gay rights
Longtime gay parishioner booted from church posts
By David Gibson — April 3, 2013
NEW YORK (RNS) As Catholic leaders signal a new tone of welcome for gays in the church, a Long Island parishioner was booted from his church posts after an anonymous letter writer told the bishop the man had married his partner.
ANALYSIS: Are Catholics shifting tone or substance on gay issues?
By David Gibson — April 2, 2013
(RNS) Catholic leaders appear to be adopting a more positive tone, if not policies, on gays and lesbians. But the new rhetoric may also be an acknowledgment of the huge shift in the court of public opinion, and maybe soon at the Supreme Court.
ANALYSIS: On gay marriage, Supreme Court ponders not ‘if’ but ‘how’
By Lauren Markoe — March 26, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) For supporters of gay marriage, Tuesday's arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court show just how far this debate has come: It’s no longer “if” gay marriage will be accepted and legal, but “how" and "when.”
Bill Clinton urges Supreme Court to overturn gay marriage law he signed
By David Jackson — March 8, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) Former President Bill Clinton says the U.S. Supreme Court should strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, which he signed in 1996 during a "very different time."
White House takes stance against gay-marriage ban
By Richard Wolf — March 1, 2013
(WASHINGTON) The Obama administration came out forcefully Thursday against California's ban on same-sex marriage and, by extension, implicated similar bans in 37 other states.
Christian left sees optimism in Obama’s second term
By Chris Herlinger — February 8, 2013
(RNS) Heartened by his inaugural calls for gay rights and for bold action on climate change, those on the U.S. Christian left are confident that Barack Obama will now claim the progressive legacy they believe he craves.
Obama extols a biblical vision of equality for all in second inaugural
By David Gibson — January 21, 2013
(RNS) A presidential inauguration is by tradition the grandest ritual of America’s civil religion, but President Obama took the oath of office on Monday (Jan. 21) in a ceremony that was explicit in joining theology to the nation’s destiny and setting out a biblical vision of equality that includes race, gender, class, and, most controversially, sexual orientation.
Fewer Americans view homosexuality as a sin
By David Gibson — January 10, 2013
(RNS) Americans' acceptance of gays and lesbians is continuing to grow, with a new poll showing that just over a third of Americans view homosexuality as a sin, down from 44 percent a year earlier. By David Gibson.
Pastor pulls out of inauguration over anti-gay sermon
By David Gibson — January 10, 2013
(RNS) The evangelical pastor that President Obama picked to deliver the benediction at his inauguration ceremonies withdrew from the high-profile assignment on Thursday following a furor over a sermon from the mid-1990s in which he denounced the gay rights movement and advocated efforts to turn gays straight. By David Gibson.
Activists mobilize around White House’s Catholic ‘hate group’ petition
By David Gibson — January 7, 2013
(RNS) The White House’s online petition service features a bid to designate the Catholic Church as a hate group for its opposition to gay rights, and has generated almost as many press releases as signatures. By David Gibson.
Chicago cardinal leads new fight against gay marriage
By David Gibson — January 2, 2013
(RNS) Chicago Cardinal Francis George has launched a last-ditch campaign to convince the lame-duck Illinois legislature not to legalize same-sex marriage, saying that government “has no power to create something that nature itself tells us is impossible.” By David Gibson.
Parliament bars Church of England from hosting gay weddings
By Trevor Grundy — December 11, 2012
CANTERBURY, England (RNS) The British government unveiled a proposal on Tuesday (Dec. 11) that excludes the Church of England and the Church in Wales from planned legislation to allow same-sex couples to marry in churches. By Trevor Grundy.
What’s next for religious conservatives?
By David Gibson — November 7, 2012
(RNS) Mitt Romney failed in his bid to win the White House back for Republicans, but the biggest losers in Tuesday’s voting may be Christian conservatives who put everything they had into denying President Obama a second term and battling other threats to their agenda. Does the religious right need to reinvent itself?
Catholic bishops make last-minute pitch for Romney
By David Gibson — November 1, 2012
(RNS) A number of Roman Catholic bishops are making forceful appeals to their flock to vote next Tuesday, and their exhortations are increasingly sounding like clear calls to support Republican challenger Mitt Romney. By David Gibson.
Top Southern Baptist official Richard Land breaks pledge, endorses Romney
By David Gibson — October 30, 2012
(RNS) Breaking a longstanding personal pledge, Southern Baptist leader Richard Land has endorsed GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, saying next week's election is the most important since Abraham Lincoln's win in 1860 and he can no longer stay silent. By David Gibson
