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NEWS ABOUT: gay rights

Married Gays Grapple With IRS

Taxmen not recognizing same-sex unions

(Newser) - The Internal Revenue Service is refusing to recognize gay marriages, causing headaches for couples who have won the right to wed in their home states, BusinessWeek finds. The Obama administration has urged federal agencies to extend benefits as far as they can to same-sex couples under existing law, but analysts... More »

Man Sent to Nazi Camp for Being Gay Dead at 98

Rudolf Brazda was last known survivor of persecution over homosexuality

(AP) - Rudolf Brazda, believed to be the last surviving person who was sent to a Nazi concentration camp because of his homosexuality, died yesterday at age 98. Brazda was sent to Buchenwald in 1942 and held there until its liberation by US forces in 1945. Nazi Germany declared homosexuality an aberration... More »

Gay Marriage Now Legal in Washington State—Sort Of

Suquamish become second US tribe to allow same-sex unions

(Newser) - Gay marriage is now legal in Washington state—as long as the wedding takes place on the Suquamish Tribe's reservation and at least one of the parties is a member of the tribe. The tribal council has voted unanimously to recognize same-sex marriages, making it only the second tribe... More »

Anti-Gay Preacher Sues Rachel Maddow for $50M

Says Maddow took his comments out of context

(Newser) - Bradlee Dean—the heavy-metal drummer who heads up the religious ministry You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International—is suing Rachel Maddow and MSNBC for $50 million. He claims that Maddow tarnished his "fine reputation" and that of his ministry by accusing him, on air, of supporting the... More »

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Ends Sept. 20

President and Pentagon certify repeal

(Newser) - Supporters and opponents of Don't Ask, Don't Tell won't have to pay attention to the dizzying back-and-forth court developments anymore: The ban on gays in the military will end on Sept. 20, reports Politico . President Obama certified the repeal today after the Pentagon brass—including new defense... More »

Panetta to Certify DADT Repeal

New defense chief to start 60-day repeal countdown

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will sign the death warrant for "Don't Ask Don't Tell" soon after he is officially sworn in today, according to Pentagon sources. Panetta and other defense chiefs will certify that the military is ready to ax the policy barring gays from serving openly,... More »

Obama Backs Repeal of Marriage Law

President endorses bill to kill act

(Newser) - President Obama's " evolving views " on gay marriage appear to have evolved even further: The president has endorsed a bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act , which defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein,... More »

First Openly Gay Man Quietly Confirmed as US Judge

J. Paul Oetken makes history, with little fanfare

(Newser) - The US got its first openly gay male federal judge last night. J. Paul Oetken, a former lawyer for the Clinton administration, was confirmed by the Senate on an 80-13 vote and could take his Manhattan seat this week, the New York Times reports. "The old barriers that existed... More »

Gay Activists: Bachmann a 'Target-Rich Environment'

Organizations say she and her husband are 'harmful to children'

(Newser) - Michele Bachmann has her haters, but now gay rights groups are setting their sights on the Minnesota Republican, with one activist calling her a "target-rich environment." Human rights organizations say they plan to home in this summer on Bachmann's past anti-gay efforts in Minnesota, reports Politico . Bachmann... More »

Gay History Now Mandatory in California Schools

Governor signs law requiring lessons in LGBT accomplishments

(Newser) - Gay rights supporters are hailing this as a big win in California: Public schools will be required to teach the accomplishments of gay Americans under a measure signed into law yesterday by Gov. Jerry Brown, reports the Los Angeles Times . The San Francisco Chronicle says it's the first such... More »

LGBT Hate Crimes Rise 13%

And 2010 saw second-highest number of murders

(Newser) - Despite recent breakthroughs in the fight for gay rights , violent hate crimes against the LGBT community are on the rise. Such crimes (committed against people because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV positive status) were up 13% last year over 2009, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence... More »

NY Town Clerk Quits Over Gay Marriage Law

Says she can't sign marriage licenses that violate her beliefs

(Newser) - A New York town clerk has quit her post so she won’t have to sign same-sex marriage licenses, which she objects to on religious grounds. “The Bible clearly teaches that God created marriage between male and female as a divine gift that preserves families and cultures,” Laura... More »

Mass. City to Pay Stipend to Married Gay Workers

Because gay couples face a tax heterosexual couples don't

(Newser) - Some public employees with a same-sex spouse in Massachusetts face a federal income tax their heterosexual counterparts don’t have to pay—so the city of Cambridge is making up the difference. In the city, 22 public workers have put their spouses on their employer-provided health plan. But since the... More »

Calif. Gay History Bill Heads to Governor

Measure would require history lessons to include gay contributions

(Newser) - A bill requiring California schools to teach gay history is headed for Gov. Jerry Brown's desk after passing the state Assembly. The bill, SB48, would make California the first state in the union to require history classes and textbooks to include the contributions of gay and lesbian Americans, reports... More »

Rahm Wants Gay Marriage in Illinois

Calls New York's gay marriage law 'very important'

(Newser) - Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel hopes that the land of Lincoln will follow New York's lead on gay marriage, reports Politico . “I would hope that the state would move in that direction,” said Emanuel. “Tremendous progress has been made across the country on a value statement. And... More »

Rhode Island OKs Same-Sex Civil Unions

Joins growing list of states legalizing gay partnerships

(Newser) - Just days after New York legalized gay marriage, Rhode Island has passed its own law approving civil unions among same-sex couples. "From hospital visitation rights, medical decision-making powers, equal state tax treatment, we have moved one step in the right direction to ensuring that individuals receive equal rights and... More »

200 Methodist Clergy Flout Church Ban on Gay Unions

Illinois group will risk jobs to perform same-sex ceremonies

(Newser) - An Illinois coalition of some 200 Methodist clergy has agreed to bless same-sex unions in defiance of church policy. Clergy members risk their jobs by doing so, but they’re urging the worldwide Methodist Church to limit punishment to a 24-hour suspension, reports the Chicago Tribune . Civil unions were legalized... More »

Cuomo Turned Gay Marriage Into Personal Mission

New York governor pulled all the strings masterfully

(Newser) - New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is winning rave reviews for getting gay marriage passed in New York. ("Enormous victory" for him, declares Politico .) And the New York Times has a lengthy piece detailing how he personally managed the push, including the wooing of deep-pocketed GOP donors who could... More »

Neil Patrick Harris Gets Engaged After NY Vote

He and partner David Burtka tweet after gay marriage bill passes

(Newser) - One of New York's highest-profile gay couples celebrated last night's passage of the gay marriage bill in appropriate fashion: Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka got engaged. "I've already (proposed), he said yes! Thank god!" tweeted Burtka, before adding, "he proposed to me as... More »

In New York, Jubilant Gay Community Rejoices

Crowds throng West Village, where gay rights movement was born

(Newser) - After the showdown in Albany legalized gay marriage, euphoric crowds last night thronged the streets of New York City's West Village, where the gay rights movement was born some four decades ago. “It’s where it all began,” said one reveler outside the Stonewall Inn. The New ... More »

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