(Editor's note: President Barack Obama issued a memorandum on April 15, 2010 that protects the rights of LGBT Americans to hospital visitations with their loved ones. HERE is the final regulations issued by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.)

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — A Lee’s Summit man is fighting a restraining order that he says was issued against him after he says he was arrested for refusing to leave the bedside of his sick partner.

PARIS – France’s Senate today took a huge step toward approving marriage equality in the first of a series of votes on the proposed law.

After more than 10 hours of debate, the Senate voted 179-157 on Section 1 of the bill, which will remove all gender references on marriage applications.
The upper chamber did not change the language of the bill, which was approved 329-229 by the National Assembly on Feb. 12 with 10 deputies abstaining.

PHOENIX — Matt R. Salmon, the gay son of U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), says it’s hard for him to understand why people “jump to the conclusion” that his father is anti-gay.

“Yeah, he doesn’t support gay marriage, but that doesn’t make him a bigot at all,” the younger Salmon told KPNX-TV in Phoenix.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A Republican leader in the Illinois House said Monday that his support for legalizing gay marriage in the state could persuade colleagues to join him on an issue he says has “tremendous momentum,” while the Governor told reporters he’s confident same-sex marriage will soon become law in Illinois.

Rep. Ed Sullivan Jr. of Mundelein said his position is influenced by his mother-in-law, who has been in a lesbian relationship for about 20 years.