Bronx State Senator Ruben Diaz Jr. has not been shy about his crusade against gay marriage. In fact, he's done everything he can to stop gay marriage from passing in New York and tried to use his lesbian granddaughter as a prop in his anti-gay marriage rally. So we find it wonderfully fitting that the Bronx's largest gay rights group, Bronx Pride, is moving into new offices in a "building funded by, and named after, the city’s No. 1 gay-marriage opponent, state Sen. Ruben Diaz," according to the Post. more ›

Dolly Parton has issued a personal apology to Olivier Odom and Jennifer Tipton, the lesbian couple at the center of a huge controversy last month when a guard at Dollywood objected to Odom's t-shirt that read "Marraige is so Gay." more ›

Dollywood, the country-style theme park in Tennessee co-owned by buxom crooner Dolly Parton, is in hot water this week after a lesbian couple spoke out, claiming park officials denied them entry because one woman wore a "Marriage is so Gay" T-shirt. more ›

In another step toward equality for all, the US Senate confirmed James Paul Oetken, a law professor at Fordham, Greenwich Village resident, and openly gay man, to the federal judiciary yesterday. more ›

Because Governor Cuomo's proposed same sex marriage legislation is a single tantalizing vote away from affording all residents in the Empire State equal protection under the law, opponents of the bill are scrambling to mount a last gasp appeal of what they believe is an affront to the "institution" of marriage. Yesterday saw "nearly a hundred" clergy at "A Rally For Traditional Marriage" in front of City Hall organized by the City Action Coalition. The CAC's leader, Bishop Joseph Mattera, warned SILive of the "large percentage of people in New York City and state who are very uncomfortable with the concept of gay marriage." Most uncomfortable of all may be Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who wrote in his blog that "God, not Albany, has settled the definition of marriage a long time ago." Was that before or after He settled whether the earth revolved around the sun? more ›

After most of the world, including his 30 Rock co-star Tina Fey, pounced on comedian Tracy Morgan for his violent, homophobic routine at a recent show in Nashville, Chris Rock took to Twitter on Friday evening to defend Morgan's right to free speech and artistic integrity. He Tweeted: "I don't know about you but I don't want to live in world where Tracy Morgan cant say fail inappropriate shit." It didn't take long for GLAAD to chastise Rock for his defense, shooting back via Twitter, "Language about stabbing kids for being gay isn't 'foul.' It's dangerous." Now, Rock himself is backpedaling. more ›

During a televised sporting event that was watched by literally millions of people last night, Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah was caught on one of the dozens of cameras which are constantly trained on him calling a fan a "f**king faggot." Clearly upset over being called for his second foul in the first quarter of the game, you can hear Joakim shout the slur around 0:19: more ›

As part of the renewed push to legalize same-sex marriage in New York, the money that is flowing to the cause is coming from an unexpected source: Republicans. The Times reports that close to $1 million in support that has been received in recent weeks "represent some of New York's wealthiest and most politically active figures," including hedge fund manager and heavy GOP donor Paul Singer, and Mayor Bloomberg, who has already given $100,000 and traveled to Albany to make the case. more ›

The day after the President and U.S. Attorney General declared they would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act, a court decision brought New York its own small victory for marriage equality. An Appellate court yesterday held up a previous decision that the surviving partner in a Canadian same-sex marriage is legally entitled to his spouse's estate in New York. more ›

You know that old adage that moms love to say: everyday is a gift (filled with Carl Paladino doing something crazy). With all of his crazy dominating the gubernatorial storyline this week, we feel like we've lost track of Andrew Cuomo. Or, the "very oily" Cuomo is very purposefully keeping quiet and letting Carl win the election for him. But even well-coiffed politicians must peek out of their rabbit holes for stump speeches and appearances, and Cuomo did just that last night at the Empire State Pride Agenda's Fall Dinner. And he promised that if he was elected, he would stand up to make marriage equality a reality. more ›

Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino claims that he has no problems with gays—he just doesn't support gay marriage, want gays discussed amongst children and detests the gay pride parade. We reached out to the organizers of the annual Heritage of Pride March in NYC to respond to his comments. Among co-chair Ada Ospina's remarks, "Although we may not agree with views of Mr. Paladino, such statements highlight the importance of our Annual Pride events in combating the hatred and homophobia that is still present in our society. We welcome him to march with us, the LGBT community, our allies, and other political figures in the 2011 NYC Pride March on June 26th." more ›

Yesterday, "mad-as-hell" Carl Paladino continued his controversial streak by telling an audience of Orthodox Jewish leaders in Brooklyn, "I just think my children and your children would be much better off and much more successful getting married and raising a family, and I don't want them brainwashed into thinking that homosexualtiy is an equally valid and successful option--it isn't." This morning, on Good Morning America, the Republican candidate with the Tea Party following explained, "I think my comments were directed at just the confusion that people have had over this issue. I wanted to clearly distinguish that my feelings about homosexuality were no different than those of the Catholic Church. I’m a Catholic. 7.5 million Catholics in the state of New York. I wanted to make it clear what my position was and I think I clearly defined it." Hey, isn't "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery" one of the Ten Commandments? more ›

So maybe this is why Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino has largely avoided campaigning in NYC: during a visit with Orthodox Jewish leaders in Williamsburg today, Paladino stuffed his foot way into his mouth with a series of statements on homosexuality: "I just think my children and your children would be much better off and much more successful getting married and raising a family, and I don't want them brainwashed into thinking that homosexualtiy is an equally valid and successful option--it isn't." (You can see a video clip of the speech, taken by WNYC's Azi Paybarah, below.) more ›

Earlier today, the GOP successfully filibustered the Department of Defense authorization bill, with the Senate voting 56-43 mostly party lines, with Democrats voting for the bill which included the repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and offering young immigrants a path to citizenship with the Dream Act. The NY Times explains, "Senate Republicans voted unanimously to block debate on the bill — the huge, annual authorization of military programs — after the majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, said he would attach a number of the Democrats’ election-year priorities to it while also moving to limit the amendments offered by Republicans." more ›

Another of one of this Sunday's Pride March Grand Marshals spoke to NY1. Judy Shepard, who has fought against violence against gays after her son Matthew's murder in 1998, said that while she's happy the Hate Crimes Prevention Act was signed into law last fall, "This is just the beginning, because this is the building block for future gay rights legislation, so this is really a big deal. And this is why, one reason why I really wanted to come to the parade this year, is because I want to celebrate that success and remind everyone that we just have so much more work to do and this is a great jumping-off point." more ›

Former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr. wasn't worried that people considered him a carpetbagger for running for Senate in New York, but he was "dumbfounded" by the fact the pro-choice groups wouldn't support his campaign, according to the Times. Before dropping out of the race, Ford—who once labeled himself as pro-life—tried and failed to win over abortion rights activists. "He was dumbfounded that it kept tripping him up," said a friend. more ›

Possible Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. was booed and heckled by a gay Democratic club for his past record on same-sex marriage. Since voting twice to amend the Constitution to ban gay marriage as a Congressman in Tennessee, Ford claims he has come to support marriage equality. But that wasn't enough to win over the Stonewall Democrats in the West Village. more ›

Just weeks after New York State Senate voted down a bill that would have allowed same-sex couples to marry, a similar piece of legislation is on the rocks in New Jersey, the Times reports. Though Garden State supporters of gay marriage were optimistic of their chances as recently as last month, the legislation has "become bogged down in both chambers" before the looming Jan. 19 deadline, when Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, who supports gay marriage, is replaced by Republican Gov. Chris Christie, who opposes it. more ›

On the eve of the National Equality March in Washington D.C., President Obama spoke at a Human Rights Campaign dinner, "I will end 'don't ask, don't tell.' That is my commitment to you." He also emphasized he wants to help bring gays and lesbians full civil rights, "I'm here with a simple message: I'm here with you in that fight." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg thinks that he could strong-arm local Republican state senators into voting for a gay marriage bill, but he doesn't seem to believe that the Democrats have the cajones to bring Governor Paterson's same-sex marriage legislation to the floor. Asked why he thought he could change the minds of some pretty staunch GOP gay marriage opponents, Bloomberg said, “I’m the main funder. You know, you can’t dictate every piece of legislation, and I don’t want to say that they’re bribable. But they know where I stand, and they want me to be a supporter.” more ›

The 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots (as they have come to be known) is coming up on June 28th, as the city celebrates the LGBT community. Now a website called Out History has published the police records from that historic event, tracing the riots to the initial incident which brought police to the Stonewall Inn. (They also make note of the Village Voice's "Contemptuous Attitude Toward the Gay Community" at the time.) more ›

Last night, the State Assembly voted to approve the gay marriage bill. PolitickerNY reports the vote occurred "after four hours of debate and a technical problem that crashed the chamber's electronic voting mechanisms." Previously, in 2007, the Assembly passed a similar bill 85-61; this year, three Democrats switched their votes from no to yes as did two Republicans. One, Assemblyman Fred Thiele (R-Hamptons), explained, "There’s that little voice inside of you that tells you when you’ve done something right, and when you’ve done something wrong. That vote just never felt right to me. That little voice kept gnawing away at me." Assemblyman Danny O'Donnell (pictured), a vocal supporter of the bill, said during the debate, "I am seeking a piece of paper that is issued by my government that all of you have had. Some of you have had it two or three times, some of you are running for governor managed to marry their cousin and all that's ok. But I don't get one. So it's not about anybody's religion. This is about 'by the power vested in me by the State of New York.'" more ›

Newly-installed Archbishop Timothy Dolan is continuing to make his presence felt in the media, keeping open discussions about hot button issues such as gay marriage and the possibility of marriage within the priesthood. Dolan seems to be making a concentrated effort to put a positive spin on the church's stance on topics that he knows might not sit well in a town as socially liberal as New York. more ›

Governor Paterson held a press conference today introducing legislation to legalize gay marriage in New York. The governor was not the least bit tepid in his strong support of the issue, saying he has been on record as an advocate for same-sex marriage since 1994. The state's first black governor drew a strong connection between the fight for marital rights and the abolition movement, citing the names of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglass. Paterson said: more ›

Standing on the steps in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral with a Bible in his hand, incoming Archbishop Timothy Dolan spoke to reporters for the first time since arriving into town. Dolan did not waste any time addressing hot button topics for the church, such as the possibility of New York legalizing gay marriage. He said, "If we let that definition of marriage go and begin to include other relationships, it will be to a detriment to the civilization." But Dolan tried to stay positive saying that "we support them...(and) will defend their rights." He also plans to fight the popular notion that the church is unenlightened saying, "I think we Catholics just need to stand up and say, 'we're above the times, we're timeless in our beliefs in our values and in our ethics and in our morality, and we don't take our cue from the winds and the trends of the day." Dolan will be installed as archbishop Wednesday afternoon at St. Patrick's. When asked about the responsibility of leading 2.5 million Catholics, he said, "I hope at my core, I hear Jesus say, 'Timothy be not afraid.'" more ›

Governor David Paterson announced that he would re-introduce same-sex marriage legislation this month. Paterson told Ithaca TV station WGRZ, "We'll put a bill out and let the people decide one way or the other." more ›

Democrats now in the majority of the state senate for the first time in over forty years appear to be preparing to stall on voting to legalize gay marriage, a big issue that helped push them over the top this election year. Several factors appear to be giving Democrats hesitation: the strong wave that came out against gay marriage in the Prop 8 battle in California, fear of the issue backfiring on Governor Paterson's reelection chances in 2010 and the hopes to appease Gang of Three leader Ruben Diaz who has said he will not support a majority leader who would allow a same-sex marriage vote come to floor. Naturally that leaves many pushing for legalization ASAP upset after all the money poured into Democratic senate campaigns from gay rights groups around the country and the mobilization on their side amidst the Prop 8 battle. Liz Krueger, a senator from the Upper East Side told the Times, “We want to get there, but we want to get there the right way or else we risk setting ourselves back another decade." more ›

The anger over Proposition 8 is not ending: There are number of protests all over the country. Prop 8 is the California ballot proposition that bans gay marriage; it was passed last week, but there are lawsuits challenging its constitutionality. You can find them here--in NY, there are gatherings in NYC, Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, White Plains, Ithaca, Buffalo, Utica and Hofstra. While NYC had a Prop 8 protest on Wednesday night outside the Manhattan Morman Temple, tomorrow's will take place at City Hall at 1:30 p.m. till 3:30 p.m. (more details). more ›

Tonight, thousands of people are expected to gather outside the Manhattan Mormon Temple of the Church of Latter Day Saints on Columbus Avenue at West 65th Street (starting at 6:30 p.m.), in protest of California's passage of Proposition 8. Andy Towle writes on Towleroad that once "the location reaches capacity" those gathered will slowly march down Broadway toward Columbus Circle." He adds there will be volunteers to "help marshall and guide protestors (watch for them in blue armbands - they're there to help)" and "You are encouraged to bring signs and candles and protest peacefully." And protest co-organizer Michaelangelo Signorile has some tips for tonight, adding, "Let's not be anti-religious bigots and, as you've heard me many times talk about on the show, let's not engage in this divisive race-blaming game. And it should also go without saying -- but sadly, must be said again and again --- no ugly racist rhetoric." more ›