New York

Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon - out mother of two - responds to a recent Newsweek column that questioned if openly gay actors can play straight characters in film and plays. Cynthia said, "I think it's horrible. ...I just feel like it's hard enough to encourage people to come out of the closet without it affecting their careers. I think it's set us back ten years."

Meanwhile, Newsweek faces calls for a boycott and demands for an apology.

ALBANY (AP) — New York's top court says a woman whose lesbian partner gave birth following their civil union in Vermont has parental rights, including visitation.

The Court of Appeals, divided 4-3, is upholding its precedent that biological connection or adoption generally establishes those rights under state law.

The woman's partner was artificially inseminated and the couple separated three years later. Her ex-partner began cutting off contact with the child two years after that.

The New York Civil Liberties Union won a judgement for a bullied teen [pictured] in New York's Mohawk Central School District. As a result, the District must compensate the 14-year old student for failing to protect him from relentless harassment, physical abuse and threats of violence.

The Observer-Dispatch:

Despite Governor Paterson’s support - the New York State Senate denied marriage equality with a vote of 24 to 38.

From Family Equality Council Blog:

Statement of Jennifer Chrisler, Executive Director, Family Equality Council:

The NYC Gathering is sponsoring a workshop for parents and parents-to-be who are seeking the tools to talk with children about family origins.

Hear from professionals, parents and children who will bring to life the disclosure process and provide guidance on how to create meaningful family stories.

Participants will learn how to:

• Develop comfortable, age-appropriate language for the disclosure process
• Identify the different ages and stages children go through in understanding
  their genetics and family origins

NOLA.com reports that Louisiana's Department of Vital Statistics can't be forced to provide a birth certificate listing two men as the parents of a Louisiana-born boy adopted by a gay couple in New York, a lawyer from the state attorney general's office said Wednesday before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

According to uticaod.com, New York's highest-ranking upstate Democrat in the state Senate said he’s rethinking his stance on gay marriage.

Two months ago, Sen. David Valesky, D-Oneida, told the Observer-Dispatch he opposed same-sex marriage in New York state, posing a challenge to a bill proposed by Gov. David Paterson.