The Rev. Amy DeLong, a Methodist pastor from Osceola, Wisconsin, decided to come clean. She brought to the attention of her local bishop that she had officiated over the same-sex union of a lesbian couple. It is a rite prohibited by her religion and having performed it, DeLong could be put on trial by the church. She also told the bishop that she might as well be prosecuted for something else: she is in a lesbian partnership. And ...

I woke up this morning to discover that, despite my best efforts, I was still only married to my job. I had spent part of the night in Greenwich Village with the crowds outside the Stonewall Inn celebrating the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York state. I proposed to several passersby but every single one laughed. The thumping of "Y.M.C.A." on an adjacent boombox killed any possibility of romance. I had wandered down from a party about ...

The Supreme Court's decision to throw out a sex-discrimination suit by a large group of female Wal-Mart employees may look like a mere procedural decision about the rules for class-action lawsuits. But it is in fact a much bigger deal: it significantly shifts power from workers to big employers. The ruling on Monday in Wal-Mart Stores v. Dukes puts a halt to a class-action lawsuit that could ultimately have included as many as 1.5 million current and former ...

The calls for Tiger Woods to get help did not go unheeded. On Jan. 16, after weeks of sordid allegations regarding the star golfer's extramarital affairs, RadarOnline.com reported that Woods had enrolled in the Gentle Path program at Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services, in Hattiesburg, Miss., to be treated for sex addiction. Local television stations later confirmed the story. Few people know what actually happens at sex rehab. While those who treat it say sex ...

— Former presidential candidate John Edwards claims that protection against self-incrimination in his campaign finance prosecution should prevent an attempt to depose him in a separate case involving a purported sex tape made with his mistress. Edwards said in court filings in a North Carolina state court this week that a scheduled June 20 deposition should wait until after the federal criminal case against him concludes. Edwards is entitled to the stay "in order to protect ...

You would not think that TV would be a sphere of life where men feel endangered. Katie Couric is being replaced by a dude. Men host every late-night show outside cable. Entourage has somehow managed to run for more seasons than Sex and the City. But at May's upfronts — where networks announce their fall schedules to advertisers — there was a pattern: sitcom after sitcom about how today's men are besieged and need to rediscover their masculinity. ...

When the Vatican issued a letter on Monday ordering bishops across the world to draw up tough guidelines for dealing with priests who rape or molest children, it addressed only half the scandal that has been rocking the Catholic Church. To be sure, when it comes to the abusive clerics, the Vatican's new edict takes a firm stand, obliging local bishops to cooperate with local law enforcement in reporting sex crimes and recommending that policies be ...

The sex scene in the documentary Zoo, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance film festival, lasts less than 10 seconds. The grainy footage follows lush shots of nature set to moody music and a thoughtful voiceover discussion of the nature of love. Drinks are mixed. Stories are shared. Both parties appear to consent. The fleeting seconds would seem unlikely to raise an eyebrow among the liberal audience of film lovers who rush to Sundance each year in search of edgy, independent fare. The ...

Last Monday, the Navy was the hero across America, for the exploits of its SEALs in bringing Osama bin Laden to justice. This Monday, the sea service was zero in certain quarters for saying it will permit same-sex marriages within its hallowed chapels. It marks the first of what is likely to be many thunderclaps associated with the lifting of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on openly gay men and women serving in the U.S. military. Navy ...

The sex talk is never easy. It's not comfortable for anyone involved — parents are afraid of it, children are mortified by it — which is probably why the talk so often comes after the fact. In the latest study on parent-child talks about sex and sexuality, researchers found that more than 40% of adolescents had had intercourse before talking to their parents about safe sex, birth control or sexually transmitted diseases. That trend is troublesome, say experts, ...