Gay rights activists in Maine, the only New England state that doesn’t allow gay marriage or civil unions, said Thursday that they are forging ahead with plans to put the marriage question up to a second statewide vote. EqualityMaine, the Maine Civil Liberties Union and the Maine Women’s Lobby have collected more than 100,000 signatures — far more than needed to seek the referendum — and made their announcement Thursday at the State House.

Read the full story from the Associated Press.

Starbucks is giving a jolt of support to a gay marriage bill in its home state of Washington. The popular coffee chain said in a statement on Tuesday it was “proud to join other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington state legislation recognizing marriage equality for same sex couples.”

Read the full story from the New York Daily News.

Ugandan gay rights activists braved hostility and stigma Thursday as they gathered to commemorate the first anniversary of the murder of their fellow campaigner David Kato. “We are here to celebrate and thank God for our beloved friend and human rights activist David Kato,” former Anglican bishop and gay rights campaigner Christopher Senyonjo told a crowd of around 100 activists and family members. Kato, former advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), was found bludgeoned to death at his home outside Kampala on January 26, 2011.

Read the full story from AFP.

When Thomas Roth first visited India, he was often asked about his wife and children — questions he would try to evade. That was thirty years ago, when homosexuality was a criminal offense in India and for many the term “gay” only meant “happy”. Roth is again planning a trip to India, this time with his partner, and hopes the visit will coincide with the annual Queer Pride parade in New Delhi.

Read the full story from Reuters.

Today’s Top Headlines

Gay Marriage Bill Advances in NJ, Despite Veto Threat
Forced Sterilization for Transgender People in Sweden
Gay Groups Angry Kansas Anti-Sodomy Law Remains on Books

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The New Jersey legislature edged closer Tuesday to a confrontation with Gov. Chris Christie over gay marriage. The New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill along party lines that would allow same-sex marriage, The Star-Ledger reported. Meanwhile, Christie said he would veto a gay-marriage bill and suggested instead that the issue be put to voters as a referendum, according to NYT.

Read the full story from Reuters.

Little known fact about Sweden, that supposed bastion of liberal idealism: If a Swedish transgender person wants to legally update their gender on official ID papers, a 1972 law requires them to get both divorced and sterilized first. Sweden is considered extremely gay-friendly, with one of the highest rates of popular support for same-sex marriage, and more than half the population supports gay adoption. Arguing that the current law is both unpopular and abusive, the country’s moderate and liberal parties want to see it repealed.

Read the full story from Mother Jones.

The New Jersey legislature edged closer Tuesday to a confrontation with Gov. Chris Christie over gay marriage. The New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill along party lines that would allow same-sex marriage, The Star-Ledger reported. Meanwhile, Christie said he would veto a gay-marriage bill and suggested instead that the issue be put to voters as a referendum, according to NYT.

Read the full story from the Wall Street Journal.

 

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Today’s Top Headlines

South African Rights Investigators Probe Zulu King’s Alleged Gay Slur
Cynthia Nixon Says Being Gay ‘Is A Choice’
NJ Gay Marriage Advocates Rally at Statehouse
Gay Teen in Tennessee Hangs Himself

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A gay teen in Tennessee killed himself on Friday after leaving a note in a trash can that read “please help me mom,” WSMV-TV in Nashville reports. Phillip Parker, 14, hanged himself in his foster parents’ bathroom in Gordonsville after one year of constant bullying, family members told WSMV, an NBC affiliate. “He kept telling me he had a rock on his chest,” Ruby Harris, Phillip’s grandmother, told the station. “He just wanted to take the rock off where he could breathe.”

Read the full story from the New York Daily News.

A small but growing group of gay marriage supporters are staging a rally on the steps of the Statehouse this morning as lawmakers prepare to hold a committee hearing on a bill that would allow gay couples to wed. “Marriage equality, how sweet it is,” State Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-Union), a sponsor of the bill, told the crowd of about 30 people.

Read the full story from the New Jersey Star-Ledger.

Cynthia Nixon’s character, Miranda Hobbes, was known for stirring up some drama on the highly popular HBO series Sex and the City. Now, however, she is stirring up controversy through her personal life. During an interview in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, Nixon claimed that for her homosexuality is a “choice.” The interview was conducted in order to promote her presence in a Broadway play opening this Thursday.

Read the full story from the Long Island Press.

South Africa’s government human rights agency said Tuesday it is investigating whether the Zulu king made comments that could increase anti-homosexual sentiment in a country where gays face hatred and attacks despite liberal laws ensuring their rights. The Times, a Johannesburg newspaper, reported that King Goodwill Zwelithini called homosexuals “rotten” during a speech. Human Rights Commission spokesman Vincent Moaga said the newspaper stands by the story, but the king’s office said the king was mistranslated.

Read the full story from the Washington Post.

Today’s Top Headlines

Gay Marriage Seen a Step Closer in Washington State
Chris Christie Nominates Gay African-American Mayor for state Supreme Court
MN Appeals Court Returns Gay Marriage Case to District Court

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