In January, Pope Benedict XVI used his annual address to the diplomatic corps as a platform to denounce gay marriage, calling it one of the major threats that could undermine "the future of humanity itself." With Maryland becoming the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage last week, the Pope once again condemned gay nuptials, and came across sounding quite scared of "the powerful political and cultural currents seeking to alter the legal definition of marriage." more ›

Yesterday, the Post reported that Bronx Pride, the Bronx's biggest LGBT group, was moving into the Ruben Diaz Sr. Gardens building, a residential-commercial space funded by State Senator Diaz's non-profit and named after him. And given his extremely anti-gay marriage stance, the Post quoted a source who said that Diaz was "furious. It’s such a direct shot at him." But Diaz tells us that's not true—he actually feels "honored" and "blessed" to have the group in the building and is only furious that the Post reporter didn't include anything he told her! more ›

Last year illustrator R. Crumb announced he would no longer be selling work to The New Yorker after the magazine rejected one of his covers without explanation. But no one knew what the cover depicted, until arts reporter Nadja Sayej discovered the cover on a bookmark she received at the Venice Biennale. It seems the magazine's cover editor suggested Crumb draw something on the topic of gay marriage in June 2009. Crumb did, but it was ultimately rejected—his first rejection from The New Yorker. Here's his explanation—transcribed from the back of the bookmark—for why he severed ties with the magazine: more ›

As promised, last night Conan O'Brien performed the first same-sex marriage on television, by officiating nuptials between CONAN costume designer Scott Cronick and his partner David Gorshein. Watch and try not to get teary: more ›

Now that homosexuals can get married in New York, pedophilia is on the rise, says a fringe Hasidic group in Brooklyn that's launching an "awareness campaign" to save the children from gay married molesters. The Hasidic watchdog blog Failed Messiah, which recently broke news about a series of Yiddish street signs telling women to step aside for men, reports that the group wants signs put up in all-male mikvehs warning of the dangers. more ›

To thank four Republican State Senators who agreed to vote for gay marriage, wealthy mover-and-shakers are holding a big fundraiser in Manhattan tonight "expected to raise about $1.25 million to help finance their re-election bids next year," according to the NY Times. One of the wealthy donors who promised to support the Republicans is Mayor Bloomberg, who already contributed $10,300 each to Mark Grisanti of Buffalo; Roy McDonald of Saratoga; James Alesi of Rochester and Stephen Saland of Poughkeepsie this summer. more ›

Yesterday saw the first lawsuit trying to stop gay marriage in New York and today brings the opposite. The New York State Attorney General has filed a brief in the ongoing fight against the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) arguing that it violates the right to equal protection under the law for gay and lesbian couples. more ›

Yesterday was Gay Day for hundreds of New Yorkers who were finally able to tie the knot legally. But it wasn't all adorable photo ops. Oh, no. There were protests, too. And now there is a lawsuit trying to overturn the law that made Gay Day possible in the first place. more ›

There's a reason that God rested on the seventh day—nobody wants to work on Sundays! And judging by this NY Times article today, you know who particularly loathes working on Sundays? Judges. But several dozen judges across the state are voluntarily putting their golf clubs in storage in order to work Sunday July 24, the day that same-sex marriage becomes legal. “I’m a Family Court judge — I’m a judge for families — and I saw this as a way for me to do my job," said Judge Joan S. Kohout. more ›

As gay New Yorkers prepare for the arrival of marriage equality in the state—the city's clerk offices will be open on the big gay day, July 24th—a New York State clerk has resigned her post rather than place her name on a gay marriage license. more ›

Not everyone is happy that a large swath of New Yorkers are now given the same rights and privileges as everyone else. Now the Catholic church, which is usually totally cool about leaving people alone and letting them live their lives, is holding a grudge against Governor Cuomo and his colleagues for helping push the "ruinous legislation" along. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio who oversees a Brooklyn diocese released a statement following the passage of the bill asking "all Catholic schools to refuse any distinctions or honors bestowed upon them by the governor," and any state legislators who voted "Yes." 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 ›

In one corner, there is the gay and lesbian community, rich Republicans, Mayor Bloomberg, celebrities, and everyone else who believes in equal protection under the law, in support of same-sex marriage legislation in NY. In the opposite corner are the other side of a 50/50 split—those who claim to "hate the sin but not the sinner," like state Senator Ruben Diaz and the National Organization for Marriage. NOM sounds relatively innocuous until you realize that they are a wealthy, opaque organization that is beholden to "hard-core anti-gay extremists" and run patently false advertisements on TV. Both sides are battling for the fate of a gay marriage bill before the Assembly adjourns on June 20. 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 ›

Mayor Bloomberg was in Albany yesterday with Christine Quinn to pressure State Senators to support a same-sex marriage bill. During meetings with seven Republican Senators, Bloomberg vowed to campaign for any candidate who came out for gay marriage, regardless of how they voted on any other issue. And he made the case that same-sex marriage is “entirely consistent with the G.O.P.’s core values of promoting limited government and individual liberty." 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 ›

A bill is in the State Assembly and the push to bring marriage equality to New York is in full swing, but a new poll shows that maybe New Yorkers aren't quite as open to gay marriage as previous polls have implied. more ›

As the clock winds down on 2010's legislative session, openly gay NY Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell introduced same-sex marriage legislation late last night. The bill defines marriage as a "fundamental human right," and goes on to state that "stable family relationships help build a stronger society." Though O'Donnell sponsored identical legislation that failed in 2009, the SEIU just announced their support, and there are indications that Governor Cuomo will throw his heft and political capital behind the measure, if the votes are there, to push it through the GOP-controlled Senate. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] The state Department of Correctional Services has recently changed its regulations to allow conjugal visits for homosexual inmates who have entered into a same-sex marriage or a civil union. The regulation is a formalization of a policy initiated in 2008 by Governor Paterson, which required New York State agencies to recognize same-sex marriages and civil unions performed out of state. Peter Cutler, spokesman for the Department of Correctional Services, told the Daily News, "If they seek a furlough based on the partner, it's likely it would be granted." Please save all "drop the soap" jokes for the end of the post. more ›