Trial Begins In Shooting Death Of Openly Gay Elmira New York Club Owner, Shooting Suspect Linked To April Gang Anti-Gay Attack In North Carolina, Atlanta LGBT Bookstore Outwrite Forced To Close And Look For New Location, Los Angeles Gay And Lesbian Center’s 40 Years Of Family Honours Neil Patrick Harris And Chaz Bono

Friends of Louis M. Duffy -- who is charged in the shooting death of an openly gay Elmira, New York nightclub owner -- said Duffy was made the object of "gay jokes" when he disclosed his plans to meet the murder victim the night the man was found dead in his North Main Street apartment. The Elmira Star-Gazette reports that Duffy, 20 at the time of the incident, faces charges of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal weapons possession in connection with the May 1 shooting death of Clinton "Billy" Lewis. Duffy is accused of killing Lewis after the two had consensual sex at Lewis' apartment. He was arrested the day after the shooting. Two of Duffy's friends, who worked with him at the Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Horseheads, said Duffy showed them a handgun during the early morning hours of May 1, when he left his Horseheads apartment to meet Lewis at Club Chill, located at West Fifth and North Main streets in Elmira. One of the witnesses also told the jury that, in response to the teasing, Duffy said, "If (Lewis) touches me, I'll kill him."

A man charged with breaking into his ex-girlfriend's York, North Carolina home in October and firing a gun during a fight with her new boyfriend was also among five men charged in the beating of a gay man earlier this year. The Charlotte Observer reports that Darenco Markie Wilmore, 21, of York is charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime, burglary, criminal domestic violence and unlawful carrying of a weapon. He is at Moss Justice Center awaiting bond. The charges stem from October 13, when, according to police, he broke into a Southbrook Drive home about 2:00 am and pulled a gun on his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend, according to reports. After a struggle, several shots were fired. No one was injured. When officers arrived, both Wilmore and the new boyfriend were gone, but the woman told police what happened. The woman's new boyfriend was injured in the fight but refused to cooperate with an investigation, according to reports. Wilmore also was one five York men charged in the April beating of a gay man outside a Rock Hill convenience store. The suspects were in Rock Hill on April 9 because they apparently had been to nightclubs before the incident, which happened around 2:30 am, said York County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Mike Baker, but there doesn't appear to be any other previous connection or dispute between those arrested and the victim, Joshua Esskew, 19, of Rock Hill. Esskew said he was first called a gay slur before he was hit in the head with a beer bottle, then attacked by several men running to join the fray from the parking lot. The beating, captured on the store surveillance videotape, outraged gay advocacy groups across the country, prompted a federal investigation into whether the attack was a hate crime and renewed efforts to pass a state hate crime bill.

When Outwrite Bookstore and Coffeehouse moved to the corner of 10th and Piedmont in Midtown Atlanta in 1996, the then three-year-old business was a pioneer. Not only, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, was it one of few bookstores in the country serving the gay and lesbian communities, it was also one of the only viable businesses on the block. It was a bright spot in a dead zone where an auto sales shop and gas station served as neighbours. Today, the white brick building bordered in blue is a vibrant part of the local LGBT communities as both a gathering place for celebrations and protests as well as host to the high-profile authors and celebrities that Outwrite attracts each month. On Monday, owner Philip Rafshoon announced the iconic bookstore would have no choice but to search for a new location. "Our lease is expiring in a few months and there really is no way that any model we have looked at will allow us to continue in this space," said Rafshoon. "For 15 years we have been a part of helping the neighbourhood grow around us and hopefully we will find a location where we can do the same for another community or neighbourhood." Outwrite supporters flooded Rafshoon with phone calls and emails expressing their sadness. Several even sent suggestions for new locations. Though no action has been taken, Rafshoon is confident he will find a new venue. The bookstore has had much success drawing superstar authors and celebrities such as Maureen McCormick, Pam Grier, RuPaul and Lance Bass. Events were not just attended by members of the LGBT community, Rafshoon said, but by the entire metro Atlanta community. And when it came to supporting issues and events that had impact on the LGBT community, Outwrite was an unparalleled meeting place. "It is a very visible intersection and it has become a natural gathering place for folks in the LGBT community, specifically when we have had times to really celebrate as a community," said Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, an advocacy group supporting Georgia LGBT communities.

Neil Patrick Harris and Chaz Bono were honoured Saturday at the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center's 40 Year of Family gala. CBS News reports that Jane Lynch joked that Harris and partner David Burtka's twins were cuter than Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's brood before presenting them with the Rand Schrader Distinguished Achievement Award. "We are so honoured to be here on the 40th anniversary of this incredible and important institution," Harris said, before joking, "It's hard to believe that it's been 40 years since The Center first invented gays and lesbians. And we are so happy that they did." Burtka added, "More to the point, we are extraordinarily grateful that we are able to stand here today as a same-sex couple with children and not feel like we are some kind of freak show or some kind of government experiment gone awry." Bono was presented the Board of Directors Award, in recognition of his transgender activism, by fellow "Dancing with the Stars" alum David Arquette. "We're all in such awe of the bravery that you showed in stepping up into the world and showing them what it's like to be a transgender person in this world," Arquette said. "You did it with dignity, you did with such strength."