By a vote of 34 - 21, marriage equality has been approved in the full Illinois state Senate! It veered into raucous territory often in the Senate chamber, with anti-gay pols getting laughed at by those in attendance on a handful of occasions.

Same-sex marriage rights with religious protections now moves to the Illinois House, where it has also been given a great chance of passing. 

Stay tuned to Instinct as today's big news out of the Midwest develops!

The opposition has certainly been vocal, but monthly demonstrations sponsored by NOM haven't been enough to curtail marriage equality efforts so far in France. Today, the French National Assembly approved a comprehensive same-sex bill that even includes adoption rights for gay and lesbian couples. Details follow. 

In a vote of 21 to 14, the Colorado Senate has approved civil unions legislation on its final reading. 

SB 11 now heads to the state House, where—as ThinkProgress notes—openly gay Rep. Mark Ferrandino (D), is now the chamber’s Speaker.

Stay tuned to Instinct for the latest updates out of Colorado. 

Updated 3 p.m. EST

The House of Commons passed marriage equality on Tuesday evening by a large majority! In a vote of 400 to 175 (a majority of 225), MPs have voted for same-sex civil marriage in the United Kingdom. 

The Colorado Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a civil unions bill by a vote of 4 - 3 this morning. The landmark legislation will now head to the full Senate for consideration. Details follow. 

The ban on LGBT propaganda that Russia wants to implement nationwide has passed the Duma (lower house) with flying colors. Details follow. 

Updated Thursday  3:50 p.m. PST

Marriage equality has passed in the Illinois Senate committee! More after the jump!

Spencer Cox, an AIDS activist most recently known for appearing in one of the year's best films, How To Survive A Plague, has passed away at age 44. Like 39 year old Josh Weston whose death we learned about yesterday, Spencer succumbed to complications related to HIV.  

It's been a rough year for a porn community and fans who are once again receiving sad news about the death of a cherished actor. Josh Weston, age 39, has passed away due to complications related to HIV. 

San Francisco's controversial ban on public nudity passed a first Board of Supervisors vote as we reported in November, with a second and final vote held yesterday pretty much cementing the ordinance in stone.

Because of our much-deserved obsession, we're not allowed to be within 500 feet of the legendary Barbra Streisand, so we're giving you a chance for the honor instead! And, hey, you get to see the premiere of one of the holiday season's most buzzed about movies in the process, so it's win-win-WIN! 

Register (it's free!) with our website, then head to our Swag Suite area for the full details and to enter for a chance to win a pair of passes to the Los Angeles premiere of The Guilt Trip (in theaters December 19). You MUST live in or be in the L.A. area on December 11 to win. Good luck!

As the only Midwestern city to receive a 100 percent score on the HRC's new Municipal Equality Index, St. Louis has continued to prove its mettle today by passing non-discrimination protections for its LGBT community.