Two Long Beach Men Ordered To Stand Trial For Halloween Hate Crime Against Two Gay Men, Tim Tebow And The Denver Broncos Reject Request To Participate In It Gets Better Campaign, British Soccer Fan Receives Warning Over Homophobic Chants, British Prison Staff Refuses To Display Positive Posters To Gay And Bisexual Young Offenders, ABC Agrees To Meet With Two Advocacy Groups Over Work It Sitcom, David Archuleta Announces He Will Take Hiatus From Career To Embark On Mormon Mission

Two Long Beach men were ordered on Thursday to stand trial for a Halloween hate crime against two gay men. During a preliminary hearing in Long Beach Superior Court, Judge Jessie Rodriguez determined that sufficient evidence exists to proceed to trail, reports The Press-Telegram. The alleged attackers, Marquise Anton Lucas, 19, and Sierus Lamar Dunbar, 27, were each held to answer for one felony count of battery with serious bodily injury and one felony count of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury. Lucas also was held to answer for a second felony count of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, while Dunbar was held to answer for a felony count of assault with a deadly weapon, not a firearm, with great bodily injury. Both men have pleaded not guilty. They are due back in court December 29 for arraignment. The Halloween attack occurred near Fourth Street and Cherry Avenue, just west of The Gay and Lesbian Center of Greater Long Beach in front of several witnesses, who contacted police and paramedics for help, said Wade Cook, 53, one of the men who were attacked. Both men sustained moderate injuries and were taken by Long Beach Fire Department paramedics to a local hospital. One of the men was released November 1 and the other survivor, who is in his 60s, was released November 2, Cook said. The attack occurred about 8:15 pm after the victims, both in their late 50s or early 60s, had left The Center. They were approached near Cherry Avenue and Fourth Street by Lucas and Dunbar, who called them a derogatory name for gays, the second victim - who did not want his name used - told the Press-Telegram the day after the attack. As the two men walked past Lucas and Dunbar, one of the men took a cellphone picture of the harassing suspect while the other man was preparing to contact police. But the suspects attacked them, the second victim said. One of the suspects pushed one of the victims onto the ground and stomped on the man's hand in an attempt to grab his cellphone, the victim said. The other suspect knocked the other victim onto the sidewalk before they rolled into the street. When the first victim got up and made his way to the sidewalk, the suspect punched him in the face, and the man fell onto the sidewalk and became unconscious, the victim explained. One of the men sustained a cut to his left eyebrow, a bruised hip and blunt trauma to his left hand. The other survivor sustained injuries to his mouth and some damaged teeth, the victim said. The suspects fled on foot, but were detained and eventually arrested by Long Beach police officers near Third Street and Cherry Avenue, said Nancy Pratt, a spokeswoman with the Long Beach Police Department.

Predictably, the Denver Broncos have responded to an online campaign urging the team to make a video for the It Gets Better project, indicating that they will not be participating in the anti-bullying project anytime soon. Nearly 8,000 individuals have signed onto a Change.org petition for the Broncos and their high-profile quarterback Tim Tebow to become the first NFL team to create a video for It Gets Better, a campaign started in September 2010 in response to the disturbing number of reported suicides by teenagers who said they were being bullied for being gay or perceived to be gay. In 2010, Tebow controversially starred in an ad for the right-wing group Focus on the Family, which opposes LGBT rights. In fact, the organization has argued that there "is no evidence that homosexuals, as a class, are discriminated against in the present society." Petition organizer and Broncos fan Andy Szekeres said an It Gets Better video would help Tebow and the Broncos say, "We may have differences on abortion and gay marriage, but stopping kids from killing themselves is an issue we can all get behind." But in a statement to The Huffington Post, Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth gave no indication that the team would be participating in the near future. "The Denver Broncos are committed to tolerance, acceptance and respect for all in the community," said Smyth. "The National Football League is currently working with USA Network on its 'Characters Unite' campaign combating prejudice and intolerance, and our organization is in full support of that movement to help raise awareness for this very important cause."Smyth declined to provide a specific comment on It Gets Better. "I commend the Broncos and all of the NFL for their work on a Characters Unite program to stand up against prejudice and intolerance but that is not enough or the same as standing in support of the It Gets Better Project," responded Szekeres. "The Broncos have a rare opportunity to make a difference and give hope to thousands of LGBT youth across the country as the first NFL team to make an It Gets Better Video. I think I can speak for the thousands of people who signed this petition when I urge the Broncos to show the country that Colorado and the Broncos stand against bullying LGBT teens and youth," he added. "The Broncos have the chance to lead the league and stand up for one of the country's most vulnerable populations."

In England, a Barnsley football fan has been cautioned for shouting homophobic abuse at Brighton supporters leaving a match at the Amex stadium. Sussex Police said officers initially "gave strong words of advice" to the 18-year-old after he shouted anti-gay chants at Falmer station on November 6. Officers than discovered it was not an isolated incident and he was arrested at home in Bromley, south-east London. He was cautioned for using threatening words or behaviour on Monday, according to the BBC. Soccer liaison officer Pc Darren Balkham said the fan had been arrested after officers saw comments on a fans forum from other supporters. He added, "The Amex has quickly become established as a stadium that welcomes everyone, regardless of their individual personalities or preferences, and we are determined that anyone guilty of homophobic abuse will be dealt with. Last month, a Southampton supporter was convicted of shouting anti-gay abuse during a match against Brighton and has been banned from football for three years. This latest caution, which came about as result of chat on a website fans' forum, demonstrates that we are taking this matter seriously and will take action." In October, Brighton and Hove Albion fans called for the FA to do more to address homophobic chanting in football grounds. John Hewitt, chairman of the supporters club, said the problem was especially bad at away games. Homophobic and racist chants are outlawed by ground regulations. Funke Awoderu, the FA's equality manager, said at the time that everyone needed to take responsibility for stopping abuse.

Prison staff at the Feltham Young Offenders Institute refused official recommendations to display positive images of gay and bisexual relationships to inmates, according to a report released Tuesday. During an inspection of the centre in London last year, the independent Inspectorate of Prisons suggested “positive gay and bisexual images should be displayed across the establishment, as well as information about sources of support and help”. But after an unannounced follow-up visit in July of this year, the Inspectorate says the recommendation was “not achieved” due to opposition by prison staff. The report says, “There was still a lack of positive images of same sex relationships around the establishment. We were told that plans to display the Stonewall ‘Some people are gay. Get over it’ posters had been opposed by some staff.” The Inspectorate had found that a support group for young gay people, PRIDE, was held “whenever there were young people who wanted to attend it.” The report adds, “All young people were told about it on induction, which provided an opportunity for young people to offer information about their sexual orientation if they wished.” Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform said, “It is unacceptable that staff have opposed, and consequently refused, to put up positive gay and bisexual images in Feltham. “Homophobic crime is not monitored inside prisons yet there is evidence that it is endemic. The charity has been told that complaints are ignored and disparaged by staff.” Feltham is divided into a facility for inmates ages 18 to 21 and a facility for those aged 15 to 18. The follow-up inspection only examined the younger age group’s part of the institution. Nick Hardwick, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, writes in the report’s introduction that the prison “continues to operate reasonably well, working with often volatile young people in a challenging environment,” adding, “This does not however, negate the fact that the progress and improvement we have previously described has stopped, and in significant areas regressed. There is a clear need to re-focus the prison’s work on equality within a diverse population, basic standards of cleanliness require improvement and there is a need to re-energise elements of the resettlement strategy.” Crook added, “It is important that young people have a diversity of positive images at a formative time in their lives so that their own sexual development and their attitude to others is healthy and safe. The Howard League for Penal Reform is intending to launch a major national inquiry into sex in prisons next year and will be particularly focusing on this issue. Just because prisons are archaic doesn’t mean our attitude should be.” When asked about the reported opposition to posters, a Prison Service spokesperson told PinkNews.co.uk, “We have successfully piloted a scheme that collects information on prisoners’ sexual orientation in many prisons, which is understandably a sensitive issue. Guidance developed from this pilot will be issued to all prisons in the coming months. This information will further help us meet the needs of lesbian, gay and bisexual prisoners.” In 2010, an inspection of HMP Dartmoor found “overt” homophobia among prison staff, with gay inmates reportedly being referred to as “girls” or “ladies.”

An update on a previous post, two gay rights groups are asking ABC to call a halt to the new sitcom Work It, featuring two manly men who dress in drag to land jobs as women. The first promotions for the show, scheduled to launch January 3, caught the attention of the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Those print ads have a backside view of the two characters in women’s business suits, pantyhose and heels, standing at a urinal with the caption, “They won’t take unemployment sitting down.” As of Tuesday, ABC executives had no comment on the flap. The network plans to launch the series as part of its midseason line-up, with another episode scheduled for January 10, a spokeswoman said. The Los Angeles Times reports that network executives do plan to meet with reps from both non-profit organizations, according to Matt Kane, GLAAD’s associate director of entertainment media. “We’re in communication with ABC, and we’re setting up a meeting,” Kane said. “We don’t know their response yet to our request (to kill the show).” The group’s leadership, who said they’ve watched the pilot of the comedy, also want the ad immediately taken out of circulation because they said it contributes to an atmosphere where “transgender people are something to be laughed at.” GLAAD’s acting president, Mike Thompson, said phobia of transgender people is prevalent in society and a show like Work It will contribute to that attitude. The advocacy groups also are spearheading a letter-writing campaign to the network. In an open letter protesting the comedy, Kane wrote that transgender individuals find themselves in the “cultural crosshairs” these days, some 30 years after the sitcom Bosom Buddies. “The timing couldn’t be worse for a show based on the notion that men dressed as women is inherently funny,” he said. “In fact, shows like this have the power to put the transgender community in an even more dangerous position.” The letter notes that transgender people face double the rates of unemployment and disproportionately higher rates of violence, harassment, discrimination, poverty and homelessness. Commenters on HRC and GLAAD blogs have taken different sides of the issue, with some saying the show appears to feed into negative, hurtful stereotypes and “looks awfully regressive.” Others noted that drag performances have long been a staple of entertainment and urged the activist groups to “lighten up.” Popular gay blog AfterElton lauded ABC for its previous portrayals of gays and transgender characters on such shows as Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and Dancing With the Stars. In both Ugly Betty and Dirty Sexy Money, transgender characters were part of the cast and stories. But the blog asked the pointed question, “What the hell was ABC thinking when it greenlit Work It?” and speculates that the sitcom will feature “macho posturing” and “misogynistic boy banter.” The show’s main characters lose their jobs as car salesmen, realize they’re caught in the so-called man-cession, and masquerade as women to land lucrative gigs at a pharmaceutical company. They learn some life lessons along with “how to walk in heels and tighten up with Spanx,” according to ABC’s production notes. GLAAD executives said that because Work It comes from ABC, one of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community’s strongest media allies, “perhaps makes the sting worse.”

During a performance Monday night in Salt Lake City on his My Kind of Christmas tour, David Archuleta announced that he will take a two-year break from his music career to serve a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. USA Today reports that David wiped away tears, and the hometown crowd enthusiastically applauded, as he said, "It's not because somebody told me that I was supposed to do it, not because that I no longer want to do music anymore, but it's because it's the feeling that I felt that I need to do next in my life. It's just the same feeling that I've always followed, tried to follow in my life. It's the feeling that has allowed me to have the opportunities that I've had, the challenges that I've overcome and the blessings, too. And I've learned to trust that feeling, and I've learned that I need to answer when it calls. And that is the reason why I know I need to do this in my life." According to the church's website, most Mormon missionaries are about 20 years old (David turns 21 on December 28), and most missions last about two years. The missions are not required, and missionaries pay their own expenses. Currently, there are about 50,000 full-time Mormon missionaries serving worldwide.