In New York, a man charged with bias crimes for a confrontation with marchers during the Staten Island LGBT Parade in June 2005 was acquitted on the most serious charges by a jury in Stapleton Criminal Court, according to the Staten Island Advance. After nearly two days of deliberation, the jury found John Alla, 23—from the Staten Island neighborhood of New Dorp—not guilty of two counts of aggravated harassment as a bias crime for allegedly yelling anti-gay slurs and knocking off the hats of two lesbian musicians.
Bryan Charles Kocis—a convicted sex offender who owned Cobra Video, a company that produced gay pornographic movies—was dead at the time a fire ripped through his township home, The Washington Blade reported. The burned body of Kocis, also known as Bryan Phillips, was found by firefighters after they responded to the blaze at his home. A coroner ruled the death a homicide after it was determined that Kocis died from multiple stab wounds before the fire broke out.
In California, a federal court has ruled that a school had the power to suspend a student for wearing an anti-gay T-shirt, 365Gay.com reported. Tyler Chase Harper was kicked out of class at Poway High School in 2004 for not removing the homemade T-shirt that read 'Be ashamed, our school embraced what God has condemned,' on the front and 'Homosexuality is shameful' on the back. Harper sued the school and sought an injunction barring Poway from refusing to allow students to wear clothing with a political or social message.
A new national Latino LGBT organization now officially has a board of directors. The group, UNID@S: The National Latino LGBT Human Rights Organization, recently held elections, according to Blabbeando.blogspot.com . Eleven individuals were elected, representing various regions of the United States.
In Florida, Scott Schweickert, a former Chicagoan, was convicted of one count of conspiracy and one count of administering the drug GHB with intent to commit a crime of violence against Michael Wachholtz, The Tampa Tribune reported. The prosecution said Schweickert teamed up with Lorenzo in 2003 to drug, torture and kill Wachholtz and Jason Galehouse on different nights. ( The jury acquitted Schweickert of the GHB charge involving Galehouse. ) Schweickert faces up to 40 years in federal prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday on April 30.
During an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Vice President Dick Cheney bristled when asked about his lesbian daughter and her recently announced pregnancy, saying that questions asking him to respond to a Focus on the Family comment were 'out of line,' according to The Advocate. Mary Cheney and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, are expecting a baby in late spring.
Window Media has published the last issue of The Houston Voice, a gay newspaper, and will soon take down its Web site, according to EditorandPublisher.com . The newspaper's final edition was the January 2007 issue. Window bought the 32-year-old paper in 1998.
Facing tough opposition from the Senate's new Democratic majority, four of President Bush's appeals court appointees—William Haynes, William G. Myers III, Terrence Boyle and Michael Wallace—have asked to have their nominations withdrawn, 365Gay.com reported. Boyle's nomination, in particular, rankled some. Democrats and LGBT-rights groups cited Boyle's rulings in civil rights and disability cases as well as his higher-than-average reversal rate by higher courts.
John Forman and Greg Reynolds, two Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agents who pled guilty to beating two gay men in 2004, have been sentenced to house arrest, according to 365Gay.com . Forman and Reynolds pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of James Buitt and Michael Mathis last year. Reynolds received a sentence of 30 days in jail and 11 months of home incarceration; Forman received one year of probation and was placed on 12 months of home confinement.
Judy Shepard, an LGBT-rights activist who is executive director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation and was mother of slain gay student Matthew Shepard, has been chosen as a finalist in the 5th Annual 'Volvo for Life' awards contest, according to a MatthewShepard.org press release. If Shepard were selected, she would receive a Volvo and $50,000 would be awarded to fund the foundation's youth-focused work. To vote for Judy Shepard, go to VolvoForLifeAwards.com by Feb. 4.
The San Francisco Police Department planned to send investigators to New Haven, Conn., to interview a member of a Yale University singing group who had his jaw broken outside a New Year's Eve party in San Francisco, The Washington Blade reported. The trouble started when a couple of partygoers began mocking the 16 student singers as preppies and using anti-gay slurs.
Anthony Castro, a 19-year-old Southern California teen who came out to his high school football and wrestling teams, was killed in a car crash, OutSports.com reported. Castro was a student in Banning, a conservative town about two hours east of Los Angeles.
High school organizations that focus on sexual orientation and gender identity have more than quadrupled in northern New Jersey since 2000 ( with more than 125 around the state ) , according to NorthJersey.com . The first gay-straight alliance began in 1988 at a high school in Concord, Mass. Today, there are at least 3,200 clubs nationwide.
The National Stonewall Democrats, in a statement, have called on Democratic Leadership Council ( DLC ) leader Harold Ford, Jr., to affirm the group's opposition to ballot measures that require states to prohibit domestic-partnership benefits, civil unions and the legal responsibilities of civil marriage to same-sex couples. According to the release, Ford does not understand critical legal issues and has even voted for an anti-gay amendment when he was a U.S. Congressman who represented Tennessee.
New York City will soon unveil an official condom, The Washington Blade reported. One idea for the design of the condom is a subway theme, with maps and colors of the different lines on the wrappers. The city already hands out 1.5 million free condoms each month, or about 18 million a year.
Gill Action Fund Executive Director Patrick Guerriero has announced the official national launch of a new advocacy organization, the appointment of a political team and the opening of a Washington, D.C., office, according to a press release. The organization, founded by Denver philanthropist Tim Gill, is dedicated to securing equality for all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.
Now that 2007 is here, a slew of interesting new laws have taken effect. According to WQAD.com, among the statutes are that consumers can now put a 'security freeze' on their credit reports ( Illinois ) ; anyone who takes more than 25 copies of a complimentary newspaper could be fined $250 and face jail time ( California ) ; and that people can now set up trust funds for their pets ( Ohio ) .
