Around The Nation

Virginia

University Of Virginia Students React To Anti-Gay Violence On-Campus

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA -- A spokesperson for the University of Virginia Queer Student Union told a reporter for local NBC29 WVIR News that the group is done tolerating hateful attacks on the UVA campus.

Wo Chan, a member of the UVA Queer Student Union said,

"I'm just outraged that this could still happen, that there are people out there that think it's OK to just assault someone because of their sexual identity."

The reaction from the QSU was prompted by an attack near Brooks Hall, which is home to UVA's Anthropology Department, late last week in which campus police investigators told LGBTQNation Monday afternoon they suspect may be a "gay-bashing."

According to the QSU and university officials, Thursday's assault is not the first on the sprawling campus located in downtown Charlottesville. In 2009, a student was attacked on Stadium Drive near the football stadium by five young men who were yelling homosexual slurs.

The University of Virginia Police Department released a statement to the University community that read in part, “The University of Virginia Police Department is investigating an assault that occurred near Brooks Hall on Nov. 15, at approximately 10:15 p.m. This crime appears to have been motivated by bias based on slurs spoken by the suspect to the victim regarding the victim's sexual orientation just moments before the assault. The suspect, who was walking with a group of people, struck the victim in the face and then continued on foot towards the Corner. The victim was treated for injuries at Elson Student Health." 

Representatives from the UVA Queer Student Union say that this time education is key to keeping these events from happening in the future. Katie Mayfield, a member of the queer student union said, "We're actually planning self-defense training at an upcoming workshop for the Queer Student Union." 

She added; "I found out about the hate crime on Friday night, about a day after it had happened and an e-mail still hadn't gone out to the student body, which was a problem, of course, because the person who had attacked the student was still out there." 

A spokesperson for the university's police department declined to comment regarding QSU and other student leaders complaint about the delay by UVA Police Chief Michael Gibson by not sending  the email alert to students until Saturday morning.

QSU's Mayfield said, "It's clear that this is not the last event of its kind that's going to happen, and so hopefully we'll be able to equip people better to handle it in the future."

Florida

Key West Police Make Anti-Gay Hate Crime Priority Investigation

KEY WEST, FL -- Police in this resort city are labeling the beating of two men on November 10 a hate crime and police have pushed it to the front of the department's investigations. The city's Mayor,Craig Cates told reporters; "The whole Police Department is focused on this."  

The local Keynoter newspaper reported that John Stutter, 33, and Nicholas Leddy, 31, a gay couple from Brooklyn, had attended a wedding for two friends at the Hemingway House historic site nad afterwards as they were walking down Duval Street in the early morning hours an unknown young man came up from behind and called them "faggots." 

The police department report stated that after cursing at them, "Stutter said the unknown male then punched him in the neck." The victim also reported that he was then put in a headlock and punched "several times" in the head. A passerby intervened and the suspect took off.

Ket West police spokesperson Alyson Cream declined to comment on the case futher but did note that there is possibly video footage recorded by a security camera near the crime scene. She added; "The detectives do not discuss while it's still open and under investigation," she said. 

Mayor Cates however took exception to this crime saying; "I'm very serious about this. We don't want any crime- hate crimes ... they're crimes for a senseless reason." 

The mayor also noted that the city of Key West hosts some 2.5 million visitors per year and that there's no indication at this point whether the alleged attacker is a local or from out of town. Contained in those visitor figures are a large number of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender tourists who have long flocked to Key West for the non-judgmental attitude. 

The Florida Attorney General's Office tracks hate crimes with the most recent figures available being gathered in 2010; that year there were 149 reported hate crimes in Florida. According to the AG's report:"Hate crimes motivated by the victim's race represented 46.3 percent of all reported hate crimes, followed by sexual orientation at 21.5-percent, religion at 19.5-percent and ethnicity/national origin at 12.7-percent. No hate crimes were reported under the categories of physical disability, mental disability or advanced age."

Florida law allows for enhanced penalties against defendants found guilty of committing a hate crime.

New York

City Of Syracuse Approves Transgendered Protections

SYRACUSE, NY -- In an 7 to 1 vote Monday the Syracuse Common Council approved a bill to amend the existing Syracuse Fair Practices Law- which was passed in 1990 to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation- to include gender identity and expression as protected categories. Passage of this legislation adds to the local civil rights law to protect transgender and gender non-conforming residents from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations, such as restaurants, hotels and stores.

Council President Van Robinson said;

“Hopefully this legislation will bring us a step closer to the dream of Martin Luther King, where people are judged solely on character and not race, creed, color, gender, transgender or sexual preference."

According to the Syracuse Post-Standard newspaper, as council president, Robinson did not vote, but took the opportunity to talk about his experiences as an African-American man in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Robinson said he remembered being denied the right to eat in restaurants, learn in certain schools or work at some companies and knows the pain of name calling. 

Barrie Gewanter, director of the New York Civil Liberties Union Central New York Chapter today applauded the council's vote;

"In passing this legislation, the Common Council has reaffirmed our city’s commitment to respecting the civil rights and basic human dignity of all residents,"Gewanter said. 

"Nobody should be denied service at a doctor’s office or fired from a job because of the way they express their gender. We applaud the Common Council for closing this gap in local anti-discrimination laws across upstate New York."

The passage of the Syracuse bill, which was sponsored by Councilor at Large Jean Kessner, builds additional momentum for the this statewide measure, known as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA).

The New York State Senate has effectively blocked consideration of a statewide law that would explicitly prohibit discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming people. 

"The strength of people’s civil rights protections shouldn’t depend on whether they live in an urban area," Gewanter said. "It’s time for our state legislators to stand up for true equality and fairness by supporting GENDA."

With the passage of this legislation, every large city in New York State has enacted basic civil rights protections for transgender and gender non-conforming residents and visitors. Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, Binghamton, Ithaca, New York City as well as Westchester, Suffolk, and Tompkins counties have similar local anti-discrimination laws.

Arizona

Christian Legal Group: Gays Can't Force Christian Clerks to Issue Same-Sex Marriage Licences

SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF, formerly Alliance Defense Fund) a American conservative Christian nonprofit organization, sent three legal memorandums Monday to municipal clerks and other officials responsible for issuing marriage licences in Maine, Maryland and Washington telling them that "they do not have to violate their faith or conscience by personally issuing licences to applicants who are of the same sex." 

The memos state:

[...] That in light of the three states’ “recent redefinition of marriage to include same-sex couples,” some clerks and auditors “might believe that they face a serious dilemma: either resign their positions or violate their sincerely held religious beliefs by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.” 

However, those officials “can readily resolve this potential religious conflict” by acting on the authority they have to appoint their responsibilities to deputies or assistants.

Austin R. Nimocks, who serves as senior legal counsel with ADF in its Washington, D.C. office said;

“No American should be forced to give up a constitutionally protected freedom, nor should any American be forced to give up his or her job to maintain that freedom. Religious freedom is paramount to every American, including those issuing marriage licences. They can perform their job without violating their conscience.” 

Nimocks added that the people and the governments should respect the faith and conscience of the clerks and that by doing so should provide no impediment to carrying out the law as the exclusions provided the basis for that respect.

One Washington D.C. based legal analyst told LGBTQNation Monday that a county clerk issuing a marriage licence is only required to ensure that the couple meetings the legal requirements of that state for marriage: i.e., residency, age, etc. In no case is the clerk required or even allowed to make a moral determination of suitability or appropriateness of any specific couple.

"If the couple agrees to be married and otherwise meets the legal requirements, by issuing the license, the clerk is merely certifying that the couple meets the legal requirements; the clerk is not required to perform or officiate the wedding (which is always separate from issuing and recording the license), nor otherwise approve or endorse. 

By telling clerks not to issue license, the ADF is recommending insubordination over something that is not even within the clerk's prescribed legal duties nor responsibility."