In a historic case, gay Filipino Philip Belarmino has been granted political asylum in the United States, according to GlobalNation.Inquirer.net . Belarmino, 43, was repeatedly raped and sexually harassed as a child; because of those incidents and a conclusion that Philippine police are corrupt, a San Francisco immigration judge Loreto Geisse granted him asylum.
A string of violent incidents continues to take its toll on the transwomen in Memphis, Tenn., On Top Magazine reported. Terron Taylor, 18, after allegedly shooting Kelvin Denton after discovering Denton was a woman. Last year, violence against three tranwomen—Leeneshia Edwards, Ebony Whitaker and Duanna Johnson—took place following the fatal shooting of Tiffany Berry in 2006.
In Tampa, Fla., four teenagers have admitted to raping a 13-year-old boy and will be charged as adults, CNN.com reported. The teens reportedly raped their flag-football teammate over several months with a broomstick and hockey stick at Walker Middle School. The four defendants—who were released on $15,000 bail—are charged with sexual battery, and could be in jail for 120 years.
The Indiana State Department of Health is no longer considering gay white men an HIV/AIDS funding priority, according to a Huffington Post item. However, Black and Latino gay men still are priorities. Tri-State Alliance spokesperson Gary Essary said that the department's advisory Community Planning Group ignored certain criteria in establishing the priority populations.
Nevada has become the 17th state to recognize the relationships of same-sex couples under state law, according to a press release from the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada. The Senate overrode the Gov. Jim Gibbons' veto 14-7 and the Assembly overrode the veto by 28-14. The law will take effect Oct. 1.
In Wisconsin, a trial court dismissed a lawsuit brought by lesbian state employees who sought domestic-partner health insurance and family leave benefits, according to an American Civil Liberties Union press release. The court ruled that although " [ t ] he plaintiffs have offered a strong showing that the employment benefits in issue have been provided on a discriminatory basis," it was bound by a 1992 appeals court decision.
Former vice president Dick Cheney has said that he supports legalizing same-sex marriage as long as states, and not the federal government, decide, according to the Washington Post. Cheney, whose daughter, Mary, has a longtime lesbian partner and a child, commented at the National Press Club that "people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish."
In Tennessee, the Knox County School System has again allowed access to educational gay Web sites, according to WATE.com . However, the American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) will not drop its lawsuit until it has been assured that similar censoring will not happen in the future. The ACLU lawsuit alleges that the school system and the Metropolitan Nashville School System unconstitutionally blocked online info on gay issues.
In Philadelphia, Penn., anti-gay evangelist Michael Marcavage is suing because he claims that police interfered with his right to free speech at a gay-pride event, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Marcavage, who heads Repent America, states in the complaint that officers physically restrained him, even putting him in a chokehold. A spokesman for the city solicitor's office said he had not received the suit.
There have been several developments on the immigration-rights front, according to Advocate.com . The United States Senate Judiciary Committee has held its first hearings on the Uniting American Families Act, which would end discrimination against LGBT families. In addition, U.S. Rep. Michael Honda of California has introduced the Reuniting Families Act, which would let gay U.S. residents sponsor their partners. A similar bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate; however, it would not end discrimination against same-sex partners.
In Santa Cruz, Calif., police arrested a transient after he threatened to kill another man who said he was gay, according to KSBW.com . Danny Roberts, 51, walked up to a man, 31, and asked him about his sexual orientation; once the man confirmed that he was gay, Roberts pulled out a knife. Roberts has been charged with exhibiting a deadly weapon and a civil-rights violation.
In Landen, Ohio, dozens of individuals staged a sit-in at a bar after a gay man was attacked there, Local12.com reported. Ronnie Robertson, 31, was assaulted at Tabby's bar after he said he was gay. Since then, the bar staff has put up a sign stating that the establishment will not tolerate "expressions of bigotry or hatred."
In Denver, Colo., the murder trial of former gay-porn actor Timothy Boham, 28, has begun, the Denver Post reported. Prosecutors claimed that Boham tried to rob his ex-boss, J.P. Kelso, in Kelso's home; however, he refused to open his safe, a struggle took place and Bohem allegedly shot Kelso in the head. Defense attorneys said that Kelso committed suicide because two relationships had ended. Boham is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder and aggravated robbery.
In Queen Creek, Ariz., Zeniff Vanderran said that the Cambria Ocotillo Homeowners Association has asked him to take down his gay-pride flag, according to AZCentral.com . Jonathan Olcott—the attorney for the association who sent Vanderran a letter requesting he take down the flag—said that there are "just too many flags out there for too many holidays and controlling those displays so it's limited. ... Easter is fine. Kwanzaa is not. Columbus day is not. Martin Luther King day is fine. Any national holiday is fine. There's just too many holidays." Vanderran is claiming discrimination.
In Quincy, Mass., vandals stole a gay-pride flag from outside the Church of the Presidents for the fourth time in less than a year, according to WCVB.com . The welcoming church, the United First Parish Unitarian Church, is known as the Church of the Presidents because John Adams and John Quincy Adams worshiped there and are buried with their wives in the facility's crypt.
The next installment of the video-game series Grand Theft Auto will be known as The Ballad of Gay Tony, CNET.com reported. The players' character will be heterosexual but the boss will be gay. According to the official announcement, "players will struggle with the competing loyalties of family and friends, and with the uncertainty about who is real and who is fake in a world in which everyone has a price." Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony is slated to be released on Xbox Live this fall for $19.99.
Same-sex marriages may not be able to take place in California—but gay divorces can, the New York Times reported. Since there are still 18,000-plus legal same-sex couples in the state, all the rules of marriage are valid, and that would include divorce.
In Kalispell, Mont., one man, Barry Brubaker, attempted to stop the city's gay-pride parade, saying he was sent by God to speak "the truth," Missoulian.com reported. However, he was unsuccessful; this is the fifth year of the Montana Pride Celebration, and the 2009 Kalispell parade is expected to bring 500-600 participants. Festivities will take place June 19-21.
