Farley Granger, Ontario Police Charge 20 Year Old Man Who Targeted 17 Year Old Male With Homophobic Comments And Threats, Faced With Likely Lawsuit Louisiana High School Quickly Reverses Decision And Permits Openly Gay Monique Verdin To Wear Traditional Tuxedo To Prom

The Los Angeles Times on the life and death of Farley Granger, the actor, who died Sunday at the age of 85 at his New York City home. Best known for his work in two Alfred Hitchcock films – 1948’s Rope and 1951’s Strangers on a Train – he gave an underrated performance in Nicholas Ray’s excellent 1949 noir film They Live By Night. Granger came out via a 2007 memoir titled Include Me Out: My Life From Goldwyn to Broadway, Granger revealing he was bisexual, and had affairs with Ava Gardner and Leonard Bernstein, although, by his own admission, he had been out his entire career. He wrote that book with his longtime partner Robert Calhoun, who died in 2008.

The Peterborough Examiner reports that a 20 year old man has been charged after a 17 year old boy was targeted with homophobic comments and threats, according to city police. Daniel Cook began making homophobic comments, police said, and wrote several inappropriate comments inside the boy's hat with a marker, and on March 16th Cook sent the boy a threatening message on his Facebook account. Cook is charged with uttering threats and mischief, and will appear in court April 7th.

From Louisiana, The Daily Comet reports that Terrebonne Parish school officials said Monday they are backing off enforcement of a school-based rule (also contained in policies at the district’s other three high school) mandating that tuxedos be worn by boys and gowns worn by girls, and that Monique Verdin will be permitted to attend prom wearing a tuxedo. The 19 year old Verdin, 19, and her father, Jody Bergeron, were told Friday by the school’s principal, Cory Butler, and high-schools supervisor Tony Authement that the teen would be allowed to buy a ticket to the prom but barred from entering if she donned a tuxedo. Friday, Authement confirmed that the district planned to enforce the rule, but on Monday he said attorneys advised him the stance would be difficult to defend in court. “We are going to allow her,” Authement said. “It was an easy call,” said attorney Berwick Duval, who represents the School Board. “It’s a First Amendment issue.” Verdin said “It’s a good thing,” adding that “They shouldn’t have put me through so much trouble like that.” American Civil Liberties Union Louisiana Executive Director Marjorie Esman sent a letter to school officials throughout Louisiana on Friday explaining the organization’s stance on gender-specific clothing requirements and bans on same sex couples purchasing tickets for proms, and emphasized that case-law supports gender-neutral rules and tolerance for diversity.“I figured they might change their minds because of the letter they got from the ACLU,” Verdin said. Esman said the ACLU had been considering its legal options when they heard that school officials’ had reversed their earlier decision. Verdin said she wants to wear a tuxedo not to make a statement about sexual orientation but because she does not like wearing dresses. There were no plans for her 32 year old girlfriend to accompany her to the prom, she said, because of a policy that bans attendees older than 21.