Actor/director Clint Eastwood, whose controversial “surprise” Republican National Convention conversation with an empty stool ranked as the convention’s highlight for a plurality of viewers, reiterated his support for marriage equality Monday. On Ellen, he told host Ellen DeGeneres that he does not share Mitt Romney’s anti-LGBT views:

DeGENERES: I like — you have, your stance on gay marriage is you don’t have any problem with that, which I greatly…
EASTWOOD: It’s part of the libertarian idea: leave everybody alone.

Eastwood notes that in the face of the struggling economy, there is “a lot to think about” more important than worrying about whether same-sex couples are marrying.

Watch the video:

Eastwood has previously expressed this inclusive view. He told GQ magazine in 2011, “I don’t give a fuck about who wants to get married to anybody else! Why not?! We’re making a big deal out of things we shouldn’t be making a deal out of…Just give everybody the chance to have the life they want.”

His favored candidate, Romney, however takes a starkly opposite view on the subject and has signed a pledge promising to support a federal marriage inequality constitutional amendment. The Republican party’s platform, adopted at the same convention, includes an anti-LGBT plank, stating “we believe that marriage, the union of one man and one woman must be upheld as the national standard, a goal to stand for, encourage, and promote through laws governing marriage.”

Our guest blogger is Jack Jenkins, writer and researcher for the Center for America Progress’ Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative.

As the race tightens over Minnesota’s marriage inequality amendment, supporters of marriage equality have released a new ad that cuts across political and religious lines.

The ad, created by Minnesotans United for All Families, features Kim and John, a straight couple who are identified as Catholics and Republicans. They explain they “didn’t really think a lot about same-sex marriage,” but had a change of heart when a lesbian couple with a child moved into their neighborhood.

“They were the most wonderful neighbors…They taught all of us, in our little suburban world,” Kim says, with John adding, “In our daughter’s world, her normal is so much different than ours, it didn’t faze her at all.”

The ad ends with the couple making an appeal to voters to support same-sex marriage by opposing the amendment:

KIM: It’s okay to take a second look.
JOHN: And when you do, vote no.

Watch the ad:

John and Kim aren’t the only Catholics fighting for marriage equality in Minnesota. While the Minnesota Catholic Conference officially supports the amendment, Catholics across the state are speaking out in favor of same-sex marriage, and the Human Rights Campaign offers talking points on how marriage equality fits with the Catholic faith. Over 300 Minnesota Catholics even recorded a YouTube video in April in which they sing a pro-marriage equality choral song. A wide coalition of faith leaders and groups oppose the amendment.

A newlywed same-sex couple in New York City has filed a civil rights lawsuit against restaurant chain, after its general manager backed out of their contract to host their rehearsal dinner and cater their wedding reception.

The New York Daily News reported Monday that a manager at Amber Village took a $750 deposit to host Barrett Greene and Thomas Eng’s rehearsal dinner. But a week later, the restaurant’s general manager instructed him to cancel the event:

The couple contends that later that same day, a senior manager of Amber Village — a man identified only as Mr. Fong — summoned [manager Tommy] Ho.

“Fong was visibly angry and told Ho that he didn’t want any ‘gay parties’ at Amber Village,” the suit charges.

“Fong instructed Ho to ‘make an excuse’ and tell Greene that his rehearsal dinner could not take place at Amber Village and that his wedding could not be catered by them either.

“Fong also told Ho that it’s ‘very bad’ for Amber Village to book ‘gay parties’ and that big groups of ‘gay partyers’ are especially bad for feng shui.”

According to the legal complaint, Fong then fired Ho and texted the couple that they would have to find other accommodations. The restaurant never refunded the deposit.

While New York’s state legislature enacted marriage equality in 2011, if these allegations of discrimination are true, they would fall under the state’s Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA), in effect since 2003. That law prevents discrimination in both employment and in public accommodations within the state. But New York is one of a minority of states of offer such protections.

Like employment discrimination, public accommodation discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is legal in most states — an often-overlooked-but-real problem for LGBT individuals and same-sex couples whose business may be turned away by bakeries, restaurants, banquet halls, and hotels. Even the proposed federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act does not contain any provisions protecting against public accommodations discrimination for LGBT Americans.

The 1964 Civil Rights Act banned discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin. Nightmares like the one Greene and Eng are alleging show why that ban needs to also include sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Toronto Blue Jays losing at home to the Boston Red Sox was only the second most surprising thing to happen at the Rogers Centre on Saturday.

That award goes to Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar, who entered the field wearing eye black with the words “tu ere maricon” written on them, Spanish for “you are a faggot”.

See Escobar’s look below:

Major League Baseball’s front office is investigating the incident. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays organization released the following statement in response:

The Toronto Blue Jays do not support discrimination of any kind nor condone the message displayed by Yunel Escobar during Saturday’s game. The club takes this situation seriously and is investigating the matter.

Many equality advocates remain unsatisfied. Outsports.com writes, “just saying we “do not support discrimination” means nothing if you take no action against a public slur like this.”

To date, the Blue Jays have not joined at least nine Major League Baseball teams in supporting LGBT youth with an “It Gets Better” video.

Escobar will be speaking to the media Tuesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

Tenth in a series examining how anti-LGBT Senate candidates have worked to hurt the cause of equality.

Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) was appointed last year by Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) to fill the vacancy created by Sen. John Ensign’s (R) resignation. He is currently running for a full term and is being challenged by Rep. Shelley Berkley (D). Unlike Berkley, a consistent 100% supporter of full LGBT equality, Heller has opposed the LGBT community at every opportunity since coming to Congress .

Though he had a reputation as a relatively moderate state legislator in the early 1990s, his record over his two-and-a-half terms in the U.S. House and his year in the U.S. Senate paints a different picture:

1. Heller has opposed marriage equality and even domestic partnership benefits for same-sex couples — but no longer wants to talk about it. In 2006, Heller said on his campaign website that he “supports traditional marriage between one man and one woman and will work to defend Nevada values in Congress.” This year, he reaffirmed his belief that “marriage is between one man and one woman” and said he “would not support changing that.” But, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “I don’t want it to be the issue in the campaign. I truly don’t want this to be the issue.” He also voted for a 2007 amendment restricting the District of Columbia government from using any federal funding to provide domestic partnership benefits.

2. Heller voted against Hate Crimes protections for LGBT Americans. In both 2007 and 2009, he voted against adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the federal hate crimes laws.

3. Heller thinks it should be legal to fire someone just for being gay. He voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in 2007, which would have banned employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

4. Heller opposed letting LGBT servicemembers serve openly. He voted against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal twice in 2010. In 2009 he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he supported continuing the discriminatory policy.

5. Heller has been a total zero on LGBT equality. Over the course of the 110th and 111th Congresses, the Human Rights Campaign rated him as voting against the interests of the LGBT community 100 percent of the time.

Though Heller doesn’t want equality for LGBT Nevadans to be an issue in the campaign, he does acknowledge that voters face a “stark choice” between his right-wing approach and his opponent’s progressive views. Watch him explain:

With his consistent opposition to LGBT equality, Heller’s election to a full term in the U.S. Senate would be a huge threat to LGBT people and families.

WASHINGTON, DC — A leading House Republican wants to re-instate the military’s former ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy if his party takes control in November.

In an interview with ThinkProgress at the Values Voters Summit on Friday, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said he “certainly” supports “going back to the previous policy” of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He left open the possibility that those service-members who have already come out of the closet, like Brig. General Tammy Smith, would be discharged from the military if Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is reinstated.

KEYES: Is [Don't Ask Don't Tell] something that you think the GOP will pursue reinstating starting in 2013 if they take control?

JORDAN: I wasn’t for making the change that was made last few years ago in the lame duck session. I was certainly opposed to that, the change that the Obama administration made. We’ll look at guidance from our military, but I’m certainly supportive of going back to the previous policy.

KEYES: What about those service-members who have already announced their sexual orientation? Are they going to get kicked out?

JORDAN: That’s a military question. I’d have to think about how that would work in practice.

Watch it:

Though first elected in 2006, Jordan is no back-bencher. He chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee, a group of more than 160 Republican congressmen dedicated to pushing conservative causes that wields major influence within the GOP caucus.

If Jordan were to ask the military about reinstating DADT as he suggests, he would learn that the Pentagon believes that last year’s repeal was actually beneficial for unit morale, and that none of the concerns expressed by opponents of the decision have come to fruition. In addition, there was considerable support for lifting the ban on openly gay and lesbian people serving in the military from the heads of three of the four branches of the military even before DADT was repealed.

Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) has previously indicated that he would not like to see Republicans bring up Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, but his opposition may not be enough to stop Jordan and the Republican Study Committee from reinstating the policy if the GOP prevails in November.