As GaySocialites.com, the Associated Press and numerous other news stations have reported, Whitney Houston, music superstar, died earlier today at age 48.
Twitter is blowing up with reactions from many of the world’s biggest celebrities, many of them Houston’s friends.
As the United States slowly progresses towards gay rights, sadly other countries are taking a step backwards. Lawmakers in St. Petersburg, Russia, a city of almost 5 million, has approved fines on an anti-gay bill that bans “gay promotion.” Debate on the bill was put on hold in November as there were disagreements over the legal definitions provided in the bill and the amount of the imposed fines. The revised bill now defines “gay promotion” as “public activities promoting homosexuality (sodomy and lesbianism), bisexualism and transgender identity” as well as pedophilia among minors. The maximum fine for said gay promotion, effectively any type of gay pride event, is 500,000 rubles, or $16,7000. This is 10 ten times higher than the amount stated in the original bill, a fine of 50,000 rubles, $1,600. This greatly advances the anti-gay legislation, set to go up for a final vote next week.
It looks like Washington will be the seventh state to allow gay and lesbian couples marriage equality.
The legislation passed through both the House and the Senate riding right along party lines. A majority of Representatives in the House voted to legalize gay marriage by a vote of 55-43 on Wednesday night. The state Senate passed the same bill last week by a vote of 28-21.
A Federal Appeals Court ruled on Tuesday that California’s ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional, and that Proposition 8 held no merit.
By a 2-1 vote, the panel of judges paved the path to reinstate same sex marriage in California within the next two weeks.
Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote in an 89-page majority opinion, that the public vote violated the 14th Amendment’s equal-protection clause.
Witness history in the making LIVE right here at GaySocialites.com as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals makes their decision on marriage equality in California.
Watch the LIVE stream here (you may need to refresh your browser):
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