In Kentucky: 16-Year-Old Lesbian was Beaten by Group of Men

A teenaged girl was beaten by a group of men. As they were attacking her, they hurled anti-gay slurs.

Here's more

Brandon White's Attacker claims: ‘I didn’t hit him to the point of killing him’

An update from the Brandon White case. Dorian Moragne, was one of Brandon's attackers. At the hearing, Dorian was the only attacker to speak and he had a lot to say.

Here more from the ATL's Project Q:

“First and foremost I would like to start off with an apology from deep down,” he said. “This attack did not only affect [White] but was also taken as an attack on the gay community.”

Moragne said he could change if given another chance.

“I truly believe that I can become a productive member of society. I am actively pursuing change in my life,” he said. “We made a mistake. I don’t hate nobody. I’ve got gay family.”

But Banks challenged Moragne on the sincerity of his apology and his refusal to admit that he’s a gang member. Moragne nearly derailed his plea agreement during a hearing in May when he balked at admitting to a felony count of solicitation of gang activity.

“I didn’t want to plead guilty to the gang member because I am not a gang member. I plead guilty because I didn’t want to take it to trial. I am not in no gang. I am not a Blood or Crip. I am from Florida,” Moragne said Thursday.

“This ain’t what y’all portraying it to be. This ain’t California. We don’t have a history of beating up gay people. All of this stuff you are putting on the media to say we beat gay people so you can pass a law,” he added.

And....

Moragne continued by attempting to undercut the seriousness of the attack: “I barely hit him. I was wrong for hitting him but I didn’t hit him to the point of killing him. I was just being young and dumb.”

Banks retorted by asking Moragne if he threw a tire on White.

“Next question please,” Moragne retorted.

“Did you throw a tire on him?”

“Yes.”

Dorian the other men faces up to 75 years in prison if convicted 

MI Assistant AG suspended over gay-bashing blog - UPDATE

Andrew Shirvell with photo shopped picture of Chris Armstrong

UPDATE: It appears that Attorney General Mike Cox didn't suspend Asst. AG Andrew Shirvell. Shrivell says reports of his suspension are untrue, and that he has merely taken a voluntary leave of absence from his job.

Joy Yearout, a spokeswoman for Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, said this morning that media reports saying Cox suspended Shirvell were inaccurate.

If that's the case, then Cox should be fired!

Clearly these two anti-gay, Tea Party state employees should not be the leading law enforcement officials in the state.

* * * * * * * * * *

Finally, some good news! If you hadn't heard the background on this story, the Assistant Attorney General in Michigan -- Andrew Shirvell -- started a blog for the sole purpose of harassing University of Michigan student leader Chris Armstrong. So why would a presumed adult take the time to stalk and harass a college student? Chris Armstrong is gay.

Another Michigan blogger described Shirvell's behavior this way:

You would think the guy working for the republican Attorney General who lectures in schools about how to stop cyber bullying would know better. But Michigan AG Mike Cox's Asst., Andrew Shirvell just can't keep his teabagging, gay hating, religious zealot mouth shut.

College student Chris Armstrong is the President of the University of Michigan's Student Assembly. And he's been politically active, or as christian teabagger Asst. AG Shirvell might put it, "using his Nazi-like anti christian cult to lure innocent heterosexuals into accepting the evil gay." Evil, anti christian things like campaigning against tuition hikes, and working for safe housing for transgendered youth on campus.

Michigan's Attorney General has been reluctant to do anything, citing Shirvell's First Amendment free speech rights. All of Shirvell's blogging activity has allegedly taken place after hours.

Shirvell had recently stepped up his harassment of Armstrong by stalking the college student near his residence, and at local clubs where Armstrong was known to hang out. The actions caused Armstrong to seek a personal protection order against Shirvell.

I began this post by saying there is finally some good news! Well, after (cough) careful consideration, MI Attorney General Mike Cox has had a change of heart and suspended Shirvell.

Attorney General Mike Cox changed his stance Thursday, suspending Andrew Shirvell after the assistant attorney general attracted national attention for a controversial blog that ridicules and denounces a University of Michigan student leader for his gay advocacy, religious beliefs and character.

The suspension came a day after Cox told CNN he didn't intend to fire Shirvell, citing civil service rules that protect government employees from being "fired willy-nilly" for exercising their rights of free speech.

Cox said he hadn't earlier read all of Shirvell's blog, "Chris Armstrong Watch," that dogs Armstrong, the 21-year-old, openly gay president of U-M's student government and accuses him of "anti-Christian behavior," "mocking God," promoting homosexuality and trying "to recruit your sons and daughters" into the gay lifestyle.

"I'm at fault here," Cox said. "I've been saying for weeks that (Shirvell's) been acting like a bully, that his behavior is immature, but it's after-hours and protected by the First Amendment."

Republican (Tea party supporter) Cox couldn't leave it at just suspending Shirvell. He had to take a shot at Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who posted on Twitter that she would have fired Shirvell.

"I don't know why she's so freaking irresponsible. ... she went to Harvard Law School," Cox said. "The civil service rules are a huge shield for free speech and she knows that."

As governor, Granholm enacted policies applying to state workers that bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation -- but those rules apply to the workplace, not to what employees say or blog after-hours. The rules allow political appointees like Cox to fire employees for "just cause," including "conduct unbecoming a state employee," said Matt Fedorchuk, a spokesman for the state department of civil service.

What determines that conduct isn't explicitly described. [...]

Larry Dubin, a professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, said he doubts that Shirvell can effectively perform his job representing the public, when he's forcefully expressed his "biblical" views condemning homosexuality as the work of the devil. "My real concern is whether as an attorney for the Michigan Attorney General's Office, he can competently represent gay people in our state," Dubin said.

"Perhaps that raises a legitimate question as to his competency to hold this job, rather than examining his right to speak his brand of hate."

It doesn't stop there for Shirvell. Also on Thursday, Diane Brown, a spokeswoman for the campus police, confirmed Shirvell is subject to an ongoing investigation of "harassing or stalking" and banned from campus. Shirvell was read a trespass warning on Sept. 14 that bars him from setting foot on campus, Brown said. Shirvell is appealing the order, but no hearing date has been set.

Armstrong may need a body guard now that Shivell has been suspended.  Judging from the way Shivell has escalated his harassment of Armstrong, he's probably not safe.

We've heard a lot about kids bullying other kids lately. Is it any wonder this behavior takes place, when adults -- in positions of authority -- act this way!  Shivell needs to be fired, to send a strong statement that this behavior is not acceptable.

Secret sex video linked to NJ student's suicide

It is just completely unacceptable to me that any college-age student would think they have a right to invade someone's privacy this way. A life is lost, and for what? The students responsible need to spend time in jail thinking about their actions, and as a society we MUST stop passing judgment on people because of their sexual orientation, or ANY characteristic that cannot be changed.

The death of a Rutgers University freshman stirred outrage and remorse on campus from classmates who wished they could have stopped the teen from jumping off a bridge last week after a recording of him having a sexual encounter with a man was broadcast online.

"Had he been in bed with a woman, this would not have happened," said Lauren Felton, 21, of Warren. "He wouldn't have been outed via an online broadcast and his privacy would have been respected and he might still have his life."

Gay rights groups say Tyler Clementi's suicide makes him a national example of a problem they are increasingly working to combat: young people who kill themselves after being tormented over their sexuality.
A lawyer for Clementi's family confirmed Wednesday that he had jumped off the George Washington Bridge last week. Police recovered a man's body Wednesday afternoon in the Hudson River just north of the bridge, and authorities were trying to determine if it was Clementi's. [...]

Clementi's roommate, Dhraun Ravi, and fellow Rutgers freshman Molly Wei, both 18, have been charged with invading Clementi's privacy. Middlesex County prosecutors say the pair used a webcam to surreptitiously transmit a live image of Clementi having sex on Sept. 19 and that Ravi tried to webcast a second encounter on Sept. 21, the day before Clementi's suicide. [...]

Collecting or viewing sexual images without consent is a fourth-degree crime. Transmitting them is a third-degree crime with a maximum prison term of five years.

The Court should throw the book at these two students.

"The notion that video of Tyler doing what he was doing can be considered a spectacle is just heinous," said Jordan Gochman, 19, of Jackson, who didn't know Clementi. "It's intolerant, it's upsetting, it makes it seem that being gay is something that is wrong and can be considered laughable."

Other students who did know Clement were upset that they didn't do more to help him. "I wish I could have been more of an ally," said Georges Richa, a freshman from New Brunswick.

About 100 people gathered Wednesday night for a vigil on campus. They lay on the ground and chanted slogans like, "We're here, we're queer, we're not going home."

Several gay rights groups linked Clementi's death to the troubling phenomenon of young people committing suicide after being harassed over their sexuality.

On Tuesday, a 13-year-old California boy died nine days after classmates found him hanging from a tree. Authorities say other teens had taunted the boy, Seth Walsh of Tehachapi, for being gay.

Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, said in a statement that his group considers Clementi's death a hate crime.

"We are heartbroken over the tragic loss of a young man who, by all accounts, was brilliant, talented and kind," Goldstein said. "And we are sickened that anyone in our society, such as the students allegedly responsible for making the surreptitious video, might consider destroying others' lives as a sport."

Newspaper columnist and gay rights activist Dan Savage has launched a YouTube channel in an effort to reach out to gay and lesbian youth. His "It Gets Better Project" features video's by lesbian and gay adults who share their stories about harassment and how it does (eventually) get better.

I've been fortunate in that I've not faced a lot of harassment, but then I didn't come out until I was an adult. It's tough for boys and girls who are struggling with coming out. Often they are shunned by their families and friends, and become targets for abuse. Even someone perceived to be lesbian or gay can face harassment and violence. And imagine the challenges faced by transgender women and men.

As I've said before, it's all rooted in sexism. If our culture didn't try and place individuals in such rigid roles it wouldn't matter if a boy wanted to be a cheerleader, or a girl wanted to play on the school football team.

It's a good day

We have a state doing the right thing:

N.H. Senate Passes Gay Marriage Bill

The New Hampshire Senate voted narrowly on Wednesday to legalize same-sex marriage, paving the way for the state to potentially become the fifth in the nation — and the third this month — to allow gay couples to wed.

A Congress that puts people first:

House bill would provide gays new protections

Gay victims of violence would gain new federal protections under a revived and expanded hate crimes bill passed by the House on Wednesday over conservatives' objections.

Hate crimes _ as defined by the bill _ are those motivated by prejudice and based someone's race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

And a president who can talk in complete sentences:

President Obama’s 100th-Day Press Briefing

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Before we begin to tonight, I just want to provide everyone with a few brief updates on some of the challenges we're dealing with right now.

It's a good day.

Steven Parrish: Killed for being gay

The Baltimore Sun reports:

Two teenagers were ordered held without bail yesterday in the death of a Randallstown High School student who was stabbed and stomped to death after his fellow Bloods gang members found messages on his phone that suggested he was gay.

Steven T. Hollis III, 18, of Randallstown and Juan L. Flythe, 17, of West Baltimore - both of whom are members of the Bloods gang, according to police - were arrested and charged Thursday evening with first-degree murder. They are accused of killing a fellow gang member days before his high school graduation in May.

The body of Steven Parrish, 18, was found May 29 in a wooded area near his parents' home and Woodlawn Cemetery. "

It's awful," Baltimore County prosecutor William B. Bickel said in an interview after yesterday's bail-review hearing in Towson. "You're talking about a gangland-style execution because he was gay. They took him out back in a field and stabbed him to death."

An autopsy revealed that Parrish died of both blunt-force and stabbing injuries, according to court records. He suffered 50 superficial cutting wounds to his arms, neck, head, wrist and hands in addition to one stab wound to the chest that injured his heart and caused significant blood loss. He also had bruises on the left side of his neck.

Clearly these young men are not Boy Scouts, but Steven Parrish has paid a high price for not conforming to a macho culture. His fellow gang members deemed it necessary to kill Steven, least anyone think they were weak for having someone gay in their gang.

On the day before Parrish's death, several members of the gang met at his home, according to charging documents. There, Hollis and Flythe discussed finding what they believed to be "gay" text messages on Parrish's cell phone.

Angered by the messages and a photograph they found, they worried that their Bloods group would appear weak to others if word got out that they had a gay member, according to court records.

Carrie Evans, Policy Director for Equality Maryland, issued a statement about the tragedy.

When you work in the LGBT civil rights movement, you learn to construct a thick wall around your heart as a means to survive. Sometimes though an 18-wheeler comes crashing through that wall.

As I read the story in the Baltimore Sun about the killing of Steven Parrish, I kept re-reading the witness accounts. "...Parrish left his parents' home with another young man and walked toward the woods. About a minute later, the witness and other neighbors heard someone yelling and pleading, "Stop! Why are you doing this to me? I didn't do anything!" His wrongdoing? The insinuation (or fear) he was gay and the implications this had for the gang he was a part of. I kept on imagining the awful things that may have been going through his head as he was being led to his vicious death. Was it the fear of violence and death that many LGBT people feel when someone "discovers" our secret? Was it regret that he hadn't tried hard enough to be straight? Was it sadness that he could not live his life openly and honestly as a young gay man? Was it betrayal that his sexual orientation would trump any familial bonds with his gang brothers? Was it resignation that being murdered is the horrific price one pays for "not being a man?"

I will never know.

I do know that we do this work in hopes that we can create a world that embraces Steven and all of the young, old and in between people who are gay or don't fit into the rigid gender roles that society imposes. We must move out of our isolating silos, whether they are lesbian, black, Muslim, Lakota, or disabled. These silos protect us from nothing but living fully. We sit in our silos reading or watching stories about the murder de jour, the problems with our schools, the lack of affordable housing, the HIV/AIDS crisis and domestic violence, being thankful that our silo is "safe." Once in a while we may even feel a pang of empathy for someone in another silo but don't quite know where to go with that feeling. There is no doubt the societal conditions leading to Steven's death are not easily remedied. There also is no doubt the remedies are not cleverly hidden in our silos and only emerge when we leave the silo.

Commit to step out of your silo, start with small jaunts - tutor at your local public school, stop someone when they are telling a homophobic "joke," don't look away when you walk past a homeless person. Stepping out of the silo may be scary and intimidating, but I know when I step out of mine, I will think of Steven.

It is important for everyone to challenge the homophobia that exists in our culture. And homophobia is rooted in sexism, so we must continue to fight that battle as well. It hurts everyone when even one person is considered "less than" for simply being who they are.

DC Police Chief Tough on Hate

It is comforting to know that DC Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier has zero tolerance for hate crimes. What is not comforting to know is that I pass this particular station every day on my way to work. The Washington Post reports that "homophobic graffiti" was discovered in a restroom stall at a DC police station.

D.C. police are investigating a hate crime in one of the department's stations after an officer discovered graphic "homophobic graffiti" on a men's bathroom stall.

The graffiti was reported last night after an officer found the writing in the 5th District station, at 1805 Bladensburg Rd. NE. An internal affairs investigation into the matter was opened this morning, police said.

Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier sent out a department-wide e-mail saying she found the graffiti "astonishing."

"All of you should be personally affronted that another member of this Department would think that it is acceptable to conduct [one's self] in this manner," Lanier wrote.

I would certainly hate to be pulled over by THAT police officer -- with the rainbow sticker on the back of my car. Yikes!

Thank you Chief Lanier!

UPDATE: Hate Crimes Bill PASSED

The Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed the U.S. Senate today by a vote of 60 - 39. This legislation will make valuable resources available to the states to investigate and prosecute bias-related crimes against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Bush has threatened to veto the bill, and if he does we need all 60 votes for an override! Check here to find out how your Senators voted. Thank them if they voted "Yea" and voice your disaproval if they voted "Ney." Encourage them to hold strong against any veto threat!

TAKE ACTION: Senate to Vote on Hate Crimes Bill

The Senate is finally going to vote on the Matthew Shepard Act on Thursday (9/27).

Now that Senate action is imminent, anti-LGBT groups are activating their misinformed grassroots base once again.

They've convinced thousands that this bill will muzzle preachers and send pastors to jail for reading certain parts of the Bible. This is simply NOT TRUE. If we don't call right now, critical votes COULD BE LOST to these scare tactics.

TAKE ACTION NOW
Click here to get contact information for you Senators.

For each office, tell the staffer who answers:
"As a constituent, I'd like the Senator to support the Matthew Shepard Act (S. 1105)."

We cannot allow our Senators to be intimidated, misled, or swayed by an extremist minority.

Charges Dropped Against Nadine Smith

from Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida

On Feb 27 Largo police violently arrested Equality Florida's Executive Director during a Largo City Council hearing to fire the City Manager because he is transgender. This week, the State Attorney's office dropped all charges stating:

"The state attorney, having taken testimony under oath at a state attorney investigation, concludes that the facts and circumstances revealed do not warrant prosecution at this time."

At the guidance of my attorney, I have declined to speak out until now about my arrest and brutal treatment by Largo police and the utterly false statements included in the police reports. I have certainly wanted to talk. It is very difficult to remain silent in the face of injustice, and now that these outrageous charges have been dropped, I think it is very important to speak.

But first I want to express the extraordinary gratitude I feel to the people throughout this community, this state and across the country who have written letters of support and sent words of encouragement. I am thankful to the ACLU for providing legal counsel and to the many witnesses who stepped forward to describe the violent actions of the Largo police and refute their fabricated justification for the arrest.

I know that others who have been wrongly arrested under similar circumstances and treated even more brutally do not always have access to dedicated attorneys or the broad support of a community rallying behind them.

Friends in law enforcement tell me this happens all the time. An officer loses his temper, begins an unjustified arrest and then adds a false "resisting with violence" felony charge to cover their actions. The costs to the individual treated this way are outrageous: physical injury, emotional distress, a public assault on their character, the possibility of being sentenced to 5 years in prison, loss of their right to vote, and exorbitant costs for legal representation. Without the ACLU, I would have mortgaged my home to pay the cost of fighting these charges all the way.

When the charges are dropped, the victim is supposed to be so bathed in relief and eager to put a painful chapter behind them that there are no consequences for the officer who has abused his authority.

So let me say now that I believe this was an ugly act intended to intimidate people exercising our first amendment rights by an officer who disagreed with our message. How else to explain the rage and the violence of the arrest? Within moments of handing a piece of paper with the words "Don't Discriminate" to a person who asked me for it, I was grabbed, my wrists and arms twisted to near breaking behind my back. I was shoved down a hallway, banged against a wall and slammed to the ground.

I believe the people at the hearing who followed the police as they took me away and the photographer who snapped a picture of four officers kneeling on me as I was pinned to the ground may have saved me from greater harm.

I am proud that Equality Florida members and community supporters did not bow to intimidation nor respond in kind to the ugliness shown by Largo police at the first meeting. We showed up in even greater numbers at the second hearing and held firm to a commitment to non-violent social change and to speaking up when discrimination and bigotry show themselves in our midst.

I attended and spoke at that second hearing and the atmosphere was different. The officer who arrested me and the others who slammed me around were nowhere to be seen. In their place were fire marshals and police officers who dealt respectfully with those gathered.

The rules where posted at every doorway and when a student was asked not to hold a sign in the council chambers and asked "Why?" an officer briefly explained the policy.

I do not expect police to be perfect, unfailingly polite or without emotion. I know there are dangers and tough judgment calls law enforcement officers face constantly. But when you wear a badge and carry a gun and have the power to use physical force and to take away an individuals freedom, you must be held to a standard that does not allow that extraordinary power to become license to abuse. You may not use that authority to silence dissent or to bully those whose opinions are not your own.

At moments like these police departments habitually close ranks and blindly back an officer no matter how wrong. But there is another way. Los Angeles police appear to be dealing seriously with the apparent misconduct caught on video of officers beating and taunting peaceful demonstrators.

Largo police should throw out the cliched responses. They owe the community the level of professionalism they displayed during the second hearing, not the arrogance and brutality shown at the first one. A public apology is a good way to start.

Sincerely,
Nadine Smith

Executive Director

The evil in men's souls

Right before the Blog Against Theocracy kicked off I received an email message from Equality Florida. I subscribe to a lot of email listservs, it's one of the ways I keep up with all the things I need to for my day job. This particular message, however, broke my heart.

As anyone who reads this blog knows, it's no secret that I'm a lesbian. I've been out since the late-70's, so one might presume that someone who has been around the block as long as I have would be used to about everything by now ... but there is one thing I just can't get used to, and that is the violence that's so pervasive against lesbians and gay men, or anyone perceived to be lesbian or gay.

I will get to the Equality Florida message in just a moment, but first let me say that I've been reading gay newspapers since 1977. You can pick one up in any gay club or bar, and what I noticed early on were the number of news reports of violence -- usually directed at gay men.

Matthew Shepard's brutal death brought this reality into mainstream American homes, but the reality has been in our homes for far too long. We read about it every week in the gay press. And most lesbian and gay people know at least one person who has been assaulted either physically or verbally.

One of the latest victims is Ryan Keith Skipper, of Florida. Ryan, a 25-year-old resident of Polk County, was "viciously murdered and his body left on the side of the road in what the Sheriff's office is classifying as an anti-gay hate crime."

Ryan was brutally stabbed at least 20 times and his car and a laptop computer were stolen. According to witnesses, two suspects drove Ryan's bloody car around and bragged to their friends about savagely killing him.

Joseph Eli Bearden, 21, and William David Brown Jr., 20, were indicted ... and face charges of first-degree murder and robbery with a deadly weapon.

Ryan's murder was not an isolated incident, but rather the latest in an epidemic of anti-gay hate violence in Florida and around the nation. Anti-gay hate crimes are at their highest level ever in Florida, and second only to racist attacks in overall numbers.

According to the Florida Attorney General's office, hate crimes targeting LGBT Floridians have increased 33% in the most violent categories during the two most recently reported years. The silence of Florida's leadership in the face of this brutal murder cannot go unchallenged.

There are vigils planned for April 14th, so if you live in Florida check the Equality Florida web site to find the one near you.

For all the bloggers who took part in BAT this past weekend, know that the issues are all connected. When Religious Right leaders demonize lesbians and gays to fundraise, and when Republicans trot out a Federal Marriage Amendment every election season to rally their "base" we need to remind them their actions have consequences. Their actions give "permission" to unbalanced monsters like Bearden and Brown to engage in violence.

I can hear conservatives whining right now, claiming that Hate Crimes bills are attempts to criminalize thoughts. That's a bold faced lie. Americans have a right to think whatever they like, but your "rights" end at the beginning of my nose. When Joseph Bearden and William David Brown thrust a knife into the body of Ryan Keith Skipper, their propensity to hate became a crime. And their actions were not random, but deliberate. They deliberately killed Ryan simply because he was gay.

The law says people are innocent until proven guilty, so let Bearden and Brown have their day in court. But when they are found guilty, as the evidence suggests, the punishment I would like to see handed down to these two young men is that they spend the rest of their natural lives behind bars. That for the next 50 or 60 years they get to think about what they did, and the lives they changed forever when they took Ryan from his friends and family. When they took away his future.