dana white

Nevada equality and union activists recently sent a letter urging the company to end its sponsorship of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Congress has dropped legislation that would have expanded hate-crimes laws to include attacks on gays after it became clear the measure wouldn't pass the House, aides said Thursday. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy, was widely supported by Democrats and even some moderate Senate Republicans. But because it was attached to a major Department of Defense policy bill that would have authorized more money for the Iraq war, many antiwar Democrats said they would oppose it.

Religious and social conservatives vowed Thursday to fight Gov. David Paterson's directive requiring state agencies to recognize gay marriages performed legally elsewhere, saying it flouts traditional values and is a big step toward legalizing same-sex unions in New York. ''The definition of marriage predates recorded history,'' said New York State Catholic Conference executive director Richard E. Barnes. ''No single politician or court or legislature should attempt to redefine the very building block of our society in a way that alters its entire meaning and purpose.''

News that John G. Roberts Jr., President Bush's pick to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, helped to win a landmark gay rights case in 1996 has drawn strong reactions from both supporters and opponents of the conservative nominee.