Portman reversal highlights GOP generational split

WASHINGTON (CNN) — For Amanda Ihnat, a millennial and a conservative, Sen. Rob Portman’s change of heart on supporting same-sex marriage was a much-needed — albeit tardy turnaround. For fellow conservative Peter Konetchy, a baby boomer, the Ohio Republican’s switch signals a decided lack of principles. The two divergent views illustrate the kind of challenges…

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Judicial nominee offends Indonesia’s gay community, offers apology

JAKARTA, Indonesia — In a sign of just how far the struggle for equality has come, an Indonesian constitutional court justice was forced to backtrack and apologize after stating his opposition to same-sex marriage during a fit and proper test before the House Commission III, the country’s legal affairs division. The justice, Arief Hidayat, was asked…

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New Zealand lawmakers approve same-sex marriage bill

  WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The New Zealand Parliament has approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage , bringing the bill one vote closer to becoming law. The Jurist.org reported that the bill was approved  by a vote of 77-44, in the second of three votes needed to become law. The second vote is generally the most critical, with the…

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Obama cannot imagine a constitutional reason to ban same-sex marriage

President Barack Obama has said he could not imagine a circumstance in which a state banning gay marriage was legal, the furthest statement in support of same-sex couples’ marriage rights made by the president. In an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, President Barack Obama said a state would need a “good justification” for treating…

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Military officials, servicemembers urge Supreme Court to end DOMA

WASHINGTON – Former Congressman and former U.S. Navy Three-Star Admiral Joe Sestak today joined with Former Congressman, Army Captain and Iraq War Veteran Patrick Murphy, OutServe-SLDN Executive Director Allyson Robinson and Staff Sgt. Tracy Johnson in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to end the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Thirty military officials and OutServe-SLDN,…

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US State Department issues new guidelines for LGBT travelers

With the departure of one of the U.S. State Department’s most vocally pro-gay advocates in its history, Hillary Rodham Clinton would be pleased to learn the agency has just launched a new Web site for gay travelers at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/lgbt/lgbt_5887.html. The site is devoted to making travel as easy and as incident free for the LGBT community….

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Travis Mathews short, ‘I Want Your Love,’ banned in Australia

Travis Mathews, the documentarian whose short film I Want Your Love has been met with near universal acclaim on the worldwide queer film festival circuit, was denied permission to show his film in Australia, reports The Sidney Morning Herald. Citing inconsistencies with film festival guidelines, Lesley O’Brien, the director of the classification board (Australia’s equivalent of…

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