The murder of British consul John Terry in his current home country of Jamaica is now being claimed by some to have been motivated by homophobia. An alleged note was found along with Terry’s body that was a threat to gay men, and although Jamaican police believe that the motive was not a hate crime due to evidence, especially no sign of forced entry into Terry’s home, Jamaica still has a history of violence toward homosexuals and a standing law that convicts men who have sexual contact with each other to ten years in prison.

On Wednesday, September 9, Uruguay became the first Latin American country to allow adoption for lesbian and gay couples. This follows precedence set by Uruguay in allowing same-sex civil unions and for LGBT students to attend military academies.

New Jersey Stonewall Democrat president Barbra Casbar Siperstein became the newest member of the DNC‘s governing body last Friday. Siperstein is the first transwoman to be elected to a position with the DNC and joins 5 other recent LGBT appointments.

Today, Rep. John Nadler of New York introduced a bill to Congress to be known as the “Respect for Marriage Act of 2009.” The bill looks to repeal the current federal DOMA that prevents same-sex couples from receiving federal benefits and recognition. In other news to bolster this repeal, The Huffington Post reports that the divorce rate in the first state to legalize gay marriage 5 years ago are the lowest in the country. In fact, they’re lower than the national divorce rate was in 1940, before the start of World War II. Does this signify the beginning of a gay baby boom?