NewsWrap for the week ending January 11, 2014

SUMMARY

Russia Roundup - Russia's politically powerful Orthodox Church calls for a public referendum to re-criminalize gay sex; NBC Sports anchor Bob Costas tells reporters that he wants to ask Vladimir Putin to defend his country's "no promo homo" law during the network's Winter Olympics coverage next month in Sochi, while the U.S. State Department warns LGBT visitors to keep it on the "down low" …

Slow Backtrack - the Indian government asks the nation's Supreme Court to reconsider its December 11th ruling that recriminalized gay sex …

As Night Is Falling - just the threat of Uganda's draconian anti-gay law, yet to be signed by the president, is already making life more difficult for HIV/AIDS workers and the sexual minorities they serve …

The Sun Also Rises - civil unions for Chile's same-gender couples may be just a few weeks away after the Senate overwhelmingly approves a bill to create them …

Feds Buzz Bees - Utah's Republican Governor Gary Herbert nixes state recognition of the 1,360 lesbian and gay couples who legally wed in the state during the 17 days that they could, but U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says that the federal government will recognize those couples …

Courting Rituals - four same-gender couples challenge Arizona's constitutional marriage equality ban in federal court, and a federal court in Austin will soon begin hearings on a challenge to the ban in Texas …

Disenchanted - an effort by opponents of New Mexico marriage equality to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the state Supreme Court ruling establishing it as the law of the land in December are not given much chance of success …

Celebrity News - Germany's retired high-profile international football [soccer] star Thomas Hitzlsperger comes out, while Joseph Lown, the San Angelo, Texas mayor who resigned in 2009 to move to Mexico to live with his undocumented gay partner legally marries him in a Mexico City ceremony …

And That's the Truth - comedy icon Lily Tomlin and her creative/life partner of 42 years Jane Wagner finally make honest women of each other on New Year's Eve in New York City ….

Complete NewsWrap text and this week's podcast to be posted January 13, 2013.