Russian Legislator Says Government Cannot Selectively Enforce Antigay Laws During Olympics

Vitaly Milonov claims the Russian government does not have the power to suspend the enforcement of the country’s newly-approved antigay legislation during the Sochi Olympics.

Vitaly Milonov, the St. Petersburg legislator of the United Russia Party, claims the government cannot suspend the enforcement of Russia’s newly-approved antigay legislation, which he co-sponsored, during the Sochi Olympics, according to BBC’s Russian-language service.

His statement follows on the heels of verbal assurances Russian officials gave to the International Olympic Committee last week, promising foreigners would be exempt from the country’s antigay “propaganda” law during the 2014 winter games.

Betty Crocker Donates Cakes To First Gay Couples Getting Married In Minnesota

As Minnesota prepares for gay marriages to become begin this Thursday, August 1, the state's businesses are really taking the cake when it comes to welcoming the soon-to-be newlyweds.

Not only will there be multiple marriages, including one at the Chapel of Love in the Mall of America, but now Betty Crocker, the famous baking company owned by General Mills, which is based in Minnesota, has given wedding presents to some of the happy couples by providing them with cakes for their weddings.

GLAAD reports that Betty Crocker held a cake tasting at the Betty Crocker Kitchen at the General Mills headquarters in Golden Valley, Minnesota, for the first three couples who will be married on August 1. Margaret Miles and Cathy ten Broeke will be the first couple to walk down the aisle, followed by Reid Bordson and Paul Nolle and both couples will be married by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. The third couple, Al Giraud and Jeff Isaacson, will be married in St. Paul and all three couples were invited to the taste kitchen to sample the wedding cakes that are being made for their special day.

Pat Robertson On Transgender People: Not A Sin And ‘Not For You To Judge’

"I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven."

Anglican Archbishop and social rights activist Desmond Tutu made the declaration during the launch of the global public education campaign called "Free & Equal," which we told you about yesterday.

The BBC reports on his stance on equality:

"I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say sorry, I mean I would much rather go to the other place," Archbishop Tutu said at the launch of the Free and Equal campaign in Cape Town. "I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is how deeply I feel about this."

Archbishop Tutu said the campaign against homophobia was similar to the campaign waged against racism in South Africa. "I am as passionate about this campaign as I ever was about apartheid. For me, it is at the same level," he added.

Bullied gay teen is fifth suicide at Iowa high school in past 5 years

About a year and a half ago, AJ was outed as gay ... Everyone got a long with my son very well until they found out he was gay'

Alexander (AJ) Betts, a 16-year-old gay teen, took his own life over the weekend, becoming the fifth student from a suburban Des Moines, Iowa, high school to do so in the past five years.

His mother, Sheryl Moore, is hoping her son’s story will put an end to the bullying that she said ended his life.

AJ Betts

“It must have been really horrible, if my son got to the point where he would hurt my husband, my daughters and I to take his own life,” said Moore.

Moore told KCCI-TV that she will never know exactly how horrible the bullying was. She said AJ kept a tough exterior and a smile on his face, despite what she is now learning from his friends as they pay their respects.

“We had no indication that anything was wrong. He is the happiest kid I’ve ever met. Everybody who meets him says that,” said Moore.

“About a year and a half ago, AJ was outed as gay at Southeast Polk High School. Everyone got a long with my son very well until they found out he was gay,” she said.

Moore said AJ was constantly ridiculed not only for being gay, but also because he was half African-American and was born with a cleft lip.

Pope Francis On Gays: Who Am I To Judge Them?

Pope Francis has had a busy week at World Youth Day in Rio as he visited his slums and prisons, blessed the Olympic flag and brought three million people to Copacabana Beach for a final Mass on Sunday morning.

Now he has made another headline, this time when the pontiff said, "Who am I to judge a gay person?"

While taking questions from reporters on the plane back to Rome, Francis spoke about gays and the reported "gay lobby." According to the Wall Street Journal, the Pope's comments about homosexuality came in the context of a question about gay priests.

The pontiff broached the delicate question of how he would respond to learning that a cleric in his ranks was gay, though not sexually active. For decades, the Vatican has regarded homosexuality as a "disorder," and Pope Francis' predecessor Pope Benedict XVI formally barred men with what the Vatican deemed "deep-seated" homosexuality from entering the priesthood.

"Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord?" the pontiff said, speaking in Italian. "You can't marginalize these people."

GAY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL COACH COMES OUT, INSPIRES TEAM

Inappropriate Prayer: Alabama hasn't figured out the separation of church and state

A July 17 meeting held by the Alabama Public Service Commission, a state government agency, began with a prayer from a Baptist minister who was introduced as a friend of Commission President Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh.

The minister, John Jordan of East Memorial Baptist Church in Prattville, Ala., who is also a member of the Alabama Tea Party, began his prayer by polling those present to see who believed in God. Then he went on to pray for a number of things, including forgiveness from God for the "sins" of gay marriage.

"We've taken you [God] out of our schools and out of our prayers," Jordan intoned. "We've said it's okay to have same-sex marriage. We have sinned and we ask once again that you forgive us for our sins."

Maxipad Company Replies to Man's Facebook Rant With Awe-Inspiring Sarcasm

Congressman Uses Ridiculous Immigrant/Dog Analogy

On Thursday's "Report," Stephen Colbert took a moment to talk about Congressman Steve King of Iowa, who seems to keep making headlines for his tone-deaf comments on immigrants.

On this day in 1985 - Rock Hudson "Mystery Illness"

NBC OLYMPICS COVERAGE FACING CONTROVERSY OVER RUSSIAN ANTI-GAY LAWS

Russia's newly-adopted anti-gay laws are already the subject of worldwide controversy. The laws have already been used to justify police brutality against Russian LGBT activists, as well as the imprisonment of advocates from inside their borders and beyond. LGBT advocates have called for the boycott of many Russian goods as a result. Many others have turned their sights to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, which will be taking place in the Russian city of Sochi.

The International Olympic Committee has already told press that it will "work to ensure" that LGBT athletes from around the globe will be able to compete freely in the games without fear of any legal trouble. Many LGBT athletes have expressed their apprehension anyway. Other athletes and advocates have called for a boycott of the games by the United States and the IOC, including the likes of Harvey Fierstein and Dan Savage.

On other news:  The SPI Group, which owns Stolichnaya Vodka, responds to a recent boycott promoted by Dan Savage and other LGBT activists.

Members of the LGBT community are urging a boycott of products manufactured in Russia, following the national adoption of a ban on so-called homosexual propaganda, the refusal to allow gay and lesbian international citizens to adopt orphaned Russian children, and a series of violent demonstrations against the country’s LGBT community in recent months.

Stolichnaya, the popular vodka brand, has been a focus of attacks by activists, who are promoting the hashtags “#DumpStoli” and “#DumpRussianVodka” on Twitter. 

“[T]here is something we can do right here, right now, in Seattle and other U.S. cities to show our solidarity with Russian queers and their allies," wrote Savage on Wednesday. "And to help to draw international attention to the persecution of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, trans people, and straight allies in Putin's increasingly fascistic Russia: DUMP RUSSIAN VODKA.”

The SPI Group, which owns Stolichnaya Vodka, contacted The Advocate today to release an open letter to the LGBT community. The statement stressed that Stoli “firmly opposes such attitude and actions” committed by the Russian government and continues to be a “fervent supporter and friend” of the community, pointing to past endorsements of Pride events and LGBT organizations.

The statement claimed that the Luxembourg-based company is not affiliated with the Russian government, and that the vodka's production is divided between Russia and Latvia.

“We fully support and endorse your objectives to fight against prejudice in Russia,” wrote Val Mendeleev, the CEO of SPI. “In the past decade, SPI has been actively advocating in favor of freedom, tolerance and openness in society, standing very passionately on the side of the LGBT community and will continue to support any effective initiative in that direction.”

Anthony Weiner — NYC Mayoral Candidate And/Or Bolivian Porn Star

Just because it is so funny...

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Her Majesty's Secret Cervix

N.Y. to issue refunds to married same-sex spouses forced to pay estate tax

Same-sex spouses forced to pay high New York estate taxes upon the death of their partner will get refunds from the state.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that the refunds are being issued as a result of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act, also known as DOMA.

Harry Styles Responds as Westboro Baptist Church Pickets One Direction Concert

Harry Styles was unfazed by members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketing outside One Direction's Missouri concert Friday night. Instead of reacting harshly to the group's messages of hate, he used the moment to speak out on behalf of equal rights.

Last month, the Westboro Baptist Church first threatened to protest One Direction's Kansas City, Mo., concert on July 19. They called the five bandmates "perverted" representations of the "sin-chasing, fag-enabling, God-hating, Christ-rejecting" United Kingdom.

California Supreme Court Rejects Bid To Stop Gay Marriages

California's highest court refused Tuesday to block the state from sanctioning same-sex marriages while it considers a petition arguing that a voter-approved gay marriage ban remains valid in all but two counties.

Without comment, the California Supreme Court rejected a request from the elected government official in charge of issuing marriage licenses in San Diego County for an order halting gay marriages, which resumed in the state last month for the first time since the ban passed in November 2008.

County clerk Ernest Dronenburg Jr. sought the stay on Friday. He also asked the seven-member court to consider his legal argument that same-sex marriages still are illegal in most of California, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision widely regarded as having authorized them and the state attorney general's assertion that clerks throughout the state must issue licenses to gay couples.

The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for same-sex marriages to return to the nation's most populous state last month when it ruled that the sponsors of Proposition 8 lacked authority to appeal a federal trial judge's decision that the ban violated the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian Californians.

Cuccinelli Finds Oral Sex ‘A Little Hard To Swallow’

Pennsylvania gay couples issued marriage licenses as county defies ban

Two women were wed in a religious ceremony Wednesday morning after getting a marriage license from county officials who defied a Pennsylvania law banning same-sex unions.

NEW MEXICO ATTORNEY GENERAL WILL NOT DEFEND STATE'S GAY MARRIAGE BAN

Following a lawsuit filed in June by a gay couple in New Mexico challenging the state's ambiguous law that seemed to ban gay marriage, state Attorney General Gary King has said the state Supreme Court should allow gay couples to marry, The Miami Herald reports:

"King, a Democrat who plans to run for governor next year against Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, said New Mexico law effectively doesn't allow gay marriages although there's no statutory provision that specifically prohibits, or authorizes, gay couples to be married.

"New Mexico's guarantee of equal protection to its citizens demands that same-sex couples be permitted to enjoy the benefits of marriage in the same way and to the same extent as other New Mexico citizens," King said in the filing."

STEVE GRAND'S SLOW RENDITION OF "ALL-AMERICAN BOY" WILL MELT YOUR HEAR

THE VIEW TAKES ON HOMOPHOBIC VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE KEN CUCCINELLI

San Diego County clerk seeks end to Calif. gay marriages

A San Diego County government official in charge of issuing marriage licenses asked the state Supreme Court on Friday to stop gay marriages.

Ernest Dronenburg Jr. urged the state high court to immediately halt same-sex weddings while it considers his legal arguments that gay marriages remain illegal in California despite a U.S. Supreme Court’s decision widely regarded as authorizing gay weddings.

Ernest Dronenburg Jr.

Dronenburg asked for the halt Friday while the state Supreme Court considers his petition, arguing that the U.S. Supreme Court decision applies only to the two couples named in the original federal lawsuit, and to the clerks in Alameda and Los Angeles counties where the couples applied for marriage licenses.

Dronenburg also argues that county clerks aren’t bound by orders from the governor, the state attorney general and other state officials to marry gay couples.

“County clerks carry out their duties, including the issuances of marriage licenses, without supervision or control of the governor or attorney general,” Dronenburg wrote in his petition. “Indeed, no statute requires county clerks to report to the governor or attorney general.”

The state Supreme Court on Monday refused a similar request to immediately stop gay weddings made by backers of California’s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state when passed by voters in 2008.

The supporters have made the same legal arguments as Dronenburg.

Va. couple files federal lawsuit challenging state’s ban on gay marriage

A Virginia couple on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

Tony London, 54, and Timothy Bostic, 48, filed the suit after being denied a marriage license earlier this month, reported The Virginian-Pilot.

The lawsuit is the first such legal challenge filed in Virginia, and comes just one week after Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia announced plans to file their own lawsuit.

The couple, who have been together since 1989, had considered getting married in another state, but eventually decided against it, according to Robert Ruloff, an attorney for London, a Norfolk real estate agent, and Bostic, an Old Dominion University assistant professor of English.

“They are Virginians and they want to be married in Virginia,” he said.

In 2006, Virginia voters approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage by a margin of 57 percent to 43 percent.

But attorneys for the ACLU and Lambda Legal said Virginia’s ban and three underlying statutes violate the federal constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law.

Rainbow Connection

Kermit the Frog comes out with a funny song about marriage equality and divorce rights. Someday we'll ALL get the Rainbow Connection! 

“In a World Like This”

“The concept of the video is based on the song, which tells a story of how love conquers all and ‘in a world like this’ that we live in, with all the craziness and negative energy that can go around, with real love you can overcome anything." explains, band member A.J. McLean.

The Backstreet Boys have released a socially-conscious music video for their new single “In a World Like This” which offers a pro-gay marriage. Toward the end of the clip a lesbian couple is seen taking each other’s hands overjoyed watching a television report on the overturning of Prop. 8.

 

'Has Ken Cuccinelli Ever Had Oral Sex?'

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Gay rights activists arrested after Calif. city rescinds pride month proclamation

Three gay rights activists are facing charges Wednesday morning after protesting a city council vote to reject a proclamation passed by the mayor last month that declared June as LGBT Pride month in Porterville.

Observers said the protestors — members of the activist group Get Equal — stage a peaceful civil disobedience, and were quickly arrested and detained by police who refuse to cooperate and allow for the peaceful protest when approached by the demonstrators prior.

Most law enforcement agencies work with protestors before an event, to discover what attendees plan, and to explain arrest procedures, reported the Visalia Times-Delta.

But Porterville police refused discussions before the event, and booked those arrested at county facilities. Most other jurisdictions cite arrestees to appear at court, and release them after processing.

It was reported that police dragged people out of the council chambers in a scene was referred to as “almost like a brawl.”

Oh, the Porterville City Council was the only city government in the state to support Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that outlawed same-sex marriage in California in 2008.

Britain Legalizes Gay Marriage

Britain has legalized gay marriage after Queen Elizabeth II gave her royal stamp of approval.

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow told lawmakers that the royal assent had been given Wednesday – the day after the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in England and Wales cleared Parliament.

The queen's approval was a formality. It clears the way for the first gay marriages next summer.

KTVU for their reporting on the Asiana Flight 214 Crash

'The Worst State'

Ughh - Fox News For Trayvon Martin Protests Coverage

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Here's What Is Next

The Outspoken Generation

Young people all over the country raised by LGBT parents are living proof that the millions of LGBT parents in the United States are raising happy, healthy families. 

Same-Sex Marriage Bill Passes Final House Of Lords Vote — Marriage Equality To Come To Britain?

The British House of Lords moments ago passed the third and final reading of a same-sex marriage bill, all but one-hundred percent ensuring marriage equality in Britain and Wales. All that is left is for the House of Commons to approve the House of Lords’ bill, and for the two bodies to compromise and agree on any differences to form one bill.

“If the House of Commons makes changes, the bill returns to the House of Lords, and can go back and forth until both are agreed,” Pink News UK explains:

This process is known as parliamentary ping pong, and is scheduled for 16 and 17 July, when Parliament goes into recess. If the process is not agreed by then, the bill cannot be debated again until late into 2013.

Once eventually passed in both Houses, the bill will be given Royal Assent, before coming law, however it is unlikely that Royal Assent will be given until after summer recess.

WELL-STRUNG Mozart Meets Kelly Clarkson

Pennsylvania AG To Refuse To Defend Ban On Gay Marriage

Pennsylvania’s Attorney General Kathleen Kane, a Democrat, is by all reports expected to refuse to defend her state’s ban on same-sex marriage in court. The move, similar to the Obama administration’s decision several years ago to not defend DOMA in court and California deciding to not defend Prop 8 in court — which ultimately led to their demise at the Supreme Court last month — likely will not have long-standing consequences.

That’s because Pennsylvania’s horrendous Republican Governor, Tom Corbett, likely will defend the ban in court.

Of Course: DOMA Ruling Is Evidence The ‘Rapture Is About To Occur’

The Pastor of a Texas Megachurch is claiming the Rapture is about to occur, and points to the Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling as proof. Matthew Hagee, the executive pastor of San Antonio, Texas megachurch Cornerstone Church, responded to a caller on his “internet based video channel with a mission to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the Earth.”

Picking The States Where Marriage Equality Will Happen Next

Heads up Illinois, Hawaii, New Jersey and Oregon. Marriage equality may be coming your way and soon. Freedom to Marry, the advocacy group that has been at the forefront of the marriage battle, has unveiled a new strategy that targets those four states as the best chances for marriage equality in 2013 and 2014. The plan, called Roadmap to Victory, aims by 2016 to make marriage equality legal for the majority of Americans and push public support to marriage equality to 60%.

“The key to winning is, as it has always been, that when we get to the Supreme Court with the next marriage cases, we go with more states and more support creating the climate for the justices then to do the right thing,” says Freedom to Marry founder Evan Wolfson.

ENDA Passes Senate Committee By Huge Margin

The  Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) just passed through the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee by a huge margin, 15-7, with bipartisan support. The legislation, which has been introduced into every Congress in one form or another since 1974, seems to have a chance at passing through the U.S. Senate as well. Currently, ENDA has 53 Senate co-sponsors, and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) says he believes there are 60 votes to pass it. In today’s Senate committee vote, three Republican Senators crossed the aisle to support the bill: Orrin Hatch of Utah, Mark Kirk of Illinois, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

If You Can Play - great message from Cal Athletics

GAY COUPLES APPLYING FOR MARRIAGE LICENSES IN INDIANA COULD FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES

Thanks to a 1997 state law, couples applying for marriage licenses in Indiana could potentially face Class D felony charges upon submitting their application to the clerk, even if said application is denied.

The law in question declares it illegal to falsify any information on a marriage license application, including physical conditions such as gender. Since the state's electronic marriage license application explicitly designates places for one "male applicant" and one "female applicant", a same-sex couple could certainly trigger the law.

The same law also declares it a Class B misdemeanor for any clergyman, judge, mayor, city clerk or town clerk-treasurer to perform a same-sex marriage ceremony or solemnize a same-sex marriage in any way, which carries a penalty of up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1000.

ACLU AND LAMBDA LEGAL TO SEEK SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN LAWSUIT SEEKING MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN ILLINOIS

Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Illinois will file a motion for summary judgment and request a swift ruling in favor of the freedom to marry in Illinois, according to a press release sent out by the two groups:

Together, Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Illinois each filed lawsuits on May 30, 2012, representing a total of 25 same-sex couples from across the state of Illinois seeking the freedom to marry. Two days later, the Illinois Attorney General's office filed papers agreeing that barring same-sex couples from marriage is unconstitutional. The Cook County Clerk and State's Attorney also agree that the marriage ban is unconstitutional.

'Vomit' Button on Facebook for Photos of Gay Couples

  Televangelist Pat Robertson responded to a viewer's question about whether it's sinful to push the "like" button on Facebook for photos of same-sex couples by saying he wishes the company would create a "vomit" button so he could press it every time he sees one
.

Another Ohio Republican Comes Out for Marriage Equality

 

Former Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro announced his support for marriage equality, citing his married lesbian daughter.

'SKIP ENDER'S GAME'

Author Orson Scott Card has already caused a stir earlier this year at DC Comics, thanks to his well-publicized homophobic views and his involvement with the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage.

Card's anti-gay activism has become the center for controversy once again, months ahead of the release Ender's Game, the sci-fi film based on his 1985 bestselling book. The queer-geek group Geeks OUT has launched an online protest entitled "Skip Ender's Game", which encourages all members and allies of the LGBT community to boycott the film on all of its various platforms.

"Do NOT see this movie! Do not buy a ticket at the theater, do not purchase the DVD, do not watch it on-demand. Ignore all merchandise and toys. However much you may have admired his books, keep your money out of Orson Scott Card’s pockets."

The group has launched the site SkipEndersGame.com, where supporters can sign a pledge to boycott the movie, as well as keep track of relevant news updates.

Pope Francis seeks Church of England’s help on defending marriage

Pope Francis has waded diplomatically into the gay marriage debate, telling the Archbishop of Canterbury he wants to work together to promote family values “based on marriage.”

Francis, who vigorously opposed gay marriage in his native Argentina, and Archbishop Justin Welby met Friday for the first time since both were installed in March.

Welby has been opposing legislation in Britain that would legalize same-sex marriage, saying it would undermine family life.

Francis said he hoped they could collaborate in promoting the sacredness of life “and the stability of families founded on marriage.”

Significantly, Francis didn’t say that marriage should be between a man and woman, which is how Benedict XVI routinely defined marriage.

Costa Rica lawmakers mistakenly vote to legalize same-sex unions

Lawmakers in Costa Rica have accidentally voted to amend a law that could legalize same-sex civil unions in the Central American country.

The country’s Legislative Assembly voted Monday to amend the country’s Family Code, striking down the legal definition of a union as only between a man and a woman.

The bill now states that a civil union is recognized “without discrimination contrary to human dignity, social and economic effects of domestic partnerships that constitute publicly, notoriously unique and stable, with legal capacity for marriage for more than three years.”

Several conservative lawmakers, including Evangelical Manrique Oviedo, said they voted for the bill without realizing its legal impact.

The bill requires a ruling by the country’s Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court before being signed into law by president Laura Chinchilla.

If ruled legal and signed, experts say the change in the country’s Family Code would effectively allow same-sex unions.

Conservative lawmakers insisted that the bill should be interpreted as referring to heterosexual couples only and demanded Costa Rica’s president Laura Chinchilla to veto the bill.

Chinchilla rejected their calls stating: “No, we’re going to go forward and will sign this law. We understand that the debate is over how some interpret the law and this alone is not sufficient for the executive to veto the law,” in video posted today by AmeliaRueda.com.

Costa Rica’s Communications Minister Carlos Roverssi confirmed the president’s statement, according to the daily La Nación.

If ruled legal, Costa Rica will become the first Central American nation to recognize same-sex unions.

In Latin America as a whole, five countries have already recognized gay civil unions; Argentina and Uruguay have full marriage equality, while Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador recognize same-sex unions.

Happy 4th of July

Eleven same-sex couples file lawsuit to overturn Ark. gay marriage ban

A group of 11 same-sex couples from Arkansas on Tuesday asked a judge to overturn the state’s ban on gay marriage, the latest effort aimed at repealing the amendment after recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings supporting gay couples.

The lawsuit filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court seeks to strike down the constitutional amendment voters approved in 2004 that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The amendment also bars the state from recognizing same-sex marriages from other states.

“Gays and lesbians are a distinct group, singled out due to their sexual orientation to be denied rights enjoyed by all other adult groups,” the lawsuit states.

“They are unequal in the eyes of the state of Arkansas and their families are denied the same respect as officially sanctioned families of opposite-sex individuals.”

The lawsuit was filed less than a week after the U.S. Supreme Court issued two rulings supporting same-sex couples.

Federal Judge Slaps Down Michigan’s Governor Rick Snyder – Cites The DOMA Decision

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has been a thorn in the side of the LGBT community. When Public Act 297, was passed by the Republican majority Michigan House and Senate, the governor signed it, registered it with the Michigan Secretary of State, and put it into effect all in the same day. Public Act 297, entitled by its authors, the “Public Employee Domestic Partner Benefit Restriction Act” told same-sex spouses of all public employees — I don’t care what my predecessor Governor Granholm promised you, or what your union contract says, your health insurance is going away.

Five same-sex partners sued the governor. They complained Gov. Snyder had violated their rights of equal protection, and of due process. Friday, Judge David Lawson, who is hearing the case, enjoined Public Act 297 from being enacted, citing the Supreme Court’s DOMA decision.

Judge Lawson:

The Court takes guidance from the Supreme Court’s decision invalidating DOMA, which determined legislative purpose by looking to the “history of . . . enactment” and the statute’s “own text.” Looking to the history and text of Public Act 297, it is hard to argue with a straight face that the primary purpose — indeed, perhaps the sole purpose — of the statute is other than to deny health benefits to the same-sex partners of public employees. But that “can never be a legitimate governmental purpose.”

The 'Extreme Court' has done it again

Everyone is Gay

We believe all those who live in fear of being their authentic selves. NO ONE deserves to be bullied or treated unfairly based on sexual preference. Diversity should be celebrated. Thank you EveryoneIsGay.com for inspiring us and for making the world a little better.

CULTURE WAR OVER GAY MARRIAGE

Kennedy rejects ‘emergency’ bid to stop gay marriages in California

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy on Sunday denied a last-ditch request from the sponsors of California’s now-overturned gay marriage ban to halt the issuance of same-sex marriage licenses in America’s most populous state.

Kennedy turned away the appeal with no additional comment just as San Francisco’s gay pride parade was getting under way in San Francisco, where dozens of couples have gotten married since Friday and where the clerk’s office was expected to issue more licenses on Sunday.

Same-sex marriage opponents asked Kennedy to step in on Saturday, a day after the federal appeals court in San Francisco allowed same-sex marriages to go forward.

The opponents said the appeals court had acted about three weeks too soon when it cleared the way Friday for same-sex marriages to be legal in California for the first time in 4 ½ years by lifting a hold it had imposed on such unions while a lawsuit challenging Proposition 8, the gay wedding ban, made its way to and through the high court.

'Young and the Restless' Actor Greg Rikaart Comes Oot

Emmy-winning Young and the Restless star Greg Rikaart revealed he's gay early this morning when he tweeted a photo of he and a presumed boyfriend, along with a message:

"Not getting married anytime soon, but celebrating #equality tonight nonetheless."