Active Gay Military Group Holding Convention
A group of actively serving gay, lesbian and bisexual military personnel is planning its first convention this fall in Las Vegas in what may be another sign that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy’s days are roup hambered. By scheduling its Armed Forces Leadership Summit for October 13-16 in the city with the slogan, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” OutServe, an underground network of more than 3,000 gay troops, appears to be thumbing its nose at the 17-year-old rule that bars gays from openly serving and has led to the discharge of more than 14,500 military personnel.
Catholic Charities in Rockford End Foster Care, Adoptions Over Gay Rights
Rather than allow unmarried people or same-sex couples to adopt or foster children, Catholic Charities of Rockford, Illinois announced Thursday that they would stop providing foster care services. The move comes after months of drama in Springfield over an amendment to the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act, which goes into effect June 1. The law says that if an agency receives state money, it cannot discriminate against same-sex couples, and must treat people in civil unions as it would treat married couples. www.Biggaynews.com
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg laid out his case for granting same-sex couples the right to marry in a speech this week at the Cooper Union, calling New York “the freest city in the freest country in the world,” and urging the state’s legislators to continue that tradition by siding with those who favor LGBT equality. Bloomberg specifically called on conservatives to support a marriage equality bill. Marriage is “a contract, a legal bond, between two adults who vow to support one another, in sickness and in health,” said Bloomberg.
A Gallup poll has found 64% of American adults say same-sex relations should be legal, the highest level of support ever recorded by the organization. The same poll found 53% of respondents support legal marriage for same-sex couples.