Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during a speech on Thursday at Dublin City University in Ireland that she is "greatly pained" to see the treatment of women around the world, as she gets ready to step down from her position.

"As the mother of a daughter, and as someone who believes strongly in the right of every person, male and female, to have the opportunity to live up to his or her God-given potential," Clinton said at the event. "It pains me so greatly when I travel to places around the world and am received almost as an exception to the rule, where the male leaders meet with me because I am the secretary of state of the United States, overlooking the fact that I also happen to be a woman."

At the event, Clinton was presented with an humanitarian award from the non-governmental organization Concern Worldwide. more >>

Only 10 days after rejecting a proposal to accept female bishops, the Church of England has already started taking steps toward a new initiative at its governing General Synod to get the issue up for another vote.

A 19-member archbishops' council said that a meeting next month will "put in place a clear process for discussions in the new year with a view to bringing legislative proposals before the Synod in July."

Bishops have described the issue "as a matter of urgency," and U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has urged the church to "get on with it" after expressing his disappointment at the failed vote on Nov. 20. Cameron has said that the church should resolve the matter on its own, but The Associated Press noted that some lawmakers have suggested that they might abolish the Church of England's exemption status if it is deemed guilty of gender discrimination. more >>

"We just want our husbands to care for us; when we visit the doctor, we just want respect."

The women in Epworth, an informal township outside Harare, Zimbabwe, had gathered at a church hall to tell their stories. They simply pleaded to be appreciated. The women have few choices because they are poor, but they want their daughters to have a different experience – to marry later, to decide when to have children and to know their views will be valued. Their dreams are not radical!

Women are half the world's population, but they do not have half the share of wealth, well-being and decision-making. In fact, women own around 1% of the world's wealth. Women work hard but are more likely to be unpaid especially in the developing world – they do domestic tasks, they do weeding and gardening, they collect water and look after children. Women do not have an equal voice in expression – only a quarter of the voices you will hear and read in the news today are women's. more >>

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has opted to introduce a gender neutral housing option effective next fall.

The Board of Trustees for UNC Chapel Hill made the decision Thursday, acting upon a committee's resolution passed Wednesday. "Gender-neutral housing is an important project that is vital to protecting the safety of our students," said Chancellor Holden Thorp in a statement to the board.

 "Last year, I told students I supported the idea, but wanted to make sure external stakeholders understood what it means." more >>

Voters in 32 out of the 32 states where it has appeared on the ballot have upheld marriage as the union of a woman and a man. Advocates of same-sex marriage are holding out hope that their long losing streak will end on Election Day in Minnesota, Washington, Maryland or Maine.

Increasingly, advocates of same-sex marriage are abandoning legalistic arguments about "equality" and "civil rights," and appealing to emotion and personal relationships instead. "We (gays and lesbians) are your neighbors, your friends, your co-workers, your classmates and your relatives," the argument goes. "If you respect and care about us, how can you deny us what we want?" (namely, to have their same-sex relationships affirmed by the state through marriage licenses).

Polls suggest this approach is having an effect. People who know someone who self-identifies as "gay" or "lesbian" are more likely to support the redefinition of marriage than people who do not. more >>

The president of an ex-gay organization has tried to argue that the push for same-sex marriage, and the elimination of orientation-corrective therapy, is proof that the rights of heterosexuals are being infringed on in the Unites States.

"Homofascism will soon be, if it is not already, the greatest threat to our individual liberties in this country. So-called equality marriage is just the beginning," Greg Quinlan said in a statement. Quinlan is president of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) and Executive Director of Equality and Justice For All.

Quinlan said in a recent statement that he feels the push for same-sex marriage is not really about equality, but about elevating gay people above others. more >>