Excerpted from Transgender Prisoners Fight For Surgery, published Aug 19, 2006, by Associated Press:

…Michelle Kosilek was Robert Kosilek when convicted in the killing of his wife. In 1993, while in prison, Kosilek legally changed his name to Michelle. Since then, Kosilek has been fighting with prison officials to complete her transformation into a woman.

Kosilek, 57, wants the state Department of Correction to pay for a sex-change operation. After two lawsuits and two trials, the decision now rests with a federal court judge…

The case is also being closely watched by attorneys and advocates across the country who say Kosilek is an example of the poor treatment transgendered inmates receive in prison.

Continue reading at 365Gay…

Excerpted from Gays Plan to Challenge ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, by Angela Cara Pancrazio, published Aug 20, 2006, in The Arizona Republic:

During the next couple of months, in more than 30 cities across the country, including Phoenix, younger gays will be challenging the 13-year-old policy in a nationwide campaign they have named Right to Serve. As they try to sign up at recruiting offices, they will also disclose their sexual orientation.

Continue reading at The Arizona Republic…

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, the nation’s largest gay and lesbian political action committee, announced today its endorsement of 13 more candidates, bringing the total number of endorsed candidates in 2006 to 77, the group’s largest-ever slate.

Excerpted from Five-State Campaign Promotes Parental OK for Club Participation, by Allie Martin, published Aug 23, 2006, by Agape Press:

For years, Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs have been formed in public schools nationwide, often without parental notification or input. That has prompted the Family Policy Network (FPN) to start a campaign that would require parental permission before children can participate in non-academic clubs.

Continue reading at Agape Press…

Excerpted from OSU Rated Among 100 Best Campuses for Gay Students, by Mary Ann Albright, published Aug 22, 2006, in Corvallis Gazette-Times:

Thanks to active clubs, supportive faculty and annual programs ranging from a “Guess the Hetero” game show to drag competitions to “Coming Out Week,” Oregon State University has been recognized as one of the nation’s top 100 campuses for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.

Continue reading in Corvallis Gazette-Times…

Excerpted from Judge Rules Against Georgia Tech’s Discriminatory Speech Code, by Jim Brown, published Aug 23, 2006, by Agape Press:

A federal judge has forced the Georgia Institute of Technology to repeal a controversial policy that bars students from engaging in so-called “acts of intolerance.” In March, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed a lawsuit challenging the policy, claiming it censored the speech of religious and conservative students on campus.Recently, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia issued an order that eliminated Georgia Tech’s speech code and replaced it with a new policy that ADF attorney David French says “respects the constitutional rights of students.” He is calling the court’s ruling “a tremendous victory” for free speech on college campuses.

Continue reading at Agape Press…

Excerpted from South Africa Cabinet Approves Same-Sex “Marriage” Bill, published Aug 24, 2006, by LifeSite News:

South Africa’s cabinet has approved a bill that would make South Africa the first nation on the African continent to legalize same-sex “marriage”.

Continue reading at LifeSite News…

Today’s Philadelphia Inquirer published an op-ed by Becket Fund Legal Counsel Roger Severino entitled, “Gay rights vs. religious beliefs.” After discussing the City of Philadelphia’s recent decision to penalize the Boy Scouts financially for their moral opposition to same-sex conduct, Roger explains that this is just on example of a broader problem:

Like the Boy Scouts, religious institutions that oppose same-sex marriage will find themselves no longer welcome as partners in a variety of government social-service programs – from family counseling, to addiction programs, to job-placement services – and may even lose their access to public land for religious retreats, just as the Boy Scouts have lost their access to public land for their Jamborees.

In the employment context, religious institutions would be prohibited – on pain of “marital status discrimination” lawsuits – from firing an employee who publicly rejects the institution’s opposition to same-sex marriage by obtaining one. Religious employers might even be forced, against their principles, to extend health and retirement benefits to their employees’ same-sex spouses.

Religious universities that provide married-student housing would be required to provide rooms to everyone legally married, including same-sex couples, even if the university objects on moral grounds. And this problem is hardly speculative or alarmist – it’s already happening on a small scale, even before the legal redefinition of marriage makes it much more common. For example, fair-housing laws have already been applied in New York City to require Yeshiva University to open up its married-student housing to same-sex domestic partners.

Continue reading here and here…