A ban on gay therapy in New York has been proposed in a bill introduced on Friday, modeled after the 2012 California law that first banned the service.

The bill seeks to ban licensed therapists from helping minors change their sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual.

"There are often challenges to any manner of legislation that is protecting of the LGBT community and you can't sit on your hands and wait until things get resolved somewhere else," said Sen. Deborah Glick, a New York Democrat who proposed the bill alongside fellow Democrat Sen. Michael Gianaris. more >>

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a press conference on Monday that the interpretation of the Constitution should change to allow for increased security in the wake of the Boston bombings.

"We live in a complex world where you're going to have to have a level of security greater than you did back in the olden days. Our laws and our interpretation of the Constitution, I think, have to change," said Bloomberg, The New York Observer reported.

Bloomberg emphasized the need for increased security cameras throughout the city. "The people who are worried about privacy have a legitimate worry," he said, but, "we have to understand that in the world going forward, we're going to have more cameras and that kind of stuff. That's good in some sense, but it's different from what we are used to." more >>

Shaun King, former pastor and self-described techie-humanitarian, spoke with The Christian Post this week about the new project he's working on, his difficulty leaving pastoral ministry and how churches should be tapping into their members' talents and leveraging social media. The Kentucky native and recent NYC transplant also discusses his Twitter beef with Pastors Mark Driscoll and Rick Warren over statements they've made concerning President Obama's policies and faith.

In 2010, King debuted the first Twitter charity auction, TwitChange (which he no longer owns), to help raise aid for victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. King, 33, followed up with HopeMob in March of last year, which aims to become "the largest, most active, effective, innovative community of generosity in the world." (Read CP's coverage on how HopeMob). King's crowdfunding platform has won numerous accolades and been spotlighted on Oprah.com, Fast Company and CNN for the way it connects people and organizations with financial needs to people who are able to donate money. Next for the tech innovator is a product called Upfront, a new social platform and possible game-changer King and his colleagues are preparing for launch. Check back with CP for an exclusive report on Upfront.

Below is a transcript, edited for brevity, of CP's phone interview with King, who is married with five children ranging in ages from six months to 13 years old. more >>

Saying he was "too blessed to worry about it," Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston revealed Friday that he has left it up to his lawyers to deal with people using his name, as was the case of a recent Internet hoax claiming that the pastor had renounced his Christian faith and quit leading his Texas megachurch.

Osteen made the remarks during a live online interview with The Huffington Post. Although he was asked to comment on various topics, such as instilling hope during a tragedy like the Boston Marathon bombing, Osteen chose to address the hoax that he perceived as a challenge to his calling.

"It was so far out to me, it was almost comical. So I thought it was just a joke, somebody having too much time on their hands," said Osteen. more >>

Joel Osteen, pastor of America's fastest-growing church, is in Miami this weekend for his annual "America's Night of Hope" worship event that will draw tens of thousands Saturday night. The megachurch pastor and bestselling inspirational author spoke with The Huffington Post Friday about the global event and the subject of hope, in light of this week's violent and tragic events.

Osteen appeared during the live chat apparently via a web camera as law enforcement officials were in Boston Friday morning, hunting down one of two suspects said to be responsible for the violent bombing at the Boston Marathon on Monday that killed three people and injured more than 170 others.

When asked by host Lamont Hill on what his message would be to Americans who have suffered not only from the bombing, but also due to other cases of tragedy this week, such as the Texas fertilizer plant fire that killed several people, the Lakewood Church pastor said, "I would tell them that God has us all in the palm of His hand." more >>

An adjunct media studies professor from the University at Buffalo, N.Y., was arrested earlier this week after she went on a profanity-ridden rant against a pro-life display set up by a student group on campus.

The teacher, Laura Curry, protested against the graphic pro-life poster that Students for Life put up, but was confronted by police officers when she got too loud, Mediaite revealed. She continued arguing with the officers and insisted that the profanity she was using was just as offensive as the aborted baby Students for Life were displaying, and that her outburst was protected under the First Amendment Rights.

"Where does it say I can't use the (f-word) in public," Curry told the police officers, after which she was arrested. "I can swear because that's part of my vocabulary. That's part of my First Amendment rights." A video of the confrontation is available on Mediaite. more >>