Census bureau reps say 2020 survey could include boxes for gay and transgender individuals

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Census Bureau is making an unprecedented effort to include same-sex couples in next year’s national population count, but legally married gay couples won’t show up as such in the official once-a-decade tally, bureau representatives said Thursday.

Census reps say future surveys could include gays and transgender individuals in count

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Census Bureau is making an unprecedented effort to include same-sex couples in next year’s national population count, but counting the number of individuals who identify as gay, lesbian or transgender could be next.

South African runner at center of gender controversy asks to put off university final exams

JOHANNESBURG — A South African newspaper reports a champion runner at the center of a gender controversy has asked to put off university final exams.

On gay rights, new role seen for Justice Department in fighting discrimination

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s point man on civil rights said Wednesday he will seek to fight discrimination against gays, an area in which the Justice Department has had only a small role in the past.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert meets with gay rights group after opposing anti-discrimination laws

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert met with a gay rights advocacy group Tuesday for the first time since saying he opposes providing legal protections for gay and transgender people.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert meets with gay rights groups after opposing anti-discrimination laws

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert met with gay rights advocacy groups Tuesday for the first time since saying he opposes providing legal protections for gay and transgender people.

South African governing party wants Semenya to compete as a woman regardless of gender tests

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s governing party wants champion runner Caster Semenya to compete as a woman regardless of any gender tests.

Mass. court upholds $2M award to Wal-Mart pharmacist who claimed male co-workers got more pay

BOSTON — A former pharmacist at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. who claimed she was fired after asking to be paid the same as her male colleagues is entitled to $2 million in damages awarded by a jury, the state’s highest court ruled Monday.

Gay rights advocates urge passage of bill to protect gays, transsexuals from bias at work

WASHINGTON — Two openly gay members of Congress on Wednesday urged their colleagues to pass a sweeping job discrimination bill that would — for the first time — protect gays and transsexuals from workplace bias.

In NYC, Clinton Global Initiative tackles dealing with gender inequality, investing in women

NEW YORK — The importance of gender equality took center stage Wednesday at the Clinton Global Initiative as speakers emphasized how investing in girls and women can have repercussions at all levels of a society.

Merchant shipping fleets see more women on deck, but the industry is slow to change

ISTANBUL — Somali pirates who seize ships for ransom hold more than 100 captive mariners, including a rarity in the male-dominated shipping industry — a woman officer.

Iran’s Ahmadinejad pushes for women Cabinet ministers despite hard-line opposition

BEIRUT — After securing one woman on his Cabinet, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is pushing for a second, defying opposition from hardline Islamic clerics who say women have no place in leadership positions.

Australia may remove gender criteria for military jobs, allowing female combat roles

ADELAIDE, Australia — Australia may allow female soldiers to serve in front-line combat roles under proposed equal-opportunity guidelines that stoked debate Wednesday on whether women can meet the physical demands.

Idaho transgender activist runs for mayor in Nampa, townspeople forecast uphill battle

NAMPA, Idaho — About a block from a street concert in downtown Nampa, Melissa Sue Robinson strolls with purpose into a trendy coffee shop — the unofficial liberal embassy of this sprawling Republican stronghold in southwest Idaho.

Transgender teenager helps gay-rights group advocate for gender-neutral bathrooms in Vermont

MONTPELIER, Vt. — A transgender teen is lending his voice to a movement in Vermont to require the state’s middle and high schools to offer genderless bathrooms.

New momentum for federal bill that would protect gays, transsexuals from workplace bias

Momentum is building for Congress to pass the first major civil rights act protecting gays and transsexuals, supporters say, and one of the stars in the debate is a barrier-breaking transgender staffer on Capitol Hill.

Iranian women activists not fooled by president’s decision to appoint female ministers

CAIRO — Women’s rights activists say they aren’t fooled by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s nomination of the first female Cabinet ministers since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, calling it a ploy to improve his popularity that will actually hurt the cause of women.

Relatives of South African 800-meter winner at worlds dismiss gender test uproar

FAIRLIE, South Africa — In the poor, rural village where South African runner Caster Semenya grew up, relatives on Thursday brushed off questions about her deep voice and muscular build that have prompted the world governing body for track and field to seek gender tests.

50 million Asian women at risk of HIV from partners: UN

UNITED NATIONS — An estimated 50 million women in Asia are at risk of becoming infected with the HIV virus from their husbands or long-term partners, according to a U.N. report published Tuesday.

Judge denies Mass. transgender killer’s request for hair removal; inmate is seeking sex-change

BOSTON — A federal judge in Boston on Tuesday denied additional hair-removal treatments for a murderer who is seeking a taxpayer-funded sex-change operation, saying the inmate has failed to prove she will suffer “serious harm” without further electrolysis.

Judge denies Mass. transgender killer’s request for hair removal; inmate wants sex-change

BOSTON — A Boston federal judge has denied a murderer’s request to continue hair removal treatments as the inmate awaits a ruling on whether the state will be forced to pay for a sex-change operation.

Female ski jumpers’ appeal to be heard in November on competing in Vancouver Olympics

VANCOUVER, British Columbia —A group of female ski jumpers will return to court in November to appeal a decision that prevents them from competing in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Gay-rights activists: Struggle continues for basic rights; marriage equality is secondary

CLAYTON, Mo. — Gay marriage and gays in the military may dominate the headlines, but activists in many states say their fight is much more fundamental: basic rights and protections against discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation.

NYC mayor undergoes another round of questioning in lawsuit against business news company

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has completed another round of questioning about accusations that the financial data and news service he once headed discriminated against women.