MARCH 5, 1999 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

9

NEWS BRIEFS

FBI investigates arson at Texas lesbian-gay church

Denton, Texas-The FBI has become involved in the investigation of a fire at a gay and lesbian church.

Harvest Metropolitan Community Church has been the target of vandalism since the beginning of the year. In January, thieves stole a rainbow flag from the front of the church. In another incident, the church's flag was set on fire, destroying the flag, causing damage to the flagpole and scorching the ground around the flagpole.

In the most recent incident, an accelerant (believed to be gasoline) was thrown on the church sign and the front driveway of the church and set on fire.

The police, fire department and county fire marshal have filed reports and have taken the remains of the church sign for analysis and later use as evidence.

Because the vandalism involved fire on property owned by a church, the crime was reported to the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

The ATF investigated and referred the case to the FBI's Hate Crimes Task Force, which assigned an agent to investigate the incident.

According to church officials, there is no evidence at this time to clearly identify the arson as a hate crime, as the church has not received recent hate mail or hate phone calls.

Over the past year, however, the church has faced opposition from the community to their plans for expansion.

Postcards tattle on accused

Richmond, Va.-The Richmond Police Department has been accused of unconstitutional harassment for sending postcards to people charged with indecent exposure, soliciting and other sex-related crimes in city parks.

The postcards, which recommend that accused offenders and their families get tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, are part of Operation Park Cleanup. The program was launched in November at three Richmond parks in an effort to rid them of people, primarily men, who go looking for sex partners.

Shirley Lesser, executive director of Virginians for Justice, an advocacy group for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and people with AIDS or HIV, said most men in the parks were not arrested for having sex, but for discussing the possibility of having sex later.

"We think it's a coordinated attempt to silence those who they think are in the gay community," Lesser said.

Richmond police spokeswoman Cynthia Price said police are not trying to intimidate people, just warn spouses or significant others who could be hurt by the behavior.

Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Virginia said the postcards are illegal.

“It serves no public purpose,” Willis said. "It presumes the recipient is guilty when they've only been arrested, and it invades privacy.'

At least 53 people have been charged with sex-related activity at the parks and have received a postcard.

Minister blasts pro-gay film

Ft. Lauderdale-Conservative Christian evangelist D. James Kennedy used his February 28 broadcast of The Coral Ridge Hour to attack PBS's decision to air It's Elementary, an award-winning documentary designed to positively portray gay men and lesbians to school age children.

Calling the film “dangerous and disturbing” and “a systematic exploitation of innocent children," Kennedy urged followers to call their local PBS stations to "fight against it."

"Move over Big Bird. Say hello to Heather and her two mommies," a voiceover says during the spot.

Kennedy claimed that It's Elementary would "convince children to try homosexuality."

He accused the filmmakers of using "bait and switch" techniques to "connect homosexuality with good feelings a child has in order to influence his opinion."

Kennedy went on to complain that the film does not address the "negative realities [of homosexuality] such as the disease, above average substance abuse and suicide incidence and the epidemic rates of death from AIDS."

Shepard murder trial postponed

Cheyenne, Wyo.-The trial for one of two men accused in the beating death of Matthew Shepard has been postponed.

Judge Jeffrey A. Donnell moved the start of the trial for Russell Arthur Henderson from March 22 to April 6 due to a scheduling conflict involving one of the attorneys.

Shepard died following a brutal beating in Laramie in October. Police have said the attack was motivated in part because he was gay.

Henderson and Aaron James McKinney, both 21, are charged with murder and face the death penalty if convicted. McKinney's trial is set for Aug. 9.

In another recent move, Donnell denied a request by Court TV for live, uninterrupted coverage of Henderson's trial. He said he based his decision on concern for the privacy of witnesses and jurors.

Another concern, Donnell said February. 23, was being able to seat an impartial jury in McKinney's trial if TV cameras were allowed.

Hate groups thrive online

Montgomery, Ala.-The Internet is to blame for a dramatic increase in the number of hate groups-many of them advocating violence against gay men and lesbians— operating in the United States, the Southern Poverty Law Center said recently. Their ranks swelled to 537 last year, up from 474 in 1997, the center said in its annual Intelligence Project report. "The Internet is allowing the white supremacy movement to reach places it has never reached before— middle-and upper-middle class, collegebound teens," said Mark Potok, a researcher for the center.

Compiled from wire reports by Doreen Cudnik, Dawn Leach, and Eric Resnick.

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