Gay Rights

(Newser) - A Miami circuit judge sparked a constitutional showdown by ruling today against Florida’s 30-year-old ban on gay adoption, rebutting claims that homosexuals suffer more from mental illness and substance abuse. The attorney general’s office plans to appeal the decision, which allows a Miami man to adopt two foster kids he and his partner have been raising since 2004, the Herald reports. More »

(Newser) - What do President-elect Barack Obama and a 1970s gay activist have in common? Grassroots backing and a yes-we-can ethos, Rachel Abramowitz writes in the Los Angeles Times. “I know that you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living,” said Harvey Milk, a San Francisco supervisor and gay-rights activist played by Sean Penn in Gus Van Sant’s upcoming movie, Milk. More »

(Newser) - The co-hosts of The View are not friends, Rosie O’Donnell says. “I'm not saying they loathe each other, but the fact of the matter is there was not a lot of camaraderie off camera,” the talkfest's onetime lightning rod says. During an appearance to promote her upcoming NBC variety special, O'Donnell did acknowledge that "arguing about politics is not the best use of my talent," the LA Times reports. More »

(Newser) - California's top court is wading back into the fray over gay marriage. The state's Supreme Court says it will rule on the legality of Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex weddings. Justices asked both sides for more written arguments and will hold a hearing in March and issue a decision about 3 months later, the Los Angeles Times reports. The court rejected a bid to allow same-sex marriages to continue until the issue is decided. More »

(Newser) - California’s moderately conservative Supreme Court faces pressure from both fronts of the gay-marriage battle, the Los Angeles Times reports. Opponents of Proposition 8—including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger—are collecting arguments for why the amendment should be struck down, while supporters have promised to oust judges who rule the other way. Justices are supposed to ignore such threats, but that may prove difficult. More »