https://politicalresearch.org/ The latest research related to marriage equality en https://religiondispatches.org/2025/08/25/kim-davis-might-be-too-extreme-even-supreme-court-marriage-equalitys-future-remains Infamous marriage-inequality enthusiast and former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis made headlines again this month when she asked the Supreme Court to absolve her of the $360,000 in legal fees and damages she owes David Moore and David Ermold for… Mon, 25 Aug 2025 02:49:59 EDT Mark Satta d4588713-d2ba-4438-abcb-14caafe321ef https://religiondispatches.org/2022/05/31/opposition-marriage-equality-not-only-scriptural-position-christians Recently, the Chronicle of Higher Education ran an article about Joseph Kuilema, a professor at Calvin College who was fired for officiating at a same-sex marriage ceremony. The article begins with a deeply problematic assertion validating a homophobic understanding of… Tue, 31 May 2022 12:38:15 EDT George Branch-Trevathan, Daniel Eppley, Audra Franley, Brian Riddle c2df2ea7-e5a0-4e1d-9320-a40470768cae https://religiondispatches.org/2021/09/23/could-supreme-court-undo-marriage-equality When I look at this broken, packed, partisan Supreme Court , I don’t see a guardian—I see a threat to our basic human rights. I see an institution packed with ideologues eager to throw out decades of settled law with… Thu, 23 Sep 2021 03:41:28 EDT Andrew L. Seidel 96dcb2d9-8a2e-4cd1-b96f-4fb396edfba4 https://religiondispatches.org/2020/10/30/pope-francis-praised-civil-unions-comment-justice-begins-home-vatican Theology, “the queen of the sciences” as it’s been known since the Middle Ages, is data-driven. Therefore, I waited to opine on Pope Francis’ much-discussed comments on civil unions until I’d seen the data, a good start for careful theological… Fri, 30 Oct 2020 12:58:26 EDT Mary Hunt 5366add6-cf45-4cb4-8cc4-e8e07e8fac36 https://religiondispatches.org/2018/01/02/2017-around-world-progress-and-persecution-lgbt-people Journalist Masha Gessen dubbed 2017 “the year Russian LGBT persecution defied belief.” Pink News called 2017 “ the year of the homophobic purge” featuring “brutal crackdowns across the world.” The Daily Xtra’s year-end recap focused more on the good news… Tue, 02 Jan 2018 12:38:20 EST Peter Montgomery f1967b35-d0f3-45ce-a3ef-7e4ff0ffe508 https://religiondispatches.org/2017/12/18/indonesian-court-rejects-religious-conservatives-bid-criminalize-gay-sex-more-global Costa Rican human rights and anti-torture activist Victor Madrigal-Borloz is the new UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. The first expert, Vitit Muntarbhorn, resigned for health reasons after his first year in the position, which was created… Mon, 18 Dec 2017 12:04:57 EST Peter Montgomery 8d3b4277-3328-49cd-8e55-6790a23489ec https://religiondispatches.org/2017/11/30/how-ruling-masterpiece-cakeshop-could-embolden-white-nationalists While deploying “religious freedom” arguments to push back on progressive social change is hardly new, the explicitly anti-LGBT premise of the upcoming Masterpiece Cakeshop suit is a relatively novel iteration of this bedrock principle’s adjudication at the high court, according… Thu, 30 Nov 2017 12:34:05 EST Sunnivie Brydum dab00b59-b194-4419-ac2b-76dc904e0155 https://religiondispatches.org/2017/11/27/religious-case-against-religious-discrimination-cakeshop-case It might be tempting to think that Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission—the upcoming Supreme Court case about a baker who refused to make a custom cake for a same-sex wedding reception—pits religious believers against the nonreligious. After all… Mon, 27 Nov 2017 03:55:29 EST Patrick Hornbeck 7b013805-033d-4f1b-97ad-a5ca1b2af0f5 https://religiondispatches.org/2017/11/27/marriage-debate-australia-shifts-push-religious-exemptions-and-more-global-lgbt-recap Queer Asia has issued a call for submissions for the Queer Asia Film Festival and Queer Asia Conference, which are tentatively scheduled for June 29 and 30, 2018. Deadline for submission of abstracts for the conference is December 30, 2017… Mon, 27 Nov 2017 02:02:08 EST Peter Montgomery 82480bd6-f13a-481a-b797-d64e2e13a62f https://religiondispatches.org/2017/11/21/australians-vote-overwhelmingly-marriage-equality-and-more-global-lgbt-recap Australia: Voters overwhelmingly support marriage equality; opponents seek religious exemptions Australian voters overwhelmingly expressed support for marriage equality in a non-binding mail referendum whose results were released on November 15. The win came in spite of a “well-organized religious campaign”… Tue, 21 Nov 2017 03:37:54 EST Peter Montgomery 35e156c5-5d85-4591-a61c-e17edba1c54a https://religiondispatches.org/2017/11/13/subway-sandwich-artist-argument-when-religious-freedom-isnt-about-religious-freedom Consider this faintly ridiculous hypothetical: I am in line at my local Subway sandwich shop, ordering my favorite sub with a generous helping of hot sauce. “I’m sorry, sir,” says the person behind the counter, “but that much sriracha will… Mon, 13 Nov 2017 02:58:53 EST Patrick Hornbeck e1e84e02-e193-4087-b857-3b183ab072bf https://religiondispatches.org/2017/11/13/will-international-criminal-court-bring-charges-against-isis-gender-based-persecution Gay Times (U.K.) has compiled a map with nations marked by colors representing eight legal status categories for LGBT people, ranging from marriage equality to death penalty. “Original Sin,” a book by Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, alleges “a host of… Mon, 13 Nov 2017 11:44:45 EST Peter Montgomery e4dc4ef6-82c3-42c7-9084-8754ee3a69ef https://religiondispatches.org/2017/11/06/anti-lgbt-culture-warriors-march-more-global-lgbt-recap International ILGA published its 2017 Global Attitudes Survey on Sexual, Gender and Sex Minorities, which it calls “the largest investigation of attitudes towards sexual, gender and sex minorities around the world ever conducted.” A section of the survey asks whether… Mon, 06 Nov 2017 12:14:03 EST Peter Montgomery 6a889402-6d5f-4d5c-a9f5-2f72451aca19 https://religiondispatches.org/2017/10/17/sydneys-anglican-diocese-gives-1-million-no-campaign-marriage-and-more-global-lgbt-recap Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies: “It is a consequence of our discipleship to uphold the gift of marriage as God has designed it.” Tue, 17 Oct 2017 08:41:19 EDT Peter Montgomery 1230ca0c-9c25-4b99-85ba-ece278972bb5 https://religiondispatches.org/2017/09/25/lgbt-muslim-clash-aiding-rise-right-europe OutRight Action International has published quotes from speakers at the meeting of the LGBTI Core Group during the recent United Nations General Assembly. The LGBTI Equal Rights Association for Western Balkans and Turkey held its annual conference in Podgorica, Montenegro… Mon, 25 Sep 2017 03:11:10 EDT Peter Montgomery aed81aaa-ad4b-42f5-8d87-246f5235af49 https://religiondispatches.org/2017/09/18/australian-church-nixes-straight-couples-wedding-over-their-marriage-equality-support Vitit Muntarbhorn, a Thai lawyer and diplomat, cited health problems in resigning effective October 31 as the United Nations’ first independent expert charged with investigating violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The creation of… Mon, 18 Sep 2017 10:15:53 EDT Peter Montgomery 9defd6a8-24de-421a-a119-e18e92fc3817 https://religiondispatches.org/2017/09/05/catholic-cardinal-slams-jesuits-bridge-building-book-and-more-global-lgbt-recap Reports from several international LGBT gatherings: The Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (IDNOWA), founded in 2016, reported on its August gathering in Accra, Ghana, which drew more than 30 delegates from 10 countries, for interfaith worship and conversations about… Tue, 05 Sep 2017 11:26:44 EDT Peter Montgomery de0731a2-d5ea-4f4c-b711-320073d2610a https://religiondispatches.org/2017/08/14/challenging-both-homophobia-islam-and-populist-bogeyman-homophobic-muslim-and-more Taken together, several articles published this week challenge populist portrayals of the “homophobic Muslim” as a threat to Western values in various countries, while also challenging conservative Muslim teachings that queerness and Islam are incompatible. In the Guardian, Moustafa Bayoumi… Mon, 14 Aug 2017 10:00:10 EDT Peter Montgomery 6d519c21-6dba-43bb-a073-260ecc864c3d https://religiondispatches.org/2017/07/26/its-not-about-cake-anti-gay-vendors-want-constitutional-right-discriminate The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) plans to argue that bakers and florists are “artists,” and can’t be forced to engage in artistic expression that contravenes their religious beliefs. Wed, 26 Jul 2017 10:16:30 EDT Sunnivie Brydum afe309b4-5020-47e5-8564-f69e82ee2474 https://religiondispatches.org/2017/07/05/will-texas-really-be-able-undermine-marriage-equality While most of us (including your faithful RD staffers) were prepping the grill for a long weekend celebrating this country’s problematic patriotism, the Texas Supreme Court on Friday issued an ominous anti-gay ruling that is positively stunning in its misreading… Wed, 05 Jul 2017 03:22:09 EDT Sunnivie Brydum 80d574a2-0dd5-406f-9118-83f4ae6fc708 https://religiondispatches.org/2017/06/26/historic-decision-day-scotus-sends-lgbt-americans-mixed-messages For LGBT legal nerds like me, June 26 is an important day. Every major pro-equality decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in the past 15 years has been issued on June 26. From the decimation of anti-sodomy laws… Mon, 26 Jun 2017 06:05:32 EDT Sunnivie Brydum 37e71c42-2df5-49f1-b39d-9feabd4e6f14 https://religiondispatches.org/2017/04/14/humiliating-kim-davis-bill-protect-anti-lgbt-county-clerks-passes-texas-senate While everyone (including me) was busy blasting North Carolina for its latest (unconstitutional) effort to undo marriage equality, the Texas Senate quietly passed a bill that would allow county clerks to refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples if marriage equality… Fri, 14 Apr 2017 02:01:03 EDT Sunnivie Brydum daab5be6-f72d-4547-8c28-adb634ca5cae https://religiondispatches.org/2017/04/12/north-carolina-just-tried-ban-marriage-equality-because-almighty-god-said-so Lest anyone believed that North Carolina’s fake “repeal” of the odious, transphobic HB2 signaled a turn toward tolerance inside the State Capitol in Raleigh, three Republican lawmakers intend to set the record straight (as it were). As local CBS affiliate… Wed, 12 Apr 2017 01:56:04 EDT Sunnivie Brydum 90c06e86-87af-492c-bb89-bd551f3122d8 https://religiondispatches.org/2017/02/22/wa-supreme-court-lgbt-discrimination-no-more-about-flowers-civil-rights-were-about Court guarantees equality, not roses. Wed, 22 Feb 2017 02:08:00 EST Elizabeth Platt 7180ee6d-34f9-4374-a3bc-d6d2e83f047a https://religiondispatches.org/2016/11/18/dont-be-fooled-trumps-acceptance-marriage-equality-heres-what-expect “Religious freedom” is a tactic that has worked for powerful straight white men for centuries—why switch it up now? Fri, 18 Nov 2016 12:24:14 EST Sunnivie Brydum 0de22285-162b-4663-9561-e910b42654a3