In five separate studies, professor Edward Schiappa and his colleagues at the University of Minnesota have found that the presence of gay characters on television programs decreases prejudices among viewers.
Since the moment that President Obama stated that he supports same-sex marriage, there’s been a flurry of social media activity, both pro and con, on the issue. It’s obvious by now that social media has played a huge role in shaping Americans’ attitudes toward LGBT issues. But I would go a step further. Despite the unavoidable struggles and setbacks that lay ahead, the inherent qualities of social media make the passage of same-sex marriage and equal rights for LGBT individuals and families inevitable.
Two female students say they were not allowed to attend Lexington Catholic High School’s prom as a couple Saturday night, upsetting a number of students at the school.
Hope Decker, 18, a senior, and sophomore Tiffany Wright, 16, had already gotten their dresses for the event, but Friday afternoon they were told by school administrators they could not attend as a couple because of the church’s stance on same-sex relationships, Wright said.
At the very end of his Mother’s Day sermon, Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, broached the subject of marriage on Sunday.
Warnock said he had been asked where he stands and where the church stands on the issue after President Barack Obama expressed his support for marriage equality last week.
He didn’t say whether he was for or against marriage equality, but Warnock urged parishioners not to make marriage the only important issue in the 2012 presidential election.
Two Massachusetts groups are introducing a new program aimed at helping gay students know their legal rights and how to exercise them in school.
The “Got Rights Project” includes an interactive workshop, written materials, wristbands and a video.
Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders and The Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth collaborated on the project. The workshop will be presented at locations across the state this month, including Worcester, Pittsfield, Salem, Hyannis and Holyoke.
A North Carolina mom’s breaking petition campaign on Change.org asking the Democratic National Committee to add marriage equality to its party platform has exploded, gaining more than 25,000 supporters since Wednesday.
Shannon Ritchie, a new mom and North Carolina native who volunteered in the effort to fight Amendment One, the state’s recent ban on marriage equality launched her petition on Change.org on Wednesday night after seeing President Obama publicly endorse marriage equality.
