A Brazilian general’s comment that gay soldiers should not be allowed to command troops sparked fierce criticism today from gay rights groups and a national lawyers’ organisation that champions human rights
Sarah Jessica Parker has given away her tickets to the Sex and the City 2 premier in a bid to raise money for equal LGBT rights.
Kenya police on Friday arrested five suspected homosexuals in a coastal resort town after hundreds of residents protested over a planned gay wedding, a local official said.
Seeking to overcome a broadcast blackout imposed by the US Supreme Court, a pair of Los Angeles filmmakers have undertaken the task of faithfully recreating the federal trial on California’s same-sex marriage ban for the internet – all 60-plus hours of it; every “um,” “yes, your honour” and “objection!”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he intends to bring the ban on gays openly serving in the military to a vote during the current lame duck session of Congress.
"During the work period following the Thanksgiving holidays (November 25), I will bring the Defense Authorization bill to the floor, including a repeal of ?Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell,?" Reid said in a statement, referring to the colloquial name of the law.
The White House is pushing for repeal of the 1993 law this year because Democrats' power to pass legislation will be sharply reduced in the new Congress that is seated in January.
Democrats will still have a majority in the Senate, but it was pared by six seats in November 2 legislative elections that also gave the Republicans control of the House of Representatives.
"Our Defense Department supports repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' as a way to build our all-volunteer armed forces," Reid said.
"We need to repeal this discriminatory policy so that any American who wants to defend our country can do so," he added.
The US Supreme Court on Friday kept intact the ban as lower courts review the issue, rejecting a request from a gay rights group, the Log Cabin Republicans, to block its enforcement.
The Pentagon's internal review of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is due on December 1. Several lawmakers, including Republican John McCain have asked that the ban not be tampered with until the results of the review are known.
On Monday, 13 gay rights activists were arrested after handcuffing themselves to the White House's north gate to urge Obama's repeal of the ban.
© Copyright 2009 Pinkwire, Talent Media.
Designd & powerd by ENTWURF.