Breaking News: Ryan Skipper's Killer Found Guilty

Ryan Skipper's Killer Found Guilty
http://tinyurl.com/skippertrial

Today, Joseph Bearden, one of the two accused killers of Ryan Skipper, was found guilty of second-degree murder and robbery.

On March 15, 2007, Ryan Skipper was stabbed 19 times and left to die on a dirt road in Polk County, Florida. His death is a bloody reminder of the anti-gay hatred faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in our state.

Just days ago, a prosecution witness revealed that shortly after the killing, Joseph Bearden, the defendants, said, "He felt he was doing the world a favor by getting rid of one more faggot."

The 19 stab wounds that Ryan Skipper suffered are what the FBI calls 'overkill'. That's when the violence in an assault is beyond what would be necessary for a robbery and more than would even be required to take someone's life. Overkill is a key indicator of a hate crime.

During his closing statement, State Attorney Castillo said the brutality of Ryan's murder indicated, "hatred, contempt and utter disregard for another human being because he was gay."

Hate crimes are directed at groups of people. They are intended to make an entire community afraid simply because of who they are.

But hate crimes are only effective as a two-step dance: first the offender sends fear into people's hearts with a heinous act of violence. Then leaders around them act like nothing more happened than a car theft gone wrong. No action. No public acknowledgment of what has happened. No commitment to ensuring this never happens again. Their silence is as terrifying as the violence itself.

Click here to take action.
http://tinyurl.com/trialverdict

Tell Gov Crist and Attorney General McCollum that they must refuse to be the second-step in the cycle of anti-gay hate violence. Tell them to speak out, to turn the tide and declare that gay and transgender people are valued members of our society and that hate violence will not be tolerated against any group.

Orlando Sentinel coverage of the Ryan Skipper Trial

FULL STORY: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-skippertrial1709feb17,0,6216987.story

Gays are quiet allies of victim's parents

Jeff Kunerth

Sentinel Staff Writer

February 17, 2009

In the two years since their 25-year-old son was stabbed to death in what police have called a gay-hate crime, Lynn and Pat Mulder have been embraced by gay activists, and they have hugged them right back.

But the trial of Joseph Bearden -- the first of two men charged with murder in the death of Ryan Keith Skipper -- has created a quandary for both the Mulders and gay-rights activists.

The Mulders want justice for their child. Gays want to bring attention to the case as a crime against their community.

Lynn Mulder said Assistant State Attorney Cass Castillo advised him that any conspicuous presence by the gay community, inside the courtroom or demonstrating outside the courthouse, could jeopardize the trial, which began Monday in Bartow. So the Mulders are asking them to show their support, but silently, unobtrusively. Until the trial is over, they're being asked to become invisible and voiceless.

"The jury cannot be influenced in their decision by any demonstration of support," Mulder said. "My only concern is they [the gay community] ought not to be easily identified as supporting one side or the other."

This is particularly problematic for Vicki Nantz, whose documentary on Skipper's killing, Accessory to Murder, is largely responsible for publicizing his death and making him the face of hate crimes against gays in Florida. But she is among those in the local gay community who have developed a close relationship with the Mulder family.

"If I didn't love Pat and Lynn Mulder, I would be standing there with a sign," Nantz said. "But the people most inclined to demonstrate have a personal relationship with Lynn and Pat, and that comes first with all of us. We'll put our activist hats in the drawer until this gets resolved for Lynn and Pat."

Before Skipper's killing March 17, 2007, the Mulders were not involved in gay issues. Since that time, they've become gay-rights activists -- appearing at protest rallies and events, joining gay organizations and offering solace to other parents whose children have been victims of crimes against gays.

"To the Mulders' credit, they have really stepped forward at a time when they could have simply withdrawn and become embittered," said Nadine Smith, head of Equality Florida, a gay-rights organization. "Instead they have been beacons of hope and kindness. They have really spoken out against hate violence."

Just as the Mulders have been there for the gay community, gays have been inclined to be there for the Mulders.

Nantz said she intends to be in the courtroom for the trial, keeping her emotions in check. Nantz has asked other gay activists to do the same.

"Everyone feels kind of conflicted. It's a conflict because the hate-crime anger is so personal for so many people," she said.

Gay groups, such as Equality Florida, also are encouraging their members to honor the wishes of the Mulders. But the urge to be there, to be vocal and demonstrate for justice, is a natural reaction, Smith said.

"There is a lot of anxiety that justice will not prevail, because we've seen it fail before," Smith said.

FULL STORY: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-skippertrial1709feb17,0,6216987.story

Missing Link

Gay and Transgender Issues in the Workplace

 

It Takes One to Know One

                             By Brian McNaught

     In my youth, if someone called you a "homo" or a "moron," the reply was usually, "It takes one to know one," meaning "You'd have to be a homo to recognize another homo." It was an inane comment but it usually shut them up more effectively than "So is your mother."

     Today, that same phrase – "It takes one to know one" - has a completely different and much richer meaning for me.

     Alan Goldstein was the Jewish boy who lived behind me growing up in Flint, Michigan. He was my best friend for many years. It was through the time I spent with Alan and his family that I initially learned about Jewish celebrations such as Hanukkah, and also about the sting of anti-Semitism which I saw in Alan's face when another Christian eight-year-old in the neighborhood called him a "kike." …

 

(To finish reading this offering, please go to http://www.glbtatwork.blog.com.)

 

 

Nadine Smith

Executive Director

Equality Florida

PO Box 13184,

St. Petersburg FL 33733 

Ph: 813-870-3735

Fax: 727-499-6925

nadine@eqfl.org

www.eqfl.org

Visit www.eqfl.org and become a member today! 

! 

Women say mall cops arrested them for kissing

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6243685.html


Women say S.A. mall cops arrested them for kissing
Feb. 3, 2009

SAN ANTONIO - Jessica Garcia intends to prove in court that security officers at Rolling Oaks Mall unfairly targeted her and her girlfriend when they were arrested in December on trespassing and other charges.

Garcia said the officers - a Bexar County sheriff's deputy and an employee from a private security company - began harassing them Dec. 26 because her girlfriend gave her a kiss on the cheek while sitting inside the mall on a bench.

Mall officials said the women, both 22, were acting inappropriately and were told to leave because they were not complying with the shopping center's code of conduct.

Danielle Pardue, the mall's marketing director, denies the women's claims of discrimination and said security officers would evict anyone found kissing in the mall, regardless of sexual orientation.

"If our security officer feels that is disruptive to our shoppers and our business, then they have that authority to make that determination," she said. "It's their responsibility to make sure our shopping place is an enjoyable shopping place for everyone to be."

Pardue also stressed that contrary to what the women claim, they weren't arrested because they were kissing, but because they re-entered the mall after being told to leave.

But Garcia feels otherwise.

She was scheduled to appear in court today, but her lawyer had to postpone the date for later this month.

Garcia said the officers intentionally harassed the couple, accusing them of kissing and having "swapped spit."

Read more:  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6243685.html

Voting for the freedom to marry does not hurt politicians, new study confirms

A new study by Freedom to Marry released today shows that voting for the freedom to marry and against anti-gay/anti-marriage measures does not cost politicians reelection:  http://www.freedomtomarry.org/press_center/new_study_shows_pro-marriage_legislators_win.php

The Best Interests of the Child: New York Times Editorial

 January 6, 2009

 

The Best Interests of the Child

 

W.H., an infant, was reportedly removed from her parents by Arkansas's Department of Human Services after she was taken to a hospital with injuries that strongly suggested abuse. Fortunately for W.H., her grandmother, a registered nurse, was eager to take her in. But there was a hitch. Her grandmother lives with another woman, and a ballot initiative recently passed in Arkansas makes it illegal for gay and unmarried heterosexual couples to adopt or become foster parents. Arkansas courts should strike down this offensive new law.

 

Arkansas has a long tradition of allowing child welfare professionals to decide who should become a foster or adoptive parent. Anti-gay forces, however, have campaigned to disqualify gay people. In 2006, the Arkansas Supreme Court struck down a regulation barring gay people from becoming foster parents.

 

Last year anti-gay activists promoted Act 1, a ballot referendum that broadened the ban to include unmarried heterosexual couples. In November, it passed with about 57 percent of the vote. The A.C.L.U. of Arkansas is challenging the new law, on behalf of a group of would-be parents and children, contending that it discriminates against gay and unmarried straight couples and that it makes it impossible to place children in the best homes.

 

The new law is undeniably discriminatory. Under Arkansas law, people convicted of major crimes, including contributing to the delinquency of a minor, remain eligible to adopt children or become foster parents. Single people who have no partner — or who have a large number of casual sex partners — are also eligible. Anyone who is in a committed relationship, gay or straight, but is not married is automatically barred.

 

The new law also interferes with the Department of Human Services' ability to do its job of making individualized assessments of prospective parents and placing children in the homes that are best able to meet their needs. As the W.H. case suggests, an unmarried couple could be the most qualified parents. And because of the shortage of foster parents, the ban is very likely to make children wait substantially longer for a loving home.

 

Arkansas's new law was a victory for the forces of bigotry and a major setback for the guiding principle of the law in adoption and foster care: the best interests of the child.

 

 

Smith to discuss ‘What’s Next For Equal Rights After Amendment 2?’

http://www.island-reporter.com/breaking_news/articles.asp?articleID=5551

Smith to discuss 'What's Next For Equal Rights After Amendment 2?'

The Democratic Club of the Islands is featuring Nadine Smith, Executive Director of Equality America, to speak to all interested islanders on Thursday, January 15 at 7 p.m. at the Sanibel Public Library, 770 Dunlop Road.

Previously, Smith was director of The Human Rights Task Force of Florida. She joined the organization in 1993 after serving as one of four national co-chairs on the 1993 march on Washington, D.C. and taking part in the historic, first-ever meeting between LGBT leaders and a sitting U.S. President (Bill Clinton) in the White House.

Smith has led advocacy efforts in Florida at the state level at a time of unprecedented attacks on the gay and lesbian community, serving as Equality Florida's lead lobbyist, heading efforts to stop discriminatory legislation and ballot measures and to overturn Florida's ban on adoption by gay and lesbian parents.

Her experience in community organizing, social change and politics includes her service as campaign manager for Citizens for a Fair Tampa, a successful effort to prevent repeal of that city's human rights ordinance, and her own campaign in 1991 for Tampa City Council. An award-winning journalist, Smith has written syndicated columns for general audience publications.

Democratic Club of the Islands members are also urged to attend this meeting to hear exciting news about the restructuring of the club and to learn new opportunities for activism in the Obama era. Call Brian Anderson at 472-2206 for more information.