In this Feb. 18, 2013 photo, demonstrators stand outside the capitol building during a "Puerto Rico Rises" rally to protest any move to legalize same-sex marriage in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The governing Popular Democratic Party is pushing a bill through the legislature that would outlaw discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation, a step taken by about half of U.S. states. Another bill would extend a domestic violence law to gay couples. However, many Puerto Ricans remain uncomfortable with the changes. Church groups in February rallied an estimated 200,000 people against a move to include gay couples under domestic violence laws. (AP Photo/El Vocero, Sebastian Marquez Velez)SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The advance of gay rights across the United States is spreading into Puerto Rico, making the island a relatively gay-friendly outpost in a Caribbean region where sodomy laws and harassment of gays are still common.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR