[Gay] Gay News from Around the Gay World That is Gay

[garbon]

I don't think people should mention that horrible gay guy's name.

[Neil]

Yet another victory for heterosexuality.

[Martinus]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6529632.html

Fort Worth mayor apologizes for raid on gay bar
By ANGELA K. BROWN Associated Press Writer © 2009 The Associated Press
July 14, 2009, 11:38PM

FORT WORTH, Texas — Mayor Mike Moncrief apologized for a raid on a gay bar that sparked claims of brutality and procedure violations after several members of a gay rights group were escorted out of a City Council meeting Tuesday.
About 250 people packed council chambers and another 150 watched on televisions in the hallway or overflow rooms as officials briefly discussed the June 28 joint raid by the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission and the Fort Worth Police Department at the Rainbow Lounge, which left one man hospitalized with a serious head injury.

Moncrief told the meeting neither the TABC nor police had finished investigations into the raid, which initially had been called a routine license inspection. But the mayor said he has asked the U.S. Attorney's Office to review the department's findings.

Someone in the audience then called out for an apology.

"If you want an apology from the mayor of Fort Worth: I am sorry about what happened in Fort Worth," Moncrief said, as the crowd erupted in applause and stood.

Seven members of a gay rights group were escorted out of the building earlier after demanding council members let them immediately comment on the raid.

Two council members had called for independent investigations into the raid, after which Moncrief started to discuss other items on the meeting agenda. Blake Wilkinson, founder of Queer LiberAction, interrupted and said those who wanted to comment on the raid shouldn't have to wait. Moncrief tried to explain that public comments are always last on the agenda.

Wilkinson and another person kept arguing with the mayor, and several people in the hallway started shouting, "Hear us now!" "Hear us now!" Wilkinson and six others were then led out of the building.

But Moncrief changed his mind nearly three hours later and allowed people to speak about the Rainbow Lounge issue after the council had addressed only a few of the numerous agenda items.

Tom Anable told the meeting that on the night of the raid he saw an agent slam one man into a pool table after the man said he was drinking water and shouldn't be arrested.

Anable said he also saw a TABC agent slam Chad Gibson, 26, into a wall. But Anable said Gibson — who later was hospitalized with a serious head injury — never groped the agent, as police have alleged.

"I fled in fear," Anable said.

Sarah Bryant fought back tears as she said she had seen fights at bars before, but that night at Rainbow Lounge "was the first time that I was really afraid of the police." Kevin Crook said the incident had created such widespread negative publicity that it paints the city as "one remaining bastion of discrimination."

Councilman Sal Espino said the incident has led to a "crisis" in the community, "but we can overcome that."
Earlier Tuesday, Police Chief Jeff Halstead said he had appointed Officer Sara Straten as a liaison to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

Straten said her main goal is to improve communication. She said she would meet with residents to "try to make things better" but did not say if she would lead diversity and cultural training for officers, an initiative Halstead has said the department would start.

"It's a huge job, but it's doable," Straten said of her new position.

Yet another victory for homosexuality!

[Neil]

Not really.  Some guy who had nothing to do with the raids is sorry about them, and is covering his ass to avoid the inevitable lawsuit.  In the meantime, the Texas liquor loons are free to rough up gays in the future.

[Valmy]

Mayor Mike Moncrief apologized for a raid on a gay bar that sparked claims of brutality and procedure violations after several members of a gay rights group were escorted out of a City Council meeting Tuesday

Well that is the least he can do.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Bah. Used to be all gays were Bi-sexual. (married, breeding for King and Country, fucking who they want on the side. Fags ruined it for the rest of us.)

And they were horrible people, subjecting poor women to their unclean habits.

Really? ALL of them. Interesting.

there are many such jerks of all sexual orientations. Not some exclusive Bi thing.

[garbon]

Really? ALL of them. Interesting.

there are many such jerks of all sexual orientations. Not some exclusive Bi thing.

Well I'm sure there were a few cases where the woman was into that. But on the whole? Sure.  Also, I'm glad I didn't say that bisexual people were the only jerks!

[Valmy]

Really? ALL of them. Interesting.

there are many such jerks of all sexual orientations. Not some exclusive Bi thing.

Oh I thought that was a 'boys are gross' thing in general.

[garbon]

Oh I thought that was a 'boys are gross' thing in general.

No, it was more of a men doing it with men while having a wife () kind of thing.

[Martinus]

More news on the Texas gay bar raid. Nothing really interesting here, except for the bolded part, which I thought was pretty hilarious:

July 16, 2009
Reason for Texas Bar Raid Revealed
By Julie Bolcer

Police records indicate that the raid on a gay bar in Fort Worth on June 28 was prompted by a man's arrest for public intoxication two days earlier, according to WFAA-TV.

Video from a cruiser shows the man being arrested after officers saw him leaving the Rainbow Lounge very intoxicated earlier in the evening. Later that weekend, Fort Worth police officer and agents from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission returned to the establishment for what they called a routine bar check.

In addition, police recordings reveal that on the night of the raid, an officer called for help after he went inside the Rainbow Lounge. His call was prompted by a bar patron who blew a kiss at the officer.

One bar patron, Chad Gibson, received a serious head injury and was hospitalized because of the raid. LGBT activists are calling for an independent investigation.

[Martinus]

ACLU backs religious hate group
Chad Groening - OneNewsNow - 7/15/2009 5:30:00 AM

An organization that supports American troops and their families is appalled that the American Civil Liberties Union has joined the controversial Westboro Baptist Church in challenging a Missouri community's ordinance that limits the access of funeral protesters.

Last week, the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Maplewood, claiming that its ordinance restricting access to military funerals is unconstitutional. The suit is part of a broader effort by the ACLU to go after state and local laws that have been enacted in order to deal with the activities of Fred Phelps and his followers who began protesting at funerals of homosexuals but then expanded those protests to soldiers' funerals, carrying signs such as "Thank God for dead soldiers."

Westboro members believe that America is being punished with the deaths of soldiers and others for its "tolerance" of homosexuality. Merrilee Carlson, president of Families United For Our Troops and Their Mission, says these ordinances are quite reasonable.

"They have created laws in order to put a protective corridor around the families at the time of their funeral," she explains. "And what this corridor does not do is take away the freedom of speech of these people in order to say the things that they do."

Carlson says it is amazing that the ACLU would come to the aid of a group that preaches hate.

"The ACLU has jumped on the bandwagon with these people who viciously go to these funerals and protest and say horrible things to these families," she adds. "And they are supporting these people who say that they have absolutely the right to stand right in front of these people and inflict this harm."

Free-speech rights must come with responsibility, Carlson concludes.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=602490

[Valmy]

I am not really sure how I feel about this.  Why are such ordinances necessary?  Surely they can use current laws to keep these freaks from tresspasing on private property (or military property if these funerals are being held in a military cemetary of some sort) without having to pass these questionable ordinances.

After all nothing is stopping people from counter-demonstrating the freaks like we do the KKK and Nazis and so forth.

[Neil]

Well, it's not like the common man could have any more contempt for the ACLU, so they might as well stand on principle.

[Neil]

I am not really sure how I feel about this.  Why are such ordinances necessary?  Surely they can use current laws to keep these freaks from tresspasing on private property (or military property if these funerals are being held in a military cemetary of some sort) without having to pass these questionable ordinances.

After all nothing is stopping people from counter-demonstrating the freaks like we do the KKK and Nazis and so forth.

At a funeral?

You social action types are total scum.

[citizen k]

I am not really sure how I feel about this.  Why are such ordinances necessary?  Surely they can use current laws to keep these freaks from tresspasing on private property (or military property if these funerals are being held in a military cemetary of some sort) without having to pass these questionable ordinances.

After all nothing is stopping people from counter-demonstrating the freaks like we do the KKK and Nazis and so forth.

Aren't patriotic biker groups already escorting the funerals and shielding the mourners/counterdemonstrating?