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GOP, Democratic support boosts chances in Senate for anti-discrimination bill sought by gays
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Gay rights advocates -- Republicans and Democrats -- are newly upbeat about the prospects for Senate passage of a bill that would prohibit employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
• The outlook for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act -- the first test vote is Monday -- reflects the nation's growing tolerance of homosexuality and the GOP's political calculation as it looks for supporters beyond its core base of older voters.
• "I think society continues to evolve on the issue of gay rights," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a co-sponsor of the measure. "As more and more gay individuals are open about their sexual orientation, people come to realize that they are their neighbors, their family members, their friends, their co-workers. That's made a big difference."
• Opinion polls underscore Collins' assessment. A Pew Research survey in June found that more Americans said homosexuality should be accepted rather than discouraged by society by a margin of 60 to 31 percent, or nearly 2-to-1. Opinions were more evenly divided 10 years ago.
• In a sign of the times, the anti-bias legislation has traditional proponents such as the Human Rights Campaign, the largest gay and lesbian advocacy group, plus the backing of a relatively new group, the American Unity Fund. That organization has the financial support of big-name Republican donors -- hedge fund billionaires Paul Singer, Cliff Asness, Dan Loeb and Seth Klarman -- and former GOP lawmakers Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Tom Reynolds of New York.
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Myanmar's 'God's Army' guerrilla twins reunite; 1 seeks new life, the other, fallen comrades
• SANGKHLABURI, Thailand (AP) -- When they were kids, Johnny and Luther Htoo were bulletproof and invulnerable to land mines -- or so went the story that briefly made them famous as hundreds of guerrillas followed and even worshipped them in the southeastern jungles of Myanmar. Today, well over a decade later, their "God's Army" is no more, and the twins' greatest accomplishment may be that both are still alive.
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