Minnesota’s Archbishop has directed priests to organize efforts to create a ballot initiative that would make same-sex marriage unconstitutional in that state. The pattern looks similar to efforts in California to pass Proposition 8.

Bad weekend for opponents of human rights…in various forms.

In January of 1996 he filled out the IMPACT questionnaire, and it appears to be in his own writing, and uses the first-person “I” throughout. While the IMPACT questions were a bit more complicated, Obama did say he would oppose any attempts to outlaw same-gender marriage, by supporting a resolution stating “the state should not interfere with same-gender couples who chose [sic] to marry and share fully and equally in the rights, responsibilities and commitment of civil marriage.”

This morning at Netroots Nation, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer was pressed repeatedly by dogged moderator Khali Joy Gray about his boss’s “evolution” on same-sex marriage, at one point asking if Obama was ever going to evolve back to his previous position, expressed on a 1996 candidate survey, that he supported same-sex marriage.

In Minnesota, a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage is going to appear on the 2012 ballot, where it will likely become a big focus of activism this election on both sides.

For the first time since Gallup has been polling the issue the pollster has found a clear majority of Americans now favor a law recognizing same-sex marriage.

Check out this list of the top 10 MyFDL diaries from 2010 (based on pageviews). Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to our fantastic community of writers. We look forward to reading your work in 2011.

What were your favorite myFDL diaries from last year? Share your picks in the comments!

Ken Mehlman left the gay closet earlier this week, asking for understanding if not support from the glbt community. That would be easier to find if Mehlman demonstrated a bit of understanding of that community and the toll that the Bush White House and RNC took on it while Mehlman was working there. No matter how much he did in his Off-The-Record political closet, it’s going to be hard to overcome what happened on the record.

In the 19th Century the Republicans passed three Constitutional Amendments that are their greatest legislative legacy — naturally, modern Republicans want to undue them — and preserve the Bush tax cuts.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote movingly and powerfully about the wave of anti-gay hate that is sweeping his continent of Africa. His words, though, bring to mind the very same attitudes in many of our American religious and political leaders. If only there was an American Nobel Peace Prize laureate who spoke like Tutu. Wait — there is. If only there were two.