Human rights and gay rights activists on Tuesday urged President Barack Obama to ensure that the issue of anti-gay discrimination in Africa is on the agenda at next week's summit in Washington with more than 40 African leaders.

HELENA (AP) – Democrats on Monday tried unsuccessfully to “blast” four tabled bills to the Senate and House floors, including one that would ban discrimination against gay people.

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called on Congress on Saturday to pass a measure to outlaw workplace discrimination against gays, saying it's outrageous that the country is even debating the subject.

Seeking to mobilize a global front against anti-gay violence and discrimination, Vice President Joe Biden declared Tuesday that protecting gay rights is a defining mark of a civilized nation and must trump national cultures and social traditions.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) Bollywood actress Celina Jaitly said Monday she will not stop fighting for equal rights for lesbians, gays, transgender people and bisexuals despite years of character assassination and threats to her life and the lives of her 2-year-old twins.

(CNN) -- Adapting a line from her mother, Chelsea Clinton said Sunday that shedding light on LGBTQ issues should be a major focus for human rights advocates this century.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Chris Pine says the U.S. should have done more in the run-up to the Sochi Olympics to protest Russia's anti-gay legislation, which he calls "clearly awful, archaic, hostile nonsense."

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut’s highest court ruled Wednesday that some legal rights of same-sex couples predate the state’s approvals of civil unions in 2005 and same-sex marriage in 2008, a decision that gay rights supporters call the first of its kind in the country.

Massachusetts became the first state to elect an openly gay attorney general, while the gay candidate in Maine's gubernatorial race narrowly lost his chance to make history. Nationally, gay-rights activists worried that conservative gains in Congress would hamper their bid for federal anti-bias legislation.

With its Carnival reputation and skin-baring beach life, Brazil may look like a liberal bastion. But unease over a worsening economy and deteriorating public safety, plus a backlash against recent gay-rights gains, are propelling a conservative rise that will shape the next administration, regardless of who wins the presidency.

Members of the U.S. Congress are calling on the Food and Drug Administration to update its policy regarding gay men donating blood.

The Miami Book Fair International runs from November 15 thru the 22nd.

LATTA, S.C. (AP) _ The Latta City Council has voted to reinstate former police chief Crystal Moore, who had claimed she was fired because she is gay.

A Canadian gay porn actor who was convicted of murdering his sex partner and was sentenced to life in prison, is currently sending letters to friends, detailing how he's enjoying prison life, Gay Star News reports.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Idaho's gay and lesbian activists lined up 22 hours of testimony in their effort to have anti-discrimination laws amended to include them in housing and employment protections.

DENVER - It wasn't all that long ago that Republicans used gay marriage as a tool to drive Election Day turnout. But as public opinion on the issue has turned and courts strike down same-sex marriage bans, gay rights is evolving into a wedge issue for Democrats to wield.

NEW DELHI (AP) _ Hundreds of gay rights activists gathered in India's capital and other cities across the country on Sunday to protest a decision by India's top court to uphold a law that criminalizes gay sex.

In a similar manner as to his handling of the question of marriage equality, the Vice President’s recent remarks on workplace protections for LGBT employees of federal contractors is causing quite a stir in the Obama administration.

TOPEKA, Kansas (AP) – A Kansas House Democrat has drafted a new proposal to bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

BEREA, Ky. (AP) -- The Berea City Council has rejected an ordinance that would have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation.

When speaking to Out magazine this week about her 13th studio album "Rebel Heart," Madonna confessed that she feels not much has changed for women since the '80s, saying that she believes gay rights have advanced more than women's rights.

DETROIT (AP) - A gay rights advocacy organization in Michigan has received a $3 million gift from the estate of the group's co-founder.

An independent think tank that studies the progress of the movement on equal rights for LGBT people released its latest report Tuesday, and the assessment is a surprising “mixed.”

(CNN) -- A speech to Europe aimed at Russia sounded a lot like President Barack Obama's successful campaign message from 2012, especially when it came to gay rights.

SOCHI, Russia — Countries bidding to host the Olympics and Paralympics should not be compelled to provide assurances about human rights standards, according to the head of the International Paralympic Committee.

In the intensifying debate over religious liberty, President Barack Obama faces pressure from opposite flanks as he prepares to issue an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating against gay and transgender people in hiring.

(CNN) -- Pop star Rihanna is adding major star power to the campaign for gay rights in Russia.

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A Senegalese activist and a rights group called for the release of seven men arrested in July and sentenced to six months in prison for homosexual acts Aug. 28.

SINGAPORE (AP) _ Thousands of gay rights activists gathered in downtown Singapore on Saturday for an annual rally that came under unprecedented criticism from religious conservatives, with one influential Christian pastor calling on the government to ban the event.

(CNN) The 1969 riots at the Stonewall Inn launched the modern gay rights movement and the annual New York City pride parade.