Top Republicans urge court to support gay marriage

More than 80 prominent leaders will file a friend of the court brief this week in advance of the justices hearing oral arguments in two gay marriage cases. These Republicans are essentially saying gay couples have a constitutional right to marry and want the court to strike down California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage. ...

USA Today • Feb 26, 2013

Rhode Island House easily passes gay marriage bill

The Rhode Island House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly passed legislation to allow gays and lesbians to marry in the only New England state where they can't. The House voted 51-19 after an often emotional debate that touched on civil rights, religion and the nature of marriage. The bill now moves to the Senate, where both supporters and opponents of gay marriage say it is difficult ...

USA Today • Jan 25, 2013

Australia's ruling party endorses gay marriage

The impact of the vote at the center-left Labor Party's annual conference was diluted by the party's endorsement of a motion by Prime Minister Julia Gillard to allow lawmakers to make a "conscience vote" on bills attempting to legalize gay marriage. That means legislators can vote on the issue according to their personal beliefs rather than being forced to vote in line with the party's official po...

USA Today • Dec 5, 2011

Bipartisan group reframes case for legalizing gay marriage

A group of high-profile Democrats and Republicans who back legalizing gay marriage are calling on advocates to shift the focus on the issue from an argument about equal rights to promoting the value of commitment....

USA Today • Nov 7, 2011

Citing new research, psychology group supports gay marriage

The world's largest organization of psychologists took its strongest stand to date supporting full marriage equity, a move that observers say will have a far-reaching impact on the national debate. The policymaking body of the American Psychological Association (APA) unanimously approved the resolution 157-0 on the eve of the group's annual convention, which opens here today....

USA Today • Aug 4, 2011

Legal gay marriage doesn't end money headaches

While gay couples who say "I do" in state-sanctioned marriage ceremonies are afforded the same rights as traditional husbands and wives in the state where they get hitched, it doesn't mean these newlyweds are recognized as a "single economic unit" by Uncle Sam, says Jennifer Hatch, president of Christopher Street Financial, a New York City-based financial advisory firm that caters to the gay commu...

USA Today • Jul 22, 2011

Why Prop 8 must fall: Civil rights

Fourteen times, the U.S. Supreme Court has said that marriage is a fundamental human right. In Loving v. Virginia, the justices guaranteed that right could not be taken away because of the way we're born. Yet that's exactly what happened when California passed Proposition 8, which declared marriage valid only when between a man and a woman. Last summer, after a lengthy trial, a federal court decl...

USA Today • Jun 13, 2011

Hawaii becomes 7th state to legalize same-sex unions

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie has signed into law a bill legalizing civil unions for heterosexual and homosexual couples. That makes Hawaii the seventh state to extend such recognition and rights to same-sex couples. Don't rush to Maui just yet: Couples will have to wait until Jan. 1 to tie the slip knot....

USA Today • Feb 24, 2011

Gay-marriage lawsuits escalate

Lawsuits over gay marriage have escalated on the nation's two coasts, energizing advocates on both sides and bringing the legal battle over same-sex marriage closer to the U.S. Supreme Court. Final arguments in a constitutional test of California's ban on such unions were held a month ago this week. A verdict in the case heard by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco coul...

USA Today • Jul 15, 2010

On marriage rite, gays refocus on just unions

This year, she says, a campaign for legal rights will focus on couples in the middle of the country, where Colorado, Nevada and Wisconsin last year approved domestic partnerships -- legally recognized unions between unmarried couples, homosexual or heterosexual. Domestic partnerships are defined by each state but generally convey such rights as health benefits and the right to visit a sick partne...

USA Today • Jan 8, 2010

Beyond 'gay marriage'

The cultural battle over same-sex relationships has been relegated to court cases, chanting crowds and heated confrontations. At its heart, though, it's often just about two people trying to get the world -- indeed, even their families -- to recognize and understand their love....

USA Today • Jun 4, 2009

Generations reshape gay marriage debate

Trends suggest the contentious political struggle could fade in the not-too-distant future. The states where same-sex marriage is more tolerated are passing laws allowing it. Younger Americans, more eclectic in their views on social issues and more likely to have friends or family members who are openly gay, are more tolerant of same-sex couples than their parents or grandparents and appear to be ...

USA Today • May 21, 2009

First same-sex marriage license issued in Iowa

Gay and lesbian couples flocked to county buildings throughout Iowa today to marry legally for the first time in the wake of the state supreme court's landmark same-sex marriage decision....

USA Today • Apr 27, 2009

Young adults 'don't want to be defined by gender, orientation'

"Today, girls are free to do sports and be competitive. No one thought they had to play dumb to get a boyfriend. The women's movement has done great things for middle school girls," she says. "It's another story with boys. I feel like we're in a time warp. We have not dealt with men and masculinity in a serious enough way," she says. "Boys police each other. There's no room not to do anything no...

USA Today • Apr 19, 2009

McCain adviser calls on GOP to back gay marriage

"There is a sound conservative argument to be made for same-sex marriage," Schmidt will say during the speech at the Log Cabin Republicans convention this afternoon, according to excerpts obtained by CNN. "I believe conservatives, more than liberals, insist that rights come with responsibilities. No other exercise of one's liberty comes with greater responsibilities than marriage."...

USA Today • Apr 17, 2009

Gay marriage bill pros shouting louder than cons

The Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force has hired the Montpelier lobbying firm of Kimbell, Sherman & Ellis, and began airing TV commercials March 5 that feature couples talking about marriage equality. It has held news events all week: On Tuesday, it was mental health and human service organizations saying children of lesbian and gay parents are as likely as those of heterosexual parents to flour...

USA Today • Mar 14, 2009

Gay activists focusing on rights issues other than marriage

...

USA Today • Nov 20, 2008