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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
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 Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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Family of murdered gay teen Michael Causer back appeal against sentences
| Quote: | The family of murdered gay teenager Michael Causer have told PinkNews.co.uk that with the Crown Prosecution service, they will attempt to appeal against the sentences given to his killer and the defendant who admitted lying to police.
The Crown Prosecution Service is to ask the Attorney General for leave to appeal over the sentences.
[...]
James O'Connor was sentenced to a minimum of 11 years in prison for Michael's murder, while Michael Binsteed was given a suspended sentence and community service for perverting the cause of justice.
Speaking to PinkNews.co.uk, Michael's mother Marie Causer confirmed the family were appealing against the sentences given to O'Connor and Binsteed.
She said: "We have been told we cannot get a higher sentence for O'Connor. But we can take a private prosecution against Binsteed. The police have been wonderful, we can't blame them. We blame the CPS, the judge and the jury."
Mrs Causer added that she was "appalled" at the sentence given to Binsteed. "That wasn't O'Connor or Binsteed on trial, it was Michael," she said.
[...]
Michael Binsteed, who called the ambulance but said Michael had been attacked by three random men, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and was given 34 weeks in custody, suspended for two years.
He was also given a supervision order and must complete 200 hours of unpaid work within a year.
Gavin Alker was cleared of murder, despite testifying he had acted in self-defence and was unaware Mr Causer was gay. |
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Feral
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| Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 11:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Hephaestion wrote: | | The trial begins |
And ends.
| Quote: | | Four counts, including first-degree murder and a hate crime, is what the jury came back with for Allen Andrade, the murderer of transgender Angie Zapata. |
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The Evil Twin
Stoned Immaculate
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 3746
Location: Toronto
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| Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 3:01 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Four counts, including first-degree murder and a hate crime, is what the jury came back with for Allen Andrade, the murderer of transgender Angie Zapata. |
I'm glad the judge and jury didn't buy the "trans panic" bullshit peddled by the defense. The fucker knew for 36 hours before the murder that she was transgender. After the first beating, she woke up only to be beaten again, this time until death. First degree murder is the correct verdict and let's hope this bullshit "trans panic" defense (and the related "gay panic") is discredited from now on.
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Feral
Fulltime enMasse Member
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Location: In a tree... very high up.
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| Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 3:59 am Post subject: |
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| "Trans panic," like "gay panic," is a confession, not a defense. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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Mother says son will be 'hated' for his part in Michael Causer's death
| Quote: | THE mum of a Merseyside man who tried to cover up the murder of an openly gay teenager today said her son would regret his actions forever.
[...]
Today mum Debbie spoke candidly about her son’s actions and said no excuses could be made for his “lies”.
She told the ECHO: “I understand he’s done wrong and he did lie. He wasn’t thinking straight and was scared of O’Connor and Alker. From the minute he came home on that Sunday, he regrets everything he’s done. He didn’t do a deal, but admitted his involvement from the start.”
[...]
Mrs Binstead added: “Michael has admitted doing wrong and he’s really devastated for it. They’d all been drinking for days, had no sleep, and lots of bad decisions were made.
“I understand people will hate him, but I want them to hate him for the right reasons. We’re not trying to lessen his involvement in any way. |
Michael Binstead is facing an appeal of his sentence -- a suspended sentence and community service work -- after the Crown Prosecution Service successfully argued Binstead’s punishment had been “unduly lenient”.
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Hephaestion
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pogovio
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 16 May 2006
Posts: 900
Location: New York state
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 7:07 pm Post subject: |
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Rodger McFarlane, 54
Pioneer, founder, leader
http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=25451
An official with the Denver-based Gill Foundation, where McFarlane worked from 2003 to 2007 as executive director, said Monday that McFarlane’s body was found by state police in a park in Truth or Consequences, N.M., in a remote desert setting that McFarlane often visited as an avid hiker.
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
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Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 8:58 am Post subject: |
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| pogovio wrote: | Rodger McFarlane, 54
Pioneer, founder, leader
http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=25451
An official with the Denver-based Gill Foundation, where McFarlane worked from 2003 to 2007 as executive director, said Monday that McFarlane’s body was found by state police in a park in Truth or Consequences, N.M., in a remote desert setting that McFarlane often visited as an avid hiker. |
Reports I've read indicate that McFarlane took his own life, following a prolonged illness.
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 9:01 am Post subject: |
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Pansies planted in Liverpool in memory of murdered gay teen Michael Causer:
| Quote: | | The pansy was the perfect choice. Tackling the gay connotations it carries in an ironic way, but also its name translates in French as 'To pause or think' which is exactly what we hope people will do when viewing these plants. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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Gay Panic on Holiday:
In New Zealand, 32-year-old Hungarian tourist Ferdinand Ambach beat 69-year-old Ronald Brown to death with a banjo and then rammed the instrument down his throat. He's just been found guilty ... of manslaughter.
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Senor Magoo
He's got a big one
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 8700
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| Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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To be fair, the law should include the concept of "homophobe panic", as in "I thought we were getting along fine, until he told me that my BoyzIIMen poster was kinda gay at which point I just snapped and stabbed him fifty times, shaved his head, painted his body green, put him in a footlocker, drove 300 miles to the coast and threw his body into the sea in the heat of the moment!"
As a sidebar, I find it fascinating that pretty much anything short of a detail plan of a killing, preferably with drawings and an intinerary, only merits manslaughter. Doesn't formulating the plan to cram half of a musical instrument down someone's throat suggest that maybe this wasn't self defence???
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ø¤°`°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°°¤ø, |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
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| Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Calls For Inquiry Into Death Of Gay Sailor, August Provost
| Quote: | U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) is calling for a deeper investigation into the death of Houston-born gay sailor August Provost, who was found murdered in his Camp Pendleton guard shack outside of San Diego two weeks ago.
| Quote: | “I am requesting a full investigation into the murder,” Jackson Lee said Sunday. “This death appears bizarre, and more facts need to be uncovered.” Navy officials said earlier this month that they had linked another sailor to the crime through physical evidence and his own statement. The sailor was taken into custody and was cooperating with the investigation, said Capt. Matt Brown, a spokesman for Navy Region Southwest in San Diego, Calif.
“There is no information that suggests this is a hate crime, but we will address any possible motivation as part of the investigation as we continue to thoroughly examine the many leads and facts in this case,” Brown said earlier this month. Jackson Lee stood with Provost's parents on Sunday to call for a deeper investigation. “I'm asking for a system-wide investigation, to see whether these acts are being tolerated in our military,” Jackson Lee said. “I'm appalled and outraged at the lack of facts that have been given to this family.” Provost's mother, Melanie Provost, said Sunday the military originally told her simply that her son had been found unconscious in the guard shack and later died. “The only way I found out my son had been shot and burned was on TV,” she said. |
The Congresswoman and the sailor's family believe that DADT made have had a hand in Provost's reluctance to come forward about the anti-gay harassment he'd been suffering at the hands of other soldiers. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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Gay Panic Defense Works: Man Acquitted After Stabbing Neighbor 61 Times
| Quote: | In March last year, Joseph Biedermann, 29, stabbed his Chicago neighbor 61 times with a medieval dagger, claiming he had kill Terrance Hauser, 38, in order to fend off an unwanted sexual advance. The gay panic defense worked.
| Quote: | | On Friday, a Cook County jury acquitted him of first-degree murder, buying his claim that he was defending himself against an unwanted sexual advance, his mother confirmed Saturday. Biedermann, 30, killed Terrance Michael Hauser, 38, early on March 5, 2008, in the Barrington Lakes apartment complex on Hassell Road, where they lived in separate units. Police recovered a 7-inch dagger from the scene, Hoffman Estates police said after Biedermann's arrest. During last week's trial in the Rolling Meadows branch of Cook County Circuit Court, Biedermann's attorney, Sam Adam Jr., claimed that Hauser threatened Biedermann, which forced Biedermann to use the dagger to defend himself, according to a published report. Both men were drunk. |
Biedermann was defended by the same lawyer who got R. Kelly cleared of child molestation. He also represents former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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Trial of murderer of transwoman Lateisha Green begins today
| Quote: | The trial of the murderer of transwoman Lateisha Green begins today in Syracuse, New York. Prosecutors hope to get a conviction with a hate crimes embellishment.
| Quote: | | It was no secret to friends and family that Lateisha Green was born a boy. She had been living mostly as a female since age 16. On a Friday night last November, Green — this time dressed as a man — and her brother, Mark Cannon, went to a party. Several guests objected because they thought the two were gay. Several started yelling "profane and vulgar comments," police reports said. As Green and Cannon were sitting in their car a few minutes later, one of the partygoers emerged from the house with a .22-caliber rifle. Without a word, police say Dwight DeLee fired a single shot. The bullet grazed Cannon's arm, and with a deadly thud hit Green, 22, in the chest. "I'm hurt. Angry, upset. Mostly, I'm upset with society," said Albert Cannon, the victims' father. "How do we let our kids get this angry this young? This was hatred." Prosecutors agreed and charged DeLee, 20, with second-degree murder as a hate crime under the state's nine-year-old law. The hate crime label could add years of additional time to DeLee's prison term if he's convicted. |
The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund has a blog where you can follow developments in the trial. Representatives of the Empire State Pride Agenda, GLAAD, and the TLDEF are all in Syracuse to lend support to Green's family. The TLDEF is also live-Tweeting the proceedings, which are just getting under way. You can show your support by joining the Facebook group Justice For Lateisha Green. |
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:51 pm Post subject: |
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Facebook Remove Michael Causer Tribute Page
| Quote: | | Social networking site Facebook has removed the Michael Causer memorial group, despite thousands of supporters using it to remember the murdered teen, Pink Paper can reveal. According to Liverpool Gay Quarter – another group on the popular site – it was removed "without warning and without a reason given." |
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 9:49 am Post subject: |
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Witnesses to murder recant statements in Lateisha Green murder trial:
| Quote: | | Two prosecution witnesses who told police they saw an accused 20-year-old man kill a transgendered woman recanted their statements on the witness stand Tuesday. Siblings Johnny and Jasmine Gaston testified that investigators told them what to say about the shooting of 22-year-old Lateisha Green at a Syracuse house party last November. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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Hate Crime Verdict In Lateisha Green Trial
| Quote: | Despite a tumultuous trial that included threatened witnesses and recanted testimonies, the killer of New York transwoman Lateisha Green has been found guilty of manslaughter as a hate crime. The Task Force reacts:
| Quote: | | "This verdict sends a strong message that hate violence will not be condoned. How many more like Lateisha Green must spill blood before our society says no to harassment, no to discrimination and no to violence against transgender people? We must move forward, at all levels of government, to pass laws that fight hate in schools, in workplaces and on the streets. We must continue working toward a culture that affirms the dignity and worth of all people. While no verdict will bring Lateisha Green back, justice was served today." |
According to the Associated Press, "DeLee faces additional prison time because he was convicted of a hate crime. He becomes just the second person in the U.S. convicted of a hate crime that involved a transgender victim." Just the second such conviction? Can that be true? |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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D.C. Man Charged with Misdemeanor in Fatal Assault of Gay Man
| Quote: | Kill a gay man in D.C., use a 'gay panic' defense, and you're off scot free.
Last October I posted about the arrest of 18-year-old Robert Hannah for the assault of a gay man on his way to meet friends at Be Bar in Washington D.C. Hannah claims that 27-year-old Tony Hunter made a sexual advance toward him which led to Hannah punching Hunter to the ground. Hunter died of his injuries ten days later in the hospital.
A D.C. Superior Court yesterday indicted Hannah with a misdemeanor assault charge, WJLA reports:
| Quote: | | Even though Tony Hunter's murder was initially investigated as a hate crime, it was never officially declared in court. On Thursday, the 18-year-old charged with the crime pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor...Community activist Keith Jarrell believes Thursday's indictment sends an alarming message that violence against the gay and lesbian community is accepted. 'The city has turned [its] back on the gay community in many aspects,' he said. Bill Gray, the new owner of the bar, says he's now afraid his customers are being targeted. 'We have beefed up security. We have undercover security walking around the block constantly when we're open,' he said. Hannah's lawyer argued that his client was touched inappropriately by the victim. Still, everyone ABC 7 News spoke with Thursday night is in agreement that's no reason to severely beat a man. |
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more @ link
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 3:54 pm Post subject: |
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Fear of Outing Led to Murder of Sailor August Provost, Sister Says
| Quote: | A fellow sailor fearful of being outed shot gay Sailor August Provost multiple times and lit a fire to try and destroy the evidence, Provost's sister tells the Dallas Voice:
| Quote: | | Rose Roy, of Beaumont, the sister of Provost’s father, said in a phone interview Tuesday, July 14 that she’s 'not at liberty' to identify the source who provided the information to the family. But Roy said the source told the family Provost had a heated argument with the suspect a week before his murder, and that the sailor now being held as a person of interest by the Navy has a history of mental illness. 'This guy went the extra mile to make sure that my nephew would never be able to speak about his [the killer’s] sexuality,' Roy said. 'My nephew died for reasons other than what the military is saying.' Neither Provost’s other family members nor his partner, identified as Kaether Cordero of Houston, could be reached for comment this week. Roy’s latest statements marked a departure from previous assertions by her and other family members that Provost’s murder was an anti-gay hate crime. Provost complained about being harassed because of his sexual orientation in the months prior to his death, his family has said. Some LGBT activists have speculated that Provost’s murder is tied to 'don’t ask, don’t tell,' the ban on gay servicemembers that could have deterred him from reporting the harassment to superiors. |
Provost was buried last week and a vigil held near Camp Pendleton in his honor. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee has called for a Congressional inquiry. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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Sister Of Tony Winner Norbert Leo Butz Killed In Possible Hate Crime
| Quote: | The lesbian sister of Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz (left) was stabbed to death in her Seattle-area home on Sunday. Police are investigating the murder as a possible hate crime.
| Quote: | | Teresa Butz, 39, was stabbed along with her partner, a 36-year-old woman who was released Monday from Harborview Medical Center. The attacker, who entered through an open window, remains at large. The couple "were just about to get married," said neighbor Christine Cherif. Seattle police through most of Monday continued to call the attack random, but officials Monday night said it's too early to rule out a hate crime and that the sexual-minority task force has taken an interest in the case. Interim Police Chief John Diaz said the 3 a.m. attack at the house in the 700 block of South Rose Street was the most brutal crime he and his officers have seen in some time and vowed to put every available resource into catching the man. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:47 am Post subject: |
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Fellow Sailor Charged with Murder of Gay Seaman August Provost
| Quote: | Navy officials have named the fellow sailor charged with the June 30 murder of gay seaman August Provost at Camp Pendleton, and charged him with additional crimes, the North County Times reports:
| Quote: | | Navy Petty Officer Jonathan Campos, a 32-year-old gas system technician, has been charged with murder, arson, unlawful entry, unlawful possession of a firearm and a host of other charges in connection with last month's fatal shooting of a seaman at Camp Pendelton...Campos, of Lancaster, is being held at the brig at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station and is cooperating with investigators, who reiterated that there is no indication the killing of August Provost III on June 30 was a hate crime. Provost was gay. 'An investigative hearing will be held in the coming weeks,' the Navy said. 'During the hearing, a military investigating officer will hear evidence to evaluate the charges and evidence.' Officials repeatedly have rejected assertions that Provost was killed because he was gay, as some members of his family have suggested. |
Provost's sister told the Dallas Voice last week that she had information suggesting that Campos killed Provost for fear of being outed. Provost was buried two weeks ago and a vigil held near Camp Pendleton in his honor. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee has called for a Congressional inquiry. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:04 pm Post subject: |
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Authorities: Gay Sailor's Murder Not Related to Sexual Orientation
| Quote: | More details about the circumstances surrounding the murder of gay seaman August Provost at Camp Pendleton on June 30 have been released. Authorities maintain that Provost's murder was not related to his sexual orientation but part of a string of crimes by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Campos:
| Quote: | | Campos, 32, of Lancaster, faces 16 charges, including murder, arson, unlawful entry, theft of military property and wrongful possession of a firearm. He also is charged with soliciting a civilian in San Diego to murder another sailor the day after Provost's killing. Brown said Campos and Provost served in the 500-member assault craft unit, whose members are trained to pilot jet-powered hovercraft onto beaches for amphibious operations. They likely had met before, he said, but there's no evidence to suggest they knew each other well. Campos had served with the unit for most of the past two years, while Provost joined the Navy in March 2008 after completing three years of college and had joined the unit last September. Navy officials accuse Campos of using hallucinogenic mushrooms several times between May 1 and June 2. On June 13, he allegedly broke into the off-base home of a fellow service member in San Diego and stole an Xbox computer-game system, jewelry and a .45 caliber Kimber pistol. The same pistol was used to kill Provost, investigators allege. On June 20, Campos was picked up for driving under the influence. About a week later, he faced administrative punishment from his Navy commanders. At the time, Brown said, the Navy had not linked Campos to the home burglary. About 11:30 p.m. June 30, Provost took his post at a guard shack along the driveway to the assault craft unit's entrance. Sometime before 3:30 a.m., Navy officials allege, Campos approached the guard shack, shot Provost several times and stole his 9mm Beretta service pistol. Campos then allegedly set fire to the shack – with Provost's body still inside – using gasoline and a lighter. |
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin
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pogovio
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Joined: 16 May 2006
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Location: New York state
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| Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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Sailor accused of killing fellow seaman [August Provost] commits suicide in custody
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/07/sailor-accused-of-mur...
| Quote: | Jonathan Campos, 32, of Lancaster was found unresponsive in his cell about 12:20 p.m. and rushed to the base hospital. He was pronounced dead at approximately 1:15 p.m.
Campos, a petty officer 2nd class, had apparently asphyxiated himself with toilet paper, officials said.
Campos was accused of murdering August Provost, 29, on June 30. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 5:25 am Post subject: |
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Nir Katz, 26, and Liz Trubeshi, 16
Killed by an apparent terrorist attack in "the only democracy in the Middle East"...
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 4:44 am Post subject: |
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Street Named for NYC Hate Crime Murder Victim José Sucuzhañay
| Quote: | You may remember the December 2008 murder of José Sucuzhañay on the streets of Brooklyn, by two men who yelled anti-Hispanic and anti-gay epithets as Sucuzhañay walked home from a night out drinking with his brother. Keith Phoenix and Hakim Scott were charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and assault, all as hate crimes, for the attack.
On Saturday, the corner where the attack took place, at Kossuth Place and Bushwick Avenue, was given another name, José Sucuzhañay Place. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 5:21 pm Post subject: |
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Dwight DeLee Gets 25 Years for Murder of Transgender NY Woman
| Quote: | Dwight DeLee, who was convicted in July of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime for the shooting death of Lateisha Green in Syracuse, New York in November, received the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison this morning from Judge William Walsh. DeLee shot and killed Green with a 22-caliber rifle as she sat in a car outside a house party. Several witnesses said they hear DeLee use anti-gay slurs before the shooting.
| Quote: | | DeLee read a statement in court this morning maintaining he is innocent and attacking the media coverage of his case and the jury verdict against him. He offered an apology to the victim's family, but maintained he did not kill anybody. 'I'm no monster. I'm a young human being,' DeLee said. The victim's mother, Roxanne Green, spoke briefly in court so that DeLee would understand the depth of the family's loss. 'He took a very precious life,' Green said, adding she hoped DeLee would see the victim's face every time he closes his eyes for the rest of his life. Chief Assistant District Attorney Matthew Doran called the death 'a sad and senseless intentional tragedy' as he asked County Judge William Walsh for the maximum penalty. |
DeLee's was the second hate crime conviction involving a transgender victim in the nation, and the first in New York. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 3:35 pm Post subject: |
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Alain Brosseau
| Quote: | They lit up the Alexandra bridge in Ottawa tonight, to remember Alain Brosseau. The straight guy who was murdered on the bridge because his killers thought he was gay.
| Quote: | | The last thing that his murderers said to him was, 'I like your shoes,'" Stewart said. "And then they let him go." |
And they remembered how his death changed everything.
| Quote: | | "I think the fact that he wasn't gay meant that it could happen to anyone." |
In a city where gay people were attacked all the time and nobody cared.
| Quote: | Earlier that month, the Ottawa Citizen ran an article explaining that there would be no inquest into the number of men who had "fallen off cliffs" that summer, all near Major's Hill Park. The headline of the article emphatically quoted the chief regional coroner, declaring that an "inquiry won't solve cliff deaths."
"We weren't falling from cliffs, and they knew it — we were hurled over. If you were lucky, you grabbed onto something and broke your fall." |
In Ottawa, Canada. Only twenty years ago. They were throwing gay men off cliffs and nobody cared. Not even the police.
[...]
He was a straight guy. But his tragic death served to make life a little safer for gay people. And we will always remember him... |
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| Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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Trial begins in case of gang-rape and murder of Eudy Simelane, out lesbian South African soccer star
| Quote: | The trial of three men accused of the murder and gang-rape of lesbian South African soccer star Eudy Simelane has begun.
| Quote: | | Eudy Simelane loved football. In other countries the 29-year-old who rose through the ranks to become captain of the women's national football team would have been feted as a star. In South Africa it cost her her life. The top striker, who was gay, was set upon by a gang of thugs, gang-raped and stabbed 25 times. Her sexuality and supposedly butch looks were a death sentence in a country in which the sport is still considered a man's game by many. Today, the trial of three men accused of her murder in April 2008 goes ahead after being delayed last month when a fourth man who had agreed to be a witness for the prosecution withdrew his statements at the last moment. For the gay community it is a landmark moment. In South Africa's sprawling black townships Ms Simelane was the most famous victim of an increasing trend in anti-gay violence. There, lesbians live in fear. At least 20 women have been killed in the past five years. They are often victims of a phenomenon known as "corrective rape" -- the rape of a lesbian by a man either to punish her or cure and correct her sexual orientation. |
According to the director of the South Africa Lesbian and Gay Equality Project, most lesbian victims of "corrective rape" do not report their attacks. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:11 pm Post subject: |
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Judy Shepard Recalls the Phone Call That Changed Everything
| Quote: | Newsweek has posted an excerpt of Judy Shepard's new memoir, The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed (Hudson River Press):
| Quote: | | But the phone call that Thursday morning wasn't from Matt. It was about him. When the man on the other end of the line announced who he was, an emergency-room doctor from Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie, I went numb. I don't remember what he said, or what I did next. I'm not sure whether it was the ringing phone or my subsequent gasp that startled the still-sleeping Dennis. Whatever it was that woke him, Dennis took the phone from me and then, after a seemingly endless silence, made a noise—a sort of helpless and mournful groan—that I'd never heard before and haven't heard since. Coming as it did from my husband, a man whose reserved manner is as typically masculine and Western as his Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots, the moan confirmed my worst fears. |
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more @ link...
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| Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 5:46 am Post subject: |
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John Terry, 65
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| Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 6:07 am Post subject: |
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| Hephaestion wrote: | Ron Brown
| Quote: | As they entered Brown's home they saw a broken glass door, water dripping down from the floor above and Ron Brown propped against a wall at the bottom of the stairs. He appeared unconscious, with a piece of what they took to be part of a broken banjo neck in his mouth. "It seemed deliberately placed," the officers said in their evidence.
Blood was splattered on the walls around Brown. He had deep lacerations on his forehead, what appeared to be a broken cheekbone, and bruised eyes and lips. They say Brown was still breathing, but in "short, difficult" breaths. They could smell alcohol.
The stairs appeared "barricaded" with household items including a computer monitor. Using a curtain which had been torn from its track, the male and female officers improvised a stretcher and removed Brown from the house.
Fearing they would be attacked by the agitated man, the officers say they tried to squirt pepper spray upstairs, to no avail. Eventually the man calmed down a little, they told the hearing, and police officers were able to coax him downstairs. However, once outside the house the man became more upset and eventually required "five or six" officers to subdue and handcuff him.
Meanwhile, Brown was losing "a substantial amount of blood" and the officers this afternoon described their distress at being unable to stop the bleeding until medical help arrived. |
Brown was "a nice guy," and "a gentleman"
* * *
Gay Panic on Holiday:
In New Zealand, 32-year-old Hungarian tourist Ferdinand Ambach beat 69-year-old Ronald Brown to death with a banjo and then rammed the instrument down his throat. He's just been found guilty ... of manslaughter. |
Well, now...
Ambach Sentenced to 12 Years
| Quote: | | The man who beat elderly gay Onehunga man Ronald Brown to death and left him with a broken banjo neck stuffed in his mouth will spend between eight and twelve in prison for his brutal crime. Justice Helen Winkelmann sentenced Hungarian tourist Ferdinand Ambach to twelve years with a minimum non-parole period of eight years. |
See also: Mixed Reaction to Ambach Sentencing
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| Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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Disgusting.
Gay Man's Killer Pleads Guilty to 'Misdemeanor Assault' in D.C.
| Quote: | Last October I posted about the arrest of 18-year-old Robert Hanna for the assault of a gay man on his way to meet friends at Be Bar in Washington D.C. Hannah claims that 27-year-old Tony Hunter made a sexual advance toward him which led to Hanna punching Hunter to the ground. Hunter died of his injuries ten days later in the hospital.
Hanna In July, a D.C. Superior Court indicted Hanna with a misdemeanor assault charge. Yesterday, as part of a plea bargain, Hunter pleaded guilty, the Washington Post reports:
| Quote: | | Hanna was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter after the incident. But after a nine-month investigation and witness interviews, prosecutors reduced the charge to simple assault, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Flynn said. In exchange for pleading guilty, prosecutors dropped a shoplifting charge against Hanna from last month after he was arrested for allegedly stealing items from the H&M store downtown. Hanna was placed under house arrest after the 2008 incident and remains free on his personal recognizance. The downgraded charge in Hunter's death angered many in the District. D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) urged Channing Phillips, acting U.S. attorney for the District, to take the case to trial. 'This was a homicide,' Mendelson said. 'The community feels that charging the assailant with a misdemeanor assault is inappropriate, and I agree.' |
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| Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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Killer gets life in rape, murder case of S. African soccer star Eudy Simelane
| Quote: | A man was jailed for life today for the murder and rape of a lesbian South African footballer.
Eudy Simelane, a player for Banyana Banyana and prominent South African gay rights activist, was stabbed to death in April 2008. She had been robbed, gang-raped and stabbed to death. Her body was left in a stream.
Themba Mvubu, 24, from Kwathema, was found guilty of murder, robbery and being an accessory to the rape. As he was sentenced, Mvubu muttered: "I'm not sorry".
Khumbulani Magagula, 22, and 18-year-old Johannes Mahlangu were acquitted today. A fourth man, Thato Mphithi, was convicted earlier this year of murder, robbery and being an accomplice to a rape attempt. He was sentenced to a minimum of 32 years in prison.
Although a previous ruling had said Simelane's homosexuality was not a factor in her death, Judge Mokgoathleng suggested her fame as a footballer had contributed to it. Lesbian and gay activists said she was well-known as a lesbian and was noticeably butch.
A report in March last year found that "corrective rapes" on lesbians in South Africa were increasing. |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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Ian Baynham, 62
| Quote: | Life support machines for London resident Ian Baynham, 62, were turned off last night, three months after his vicious gay bashing by two women in Trafalgar Square. Police continue to seek his attackers and have just released surveillance images of the assault.
[...]
With Baynham's death, the case is now in the hands of Scotland Yard. |
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| Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 3:47 pm Post subject: |
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Gay Panic: Six Month Sentence For Murder Of Washington DC Gay Man
| Quote: | In yet another example of how a "gay panic" defense can still work, Robert Hannah, 19, has been sentenced to a mere 180 days in jail for the September 2008 murder of Washington, DC resident Toby Hunter.
| Quote: | | Tony Randolph Hunter died several days after being punched in the head by Robert Hannah, 19. The incident happened on September 10th 2008. As Hunter fell, he hit his head on the pavement, causing a fatal brain injury. The victim and a friend were on their way to a local gay bar, something which gay activists have said could have been a motive for the attack. The friend with Hunter at the time said the attack had been unprovoked. Last month, Hannah pleaded guilty to one charge of misdemeanor assault as part of a plea bargain offered by prosecutors. In exchange for the guilty plea, a charge of shoplifting against him was dropped. He has already served two months in prison. The sentence of 180 days is the highest that can be given for a misdemeanor assault conviction. Hannah claimed Hunter had tried to come on to him and touched his groin and buttocks, which he said led to the assault. Hunter's friend said he did not see the victim touch Hannah. The defendant was with two other men at the time, one of whom backed up his statement, while the other said he had not seen the alleged sexual touching. |
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| Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Hephaestion wrote: | Ian Baynham, 62
| Quote: | Life support machines for London resident Ian Baynham, 62, were turned off last night, three months after his vicious gay bashing by two women in Trafalgar Square. Police continue to seek his attackers and have just released surveillance images of the assault.
[...]
With Baynham's death, the case is now in the hands of Scotland Yard. |
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Three Arrests Made In Gay Bashing Murder Of London Gay Man
| Quote: | Two 17 year-old girls and an 18 year-old man have been arrested by London's Metropolitan Police in the Trafalgar Square gay bashing murder of 62 year-old Ian Baynham.
| Quote: | | According to a Metropolitan Police spokesman, the girls were arrested at their homes in south-east London, as was the 18-year-old male. They are being held at separate police stations and will be questioned. Baynham was out celebrating a new job with a friend when the attack happened. The teenagers had reportedly been shouting obscenities at passerbys when he confronted them over their behaviour. They allegedly screaming homophobic abuse at him before they kicked him to death. Detective chief inspector Clive Heys told the Evening Standard yesterday that Baynham, of Beckenham, Kent, had recently won a job at the UK Border Agency after a long period out of work. He had also qualified as a counsellor for AIDS sufferers. He added: “I don't criticise Mr Baynham in any way for his actions. If you are 62 years of age and minding your own business when somebody hurls abuse at you, I think you are entitled to remonstrate with them. It is horrendous that this can happen in Trafalgar Square on a Friday night. It would appear to be completely random.” |
Police say Baynham's friend had managed to temporarily detain one of the girls, but she escaped when passersby mistakenly intervened. |
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| Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:28 pm Post subject: |
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Chris Skinner, 27
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| Quote: | Ryan Cooke didn’t know that his fiancé had been brutally murdered seven hours earlier when he posted on his Facebook page: “HEY...does anyone know where Chris is?” at 10:04am on Sun Oct 18.
Cooke had lost his phone and no one could reach him. [Toronto] Police had been called to the corner of Adelaide St E and Victoria St at 3:05am by several eyewitnesses who had seen Cooke’s fiancé Chris Skinner attacked by a group of men who beat him to the ground then ran over him with an SUV. Skinner was taken to hospital where he died of his injuries.
[...]
Friends of Skinner suspect that the killing may have been a hate crime, but police haven’t drawn that conclusion.
“No, there’s not at all any indication that there were homophobic elements to the attack,” says Det Stacey Gallant.
But that doesn’t sit well with Skinner’s friends who are struggling to find a motive for the murder.
"Not a single person who knows him would say that he would cause a ruckus,” says Skinner’s long-time friend Craig Lund, “but he would stand up for himself if he was called on anything. I find that Toronto Police very rarely jump to the conclusion that homophobia exists.” |
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| Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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Andrea Waddell, 29
Transgender woman found strangled to death in her flat in Brighton, UK by firefighters responding to a blaze. Police have arrested a 42-year-old man:
| Quote: | | The body of Andrea Waddell, 29, who had a masters degree and worked as a prostitute, was found just before midnight on Thursday by firefighters. The man in custody, from Brighton, was held on Saturday night, police said. |
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Hephaestion
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Hephaestion
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 7:28 pm Post subject: |
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Mohammad Hashim Jhokio, 60
| Quote: | A disturbing story from Karachi, Pakistan - 60-year-old Mohammad Hashim Jhokio was beaten to death by an angry mob after they burst in to his home and allegedly caught him with another man:
| Quote: | | The deceased was a watchman by profession and had been married for the last 25-30 years without any children. Police officials further said that the deceased was living separately in the village and was abhorred by his fellow villagers for being a homosexual. They said a group of angry people raided his house where he was indulged in an obscene activity with a man and killed him on the spot by hitting him with clubs and rods. Police officials said that apparently it was a case of ‘vigilante justice’ as people were enraged over the sexual behaviour of the deceased Jhokio. However, there were no details available about the other person who was present with the deceased when he was beaten to death. |
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| Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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Steven Yablonski, 23; Robert Clark, 62
Deadly Winnipeg bathhouse fire was arson: police
| Quote: | ... Two men died as a result of the Oct 11 fire at Aquarius Bath. The first victim was identified as 23-year-old Steven Yablonski, a popular drag queen also known as Kerri O’Kee.
[...]
Days later, the second victim was identified as Robert Clark, 62.
The CBC reports that homicide investigators are now leading the investigation. |
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| Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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Winnipeg killer's friend claims "gay panic" in case of Winnipeg bath house homicides
25-year-old factory worker Justin Rosdobutko, killer
23-year-old Steven Yablonski, victim
| Quote: | A friend of one of the two men who died in a Winnipeg bathhouse fire says he doesn't believe the alleged arsonist's excuse — that the accused man started the fire because he was "tricked" into having sex with another man.
"Let's call a spade a spade," says Bert Royer, whose friend Gene Clark died in the blaze at Aquarius Spa on Oct 11. "(The alleged arsonist) knew what he was doing."
Justin Rosdobutko, a 25-year-old factory worker, is facing two counts of manslaughter in connection with the fire, which happened during one of Aquarius' co-ed nights. A friend of Rosdobutko who went with him to the bathhouse told the Winnipeg Free Press that Rosdobutko was "upset" that he had sex with a drag queen, thinking that it was really a woman.
"I guess anybody would be upset by that," Rosdobutko's friend told the Free Press, on condition of anonymity.
[...]
Less than a month before his death, Yablonski did an interview with a student radio station in which the subject of mistaken identities came up.
"Have you ever come across a situation where a guy thought you were a girl and you had to let him down easy or hard?" asked the DJ, Sarah LaCroix.
Yablonski responded, "I've come across many guys that claim they're straight and they want to sleep with (my drag alter ego) even though they know I'm actually a guy in drag. You just tell them that you're not interested."
Winnipeg police do not suspect the fire was a hate crime. The owner of the bathhouse, Chai Peng, says he doesn't want to comment on that decision. "I never met (Rosdobutko) so I can't say anything," says Peng. |
In other news: Winnipeg cops are fucking assholes. Oh, wait... that's hardly NEWS.
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| Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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19-year-old George Steven Lopez Mercado of Puerto Rico murdered, decapitated, dismembered and burned. Police say he had it coming
| Quote: | Over the weekend the brutalized body of gay teen George Steven Lopez Mercado was found by the side of a road. The police investigator suggested that he deserved what he got because of the "type of lifestyle" he was leading. According to an iReport by Chrisopher Pagan:
| Quote: | | On November 14 the body of a gay 19 year old was found a few miles away from the town in which he was residing in called Caguas. He was a very well known person in the gay community of Puerto Rico, and very loved. He was found on the site of an isolated road in the city of Cayey, he was partially burned, decapitated, and dismembered, both arms, both legs, and the torso. This has caused a huge reaction from the gay community here, but its a difficult situation. Never in the history of Puerto Rico has a murder been classified as a hate crime. Even though we have to follow federal mandates and laws, many of the laws in which are passed in the USA such as Obama’s new bill, do not always directly get practiced in Puerto Rico. The police agent that is handling this case said on a public televised statement that 'people who lead this type of lifestyle need to be aware that this will happen'. As If the boy murdered Jorge Steven Lopez was asking to get killed... |
Here's a report on the murder (in Spanish) from PrimeraHora.com. Said activist Pedro Julio Serrano:
| Quote: | | It is inconceivable that the investigating officer suggests that the victim deserved his fate, like a woman deserves rape for wearing a short skirt. We demand condemnation of this investigator and demand that Superintendente Figueroa Sancha replace him with someone capable of investigating this case without prejudice. |
(my translation, please suggest a better one if you can). |
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 9:18 pm Post subject: |
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Suspect arrested in horrific murder and mutilation of 19-year-old George Steven Lopez Mercado of Puerto Rico
| Quote: | ... Today, the paper Primera Hora reports that a 28-year-old man has been arrested as a suspect in the murder and and two vehicles have been seized as evidence. The man is scheduled to be questioned today.
The paper reports that the man was targeted after extensive interviews with Mercado's friends in the town of Caguas, where Mercado was living. They report that the man offered Mercado money for sex.
Harry Rodriguez of the FBI said the agency is monitoring the case, and is willing to provide assistance, if necessary, in the investigation with regard to DNA evidence. Said Rodriguez: "The FBI is monitoring this investigation with the police of Puerto Rico because there are federal statutes under the laws of civil rights violations covered by hate crimes."
Allegations of homophobia against the investigating officer Angel Rodriguez, who suggested that Mercado deserved what he got because of the "type of lifestyle" he was leading, were dismissed by the supervising officer Jose Figueroa Sanchez.
They were, however, condemned by Executive Director of the Civil Rights Commission Vance Thomas, who said: "In addition to investigating, administrative charges must be filed. I know of no context in which an officer can justify that a person ought to be killed."
Note: this is my translation of the article. I'm sure it's not perfect. Spanish speakers, please let me know if I have anything terribly wrong.
Activist Pedro Julio Serrano, who is also Communications Manager for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, released a statement to Towleroad expressing optimism about the arrest and warning against judging the victim:
| Quote: | | Even when everyone is innocent until proven guilty, it is hopeful that they have arrested a suspect. We're grateful for the Police work that has acted promptly and we trust that the investigation digs into the hate crime angle and if it is proven that it was indeed bias-related, that the criminal is processed to the full extent of the law....We urge the media and the authorities not to judge the victim, but the criminal who committed this horrendous crime. Even if there are particular circumstances in which this crime was committed, we have to keep the attention where it deserves to be: a young gay man was brutally murdered by someone who did not have any compassion or respect for the dignity of a human life. |
Cayey Michael Lavers at Edge reports that disciplinary action has been taken against the officer and that local activists are planning a protest in San Juan on Thursday.
AmericaBlog has set up an action center for people to email Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller asking them to investigate whether a hate crime was committed, although from the article it sounds like the FBI is on it.
VIGIL: There will be a vigil held in New York City in downtown Manhattan - location TBA on Sunday at 8 pm. Here's a page of information on it, and here's a Facebook page. |
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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Puerto Rican Teen's Killer Says Murder was 'Gay Panic', Self Defense
| Quote: | More insight into the murder of gay 19-year-old Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, whose killer was arrested yesterday.
Christopher Pagan, whose original iReport was the first I learned of the crime, has been following it. It appears that the killer, 26-year-old Juan Antonio Martínez Matos, originally believed his victim was a female prostitute.
Writes Pagan:
| Quote: | | He said that he did not know that it was really a man and they went to his apartment in Cidra, where Steven allegedly told him to have anal sex with him, which provoked anger in him and caused him to murder him. He also said that Steven tried to stab him, and that he armed himself with a kitchen knife and under a fit of rage he injured him, dismembered him, decapitated him and then later took his remains to Guavate where he was left. Other allegations of the killer is that in 2003 he was arrested for domestic abuse and that in his youth he was molested and that is why he hates homosexuals. The authorities said that this case has been advanced and successful due to the cooperation of the local GLBT community. The agent Angel Rodriguez said that he is being interrogated and will be charged with first degree murder. He also indicated that he will submit another request to the federal judge to have this treated as a hate crime. At the suspect's home the police found 2 knives to commit the murder, and that they were then thrown in a septic tank. |
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video report @ link
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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Jaysen Mattison Jr.
| Quote: | Jaysen Mattison Jr., an openly gay teen who attended Vivian T Thomas high school in Baltimore, was recently murdered:
| Quote: | | ...while Jaysen appeared strong and confident in the safe confines of his school on North Calhoun Street, unafraid to embrace his sexual orientation as part of his personality, the world outside did not offer those same protections. Last week, at his aunt's house, one of the few occupied homes on a block boarded and sagging, he was found dead - raped, gagged with a pillowcase, stabbed repeatedly in the head and throat, and shoved into an upstairs closet. Jaysen's killing left his teachers, classmates and relatives in tears and family members asking questions of one another even in the days leading up to today's funeral. Did Jaysen leave his mother's house and move in with his aunt, as his grandmother suggested? Or was he just visiting on that fateful day, as a cousin said? And why did people in his aunt's house open their door to the suspect, a convicted killer released early from prison because of flaws in his case? |
Lots of questions surround this very sad case including what the police mean when they say Jaysen had a 'forced sexual relationship' with his killer." |
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Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 8:05 pm Post subject: |
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Nationwide Vigils Planned for Slain Gay Puerto Rican Teen as Officials Mull Application of Federal Hate Crimes Law
| Quote: | The AP catches up with the story of slain Puerto Rican gay teen Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado. Over the weekend the decapitated, dismembered, and partially charred body of gay teen Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado was found by the side of a road in Puerto Rico. The police investigator suggested that he deserved what he got because of the "type of lifestyle" he was leading. Juan Martinez Matos has been charged with first-degree murder:
| Quote: | | Martinez met Lopez while looking for women Thursday night in an area known for prostitution, according to prosecutor Jose Bermudez Santos. Bermudez said the suspect confessed to stabbing Lopez, who was dressed as a woman, after discovering he was a man. 'He has a deep-seated rage,' Bermudez said in remarks reported by the newspaper El Nuevo Dia. 'All the information we have is very clear that this is indeed a hate crime,' said Pedro Julio Serrano, a Puerto Rico native who is a spokesman for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. A 2002 hate crime law in this U.S. territory has not been applied to any cases involving sexual orientation or gender identity despite calls to use it more aggressively, Serrano said. A suspect convicted of a hate crime offense as part of another crime automatically faces the maximum penalty for the underlying crime. For murder, that would be life in prison. Serrano said he has identified at least 10 slayings on the island over the last seven years that should have been investigated as hate crimes, including some in which the victims were sex workers. Two U.S. Congress members from New York, who are of Puerto Rican origin, have suggested prosecuting the case under new federal hate crimes legislation that extended coverage to sexual orientation. President Barack Obama signed it last month. The FBI is monitoring the investigation, and Lymarie Llovet Ayala, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in San Juan, said Wednesday that federal prosecutors are considering whether to take on the case. |
Matos is being held on $4 million dollar bail:
| Quote: | | López’s father Jorge attended Matos’ arraignment.' I have already forgiven you, but the one you must ask for forgiveness is God,' Jorge López said as translated from Primera Hora. Jorge López also thanked officials who arrested Matos.' Thank God justice has been done,' he told investigator Ángel Rodríguez after yesterday’s hearing (as translated from Primera Hora.) |
CNN:
| Quote: | | In addition to murder, Martinez Matos was charged with three weapons violations and one count of hiding evidence, prosecutor Yaritza Carrasquillo said. Prosecutors are weighing whether to recommend that Martinez Matos be charged under federal hate crimes law, Carrasquillo said. That decision was not expected to come Wednesday. |
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Vigils are being planned across the nation for this Sunday, November 22. |
Vigil sites include New York City, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, LA, Oakland, San Francisco, Atlanta, Durham, New Orleans, Philadelphia and more. Details @ link
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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