(CNN) — Actor Clint Eastwood joined the list of Republicans signing a legal brief in support of same-sex marriage, a person familiar with the document confirmed Thursday. Eastwood has previously lamented the idea of “making a big deal out of gay marriage,” but he’s now joining a chorus of high-profile Republicans that want the Supreme…
WASHINGTON (CNN) — It could be the social issue that defines President Barack Obama’s second term legacy: same-sex marriage. He faces a monumental choice on Thursday over whether to put the force of his office behind the idea that gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry. Government sources say the Justice Department will…
Should there be a third gender category birth certificate gender assignment? The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is considering just that after its Law Reform Advisory Council advised the government in Canberra that gender options for birth certificates and other identity documents should include the options female, male, intersex, to be advised or indeterminate. In 2010,…
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Many same-sex couples are losing out on thousands of dollars a year in Social Security benefits because the federal government doesn’t recognize gay marriage, a new report finds. When a partner dies, the surviving spouse in a same-sex couple isn’t eligible for the average $1,184 in monthly survivor’s benefits that widow’s…
(CNN) — As the Supreme Court gets ready to hear cases on same-sex marriage next month, dozens of high-profile Republicans have signed onto a brief in a show of support for gay couples to legally wed. The amicus or “friend of the court” legal brief, first reported by the New York Times, includes signatures by…
Whilst the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) remains on the books the Obama administration is unable to place on hold marriage-based green card applications for bi-national same-sex couples stated Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano at a White House briefing. The Washington Blade reported that Napolitano asserted DHS can’t take such action, which could slow…
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — While same-sex couples are excluded from many tax benefits, there is one tax break they qualify for that opposite-sex married couples don’t — if they adopt a partner’s child. A tax credit for what is known as a “second parent adoption” grants qualifying taxpayers up to $12,650 per child for certain…
WASHINGTON (CNN) — In a preview of a major constitutional showdown at the Supreme Court over same-sex marriage, the Obama administration said on Friday that a federal law denying financial benefits to legally wed gay and lesbian couples is unconstitutional. The Justice Department filed the first of a series of briefs in a pair of…
Today, former Utah governor and ambassador to China Jon Huntsman published an op-ed in the American Conservative urging his fellow Republicans to get on board with the majority of Americans who support marriage equality. Huntsman wrote: While serving as governor of Utah, I pushed for civil unions and expanded reciprocal benefits for gay citizens. I did so…
(CNN) — NFL quarterback Tim Tebow has canceled an appearance at a controversial Dallas-area church. The outspoken Christian quarterback was scheduled to speak at First Baptist Church on April 28. The church is led by Robert Jeffress, who has been widely criticized for views against homosexuality, Islam and Mormonism. Tebow, announcing his decision Thursday on…
