Beheading Of Ugandan Gay Activist A Hoax, British Supreme Court Issue Precedent Setting Ruling In Favour Of Gay Asylum Seekers, Accused Catholic Priest Says He Stole Because Church Owed It To Him, Gay Couple Attacked In Atlanta And Police Arrest Six Including A 13 Year Old, FightBackNY Targets Anti-Gay Erie County Senator

Sadly, an update on a previous post: the story of the purported beheading of a gay activist in Uganda is a hoax. A head was found, as was a badly mutilated body, but it did not belong to a volunteer with Integrity Uganda.

In Britain, the Supreme Court Wednesday ruled that two gay men – one from Cameroon, the other from Iran – have the right to claim asylum in the United Kingdom. The Court ruled unanimously to allow an appeal from the two men, both of who had their initial application denied on the ground they were able to disguise their sexuality by behaving discreetly. Lord Hope, who read the ruling, said that “to compel a homosexual person to pretend that his sexuality does not exist or suppress the behaviour by which to manifest itself is to deny him the fundamental right to be who he is.” The ruling sets an obvious precedent for any and all future applications for asylum in Britain by applicants whose homeland sponsor or sanctions the persecution of homosexuals.

Police in Waterbury, Connecticut say that 64 year old Kevin Gray, the former pastor of the Sacred Heart Church arrested Tuesday, accused to absconding thousands of dollars over a seven year period told authorities he did so because he was unhappy with church assignments and that he “began taking the money because he felt the church owed it to him.” Gray is thought to have taken $1.3 million mostly to pay for a number of male escorts, including the college tuition of two men.

Police in Atlanta, Georgia confirm that a gay couple was attacked and robbed in the city’s Piedmont Park Friday, and that they arrested one adult male and five minor males in connection to the bias-motivated crime. According to police, at approximately 10:00 pm, 19 year old Jarvis Johnson and five other males whose ages range from 13 to 17 years old approached 32 year old Joshua Noblitt and his boyfriend, 25 year old Trent Williams, who were having a picnic. Noblitt says “we were just finishing up dinner and playing cards when they came up to us and asked if we were gay. It wasn’t very organized. I don’t know if they thought gay men in the park would be an easy target based on stereotypes and stuff, or what.” The two gay men were not an easy target, Noblitt taking a large stick from one of the assailants and beating him with it, the couple getting the best of the mob before more teens joined in. After calling 911, police arrived, and a short time later found several of the suspects hiding behind a nearby building. Several of them had been involved in an earlier armed robbery. Noblitt, who works as the Social Justice Minister at St. Mark’s Methodist Church, added that “the LBGT community and Atlanta police haven’t always gotten along, but the police were very respectful in their response time and the treatment of men and my partner.”

FightBackNY, an advocacy group for gay marriage in the state, has joined the campaign against Democratic State Senator William Stachowski of Western New York, targeting Erie County voters with a mailing that calls for his defeat in an upcoming primary. According to FightBackNY “Sen. Stachowski voted against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender New Yorkers at every turn, whether it’s non-discrimination protections or marriage equality. Sen. Stachowski does not represent fair-minded New Yorkers, and it’s time we hold him accountable.” The senator does not deny the charges; in fact he said he “absolutely” voted against gay marriage.