Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit discrimination based on sex – and discriminating on the basis of gender identity is now considered discrimination on the basis of sex. In a settlement agreement entered into between the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S….
Speaking before the annual Indian Psychiatric Society meeting, prominent psychiatrist and last year’s president Dr. Indira Sharma labeled homosexuality ‘unnatural.’ The comment, which she reiterated on Monday, created a firestorm in a country still under attack from a major High Court decision which reinstated the ban on same-gender sex. According to the Times of India, Sharma unapologetically decried the…
Today, six same-sex couples and Equality Florida Institute are filing a lawsuit in Florida state court in Miami seeking the freedom to marry. The lawsuit argues that Florida’s laws barring same-sex couples from marriage violate the United States Constitution by denying them the legal protections and equal dignity that having the freedom to marry provides….
A thesis being funded by the Academy of Finland and to be argued Jan. 24 at the Department of History of the European University in Florence, Italy suggests that men engaged in same-sex relations far more frequently and with far less reluctance than originally thought. According to a thesis by Sandra Hagman, “Finnish men were…
Nigeria has pased tough new anti-gay laws including outlawing gay marriage, public displays of same-sex relationships and belonging to gay groups. According to Aljazeera, Reuben Abatim, President Goodluck Jonathan’s spokesman, said that the president signed the bill because it was consistent with the attitudes of most people toward homosexuality in the West African nation. “I can confirm that the president…
Yes, it actually has been six months since the historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling struck down Prop. 8, restoring same-sex marriage to California; we trust and hope forever! We all remember where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news, along with the DOMA decision. For me, I was glued to…
The number of marriages in the state of Utah have broken all records since a federal judge overturned Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage a week ago. According to a report in The Salt Lake Tribune, as of close of business Thursday, more than 1,225 marriage licenses had been issued in Utah since last Friday and…
Politician of the Year: TIME magazine gives their “Person of the Year” Award to whoever dominates the headlines, good or bad. In that sense, one can make a strong argument for former Mayor Filner. However, his headlines were more about person than politics. Instead, the Politically Aware Politician of the Year is City Council President…
Statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on same-sex benefits, released by the U.S. Department of Defense today: On Oct. 31, I called on the chief of the National Guard Bureau to work with several states to fully implement Department of Defense policy by providing DoD identification cards to all eligible military spouses, regardless of sexual orientation. Following…
In a setback for marriage equality in Australia, the country’s High Court has overturned legislation allowing gay marriage in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). In October, the ACT parliament had passed a bill making the territory the first part of Australia to legalize same-sex weddings. The national government then challenged the bill stating it was inconsistent…
