Free Republic

Gay-rights opponents predict that a ruling from the Massachusetts high court barring out-of-state same-sex couples from marrying here could reinvigorate efforts in a handful of states that do not expressly prohibit such marriages. Mathew Staver, president of Liberty Counsel, a conservative legal group based in Florida, said the high court's ruling could strengthen opposition in states that now do not have either a law or a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. "I think that was already in process, but I think that this was just an extra impetus for a state to get a Defense of Marriage Act or a...

CHICAGO — When it comes to gender, Alex Polanco is not easily pegged. Some days, he wakes up in the morning and feels male, pulling on jeans and a T-shirt and leaving it at that. Other times, he wears makeup and one of the wigs he keeps in tidily packed boxes in his bedroom closet

A Staten Island coach and community figure has been arrested on charges of spanking teenage boys if they missed their basketball shots, officials said. Drew Sanders, 49, of 50 Turf Rd. in the Heartland Village section, was charged with second-degree attempted assault, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, 23 counts of forcible touching, 23 counts of third-degree sexual abuse and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Authorities allege that on Monday, Sanders, who is an assistant executive director of the Staten Island Jewish Community Center, pulled down a 15-year-old boy's pants and slapped the boy in the...