The Gaytheist Agenda

No More Ms. Nice Gay for her, and for that I heartily commend her.

“I do” is the latest from Ava Lowrey of peacetakescourage.

 
Now enjoy some photo galleries from Washington D.C. where same-sex couples are celebrating marriage equality.

 
Washington Post

TheBLT

 

Color me unsurprised. Of course I could rant again but why bother when I can treat you to this fabulous video?

Still more violent attacks against LGBT individuals across the US:

Gay-Bashed on Pride Weekend on the Upper East Side

Our colleague Michael Feingold told us some very bad news today: a former Voice sales rep, Joe Holladay, in town on business, was jumped and beaten Saturday morning by a group of men who called him a faggot.

Holladay tells us that he walked out of John Jerome’s apartment on East 85th Street between York and East End Avenues, where he’d been staying, at about 4 a.m. to smoke a cigarette on the sidewalk, and five or six young men swarmed him.

“It’s very blurry,” he says, “But yeah, they said ‘faggot.’ And the next thing I know I’m in the hospital.”

Jerome, an acting coach, heard the fracas and came downstairs to find his friend “in a pool of blood. I thought he was dead. He wasn’t moving.”
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Holladay says his doctor told him his injuries suggest he was hit with a blunt object. “The mark on my forehead looks like it was made by the base of a gun,” he says.
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Congressman says gay sailor’s death is a possible hate crime

Rep. Bob Filner (D-Chula Vista) said today that he has asked the Department of Defense and the Marine Corps to investigate whether the killing of a sailor, who was gay, at Camp Pendleton was a hate crime.

Filner, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said he wanted a complete investigation of circumstances surrounding the death of Seaman August Provost, 29, of Houston. Provost’s body was found about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday in a guard shack on the western edge of the sprawling base.
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Filner said initial indications are that Provost was shot and his body burned. He said his committee also will investigate the case.

[Updated 7:20 p.m.: In a late afternoon news conference, Navy officials today promised a thorough investigation into the killing. They said, however, that there was no evidence it was a hate crime. A sailor who is considered to be a person of interest remains in the brig. Another sailor, who was initially considered a person of interest, has been released.]
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Transgender Woman Brutally Beaten in Queens Bias Attack - TLDEF Demands Full Investigation Into Hate Crime

We’re sad to bring you the news of another brutal attack on a transgender woman, this one coming during the height of LGBT Pride month. On June 19, 2009, at approximately 2:30 am, Leslie Mora was walking home from a nightclub on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens when she was accosted by two men who brutally beat her with a belt. They stopped only when a passing motorist threatened to call the police.

Throughout the attack, Leslie’s assailants called her a “faggot” in Spanish. The attack left Leslie with multiple injuries, including bruises all over her body, and stitches in her scalp. Police called to the scene found Leslie nearly naked and bleeding on the sidewalk. They also recovered a belt buckle from the assailants that was covered in blood.
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Her assailants, Trinidad Tapia, 19, and Gilberto Ortiz, 32, fled the scene but were arrested by police soon after the attack. Both were charged with assault with intent to cause physical injury with a weapon, a felony, and released on their own recognizance. The Queens County District Attorney has declined to investigate the attack as a hate crime.

Transgender people face tremendous violence in their daily lives. A transgender person is murdered every month in the United States, on average. New York State Senators must immediately return to work and pass the transgender hate crimes legislation pending in the Senate. The Gender Expression Non- Discrimination Act (S.2406), which has passed the State Assembly and is awaiting Senate action, would make it a hate crime for an individual to attack another because of the victim’s gender identity or expression. Current state law already protects New Yorkers from hate-motivated violence based upon race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation and other factors. It is unconscionable that transgender New Yorkers are being attacked on the streets where they live while our state’s Senators shirk their responsibility to take action to end the violence.
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But of course LGBT people don’t deserve the same hate crimes protections others enjoy. That might inhibit the “right” of others to bash us to a bloody pulp in the name of “religious freedom”.

 

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, commonly considered the genesis of the official Gay Rights Movement. The riots were a series of demonstrations by patrons of Manhattan’s Stonewall Inn, who had finally had enough of police harassment and government- sponsored oppression. I went by the Stonewall Inn when I visited New York earlier this year. It’s a very unimposing place and doesn’t seem like the stuff of legends, but it is nonetheless.

It was on the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots that the first Pride Parade and celebrations were held in L.A. and New York, and such celebrations have been held each subsequent year. Each June LGBT people across the nation come together to throw off the shackles of bigotry and oppression, commemorate Stonewall and other historic events, and engage in myriad festivities.

Here’s to the brave souls who fought at Stonewall, in every battle since, and every battle yet to come. One way or another the bigots will lose this, even if it takes another forty years, or more.

 

 
For more on the Stonewall Riots:
The Stonewall Riots - 1969 — A Turning Point in the Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Liberation

Gay Rights Movement: 40 Years Since Stonewall Riots

 

According to a report released today by the The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs anti-gay hate crimes are at their highest rate since 1999. This increase is apparently part of a multi-year trend.

The number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people killed in bias-motivated incidents increased by 28 percent in 2008 compared to the previous year, said The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.
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The coalition claims its figures are more accurate than those from law enforcement agencies. The group says the FBI, for example, doesn’t record bias crimes against transgender people because gender identity isn’t covered by federal hate-crime law.

Looking specifically at Minnesota, the NCAVP report reveals:
• 185% increase in the number of violent incidents
• 20% increase in the number of incidents involving multiple offenders, with a 225% increase in incidents involving four or more offenders
• 40% of victims required emergency-room or other hospital care as a result of attacks
• 29% increase in the number of violent incidents directed at transgender men, and 113% increase in those directed at transgender women

“These data show that violence directed at GLBT people continues to become more brutal and more likely perpetrated by groups rather than individual assailants,” Kloek said. “We must continue this vital work to create safe streets, homes and workplaces. Unfortunately, our community must continue to be aware of its vulnerability to hate and bias related violence. We must demand that the larger community and its justice systems hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.”
The report, fact sheets and maps can be accessed at: NCAVP or AVP

 
A few excerpts from the report which I highly suggest you read in full (PDF format):

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“No on 8” Backlash
―No on 8‖ backlash - CUAV tracked and received a high number of hate violence incidents of anti-gay marriage‖ backlash. Extremely well-funded anti-gay legislation, combined with ―Yes on 8‖ rallies and groups of people harassing LGBTQIQ communities leading up to election day and anti-gay hate violence harassment at the voting polls on November 4th increased CUAV‘s hate violence numbers tremendously. Incidents reported to CUAV ranged from LGBT folks and Heterosexual allies experienced being almost hit with cars by ―Yes on 8‖ protestors, spit upon, yelled at with anti-gay epithets, death threats, bitten, struck several times with ―Yes on 8‖ signs. Community United Against Violence (CUAV) worked collaboratively in an event for LBGTQQ/Same-Gender-Loving/Two Spirit people of color and their allies who were on the front-lines of the struggle against Prop 8, and also for those who feel marginalized by the white-washed marriage equality movement. Sessions focusing on mind-body-spirit healing of the individual and collective trauma and distress were offered. All of these crea-tive partnerships and cross-community conversations were intended to help heal the pain that Prop 8 has inflicted on our diverse queer communities.
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Lesbian couple, suburban
Instead of compassionate medical treatment, a Grand Rapids lesbian couple received a “lifestyle” lecture from a Spectrum Hospital physician in March of 2008. When the couple, who had been married in Canada, went to Spectrum Health for treatment of one partner’s lingering cold, the physician responded by asking the couple’s opinion on ―their‖ recent California Supreme Court marriage decision. He then told the couple that he was a Christian and there was no way that what they had could be called a marriage.
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Gay, male high school student, rural
A young gay man suffered constant, ongoing persecution at a Christian high school in west Michigan. The abuse he endured included everything from being called anti-gay slurs to being beaten with a ruler in the hallways to a dead cat and an obscene note being left on his car. Triangle Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union provided support to the young man and his mother, while challenging the school to implement harassment policies that better protect students.
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Steven Parrish, 18, a Black gay man
On March 3, 2008, Steven Parrish, a young gay man, was stabbed and stomped to death by gang mem-bers Steven T. Hollis, 18, and Juan L. Flythe, 17, who discovered text messages and pictures on Parrish’s cell phone they believed indicated he was gay. Parrish, 18, lived with his parents in Woodmore, MD. He attended Randallstown High School, and was four days away from graduation when he was killed. Hollis and Flythe feared that their gang would appear weak to others if it became known that they had a gay member. Hollis and Flythe were both arrested and charged with first degree murder on August 15, 2008.
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Sanesha Stuart, 25, a Black Transgender woman
On February 9, 2008, Sanesha Stuart, a transgender woman, was stabbed to death by Steven McMillan, who was still in Sanesha‘s apartment at the time the police arrived. After finding out Sanesha was a transgender woman, McMillan flew into a rage which led to her demise. McMillan was indicted with manslaughter in the 1st degree but not murder. Sanesha was loved by all in her building.
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Law enforcement abuse and misconduct was up 113% in 2008, with law enforcement misconduct incidents increasing from 40 to 85.
Law enforcement responded with the following reported attitudes:
*courteous: 48 in 2007 compared with 59 in 2008
*indifferent: 20 in 2008 compared with 22 in 2008
*verbally abusive, no slurs: 7 in 2007 to 11 in 2008
*verbally abusive, with slurs: 1 in 2007 to 5 in 2008
* physically abusive, no slurs: 2 in 2007 to 6 in 2008
*physically abusive with slurs: 2 in 2006 to 5 in 2008
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What can I say that I haven’t already said on this matter?

 
Related posts:

Anti-Gay Legislation = Anti-Gay Violence. Marriage Equality Activist Allegedly Beaten in San Diego County.

More Faith-Based Hysterics and Lies About the Hate Crimes Bill.

Santa Clara County D.A.: Prop 8 Responsible for Anti-gay Violence

Seattle : Hate-Crime Charges Filed in Anti-Gay Attack.

Won’t Somebody Please Think of the Children?

Galveston : 3 Charged in Anti-Gay Hate-Crime.

 

Cheyenne Cherry, who confessed to roasting the kitten and trashing the apartment of an ex-roommate as a prank, is being charged as an adult with with cruelty to animals, multiple counts of burglary, arson and criminal mischief. She faces more than ten years in prison if convicted of all counts. Sadly it appears Ms. Cherry has a history of criminal behavior including robbery and armed dog-napping.

The teen accused in a Bronx kitty killing was busted last year in the armed dog-napping of a teacup Yorkie, police said.

Cheyenne Cherry’s boyfriend snatched the pooch from a woman in a Bronx park last June after holding a BB gun to her forehead, police said.

Days later, Cherry, 17, had the nerve to send friends to show up with the dog when a $500 reward was posted, the pooch’s owner said. “She’s evil,” Johan Castro, 23, said.

Despite her June 2008 arrest for larceny and extortion, along with two other busts, Cherry was released without bail after being charged with letting a friend’s kitten die inside a 200-degree oven.
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“It was just a joke,” Cherry said after her arrest for robbing a man of his iPod at gunpoint. She pleaded guilty to robbery and got five years probation.

Cherry also had a 2007 arrest for smacking a girl in the head with jewelry, police said.
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“My sister is no cat killer,” said David Cherry. “Cheyenne is not an animal hater. She has a little Yorkie that she loves.”
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Sure, Mr. Cherry, she’s “no cat killer”. The fact that she admitted she did it and laughed it off apparently slipped your notice. Frankly she sounds like a budding case of antisocial personality who needs to be locked up long term and given extensive treatment before she’s released again–if she’s released again. But that’s just my opinion.

 

A 17-year-old girl confessed to roasting a kitten in an oven; an act she passed off as a joke. As an animal lover (cats in particular) I am sickened beyond words at her barbaric act of cruelty to an innocent, defenseless animal.

 

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“I hate cats,” Cheyenne Cherry, 17, allegedly told investigators when asked about the heartless crime.

Cherry’s confession came after she was arrested Wednesday by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

She and an unidentified juvenile allegedly broke into Valerie Hernandez’s Tinton Ave. apartment on May 6 and trashed the place.

Then in a shocking act of animal abuse, they tossed the woman’s kitten, Tiger Lily, into the stove and cranked up the temperature, ASPCA assistant director Joe Pentangelo said.

Cherry told authorities that she and her accomplice “thought we would play a joke on Valerie and mess up her apartment.”

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Firefighters found the female cat’s remains smoldering in the oven after neighbors complained of smoke coming from Hernandez’s apartment.

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Besides roasting the kitten, Cherry and her friend allegedly slashed Hernandez’s furniture, unscrewed light bulbs and threw bleach on the walls, Pentangelo said.

“I think what was done cries out for justice,” Pentangelo said. “It’s a shame that this kitten had to suffer like this. For the kitten to get caught up in whatever was going on with them is a tragedy.”

Pentangelo said the kitten was burned so badly a necropsy had to be performed to determine its sex.

Cherry was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, burglary, arson, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. She was released to the custody of her mother.
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Here are some of the current news stories from around the world.

 

*Zapata family delivers emotional statement and calls for federal hate-crime statutes
*Andrade gets life for murder of transgendered woman.

 
*2,000 LGBT New Yorkers Plan Trek to Albany to support LGBT civil rights.

 
*In MD, a new hate crime law would protect homeless people. This would be the first of its kind in the US. Having worked with people who were homeless, and knowing how vulnerable these individuals can be, I really hope this one passes.

 
*Gay hate crime convictions have doubled in Wales over the past three years.

 
*NH committee recommends killing gay marriage bill.

 

*Man sentenced to six years for attempted murder of “bisexual transvestite”. (Quotation marks from original headline. While the headline and the court say “transvestite”, the fact that the victim was in the process of obtaining gender reassignment indicates she’s transgender. )

 
*Youth pastor allegedly molested several girls and impregnated one.

 

Of course there are the obvious ones that are inherent in the specific laws themselves. Legislation banning same-sex marriage prevents gay and lesbian couples from accessing the 1138 federal rights and hundreds of state rights that are automatically granted to married couples. Such laws also reduce same-sex couples and their families to second-class status. LGBT people have many other laws specifically against them and do not enjoy the same protections others do, mostly due to the efforts of the RRRW.

Just as insidious, and often more dangerous, is the way that anti-gay legislation gives to intolerant people implicit permission to engage in hate-crimes against LGBT people. We’re not protected, and we’re not considered worthy of protection, so we’re fair game. What’s more, in cases where such laws have recently been passed the trend is for hate-crimes against LGBT people to surge. Perhaps the bigots are trying to send us a message, like “Now shut the eff up about your rights and get back in the closet you *****”.

LBGT PEOPLE and their supporters, who have turned out in large numbers to protest the narrow passage of the anti-gay Proposition 8 in California, are turning their attention to increasing incidents of horrifying hate crimes.

On December 13, in the Bay Area city of Richmond, a lesbian woman was gang-raped by four men who used homophobic epithets as they violently assaulted her for almost an hour, before leaving her naked in the street.
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Activists note that anti-gay hate crimes are on the rise nationally. According to FBI statistics, hate crimes directed at people because of their sexual orientation have risen over the past two years–1,017 were reported in 2005, 1,195 in 2006 and 1,265 in 2007.

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Avy Skolnik, a coordinator with the New York-based National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, noted, “Anytime there is an anti-LGBT initiative, we tend to see spikes both in the numbers and the severity of attacks. People feel this extra entitlement to act out their prejudice.”

In 2008 alone, there was a spike in violent crime against LGBT people. Overall, the FBI reported a 1 percent decline in hate crimes in the U.S. last year–but a 6 percent increase in hate crimes against gay, lesbian and transgender people.
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In December, in Brooklyn, a 31-year-old Ecuadorian immigrant, Jose Sucuzhanay, was beaten with a baseball bat and kicked by three men, who jumped out of a car yelling anti-gay and anti-Hispanic slurs.

Angie Zapata, an 18-year-old transgender woman in Greeley, Colo., was found dead in her apartment on July 17. She had been beaten with fists and a fire extinguisher, after her assailant discovered she was biologically male.
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On January 6, 11 gay bars in Seattle received letters addressed to the “Owner/Manager” that warned, “Your establishment has been targeted. I have in my possession approximately 67 grams of ricin with which I will indiscriminately target at least five of your clients.” A 12th letter was sent to the alternative weekly, The Stranger, warning that the paper should be “prepared to announce the deaths of approximately 55 individuals.”
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Yet the RRRWers have been wringing their hands over how persecuted they are. Apparently people have been saying less than glowing things about some of them. That’s obviously much worse than what Zapata, Sucuzhanay, the lady in Richmond, and others endured. (Is the sarcasm emoticon really necessary here? )

SO WHY has there been such a spike in in violent crimes against LGBT people?

Society at large has moved in the direction of supporting LGBT rights, as ideas around sexuality have moved to the left in the past decade. One example of this is the fact that in 2004, the anti-gay Prop 22 in California won by a 14 point margin as opposed to the 4 percent margin of Prop 8.

However, as the trend of tolerance and acceptance has been increasing, so has the growth of right-wing religious organizations that have focused on getting anti-gay legislation passed across the U.S.

And the RRRW can’t stand the thought of losing their “right” to keep us mashed firmly under their boot heels. What’s more, if we could no longer be legally discriminated against the leaders of the RRRW would have to concoct a new “enemy” for their minions to engage in battle against. They have no identity unless they are God’s Christian Soldiers fighting some enemy. Should they lose us it would take great deals of money, time and effort to redirect their hatred to another target. It’s such a pity they can’t fight poverty, homelessness and hunger with the zeal they do our rights and our very existence.

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Prop 8 and similar legislation not only deny civil rights to gays and lesbians, but they give a green light to violent attacks against LGBT people. Anti-gay legislation gives credence to the idea that LGBT people are “immoral,” “unequal” and don’t deserve protection from hate. And the silence of politicians like Barack Obama on repealing DOMA gives a free pass to the homophobia expressed in legislation like Prop 8.
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Unfortunately Obama is, IMO, beyond hope. He’s apparently decided to throw LGBT people completely under the bus in favor of alliances with the RRRW. Essentially invisible token gestures and weak words on our behalf are useless and gain nothing.

 
The effects of anti-gay laws go well beyond laws themselves. They give carte blanche to bigots to keep being bigots and to harm LGBT people. They allow society to look the other way when law-abiding human beings are harmed, and their families are destroyed, simply because of who they are. It’s well beyond time we rid ourselves of them for the good of all.