Firefighters May Sue Over Pride Parade Participation

SAN DIEGO - Four San Diego city firefighters have filed a complaint with the state saying their superiors forced them to participate in last month's gay pride parade, where they became targets of obscene gestures and sexual comments.
An attorney for the four sent a letter to the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing on Aug. 1, requesting the right to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
Fire Chief Tracy Jarman issued a statement yesterday saying she apologized to the men and plans to have the city's Equal Employment Investigative Office look into their complaints.
Fire Capt. John Ghiotto, Engineer Jason Hewett and firefighters Chad Allison and Alex Kane said they had objected to driving a city firetruck in the July 21 parade on duty, but were ordered to do so to avoid disciplinary action.
“They were getting nowhere through regular channels,” said their attorney, Charles LiMandri, West Coast director of the Thomas More Law Center.
The Thomas More center, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., is described on its Web site as a nonprofit public-interest law firm that promotes Christian values and freedoms through litigation and media attention. The center has been involved in the fight against removal of the Mount Soledad cross.
Fire department spokesman Maurice Luque said the fire crew was chosen because its fire Station 5 on Ninth Avenue in Hillcrest is in the community where the parade took place. Luque said another crew had volunteered, but bowed out for personal reasons, including a family death, the day before.
In statements filed with the state, the men said that along the parade route, they were subjected to offensive and lewd comments such as, “You can put out my fire,” and saw men blowing kisses at them. Then, they said, they had to endure protesters who yelled at them that homosexuality was a sin. Some comments were too graphic to print.
Jarman, who is a lesbian, said the fire department has participated in community parades and festivals, including 15 years at the gay pride parade, without a sexual harassment complaint.
from The San Diego Union Tribune

San Diego City Council Gay Pride Month Vote To Be Protested By Former Gay Activist

SAN DIEGO - Proposed by Mayor Jerry Sanders, Council President Scott Peters, and lesbian council member Toni Atkins, the San Diego City Council is voting on Tuesday to proclaim July 2007 as the official "gay pride" month in the city. Some San Diego citizens have promised to protest this unprecedented lengthy time of government supported homosexual promotion in a US city.
Buried within a 47-page city document, Item 30 encourages the council to adopt the resolution by "Recognizing the many civic contributions of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in San Diego County, and encouraging all people to share in the pride of our City's diverse citizenry by participating in the 33rd Annual San Diego LGBT Pride community celebration parade, festival, and arts and culture programs." The resolution finishes by, "Proclaiming July 2007, to be "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month" in the City of San Diego."
An attached document of back-up material also states that this year's honorees include Bob Lehman and Thomas Felkner. According to James Hartline, the founder of California Christian News, both of these men used to own the Bourbon Street gay bar, an establishment that has a notorious history of gay porn stars coming in to do events and promote pornography. An additional honoree, Mick Rabin, is an active member of "San Diego Scouting for All," an organization that works to force the Boy Scouts to accept homosexuality.
Hartline is organizing a protest at the City Council on Tuesday when the vote takes place. He told LifeSiteNews.com that as a former homosexual activist, "I know what it is doing to people's lives and the culture. This whole event is full of triple-x pornography." Despite this fact, he continued, the city resolution is calling for "all people" to participate in the celebrations.
Two years ago, San Diego "gay pride" organizers received a storm of outrage when it was revealed that a number of registered sex offenders were hired to work in the homosexual celebrations. These workers included "Marty the Clown," who was scheduled to entertain at the San Diego Gay Pride Children's Garden.
Hartline commented, "When they were busted over pedophiles, they had a chance to get rid of the pornography because they're trying to sell themselves as a child friendly group. It would have lessened the accusations against them. But if they got rid of the pornography they wouldn't have sold any tickets."
Such a large and long-lasting celebration is unheard-off for a minority group. According to Hartline's belief, however, the city is trying to "extend the event as long as possible to desensitize people's opposition to homosexuality, so that when the gay marriage issue comes up before the California Supreme court, there will be less opposition to it."
from LifeSite

The Christian Gay Haters are Still At It

There's a battle going on to win the nation's kids to homosexuality, and James Hartline has stepped into the frontlines to protect them in the name of Christ.
For 33 years, the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Organization has made it difficult for local parents to shield their children from its influence, especially during its annual celebrations.
Little do many realize how aggressively homosexual communities pursue and recruit youth to accept and adopt their lifestyle.
Along the parade route
Just what would one see while attending San Diego's Gay Pride Event?
Hartline, who marched in the LGBT Pride Parade nine years ago before coming to Christ and leaving his homosexual lifestyle of 30 years, gives us a candid, first-hand look.
Panning across the summer festival, one would see pornographers, transvestites, male strippers, female flashers and scantily clad adults imitating homosexual acts as part of the public display.
The entire event is rife with derogatory visuals aimed at perverting young and innocent minds.
Last year, Hartline witnessed a man wearing a thong while pedaling the LGBT Pride Parade route on a bicycle and handing out candy to children.
This year, one can expect to see San Diego Cooperative Charter, a public kindergarten through 8th-grade school, marching its students in the parade under its banner in a repeat performance.
Hartline is dedicated to putting an end to the K-8 students' participation. He brought their involvement into the public eye after witnessing children as young as six years old being exposed to the obscene atmosphere of the parade last year. Children participated while handing out pencils donning the school's Web address.
What you won't see in this year's festivities are Poway High School's "Lancer's Dancers." Protests kept them from performing in the parade after the school's participation had already been arranged.
Children beware
Even more disturbing, the San Diego LGBT Pride Organization hired a registered pedophile, Marty the Clown, to entertain youngsters in the children's garden at the event.
"At least four other registered sex offenders were hired to fill salaried and voluntary supervisory positions for the festivities," Hartline said.
Hartline was instrumental in exposing the criminal history of two sex offenders who volunteered in LGBT Pride events.
Selling immorality
Licentious influences abound throughout the San Diego annual gay event, which openly invites children.
Little discretion was shown by event organizers, as an 11-year-old girl was seen leaving the festivities with a bag filled with condoms and sexual lubricants.
Hartline explained that the event provides an open market for gay porn companies, sex toy manufacturers, triple-x gay pornography and male escort services.
Ironically, the San Diego LGBT Pride Parade is promoted as a family-friendly festival. Yet its organizers announced that this year's event will carry even more pornographic material than previous years.
Government support
Not only does the San Diego Gay Pride event take place on public land funded by taxpayers, but the mayor, city attorney, politicians and police departments participate in the parade.
Governor Schwartzenegger also endorses this immoral event, as stated in his letter to the San Diego LGBT Pride Organization.
"The last few years have seen a significant shift in society's views toward the LGBT community... Icy intolerance is slowly melting away..., " he said. "My thanks to each and every one of you who work to promote the respect of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation... I reaffirm my commitment to join you in building a better California where everybody matters and every family counts. On behalf of all Californians, please accept my best wishes for a memorable event and every continued success."
The gay agenda is supported by the government both directly and indirectly.
Hartline notes that a key player in the LGBT Pride Parade, San Diego's Gay and Lesbian Center office, which was set up to fight for gay and lesbian marriage, received $2 million in government funds for HIV relief. Yet the money was refinanced and used to build an apartment for its youth center.
"Influential ACLU members belong to the SDGL center," said Hartline.
Youths, classified as a group of 14- to 24-year olds, come together under one roof at the SDGL Youth Center, which Hartline notes as being "utilized as a contact point for Gay-Straight Alliance high schoolers." The GSA is a conglomeration of teacher-sponsored clubs held in an increasing number of public high schools and middle schools.
More than just a hangout, the youth center "organized an alternative prom for 300 kids," Hartline said. It also supplies bowls of condoms and porn magazines on its premises, and tells kids that if they question their sexuality, they must be homosexual.
Infiltrating the schools
Being a member of the Gay-Straight Alliance or a comparable program is one of the requirements of the San Diego LGBT Pride Youth Internship program. The internship is available for high school seniors who would be responsible for recruiting other teens to join in its festivities.
"Many GSAs are started by students who were recruited to attend 'Camp Mini Town' two-week camps, where they were made to feel uncomfortable if they didn't accept sexual diversity," Hartline says. "A vast majority of camp attendees start up GSAs at their schools, where they distribute literature and applications to their peers."
Students are organizing "Day of Truth" events to counter Gay-Straight Alliance activities among their peers.
Suggested curricula for public schools' liberal sex education programs call for teachers to discuss homosexual practices and lifestyles in a favorable light, and to even invite adult gay and lesbian couples from the Gay Alliance into their classrooms to share what a "wholesome" homosexual relationship is all about.
The battle continues
Few understand the dangers of the strong homosexual influence on youth better than Hartline, who still lives in Hillcrest, the heart of San Diego's gay community.
After contracting HIV nearly 10 years ago, Hartline turned his life over to Christ and became "His ambassador" to fight the gay agenda. He spent many of his 30 years as a homosexual behind bars, and his self-destructive behavior and drug habit landed him in prison mental hospitals for 15 years.
To win the war, he gives educational tours through the Hillcrest community to show concerned adults what this nation's youth are up against, and what they can do about it.
Hartline leads the "Not on My Watch" team as they speak up against the gay agenda for three minutes every month at televised San Diego city council meetings.
Eight porn stores in his neighborhood, including one directly across the street from an elementary school, were shut down as a result of his ministry.
Join the good fight
Persecution from the gay community is an everyday reality for Hartline, yet heartfelt prayers continue to be his shield. His San Diego ministry welcomes supporters to help combat the gay agenda.
Find out more on how you can help protect youth from succumbing to the homosexual agenda by clicking on www.jameshartline.com
To keep younger generations from being exposed to the rampant immorality within the community, Hartline is also working to set up a prayer center in Hillcrest, which would focus on removing the influences that lure children into perversion and spiritual darkness.
To see how you and your church can get involved in your local community to protect children from proliferating gay influences, click on the Exodus International link at http://www.exodus.to/
from The Christian Broadcasting Network

Teen Sentenced In Gay Pride Attack

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - A 15-year-old El Cajon boy was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in a state detention center for youths for his role in hate-crime attacks against several men after a gay-pride festival in Balboa Park.
Juvenile Court Judge Theodore Weathers called the teen's crimes “heinous” and “beyond comprehension.”
When it was his turn to speak, the boy quietly told the judge he was sorry for what he had done.
Six men were assaulted with a knife and a baseball bat the night of the annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Festival in Balboa Park on July 29. One victim was stabbed in the back, and another victim was beaten so severely that nearly all of the bones in his face were broken, according to testimony.
Prosecutors said the boy, along with two men, kicked, beat and stomped on the victims. One assailant used a baseball bat and another used a knife.
The teen pleaded guilty Sept. 18 in Juvenile Court to three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and hate-crime allegations. He also admitted causing great bodily injury to one of the victims.
The guilty pleas allowed the boy to avoid prosecution in adult court, where he could have faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Defense attorney Robert Bourne argued yesterday that the teen needed counseling, substance-abuse treatment, education and vocational training, all of which could be provided at a local youth camp, rather than the state facility.
Citing a psychological report, Bourne noted that the boy “tended to be a follower” and was swayed by the older men who were with him in the park. He said also that the boy, who had no criminal record, was under the influence of drugs at the time.
“He's not trying to hide behind the methamphetamine, but it just changed his personality,” Bourne said.
Prosecutor Oscar Garcia said the victims, two of whom attended the hearing, wanted the judge to consider the “viciousness” of the attack when deciding the boy's sentence.
Paul Mullins, 34, one of the victims, told the judge that the teen and the men who participated in the crimes should spend time in state custody because “at no point did they show humanity or a sense of morals.”
The prosecutor said outside the courtroom that the boy could spend as little as two years at the detention facility if his counselors feel he is fit for release.
Two men involved in the case were sentenced to prison last week in San Diego Superior Court after pleading guilty to felony charges.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, James Carroll, 24, and Lyonn Tatum, 18, received 11 years and eight years, respectively.
Kenneth Lincoln, 24, got 32 months for helping to cover up the attack. Prosecutors said Lincoln was not present during the beatings, but that he tattooed Tatum and shaved his head to prevent him from being recognized and arrested.
from The San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego City Official Censors Pictures of 'Gay Pride' Parade

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - In a podium dispute with a Christian activist, San Diego City Councilman Scott Peters rejected pictures of the recent San Diego "Gay Pride" event to be shown to the public. The activist, James Hartline, had come before the Council during its open forum to make his case -- with photographic proof -- that city representatives erred in sanctioning the event.
Last July, the City Council approved a resolution termed "Gay Pride Week," which is capped off by a parade held at week's end. The resolution was initiated by councilwoman Toni Atkins -- the first openly lesbian mayor of the city -- who aggressively defends homosexual causes in her public life as a council member. In its July 25 proclamation, Council members -- by their vote of commendation -- unanimously encouraged San Diegans to attend the event on July 28-30.
Hartline speculated at the time that, if exposed, the parade would be a public embarrassment to them. He now wonders why they chose to hide what actually occurred during the event -- such as promotion of strip clubs like "Déjà Vu" and pornographer Larry Flynt's store "Hustler."
Speaking at the September 12 forum, Hartline explained that he thought the July action to officially sanction the pride event was in poor judgment. He stated that since children were present along the parade route, it was improper to sanction an event where pornography was promoted, condoms and sexual lubricants were distributed, public nudity was on display, and male escort and strip club businesses were participants. Much of this evidence was depicted in photographs taken by San Diego News Notes reporter Allyson Smith.
Some of the pictures Hartline attempted to show at the forum were, according to the activist, "more graphic in nature." Hartline explained that his purpose was to expose the hypocrisy of Council members in granting their July motion. However, Council chairman Peters chose to prohibit Smith's pictures from being viewed by the public. "I can't allow you to put these pictures on television," he stated in city chambers.
According to Pam Hardy, Peters' communications director, Hartline "wanted to show some pictures that were inappropriate" and, therefore, were prohibited from being shown. She did not agree that Peters exercised a form of censorship, despite Hartline's claim, and refused to respond further when asked to explain why the police refused to cite parade participants for public nudity. She deferred that question to the police department and refused further comment.
Hartline states he is not surprised that Hardy was curt with AgapePress. According to the activist, Hardy worked for KPBS (the Public Broadcasting Service in San Diego) for several years and attended UC-San Diego in La Jolla -- both of which have a long history of being unfriendly to conservatives, he adds.
The activist notes that such indifference apparently resides in the local government halls as well. Hartline points out that San Diego's city leaders have a recent history of demonstrating intolerance to groups like the Boy Scouts, yet condone groups that represent negative aspects of society.
from The Agape Press

Sentencing ing San Diego Gay Pride Attack

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - Three men who pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a series of brutal beatings after a gay pride festival in Balboa Park were sentenced yesterday to prison.
James Carroll, 24; Lyonn Tatum, 18; and Kenneth Lincoln, 24, admitted to criminal charges Friday on the second day of a San Diego Superior Court hearing in which prosecutors began laying out evidence.
In keeping with the plea agreement, Judge Frederick Maguire sentenced Carroll to 11 years in prison, Tatum to eight years and Lincoln to 32 months.
Prosecutors said Carroll, Tatum and a juvenile assaulted six men with a baseball bat and a knife July 29 as the victims were leaving the annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Festival in Balboa Park.
The attacks started about 10:45 p.m., on Redwood Circle near the lawn bowling center east of Sixth Avenue and north of Laurel Street.
One of the victims was beaten so severely that almost every bone in his face was broken. Reconstructive surgery was required for that victim, who almost died, and he spent two weeks in a hospital intensive care unit, according to court testimony.
Another victim, Paul Mullins, 34, testified he was hit twice with a bat by one assailant while another two shouted a gay slur.
Mullins said he called 911 after the attack and followed the men for about 10 minutes before they attacked another man sitting on a bench. He testified he then saw them beat a man in the bushes near Cabrillo Bridge while shouting “faggot.”
Mullins told the judge yesterday he was saddened and angry that no one who came in contact with the attackers, particularly those who heard them planning it, tried to stop them.
Mullins said he was “disappointed” he will have to attend a sentencing next week for a 15-year-old boy involved in the beatings, and speak to a judge about the teenager's fate.
“I don't know him. I don't know much about him, but this is what you've dumped in my lap,” Mullins said to the defendants.
The teenager pleaded guilty last Monday in Juvenile Court to three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and hate crime allegations. He could be sentenced to up to 13 years in the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Division of Juvenile Justice when he is sentenced Oct. 4.
Carroll pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault. He also admitted using a bat and carrying out a hate crime.
Tatum pleaded guilty to assault charges, using a knife and committing a hate crime.
Lincoln, who was on parole on a domestic violence conviction at the time of the beatings, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact. Prosecutors said he was not present during the attacks, but tattooed Tatum and shaved his head to help keep him from being recognized and arrested.
Lincoln and Carroll told the judge Friday that they disagreed with prosecutors' version of the facts, but felt it was in their best interest to take the plea agreement. Had they been convicted of the original charges they would have faced much longer sentences.
from The San Diego Union-Tribune

3 Men Plead Guilty In Attacks At San Diego Gay Pride

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - Three men arrested in connection with a series of beatings after a gay-pride festival in Balboa Park that prosecutors said were hate crimes pleaded guilty yesterday to criminal charges.
James Carroll, 24; Lyonn Tatum, 18; and Kenneth Lincoln, 24, admitted the crimes on the second day of a preliminary hearing in San Diego Superior Court, during which they heard testimony from three victims.
Prosecutors contended that Carroll, Tatum and a juvenile attacked the men with a baseball bat and a knife shortly after the annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Festival ended July 29.
Carroll pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault, and admitted he used a bat in the attacks. He also admitted committing a hate crime and agreed to be sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Tatum agreed to an eight-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to assault charges, using a knife and committing a hate crime.
Lincoln, who was on parole for a domestic-violence conviction, was not accused of taking part in the attacks, but prosecutors said he shaved Tatum's head and tattooed his arm afterward, apparently to change his appearance.
Like Carroll, Lincoln told the judge yesterday he did not agree with the prosecutor's version of facts of the case, but felt it was in his best interest to take advantage of the plea bargain.
He pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and will likely be sentenced to 32 months in prison.
Judge Frederick Maguire is scheduled to sentence the men Monday.
A teenage boy who also was involved in the attacks pleaded guilty Monday in Juvenile Court to three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and hate crime allegations. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 4.
Prosecutor Oscar Garcia said six men were attacked that night and that the most severely injured victim underwent reconstructive facial surgery and was recently released from a hospital.
Garcia said he did not know whether the man would appear in court Monday, but that all of the victims have been invited to attend and testify.
During the preliminary hearing, a detective told the judge that a girl said two men and a juvenile told her at a party that they were going out to rob people the night of the gay-pride festival. When they returned, the men were heard bragging about the assaults, with one saying he stabbed a man and another saying he smashed someone in the head with a bat.
The girl identified the man with the bat as Carroll and the man with the knife as Tatum, according to the testimony.
One of the victims, Paul Mullins, said he was hit twice with a baseball bat and that he saw the assailants attack two other men while shouting a gay slur. Mullins, 34, said he followed the attackers toward the festival for more than 10 minutes while talking to a 911 dispatcher.
Mullins said he saw the attackers assault a fourth man on a bench in Redwood Circle, an area where he said gay men often congregate after dark
from The San Diego Union-Tribune

Teen Pleads Guilty In San Diego Gay Pride Attacks

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - A teenager yesterday admitted that he took part in attacks on several men after they left July's gay pride festival in Balboa Park.
The 15-year-old pleaded guilty in Juvenile Court to three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and hate crime allegations. He also admitted he caused great bodily injury to one of the victims.
He faces a possible sentence of up to 13 years in the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Division of Juvenile Justice, formerly known as the California Youth Authority. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 4.
Because of the guilty pleas, the boy avoided possible prosecution in adult court, where he could have been sent to prison for up to 15 years if convicted.
Deputy District Attorney Oscar Garcia has said the boy was one of four people accused in connection with the attacks on six men as they were leaving San Diego's 32nd annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Festival. The men were assaulted July 29 about 10:45 p.m. on the park's Redwood Circle east of Sixth Avenue, authorities said.
Garcia said the youth participated in the attacks with two men after the trio decided to go out and rob people to get drugs. The prosecutor said the teen “stomped” on one victim's head and neck and that he kicked and beat other victims.
The assailants wielded a baseball bat and a knife and yelled anti-gay slurs, Garcia said. One victim had his skull broken, another was stabbed in the back.
Prosecutors are expected to present evidence against the others facing charges during a preliminary hearing scheduled for tomorrow in San Diego Superior Court.
One of the accused, James Carroll, 24, is charged with two counts of attempted murder and faces up to 24 years in prison. Both he and Lyonn Tatum, 18, are charged with assault with a deadly weapon and hate crimes.
Kenneth Lincoln, 23, is accused of being an accessory after the fact.
from The San Diego Union