by Donna Brazile (CNN) -- Even from the moment they were set down in the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson's immortal words "all men are created equal" have always been awkward and challenging. They're not awkward and challenging because they're incorrect. On the contrary, they're some of the truest words ever put to paper. Instead, they're awkward and challenging because -- for a nation built by slaves, where only a fraction of the population owned land and even fewer could vote, where an entire gender was held at bay for centuries -- these words were the sand in our collective eye that urged us, always, to be better, fairer and more decent to one another.
In this Sept. 4, 2012, file photo, Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) by Katie ZezimaAssociated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — When the U.S. Senate passed a bill to ban job discrimination against gay and transgender people, its newest member's first impulse was to yell with joy. Then he remembered where he was. Instead, Cory Booker reached into his pocket for his phone.
Bishop Allyson D. Nelson Abrams by Donald James Bishop Allyson D. Nelson Abrams, outgoing secretary of the Detroit Council of Baptist Pastors, is a Christian spiritual leader, national speaker, theological teacher and author who has built a strong reputation in African American faith-based communities around Detroit and across the nation. For more than five years, she has served as pastor of Zion Progress Baptist Church, located in downtown Detroit. On Friday, October 18, 2013, Bishop Abrams officially stepped down as pastor. Abrams’ decision to leave Zion Progress is based on the revelation she made to her congregation on Oct. 6. She announced that she is now in a same-sex marriage.
State Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, at podium, speaks during a news conference beneath the Robert Indiana sculpture "Love," Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013, at John F. Kennedy Plaza, also known as Love Park, in Philadelphia. Democratic state Reps. Steve McCarter and Brian Sims say they are introducing a bill that would allow same-sex couples to get married legally in Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) by Peter JacksonAssociated Press Writer HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania and New Jersey are on tracks that could lead to the Northeast being the first full region in the country to legalize gay marriage — but the routes are hardly parallel and the horsepower anything but equal. A flurry of recent court decisions has gay couples in New Jersey, where same-sex marriage has long been debated, hurrying to make wedding plans for when they can legally marry starting Monday — even as a moderate Republican governor with apparent presidential aspirations awaits a decision on his appeal. Across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, advocates are pecking away at a 1996 gay marriage ban by introducing bills in the Legislature, defiantly issuing marriage licenses in localities and taking the issue to court — with few people conceding the tactics will work anytime soon in a big state with a socially conservative spine.
In this photo provided by ABC, NBA basketball veteran Jason Collins, left, poses for a photo with television journalist George Stephanopoulos, Monday, April 29, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/ABC, Eric McCandless) by Jeff Pearlman (CNN) -- It was merely a dream, wasn't it? That whole Jason Collins thing of six months ago -- never happened, right? The headline news of his becoming the first openly gay active male professional athlete in a team sport. The Sports Illustrated cover. The supportive tweets from everyone ranging from Barack Obama and Bill Clinton to Jason Kidd and LeBron James. The interviews. The raves ("Game-changing!"). The altered landscape.
Gov. Tom Corbett speaks at Dow Chemical's new research-and-development facility in Collegeville, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's governor...
Overview shot of the crowd during concert with Melissa Etheridge at Pittsburgh Gay PrideFest 2012. Nationally, there's no question that pride parades have become more mainstream and family-friendly as more gays and lesbians raise children, and more heterosexuals turn out to watch. With the surge of corporate sponsorships, they've become a big business in some cities. As a result, there's disagreement within the gay community as to what sort of imagery the parades should present.(Courier Photo/J.L. Martello/File) by David CraryAP National Writer Initiated as small, defiant, sexually daring protests, gay pride parades have become mainstream spectacles patronized by corporate sponsors and straight politicians as they spread nationwide. For many gays, who prize the events' edginess, the shift is unwelcome - as evidenced by bitter debate preceding Sunday's parade in Dallas.
NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous speaks at the Let Freedom Ring ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Aug. 28, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) by Brett ZongkerAssociated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The NAACP's board is forming a search committee to find the next president and CEO for the nation's largest civil rights organization, its chairwoman said Monday.
President Barack Obama speaks at the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr., spoke, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) by Nancy Benac and Suzanne Gamboa WASHINGTON (AP) - Standing on hallowed ground of the civil rights movement, President Barack Obama challenged new generations Wednesday to seize the cause of racial equality and honor the "glorious patriots" who marched a half century ago to the very steps from which Rev. Martin Luther King spoke during the March on Washington.
ANALOUISA VALENCIA by Jeffrey Collins Associated Press Writer SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Analouisa Valencia came to the door in a bright blue facial mask and sweatpants, surprised anyone was coming to see her.
