gay rights news stories on Newser

Obama Traps Himself With Gay-Marriage 'Contradiction'

John Johnson — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:37:05 CDT

Charles Krauthammer sees a "howling contradiction" in President Obama's new position on gay marriage. It's one thing to have "empathy" for the cause, he writes in the Washington Post , to feel badly for gay friends and acquaintances who can't legally marry. It's quite another to call it the next logical...

Virginia Delegate: 'Sodomy Is Not a Civil Right'

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:21:06 CDT

Virginia Del. Robert Marshall has been on a crusade to prevent an openly gay man from becoming a district judge, and while arguing his case last night on CNN , he uttered this headline-generating quote: “Sodomy is not a civil right.” (CNN pundit Margaret Hoover called the quote "absurd" based on...

Colorado GOP Kills Civil Unions Bill—Again

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:20:25 CDT

Colorado’s civil unions measure died for the second time in less than a week yesterday, this time during a special session of the Colorado Legislature. The bill—which had already passed the state Senate and had enough Republican support in the House to pass—was first killed after a Republican...

Voters Question Obama's Gay-Marriage Motivation

Rob Quinn — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:03:10 CDT

Most voters are OK with President Obama's stand on gay marriage but they're pretty skeptical about the reason for the "evolution," the latest New York Times / CBS poll finds. Some 67%—including a majority of independents and almost half of Democrats—believe Obama made the announcement "mostly for political...

62% of US Backs Same-Sex Unions

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:17:02 CDT

Nearly two-thirds of Americans support same-sex unions, though not necessarily marriage, a new CBS News / New York Times poll finds. While 38% of respondents said gay couples should be allowed to marry, another 24% said they should be granted legal rights via civil unions, for a grand total of...

Lesbian Seeking Marriage License Arrested in NC

Rob Quinn — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:31:00 CDT

A lesbian who refused to leave a North Carolina government office without a wedding license was taken away in handcuffs yesterday after what organizers say was the first of many protests against the state's newly passed gay marriage ban . After a march through downtown Winston-Salem, nine gay and lesbian couples—...

Biden Apologized to Obama on Gay Marriage

John Johnson — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:04:48 CDT

Skeptics may think Joe Biden's public comments on gay marriage were carefully orchestrated, but the White House insists it was just Joe being Joe. In fact, Biden apologized to the president the first time the two spoke afterward, reports the New York Times and Washington Post . (Both cite anonymous administration...

Joe Biden Suddenly a Liberal Hero

John Johnson — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:45:13 CDT

Liberals are celebrating a hero in the White House, and his name is ... Joe Biden. The vice president's comments on Sunday in support of gay marriage clearly "sped up history," writes Steve Kornacki at Salon , and gave President Obama "no choice but to say what he’s been scared to say...

Gay Marriage Reaction: From Joy to Cynical Eye Rolls

John Johnson — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:53:49 CDT

Early reaction to President Obama's backing of gay marriage ranges from joyous raves to complaints about a political ploy. Samples: Andrew Sullivan, Daily Beast : "I think of all the gay kids out there who now know they have their president on their side," he writes. Obama today "let go of...