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U.S. and international gay rights supporters called on Friday for a boycott of Italian pasta maker Barilla, whose chairman said he would never feature a gay family in its advertising.
The comments sparked a firestorm of protest on social media and resulted in online petitions in English, German and Italian, including one by Italian playwright and Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo. Keep reading
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New: Italian Pasta Firm Barilla Faces Boycott Over Gay Remarks
Italian pasta baron's anti-gay comment prompts boycott call
Serbia bans gay pride march again; EU criticizes decision
Serbia's government banned a weekend gay pride march for the third consecutive year on Friday, citing the threat of violence from right-wing hooligans, in a move that sparked protests by gay activists and criticism from the European Union.
Denying that the government had given in to right-wing threats, Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said on state television that the ban on Saturday's event was a public safety matter. The last gay pride march in 2010 triggered a day of rioting and arson by nationalists in the capital Belgrade. Keep reading
In big shift, Exxon to provide same-sex marriage benefits
Exxon Mobil Corp said on Friday it will extend benefits to spouses of its U.S. workers in same-sex marriages, a sweeping reversal by one of the world's top companies following a landmark Supreme Court ruling in June.
Though many U.S. corporations, especially progressive ones like Apple Inc, have long offered domestic partner benefits to gay couples, the step at Exxon - the biggest publicly traded oil company - was heralded as especially significant for a company that has resisted repeated calls for change. Keep reading
Money for town with anti-discrimination ordinance
Eight months after this tiny Appalachian town took a stand against gay-based discrimination, it's basking in a flurry of attention and even an infusion of much-needed cash. All that hoopla has its openly gay mayor dreaming of reviving a place that had long seemed past its prime. Out-of-towners occasionally venture well off the interstate to make the trek to Vicco, a fading coal town of about 330 residents where an aging row of buildings lines one side of the block-long downtown. Railroad tracks run along the other side, though trains rarely pass by anymore. Keep reading
Judge allows challenges to Illinois gay marriage ban to proceed
An Illinois judge on Friday allowed two lawsuits challenging the state's ban on gay marriage to proceed, possibly setting the stage for state courts rather than the legislature to decide whether same-sex couples will be allowed to marry in Illinois.
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Sophia Hall ruled that lawsuits brought by same-sex couples have a chance of succeeding with the argument that the state's ban on gay marriage discriminates against them. Keep reading
Woman asks Miss. to recognize her gay marriage
A woman is asking the conservative state of Mississippi to recognize her out-of-state gay marriage so that she can get a divorce.
Lauren Beth Czekala-Chatham (Chick AH' luh-CHAT' um) married her wife, Dana Ann Melancon, in California, but the couple lived together in Southaven, Miss., until they separated in 2010. Keep reading
New Jersey judge allows same-sex marriage; state plans appeal
A New Jersey judge ordered state officials on Friday to allow same-sex couples to marry starting on October 21, saying the current civil union system unfairly deprived them of federal benefits available to married couples.
A spokesman for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie indicated the state would appeal, but did not say whether it would seek a stay to stop the ruling from taking effect. Keep reading
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NJ legal battle over gay marriage will continue
Congregation Fires Pastor for Marrying Gay Couple With Controversial Marriage License in State College, Pa.
A defiant Pennsylvania pastor who fought with his church over gay marriage has been fired by his congregation for officiating the wedding of a same-sex couple at the home of a local mayor last month.
The Rev. Ken Kline Smeltzer, the former pastor of a Church of the Brethren parish, told the centredaily.com that he was fired for marrying a same-sex couple at the home of State College, Pa., Mayor Elizabeth Goreham in August. Keep reading
25-year sentence given FRC shooter
The man who planned mass shootings at several conservative organizations in the nation's capital has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for the thwarted plot.
In August 2012, Floyd Corkins II walked into the lobby of the Family Research Council with a backpack full of Chick-fil-A sandwiches, a gun and 100 rounds of ammunition. FRC security guard Leo Johnson tackled and subdued Corkins, but not before the attacker fired three shots, hitting the guard in the arm. Keep reading
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Gay Rights Activist Receives 25 Year Sentence
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