The New York Times reports that the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People voted to formally endorse same-sex marriage on Saturday, May 19.

Though the Times calls the move "largely symbolic," the vote comes after President Barack Obama endorsed marriage equaity earlier this month.

Michael Barbaro wrote:

The practical implications of the NAACP’s decision are unclear. Several of its leaders have already expressed support for same-sex marriage, and local branches have repeatedly opposed measures to ban such unions, most recently in North Carolina, where voters just passed a referendum against marriages and civil unions for gay people.

The strongest opposition to same-sex marriage within the black community has come from church leaders, whose opinions may not be swayed by the NAACP. In its resolution, the board appeared to be sensitive to those objections, reaffirming its support for religious freedom.

While presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney spent much of Friday attempting to shift the campaign focus back to the economy, a new poll indicated that 51 percent of the nation backed President Barack Obama's endorsement of same-sex marriage.

According to a new USA Today/Gallup poll, more than half of Americans approve of Obama's new position on marriage equality, compared with 45 percent who disapprove. Nearly 13 percent said Obama's shift in position will make them more likely to vote for him, while 26 percent said it will make them less likely. But an overwhelming 60 percent said it would not affect how they vote in November.

Meanwhile, Romney told factory workers in Charlotte, N.C. Friday that he would "put America back to work" if elected president, his latest attempt to shift the discussion back to the economy and away from gay marriage and bullying.

Allegations he bullied a supposedly gay high-school classmate have dogged Romney's campaign team since Thursday. A Washington Post expose featured several of Romney's high-school friends admitting that they helped Romney to cut the hair of, and taunt, a fellow student.

The former Massachusetts governor claimed to have no memory of the incident, although he did apologize for “dumb things” he did in high school.

As expected, President Barack Obama told ABC News today that same-sex marriage should be legal.

In an interview, which will air in its entirety Thursday morning, Obama said:

"I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married."

Obama's words came a day after North Carolina approved of a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman, making it the 30th state, including Idaho, to ban same-sex marriage.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, when asked about gay marriage while shaking supporters' hands, declined to comment, saying, "Not on the ropeline."

The White House and ABC News indicated this morning that President Barack Obama is expected to speak about his views on gay marriage in an interview scheduled for this afternoon. Clips from the interview, slated to air in full Thursday morning, are expected to be released later today.

Obama will talk about the issue just days after two top members of his administration publicly voiced their own support for marriage equality. The interview also comes one day after voters in North Carolina approved a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

In late 2010, Obama said that his views on gay marriage were "evolving." His campaign issued a statement in March opposing the North Carolina gay marriage ban.

Meanwhile the U.K. Guardian published an interactive graph today, charting how gay rights laws in America have evolved (or in some cases remain stagnant or even banned). The circular graph charts a number of issues, including marriage, hospital visitation, adoption, housing, employment and school bullying.

In a ruling with far-reaching implications, a panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban of gay marriage, is a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Two same-sex couples challenged Proposition 8 days before the California Supreme Court was slated to uphold it as a valid state constitutional amendment. The suit triggered a historic trial, examining the nature of sexual orientation and the history of marriage. U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled against Prop 8 in 2010, but the 9th Circuit issued a stay to the ruling pending appeals. This morning, the panel upheld Walker's original ruling, in effect shooting down Prop 8.

Today's ruling came through a 2-1 decision.

"Proposition 8 served no purpose, and had no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California," the court said in its opinion.

You can read the full opinion here.

Prop 8 supporters have already indicated that they are anxious to appeal the ruling, first to the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit or taking it directly to the Supreme Court, which has never ruled on the matter.

Over 1,000 Idahoans stood on the steps of the State Capitol Saturday to deliver a clear message to state lawmakers: They want Idaho lawmakers to add the words “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the Idaho Human Rights Act.

For the last five years, the Idaho Legislature has refused to grant a hearing on the proposed amendment, which would grant LGBT Idahoans basic protections in employment, housing and education. So this year, volunteers with the Add the Words campaign organized a statewide day of action to push for the legislation. Rallies were held in over 10 Idaho cities on Saturday.

“We are completely blown away by the outpouring of support that we received today,” said Mistie Tolman, spokeswoman for Add the Words. “We had at least three times as much people here as we did last year. I don’t know how the legislators can ignore us any longer. I think this will send a really big message that it’s time to add the words.”

Speakers at the event included Marisol Cervantes, the president of Borah High’s Gay-Straight Alliance; local transgender advocate and mentor, Drew Weston; and State Representative Cherie Buckner-Webb, who reminisced on the similarities between Saturday’s event and the rallies held in support of Idaho’s 1969 Civil Rights legislation.

Tolman shared what she said was some positive news to the crowd: On Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 8 a.m., an Add the Words bill will get a print hearing in front of the Senate State Affairs Committee. She called on the audience to fill the committee room so that its standing-room only.

After the speeches, State Sen. Nicole LeFavour invited the large crowd into the Capitol to place sticky notes along the chamber and hallway doors. The audience obliged, and hundreds of LGBT communities members, their friends and family, entered the building and filled its doors with notes calling upon lawmakers to add the words.

• State Sen. Nicole LeFavour adds her own sticky note.

• Crowds fill the halls of the State Capitol to place Add the Words sticky notes on the doors.

In advance of this Saturday's series of statewide rallies, supporting rights for Idaho's gay and transgender people, this week's edition of BW considers the Add the Words campaign.

Efforts to add the terms "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to Idaho's anti-discrimination law have been unsuccessful for the last six years. But this year, people across Idaho have been writing testimony and short messages, in support of the issue, on sticky post-it notes. The notes are being hung daily by Add the Words volunteers on glass doors inside the State Capitol Building.

In addition to a dozen other rallies across Idaho, an Add the Word event is scheduled for 1 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 28, on the steps of the Capitol.

Idaho's "Add the Words" campaign, a volunteer organization looking to support the state's gay, lesbian and transgender community, assembled at the State Capitol Monday, positioned for their sticky-note activism.

Armed with multi-colored sticky notes, the volunteers tacked the slips of paper, on which were written pleas for state lawmakers to add the words "sexual orientation and gender identity" to Idaho's Human Rights Act, on the doors of the state's lawmakers.

But they were met by the Idaho State Police, who in a video filmed by the organization, told them the sticky notes wouldn't be allowed. There's also a clip of a Capitol employee quickly removing the sticky notes from the glass window of a door.

See the video below. In it, Mistie Tolman with Add the Words speaks with Idaho State Police at the 1:59 mark.

Though they don't make a big deal of it, unlike the Boy Scouts who have had a storied history of being homophobic, the Girl Scouts are fine with accepting transgender scouts who identify as female.

However one Girl Scout has a problem with that, and is calling for a boycott of Girl Scout cookies. In the video below, she reads a detailed script listing her grievances, primarily surrounding alleged safety issues that arise when transgender scouts are admitted, and calls for a protest boycott of the cookies scouts sell to raise funds for their troops.

UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct. 18 3:30 p.m.

Boise Police told Citydesk today that to clarify, one of the crimes listed in previous reports and mentioned at Sunday's anti-hate crime panel is not being investigated as a hate crime because neither the victims nor suspects are gay. On Sept. 30, a man said he was beaten with a golf club outside the Balcony nightclub. The alleged victim told police that he ultimately did not want to press charges.

ORIGINAL STORY: Monday, Oct. 17 8:30 a.m.
Members of Boise’s LGBT community gathered Sunday for a panel discussion to address recent anti-gay violence. Boise Police confirmed that within the past couple of months, a gay man was beaten with a golf club outside The Balcony nightclub, another gay man was brutally beaten near Eighth and Main streets, and a lesbian woman was punched in the face while the attacker yelled anti-gay slurs.

“A lot of people are unaware of these crimes, mainly because they’re unreported,” said Duane Quintana, executive director of Allies Linked for the Prevention of HIV and AIDS. “I think that [anti-LBGT violence] has been happening for so long that people just kind of chalk it up to ‘this just happens when you’re gay’ and there’s no recourse. People worry that if they do anything about it, the police aren’t going to do much, then if the police do maybe act, it will go public, and then if it goes public, ‘I might lose my job or maybe my family will get harassed.’ So it’s really complex and difficult issue.”

The discussion was anchored by three panelists, Cody Hafer from the “Add The Words” campaign, Donna Harwood, founder of Lion’s Pride, and Janet Lawler, the LGBT liaison for the Boise Police Department.