GLBT

Carrie Prejean, the Miss California USA contestant who lost the Miss USA crown after saying she was opposed to gay marriage, is filing a lawsuit against the pageant (in California) for “libel, public disclosure of private facts, religious discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.” From her lawyers:
We will make [...]

Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.) is before the Senate Armed Services Committee this morning for his confirmation hearing to become secretary of the Army. He began by saying his “first priority” is to alleviate the pressures on a “force fatigued by some eight years of uninterrupted combat.” Interestingly, he doesn’t include in his opening statement a [...]

Politico’s Ben Smith reports:
Reacting to a rising tide of anger from gay and lesbian supporters at a series of slights and deferred promises, President Obama will tomorrow extend some benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.
The move, which begins to mirror the policy of many large corporations, will have an immediate effect for many workers, [...]

The anti-gay marriage group piggybacks off the endless Miss California drama with an e-mail to supporters from Executive Director Brian Brown:
Here’s my message to Carrie: Congratulations. Free at last. Free at last. Free at last to craft your own mission and message. God has a plan for you Carrie and we look forward to [...]

A plan to insert the right to carry a concealed weapon across state lines has the support of some gay rights advocates.

The anti-gay marriage group, which pre-emptively declared victory over New Hampshire’s stalemated marriage legislation, sends out a statement responding to this week’s passage. Executive Director Brian Brown:
I helped found NOM because I believe that values voters need new avenues for political influence. No more paper tigers. No more Potemkin villages.  Stay tuned: This fight is [...]

I was surprised to see Sam Stein of The Huffington Post report Dick Cheney’s remarks on gay marriage as the former vice president taking a “more progressive tilt” than President Obama. Here’s what Cheney said:
I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish. Any kind of arrangement they [...]

The following is Sen. Barbara Boxer’s (D-Calif.) response to today’s California Supreme Court decision upholding the state’s recently renewed ban on same-sex marriage.
Unfortunately, with this decision, I am concerned that we are back to square one on the issue of equal rights for same-sex couples. This ruling sets up a very unfair reality in California [...]

The essential part of the California Supreme Court’s analysis in upholding Proposition 8’s ban on same-sex marriage today is that the court decided that Prop 8 was an “amendment” to the state constitution, rather than a “revision” to the constitution. An amendment, under California law, can be made by a majority of voters. Given that [...]

The Los Angeles Times reports:
The California Supreme Court today upheld Proposition 8’s ban on same-sex marriage but also ruled that [18,000] gay couples who wed before the election will continue to be married under state law.
The decision virtually ensures another fight at the ballot box over marriage rights for gays. Gay rights activists say they [...]