Anti-Gay Sign In Casper Wyoming Temporarily An Anti-War Sign, Mother Of Lesbian Student In Kentucky Who Was Nearly Killed Will Not Let Her Return To School, National Amateur Softball Alliance Responds To Discrimination Lawsuit, Ex-Gucci Heterosexual Employee Files Suit Claiming Homosexual Sexual Discrimination, Conservative In Britain Compares Risks Gay Men Face Over HIV To Risk Soldiers Face On Front Lines

In Casper, Wyoming, a sign painted along a private fence that had read “TO BE GAY=DEATH” had been changed to read “Religion=War,” but has since been changed back to its original message, painted by the fence’s owner Chris Trumbull. Trumbull said he wanted society to “hear the truth” and then referenced the biblical chapter and verse Leviticus, 20:13. Casper city officials said that the owner could not be made to change or remove the sign, citing the protections of free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment. According to a report from the Casper Star-Tribune, “a city public information officer who commented for the Star-Tribune’s first story about the sign has since been forbidden from talking to the Star-Tribune,” and the “city’s community development director, who oversees the code enforcement office, left town Thursday morning and won’t be available for comment until Monday, according to department employees.” One average, an estimated one hundred high school students pass the fence daily.

Dee Johnson, the mother of Cheyenne Williams, said Thursday that her daughter will not be returning to Jackson County High School in McKee, Kentucky, that after three of Williams allegedly attempted to kill the openly gay April 16th, trying to throw her off a cliff. Ashley Sams and Corinne Schwab, both 18 years old, are to be arranged Monday, each free on bail, charged with kidnapping and attempted murder. A 17 year old, whose name has yet to be released, was also involved in the incident. Police have yet to rule the case a hate crime, although Dee Johnson believes her daughter was targeted because she is gay. The case is being presented to a grand jury.

The North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance released a statement defending the organization against charges made by three bisexual softball players, who claim they were discriminated against by the NAGAAA and found to be not gay enough to qualify to play, the Alliance ultimately stripping the player’s team of their second place finish at the 2008 Gay Softball World Series Event, held that year in Seattle, Washington. According to the NAGAAA rules, no team can have more than two non-homosexual players on their roster; a rule, incidentally meant to insure that the league maintains a commitment to providing a safe climate for gay and lesbian amateur athletes. The three men, who are being represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, are seeking in excess of $225,000 in damages for emotional distress, as well as attorney fees and court costs. The open letter by the NAGAAA rightly points out that they are a “grassroots organization” founded in 1977 with a mission to provide an arena for gay and lesbian athletes to play softball, safely. “We have no paid staff; we do not have large sums of money, nor a pool of talented lawyers,”reads the letter in part, “it does sadden all of us that the NCLR, who we view as members of our community, have chosen this destructive path. NAGAA represents a diverse population, and as such there are legitimate differences of opinions among us. However, the action by the NCLR has forced these differences of opinions into the court system, rather than allowing our members the right to define who and what we are. One thing is clear, if NCLA is successful, the enormous monetary damages they seek will put our very existence in jeopardy. Regardless of the outcome, everyone loses here. There are no winners.

Adolfo Mendez, a former Gucci sales associate, has filed suit against the fashion giant, claiming he was the recipient of unwanted sexual attention, and was terminated after disputing his supervisor’s suggestion that he was gay. Mendez, who worked at the Gucci New York City flagship store, has filed a $5 million suit claiming he was effectively discriminated against because he is straight. Mendez said that his former supervisor, Michael Daly, continually engaged in inappropriate sexual conservations, and constantly touched Mendez in sexual suggestive ways. Daly is no longer employed by Gucci, and a company spokesperson said that the circumstances of both men’s “departures were unknown.”

From the United Kingdom, a report that the Labour Party is demanding that Conservative Julian Lewis, a candidate for New Forest East, be removed from caucus after a letter he wrote to a constituent regarding the lowering of the age of consent from 18 to 16 years old was made public. “I was strongly against lowering the age of consent from 18 to 16,” wrote Lewis, “my reasoning was that there is a seriously increased risk of HIV infection arising from male homosexual activity. When it comes to legalising practices that involves serious physical risk, I believe the higher limit should apply. This is the reason why we no long allow 16 and 17 year olds into front-line situations in the armed forces, for example.” Lewis did add that he voted in favour of the civil partnership bill, saying that “one of the criticisms made of gay relationships is that very often they do not last. It therefore seems obvious to me that, when a gay couple wish to commit to each other, by forming a permanent relationship, they should be encouraged and assisted in every way.”