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Alabama

Saga Continues In Beating Case Of Lesbian

MOBILE, AL -- The attorney representing Mallory Owens has quit without public explanation after Owens told a local television news crew that the statement released Friday on her behalf "contained mostly fiction." 

Mobile based attorney Christine Hernandez said she was withdrawing as counsel on Tuesday, the day after Owens spoke to the station and refused to disclose the specifics on why she was no longer working as Owens' attorney.

During the interview, Owens said she neither did not know about nor completely agree with claims made in a statement released by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation last week. Including claims that Owens said her family was being followed by Hawkins and the Hawkins family was trying to intimidate her. Since the statement was released and after a brief break-up according to the local news reports, friends said Owens has gotten back together with her girlfriend, Ally Hawkins.

Last week [Ally] Hawkins claimed her brother attacked Owens' because of couple’s involvement in drugs and prostitution. Those claims immediately caught the attention of Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich:

“Well, we are concerned with the allegation that they were engaging in criminal activity. And if the investigation reveals that they are still engaging in criminal activity, then charges can be brought, but we have no evidence of that at this point,” said Rich.  

Rich also indicated that Hawkins' comments seemed to confirm that the brutal beating was not based on the victims's sexual orientation and therefore was not a hate crime.

“The motive for the beating was not as a result of the relationship that was going on between the victim and the defendant’s sister. So that [interview] confirmed to us, and should confirm to everyone, that this is not a hate crime,” said Rich.

Rich told local media outlets she is still moving forward with Hawkins Jr.'s initial charge.

“We are moving forward with the assault second degree charges we are anxiously awaiting the arraignment and the preliminary hearing and taking it to a grand jury,” said Rich.

Travis Hawkins Jr. was arrested on November 25 and charged with second-degree assault in Owens' beating, which knocked her unconscious and sent her to the hospital with skull fractures and other injuries. He has been released on bail ahead of his first court date on December 10.

District Of Columbia

New Gallup Poll: 90% Of LGBT Americans Say Anti-Gay Discrimination Is Still A Serious Problem But Acceptance Is Gaining

WASHINGTON -- In a new Gallup Poll released Wednesday for USA Today, 90% of those polled who identified as LGBTQ said that anti-gay homophobic discrimination remains a serious problem.

The Gallup personnel also found that nearly 2/3 of the general population also agreed with that assessment. The poll also showed though that generally, the same 90% of LGBTQ Americans also believe that the wider population has become more accepting of LGBTQ people in recent years.

"A clear majority said that “it is not too difficult” or “not difficult at all” to live as openly gay or lesbian in American society." ~ USA TODAY

“I think there are huge changes” in attitudes Meghan Mitchell, a 19-year-old college student from Orlando told researchers. “My grandparents, they didn't know what gay and lesbian really meant; they thought it was bad.” She said that once they knew openly gay family members or friends “all of a sudden it wasn't such a scary thing any more.”

77% of gay Americans predicted that divisions over sexual orientation will one day become history.