www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com November 7, 2008 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 5

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Elderly couple's murder may be linked to harassment

Indianapolis-The murder of two elderly gay men in their home is still under investigation, and police say there is no evidence yet that their deaths were a hate crime.

Milton Lindgren, 70, and Eric Hendricks, 73, were found in their home in mid-October by police, who were called by neighbors who had not seen the men in a while.

The couple had experienced some harassment in recent months, with their telephone and cable TV lines being cut and anti-gay letters being left on their door.

However, police would not rule out the possibility of robbery as a motive.

"We just really don't know all the details of why they were killed," Det. Robert Flack of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department told the Reporter-Times newspaper.

Police would not release information on the cause of the men's deaths.

They sought and found a person they wanted to question in late October, but as of November 1 wanted to speak to him again.

New York can divorce a Mass. marriage

New York City-Two women who were married in Massachusetts may be granted a divorce by New York courts, a judge ruled.

Judge Rosalyn Richter pointed to Gov. David Paterson's May edict that the state should recognize marriages performing outside of New York, which has no law limiting marriage to one man and one woman.

She also cited two other New York court cases in which marriages performed in Canada were recognized.

The decision was hailed as the first time the full faith and credit clause of the New York constitution was used to recognize a same-sex marriage performed in another

state.

Rightist leader posthumously outed

Vienna, Austria-The successor of a right-wing political leader confirmed that the late closeted official was gay, and that he had been in a relationship with him.

Jörg Haider died in October in a one-car high-speed crash after leaving a gay bar. Reports are that he was having an emotional dispute with his deputy, Stefan Petzner, who succeeded him as the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Austria, an archconservative party.

Petzner, who was in tears during many television appearances following Haider's death, said that Haider's widow did not object to his relationship with her husband.

Haider spent the last decade ignoring or deflecting rumors of his sexual orientation. Austrian politics is far less open to out LGBT people than neighboring Germany, and Haider feared losing many of his party's supporters, so he continued to present himself as the married man with two children.

Vatican to screen out gay seminarians

Vatican City-The Vatican has issued new psychological screening guidelines for seminarians, the latest effort by the Roman Catholic Church to be more selective about its priesthood candidates following a series of sex abuse scandals.

The church said it issued the guidelines on October 30 to help church leaders weed out candidates with "psychopathic disturbances."

The guidelines said problems like "con-

fused or not yet well-defined" sexual identities need to be addressed.

Vatican officials conducted an evaluation of U.S. Roman Catholic seminaries in response to the abuse crisis to look for anything that contributed to the scandal. The evaluation was completed in July 2006, but the results have not been made public.

The bishops and seminary staff who conducted the onsite reviews gave special attention to what seminarians are taught about chastity and celibacy. The Vatican also directed the evaluators to look for "evidence of homosexuality" in the schools.

Studies commissioned by the bishops' conference found that the majority of known victims of abuse by priests in the last 50 years were adolescent boys. In response, some Catholics have blamed gay clergy for the scandal; experts on sex offenders contend gays are no more likely than heterosexuals to molest children.

"If the church wants to rule out or screen out people who are risk for hurting people, they should be worried about how someone acts on their sexual orientation," said Thomas Plante, a Santa Clara University psychology professor who conducts screenings of prospective Catholic priests. "Whether it's heterosexual or homosexual, it doesn't matter."

A 2005 Vatican document said men with "deep-seated" homosexual tendencies shouldn't be ordained, but that those with a "transitory problem" could become priests if they had "overcome" it for three years. The Vatican considers homosexual activity sinful.

Scientists find possible TG gene

Melbourne, Australia-A study by scientists at Monash University and UCLA indicates that there may be a genetic link to transgenderism.

In the study of DNA from 112 male-tofemale transsexuals and 258 gender-conforming males, the transgender subjects were more likely to have a longer version of a certain gene.

The scientists posit that the longer gene may have made the brain less likely to detect testosterone in early development, resulting in a lack of masculinization.

"This is something people are born with, and it's certainly not a lifestyle choice as some have suggested," said Turdy Kennedy, director of the Monash Gender Dysphoria Clinic, in an interview with the Australian Associated Press.

'Grey's Anatomy' ends romance

Los Angeles-Callie and Erica's burgeoning lesbian romance on Grey's Anatomy is coming to an abrupt end, and so is Brooke Smith's role as Dr. Erica Hahn. Smith's final appearance as Dr. Callie Torres' flame comes in the November 6 episode of ABC's medical drama, the network said.

The move was a creative decision and unrelated to the sexual orientation of Smith's character, said series creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes.

"Brooke Smith was obviously not fired for playing a lesbian. Clearly it's not an issue, as we have a lesbian character on the show: Calliope Torres," Rhimes said in a statement.

Sara Ramirez, who plays Callie, is an "incredible" actress and the goal is "to play

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up her magic," Rhimes said. "Unfortunately, we did not find that the magic and chemistry with Brooke's character would sustain in the long run."

The breakup's effect on Callie will be reflected in upcoming episodes, Rhimes said.

"I believe it belittles the relationship to simply replace Erica with 'another lesbian,' Rhimes said, noting that Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) mourned the departure of Dr. Preston Burke (former cast member Isaiah Washington) for a full season.

Connecticut weddings begin Nov. 12

Hartford, Conn.-A Superior Court judge has set the date when same-sex couples can begin tying the knot.

Judge Jonathan Silbert has scheduled a hearing for November 12 to enter the final judgment in the case that allows same-sex marriages in Connecticut.

The proceeding is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Once completed, couples can pick up marriage license forms at town and city clerk's offices, according to attorneys in the case.

The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled 43 on Oct. 10 that same-sex couples have the right to wed rather than accept a civil union law designed to give them the same rights as married couples. Connecticut became the third state, behind Massachusetts and California, to legalize gay and lesbian marriage.

Three Soulforce members arrested

Waxahachie, Texas-Three members of a gay equal rights group on a nationwide bus tour of faith-based universities were arrested October 29 after going to a private campus that had banned them, officials said.

Three members of Soulforce were charged with trespassing after they tried to go to a chapel service at Southwestern Assemblies of God University, a 1,900-student Pentecostal school, according to the Waxahachie Police Department. Their bond was to be set at an arraignment that afternoon.

The group earlier sent a letter to Southwestern Assemblies requesting a forum, but the president declined and asked Soulforce to stay off the campus, said university spokesman Ryan McElhany.

The Southwestern Assemblies handbook lists homosexuality as an offense for which a student can be expelled, but if a current student is struggling with such feelings, he or she may be referred to counseling instead, McElhany said.

Soulforce has already held forums at nearly a dozen campuses since the Equality Ride tour began earlier this month to promote inclusion at schools it believes have policies that discriminate against gay students. Several Soulforce members have already been arrested for trespassing at three schools in other states.

Before the Wednesday arrests, about 15 Southwestern Assemblies representatives, including administrators and student leaders, had a "low-key discussion" with the 15 or so Soulforce members, McElhany said. Afterward, the bus remained parked in a public area near campus and some students went there throughout the day to talk to group members, he said. The school also provided the group with drinks and snacks, he said.

Girl in video bashing gets 18 days

Allegan, Mich.-An Allegan County teenager who authorities say participated in a videotaped attack on a young lesbian classmate has been sentenced to 18 days in juvenile detention and indefinite probation.

The southwestern Michigan girl also was ordered on November 3 to be evaluated for possible placement in a treatment program. The 15-year-old pleaded no contest in Allegan County Family Court on September 29 to aggravated assault.

Police say the girl and another teen defendant assaulted a fellow Wayland Union High School student June 10. The attack was recorded and posted online.

The second 15-year-old defendant has pleaded guilty and received the same sentence.

The then-14-year-old victim says the girls didn't like her because she is gay.

Compiled from wire reports by Brian DeWitt, Anthony Glassman and Patti Harris.

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