In Tennessee, former Memphis police officer Bridges McRae has pled guilty to beating the late Duanna Johnson, a transgender individual, according to an Advocate.com item. By admitting his guilt before his scheduled retrial, McRae positioned himself to receive a two-year sentence instead of the 10-year sentence he would have gotten if a jury had convicted him. McRae admitted to beating Johnson ( in a display caught on a surveillance tape ) in 2008 while booking Johnson on a prostitution charge. Some time after the beating, Johnson was fatally shot outside her home; the shooter remains at large.
In Nebraska, Omaha authorities have arrested George Vogel, 62, for spraying mace into a crowd of protesters from Kansas' anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church and counterprotesters at the Aug. 29 funeral of a U.S. Marine, according to Advocate.com . Vogel has been charged with multiple counts of assault. The church members were protesting at Staff Sgt. Michael Bock's funeral because they believe that soldiers' deaths are God's punishment for homosexuality.
In California, the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Redwoods Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church ( U.S.A. ) upheld three of four charges against Rev. Dr. Jane Adams Spahr that she "violated her ordination vows" by presiding over the marriages of same-sex couples, according to a press release. Spahr, a minister for 36 years, officiated the ceremonies during the time the state legally recognized same-sex marriage. Spahr and her legal defense team are deciding if she should appeal the ruling to the synod level of the Presbyterian Church.
In Texas, the state appeals court has overturned a lower court's ruling that two gay men who married in Massachusetts could divorce in Texas, according to the Dallas Morning News. Last year, a district judge said that the men could legally terminate their marriage; however, the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas has reversed that decision and has ordered said district judge, Tena Callahan, to dismiss the case. Among other things, the appeals court felt that "Texas district courts do not have subject-matter jurisdiction to hear a same-sex divorce case."
The September issue of The Prevention Researcher has run results of research conducted by GLSEN ( the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network ) that examines LGBT students and victimization, according to a GLSEN press release. Among the major findings was that victimization based on sexual orientation or gender expression was related to lower level of connectedness with a student's schoolcalling for supportive staff and gay-straight alliances.
In the Boston Globe, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation President Jarrett Barrios writes about the trials of divorcesomething he knows personally because he's going through it, according to Advocate.com . Barrios ( a onetime Massachusetts state senator ) is divorcing his husband, who was his partner for 11 years before they married in 2004. In the Globe, Barrios wrote, "Divorce plumbs impossible depths of sadness. It involves separating the dishes and the books and all the other things you acquired back when you both still felt the lightness of love..."
The U.S. Justice Department has decided not to pursue hate-crime charges against Cpl. Keil Jospeh Cronauer and Lance Cpl. Christopher Charles Stanzel, who allegedly attacked a gay man in Savannah, Ga., this summer, according to Advocate.com . They allegedly knocked Kieran Daly down because they thought he winked at them. The Marines' case will be heard Sept. 9; they are now charged with committing misdemeanors.
In Arkansas, former minister the Rev. Dr. Robert Franke settled with Fox Ridge, an assisted-living facility, after the home evicted him for being HIV-positive, Advocate.com reported. Franke and Sara Bowling ( his daughter, who he moved to be closer to ) sued Fox Ridge under state statutes, the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act. In a statement, Franke said, "We firmly believe that as a result of our having brought this lawsuit, retired people in Arkansas who have HIV are less likely to face this kind of discrimination in the future."
Despite a major negative development, the 2014 Gay Games are still set to take place in Cleveland, according to 365Gay.com . The Federation of Gay Games ( FGG ) had ousted the Cleveland Synergy Foundation because the foundation allegedly failed to meet certain obligations. The FGG is committed to keeping the Games in Cleveland; spokesman Kelly Stevens said that, although Washington, D.C., and Boston ( which also applied for the Games ) were worthy sites, "Cleveland, we felt, is where we could really make a difference, and the total package was the best choice."
In Springfield, Mass., Cathedral High School Athletic Director/Dean Christine Judd is claiming she was pressured to leave the school because she and her female partner got married, according to The Republican. Judd left her post after meeting with school officials, and is no longer working for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield school system. Judd said that even though Massachusetts allows same-sex marriage, the diocesan policy does notwhich led to her job loss. She is considering legal options.
In Florida, Alfred Chadwick McMurraya 31-year-old gay manwas found murdered in an Oakland Park home, according to South Florida Gay News. He was discovered tied up, lying in a pool of blood. Authorities hope that McMurray's truck, which was stolen and found elsewhere, will provide some clues. However, officials have not revealed if McMurray's pastwhich includes an arrest for drug possession and time in prisonplayed a role in his death.
Also in Florida, a person or persons burglarized the Orlando LGBT-friendly organizations Haven of Hope AIDS Ministry and The Gathering Center Aug. 29, according to Watermark Online. The ministry lost computers and $400 in various gift cards while the thief or thieves took food items from the center. Police are saying that, currently, nothing links the two burglaries.
In more Florida news, Channing Reynolds has pleaded not guilty to stealing a Chihuahua outside the Wilton Manors gay bar Georgie's Alibi, according to the South Florida Gay News. Police identified Reynolds as the suspect last year after Brian Dortort said that someone with a "Britney Spears" tattoo stole his four-month-old puppy, named Hudson Hayward Hemingway. The dog is still missing, but someone gave Dortort another Chihuahua, which he has named Hudson Hayward Hemingway II.
In Georgia, the Atlanta Police Department has named the nine members of its gay and lesbian advisory board, Project Q Atlanta reported. The department's LGBT liaison, Officer Patricia Powell, said that the new panelformally named the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual and Transgendered Advisory Boardwill help continue recent efforts to improve relations with LGBT residents. Last September, police raided the Atlanta Eagle bar, with patrons claiming that authorities used anti-gay slurs.
In California, Craig McCarthyan ex-Marine and bartender who was the henchman of alleged con man/murderer Kaushal Niroulahas pled guilty to attempted murder, robbery and other charges regarding the 2008 disappearance of art deal Cliff Lambert, according to SFWeekly.com . Niroula allegedly hired McCarthy in an attempt to sell Lambert's possessions. Niroula; his ex-boyfriend, Daniel Garcia; and two other suspects still face charges, while McCarthy is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 21, 2011.
Openly gay JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater, who gained fame after telling off passengers and sliding down a plane's emergency chute, said that he quit his job and was not fired, according to the New York Daily News. Previous reports stated that JetBlue had let Slater go, but his attorney said that he resigned. Slater is still charged with trespassing, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.
A survey conducted by the Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at the UCLA School of Law showed that while 99 percent of same-sex couples participated in this year's census, one in seven such couples will not be identified, according to a press release. In addition, survey findings also show that 30 percent of same-sex couples are either married ( 14 percent ) or in a civil union or registered domestic partnership ( 15 percent ) .
In Georgia, two attendees at Atlanta's Black Gay Pride eventsheld over Labor Day weekendwere fatally shot Sept. 5, according to an Advocate.com item. The victims were Samuel Blizzard, Jr., 21 of Virginia and Calvin Streater, 26, of Atlanta. Authorities believe that the victims knew their killer, but admitted that there is no solid connection between the men attending the pride events and the slayings. Recently, Black Gay Pride organizer Durand Robinson was killed by gunfire.
In Washington, D.C., a robocall went out claiming that openly gay Councilmember Jim Graham paid for a woman's abortion, according to Advocate.com . The call said, in part, "Jim Graham paid for an abortion for his male companion's chief of staff's girlfriend. ... Paying to take the life is evil, especially when you weren't even the parent." Graham is running for re-election; voting will take place Sept. 14. Graham's opponents deny any connection to the call.
Approximately 10,000 people turned out for the 21st annual South Carolina Pride 2010, which took place in the state's capital of Columbia, according to TheState.com . Attendees wore a variety of items, including one man wearing an "I'm with Gaybraham Lincoln" T-shirt while accompanying someone with a black top hat. There were very few protesters, despite the faith-based group Palmetto Family Council criticizing the public funding SC Pride received.
In South Carolina, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alvin Greene has been accused of using anti-gay and anti-white slurs, WBTV.com reported. Former campaign aide Dottie Sue Maggart-Feldmen said that Greene used the slurs in a voicemail message he left for activist Will Bigger, who organized a forum at which Greene spoke. Greene has denied Maggart-Feldmen's accusations, calling her "a troublemaker." Republican incumbent Jim DeMint has a big lead over Greene and the Green Party's Tom Clements; the election is in November.