The Bank of America has agreed to settle a claim brought by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on behalf of a lesbian couple that was denied financing for a home mortgage. Last year, HUD implemented sweeping nondiscrimination protections based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status, and this settlement marks the first implementation of that new policy. Helen Kanovsky, HUD’s General Counsel, commended Bank of America for “stepping up and taking immediate correction action” after being notified of the violation.

Here is how HUD describes what took place:

HUD claimed BOA denied a loan to a Florida couple seeking to obtain an FHA-insured mortgage because of their sexual orientation and marital status.  Because one partner was not employed, the applicant enlisted her partner’s mother as a co-applicant on the loan.  The couple worked with BOA for several weeks to provide all of the necessary loan application documents and the couple was assured by BOA that they were likely to receive a mortgage.  One business day prior to closing, BOA denied the mortgage because it did not consider the loan applicant and the co-applicant directly related because the applicant and her partner were not married.  As a result of BOA’s actions, the couple was not able to close on the loan.

Under the terms of the agreement, BOA agrees to pay HUD $7,500 and to notify its residential mortgage loan originators, processors and underwriters of its Settlement Agreement with HUD. In addition, BOA will remind its employees that they are prohibited from discriminating against FHA-loan applicants on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status.  BOA will also update its fair lending training program to include information on HUD’s rule.

The settlement is an important victory for the well-being of the LGBT community, but also a reminder that discrimination still persists in society.

David Cecil after being arrested in Uganda. (Photo Credit: Stephen Wandera, AP)

British theatre producer David Cecil was arrested back in September for his work on the play The River and the Mountain, which features a gay character who is ultimately killed by his own employees. Prosecutors claimed the play was staged “against lawful orders,” but a Ugandan court has dismissed those charges. Now, his lawyer is prepared to sue the government for malicious prosecution:

A win for freedom in Uganda! A case against a British script producer, David Cecil (accused of staging a “homosexual play”-The Mountain and the River and disobeying “lawful” orders) has been dismissed for lack of evidence by the Magistrates Court at Makindye. We can now sue the State for the malicious prosecution. This is the type of work I’m willing to do for the rest of my life. No man should be arrested, detained, charged and imprisoned arbitrarily for expressing himself. Rights and Freedoms are inherent and not granted by cultural and religious beliefs/institutions, families, parents, the Government or the State.

Despite the incessant anticipation of anti-gay legislation and hostile climate for Ugandan gays and lesbians, the Ugandan courts have repeatedly ruled in favor of LGBT advocates when they are unfairly targeted by the media or government forces.

According to the Windy City Times, Illinois lawmakers may begin consideration of marriage equality as soon as this afternoon, when a bill is introduced in committee, with a vote as early as tomorrow. To pass before the end of the lame duck session, it must pass both the House and Senate by January 9th. This past weekend, the White House encouraged the effort, claiming, “Were the President still in the Illinois State Legislature, he would support this measure.” But the Catholic Archdiocese in Chicago was quick to rebuke the measure with a statement from Cardinal Francis George trying to claim the Church is not anti-gay because it supports gays and lesbians (if they’re chaste):

The Archdiocese offers Mass and other spiritual help to those who live their homosexuality anonymously (Courage groups) and also to those who want to be publicly part of the gay community (AGLO, which celebrates its twenty fifth anniversary this year). People live out their sexual identity in different ways, but the Church offers the means to live chastely in all circumstances, as the love of God both obliges and makes possible.

Should the lame duck legislature or the new Assembly take up the passage of a “same-sex marriage” law, it will be acting against the common good of society. We will all have to pretend to accept something that is contrary to the common sense of the human race.

George went on to claim that marriage equality puts society “in danger” because “our individual lives become artificial constructs protected by the civil ‘rights’ that destroy natural rights.” Aside from intending to sound scary, it’s unclear that the Church is able to articulate any valid consequence for marriage equality, choosing instead to demean same-sex families by claiming it’s “physically impossible” for them to “consummate a marriage.” George has a history of such incendiary rhetoric, having compared the gay rights movement to the Ku Klux Klan in December, 2011.

A poll conducted in early December shows a plurality of Illinois voters (47 percent) support marriage equality, especially those under the age of 45 (58 percent).

Over the past week, same-sex couples in Maryland and Maine were able to start wedding as voter-approved laws in both states took effect. Celebrations began in Maine on Saturday and in Maryland New Year’s Day. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake officiated one of the first ceremonies just after midnight, calling the passed referendum “a remarkable achievement” for Maryland. Nine states and the District of Columbia now have full marriage equality.

Not all couples are rushing to get married, however. The Portland Press Herald notes that like opposite-sex couples, many same-sex couples are planning weddings where they can include their friends and family. One Maryland couple is even planning to invite strangers from Reddit to their April ceremony. Still, support was strong for couples who have already been waiting years to obtain legal recognition for their relationship, including a crowd singing “All You Need Is Love” outside the Portland City Hall and cheering on newlyweds early Saturday morning after midnight. This included Steven Bridges and Michael Snell, who were the first Maine couple to be married. Watch clips of their ceremony and the supportive crowd outside: