gaywrites:

In spite of all the heat it’s taken this week for admitting an anti-gay position, Chick-fil-A is looking for locations in Boston - but it might not succeed.

One spot the chain is considering for a restaurant location is near the Freedom Trail, associated with the American Revolution, but Mayor Thomas Menino says that spot won’t fly for a business that’s openly homophobic. 

“Chick-fil-A doesn’t belong in Boston,” Menino told the Boston Herald yesterday. “You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population. We’re an open city, we’re a city that’s at the forefront of inclusion. … That’s the Freedom Trail. That’s where it all started right here. And we’re not going to have a company, Chick-fil-A or whatever the hell the name is, on our Freedom Trail.”

Menino said Chick-fil-A will find it “very difficult” to get licenses in Boston unless it changes its policies, and he plans to send a letter to the company’s headquarters in Atlanta “telling them my feelings on the matter.”

This Mayor Menino character is my new hero. 

gaywrites:

The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that same-sex couples married in other states can be divorced in Maryland, bringing an end to a discussion that we wish didn’t have to happen to begin with. 

The case began with a lesbian couple who were married legally in California, but split up eight months later. They filed for divorce in Maryland, where it was not clear whether their marriage would be recognized.

“Today’s unanimous decision by the Maryland Court of Appeals confirms that the policy of recognizing out-of-state same-sex marriages that we have implemented in the Executive Branch is valid and consistent with the law,” Gov. Martin O’Malley said in a statement. “To treat families differently under the law because they happen to be led by gay or lesbian couples is not right or just.  Today’s decision is another step forward in our efforts to ensure that every child is protected equally under the law.  As a free and diverse people, the way forward is always to be found through greater respect for the equal rights of all; for the human dignity of all.”

Keep in mind: voters in Maryland will likely decide in November whether or not to ban marriage equality. This is an important step acknowledging that all marriages deserve to be treated equally. 

(via fuckyeahsexeducation)

gaywrites:

A priest in Denmark has refused to bury a deceased woman after discovering that she was a lesbian.

The priest refused to hold the funeral, making the absurd claim in front of the woman’s elderly partner of more than 30 years. The woman’s daughter watched this happen as well, and was rightly outraged.

“I thought, can it really be true that we should be ashamed of it?,” the deceased woman’s daughter, Kirsten Østergaard, told homotropolis.com. “I looked at my mother’s life partner and she was completely silent — and then I became really upset on her behalf. It’s a terrible situation to put her in.”

The priest has since apologized for his actions, but that doesn’t make up for the trauma he caused this family, not in the slightest. Remember back in February, when a priest in the U.S. refused a lesbian communion at her mother’s funeral? Why is this BS still happening in the world? 

gaywrites:

The governor of Rhode Island announced yesterday that the state would begin to recognize marriages between two people of the same sex performed in other states. 

Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed an order directing state agencies to treat opposite-sex and same-sex marriages equally, including in matters like health and life insurance and other benefits. Rhode Island allows civil unions but bans marriage equality. More on benefits:

The executive order is expected to have many real-world implications. Same-sex spouses of state employees and anyone covered by an insurance company regulated in Rhode Island will be entitled to health and life insurance benefits, gay rights advocates say.

Both partners in a same-sex couple will be able to list their names as parents on a child’s birth certificate, and same-sex couples will be entitled to sales tax exemptions on the transfer of property including vehicles.

Woohoo! Honestly, isn’t this just the first step towards making marriage equality a reality here too? Let’s make it happen.