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September 17, 2012

Citing the Bible, Judge Bill Graves says transgender men and women are changing their names for 'fraudulent purposes'

An Oklahoma judge has sparked fury after not allowing transgender people to change their names legally.

Local newspaper The Oklahoman reports Oklahoma County district judge Bill Graves, a former state legislator, cited the Bible in disallowing the name changes, claiming trans people are ‘making the changes for fraudulent purposes’.

September 13, 2012

Republican Senators claim ban on same-sex unions on military premises is to protect the freedom of religion of chaplains

Two US Senators have introduced legislation to ban same-sex unions from being held on military bases.

Senator Roger Wicker (Republican Mississippi) and Senator Jim Inhofe (Republican Oklahoma), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced the Military Religious Freedom Act on Tuesday (11 September).

It explicitly outlines how the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) should be applied to the Department of Defense.

July 7, 2012

The Presbyterian church blocks redefinition of marriage, but agrees to study marriage equality

After three hours of debate, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) kept marriage defined as a union between a man and woman and did not repeal a ban on the officiation of gay weddings.

As reported by the Christian Science Monitor, on 6 July a 52 percent majority did not approve of a proposal that called marriage 'a covenant between two people.'

June 9, 2012

Religious country star and American Idol winner Carrie Underwood has spoken out in favor of marriage equality

While Carrie Underwood may be the musical darling of religious Conservatives in the US, she has risked a backlash by speaking out on gay rights.

In a profile interview with British newspaper The Independent, the country singer said she believes, as a Christian, everyone has the right to ‘love publicly’.