Stephen Colbert, outspoken comedian and host of the satirically conservative program “The Colbert Report,” made a rare decision to drop character last week and release a video for the “It Gets Better” campaign on behalf of LGBT youth. ABC News reports that Colbert, who usually maintains his “Colbert Report” attitude in the public eye, showed…
In conjunction with the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, President Obama signed a historic document Friday certifying the U.S. military’s readiness to move forward with implementation of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal. “Today, we have taken the final major step toward ending the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’…
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently filed suit against a popular Lyndonville, Vermont inn after the proprietors refused to host a lesbian couple’s wedding reception. In stark contrast to its reputation as a warm and welcoming establishment, The Wildflower Inn chose to turn the couple away for reasons based on their sexual orientation. According…
Senator Christopher Coons (D-Delaware) took the Senate floor today in what promises to be a historic hearing on DOMA repeal, urging his colleagues to support the Respect for Marriage Act and instate equal benefits for same-sex couples nationwide. Coons, an original co-sponsor of the landmark anti-discrimination act, delivered an opening statement to gathered legislators and…
Jimmy LaSalvia, executive director of the conservative gay Republican organization GOProud, was attacked Friday in Washington, D.C. while riding home from work on his bicycle. The assailant, a teenage male, struck LaSalvia in the chest and called him a “faggot.” The Washington Blade reports that LaSalvia was riding on a quiet street near Union Station…
In 1983, fears concerning HIV/AIDs infection prompted the FDA to instate rules banning sexually active homosexual men from donating blood. The policy has since been deemed outdated by many gay rights activists, particularly since blood banks now test all contributions for HIV (as well as hepatitis, syphilis and other infectious and sexually-transmitted diseases). However, for…
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy announced Thursday that the committee intends to hold the first-ever congressional hearing concerning DOMA repeal in the coming weeks. The announcement follows actions taken earlier this year by Senators including California Senator Dianne Feinstein and New York Senator Kristen Gillibrand on behalf of the Respect for Marriage Act, a…
The fate of a California measure to include LGBT history in state textbooks is currently in the hands of Governor Jerry Brown. If approved, the bill would render California the first and only state in the U.S. to make gay and lesbian history a mandatory facet of state curricula. While there is currently no ban…
Prompted by the tragic and untimely suicide of 13-year-old Seth Walsh, the Department of Education launched an investigation into anti-gay bullying protections and prevention procedures within the Tehachapi School District, where Walsh was a student. In light of the investigations, the DOE has issued a statement ruling that the Tehachapi School District as negligent in…
CNN Newsroom aired a special report Tuesday morning in which Soledad O’Brien covered the discrimination and difficulty faced by LGBT immigrant couples under current U.S. immigration laws. In addition to discussing the legal impediments involved in keeping LGBT immigrant couples together and interviewing activists such as Immigration Equality Executive Director Rachel Tiven, O’Brien also profiled…
