A federal judge has ruled that Oregon's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Early this morning couples were already began lining up outside the county clerk's office in Portland, in anticipation of U.S. District Judge Michael McShane's decision.

"Because Oregon's marriage laws discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation without a rational relationship to any legitimate government interest," McShane wrote in his decision, "the laws violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution."

Laurie Brown, who was outside outside the clerk's office in Multnomah, said she and fiance Julie Engbloom "always knew we wanted to spend our whole life together—this opportunity has come [and] it feels right—everything has fallen into place."

Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has refused to defend the ban and an appeals court refused the National Organization for Marriage's request for an emergency stay.

"Love is in the air in Oregon," said GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis. "This ruling is going to add stability to LGBT couples and families across the state and continue to advance LGBT equality across the country."

Since the District Court’s ruling in Kitchen v. Herbert, more than 1,300 gay and lesbian couples have been married and started to receive full federal benefits. Adoption in Utah, however, is limited to married couples—and since  Kitchen is in the appeals process, Utah won't recognize gay couples' marriages, or allow them to adopt.

The stay was defended by Attorney General Sean Reyes. on the grounds that it "prevents further confusion." But District Court Judge Andrew Stone has ordered Reyes to appear in court June 16, to “show why they should not be held in contempt for their willful disregard and refusal to obey the Decree of Step-Parent Adoption."

Republicans are notorious for trying to block Obama nominees, but Osius is a stellar candidate for the post: According to a State Department announcement, Osius, an professor at the National War College, has worked in the U.S. embassies in Jakarta, Bangkok and New Dehli, Vatican City and Manila; and served as Political Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City from 1997 to 2001.

" “I've never had a dull day since I've joined the foreign service,” said Osius back in February.

After Governor Phil Bryant signed the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law—allowing Christian business owners to refuse services to gay customers—numerous stores joined the If You’re Buying, We’re Selling window-sticker campaign, letting customers know they didn't agree with the exclusionary policy.

But when the AFA issued a press release declaring " this sticker represents the very promotion of discrimination…against freedom of religious convictions," it prompted  three businesses—the Golden Growler and the Keg and Barrel of Hattiesburg, MS, and La Finestra of Jackson, MS—to file a cease-and-desist order.

The AFA statement also insists that "businesses that display this sticker believe Christians should be forced, by law, to embrace homosexuality and deny their  faith in personal business practices."

"These statements are defamatory and actionable per se under the laws of the State of Mississippi, because they accuse my clients of unlawfully discriminating against persons in violating of the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1965, a felony . . . subjecting my clients to a penalty of up to ten years in prison," declared attorney Alexander Ignatiev, who is representing the three businesses. "These statements have been published with... reckless disregard for truthfulness, or with actual knowledge of their falsity, which removes any First Amendment protection from those statements."

But after the Countermeasure Committee for Homosexuality Problems and other Christian groups demanded  the "union of opposite genders" be used in the definition of words like "love" and "relationship"—because otherwise it "will instigate homosexuality"—NIKL caved.

On Friday, Rainbow Action, a coalition of sexual minority organizations in Korea, sent a petition to NIKL with nearly 3,000 signatures urging  it to "withdraw the recent amendments as they are severely discriminatory and heterosexual-centered."

While the Korean Human Rights Committee Law bans discrimination based on sexual orientation, there is still a widespread cultural bias against the LGBT community, and same-sex relations are forbidden in the military.