Gay Marriage

As the Supreme Court hears arguments over gay marriage, the debate over the rights of couples of the same sex has also reverberated around the globe. Wedding bells are still a distant dream for gays and lesbians in many countries, especially in Africa and the Middle East, where couples of the same sex often face persecution and arrest. In the Sudan, for instance, sodomy--a catchall category that encompasses gay and lesbian sex--is punishable by death after multiple offenses. Saudi Arabia whips or sometimes stones to death people for the same crime, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.

By now, you've probably seen your Facebook news feed flooded with pink equal signs in red squares. The Human Rights Campaign's marriage equality logo went viral  Monday, with scores of users uploading the image as their profile pictures in a show of support. Almost as quickly, the logo became the subject of some creative spoofs, with people riffing off the color scheme and simple design. Top 10 must-have smartphone apps Our favorite derivatives so far: two strips of bacon replacing the equal sign; red velvet cake (with the white cream cheese layers representing the equal signs)

This week, the United States Supreme Court is delving into arguments about same-sex marriage and doing so with apparent reluctance and unease. Today, the justices will consider the federal Defense of Marriage Act that denies federal benefits to same-sex married couples. On Tuesday, the issue before them was California's Proposition 8, the voter-approved initiative that placed a same-sex marriage ban in the state constitution in 2008. A U.S. District Court judge subsequently declared the ban unconstitutional, and in 2012 the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling.

WASHINGTON - During last week's Supreme Court arguments on gay marriage, Justice Antonin Scalia asserted that "there's considerable disagreement" among experts over whether "raising a child in a single-sex family is harmful or not. " Two other justices agreed that gay parenting was a new and uncertain development. Those comments startled child development experts as well as advocates of gay marriage, because there is considerable research showing children of gay parents do not have more problems than others.

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court began hearing arguments Tuesday on whether gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry in a California case that could transform the law nationwide. The argument was scheduled to last only one hour, but it may give clues as to how the justices are leaning. It began shortly after 10 a.m. EDT.  About 1 p.m. the court will release audio of the arguments on its website . About an hour later, it will post written transcripts. Two former Reagan administration lawyers, Charles J. Cooper and Theodore B. Olson, were lined up on opposite sides, with Olson contending an equal right to marry is basic to American liberty and Cooper saying the decision on changing state marriage laws should be left to the voters in each state.

Republican leaders unanimously approved a resolution Friday urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Proposition 8, the measure under court review that forbids same-sex marriage in California. The Republican National Committee “affirms its support for marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and as the optimum environment in which to raise healthy children for the future of America and … implores the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the sanctity of marriage in its rulings on California's Proposition 8 and the Federal Defense of Marriage Act,” according to a resolution approved at the group's meeting in Hollywood.

Who would have guessed that a pretty unremarkable fried chicken sandwich would become a proxy in the battle over gay marriage? Chicken sandwich lovers who oppose gay marriage have turned out in force to support Chick-fil-A, the restaurant chain whose chief executive has made headlines for his antipathy toward same-sex marriage. Photographs show long lines at outlets around the country. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee came up with the idea for today's Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, moved by the calls of gay marriage supporters for a boycott after the company's president, Dan Cathy, told a Christian publication recently that his company supports “the biblical definition of the family unit.” As you might expect for an uproar that has its roots in a food business, the controversy has been many-pronged.

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court heard two powerful arguments last week about marriage for gay and lesbian couples, and the path the justices choose could determine not only whether gay marriage will become the law nationwide, but how soon. One argument spoke to the principle of equal rights. Denying federal benefits to legally married gay couples "cannot be reconciled with our fundamental commitment to equal treatment under law," the Obama administration's top courtroom lawyer told the justices, as he urged the court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act. The other argument spoke to the traditions of states' rights and letting people, rather than the courts, decide the great social issues of the day. Debate over same-sex marriage is "roiling throughout this country," said a lawyer defending the California ballot measure that barred gays from marrying.

The Supreme Court won't issue its rulings on Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act until this summer, but proponents of gay marriage can take heart knowing they've just about won over at least one prominent conservative: Bill O'Reilly. On Tuesday's episode of "The O'Reilly Factor," anchor (former attorney) Megyn Kelly stopped by to discuss Tuesday's Supreme Court hearings. She claimed that "the country's views on this issue are changing," largely because "same-sex marriage advocates have done a credible job of getting out there and making their case.

SAN FRANCISCO - For Ohio senator Rob Portman, knowing that his son was gay helped change Portman's mind. For President Obama, talking with gay White House staffers and learning that his daughters' friends had same-sex parents proved influential. On Tuesday, Jean Podrasky, a 48-year-old accountant from San Francisco, will be sitting in a courtroom where her first cousin -- Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. -- and rest of the U.S. Supreme Court are hearing a challenge to California's ban on gay marriage.