Bobby Beltran and Christopher Ortega say they were attacked after departing a downtown Austin, Texas gay club and that the assailants were yelling anti-gay slurs, reports KXAN-TV. 26 year old Beltran says he and his friend were leaving the club Rain around 1:30 am December 26th, when the two shared a hugged goodbye on the sidewalk. He says that as a car drove pass, one of the occupants yelled “Fucking faggots, stop that queer shit.” Beltran yelled back, saying “That shit’s not welcome here in Austin,” prompting the vehicle to stop short in the street, the five men inside the car descended and attack Beltran and his friend. Beltran says he fought back, but suffered bruises and cuts, as well as a black eye. Austin Police confirm that a report has been filed, and that the department is investigating, but both Beltran and Ortega suggest that the response by the officers was less than adequate. Beltran says “I always, whenever I travel, talk very highly of Austin and say it’s so safe here, and it’s safe and cozy and everybody gets along, and I am extremely shocked.” This is the second time this year a reported bias-motivated attack has occurred in the same area, the first happening in February. To date, no arrests have been made in that incident. Beltran, an activist, says he is nonetheless determined to see justice served, saying “I’m going to keep on pursuing this because I want justice. I want to know that this is not going to happen again to anybody. According to statistics from the Texas Department of Public Safety, since the state enacted its hate crime law in 2001, more than 2,500 hate crimes have been reported, and of those, only 11 have been prosecuted. The Texas House is scheduled to vote on a bill that will examine why the hate crime law in the state is rarely used.
The North Carolina Council of Churches, a coalition of seventeen Christian denominations and eight individual churches concentrating on social issues in the South, has elected retired IBM sales executive and Raleigh resident Stan Kimer, an openly gay minister, its incoming president, and as the Charlotte Observer notes, only one of the other similar 33 church councils in the United States has ever done that. The 55 year old Kimer says he was elected president because he was able to convince the board that his agenda is broader than issues of sexuality, saying “I have a strong belief that as a Christian I’m called to make the world a better place. I like to spend time with groups where I can see an impact.”
US magazine reports exclusively that David Furnish and Sir Elton John are new parents of a son, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, born December 25th in California via a surrogate. The couple released a statement that read in part “We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment. Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents.” According to a spokesperson, neither Furnish nor John intends to reveal the identity of the surrogate or the details surrounding the surrogacy arrangement.
Bleeding Cool reports that Mickey Rourke appeared on British television Sunday evening, on Alan Carr’s Chatty Man program, and ostensibly confirmed that he is connected to film that would tell the tale of Gareth Thomas, the openly gay 36 year old Welsh iconic rugby player. The 57 year old Rourke told the openly gay Carr that “I read the story. It’s one of the toughest, hardest sports in the world to play. They play with no pads. They play… it’s a really brutal sport. To be a man who plays rugby who is gay and to live with that secret for the amount of years that Gareth had, to perform at the high level that he performed at, it takes a lot of courage.”
A new homo-erotically charged campaign for Mangano features the late male model Charles Devoe.
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