Supporters are hopeful for the bill’s legalization, likely due to the recent shift in politician’s views on marriage equality. The bill has a bi-partisan backing in the House of Representatives: Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla). The lawmakers held a press conference on Tuesday, accompanied by same-sex couples. National Executive Director Jody M. Huckaby from Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) stated, “Why should more than 400,000 children remain in foster care – 104,000 of whom are eligible for adoption – when they could receive this support from loving, capable, and qualified lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents? This is truly discrimination at its worst: hurtful to the people who are being denied the opportunity to become parents, and harmful to thousands of vulnerable children being denied the opportunity for stable, loving, permanent homes.”

Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) regrets his vote to ban same-sex marriage in D.C. circa 1999. He now says, “I do believe that if there are children who are orphans who do not have a loving person or couple, I think if a person wants to love and raise a child they ought to be able to do that. Period. I would vote that way.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics came out in to publicly support same-sex marriage, as well as full adoption and foster care rights for all parents, regardless of sexual orientation. They concluded that there’s no scientific evidence to suggest that children raised by a homosexual couple are any worse off than those raised by hetero parents.

Chair of the AAP Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, Dr. Benjamin Siegel, released a statement reinforcing the need for gay-marriage:

“Children thrive in families that are stable and that provide permanent security, and the way we do that is through marriage.”

MARINA DEL REY, CA – Traditional condoms are just that – traditional. People prefer to have unprotected sex because it feels better, not because they have a disdain for latex. However, what if it wasn’t because of the condom, but rather the design itself? What if it wasn’t the material or the lubricant, but the actual shape of the condom that turns you on or off? It’s a long shot, but it’s a strong possibility according to a recent interview with Danny Resnic, creator of “Origami Condoms.”  The accordian-like design acts as a loose-fitting cover when it’s being used, moving with the natural movement of the body, ultimately providing more sensation for both parties, according to Resnic. Last month the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which tackles a multitude of global issues, gave a shout-out to Origami, stating it is promoting “consistent use by emphasizing the sexual experience.”

KwaDukuza, South Africa – Africa’s first traditional gay wedding has arrived. The country, which is notorious for its negative stance on homosexuality, is now finally getting a taste of what’s to come in the near future. The men who wed, Tshepo Cameron Modisane and Thoba Calvin Sithol, were reported to have married in KwaDukuza, South Africa, with over 200 elated attendees. The ceremony (which was part Zulu, part Tswana) is only one of two ceremonies for the newlyweds; a second, more intimate wedding will be held later this year in Johannesburg. But wait, there’s more: children via surrogacy is hopefully in the near future for Tshepo and Thoba. Thankfully, the couple has some serious support; “the great step that we took in our relationship as a gay couple was introducing each other to our families”, says Tshepo. “We are so blessed to have supportive families who care about us. Even though we are gay they still love us.”

ST. LOUIS, MO – An innovative new coloring book has recently been released by St. Lous-based Really Big Coloring Books, in an effort to educate lil’ ones on diversity and inclusion in a whole new way. Even though the book was produced by a straight company – trust us, it shows – their heart is absolutely in the right place.  The activity book is titled “Being Gay Is Okay”, and features traditional family scenarios with same sex parents, famous gay supporters and more – all for the coloring. There’s even a page of “Fabulous Gay Sharing Cards”, where children can trade their Anderson Cooper for a very glittery Neil Patrick Harris, or even a Jodie Foster for a terrifying Boy George. While the inclusion of words like “fabulous” and even a faux “coming out letter” make the book feel a little obnoxious, it’s still a necessity and a huge step forward in normalizing gay youth, same-sex families, in addition to acting as a preventative measure for bullying.

According to Freeman, the player is concerned about a negative reaction from fans.

“The player would attempt to continue his career” after his coming out announcement, wrote Freeman in a March 25 blog posting.

“Based on interviews over the past several weeks with current and former players, I’m told that a current gay NFL player is strongly considering coming out publicly within the next few months,” he reported.

“I’m told this player feels the time is now for someone to take this step—despite homophobic remarks from San Francisco 49ers defensive back Chris Culliver and the controversy arising recently at the Indianapolis Scouting combine, when prospects were asked questions about their sexuality.

“This player’s true concern, I’m told, is not the reaction inside an NFL locker room but outside of it. The player fears he will suffer serious harm from homophobic fans, and that is the only thing preventing him from coming out. My sources will not say who this alleged player is.”

With the majority of justices expressing reservations about DOMA, LGBT advocates were cautiously optimistic on the second day of testimony that the high court’s progressive wing seemed especially poised to deconstruct the section of the 1996 federal law that defines marriage exclusively for straight couples.

Observing that DOMA creates “two kinds of marriage,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg compared “full marriage” to “this sort of skim milk marriage” of civil unions and other alternative classifications such as domestic partnership agreements.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, the high court member who is believed to possess the likely swing vote, addressed the relationship between the law and families, stressing that the federal government must respect “the historic commitment of marriage and questions of the rights of children to the states.”

Allowing DOMA to stand, said Kennedy, would put control of marriage laws—which traditional are given to the states—in the hands of the federal government, which means “you are at real risk with running in conflict with what has always been the essence” of the regulation of families.

Justice Elena Kagan, appointed to the court by President Obama in 2010, asked if homophobia was at play when DOMA was enacted in 1996.

Addressing remarks from the 1996 U.S. House of Representatives official record during the debate about DOMA which referred to a “moral disapproval of homosexuality,” Kagan asked, “Do we really think Congress was doing this for uniformity reasons or do we think the Congress’s judgment was infected by dislike, by animus, by fear?”

Acknowledging the historic occasion, Chief Justice John Roberts, Jr. observed, “You’re asking us to do something we’ve never done before to reach this case.”

“It’s unusual,” replied U.S. Deputy Solicitor General Srikanth Srinivasan, representing the Obama Administration.

“No, it’s not unusual,” Chief Justice Roberts responded. “It’s totally unprecedented.”

Roberts also expressed a measure of the frustration that he and the conservative wing of the high court experiencing with the administration’s seemingly contradictory position of enforcing the law but not defending it.

“I don’t see why [the President] doesn’t have the courage of his convictions,” said Roberts.

Justice Kennedy came close to offering a view to hearten LGBT rights activists, acknowledging the high court’s standing in the case. “It seems to me there’s injury here,” Kennedy offered.

If the court strikes down the section of DOMA under review, married same-sex couples in nine states and the District of Columbia will start receiving federal benefits. But that ruling would not affect any state that has not legalized same-sex marriage.

Wednesday’s hearing lasted an hour and featured arguments from Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. and Paul Clement, Solicitor General under President George W. Bush, who represented the anti-equality side.

The case being argued, United States v. Windsor, involves two New York women, Edith Windsor and Thea Clara Spyer, who were married in 2007 in Canada. In 2009, Spyer died and Windsor inherited her property.

Under the 1996 law, the IRS did not consider Windsor to be a surviving spouse, and required her to pay close to $360,000 in federal taxes—an amount that a spouse in a heterosexual marriage would not be required to pay.

Windsor sued, and in 2012 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit struck down the law as unconstitutional.

Similarly, in February 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. announced that DOMA was unconstitutional and would no longer be defending in court, although the administration would continue to enforce it. The federal government enforced and defended DOMA prior to 2011.

Caroline Currie and Jenna Eagleton of Portland were selected by Real Maine Weddings from among three finalist couples during an event held at the Maine Wedding Association Bridal Show.

In November, Maine voters approved a referendum that legalized same-sex marriages the Pine Tree State.

The $100,000 prize won by Currie and Eagleton includes the costs for a wedding reception, wedding rings, flowers, a wedding dress, tuxedoes, and a private limo.

Asked by host George Stephanopoulos, “Karl Rove, can you imagine the next presidential campaign, a Republican candidate saying flat out I am for gay marriage?” Rove answered, “I could.”

Rove, a former White House counselor to President George W. Bush, made his remarks just days after U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) became the first sitting Republican Senator to announce his support for same-sex marriage, and just days before the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments concerning two landmark cases about gay marriage.

With regards to those cases, Rove said that the justices might not be inclined to make sweeping judgments about the laws in question, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage in California.

“What we may see is a decision here that, in essence, is not a 5-4 decision, but a 6-3 [or] 7-2 [decision] that says, ‘leave it up to the states’. In fact, we could see an 8-1 [decision],” Rove offered.

The AAP policy statement declares that same-sex marriage helps guarantee rights, long-term security, and other benefits for children. The report adds that in states where gay marriage is not permitted, children should be provided with access to foster care or adoption by single parents or couples, regardless of their sexual orientation.

Among other research, the AAP cited data which found that a child’s well-being has more to do with the ties of family relationships than by the parents’ sexual identity.

“There is an emerging consensus, based on extensive review of the scientific literature, that children growing up in households headed by gay men or lesbians are not disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents,” the statement said.

The AAP report also noted that mounting evidence suggests that children who are raised by gay parents fare on the same par socially, emotionally, and cognitively as those raised by heterosexual parents.

“I support marriage for lesbian and gay couples,” Clinton said in the video, adding, “I support it personally and as a matter of policy and law embedded in a broader effort to advance equality and opportunity for LGBT Americans and for all Americans.”

“Like so many others, my personal views have been shaped over time by people I have known and loved,” Clinton, a possible contender for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, noted.

LGBT Americans “are our colleagues, our teachers, our soldiers, our friends, our loved ones,” Clinton said. “And they are full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citizenship; that includes marriage.”