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SANTA ANA, Calif. — A same-sex marriage lawsuit that created a public rift between President Barack Obama and his gay supporters was dismissed Monday on a technicality. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ruled the case – the first of several pending challenges to the federal Defense of Marriage Act – must be refiled in federal court. Carter said the suit had been improperly filed in state court before it was transferred to his jurisdiction. As a result, the judge said, he would not entertain arguments on its merits, at least not yet. "There is no point for us to...

On Thursday, August 20, the homosexual movement formally began its massive multi-million dollar campaign to win - for the first time in America - a state-wide vote on homosexual "marriage". The Maine homosexual lobby, which is largely organized and funded (through GLAD and others) in Massachusetts, began broadcasting a slick, well-honed TV commercial statewide . Also on Thursday the homosexual lobby revealed their plans to bring in waves of "volunteers" from other states to campaign on the ground up until the November election.

A federal judge for the Northern District of California set a trial date of Jan. 11, 2010, in a case that could decide whether California, and possibly the rest of the nation, can legally ban same-sex couples from exchanging nuptials. The judge also barred public interest law firms from joining in the Defense of California’s Proposition 8. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of two same-sex couples denied marriage licenses, challenges California’s narrow passage of Prop. 8 last November. Prop. 8 overruled a California Supreme Court decision finding a fundamental right for same-sex couples to marry in the state’s constitution. Three...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A federal court case which could legalize gay marriage in the United States will begin trial in January 2010 with high-profile lawyers but not longtime gay and conservative antagonists lined up on opposite sides of the debate, a district judge ruled on Wednesday. Aiming to speed a contentious case that could be destined for the U.S. Supreme Court, San Francisco District Court Judge Vaughn Walker denied requests to join the case from gay advocacy groups and social conservatives who said they would not be adequately represented. Ted Olson, the conservative lawyer whose Supreme Court arguments put...

Opponents of same-sex marriage reject it on religious and moral grounds but also on practical ones. If we let homosexuals marry, they believe, a parade of horribles will follow -- the weakening of marriage as an institution, children at increased risk of broken homes, the eventual legalization of polygamy and who knows what all. Well, guess what? We're about to find out if they're right. Unlike most public policy debates, this one is the subject of a gigantic experiment, which should definitively answer whether same-sex marriage will have a broad, destructive social impact. Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine and New...

SAN FRANCISCO — Trial of a federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn Proposition 8 and let California's same-sex marriages resume will begin Jan. 11, a federal judge said Wednesday. Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker also during Wednesday's 90-minute hearing denied the motions of a coalition of three gay-rights groups, as well as of the conservative Campaign for California Families, to intervene as parties to the case. Neither proved an interest not already adequately represented by the case's plaintiffs — same-sex couples wishing to marry — or the proponents of Proposition 8, he ruled. But Walker did grant a motion...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration has filed court papers claiming a federal marriage law discriminates against gays, even as it continues to defend the law.

FRIDLEY, Minn. - The Rev. Dave Glesne stood before the members of Redeemer Lutheran Church a few weeks ago and told them there might be some painful decisions in the near future. Glesne is against letting people in same-sex relationships serve as pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and he says his congregation is behind him. They're worried this suburban Minneapolis church could find itself on the losing side as leaders of the nation's largest Lutheran denomination vote on whether to take that step at their biennial national convention, which starts Monday in Minneapolis. "Of course the question...

Here is video of former President Bill Clinton pandering to the "Netroots (Nutroots) Nation" meeting last night where he confessed that his signing his "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Gays in the Military Policy into law was something he did only because he could not get a more radical policy through Congress. He said he regrets how it has been implemented by "middle level" military personnel. He also confessed that he signed the "Defense of Marriage Act" into law, not because he believes in the sanctity of traditional marriage, but because it was a move to keep Congress from sending a...

The biggest California gay rights advocacy group on Wednesday said it needed three years to build a coalition to repeal a ban on same-sex marriage in the state, creating a rift in the movement with those who want to go back to the polls next year while anger is hot. California, the most populous state and often a standard-bearer for social liberalism, is the biggest prize in U.S. culture wars. Its next fight over gay marriage is sure to draw in national organizations, cost $100 million or more, and may affect the next U.S. presidential campaign if it takes place...

Providing federal benefits for domestic partners, such as same-gender couples living together, could lead to litigation. Recently a communication from the White House began the process of providing some benefits of marriage for domestic partnerships, not including health insurance. Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel believes that action could violate the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. That law protects the traditional view of marriage. "But it also says for purposes of federal law, all the federal agencies and entities must recognize that marriage is the union of one man and one woman," he points out.

A new drive for special "rights" for those who commit homosexual acts. Email from the well-financed and powerful radical homosexual lobby today: Employment Non-Discrimination Act introduced in U.S. Senate Task Force: ENDA ‘reflects core U.S. value of fairness’ “People recognize that our nation as a whole benefits when everyone is allowed to contribute their talents and skills, free from discrimination, which is all ENDA seeks to do.” — Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 — The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund applauds today’s Senate introduction of the Employment...

The National Education Association, which usually passes a dozen or more pro-homosexual resolutions every year at its annual national convention, this year in San Diego went all-out in support of same-sex marriage. This emphasis on advocacy for homosexuals was spelled out in a five-point New Business Item E. Point No.1 tells its union affiliates to support state legislation that registers same-sex couples in a way that mimics marriage. This registration would cover taxes, inheritance, adoptions, medical decisions, and even immigration. Point No. 2 says that states can call this same-sex registration marriage or civil union or domestic partnership so long...

The National Education Association, which usually passes a dozen or more pro-homosexual resolutions every year at its annual national convention, this year in San Diego went all-out in support of same-sex marriage. This emphasis on advocacy for homosexuals was spelled out in a five-point New Business Item E. Point No.1 tells its union affiliates to support state legislation that registers same-sex couples in a way that mimics marriage. This registration would cover taxes, inheritance, adoptions, medical decisions, and even immigration. Point No. 2 says that states can call this same-sex registration marriage or civil union or domestic partnership so long...

On the front page of this Thursday's Boston Globe was a big picture of Republican candidate for governor Charlie Baker, a self-proclaimed "fiscal conservative". Everyone's excited. However, regarding Baker's position on the "social issues", the Globe reported: "But what's not going to be a priority? Pushing a socially conservative agenda. Baker went to great lengths to cite his bona-fides as a social moderate, if not a social liberal. Not only did he say he supports abortion rights; he said he believes in gay marriage, for personal reasons. 'My brother's gay, and he's married, and he lives in Massachusetts, so I'm...

One of the UK's oldest Christian denominations - the Quakers - looks set to extend marriage services to same-sex couples at their yearly meeting later. The society has already held religious blessings for same-sex couples who have had a civil partnership ceremony. But agreeing to perform gay marriages, which are currently not allowed under civil law, could bring the Quakers into conflict with the government.

U.S.-Dutch gay couples marry in Amsterdam Move is implicit criticism of lack of same-sex marriages in the United States [Pic in URL] Dutch-born Stephan Hengst, right, puts a ring on the finger of his husband Patrick Decker, who was born in U.S., after being married by Amsterdam's Mayor Job Cohen, center. Cohen married five American-Dutch gay couples on Saturday. All five couples had at least one partner from New York, where a battle over the legalization of gay marriage rages on. AMSTERDAM - The mayor of Amsterdam married five American-Dutch gay couples on Saturday in an implicit criticism of the...

A judge in Washington State ruled that 138,500 residents who signed a petition protesting a recent move to give gay couples the same rights as married couples will not have their names released on the internet as requested by a pro-gay lobbying group. The group, Whosigned.org, sought to release the signatures to “make this public record signature information accessible and searchable on the internet,” and to “provide Washington State Voters with a way of reporting when their signature has been recorded either fraudulently or in error.” But James Bopp, Jr. the attorney for the plaintiffs that sought the injunction against...

July 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Famed CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite has been lauded in the media since his death on Friday, at the age of 92, with tributes paid not only from secular media, but even Vatican Radio and other Christian news sources.  But while remembered by many as "the most trusted man in America," many of Cronkite's more radical, but lesser known views, would be considered repugnant even to many of his greatest fans.For instance, up until his death Cronkite served as honorary chair of the Interfaith Alliance, an organization dedicated to countering the influence of conservative Christianity on...

Gay Marraige and the Consitution (BARF ALERT) Why Ted Olson and I are working to overturn California's Proposition 8. By DAVID BOIES When I got married in California in 1959 there were almost 20 states where marriage was limited to two people of different sexes and the same race. Eight years later the Supreme Court unanimously declared state bans on interracial marriage unconstitutional. Recently, Ted Olson and I brought a lawsuit asking the courts to now declare unconstitutional California's Proposition 8 limitation of marriage to people of the opposite sex. We acted together because of our mutual commitment to the...

The Episcopal Church approves blessing same-gender unions Lutherans Concerned / North America celebrates the decision of the US Episcopal Church at its triennial General Convention to approve the blessing of some same-gender lifelong, committed relationships. The change in policy was passed yesterday, July 17, 2009, the last day of the 10-day meeting. The resolution passed also included directions to the church leadership to develop liturgies for the rites of blessing. Characterized in the press as carefully worded, the resolution did not change the stated definition that a marriage is between a man and a woman. The rites called for will...

Episcopalians on Friday authorized bishops to bless same-sex unions and research an official prayer for the ceremonies, capping a meeting that moved the church closer to accepting gay relationships despite turmoil over the issue in the Anglican family. The Episcopal General Convention also underscored the church's desire to remain a full member of the global Anglican Communion. But the actions at the national assembly are likely to damage the already strained relations within the fellowship.

(LifeSiteNews.com) - A US District Judge has blocked the Los Angeles Community College District from enforcing its sexual harassment policy, which the judge ruled had promoted a hostile environment for the free speech rights of a Christian student. U.S. District Judge George H. King agreed with Jonathan Lopez, a student attending Los Angeles City College (LACC), that the District's policy as written had created the environment that emboldened his speech professor to call Lopez a "fascist ba***rd" for explaining his Christian beliefs and how they related to his views against same-sex "marriage."

Anaheim, Calif. (AP) -- Episcopal bishops authorized the church Wednesday to start drafting an official prayer for same-sex couples, another step toward acceptance of gay relationships that will deepen the rift between the denomination and its fellow Anglicans overseas. The bishops voted 104-30 at the Episcopal General Convention to "collect and develop theological resources and liturgies" for blessing same-gender relationships, which would be considered at the next national meeting in 2012. The resolution notes the growing number of states that allow gay marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships, and gave bishops in those regions discretion to provide a "generous pastoral...

According to The Nation, former president Bill Clinton has said that he is now "basically in support" of gay marriage. During an appearance at the Campus Progress National Conference in Washington on July 8, the former president said that he thinks it is "wrong for someone to stop someone else" from marrying. "I personally support people doing what they want to do," Mr. Clinton said. Mr. Clinton also said that he supports states' right to decide the legality of same-sex marriage and that he thinks "all these states that do it should do it." He said he does not believe...

The hottest debate among California gay marriage supporters revolves around a simple question: Do you try to overturn Proposition 8 in 2010 or 2012? This week it got hotter, as the community started to choose sides. A diverse union of LGBT coalitions of color -- including API Equality-LA, HONOR PAC, and the Jordan/ Rustin Coalition -- said let's wait until 2012 before shoving another ballot initiative in front of folks. Their motto: Prepare to Prevail. Say the P2Pers: Going "back to the ballot to remove the voter-imposed ban on same-sex marriage from the state constitution in 2010 would be rushed...

A Russian man murdered his girlfriend after discovering she had once been a man. The killer, identified as Vladimir F by police, shot Camila several times, deliberately targeting the parts of her body altered during a sex change operation. He had only found out about her previous identity after she turned down his offer of marriage. The 33-year-old believed she had a secret lover and, in a jealous rage, checked her post. It was at this point he discovered letters from old friends addressing his girlfriend of two years, who he had met in St Petersburg, as 'Dear Cyril.' Murdered:...

> Male Magellan penguins Harry and Pepper have been together since 2003. The pair nested together and even incubated an egg laid by another penguin in 2008, but their relationship hit the rocks earlier this year when a female penguin, Linda, befriended Harry after her long-time companion died. This did not go over well with Pepper, who became violent. The three penguins were separated for some time following the fight. >

The following is an excerpt from a letter that will be sent this week to President Obama from leaders in the African-American community. Two events have precipitated the writing of this letter. 1. The President hosted a Stonewall Riot 40th anniversary celebration at the White House, when no such meeting has been afforded to African-American clergy to date. 2. The legal attempt to overthrow the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that has come out of Massachusetts last week. All too often, both the press and politicians view the African-American community as a monolithic group that will go wherever the cultural...

Church of England under pressure to accept gay marriage By STEVE DOUGHTY 11th July 2009 The Fellowship Of Confessing Anglicans, a coalition of clergy and lay people, are unhappy with the liberal agenda of some churches The Church of England warned last night that it is under pressure to accept gay marriage. But two senior bishops - writing on behalf of the CofE - said it is not prepared to abandon its traditional teachings in favour of the idea of 'gender neutral' marriage. They said that the Church of England considers 'it is vital for the Church to maintain a...

The federal Defense of Marriage Act which protects the traditional definition of marriage may be facing its biggest challenge yet. Massachusetts filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the federal law. "We're taking this action today because, first, we believe that [DOMA] directly interferes with Massachusetts' long-standing sovereign authority to define and regulate the marital status of its residents," said Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. Massachusetts was the first state in the country in 2003 to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. It is now also the first state to challenge DOMA, the 1996 law that defines marriage as between one man and...

Just saw on the local news. We now have the amount of signatures to repeal this gay law. I am amazed it was this fast. It will be voted out by this state in November. The dems that pushed this will be hemmin and hawwin.

The California Legislature is getting back into the Proposition 8 fight with a bill that would recognize possibly thousands of same-sex marriages performed outside of California before the measure was passed. SB 54 , introduced late last week by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, also would ensure that gay and lesbian couples who have married in other states or countries since Nov. 5 -- when Prop 8 became official -- receive all the rights and obligations opposite-sex California couples enjoy, with the exception of the designation of "marriage." The bill faces its first test today in the Assembly Judiciary Committee,...

The Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 was signed into law by then President William Jefferson Clinton (from here after referred to as Billy Bob Bubba). Now I don’t think that the gay ’special rights’ activists of Massachusetts really want to oppose their beloved former President, BUT – they are. DOMA basically says that marriage is a union between a man and a woman; and same sex marriages performed in states where the definition is otherwise do not have to be recognized in states which have a differing definition of marriage. This has the libtards of the Prissy State up...

Saskatchewan marriage commissioners should be allowed to refuse to perform same-sex unions if it violates their religious beliefs, the state government says. The province's Saskatchewan Party government is seeking a legal opinion on whether its proposed legislation is in compliance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Monday. Provincial Justice Minister and Attorney General Don Morgan told the CBC the state government will propose two options to the court -- one that would allow existing marriage commissions to refuse to perform same-sex marriages and another in which a religious exemption would be granted to...

SAN FRANCISCO - The attorney representing two same-sex couples who were denied a right to wed in California said on Thursday he expected the case to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court, which has yet to hear a case on the gay marriage issue. "When it does get to the United States Supreme Court, we expect to win," Theodore Olson, who was solicitor general under former President George W. Bush, told reporters after the first hearing on federal lawsuit that was filed in May. A high court ruling potentially could trump state laws prohibiting same-sex unions. Five out of...

Judge Vaughn R. Walker Sacramento, Calif., Jul 1, 2009 / 06:02 pm (CNA).- The U.S. District Court has agreed to allow ProtectMarriage.com to defend   Proposition 8 in a lawsuit, after the state's Attorney General, Jerry Brown, refused to do so. The ruling will allow the coalition to defend the successful California initiative from last November that restored marriage to being only between a man and a woman in the state constitution. Andrew Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage.com, has said that he is “pleased that the court will allow us to defend marriage and the will of the people against challenges to...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama, under fire from the gay-rights community over slow action on its priorities, promised to deliver by the time he leaves office. [Barack Obama] Barack Obama The president gave no new details about how he would advance these issues, but he made passionate remarks saluting the pioneers of the gay-rights movement and expressed solidarity with those working for equal rights. "Welcome to your White House," the president said at a reception Monday to mark the 40th anniversary of the birth of the modern gay-rights movement. His remarks were greeted warmly by a cheering crowd of some...

A D.C. Superior Court judge Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit seeking to delay the implementation of a law recognizing same-sex marriages performed in jurisdictions outside the District and rejected efforts to bring the issue before voters. The lawsuit was an attempt to salvage a referendum drive that would have put the question of same-sex marriage on the ballot. ...snip The plaintiffs, seven D.C. residents led by Bishop Harry R. Jackson of the Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, said they were disappointed by the decision. "Essentially, today, the D.C. residents have been disenfranchised and unable to vote on an important public policy...

 Bishop Harry R. Jackson Jr.

New York's annual Gay Pride parade was a colorful celebration of 40 years of progress toward civil rights for gays, but once the dust settled, gay couples who wish to marry in New York state remain thwarted. A bill to legalize gay marriage in the state that saw the dawn of the gay rights movement is mired in political stalemate in the state capital Albany, where Democrats and Republicans are battling over control of the state Senate. "I had hoped today's march would have been a bit of a wedding march. It's not," Christine Quinn, the gay speaker of the...

Same-sex 'marriage' loses support among Americans Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 6/28/2009 4:00:00 AM A recent poll indicates that Americans are not as supportive of homosexual "marriage" as they once were. A CBS-New York Times survey shows that support for redefining marriage to include same-gender couples has declined. Jenny Tyree of Focus on the Family Action tells OneNewsNow that, according to The New York Times, the figure dropped slightly -- but she believes nine percentage points is more than slightly. "I think that this really digs into what Americans really feel about marriage -- that they like that [marriage is]...

A recent poll indicates that Americans are not as supportive of homosexual "marriage" as they once were.A CBS-New York Times survey shows that support for redefining marriage to include same-gender couples has declined. Jenny Tyree of Focus on the Family Action tells OneNewsNow that, according to The New York Times, the figure dropped slightly -- but she believes nine percentage points is more than slightly. "I think that this really digs into what Americans really feel about marriage -- that they like that [marriage is] defined between a man and a woman," she contends. "And also it's a bit of a backlash against the five states...

Bishop Harry R. Jackson Jr. grew up thinking everyone has a right to be heard and that the right to vote is a near-sacred privilege. The son of a civil rights activist who fled Florida with his family when a state trooper threatened his father at gunpoint, Mr. Jackson knows firsthand the struggles to be recognized in the democratic system. But same-sex marriage, according to Mr. Jackson, is no civil right. "How dare someone piggyback on the civil rights movement?" he said. "What you really have is an elite group of people masquerading as a minority and systematically imposing their...

WASHINGTON — A Duke University official has been arrested and charged with offering his adopted five-year-old son for sex. Frank Lombard, the school's associate director of the Center for Health Policy, was arrested after an Internet sting, according to the FBI's Washington field office and the city's police department. According to an affidavit by DC Police Det. Timothy Palchak, an unnamed informant facing charges in his own child sex case led authorities to Lombard. Authorities said that Lombard tried to persuade a person — whom he did not know was a police officer — to travel to North Carolina to...

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova is being sued for millions of pounds by a former lover who claims she was dumped without warning after nearly eight years. Toni Layton, 56, who married the nine-times Wimbledon champion in an official wedding ceremony, is demanding a share of four multi-million dollar homes bought during their time together. Her lawsuit extends to the 'emotional, mental and physical trauma' she suffered after being 'removed' from 52-year-old Navratilova's life a year ago. Layton said: 'Martina has got a fight on her hands. Without any warning, my life came crashing down around me. I was kicked out...

New York governor David Paterson placed the marriage equality bill at the top of the list of items for senators to consider in a special session called for Wednesday, reports the New York Daily News. However, the fate of the bill remains anything but certain as chaos continues to reign in the chamber, where a protracted leadership struggle has upended business since June 8. On Tuesday afternoon, the special senate called by the governor broke down as Democrats and Republicans, who include one Democratic defector, held separate sessions -- at the same time. Different sets of bills were voted on,...

Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre has publicly confronted Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi after the latter announced his support of homosexual marriage in a New York Times opinion piece. Mr. Suozzi “certainly admits that he knows he is contradicting some basic moral teachings of his own faith,” Bishop Murphy writes. “This is not the first time he has done this. He has already placed himself publicly in the category of ‘pro choice’ on abortion. While homosexual orientation is a neutral reality on a moral level, homosexual acts are not morally neutral. They are wrong and they are sinful. Abortion...

ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson said in an interview Sunday night that he would make sure that the State Senate votes on same sex-marriage legislation before it breaks for the summer, hours after he and his administration had refused to commit to forcing a vote on the issue. The development came as the governor announced plans to call the Senate to a special session on Tuesday, after trying unsuccessfully for two weeks to broker a compromise in a leadership battle that has deadlocked the chamber. But Mr. Paterson dismayed gay rights groups in his comments at a news conference...

New poll finds only 33 percent of Americans favor, a 9-point drop since April The number of Americans who support same-sex marriage has plunged over the last few months, according to a new poll. The CBS News/New York Times study found that 33 percent of respondents favor same-sex marriage. That represents a 9 percent drop since April. Everett Rice, legislative coordinator for the California Family Council, said he has a theory about the decrease. "People really recognize their core and their values, their heritage," he said. "When people want to go in and redefine that, it really goes against everybody's...