Frank Martin Gill of North Miami is gay and a foster parent. Gill and his partner want to adopt half brothers they've parented since 2004, but Florida law prohibits it. So the couple and the boys, ages 4 and 8, remain in legal limbo, waiting for a court or the Legislature to make them one family legally. ...more

March 18, 2009

Mary Ritchie, a Massachusetts State Police trooper, has been married for almost five years and has two children. But when she files her federal income tax return, she's not allowed to check the "married filing jointly" box. That's because Ritchie and her spouse, Kathleen Bush, are a gay couple, and the federal Defense of Marriage Act makes them ineligible to file joint tax returns. Now Ritchie, Bush and more than a dozen others are suing the federal government, claiming the act discriminates against gay couples and is unconstitutional because it denies them access to federal benefits that other married couples receive, such as pensions and health insurance. Plaintiffs also include Dean Hara, the widower of former U.S. Rep. Gerry Studds, the first openly gay member of the House of Representatives. ...more

March 3, 2009

A new poll shows that a majority of Floridians favor allowing same-sex couples to adopt children but don't favor gay marriage or civil unions. The poll also found support for the Bright Futures scholarship program and for a $1 boost in the cigarette tax. ...more

January 23, 2009

Valerie Iengo of Port Richey says we should be battling against the current economic difficulties, not matters of personal choice. ...more

January 14, 2009

William Oehlecker of New Port Richey says don't blame President-elect Barack Obama for problems that result from the greed of all of us. ...more

January 7, 2009

Florida has barred homosexuals from adopting children since 1977, yet gays and lesbians are allowed to be foster parents and raise wards of the state for years at a time. ...more

December 8, 2008

Chicago, Philadelphia. Tampa? Carrie West, who helped start the GaYbor District in Ybor City, wants to turn his community into one of the nation's top gay and lesbian destinations. ...more

November 30, 2008

The vote approving Amendment 2 was a devastating but temporary setback for the cause of equal treatment for all. ...more

November 30, 2008

Gay men and lesbians have had their share of setbacks in the Bay area. But amid all the high-profile heartbreak, there are signs large and small that the Tampa Bay area is growing more supportive of gay men, lesbians and their families. ...more

November 28, 2008

Same-sex couples walked joyfully down the aisle Wednesday for the first time in Connecticut, while gay activists planned to march in protests across the country over the vote that took away their right to marry in California. ...more

November 13, 2008