Suspect In Attack On Retired Priest Who Abused He And Brother Surrenders To Police And Released On Bail, Christian Couple Challenge In Court British Council Decision To Ban Them As Foster Parents Because Of Their Vehement Opposition To Homosexuality, Candidates For School Board In Southern Utah Suggest If Elected They Will Eliminate All Gay-Straight Alliances

Will Lynch, a 43 year old resident of San Francisco was freed on bail Friday after he surrendered to authorities on his own, Lynch accused of assault for allegedly attacking a 65 year old Jesuit priest in May, a priest Lynch argues molested him when he was 7 years old, reports KUTV. Investigators insist that Lynch went to the Jesuit Sacred Heart Retirement Center in Los Gatos, California this past spring, identified himself as Eric, and asked to speak to Father Jerold Lindner about a death in the family. He then allegedly beat Lindner. Lynch’s attorney said that he and his brother were molested by Lindner over thirty years ago during a camping trip in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Pat Harris saying “He took the two of them out in the woods. He sexually abused both of them. Forced them to actually also have sex with each other. And then physically tortured them as well. That’s the history here.” Lindner, who remains in residence at the retirement home, was never criminally charged with sexual abuse, however there does exist a $625,000 settlement with the brothers. Father John P. McGarry of the Jesuits of the California Province said “We do everything we can to reach out to those who have been allegedly harmed by any of our members and we do everything we can to bring about reconciliation and healing.” If Lynch is found guilty he could be sentenced to four years in prison.

Eunice and Owens Johns, a self-described Christian couple, are to appear before England’s High Court Monday there to request clarification after the Derby City Council banned the straight couple from becoming foster parents because of their views on homosexuality, the Telegraph reporting that the Christian Legal Centre, which is representing the two, arguing the future of Christian foster carers and adoptive parents “hangs in the balance.” The couple have acted as foster parents for over twenty years, and in 2007 applied again, however Derby City Council rejected their application when it became apparent that their traditional understanding of family meant that their views would be anti-gay. The challenged the council, and were allowed to reapply in 2008, but the adoption panel failed to find a final decision. A spokesperson for the Christian Legal Centre said “It may not be long before local authorities decide that Christians cannot look after some of the most vulnerable children in our society, simply because they disapprove of homosexuality,” adding that “Research clearly establishes that children flourish best in a family with both a mother and father in a committed relationship, like the Johns have.” Ben Summerskill, the chief executive of Stonewall, said “Too often in fostering cases nowadays it’s forgotten that it is the interests of a child, and not the prejudices of a parent, that matter. On the evidence available to us, Derby City Council have clearly made a sensible decision. Many Christian parents of gay children will be shocked at Mr. and Mrs. Johns’ views which are more redolent of the 19th century than the 21st.”

In Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune reports that two candidates for seats on the Washington County School District Board, challenging incumbents, have gone on record saying that intend to deteriorate or eliminate entirely the Gay-Straight Alliance clubs at four southern Utah high schools. They say that the clubs, formed only this past March after pressure from the Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, do not reflect the community’s conservative values.