Gays | featured news

Now that Jason Collins has made history as the first active player in any of the four major U.S. professional sports leagues to come out as gay, the 7-foot center is facing another big step....

NBA veteran Jason Collins became the first active male player in the four major American professional sports to come out as gay.

The passage of the “marriage for all” law came after months of sometimes angry debate and a series of major protests.

Top officials of the Boy Scouts of America unanimously recommend allowing gay boys into the ranks of the organization but excluding gay adults as leaders. Top officials of the Boy Scouts of America have unanimously recommended allowing gay boys into the ranks of one of the nation's oldest and most traditional youth groups while continuing to exclude homosexual adults as leaders.

Officials of the Boy Scouts of America said Friday that they propose ending their ban on openly gay scouts but continuing to bar gay adults from serving as leaders. The decision, which follows years of heated controversy within the organization and growing outside criticism, must be approved by the roughly 1,400 voting members of the Scouts’ National Council at a meeting in Texas the week of May 20.

he 20-year-old son of basketball great Magic Johnson is surprised by the public interest in his being gay, something that he revealed to his supportive family several years ago. Earvin Johnson III, known as E.J., says he feels like he's coming out of the closet a second time and that he's "reveling" in the experience - even though news of his sexual orientation broke publicly sooner than he had planned.

The N.H.L. has formed a partnership with an advocacy group pledged to fight homophobia in sports, and plans training and counseling on gay issues for its teams and players.

What is at stake? The case concerns the part of the law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman for purposes of federal benefits. Should the court strike it down, same-sex couples in the nine states that allow such unions, along with the District of Columbia, would start to receive federal benefits. Such a ruling would not require other states to allow same-sex marriage.

The Supreme Court began hearing a historic one-hour oral argument on marriage Tuesday which could lead to any one of a wide array of possible decisions -- from essentially leaving in place the traditional marriage laws now on the books in most states to proclaiming same-sex marriage a fundamental right under the United States Constitution.

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s announcement has put her in line with other potential Democratic presidential candidates on a social issue that is rapidly gaining public approval.