SANTA ROSA, California (AP) – A retired Presbyterian minister in Northern California is again facing charges she violated church law when she officiated at weddings of same-sex couples.

The Rev. Jane Spahr was acquitted two years ago of similar charges when the church’s Supreme Judicial Council found she did not violate denominational law because they were not real marriages, according to The Santa Rosa Press Democrat

This time, the same-sex marriages at issues were legal in California. Spahr’s lawyer says it’s unprecedented that the church is trying to sanction a minister for performing legal marriages.

The prosecution counters that while the marriages may have been legal under state law, they were “expressly prohibited” by the church.

Spahr, who lives in San Francisco, used to lead a ministry for gay and lesbian Presbyterians until she retired in 2007.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – A Maine social service organization that works with the homeless is getting help from across the nation in replacing grant money lost because of its support for same-sex marriage.

The director of the Preble Street Homeless Voices for Justice Program tells the Portland Press Herald that since Wednesday about 150 new donors have given almost $10,000.

The group lost $17,400 for this fiscal year when the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and the Washington-based Catholic Campaign for Human Development canceled grants because of Preble Street’s support for same-sex marriage in last fall’s statewide same-sex marriage referendum.

Church officials say Preble Street’s support for the referendum violated its grant agreements.

BALTIMORE (AP) – Lawyers for the father of a Marine who died in Iraq and whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters say a court has ordered him to pay the protesters’ appeal costs.

Lawyers for Albert Snyder of York, Pa., also say he is struggling to come up with fees associated with filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court.

The high court agreed earlier this month to consider whether the protesters’ message is protected by the First Amendment or limited by the competing privacy and religious rights of the mourners.

On Friday, Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ordered that Snyder pay costs associated with the Fred Phelps’ appeal. Phelps is the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church, which conducted protests at Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder’s funeral in 2006 in Westminster.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) – The Montana Supreme Court says prosecutors’ references to a Flathead County woman’s homosexuality may have influenced the jury that convicted her of obstructing a police officer.

The court ruled 4-3 to send Molly Miller’s case back to District Court, where she could receive a new trial if prosecutors decide to pursue it.

Miller says that prosecutors in her June 2008 trial had made irrelevant references to her homosexuality. The lower court said if Miller and her partner had been a man and a woman, their relationship would have been relevant.

But the Supreme Court said in its Thursday decision that there is a strong possibility that a juror will be prejudiced against a homosexual or bisexual individual, and the courts must safeguard against that.

NEW YORK (AP) – The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is calling on the Tribeca Film Festival to pull a transgender comedy from its lineup.

The film, “Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives,” pays homage to exploitation films and follows a group of transgender women who are beaten and then seek revenge. It’s to screen at Tribeca in April.

GLAAD alleges the film misrepresents the lives of transgender women and claims the characters are caricatures “written as drag queens.” The organization also objected to the use of the word “trannies” in the title.

Director Israel Luna and producer Toni Miller released a joint statement in response, saying they were surprised by GLAAD’s announcement and that they gave a copy of the film to GLAAD in February.

In a statement, Tribeca said it is “proud of its ongoing commitment to bring diverse voices and stories to its audiences

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – A gay teenager in upstate New York who had claimed he was relentlessly bullied by classmates while school administrators stood by settled his lawsuit Monday against the school district.

Jacob – who is identified as “J.L.” in the lawsuit and doesn’t want his name revealed – sued the Mohawk Central School District in federal court last summer with help from the New York Civil Liberties Union. Now 15, he said school officials did virtually nothing to stop bullies who picked on him because he acted differently from other boys.

The U.S. Department of Justice had sought to intervene, citing the “important issues” it raised in enforcing federal civil rights laws.

Under the settlement filed in federal court, the district agreed to implement changes to protect students from harassment, including additional staff training. The district will report on its progress to the Civil Liberties Union and federal justice officials.

The district also agreed to pay $50,000 to Jacob’s family and to reimburse them for counseling services. The district didn’t admit to any wrongdoing under the settlement.

Jacob has since moved to a neighboring district, where he said he is much happier. He released a statement with the district saying they hope the settlement serves “as a model for other school districts confronting issues of bullying and intolerance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender non-conforming students.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio health officials say a missed deadline will raise the cost of a federally funded state program to help people infected with the AIDS virus pay for their drugs.

Ohio uses outside companies to process payments related to the HIV drug program. The current administrator did not want to renew its contract, and the state did not choose a new company early enough for it to be in place when the contract runs out, on Wednesday.

During the transition period, the state will need to use federal tax dollars to pay the full cost for HIV medication, not just the usual copays.

Ohio Department of Health HIV services chief Katherine Shumate estimates the transitionary lapse will cost an extra $19,000. She says all patients will still receive their needed drugs.

STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) – The performance of a play that portrays Jesus as gay has been canceled at Tarleton State University amid what school officials say are “safety and security concerns.”

Critics say the Terrence McNally play “Corpus Christi,” which premiered in 1998 in New York, is blasphemous. But the Tarleton student who was directing the production said he chose it to help gay youths who may be struggling with their faith.

Security concerns were cited in prompting the university to initially change the start time and restrict attendance for Saturday’s production. Then, on Friday night, the school put a statement on its Web site saying the professor decided to cancel it due to safety and security concerns. The school said the production will not be rescheduled.

Stephenville is about 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The military’s top uniformed officer has publicly admonished a three-star Army general for urging troops to speak out against allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that Hawaii-based Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, who heads Army forces for U.S. Pacific Command, was wrong to call on troops and their families to fight a repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Mullen said if uniformed officers disagree with President Barack Obama’s call for a repeal, the answer for them is “to vote with your feet.”