priorities and choices in this country. We have…15,000 contractors in Iraq. We have more than 6,000 contractors, a private army there, for President Obama, in Baghdad. And we’re talking about can we get two dozen or so people into Libya to help protect our forces. When you’re in tough economic times, you have to make difficult choices. You have to prioritize things.”

Said What About Rape Now?

Obama Endorses Washington State Marriage Equality

President Obama on Thursday officially endorsed Washington's Referendum 74, which would affirm marriage equality in the Evergreen State.

According to Paul Bell, press secretary for Obama's reeelection efforts in the northwestern state, "While the president does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the president believes in treating everyone fairly and equally, with dignity and respect. Washington's same-sex marriage law would treat all Washington couples equally, and that is why the Presdient supports a vote to approve Referendum 74."

Colbert Offers Trump $1 Million

LGBT people and supporters are 'worthy of death'

A recent town hall meeting sponsored by the Maryland Family Alliance, a coalition working to defeat Maryland's marriage equality law, has inflamed the gay marriage debate on news that a local pastor declared that LGBT people and their supporters are “worthy of death.”

Speaking during a panel discussion on Oct. 19 on the upcoming Maryland ballot initiative, Question 6, that asks votes to approve or reject the same-sex marriage law approved in the state legislature and signed by Gov. Martin O'Malley earlier this year, the Rev. Robert J. Anderson read from scripture as part of his argument against allowing same-sex unions.

“Those who practice such things are deserving of death,” Anderson said, quoting from Romans, Chapter 1. He went on to argue that if Question 6 is not defeated on Nov. 6, “then we are approving those things that are worthy of death.”

Strikeout #8 for DOMA

What The Hell Was That?

After the foreign policy debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney concluded, one thing was perfectly clear: Mitt Romney agrees with all of Barack Obama's failed foreign policies.

Jon Stewart was flabbergasted on Tuesday night's "Daily Show" as he presented a side-by-side, nearly word-for-word comparison between the two candidates. "What the hell was that?" he aptly asked.

N.Y. high court declines to hear appeal challenging same-sex marriage law

The New York state Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, on Tuesday declined to hear an appeal by the conservative group New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, who were seeking to have New York’s same-sex marriage law overturned.

Surprise: No difference in development of foster kids adopted by gay or straight parents

High-risk children adopted from foster care by gay parents fare equally in their cognitive and emotional development as those adopted by heterosexual parents, according to a new UCLA study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.

The study is the first to compare children who were adopted out of foster care by gay men, lesbians, and heterosexual couples, and to track their progress over time, said lead author Justin Lavner, a doctoral candidate at UCLA.

The researchers followed 82 children in Los Angeles County -- 22 of whom were adopted by gay parents at the average age of 4 -- and evaluated them after two months, one year, and two years after they were placed with their adoptive families.

According to the study, children in both household types showed significant gains in cognitive development and maintained similar levels of behavior problems over time, even though the children adopted by gay parents often had more risk factors than those adopted by heterosexual parents.

Mayor Bloomberg Donates $500,000 To Marriage-Equality Battlegrounds

For a single straight man, New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a lot riding on gay equality: The billionaire businessman-turned-politician, who has already donated $250,000 to a same-sex marriage campaign in Maryland, is now giving another $500,000 for marriage-equality fights in Maine, Minnesota and Washington State.

‘Marriage equality is the next big step in America’s long march of freedom” Bloomberg said in a statement on Monday.

Bill and Melinda Gates Donate $500,000 For Marriage Equality in Washington

Bill and Melinda Gates have donated $500,000 to Washington United for Marriage, the campaign to pass Referendum 74, which preserves the state’s new gay marriage law.

Washington United announced the donation today, though it was made on October 15.

Missouri Minister Gives Gay Rights Speech With a Twist

May sure you watch the entire video until the end!

The Best Political Jokes Of The Week

‘Your Attitude Is Fuck Facts’

Bill Maher told his two GOP guests that their attitude is “fuck facts.” The Republican guests, John Fund and Boris Epshteyn — or, as I like to call them, “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb” — were two of the worst guests I’ve seen in all my years of watching Bill Maher’s “Real Time.”

Fund and Epshteyn, dirct from the center of the “Republican bubble,” could not even bring themselves to agree one the words that President Obama spoke in the Rose Garden on September 12 of this year, after the attacks in Libya and Egypt. Despite the official transcript and video, neither of the two could agree with what is a fact.

GMCLA performing Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger"

For the It Gets Better Tour, check it out on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ItGetsBetterMusical

Uncle Poodle on growing up gay in the South

Honey Boo Boo's gay uncle, Lee Thompson, whom she lovingly refers to as "Uncle Poodle," spoke out about what it is like to be gay in the South and shared some of his more painful memories in honor of Spirit Day.

Who is providing the funding?

The Catholic Church and the National Organization for Marriage have provided 60% of the funds aimed at denying same-sex couples the right to marry in four states. They have so far spent a total of $2.5 million on their discriminatory crusade, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Paul Ryan Soup Kitchen Photo Op

"Do you know how hard it is to make volunteering at a homeless shelter look like a negative thing?"

Jon Stewart couldn't hold back his aggravation at both the manufactured Paul Ryan soup kitchen photo op and the media's coverage of it on Tuesday night. More importantly, he said what we were all thinking about this election season: "Please, for the love of god, make it stop."

Aziz Ansari Blasts Chick-Fil-A

On Monday night's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," Ansari sat down with Kimmel to talk about the ongoing Chick-Fil-A anti-gay marriage controversy and how the fast food chain's popular food is partially to blame ("No one would be talking about this if it were Long John Silver's").

Chick-Fil-A Voted Out By Elon University Students

Students at North Carolina's Elon University this week became the latest to push back against Chick-fil-A and its anti-gay stance. The student government voted 35-11 to ask the school's food vendor, Aramark, to find another restaurant to take the fast food chicken chain's place, the Times-News reports.

Chick-fil-A was at the center of a very public controversy this summer after its president and COO, Dan Cathy, openly declared his opposition to LGBT rights -- saying legalizing same-sex marriage was like "shaking a fist" at God -- and stood by the company's millions of dollars in donations to anti-gay groups. In the wake of the controversy, Cathy reportedly held a "diversity" meeting with campus leaders in Atlanta back in August.

While broader attention to Chick-fil-A seems to have subsided, college students have continued a push on several college campuses to give Chick-fil-A the boot. Two other colleges in North Carolina have ended their relationship with the company (even after North Carolina voters approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage earlier this year).

St. Mary's College in Maryland ended its relationship with Chick-fil-A over a year ago. And Davidson College decided to refrain from serving Chick-fil-A at a school sponsored event after students started a petition.

'This is an issue about freedom'

Minnesota Vikings' punter Chris Kluwe, an outspoken advocate for marriage equality, appears in a new video for Minnesotans United for All Families, the official campaign working to defeat Minnesota's proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

"It's not the government's job to tell us what to do. That's not what America stands for," says Kluwe. "At the end of the day, this is an issue about freedom... and treating other people the way that you would like to be treated."

National Coming Out Day Followed By National “Disown Your Son Day”

Ann Coulter tweeted late Monday night:

Last Thursday was national “coming out” day. This Monday is national “disown your son” day.

GLAAD – along with “everyone” – is not laughing. According to a statement released by the advocacy group:

Approximately 50% of LGBT youth experience some degree of family rejection. There are as many as 100 thousand homeless LGBT youth on our nation’s streets, and it’s estimated that LGBT youth make up as much as 40% of our nation’s homeless youth population. LGBT youth who are completely rejected by their parents are more than 8 times as likely to have attempted suicide.

GLAAD is urging everyone to participate in Spirit Day on October 19. By wearing purple you can take a stand against Coulter and other bullies.

JULIAN BOND SUPPORTS QUESTION 6 IN MARYLAND

NAACP Chair Emeritus Julian Bond is out with a brand new ad for Question 6, the ballot measure that would put Maryland's legislatively-passed marriage equality law into effect

What? Focus on the Family is wrong, again?

Bill Maher picks apart right-wing group Focus On The Family's warnings about an Obama presidency.

How Do These People Get To The National Stage?

PATRIOTS LINEBACKER BRANDON SPIKES COMPARES FEAR OF SPIDERS TO FEAR OF HOMOSEXUALS

What a Great Story for National Coming Out Day!

It's About Fairness

Protecting Religious Freedom and All Marylanders

Ugandan Lawmaker Demands Every Country in Africa Enact Life Imprisonment for Homosexuals

New Polling Numbers From The Key Marriage Battleground States

63 FORMER ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS TO RELEASE STATEMENT SUPPORTING MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN WASHINGTON

A group of 63 priests with more than 800 combined years of service to the church are coming out in support of marriage equality on Thursday, the Seattle PI reports:

“We are uneasy with the aggressive efforts of Catholic bishops to oppose R-74 and want to support the 71 percent of Catholics (Public Religion Research Institute) who support civil marriage for gays as a valid Catholic position,” they said in a statement.

Former priest Pat Callahan, who organized the statement, added:  “This is the first public action we’ve taken.”  Callahan was in the Catholic priesthood for 15 years.

Mom Of Gay Son May Go To Hell If She Doesn’t Embrace Church Anti-Gay Teachings

John Nienstedt, the Minnesota Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, told a mother who asked him for acceptance for her gay child, that she might go to hell if she does not embrace the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings on homosexuality.

“Your eternal salvation may well depend upon a conversation of heart on this topic,” Nienstedt told the mother via a letter.” Catholics are bound in conscience to believe in this teaching. Those who do not cannot consider themselves to be Catholic and ought not to participate in the sacramental life of the Church.”

Why I am Voting for Mitt!

'Good Morning America' Weatherman Talks Wedding

“In Sickness & Health” Explores The Terminal Consequences Of DOMA

Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan and her wife, Karen, are the focus of the latest video from The Legal Stranger Project, a multimedia series exploring the stories of same-sex couples hurt by the Defense of Marriage Act. After an arduous tour of duty overseas, Charlie is currently battling incurable stage-four breast cancer. Should she not survive, Karen won’t receive the survivors’ benefits she needs to take care of their 5-year-old daughter, Casey.

The Morgans are currently plaintiffs in a lawsuit sponsored by the Service Members Legal Defense Network that’s challenging  laws like DOMA that prevent the military from providing equal recognition to same-sex military spouses.

“It’s unfathomable to me how anyone could look at the Morgan family and not be moved by this story and see how they’re being treated unfairly,” says SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis. “Here’s a service member, who has risked her life for our nation overseas and now is fighting for her life here at home. She shouldn't be forced also to fight for her family to be recognized, respected, and provided the same support as any of her peers would receive. It’s time to end the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act and treat all service members as first-class Americans.”

GAY RIGHTS AND ABORTION ARE 'EASY' CASES, SAYS JUSTICE SCALIA

Asserting himself a "textualist" when it comes to the Constitution, Justice Antonin Scalia told a D.C. crowd that gay rights and abortion are east cases for him, the AP reports:

"The death penalty? Give me a break. It's easy. Abortion? Absolutely easy. Nobody ever thought the Constitution prevented restrictions on abortion. Homosexual sodomy? Come on. For 200 years, it was criminal in every state," Scalia said at the American Enterprise Institute.

He contrasted his style of interpretation with that of a colleague who tries to be true to the values of the Constitution as he applies them to a changing world. This imaginary justice goes home for dinner and tells his wife what a wonderful day he had, Scalia said.

This imaginary justice, Scalia continued, announces that it turns out "'the Constitution means exactly what I think it ought to mean.' No kidding."

SAM CHAMPION IS GAY AND ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED

TV meteorologist Sam Champion is gay and engaged to be married to his boyfriend Rubem Robierb, ABC News reports:

“We are thrilled and so excited and thank everyone for their good wishes,” says Champion.  

Champion and Robierb met through mutual friends a few years ago in Miami, where Robierb lives. Born in Brazil, Robierb is a fine-arts photographer who shows his work in Miami, Atlanta, Santa Monica and New York.

14 Years Later

On October 7, 1998, Aaron Kreifels was riding his bike through a field in Wyoming.

He wasn’t expecting that day to be different from any other beautiful sunny afternoon in the vast plains surrounding Laramie, but that day would change many lives.

Aaron spotted what he initially thought was a scarecrow next to a fence. Then he noticed a glisten of blood. The sun sparkled on what he barely recognized as a face.

Aaron had discovered 22 year-old Matthew Shepard, clinging to life.

No Suit Over Suicide

The parents of Tyler Clementi have decided not to file any civil suit in connection with the gay Rutgers University student’s suicide, New Jersey’s Star-Ledger reports.

Clementi’s parents, Joe and Jane Clementi, will not sue his roommate, Dharun Ravi, who spied on him with a webcam during an intimate encounter with another man, nor will they sue the university or any other person or entity, their lawyer said Thursday.

“The Clementi family made a considered decision to not pursue civil suits,” attorney Paul Mainardi told the Star-Ledger. “They are devoting their energies to the positive work of the Tyler Clementi Foundation.” The foundation’s mission includes antibullying efforts, suicide prevention, and assistance for LGBT youth.

Sesame Street Explains Romney’s Biggest Debate ‘Falsehoods’

Baffled By Obama Debate Performance

Boxer Orlando Cruz: Out, Proud, Gay

Olympian. Professional featherweight boxer. Proud gay man.

At 31, Orlando Cruz becomes the first professional boxer to come out of the closet. The Puerto Rican told USA Today that “I’ve been fighting for more than 24 years and as I continue my ascendant career, I want to be true to myself. I want to try to be the best role model I can be for kids who might look into boxing as a sport and a professional career. . .I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican. I have always been and always will be a proud gay man.”

Cruz is the first boxer to come out during his career. It has been noted that Emile Griffith, who fought in the ‘50s and ‘60s, came out as bisexual after his career was over.

"Find Your Understanding"

Expedia's new campaign is called "Find Your Understanding" and includes this stunning and emotional spot documenting a father's journey both literally, and figuratively, to accepting his lesbian daughter as he travels to her wedding. The campaign documents real travelers whose journeys contain personal revelations.

Dan Cathy's Latest Interview: Chick-fil-A Loves 'Biblical Families'

Christian Legal Group Files Lawsuit Challenging California’s Gay Conversion Therapy Ban

the Pacific Justice Institute, has filed a lawsuit against California’s recently passed ban on gay conversion therapy for minors, citing violations of privacy and free speech.

“This legislation is an outrageous violation of the civil rights of youth, of parents and of licensed counselors, including clergy who are licensed counselors,” said Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute. “What we’re advocating is for all to have the freedom and liberty to seek the counseling that meets their needs.” Dacus filed the suit Monday on behalf of a student who had undergone the therapy as well as two counselors.

Governor Jerry Brown signed the landmark measure into law – which goes into effect in January – over the weekend, making California the first and only state to bar mental health professionals from performing treatment that seeks to change gender expression, or eliminate sexual or romantic same-sex attractions in persons under 18 years of age.

Straight Allies Speak Out for Marriage Equality

NFL Player Matt Birk Makes Anti-Gay Ad for Catholic Church

In a video for the Minnesota Catholic Conference, Baltimore Raven center Matt Birk doubles down on the anti-gay sentiment he expressed in an op-ed for the Star Tribune this week in support of Minnesota's upcoming ballot measure that would constitutionally ban same-sex marriage.




Minnesota Viking and equality advocate Chris Kluwe responds with six reasons on his blog, this being the last one:

The only impact same-sex marriage will have on your children is if one of them turns out to be gay and cannot get married. What will you do (and I ask this honestly) if one or more of your kids ends up being gay? Will you love them any less? What will your actions speak to them, 15 years from now, when they ask you why they can’t enjoy the same relationship that you and your wife have now? And if your response is “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it”, well, for a lot of people that bridge is here right now. They’re trying to cross it, but the way is barred, and I will do my best to tear those barricades down any way I can because I believe that we are infringing on the free will of other human beings by denying them their basic right to live free of oppression. I love my daughters for their minds and their personalities, not for who they love as adults. That’s none of my damn business, and I will support them in life no matter who they want to marry.

Ultimately, while your letter is respectful and polite (and I’ve tried to keep mine the same way, no SPARKLEPONIES in this one), I remain unconvinced by any logical reasoning you have so far brought to bear on the subject. I encourage you to keep speaking out, as we should never be afraid to espouse our views, but from a rational standpoint I simply cannot agree with discrimination against a subset of our citizenry.

Springsteen Rocks For Marriage Equality

No One Knew I Was Gay When I Was In N’Sync

NEW POLL SHOWS MARRIAGE EQUALITY WITH 21-POINT LEAD IN MAINE

A new Maine poll shows that "the referendum proposal to legalize same-sex marriage in Maine leads 57 percent to 36 percent in the poll, with 7 percent saying they are undecided."

The Critical Insights poll was conducted Sept. 12 through Sept. 16 with live telephone interviews of 618 randomly selected likely voters statewide. Results were statistically adjusted to reflect the Maine population regarding age, gender, region of residence and political affiliation. The poll has a 4 percent margin of error.

Jerry Brown Signs Bill Banning Gay Conversion Therapy For Minors

California Governor Jerry Brown on Saturday signed a historic bill that will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) minors from "reparative" therapies administered by mental health professionals aimed at altering sexual orientation or gender identities and expressions.

Senate Bill 1172, which the National Center for Lesbian Rights notes was co-sponsored by the NCLR, Equality California, Gaylesta, Courage Campaign, Lambda Legal, and Mental Health America of Northern California, and supported by dozens of organizations, is the first law of its kind in the United States and will become effective on January 1, 2013.

"Conversion" or "reparative" therapies include a wide variety of techniques from counseling to shock therapy to -- in extreme cases -- exorcism, used in an attempt to "cure" individuals of their homosexual and transgender orientations and identities. However, in recent years, even those who once championed the idea that someone can convert to heterosexuality have admitted that viewpoint is flawed.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Married Two Gay Couples As Republican Governor Of California

Arnold Schwarzenegger was ushered in as the 38th governor of California in 2003. As a member of the Republican party in a primarily Democratic state, as well as a former Mr. Universe and Hollywood action hero, he did not fit the typical mold. In a recent interview, Schwarzenegger reveals how he married two gay couples during his time in offices and championed gay marriage rights.

Schwarzenegger revealed that he performed two same-sex marriage ceremonieswhile governor in an upcoming interview on "60 Minutes," CBS News reported.

The conversation began when Lesley Stahl noted that Schwarzenegger called Susan Kennedy, his chief of staff, “a cigar-smoking lesbian," according to the Orlando Sentinel.

“She got married. Did you go to the wedding?” Stahl asks.

“I performed the wedding in the office,” the former governor reveals. “I married her in the office — in the governor’s office.”

Adding, “I’m for that she gets the kind of wedding and the kind of ceremony that I had when I got married with Maria [Shriver].That she happens to love a woman, and I am — a guy that loves a woman, that is two different things. It doesn't make any difference. She should still have her ceremony.”

Supreme Court Takes No Action on Proposition 8 or DOMA Cases

The Supreme Court made no new announcements today on whether they will hear marriage equality cases regarding California's Proposition 8 or the various challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act before the court.

Today officially marked the beginning of the high court's new term, which will stretch into June 2013. Although few anticipated any news on the four DOMA cases petitioned for review by the court, some held out hope that the Supreme Court would announce it is not considering the Proposition 8 case.

Had the court announced it would not hear Hollingsworth v. Perry, then the decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals against Proposition 8 would stand and same-sex marriages could have resumed in California as early as tomorrow. Proposition 8 was approved by California voters in 2008 and amended the state's Constitution to ban same-sex marriages after the state had already granted that right to gay couples.

After the release of today's order, it appears the justices will holdover Perry in order to consider it at the same time as the four DOMA challenges. So far, only one DOMA case — Windsor v. U.S. — has been distributed to the justices. The court has made no announcement on Windsoreither, which began oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit last week. The other three cases continue to be prepared for the justices.

Many legal scholars expect the court to hear arguments on at least one of the challenges to Section 3 of DOMA, although a ruling on the 1996 law, which forbids federal recognition of same-sex nuptials, in unlikely to come until June 2013.

So there are a couple possible scenarios left. SDGLN:

1. The Supreme Court, on Oct. 8, will release the list of cases that it will not consider. If the Prop 8 and/or DOMA cases are placed on that list, then the lower court rulings will stand. Gay and lesbian couples in California would again be able to marry, as soon as the lower courts sign off on the case.

2. However, if the Prop 8 and/or DOMA cases are not on the list, that means the Supreme Court could be postponing any decision on those cases until after the presidential election, making Nov. 19 a highly watched date. There is also the distinct possibility that the justices will merge several high-profile gay-rights cases to review en masse.

CORPORATION 'HARVESTER'

Romney has even claimed that during his tenure at Bain, "we were able to help create over 100,000 jobs." In his acceptance speech at the Republican convention, Romney smacked Obama for having "almost no experience working in a business" and tied that to the sluggish recovery.

But at Bain, Romney's top priority wasn't to boost employment. As the Wall Street Journal recently noted, creating jobs "wasn't the aim of Bain or other private-equity firms, which measure success by returns produced for investors." And, the newspaper reported, Romney's 100,000-jobs claim is tough to evaluate.

Mother Jones has obtained a video from 1985 in which Romney, describing Bain's formation, showed how he viewed the firm's mission. He explained that its goal was to identify potential and hidden value in companies, buy significant stakes in these businesses, and then "harvest them at a significant profit" within five to eight years.