Calgary-Based Psychiatrist Aubrey Levin Faces Additional Twenty Sexual Assault Charges, Are Hate Crimes Increasing Or Are Gays More Confident In Reporting Attacks, Police In Staten Island Ask For Public Assistance In Locating Gay Bashing Suspect, Cook County Human Rights Commission Rules School Board Fired Superintendent Because He Was Gay

71 year old Aubrey Levin, the Calgary-based psychiatrist arrested March 23rd after allegations were made by a former 36 year old patient that Levin repeatedly sexually assaulted him has been charged with 21 counts of sexual assault, all involving patients, some allegedly during court order visits. Calgary police say that following the March arrest, “the sex crimes unit was approached by numerous people alleging that they, too, were sexually assault by Levin during counselling sessions or court-order visits. These assaults allegedly occurred at Levin’s Peter Lougheed Hospital office or examination rooms.” All of the alleged victims are male, and it is likely that the sexual assault charges will continue as police investigate. Levin was hired by Alberta Justice to commonly give expert testimony in court, usually during the sentencing part of trial post-conviction, and Alberta Justice is now reviewing all criminal cases in which Levin testified to ensure no miscarriages of justices occurred. Perhaps the most troubling part of the story is how Levin, know internationally for allegedly committing crimes against humanity while serving as a psychiatrist for South Africa’s SNC military party, was allowed to immigrate to Canada in the 1990’s and to obtain a licence to practice medicine.

Is Vancouver, British Columbia the anti-gay hate crime capital of Canada? Statistics Canada recently released figures that would suggest so, but as I am quick to point out, those numbers tend to suggest something else, primarily that those increased incidents are reported crimes and a substantial number of gay bashings in other areas of the country go unreported for a variety of reasons: a distrust or fear on the part of gay community and the police, or institutional homophobia, where bias motivated attacks go unreported because the victims fear a forced outing.

Police in Staten Island, New York are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a suspect wanted in connection with an assault on Luis and Richard Vieira at an area White Castle in the early hours of July 7th. Authorities have released a photo of the suspect taken from security video as well a video itself that shows the suspect allegedly confronting the two men. The suspect is alleged to utter a homophobic slur twice before the assault occurred.

A Human Rights Commission in Cook County Illinois ruled that there exists “substantial evidence” a former Bremen Community School District 228 Superintendent was fired because he was gay. Rich Mitchell was terminated in November, 2006; a year after the board approved extending his contract through to 2009, and shortly after the board changed leadership. Mitchell’s attorney, Christopher Clark, who is with Lambda Legal, said of Friday’s ruling that the “finding clearly illustrate that school boards can’t be in the business of firing teachers or administrators because they are gay. After years of investigation, this case can finally proceed to a full hearing.”