For years now a culture war has raged between liberal rationalists and religious dogmatists over whether homosexuality should be treated equally by civil law. Having lost ground in recent years as young people grow up in a world far more familiar with the banalities of what it really means to...

Congressman Alcee Hastings, Democrat of Florida, has just introduced a bill with 27 co-sponsors to allow gay service members to testify openly at Congressional hearings about "don't ask, don't tell." Rep. Hastings authored the bill to ensure that the national debate will not be stacked against those most affected by...

The most significant thing about the new, anti-gay "Manhattan Declaration" is not that scores of Christians are against gay rights. It's that, recognizing they're on the wrong side of history, they tie themselves in knots insisting they're not anti-gay. And in doing so, they reveal the intellectual and moral...

If I were New York State Senator Rubén Díaz Sr., I would not have given that interview to the New York Times yesterday about gay marriage. Of course, Díaz may not care about being morally or intellectually consistent. He may care only about appeasement -- of his constituents with a...

How does Obama the President compare to Obama the candidate on gay rights? It's no secret that GLBT advocates have expressed disappointment and frustration with decisions by the White House to avoid pressing for gay rights during the first year of the administration. No executive order to halt the discharges...

In a recent Weekly Standard article, James Bowman argues that the U.S. should not lift the ban on openly gay service in the military because it would undercut notions of masculine honor that ensure combat motivation and cohesion. Bowman is a scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center,...

One of the least glamorous ways to advance gay rights is to tell our stories. Again and again and again. Lavish fundraising balls are more fun, as are marching past the White House, meeting with senators, and blogging or writing op-eds (my own personal weakness). Introducing ourselves over and over...

The Associated Press reported today that another gay service member was abused by the military across several years of service to his country. Petty Officer Third Class Joseph Rocha, a sailor trained to work with military dogs in the Navy's anti-terrorism, force protection, and explosive detection operations, was brutalized...

Under continued pressure from gay groups and those concerned with our national security, President Obama has refused to step in and halt the firings of gay troops, claiming it's "not appropriate" to use the president's "stop-loss" power "simply to say, 'we will not enforce a law.'" How, then, will the...

Conservatives are in a tizzy over the prospect that Judge Sonia Sotomayor may allow her race, sex, or background to affect her judgment if confirmed to the Supreme Court. The back and forth between Sotomayor and GOP Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama was a case in point. Sotomayor, Sessions gleefully...

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...