With any hope for legislative action on the Employer Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) all but quashed for the foreseeable future, President Obama has announced plans for an executive order banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity for all federal contractors seeking bids from the U.S. Government. The action, which politically speaking is about all…
Howard Schultz, CEO of mega coffee chain Starbucks, cancelled a scheduled appearance at The Global Leadership Summit this week – a move reportedly motivated by the fact that the event’s host, Willow Creek Community Church, holds anti-gay views. According to Forbes, official reports from a Starbucks spokeswoman confirmed the cancellation, but failed to cite a…
Reverend Ouyang Wen Feng, the first and only openly gay pastor in Malaysia, is encouraging the country’s gay and lesbian people to “keep coming out” in an effort to fight LGBT discrimination. The outspoken equal rights advocate, who is also the leader of a controversial gay-friendly ministry, hopes to empower Malaysia’s gay community to speak…
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow is facing a $50 million lawsuit for allegedly making defamatory statements during a segment about conservative preacher and radio host Bradlee Dean. The lawsuit claims that Maddow intentionally misconstrued comments that Dean made last year regarding his beliefs on gay rights with the intent of damaging both his reputation and that…
The Gay Men’s Spiritual Retreat (GMSR) has served the spiritual needs of the San Diego gay community for 20 years. This year, the organization’s annual retreat will take place June 10-12 at Camp Stevens in Julian, CA and provide attendees with a sober, supportive environment of fellowship, workshops, drug and alcohol rehabilitation and recreation. The…
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) announced today that the results of a new poll conducted in cooperation between HRC and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research show the majority of American Christians to be in favor of LGBT equality. The poll, which included a cross-section of Christian denominations including Catholics, Protestants, Mormons and others, revealed that Christians…
The Presbyterian Church of the United States announced today that it will open ordination to candidates regardless of their sexual orientation. In the wake of today’s historic vote, Reverend Dr. Janet Edwards – one of the 10,000 Presbyterian ministers and elders who voted in favor for gay and lesbian ordination — issued a statement expressing…
Inspired by the positive impact of Dan Savage’s ‘It Gets Better’ YouTube campaign, many celebrities, politicians and even the President himself have created videos promising a better future for LGBT youth struggling with bullying and discrimination due to their sexual orientation. Last week’s highly publicized Google Chrome ad showcasing the campaign featured many a familiar…
Members of the Central United Methodist Church of Toledo, Ohio are hitting the streets with a visible and vocal campaign on behalf of religious tolerance and against anti-LGBT discrimination. Perhaps most notable amongst the church’s efforts are a series of billboards that proclaim a very different message from that most of us are used to…
Prominent Puerto Rican cardinal Luis Aponte Martinez told reporters at the Primera Hora newspaper that he finds openly gay pop star Ricky Martin’s public discussion of homosexuality potentially damaging to young fans. While careful to distinguish his criticism of Martin’s behavior from a broader condemnation of homosexuality, Martinez also stated that Martin should “set an…
