Toby Ray Lasure, 33, the man accused of killing ex-boyfriend Christopher Tolliver, 31, in the parking lot of the Lexington Green Shopping Center last year was ruled competent to stand trial by Fayette Circuit Judge Kimberly Bunnell on Wednesday.

Republican activists threw out their party chairwoman Saturday, then bucked Texas Governor Rick Perry by pushing for a crackdown on illegal immigration similar to Arizona’s new law. New Texas GOP Platform: criminalize gay marriage and ban sodomy, outlaw strip clubs and pornography.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says that U.S. President Obama could end up vetoing legislation that would lift the ban on gays serving openly in the military, depending on what is included in the upcoming defense spending bill.

After a lot of political pressure, U.S. President Obama, the Pentagon and leading lawmakers reached agreement Monday on legislative language and a time frame for repealing the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, clearing the way for Congress to take up the measure as soon as this week.

Marquette University has come under considerably controversy after initially offering, then withdrawing, a dean position to openly-gay professor Jodi O’Brien. The sudden shift in attitude toward O’Brien is leaving some of her defenders to allege discrimination based on her sexual orientation.

Don H. Dwyer Jr., a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates, plans to bring impeachment charges on the House floor on Wednesday against the Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler. Mr. Dwyer said that Mr. Gansler overstepped his authority in issuing a legal opinion last month saying the state would recognize same-sex marriages from other places and ordering state agencies to give gay married couples the same rights as heterosexual couples.

Meghan McCain voiced her support for marriage equality in a speech at the Jack Morton Auditorium Thursday night, calling the gay rights movement “this generation’s civil rights movement” and urging like-minded “progressive Republicans” to start speaking out. U.S. Senator John McCain drew fire from his Republican colleagues when he twice voted against proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

Virginia college students began to mobilize Monday in response to a legal opinion from Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, II. declaring Virginia’s public colleges have no authority to ban discrimination against gay employees. Students at Virginia Commonwealth University planned a rally for noon Wednesday, with several hundred students committed. At Christopher Newport University, student Republican and Democratic leaders will discuss their next steps at a bipartisan meeting Friday.

In a horrific show of force, and a major blow the the National Organization for Marriage, the New Hampshire House of Representatives killed two measures that would have overturned the state’s new gay “marriage” law. The bills would have simply repealed the same-sex “marriage” law that passed in June and came into effect January 1 of this year. New Hampshire Governor John Lynch signed a same-sex marriage bill into law early June despite his opposition to gay marriage.

Kentucky Equality Federation’s Discrimination, Hate Crimes, and School Bullying Committee released a letter commending Radio Shack Corporation for its response to a discrimination case. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) 2010 Buying Guide however, Radio Shack Corporation scored near the bottom of the list along with Wal-Mart, Office Depot, and Meijer.