Matthew Shepard Human Rights Triangle

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – Sheriff’s detectives found the man they say desecrated a pair of tribute trees honoring pioneers of the gay rights movement in the center of West Hollywood this week, say officials.
The incident occurred Thursday night, March 26, with a second on Saturday night, the result of which left the trees, one a flowering Chinese Magnolia and the other a California Live Oak, suffering from considerable damage.
A transient named Bruce Bartmann, age 47, who is known to make WeHo his tramping grounds, was captured by a Sheriff deputy who spotted him in the Beverly Hills Court hallway on Wednesday; recognizing him from a photo that had been making the rounds, he arrested him on the spot.
The flowering Chinese Magnolia was planted to honor Morris Kight, who died just weeks after his tree’s planting in 2002.
He was honored at that time for his pioneering of the gay movement; founding Gay Pride, co-founding the LA Gay & Lesbian Center, Stonewall Democratic Club are just a sampling of his achievement.
The incident occurred Thursday night, March 26, with a second on Saturday night, the result of which left the trees, one a flowering Chinese Magnolia and the other a California Live Oak, suffering from considerable damage.
A transient named Bruce Bartmann, age 47, who is known to make WeHo his tramping grounds, was captured by a Sheriff deputy who spotted him in the Beverly Hills Court hallway on Wednesday; recognizing him from a photo that had been making the rounds, he arrested him on the spot.
The flowering Chinese Magnolia was planted to honor Morris Kight, who died just weeks after his tree’s planting in 2002.
He was honored at that time for his pioneering of the gay movement; founding Gay Pride, co-founding the LA Gay & Lesbian Center, Stonewall Democratic Club are just a sampling of his achievement.
Ivy Bottini, who serves on the WeHo Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board, was honored at the same time for her part in the founding of the LAGLC, her work in AIDS activism and her leadership in the city on gay issues.
The tree she selected was a California Live Oak.
The park was dedicated to Matthew Sheppard, a Wyoming man who was tortured and killed by homophobes.
The magnolia suffered the worst of the vandalism, being a softer, faster growing wood.
Its limbs were mostly torn off the tree, with the branches left lying around the tree in a heap.
The oak tree suffered minor damage to its smaller branches, but the tree was also toppled, leaving it wobbling in the soil.
Detective Brian Nelson, the lead detective on the case, told WeHo News the Mr. Bartmann had a history of doing unusual things on occasion, and an informant stepped forward after hearing/seeing the report on WeHo News.
A similar incident took place recently, although not involving monument trees, in which Mr. Bartmann was contacted, but the investigation in that case went no further.
The trees have been tended to and mended, with David Gardner, the city’s Urban Forester, saying that they will both survive the damage done to them.
Mr. Bartmann is held in the Twin Tower jail facility on $20,000 bail,
His arraignment has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the charge of felony vandalism, he faces as many as three years in jail.
from WeHoNews

Flying Your Gay-Rights Flag

NEPTUNE, NEW JERSEY — Should the display of flags symbolizing sexual orientation — such as the gay-rights rainbow flag — be allowed in "family neighborhoods"?
That's a question the Township Committee has been asked to tackle at an April 28 public meeting with the Shark River Hills Property Owners' Association.
The question is one of 23 that have been submitted to Mayor Michael Brantley and the committee by members of the association.
"Ref: Display of sexual orientation flags," the question begins. "More and more, we are noticing flags being displayed on (Shark River Hills) properties declaring the occupants' sexual orientation or proclivity — not just the multicolored "gay' striped flags, but also banners indicating fetishes and or other "lifestyle' choices.
"While this type of display may be acceptable in certain gay enclaves, there is simply no justification for it in a family oriented neighborhood like (Shark River Hills.) Your comments?"
Deputy Mayor Mary Beth Jahn said she could answer the question in two words: "First Amendment," she said.
The meeting, set for 7:30 p.m. at the Shark River Hills firehouse on Brighton Avenue, is an annual event during which Shark River Hills residents can discuss their concerns with members of the committee and various department heads.
Each year, questions are submitted to association president JoAnne Collins for inclusion in a letter to the mayor, Collins said.
Collins said "nearly 100 percent" of the questions are submitted anonymously, and she does not filter them.
"I include any question. It's up to the mayor whether he wants to address it or not," Collins said.
She said the question about the flags "is definitely not a concern of mine, nor is it a concern of the property owners' association as a whole."
She said the person who submitted the question "thought one of the flags was explicit in nature."
Committeeman Randy Bishop said he was not sure whether the question would even be addressed.
"I don't know what Mayor Brantley will do," he said.
Brantley could not be reached for comment.
Bishop said he believes that the township "has no business infringing on First Amendment rights of any type because, truthfully, people could be offended by any number of things, and where does it stop when you start?"
Jahn was more blunt, calling the question "extremely ignorant."
"It's a poor reflection on Shark River Hills and the homeowners' association that would even submit that," she said. "It's very painful to learn that we have that kind of bias and ignorance living within our town."
Jahn also wondered why gays and lesbians "are not considered to be family-oriented."
Bishop and Jahn said they have never seen the kinds of flags referenced in the question displayed in Shark River Hills.
"But I will be out looking for examples," Jahn said.
See Say What? Skewed views on strange news. Today: Official attacks zoo's choice of gay elephant
Brantley could not be reached for comment.
Bishop said he believes that the township "has no business infringing on First Amendment rights of any type because, truthfully, people could be offended by any number of things, and where does it stop when you start?"
Jahn was more blunt, calling the question "extremely ignorant."
"It's a poor reflection on Shark River Hills and the homeowners' association that would even submit that," she said. "It's very painful to learn that we have that kind of bias and ignorance living within our town."
Jahn also wondered why gays and lesbians "are not considered to be family-oriented."
Bishop and Jahn said they have never seen the kinds of flags referenced in the question displayed in Shark River Hills.
"But I will be out looking for examples," Jahn said.
from Asbury Park Press

Texas Christian University To Provide Gay And Lesbian Housing

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - Texas Christian University offers special housing for students interested in world affairs. The environment. Foreign languages. And, starting this fall, gay and lesbian issues.
TCU is apparently the first campus in the state to reserve housing for gay students and straight students who support them. And that's earning kudos from advocates for gay students.
"It just basically says that TCU wants their campus to be safe for all students and wants everyone to feel welcomed," said Shane Windmeyer, executive director and founder of Campus Pride. The nonprofit group supports gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender college students.
Like many colleges, TCU offers themed housing, called "learning communities," in addition to traditional dorms or apartments. For instance, there's the Green House, for students who care about the environment. The Language and International Living House, for those who want to master another language.
Some students proposed a community with a gay and lesbian theme, and so the "DiversCity Q" community opens this fall in some on-campus apartments. Also opening: themed housing for patriotism, fine arts, marine biology and Christianity.
The idea is that students "are able to live with and near other students who have similar interests," TCU spokeswoman Lisa Albert said.
Windmeyer said TCU appears to be the only campus in Texas that offers housing with a gay and lesbian theme.
Campus Pride rates colleges across the country on their friendliness toward gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students. Housing, counseling services and campus nondiscrimination policies are among the criteria. Campus participation in the ratings is voluntary; TCU is not included. Rice University in Houston receives the best rating in Texas, and the University of Texas at Austin comes in second.
Sam Wunderl , a TCU junior, said he thinks gay-friendly housing is "a big step forward" for TCU, and he believes most students are fine with the idea.
"I just think it's important for gays to feel included," said Wunderl, who is straight.
The decision, first reported by the TCU student newspaper, has received mixed reaction in the online world. On Twitter, users posted a range of comments.
"Proud of TCU for being progressive, but there's always the danger of entering 'separate but equal' territory," one woman wrote.
"Very progressive!!" one another woman wrote.
"Awful idea," one man wrote.
from The Dallas Morning News

Gay Men Who Father Children Are 'Egocentric And Vain'

Rupert Everett has launched a scathing attack on gay men who father children - branding them "egocentric and vain".
The openly gay actor slammed surrogacy for homosexual couples as "utterly horrendous" - and poured scorn on gay marriages.
And he rounded on the "tiresome" gay movement, insisting it is populated by "middle-class queens".
The My Best Friend's Wedding star told the Daily Beast website: "I think this surrogacy thing is crap. It is utterly hideous. I think it's egocentric and vain.
"And these endless IVF treatments people go through. I mean, if you are meant to have babies then great. But this whole idea of two gay guys filling a cocktail shaker with their sperm and impregnating some grim lesbian and then it gets cut out is just really weird.
"If I did have the impulse to be a parent, I would adopt - or foster. But this whole thing of forcing the idea of parenthood on us gay men is so bogus. Marriage? Babies? Please. I want to be illegal. I want to live outside the mainstream."
He added: "Or am I slightly ahead of the curve? It has to change. These awful middle-class queens - which is what the gay movement has become - are so tiresome. It's all Abercrombie & Fitch and strollers. Everybody has the right to do what they want to do, but still..."
It's not the first time the actor has expressed strong views.
In June last year he was forced to apologise after branding British soldiers "whining wimps".
His unfortunate remarks came the day before the death toll of troops killed in Afghanistan reached 100 after three British servicemen lost their lives in a suicide bomb blast.
The 49-year-old gay actor, whose father is a retired major, said that modern recruits were "pathetic" and added that "the whole point of being in the Army was wanting to get killed".
He also suggested that many recruits enlisted just so they could torture prisoners.
He issued an unreserved apology saying he felt "terrible anguish" at his earlier remarks.
from Daily Mail

Six Gay Men Shot To Death In Iraq

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - Six gay men were shot dead by members of their tribe in two separate incidents in the past 10 days, an official with Iraq's Interior ministry said.
In the most recent attack, two men were killed Thursday in Sadr City area of Baghdad after they were disowned by relatives, the official said.
The shootings came after a tribal meeting was held and the members decided to go after the victims.
On March 26, four additional men were fatally shot in the same city, the official said, adding that the victims had also been disowned by their relatives.
The official declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Witnesses told CNN that a Sadr City cafe, which was a popular gathering spot for gays, was also set on fire.
from CNN

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aEYgLXSI2Jnq1ZgrKdAkww?authkey=Gv1sRgCNmX463a4qWX_QE&feat=directlink

From Garibaldi Gay

Cancer Patients Win Lost Sperm Case

LONDON - Six cancer patients whose sperm samples were lost by Britain's National Health Service have won their claim for damages in a judgment which establishes the legal principle that a man's semen is his own property.
The case, which could cost the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation, is expected to lead to a review of the law relating to ownership of human body parts.
In yesterday's judgment the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, the most senior judge in England and Wales, rejected the notion that sperm held by North Bristol NHS Trust had the same legal status as a discarded toenail or hair cut at a barber's shop.
Lord Judge, Master of the Rolls Sir Anthony Clarke and Lord Justice Wilson, ruled that the sperm samples - given by the men after they were warned by doctors that chemotherapy might damage their fertility - were the property of the six who could claim damages for the loss.
"Unlike products of the body which are removed from it with a view to their being abandoned - such as cut hair, clipped nails, excised tissue and amputated limbs - the sperm was ejaculated with a view to its being kept," said the judges.
Their ruling, overturning the county court judgment in favour of the NHS trust, opens the door for the men to claim for psychiatric injury or mental distress at a later date.
Lord Judge said: "The appeals raise interesting questions about the application of common law principles to the ever-expanding frontiers of medical science."
He said the "novel question" was whether the men could sue over the loss of semen produced for possible later use.
The men were diagnosed with cancer and received treatment at Southmead Hospital, Bristol. They were told chemotherapy treatment might damage their fertility.
They also agreed to save semen samples for possible later use, but in 2003 liquid nitrogen in storage tanks fell below the required level, the semen thawed and was lost.
The men, none of whom wants to be named, believed their hopes of fathering children were dashed.
Some have regained their fertility and one has died.
The hospital trust denied liability, saying the samples were not property in the legal sense.
But the Court of Appeals judges ruled that the sperm retained a significant property, "namely that, although ... suspended by having been frozen, it remained in essence biologically active ... a living nexus with the men whose bodies had generated it".
from The New Zealand Herald