Halifax Police Arrest Fourth In Connection To Robberies Committed Against Gay Men Via Internet, Second-Tier Presumptive GOP Presidential Candidate Buddy Roemer Supports Same Sex Marriage Just Not In His State, Nevada Senate Bill Seeks Expansion Of Protections For Hate Crimes Committed Against Transgender Persons, Chris Hemsworth And Penn Padgley Are Fearless And Fun

The Chronicle Herald reports that Tuesday, Halifax Regional Police and RCMP arrested Stephen Anthony Ryan, 19, of Halifax and charged him with two counts of robbery and one count of mischief, the fourth person to face charges in robberies that prompted police to warn gay men in the city about arranging dates via a popular internet site. The first robbery occurred January 2nd, when a 35 year old man picked up another man on Tower Road. The pair had met online. They went to Point Pleasant Park, and there, another vehicle arrived. Two men approached the newly met pair and robbed the victim. In the second robbery on January 6th, the victim, a 29-year-old man, picked up another man on Spring Garden Road. The two then drove to the Wellington Street-Lundys Lane area in Halifax’s south end. While there, a knife-wielding man arrived, stole the victim’s wallet and ran off. The victim told police he had been robbed after coming into contact with someone through the dating site Plenty of Fish. Three other people, Colin David Brown Rankin, 21; Steven Robert Clarke, 20 and a 17-year-old boy, all of Halifax, face similar charges.


Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Buddy Roemer, the former governor of Louisiana, is interviewed by the Huffington Post, and says that while not personally supporting same sex marriage, he believes that individual states should be allowed to render its own decision regarding the issue. The twice-divorced Roemer, who calls himself a “southern Methodist boy,” says that he is “a traditionalist in marriage. Here’s as far as I can go: I’m comfortable with the states having this discussion. And I’m all for -- in my extended family, not my wife or kids, but beyond -- cousins, that sort of thing -- we have a gay member. We honour him. He’s a great guy. He moved to California so he would be in a community where he would be more comfortable. And I love living in a country where gays are honoured and esteemed, but traditional lives can continue as well.”Asked if he would be agreeable should a state voted to legalize same sex marriage of a form of civil unions, Roemer answered “That’s right. [If] I was living in the state or was part of the debate, I would oppose it, I want to make that clear. But that’s why we have 50 states. They’re all a little bit different.”

The Las Vegas Review Journal reports on Senate Bill 180, sponsored by Senator David Parks (Democrat-Las Vegas) that would amend state law to include "gender identity or expression" to the list of aggravating factors that can result in longer prison sentences for people convicted of murder and other crimes such as kidnapping, sexual assault, robbery, battery and false imprisonment. SB 180 elicited emotional testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, from both proponents and opponents. 49 year old Elvira Diaz of Reno testified that her child, Jessie Arroyo, 6, who was born female but identifies as a boy. A practicing Catholic, she said coping with Jessie's female-to-male gender identity is a daily challenge and she wants Parks' law to pass to increase protection for people who are more likely to be subjected to bullying and violence. Following her testimony, Diaz said transgender people can experience violence from "bullying at school, it can be on the street. Governor Brian Sandoval, who co-sponsored hate crime legislation when he was in the Assembly in 1995, said SB180 is a bill he probably would support. "I'm hopeful they are a deterrent. There is no room for any kind of a hate crime in this state," Sandoval said. Parks' bill would add one to 20 years of imprisonment for people who commit violent crimes against transgender people, an enhancement that is already in place for crimes based on race, color, religion, disability and sexual orientation. The sentencing enhancer would also be added to the list of aggravating factors prosecutors consult when deciding to seek the death penalty in murder cases. Parks said 14 other states and the District of Columbia have included gender identity in hate crime statutes, and sentence enhancements are important because hate crimes are an attack on more than the individual victim. "Hate crimes are message crimes," Parks said. "The offender is sending a message to members of a particular group that they are disliked and unwelcome." The hearing concluded without a vote.

Chris Hemsworth – and Penn Badgley spotted attending Cosmopolitan Magazine’s Fun Fearless Males of 2011 event in New York City.