George Clooney thinks Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris have opened doors for gay actors. George Clooney thinks Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris have opened doors for gay actors. Clooney, who recently played co-counsel David Boies in the Los Angeles reading of the play 8, which is based on the trial over the constitutionality of California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8, discussed the play and gay rights with gay glossy The Advocate. He said the issue of gay couples marrying will one day ?look as archaic as George Wallace standing on the University of Alabama steps keeping James Hood from attending college because he was black.? And on breaking stereotypes in Hollywood, Clooney applauded DeGeneres, who married her wife in 2008, and Harris, who is raising 2 children with his partner. ?It's obviously not the same as if it were the '50s and '60s with Rock Hudson,? Clooney said. ?Look at Neil Patrick Harris. He's a big star on a hit show, and no one's telling him he can't p

A former senior NASA expert was sacked after being unfairly accused of "harassing co-workers with (his) religion," his lawyer told at the start of an unfair dismissal trial.

Trial attorney Ted Olson is set to headline a rally against passage of North Carolina's proposed gay marriage ban. Trial attorney Ted Olson will attend a rally against passage of a proposed constitutional amendment which would define marriage as a heterosexual union in North Carolina. Voters will decide on the measure during the state's May 8 presidential primary. If approved, the amendment would bar North Carolina from recognizing the relationships of gay and lesbian couples with marriage, civil unions and possibly domestic partnerships. The 71-year-old Olson, a prominent Republican, shocked conservatives in 2009 when he joined the legal team challenging the constitutionality of California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. ?I'm going to go down to North Carolina in April,? Olson told LGBT | POV, a blog hosted by Frontiers in LA. ?There's a big rally down there. I'm going to go down and do my bit.? Referring to testimony heard during the 2010 trial, Olson said he was looking forward t

The charity Invisible Children has been linked to backers of Proposition 8, California's gay marriage ban. ?The charity Invisible Children, whose video KONY 2012 has been viewed more 76 million times since its March 5 YouTube premiere, has been linked to backers of Proposition 8, California's gay marriage ban. The film's ambition, according to its creators, is to make Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony famous ?to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.? (The 30-minute film is embedded in the right panel of this page. Visit our video library for more videos.) The charity has been criticized for its financial dealings with the National Christian Foundation and two prominent opponents of gay marriage. In 2006, Invisible Children gave ?special thanks? to the Caster Family Foundation in its annual report. The next year, the group thanked Terry and Barbara Caster. Gay marriage activist and presidential hopeful Fred Karger in 2008 launched a call-in campaign again

Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black has accused Rick Santorum of lying about gay rights. ?Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black has accused Rick Santorum of lying about gay rights. The openly gay Black wrote 8, the play based on the trial over the constitutionality of California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. The play has raised more than $3 million for the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the group formed specifically to challenge the law in court. The play's Los Angeles reading was led by an all-star cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Kevin Bacon. During an interview on the live Internet show What's Trending, Black told host Shira Lazar that he would like to put Santorum and the remainder of the GOP presidential field on the witness stand. ?I would love to call them into court and get them to raise their right hand. I think each of them, if they said what they've been saying in these debates, they would be purgering themselves. Because there is no proof for what they

George Takei has said that he thinks Donald Trump's endorsement of gay marriage would be an asset to the fight. ?George Takei has said that he thinks Donald Trump's endorsement of gay marriage would be an asset to the fight. Takei, who married his longtime partner Brad Altman in California before voters approved Proposition 8, appeared in the current season of Trump's The Celebrity Apprentice. He was fired by Trump after his team lost an early challenge. During Trump's brief flirtation with a run at the White House as a Republican, he said he was opposed to marriage and civil unions for gay couples. Trump said he opposed gay nuptials because he doesn't ?feel good about it.? Last week, Trump agreed to discuss the issue over lunch with Takei. Takei told TVGuide.com that he extended the invitation because he sensed Trump is fair-minded. ?He's a very fair, fair-minded, descent man,? Takei said. ?I am hopeful, and I'm an optimist, that being the descent man he is, he will see that. And he c

Mitt Romney is being called on to fire his national finance chair, Frank VanderSloot, over his anti-gay record. Mitt Romney is being called on to fire his national finance chair, Frank VanderSloot, over his anti-gay record. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest gay rights advocate, on Thursday launched a petition campaign against VanderSloot. According to an extensive Salon.com profile published last month, VanderSloot, the CEO of dietary supplements company Melaleuca, Inc., has a long history of using his wealth to back right-wing political causes. In addition to serving on the Romney campaign, VanderSloot is one of the largest donors to the pro-Romney superPAC Restore Our Future. He's also been labeled a bully for threatening to file frivolous lawsuits against his critics. VanderSloot bankrolled a billboard campaign in Idaho condemning PBS for broadcasting the documentary It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School. VanderSloot claimed the film hurts children:

Rick Santorum has suggested that supporters of gay marriage don't respect him. ?Rick Santorum has suggested that supporters of gay marriage don't respect him. During an appearance Thursday on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight, host Piers Morgan asked Santorum to weigh in on the controversial anti-gay comments Kirk Cameron made on the program. ?Kirk Cameron's real problem wasn't that he wanted to stay true to his religious beliefs,? Morgan said. ?But it was the language and rhetoric he used appeared to be quite hateful and derogatory. My question to you would be: Given the way that the gay marriage debate is going, gay rights debate is going, is it time that people, even if they have strong religious conviction on this issue, stopped using inflammatory language to demean the gay community?? ?I think both sides need to respect both sides,? Santorum answered. He added that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeal's recent decision striking down California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8, essentially la

The campaign to fire Ellen DeGeneres as the spokesperson for JCPenney because she is openly gay has ended. The campaign to fire Ellen DeGeneres as the spokesperson for JCPenney because she is openly gay has ended. The group One Million Moms, which is closely associated with the Christian conservative group American Family Association (AFA), last month called on JCPenney to fire DeGeneres. The group said it objected to DeGeneres because she is openly gay. ?Funny that JCPenney thinks hiring an open homosexual spokesperson will help their business when most of its customers are traditional families,? the group said. The 54-year-old DeGeneres, who publicly came out in 1997, is the host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show and is a spokesperson for CoverGirl and American Express. DeGeneres married actress Portia DeRossi in 2008. (Related: Ellen DeGeneres calls One Million Moms ?haters?; Cheers Prop 8 ruling.) In comments to AFA's, OneNewsNow.com, One Million Moms Director Monica Cole said the group

Singer Debbie Gibson has said she likes Ron Paul's take on gay marriage. Singer Debbie Gibson has said she likes Ron Paul's take on gay marriage. The 41-year-old Gibson appeared on HLN's Showbiz Tonight to discuss whether George Takei would convince Donald Trump to back marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Gibson and Takei are competing in the current season of Trump's The Celebrity Apprentice. (Takei was recently fired off of the show.) Last week, Takei, who married longtime partner Brad Altman in California in 2008 before Proposition 8 was approved, tweeted that Trump had accepted his offer to discus the issue over lunch. ?Donald Trump has accepted my lunch invitation to hear me out on same-sex marriage,? Takei messaged to his nearly 300,000 followers. ?Hope I can change his mind!? During Trump's brief flirtation with a run at the White House as a Republican, he said he was opposed to marriage and civil unions for gay couples. Trump said he opposed gay nuptials because he doesn't ?f

Actor George Clooney has said that he believes the issue of gay marriage has lost its divisive political edge. Actor George Clooney has said that he believes the issue of gay marriage has lost its divisive political edge. Clooney and Brad Pitt on Saturday led an all-star cast in the Los Angeles reading of 8, a play based on the trial over the constitutionality of California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. 8, which was written by Milk scribe Dustin Lance Black, raised more than $2 million in its Los Angeles premier, more than double what it raised during its Broadway premier. (Watch the reading here.) In comments to The Hollywood Reporter following the performance, Clooney said that he supports marriage equality because ?it's important to be on the right side of history. In 20 years, I don't want anyone to wonder where I stood. At some point people are going to look back and wonder why this was ever an issue.? Clooney added that already the issue had lost much of its controversy, rec

'Glee' co-stars Chris Colfer, Jane Lynch and Matthew Morrison discussed gay rights on the red carpet of the Los Angeles premier of '8'. ?Glee co-stars Chris Colfer, Jane Lynch and Matthew Morrison discussed gay rights on the red carpet of the Los Angeles premier of 8, a play based on the trial over the constitutionality of California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. 8, which was written by Milk scribe Dustin Lance Black, raised more than $2 million in its Los Angeles premier, more than double what it raised during its Broadway premier. (Watch the reading here.) (Related: George Clooney says gay marriage no longer a wedge issue.) In the reading, Lynch portrayed Maggie Gallagher, the former chairwoman of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), while Morrison played plaintiff Paul Katami, the partner of Jeff Zarrillo. Colfer played Ryan Kendall, a young man who testified during the trial on his experience being sent by his parents to ?reparative therapy? as a teenager. In an inter

George Takei is hoping to convince Donald Trump to back marriage for gay and lesbian couples. George Takei is hoping to convince Donald Trump to back marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Takei married longtime partner Brad Altman in California. The couple was the first to receive a gender-neutral marriage license in West Hollywood on June 17, 2008. Voter approval of Proposition 8, however, put an end to the gay weddings taking place in California. Roughly 18,000 gay couples remain married in the state, include Takei and Altman. On Saturday, Takei tweeted that Trump had accepted his offer to discuss the issue over lunch. ?Donald Trump has accepted my lunch invitation to hear me out on same-sex marriage,? Takei messaged to his nearly 300,000 followers. ?Hope I can change his mind!? According to the New York Daily News, Takei, who appears in the current season of Trump's The Celebrity Apprentice, first extended the invitation on Thursday. ?Next time I'm in New York, Mr. Trump, I might ta

Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Kevin Bacon on Saturday led an all-star cast in the Los Angeles reading of '8'. ?Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Kevin Bacon on Saturday led an all-star cast in the Los Angeles reading of a play based on the trial over the constitutionality of California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. 8, which was written by Milk scribe Dustin Lance Black, was streamed live on the YouTube channel of the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the group formed specifically to support the legal challenge. The 2010 trial, which was held in San Francisco, resulted in federal Judge Vaughn Walker, now retired, declaring the 2008 voter-approved amendment unconstitutional. A 3-judge appeals panel last month upheld Walker's ruling. Proponents of the ban have asked the court for a wider review. The Los Angeles reading of the play also starred Jamie Lee Curtis, Matt Bomer, Martin Sheen, Jane Lynch and George Takei, to name a few. The star-studded reading raised funds for AFER

Supporters of gay marriage have shifted their core argument to emphasize love and family over equality and civil rights. Supporters of gay marriage have shifted their core argument to emphasize love and family over equality and civil rights. The Los Angeles Times credited the new tactic in helping three state legislatures approve gay marriage bills in February. Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire, who championed and signed the state's legislation, told the paper that leaders need to ask themselves, ?How would it feel to be a child of a gay couple?? ?How can we tell these children that their parents' love is seen as unequal under Washington law?? A similar appeal was made by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, who said in signing the state's bill into law that all Marylanders want their children to be ?protected equally under the law.? Maryland Delegate Wade Kach had a change of heart and voted in favor of the bill after listening to testimony from gay couples during a marathon 11-h

Brad Pitt and George Clooney in '8' to be broadcast Saturday on YouTube. ?Brad Pitt and George Clooney will lead an all-star cast in the Los Angeles reading of a play based on the trial over the constitutionality of California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. 8, which was written by Milk scribe Dustin Lance Black, will be streamed live Saturday starting at 7:30PM PST on the YouTube channel of the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the group formed specifically to support the legal challenge. Rob Reiner, an AFER founding board member, invited America to watch the play in a video posted Thursday. (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page. Visit our video library for more videos.) The 2010 trial, which was held in San Francisco, resulted in federal Judge Vaughn Walker, now retired, declaring the 2008 voter-approved amendment unconstitutional. A 3-judge appeals panel last month upheld Walker's ruling. Proponents of the ban have asked the court for a wider review. T

Foes of Prop 8 have asked a federal court to deny a request by supporters for a rehearing on its ruling that found the amendment to be unconstitutional. Opponents of Proposition 8, California's gay marriage ban, have asked a federal court to deny a request by supporters for a rehearing on its ruling that found the amendment to be unconstitutional, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Last month, a 3-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's ruling declaring that the 2008 voter-approved amendment violated the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples who wish to marry. Writing for the 2-judge majority, Judge Stephen Reinhardt said that there was no legitimate reason for the ban. However, the court did not rule on the broader question of whether gay couples have the right to marry. The sponsors of Prop 8 asked the court to review the ruling, which would broaden the number of judges considering the case from 3 to 11. Their lawyers argued that the rul

Chad Griffin will replace outgoing Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Joe Solmonese. ?Chad Griffin will replace outgoing Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Joe Solmonese, the group announced on Friday. As the nation's largest and most visible gay rights advocate, HRC has played a vital part in lobbying lawmakers on behalf of the gay community. The 38-year-old Griffin currently helms the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the group formed specifically to challenge the constitutionality of Proposition 8, California's gay marriage ban. Last month, a federal appeals court upheld a lower court's ruling declaring the amendment in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Solmonese announced the HRC board's selection on the group's blog. ?Chad Griffin has the leadership qualities critical to propel our movement for equality forward and I am so proud that he will succeed me this June leading HRC,? he said. Griffin said as HRC president he would ?work with a great sense of urgency bec

Brad Pitt has joined the cast of a play based on the trial over the constitutionality of California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. Brad Pitt has joined the Los Angeles cast of a play based on the trial over the constitutionality of California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. The 2010 trial, which was held in San Francisco, resulted in federal Judge Vaughn Walker, now retired, declaring the 2008 voter-approved amendment unconstitutional. A 3-judge appeals panel last month upheld Walker's ruling. Proponents of the ban have asked the court for a wider review. Pitt will play Walker in the Los Angeles premiere of the play, simply titled 8 and penned by Milk scribe Dustin Lance Black. The March 3 reading includes a bevy of Hollywood heavyweights, including George Clooney, Jamie Lee Curtis, Matt Bomer, Martin Sheen, Jane Lynch and George Takei, to name a few. The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the group formed specifically to support the legal challenge, also announced tha

A poll released Wednesday found an increasing majority of voters in California support gay marriage, and opposition has plummeted. A poll released Wednesday found an increasing majority of voters in California support gay marriage, and opposition to the institution has plummeted. The Field Poll shows support for gay nuptials has grown dramatically over the three and a half years since voters approved Proposition 8, California's gay marriage ban. According to the poll, 59 percent of respondents favor giving gay couples the right to marry, while 34 percent disagree. Opposition has plummeted 8 percentage points since 2008, and 16 points since 2003. ?This is now showing that opinions are changing irrespective of generational replacement,? Mark DiCamillo, who directs the poll, told the Sacramento Bee. ?This is real change.? A lower federal court's ruling declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional was upheld earlier this month by a 3-judge panel. Opponents have appealed the ruling. DiCamillo c