The investment fund that owns the Washington Blade, the Southern Voice, Genre magazine, and other gay publications has been forced into receivership by the federal Small Business Administration (SBA), which will sell the fund’s assets and distribute the proceeds to investors.

“As a consequence of defendant’s continuing violation… SBA is entitled to the injunctive relief… including the appointment of SBA as receiver of [the Avalon Equity Fund],” the SBA wrote in an August 2008 court filing, which was only recently found by Gay City News.

Avalon, which owns a stake in the company that publishes the New York Blade and HX, was licensed by the SBA as a small business investment company (SBIC) in 2000. Through 2007, it borrowed just over $38 million from the federal agency to invest in gay media properties and a range of other ventures.

As part of its contract with the SBA, Avalon was required to have private money or assets in the fund from sources, such as individual investors, that had a value equal to half the amount it borrowed from the SBA or just over $19 million. See Gay Media in Receivership
Gay City News 

The furor over “queer theory” and other reseach at Georgia’s public colleges and univesities has grown since this week’s issue of Southern Voice went to press, and shows disturbing signs of developing into a full-fledged witch hunt.

What started with comments from state Rep. Calvin Hill (see my editorial on that here) now includes Rep. Charlice Byrd, who spoke from the General Assembly well late this week to denounce “a major misuse of the state university system’s budget.”

“Did you know that the state universities offer such special interest classes and expertise on “Male prostitution”, “Queer Theory,” and “Oral Sex”? Yes, ladies and gentlemen… you heard right,” Byrd said, repeating Hill’s misunderstanding of topics listed in an “expert guide” distributed by Georgia State University.

 See More anti-gay attacks on Ga. universities
Sovo.com, GA

A gay and transgender-inclusive hate crime bill has been introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives, while a bill requiring HIV testing of prisoners was introduced in the state Senate.

Rep. Pedro “Pete” Marin (D-Duluth) had put forth the hate crimes bill, H.B. 111. It would offer sentence enhancement for hate crimes motivated by the victim’s “race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or national origin.”

The legislation would officially amend Georgia’s previous hate crimes law, which was struck down by the state Supreme Court in 2004 on the grounds that its definition of hate crimes as those motivated by “bias or prejudice” was unconstitutionally vague. Lawmakers had enacted the bill without naming specific categories out of concern that it would not pass if “sexual orientation” was included.

 See Hate crimes bill introduced in Ga. House
Southern Voice, GA

Former Atlanta Brave John Rocker used anti-gay slurs and anti-Semitic statements against local radio host Steak Shapiro during an altercation at the W Buckhead hotel’s grand opening last week.

News of Rocker being tossed from the glitzy Jan. 22 party was reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The newspaper stated Rocker used ethnic slurs against Shapiro, who hosts a sports talk show on AM station 790 The Zone, and in later stories reported that Rocker kept calling Shapiro a “Jew.”

The AJC did not report that Rocker used the word “faggot.” However, Shapiro, who is not gay, confirmed to Southern Voice on Jan. 27 that Rocker used the slur against him.

“It [faggot] is one of his favorite terms and he used it multiple times,” Shapiro said. “His exact words at least three times [were], ‘You Jew faggot.’ He is a pathetic guy.” See John Rocker uses anti-gay slurs again
Southern Voice, GA 

Gay and bisexual black men in America are the most likely people in the world to contract HIV, and community advocates say current efforts to stem the epidemic aren’t working.

“Gay black men are more likely to contract HIV than any other population in the country,” said Caudie Grissom, a counselor with Atlantabased National AIDS Education & Services for Minorities. “Even with all of our modern technology and medication, American black gay men are more likely to have HIV than people living in third world countries.”

NAESM sponsored the fifth annual National African-American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS. Held Jan. 22-25 in Atlanta, it attracted hundreds of community organizers and activists from across the country. See Bias behind higher rates of HIV in black gay men?
Southern Voice, GA 

Winston Johnson of Atlanta, who was a longtime friend of Coretta Scott King, will take part in a discussion with Dave Hayward of the gay Atlanta history project Touching Up Our Roots at YouthPride tonight. A reception begins at 6:30 p.m. with Johnson speaking at 7:30 p.m. The program is part of Atlanta’s numerous MLK Weekend events.

Johnson, who is gay, met Mrs. King right after the assassination of her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They became close friends and he eventually helped her begin her vocal gay advocacy after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in in 1986 in  Bowers v. Hardwick — a case that arose from Atlanta — that it was within a state’s right to arrest gay people who violated the state’s sodomy law.

Numerous parties are also taking place tonight as part of MLK Weekend, including an appearance by “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Sheree Whitfield at Vita.

 See Friend of late Coretta Scott King to discuss her gay activism
Southern Voice, GA -

A religious group that believes homosexuality is “evil” is trying to keep a leather S&M party from happening this weekend at Doubletree Hotel near Washington in Arlington, Va.

Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, a group “dedicated to exposing the homosexual activist agenda,” sent an action alert to its members today urging them to call the Doubletree and its owner Hilton to halt the event. Americans for Truth President Peter LaBarbera said a gay man forwarded his group an invitation to the event, supposedly hosted by a group called Fort Troff which dubbed it, according to Truth, a “pig sex” event called “MAL Maneuvers — for the purpose of pulling together hard-core pig players who want to fuck our brains out.”

LaBarbera told the Blade he’s trying to stop the event because in addition to his moral opposition to any gay activity, such an event in a hotel conference room is “illegal and a public health concern.” See Religious group attempts to halt leather ‘play party’ Southern Voice