Welcome to The Morning Pride, ThinkProgress LGBT’s daily round-up of the latest in LGBT policy, politics, and some culture too! Here’s what we’re reading this morning, but please let us know what stories you’re following as well. Follow us all day on Twitter at @TPEquality.
– The Catholic Church in Washington will take a special collection to oppose Referendum 74, the marriage equality ballot question.
– LGBT protesters have been demonstrating against the Republican National Convention.
– Democrats in Rhode Island are calling on Rep. David Cicilline’s primary challenger Anthony Gemma to apologize for comments one of his campaign staff made calling Cicilline “a liar, thief, crook, Sandusky copy cat.”
– The Long Beach Press-Telegram has a two-part feature on the bullying gay students experience in California schools.
– German Chancellor Angela Merkel is not taking any initiative to further advance equality for same-sex couples.
– A notoriously homophobic lawmaker in New Zealand has said he will vote for same-sex marriage after the youth wing of his party threatened to withdraw their support.
– At their wedding reception, straight couple Meg Liffick and Joe Ball offered the ceremonial first dance to their gay and lesbian friends (see picture).
– Rosie O’Donnell disclosed that she recently married her partner Michelle Rounds, and she has also recently been diagnosed with desmoid tumors.