Lynchburg, Va., home to Jerry Falwell and his Thomas Road Baptist Church, was home to yet another rally by Mel White and his pro-gay Soulfource participants. Soulforce, a group that promotes nonviolent means of making positive change for GLBT people, staged a one-day festival, "Out and About in Lynchburg" to celebrate diversity. According to the Lynchburg News & Advance, local policemen were out in force to protect the group from harm. The Advance reports that protesters included an 8-year-old boy who yelled "God hates what you're doing!"
In the land of legalized prostitution and possibly soon-to-be legalized marijuana use, next week's election includes the second vote on a controversial anti-gay marriage initiative. Proponents of Nevada's Question 2 hope to maintain the 70 percent vote they received in 2000. Question 2 would amend the Nevada state constitution to define marriage as one between a man and a woman. The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that gay-rights advocates believe they have little chance to defeat the measure, but hope to at least garner more votes than they did in 2000.
The murder of Eddie "Gwen" Araujo continues to bring unwanted press to the family. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Sylvia Guerrero, Gwen's mother, continues to receive dozens of calls of condolence on the death of Gwen, but Gwen's uncle, David Guerrero was quoted as saying "we just want to bury Eddie and focus on bringing those responsible to justice." Guerrero said "this is not a gay issue; this is a human issue." Los Angeles Attorney Gloria Allred, known for her work for women's rights, has agreed to provide legal counsel for the family of Araujo.
Jenny Jones and Warner Brothers may be exerting a sigh of relief after a Michigan Court of Appeals threw out a jury's $29 million award against the Jenny Jones Show. The Associated Press reports the Appeals Court ruled 2-1 that the show had no legal responsibility to protect Scott Amedure, the gay man who was murdered after revealing his crush on Jonathan Schmitz on the Jenny Jones Show.
Much has been said about the relationship between the two East Coast sniper suspects, John Allen Muhammad, a 41-year-old Army veteran and John Lee Malvo, a 17-year-old Jamaican citizen. But were the two men lovers--the internet is abuzz with gossip, including www.keithboykin.com .
Visalia Unified School District in Visalia California previewed its new 50-minute anti-harassment and anti-discrimination class to parents and interested citizens last week. The class was part of a settlement agreement with George Loomis. The former Golden West High School student was allegedly taunted and harassed by students because he was thought to be gay. One parent told the Visalia Times-Delta that he was concerned about the presentation, specifically when one student in the video presentation called another student "a narrow-minded moron." The classes, developed with the help of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, will be taught by juniors and seniors in high school, another point of contention with some parents. Those in favor of the classes say the lesson plans are important.
The University of Central Florida will not be getting protection against discrimination any time soon, according to the Central Florida Future. The Future reports that UCF President John Hitt will not provide any new changes to the university's anti-discrimination policy until "UCF's gay community can prove that it has suffered discrimination." The City of Orlando, home to UCF, faces similar questions about non-discrimination policies, but some at the University say they should take the lead.
It reads like a made-for-TV movie script: Murder, mayhem, sex, intrigue. The LA Times reports on the story of a gay county prosecutor in Kern County, Calif. Stephen Tauzer, a man who kept his sexual life quiet, was found dead only days after he told friends that a former co-worker, Chris Hillis, might kill him. Hillis was a former prosecutor's office investigator who, the Times reports, was apparently angered that Tauzer was helping Lance Hillis, the investigator's drug-addicted son. Tauzer apparently took an interest in the 22-year-old's recovery and allowed the man to live as his roommate. Reports from Lance Hillis' mother suggest appreciation for Tauzer's support and indicate only a fatherly relationship. Lance Hillis died in a car accident after falling off the wagon and escaping from a Northern California rehab. Chris Hillis asserts his innocence in the murder of Tauzer. A gay university professor, Norm Prigge, told the Times that murders of gay men in Bakersfield are not uncommon. He told of a 1998 stabbing death of Sid Sheffield, a married hospital administrator who hid his sexual proclivities from his wife and children. In 1984, attorney Marshall Jacobson was found dead after having sexual relations with 14- and 19-year-old youths who were convicted of the murder. And in 1981, Edwin Buck, a government administrator, was found dead after having an affair with a teenage male hustler.
Civil hate-crime charges may be brought against four Dover, NH, middle school students who attacked a 13-year-old allegedly because they believed he was gay. The Union Leader Correspondent reports the victim was pushed, shoved and hit with sticks while the perpetrators called him a homosexual. Dover police turned the case over to the New Hampshire Attorney General's office for investigation as a potential violation of the student's civil rights. The youths were suspended from school for the week.
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