BTL Staff
Ohio Supreme Court allows lesbian moms custody agreement to stand
 Columbus, OH –The Supreme Court of Ohio last week let stand an appeals court ruling affirming the enforceability of a court-approved child custody agreement in a case involving lesbian mothers. "The Court has expressly shut down [...]
LGBT groups unite to support Employee Free Choice Act
BTL staff WASHINGTON, D.C. – A broad coalition of national LGBT organizations is gearing up to push for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would remove obstacles for workers who want union representation. "America's workers, who are [...]
Affirmations announces big cuts for new year
by Jessica Carreras FERNDALE – Affirmations, metro Detroit's community center for LGBT people and their allies, has been hit hard by the economy – and the drop in funds is beginning to show. Effective Jan. 1, six part-time and one full-time staff [...]
Giving against the odds
by Jessica Carreras Like many other Michiganders this year, John Secor got the call on Sept. 2: he was out of a job. An editor and writer in the newspaper industry for many years, Secor was working in sales for a Philadelphia media company out of [...]
Hungarian domestic-partnership law struck down
by Rex Wockner International News Hungary's domestic-partnership law, which was to take effect Jan. 1, was struck down by the Constitutional Court Dec. 15. The court said the law is unconstitutional because it would have given the rights of [...]
Obama pick of anti-gay minister angers gay community
By Lisa Keen President-elect Barack Obama set off a controversy this week, by inviting anti-gay evangelical Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration ceremony. It was a hurt compounded by the realization that Obama will apparently [...]
Reckless reporting hurts
In the media world, there's investigative journalism – and then there's reckless reporting. At a time when organizations are hurting more than ever for donations, some "reckless reporters" are using out-of-context statistics to up their page hits – [...]
UN General Assembly hears pro-gay statement
by Rex Wockner International News Sixty-six nations at the UN General Assembly supported a groundbreaking statement Dec. 18 confirming that international human rights protections include sexual orientation and gender identity. It was the first time [...]
Moscow Pride seeks emergency Euro court hearing
by Rex Wockner International News Moscow Pride will ask the European Court of Human Rights for an emergency hearing on two pending cases challenging Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov's bans on gay pride activities for the past three years. Pride organizer [...]
CARES honors compassionate artists in World AIDS Day contest
by Jessica Carreras Earlier this month, the Community AIDS Resource and Education Services organization hosted their annual World AIDS Day juried art contest, centered each year on a different theme related to HIV/AIDS. This year's contest, "You [...]
Anti-Bullying bills killed by Michigan Senate
LANSING, MI – Negotiations spanning two years and involving parents, educators, law enforcement officials and many others came to a halt late Thursday when state Sen. Alan Cropsey (R-Dewitt) said he would not allow anti-bullying legislation to pass [...]
City apologizes for past anti-gay actions
by Rex Wockner International News The City Council of Hobart, Tasmania, in Australia, apologized Dec. 10 for banning a booth promoting gay law reform from the city's weekly Salamanca Market in 1988. In the weeks that followed, more than 100 people [...]