Russellville Arkansas City Council Votes To Censure Homophobic Racist Alderman And Passes Resolution Affirming Non-Discrimination Policy Including Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity, Mistrial Declared In Case Of Murdered CUNY Professor Strangled By Lover, Louisiana Chapters Of Girl Scouts Disbanded In Protest Of Colorado Troop Acceptance Of Transgender Boy, Bullied Gay British Man Takes Own Life, Ryan Phillippe, The Brothers Peter And Harry Brant Camp It Up In St Barts

In Arkansas, the Russellville City Council passed a resolution 7-1 censuring Alderman Paul Northcut during a special meeting Friday. After opening remarks by Mayor Bill Eaton, Alderman Ron Knost explained the reason for the meeting. “Fellow councilmen, myself and a couple other councilmen have had several calls regarding this matter, and that’s why we called this meeting — to present the following resolution, which you all have in front of you. The resolution pertains to the censorship of Alderman Northcut for inappropriate correspondence and statements which he sent to us through public e-mails.”The resolution states in part the City Council and mayor “believe the personal statements contained in the e- mail correspondence of Alderman Chaplain Paul Northcut to be inappropriate and improper conduct of an elected public official sworn to uphold the laws of the State of Arkansas and United States.” According to The Courier, the meeting came in the wake of a December 14 e-mail sent by Northcut to aldermen and other city officials expressing concern about the re-appointment of three members of the Planning Commission, although Northcut only mentioned Nick Patel — who later withdrew his bid for re-appointment — by name. In his e-mail, Northcut noted “problems we have had with the Hispanic Nightclubs on S. Arkansas” and “more importantly — how close the city came to allowing a homosexual club to open in downtown Russellville (sic),” although a business permit application for the venue was withdrawn and was never considered by city officials. “Based on the past actions of that commission I don’t have a lot of confidence in the way that they have done their job,” Northcut wrote. Before aldermen discussed Northcut’s actions or the resolution before them, aldermen voted on a motion to restrict debate, which would limit public comments. “I think that would be restricting the citizens’ rights, and I would be opposed to that,” Northcut said. The motion failed 2-6, with aldermen Kevin Freeman and Ron Knost voting for the motion. After aldermen began discussion of the resolution — which Eaton described as “an expression of discipline or reprimand” — Northcut asked about the relationship between his elected office and First Amendment rights. “My question would be, when someone is elected to an office do they lay down their right to freedom of speech?” Northcut asked. “One of the other important freedoms ... is the freedom of religion, and the convictions that individuals hold regarding their religions are also protected. In defense of the man in question this morning, myself, my only comment was that I disagreed with the philosophical position of Nick and told him very openly that I did so. I have been as up front and candid as I know how to be. I feel very strongly that when I was elected as an alderman, I was expected to maintain my Christian beliefs.” Northcut read a quote attributed to President George Washington, which read, “We are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To distinguish the character of a patriot, it should be our highest calling to add the more distinguished character of Christian,” Northcut then adding, “We have come a long ways from our Christian foundation. Part of the reason we have slipped so far is because Christian people have been afraid to stand up and say ‘right is right, wrong is wrong.’” Alderman Martin Irwin responded to Northcut, and said “the document upon which we swore an oath of office is neither the quotes of the President nor the quotes of any other founder — it is the Constitution of the United States. And let me just, let me make this clear. I want everybody to understand why we are here today. It is not about religion; it is not about morality; it is not about righteousness, nor good versus evil; nor is this about free speech. This is about a wilful violation of the solemn oath of office taken by a public official.” Irwin spoke about military veterans, who also swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. “The important part of that oath was that I will uphold and protect the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” he said. “Domestic enemies of the Constitution are us sitting right here. Police officers, government officials, those are the people who can take your rights away from you. When you enlist in the military, you give up certain of those rights because you are an arm of the government that can do harm. The same is true of the Russellville City Council and every other body of government that we have, and that is why we are required to take an oath, and that’s why we take a solemn oath to faithfully execute the duties of this office.” Irwin said all are entitled to their personal beliefs and opinions, but “if my opinion is inconsistent with the Constitution of the United States, it may not be brought forward when discussing policy or public business. That’s why you took that oath. So you would not bring personal prejudice, personal bias or personal opinion into the arena of American government at any level when our responsibility is to fairly and equally apply the laws and represent the citizens of this nation, and part of that responsibility in protecting the Constitution is to make sure everyone is fairly and equally represented and that their Constitutional rights are protected,” and added, “When you violate the public trust by wilfully violating your oath of office, I think that there’s but one conclusion — and I’ve had three or four rather sleepless nights, and after a great deal of consideration, deliberation and with a heavy heart, a heavy heart, I think that the violation of your oath of office, as a matter of honour, integrity and basic human decency demands that Mr. Northcut immediately resign from office.” Northcut questioned whether he had violated his oath of office. “When I, as a private citizen, talk to other private citizens and express my convictions and my beliefs, not as alderman, simply as Chaplain Northcut, when I exercise my right to free speech, is that a violation of my oath of office?” Knost responded and said the e-mail Northcut sent was not private discourse, but was subject to public scrutiny. After the aldermen finished their comments, members of the public were allowed to speak. Robert McCready, who is coordinator of the Russellville River Valley Tea Party, asked why the council was taking such action when Patel — who wasn’t present Friday — indicated in conversations with McCready he wanted to simply move on, without making a public display. “You’re absolutely right,” Eaton said. “Mr. Patel did not want the controversy; however, the controversy was put upon him by this information being put in the newspaper. His family is now exposed to all of it, and it’s like closing the barn door after the horse is out. It’s a very unfortunate situation.” When the resolution to censure Northcut was brought to vote, Northcut was the only alderman to vote against the adoption of the resolution. Also on Friday, all eight aldermen unanimously passed a resolution affirming non-discrimination in the city of Russellville, which stated in part, “the City Council, Mayor, Commissions, Boards and Department of the City of Russellville, Arkansas, affirm to the citizens of Russellville, Arkansas, to make no distinction in representation or protection of rights based on race, creed, color, religion, sexual orientation or gender identification.” At the end of the meeting, Northcut said he sent a letter of apology to members of the Planning Commission, though he did not return a phone call Friday from a reporter requesting a copy of the letter.

The case of a City University of New York professor violently strangled by a gay lover (in what the young killer claimed was a "rough sex" accident) will be retried after a Manhattan jury declared itself hopelessly deadlocked today. The New York Post reports that after seven days of deliberations, jurors said they could not agree on whether accused murderer Davawn Robinson, 24, of Paterson, New Jersey, intended to cause the death of popular Spanish professor Edgard Mercado, 39. Mercado was found dead on the bedroom floor of his East Village apartment two years ago -- the rope to his capoeira martial arts uniform still tight around his neck. Robinson admitted strangling him, but claimed he was only guilty of reckless manslaughter or negligent homicide, not murder. Prosecutors had countered that the burst capillaries in the victim's eyes, along with facial bruising and severe neck injuries, including crushed bone and cartilage, proved that Mercado had struggled against a brutal, murderous attack at Robinson's hands. Robinson had also stolen the victim's laptop and cellphone, and had initially given officials an elaborately false self defense story, prosecutors pointed out. Prosecutors said they will retry the case.

Leaders of three troops of Girl Scouts quit their posts and disbanded the troops after the organization’s Colorado chapter said it would allow a transgender seven-year-old to join. According to The Daily News, the troop leaders, all affiliated with a Christian school in Louisiana, resigned in protest of the Colorado chapter’s decision to allow participation from any child who identifies as a girl, quoting The Christian Post. Controversy erupted when Felisha Archuleta tried to enrol her son, Bobby Montoya, who identifies as a girl, in a Girl Scouts troop in Denver. When a local troop leader refused, saying Bobby wasn’t allowed to join because he had “boy parts,” Archuleta appealed to the leadership of the Colorado chapter, the mother said. The organization reviewed the troop leader’s decision and opted to enforce its policy of inclusion for transgender children. “If a child identifies as a girl and the child’s family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout,” the chapter said in a statement. Rachelle Trujillo, vice president of communication for Girl Scouts of Colorado, added that the troops “don’t require any proof of gender.” Archuleta never enrolled Bobby in the Colorado troop, but the troop leaders in Louisiana were furious over the chapter’s ruling. Susan Bryant-Snure, one of the leaders who resigned, called the decision “extremely confusing” and said it could create an “almost dangerous situation” for other children, adding that “This goes against what we believe.”

In Birmingham, England, The Mail reports that a man whose family claimed he had been persecuted and bullied because he was gay plunged to his death from a slip road at Spaghetti Junction. Christopher Sims, aged 35, was discovered at Salford Circus underneath the A38 in the early hours of March 31 this year. Deputy Coroner, Sarah Ormond-Walshe, gave a narrative verdict saying, “He died instantly. There were no suspicious circumstances to his death. He died jumping from a height while the balance of his mind was disturbed momentarily.” During the hearing Mr Sims’ brother David said that his sibling had been “harassed constantly about his homosexuality” and that a few months before he had been attacked in the street and left unconscious. He also said his brother, of Tangmere Drive, Castle Vale, who had worked as a telephone operator, had also been harassed at work and received compensation as a result. “He was even too frightened to tell the family, he may have been in one of his distressed states at the time,” he said. Witness Gerald Byrne told the inquest that he was driving to work on the A38 at around 5.45am when he saw a man on the viaduct, adding, “It was quite strange to see somebody like that, all in black, to see someone on the motorway at that time of the morning.” Byrne said he briefly stopped and then called the police. The inquest heard that motorway traffic police attended but found no trace of Mr Sims and that he was later discovered by a man on Salford Circus. Police Sergeant Makhbir Singh said he had gone to see Mr Sims family who believed that “someone” else had been involved in his death. However, he said that matters complained about had happened two or three years previously and there was no justification in opening an investigation. The Deputy Coroner said there was no indication that Mr Sims had any mental health issues and it was possible he had suffered a “panic attack” before he jumped from the motorway. After the inquest hearing David Sims said, “We know what led to it. We know he was persecuted and bullied. He was scared to go out. He was a gentle person. You could not have met anybody more caring and more genuine, but he could not deal with the hard people. He cared about the welfare of his loved ones.”

Ryan Phillippe photographed early Thursday evening in West Hollywood.

Peter Brant II and younger brother Harry spotted in St Barts, alongside mother Stephanie Seymour, the brothers, um, well, you’ll figure it out.