Homosexuality

A new bill that is being considered in Washington, D.C., could make it easier for some same-sex couples that marry in the U.S. capitol to get divorced.

The “Civil Marriage Dissolution Equality Amendment Act of 2011,” which was proposed by D.C. council member Phil Mendelson, would make it easier for same-sex couples that are married in Washington to dissolve their marriages if they currently live in a state that wouldn't otherwise recognize their divorce.

Current law states that at least one of the married individuals must be a resident of the District of Columbia for at least six months prior to beginning the divorce process there. If passed, the new bill would eliminate that required six-month period only for same-sex couples who live in jurisdictions that do not recognize same-sex unions. more >>

As scores of African countries enact aggressive anti-homosexual legislation, Liberia may be the first on the continent to ink pro-gay laws, due to an initiative from gay rights activists and pressure from Western governments.

According to local reports, the pro-gay movement is mired in corruption, including allegations of Liberian lawmakers receiving bribes from foreign governments in order to pursue Western pro-gay agendas.

The New Dawn, a major Monrovia (Liberia’s capital) newspaper, wrote on Monday that it had received information that a coalition of U.S. and European gay rights groups had promised as much as $4 million to several lawmakers, with orders to distribute the money amongst members of the House of Representatives. In exchange, the lawmakers were asked to support the soon-to-be proposed “Gay Rights Bill” which would allow gay marriage and protect homosexuals in the country, the publication alleged.  more >>

Salt Lake City has been known as the home of the world headquarters of the Mormon church since 1847, but now it is known for something else entirely different. Salt Lake City is the gayest city in the U.S, according to Advocate.com.

That title was given according to a list of the “Gayest Cities in America, 2012,” which was released Monday on Advocate.com, an lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) news website. Instead of letting census numbers dictate which cities ended up on the list, the website sought to find the “per capita queerness” of each city by using “decidedly subjective criteria” to create a formula that determined the results.

This formula consisted of adding up points – which were assigned to cities based on things like the number of LGBT elected city officials, number of WNBA teams and the number of nude yoga classes – and then dividing that number by each city's population. more >>

Evangelicals differ over the best approach to explain the traditional marriage position to homosexuals, as Republican candidates were asked to do over the weekend. However, they agree that officials must not shy away from the truth.

Craig Vincent Mitchell, an associate professor of Christian ethics for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, said he believes the best way to discuss Christian conservative opposition to legalized same-sex marriage with a homosexual couple is to be open and honest.

“I think you have to be straight with them and tell them ‘Hey, this is not [in] accordance with God’s design and God’s purpose,” Mitchell told The Christian Post. more >>

Joel Osteen told Oprah Winfrey in an interview Sunday that his message was one of hope for all people, not just those in the Christian community.

In the interview, which appeared Sunday on “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” Oprah questioned Osteen about the frequent criticism he receives for talking so much about prosperity and so little about Christ.

“There’s a belief that you’re supposed to be poor, and suffering, and show your humility. I just don’t see the Bible that way,” the megachurch Pastor said. “I see that God came and Jesus died so that we might live an abundant life and be a blessing to others.” more >>

In two Republican presidential debates over the weekend, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum discussed their positions on gay rights, the right to privacy and abortion rights.

In Saturday night's Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire, moderator George Stephanopoulos asked about a constitutional right to privacy, but couched it in terms of a right to contraception, which led to some confusing and humorous exchanges with Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts.

“George, this is an unusual topic you're raising ... I can't imagine a state banning contraception,” Romney said and added that he would oppose any effort to ban contraception. more >>