Dept. of Justice testimony on ENDA: Pass it now
Thomas E. Perez, head of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, testified before a Senate committee that the Obama Administration supports ENDA.
He said, “The Administration strongly supports fully-inclusive legislation that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Perez thanked Congress for passing the Matthew …
Tags: Civil Rights Division, Congress, Department Of Justice, Dept Of Justice, Discrimination, Gender Identity, Legislation, Senate Committee, Sexual Orientation, TestimonyLarry King’s killer to be tried as adult
After testimony about his ties to neo-Nazis, the boy who shot a gay classmate will stand trial as an adult.
Tags: Adult, Classmate, Larry King, Neo Nazis, Testimony, TiesNeo-Nazi ideas blamed in gay Oxnard teen’s slaying
July 22 marked the third and likely final day of testimony in the pre-trial hearing of a boy accused of gunning down a gay classmate at an Oxnard junior high school.
Prosecutors contended Tuesday in Ventura County Superior Court that the boy, Brandon McInerney, was motivated at least in part by neo-Nazi beliefs.
McInerney was 14 and Larry King was 15 when King was fatally shot during a computer lab class on Feb. 12, 2008. McInerney was acquainted with local neo-Nazis and kept a notebook with elaborate drawings of Nazi symbols and regalia, according to testimony from an investigator. McInerney, now 15, has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder.
Read more about the shooting and pretrial hearing.
See Neo-Nazi ideas blamed in gay Oxnard teen’s slaying
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Boy accused of killing gay classmate bragged he had guns at home, police say
Oxnard junior high school student Brandon McInerney bragged that he had guns at home if he ever wanted to kill someone, a police investigator testified at the youth’s pretrial hearing today in Ventura County Superior Court.
McInerney made the comment to another student at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard sometime before walking into the classroom and allegedly gunning down gay classmate Larry King on the morning of Feb. 12, 2008, said Oxnard police Sgt. Kevin Baysinger.
“Brandon said if he ever wanted to kill anybody, his dad had a bunch of guns and he had the capability,” Baysinger told the court. Other witness testified that McInerney, then 14, and King had been feuding over King’s alleged romantic overtures toward McInerney.
McInerney was clearly irritated after King, 15, reportedly said, “Baby, I love you,” the day before the shooting occurred, based on interviews with students. Other students reported similar threats, he said.
McInerney reportedly told one of King’s friends the day before the shooting, “Tell Larry goodbye because you’re not going to see him again,” Baysinger said. Other students reported similar threats, he said.
The testimony came during the first day of a pretrial hearing to determine whether the case should go to trial.
See Boy accused of killing gay classmate bragged he had guns at home …
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Sotomayor avoids saying whether marriage should be issue for federal courts
Sen. Charles Grassley had a testy exchange Wednesday with Judge Sonia Sotomayor about the federal government’s authority over marriage law.
During the Iowa Republican’s second turn at questioning the Supreme Court nominee, Grassley referred to a 1972 Supreme Court decision, Baker v. Nelson, in which the justices declined to consider a gay-marriage case. He asked whether she thought federal courts lacked authority to hear civil-rights cases involving marriage.
Sotomayor said the issue is pending in several courts, before Grassley cut her off.
“I thought I was asking a very simple question,” he said.
He ticked off a list of cases Sotomayor had referenced as precedent during her testimony on Tuesday. “You said these are precedents,” Grassley continued, raising his voice. “Now, are you saying to me that Baker v. Nelson is not a precedent?”
“It’s not that I’m attempting not to answer your question, Senator Grassley,” she said.
Grassley interrupted again, “Why are you hedging on this?”
Finally, Sotomayor said it had been since law school that she had reviewed the case, prompting Grassley to move on to another topic.
See Sotomayor avoids saying whether marriage should be issue for federal courts
The Des Moines Register
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Mass. legislators hear GENDA testimony
Mass. legislators hear GENDA testimony
Tags: Legislators, TestimonyJury begins deliberating in NY hate crime trial
(Syracuse, NY)A jury is deliberating at the trial of a 20-year-old upstate New York man charged with the hate crime slaying of a transgendered woman.
Prosecutors say Dwight DeLee fatally shot 22-year-old Lateisha (lah-TEE’-shuh) Green outside a Syracuse house party last November because of anti-gay bias.
Three days of testimony wrapped up …
Tags: Crime Trial, Delee, Gay Bias, Hate Crime, House Party, Last November, Prosecutors, Shuh, Syracuse Ny, Testimony, Transgendered Woman, Upstate New York, York ManPublic Outcry Kills Anchorage Gay Protections
An Anchorage, Alaska gay protections bill is likely doomed as public sentiment turns sour, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Hundreds of opponents appeared to testify against the bill at a Wednesday Anchorage Assembly hearing on the issue. The bill would protect gay men and lesbians from discrimination in the areas of employment, housing and credit. An original draft included transgendered persons, but lawmakers cut out the provision amid loud protest. Opponents’ demands have resulted in three drafts of the ordinance, including one that turns the protections on their head. That version would allow discrimination based on sexual orientation, while protecting other classes. “The added language in the third version guts the intent and the integrity of the ordinance,” said Jackie Buckley, spokeswoman for EqualityWorks, the group that lobbied for the gay protections. But time is ticking as a new, unsympathetic mayor is about to be installed on July 1, Republican Mayor-elect Dan Sullivan. Sullivan, however, gains veto power over all ordinances seven days prior, on Wednesday. As people continued to pile in to testify against the bill – nearly 600 people have signed up and only 300 have been heard – Anchorage Assembly Chairwoman Debbie Ossiander said Friday she will continue to allow testimony. The extension is likely to make it impossible to approve the bill before Sullivan gains veto control. Acting Mayor Matt Claman, a Democrat, supports the measure.
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Hundreds still scheduled to speak on gay rights amendment
A controversial amendment to an anti-discrimination ordinance is still up for discussion after the Anchorage Assembly didn’t get through all the public testimony Tuesday night.
The proposed law would make it illegal to discriminate against someone based on sexual orientation.
The assembly has already scheduled a special meeting for next Tuesday, June 16 to hear everyone who has signed up to speak about the ordinance.
More than 250 people remain on the waiting list to speak, which means another meeting might have to be scheduled to discuss this one ordinance.
Assembly Chair Debbie Ossiander, who represents Eagle River and Chugiak tried to begin the Tuesday meeting on a positive note. See Hundreds still scheduled to speak on gay rights amendment
KTUU
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DC Panel Hears Arguments On Gay Marriage Referendum Washington Post -
The battle over same-sex marriage in the District moved to the city election board yesterday as supporters and opponents packed into a hearing room to debate whether the city should put the issue on the ballot.
The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics, which currently has two members and one vacancy, will determine whether voters should have a chance in a referendum to block a bill legalizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.
The board heard four hours of testimony yesterday and is expected to make a decision Friday or early next week.
Both sides presented legal and political arguments about whether the same-sex marriage issue should be in the hands of voters or the politicians who represent them.
“All we are asking for is a public debate,” said the Rev. Dale Wafer, a supporter of the referendum and a minister with the Harvest, a religious community in Northeast Washington. “We are not afraid of a debate. All we want is a public debate.”
Philip E. Pannell, a longtime gay rights advocate and Democratic Party activist, accused referendum supporters of “advocating for a popular vote that will give vent to public homophobia.”
See DC Panel Hears Arguments On Gay Marriage Referendum Washington Post -
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