Amidst discussion of the U.S. economy, foreign policy and the purported failings of President Barack Obama, Republican presidential candidates touched upon several key LGBT issues during last night’s campaign debate in New Hampshire. Prominent among these were questions surrounding the legalization of gay marriage and the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ both of which…
After a week’s worth of media speculation regarding the identity of supposed lesbian blogger Amina Arraf, the real author of ‘A Gay Girl in Damascus’ has come forward, incurring criticism and frustration from Syrian LGBT activists and commentators alike. MSNBC reports that Tom MacMaster, a 40-year-old American graduate student at the University of Edinburgh in…
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders announced today that he is throwing his support behind openly lesbian District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis for the upcoming mayoral election, set for June 2012. The current mayor recorded a YouTube video in which he endorses Dumanis as his successor, stating that the DA “has incredible integrity, does the right thing…
Ken Mehlman, former Chairman of the Republican National Committee, has come out in support of New York marriage equality and taken it upon himself to promote the legalization of same-sex marriage amongst Albany’s GOP senators. According to The Wall Street Journal, Mehlman came out last August and told his colleagues that he is gay. Now,…
Rick Santorum, former Republican Senator and vocal advocate for conservative social values, announced today that he will run for president in 2012. USA Today reports that Santorum made his official candidacy announcement at a Pennsylvania political rally, where he proclaimed a platform based on repairing what he termed the economic and moral decline imposed on…
The Washington Post reports today that conservatives are urging the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank to take down a rainbow flag that currently flies beneath the stars and stripes outside its building in honor of Gay Pride month. General Assemblyman Robert G. Marshall wrote a letter to Richmond Federal Reserve president Jeffery M. Lacker pushing for…
State Senator Christine Kehoe announced yesterday that she is assembling an exploratory committee for a potential mayoral campaign. Kehoe is San Diego’s first openly gay politician to win public office and would be one of two female candidates for Mayor in 2012. San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis is the only prominent candidate thus far…
Jeff Angelo, a former GOP state senator from Creston, Iowa, has announced plans to create a Republican advocacy group for Iowa conservatives in support of gay marriage. NECN reports that Angelo, who served in the senate but opted against re-election efforts in 2008, is expected to publicly announce the launch of Iowa Republicans for Freedom…
The Obama Administration has unveiled a new website providing resources for LGBT Americans and highlighting President Obama’s accomplishments and initiatives on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Dubbed “Winning the Future,” the site constitutes the first LGBT-oriented constituency webpage in the nation’s history. Brian Bond, gay liaison for the White House, told…
Today, June 1, Illinois’ law allowing civil unions for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples came into effect, inspiring more than 75 couples to line up outside the Cook County Building in Chicago early this morning in order to acquire a civil union license. Gay and lesbian couples have until 7 p.m. to get in on…
