BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – A Pride group has settled its lawsuit with the city of Birmingham.

The group filed the federal lawsuit in 2008 over Mayor Larry Langford’s attempt to withhold a parade permit from the group and his banning city workers from installing parade banners on city property.

David Gespass, an attorney for Central Alabama Pride, said the city will craft a nondiscrimination policy when it comes to hanging banners and will pay the group’s costs and legal fees.

The city will pay $40,350 for legal fees and the lawsuit filing fee.

The group sued after the parade, saying there was no rational basis for Langford to restrict city workers from hanging the banners.

GOSHEN, Ind. (AP) – The City Council in northern Indiana’s Goshen has voted against changing its civil rights ordinance to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity after hearing six hours of debate on the controversial issue.

Nearly 150 people spoke to the council about the proposal before members voted 4-3 against it early Wednesday. One of the plan’s sponsors voted against it, saying he became worried that the proposal would subject the city to a lawsuit.

People packed the Goshen High School auditorium Tuesday evening for the meeting, which stretched past midnight because so many people wanted to speak on the issue.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Data show that same-sex couples are coming from other states to get married in Iowa.

An Iowa Supreme Court ruling in April legalized same-sex marriage in the state. In a Sunday story, the Des Moines Register reports that since the April ruling, state data show about 45 percent of Iowa’s same-sex marriages were between out-of-state couples.

Between April 27 and July 27 there were 5,214 marriage certificates issued statewide. Of those, 676 were for same-sex couples. Gender was concealed on 339 marriage certificates.

Of the 676 same-sex couples, 312 couples weren’t from Iowa. They were from neighboring states.

Data show 57 couples were from Illinois, 38 were from Nebraska, 37 were from Missouri and 36 were from Minnesota.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Jonathan Bray, one of the organizers of Southern Decadence, a New Orleans celebration that has become known as the gay Mardi Gras, spent his time this week getting ready for the big party and watching weather reports.

To Bray’s delight, he did not see any hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.

In the almost four decades since it started, Southern Decadence has become a traditional Labor Day weekend, end-of-summer, event for gays. But for two of the last four years, hurricanes crashed the French Quarter-centered party. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Gustav last year, both generated evacuation orders for the city and brought the festivities to a screeching halt.

Bray is telling people not to worry this year.

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – Maine election officials say same-sex marriage foes have reached the threshold of petitions necessary to put the state law on the November ballot.

The same-sex marriage law was supposed to go into effect this month, but it was put on hold as the secretary of state’s office verified the number of petitions. With the signatures validated, Gov. John Baldacci on Wednesday signed a formal proclamation putting the matter to a statewide vote on Nov. 3.

The announcement came as no surprise.

Same-sex marriage opponents needed the signatures of at least 55,087 registered voters for the so-called People’s Veto, and they turned in nearly 100,000 signatures. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap says officials stopped counting once they found that more than 60,000 of the submitted signatures were valid.

ANOKA, Minn. (AP) – Anoka-Hennepin School District officials say two teachers accused of mocking a student they believed was gay are on leave from their jobs.

The teachers’ absences are the latest development in a story dating back to Jan. 2008 when Anoka social studies teacher Diane Cleveland was reassigned and suspended for two days for allegedly mocking Alex Merritt. The student eventually transferred to another high school and graduated this year.

The 39-year-old Cleveland and 56-year-old law enforcement teacher, Walter Filson, were accused of harassing Merit because they thought he was gay. An investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights found the two teachers subjected Merritt to classroom jokes about sexual orientation.

Any disciplinary action against Wilson was not disclosed. District officials wouldn’t say whether the leaves are paid or unpaid. The district is hiring substitute teachers for their classes.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri is defending his decision to speak at a fundraiser for a Massachusetts group that considers homosexuality “destructive” and “an unhealthy practice.”

Carcieri said on WPRO-AM on Wednesday that he agreed at the request of a friend to be the keynote speaker at a Massachusetts Family Institute fundraising banquet on Oct. 5.

The organization also believes it’s unhealthy for children to be raised by unwed adults or same-sex couples.

Carcieri said he’s not familiar with the organization’s Web site, but that his opposition to same-sex marriage is well-known. He says the issue should be decided by voters, not the Legislature.

The chairman of Rhode Island’s Democratic party and a group supporting same-sex marriage have condemned Carcieri’s decision.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – A group pushing for an apology from Mormon church leaders for political activism related to gay rights is now calling for a Utah task force to study discrimination against gays.

The Foundation for Reconciliation on Monday requested a meeting with Gov. Gary Herbert. The foundation’s request comes days after Herbert said Utah should not enact laws to protect the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community from employment and housing discrimination.

Herbert spokeswoman Angie Welling confirmed the meeting request Monday.

The foundation owns the Web site ldsapology.org, and is circulating a petition asking The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to apologize for its involvement in the 2008 California ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) – The archbishop of Washington is diving into the fight over whether to legalize same-sex marriage in D.C.

Archbishop Donald Wuerl on Tuesday sent a letter to 300 area priests to remind them of the Catholic church’s opposition to such unions.

Wuerl says he wants the voice and teachings of the church to be heard clearly in the midst of the battle over same-sex marriage.

The archbishop reached out to local priests on the same day a group of mostly African-American, Baptist preachers filed a request to hold an initiative next year that would define marriage in D.C. as only between a man and a woman.

D.C. Council recently voted to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. Legislation to legalize same-sex marriages is expected to be introduced this fall.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Three Lutheran church leaders in Cheyenne are speaking out against the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s recent show of support for homosexual clergy.

Last month, the ELCA voted to revise policies that prohibit its clergy members from being homosexual.

But the Cheyenne pastors are criticizing the organization’s move. In a joint statement, they said homosexual relationships, like all relationship outside of marriage, are sinful, so it is “grossly inappropriate” for pastors to engage in or support such relationships.