Ministers Sue Over Hate Crimes Law

Gary Glenn, photo courtesy of mlive.com

In 2009, President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law. The act effectively expanded the 1969 U.S. hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by the victim's gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. Following the passage of the law, three Michigan ministers led by Gary Glenn of the Michigan American Family Association challenged the constitutionality of the law, arguing that it violated their First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Noting that the law does not, in fact, proscribe speech but rather "prohibits only violent conduct", U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder made a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. In 2010, a federal judge agreed with Holder and dismissed the suit, writing that "it is entirely speculative that Plaintiff's conduct would be prosecuted under the Act" and that the plaintiff's claim must be more than just a "generalized grievance." Now, in a new twist, a three judge panel for the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has decided to take up the ministers' claim, with oral arguments set for this Wednesday.

Brandon McInerney Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison

Months after Brandon McInerney's trial ended in a hung jury, the teen has now been sentenced to 21 years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter and voluntary manslaughter. McInerney, who fatally shot Lawrence "Larry" King in the back of the head in 2008 for being gay, will be 38 years-old by the time he is released. McInerney's defense painted the picture of a student who could no longer stand King's repeated sexual advances, but in reality McInerney was a budding white supremacist who owned a copy of "Mein Kampf", had a notebook filled with Nazi symbols and associated with a racist gang called the S.S.L. This news, however, has not stopped anti-gay figures such as the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer and Save California's Randy Thomasson from blaming King's death on his own "flamboyant behavior" and portraying McInerney as the real victim.

Hundreds in Attendance at Jamey Rodemeyer's Funeral

Jamey Rodemeyer, an openly bisexual teen who committed suicide over years of homophobic bullying, was laid to rest on Saturday. It was estimated that over 500 mourners, many of whom did not personally know Jamey or his family, attended his funeral in Williamsville, New York. According to Buffalo News, Amherst police are investigating whether or not they can charge the school bullies responsible with harassment, cyberharassment or hate crimes in relation to Jamey's suicide. It should be remembered, however, that Jamey's case is not an unusual one. According to the 2009 National School Climate Survey conducted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), nearly 90% of LGBT students experienced harassment at school while two thirds felt unsafe because of their sexual orientation. Other key findings included that 84.6% of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed, 40.1% reported being physically harassed, 18.8% reported being physically assaulted, 72.4% reported hearing slurs such as "faggot" or "dyke" frequently or often, and the reported grade point average of students frequently harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender expression was nearly half a grade lower than for students who were less often harassed. This is a strong indication that while bullying is an issue for all school students, it is even more so for LGBT students.

Male Partner of Slain Mississippi Man Cannot Join in Wrongful Death Suit

On June 26th, 2011, a black auto plant worker in Jackson, Mississippi was brutally murdered by a group of white teenagers. The perpetrators, apparently on the prowl looking for a black person to hurt, spotted 48-year-old James Craig Anderson standing in a parking lot next to his car. The group proceeded to viciously beat Anderson, while yelling "White Power!" and calling him a "nigger." The teens then got into their Ford F250 pickup truck and drove it over Anderson, instantly killing him. Now, the victim's family has filed a wrongful-death suit against the group of teens the police say is responsible. However, one family member cannot join the suit: James Bradfield, Anderson's partner of 17 years. According to Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center, under Mississippi law "same-sex partners have no claim in civil actions like this."

CNN article on the murder:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/08/06/mississippi.hate.crime/index.html

New York Times article concerning the wrongful-death suit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/07/us/07jackson.html?_r=2&hpw

New Study: Anti-Gay Prejudice Increases Health Risks for Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals

A new study by the Williams Institute suggests that lesbians, gays and bisexuals have an increased risk of physical health problems as a result of prejudice-related stress. According to the senior author of the report, Dr. Ilan H. Meyer, the study shows that "stigma and prejudice have a great toll on the health of LGB people. Prejudice-related life events are more damaging to the physical health of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals than any other kind of stressful life event." Dr. David M. Frost states that the findings demonstrate "a clear need for interventions and policy change to reduce the stigma surrounded sexual minorities that is still prevalent in society."

http://www.sdgln.com/health/2011/09/05/new-studyanti-gay-prejudice-increases-health-risks-gays-lesbians-and-bisexuals

Hung Jury in Brandon McInerney's Murder Trial

A jury was unable to reach a verdict in the murder trial of 17-year-old Brandon McInerney, who is accused of shooting his fellow classmate, Lawrence King, for being gay. McInerney's defense attorneys appear to be using the notorious "gay panic defense", claiming that he shot King twice in the back of the head at point-blank range because King constantly flirted with him.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/09/gay-slaying-jury.html

Hate Crime charges in Tyler Clementi Suicide

Tyler Clementi's former roommate is facing hate crime charges following Clementi's suicide. Clementi took his life after he was recorded having a sexual encounter with another man and the encounter was made available on the internet.

The article from the New York Times is available here.