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August 15, 2008 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE
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newsbriefs
Couple severely beaten after one accused of kidnapping
Salt Lake City-A gay man and his partner were severely beaten by their nextdoor neighbors, who claimed that he abducted two children during an all-night party.
Prosecutors have not charged the assail-
ants.
Federation
Continued from page 1
year, state groups generated more than 30,000 voter contacts to members of Congress.
"We are at the intersection of state and national work," Broaddus said.
The federation was one of the lead organizations working to keep gender identity in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act when it was before the U.S. House earlier this year.
"State leaders know it is tougher to add protection for transgender people later," Broaddus said. "We knew we had to take a stand on ENDA and we took a stand."
Project to increase diversity in leaders
Pipeline Project developer and keynote speaker Clarence Patton of New York gave the keynote speech.
"Unfortunately, nonprofits in the LGBT sector appear to have been underperformers in achieving diversity," he said.
The Pipeline Project is currently conducting research and will be operational in 2009. It is funded by the Arcus Foundation.
Patton calls it "affirmative action for the gay industrial complex."
The project's mission is to work with LGBT organizations on issues of racial and ethnic diversity in leadership and membership.
"A recent publication by the Movement Advancement Project indicates that the leadership of the nation's LGBT organizations is actually less diverse today than it was a decade ago," said Patton.
"Only four percent of executive directors of LGBT organizations are people of color, one third less than in nonprofits in general," Patton continued.
"For the LGBT advocacy and service sector to be behind the curve in this respect sends a negative message to the communities it serves, ally organizations and communities, donors, and perhaps most importantly its opponents," Patton said.
Patton said that in 2004, the cultural right wing used this lack of diversity as an organizing tool to unite African-Americans and Latinos to support 13 state marriage ban amendments.
"They're using it to kick our asses," Patten added.
Patton said that lack of diversity also makes it more difficult to reach legislators of color or whose constituencies are of color.
"The LGBT advocacy and service sector's apparent lack of diverse leadership, spokespeople and ground troops only. served to reinforce the idea of an LGBT community monolith that was white, often middle aged, mostly male, and upper middle class or well off," he said.
Tug at pocketbook, or heartstrings
Ohio state representative Dan Stewart of Columbus also spoke.
Stewart is the Democratic co-sponsor of the LGBT Equal Housing and Employment Act in the Ohio House. He also represents Columbus' Short North neighborhood where the conference was held.
Stewart talked about his support for the bill, and that of his Republican co-sponsor Jon Peterson of Delaware.
It's going to take time and effort, Stewart said.
"There are people who we won't change their minds," Stewart continued, "but we can change policies."
But one of their victims is in jail, charged with kidnapping.
David J. Bell was at his next-door neighbors' house for a Fourth of July party that started late and went until dawn.
After he left at about 5 am, Bell says, his
Stewart said that from a legislator's perspective, issues are pushed through "either by tugging at the pocketbook or the heart strings."
"LGBT issues are both," Stewart said. "The question asked is always: What does it do for us as a community?"
During the final day of the conference, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner addressed those assembled.
Notes from around the nation
During a "welcome circle," each organization had one minute to present the positive things that they did over the year.
Equality Ohio program manager for education and outreach Kim Welter listed their Counter Ann Coulter event at Xavier University, passage of the Toledo domestic partner registry, passage of Dayton's human rights ordinance, the introduction of the Equal Housing and Employment Act in the Ohio legislature, and the delivery of 10,000 "Fired" cards to legislators.
Noteworthy mentions from other states included passage of a "mutual commitment" registry in Salt Lake City, formation of a statewide group in Idaho, and the promise of full marriage legislation in New Jersey by next year. Also:
NGLTF has seven field organizers in California working to defeat an amendment to overturn marriage equality there. The federation is providing some of them with office space. There was widespread agreement that the California effort is the single biggest campaign the LGBT movement has ever had.
Folks in Montgomery County, Maryland are working to defeat an antitransgender rights ballot initiative that is very similar to the one passed in Cincinnati in 1993 and repealed in 2004. It would prohibit transgender people from seeking the protection of their government.
The Rockaway Institute, another littleknown but significant LGBT organization is launching a 4,000 couple study of the effect of marriage on the relationship of LGBT couples and their families and associates. It is the largest study of its kind ever conducted.
Furniture designer Mitchell Gold has edited a book to be launched September 15 that includes coming out stories of LGBT luminaries. It is especially aimed at confronting religious bigotry that fuels homophobia, according to Gold.
It is also political, and no accident that it comes out in the middle of the presidential campaign.
"One of the pieces of the puzzle," said Gold, "is that a lot of politicians do not understand full equality."
"I don't think John McCain, or Barack Obama for that matter, know what people feel or what harm they cause a 14-year-old when they don't embrace marriage equality," Gold said. "They need to know the ramifications of what they say."
The meeting ended with the presentation of the "Feddie" awards to state organizations that submitted specific strategies and achievements over the past year.
Equality Ohio received Best Fundraising Effort award for the Coulter event, which raised $25,000 for progressive groups before the right-wing commenter spoke at Xavier. Others went to Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality Arizona, and Garden State Equality New Jersey.
neighbor's two-year-old daughter and a fouryear-old cousin came to his house, saying they couldn't sleep because of the party.
The neighbors say that Bell broke into their house as the party continued outside, and spirited away the children.
The two-year-old's mother retrieved both children ten minutes later.
Regardless of which version is true, neither side disputes what happened next: A group of people from the party smashed their way into Bell's home through a door and two windows, crashed a large TV set over his partner Dan Fair's head and brutally assaulted Bell.
They cut Bell's throat with broken glass and almost cut off one of his toes, and, using his long hair, slammed his head into a sidewalk resulting in permanent loss of hearing.
Fair suffered a broken eye socket and doctors had to fasten his forehead back together with staples.
Bell's family and his lawyer say that homophobia played a role, both in the assault and lack of prosecution. They are calling the incident a hate crime.
"If the mother had gone to that house and found D.J. with his wife, this would not have happened," Bell's attorney, Roger Kraft, told the Salt Lake Weekly. "But they jumped to the conclusion: Since he's gay, he must also be a child molester."
Bell remains in jail with bail set at $100,000.
*Kent State may offer partner benefits
Kent, Ohio-A tentative agreement between Kent State University and part of one of its unions would make the school the eighth state university to offer domestic partner benefits.
The tenure-track unit of the American Association of University Professors gave preliminary agreement to a new contract, which would still need to be approved by union members and then the board of trustees for the school.
It would grant sameand opposite-sex domestic partners benefits, although negotiators would not specify what form those benefits would take.
KSU tried to put off negotiations on new contracts until next year, when they would discover how much state money will be in their next biennial budget.
The tenure-track unit and the union covering non-faculty employees rejected the request, while the non-tenure unit of the AAUP agreed to a one-year contract extension.
The move would put the school in line with other state schools that offer domestic partner benefits: the University of Cincinnati, the University of Toledo, Miami University, Ohio University, Ohio State University, Cleveland State and Youngstown State.
Bridge company fires two in bashing
Minneapolis-The lead company replacing the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge has fired two workers after they were accused of beating a man leaving a downtown Minneapolis gay bar.
One of the men has been charged with fifth-degree misdemeanor assault in the incident. The other man has not been criminally charged. In addition to firing the workers, Flatiron Construction evicted them from company housing.
The victim, Karl Aarsheim, told KSTP Channel 5 that several men in construction vests approached him late August 5 as he was leaving the Eagle, a gay bar on Washington Avenue eight blocks from the bridge. He says the assailant now facing charges asked him if he was gay.
Aarsheim says he replied, "No, but what if I were?" He says that's when the assault started.
Flatiron has also been in discussions with Aarsheim to pay his medical bills stemming from the attack.
They are near completion of the new bridge, which replaces one that suddenly collapsed a year ago, killing 13 people and injuring 40.
'Eliminate the right' stays in ballot title
San Francisco-A proposed constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage will go on the November ballot with language clearly stating that it revokes current rights.
The measure's sponsors said they won't ask the state's highest court to throw out the revised title and summary Attorney General Jerry Brown prepared for the initiative.
ProtectMarriage.com had argued that Brown's amended version would prejudice voters against Proposition 8.
Last month, Brown's office rewrote the measure's title to say the proposition would "eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry." It had been called "Limit on Marriage."
If approved, Proposition 8 would overrule the California Supreme Court's May decision legalizing full marriage.
The August 11 decision came after both a Sacramento judge and an appeals court refused to order Brown to restore the original ballot language.
11 out athletes compete in Olympics
Beijing-Eleven openly gay or lesbian athletes are participating in this year's summer Olympics games, according to a list compiled by the Federation of Gay Games.
The list includes three Germans-Judith Arndt, a cyclist, Linda Bresonik, a soccer player, and Imke Duplitzer, a fencer. Three Americans are also noted, two-Lauren Lappin and Vicky Galindo-in softball and Natasha Kai in soccer.
Australia is represented by diver Matthew Mitcham and tennis player Rennae Stubbs.
Norwegian lesbian couple Gro Hammerseng and Katja Nyberg are competing in handball, while Victoria Svensson is on the Swedish women's soccer team.
Not guilty plea in Larry King killing
Ventura, Calif.—A 14-year-old boy has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his gay classmate.
Brandon McInerney entered the plea August 7 in a Ventura County Superior Court. McInerney is charged as an adult with first degree murder and a hate crime for the February 12 fatal shooting of 15-yearold Larry King at their junior high school in Oxnard.
Defense attorney William Quest said in court that he expected his client would die in prison if convicted on the severe charges.
"This is essentially a death sentence for Brandon McInerney," said Quest, who is asking that the boy be tried on a lesser charge of manslaughter. "That is the only way Brandon does not die in prison.”
McInerney faces 51 years to life without the possibility of parole if convicted. Prosecutors said they had no plans to change the charge.
"We believe the crime is charged appropriately," Chief Assistant District Attorney James Ellison said. "If we thought it was manslaughter, we would have filed it as manslaughter."
A jury can convict McInerney of manslaughter instead of murder unless the judge instructs them not to, Quest said.
The judge granted McInerney's attorney access to records from King's school, as well as those of a shelter for battered, neglected and troubled youth where King had stayed.
Compiled from wire reports by Brian DeWitt, Anthony Glassman and Patti Harris.
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