Gay marriage

Equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans is often viewed as a moral issue, or a religious one. But in many ways, it's a financial issue, as well -- one that leaves same-sex couples paying thousands of dollars more every year to the IRS in taxes.

It's matrimony's version of a financial stimulus program. The moment Jose Matos proposed to Juan Estrada after New York approved same-sex marriage, the pair joined thousands of gay couples expected to boost the state's economy. Caterer? Check. Flowers? Check. Engraved invitations? Yup.

Public support for same-sex marriage is on the rise as attitudes apparently shift among some Catholics and Protestants, Pew Research Center said today. It also cited the effect of the under-30 generation as offsetting opposition to same-sex marriage from older people.

In Wednesday's legal news, the Texas Attorney General has appealed a judge's decision to grant a divorce to two men who were married out of state; the SEC vows to pursue overseas ratings fraud; and companies that incorrectly claim their products are patented can be sued for $500 per product.

Target's efforts to make nice with the gay community fizzled after it rejected proposals to donate money to gay-rights groups to offset an earlier donation helping the election of a conservative, anti-gay Minnesota gubernatorial candidate.

Barclays agreed to pay $298 million to settle criminal charges that it did business with countries like Cuba, Iran, Libya and Sudan, violating U.S. economic sanctions against these nations. Barclays is just the latest in a string of banks that have transacted with such countries.

DailyFinance staffer Jeanmarie Todd sees Wednesday's ruling by Judge Vaughn Walker, which thoroughly dismantled California's infamous Proposition 8, as a victory for marriage equality and simple human decency. But you probably won't guess how she's celebrating this gay and human rights milestone.

In the Prop 8 case, a Federal judge in California scrutinized the facts presented during the trial to reach a historic conclusion: Gay marriages are just like straight ones. The logic is compelling. Will it hold water at the Supreme Court?

It's a rare day that Target is the object of consumer scorn, but that day has come. The retailer is under fire for donating money to a political action committee that supports a conservative politician opposed to gay marriage. It's quite a tangled web and Target is now facing a boycott as gay...

The Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) bars federal recognition of same sex marriages, which means that legally married gay couples cannot get the same federal benefits as heterosexual married couples including social security benefits. At the time of the lawsuit, over 1000 federal benefits were tied to marital status.