Military cautious about removing transgender ban
WASHINGTON (AP) – Defense Secretary Ash Carter has gotten pushback from senior military leaders on whether the Pentagon should lift its ban on transgender people serving in the armed forces, according...
View ArticleKentucky argues in brief that same-sex marriage ban is not biased
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Gov. Steve Beshear’s administration is arguing in a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court that Kentucky’s ban on gay marriage isn’t discriminatory because it bars both gay and...
View ArticleN.D. Republican governor wants ban on LGBT discrimination
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s Republican governor on April 2 said state lawmakers missed an opportunity to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination when they failed for the third time in...
View ArticleFlorida Senate set to vote on gay adoption ban amendment
Tallahasse, Fla. – House Bill 7013, titled “Adoption and Foster Care” bill, will go before the Florida Senate April 8. If the bill passes, it will finally remove the language of the state’s...
View ArticleColorado Senate committee rejects bill banning ‘conversion therapy’
Denver (AP) — Colorado Republicans in the Senate rejected a bill April 8 to ban gay-conversion therapy for kids. The bill, sponsored by Democrats, would have banned therapists from trying to change the...
View ArticleNew York attorney general warns Boy Scouts on discrimination
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s attorney general’s office wrote this week to the Boy Scouts of America nationally, advising that state and city laws prohibit hiring discrimination based on sexual...
View ArticleWhat’s at stake in Supreme Court gay marriage arguments
WASHINGTON (AP) – Just two years ago, the Supreme Court struck down part of the federal anti-gay marriage law that denied a range of government benefits to legally married same-sex couples. The...
View ArticleEuropean bans on gay men blood donors sometimes OK, says court
PARIS (AP) — The European Court of Justice ruled April 29 that EU governments may ban gay men from ever donating blood, but only under strict conditions. The ruling was closely watched by activists and...
View ArticleOregon considers banning gay conversion therapy
SALEM, Ore. (AP) – People who say they used to be gay but are now straight are asking an Oregon Senate panel to say no to a bill barring health professionals from trying to change a child’s sexual...
View ArticleBoy Scouts’ president says ban on gay adult participants ‘cannot be sustained’
NEW YORK (AP) — The national president of the Boy Scouts of America, Robert Gates, said May 21 that the organization’s longstanding ban on participation by openly gay adults is no longer sustainable,...
View ArticleWords to Live by: Tops and Bottoms
The release of this issue of Watermark is a milestone for me. It marks the one-year anniversary since I officially became publisher of Watermark Media. The past 12 months have been an interesting ride...
View ArticleArgentina removes ban on gay men from donating blood
Buenos Aires (AP) – A ban on homosexual men donating blood was lifted Sept. 16 in Argentina, a move the gay community had long demanded. The country joined others in the region, including Cuba, Chile,...
View ArticleWatermark Year in Review: May 2015
What? No way! Longtime editor and continuing bestie Steve Blanchard leaves Watermark in a panic! (Not really). Blanchard is now the media relations coordinator for the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa....
View ArticleVermont Senate approves ban on anti-gay therapy
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) The Vermont Senate has voted overwhelmingly to advance a bill banning the use of what’s called “conversion therapy,” which is most often directed at young gay and lesbian people in...
View ArticleFlorida’s fight against marriage equality will cost taxpayers plenty
(AP) — Florida’s fierce fight to keep intact a voter-approved ban on gay marriage is going to wind up costing taxpayers. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle, who declared the prohibition unconstitutional...
View ArticleBlood donations in need after tragedy, but FDA ban on gay men blood donations...
The shooting at Pulse Orlando in the early morning hours June 12 left 50 people dead and more than 50 more injured. Many of the victims were rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center, some requiring...
View ArticleMarist, not subject to NY’s state ban on travel to North Carolina, will play...
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke has filled the hole in its men’s basketball schedule. Officials said Aug. 16 that the Blue Devils will play host to Marist on Nov. 11 and Grand Canyon the following night as...
View ArticleWith a ban in Tampa and a proposed ban in St. Petersburg, the Bay area is...
TAMPA – The practice of conversion therapy has not only been deemed ineffective, but has been called harmful by every major medical organization, including the American Psychological Association, the...
View ArticleTrump tweets ban on transgender individuals in U.S. military
President Donald Trump announced via Twitter July 26 that transgender people will not be allowed to serve in the United States military. In a string of tweets, Trump stated that he consulted with...
View ArticleRick Perry: ‘I totally support’ Trump’s transgender military ban
Energy Secretary Rick Perry took time Friday during his visit to an air conditioning manufacturer in Texas to declare support for President Trump’s ban on transgender military service. Perry told...
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