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Today’s Top Headlines

Washington House Committee Approves Gay Marriage Bill
Group Blasts Macy’s for Catalog Showing Gay Couple on Wedding Cake
‘Don’t Say Gay’ Senator Asked to Leave Tennessee Restaurant

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Department store giant Macy’s is reportedly under attack by a group affiliated with the American Family Association for the retailer’s apparent support of gay marriage.
A Macy’s catalogue sent to customers in the mail shows a wedding cake with two groom figurines on top, mynorthwest.com reported Tuesday. The cake is stuffed in the back of an automobile with a license plate that reads “I do.” The image was reportedly part of an advertisement seeking to convince people to join Macy’s Star Rewards Program and does not appear in an online version of the company’s catalogue.

Read the full story from FOXNews.com.

A House committee on Monday advanced a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage in Washington state, and the Senate is expected to vote on its companion bill within days. The House Judiciary Committee approved its gay marriage bill on a party line vote, with seven Democrats voting for it, and six Republicans voting in opposition.

Read the full story from CBS.

Today’s Top Headlines

Christie Says Gay Supreme Court Nominee Won’t Rule on Same-Sex Marriage
Archbishop Tells UK Prime Minister Not to Allow Gay Marriage
Half of Maryland Residents Back Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage

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Half of Maryland residents now favor the legalization of same-sex marriage, but support varies significantly along the sensitive lines of race, religion and age, a Washington Post poll has found.

Overall, the Post poll found that 50 percent of Marylanders support allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry while 44 percent are opposed.

Read the full story from the Washington Post.

Ministers should not overrule the Bible by allowing same-sex marriage, the Archbishop of York has said. David Cameron would be acting like a ‘dictator’ and overruling the Bible if he legalises gay marriage, Dr John Sentamu has warned. He told the prime minister that he will face a rebellion if he pushes ahead with plans to allow fully-fledged gay marriages.

Read the full story from the Daily Mail.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said his pick to be the first openly gay justice on the state Supreme Court won’t rule on issues involving same-sex marriage. Christie, a first-term Republican, also said critics, including Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, one of two openly gay New Jersey legislators, are “numbnuts” for comparing him to segregationists for comments he made about civil rights.

Read the full story from Bloomberg.

 

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Today’s Top Headlines

Barney Frank Plans to Marry Longtime Partner in Massachusetts
NAACP Supports Extending Rights to Maryland Transgender Residents
New Hampshire Bill Would Allow Service Refusal To Gay Couples

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Florists, caterers and other wedding-related businesses could turn away engaged gay couples under legislation before the House that opponents likened to segregation and Nazi Germany’s race laws. The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing Tuesday on the bill, which would allow providers of wedding-related goods or services to withhold those services if they believe doing business with gay couples would violate their conscience or religious faith. The bill also would bar lawsuits against business owners in such situations.

Read the full story from the Washington Post.

NAACP President Benjamin Jealous said Thursday the civil rights group supports legislation in Maryland to extend rights to transgender residents. Jealous spoke at a national conference on rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, the 24th national conference on LGBT equality.

Read the full story from the Washington Post.

Retiring Rep. Barney Frank, a gay pioneer in Congress, said Thursday that he will marry his longtime partner, Jim Ready. Frank spokesman Harry Gural said the liberal Massachusetts Democrat’s wedding will be in his home state, but that no date had been set.

Read the full story from the Washington Post.

 

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Today’s Top Headlines

India Unlikely Hotspot on Gay Tourism Map
Ugandan Gay Activists Honor Slain Rights Leader
Starbucks Endorses Gay Marriage in Washington State
Maine Poised for 2nd Public Vote on Gay Marriage

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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.