On Tuesday, a federal appeals court panel ruled that Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage which passed into law in 2008, was unconstitutional. This is the first time an appellate court has said there is any kind of constitutional right to marry. But this ruling is still being considered "cautious" by legal experts: Proposition 8 supporters can appeal to the entire 9th circuit, or ask the Supreme Court to take up their case.

Despite having a higher rate of acceptance in American society and greater media presence than ever before, being gay or transgendered is still difficult, especially for those living in non-metropolitan areas. Approximately 20 to 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBT, experiencing a higher rate of suicide than heterosexuals. But sometimes discrimination and pressure to conform comes just as much from inside the gay community as it does from the outside.

Misogynistic and homophobic lyrics are part and parcel of mainstream rap music's hyper-masculine culture. But over the last year, as part of a larger conversation about homophobia and bullying, more and more stars have spoken out against the community's anti-gay attitudes. 

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the discriminatory 1993 law that allowed gays and lesbians to serve in the military so long as they kept their sexual orientation a secret is history. After months of preparation by the Pentagon, DADT was officially repealed on Tuesday at midnight. President Obama signed the repeal in December 2010. The Pentagon said that 97 percent of the military has undergone training for accepting the law. The military has been accepting applications from openly gay people for weeks, and investigations into the sexual orientations of current military personal have been halted.

This weekend, gay couples in the state of New York will begin legally tying the knot. While most gay rights supporters have been vocally celebrating this milestone, there are others who don’t see legal same-sex marriage as a triumph. 

In 2002, a Harvard University sophomore found evidence in the university's archives of a court that sough out and punished gay students. This scandal is the backdrop for "Unnatural Acts," a new play at the Classic Stage Company in New York. 

In the upcoming edition of The New York Times Sunday Magazine advice columnist Dan Savage has some words of wisdom for married couples, gay or straight. Savage, the sex-advice columnist best known for his "It Gets Better" project to help gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender teens deal with the cruelties of fellow high school students, says that married couples should not put so much stock in fidelity and monogamy, and should focus instead on honesty.

Tom MacMaster, a 40-year-old American man living in Scotland admitted that he was behind the "Gay Girl in Damascus" blog, which, for the past six years provided thousands of persecuted gay people with hope – particularly in the Middle East. The blog was supposedly written by a woman Amina Arraf, who, according to the blog, was kidnapped last week. In response, the international media went on high alert. But within days, it became clear that Amina Arraf, was in fact, not a lesbian, not Syrian, and not even a woman. How did MacMaster manage to dupe so many?

Since 1996, Gallup has been polling Americans about gay marriage. In the past, the majority of their respondents were opposed to it being legally recognized. But last month, for the first time, the majority of respondents said they were in favor of gay marriage being legalized. Why are Americans changing their minds?

This spring, we’re having discussions some of America’s most fascinating elder statesmen: older Americans who are long past retirement age, but who are nonetheless still working to change how we live and work in this country. We’re calling this series “In My Experience.” Today, our guest is screenwriter, novelist, essayist, playwright, and gay rights activist, Larry Kramer. The Broadway revival of his 1985 critically acclaimed play “The Normal Heart,” opened this week.

In 2004, Gene Robinson became the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, and a firestorm of controversy broke out in parts of the worldwide Anglican Communion. A little more than six years later, in late 2010, he announced that he’d be retiring.

Both Republicans and Democrats are keeping a close eye on Colorado's congressional races. As election day nears, the two Senate candidates, Republican Ken Buck and incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet, are polling dead even. The race is one of the closest in the country.

What tendencies are we born with? What is a choice? And does it make you feel better or worse to know that certain things – ranging from weight to our intelligence — are one or the other?

Think, for example of sexual orientation. A lot of people have a lot invested in whether we’re born gay or whether it’s a choice. Is it one or the other? Does it even matter?

On Tuesday, we spoke to writer and advice columnist Dan Savage about his message to young gay people: Hold on, it gets better. We got a call from one gay listener who thinks that message just isn't enough. "Stephen," (not his real name) says that in order to address the recent spate of suicides among gay teens, teachers and other adults should work on making life better for teenagers right now.

I know it will be highly controversial for your listeners to learn I am not out at work. One reason is I am principally a therapist and I subscribe to the theory that it is best to allow my clients their unfettered ideas about who I am. My role as a therapist is extremely important in my setting. I serve in the first-responder role in many cases, and in so doing literally help save lives. In addition, to be brutally honest, the damage that is done to us by the closet indeed follows us through our lives. Perhaps this damage is at play, even in some unconscious way, in my decision to prioritize my identity issues at my job.

Dan Savage's message is simple: It Gets Better. The message is to teens coming to grips with sexuality issues and his video project is a call for gay adults around the world to tell their stories. The project and YouTube channel comes as a spate of anti-gay harassment has been making headlines, especially the death of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi, who jumped off a bridge in New York last month after his roommate outed him on the internet.

Just days earlier, Billy Lucas, 15, of Greensburg, Ind. hanged himself after being taunted by classmates for being gay. Before that, Justin Aaberg, 15, of Andover, Minn. met the same fate.

A few weeks ago, Dan Savage started a video project where gays around the country tell gay kids that life gets better when you get older. We'll talk to Dan tomorrow, but we're looking for your stories now. What would you tell kids — gay or straight — gets better when you're an adult? What did you struggle with that you'd like to tell kids will be okay?

The apparent suicide of a Rutgers University freshman after his roommate surreptitiously broadcast him engaging in a sex act on the internet has drawn national attention and left many questions unanswered. What is known is that 18-year-old Tyler Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge three days after his roommate, Dharun Ravi, and Molly Wei, another student, used a webcam to stream an encounter between Clementi and an unidentified male student.

This week, the NAACP’s president, Benjamin Jealous, did something previously unheard of for the organization: He encouraged members of New York’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center to work with him and specifically, to attend the NAACP march for jobs and justice in Washington next month. 

To people in Miami, Charles Perez is a familiar face. He used to be a television news anchor, and he’s currently writing a book called “Confessions of a Gay Anchorman.”

But behind Charles’s familiar face and authoritative television presence is a journey to parenthood that has been incredibly difficult, at times. Charles and his husband wanted to adopt a child. But in the state of Florida, it’s still against the law for gay and lesbian people to adopt. In order to adopt, they temporarily moved to Illinois, and then later to Kansas, where they were eventually able to adopt their daughter.