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Putin: Gays Will Be Fine, Stay Away From Kids
 Putin: 
 'Everybody 
 Is Invited 
 to Sochi' 
SOCHI OLYMPICS
Jan 19, 2014 8:07 AM CST

Putin: 'Everybody Is Invited to Sochi'

Says 'none of our guests will have any problems'

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin is again taking time out of his Herculean schedule to sit down with foreign media in advance of next month's Winter Olympics in Sochi, and used the opportunity to try to downplay Russia's anti-gay laws—sort of. "Everybody is invited to Sochi," he told...

Gay Protester in Russia Detained at Torch Relay

He unfurled a rainbow flag

(Newser) - A gay Russian protester was detained today for unfurling a rainbow flag during the Olympic torch relay as it passed through his hometown of Voronezh. Photos uploaded by his friends show Pavel Lebedev pulling out the flag and then being detained by Olympic security personnel, who wrestle him to the...

Bakery in Hot Water for Refusing Gay Wedding Cake

Oregon says owners guilty of discrimination

(Newser) - It's one of the more unusual front lines in the battle for gay rights: an Oregon bakery. The state declared yesterday that a Portland business called Sweet Cakes by Melissa violated the civil rights of a gay couple when it refused to make them a wedding cake, reports NWCN....

Putin: Gays Are Fine—If They Steer Clear of Kids

Russian president seeks to reassure, as best he can

(Newser) - He was apparently trying to be magnanimous toward gay people, but it didn't quite come out that way. Asked today about Russia's views toward homosexuals, Putin said those in his country should "feel calm and at ease," reports the Washington Post . And then he added, "...

Judge Rejects Oklahoma's Ban on Gay Marriage

But no marriages will take place before appeal

(Newser) - Another win for gay marriage, this time in Oklahoma. A federal judge today declared that the state's 10-year-old ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, reports the Tulsa World . But don't expect any rushes to the altar: The judge stayed his ruling pending appeal, and thus no marriages can...

Nigeria Quietly Bans Gay Marriage

New law also bans homosexual displays of affection

(Newser) - Nigeria has quietly signed a controversial law banning same-sex marriage, along with gay clubs, organizations, and public displays of homosexual affection. How quietly? Well, the legislature passed it back on Dec. 17, and President Goodluck Jonathan signed it last Tuesday, according to a copy obtained by the AP, but it'...

Feds Will Recognize Utah's Gay Marriages

Justice Department takes opposite stance of state as matter goes through courts

(Newser) - Because the status of in-limbo gay couples who got married in Utah wasn't confusing enough: The Justice Department said today that it will recognize their marriages, even though the state won't , reports NBC News . It's no small thing: This means that the more than 1,000 couples...

Utah Delivers Bad News to Gay Couples Who Wed

Those marriages won't be recognized as case goes through appeals process

(Newser) - In the 17 days between the time a federal judge gave the green light to gay marriage in Utah and the Supreme Court put the practice on hold, about 1,300 same-sex couples got hitched. Or did they? The state today announced that it won't recognize the marriages as...

Billy Graham's Kid: Pope 'Not the Judge' of Homosexuality

'God is,' and 'this is sin,' says Franklin Graham

(Newser) - Amid talk of his father's failing health , Franklin Graham today waded into the topic of homosexuality and the current pope, telling Meet the Press that Francis was "right when he said he's not the judge . He's not the judge. God is the judge." Graham added...

Utah to Ask Supreme Court to Halt Gay Marriages

But state needs a few more days to get request for emergency stay in order

(Newser) - Utah said today it will ask the Supreme Court to halt gay weddings in the state as it appeals a lower court's ruling that allows them to take place, reports the Guardian . The state's attorney general confirmed that his office will seek an emergency stay from the high...

Duck Dynasty Items Back on Cracker Barrel's Shelves

Petitions demand reinstatement of Phil Robertson

(Newser) - Cracker Barrel on Friday distanced itself from Duck Dynasty as controversy swirled over Phil Robertson's anti-gay remarks in GQ. The move didn't last long. After announcing that it was taking some Duck Dynasty gear off its shelves ("We removed selected products which we were concerned might offend...

Students Shut Down School as Gay Vice Principal Fired

Catholic school says he violated contract with same-sex wedding

(Newser) - A Seattle-area Catholic high school canceled classes today, partially because there was snow in the forecast, but also "in light of the difficult day" it had just been through. The difficulty? Hundreds of students staged a rally yesterday at Eastside Catholic High School to protest the termination of vice...

Ugandan Lawmakers OK Life Sentence for Gays

It's also a crime not to report homosexuals

(Newser) - Ugandan lawmakers today overwhelmingly approved what would be one of the harshest anti-gay laws in the world. Homosexual acts were already illegal in Uganda, but now anyone caught committing this crime twice will be imprisoned for life, the AFP reports. The first draft of the law called for the death...

My Stint as a Transgender Bell-Ringer in Salvation Army

Jennifer Finney Boylan faces dilemma between group's work and values

(Newser) - The Salvation Army has, in recent years, made waves for anti-LGBT views, not least one rep's comment that gays "deserve death." Would the group tolerate a transgender woman taking up bell-ringing? Jennifer Finney Boylan tells her story in the New York Times . She opted to volunteer before...

Why India's Gay Sex Ban Shocked India

Few thought conservative push actually had a chance of success

(Newser) - India's supreme court yesterday ruled to reinstate a colonial-era law that makes gay sex illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in jail—and few actually expected that outcome. Protesters gathered in Delhi last night, armed with rainbow flags and banners reading "I am gay, punish me,...

Australia Strikes Down Gay Marriage, After 5 Days

Top court annuls dozens of marriages

(Newser) - Australia's highest court has struck down the country's first law allowing same-sex marriages less than a week after the first weddings took place. The court sided with the federal government, which argued that Australian Capital Territory's law was invalid and having different marriage laws in different states...

India's Top Court Outlaws Gay Sex

Ruling reinstates colonial-era law

(Newser) - A huge step backward for gay rights in India: The top court in the country of 1.2 billion has ruled to reinstate a colonial-era law that makes gay sex illegal. The 148-year-old law, which labeled homosexual acts an "unnatural offense" punishable by up to 10 years in jail,...

Hawaii Welcomes First Gay Weddings

State poised to become destination for same-sex ceremonies

(Newser) - After lawmakers approved gay marriage in Hawaii last month, the ceremonies have officially begun. The law went into effect last night at midnight, and six couples were quick to get hitched, the AP reports. At a Sheraton in Waikiki, those looking to tie the knot could join in a giant...

Dying Woman Gets Last Wish: Right to Marry

Couple won't have to wait for Illinois law to kick in

(Newser) - A federal judge has decided to allow a lesbian couple in Illinois to get married before death splits them up. Gov. Pat Quinn signed a same-sex marriage bill into law last week, but it doesn't allow weddings to begin until June, which might be too late for Vernita Gray...

Illinois Is 16th State to OK Gay Marriage

'Triumph of democracy' as church attempts exorcism

(Newser) - Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn invoked Abraham Lincoln as he signed a marriage equality bill into law, making the state the 16th to legalize gay marriage—and the third in the space of a month, after Hawaii and New Jersey. Lincoln "said our nation was conceived in liberty," the...

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