Edie Windsor (Photo via Scott Wooledge)

Another federal judge has struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), finding the law unconstitutional.

The victory comes in the case of Edie Windsor, who was seeking a refund of the federal estate tax paid by the estate of her late wife. From the ruling:

The Court declares that section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional as applied to the Plaintiff. Plaintiff is awarded judgment in the amount of $353,053.00, plus interest and costs allowed by law.

It’s another loss for Paul Clement and House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-OH) Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the House of Representatives (“BLAG”), who had claimed that her homosexuality was a “choice.”

Windsor’s attorneys had argued that “DOMA violates the Equal Protection principles of the U.S. Constitution because it recognizes existing marriages of heterosexual couples, but not of same-sex couples, despite the fact that New York State treats all marriages the same.”

Before Miss Rhode Island Olivia Culpo was crowned Miss USA last week, she answered a question about transgender contestants in the pageant, openly embracing their inclusion. But Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin was really put off by the realization, resigning in protest that the competition had opened to transgender women. In an email to the Miss Universe Organization she explained just how she really felt about trans people:

[I refuse to be] part of a pageant system that has so far and so completely removed itself from its foundational principles as to allow and support natural born males to compete in it. This goes against ever moral fiber of my being. I believe in integrity, high moral character, and fair play, none of which are part of this system any longer.

Were these comments not offensive enough, she then posted false statements about her resignation on Facebook, claiming that the real reason she quit was because she believed the pageant was rigged. Donald Trump responded that he believes “her primary issue is that she lost and she’s angry about losing. And frankly, in my opinion, I saw her barely a second and she didn’t deserve to be in the top 15.”

The Miss Universe contest opened to trans candidates earlier this year after Jenna Talackova sought to compete for Miss Canada. She ultimately finished in the Top 12 and was named Miss Congeniality.

Jamie Hubley

With a vote of 65-36, the Ontario legislature passed Bill 13 yesterday, an anti-bullying measure that mandates teacher training, reporting systems, and the guarantee that students can form diversity groups like gay-straight alliances in schools throughout the province. The Catholic Church has strongly opposed the measure because Catholic schools, which are taxpayer-funded, will also have to abide by the new policy. The Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario responded to the bill’s passage tersely, expressing “serious concerns” about its language but conceding schools will comply:

Recognizing that the Accepting Schools Act is now the law, Catholic partners will seek, as we have always done, in a way that is in accord with our faith, to foster safe and welcoming school communities.

In spite of this, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association welcomed the bill’s passage, suggesting students will have “positive experiences” in their clubs.

The impetus for Bill 13 was the suicide of Jamie Hubley, who was bullied for being gay.