The web site Dictionary.com defines marriage asa “social institution under which man and woman establish their decision to live together as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc.” But the organizer of an online petition is trying to correct it. 

Mike Raven organized a petition asking Dictionary.com to correct its definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, and more than 90,000 people have already signed on. The definition is currently incorrect, he says, because there are states where legal marriages are between two people of the same sex. 

More from Raven on the definition:

They then brush same-sex marriage off as “a similar institution involving partners of the same sex.” Because why should same-sex marriage get the detail and care that “traditional” marriage gets? They got a blurb right? Isn’t that enough? No. With [its] separate but “equal” styled wording and placement, it is time they hear our voices and correct their definition.

Never would have thought about this in a million years - what a cool way to get our message across. If you feel so inclined, sign the petition! 

Anne Burrell of Food Network is officially out as dating another woman, though her rep says she was never closeted in the first place. More. 

A high school student in New York was suspended for creating a video and a Facebook page about a fictional student who was bullied and committed suicide, but upon outcry from the community, her punishment was lifted. 

Jessica Barba, 15, created a video about a fictional 12-year-old character named Hailey who was bullied, became depressed and committed suicide. She also created a Facebook page for Hailey where she posted self-loathing status updates, aiming to illustrate the effects of cyberbullying.

A parent who didn’t know the page was fictional found it and notified police and school officials, and Barba was suspended for five days and the page taken down. But her school rallied behind her, and after a suspension hearing her punishment has been lifted.

I’m not sure how I feel about this. I wholeheartedly applaud this girl’s efforts to raise awareness about a serious, dark issue like cyberbullying, and I don’t think she should have been suspended in the first place. But I wonder if creating a faux suicidal persona is taking it too far, clearly disturbing parents and perhaps triggering other students. What do you think?

A measure that would allow same-sex couples to enter into civil unions is making progress in Brazil.

The bill passed through a human rights committee in Brazil’s Congress, where it’s been held up for 16 years. The measure would change Brazil’s civil unions law from saying such unions are between a man and a woman to being between two people. 

This may pave the way for marriage equality in Brazil as well, as state courts have allowed some civil unions to become full-fledged marriages. The bill needs to pass other Senate committees before going to a full vote. 

Woo! 

A federal judge ruled yesterday that a provision of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional because it limits same-sex spouses of state workers in getting insurance. 

DOMA recognizes marriage as between one man and one woman, keeping legally married same-sex spouses from obtaining some federal benefits. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled that benefits like insurance must be made equally available to same-sex and opposite-sex spouses. Wilken is the second trial judge in the U.S. District Court for Northern California to strike down that section of DOMA. 

Wilken issued her ruling in a lawsuit filed against the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, known as CalPERS, by same-sex couples. The system has refused to let gay spouses enroll in its federally approved insurance program on the ground that they were excluded by DOMA.

Wilken said the DOMA ban violated the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal treatment. She wrote that there was no proof the DOMA provision was “rationally related to a legitimate government interest.”

It’s only a matter of time before it’s gone for good. 

Inca and Rayas are two male penguins at a zoo in Madrid who have built a nest together every spring for the last six years, hoping for a chick. To satisfy their apparent craving to start a family, keepers have given them an egg of their own to care for and hatch. More. 

A new Public Policy Poll shows that 57 percent of voters in Maryland would vote to uphold the state’s current marriage equality law if it came to a referendum.

The poll also showed a “major shift” in the opinions of African-American voters, who comprise about a third of Maryland’s population and would support voting for marriage equality at a rate of 55 percent. 

“Things are moving in Maryland,” said Josh Levin, campaign manager for Marylanders for Marriage Equality, in a news release. “We’re approaching a supermajority who want to uphold the state’s new marriage law. The message of stronger families and greater fairness is resonating, and we’re confident Maryland will be the first state to win a ballot measure on marriage equality and religious freedom.” 

Every time marriage equality has been put to a ballot in a state, it lost, which terrifies me. But the numbers seem to be in our favor in this one - we can only hope for the best. 

Eight months after Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’s repeal took effect, the first openly gay cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduated this week. 

President Obama gave the commencement address at the graduation in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Wednesday. Officials from the Blue Alliance, an LGBT Air Force Academy alumni group, said there were at least four openly LGBT people in this year’s graduating class.

“We can say with confidence and pride: The United States is stronger, safer and more respected in the world,” Obama said. “There’s a new feeling about America. I see it everywhere I go, from London and Prague, to Tokyo and Seoul, to Rio and Jakarta. There’s a new confidence in our leadership.”

So exciting! Congratulations to them. 

More Americans than ever before support marriage equality, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll.

The poll shows 53 percent of Americans support same-sex couples’ right to marry, higher than that number has ever been. Likewise, fewer people than ever oppose marriage equality - only 39 percent. 

Of course, this does not mean we should expect sweeping changes in marriage equality laws:

In all 30 states where voters have been asked to approve or reject same-sex marriage, they have rejected it. In places where it is legal — six states and the District — it was made so by an act of the state legislature or the courts.

Americans divide about evenly — 49 to 46 percent — on whether gay-marriage laws should be made at the state or federal level. Most backers of same-sex marriage support a federal approach, while opponents prefer letting states decide. That is a stark shift from 2004, when a CBS News-New York Times poll found widespread support for federal authority over gay marriage among its opponents, not its supporters.