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A federal judge will hear a high-profile discrimination lawsuit brought by a former Atlanta fire chief who claims he was fired for his religious beliefs after publishing a book critical of homosexuality. City officials had sought the dismissal of the lawsuit, filed by Kelvin Cochran in a case that has been closely followed by conservative groups advocating religious freedom. U.S. District Judge Leigh May said in a ruling issued on Wednesday that Cochran's claims of religious discrimination are plausible and refused to dismiss the case. In a 2013 self-published book, "Who Told You That You Were Naked?," Cochran called homosexuality "vulgar" and "the opposite of purity." Cochran distributed about 20 copies of the book at work, and the city fired him early this year after employees complained to city council members, city attorney Robert N. Godfrey said. The book "runs completely afoul" of city anti-discrimination policies, Godfrey said at a court hearing in October. Cochran sued the city to regain his job, claiming violation of his First Amendments rights of free speech and religion. "We look forward to proceeding with this case because of the injustice against Chief Cochran, one of the most accomplished fire chiefs in the nation, but also because the city’s actions place every city employee in jeopardy who may hold to a belief that city officials don’t like,” Kevin Theriot, Cochran's attorney, said in a statement. Theriot works for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a non-profit Christian advocacy group that says on its website the U.S. legal system has "been steadily moving against religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and marriage and family." A city of Atlanta spokeswoman said the lawsuit was not about religious beliefs or the First Amendment. "Rather, it is an employment matter involving an executive in charge of 1,129 firefighters and tasked to lead by example," said spokeswoman Anne Torres. "Instead of leadership, the former executive failed to follow his employer’s rules for outside employment."

Greece late on Tuesday enacted a human-rights' bill which allows civil partnership agreements between same-sex couples despite protests and opposition from political parties and the powerful Orthodox Church.

Cincinnati, Ohio has long had the reputation of being one of the most conservative cities in the nation. There's even a running joke that if the world were to end, it would happen twenty years later in Cincinnati. But banning homosexual "conversion therapy" is not one of the ways in which it is lagging behind the rest of the country.

When most people consider the controversy surrounding same-sex marriage, the name Kim Davis usually comes up somewhere in the conversation. Even more recently, presidential contender Mike Huckabee's name also comes up because of his decision to stand with Kim Davis, and the lawsuit with which he's been slapped by Rude Music for playing the song "Eye of the Tiger" when Kim Davis was released from a Kentucky jail. But the controversy connected to same-sex marriage is not as simple as how the mainstream media is spinning it.

Controversy is a powerful marketing, promotions and publicity tool. This weekend will be a heavy weekend of shopping for Thanksgiving meals, followed by next week's black Friday shopping frenzy. Just as many 2016 presidential hopefuls are using the hot-button issue of traditional marriage verses same-sex marriage in their campaigns, there are a few retailers that apparently feel that following the example of Washington politicians will give them a bigger bang for their advertising dollar.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that custodial rights to children of same-sex couples in a union before gay marriage was legalized in the United States can be granted

Former Utah Democratic state lawmaker Jackie Biskupski will become Salt Lake City's first openly gay mayor after ousting a two-term incumbent in this month's vote, final election results showed on Tuesday.

Richard Dowling and Cormac Gollogly have been together for 12 years, engaged for five, and on Tuesday were finally able to marry when they became the first gay couple to wed in Ireland following a landmark referendum.

A large, private Christian university in Arizona has decided to extend full spousal benefits to the married partners of its gay and lesbian employees despite continued adherence to religious principles reserving marriage solely for heterosexual couples.

Sweden may prove to be too liberal for most people's tastes in the West, as the Gate Stone Institute reports that the government will soon legalize gender reassignment surgery or GRS, for minors, and will not require parental consent to boot.

One Million Moms, a conservative activist group, has called for a boycott of the popular American Girl doll company after the business featured a family with same-sex parents in their recently-released magazine.

The Mormon Church has deemed married same-sex couples to be apostates of the faith and their children ineligible for baptism in a reaffirmation of opposition to gay marriage months after endorsing fair housing and employment on the basis of sexual orientation.

Kentucky Governor-elect Matt Bevin said on Friday that when he takes office in December he will order changes to the state marriage license form to appease clerks who have objected to issuing licenses to same-sex couples.

Two Tokyo districts issued Japan's first certificates officially recognizing same-sex partnerships on Thursday, a major step forward for gay couples in a nation where being openly gay remains largely taboo.

Prominent evangelist Franklin Graham has praised the city of Houston after a controversial "Equal Rights Ordinance" critics said would have allowed men to use women's restrooms if enacted was defeated at the ballot box.

Temples and synagogues affiliated with the nation's largest Jewish movement could adopt gender-neutral bathrooms and their rabbis would be encouraged to give sermons on transgender topics, under a groundbreaking resolution expected to pass at a conference of Reform Jews on Thursday.

Voters in Houston, the fourth most populous U.S. city, rejected a measure that have would banned discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, protections not guaranteed under Texas law.

The U.S. government on Monday found that a Chicago suburban high school district discriminated against a transgender student and gave the school a month to provide full access to girls' locker rooms or lose federal funding.

Ben Carson, frontrunner in the struggle to become Republican presidential candidate, said on Wednesday that his support for gay rights initiatives when he was a director at major companies does not clash with his opposition to gay marriage.

A bill to give legal recognition and protection to same-sex couples was presented to parliament on Wednesday, a significant milestone on Italy's tortuous path to legalizing civil unions.

A Christian baker who refused to make a cake supporting gay marriage has asked Colorado's highest court to take his case and rule that the government cannot force him to communicate a message with which he fundamentally disagrees.

Roman Catholic bishops debating family issues at a three-week gathering remain deeply divided on key issues such as how to minister to homosexuals and divorced couples.

Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky, has said that Christians should not attend a same-sex wedding, even of their own child, because doing so demonstrates "moral approval" for such unions.

A new report from the U.S. government calls for an end to the discredited practice known as conversion therapy for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youths.

Sweet Cakes Bakery owners, Aaron and Melissa Klein are being ordered to pay $135,000 as a result of the judgment against them for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple on the grounds of religious conscience. There is a steadily rising agenda of persecution against those who would stand for God and righteousness as Scripture defines it.