Gays, Congress | featured news

Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked legislation that would have repealed the law banning gays from serving openly in the military.

Her confirmation all but assured, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan neared the end of a final grueling day of Senate questioning Wednesday, fielding GOP challenges on abortion, gays in the military and other divisive issues while sidestepping Democrats' invitations to blast conservative decisions by the court she's hoping to join.

Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan says she continues to oppose the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bans openly gay and lesbian soldiers from military service.

The House on Friday passed a defense bill that paves the way for gays to serve openly in the military for the first time, but advocates on both sides geared up for a fight in the Senate....

Defense Secretary Robert Gates gave lukewarm support Tuesday to a White House-backed plan for a congressional vote as early as this week to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law against gays serving openly in the military. Gates indicated he'd prefer more time to study the sweeping change before Congress acts....

The Marine Corps' commandant said he won't force his troops to bunk with gays on base and would give them separate rooms if Congress votes to allow openly gay service.

The Pentagon made immediate changes on Thursday to make it harder for the U.S. military to kick out gay personnel, an interim step while Congress debates repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Physical attacks on people based on their sexual orientation will join the list of federal hate crimes in a major expansion of the civil rights-era law Congress approved today and sent to President Barack Obama.

A House vote today put Congress on the verge of significantly expanding hate crimes law to make it a federal crime to assault people because of their sexual orientation.