Police at Scotland Yard have denied speculation that there was gay paraphernalia found in the flat nor that there has been any link to a male escort. Williams was found dead last Monday at his £400,000 flat in Pimlico, Central London, about half a mile from MI6 headquarters. He was discovered in the bath stuffed into a sports duffle bag.

There are no signs of violence on Williams’ remains, and toxicology has yet to return. It may be another week before it is known if there were poisons, drugs, or alcohol in his system, and those results might show that he was asphyxiated. What is known is that Williams was stuffed into the bag after he died. There is one line of inquiry that he died in a strange accident and then was put into the bag.

His death is still being described as ‘suspicious and unexplained’ by Metropolitan police. Police are also looking into the movement of some £18,000 which disappeared from William’s bank account two months ago by what they are describing as ‘complex means’. Williams was known to work on interception of messages and code-breaking.

The police are trying to determine whether or not the money was moved as part of something innocent, such as to another account or that he may have been paying blackmail. The movement of the money is being scrutinized to find out if it may be linked to his death. Williams had recently made trips to Afghanistan to help decode Taliban messages at MI6’s station in Kabul. He also apparently played an important role in the development of the electronic intelligence gathering system called Echelon.

No arrests have been made, and so far no one has come forward to say that they had seen him in the eight days before his body was discovered.

Source

The family of his victim moved more than three hundred miles to try and rebuild their lives. Prine stated during the sentencing “Shepherd is a monster, and the only way anybody will be safe from him is to keep him locked up in prison for life.”

Shepherd’s crimes were premeditated. Initially, police believed Shepherd to be an habitual sex offender preyed on children in multiple states and using multiple aliases on the Internet. No evidence of that was found, but that may be because none of his other victims have come forward or know that he is the man who molested them. According to Judge Ben Johnson “I think the business of Mr. Shepherd, advertising himself as a nanny and going around the country working with children, at a time when he obviously knew he was a pedophile, indicates premeditation.”

Shepherd showed some regret in court, but it is unlikely that swayed many people. He stated “I am sorry for how its affected him and his family and several others in the community.” Judge Johnson, however, pointed out that the crime was calculated. He said in court “I think that the 25 to life is appropriate, because of the great harm that’s been caused. Because there was pre-meditation, because this was done in a very deliberate fashion.”

In twenty-five years, Shepherd will be reassessed to see if he is still a threat to society as a pedophile. If he is, then he will remain in jail until he is either considered to be rehabilitated or he dies.

Source

Not including the hate crimes designation is another problem with this. According to all accounts except for the two Marines, Cronauer and Stanzel both called Daly several epithets and harassed him even as he was walking away. As he turned to leave the two, they struck him. According to both Cronauer and Stanzel, Daly winked at them, though that is in dispute. Both men ran from the scene and eventually told police that they were being harassed by a gay man.

According to news reports at the time, “Daly said after his friends performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the scene, he was taken to Memorial University Medical Center and diagnosed with bruises to his brain. He had two seizures immediately after the attack and was expected to remain at Memorial for several days.” Injuries to the brain can linger, and even appear to not effect a person for a long time before they are effected by it in some manner.

It now falls upon the Department of Justice and Attorney General Eric Holder to determine if there will be any Federal hate crimes prosecution under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr Hate Crimes Law. According to 2009 testimony of AG Holder “The Federal government has a strong interest in protecting people from violent crimes motivated by such bias and bigotry. . .I am particularly pleased that Section 249(a)(2) would for the first time allow for Federal prosecution of violence undertaken because of the actual or perceived gender, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity of any person. The Department therefore welcomes the expanded coverage of section 249, which would allow us to prosecute and deter violent acts of this sort more effectively.”

Now, the question is, will Holder and President Barack Obama do what is right or will they continue to worry about the Midterm Elections?

Source

On Tuesday of last week, we were the first to report that we had uncovered suspect information and then proceeded to report the facts regarding the Lawsuit brought by the Gay Couple in Wyoming.

The lawsuit, filed Aug. 13 by David Shupe-Roderick, 25, and Ryan W. Dupree, 21, is the first legal challenge in recent memory to Wyoming’s law defining marriage as being a contract solely “between a male and a female person.” The couple, who are representing themselves, filed the lawsuit after the Laramie County Clerk’s Office refused three times to issue them a marriage license. That’s unequal treatment, they said, and they’re asking U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson to stop the state from enforcing any laws that block gays and lesbians from access to civil marriage. “We determined that a lawsuit was the only possible way for them to get to recognize us as people,” Shupe-Roderick said. “I think it’s time that Wyoming lives up to its title. You know they call themselves the Equality State? Well, they’re not so equal.”

Lezgetreal investigated further and found that all was not as it seemed. We reported that the Plaintiff Shupe had in fact been involved in prior law suits that were suspect and revealed some startling details. Now more has come to light.

Shupe-Roderick, 25, served 4 years in the Wyoming State Penitentiary after he, his brother, and their two girlfriends left Cheyenne in a rental car in January 2004. When they didn’t return the rental car on time, the rental company contacted police. Two days later, Shupe-Roderick – then known as Gerald Shupe — was arrested in Arkansas after being pulled over for an illegal lane change.

After being sentenced, Shupe-Roderick unsuccessfully requested a reduction in his prison sentence on the grounds that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and wasn’t taking his prescribed medication when he took the rental car.

Lezgetreal has been contacted by parties close to source as well as information from local authorities and now received further verification through the investigation of other media outlets.

Gerald David Shupe-Roderick, aka Gerald Shupe, now asking to be called David- is currently being prosecuted for falsifying state documents. Last October, he applied to become a notary public, and he allegedly certified on his application form that he wasn’t a convicted felon.

The lawsuit also alleges Shupe-Roderick used a fake same-sex union certificate from Massachusetts to obtain a Wyoming driver’s license.

Shupe-Roderick has also been a plaintiff in court as frequently as he has been a defendant. Besides the gay marriage case,  says the Billings Gazette. “He’s filed five other lawsuits in the past three years. In one, he accused prison guards of sexual misconduct, and in another, he accused a would-be business client of assault and breach of contract. He has also sought $16,398 in loans and debts from his former employers/roommates and asserted that Bank of America unlawfully refused to release $5,107 from his bank account. All of those cases were eventually dropped or dismissed.”

There is yet a  fifth case is pending in federal court in which Shupe-Roderick is suing “Wyoming Child Support Services” — an apparent reference to the Wyoming Department of Family Services — for allegedly intercepting a $643 federal tax refund. Shupe-Roderick had previously paid child support to his ex-wife to support their 5-year-old son, but in 2009 he agreed to give up his parental rights in exchange for dropping all child support obligations.

It has also been alleged that Shupe has two other children with yet a second woman.  Likely the Gay behavior of a man who is so upset he cannot marry a same-sex partner who he told LezGetReal he has known for a mere year! It would seem also that Dupree has a neurological problem and one can only wonder if Mr. Shupe, adept at lawsuits, is using the younger man, to further his personal agenda.

Shupe-Roderick and Dupree, 19, are now not answering our calls and e-mails – at first so willing to respond. Shupe told us he did not expect the attention this has received and that was only last Tuesday.   I can only imagine how much more they have received since.

After granting several interviews to reporters, Lezgetreal being the first, on Monday, after news of the suit came out, the couple has stopped talking to reporters and gay-right activists.

On Tuesday, Shupe-Roderick said he and Dupree were prepared to handle the spotlight. But he said they were surprised that their lawsuit was receiving so much publicity.  “I kind of assumed that it would just be a quiet lawsuit,” he said.

Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

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Covington Police are investigating the origins of the fliers, and the person or persons behind them may face fines for violating the city’s sign ordinance. That ordinance prohibits signs and advertisements being attacked to lamp posts and utility poles. Fines can range from $100 to $500 per violation up to a maximum of $10,000.

Spike Jones, assistant chief with the Covington Police stated “We are locating them and removing the hateful remarks from the public areas. They are violating city ordinances being posted on trees and poles. We are very concerned about the message this flier contains.”

There is no organization signed to the letter. It does ask people to contact the National Alliance, a White Supremacist group which is also anti-LGBT. The fliers are type written and have no pictures. They are also laden with anti-LGBT epithets and calls homosexuality a perversion. It also makes references to serial killers Jeffery Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy. Amazingly, it does not appear to mention the lunatic idea that Adolf Hitler was gay as is being perpetuated by several anti-LGBT groups despite there being any evidence at all.

Most of the fliers were found on Bakewell, Greer, and Willard streets, and City Commissioner Shawn Master tore several them down after he received a call regarding it. The fliers did not disrupt a planned rally to raise funds for an anti-hate crimes campaign being held at six bars in MainStrasse.

Masters has stated “We are still standing united on moving forward with the rally on Saturday. I’ve shared this with the commission. Everyone is pretty appalled by the flier. It just assures us that we will stand even stronger.”

Source

Gutierrez was stationed at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas where he was apprehended on 8 August for being in alleged violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. His wife Gina has since begun cooperating with authorities in order to protect herself. According to her, he contracted HIV while stationed in Italy in 2007. At the time, he apparently notified his former sexual partners, but stopped doing so once he was reassigned to McConnell AFB. Both are well known to the Witchita swingers scene, though it may have been him who was supposedly addicted to the adult networking websites.

Gutierrez, a twenty year veteran, came under suspicion for his activities after using his work computer to access these sites. He is likely being charged with the aggravated assaults on the men for recruiting them for sex with his wife, who appears to have been a full fledged participant in the activities.

Indeed, so far, the only people interviewed with regards to Sgt. Gutierrez have been women, but it appears that Gina Gutierrez had sexual encounters with both men and women over the course of the last three years, and that she may be in as much trouble as he is due to her sexual contacts with her husband and probable status as also having HIV. Part of Gutierrez’ thinking regarding his HIV positive status has to do with this post on one of his profiles Why are people scared of the HIV virus, don’t you wear condoms to protect yourself from HSV? The research I have done raises several questions on weather or not HIV is even related to AIDs.” There is a lot of rather misleading and inaccurate research out there regarding the issue of the link between HIV and AIDS.

According to one of the two women who has been interviewed so far, Gutierrez was in the habit of taping the sexual encounters that he had with women at these swingers events. Investigators seized his collection of pornography, condoms, vibrators and sex toys, a “blood chemistry report” addressed to Gutierrez from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and two manila envelopes containing some 146 pages of HIV related research.

Information gathered so far by LezGetReal shows that the two were well known to the swingers scene in Kansas, and that the two engaged in the reckless behavior that they were arrested on. Both David and Gina Gutierrez have been implicated in the entire endeavor despite the tendency by some in the media to portray this as being all about Sergeant Gutierrez having reckless, unprotected, and dishonest sex with strangers of both sexes. The portion of the affidavit covering the alleged crimes of Gina Gutierrez were redacted, likely as part of the preparations for a plea deal on her part for her decision to hand over evidence against her husband in order to save herself. Unfortunately, such reckless behavior by certain people within the media only feeds into the propaganda that is already out there that the reason why Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell needs to remain in place is to protect the military from HIV/AIDS. By not reporting that this was a straight couple engaged in sexual acts with other swingers and implying that Sergeant Gutierrez was bisexual and not a straight man who only had sex with women, many in those in the media do the work of the American Family Association, the Family Research Council and Westboro Baptist Church.

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Source 2

McRae was tried once, but the jury was hung on the charges.  One person held out and did not vote to convict him after watching the video in which McRae senselessly attacked Johnson, a transwoman, while she was sitting down and not threatening him.  His plea deal came one month before the retrial was suppose to start.

Will Batts, the Executive Director of the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center is happy that McRae will be serving time, but does not feel that two years is enough time.  He stated “It’s incredibly senseless.  It’s hard to imagine somebody watching that and nto feeling horror.”

According to McRae’s attorney, he is sorry for his actions, and she feels that the punishment is reasonable.  Attorney Lauren Fuchs stated “Mr. McRae was put into a situation where he’s an officer in a dangerous city.  He was on a long shift and at the end of that shift, an altercation happened and he overreacted.”

The family of Duanna Johnson is planning on suing both McRae and the City of Memphis.  According to their attorney, Murray Wells, “The case is very important because I think it exposes light on people treating others differently based on who they are and I think that’s something that needs to change.”

Friends of Johnson also want justice for her.  A few months after she was arrested, she was murdered.

McRae will be formally sentenced in January of 2011.

Source

Enright was moved from Rikers Island to Bellevue Hospital Thursday night. According to authorities, Enright uttered an Arabic phrase and then began slashing Sharif’s face and neck.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg met with Sharif, who is Bangladeshi, at City Hall on Thursday. Bloomberg did connect the attack to the debate around the planned construction of an Islamic community center two blocks away from the site of the former World Trade Center. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has stated that authorities do not believe the attack on Sharif signifies a tread towards more anti-Muslim crimes.

Bloomberg, who appeared on the Daily Show’s last episode before a ten day break, made it clear why he is backing the construction of the community center.

Source

The Jerusalem Post, is reporting that “Four men from the Muslim village of Tamra, 20 km. east of Acre, were arrested on Tuesday night on suspicion of kidnapping a 19-year-old gay relative because of his sexual orientation.”

The victim moved to Tel Aviv in an attempt to escape his family who were his tormentors. When they  found him walking near his apartment, the took him and assaulted his friend,  who alerted the police.

The Post reports that the victim was beaten and held for about 12 hours until the police caught up with the car carrying the kidnappers and victim.

A year and a half ago, the victim, named Angel moved to Tel Aviv, but his family members, who strongly opposed his lifestyle, continued to harass him in an attempt to “set him back on the right path.”  “I started working as a drag-queen, and after my photos appeared on the internet, I started receiving threats,” Angel told Ynet.

“At first they told me ‘take the pictures off the internet, or we’ll kill you.’ I was surprised, but moved on as usual. I had a good relationship with my family, so I ignored it,” he said. Now this and “I was afraid for my life.”

Picture: Angel in Drag- Ynet,

Posted by Melanie Nathan.

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According to Atlanta police, officers were called to the 1700 block of Hadlock Street in Atlanta about 1:30 a.m and found Durand Robinson lying in the middle of the street, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

The cops have not determined a motive for the shooting, but police in Atlanta said that Robinson got in an argument with someone shortly before shots were fired. However family and friends say that Robinson may have been the victim of an attempted carjacking.

In addition to being and organizer of the city’s Black Gay Pride event, Robinson, 50, was also co-owner of the popular Atlanta gay nightclub Traxx.

“His light will be missed, but his spirit and the shared memories will live on in our hearts and the hearts of his family, friends, loved ones and those in the community who knew him,” said a news release on the events organizers, In The Life Atlanta, website.

The group also said a candlelight vigil will pay tribute to Robinson on September 1.

Black Gay Pride organizer found shot to death in middle of Atlanta street | ajc.com.

Image via Wikipedia

8/25/10-by Paula Brooks
A U.S. Marine Corps staff sergeant has pleaded guilty to mistreating 17 male subordinates by sexual actions and comments.

A military judge sentenced Marine Staff Sgt. James McCoy to one year in confinement, a reduction in rank, and ordered a bad conduct discharge after he pleaded guilty to abusing 17 male Marines by touching them sexually, making sexually offensive comments, and accusing them of being gay.

According to military authorities, McCoy admitted touching subordinates in the groin area, making repeated offensive sexual comments and gestures, and accusing them of being gay.

At the time, Sgt. McCoy was in charge of the Marine Corps Security Forces Training Company at a Navy a base in Chesapeake, VA.

Several superior officers and co-workers testified on McCoy’s behalf, and said he was a hard working, dedicated Marine. A Florida minister who’s known McCoy and his wife for more than 15 years said they are dedicated parents to their six children, and he would trust McCoy with church members.

However, when asked by military judge, Navy Capt. Moira Modzelewski, what motivated him to treat his Marine in this manner, McCoy’s response, was, that he wanted to embarrass and degrade them.

Staff Sgt. McCoy also acknowledged making gay taunts to more than a dozen Marines, saying, “Does your mother know you’re gay?” or telling them it was OK to come out of the closet.

McCoy had been facing 17 years in prison due to the severity of the charges against him but offered a guilty plea to maltreating his Marines instead, motivating the government to drop 24 other charges against him, including 14 counts of sexual misconduct and three counts of assault.

Marine sergeant pleads guilty to mistreating subordinates | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com.

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According to Detective Marc Nell, Enright was picked up by Sharif at the intersection of 24th Street and 2nd Avenue in Manhattan.  The cab then drove north, and Enright, 21, then asked Sharif, a 43 year old Asian man, if he was Muslim.  After Sharif responded, Enright is then alleged to have stabbed the driver repeatedly with a Leatherman tool.

Sharif than called 911, and stopped the cab on 3rd Avenue between 40th and 41st streets.  Sharif managed to get Enright locked inside the back until police arrived.  Sharif is in stable condition.  Enright has been charged with  “attempted murder two as a hate crime, assault with a weapon as a hate crime, aggravated harassment second degree because of race and religion, and criminal possession of a weapon.”

Sharif has released a statement through the New York Taxi Workers Alliance stating “I never feel this hopeless and insecure before.  I feel very sad.  I have been here more than twenty-five years.  I have been driving a taxi more than fifteen years.  All of my kids were born here.”

Allan Fromberg, a spokesman for the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission, has not been able to release a statement yet though he has confirmed that the Commission is aware of the incident.

According to one anonymous police source, Enright was ‘very drunk’ at the time.

Source

MELANIE NATHAN
nathan@privatecourts.com

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Osnabrueck prosecution spokesman Alexander Retemeyer has stated that the fifty year old man, who was a chaplain at the time, forced the girl into having sex with him. He also is alleged to have threatened her with punishment from God. The priest, according to prosecutors, has admitted sexual contacts with the woman twenty years ago when she was a girl. He has been relieved of his duties by the church.

According to Retemeyer, the abuse continued for up to three years, but that they could only bring charges on two of them since they did not have enough evidence to substantiate the other charges.

Source

He told worshipers at St. Mary’s of the Assumption Church in Port Richmond, “Our God is sad, our church is sad, and we are sad. But we should never lose hope. . .We will reclaim our streets. God lives in these streets. Fear, violence and hate do not live here.” He delivered his sermon in Spanish.

Dolan, Pope Benedict, and unfortunately, far too many Catholic clergy have often only weakly condemned violence against members of the LGBT Community, and certainly not toned down the rhetoric regarding homosexuality in order to allow members of that community to live their lives unmolested. The Catholic Church teaches that homosexuality is an abomination and that it can be ‘corrected’ even though all evidence points to those kinds of ‘corrections’ as being incredibly rare and usually not done by someone who is truly lesbian or gay.

According to Jaime Bolanos, though, who emigrated from Mexico at the age of eight “He gave me a lot of hope. Many people think we are alone. We are not.” Dolan gave his sermon just before prosecutors had to drop the hate crime charges against a teenage accuse of robbing a fifteen year old Mexican boy. The teen also used ethnic slurs. Yashua Plair, 17, had been charged with robbery and menacing.

There have been eleven bias crimes since April on Staten Island, most of them in Port Richmond. Police have increased patrols and placed mobile command centers in the neighborhood.

Dolan also lamented the challenge that the Church faces trying to influence young people. He said “We need to bring young people even closer so that they’re not tempted to get into these dangerous destructive habits.” Part of that challenge comes from the problems that the Church is facing over the sexual molestation of underage children world wide. Another part of it comes from the fact that the Church often condemns hatred for one group while condoning hatred for another.

All prejudice comes from the same mental and social space. It does not matter if the person is lesbian, gay, Hispanic, Black, Asian, Muslim, Catholic, Jewish. The hatred of the Other always takes the forefront of people’s minds, especially in hard economic times, and it is impossible to combat hatred for one group while condoning hatred for another group.

Source

According to one name police officer, “A 21-year-old female native of Kyrgyzstan came to police on Sunday. The woman claimed that she had been raped by two men. However, when the woman showed her passport, it turned out that she was actually a man.”

According to another official “According to preliminary information, the victim, a well-known stylist from Kyrgyzstan, arrived in Moscow for sex-change operation and met two of his country-fellows at a Moscow restaurant. . .One of the owners of the apartment committed an act of sexual intercourse with the stylist and gave his guest some cash for a cab afterwards.”

The transwoman, who has not been named, took the offered cash as an insult and went to the police to file criminal charges based on Article 131 of the Penal Code of the Russian Federation.  Article 131 covers rape.

The police reports repeatedly refer to this particular individual as a male despite her being post-op and transsexual.  It is unclear what the laws in her native Kyrgyzstan are regarding transsexuality and change of identity pre or post operation.

Source

8/22/10-by Paula Brooks
A Florida Democratic congressional candidate was robbed at gunpoint Saturday, according to the North Miami Police Department.

Marleine Bastie, who is running in Florida’s 17th congressional district, told police she was sitting in the driver’s seat of a car with her sister when a car pulled up behind them as she prepared yesterday to speak at a campaign appearance. The robber then approached the car, pulled a handgun and demanded both women’s purses, saying “I’ll blow your heads off.”

Bastien, is seeking the House seat being vacated by Rep. Kendrick Meek, who is running for the Senate.

Neither of the women was injured, but the robbers did make off with both handbags, including cash, credit cards and personal items.

One would now have to assume, should she be elected, Bastien will be something of a law and order advocate in congress.

Congressional candidate robbed at gunpoint in Florida – CNN.com.

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South Africa is known as the ‘Rape Capital’ of the world, with mind blowing statistics of around 500,000 rapes per year.   This is a human rights catastrophe  of untold proportion- with the HIV/AIDS ramification serving as the lethal weapon of mass destruction.

Especially sinister is the flagrant finger flip to each and every victim, as the  entire world cheered metaphorically on,  aiding and abetting the somnolent  South African Government, akin to perpetrators, like an Oudtshoorn ostrich with its head deeply embedded in the sand, while women continued to be raped day after day, each hour.

Through the games and festivities of Soccer World Cup 2010, the host Country and the world, cavorted with these criminals, dancing to goals and singing with each ring of  cash registers ‘cachinging’  the sound of desperate cash, while the screams of  our sisters faded with the romance of the stampede to win.

Since March of 2009, Lez Get Real has reported extensively on the insidious  and endemic hate crime – in particular the calculated rape of lesbians, specifically in South African Townships,   which has become known as “corrective rape.”

Lesbian Corrective Rape is a slogan attached to what is truthfully a brutal hate crime; the slogan is incongruous, yet reflects an abhorrent trend.

Drawing attention to oneself is an act of courage and one that cannot be emphasized enough, especially if the victim is one whose rape is termed  “corrective rape” where the odds are that the victim could be re-victimized again and again.

Years ago, Lesbians would never have come forward to tell their stories, but now with the unrelenting support and tender care of an extraordinary human being, Ndumie Funda, a lesbian woman living in a South African Township, near Cape Town, women and lesbians are telling their stories, willing to be named, photographed and to stand up on our pages to say:- “This is what happened to me!”

I personally have developed a close relationship with this hero, who is unlike anyone I have ever met.  An  unrelenting tireless warrior, who despite the worst of odds has not given up, even through her own tragedies along the way – as she houses and cares for lesbian victims of corrective rape. ” They just keep coming in,” say Ndumie Funda co-founder of Lulekwe Sizwe,  “It never stops.”

Ndumie  touched me deeply when she helped  Milicent Gaika, whose shocking  photos were published by us,  in the hope of drawing attention to this human rights travesty.  More stories flooded in, of other victims, as well as the continued bravery of Funda, who formed a support organization, named for lovers and victims, who were murdered by these rapists.

Ndumie Funda, at one time housed 15 victims in a tiny two roomed shack in a Township near Cape Town.  No running water – no amenities at all. The shack, flooded by heavy rains, housed the injured lesbian victims, who huddled together, trying to make doctors visits, police reports, bail hearings, with little bedding, no medication, no money for rent, food or transportation.

Here at Lez Get real, we publicized the stories and begged you to send a few dollars. I cannot say the money poured in, it was scarce.  A few good people did send money. Wake Up America hosted a Radio Podcast sharing the plight and My cousin Judith, a struggling single mom in South Africa went at my request to visit Ndumie in the cabin.

Judy reported back saying, “Melanie it is very bad; they are desperate, its dire! “  She gave what she could and I am sure it was more than she could afford.   I too sent my month’s mortgage – albeit a looming foreclosure in this awful economy.  This is not something anyone of you can turn your back on any longer.

I became despondent, even with my power of publicity.  Until I was contacted by a French reporter who wrote a story for a European Magazine.   But still the group continued to suffer. I had nothing to send. I could only write.

Now there is another victim. Do we want to hear her story too? or Can we simply send our few dollars?

This week I received word of yet another victim and another shocking picture too horrible to publish – but yet we must! Because they have asked us to. 

Luleke Sizwe is desperate for help as Ndumie Funda  goes it alone again – with her note to me on Face Book as she now proudly displays her own campaign to raise money for our sisters :- at http://lulekisizwe.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/the-r10-campaign/ They are asking for R10.00 (a little over $3.00 US per donation)

Ndumie has found a way to get a website going. She once told me she would never give up and tonight she sent me this link to an article which has now appeared in mainstream  press:-

Ndumie can be friended via Face Book  at facebook.com/ndumie.funda

READERS AND FB UPDATE: Thanks for all the inquiries about where to send money…

DONATION DETAILS: TO DONATE – We need $3,000 per month and we could fully support this Group.  If you can make a donation directly or send same c/o Melanie Nathan made out to PRIVATE COURTS INC.  P.O. Box 1108 Woodacre, CA 94973, USA . The Latter would save on expensive bank transfer fees as I would send it all as one.

OR DIRECTLY to

Please make a direct transfer into Luleki Sizwe’s Bank Account:

Account Name: Luleki Sizwe LBT Women’s Project
Business transaction account 071362940
Branch code 024909
Swift code SBZA ZA JJ
STANDARD BANK

Please quote “R10 Campaign” on the deposit

By Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

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Cincinnati and Covington are across the river from each other. Knasel had been carrying on the affair with the girl for two months, often having sex with her at her hom in South Covington in Kenton County. According to Kenton County’s Commonwealth Attorney “She was having intercourse with him at her home in South Covington in Kenton County. There was also quite a bit of communication between the two via text messaging and e-mails. . .”The parents came to Covington police. The young lady became cooperative and began assisting police who obtained recorded phone calls between the young lady and Mr. Knasel. In which he makes some statements that implicated him in the ongoing sexual relationship.”

“Bo” Knasel was arrested at Proctor and Gamble’s Winton Hill Business Center, where he worked. According to the police, he told the girl what to tell investigators if they ever caught on, but did tell the investigators and they were then able to get a warrant to first search the records and then to arrest him. According to the police, they are anxious to get him back into Kentucky, and “He’ll be either extradited or if he waives extradition he’ll be brought back over right away. I expect if he waives he’ll be back in Kenton County some time this week.”

He faces one to five years in jail. There is no word about what this will do to his marriage, job, or anything else to do with his life.

Source

His attackers, including Burke, wielded customized bats which stated Imperial Klans Of America on them. Burke was previously convicted of killing his mother’s boyfriend in a drunken fight.

The latest attacks were on a pair of women. Burke and Searp assaulted one woman, kicking and punching her, and then a second woman. When two men tried to intervene, Burke slashed them with a knife. One was wounded on the arm, the other in the abdomen. In total, four people were arrested after the attack which began at around 12:50am Saturday. According to Ron Padgett, a resident of MainStrasse, “The attacks against my friends I can’t help to notice have been within one block of a local gay bar. I’m sorry, but our community is being targeted.” More residents of the area have begun to buy stun guns.

The latest attacks follow a string of anti-LGBT attacks in the area. The assault began when the suspects yelled anti-homosexual epithets at a group of four people at the Shell gas station on Pike Street. They then went on to attack the two Convington women who received minor injuries.

It is unclear if Charles Clark, 58, and Erica Abney, 27, were part of the actual assaults. Clark was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and Abney was arrested for disorderly conduct. According to Police Chief Lee Russo “What happened was just egregious. I’m very sorry for what those folks had to endure. What I was happy with was the fact that when they called police, within seconds we had several units on scene and were able to stop the suspects from leaving the scene.”

One anonymous resident of the area “We’re starting to feel they’re targeting the homosexual community, mainly because these attacks are happening in the radius of local gay bars. It is happening to gay individuals.”

Police have responded by stepping up patrols in the area and been making arrests more consistently. In July, residents and city officials held a meeting over the issue. Carl Fox, the former owner of Rosie’s Bar in Covington, asserts that the problems are nothing new. Back in the 1990’s, when he owned the bar, patrons were assaulted and property vandalized over sexual orientation. He stated “I can’t tell you how many times I called police over Rosie’s Tavern to complain about somebody doing something to my customers, to my tenants or to myself, whether it be simple intimidation or literally attacking them, but using words and doing it such a vicious way that it was obvious it was based on our orientation.”

Lieutenant Colonel Spike Jones state “We’re taking the issue very seriously. This isn’t the type of activity that we want our community to be known for.”

Unlike when Fox was the owner of Rosie’s, today’s police are taking anti-LGBT assaults and violence more seriously in many locations. Russo has asserted that the police are taking the resident’s concerns more seriously, and that he will continue to meet with the residents about their concerns. Russo said “I think one thing we hit on is fear. We hear discussions about citizens who are arming themselves and that is extremely concerning to me. I want to take this energy and instead of moving it into a negative direction, to move things in a more positive direction.”

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Richardson went missing last year after being released from custody by the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s station in Calabasas, CA. She was released at night, without her identification or her car, and no means of getting home.

Her mother, Latice Sutton, had asked deputies to hold her until family could pick her up because she was mentally ill and in a strange area unfamiliar to her. However Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies said at the time that Richardson seemed rational and they believed they were legally obligated to release her.

Richardson was last seen on the morning of Sept 17th about twenty miles from the police station, and about two and a half miles from the ravine in Malibu where her skeletal remains were discovered by park rangers looking for a marijuana farm last week.

“The National Action Network will send a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to ask for an official inquiry,” Sharpton told The Root. “The incident must be raised to a review of what the process was compared to others in the area. It could be a test case of what’s going on around the country, where missing African Americans are not considered a priority for law enforcement or the media.”

via Sharpton Will Ask Feds to Probe Mitrice Richardson’s Death.

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8/19/10-by Paula Brooks
Gainesville, Florida fire officials have denied Terry Jones, the pastor of the Dove World Church in a burn permit for his planned International Burn A Quran Day.

On Sept. 11 Jones’ had said Dove World Outreach Center would hold the first “International Burn a Koran Day” ceremony on the steps of his church in Gainesville. According to the church’s website, the event was organized “in remembrance of the fallen victims of 9/11 and to stand against the evil of Islam. Islam is of the devil!”

However, under Gainesville’s fire protection ordinances, open burning of any kind, is not allowed without a permit from the city’s fire department. Interim Gainesville Fire Chief Gene Prince said the church isn’t going to be granted one and will be fined if it holds the book burning.

But a defiant Jones announced in an e-mail newsletter sent out Wednesday, “City of Gainesville denies burn permit — BUT WE WILL STILL BURN KORANS.”

The Gainesville Fire Department Officials told LGR today that under Section 10-63 of the Gainesville city ordinances, “Open burning and outdoor burning are prohibited in the City of Gainesville unless otherwise specifically permitted,” and any violation of the city’s burn ordinance is a class 2 misdemeanor criminal offense, punishable by a fine up to $500.00 and up to 6 months probation.

Dove World Outreach Center became famous after it targeted the Gainesville ’s first openly gay mayor, Craig Lowe, with a “No Homo Mayor” campaign. Earlier this month the church protested the mayor outside Gainesville’s City Hall.

Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe, who has called Dove World a “tiny fringe group and an embarrassment to our community,” say he backs the fire chiefs decision.

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According to Franken spokesman Marc Kimball, “Right now it’s under investigation by the Minneapolis Police and the Capitol Hill Police.”  He went on to say that “there was some damage to one of the window panes.”  The windows are double paned.

Currently, police are not willing to speculate as to whether or not Franken was targeted directly, but incidents of violence against politicians and government workers has been on the rise in recent months.

Source

The teen and two 18-year-old friends, Corinne Schwab and Ashley Sams, were charged last April with attempted murder and kidnapping in a case involving Cheyenne Williams. Those charges were later reduced to menacing and fourth-degree assault after an pre-trial hearing.

Williams, a lesbian, said that on April 16, the three girls took her to a rural area of Jackson County, KY, hit her with sticks and threatened to push her over a cliff, then bash in her head with a rock. According to Williams the girls attacked her because of her sexual orientation.

However attorneys for all three girls said that Williams lied and the attack was staged to make a prank video and that Williams was a willing participant.

The tape, a key piece of evidence, apparently shows Williams laughing during at least part of the attack.

Kentucky State Police investigators had also earlier said the incident began as a practical joke that appeared to have gotten out of hand and testified yesterday that Williams has made conflicting statements concerning the attack.

“For the past four months the juvenile has not only faced the false accusations made by Cheyenne Williams, but also the judgment of all those individuals who heard the allegations and presumed the juvenile to be guilty,” said, Sharon K. Allen Gay, the girls attorney. “We are thankful that the criminal justice system still works, and that the truth has come out.”

The trial for Schwab and Sams, is scheduled for Thursday and it is expected that their attorneys will request the charges against them be dismissed.

Juvenile acquitted in alleged attack on gay Jackson teen – Courts – Kentucky.com.

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It is unlikely that the shootings had anything to do with sexuality, and were solely based upon an argument between the two gangs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38714876

The majority of the charges stemmed from the murder of masseuse Julissa Brisman. According to the charges, Markoff is alleged to have shot and killed her at her hotel room in the Marriot Copley Place on 14 April 2009. Apparently, Brisman had booked a ‘sexual release’ massage appointment with Markoff on that day. Four days earlier, he allegedly bound and robbed a Las Vegas hooker at the Westin Hotel, and he attacked and robbed an exotic dancer at a hotel room in Warwick, RI on 16 April. All three of his victims posted erotic adverts on the online networking site Craigslist, which is what gave Markoff his moniker.

The twenty-three year old was arrested on 20 April as he and his fiancé, Megan McAllister, were on their way to the Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut where they had reserved an $88 room for the night. McAllister and his family, protested Markoff’s innocence. Soon after his arrest, he tried to commit suicide by fashioning a noose out of the leather ties of his shoes. He was put into a segregated unit for thirty days.

Evidence was found linking Makroff to the crimes. Panties from his victims, plastic handcuffs and a gun were found beneath the bed he and McAllister shared.

Markoff was sent to a specialized medical unit on 14 August 2009 after he stashed in his cell medication that had been prescribed to other inmates.

Source

Melanie Nathan;  August 12, 2010;

An Israeli Arab suspected in 20 stabbings across three states that left five people dead was arrested at the Atlanta airport as he tried to board a plane bound for Tel Aviv, authorities said.

Michigan officials said Thursday that Elias Abuelazam, 33, is currently charged with assault with intent to murder in a July 27 stabbing in Flint. Further charges are pending.

A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the agency’s officers arrested Abuelazam, an  Arab Israeli citizen, about 10 p.m. Wednesday night at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, as he attempted to board a Delta flight for Tel Aviv. He was handed over to the FBI and Atlanta police.

Passengers on the flight said as they arrived Thursday in Tel Aviv that the suspect was arrested at the boarding gate shortly before takeoff. They said his name was called over a loudspeaker, and then six police officers led him away without incident.

His Family was contacted at their home close to tel Aviv airport.  They expressed dismay at the lack of information received from US authorities, stating they were shocked at his alleged involvement in any crime, and that they had been relying on Television for News and updates.

It is yet to be determined whether these crimes alleged  were motivated by the psyche of a serial killer, a racist or if the actions  were to incite terror.

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Journals found in the car indicated that she may have had a mental break, and could have indicated that she suffered from severe bipolar disorder. Her mother is suing the LA Sheriff’s department for wrongful death.

The remains were found by Malibu Canyon park rangers. Searches of the canyon did not turn up any remains previously, but that may simply be that her remains were missed by those earlier searches. A cause of death has not be determined and may take some time to determine.

Source

SAN FRANCISCO – Alameda County is home to a former Roman Catholic priest Patrick Joseph McCabe, 74, from Ireland,  who is now in jail  in Dublin California’s Santa Rita Jail, awaiting possible extradition to Ireland to face charges of sexually abusing six boys, in proceedings in Federal Court in San Francisco.

The extradition stems from nine counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted indecent assault with six boys between 10 and 14 years old, allegedly occurring in Ireland between 1973 and 1981.

The extradition bid was filed on behalf of the Republic of Ireland and McCabe voluntarily surrendered to U.S. Magistrate Maria-Elena James in San Francisco on July 30.

He was placed on house arrest until Aug. 4, when James ordered he be held in custody while awaiting extradition hearings. Ironically he is in a Jail in Dublin,  California.

According to the extradition papers McCabe, forced to leave the priesthood, was accused of abuse by Irish police in 1988.

Interpol tracked him and in 2003 reported that he was living in Alameda.

No date has been set for hearings on the extradition request, but McCabe is due to return to court on Sept. 2 for a status conference.

McCabe’s lawyers are appealing to allow him to be released on bail on grounds of ill health, including diabetes and heart problems, in a hearing on tentatively scheduled before the U.S. District Judge   in San Francisco at 3 p.m. Friday.

Federal attorneys opposing his bail say that he can be sufficiently cared for in custody.

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Monday, park rangers in Malibu found an as yet unidentified skull and bones as they were searching an abandoned marijuana farm in Malibu canyon. Investigators also say women’s clothing found near the body.

Last year Richardson, an LA graduate student, disappeared after she was released from police custody after having been arrested hours earlier for failing to pay a $89.00 restaurant bill.

When she was released, Richardson car, which contained her cell phone and purse, was impounded. She was last seen by a jailer, walking away from the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriffs station.

Richardson was then last reportedly sighted approximately 2-1/2 miles from the site of the remains, located about 20 miles southeast from the sheriff’s station in a remote area of Calabasas, Calif.

“No one wants her home more than me,” said Latice Sutton, Richardson’s mother, at a news conference Tuesday evening.

“Nothing has been concluded,” said her father, Michael Richardson, this morning on KJLH-FM. “We’re going to remain hopeful, prayerful and steadfast.”

The news comes a week after several people, including an old friend, reported they had seen Richardson in Las Vegas. However, investigators in Vegas never confirmed those sightings.

Richardson said he still hopes the woman spotted in Las Vegas could be his daughter.

via Mitrice Richardson’s father still holds out hope, despite remains found in Malibu | 89.3 KPCC.

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08/11/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

The story of Mitrice Richardson may be coming to an end nearly a year after she disappeared, but it is not confirmed or known yet if it is.  Malibu Canyon park rangers found skeletal remains on Monday that may be the remains of Richardson.  Women’s clothing has been found near the site, but it is not known if those are related to the remains.  It will take some time, possibly more than a month, to either confirm or exclude those remains as hers.  Identification will likely be done via DNA testing or facial reconstruction if no useable DNA is available, which is unlikely.

Richardson went missing on 17 September after being released from custody by the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s station in Calabasas, CA.  She was released at night, without her identification or her car, and no means of getting home.  She was last seen that morning about twenty miles from the police station, and about two and a half miles from where the remains were discovered.  Recently, sightings of her have been made in Las Vegas, but those sightings have never been confirmed.

If the remains prove to be those of Richardson, then the suit filed by her mother will likely move forward.  The suit alleges that the police were negligent in their release of her as she may have had mental health issues.

Source

A JetBlue flight attendant found a unique solution for AAWPS (Attendant angry with passenger syndrome) – he became a “jumper.”

A passenger allegedly cheesed off (polite for pissed off) the flight attendant, Steven Slater, 38, after knocking him with his luggage which he was retrieving from the over head compartment. Apparently, requesting an apology, the passenger refused, prompting the angry attendant to grab the PA system, as a means to conveying obscenities to the entire plane load of passengers aboard, and then without further ado, the well trained in safety procedure attendant activated the plane’s emergency chute, jumped and slid his way down to the tarmac, poised for healing from a bad case of AAWPS.

The exercise, in freedom from passenger antic, occurred aboard JetBlue Flight 1052 from Pittsburgh to John F. Kennedy airport Monday, at Terminal 5, Gate C an airport official told news media.

Slater made his way to his car and drove to his residence in Belle Harbor, Queens, the official said. JetBlue officials waited until about 25 minutes after the chute was deployed before they notified Port Authority Police. The wait enabled Slater to make the getaway, the airport’s police force. Steve Stampley, a jetBlue spokesman, declined to comment on the alleged reporting delay.

BUT  unfortunately the freedom was short lived and Slater went from GO to Jail, without collecting 200. Instead he collected an immediate 600 plus firneds ion the new FaceBook site created called “Free Steven Slater Club.

Authorities picked the flight attendant up at his home on Beach 128^th Street Monday afternoon and brought him to the Port Authority Police station at JFK airport for questioning. The official said that Slater was calm when arrested and remained calm throughout his interrogation and the booking process.

He was charged with reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. He was awaiting arraignment Monday night. Attempts to reach Slater’s relatives were not successful. (No word on whether the flight attendant was one of the many former NYPD officers in jetBlue’s employ.)

Stampley said that jetBlue’s corporate policy prohibits the company from divulging information about crew members.

“At this time, we are working with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to investigate this incident. At no time was the security or safety of our customers or crew members at risk,” Stampley said.

According to Matt Nolan, spokesman for the county prosecutor’s office, “It’s something we looked at extensively. There’s nothing like that.” The director of Wright State University’s Criminal Justice program, Tracey Steele, has stated that cases like this are “virtually nonexistent.”

According to Steele, outcry over this case may be fueled by changes in gender and sex expression. She stated “Today, we have greater awareness of the diversity of personal expression as well as some concrete social change, which may make some people uncomfortable.”

Dye cannot be charged with many crimes since all but one of her alleged victims was over 16 at the time. One of her alleged victims turned 16 after the initial sexual contact occurred, and knew that Dye was female. There has been some speculation that Dye may be transgender, though. In fact, it was with this particular girl, who ran away from home on her sixteenth birthday. In another case, a family came forward to inform the police that their daughter had dated Dye who was pretending to be a boy at the time, but there was nothing the police could do since the dating was consensual.

The girl’s father, however, stated “It’s just not right that (Dye) can get away with what she did to my daughter. She is hurt and embarrassed and it hurts her reputation. It’s hard to get over.”

The Warren County grand jury did not bring any felony charges against Dye because there were none to be brought against her.

The grand jury indicted Dye on charges of sexual imposition, attempted sexual imposition, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. All of them stem from the girl who she convinced to run away since those were the only crimes that occurred.

The majority, by far, of pedophiles and sexual predators of those under the age of consent are heterosexual men, and Ohio law already covers those who pretend to be young boys or girls in order to trick a child into a sexual situation via online chat.

Source

8/8/10-by Paula Brooks
The investigation of a Battle Creek, Michigan assault and carjacking has now turned into a possible hate crimes investigation by the Battle Creek Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, after two anti-gay rants appeared in Battle Creek Craigslist postings.

On July 25th, Battle Creek Police say a 45-year-old man was stabbed multiple times in the head and neck after another man forced him at knifepoint to drive from a gas station to wooded area or Leila Arboretum in Battle Creek. The suspect fled, taking the victim’s car after a witness heard screaming and interrupted the attack.

According to the Battle Creek Enquirer, the day after the attack a Craigslist posting appeared where the writer, using derogatory references to gays, alluded to the attack under the headline “I warned you, you dumb queer.” The message also said. “I e-mailed and said I have something … but you did not think it was a knife did you. Now you are in the hospital and your car is in the river. I warned you.”

Then, according to the Michigan Messenger, a second Craigslist posting appeared were the poster denied responsibility in the assault. The post was filled with anti-gay slurs and references to AIDS. The writer claims that the previous post was “to keep the fags out of the parks, and I am the one that did it. It is not safe to take children to parks or for a walk in the woods without running into a dick sucking party.”

Police are still looking for the victim’s car, a copper-colored Toyota Matrix and the suspect, described as a stocky white man with bald or shaved head and wearing a black shirt the day of the attack.

Police also say a wallet and checkbook, which may belong to the victim, were found in a rural town some 20 miles away from the attack.

Judge Claire Cornwell-Williams has rescheduled for Sept. 9th.

The two marines, Cpl. Keil Cronauer, 22, and Lance Cpl. Christopher C. Stanzel, 23, are charged with misdemeanor battery in connection with an attack on Kieran Daly, 26.

Daly was found unconscious June 12 and officers saw two men, who were later identified as the defendants, fleeing the scene.

Daly said he was punched in the back of the head as he tried to walk away. The Marines say they were “subject to unwanted verbal advances” before the incident and subsequently punched Daly as result.

via Hearing for Marines in Savannah gay attack delayed | savannahnow.com.

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Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Roseto, Pennsylvania and a local amusement company caught flak from the Secret Service after they created a plywood cut out of the president to use as a shooting target in a carnival game.

The target shows the likeness of a black man in a suit, holding a scroll labeled “Health Bill,” sporting a belt buckle fashioned after the presidential seal, antennae and a troll doll on his shoulder. The games shooter’s paid $1 per shot, or $5 for six shots, to fire foam darts at targets on his head and heart. Those who hit their mark won a stuffed animal.

However the Secret Service was not so amused by the amusment and the Philadelphia office of the Secret Service sent out agents to investigate the game and its creator. “We take these kinds of things very seriously,” said the special agent in charge of the Philadelphia office of the Secret Service, Cindy Wofford.

She also said her office will determine if there were any direct or indirect threats to the president and will share the findings with the U.S. attorney’s office.

Irvin Good Jr., president of Goodtime Amusements, said he did not intend to offend anyone by offering the game, called “Alien Attack.”

“I guess we made an error in judgment and we apologize for that,” said Good, who has had the game for about six weeks. “I voted for the man. It wasn’t meant to be him. If they took it that way, we apologize.”

Good also said he has pulled the game from his midway games line-up

Federal law also prohibits anyone from knowingly displaying any print or likeness of the presidential seal. Violators can face a fine and up to six months in prison.

The White House issued a statement Wednesday saying it disapproves of using the president’s name and likeness for commercial purposes, not to mention being used as a target.

(source)

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Shanay Johnson, 21, is charged with felonious assault for the shooting of her 26 year old fiancé Carnisha Aridge.

Police says Johnson shot Aridge yesterday in the armpit after the couple fought awhile Aridge was taking out the trash from the couple’s Cincinnati apartment. Police also says at the time of the shooting Aridge’s four-year-old daughter was inside the apartment sleeping and when officers arrived, Johnson allegedly refused to come out of the home.

Johnson, did however, surrender just before the SWAT team arrived.

The child was not hurt and Aridge, who is now in good condition at a local hospital, is expected to recover; nevertheless you can probably get pretty good odds that the couples wedding plans are now on hold indefinitely.

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35-year-old Mohammad Shaban of Hickory Hills and 22-year-old Akram Alshoweat of Oak Lawn are charged with a felony hate crime, battery, and robbery for allegedly shouting lesbian slurs at a woman during an attack on a woman outside a suburban Chicago restaurant.

On June 28, prosecutors say the victim was entering the restaurant when the defendants began shouting anti-gay insults at her in Arabic.

Prosecutors say when she came out of the restaurant later, the men were allegedly waiting for her where they punched and kicked her then stole her cell phone, keys and wallet.

The pair faces a maximum seven years in prison if convicted.

(source)

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Jones told authorities that “I was trying to make him act like a boy instead of a little girl. I never struck that kid that hard before.”

Roy A. Jones was the grandson of Donna Collins Smith and Daniel Collins. His mother has not been named. According to Donna Collins Smith, she knew nothing about what had happened because she had only just found out about her grandson’s death. According to Daniel Collins, “[Jones] infiltrated my family through our trust, through the heart of my daughter, and then stole the life of her child. I hope the justice system turns around and steals his.” The current charges would not likely amount to the death sentence, but they could be added to or upgraded at a later date.

Jones has pled not guilty during his arraignment at Southampton Town Justice Court. He is being held without bail.

Jones’ actions are not entirely uncommon. Unfortunately, many parents and even boyfriends of mothers try to gender police their children, and while that is usually not accomplished through physical violence, it often can be. Pedro Jones, basically, appears to have killed a boy in an attempt to police his gender and enforce a patriarchal standard specific to how Jones wanted the young boy to behave.  There is also a strong probability that the behaviors that Jones hoped to prevent this boy from exhibiting would have gone away on their own.  Even if they had not, it would not be an excuse for beating an infant to death, or anyone for that matter, who is the least bit effeminate.  Hopefully, the police will include hate crime charges to the mix as this was an anti-transgender or anti-gay hate crime.

Source

According to the undercover officer, DeFarra Gaymon, the forty-eight year old CEO of an Atlanta credit union, approached the officer for sex. Said officer, who has been unofficially identified as twenty-nine year old Edward Esposito, had gone back to get his handcuffs after he and his partner had arrested someone on similar charges. The officer identified himself, told Gaymon he was under arrest, and Gaymon, according to the officer, ran. After a chase, the officer cornered Gaymon, who then apparently lunged at the officer and tried to disarm him. The officer fired and the shot struck Gaymon in the chest. Gaymon died three hours later at the hospital.

Gaymon, who was married with three children, is described as not being violent, and his family feel that the officer has lied to protect himself. They have asked that the FBI investigate the killing. State Attorney General Paula Dow has stated that her office will not open a separate investigation even after the American Civil Liberties union called for one.

It should be noted that, even if the shooting were justified, the officer likely broke several internal regulations, and may face disciplinary charges based upon his actions.

The undercover officer was part of a five year undercover operation. There had been numerous complaints from park goers about the green spaces being used as hook up and sex spots for gay men. Garden state Equality, New Jersey’s leading LGBT rights group, has asked for documentation related to previous lewdness arrests made at the park. They have stated that “targeting gay men or LGBT people specifically, or anyone perceived as such, is unconscionable — and as we strongly believe, illegal.”

Joel Caplan, a Rutgers Law School professor, feels that both sides have legitimate concerns. He has stated “If a police department has jurisdiction in a particular area, it has a right to enforce the law. If a bunch of young kids are playing loud music at night, police aren’t targeting the juveniles, they’re targeting the activity. But it also raises the question, why (is the sheriff) choosing to enforce that and not something else?”

Critics of the park detail feel that it takes precious resources away from more pressing safety issues around Newark, but Fontoura maintains that it is necessary to keep the park safe. Often times, the officers assigned to patrol those spots also make drug and prostitution arrests. Fontoura has stated “If we see illegal activity going on, we’re duty-bound to respond.”

GSE chairman Steven Goldstein wants to make sure that men were not the only targets of these busts. He met with Fontoura last week. According to Goldstein, Fontoura showed him a dozen instances where officers made arrests at the two partks for drugs. There were also occasions when women solicited the male officers for sex. The two will meet next week to come up with a solution to try and make sure that there are no abuses with regards to the arrests.

Criminal defense attorney Rubin Sinins believes that the sheriff’s office is on firm legal ground with regards to the arrests. He stated “It is extraordinarily hard to prove selective enforcement, and that doesn’t necessarily amount to a defense to criminal conduct. Just because you belong to a protected class doesn’t mean you can violate the law with impunity.” With regards to the shooting, he said “The bigger legal question is whether the officer had probable cause to shoot Gaymon.”

Source

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According to the website, Staten Island Live, the suspect, a black male, allegedly attacked Luis and Richard Vieira at the fast-food restaurant in the early-morning hours of July 7th as the couple ate.

Friday, New York cops released a grainy photo of the suspect, who is shown wearing a T-shirt possibly with the letters “HCO” on the front, as well as a video that shows the man allegedly confronting the couple just prior to the attack.

They also say the incident is being investigated as a hate crime due to the statements allegedly made by the suspect about the victims’ sexual orientation and ask anyone with information about the attack to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers tip line at 800-577-TIPS (8477). Tipsters can also log onto www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or send information via text message, by texting to 274637 (CRIMES), and entering TIP577.

All calls will be kept confidential.

Attacker of gay couple still at large | SILive.com.

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According to the website Bent Alaska, the fire, which also destroyed the garage and damaged the home of LGBT allies Ken and Paula Butner, was started on July 2, apparently by unknown persons, as the Butner family slept. Their daughter was awakened around 5:30 a.m. that morning by the sound of paint cans exploding outside her window, she woke the rest of the family and no one was injured.

In their subsequent investigation, Anchorage Fire Inspectors concluded that the fire was deliberately set and asked the state to assist in the investigation.

“They have finally finished the investigation, and said that it is not our fault or an accident,” Paula Butner told Bent Alaska. “They said that it was started by someone! They are still asking for information from anyone who may know who started it.”

Recently Anchorage Mayor Sullivan vetoed a city equal rights ordinance saying there was no evidence of anti-gay prejudice in Anchorage. Likewise the Alaska hate crimes law covers only race, sex, color, creed, physical or mental disability, ancestry or national origin and has no provision that explicitly addresses violence based on gender identity, so the arsonist, if caught, will not be facing hate crimes charges.

However, Anchorage’s LGBTA community, not to be deterred, rallied and built a new float in less than 48 hours that included burned pieces salvaged from the original. Calling the new float Phoenix Rising, it won the Grand Prize in the Anchorage July 4th parade.

The Anchorage’s LGBTA community has also set up a fund to help their friends, the Butners, repair their home and rebuild their garage, with security cameras and a big enough garage to store the float inside.

via Bent Alaska: Arson! Anchorage Gay Float was torched on purpose.

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She reached out to Jonathan Cole of Tennessee Equality Project. According to Cole “She essentially said that they were threatening to kill her. It’s scary and our city needs to stand up to this kind of ugliness.” Cole believes that the threats are just another example of intolerance in Memphis.

Cole pointed out that what is happening with Fullilove highlights the need for this ordinance. “You don’t have to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender to be a victim of homophobia or transphobia. If a city councilwoman — a prominent person in city government — can experience this kind of threat and intimidation, what about the individual employees who work for the city who may be work for sanitation, or police or fire?” Cole has stated.

The ordinance comes up for a vote in the city council on 10 August. Fullilove is the sponsor of the bill, and according to Cole “her position is unchanged. She still believes in what she’s sponsoring.”

Memphis and Tennessee have horrible track records on LGBT rights. There have been several unsolved murders of transwoman in Memphis over the last two years. A lesbian was denied a driver’s license change not long ago as well.

Of course, this ordinance would not be necessary if Congress would pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act with all due haste instead of sputtering around, or at least give a decent explanation why it is stuck. According to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, it was either ENDA or Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal, but that seems rather far fetched. The reality is that many Democrats have not been willing to fight hard enough to get the bills through, or at least make a case why they cannot get them through right now. Unfortunately, while the Human Rights Campaign has dithered in trying to get any legislation through by ineffectively lobbying for it, groups like GetEqual have been more apt to engage in ineffective and even counter productive “direct action” targeting allies instead of undecideds or opponents to the legislation.

Part of the problem with getting ENDA through now is the fact that the Republicans in the Senate have done a stellar job of delaying everything to the point where there is a log jam and priority bills such as those that keep the government funded are being given top priority.

http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-fullilove-death-threats-gay-ordinance,0,509816.story

The suit accuses Bishop David Zubik and the diocese of negligence after the diocese withdrew financial support for the treatment for Michael Unglo. Unglo a former resident of Etna, PA, attended All Saints Church in that city and was sexually abused by Richard Dorsch, a priest at the church, from 1982 to 1985 beginning when he was 10 years old.

Dorsch was arrested in 1994 for molesting a boy in North Park, PA and after which was banned from the ministry and sentenced to jail.

Unglo attempted suicide in June 2008, a result of the effects of the sexual abuse and in July 2008 the diocese began paying for Unglo’s counseling and in December of 2008 Bishop Zubik personally promised, “right the wrong”, done to Unglo in a meeting with his brothers.

However, Unglo attempted suicide a second time in June 2009 and on March 17 of this year, the diocese forwarded a final payment of $75,000 and told the family that it no longer would pay for treatment, despite Unglo psychotherapist telling the diocese that Unglo needed continued treatment for his post-traumatic stress disorder indefinitely.

On May 4th, Unglo killed himself in Massachusetts.

The suit filed today in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court did not name any amount of damages the family is seeking.

via Lawsuit filed against Pittsburgh diocese after man’s suicide – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

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That article, which appeared last year on the website Tsofar said, “Many citizens who are sick and tired of the reckless and morally uninhibited conduct expect law-enforcement authorities to put the heads of the murder club [the gay center] on trial for the crimes they committed.”

The Tsofar article also quoted from a letter that an anonymous reader purportedly sent to the National Council for the Child, saying there was proof that public sex acts took place at the club.

Aguda, an Israeli LGBT rights group, sent a letter to Tsofar shortly after the article was published, demanding payment of damages for defamation. Tsofar did not respond, and the author of the article said at the time that he did not regret what he had written.

The article was full of “defamatory and homophobic expressions,” the National Association of LGBT in Israel said in the lawsuit, which it filed in the Tel Aviv Magistrate&’s Court yesterday. “Boorish and ignorant insults of the kind that the defendants published are liable to lead to additional hate crimes against the plaintiffs and members of the pride community in Israel.”

via Gay group suing religious website for libel – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News.

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According to Karen Ocamb:

The Wall Las Memorias – an inspirational art project dedicated as a Latino AIDS monument on World AIDS Day in 2004 – has been vandalized. Apparently a mother went to see the name of her son on the Wall in Highland Park and found a section of the mural splashed in yellow paint.

Said the Wall’s founder, Richard Zaldivar, “The vandalism was done to the section of the AIDS mural that depicts a child saying, ‘I once knew a child with AIDS.’ And so it is really sad and very troubling that someone would use this opportunity to damage a piece of art that was created for the purpose HIV prevention and education to our community…. It seemed to be very targeted. There are six painted murals and only this mural was vandalized. So it was very targeted and focused.”

Zaldivar also said he is currently working with the police to determine whether the vandalism was a hate crime.

via Developing: The Wall Las Memorias AIDS Monument Vandalized | LGBT POV.

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Sim is suing Jim White, Thomas Earl, Jason Frank, Davide Flores and Victor Cruz as well as the church. All five men are employees of the church, and each hit Sim with the board four times. He is seeking damages for negligence.

While ‘a spanking’ might be a funny joke in Monty Python and The Holy Grail, it is not a laughing matter, especially given the use of a thick board to do it. What the nature of the website is has not been released, but it seems like a harsh punishment for seeing a website.

Source

An argument between two men escalated to the point where one man stabbed the other in the face, missing the second man’s eye and slicing open his face near the eye. Comic-Con attendees leapt into action and detained the alleged attacker who could be charged with assault with a deadly weapon. The victim of the attack was transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital at 5:03pm Saturday. The young assailant was booed, geered and had profanities shouted at him by Comic-Con attendees while he was lead away by the police in handcuffs.

The melee started in between the panel for the upcoming Resident Evil: Afterlife staring Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter and the panel for the upcoming Universal Studios films Paul and Cowboys and Aliens. The second panel was delayed for forty-five minutes due to the unusual expression of violence.

Fights are rare at the annual pop culture confab of self-styled freaks and geeks. In fact, Officer David Stafford could not recall any reports of violence at the event for several years. Comic-Con is the nation’s largest comic book and pop-culture gathering with more than 125,000 attending this year.

This year, Westboro Baptist Church decided to protest Comic-Con in their usual attempt to garner some sympathy and attention for their anti-LGBT beliefs. Given that gatherings such as Comic-Con and Atlanta’s Dragon-Con often bring in large segments of the LGBT Community, it is unlikely that they met with a sympathetic audience. The fight did not involve Westboro in any way, shape or form, and it is not even clear if they made it to San Diego to protest the convention.

Typically, conventions like Comic-Con are treated like Sanctuary cities.

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Gaymon was in Newark for his 30th High School reunion when, apparently, he went to the park. According to the officer, he found Gaymon engaged in sexual activities, most likely with another man. It is not known why Gaymon, the CEO of Credit Union of Atlanta, was in the park to begin with, and the only word that we have for the events appears to be that of the undercover officer. The officer did show his badge repeatedly according to the report.

According to prosecutor Robert D. Laurino, the undercover officer fired in self defense. Mr. Laurino explained how, after chasing down and arresting a man, the officer in question realized he had lost his handcuffs in the pursuit and went back to get them. He left his partner behind. “The plainclothes officer was bending down to retrieve his handcuffs when he was approached by Mr. Gaymon, who was engaged in a sexual act at the time,” Laurino said. Apparently Gaymon propositioned the officer for sex, or at least said words that would have made it appear that way. The officer then pulled out his badge, identified himself as a police officer, and informed Gaymon that he was under arrest. Gaymon shoved the officer to the ground and ran. He ignored the officer’s demands to stop and threatened to kill the officer if he approached. The officer then cornered Gaymon near a pond and tried to handcuff him.

What happened next appears to be that Gaymon reached into his pocket and lunged at the officer. The officer fired once, striking Gaymon in the chest. Gaymon died in the hospital three hours later.

Plainclothes officers routinely patrol the park because it is a popular spot in the summer for sexual hookups. According to Gaymon’s family in Suwanee, GA“We know that the police killed an innocent man, with no history of or disposition towards violence.”

Unfortunately, if Gaymon was in the closet, it is more than likely that he was desperate to keep that information from going public, as his arrest might do. Thus, he may have acted in an irrational manner and attacked the police officer. Unfortunately, because the officer was not interviewed until Monday, it is going to be difficult to say if this is an accurate depiction of what occurred. According to the prosecutors, the officer was sedated and being treated for trauma related to the shooting. He has not been cleared for duty again.

An investigation will take place regarding what occurred. This is standard procedure anyway, but it will also be necessary given the potential problems caused by this shooting within both the LGBT and the African-American Communities.

Story and photo source

Carlson became upset with the local police after they insisted on listing Carlson’s birth name on a 2007 traffic ticket. Carlson had changed her name some thirty years ago before having sex reassignment surgery in 1980.

She is planning on representing herself if she is given the chance. Her mental state may come into play with regards to her defense.

Source

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