If Kevin Grayson had not torn a ligament and missed being drafted by the NFL, he might very well have become that US football league's first openly gay player.

Instead, the former star wide receiver for the University of Richmond (2008-2011) played for the Parma Panthers in Italian Football League last season where he was MVP.

Either way, he is now out and proud.

Grayson says he wants other athletes to know 'just because you're gay doesn't mean you can't be the athlete you want to be. Doesn't mean you can't be a star.'

United States Supreme Court justices asked tough questions today of both sides during oral arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8.

Among the chief questions was whether supporters of Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage in the state, even have the legal standing to defend the law in court.

'Here these individuals are not elected by the people or appointed by the people,' Justice Sonia Sotomayor remarked at one point.

An US pastor was sentenced to 27 months in prison for aiding the international kidnap of a lesbian mother’s daughter on Monday (4 March).

Kenneth Miller, from Virginia, was accused of helping a woman flee the country to stop her former lesbian partner from visiting their daughter.

In a victory for Miller, his lawyers have argued Vermont, where an original custody battle over the girl took place, was an improper venue for an alleged crime that took place in Virginia and elsewhere.

An American church is planning to take their ‘gay cure’ therapy worldwide, which involves getting homosexuals to stroke horses.

The Cowboy Church of Virginia, led by chief pastor Raymond Bell, believes homosexuality and other ‘addictions’ can be cured by Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.

Horse therapy, in the right hands, can be used to help overcome fears, develop communication skills and is generally beneficial to mental health.

Virginia’s Senate has passed a bill prohibiting state government from discriminating against employees because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

The bill, known as SB 701, passed in the state’s Senate with a 24-16 vote yesterday (25 January).

The move was applauded by Equality Virginia’s executive director James Parrish who said: ‘We are pleased that four Republican senators joined their Democratic colleagues in passing SB 701 to protect LGBT state employees’.

Tracy Thorne-Begland has become the first openly gay judge in Virginia history despite 12 social Republicans in the State Senate refusing to vote for hos confirmation.

Thorne-Begland, a state prosecutor, is a decorated former Top Gun pilot but last year had his nomination defeated because a number of Republicans said his being gay made him biased and unqualified for the state bench.

He was appointed to the bench on a temporary basis.

Lesbian comic and television host Ellen DeGeneres is just one of several celebrities demanding an end to gun violence in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting.

Among the other artists making an appearance in the video also include Beyoncé, Julianne Moore, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Renner, Chris Rock and Will Ferrell.

The black-and-white video begins with the celebrities talking about the Columbine shootings in 1999, Virginia Tech in 2007 and Aurora, Colorado this year.

More and more LGBT students at conservative Christian colleges and universities are trying to find ways to reconcile their sexual and religious identities.

Pennsylvania State Rep. Mike Fleck came out today in a long interview with the Huntingdon Daily News. As reported by the website Politics PA.com, he is now one of two openly gay Republican state legislators presently serving in the US.

A former college volleyball coach in the US claims he was fired because he is gay.

James Finley was dismissed by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) on 19 November despite his team's record scores.

In a press statement issued by the college, VCU director of athletics Ed McLaughlin said the department was looking for 'different leadership to attain our goals of achieving at an elite level nationally.'

However, Finley believes he was sacked because McLaughlin was uncomfortable with his sexuality.

Staff of United Continental Airlines allegedly humiliated a gay couple by removing a dildo from their luggage and taping it outside the bag for all to see in the baggage claim area.

In the last few days the couple from Virginia, USA, identified by Courthouse News as Christopher Bridgeman and Martin Borger, have taken court action against United Continental Airlines for harassment and vandalising their luggage.

A US pastor is being convicted after helping a woman flee the country three years ago to stop her former lesbian partner from vising their daughter.  

The jury issued its verdict against Reverend Kenneth Miller, a Virginia pastor, on Tuesday (14 August), and charged him with aiding in international kidnapping.

Lisa Miller, no relation to the pastor, continued to share parental rights of daughter Isabella with her lesbian partner Janet Jenkins after their civil union ended.