An evangelical pastor invited to give the benediction at US President Barack Obama's upcoming inauguration withdrew Thursday following revelations he gave an anti-gay sermon in 1990.

The Washington National Cathedral, a focal point of Christian worship in the United States, said Wednesday that, effective immediately, it will officiate same-sex weddings.

Pop diva Beyonce will sing the national anthem before hundreds of thousands of onlookers at US President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony on January 21, organizers said Wednesday.

Passions and tensions are rising in France ahead of an expected giant weekend rally against the government's plan to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption that has angered influential Catholic and Muslim groups.

The US Supreme Court will hear arguments on March 26 and 27 on the sensitive topic of gay marriage, one of the thorniest social disputes in modern America.

Chuck Hagel, bracing for a bruising Senate confirmation as the next US defense secretary, pledged Monday "total support" for Israel after lawmakers criticized his views on the Middle East.

Two young men from Cameroon who in 2011 were convicted of gay sex and sentenced to five years in prison were acquitted on appeal Monday, their lawyer said.

Gay rights advocates in New Zealand have called for a homosexual All Blacks player to openly declare his sexuality and act as a role model in the fight against bigotry.

The Church of England has dropped its opposition to gay clergymen in civil partnerships becoming bishops, provided the men concerned promise to remain celibate, it confirmed on Friday.

A Ugandan court on Wednesday dismissed charges against a British theatre producer accused of staging a play about gay people in the country without proper authorisation, his lawyer said, citing lack of evidence.

The Black Walnut Point Inn is literally at the end of the road in this Chesapeake Bay village, but for seven gay and lesbian couples Tuesday, it was the starting point for a new chapter in their lives together.

Italy's scandal-tainted former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi made an anti-gay jibe on Monday as part of a relentless media campaign by the veteran politician ahead of elections in February.

Charlie Sheen, the star of FX's 'Anger Management,' has apologized for using an anti-gay slur. Charlie Sheen, the star of FX's Anger Management, has apologized for using an anti-gay slur. According to TMZ.com, Sheen hurled the slur on Friday as he played host to the opening of SheenZ inside the hotel El Ganzo in Los Cabos, Mexico. Sheen is a partner in the bar. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and The Biggest Loser's Dr. Robert Huizenga were among Sheen's celebrity guests. While introducing the opening's musical acts, which included Slash, Sheen yelled out to the crowd, ?How we doing? ? Lying bunch of faggot assholes, how we doing?? Sheen apologized for the remarks, saying he meant to say maggots instead of faggots. ?I meant no ill will and intended to hurt no one and I apologize if I offended anyone,? Sheen said. ?I meant to say maggot but I have a lisp.? ?Antonio Villaraigosa knows how to party!? Sheen messaged in a tweet along with a photo of the pair. A representative for Vil

Edith Windsor believes striking down DOMA would be the beginning of the end of anti-gay stigma. Edith Windsor, the woman at the center of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) case headed to the Supreme Court, believes striking down the law would be the beginning of the end of anti-gay stigma. In an AP profile, Windsor, 83, said the case which challenges the constitutionality of DOMA is bigger than marriage. ?I keep saying, 'Keep me alive until after the Supreme Court'? arguments in March, she said. ?It's a very important case. It's bigger than marriage, and I think marriage is major. I think if we win, the effect will be the beginning of the end of stigma.? Windsor said the world had changed in her lifetime. ?The world has progressed,? she said. ?At the beginning of World War II, they really did think we had horns.? Windsor sued the federal government after she received an estate bill of more than $360,000 resulting from the death of her wife Thea Spyer. Windsor's lawyers argue that DOMA

Personal trainer Jillian Michaels returns to 'The Biggest Loser' as the reality series features its first openly gay contestant. ?Personal trainer Jillian Michaels returns to The Biggest Loser on Sunday as the reality series features its first openly gay contestant. Michaels, 38, quietly came out gay earlier this year following the birth of her son Phoenix to her partner Heidi Rhoades and the adoption of 2-year-old Lukensia from Haiti. The adoption process took years to complete but Lukensia came home in May, the same week Rhoades gave birth. Remaining closeted ?had to change? Michaels said during an appearance on Larry King Now. ?I made that a priority,? Michaels said. ?And I feel very strongly about it. And I wish I could have maintained that, but having kids ? first of all I don't know how I would have explained the materialization of a newborn boy. ? And then with that said, I never want my kids to grow up and think that I'm ashamed of our family. So, I realized that I had no choic

Torii Kedar Hunter, right fielder for the Detroit Tigers, says he would feel uncomfortable with an openly gay teammate. ?Torii Kedar Hunter, right fielder for the Detroit Tigers, says he would feel uncomfortable with an openly gay teammate. Citing his religious faith, Hunter, a 37-year-old four-time All-Star, told The Los Angeles Times that playing alongside an openly gay player would be difficult to deal with. ?For me, as a Christian ? I will be uncomfortable because in all my teachings and all my learning, biblically, it's not right,? he said. ?It will be difficult and uncomfortable.? Hunter, who resides during the off-season in a suburb of Dallas-Fort Worth, added that an out teammate could divide the team. While no player in the country's four major sports leagues has come out gay during his or her career, last year former Phoenix Suns CEO Rick Welts announced he's gay. And over the past couple of years, several straight athletes have openly advocated for gay rights, including New

Wade Davis, Megan Rapinoe, Orlando Cruz and Seimone Augustus were among the athletes who came out gay in 2012. Wade Davis, Megan Rapinoe, Orlando Cruz and Seimone Augustus were among the athletes who came out gay in 2012. Davis, whose professional football career ended in 2003 when he dislocated his kneecap and tore his patella tendon at a Washington Redskins training camp, came out gay over the summer in an interview with Outsports.com. Davis told CNN that he regrets not coming out while in the NFL. ?It would make a difference because youth can actually watch someone on television who's just like them. I wish I had the courage back then to come out,? he said. ?If I could do it all over again, I would come out ? while I was playing.? Olympian Megan Rapinoe, 27, came out gay in an interview with gay glossy Out shortly before heading to the Olympics, making her one of less than two dozen openly gay athletes to compete in the summer Olympics. ?I think it's just nice to be open, there's no

For the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) 2012 proved to be a rocky year. For the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) 2012 proved to be a rocky year. While the nation's most vociferous opponent of gay marriage was successful in getting a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to heterosexual couples approved in North Carolina, little else went the group's way. In an end-of-the-year blog post at EqualityMatters.org, Carlos Maza highlighted some of NOM's biggest missteps in 2012. An important story which went largely unnoticed was NOM's shrinking support from donors. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) revealed that ?just two donors were responsible for funding 75 percent of the anti-gay group.? Federal tax documents from 2011 also showed that NOM's budget had declined from the previous year ? from $9.1 million to $6.2 million. (Related: Funding for anti-gay marriage group NOM plummets 30 percent.) In New York and New Hampshire, NOM has been unable to follow through on its pl

A Washington state judge has refused to marry gay and lesbian couples. A Washington state judge has refused to marry gay and lesbian couples. Couples began marrying on December 9 following the November 6 passage of Referendum 74, which upheld a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers. (County clerks began issuing marriage licenses on December 6. However, the state imposes a 3-day waiting period.) According to Seattle Gay News (SGN), Thurston County Superior Court Judge Gary Tabor has notified court personnel that he will not officiate over the weddings of gay couples. SGN reported that Tabor said that he would ?not be comfortable? marrying gay couples during a December 5 meeting of judges and administrative staff. A spokesperson for Presiding Judge H. Christopher Wickham told SGN that ?this is just an availability issue, nothing more than that.? ?Judges take weddings as available,? Superior Court administrator Marti Maxwell said. ?Some only do evenings, some only do weekends, some will

Baltimore mayoral aide Jim Scales and his partner will be the first couple to marry as Maryland's gay marriage law takes effect. Baltimore mayoral aide Jim Scales and his partner Bill Taskers will be the first couple to marry in Baltimore as Maryland's gay marriage law takes effect on January 1. While Baltimore's courthouse will remain closed for New Year's Day, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is opening City Hall at 12:30AM to host the weddings of seven couples. Maryland 's law is the third and last to take effect after winning voter approval in November. Couples began marrying in Washington state on December 9 and in Maine on Saturday. Clerks began issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples after Governor Martin O'Malley certified election results nearly three weeks ago, but none become effective until the new year. ?New Years Day will have a new meaning for the hundreds ? if not thousands ? of couples who will finally have the right to marry the person they love,? Mayor Raw