Openly Gay Lincoln Nebraska School Board Member Calls On University To Fire Assistant Football Coach Ron Brown For His Grotesque Comments Opposing Omaha Ordinance Protecting Gays Against Discrimination

In Nebraska, an openly gay member of the Lincoln school board has called for the firing of Husker assistant football coach Ron Brown for his comments opposing an Omaha ordinance protecting gays and lesbians against discrimination. Barbara Baier said she spoke out because she is worried about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In her letter to UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman, Athletic Director Tom Osborne, football coach Bo Pelini and the Board of Regents, she said she was writing as a private citizen and not as a representative of the school board, reports The Omaha World-Herald. In Brown's comments before the Omaha City Council, he said the Bible condemns homosexuality as sin and likened the City Council to Pontius Pilate, the Roman official responsible for the execution of Jesus. Perlman and Osborne both chided Brown for listing his address as "One Memorial Stadium," for identifying himself as a Husker coach and for not making it clear that he was speaking on behalf of himself, not UNL or its athletic programs. Responding to Baier's letter, Perlman said he was offended by Brown's comments — but he was not going to fire the coach over them. He said the First Amendment and academic freedom allow UNL employees to express their personal views. "Unless and until I have evidence that Coach Brown has engaged in conduct beyond speech that many of us find offensive, I do not intend to do more than seek to assure that he speaks only for himself and to disassociate myself and this university from his position," Perlman said. An unflagging Brown said his message would not change. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever," he said Friday. "I have no fear of any man or anything." Baier said she saw Brown speak at a Champions Club event last fall. She said he made clear his UNL connection and spoke in terms of faith as he attacked gay and transgender individuals and discussed a "mysterious but undefined 'homosexual agenda.'" She added, "At the conclusion of the speech, I was deeply troubled and, as a person of the attacked minority group, I felt psychologically and socially threatened, so I left the event.” Perlman said he was sorry Baier felt intimidated, but he noted it was not a university event. He said Brown's views on gay rights do not reflect the views of most of the UNL community.

Federal Judge Rules Against Alpharetta Georgia High School Senior Reuben Lack Who Claimed He Was Removed As Student Body President Over His Plans To Make Prom Gay Inclusive

A federal judge Friday ruled against an Alpharetta High School senior who claims he was ousted as student body president for pushing to make the school’s prom king and queen selection more inclusive to gay and lesbian students. Reuben Lack, an honor student and debate team captain, filed a federal lawsuit that alleges his removal as president violated his rights of free speech and expression. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that in a 12-page order, U.S. District Judge Richard Story denied Lack's request to be reinstated as student body president. The judge commended Lack for championing the inclusion of all students in school activities and his "zeal to change policy." Story also expressed concern over the timing of Lack's removal -- a month after his prom idea became an issue. But Story said he found evidence supporting a conclusion that Lack was removed for other reasons. These include his failure to send an e-mail about a class president's meeting after being told to do so by advisers and his failure to attend the meeting the next day. "Essentially, the court finds that [Lack] is a bright student who ‘aggressively' engaged in his causes ... but he did not show respect or civility to his faculty advisers or complete traditional student council 'spirit' tasks, which, under the bylaws, he had an obligation to help carry out, regardless of his interest level," Story wrote. On December 15, Lack e-mailed the student council, saying he planned to introduce a resolution to make the prom king and queen tradition accessible to gay and lesbian students. “I think this is a fair way to ensure everyone is recognized at our wonderful Prom!” he wrote. When Lack introduced the resolution on January 12, it led to an idea of renaming the “Prom King and Queen” to the “Prom Court.” But a faculty adviser instructed the council to move on to another issue, a court filing said. Lack reintroduced the resolution two weeks later but tabled it when the adviser looked agitated, the motion said. On February 8, Lack was told he was no longer student body president. On Friday, Lack's lawyer, James Radford, said he had asked for immediate reinstatement before he could take testimony of all those involved, which he will do next in the ongoing litigation. "We look forward to continuing the fight," he said. Lack seeks damages against the Fulton County school system, Alpharetta High's principal and two student advisers. The suit said the incident caused Lack "great emotional distress," deprived him of an honor he worked hard to achieve, threatened his admission to the college of his choice and denied him the right to address students at graduation. Todd Hatcher, the lawyer for Fulton schools, could not be reached for comment. Last week, a school system attorney issued a statement that said Lack was removed because he was a poor leader and behaved in a manner not becoming of a student body president.

Documents Reveal Mitt Romney Political Action Committee Surreptitiously Donated Funds To National Organization For Marriage’s Campaign Proposition 8 Campaign To Repeal California Same Sex Marriage Measure

A state political action committee run by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave $10,000 to a conservative group that has come under scrutiny for plans to “drive a wedge” between African-Americans and gays, according to documents revealed Friday. Free & Strong America PAC Alabama, one of a network of state-level PACs that has raised and disbursed money on Romney’s behalf, gave the donation in 2008 to the National Organization for Marriage, which at the time was working to pass Proposition 8 banning same sex marriage in California, disclosure records show. The Washington Post reports that the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group, argues that Romney disbursed the money through his little-known Alabama PAC in an attempt to avoid drawing national attention to the donation and said it could violate California disclosure requirements. The group said it first learned of the gift from confidential NOM tax records provided by a whistleblower, which listed the money as coming from a PAC address in Massachusetts. The Romney campaign says the donation to NOM is hardly surprising given the candidate’s opposition to same sex marriage and his avowed support for Proposition 8, which was approved by California voters. “Gov. Romney believes marriage is an institution between a man and a woman and his PAC made a donation to a group supporting that view,” campaign spokesman Andrea Saul said Friday. The Proposition 8 campaign had heavy support from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which Romney is a prominent member. California state records show that several Romney family members--his son Matt and two daughters-in-law--gave a combined $1,400 in personal donations to the effort. NOM has come under scrutiny this week in connection with internal documents released in a Maine court case outlining its plan to “drive a wedge between gays and blacks” over the issue of same sex marriage. The plans also advocate “making support for marriage a key badge of Latino identity--a symbol of resistance to inappropriate assimilation.” “Mitt Romney’s funding of a hate-filled campaign designed to drive a wedge between Americans is beyond despicable,” said Joe Solmonese, president of Human Rights Campaign. “Not only has Romney signed NOM’s radical marriage pledge, now we know he’s one of the donors that NOM has been so desperate to keep secret all these years.” NOM has defended its efforts targeting racial minorities for support. “Gay marriage is not a civil right, and we will continue to point this out in written materials such as those released in Maine,” NOM president Brian Brown said in a statement this week. “We proudly bring together people of different races, creeds and colors to fight for our most fundamental institution: marriage.” President Obama’s re-election campaign is actively seeking support from gay and lesbian donors and voters, pointing to his role in ending the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and other pro-gay policies. But Obama’s position on same sex marriage--he has been opposed but has said he is “evolving” on the issue--has angered some gay-rights activists and prompted an internal Democratic Party debate ahead of the 2012 elections.

Thousands Of Chileans Join Daniel Zamudio Funeral Procession Friday In Santiago; Brother Of 24-Year-Old Murdered By Neo-Nazis In Violent Six-Hour Anti-Gay Attack Calls For Respect; United Nations Urges Chile To Add Hate Crime Stipulation Based On Sexual Orientation Or Gender Identity In Prosecutions

Thousands of Chileans joined the funeral procession Friday of a gay man tortured and beaten to death by presumed neo-Nazis amid growing national outrage over the attack. People crowded the streets around cars that traveled for three hours between Daniel Zamudio's home in San Bernardo south of the capital and the main cemetery in Santiago, waving white handkerchiefs, throwing flowers and clapping, reports the AFP. "There will be time for justice but for now, I am only asking for respect, and I thank all of you for each gesture, each tear shed for my brother," Diego Zamudio said before a private cremation. His brother Daniel, 24, was beaten on March 3 during a six-hour ordeal. Pictures released by his family show the attackers beat the openly gay man in the head, burned him with cigarettes and carved Nazi symbols and slogans on his body. He died from his injuries Tuesday, 25 days later. The four suspects who have been arrested in the case are thought to belong to a neo-Nazi group. Aged 19 to 25, the defendants deny allegations of attacking Zamudio and of being neo-Nazis. Chile is reeling from the attack as the taboo over homosexuality gradually dissipates in the highly Catholic and conservative country. Last year, President Sebastian Pinera proposed a family bill that would allow civil unions for homosexual couples, but lawmakers have yet to vote on it. Zamudio's death has, however, renewed calls for more ambitious legislation, including a non-discrimination law proposed in Congress seven years ago. The law would penalize anyone who discriminates against other people based on their race, sexual orientation or religious denomination. Chile's Senate approved the bill in November but it awaits action in the House of Representatives, where right-wing lawmakers have expressed concern it is a first step toward same-sex marriage, which is banned in the proposed legislation. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged Chile to create a law to more easily punish hate crimes based on sexual discrimination. "What we want is equality before the law, and Daniel is an example of the need and possibility to change things," said Rolando Jimenez, president of Chile's Homosexual Liberation and Integration Movement. The independent human rights arm of the Organization of American States has urged the government to launch a "serious" investigation into the beating death.

Meanwhile, the AP reports that the United Nations human rights office is urging Chile to pass new laws against hate crimes and discrimination after the aforementioned killing of Daniel Zamudio. Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, says the “particularly abhorrent murder” of 24-year-old Zamudio demands news laws against discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity. Colville told reporters in Geneva on Friday that Chilean lawmakers also should enact hate crime legislation allowing violence based on sexual orientation or gender identity to be added as “an aggravating factor” in prosecutions. Four suspects have been jailed on attempted murder charges.

25-Year-Old Victim Of Anti-Gay Hate Crime By 71-Year-Old Neighbour Speaks Out

An update on a previous post about a 71-year-old North Texas woman accused of beating her neighbor with a cane, and being charged with a hate crime. KHOU reports Richland Hills police say Wanda Derby repeatedly hit 25-year-old Lloyd Guerrero with her wooden cane and used it to choke him. "As I lifted up my arm, when I saw her, she just hit me right here," Guerrero said, pointing to his left forearm, which was still slightly swollen and bruised Thursday evening. Police say she was angry Wednesday night and yelled derogatory terms for a gay man. Authorities say the victim, who is her son's roommate, had bruises on his throat and body."She was hitting and screaming and hitting and screaming and hitting and screaming," Guerrero said. The two live next door to each other in the Ash Park Apartments in the 3200 block of Ash Park in Richland Hills. Guerrero said Derby had been posting off-color comments about him and his family for the last month or so on her Facebook page. He said she posted that he was homosexual, which he is, but he said he had not been open about it. "This is completely private," he said. "It's not anything I would ever in a million years post randomly. I'm the same as everyone else." Derby's own son is about to move in with Guerrero, and police say that is what provoked the Wednesday night attack. Derby allegedly walked out of her front door, and approached Guerrero with her cane. Police say bruises and scratches on Guererro's body prove Derby tried to choke him. She also allegedly forced her way inside Guerrero's apartment and hit his mother. Police say she used a slur to describe Guerrero to investigators. "This is a hate crime due to the statements the arrested person, Mrs. Derby, made to the officers on the scene," explained Richland Hills Detective Tye Bell. Bell said he did not recall any hate crimes in the city in the recent past. Derby faces charges of assault and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon enhanced as a hate crime. "The charges are serious," Bell said. "First-degree felony is as high as you can go." Guerrero, an aspiring actor staying with his mother as he works on a film, said he agrees with the charges. He believes hate was the motivating factor. "I don't want anybody to do that and get away with it," Guerrero said. Derby posted bail and was released from custody late Thursday afternoon.

71-Year-Old Texas Resident Wanda Derby Charged With Anti-Gay Hate Crime After Attacking 25-Year-Old Man With Cane; Derby Repeated Referred To Victim As “Faggot” And Suggested He Has AIDS

In Texas, a 71-year-old Richland Hills woman accused of beating and choking a man with a wooden cane because she believed he is gay and has AIDS has been charged with committing a hate crime, police said Thursday. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports Wanda Derby attacked the 25-year-old man Wednesday night as her son was moving into the man's apartment, Richland Hills police said. "This apparently angered Derby," Richland Hills Detective Tye Bell said in a news release. Derby repeatedly referred to the man as a “faggot” and told authorities that the man "has AIDS and is going to kill her son," according to the news release. Derby, who was arrested Wednesday, was free Thursday afternoon on $11,500 bail, according to Tarrant County criminal court records. She is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, enhanced as a hate crime, and assault causing bodily injury. Derby could not be reached Thursday for comment. The attack occurred at the Ash Park Apartments in the 3200 block of Ash Park. Derby is accused of hitting the man, who was not identified, several times with a cane and choking him by placing the cane against his throat. The man's mother saw the attack and went to help. As she called 911, she was hit in the face, Richland Hills police said. The man had marks and bruises on his throat and body and was treated at the scene, police said. "I have not seen this type of call in the time that I've been here," said Bell, who has been with the department for 15 years. Officers had gone to the complex Monday in response to a complaint against Derby. Hours before the attack Wednesday night, Derby wrote on her Facebook page: "My son Steven is no longer my son. He has sided with the idiots next door and I guess he [thinks] they will take care of him. He will never get another thing from me or his dad. We have washed our hands of him." On a March 10 Facebook posting, Derby wrote that she had two sons who took care of her and loved them. "I also miss the other two sons who are no longer with us. They were great also. Then I have one who no longer matters to me," she noted that day. Derby worked at the American Red Cross of Greater Dallas from August 2008 to April 2009 and as a financial officer with Mental Health Mental Retardation Tarrant County from June 1986 to August 1999, according to her Facebook page.

Poll Finds Most North Carolinians Support Same Sex Marriage Constitutional Amendment But Few Understand It, ACLU Settles Lawsuit With Central Missouri School District Over Anti-Gay Internet Filtering, Mother Of Mark Bingham Schools Carson Daly, California State College Debate Asking Prospective Students About Sexual Orientation

Public Policy Polling's newest look at the marriage amendment in North Carolina finds it passing by a wide margin, but also that voters don't really understand what the ban does and that once they do things get a lot closer. 58-percent of voters in the state say that they'll vote yes on Amendment 1, while 38-precent are opposed to it. Republicans pretty universally support it, 76/20. Democrats are closely divided with 48-percent in support and 47-percent opposed. White Democrats are opposed to the proposed ban, but African Americans support it 61/30. The group most opposed is actually independents, who say they'll vote against it 55/42. That's an important commentary on unaffiliated voters beyond this issue- they lean Republican in North Carolina right now because they're unhappy with the economy, but they're not hardcore social conservatives. The GOP needs to be careful about going too far out on a limb on social issues if it wants to keep its support with independents. Although the poll finds support for the amendment, it also finds that 51-percent of voters in the state support some form of legal recognition for gay couples- 26-percent for marriage and 25-percent for civil unions- with only 45-percent completely opposed to any. It may seem inconsistent that a majority supports either gay marriage or civil unions but also supports the amendment that would ban both of them. But PPP finds that voters don't actually know what it does: Only 31-percent of voters correctly identify that Amendment 1 bans both gay marriage and civil unions; 28-percent think that it only bans gay marriage; 7-percent think that it actually legalizes gay marriage; 34-percent admit that they don't know exactly what the amendment does. When voters are informed that the amendment bans both gay marriage and civil unions their tune changes quite a bit. Only 41-percent of voters say they'll support it knowing that, while 42-percent are opposed. So despite the large current lead for the amendment, there is some hope for those trying to defeat it. It's just going to take a lot of education and effort over the final six weeks to make sure voters really understand exactly what they're voting on. (The entire results of the poll are at the source.)

The American Civil Liberties Union has settled a lawsuit with a central Missouri school district whose Internet filtering software was blocking access to educational websites about gay, lesbian and transgender issues. The ACLU says the Camdenton R-III School District has agreed to stop blocking the sites, submit to monitoring for 18 months, and pay $125,000 in legal fees and costs, reports The Associated Press. As part of a national campaign, the ACLU sued the district last fall in federal court in Jefferson City on behalf of organizations whose websites were being blocked. The Camdenton district has noted that many of the sites have been unblocked. The ACLU says the Camdenton School Board approved the settlement Tuesday and that it was filed with the court Wednesday.

Alice Hoagland, the mother of Mark Bingham, one of the heroes aboard the fatal United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, commented on Carson Daly’s inane anti-gay rhetoric in connection to a recent JetBlue flight were it was necessary for passengers to help subdue an out of control pilot. TMZ.com reports that Hoagland said, "Yes, my gay son was known in our family for bringing me flowers on my birthday and Mother’s Day. He also was known for careening down the rugby pitch, and, on the morning of September 11, 2001, for charging unarmed down the aisle of a doomed Boeing 757 to face knife-wielding Islamist thugs in a hijacked cockpit." She adds, "No one among his pick-up team of fellow passengers was asking 'Are you straight? Are you gay?' No one doubted that a guy who weighed 220 and stood 6’4” tall -- who could run over a charging opponent on the field, and ran with the bulls in Pamplona earlier that summer -- would be an asset to a desperate group trying to overcome a threat onboard an airliner. The world has its share of strong, heroic gay men. Gay men in sports uniforms and military uniforms have been winning America’s games and fighting America’s battles for a long time: quietly, humbly, and in the face of vicious bigotry. I hope you and I may have an opportunity to talk sometime. I prefer to believe you didn’t mean to offend. Good luck to you."

California's state colleges and universities are laying plans to ask students about their sexual orientation next year on application or enrollment forms, becoming the largest group of schools in the country to do so. The move has raised the hopes of gay activists for recognition but the concerns of others about privacy. The Los Angeles Times reports that the questions, which students could answer voluntarily, would be posed because of a little-known state law aimed at gauging the size of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations on the campuses. The law encourages UC, Cal State and community colleges to explore whether they are offering enough services, such as counseling, for those students. "It would be useful to know if we are underserving the population," said Jesse Bernal, the UC system's interim diversity coordinator. In addition, giving students the opportunity to answer such questions, he added, "sends a positive message of inclusiveness to LGBT students and creates an environment that is inclusive and welcoming of diverse populations.” Experts said it is rare for a college to ask about sexual identity on an application or registration form, although a growing number of schools are studying the possibility. Last fall, Elmhurst College, a private school in Illinois, reportedly became the first in the nation to ask applicants about that part of their lives; the school reports that 85-percent have volunteered answers, with 3-percent reporting to be homosexual, bisexual or transgender. In the past, some colleges have used surveys about interests in clubs and organizations to get a sense of gay populations on campuses. Since 2006, the University of California has asked about sexual orientation on a more informal poll about campus life but those were not linked to a student's name and could not be used to track, for example, dropout rates or housing patterns. The shift comes in response to a law (AB 620) that was written by Assemblyman Marty Block (D-San Diego) and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last fall. The law calls for schools to adopt policies that discourage bullying and harassment of gay and lesbian students. It also asks, but does not require, state campuses to allow students and staff "to identify their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression" on any forms used to collect such other demographic data as race and national origin. Christopher Ward, Block's chief of staff, said the law was partly inspired by a UC report showing that gay students had much higher rates of depression than their peers and more often felt disrespected on campus. The questions will provide insights about "the unique and specific needs LGBT students have for their safety and educational assistance," Ward said. State Sen. Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach), who voted against the bill, said: "It is an invasion of privacy." He added that the information might be improperly used and wrongly divulged. The UC system-wide Academic Senate recently approved the concept of asking the sexual identity questions when students enroll and not earlier, when they apply as high school seniors, said Robert Anderson, a UC Berkeley professor and Academic Senate chairman. College applications can be viewed by parents, and students may not want to reveal their sexuality to them, he said. Some faculty thought the issues were too intrusive while others thought that avoiding the matter wrongly signaled that it was shameful to be gay, Anderson said. UC Provost Lawrence Pitts said he generally supports the "opportunity for self-identification" but said the matter faces more study. If implemented, it would begin with students enrolling at the 10 UC campuses in fall 2013, he said. At the 23-campus Cal State system, discussions are in an earlier stage on possibly including the questions on enrollment forms for fall 2013, a spokesman said. At the state's community colleges, a committee on diversity issues recently advocated adding sexual identity to statewide online applications but many decisions must be made before implementation, officials said; some individual community colleges also are studying the issue. UC Berkeley student Andrew Albright, who is gay and a student government activist, said some gay and lesbian students might be initially nervous about how their responses would be used. But he said most would participate if the potential benefits, such as increased services, are made clear and if UC keeps its promises that an individual's information will be confidential and only used in aggregates. "I think in general it's a good thing," said Albright, a third-year political science and sociology major. Beyond counseling services, professors might alter approaches to various lectures if they know a sizable percentage of the class is gay or lesbian, he said. In 2010, UC's Undergraduate Experience Survey found that 87% of students in that voluntary poll defined themselves as heterosexual, 3-percent as gay/lesbian or "self-identified queer," 3-percent as bisexual, and 1-percent as "questioning" or unsure, and others didn't respond. Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride, a national organization that seeks to make colleges more welcoming for lesbians and gays, said he expects many more colleges to follow the pioneering steps of Elmhurst College. He said he is glad that California colleges are studying the matter but added that UC's move to not change applications might hurt students seeking privately funded scholarships for homosexuals and deny "out" students a chance to disclose their identity at the start. "Why can you be asked about race and ethnicity but not about LGBT?" he asked. Officials at Common Application, the online service used by more than 450 colleges, considered the matter last year but did not add voluntary questions; some member colleges reportedly argued that some 17-year-olds may not realize their sexuality yet and others don't want anyone to know. Elmhurst College, a 3,400-student school, asks applicants: "Would you consider yourself a member of the LGBT community?" A positive response could help students qualify for scholarships given to diversify the student body, according to Dean of Admission Gary Rold. Some critics argued that the college's move could be seen as a tool to bolster the gay population. The school was not seeking to be a pioneer or to advance any political stance, Rold said. "That we are first is not of any great consequence," he said. "We are just trying to collect information for our purposes to help out students."

Proponents Of Same Sex Marriage Stage Rally In St. Paul Minnesota; Minnesotans Will Vote In November On Constitutional Amendment Banning Gay Marriage

In Minnesota, Kirsten Lindbloom looked out at the crowd of smiling faces and rainbow flags gathered on the State Capitol steps on Thursday and laughed. "For crying out loud, people," she said. "Iowa's got this figured out." This November, Minnesotans will be asked to vote on a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as the union of a man and a woman -- essentially banning same sex marriage. Amendment supporters believe they have the Bible, the poll numbers and statistical probability on their side. To date, gay marriage bans have passed in every state where they have appeared on the ballot. Thursday's rally in St. Paul marks the start of a coordinated effort by opponents to make Minnesota the exception, led by Governor Mark Dayton, according to the Star-Tribune. "I dreamt ... that Minnesota would be the first state in the nation to reject" a constitutional ban on gay marriage, Dayton told a cheering crowd that included gay and straight men and women, clergy and families with small children. "I think Minnesota's better than that," Dayton said from a riser in front of the Capitol. Below, the crowd erupted into cheers and waved signs with slogans like, "I'm straight, but not narrow," and "Closets are for clothes. Fabulous, fabulous clothes." Thursday was a day of action for two of the groups at the forefront of the Just Vote No movement -- OutFront Minnesota and Minnesotans United for All Families. Participants spent the morning learning community organizing techniques and preparing to spend the afternoon lobbying lawmakers against the amendment, which will appear on the November ballot. But Chuck Darrell, director of communications for Minnesotans for Marriage, said those who believe that marriage should be reserved for a union between a man and a woman are mobilizing as well. "They're holding rallies," he said of the amendment opponents. "We're going directly to our base. And we're very pleased by the enthusiastic reaction we're getting." Darrell said same sex marriage opponents are reaching out to African-American, Latino, Somali, Jewish and Islamic communities in Minnesota to make their case for traditional marriage. They are organizing call centers and online videos. But large-scale rallies, he said, "aren't in our future." The Just Vote No movement, meanwhile, is mobilizing a door-to-door canvassing campaign in the Twin Cities this weekend, trying to drive home the message that supporters need to vote against the constitutional amendment if they want to support gay marriage. The annual Twin Cities Pride Festival in June also will be a major rallying event for the movement. At Thursday's noon rally, Justin Anderson, a 19-year-old graduate of the Anoka-Hennepin school system, described the relentless bullying he endured from middle school through graduation. The gay slurs and taunts got worse, he said, when California voters enacted an amendment that forbids gay marriages. He worries what will happen to gay youngsters if Minnesota does the same thing. "One time in eighth grade, a student said to my face, about five feet from a teacher, 'Gays should go kill themselves, so we don't have to deal with them anymore,' " Anderson said. "And the teacher's response was, 'Quiet. You can't talk during class time.’” Lindbloom, who lives in Austin, said she thinks lawmakers "underestimate the number of people in the boonies who are gay and lesbian." Her partner, Ginny Larsen, is battling cancer, and she wants to see their union recognized by their state. "I'm a woman who's about to lose her wife," Lindbloom said. "We're running out of time."

Australian Catholic Church Mounts Campaign Calling On Parishioners To Opposes Same Sex Marriage Proposal

In Australia, six Catholic bishops in Victoria will circulate 80,000 letters this weekend asking their parishioners to show the federal government their opposition to same sex marriage. There are currently three gay marriage private member's bills before Federal Parliament, aimed at changing the legal definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The bishops want all Catholics to contact their MPs and respond to an online survey being conducted by the Federal Parliament Standing Committee of Social Policy and Legal Affairs. The Bishop of Sale, Christopher Prowse, said it would be a grave mistake with implications for the future of society should the legal definition of marriage be changed. "We have asked Catholics to seriously reflect and pray about the ramifications for current and future generations of legislation which completely redefines marriage," Bishop Prowse said. One bishop said the push was about protecting traditional marriage, and while today's discussion was on same-sex laws, "next it might be polygamy", reported the Herald Sun. Marriage equality supporters have described the church's campaign as "alarmist" and rejected claims gay marriage would undermine family life or damage society. "Families and societies are only strengthened when couples are allowed to commit to each other through marriage," national convenor of Australian Marriage Equality Alex Greenwich said. "So to hear Archbishop Hart discouraging any recognition of this commitment is extraordinary and heartless." A private bill, amending the Marriage Act to include same-sex couples, has been introduced to federal parliament by Labor MP Stephen Jones. Another bill is being jointly proposed by Australian Greens MP Adam Bandt and independent Andrew Wilkie. Both bills have been referred to parliamentary committees for detailed examination. A third bill, proposed by the Greens, will be considered in the Senate. Former NSW premier Kristina Keneally, a devout Catholic, said people of her faith should look at a range of information sources to formulate their views. "I've come to a position, with a fully-formed conscience, that I support gay marriage," she told ABC Television."I would encourage all Catholics to apply critical thinking to this issue."Keneally said the teachings of the church were not infallible although it was important people take heed of what their parish priest or bishop was saying. "But it's equally important for them to consider how they in good conscience must act."

Minnesota Twins Pitcher Carl Pavano Target Of Extortion By Alleged Former Male Lover; High School Classmate Christian Bedard Allegedly Sent Several Messages To Pavano’s Sister Threatening To Expose MLB Player; Bedard Says Sister Asked “Under What Conditions” He Would Not Divulge Details About Their Relationship

A high school classmate of Minnesota Twins pitcher Carl Pavano threatened to reveal an alleged homosexual relationship they had and to write a book about it unless Pavano apologized to him and bought him a navy Range Rover SUV with tan leather, according to a search warrant affidavit filed by police in Connecticut. Police in Pavano's hometown of Southington, about 18 miles southwest of Hartford, said in the affidavit that they began investigating the allegations after Pavano's sister, Michelle DeGennaro, complained in December that she had received several troublesome Facebook messages from the classmate, Christian Bedard. DeGennaro told police that Bedard made up a bogus story about having a relationship with her brother in an attempt to extort her family, reports The Associated Press. Officers executed the search warrant at Bedard's home on March 21 and seized items, but wouldn't say what they were. Bedard said on his Facebook page that police took his laptop computer, material relating to his relationship with Pavano and the book he was writing. Bedard hasn't been charged. The search warrant affidavit, first reported by the Record-Journal of Meriden, includes copies of several Facebook messages Bedard allegedly sent to DeGennaro. In the messages, Bedard said Pavano was his "first love" and they had a three-year relationship when they were teenagers growing up in Southington, the affidavit says. "I have serious juicy book offers ... to the point that the only way your brother is getting out of this ... is with a heartfelt apology and a navy range rover with tan leather," Bedard allegedly wrote to DeGennaro, according to police. "If I'm going to drop a 1.2 million dollar book deal I want something. That is my best offer an apology and a land rover and I'll kill the project," Bedard wrote referring to the book deal, according to the affidavit. Bedard told The Associated Press in a statement that he wanted an apology because of how Pavano treated him at the end of their relationship. He did not elaborate. Bedard, a 36-year-old real estate agent, later rescinded his offer to DeGennaro in another message, police said. "I'm up to 5 depositions of friends who I trusted with the secret of Carl and I's relationship," Bedard wrote, according to the affidavit. "Then I called my attorney ... the book is the best deal." DeGennaro told police that Bedard also demanded that Pavano pay a substantial amount of money to him or he would reveal personal information about Pavano to the media. DeGennaro didn't return messages left by The Associated Press on Thursday. Pavano couldn't be reached for comment. He wasn't with the Twins on Thursday as the team prepared to play the Pirates in a spring training game in Florida. His agent, Tom O'Connell, didn't return a phone message. Pavano has been with the Twins since 2009, after a season with Cleveland and three with the Yankees, and is scheduled to start opening day on April 6 in Baltimore. Bedard also didn't return messages on Thursday but e-mailed a statement to the AP. "I have been openly gay for most of my adult life," the statement said. "For years, my physical high school relationship with Carl Pavano has been well-known to my close friends and family. Carl Pavano's sister, Michelle DeGennaro, contacted me on Facebook asking under what conditions would I not talk about my relationship with Carl." Bedard said he responded to her that he wanted an apology, and said his comments about wanting a Range Rover were made "in jest,” adding, "I did not attempt to extort money from Carl Pavano. I have not been charged with any crime. I will allow my local police department to conclude their investigation and I will have no further comment." Police say the home they searched last week is owned by Bedard's mother, Elaine Bedard, who is a member of the town's police commission. Sgt. Lowell DePalma said Thursday that he couldn't release details of the investigation because it is still pending, but said Elaine Bedard wasn't a target. Christian Bedard confirmed the search on his Facebook page. "I feel a bit violated, but I hope they charge me with something, because I will bring it to trial ... finally I'll be able to tell my story and I will have my closure, which was the whole point to begin with," Bedard wrote on Facebook. DeGennaro told police that she, her brother and their family are concerned about Bedard and believe he is attempting to extort money for his false information. "DeGennaro states she is greatly concerned about Bedard and in fear for her and her family's safety," police wrote in the search warrant affidavit.The original report by the Meriden Record-Journal is here.

Having Led A “Lovely Life,” Actor And Photographer Cris Alexander Dies At 92 Two Weeks After His Husband And Partner Of 60 Years Shaun O’Brien

New Yorkers tend to believe that creative people trapped in America’s wilderness hunger to come to their big, pulsating city to fulfill their dreams. In the case of Cris Alexander, reports The New York Times, it was true. “I came to New York because I thought they were waiting for me,” he once said, recalling how he fled Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1938 with a high school classmate, Tony Randall. Mr. Alexander didn’t reach the peaks Mr. Randall did, but he did land a major part in On the Town, the 1944 musical that introduced Broadway to its composer, Leonard Bernstein; Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who wrote the book and lyrics; and Jerome Robbins, the show’s choreographer. But rather than on the stage, Mr. Alexander made it in New York as a photographer, taking portraits of the likes of Martha Graham and Vivien Leigh; having gallery shows; working for Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine and the New York City Ballet; and providing droll pictures for the best-selling 1961 satire of a movie star’s memoir, Little Me, written by Patrick Dennis and later adapted for the Broadway stage by Neil Simon. And, perhaps most importantly, he found love. When same sex marriage became legal in New York last year, he married Shaun O’Brien, the celebrated character dancer with the New York City Ballet. They had been together for more than 60 years and died less than two weeks apart — Mr. Alexander on March 7 in Saratoga Springs, New York, at age 92; Mr. O’Brien on February 23 at 86. They shared a Victorian house in Saratoga Springs. “If there is a cause of death, it’s a broken heart,” his friend Jane Klain said in confirming Mr. Alexander’s death. “It’s as simple as that.” He was born Allen Smith in Tulsa on January 14, 1920, but by his teens he was calling himself Christopher, a name he thought befitting of a distinguished actor. Then, as he recalled, he visited a spiritualist, who asked what he most desired. “Success,” he shot back. “Well I can guarantee you success if you do one thing,” he quoted her as saying. “Call yourself ‘Chris’ and take the ‘h’ out.” The next day Cris went to a radio station and got a job as an announcer, even though he stuttered. (He would eventually overcome that speech disorder.) After briefly attending the University of Oklahoma, he arrived in New York and went to the Feagin School of Dramatic Art. He opened a photo studio and acted in summer stock. When a friend was hired for the chorus of a new show, On the Town, Mr. Alexander, who had sung only in his darkroom, figured, Why not? He auditioned for George Abbott, the renowned playwright, director and producer. “Would you mind not leaving?” Abbott said, Mr. Alexander recalled in an interview with Show Music magazine in 1994. “I have a part I want you to read.” Mr. Alexander read, and Abbott declared, “That’s Chip.” Chip is one of three wildly energized sailors on a 24-hour pass in wartime New York and pursued by a romantically ravenous female taxi driver. Mr. Alexander was the first actor onstage to sing Ya Got Me, Some Other Time and Come Up to My Place, in a duet with the cab driver (Frank Sinatra played the part in the 1949 movie version). In 1953, Mr. Alexander appeared as an inept Walgreens manager in another Bernstein-Comden-Green collaboration, Wonderful Town. Other Broadway parts included an intense young playwright in Noël Coward’s Present Laughter (1946), and multiple roles in Auntie Mame (1956), which was based on a novel written by Mr. Dennis. Harold Prince, the producer and director, said in an e-mail that Mr. Alexander’s performances were “sly, modest and always honest.” He said he was the understudy to Mr. Alexander in Wonderful Town, which “ensured that he never missed a performance.” Still, acting didn’t pay the bills. Photography did. “I would have gotten very hungry if I had just been an actor,” Mr. Alexander told Interview magazine in 1980. He had begun taking pictures with his mother’s Brownie at 11 or 12. As an adult, his photography was uninhibited. He gave costume parties and took vivid pictures of his friends, whom he characterized in the Show Music magazine interview as “very gifted fools.” One day Mr. Dennis, famed for his oddball novels, admired the “fools” hanging in Mr. Alexander’s bathroom. “These are your real work,” Mr. Dennis told him. He suggested they collaborate on a “documented autobiography of someone who never was.” The result was Little Me: The Intimate Memoirs of That Great Star of Stage, Screen and Television, Belle Poitrine, written by Mr. Dennis and illustrated with more than 150 photographs by Mr. Alexander. It tells of a self-centered actress — whose name means “beautiful bosom” in French — who had portrayed Anne Boleyn in Oh, Henry and had roles in Sodom and its sequel, Gomorrah. Charles Busch, the writer of plays like Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and an actor known for drag roles, wrote in an e-mail that Little Me was “a seminal moment in the popularization” of the cultural movement known as camp. Mr. Alexander and Mr. Dennis also collaborated on the book First Lady: My Thirty Days Upstairs in the White House (1964), the story of Martha Dinwiddie Butterfield, the oblivious wife of a robber baron who stole the presidency. Mr. Alexander, who left no immediate survivors, had lived with Mr. O’Brien in Saratoga Springs since 1993. Each afternoon at 4:30 they had an ice cream party. In the interview with Show Music, Mr. Alexander recalled what his acting teacher, Marjorie Jefferson, once said. “Tell me, Cris,” he quoted her as saying, “you were such a good actor, why did you never amount to anything?” Then she paused, he said, before adding: “No that’s not true. You were about the most ambitious person I’ve ever known — ambitious to have a lovely life.”

Tenure-Track Theatre And Dance Professor Sues Lamar Texas University For Unfairly Reprimanding Her For Refusing To Attend Gay Artist Tim Miller On-Campus Performance Because Of Her Privately Held Religious Beliefs

In Beaumont, Texas, a former tenure-track theatre and dance professor claims in court that Lamar University administrators unfairly reprimanded her for refusing, for religious reasons, not to attend a gay performance artist's show on campus. Linda Ozmun sued Lamar University and its Theater and Dance Department Chairwoman Judith Sebesta, in Jefferson County Court, reports Courthouse News. "In the fall of 2010, the Department of Theatre and Dance wanted to bring to campus an 'artist' named Tim Miller," Ozmun says in her complaint. "Mr. Miller is an openly homosexual man who advocates for normalizing sexuality and for homosexual marriage. His one-man show is about his homosexual lifestyle using obscene language and sexual gestures. As a result of complaints from the community, his visit along with his performance was canceled. In response to the cancellation, several theatre students organized a show called 'Coming Out Collective.' It was billed as a celebration of homosexuality. Because of her religious beliefs, plaintiff did not attend the show. After the show in December 2010, defendant Judith Sebesta, chair of the department questioned plaintiff as to why she failed to attend the event. Plaintiff explained to Mrs. Sebesta that her religious beliefs prevented her from attending the event." Ozmun, who was in her fourth year teaching at the university, says that in her annual review, Sebesta "included plaintiff's failure to attend the event as part of her evaluation, and gave her a grade of 'unacceptable.'" Ozmun claims she then "followed university policies and filed a grievance, which was returned and noted 'unheard.'” When the university decided to bring Tim Miller back to perform his show, Ozmun says, the college dean "threatened plaintiff with disciplinary action if she failed to attend the performance." The complaint states that, "In the fall of 2011 semester, the University did bring Tim Miller ... to Lamar. The purpose was two-fold: Perform his show 'Glory Box,' and conduct a workshop and student performance with students of Lamar 'to help them find their voice.' Plaintiff contacted defendant and requested a reasonable accommodation to be excused from attending this offensive production. The dean of her college refused this simple accommodation and threatened plaintiff with disciplinary action if she failed to attend the performance. Because of her religious beliefs, plaintiff failed to attend the performance and as a result she was disciplined for her religious beliefs. Defendants have discriminated against plaintiff on the basis of her religious beliefs in violation of the Texas anti-discrimination laws." Ozmun says the university also retaliated against her for filing a discrimination claim against it. Ozmun no longer teaches at Lamar University. She is seeking lost wages, actual damages, punitive damages, and "reinstatement of her position with any adverse evaluations expunged from her record."

Russian Parliament To Consider Draconian Bill Prohibiting “Gay Propaganda”

A Siberian regional legislature submitted to the Russian parliament a bill to make promotion of homosexuality among minors an administrative offense, the State Duma said on its website on Thursday. The bill, introduced by the Novosibirsk Region Legislative Assembly, stipulates administrative fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($170) for individuals, up to 50,000 rubles ($1,700) for officials and up to 500,000 ($17,000) for legal entities, according to RIA Novosti. The legislation could also complicate efforts by gay activists to organize a Russian Gay Pride parade. Numerous attempts to hold gay rights protests in Moscow and elsewhere have been either vetoed by officials or broken up by riot police and right-wing groups. The bill was submitted a week after State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin said that lawmakers will thoroughly study a draft federal law banning promotion of homosexuality among minors once it is submitted to the parliament. The Russian Orthodox Church has called for national legislation making the promotion of homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender practices among minors an administrative offense after a similar law was adopted by regional legislatures in St. Petersburg and other Russian regions. Homosexuality was punishable by prison terms in the Soviet Union and was only decriminalized by President Boris Yeltsin in 1993, although discrimination against gay people remains widespread. According to a 2010 survey by the independent Levada Center polling agency, 74 percent of respondents said gays and lesbians were "amoral" and "mentally defective," while only 45 percent said they should enjoy the same rights as heterosexuals.

Gay Tolerance Tee Shirt Hung On Brunswick Maine High School Wall Elicits Support From Staff And Students But Is Condemned By Pastor Bob Emrich, Carson Daly Says Something Stupid About Gays And Subsequently Issues Awkward Apology, April 4 Trial Date Set For Two Men Accused Of Halloween Anti-Gay Hate Crime In Long Beach California, Supreme Court Refuses To Reinstate Wisconsin Law Banning Publicly Funded Hormone Therapy For Male Inmates Who Indentify As Female, Jeffrey Fashion Cares, James Franco

In Maine, when Brunswick High School teacher McKell Barnes hung a tee shirt on her classroom wall that read “gay? fine by me,” she suspected it might elicit some reactions. What Barnes didn’t expect when students arrived last Monday morning was for dozens of them to say they wanted a tee shirt like that of their own. So Barnes ordered 160 more, which she plans to sell at the school and on Facebook with profits to benefit Brunswick High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance. “I was completely taken off-guard,” said Barnes, a first-year math teacher who has launched the project with three other faculty members with whom she team-teaches the school’s Sophomore Academy program. “The response has been incredible.” On March 16, Barnes and the rest of the school’s faculty attended an in-school workshop on the topic of creating a safe and accepting school environment for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students. She was given the tee shirt at the end of the workshop, and with the agreement of the other teachers who use her classroom, decided to pin it to her wall. After the strong reaction from students, she posted her effort to sell the tee shirts on her Facebook page, reports The Bangor Daily News. “At first I just sent it to my close friends and they encouraged me to spread the word,” she said. “Within a week, close to 600 people had joined [the Facebook page] and another 4,500 have been invited.” Gay rights in Maine have been a controversial topic in recent years, including a same sex marriage bill adopted by the Legislature in 2009, which was repealed later that year. This November, Maine voters will broach the subject again when they weigh in on a citizen-initiated bill that would allow same sex marriage. But none of that has anything to do with the tee shirt project at Brunswick High School, said Barnes and senior Julia Brown, who is president of the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance. “This has zero political agenda behind it,” said Barnes, who is a 2007 Brunswick High School graduate. “It’s more about school bullying and learning to care about other people who are different from you. This has nothing to do with the referendum.” Brown, who said the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance has about five active members, agreed. She said the alliance, which has about $21 in its bank account, will use the revenue from tee shirt sales to print more tee shirts and literature and perhaps to invite speakers to address the student body. “Do we need the high school to be a comfortable place for LGBTQ youth to walk around? Absolutely,” said Brown. “I think it’s needed everywhere, to be honest. In this high school specifically there are always institutionalized places that are not safe for LGBTQ students, but then there are also individuals who need to be persuaded to acceptance and compassion. I think those are all universal traits that any school or community or society should be fostering.” But there are some, such as Pastor Bob Emrich of Plymouth, a well-known opponent of past gay marriage initiatives and chairman of a group called Protect Marriage Maine in opposition to this November’s referendum, who don’t think a public school is an appropriate venue for such a conversation. “I think this is way out of line for a teacher to be advocating a particular lifestyle,” he said. “The irony of this is pretty striking. The biggest criticism we had in the last campaign was that changing the definition of marriage would change discussions within our schools. That’s exactly what they are doing.” Asked whether Barnes’ and Brown’s contention that the tee shirt project is about the wider issues of acceptance and bullying, Emrich said there are lots of ways to get that point across without bringing homosexuality into the discussion. “The fact that people mistreat each other, whether it’s bullying or anything else, is just wrong,” he said. “To turn it into an issue of gay or straight minimizes that. Why not have tee shirts that say ‘Overweight? Fine by me’? Why don’t they do short or tall? You don’t see a tall-short alliance, do you? If this is really about bullying and people being treated fairly, why not do that? I would support that 100-percent.” Shenna Bellows, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, said there is nothing wrong with promoting conversations about alternative lifestyles in public places. In fact, she said the 2005 Maine Won’t Discriminate referendum protected such efforts in schools, workplaces and in publicly funded housing. “This teacher’s actions support school safety, freedom of speech and respect for all students,” said Bellows. “The teacher’s expression in this case reflects a spirit of tolerance for gay students without doing any harm to anyone else. The first amendment of the constitution protects the right of students and teachers to wear this tee shirt and it protects the right of opponents such as Mr. Emrich to disagree. ” Barnes is not alone in the project. Other faculty members, such as science teacher Andrew McCullough, who team-teaches with Barnes, also support the effort.“To see these students come together in support of this cause is really amazing,” said McCullough. “I think we’re lucky that we have this group of students who want to latch onto this.” Brunswick High School Principal Donna Borowick said having workshops in favor of creating a welcoming environment for gay students are hosted by the school every few years. “I’m really proud of the kids for stepping up and seeing this as a way to support their fellow students,” she said. Brunswick High sophomore Sierra Coomes said seeing the T-shirt on the classroom wall last Monday was “inspiring,” adding that, “People here get harassed [for being gay] all the time. I think this will help stop that.”

Pop culture footnote Carson Daly does not believe gay people would have been able to restrain the pilot who lost control on a recent JetBlue flight, suggesting gays are simply not brave enough to handle dangerous situations. TMZ.com reports that on Daly's Los Angeles radio show Wednesday morning, when talking about the flight, he said, "Most of the people were on their way to some sort of security conference in Las Vegas ... it was like a bunch of dudes and well trained dudes ... thank god." He laughingly continued, "With my luck, it would be like ... 'this is the flight going to [the gay pride parade] in San Francisco ... I mean, that would be my colleagues." Then, changing his voice to sound like a gay stereotype, Carson said, "Uh, we're headed down to Vegas for the floral convention." Late Wednesday, Carson released a statement via Twitter saying, "This morning on my radio show I attempted to make fun of myself & offended others by mistake. I sincerely apologize."

A trial date was set Wednesday for two Long Beach, California men charged with the alleged hate crime attack of two gay men last Halloween, reports the Press-Telegram. Defendants Marquise Anton Lucas, 19, and Sierus Lamar Dunbar, 27, are each charged in the attack, which took place at about 8:15 pm near Fourth Street and Cherry Avenue, just west of The Gay and Lesbian Center of Greater Long Beach. Witnesses said the two victims, one of whom is 52 years old and the other who in his 60s, were assaulted after they left the Center and after walking past Lucas and Dunbar, who yelled out a derogatory name for gays. One of the victims took a cell phone picture of one of the defendants while the other victim tried to call police. Before they could summon help, one victim said, the suspects attacked. 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 cell phone, the victim said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 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 victim suffered a cut over his left eye, a bruised hip and blunt trauma to his left hand. The other survivor suffered injuries to his mouth, including smashed teeth. Both suspects fled on foot, but were caught by Long Beach police officers near Third Street and Cherry Avenue, police said. The attack occurred in front of several witnesses, who came to the victims' aid, police and prosecutors said. Both men are charged with two counts of assault likely to produce great bodily injury including an allegation that the assault was a hate crime, said Deputy District Attorney Robert Hight. A third count of battery causing serious bodily injury was filed against both defendants for the attack on the second victim, Hight said. Both Dunbar and Lucas have been held in custody at the Men's Central Jail since their arrest last Halloween. The two were ordered Wednesday to return to the Long Beach Superior Court on April 4 for trial. Opening arguments could begin late that week or early the next week, Hight said.

The Supreme Court won’t consider reinstating a Wisconsin law banning publicly-funded hormone therapy for inmates who identify as transgender women. The high court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from state officials, who have been trying to get the 2005 law reinstated since it was blocked by a federal judge weeks after its passage, reports The Associated Press. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that the law violates a constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment because it denies medical treatment. Some of the plaintiffs had been on hormones for years before the law was passed. Wisconsin state officials passed the law after an inmate who had received hormone therapy filed a lawsuit to try to force the prison to pay for his sex change.

Backstage at Jeffrey Fashion Cares 2012.

James Franco spotted shirtless on the set of Spring Breakers, a film co-starring Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens.

Houston Dynamo Midfielder Colin Clark Becomes First Major League Soccer Player To Be Fined And Suspended For Using Anti-Gay Slur In Public; MLS Suspends Clark For Three Games And Fines Him Undisclosed Amount For Yelling “Faggot” At Ball Boy

An update on a previous post, Major League Soccer suspended Dynamo midfielder Colin Clark three games and fined him an undisclosed amount Wednesday for uttering a gay slur at a ball boy Friday night early in the Dynamo's loss at the Seattle Sounders, reports The Houston Chronicle. Five days after Clark screamed “faggot” at a ball boy who refused to toss him a ball so he could catch it, he became the latest professional athlete -- and the first MLS player -- to be fined for using a homophobic slur in public. "Major League Soccer will not tolerate this type of behavior from its players or staff at any time, under any circumstances," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. "Colin Clark has expressed sincere remorse for his actions and I believe that he will learn from this incident." Clark apologized for his comments early Saturday morning via his twitter account and again Wednesday. "First of all, I want to apologize for what I did during the Seattle match. I had a chance to speak to the ball boy after the game." Clark said. "I'm sorry to everyone who I offended with that term. I intend to never use that word again in any context. There's absolutely no excuse for using that word. What I said doesn't represent me. It was out of character and out of line. I made a huge mistake by using those words, and I truly regret that." In April, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for uttering a homophobic slur immediately after he was given a technical foul. A month later, the NBA fined Joakim Noah $50,000 for a similar vulgarity during the Eastern Conference Finals. Bryant's fine last year was more than Clark's $93,000 annual salary. "With what the league has handed down," Clark said, "I accept the punishment from the league and intend to turn this negative into a positive and I look forward to moving beyond this incident." In 2007, U.S. national team midfielder Ricardo Clark became the first Dynamo player to earn a major suspension when he received an MLS-record nine-game suspension and $5,000 fine for violently kicking FC Dallas star Carlos Ruiz during a game. Colin Clark is the second MLS player reprimanded in six weeks for uttering a gay slur. The Vancouver Whitecaps issued Lee Nguyen a formal warning after he called teammate Brad Nighton a shortened version of the word in a Twitter exchange. Clark, 27, is in his second full season with the Dynamo. He was acquired from the Colorado Rapids late in the 2010 season in exchange for Brian Mullan. The veteran has started all three games this season on the right side of the midfield. In his seventh season in MLS, Clark stayed away from controversy throughout his career until the seventh minute of the Dynamo's 2-0 loss Friday night at CenturyLink Field. In 2009, the Fort Collins, Colo., native was named the Colorado Rapids' Humanitarian of the Year for his numerous off-the-field efforts in his native state. In Houston, he was one of the biggest MLS names to participate in the annual Kick Cancer Camp to benefit Curing Children's Cancer.

Despite Numerous Obstacles Student Starts Gay-Straight Alliance In Tennessee County

In Tennessee, as neighboring Mid-state counties deal with the issue of sexual identity and bullying in schools, some Dickson County students hope to heighten awareness of the same concerns locally. In September, students at Dickson County High School attempted to start a group called the Gay-Straight Alliance and wanted to meet on school grounds. Like all school groups, they needed a teacher sponsor. The group initially found a sponsor but that person later decided against the sponsorship. The group then created a countywide GSA, a group that now meets at the Dickson County Public Library. Some of Nashville’s surrounding counties have been in discussions over the issue for months. A student’s request to form a gay and lesbian support group at school in Wilson County raised objections from officials there. In Cheatham and in Sumner counties recently, school boards have been presented with proposals by students and residents hoping to toughen their anti-bullying policy with specific language about gays and lesbians. Cheatham County’s effort grew out of the fallout from the suicide of student Jacob Rogers in Cheatham County whose family and friends say was bullied because he was gay. “We started with a petition back in September, and I got over 80 signatures from people from all over the school, and I heard that there was a counter petition about it, but I don’t think those evened out,” said GSA Dickson President Judy Hall, a junior at Dickson County High School. Hall said the group checked with several DCHS teachers for sponsorship. One teacher seemed interested, Hall said, but later said she wanted the club “to be more of an anti-bullying club.” Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project, a non-profit advocacy organization that advocates for GLBTQ rights in Tennessee issues, said this is often the case, according to The Tennessean. “A faculty member may be initially eager to do it, and then suddenly there is pressure from some unknown source and one by one the faculty members who were interested back away,” he said. Dickson High School Principal Ed Littleton said he recalls being approached by the group and had no objections other than making sure the students went through the right channels. “They came to me and I told them they needed a sponsor, and then we talked about the reasons why they wanted to have the club,” Littleton said. “They said, basically, that they felt like there were folks or students who were not getting a fair chance based on their sexual preference maybe saying things to them that were off-color or singling them out.” Littleton said he asked the students what the function of the club was, and the group told him that they wanted to try to make a positive difference and get that [name calling, etc.] to stop. “I said ‘Don’t you think that that’s good for all students and not just the group that you are representing?’ And they said, ‘Certainly,’” Littleton recalls. He said the high school’s tolerance training initiative called Move to Stand already deals with bullying of all sorts. “The idea was to try and train some, about 100, of our kids to do just that, to try and help spread the message that, ‘Hey, it’s OK to be different; as a matter of fact it’s your given right as an American. Everybody gets to walk these halls. It’s our job to get them an education,’” he added. Hall said it was a nice idea but not one that was particularly effective. “It’s unfortunately common that if a teacher sees that a student who is being bullied because of sexual orientation, they will treat it as if it were any other bullying thing which gets over looked anyway a lot,” she said. “I do have close friends who are of alternate sexual orientation, and I am really close with them, and I felt like they were kind of getting thrown under the bus.” Hall, who had been “thinking about it for a long time,” said she believed the sponsor was not comfortable with the name. Nonetheless, the group wanted a “more unique platform” because they believe the bullying efforts in place at the school were too broad to be effective to deal issues such as gays and lesbians being targeted. “We kind of settled on Students Against Hate, but it just didn’t carry the same sort of punch that we wanted, and then we started looking for other teachers, and that’s when I started hearing discussions about making it countywide also to include Creek Wood [High School] with it,” said Hall. The countywide organization, she said, could include not only students in the region but also adults who may feel the need to be supportive of gay and lesbian issues, as well. Hall said their meetings have been productive but it was hard for the group to gain traction as it was difficult to get students to meetings on the weekends. Littleton said those efforts are already in place even efforts to specifically stop the bullying of those of different sexual orientation. “I told them, ‘If you are just trying to highlight the group that you represent, that’s one thing; if you are trying to really right a social injustice or try and get intolerance out of the school for everybody, here’s your opportunity.” They are the same thing, said Hall. “We want to establish not just a support group but also a social group where people can feel safe in being themselves that will continue on and not just fade away with the controversy.”

Monmouth Illinois Police Investigate Hate Crime After Rainbow Flag At Home Of Openly Gay Vietnam Veteran Set On Fire

In Illinois, the Monmouth Police Department is investigating an incident it has classified as a hate crime that occurred early Tuesday. Sometime between 1:00 and 7:00 am Tuesday in the 600 block of East 11th Ave., at the home of DuWayne Brooks, someone set fire to a rainbow flag Brooks had hanging on his home. Brooks, a Vietnam veteran, is a life-long resident of Monmouth. Brooks opened his curtains to his front porch as he does every morning and saw his rainbow flag lying on his deck burned about half way with minor burns on his deck around the flag, according to The Monmouth Daily Review Atlas. Brooks has had a prosthetic leg below his left knee as a result of diabetes for the last two years. If the fire from the flag had spread, he could have become trapped. “I just haven’t been able to put a good grasp on this at all — I’m afraid to be in my own home,” said Brooks, who was clearly disturbed by the incident. He went on to say the perpetrator(s) would have had to come onto his front porch to commit the crime. Brooks said he and his friends in the gay community in Monmouth have experienced “all kinds of love” and support from people in the community as a whole. Brooks said he believes, “it is not indicative of these people (Monmouth community members) to do this.” Brooks has had the flag hanging since October and has never had anyone attempt anything like this before, nor has he received a “true threat,” adding, “I’m not shy about who I am ... I am who I am.” After he discovered the incident, Brooks immediately called police, who promptly responded to the scene and wrote up a report, took pictures and interviewed neighbors. They also will conduct extra patrols in the area. Brooks was very pleased with how the responding officer handled the incident. “He was wonderful — he was empathetic, was as shocked as the rest of us — he showed care and concern, (I have) nothing but praise for them (the Monmouth police) and his efforts,” Brooks said. Monmouth Police Chief Bill Feithen said the incident will be classified as criminal damage to property and a hate crime. The Monmouth Police Department is investigating the incident. “To my knowledge, this is an isolated incident. We certainly take it seriously and it shouldn’t be tolerated,” Feithen said. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Monmouth Police Department at 734-8383 or Warren County Crime Stoppers at (309) 734-9363.

Murder Of Openly Gay 24-Year-Old Daniel Zamudio By Gang Of Neo-Nazis Reignites Calls For Chile To Pass Anti-Discrimination Law

Prosecutors in Chile asked for murder charges Wednesday in the death of a young gay man whose attackers brutally beat him and carved swastikas into his body. Daniel Zamudio died Tuesday night, 25 days after he was attacked. The case has prompted a national debate in Chile over hate crimes, with President Sebastian Pinera saying from Asia that his government won't rest until a proposed anti-discrimination law is passed. Four suspects have been jailed on attempted murder charges, some of whom already have criminal records for attacks on gays. Hours after Zamudio's death, prosecutor Ernesto Vazquez formally requested that the charges be changed to premeditated murder, carrying maximum life sentences if convicted. He said the attack was clearly motivated by homophobia. Gay activists were not satisfied. The leader of Chile's Gay Liberation and Integration Movement, Rolando Jimenez, said the suspects should be charged with torture as well, reports The Associated Press. Zamudio, a clothing store salesman, was attacked in a park in Santiago on March 3. The suspects allegedly beat him for an hour, burning him with cigarettes and carving Nazi symbols into his body. The second of four brothers, he had hoped to study theater, his brother Diego said. "He was very loving, an excellent person and that's why it's so hard to believe that they attacked him with such hate," he told reporters. Hundreds of people had been holding vigil outside the hospital where Zamudio lay brain-dead, building a shrine on the sidewalk. Many whistled and booed when Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter, the acting president while Sebastian Pinera is traveling in Asia, arrived to share condolences Tuesday night. The commotion ended only when Zamudio's father appealed for them to maintain respect. "We are going to work tirelessly in our Congress to pass our anti-discrimination law as quickly as possible," Hinzpeter said to reporters outside the hospital after visiting the family Tuesday night. An ample Senate majority passed the law in November, but seven years after it was first proposed, it has yet to come to a vote in the lower house. Lobbyists for evangelical churches said it would be a first step toward same sex marriage, which Chile forbids and which is not explicitly included in the measure. It would describe as illegal discrimination "any distinction, exclusion or restriction that lacks reasonable justification, committed by agents of the state or individuals, and that causes the deprivation, disturbance or threatens the legitimate exercise of fundamental rights established by the constitution or in international human rights treaties ratified by Chile." Attorney Gabriel Zaliasnik told the Cooperativa radio station Wednesday that if the law had been passed, the attack on Zamudio might have been avoided. Pinera tweeted from South Korea that the "brutal and cowardly attack of Daniel Zamudio wounds not only his family but all people of good will,” adding, "His death will not remain unpunished, and reinforces the complete commitment of the government against all arbitrary discrimination and for a more tolerant country." The jailed suspects are Raul Alfonso Lopez, 25; Alejandro Axel Angulo Tapia, 26; Patricio Ahumada Garay, 25; and Fabian Mora Mora, 19. Their public defender has yet to make a statement in their defense, other than to observe in court that they gave conflicting statements to police.

24-Year-Old Gay Chilean Daniel Zamudio Dies After Being Attacked By Four Alleged Members Of Neo-Nazi Gang On March 3, Victim Of Washington D.C. Anti-Gay Hate Crime On March 12 Speaks Out

Daniel Zamudio, a gay 24-year-old Chilean who was left brain dead after being attacked by four alleged members or a neo-Nazi gang, died on Tuesday after being in critical condition for over three weeks, hospital sources said. Zamudio, who was openly gay, was violently beaten in a Santiago park last March 3rd by an alleged neo-Nazi gang. Four gang members have been arrested and remain in prison. Zamudio died on Tuesday afternoon after being in an induced coma, reports The Buenos Aires Herald. “He is a victim of homophobia, of the hatred that some have towards those who have a different sexual orientation. Today, we consider him a martyr,” the leader of the Homosexual Liberation Movement (MOVILH), Jaime Parada, said. According to photos released by his family, Zamudio was severely and violently hit in the head. His body had been burned with cigarettes and marked with Nazi symbols. They also cut part of his ear. The Chilean police have arrested four men aged between 19 and 25, who have been accused of attempted murder, although after Zamudio’s passing, the case will surely be elevated to murder. The suspects have denied all accusations, but criminal records show they have been arrested before on charges of xenophobia. The violent attack against Zamudio caused outrage in Chile, and his condition was followed closely by the press and the population.

The victim whose jaw was broken in a March 12 attack in the District that is being investigated as a possible hate crime has returned home and is in the final stages of recovery. One week after 600-plus people tried to raise awareness of his attack and two possibly similar crimes by walking through Columbia Heights in silence, the victim and his partner of three years spoke out in a series of media interviews. The bruises on his chest have not yet fully healed. The right side of his mouth will be wired shut at least the next month. He is still unable to ingest anything more than anything more than protein shakes and soup broth. “Physically, I’m about 50-percent, emotionally, I’m about the same,’’ the victim told The Washington Post. He is not being identified to preserve his safety. “I just try not to think about the fact that the person who did this to me is still out there.” No arrest has been reported. The victim said he is happy with the diligence with which the Metropolitan Police Department is handling the case, but is unsure whether or not they’ll be able to find suspects without more witnesses. The victim’s memory is blurry. This is what he remembers: The 29-year-old was on his way home from hanging out at Hank’s Oyster Bar with a friend. A cab dropped him off around 9:00 pm near Georgia Avenue and Irving Street Northwest, a few blocks away from his home. A group of people attacked him. He doesn’t remember how many - there were at least two, but probably more. He has no idea what they looked like. He fell to the street, and faded in and out of consciousness. They kicked him and shouted racial and homophobic slurs before he got away. “I was in flight mode at the point,’’ he recalled. “I tried to get help, but I didn’t even know where I was.” He called his partner, who stayed home because he doesn’t like oysters, for help when he was attacked again. He doesn’t remember if it was the same group of people, but at least one of these attackers were female. They dragged him. They stole his iPad and cell phone from his messenger bag. They wrapped the bag around his neck. By the time his partner arrived with the police, the victim’s face was covered in blood. At George Washington University Hospital, he endured two surgeries and could only eat through a feeding tube. He’s lost 15 pounds. The incident came a day after a man was shot after getting into an argument at an International House of Pancakes restaurant a few blocks away with a group of people who allegedly voiced homophobic slurs at him. Police have arrested and charged a 27-year-old woman with aggravated assault in relation to the incident. The following night a transgender woman in Northeast Washington was beaten unconscious. Police have not classified that attack as a bias incident. Police do not believe the incidents are related. While the victim in the attack at Georgia and Irving was recuperating in the hospital, five of his friends began organizing a silent march. He called the sheer number of people who attended, estimated to be more than 600, “reassuring. It made me proud to be a part of this community.” A table inside his home is littered with dozens of get-well cards. “I pulled out of this situation pretty good,’’ the victim said. “I actually think I’ve become a better person for it. We live in Washington, where it’s all about what we’re going to do next. This had made me stop thinking about my step and start focusing on the here and now?”

Proponents Of Legislation To Extend Anti-Discrimination Protections To Gay And Transgender Individuals In Anchorage Ask Opponents To Remove “Distorted” Ad, Kentucky Gay Rights Group Sues Lexington Tee Shirt Company After Hands On Originals Refused To Print Shirt For Gay Event, Catholic New Jersey High School Cancels Production Of The Laramie Project, Lindsay Lohan Will Appear On Glee, Daniel Radcliffe On Set As Allen Ginsburg

In Alaska, supporters of a proposed ordinance to extend anti-discrimination legal protections to gay and transgender people in Anchorage are asking an opposition group to pull a campaign ad that says day care centers would be forced to hire transvestites or face jail time, saying the ad is offensive and misleading. According to The Anchorage Daily News, the One Anchorage Campaign, which supports Proposition 5, held a press conference Tuesday to ask the Protect Your Rights -- Vote No On Prop. 5 campaign to remove the ad titled Daycare from TV and radio, where it has been airing this week. In the ad, a cartoon "transvestite" who wants to work at a day care is drawn as a man with a jutting jaw and body hair, wearing a short pink dress, red high heels and lipstick. If Prop. 5 passes, the narrator of the ad says, "it will be illegal for Carol to refuse a job to a transvestite who wants to work with toddlers." A tag line posted below the video on YouTube reads, "If Prop. 5 passes, day care centers will be very much unprotected.” That imagery is an "offensive, stigmatizing and distorted" representation of a transgender person, said Trevor Storrs, a spokesman for the One Anchorage campaign, adding, "Such distorted cartoons have been used over and over again in history to dehumanize groups." Storrs said that transgender people are twice as likely as the general population to be assaulted and the imagery in the ad "is definitely fanning the flames of fear that can lead to hate and violence." Transgender people go through years of intensive therapy and often take on a long medical process of hormones and surgery, said Drew Phoenix, a male ordained United Methodist minister and transgender activist who was born female. That's very different from transvestites, sometimes called cross-dressers, who by dictionary definition are people "who derive pleasure from dressing in clothes appropriate to the opposite sex,” adding, "To transition from the sex I was assigned to the gender I am. It was a very serious, thoughtful process guided by therapists and medical experts that took years." The cartoon "reduces us to an inhuman caricature people can attack," he said. Jim Minnery, a leader of the Protect Your Rights -- Vote No On Prop. 5 campaign which produced the commercial, said the ad points out that because the term "transgender" isn't defined in the law, a scenario like the one portrayed in the commercial could play out under the law. "I think it's a shocking flaw in Prop. 5 and shows profound disrespect to voters that the authors didn't feel it was important to provide a definition of transgender identity," Minnery said. He defended his group's free speech rights and said the cartoon caricature was meant to be attention-grabbing. "You kind of have to cut to the chase; you have 30 seconds," he said. "I almost find it hypocritical that they would say this image needs to be the image of a transgender individual," he said. "If they had any interest in defining what transgender was they would have put it in the law." Anchorage employment lawyer Thomas Daniel said the scenario presented in the ad was an extreme example that falls in a gray area of the law. "I think it's one of those extreme examples that I don't think we would know the answer to until it comes up in practice," he said. Storrs said his group didn't feel it was appropriate to ask broadcasters to take the ad off the air but is appealing to the Vote No On Prop. 5 group to remove it. He said that as of late morning on Tuesday he hadn't heard any response from them. As the campaign enters the final week, Storrs said he hoped the discourse between different sides of the Prop. 5 debate would reflect the opposition's claim that Anchorage is a tolerant city. ". . . Whether we win or lose, we must still live in this community together," he said. On Tuesday, the One Anchorage campaign also debuted an ad of their own, featuring Anchorage residents who say they've been discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or transgender identity.

In Kentucky, the Gay and Lesbian Service Organization -or GLSO - of Lexington has filed a complaint against a local tee shirt company. Lex 18 reports that the GLSO says they went looking for the best price when buying tee shirts for the annual Pride Festival, but they say once the owner of Hands On Originals realized it was for a gay event, he wouldn't print the shirt. The GLSO says that's against a fairness ordinance in Lexington. "This wouldn't be acceptable to do (to) a black group," said Pride Festival Chairman Paul Brown. "This wouldn't be acceptable to do to a Jewish group and because of the fairness ordinance it's unacceptable to do it to a gay group." Hands On Originals plans on issuing a statement on the situation to LEX 18 Tuesday afternoon. Wildcat Wearhouse, a Kentucky company that used to be affiliated with Hands On Originals, released the following statement Tuesday afternoon: "Due to a change in ownership on January 1st, 2011, Wildcat Wearhouse is no longer owned and operated by Hands On Originals. Wildcat Wearhouse has continued to use the distinctive hand print logo due to its long term association with quality collegiate products. Future use of the hand print logo is to be determined. Wildcat Wearhouse both employs and does business with people of all genders, races, religions, sexual preferences and national origins. We do not produce custom goods for businesses, organizations or individuals; therefore we do not have any order acceptance policies. We are a retail business committed to providing the Big Blue Nation with excellent quality products and friendly service at all 16 of our Kentucky locations."

In Lawrence, New Jersey, The Times of Trenton reports that bowing to pressure from parents and the school community, Notre Dame High School has canceled its spring production of The Laramie Project, a play based on the violent 1998 murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard. The decision to shut down the production has proved to be just as controversial as the play’s edgy and dramatic portrayal of a Wyoming town gripped in the aftermath of a hate crime. On one side, school administrators say parents worried that the choice for the play was inappropriate for high school students, too loaded in its tale of the murder of a young gay man beaten and left tied to a fence to die. But cast members and students at the Catholic high school said they’ve been unfairly robbed of their ability to put on a thought-provoking and powerful play, one whose message of tolerance resonates powerfully in the wake of the Tyler Clementi cyber-bullying verdict and other anti-harassment efforts. “I wanted to do a show that had meaning and purpose to it and when I found out we were doing The Laramie Project I got really excited because this show teaches the values I’ve been taught my last 12 years of Catholic education,” cast member and Notre Dame senior Tessa Holtenrichs said. “When I was told we couldn’t do it, I felt like it was really hypocritical.” While students described Notre Dame as a high school with an unusually tolerant and friendly atmosphere, “We felt it was breaking barriers being at a Catholic high school,” senior cast member Macklin Fitzpatrick said. School president Barry Breen and principal Mary Ivins said in a statement the choice for the spring play was originally seen as a “powerful and appropriate vehicle” to address issues of respect and tolerance. But as calls questioning the play’s content rolled in, officials worried that the controversy would become distracting, and the decision was made Tuesday to cancel the show. “The expression of these concerns opened our eyes to the realization that different eyes will see radically different messages than the ones we intended,” they said. “This has led the administration to conclude that we might inadvertently be placing our school at the center of an undesired and potentially damaging controversy by moving forward with the production.” Cast members — 32 students in grades 9 through 12 — were informed Wednesday the show would be shut down, just days after rehearsals started. Some admitted they cried at the news. “If students can handle something like this, why can’t the parents?” junior Kim Woodcock asked. The new pick for the spring play has yet to be announced. In their statement, Breen and Ivins said, “We are proud of our students, and with the help of God and as a duty of our faith, we will continue to find less controversial ways to help them address hatred and intolerance.” A Facebook group started by Notre Dame alumnus and Rowan University freshman Dan Blazejewski opposing the cancellation had more than 800 students, cast members, parents and alumni weighing in on the furor as of last night. “I think the people had the assumption that the play was going to do something it never would have done, to encourage students to become homosexuals instead of not killing homosexuals,” Diane Steinberg, a parent of a Notre Dame student and an alum, said during an interview. She said the school missed the chance to turn any controversy into a teachable moment. “Allow the play to go forward, and also allow a non-artistic forum to discuss the Catholic Church and GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender) people,” Steinberg wrote to Breen and Ivins. “Can the presentation of the play be accompanied by a speaker or speakers that present Catholic teaching on human sexuality?” Hundreds of high schools, colleges and community theaters have put on Moisés Kaufman’s play, which became a 2002 HBO film, with varying degrees of controversy. In 2009, members of the extremist Westboro Baptist Church picketed a production at an Indianapolis high school. Other shows, including several at Catholic high schools, have drawn little in the way of fire. The Laramie Project played for two nights at Robbinsville High School in 2008. Cast members and school officials said the play had been edited slightly to remove some language and one particularly intense scene. Few uttered surprise at the complaints the play drew at Notre Dame, but said the Catholic Church, which opposes gay marriage, has maintained gays are still deserving of love and understanding. “My director, Ms. (Diane) Wargo, said something pretty powerful,” Holtenrichs said. “She said Jesus didn’t die on the cross for us to have so many rules about who to love and how to love. I thought that was great.” The Diocese of Trenton didn’t return calls seeking comment on the play’s cancellation.

TVLine.com is reporting that Lindsay Lohan will be appearing on one of the season’s final episodes of Glee, Miss Lindsay playing herself as a judge at the Nationals.

Daniel Radcliffe and Jack Huston spotted on set of Kill Your Darlings in New York City, Radcliffe and Huston playing Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac respectively. Set in 1944, the film focuses Ginsberg’s relationship with Kerouac and Lucien Carr, played by Dane DeHaan, who was found guilty of stalking and murdering his lover David Kammerer, played by Michael C. Hall. Kill Your Darlings also stars Elisabeth Moss.

Michigan Hearing Officer Upholds Firing Of Anti-Gay Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell; Civil Service Commission Contends Shirvell Made “Media Spectacle Of Himself”

A former Michigan assistant attorney general made a “media spectacle” of himself and the attorney general’s office when he started publishing a blog attacking the former University of Michigan student body president for his “radical homosexual agenda,” a state Civil Service Commission grievance officer ruled this week. Andrew Shirvell had appealed his firing from the attorney general’s office. Then-Attorney General Mike Cox fired Shirvell on November 8, 2010, finding that Shirvell had lied to his superiors and used state equipment for publishing the blog. “The pattern of conduct in which he engaged constituted hate speech, physical and mental harassment of citizens of this state and a nexus was established between that conduct and his position as an Assistant Attorney General,” the report, which was released Tuesday, said. “(Shirvell) has been determined, in the course of this fact-finding and opinion, to have engaged in harassing conduct of the basest sort. As was noted above, it is disheartening to see a bright individual with a great deal of potential engage in such conduct: The fact that the grievant deliberately made a media spectacle of himself and the department for which he worked without regard for the interests of his employer constitutes conduct unbecoming a state employee.” Shirvell’s attorney, Phil Thomas, said the decision is one more example of the state “trampling” on Shirvell’s First Amendment rights, reports The Detroit Free Press. “Although (grievance officer William Hutchens) explicitly found that Mr. Shirvell conducted all of his blogging activities outside of work utilizing his own resources, nonetheless Hutchens justified Mr. Shirvell’s firing based on what he called Mr. Shirvell’s ‘hate speech.’ Hutchens’ characterization of Mr. Shirvell’s blog is based on his own biased opinion and not on the evidence in the record.” Shirvell will appeal the decision, Thomas said. Shirvell targeted Chris Armstrong in the spring of 2010, shortly after Armstrong became the first openly gay student body president at U-M. Shirvell graduated from U-M. At the time, Shirvell was working for Cox. He had worked as a deputy campaign manager on Cox’s campaign and then started working in the attorney general’s office. In testimony during the grievance hearing, Shirvell testified that he and Cox were close, that he had babysat Cox’s kids and had been to Cox’s house for dinner “a couple of times.” In May 2007, after passing the bar exam, Shirvell was hired as an assistant attorney general in the appellate division. Shirvell testified that he became Cox’s “personal research assistant” for several months. The first discipline Shirvell faced was in February 2010, when Shirvell sent an e-mail to former state Rep. Leon Drolet, bashing him for alleged homosexual activities. Shirvell started the blog targeting Armstrong in May 2010, and was counseled at first by the AG’s staff to discontinue it. Cox later told his staff to tell Shirvell he had the right to blog, but couldn’t do it on state time, or use his title. Cox testified in the grievance hearing that when he reviewed the blog and an investigation into Shirvell’s conduct it “was in stunning detail, an overwhelming case to terminate Mr. Shirvell. It outlined escalating behavior. It outlined behavior separate from the blog that dealt with not only his behavior in the workplace but also his behavior outside the workplace, some of which I would call minimally misdemeanant criminal, meaning stalking… there were a number of incidents where Mr. Shirvell was inviting a civil lawsuit.” Cox also said he thought Shirvell’s behavior “constituted a threat to the mission of the agency” after the attorney general's office got more than 22,000 phone calls demanding Shirvell be fired along with letters and e-mails. Shirvell and Armstrong are currently engaged in civil lawsuits. Each has sued the other.

Confidential Strategy Memos Made Public By Maine Court Reveals National Organization For Marriage Sought To Split Democratic Party Base By Pitting Gay Rights Groups Against Blacks And Hispanics

The leading United States organization opposing same sex marriage has sought to split the Democratic Party base by pitting African-Americans and Hispanics against gay-rights groups, according to confidential strategy memos made public by court officials in Maine. "The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks — two key Democratic constituencies," says one of the memos. It also suggests "interrupting" the process of cultural assimilation for Hispanics in hopes of curtailing support for same-sex marriage. The documents, dating from 2009, were written by the National Organization for Marriage and had been kept from the public until Monday, when they were unsealed by court officials in Maine. They were part of a two-pronged legal challenge of Maine's financial disclosure laws. Still unresolved is whether the NOM will have to release the names of donors to its successful 2009 campaign to ban same sex marriage in Maine, reports The Associated Press. The Human Rights Campaign, a major gay-rights organization, first circulated the documents Monday night, and its president, Joe Solmonese, assailed the strategies that they detailed. "With the veil lifted, Americans everywhere can now see the ugly politics that the National Organization for Marriage traffics in every day," Solmonese said. "While loving gay and lesbian couples seek to make lifelong commitments, NOM plays racial politics, tries to hide donors and makes up lies about people of faith." Through the Human Rights Campaign, veteran civil rights leader Julian Bond also condemned the NOM strategy. "NOM's underhanded attempts to divide will not succeed if Black Americans remember their own history of discrimination," said the statement from Bond, a former chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "Pitting bigotry's victims against other victims is reprehensible; the defenders of justice must stand together." NOM's president, Brian Brown, was unapologetic, issuing a brief statement hailing his organization's collaboration with other black and Hispanic leaders, including Bishop Harry Jackson, a Maryland church pastor, and New York state Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. "Gay marriage advocates have attempted to portray same-sex marriage as a civil right, but the voices of these and many other leaders have provided powerful witness that this claim is patently false," Brown said. "Gay marriage is not a civil right, and we will continue to point this out in written materials such as those released in Maine," Brown added. "We proudly bring together people of different races, creeds and colors to fight for our most fundamental institution: marriage." The NOM documents depicted Democratic Party leaders as "increasingly inclined to privilege the concerns of gay rights groups over the values of African-Americans,” one memo stating, "Find, equip, energize and connect African-American spokespeople for marriage; develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots.” The memos stressed the pivotal political role of Latinos as a swing constituency. "Will the process of assimilation to the dominant Anglo culture lead Hispanics to abandon traditional family values?" one NOM memo asked. "We must interrupt this process of assimilation by making support for marriage a key badge of Latino identity ... a symbol of resistance to inappropriate assimilation." The NOM strategy also called for portraying President Barack Obama as a "social radical" and seeking to cast same sex marriage in a negative light by linking it to other issues, such as pornography and sexualizing of children. Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry, a national advocacy group supporting same-sex marriage, said the memos suggest the NOM "will stop at nothing to push its agenda, pitting American against American, minority against minority, family members against family members,” adding that, "These smoking-gun documents show how NOM has sought, in the most cynical ways imaginable, to bait the gay community in hopes of provoking a hurt response that would further divide.” NOM is playing an active role this year as battles over same sex marriage unfold in several states. In Maryland and Washington, the organization and its allies are gathering signatures to place measures on the November 6 ballot that would overturn recently passed same-sex marriage laws. In Maine, it will be seeking defeat of a measure already placed on the November ballot that would legalize same sex marriage. In North Carolina and Minnesota, the NOM is supporting ballot measures that would amend the state constitutions to define marriage as only between a man and woman. The unsealed court documents illustrated that the NOM sometimes falls short of its goals. The memos said a priority for 2010 was to repeal gay-marriage laws in New Hampshire, Iowa, and Washington, D.C. But same sex marriage remains in effect in those three jurisdictions along with Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New York. The memos contained extensive details about NOM's finances, but they do not identify individual donors, including three who had given more than $1 million apiece as of late 2009. In Maine, the group leading the campaign to legalize same-sex marriage — Mainers United for Marriage — announced the appointment of Matt McTighe as campaign manager. He had been the state public education director for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, a Boston-based gay-rights law firm. McTighe said he was reviewing the NOM documents Tuesday, but was troubled by what he saw on first take. "We try to focus on telling the positive stories on why marriage matters to all committed loving couples in Maine, and here they are trying to use fear and scare tactics to turn people off," he said.