Lesbian

Marriage, as it has existed for hundreds of years, goes far beyond the commitment of two individuals to each other. It is more about the formation of new families. The parents of marrying spouses eagerly look forward to the arrival of grandchildren after the marriage. The natural family unit has been, is, and will always be, a father (male), a mother (female) and a child. By themselves, gay and lesbian couples are by nature unable to create new human life. For this reason, gay and lesbian couples are not equal to heterosexual couples and their commitment should be recognized in a different legal institution.

A lot of people are talking about the 2014 race for governor today -- nothing like a few big announcements to stir the pot -- so I figured I'd take the opportunity to bring up the big LGBT storyline in the race. That is to say, Del. Heather Mizeur's expected candidacy. The out lesbian from Montgomery County is expected to run for Gov. Martin O'Malley's seat and has said she plans to make an announcement about her future in politics this summer. She stands with Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown and Attorney General Doug Gansler in the Democratic lineup of presumed hopefuls who people are talking about, and her campaign has framed her candidacy in very clear terms.

More than 30 years of scientific research have shown that children do best when raised by two loving, committed parents, regardless of gender. This is the conclusion reached by a comprehensive review of virtually every study on the subject conducted by sociologists Judith Stacey and Tim Biblarz in 2010. Moreover, the so-called "studies" that claim that children of gay and lesbian parents fare worse than children of heterosexual couples have been exposed as deeply flawed by the Chronicle of Higher Education and The Baltimore Sun, among others.

A new poll released today shows the largest measured gap between Americans who believe individuals are born gay and those who believe sexual orientation is caused by external factors. According to Gallup , 47 percent of Americans chose "nature" over "nurture" when asked about same-sex orientation, while 33 percent say they believe being gay is a product of an individual's upbringing and environment. As recently as 2011, public opinion on the causes of sexual orientation were about equally split.

- The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi is suing to force a school district to host a prom it canceled after a lesbian student asked to bring her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Oxford on behalf of 18-year-old Constance McMillen. The Itawamba County School District said it wouldn't host the April 2 prom at Itawamba Agricultural High School after the ACLU demanded McMillen be allowed to escort her girlfriend. District officials said they hoped private citizens would sponsor a prom instead.

A Gaithersburg priest who was put on administrative leave from his parish after a controversial funeral Mass at which he denied Communion to a lesbian said in a statement Wednesday that he "did the only thing a faithful Catholic priest could do" and suggested that archdiocesan leaders and the woman were lying. The Rev. Marcel Guarnizo had declined to comment publicly since the Feb. 25 Mass at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, where Barbara Johnson was mourning her mother. Having learned just before the Mass that Johnson, a 51-year-old D.C. artist, was a lesbian living with her partner, Guarnizo refused to let her receive Communion.

Gov. Martin O'Malley, who continues to campaign for same-sex marriage in advance of a likely referendum aimed at overturning the law he signed this month, will speak Friday at a conference in Baltimore for gay and lesbian Catholics. Also scheduled to appear at the conference organized by the Maryland-based New Ways Ministry are Barbara Johnson, who was denied Communion at her mother's funeral Mass in Gaithersburg last month because she is a lesbian; former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who has written a book critical of church involvement in politics; and Geoffery Robinson, a retired Catholic bishop from Australia.

OVETT, Miss. -- Redbud trees are abloom in the Mississippi hills, their sprightly lavender flowers enticing spring from the pine-dark forest. But another lavender hue in the woods outside this country town has become a harbinger of a different sort.Here, where men hunt raccoons at night with prized hounds and women fold backyard pecans into sweet pies, tree trunks along a stretch of rural road are girdled in lavender paint. They lead to the lavender gate of Camp Sister Spirit, the home of a lesbian couple whose plan to open a feminist education and cultural retreat center on their land has brought preachers from pulpits, grandmothers from kitchens and a menacing presence from the placid hills.

S ome might consider former University of Maryland wrestler Hudson Taylor brave for choosing the sort of activism he has elected to champion.  But don’t tell Taylor that he’s “manning up,” because that’s the type of language that has defined “masculine gender scripts” and prevented closeted athletes from admitting publicly that they are gay, according to Taylor. As the founder of the not-for-profit organization Athlete Ally, Taylor travels around the country speaking out in defense of the rights of bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgendered people to be exactly who they are wherever they are.  “I think that I can have a huge impact,” said the 24-year-old Taylor, who will marry his fiancee, Lia Alexandra Mandagli, on Sept.

THERE'S A new book being written by the Virginia judiciary. It's sort of like "Heather Has Two Mommies," except with a twist.This one could be called: "Troy Has Two Mommies But He Can't See Them Because They're Lesbos."Actually, according to a recent ruling by a Virginia circuit court judge, little Troy Doustou, 5 years old, can see his actual mommy -- every other weekend, and for one whole week in the summer. Troy can't see his mommy's lover, ever.He can't talk to her, even on the phone.

Weddings are changing and wedding photography education needs to change, too. This is the principle behind “Capturing Love: The Art of Lesbian and Gay Wedding Photography” by Kathryn Hamm, president of GayWeddings.com, and Thea Dodds, a veteran wedding photographer. Together, the two are on a mission to enlighten photographers on how to pose and capture same-sex weddings through their visual guide. On Tuesday, Jan. 28, the authors appeared together in Baltimore at an editorial meeting for Two Bright Lights, an online publicity platform, to discuss and promote their book.

When Maryland merchants talk about the recent legalization of same-sex marriage, they sometimes talk of broad, lofty themes: Equality. Justice. Civil rights. But there's another practical concept at work: Dollar signs. The financial motivation was on display Sunday at the second annual Gay and Lesbian Wedding Expo at the Tremont Suites Hotel & Grand Historic Venue in downtown Baltimore, where dozens of vendors competed for the attention of dozens of couples whose weddings now carry the official blessing of the state of Maryland.

Amid the cheers of President Barack Obama's victory rally in Chicago, Keesha Patterson reached into her bag for a tiny box, dropped to one knee, turned to her girlfriend of 11 years and told her, in front of everyone, how much she loved her and wanted to marry her. Word that Maryland's Question 6 had passed had just flashed on the screen, and Patterson, who grew up in Baltimore's McCulloh Homes and now lives in Prince George's County, knew the moment...

Marriage, as it has existed for hundreds of years, goes far beyond the commitment of two individuals to each other. It is more about the formation of new families. The parents of marrying spouses eagerly look forward to the arrival of grandchildren after the marriage. The natural family unit has been, is, and will always be, a father (male), a mother (female) and a child. By themselves, gay and lesbian couples are by nature unable to create new human life. For this reason, gay and lesbian couples are not equal to heterosexual couples and their commitment should be recognized in a different legal institution.

More than 30 years of scientific research have shown that children do best when raised by two loving, committed parents, regardless of gender. This is the conclusion reached by a comprehensive review of virtually every study on the subject conducted by sociologists Judith Stacey and Tim Biblarz in 2010. Moreover, the so-called "studies" that claim that children of gay and lesbian parents fare worse than children of heterosexual couples have been exposed as deeply flawed by the Chronicle of Higher Education and The Baltimore Sun, among others.

Adam Lambert waited until after he was crowned runner-up of American Idol's eighth season to reveal that he was gay (which came as a surprise to almost no one). Since then, he's become the first openly gay man to top the Billboard 200 album chart with his second album, "Trespassing. " Now, he's lending his support to the push toward marriage equality in Maryland. On Tuesday, Lambert headlines a fundraising concert for Marylanders for Marriage Equality at the 9:30 Club in D.C. Lambert was eager to discuss his feelings on the bill, his identity as a gay artist and whether or not marriage is in the cards for him. Do you have plans to get married?

Amid the cheers of President Barack Obama's victory rally in Chicago, Keesha Patterson reached into her bag for a tiny box, dropped to one knee, turned to her girlfriend of 11 years and told her, in front of everyone, how much she loved her and wanted to marry her. Word that Maryland's Question 6 had passed had just flashed on the screen, and Patterson, who grew up in Baltimore's McCulloh Homes and now lives in Prince George's County, knew the moment...

Tristan Rhodes spent less than three years studying piano and conducting at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University during the late 1960s, but the experience left such a positive mark on him that he has prepared a $2 million bequest to the conservatory. Other life experiences influenced the way the New York-born Rhodes has directed the money to be used. The bequest, among the largest future commitments made to Peabody, will create the Tristan W. Rhodes Scholarship Fund "for the benefit of students who are gay or lesbian and have been disenfranchised by their families and therefore have lost support for education expenses," the agreement reads.

Adrienne Rich, one of the country's most honored and influential poets, whose finely tuned verse explored her identity as a feminist, a lesbian and an agent for political change, died Tuesday at her home in Santa Cruz, Calif. She was 82. She died of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, said her son, Pablo Conrad. In more than 60 years as a published poet, Ms. Rich examined the evolving lives of women in modern society and embodied many of those changes herself. She was a precocious child of a privileged Baltimore family, then a young wife and mother, and later dedicated herself to the ideals of feminism.

A Gaithersburg priest who was put on administrative leave from his parish after a controversial funeral Mass at which he denied Communion to a lesbian said in a statement Wednesday that he "did the only thing a faithful Catholic priest could do" and suggested that archdiocesan leaders and the woman were lying. The Rev. Marcel Guarnizo had declined to comment publicly since the Feb. 25 Mass at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, where Barbara Johnson was mourning her mother. Having learned just before the Mass that Johnson, a 51-year-old D.C. artist, was a lesbian living with her partner, Guarnizo refused to let her receive Communion.