Diocese ends adoptions over Illinois civil unions
Yahoo News reports a Catholic diocese in northern Illinois said May 26 that it will end its state-funded adoption and foster-care program rather than comply with a new civil-unions law that would require it to place children with gay couples.
Officials from the Rockford Diocese said they were forced to terminate state contracts after lawmakers failed to pass an amendment exempting religious groups from provisions of the state’s new civil-unions law, which will let gay and lesbian couples form civil unions. The law took effect June 1.
Va. schools lift gay filter
The Washington Post reports the Prince William County school system has removed a filter that blocked school computers from accessing information about LGBT issues.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia sent a letter in April asking that the filter be removed. The filter blocked content from such organizations as the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network and the It Gets Better Project.
On May 26, the school system announced it has removed the filter while keeping other software in place to screen out sexually explicit websites.
HRC backs Obama 2012
365gay.com reports the Human Rights Campaign has officially announced its endorsement of Barack Obama for reelection in 2012, sparking mixed reactions within the LGBT community.
Alec Gerlach, spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, said the endorsement “is a clear sign that the president has fought for LGBT rights across the country.” In the endorsement, the HRC had said, “President Obama has improved the lives of LGBT Americans more than any president in history.”
Yet some gay activists worry that the endorsement may have come too early. The Log Cabin Republicans said the endorsement “sends the wrong message” to a Republican candidate who may want to reach out to the gay community.
— Larry Nichols