Gay Marriage

LAYTON — Patrons of the Chick-fil-A restaurant were surprised during the noon hour Wednesday that, despite the huge crowds, it only took about 10 minutes to get up to the counter to order their food. So many people were there to order chicken sandwiches that cars were waiting along the curb on Antelope Drive and in a mall thoroughfare just to get into one of two drive-thru lines.

Those who wanted to go inside either had to wait several minutes in the drive-thru traffic to get into the parking lot or park at nearby businesses and walk through the long lines of cars surrounding the building.

Then, once at the business, patrons had to wait in a line that snaked outside the building several feet to the corner of the business.

I note with dismay that the Davis School District removed a book about gay parenting — “In Our Mothers’ House,” by Patricia Polacco — from its elementary school library shelves after a group of parents complained.

It is not “banned.” A student who presents a signed permission slip from home can still read the book.

One wonders if that student will have to wear a sign warning kids without permission slips to stay away. Or perhaps the student will have to read it at the counter, with a guard to keep others away.

A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional because it denies equal rights for legally married same-sex couples, making it likely that the Supreme Court will consider the politically divisive issue for the first time in its next term.

The decision by a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit in Boston was a big win for President Barack Obama, who recently said he supported states allowing gay men and lesbians to marry.

PORTLAND, Maine  -- Scores of Maine churches will pass the collection plate a second time at Sunday services on Father's Day to kick off a fundraising campaign for the lead opposition group to November's ballot question asking voters to legalize same-sex marriages.

PORTLAND, Maine -- President Barack Obama's support for gay marriage has emboldened activists and politicians on both sides of the issue, setting off a flurry of political activity in a number of states and serving as a rallying point in others where gay marriage votes are being held this fall.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho  -- President Barack Obama's campaign says a wealthy Idaho businessman and major fundraiser for Mitt Romney is "a bitter foe of the gay rights movement," pointing to his effort to get a documentary on how teachers deal with gay issues pulled from public television in 1999.

The businessman, Melaleuca Inc. founder and chief executive officer Frank VanderSloot of Idaho Falls, charges that he's being smeared.