A recent poll shows a huge shift in American attitudes toward gay marriage, from a 32 percent approval in 2004 to 53 percent today. I am one of those people who changed their minds.

I've always avoided the subject of the Westboro Baptist Church, for a few reasons. For one, I didn't want to write something in anger, which has proven difficult to manage at times.

State officials are investigating whether religious agencies that receive public funds to license foster care parents are breaking anti-discrimination laws if they turn away openly gay parents.

here's Boehner's absurd criticism of Obama: "A spokesman for Boehner's office criticized the administration change of position.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has determined that a federal law that barred gay marriages was unconstitutional and told government lawyers to stop defending it in court, the U.S.

Radio Report and News Article: Obama Declares Defense of Marriage Act Unconstitutional - NPR All Things Considered:

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is examining whether "gay-only" guesthouses breach new laws designed to prevent people being treated unfairly in the provision of goods or services.

After getting a daylong earful of hateful speech against gays and lesbians during a hearing on the bill, one Maryland lawmaker—Democratic Sen.

...if Republican elected officials* in Iowa get their way:

In a statement today, Political Research Associates condemned the murder and demanded an end to "the export of homophobia to Uganda by American conservatives."

Devout Christian hotel owners who refused to allow a gay couple to share a double room acted unlawfully, a judge at Bristol county court ruled today.

"a music video for lgbtq kids everywhere - now available on itunes"

A Muslim gay man in Malaysia says he fears for his safety after speaking about his sexuality in an Internet video that attracted online death threats and accusations by religious authorities that he is insulting Islam.

If David Bahati succeeds in passing the death penalty for homosexuals in Uganda, we need to pray for our own deliverance in the United States. [...]

Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal is on a glide path to passage. With Olympia Snowe joining Scott Brown and Lisa Murkowski as fully supportive of the standalone bill, at least 61 votes are in hand, and Harry Reid filled the amendment tree to minimize any possibility of amendments.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said in a recent interview with Big Think that he believes the country is at a point where it will soon be acceptable to elect a gay president.

In 1948, the idea of interracial marriage in the United States was almost unimaginable. The few polls on this topic at the time showed that Americans were nearly unanimous in their disapproval of it.

According to WNYC, "Until now, investigators have maintained there were four victims that night, two men and two teenagers. But the grand jury has named two new victims, Bryan Almonte and Brian Cepeda.

Lesbian Mothers....

"A vote last week by the United Nations General Assembly Human Rights Committee has LGBT and human rights activists outraged over the decision to remove "sexual orientation" from a resolution that protects people from arbitrary executions.

For the last 10 years sexual orientation has been included in a list of discriminatory grounds for executions – gay rights activists say the vote to remove that listing is "dangerous and disturbing."

It is no secret that bullying in schools is nothing new, but stories around it and the results of it are increasing in occurrences and severity. In November 2010, students wore shirts announcing their straight pride, which is fine. This was in answer to gay pride.

He may not have the rhetorical chops of President Obama, or the make-up artist of Adam Lambert, or the wit of the cast of Modern Family, but Vice President Joe Biden took to YouTube this week to become the latest in a line of politicians, celebrities and activists telling LGBT Yo …

One of the conversations that came up over coffee this morning was Hollywood's portrayal of gay characters. I thought I would share some of what we talked about here with you on this series.

In response to a gay-straight alliance week designed to fight bullying, some high school students in Chicago wore t-shirts for "straight pride" that included a Bibical passage advocating death for gay people.

...that's just what happened recently in Raleigh at the Cameron Village shopping center to a couple of women who were being affectionate with each other when a guard happened by.

A Saudi Arabian court sentenced a man to five years in prison and 500 lashes for having sexual relations with another man, Jeddah-based Okaz reported.

I have been writing articles called "Are you for Gay Rights Yes or No?". As it grew it became more of an article about educating people on the culture of homosexuals. For that reason I have decided to separate the two series.

Looking forward to changes to the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell policy?” Don’t hold your breath. The Wall Street Journal’s Laura Meckler reports today that the drive in Congress to repeal the policy appears all but lost for the fores …

Bishop Gene Robinson of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire said he would retire in 2013, when he will be 65. "The fact is, the last seven years have taken their toll on me, my family and you," Robinson wrote in a message posted on the diocese website.

Defense lawyers now say Tyler Clementi's bullying wasn't as bad as it seemed — but the invasion of his privacy was still a standout in a year that's been rife with bullying incidents. After the jump, a timeline.

We hear it in the news, we see photos of the result of it and tombstones are left in the wake of it.

In the previous polls there has been a correlation between those against gay rights and those who have any association with anyone that is gay. So, I decided that I would write an article that addressed some of the stereotypes of homosexuality.

Recently I conducted a poll on here asking some pretty basic questions regarding gay rights. Though you can visit the article yourself for more detailed information, I am going to summarize here what the poll showed and do some follow-up on the subject.

"I didn't want to become a proficient liar," she said.

Two articles / videos: President Obama Films 'It Gets Better' Video To Combat Gay Bullying

I sat in a bathroom, closed doors and my girlfriend was a couple rooms away. I had just disappointed her. My heart was feeling pain.

The White House has rejected the nomination of Daniel Alter, a New Yorker would have become the first openly gay man to sit on the federal bench, because of comments he made about the Pledge of Allegiance and Christmas that were considered anti-Christian.

A FEDERAL appeals court on Wednesday granted the Obama administration's emergency request for a stay against a lower court order lifting the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy barring openly gay service members.

Fans of a high school football team in Eastlake, Ohio, have been caught on video taunting a rival team with an antigay chant, calling them "powder blue faggots."

The one thing this society does this culture, is to walk around with blinders on. We try to only acknowledge the world as right and wrong, no in between. I watch people and the way they interact. I observe human behavior, rather I am in the club, mall, work, store etc.

I love purple and will happily join in: It's been decided! On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the LGBT youth who have committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes and schools.

Pretty simply question. Yes or no. I get on different seeds and we debate on what the majority thinks. Some seeds are anit-gay while others are not...so, lets throw it out there a poll. You can discuss if you wish, but lets focus on answering the questions in the poll.

In a Monday interview with the Washington Post, Jarrett said of the family of the teen, Justin Aaberg: "These are good people. They were aware that their son was gay. They embraced him, they loved him, they supported his lifestyle choice."

Christianity has been both a flag ship and a target in the last couple of years. As we come near to an election values of candidates are looked at more on the moral ground then the economic. So I asked myself, if God, the center stone for several of the morality good vs.

O'DONNELL: A federal judge recently ruled that we have to overturn Don't Ask Don't Tell. There are a couple of things we need to say about that. First of all, judges should not be legislating from the bench.

"I have made mistakes in this campaign - I have made mistakes all my life..."

Jeff Hannon, the 23-year-old gay nephew of Carl Paladino (he also works for the campaign), spoke out Tuesday about his uncle's antigay remarks, saying that he was "very offended" by the comments.

"Gay issues have been in the news a lot lately, from the debate over same-sex marriage in Congress to a sickening rash of gay-bashing here in New York City.

Carl Paladino, GOP-Tea Party candidate for governor of New York, gave a speech to religious fundamentalists yesterday, in which he expressed his opinions about the gay and lesbian community.

If all you ever read about gay people in Africa is in the western media (including gay media), you would be forgiven for thinking it's one endless horror story.

New York City police arrested seven gang members accused of beating a new recruit who they discovered is gay, Commissioner Ray Kelly announced.

If someone was getting beat for wearing a rainbow necklace, would you walk on by feeling they deserved it because they must be gay? If a student was getting their books knocked out of their hands because they were carrying a Qur'an, would you laugh?

...[Tyler] Clementi's death last month, following suicides by several other homosexual teens in recent weeks, has also prompted a sharp debate in religious communities, a discussion that includes an unusual degree of soul-searching in addition to the more typical defensiveness.

"Words have consequences, particularly when they come from a faith leader," Joe Solmonese, president of HRC, said in a statement.

Thousands of people took part in Africa's biggest Gay Pride event in Johannesburg on Saturday, aimed at drawing attention to the persecution of homosexuals across the continent.

Organisers said more than 18,000 people took part in the protest in the economic capital of South Africa, the only country in the continent which allows same-sex marriages.

"We are heartbroken over the tragic loss of a young man who, by all accounts, was brilliant, talented and kind," Goldstein said.

The Montana Republican party recently adopted an official platform. Whoops, look at that: A 12-year-old commitment to making homosexuality illegal slipped in there. As far as Montana Republicans are concerned, being gay should be a crime.

Ali Ahmad Asseri has informed U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials that Saudi officials have refused to renew his diplomatic passport and effectively terminated his job after discovering he was gay and was close friends with a Jewish woman, NBC News reported.

As a gay diplomat seeks US asylum, Saudi Arabia seems torn between wanting a civilised image and appeasing traditionalists

A recent case in Texas points out one of the problems that arise when one state won't recognize the marriage laws of another:

Pound-for-pound, Jesus Christ is the most famous and celebrated liberal activist of all time.

Former Democratic U.S. senator and presidential candidate John Edwards is a "faggot," according to conservative provocateur and author Ann Coulter some years back.

In the late 1700s, something disturbing happened to marriage in Western societies: It began to change. Young people had revolutionary new ideas about the institution and what it meant to them.

Wow! Conservative lawyer Ted Olson - who won the case finding California anti gay marriage Prop 8 unconstitutional - responds honestly, intelligently and rightly to every stupid question FOX News Sunday host Chris Wallace asks him.

Governor Schwarzenegger wants same-sex marriages to resume immediately!

A handful of activists interrupted a meeting on gender equality Thursday, demanding that a Turkish official apologize for saying recently that homosexuality is a disease.

Justice has been served. As most of you are probably fully aware, District Chief Justice Vaughn R. Walker, ruling on the case Kristin M. Perry v. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has overturned California's infamous "Proposition 8," which banned gay marriage within the State.

Homosexuals and homosexuality are natural and created by God, thus permissible within Islam, a discussion concluded here Thursday.

"For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today, I quit being a Christian. I'm out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat.

By the time Mohammad Abdollahi figured out he had been living in the United States illegally for more than a decade, he also knew that his personal safety would depend on being able to stay in the country he calls home.

The lack of support for legalizing gay marriage amongst conservatives is surprising because the push to legalize gay marriage serves conservative aims.

"In a country long plagued by violence, corruption, and an authoritarian government, Zimbabwe's President Mugabe is known as one of the worst anti-gay autocrats in Africa.

HONOLULU (AP) -- After deliberating for weeks, Hawaii's governor has vetoed a bill that would have permitted same-sex civil unions.

A 19-year-old man — whose father won't hire a lawyer to defend him — has been in jail without trial for more than a year because he is gay.

It's official, I despise GAY MEN. For that matter, I don't really like GAY WOMEN either. Amazing fashion sense? Ecstasy filled orgies? Great hair? I want it all.

A pair of gay best friends were voted prom king and queen by such a wide margin at an upstate New York high school that the school didn't bother choosing runners-up.

A gay couple who were jailed in Malawi have been pardoned by President Bingu wa Mutharika.

Mr Mutharika, speaking as UN chief Ban Ki-moon visited Lilongwe, said he had ordered their immediate release.

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Seven years after the Episcopal Church caused an uproar by consecrating its first openly gay bishop, it has done the same thing again — only this time with a woman.

A "Conservative Action Alert" by Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt has gone out stirring up a rumor claiming Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is a lesbian. The White House is trying to snuff the issue, denying that Kagan is gay.

"Morales's theories do not appear to have been immediately accepted by the scientific community, to put it mildly, and have been criticised by Spain's National Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals, which sent a letter of protest to the Bolivian embassy in Madr …

"Turkey has blocked two of its largest LGBT websites. Users of sites such as hadigayri.com and gabile.com are finding that instead of regular homepages, they are seeing messages stating that the site has been blocked by the Telecommunication Directorate.

Many people claim that Muslims never speak out against extremism.. Of course this is totally false. One such example is Irshad Manje-- a devout Muslim, but despite numerous death threats she is also a voice for reform in her faith.