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A notary in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo has sparked controversy by accepting a civil union between three people. Public Notary Claudia do Nascimento Domingues has said the man and two women should be entitled to family rights. She says there is nothing in law to prevent such an arrangement. But the move has angered some religious groups, while one lawyer described it as "absurd and totally illegal". The three individuals, who have declined to speak to the press, have lived in Rio de Janeiro together for three years and share bills and other expenses. Ms Domingues says they...

How much is victory worth? And after you win, if you win, what do you have to show for it? As these principles go with warfare, so they go with propaganda. The Greek word polemos, "war," led not to the English word "war," but rather to the English word "polemics." The gay movement is not a random assortment of motley rebels. It is highly organized, with major nerve centers in places like the Human Rights Coalition. The movement has its prominent generals, such as Dan Savage and Wayne Besen. In other words, this is a movement equipped to pick its...

Civil marriage is at once a deeply personal commitment to another human being and a highly public celebration of the ideals of mutuality, companionship, intimacy, fidelity, and family … Because it fulfills yearnings for security, safe haven, and connection that express our common humanity, civil marriage is an esteemed institution, and the decision whether and whom to marry is among life’s momentous acts of self-definition.” The words above come from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ­decision that made the state the first to authorize gay marriage. They are also part of a longer passage read last month at the Newport,...

DENVER — A bill that would have allowed civil unions for same-sex couples in Colorado was defeated on Monday night during a special legislative session called by Gov. John W. Hickenlooper to debate the issue. The legislation was voted down by Republican lawmakers on a 5-to-4 vote along party lines after more than two hours of emotional testimony in the State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, where it was assigned Monday by Republican leadership in the House of Representatives. “We saw this bill die even though a majority of members of the Senate and a majority of members of the...

The interpretive conflict regarding homosexuality and the Bible is a relatively recent phenomenon, between two fundamentally different positions and interpretive schools. Historical/traditional scholarship evidences that the Bible contains laws which prohibit homosexual relations (same gender sexual relations; also referred to as homoeroticism or homogenital relations, or “homosex”), and which are as universal and immutable as laws against illicit heterosexual partners are shown to be, and unlike incest, homosexual relations never were allowed. In addition, the necessary positive sanction of marriage, which is provided explicitly for opposite gender sexual unions, is nowhere established for homosexual unions. Pro-homosexual polemicists have responded to...

DENVER (AP) - A last-ditch effort by Colorado's governor to give gay couples in the state rights similar to married couples failed Monday after Republicans rejected the proposal during a special legislative session. Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper had said the special session was needed to address a "fundamental question of fairness and civil rights."

A new CBS News/New York Times Poll shows a solid majority of Americans support legal recognition for same-sex couples - though not necessarily through the official act of marriage - and the number of people who do support full marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples is significantly higher among younger generations. Overall, 38 percent of those who responded to the survey said same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, just like any other couple. Another 24 percent said civil unions should be used to grant same-sex couples legal rights similar to male-female partnerships. Combined, that means 62 percent -...

North Carolinians voted to change the state constitution Tuesday to say that the only valid "domestic legal partnership" in the state is marriage between a man and a woman, according to the AP's projection. The amendment passed 61 to 39 percent with most counties reporting, making North Carolina the 29th state with a gay marriage ban in its constitution. The state already outlawed gay marriage, but the constitutional amendment makes it more difficult for politicians to ever change the law. The amendment also means that a handful of North Carolina municipalities that extended benefits to the domestic partners of their...

On Tuesday, North Carolina will vote on a state constitutional amendment that declares, “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized,” thereby banning recognition of same-sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships of any kind... The most recent poll was conducted by Civitas Institute, a conservative think tank whose poll results have generally shown little partisan bias in the past. That survey polled Democratic and Republican primary voters separately, but projected that the measure would win by 16 percentage points when it combined the results. An April poll by...

European and Asian deny charge but witness said he saw them kissing on the mouthAn appeals court in Abu Dhabi upheld a previous court verdict and sentenced a European and an Asian man to six months in prison and ordered their deportation after they were convicted of kissing each other on the mouth in a public place, a newspaper reported on Wednesday. The court supported the previous sentence after a witness confirmed again that he saw them hugging and kissing each other on the mouth in a street in Abu Dhabi, the Arabic language daily Alittihad said. The two unnamed...

Police are investigating hate crimes at Western Connecticut State University. A student discovered a gay slur written on a dry erase board outside her dorm room inside Litchfield Hall Feb. 27. She did not report the incident right away. The resident director was notified of the slur and contacted police March 2, according to authorities. On March 3, the student reported another gay slur written on a paper attached to her dorm room in Litchfield Hall. "Such acts are not tolerated at Western," Paul Steinmentz, a university spokesperson, said. "Our police department is investigating, and if the perpetrator is caught,...

Newt Gingrich affirmed his support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in a detailed response to a marriage pledge by a conservative Iowa group. In his written response to the FAMiLY LEADER Gingrich, the current leader in the national polls for the GOP presidential nomination, said he would “vigorously enforce” the Defense of Marriage Act. The DOMA bans federal recognition of same-sex marriage. The former Speaker of the House also told the FAMiLY LEADER that he would sign an executive order restating that federal funds should not be used to pay for abortions overseas and defend the First Amendment...

Bishop Thomas Tobin's Five Problems with Homosexual “Marriage” It’s a sure sign of spring, as predictable as the Red Sox at spring training, the swallows returning to Capistrano, and the flowing of green beer on St. Patrick’s Day. I’m referring of course to the public re-appearance of the determined proponents of homosexual marriage.It seems that each year at this time the left-leaning columnists, the organized advocates, and the lobbyists at the State House awaken from their hibernation to take-up their perennial campaign to redefine marriage in Rhode Island and impose their personal preferences upon the citizenry of our State.The public...

February 22, 2012 Santorum Opposes Civil Unions For Same-Sex Couples By Leigh Ann Caldwell Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, a vocal opponent of gay marriage, said today he opposes civil unions, too. In response to a question by Dean Reynolds for the "CBS Evening News," the former Pennsylvania senator said same-sex couples should work through the legal system to obtain rights similar to those enjoyed by legally married couples. (Watch a clip of the interview in the video player above.) "I believe in people's right to be able to contract for whatever benefits that they have," Santorum told Reynolds. "I...

A bill that would repeal New Hampshire’s 2009 law legalizing same-sex marriage would also allow two citizens of either sex to enter into a civil union — even siblings. New Hampshire Republican state Rep. David Bates, the sponsor of the bill, confirmed this to The Daily Caller. Asked about the logic behind allowing siblings to enter into civil unions, Bates responded, “You have that question backwards. By definition in the bill, a ‘civil union’ means a contractual agreement that provides reciprocal benefits and obligations to the parties to the agreement.”

Less than a week after New York became the nation's sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage, Rhode Island state lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of a bill that permits civil unions between gay and lesbian couples. The measure, which passed the state Senate by a count of 21-16, is widely seen as a compromise intended to provide same-same couples with added rights and benefits, while also preventing an expanded legal definition of marriage. The legislation, which passed overwhelmingly in the state's lower house on May 19, affords same-sex couples a host of new state tax breaks, health-care benefits and...

Cook County has issued its first civil union license, launching a historic day for same-sex couples across the state. Janean Watkins and Lakeesha Harris camped overnight outside the Daley Center to be the first in line as the state's new civil unions law kicked in. "It's historic," said Watkins, who has been with Harris for 10 years. "We wanted to be first. We wanted to make a statement. For us, for our kids. It really means something." The couple has six children who will all be in attendance at a formal civil union ceremony tomorrow.

Paul Dombrowski and Joe Serio met in a bar, each dragged there by friends on a night when neither felt like going out. The two men had begun to give up hope of ever finding a soul mate — but that night, 15 years ago, changed everything. As the years went by, the couple similarly lost hope in ever having their relationship recognized by the state of Illinois. That, too, will change June 2, the first day same-sex Illinois couples can enter into civil unions that will provide them with the same state-level rights as married couples.

Chicago Breaking News State Farm to offer same-sex benefits 6:37 AM CDT, May 14, 2011 BLOOMINGTON (AP) - State Farm Insurance Cos. said Friday it will begin offering health care and other benefits to legally recognized same-sex partners of its employees, a response to an Illinois law that will soon let gay and lesbian couples enter into civil unions. The eligibility changes for the Bloomington-based insurer's group health and welfare plans affect all employees, retirees, agents and agent staff. They would be able to enroll a "legally recognized" same-sex spouse, civil union partner, or domestic partner in benefits for the...

Delaware has joined New Jersey in granting marriage-like rights to same-sex couples joined by civil unions. The law, which will take effect next Jan. 1, stops short of conferring full marriage rights, as has been done by five states and Washington, D.C. Gov. Jack Markell signed the legislation on Wednesday at Wilmington’s Queen Theater, as hundreds of supporters toasted the occasion with champagne.