Last week a 29-year-old gay sailor was found shot to death at a guard shack at Camp Pendleton. The question that immediately rose to the minds of gay advocates who remember the anti-gay murder of Private First Class Barry Winchell exactly a decade ago, was whether Seaman August Provost was...

Every time a staunch defender of marriage against gays screws up his own marriage, the same script plays out: liberals and young people rush to point out the hypocrisy of heterosexuals preaching the sanctity of something they clearly don't hold sacred. True to form, in the wake of news that...

For folks who pride themselves on traditional virtues like courage, honor, and martial valor, Republicans have become the party of fear. Yesterday on "Meet the Press," Newt Gingrich echoed Dick Cheney's resurrection of eight unnecessary years of national fear under George W. Bush. Said Newt:

"I think people should...

In recent weeks, this and other forums have seen heated debate, largely among the left, about whether, when, and how to end discrimination against gays in the military. Until now, the answer given by many liberals was that Obama needs time--time to deal with higher priorities like the economy, to...

Just as Republicans are beginning to realize that gay marriage may not remain a winning wedge issue forever, conservative lawmakers are reportedly setting out to use gays in the military to divide President Obama and the military. The strategy is to ask the Defense Secretary or Chairman of the Joint...

I was one of the authors whose book was recently "de-ranked" by Amazon because, according to the company, it "excludes 'adult' material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists... in consideration of our entire customer base." It meant that I and others had trouble finding the book on...

Last week, just as Iowa decided it was ready to let gay couples marry, Rachel Maddow asked Colin Powell if the nation was ready to let gay patriots serve openly and honestly in the military. Powell was one of a tiny group of powerful men who were single-handedly responsible for...

Rep. Ellen Tauscher has just announced she'll introduce a bill to repeal the ban on open gays in the military, a momentous step that comes on the 15th anniversary of this highly unpopular policy.  While the bill has been introduced before, Democratic control of Congress and the White House means...

Many progressives are disappointed that Obama chose Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration. The bestselling evangelical pastor worked hard to support Prop 8 and has equated letting gays marry with blessing incest, pedophilia and polygamy. Obama's defense is that we should engage those who disagree with us....

While Barack Obama has said he thinks the ban on open gays in the military should end, military leaders themselves have mixed views on the matter. This is important because it was the opposition of Colin Powell and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1993 that derailed Bill Clinton's effort...

What does a gay, white liberal feel upon the election of the world's first African-American president at the moment America's biggest, bluest state votes to rip away my right to marry? Every last sentiment of this question must be parsed. Why do I spend the energy lamenting a symbolic loss...

Conservative ideology is imploding not only in the economic realm. Even the culture wars-- the preferred method of distraction from the nation's pressing problems and the failures of the political establishment-- have not played the central role they have in past election years. Dems have rarely sought to be out...

One of the difficulties Americans face in discussing the $700 billion financial bailout plan is our inability to recognize and speak about the moral dimension of the current crisis. It's not that the debate has avoided the dynamics of morality -- talk of greed, blame, fairness, and responsibility have been...

For those interested in the forces that propel -- and obstruct -- political change, last week offers an object lesson. Obama's clinching of the Democratic presidential nomination has made real the prospect of badly needed change on a wide range of issues. But some worry that the young candidate could...

Now that the California Supreme Court has ruled that gays and lesbians are entitled to the same marriage rights as heterosexuals, the golden state's residents can expect a debate about the meaning and purpose of the "m" word. The court's ruling is set to take effect in thirty days if...

As if it weren't enough that the military's top general called homosexuality "immoral" and had to express "regret" the next day, researchers at the Palm Center (where I work) have just obtained a letter from the Under Secretary of Defense, David Chu, denying that there is...

Yesterday in Britain, Prime Minister Tony Blair made final a decision requiring adoption agencies to give equal consideration to gay couples in placement of children. Catholic groups had sought an exception that would allow them to "opt out" of this provision of England's new Equality Law, set to take effect...

In the latest sign of rank hypocrisy among social conservatives, the president of the 30-million member National Association of Evangelicals has resigned amidst accusations that he had a relationship with a male prostitute. Ted Haggard, who is married with five children, is a frequent adviser to the White House, and...