Morning Sweep

Breaking news: McCain has picked Sarah Palin, Gov. of Alaska, as his VP running mate. Palin is against same-sex marriage and abortion rights.

In his rousing speech last night in front of an estimated 84,000 people at Invesco Field, Barack Obama had this to say about gay marriage: "I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free from discrimination."

Gay City News has a great profile of Kevin Parker, the Brooklyn State Senator who is facing two primary challengers who are against marriage equality. The Pride Agenda has endorsed Parker for the Sept. 9 primary election.

Gay City also has more on the Williams Institute study that shows the majority of LGBT New Yorkers with families live in the outer boroughs.

Michelle Obama spoke at a LGBT convention delegate and media luncheon earlier this week. She praised openly gay Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, and emphasized her husband’s past and future plans for support for LGBT issues.

The only gay couple ever legally married in Iowa will soon celebrate their one year anniversary. Same-sex marriage was ruled legal for one day in Polk County, Iowa in August 2007, but Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan were the only couple able to make their union legal before a stay was issued by the court pending an appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court. It’s unclear when a decision on the case will be handed down.

Gay Pride organizers in Birmingham, Ala. have sued the mayor for not allowing them to hang pride week banners on city property.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has an interesting story about a policewoman who recently discovered she is intersex.

Police in a suburb of Toronto have set up a LGBT Hate Crime Hotline, believed to be the first of its kind in North America.