A gay couple in New Orleans who requested both names to be listed on their adopted child’s birth certificate was denied Tuesday by the U.S. Supreme Court. The unmarried New York couple, Oren Adar and Mickey Smith, adopted their Louisiana-born son in their homestate in 2006, later requesting the birth certificate from Louisiana’s state registrar…
In wake of the demise of the military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy, President Obama will address 3,000 attendees at the 15th Annual Human Rights Campaign National Dinner. The hailed event will take place October 1, 2011 in Washington D.C. at the Washington Convention Center. “We are honored to share this night with…
Kathy Griffin, an avid LGBT rights supporter and ally, has been vocal on her disapproval of Michele Bachmann, outspoken Republican presidential hopeful. But, recently the queen of comedy has laid targets on Marcus, husband to Michele. As avidly conservative republicans, the Bachmann’s have been known as extremists against LGBT rights – in fact, even opening…
LGBT rights advocates in Maine gathered more than 5,000 signatures this weekend for a petition to put gay marriage on the 2012 ballot. In coordination with local gay rights organization Equality Maine, same-sex marriage supporters rallied throughout the state to collect signatures and educate the public about marriage equality. According to the Houston Chronicle, volunteers…
The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) has sprung to the defense of Jennifer Tobits, a recent widow who is engaged in a courtroom battle with the parents of her deceased wife, Ellyn Farley, for her estate and employer benefits. Farley’s parents, who refused to recognize the couples’ marriage, brought the matter to court shortly…
San Francisco – Equality California and its Board of Directors announced today that Roland Palencia, a trailblazing LGBT activist with extensive experience in leading and managing multi-million dollar non-profit organizations, will serve as the new executive director for Equality California and Equality California Institute. Palencia will begin his tenure on July 5. “I am deeply…
A recent study reveals Americans are generally supportive of homosexuality, with an overwhelming majority of support for those aged younger than 50. Nearly 69 percent of those younger than age 30 support gay lifestyles. The findings come on behalf of the Pew Research Center, an independent, non-partisan public opinion research organization. While Americans still waver…
The Washington Blade reports today that Scott Bloch, an anti-gay Bush administration official, has filed a federal racketeering lawsuit naming the Human Rights Campaign and two gay Obama administration officials, John Berry and Elaine Kaplan, among over a dozen other defendants. Bloch, who filed the lawsuit jointly with his wife, is seeking $102 million in…
Across an overwhelmingly large crowd of supporters, the song ‘We Shall Overcome’ could be heard during a Monday night vigil in support of transgender woman Chrissy Lee Polis – the same woman who was brutally attacked in a Baltimore McDonald’s after using a public restroom. The video – taped by an McDonald’s employee, now fired…
The law firm of King & Spalding filed a motion today to withdraw from defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a discriminatory practice that prohibits gay and lesbian marriages to be recognized under federal law. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the law firm decided to withdraw from the discriminatory defense…
