| Here’s our daily round-up of the marriage equality / LGBT rights stories that don’t warrant a full posting on the blog, or that we didn’t have time to add. We’re able to get more news and analysis to you this way every day – enjoy! HISTORY: Slate looks at how TV talked about gay marriage 25 years ago. full story POP CULTURE: Black rights activist Rachel Dolezal, who was outed as a white woman earlier this month, has revealed she is bisexual. full story POP CULTURE: Queerty profiles Big Brother contestant Audrey Middleton, an attractive 25-year-old digital media consultant who is also transgender. full story POP CULTURE: Miley Cyrus is partnering with Instagram to launch #InstaPride, a campaign that celebrates the lives and stories of transgender and gender-expansive individuals all over the world. full story POP CULTURE: Actress Susan Sarandon has revealed that one of her sons blurs gender lines – and likes to wear dresses on stage with his band. full story AUSTRALIA: Marriage equality is still 14 MPs short, but the undecideds could easily make up the difference. full story  FRANCE: The Advocate looks at the spike in anti-LGBT violence after marriage equality was passed, and wonders if it will happen in the US too. full story INDIA: The government has asked the Supreme Court to define “transgender”, saying that it cannot not enact landmark ruling recognizing trans people if it does not know what the word means. full story ISRAEL: Deputy leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Sheikh Kamal Khatib attacked the same-sex marriage of Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel in an online screed, but leading Arab Israelis have taken him to task full story LITHUANIA: After Lithuania re-introduced mandatory services, conscripts are being asked questions to determine their sexuality – like if they like flowers. full story TAIWAN: Taipei is the second Taiwanese city to recognize same-sex partnerships.full story UK: Tory MP Michael Fabricant chided the government for having ‘no research’ supporting the gay blood ban. full story UK: A Bishop has testified at a tribunal to say that the marriage of a Church of England clergy member to his husband is “sinful and unwholesome”. full story  UK: The Bishop of Buckingham Dr Alan Wilson has defended same-sex marriage during a tribunal today, saying the idea that marriage should be between one man and one woman is “a lousy definition”. full story UK, NORTHERN IRELAND: Actor and gay rights campaigner Sir Ian McKellen has called for Northern Ireland to “catch up” on same-sex marriage. full story USA: A study says that many millennials aren’t ready to marry, but they want the right to. full story USA: Now that most state legislative sessions have come to a close for this year, observers have differing assessments on the efforts aimed at stopping a series of religious freedom bills seen to enable anti-LGBT discrimination. full story USA: At a time when private health insurance companies and state Medicaid programs are beginning to cover the costs of gender transition related surgery, the supply of surgeons qualified to perform the highly specialized surgeries is falling short of the demand. full story USA: The crimes against humanity lawsuit against Scott Lively began yesterday with his Liberty Counsel lawyers demanding more information from the plaintiffs, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). full story USA: On same-sex marriage, Jeb Bush told Sean Hannity: “I believe in traditional marriage. I hope the Supreme Court rules that way.” full story USA: Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said Wednesday he’s open to the idea of openly transgender military service, but it “would depend on the role” for those troops. full story USA: Bush also said he would serve as a witness at a same-sex wedding if he were asked. full story USA: As it did in 2012, today NOM will ask all GOP presidential candidates to sign its hate pledge promising to support a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. full story USA, IDAHO: The city of Bellevue, Idaho Monday passed a non-discrimination ordination that will provide protections for LGBT people against discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. full story USA, INDIANA: Today, a new poll revealed Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s deeply damaged political reputation continues to decline over two months after signing into law an anti-LGBT “religious refusal” bill – a law that put LGBT Hoosiers at risk of discrimination, causing an overwhelming outcry from fair-minded people and businesses demanding the bill be fixed. full story USA, MARYLAND: A woman in Baltimore recently found herself in the middle of a pretty bizarre crossfire when she reportedly received a note from some of her neighbors (or, probably just one who is bluffing), stating that her yard is too flamboyant for the innocent eyes of children. full story  USA, MICHIGAN: Kalamazoo County Clerk Tim Snow says he’s preparing to accommodate gay and lesbian couples who want to marry immediately after the Supreme Court ruling. full story USA, NEW JERSEY: What went on inside JONAH’s so-called “conversion therapy clinic” is being made public at trial, and it’s not pretty. full story USA, OHIO: Two Ohio counties (Cuyahoga and Portage) have announced that they’re prepared to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples if the Supreme Court strikes down the state’s ban on gay marriage. full story USA, PUERTO RICO: The First Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled against 13 Puerto Rico lawmakers who wish to intervene in a case challenging the territory’s ban on gay marriage. full story USA, TENNESSEE: Gov. Bill Haslam says state officials are discussing how to proceed should the U.S. Supreme Court rule same-sex marriage legal later this month in a case involving Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio. full story USA, TEXAS: The newly launched Texas Wins campaign–a multiyear, multimillion-dollar effort–aims to increase the number of LGBT Texans protected by local nondiscrimination ordinances. full story |