News: Alaska Earthquake 2011, ‘GAY PANIC’ WINS, GLAAD Announces ‘Amplifier’ Advertising Award Winners

GLAAD ANNOUNCES ‘AMPLIFIER’ ADVERTISING AWARD WINNERS

GLAAD has announced the winners for its Amplifier Awards, celebrating LGBT-inclusiveness in television, print, outdoor, and social media advertising. See the full list at GLAAD’s website, but here are the television campaign winners (Google Chrome/”It Gets Better,” Absolut Vodka/RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Expedia/TripOut):

 

 

[vimeo 17808808 w=375 h=200]

MISTRIAL IN LAWRENCE KING CASE — ‘GAY PANIC’ WINS

A judge has declared a mistrial in the case against Brandon McInerney, who at age 14 shot his openly gay classmate Lawrence King in the back of the head twice. The jury voted seven to five of finding McInerney guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, essentially a win for the “gay panic” defense McInerney’s lawyers put forth. GLSEN responded to the mistrial, saying, “The central facts remain the same: homophobia killed Larry King and destroyed Brandon McInerney’s life, and adults failed both young men because of their own inability to deal forthrightly and compassionately with the multiple challenges they each faced.” Watch a local news report from KTLA about the trial’s conclusion:

Chaz Bono: “The Negative Comments Are Motivating”

With the simultaneous publication of Transition,his memoir, and release ofBecoming Chaz, his documentary, transgender activist Chaz Bono was seemingly everywhere last May, including on the cover of  The Advocate. On Tuesday, when the announcement was made that Bono will appear on the next season of ABC’sDancing With the Stars, it seemed like a win-win for everyone. The network will likely see a new audience for the 13th season of its hit dance competition series. More important, Bono will able to represent trans people on a bigger platform than ever and on a weekly basis. He has potential to shatter expectations and transcend labels.

Married Pinoy gay in San Francisco escapes deportation

A Filipino gay man in San Francisco in the United States was spared from being deported to the Philippines and being separated from his life partner, thanks to a new policy that recognizes same-sex marriage as a family tie. According to a report of the Contra Costa Times, the case against Raul Sinense was temporarily closed and the deportation proceedings against him were stopped on August 16.

NOM’s Idea Of “Excellent” Analysis: Calling Homosexuality An “Addictive,” “Learned” Behavior

In an August 31 blog entry, the National Organization for Marriage’s (NOM) Ruth Institute posted aninterview between Nick Gillespie, editor of Reason.tv, and George Gilder, a conservative author and commentator. While the interview covered a wide range of topics, the Ruth Institute was particularly impressed with Gilder’s “analysis of marriage abolition via redefinition,” calling it “excellent”:

Alaska Earthquake 2011: Quake Strikes Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands Region

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the Pacific Ocean prompted a brief tsunami warning early Friday morning for Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The warning was canceled after only a small wave was recorded in the community of Atka, Alaska. “In Atka, they had a little bump of a wave, but nothing of any kind of a destructive power. Just a wave,” said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Homeland Security. The earthquake struck at about 2:55 a.m. AKDT, and there were no initial reports of injuries or damage, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The World’s Worst City To Live In Is …

HARARE, Zimbabwe — A top research group on Thursday rated Zimbabwe’s capital as the worst of 140 world cities in which to live. The British-based Economist Intelligence Unit said its researchers excluded cities in Libya, Iraq and other war zones. Harare, where power and water outages occur daily, scored a 38 percent “livability rating,” the group said. The group said the threat of civil unrest and the availability of public health care and public transport in Harare were intolerable. Energy and water supplies were undesirable, it said, calling phones and Internet services uncomfortable. Zimbabwe formed a shaky coalition government in 2009 after years of political violence and economic meltdown. Melbourne and Vienna were rated the two easiest cities to live in.

SF CA: Police still searching for gay man’s Killer a Year Later

This story has hit a heart string for me seeing that the murder occurred a block from my house. When the who, what and why’s are left unanswered my mind fills in the unknown with the worst case scenario. Let’s find this killer!

via B.A.R.

Last weekend marked the first anniversary of the murder of San Francisco resident Philip DiMartino. The gay 36-year-old was found dead in his apartment, located at 138 Hermann Street, on August 2, 2010.

The person responsible for DiMartino’s death hasn’t been caught, and police, family, and friends are hoping someone will come forward with information.

“This weekend was rough,” Lisa DiMartino, 39, DiMartino’s sister, said in an interview Monday, August 1. “My family and I think about Phil every day, of course, but hitting the one-year mark was tough.”

In its report on DiMartino’s death, the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s office said injuries included 48 stab wounds, most of them in his back. The cause of death was listed as “sharp force injuries with blunt force injuries.”

DiMartino’s body was found after a co-worker who had gone to check on him looked through a window and saw “a pair of what appeared to be bloody legs on the floor,” the report said. The co-worker did not enter the apartment, according to the report.

Handpicked News & Non-News: Without Sex, Marines Caught, New Conservative Agenda, Creepiest Robots

Obama Appoints Out West Point Alum to Military Academy Board “I’m proud to have the opportunity to support the cadets who will lead our Army in the coming years,” Fulton said in a statement Tuesday. “And I’m pleased that the president is clearly setting the stage for a post–‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ military with appointments like this. Most important, I’m looking forward to supporting West Point as it continues to inspire, educate and train leaders of character, as it always has. It is my honor to continue to serve the Academy and the Army that I love.”

Marines Caught in Marriage Scam Three Marines are facing several charges after it was revealed that they were involved in fraudulent marriages to collect financial assistance usually offered by the military only to opposite-sex married couples.Three Marines are facing several charges after it was revealed that they were involved in fraudulent marriages to collect financial assistance usually offered by the military only to opposite-sex married couples.

On Going Without Sex

A New Conservative Agenda “If you don’t like it, change it or leave. It’s that simple. For me, in politics, I’ve always had that mentality,” the
Republican political strategist Margaret Hoover recently said with aplomb. Hoover is pro-gay and a favored Fox News guest—one of the few unwilling to soft-pedal support for marriage equality. If there will ever be political harmony on whether gay and lesbian couples should have the same marriage rights as other Americans, her influence may be part of the key to consensus.    

Casey Anthony NOT GUILTY OF MURDER After 33 days of testimony, 400 pieces of evidence and more than 90 witnesses, the jury in the Casey Anthony case has reached a verdict. After just a day of deliberation, jurors informed the court at midday that they had reached a decision, and both sides in the case were ordered to assemble in the courtroom.

 Nancy Grace Rails Against Casey Anthony Verdict

23 Creepiest Robots You’ve Ever Seen (VIDEOS)Anyone who has watched a few sci-fi films in the last couple decades knows the human race faces inevitable destruction at the hands of robots. Movies like “The Terminator,” “The Matrix,” and “I, Robot” warn us of the perils of artificial intelligence, but until our technology reaches such sophistication, for now we toy around with sex robots turned dental patients and ridiculous robo-mination.

Lucy Walker, Director of ‘Waste Land’, Follows Her Trash To The Landfill (PHOTOS & VIDEO) Director Lucy Walker spent months filming the stories of garbage pickers working at Rio de Janeiro’s Jardim Gramacho, one of the world’s largest landfills, for her 2011 Academy Award-nominated documentary, Waste Land. After her Waste Land experience, Lucy set out to learn what happens to Los Angeles’ garbage with social innovators Max Lugavere and Jason Silva. (Make sure to watch the video at the end of the slideshow!)

 

                                                                                                                                                                                         

Handpicked News: JOHN WAYNE & BACHMANN, New DADT Discharges, Facebook Hates the Gays…

 THEY DID IT AGAIN:Facebook Sorry for Censoring Kiss In the latest of a recurring problem for the company, Facebook is apologizing for censoring a photo illustration of two men kissing that commemorated passage of the marriage equality bill in New York and that was posted by The Advocate on Friday.

Pentagon Confirms New DADT Discharges

 N.Y. Marriage: Taiwanese-Style

Not Anti-Catholic, Just Anti-Harm

N.Y. Marriage: Taiwanese-Style

 

BACHMANN CITES WRONG JOHN WAYNE, PRAISES NOTORIOUS SERIAL KILLER Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has a thing for John Wayne. In an interview yesterday with Newsmax, she said she wants to live in “John Wayne’s America.” And in the Iowa town of Waterloo today, where she announced her presidential candidacy, Bachmann told Fox News, “John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa. That’s the kind of spirit that I have, too.” But unfortunately for historically challenged Bachmann, as the Washington Times points out, the John Wayne born in Waterloo is John Wayne Gacy, the notorious serial killer who murdered 33 teenage boys and young men, not the iconic Western actor. Watch it via thinkprogress.org

Oakland Makes ‘Top 10 Dangerous Cities’ List; I’m So Proud?

It’s seems strange that a city that contains Fairy Land that they also has the tenth-highest rate of rape, the ninth-highest murder rate, and the second highest robbery rate in the country.On a lighter note, violent crime in California overall plummeted to a 44-year low.

Oakland’s violent crime dropped about 5.5% between 2009 and 2010, from about 6,800 to 6,260. The city nevertheless has the tenth-highest rate of rape, the ninth-highest murder rate, and the second highest robbery rate in the country. In 2010, there were 7.12 robberies for every 1,000 Oakland residents. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Mayor Jean Quan has attempted to combat break-ins and theft by creating programs to keep potential wrongdoers off the streets by starting late-night basketball programs. It it unclear if these policies have worked.
[via Yahoo Finance]

Another Gay Murdered in N.Y., We’ve Seen it Before

To common of a story. The detail have not emerged but my guess is that, this is a case of younger straight thug (dabbling with sexual identity) is down on his luck and using older gay man to meet some financial needs. Older gay man is overly helpful and goes against better judgment in hopes to get some straight guy sex. Things don’t go as planned for him, straight guy flips out and kills him. Drugs and booze are usually involved. That is my guess.

N.Y. Gay Bar Owner Murdered

By Advocate.com Editors

Clinton “Billy” Lewis, a gay rights activist and owner of the club Chill in Elmira, N.Y., was shot dead in his home early Sunday morning. Police have arrested an acquaintance.

The Star Gazette reports that Lewis, 53, was shot dead around 3 a.m. in his home on Main Street in the city. Police responded to a report about a gunshot victim and Lewis was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to WETM, police have arrested Louis Duffy, 20, of Horseheads and charged him with murder. Police said the men were acquaintances.

Man, 70, Stoned to Death for Homosexuality: Police

Mental Illness + Ignorance is a deadly combination

Some time my mind tells me to to go to Taco Bell and get 42 tacos, but I’m stable enough to say no, to myself. Another story of small town ignorance, most likely adopted by someone with a low IQ. The result is tragic and sad to say not so shocking. More proof that the bible enables the ability of weak minded people to commit violence.

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Suspect said the Old Testament told him that homosexuals must be stoned, police say

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

A 28-year-old Upper Darby man has been charged with murder after telling police that he stoned a 70-year-old man to death when the man made homosexual advances toward him, authorities say.

John Joe Thomas, 28, of Sunshine Road in Upper Darby, spent almost every day with 70-year-old Murray Seidman at Seidman’s Lansdowne home, police say. Days before Seidman’s body was found on Jan. 12, Thomas allegedly beat Seidman to death with a sock full of rocks.

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Is the Mission the New Bay View? More Murders, More Stabbings SF CA

Man Clings To Life After Mission Shooting Sunday Night

by Bay City News

A San Francisco man was shot in the Mission district Sunday night and rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, a police sergeant said.

The 27-year old man was sitting in a car in the 1500 block of Alabama Street at Cesar Chavez at around 10:20 p.m. when suspects approached, shot the victim multiple times, and then drove away, Sgt. Mike Andraychak said.

Police had no suspect or vehicle description as of 2 a.m. this morning but believe it could be gang related and are asking witnesses to come forward.

They are urging anyone with information to call the department’s gang task force at (415) 553-1401 or the anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444.

Weekend killings raise San Francisco homicide toll to 15 so far this year

The frigid weekend concluded with two fatal shootings and a stabbing that left a man struggling to stay alive, propelling The City’s homicide count to at least 15 this year.

The most recent killing happened around 7:40 p.m. Saturday. Police found Aldo Hernandez, 25, dead with gunshot wounds in the driver’s seat of what was thought to be his own car near the Potrero Hill Recreation Center.

Hernandez was found near Dakota and 23rd streets, Sgt. Mike Andraychak said. He appeared to be the “intended target,” he said.

That discovery came two hours after a shooting at 25th and Connecticut streets, which is believed to be unrelated. The victim, a man in his 50s, is expected to survive.
Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/crime/2011/02/weekend-killings-raise-san-francisco-homicide-toll-15-so-far-year#ixzz1FKCZWy9m

Mission / Shooting: Earlier on Saturday/Friday night, another Aldo, 24-year-old Aldo Troncoso (a.k.a. Trigger) was murdered, gang-style, near 17th and Mission. A makeshift memorial has sprung up at the scene. [Examiner]

Related Articles

• One dead, one hurt in Mission District attacks (redbeardedoctopus.wordpress.com)
• SFist Blotter: Four Shootings and a Stabbing (sfist.com)

Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato found murdered

These stories make my blood boil. I say eye for an eye. I can’t imagine living in such fear. All things in perspective, TODAY I WILL NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT ANYTHING!

VIA

Real and substantive’ investigation urged after advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities Uganda bludgeoned to death in Mukono

• • David Kato was murdered weeks after winning a court case against the Ugandan newspaper Rolling Stone over its policy of identifying homosexuals in its pages. Photograph: Marc Hofer/AFP/Getty Images

One of Uganda‘s most prominent gay rights activists has been murdered in his home weeks after winning a court victory over a tabloid that called for homosexuals to be killed.

David Kato, the advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities Uganda, was bludgeoned to death in Mukono, Kampala, yesterday afternoon. Witnesses saw a man fleeing the scene in a car, and police are investigating.

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