First openly bisexual member of Congress elected

Democrat Kyrsten Sinema has been declared the winner today of the newly formed Arizona congressional district, becoming the first openly bisexual member of Congress. Sinema will join the largest-ever class of openly lesbian, gay and bisexual lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including the first openly-gay senator, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. The Associated Press reported Sinema, 36,…

Read More

Attorneys release confidential Boy Scout files on alleged sex abusers

(CNN) – Attorneys releasing confidential Boy Scouts files on alleged child molestation are calling upon Congress to audit whether the group’s youth protections are working. The effort to seek a congressional inquiry came Thursday as the attorneys released more than 20,000 Boy Scout documents identifying more than 1,000 leaders and volunteers banned from the group…

Read More

Obama administration offers new hope for bi-national same-sex couples

The Department of Homeland Security has issued new guidelines for immigration personnel for determining whether a same-sex relationship would “rise to the level of a ‘family relationship.’” Obtained exclusively Tuesday by the Washington Blade, the memorandum from U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) was welcomed by LGBT advocates and lawmakers seeking greater protection for bi-national…

Read More

Gov. Brown signs bill to protect religious freedom in marriage solemnization

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed Senate Bill 1140 (Religious Freedom in Marriage Solemnization), authored by Sen. Mark Leno and co-sponsored by Equality California and California Council of Churches IMPACT. The new law, which will go into effect Jan. 1, 2013, reaffirms the freedom of clergy to make faith-based decisions regarding which marriages they solemnize and…

Read More

Gov. Brown signs SB1172, protecting youth from psychological abuse

California became the first state in the nation to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth (LGBT) from the dangers of psychological abuse by deceitful mental health professionals, who falsely claim to be able to change their sexual orientation or gender expression. The historic event came yesterday when California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a landmark…

Read More