Marriage Equality, LGBTQ, Politics, Homophobia; Cosmos, Creationism; Church and State, Atheism, Francis Effect; Intolerance of Religion, Sex Abuse Scandals; Rape, Sexism, Culture Clash, Abortion and Birth Control

Marriage Equality

• Gay Marriages Continue in Wisconsin—But Trouble Looms
• Methodists fear split over same-sex marriage
• US: Church expels volunteer over gay commitment ceremony
• March To Nowhere: D.C. Anti-Gay Event Was Heavy On Rhetoric But Low On Facts
• Largest US Presbyterian Church Votes to Allow Gay Marriage
• Obama Administration To Extend Family Leave To Same-Sex Couples
• Hillary Jabs At NPR Host Over Gay Marriage
• Scott Walker Refuses To State A Position On Same-Sex Marriage
• Mike Huckabee: Martin Luther King Jr. would agree that gay marriage is like the Holocaust
• Mozilla under fire: Inside the 9-day reign of fallen CEO Brendan Eich
• Slovakia bans gay marriage in constitution
• Luxembourg Approves Same-Sex Marriage Bill

LGBTQ

• On Father's Day, Texas Sen. Chuy Hinojosa Says He Loves His Gay Daughter Unconditionally
• WWE Exec and Hall of Famer Pat Patterson Comes Out as Gay on 'Legends' House'
• AsapTHOUGHT: Coming out twice
• Allstate's "Safe in My Hands" gay pride ad is raw, moving
• Without fanfare, Obama advances transgender rights
• My beef with the (SJW) transgender community
• Denmark ends forced sterilisation for sex changes

Politics

• Oklahoma Candidate Says Gays Should Be Stoned
• House Committee Invites Witness To Go On Anti-Gay Rant, Because Religious Freedom
• Texas Governor Perry compares homosexuality to alcoholism
• CNBC Anchor Confronts Rick Perry About Remark Comparing Gays To Alcoholics
• More Or Less Everyone Agrees That Rick Perry Is a Moron for Comparing Homosexuality to Alcoholism
• Rick Perry Defers To Scientists On Gay Conversion Therapy, Forgets They Already Trashed It
• GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer Skeptical That LGBT Workplace Discrimination Exists
• Obama to Sign Executive Order on LGBT Discrimination
• Alabama appeals court rules state's sodomy law unconstitutional
• Gay candidate Brett Smiley has a very cute campaign ad
• First black, openly gay man confirmed as U.S. federal judge—Make that two.
• Canada: Kathleen Wynne's Liberals win majority government—"The first woman elected premier of Ontario — and Canada's only openly gay first minister ever — Wynne bested Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak, who announced his resignation, and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath."

Homophobia

• Judge: Gay Fathers' Names Cannot Appear On Their Biological Children's Birth Certificates
• UK: 30 schools using textbooks that teach homosexuality is a choice
• U.S. cuts aid to Uganda, cancels military exercise over anti-gay law
• Cop placed on leave after refusing to work at gay pride parade—"The Salt Like City police officer will be the subject of an internal investigation, the department announced." Salon
• Clubber sprayed with concentrated ammonia outside Vauxhall bar in homophobic attack

Cosmos

• "Why is God telling me to stop asking questions?"—Meet the woman behind Neil deGrasse Tyson's "Cosmos" Salon
• Neil deGrasse Tyson vs. the right: "Cosmos," Christians, and the battle for American science—"The real reason conservatives are freaking out about Neil deGrasse Tyson: He's laying bare their worst hypocrisies." Salon
• The 5 most important lessons from Neil deGrasse Tyson's "Cosmos"—"'Cosmos' may be ending on Sunday, but lessons will keep us thinking." Salon
• The Curious Passions of Mr. Cosmos: Neil deGrasse Tyson On Space, Climate, and Why Curiosity Wins Every Time
• Fox News guest says white liberal nerds love Neil deGrasse Tyson so much "he could defecate on them" Salon

Creationism

• Creationist author asks: If evolution is true, "is rape wrong?"—"Darek Isaacs appeared on 'Creation Today' with ridiculous claims about evolution." Salon
• Can This Class Be Saved? Bible Course Teaches That Adam and Eve Were Actual Historical People
• A Decade Later, This is the 500-Page Creationism Book a Public School Biology Teacher Gave His Students
• New creationism museum says Noah brought baby dinosaurs aboard the ark—More likely to believe Gilgamesh did it. Salon
• 4 in 10 Americans Believe God Created Earth 10,000 Years Ago
• UK: Government bans all existing and future Academies and Free Schools from teaching creationism as science
• Creationism Isn't Science, and Shouldn't Be Taught That Way

Church and State

• Faced with Threat of Atheists Speaking at Meetings, Troutman (NC) City Council Caps Invocations at Two Minutes
• A Church-PAC Link Raises Questions in Mississippi—"If a church's resources were used to help Senator Thad Cochran, the church could lose its tax-exempt status." NYT
• U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal over school graduation in church
• With Eric Cantor Defeat, Congressional Republicans Lose Only Non-Christian
• Dave Brat's Land of Magical Thinking—"The GOP's newest star doesn't believe that Wall Street deserves much of the blame for the financial crisis, that the U.S. should be a lot more like China, and that the fix for American banks is to 'preach the gospel and change hearts and souls.'"
• Bible-waving MN GOP Supreme Court nominee places God above U.S. law
• Kissing Congressman Reconsiders Retirement After Apologizing To God
• Sympathy for the Devils: Scenes From the Social Conservative Collapse—"There was a time when the bigoted, Bible-thumping crowd ran roughshod over D.C. Now, not so much."
• Christian-themed Park Will No Longer Be Getting a $140,000 Boost from Iowan Taxpayers
• Pagan Forbidden from Opening Temple in Beebe, Arkansas Because His God Isn't the Christian God
• UK: Taxpayers' cash should not be used to fund faith schools, say voters—"Labour wants talks on teaching of religion as poll shows 58% of the public urge abolition or axing of state funds."
• Australia: Father wins High Court challenge on federal funding of school chaplains program

Atheism

• Atheism explodes in Saudi Arabia, despite state-enforced ban Salon
• Convicted Heavy Metal 'Christian' Singer Admits Being Atheist, Duped Fans to Sell Music
• Bible Verses That Atheists Love—"We asked prominent atheists what parts of the Bible they find inspiring and beautiful."

Francis Effect

• Pope Francis Meeting With Israeli, Palestinian Leaders For Prayer
• Pope Francis Warns The Global Economy Is Near Collapse
• Pope tells super rich, bankers to find some ethics
• Pope Francis: Mafiosi are excommunicated from the church'—"Vatican spokesman Father Ciro Benedettini said the pope's stern words did not constitute a formal over-arching decree of canon (Church) law, regarding excommunication, which is a formal legal process."
• Pope doesn't see the point of having a bullet-proof car at his old age—Uhhhh... is this wise?

Intolerance of Religion

• Rape victims say Bob Jones University told them to repent—"Former students at 'the fortress of faith' who reported sexual abuse say they were told they had sinned."
• Obama Caricature Becomes Urinal Cake at Faith and Freedom Conference
• Religious right looks beyond gay marriage to next battles: 'We are in a war'
• More Mormons facing church scrutiny for online comments
• 10 most un-Christian church signs Salon

Sex Abuse Scandals

• St. Louis Archbishop Carlson claims to be uncertain if he knew sexual abuse was a crime
• Catholic church has 'sociopathic disregard for sex abuse victims'—"Victim of Marist brother speaks out at royal commission after church's counsel tries to discredit him over past drug use."
• Catholic Church: Our Priest Raped Off Duty, You Can't Sue Us
• Christian radio personality from Michigan arrested on sex assault charge involving children
• Jehovah's Witness elders were 'spiritually corrupt and morally bankrupt', court told—""Mark Sewell, 53, has denied 12 sex charges against girls and women across a 10-year period, at Merthyr Crown Court."

Rape

• 'Rape culture wins': Feminist freakout after Miss Nevada dares suggest self defense training for women—Miss Nevada is right.
• Angelina Jolie: Shame the rapist, not the victim Salon
• An OB/GYN's Open Letter To George Will About His Rape Column
• Major Newspaper Dumps George Will, Apologizes For 'Offensive' Rape Column
• George Will's Latest: College Rape Charges Fueled By 'Sea Of Hormones And Alcohol'
• Cleared Oxford Union president says rape accused should not be identified—"Oxford union president Ben Sullivan said identity of those accused should be withheld at least until police carry out a preliminary investigation."
• Long-forgotten rape evidence finally reveals its clues in Northern Virginia lab WaPo
• Congress poised to approve $41 million to help clear backlog of untested rape kits WaPo

Sexism

• Female Your Party member interrupted by sexist heckles—"A member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly said Thursday she was hurt by sexist remarks made by male politicians during a session the previous day in which she was ridiculed for being unmarried and lacking children."
• American Apparel boots CEO for being a pervert, stock surges
• Study: Judges with daughters are more likely to rule in favor of women WaPo
• Female prison inmates sterilized illegally, California audit confirms
• Facebook Lifts Ban on Exposed Nipples in Breastfeeding Pictures
• Hurricanes with Female Names Are Deadlier Than Masculine Ones

Culture Clash

• A Fight as U.S. Girls Face Genital Cutting Abroad—"Female genital cutting has been banned in the United States since 1996, and now it is also illegal to transport girls for 'vacation cutting.' But some are concerned that such cutting is on the rise." NYT
• Female genital mutilation exposed in Swedish class—"Some 60 cases of genital mutilation have been discovered in Norrköping in eastern Sweden since March with all 30 girls in one school class found to have undergone the procedure."
• Iranian child bride faces execution for killing the man she was forced to marry—"Iran's judiciary urged to halt Razieh Ebrahimi's execution as international law prohibits execution for crimes by juveniles."
• Pakistani woman: My relatives shot me, threw me in canal for marrying neighbor
• Pakistan: Man murders daughter for wearing makeup
• Pakistani woman raped, hanged
• Sexual assault on student sparks outrage in Egypt
• Tunisia: Man burns daughter to death in suspected honor killing
• YouTube refuses Egypt's request to remove footage of Tahrir Square sexual assault
• UK law banning forced marriage takes effect—"Those found guilty of the largely hidden practice face up to seven years in prison."

Abortion and Birth Control

• Republican: If a Woman Has Right to an Abortion, a Man Should Have Right to Force Himself on a Woman
• Kansas county twice rejects IUD grants, equating the devices to murder
• Louisiana governor signs into law new abortion restrictions
• Florida Gov. Scott Signs Late Term Abortion Bill
• GOP Governors Paying Big Bucks to Controversial Marriage Therapist to Defend New Abortion Laws
• Chris Christie Falsely Claims Democrats Barred Anti-Abortion Speakers From Conventions
• Michigan lawmakers push bill to repeal controversial abortion insurance law
• Utah's Catholic bishop: If you're pro-life, you're pro-Medicaid expansion
• Condom Use Drops Among US Teens—More fodder for MTV.
• Melinda Gates: 'Gates Foundation Has Decided Not to Fund Abortion'

Marriage Equality, Politics and Media, Homophobia, TG; Sex Abuse Scandal, Church and State, Religion; War on Women, Sexism, Abortion and Birth Control, Culture Clash, Rape

Marriage Equality

• South Dakota Couples Challenge Gay Marriage Ban
• North Dakota's same-sex marriage ban to be challenged WaPo
• GOP Congressman Comes Out In Favor Of Marriage Equality
• Gay Marriage Will Destroy the GOP—"If conservatives don't embrace the inevitable, they'll become irrelevant." Politico
• Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi: Gay Marriage Would Cause Harm
• Kan. Democrat who opposes same-sex marriage leaving party for GOP
• Mormon Family That Supported Prop 8 Discovers Their Son Is Gay

Politics and Media

• Obama Proclaims June LGBT Pride Month, Calls Out Congress For 'Injustice' Of Not Passing ENDA
• Anti-Gay Houston Official Threatens To Recall Mayor If Bill Prohibiting Discrimination Passes—Will he push through with it now that it has passed?
• Republican Gay Rights Groups Denied Booths At Texas GOP Convention
• Gay Republican congressional candidate's California office vandalized
• GOP Michigan Guv Backs LGBT Workplace Protections
• Out Gay Pennsylvania Republican Loses GOP Primary, But Will Remain On The Ballot As A Democrat
• Fighter Alex Reid: 'Sex with men doesn't make you gay or bisexual, just like a cigarette doesn't make you a smoker'
• Anderson Cooper on show host who called airing Sam kiss 'wrong'
• Robert De Niro opens up about gay father in 'Out': 'I wish we had spoken about it much more'
• Obamacare Is the Most Important Piece of Gay Rights Legislation Ever Passed

Homophobia

• Mistakenly believing one of them to be gay, two homophobes attack each other
• Couple says they were asked not to come back to East Texas restaurant because they are gay—"Here at Big Earl's we like for men to act like men and for ladies to act like ladies, so we want you to never return."
• Slovak parents fail to block adoption by gay couple
• Aiding Turkey's Gay Inmates—"Ankara's proposal to segregate gay, lesbian and transgender prisoners will do more harm than good." NYT

TG

• What Is This Child Doing in Prison?—"The transgender teenager needs treatment, not isolation." NYT
• Ban lifted on Medicare coverage for sex change surgery WaPo
• Parents make heartwarming tribute to 6-year-old transgender son
• Transgender tipping point: Laverne Cox on the cover of TIME

Sex Abuse Scandal

• Pope Francis to meet with sexual abuse victims
• UN Panel Slams Vatican on Priest Sex-Abuse Scandal
• Archbishop of Manila has been at forefront of sex-abuse scandal reforms
• Australia: Department defends claims sexual abuse commission funding redirected to insulation inquiry
• Protestant Church Faces New Sex-Abuse Scandal as Victims Defy Threats, Censorship to Speak Out

Church and State

• Virginia county board says no followers of 'pre-Christian deities' allowed to deliver prayers
• After Possible Church/State Violation, Mayor Allegedly Tells Atheist: "Take Me to Fucking Court because I Don't Care"
• Sudan to release woman facing death penalty for being Christian—"A Sudanese official says that Meriam Ibrahim will be released from prison. She was raised a Christian by her mother but a court ruled earlier this month that she is Muslim because that was her father's faith. She was sentenced to death by hanging for renouncing Islam."

Religion

• Investigators reveal alleged suicide note, suspect cites recent bible verse
• Evil cult beat woman to death at Chinese McDonalds
• Spies, Cash, and Fear: Inside Christian Money Guru Dave Ramsey's Social Media Witch Hunt—"When critics appeared online, employees say the evangelical financial whiz went ballistic, allegedly firing innocent employees and offering bounties for information."

War on Women

• Limbaugh: Hillary's 'Only And Greatest Achievement' Is 'Being Female'
• Why Jill Abramson's Firing Triggers Women's Worst Fears About Sexism
• National Review Writer: Liberals 'Brainwash' Women To Cry 'Rape'..

Sexism

• Scout Willis topless Instagram protest: Daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore rallies against female nudity policy
• Restaurant Responds to Review Requesting Servers 'Show Some Skin' In Clever Way
• Snapchat CEO 'mortified' by leaked e-mails—"In the e-mails, acquired by Gawker's Valleywag blog, Evan Spiegel encourages fellow Kappa Sigma members to get sorority women drunk enough to have sex, mocks another fraternity by suggesting its members are gay and refers to a different group of sorority members as 'sororisluts.'"

Abortion and Birth Control

• "There is so much shame": Emily Letts on why she filmed her abortion — and what happened next—"Emily Letts' abortion video became a viral sensation. Here's what she was thinking -- and the best reaction she got." Saon
• Commissioners reject KDHE grant—"Price said the long-term form of birth control, an intrauterine device, or IUD, which the grant would fund, was an abortion issue. 'I'm not very smart on this because I'm just a man. But I'm against it,' Price said. He said he was acting on the advice of two physicians." Emphasis mine.
• Things are about to go from bad to worse in Oklahoma: Governor signs off on Texas-style abortion restrictions—"An admitting privilege requirement threatens to leave one clinic to serve 3.8 million people." Salon
• Texas Ed Board Candidate Who Fathered Child at 16: Supports Ten Commandments, Opposes Sex Ed in Schools
• What If We Admitted to Children That Sex Is Primarily About Pleasure?
• Update on SC sex-ed law closer to passage
• Schools return 'suggestive' condoms
• School District To Allow Teachers To Give Condoms To Sixth-Grade Students

Culture Clash

• Pregnant Pakistani woman stoned to death by family—"I killed my daughter as she had insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regret over it." Jeebus.\
• Egyptian doctor to stand trial for female genital mutilation in landmark case—"Raslan Fadl, a doctor in a Nile delta village, is accused of killing 13-year-old schoolgirl Sohair al-Bata'a in a botched operation."
• Man killed wife for making vegetarian dinner: prosecutors—"Defense attorney Julie Clark admitted Hussain beat his wife — but argued that he is guilty of only manslaughter because he didn't intend to kill her. In Pakistan, Clark said, beating one's wife is customary."
• Iranian actress Leila Hatami faces public flogging—"Iranian court is asked to order the public flogging of award-winning actress Leila Hatami for greeting Cannes festival president with a kiss."

Rape

• Marital rape is officially legal in India—"A judge in India has officially confirmed that rape laws do not apply to married couples — once you’re legally wed, forced sex is no longer a crime."
• Young Widow to Be Caned After Gang Rape by Sharia Vigilantes—"A 25 yr. old Indonesian widow in Aceh will be caned under sharia law for having an affair. She was gang raped by sharia vigilantes."
• 2 dalit sisters gang-raped, bodies found hanging from tree
• Malaysian teenager gang-raped by 38 men

Bad Mother's Day, Law and Disorder, Mom, #BringBackOurGirls; Abortion and Birth Control, Rape; War on Women; Net Neutrality, FCC, Comcast-TWC Merger

Bad Mother's Day

• Police: Mom was having sex while kids died in hot car
• French mother who held child down as he was raped is handed 20 year prison sentence—"Sabrina Bonner held down her four-year-old son as he was attacked by his stepfather."
• Oviedo mom gets 54 years in prison for sexually abusing her children
• Mom Pleads Guilty To Burning Off 18-Year-Old Son's Penis, Nipples With Lighter
• Mom superglued injured son's genitals
• Trial begins for woman in pregnant friend's killing, theft of fetus—She's been found guilty.
• Court papers: Woman faked pregnancy, stole baby

Law and Disorder

• Pregnant Mom Caught On Video Driving Minivan Into Ocean With Her 3 Kids Inside
• Police: Maryland mom kills 2 of her children during attempted exorcism
• Woman arrested after son's body parts identified
• Mother gets 20 years for infant's death due to 'negligent breastfeeding'
• 7 Babies Found Dead in Utah Home; Woman Arrested

Mom

• Woman Accused Of Lying To Son About Cancer Faces Child Abuse Charge
• Mom exercising with son kicked out of LA Fitness gym
• Dear Prudence: The worst mothers-in-law, and why they have such a bad reputation.

#BringBackOurGirls

• 'I will sell them,' Boko Haram leader says of kidnapped Nigerian girls
• Hundreds of Nigerian Girls Are Missing. Fox News Blames Hillary Clinton.
• 'Dear world, your hashtags won't #BringBackOurGirls'—"Thanks for your concern but calling for America rather than Nigeria to take action does more harm than good, says Jumoke Balogun."
• Amnesty International claims Nigerian military knew Boko Haram was going to attack the school where 200 girls were abducted
• US Marines, Satellite locate missing girls in Sambisa forest #bringbackourgirls

Abortion and Birth Control

• Google removes "deceptive" pregnancy center ads—"NARAL Pro-Choice America has successfully campaigned for the removal of ads for "crisis pregnancy centers" that falsely advertised abortion services." WaPo
• Yahoo yanks anti-abortion ads for violating its policies—"After Google wiped several ads that discouraged women from having abortions because they violated the company's advertising policies, Yahoo now does the same."
• Mississippi May Become the First State Since Roe v. Wade to Be Without a Single Abortion Provider
• For Tennessee Lawmakers, Punishing Pregnant Women Is More Important Than Protecting Fetal Life
• Texas Is Permanently Shutting Abortion Clinics and the Supreme Court Can't Do Anything About It

Rape

• Dallas Rape Crisis Center Would Prefer That Judge Not Send Rapist to Volunteer There
• Afghan couple hack off nose, ears in revenge attack—"Afghan police have arrested the parents of a 14-year-old girl after they attacked a religious cleric and cut off his nose and ears in retaliation for what they say were a series of sexual attacks on their daughter."
• 15-year-old sexually molested in Highlands Regional Medical Center ICU

War on Women

• Limbaugh: Men can reinvent themselves, women can't: Column
• Michele Bachmann's Crazy War on Women's History—"She's on her way out of Washington, she's still championing lost causes so extreme her GOP colleagues won't even get on board."
• MSNBC Producer: Dems Hope GOP Reignites 'War on Women' by Grilling Hillary on Benghazi

Net Neutrality

• Why You Should Care About Net Neutrality—"It's not just about Network Neutrality. It's about power."
• Net Neutrality, Monopoly, and the Death of the Democratic Internet
• Huge coalition led by Amazon, Microsoft, and others take a stand against FCC on net neutrality'
• Sen. Franken spearheads a major campaign to save net neutrality
• Talk of an Internet Fast Lane Is Already Hurting Some Startups—"Some VCs say the FCC's latest net neutrality proposal will raise costs for startups that need fast connections or use a lot of bandwidth."
• U.S. 'net neutrality' plan faces heat from venture capitalists
• Losing Net Neutrality Is The Symptom, Not The Problem: Now Is The Time To Focus On Real Competition
• AT&T claims common carrier rules would ruin the whole Internet—"AT&T is just spouting "scary mumbo-jumbo," net neutrality proponent says."

FCC

• Why the FCC Is Ditching Net Neutrality—"Charts: The 'open internet' is no match for revolving doors and buckets of cash."
• The Solution to the F.C.C.'s Net-Neutrality Problems—"If F.C.C. Chairman Tom Wheeler sticks with his new net-neutrality plan, he could become infamous for killing the open Internet."
• Web host gives FCC a 28.8Kbps slow lane in net neutrality protest—"NeoCities finds FCC's internal IP block, throttles connections to dial-up speed." And you can do it too.
• F.C.C. Commissioner Asks for Delay on New Net Neutrality Rules—Wheeler isn't keen on that. NYT
• FCC chairman sounds like a broken record in response to tech coalition's net neutrality concerns
• The FCC can't handle all the net neutrality calls it's getting, urges people to write emails instead—Don't let up the pressure.

Comcast-TWC Merger

• House Republicans Say Comcast Merger Risks Undue Sway on Channels NYT;
• Sen. Franken: Comcast can't have it both ways
• Why Comcast's $10 a month Internet isn’t all it's cracked up to be WaPo
• Comcast is the one who should pay for network connections, Cogent claims—"Hearing on Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger brings up competition complaints."
• Why Starting A Competitor To Comcast Is Basically Impossible

Free Comic Book Day, ComiXology, Issues; DC, Marvel; Strips; Superhero Flicks; World Press Freedom Day; NSA Spying, Surveillance and Privacy, Tech Tracking

Free Comic Book Day

• All Sixty Free Comic Book Day 2014 Comics Reviewed
• The Future is a Storm Front—"Experimentation in mainstream comics and why science fiction can't predict the future."
• Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked

ComiXology

• Comixology removes in-app purchases to avoid paying fees to Apple
• Gerry Conway: The ComiXology Outrage
• Mark Waid: ComiXology, Amazon, Saturday
• How Amazon and Comixology betrayed comic book readers
• ComiXology, in-app purchasing and how quickly things turn

Issues

• Let's talk about how some men talk to women in comics
• Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel and Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel: Female, nonwhite superheroes in action
• Washington Times frets about Muslim, 'eerie' gay superheroes
• The Incoherent Backlashes to Black Actors Playing 'White' Superheroes—Also: Fear Of A Black Human Torch
• Why do 'good guy' superheroes get a bad rap?

DC

• Arrow Has Given DC Comics the Best On-Screen Superhero Franchise
• Man of Steel isn’t about Superman, And It Never Was
• Why DC should absolutely not create a shared TV-to-movie universe
• Caped couture: Dress like a DC Comics superhero

Marvel

• Marvel's Agents of SHIELD's Ratings Might Not Matter After All
• 'Deadpool' #27 sets Guinness record you didn't know existed
• Peter Parker's Greatest Moments as Spider-Man—Welcome back Petey.

Strips

• 'Calvin and Hobbes' Creator Bill Watterson Debuts First Cartoon in Almost 20 Years
• Garfield without Garfield's thought-bubbles
• Cartoonist Patrick McDonnell Explains The Inspiring Message Behind Every 'Mutts' Comic Strip

Superhero Flicks

• Underrated: Unbreakable—"It was with some risk that M. Night Shyamalan made Unbreakable, which was a superhero movie that took superheroes and comic books seriously, back when such an idea was considered ludicrous."
• An unsung hero: How Blade helped save the comic-book movie
• X-Men: 25 moments
• Brain Splatter: If Now Were Then...X-Men, 1984
• 'Black Widow' Solo Movie Development Confirmed By Marvel Studios
• Karl Urban Urges Fans To Sign Petition For DREDD Sequel —Get 'er done.

World Press Freedom Day

• World Press Freedom Day 2014: 10 Astounding Facts to Know
• Press Freedom at the Lowest Level in a Decade
• Journalists appeal to German government on World Press Freedom Day
• UK slips down global press freedom list due to Snowden leaks response
• Irony-laden World Press Freedom Day for Al Jazeera detainees
• Peter Greste jail ordeal a triumph of the human spirit
• FAA 'Looking Into' Arkansas Tornado Drone Journalism, Raising First Amendment Questions

Surveillance and Privacy

• Edward Snowden: NSA Spies More on Americans Than Russians—"We watch our own people more closely than anyone else in the world."
• Snowden: Why hasn't the Director of National Intelligence been punished for lying to Congress? WaPo
• Germany blocks Edward Snowden from testifying in person in NSA inquiry—"Officials say a personal invitation for US whistleblower to attend hearing would put 'grave strain' on US-German relations."
• Merkel Signals That Tension Persists Over U.S. Spying—"At a White House meeting meant to mend fences, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said it was too soon to return to 'business as usual' with the United States following disclosures that the N.S.A had eavesdropped on her phone calls." NYT
• The US Surveillance Court Hasn't Turned Down an NSA Request This Decade
• CISPA Take 3: Feinstein & Chambliss Draft Another Cybersecurity Bill, Designed To Wipe Out Your Privacy
• British Spy Chiefs Secretly Begged to Play in NSA's Data Pools
• Born in the NSA: These former spies are starting companies of their own
• Apple, Facebook and Google will tell you when the government wants your data
• NSA Throwdown: John Oliver v. 60 Minutes

Tech Tracking

• Google stung by Canada's privacy commissioner for ads linked to personal health history
• Google ends "creepy" practice of scanning Gmail education apps
• Yahoo is the latest company ignoring Web users' requests for privacy—"'Do Not Track' has largely been a failure."
• Facebook grows up, moves to protect user privacy and stabilize code
• How Facebook Predicts Who You Know, Using Old Yahoo Code

Marriage Equality, Cases; Schools; Latta, Intolerance, LGBT; War on Women, Abortion and Birth Control; Religion, Think of the Children

Marriage Equality

• Republican Activists Push Party On Gay Marriage
• Illinois GOP Replaces Officials Who Opposed Chairman On Gay Marriage
• Nauseating political cynicism led to inspiring gay marriage triumph—"A new book details how Obama's evolution on marriage equality was orchestrated. It's sickening -- but encouraging." Salon
• Idaho Won't Allow Lesbian Veteran To Be Buried With Her Wife
• Stop twisting the Bible: There is no message against same-sex marriage—"Moses and Paul are being misinterpreted: They were against gang rape and pederasty, not loving relationships." Salon
• Blast from the Past: Wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin Body-Slams Marriage Equality Critics

Cases

• Judge: Indiana Must Recognize Gay Couple's Marriage
• 10th Circuit arguments on gay marriage ban focus on family, fairness
• Ted Olson: Va. gay marriage ban 'flatly unconstitutional'
• Prop 8 lawyer's views on gay marriage evolving
• Italian Court Recognizes Gay Marriage for First Time
• Malta: Same sex unions approved - Celebrations in Valletta - Opposition abstains because of adoptions

Schools

• College basketball player comes out as gay
• Best Protest Ever: Students Walk Out During Anti-Gay Lecture, Leaving Room All but Empty
• Law society rejects school over gay policy—"Ontario's law society has refused to accredit a new law school at a faith-based university over a policy prohibiting same-sex intimacy that some say is discriminatory."
• Publicly funded school with anti-gay policy spurs Alberta review—"Alberta's education minister faced questions today about why tax dollars are going to a school with anti-gay policies."
• Religious Oregon teens wear 'Gay Is Not OK' shirts to school to protest lack of 'straight day'
• Washington school district will hire gay administrator forced out of Catholic school
• Trans teacher reinstated by school board following parent complaints

Latta

• Mayor Who Fired Lesbian Police Chief Caught On Tape In Homophobic Tirade—"I would much rather have.. and I will say this to anybody's face… somebody who drank and drank too much taking care of my child than I had somebody whose lifestyle is questionable around children."
• Latta council fights for chief's job—"Mayor refuses to discuss police leader's dismissal before a packed meeting."
• South Carolina town rallies 'round fired gay police chief

Intolerance

• Tea Party Activist: 'Gay Supremacy Is Becoming A Monster That Carries Greater Evils Than White Supremacy Ever Did'
• Boy Scouts of America Shuts Down Seattle Troop Over Gay Scoutmaster
• Man gets 2 1/2 years for beating disabled brother to 'push the gay out'
• Brunei's new law permits stoning gay people to death
• Mistrust and Hate: The Frightening New Lives of Homosexuals in Uganda
• Serial Killer Arrested For Killing Gay Men In Pakistan
• For young women in China, slash fanfiction is a dangerous hobby

LGBT

• A frat boy's "gay experience"—"I always considered myself straight. What happened with Tom left me questioning everything about my sexuality." Salon
• Artist Creates Unique Portrait of Tom Daley to Combat Hate
• It's Not Just Frozen: Most Disney Movies Are Pro-Gay—"By preaching acceptance and questioning gender, the company's kids films offer a queer-studies crash course."
• Gun Barrel City mayor promises end to police surveillance of gay bar Garlow's
• Chelsea Manning: A Statement on My Legal Name Change

War on Women

• Chelsea Clinton's pregnancy gives birth to new conspiracies—"The news that Hillary Clinton is to become a grandmother has prompted questions about her ability to run for presidency. It's breathtaking sexism."
• Mitch McConnell Says He Stood Up for Women in a Senate Sexual-Harassment Scandal. The Real Story Is Damning.—"McConnell claims he led a 1995 investigation against a GOP senator accused of sexual misconduct. Actually, he took steps to keep it quiet."
• Prominent Republican: Women Need To Be Paid Less So They Can Find Husbands
• GOP Lawmaker Says Women Don't Deserve Equal Pay Because They're Lazier
• GOP Candidate: I'm Not Waging A War On Women Because I'm A Woman

Abortion and Birth Control

• North Dakota abortion ban ruled unconstitutional
• Lawsuit: Texas Hospital Caved to Anti-Abortion Activists' Demands
• Virginia GOPer: Incest exceptions in abortion restrictions unnecessary because sometimes incest is "voluntary"—"Asked to defend the remark, the delegate said, 'I don't care. ... if I say something in public, I say it in public.'" Salon
• South Carolina Bill Wants to Apply 'Stand Your Ground' Law to Fetuses
• Tennessee legislature passes bill to criminalize pregnancy: Women who have stillbirths after using illegal drugs may be charged
• The secret anti-abortion law that's sweeping America—"Pro-lifers can't reverse Roe v Wade. So they're shutting down clinics with red tape and a smile. Don't believe the lie."
• Nearly one-third of morning-after pills in Peru are fake

Religion

• Popes John Paul II and John XXIII made saints in double canonisation
• Pope Francis 'told divorced and remarried woman there is nothing wrong with her taking Communion', Italian newspaper says
• Britain in post-Christian era, says former archbishop of Canterbury—"Lord Williams says time of habitual worship is over and further decline of widespread faith likely in UK."
• "A Masturbation Lawsuit Is Rattling Christian Homeschoolers—"The sexual abuse lawsuit against 'Biblical Patriarchy' leader Doug Phillips is dividing Christian homeschoolers."
• Army approves 'humanist' as religious preference
• Court upholds ban on religious services in NYC public schools
• Shakespeare and atheism: What his works tell us about the playwright's religious views

Think of the Children

• Pope Francis asks forgiveness for child abuse by clergy
• Couple accused in death of daughter, 12, seek to exclude mention of faith healing
• 'Baptism is a crime against children': ECHR
• 'Muslim morality squads' accused of confiscating students' Easter eggs in U.K.
• SC Republican wants to end public schools: Nothing 'in the Bible about state education'
• W. Va. School Removes Bible Verse after Complaint
• US school's Bible class: Sinners will suffer

Marriage Equality, Christianists, Mozilla, Same-Sex Spouses; Politics, Educamation, LGBT; Religion, Creationism; Abortion and Birth Control, Rape, Culture Clash; Sexism, Equal Pay, Gender Identity

Marriage Equality

• Supreme Court declines free speech, gay marriage case—"The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider whether a New Mexico photography company had free speech grounds to refuse to shoot the commitment ceremony of a same-sex couple."
• Ohio will have to recognize gay marriages, judge says
• Michigan lesbian who gave post-wedding TV interview is attacked
• Legal fight over dead gay man's estate: his mom, 75, vs. his husband
• Lesbians' baby baptized by Catholic Church in Argentina
• Alabama House approves call to put same-sex marriage ban in U.S. Constitution
• Oregon GOP governor candidate links gay marriage and murder, suggests return to mid-century lawbooks

Christianists

• Welby: backing gay marriage could be 'catastrophic' for Christians
• "Anti-Christian religious bigotry" is apparently what conservatives are now calling LGBTQ rights—"NOM president Brian Brown is seeing a rise in 'anti-Christian' bigotry, which is just a rise in LGBTQ rights." Uh, take that log out of your eyes. Salon
• Head of Anglican church: We must discriminate against gays lest someone think we're gay and bash us

Mozilla

• Brendan Eich resigns as Mozilla Corporation CEO—Can't see how someone who advocates discrimination could have stayed in a company that "believes both in equality and freedom of speech." How would he have treated employees in same-sex marriages?
• After Eich resigns, conservatives slam Mozilla—and call for boycott—Turnabout is fair play?
• No, Andrew Sullivan, Calling Out Bigotry is Not 'Intolerance'
• OkCupid's CEO Donated to an Anti-Gay Campaign Once, Too —What's the diff?
• Just a Reminder: The Campaign for Prop 8 Was Unprecedentedly Cruel

Same-Sex Spouses

• Obama Administration Opens Medicare To Same-Sex Married Couples
• Same-Sex Spouses Can Amend Past Tax Returns for a Bigger Refund
• Same-sex retirement benefits retroactive to June 2013, IRS rules

Politics

• Fox News Hails Doctor Who Said Gay Rights Lead to Child Molestation—"Meet the right's new anti-Obamacare hero."
• LGBT housing non-discrimination bill killed by Louisiana lawmakers
• Mississippi Passes Watered-Down Version Of Arizona's Anti-Gay Bill
• Russian Court Declares Ban on LGBT Rights Protests Illegal
• Gay conversion therapy should have no place in NHS, says health minister
• Beware the Gay Mafia—"Why are conservatives afraid of LGBTQ activists?"

Educamation

• Nun Reportedly Tells Catholic School Kids That Masturbation Makes Guys Gay
• Mississippi's Sex-Ed Classes Teach Kids That Homosexuality Is Illegal, Even Though It Isn't
• South Carolina Senator Convinces University To Cancel Play, Says It Was 'Recruiting' Lesbians
• Transgender substitute teacher upsets Lumberton ISD parents
• Parent Requests Gay Book Pulled from Fauquier High School's Library

LGBT

• 'Gay of Thrones' Is Also Back, With a Vengeance
• Gay male seeks straight guy—"A new study sheds light on the allure of same-sex encounters with heterosexual men." Salon
• Match.Com Will No Longer Make Bi Users Pay For Two Separate Profiles

Religion

• How the Internet Is Taking Away America's Religion—"Using the Internet can destroy your faith. That's the conclusion of a study showing that the dramatic drop in religious affiliation in the U.S. since 1990 is closely mirrored by the increase in Internet use."
• How evangelicals won a culture war and lost a generation
• Congressman Who Campaigned on "Faith, Family, and Hard Work" Caught Kissing Staffer on Tape—Hypocrite.
• Megachurch pastor resigns, citing 'moral failing'
• New Policy in Italy: Catholic Bishops Are Not Obligated to Report Child Sexual Abuse
• Judge slams church over paedophile priest secrets—"A priest who allegedly witnessed predatory pedophile Gerald Ridsdale raping a young girl 40 years ago has been slammed by a judge, but the clergyman’s identity has been withheld from the public."
• Saudi Arabia Doubles Down on Atheism; New Laws Declares It Equivalent to Terrorism
• 'Islamic takeover plot' in Birmingham schools investigated
• France's Le Pen: ban non-pork meals in schools—"Leader of France's far-Right party says schools should not pander to Jewish and Muslim children by offering non-Pork alternatives for lunch."
• Book critical of Scientology, banned from America for 27 years, now goes on sale in US
• Who's Behind Newsweek?—"Pastor David Jang hopes that media companies will 'rain down blessings' on his Christian sect."

Creationism

• Two Christian SC Senators Block Third Grader's State Fossil Proposal Because Jesus —One of them wants to give God credit.
• This GOP House Candidate Is Running for Office So His Daughter Won't Have to Learn About Evolution
• PBS vs. Creationists: A Fight Over Our Fishy Ancestors—"A PBS series aims to show how humans evolved from creatures of the deep. But creationists have denounced it as an attempt to 'package unconditional blind faith in evolution as scientific literacy in an effort to create interest in science.'"
• Lawrence Krauss: I Have No Idea How I Ended Up in That Stupid Geocentrism Documentary
• "Star Trek" actress denounces creationist movie she narrated—"Kate Mulgrew distances herself from geocentrism documentary, and creator's ultra-conservative, anti-Semitic views." Oh Janeway. Salon

Abortion and Birth Control

• The Return Of The Back-Alley Abortion
• Court Keeps New Arizona Abortion Rules On Hold
• Why Antonin Scalia's 'Abortifacient' Confusion is Dangerous—Ignorantly believes contraception induces abortion.
• Murder charges dismissed against Mississippi woman on trial for giving birth to a stillborn—"The murder charge against Rennie Gibbs has been dismissed, but the state plans to re-present the case." Salon
• Wait, Did An Oklahoma Hospital Try to Ban Birth Control Prescriptions For An Entire Town?
• Is '16 And Pregnant' An Effective Form Of Birth Control?—"A study released Monday suggests that the MTV show 16 and Pregnant has contributed to a decline in the nation's teen birthrate. The researchers looked at teen births, Nielsen ratings, Google searches and tweets, and attribute one-third of the decline to the TV show."
• Sengalese girl, 10, raped, now pregnant, denied abortion—"Authorities have ruled she must carry to term. Senegal gives a 10-year sentence to a woman guilty of having an abortion."
• Philippines Supreme Court declares reproductive health law constitutional—"The Court however strikes down some provisions."

Rape

• Dear Harvard: You Win—Anonymous victim laments university's lack of action, but it looks like the school now is responding to the allegation.
• 3 get death sentence in India gang rapes
• This Guy Is Using 'Good Looks' as a Rape Defense—"This guy is using 'good looks' as a rape defense."

Culture Clash

• Afghan girl married at six to cover her father's debt
• Iraq ready to legalise childhood marriage—"Children under nine years old could be legally married and wives forced to comply with sexual demands under newly tabled legislation described by critics as a setback for women's rights."
• Islamophobia in action? 'Honor Diaries' screening shut down by CAIR
• The Pink Gang in India: Victims No More—In other news, the Gulabi Gang gets shut down by Komen for choosing pink. (Not really... but stranger things have happened.)

Sexism

• Staffer Who Was Caught Kissing Vance McAllister Resigns, While Congressman Keeps His Job
• Conservative Pundit Wonders Why Women Voters 'Are So Easily Fooled And Manipulated'
• 'Dirty Old Man' Judge Wants To Tell Women Lawyers What To Wear
• Princeton Mom Is Everything That's Wrong With Everything
• Thousands protest in support of breastfeeding 'tramp'

Equal Pay

• Hillary Clinton: For women, 'Double standard is alive and well'
• Republican Slams Dems' Equal Pay Push As 'Condescending' To Women
• Senate Republicans Block Bill on Equal Pay—"A Democratic-sponsored bill meant to close the pay gap between men and women failed in the Senate, framing an election-year fight over whose policies are friendlier to female voters." NYT
• Republicans kiss votes from women goodbye WaPo
• Mikulski Tears Into Stereotype That Women Are 'Too Emotional'
• Obama Actions Test Workplace Ideas—"Obama will sign an executive order Tuesday barring federal contractors from retaliating against employees who discuss their pay with each other." Check out GlassDoor.

Gender Identity

• The Problem With Your Problem With Pink
• Girl and boy toys: Childhood preferences for gendered toys are not innate
• I will let my son play with Barbies

Marriage Equality, Religion, Intolerance, LGBT; Culture Clash, Abortion and Birth Control, Sexism, Rape; Fog of War, World Protests

Marriage Equality

• Obamacare Insurance Must Now Cover Gay Spouses, Too
• Court: Tenn. must recognize 3 same-sex marriages
• Judge: Married Women Can't Divorce In Alabama
• Gay military widow not getting death benefits
• Homosexuality and racism: Why gay marriage and interracial marriage are different.—A differing point of view.

Religion

• Right-Wing Pastor Worried That Satan Is Using 'Frozen' To Turn Kids Gay
• KY churches withhold $7 million from children's home to force anti-gay policies
• Methodists drop church charges against minister who conducted gay wedding

Intolerance

• The Miserable End Of The Miserable Fred Phelps
• S.C. legislature keeps colleges' budget penalty for gay-themed books
• Florida man charged with hate crime in attack on teen he thought was gay

LGBT

• Heineken and Sam Adams boycott St. Patrick's Day parades—"Two of the country's biggest beer companies are withdrawing their sponsorships of upcoming St. Patrick's Day parades because gay and lesbian groups aren't allowed to march openly."
• Gays in Lebanon Just Snagged a Major Victory
• Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia top list of gay-porn watching states

Culture Clash

• Lebanon protesters march over domestic violence bill
• Women protest against proposed Iraq law that would allow marriage of nine-year-old girls
• Sudan court convicts gang-raped teenager of 'indecent acts'—She was originally faced death by stoning.

Abortion and Birth Control

• Federal judge strikes down Arkansas early abortion ban
• As Abortion Clinics Close, Student Creates Travel Fund
• Spain: Thousands protest against tougher abortion laws

Sexism

• Professor dies of lung cancer after doctors dismiss illness as 'purely psychological'—"I can't prove it, and this is just my opinion, but I have no doubt in my own mind that my misdiagnosis was in large part due to the fact that I was a middle aged female and that my male doctors were preconceived towards a psychological rather than a physiological diagnosis."
• Watch Lena Dunham in "SNL's" hilarious "Girls" parody—"Before there were "Girls," there was "Girl" -- the story of Adam and Eve." Salon
• Beyonce, Victoria Beckham front campaign to ban the word 'Bossy' for female empowerment

Rape

• Chinese woman chops off alleged rapist's penis and beats him to death with a hammer
• Mom has two babies by age 13, sues state for millions—"According to legal documents, she was repeatedly raped by her mother's boyfriend starting at the age of 9."
• 100 serial rapists identified after rape kits from Detroit Crime Lab are finally processed

Fog of War

• Foes of America in Russia Crave Rupture in Ties—"I am afraid that I am interested in a cold war with the West," said Mr. Prokhanov, 76, in a lull between interviews on state-controlled television and radio. "I was very patient. I waited for 20 years. I did everything I could so that this war would begin. I worked day and night." NYT
• Ukraine crisis: Crimea votes in referendum that divides Russia, U.S.
• Vladimir Putin's phony war in Crimea: The Russian president's invasion of Ukraine is based on his paranoia
• Crimea has Russian oligarchs panicked—"Russian bankers and industrialists close to Vladimir Putin fear Western sanctions." Salon
• Russian companies withdraw billions from west, say Moscow bankers FT

World Protests

• Moscow rally opposes Crimea intervention
• Australia: Tens of thousands gather for March in March protest
• Canada: March against police brutality declared illegal, broken up
• Venezuela's Maduro gives ultimatum to Caracas protesters
• Algeria Activists Stage Rare Anti-Gov't Protest