permanent ban

A total of 21 U.S. senators have signed on a to letter urging Atty. Gen. Eric Holder not to appeal last month’s ruling by Judge Virginia Phillips that found the antigay “don’t ask, don’t tell” to be unconstitutional. Phillips ordered Tuesday afternoon that all discharges under the policy be halted, and by early evening the Department of Justice had given no indication whether it would seek to stay the injunction on discharges. Senators Mark Udall of Colorado and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York led the effort to circulate the letter, which they originally sent to Holder last month.

The Supreme Court will wait until the final day of its 2013 term — Wednesday, June 26 — to rule on two landmark cases relating to marriage equality.

The 9th District Court grants an injunction against an earlier ruling that ended "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the ban on homosexual service members. Late Wednesday night the 9th circuit court of appeals told the military to reinstate is ban on openly gay men and women, issuing a stay on a lower court's injunction that lifted the ban and allowed, for the first time, openly gay members and recruits to sign up. A year after Lt. Dan Choi was discharged from the military under DADT, he returned to the Times Square recruiting center to reenlist. His enlistment is now on hold as the 9th Circuit considers the case, and the Justice Departments request for a more permanent stay.

In a long-standing lawsuit brought by the Log Cabin Republicans, a federal judge has ruled that the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy violates the U.S. Constitution. Phillips further ordered a permanent injunction barring enforcement of DADT. The Justice Department has until a September 23 deadline to submit objections to the court regarding Phillips's injunction, which it is likely to do: DOJ attorneys have argued that Phillips does not have the authority to issue a nationwide injunction against the ban on openly gay service members.

Homosexuals should be allowed to adopt in the state of Florida. At least, that was the ruling today as it was referenced at the Third District Court of Appeal in Miami. How it pans out in the long run will depend most likely on the Florida Supreme Court’s ruling down the road. For today, though, let’s celebrate and recall the events leading up to this LGBT victory in the Sunshine State.

The judge who struck down the state's marriage ban in February put his ruling on hold, but much has changed since then, say the plaintiffs and their attorney.

In a Tuesday ruling, U.S. district judge Virginia A. Phillips ordered the Defense Department to "immediately to suspend and discontinue any investigation, or discharge, separation, or other proceeding" related to "don't ask, don't tell." In her order Phillips did not specify when the injunction would become effective. Justice Department attorneys are expected to appeal the injunction to the U.S. court of appeals for the ninth circuit.

A private school in Tennessee has banned the use of all mentions of homosexuality because, administrators say, it is forbidden in the Bible. One parent of a student at Rossville Christian Academy in Rossville, Tenn., told WREG News that they believe the policy change is aimed at one particular gay student at the 300-student school for grades K-12.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit against a Utah school district for its decision to remove a picture book featuring lesbian mothers from the shelves of elementary school libraries.

Federal Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision to overturn Prop 8 in California last week was a milestone for gay rights.  Really, it was a very important notch in the belt for the gay rights movement nationwide. It appeared as though same sex marriages would -- once again -- be legal in one of the most populous states in the union. He wrote in his ruling that they have no right to appeal as his decision striking down the state law would have to be defended by Gov. Schwarzenegger and/or Attorney General Brown.  And Schwarzenegger and Brown have both publicly called for marriages to resume immediately.

Before returning to New England for the second time, I served two African American Presbyterian Churches. And during that time I never thought, two decades ago, that the entire church body would change its position on LGBTQ worshippers. After decades of open struggle with the church's recalcitrant attitude and discrimination against its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) worshippers who wanted to serve as pastors, elders or deacons, the Presbyterian Church (USA), known as the more liberal and tolerant branch of the denomination, finally conducted its first openly gay ordination.

The first hearing of the federal case against Prop 8, by Ted Olson and David Boies, assigned to Judge Vaughn Walker, begins July 2 in the North California U.S. District Court.