#1 Transgender rights advocate killed

A transgender woman was found stabbed and beaten to death in her Massachusetts home on Friday evening. Her husband has been charged with her murder.

Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien becomes the first known transgender person to be killed in 2018, according to GLAAD, an LGBT-rights organization.
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Steele-Knudslien, 42, worked as a transgender rights advocate, started a pageant for transgender women in New England and was well known in the Massachusetts LGBT community for launching the first New England Trans Pride 10 years ago, according to the AP.

Transgender rights advocate killed

ADDENDUM:: Knott claims self-defense in civil case

Like her two co-defendants, Kathryn Knott is contending she acted in self-defense during a high-profile attack on a gay couple in Center City.

Knott made the claim in a June 23 court filing in a civil case brought by plaintiffs Andrew Haught and Zachary Hesse, who are seeking at least $500,000 in damages. The couple is also suing Phillip Williams and Kevin Harrigan for the September 2014 attack at 16th and Chancellor streets; witnesses said the trio used antigay slurs during the incident, which began as a verbal altercation and escalated to a physical attack that left Haught with extensive facial fractures.

In last month’s filing, Wayne Maynard, an attorney for Knott, wrote that she “asserts the affirmative defense of self-defense, and to the extent plaintiffs sustained the injuries and damages as alleged in plaintiffs’ complaint, said injuries and/or damages were sustained while [Knott] was in the process of defending herself from the real and perceived threat of bodily injury arising from the actions of plaintiffs and their friends.”

Knott claims self-defense in civil case

Donald Trump, Who Opposes LGBT Rights, Claims Mantle Of LGBT Community | Right Wing Watch

There are so many loons to choose from, but Trump is the last man I would currently want to align with concerning LGBTQI issues.  This man flip-flops his stance faster than I can change underwear.

RWW  sums it up well, "Trump is not interested in promoting LGBT rights. He is simply opportunistically trying to use a community hit by tragedy as cover for his own bigotry."

Donald Trump, Who Opposes LGBT Rights, Claims Mantle Of LGBT Community | Right Wing Watch

Missouri’s dangerous religious exemption measure advances – LGBTQ Nation

It is important to note what Onder focuses on, "[n]o one should be compelled to make a work with their own hands that’s offensive to their beliefs.”  This point is or is becoming the focus of some of the faux persecution cases we have been hearing of.

Missouri‘s Republican-led Senate on Wednesday advanced a proposal to add greater religious protections to the state Constitution for some business owners and individuals opposed to gay marriage after Democrats stalled a vote for about 37 hours.

The move marked an end to a stalemate emblematic of a national debate over balancing civil rights and religious liberties following last year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.

The proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution would prohibit government penalties against those who cite “a sincere religious belief” while declining to provide goods or services of “expressional or artistic creation” for same-sex marriage ceremonies or celebrations.

The measure was revised Wednesday to specifically state that florists and photographers would be protected and to clarify that it applies to services provided for a reception taking place around the same time as a wedding ceremony.

Missouri’s dangerous religious exemption measure advances – LGBTQ Nation

Iowa Senate passes bill on crime against transgender people – LGBTQ Nation

The Iowa Senate has passed a bill that would make it a hate crime in Iowa to commit an offense against a person because that person identifies as transgender.

The Democratic-controlled chamber voted 27-21 Tuesday for the bill. It now heads to the Republican-majority House, where its future is unclear. The bill must be voted out of a full committee by Friday to meet a legislative deadline for the session.

BREAKING: Iowa Senate passes bill on crime against transgender people – LGBTQ Nation

Following homophobic hammer attack, gay man commits suicide – LGBTQ Nation

This is a travesty on so many levels,,, 

The family of a man who endured a brutal assault wants his attacker to be charged with murder following his suicide.

33-year-old Mitchell Pope, who suffered severe head injuries, committed suicide 18 months after the attack.

On October 13, 2014, Pope was savaged by a man who called him a “f*cking f*ggot” in the lobby of his Brooklyn apartment.

The man repeatedly hit him with a hammer, leaving him with a severely fractured skull.

According to his mother, Pope was never the same.
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She claims her son developed an odd obsession with demons and was certain he possessed “godlike” powers and was “invincible.”

Ms. Watson is convinced this bizarre behavior led to his suicide.

Mitchell Pope jumped out of the third-story window of his apartment last January.

Drugs have been ruled out, although the medical examiner thinks his brain injury quite possibly influenced his actions.

Following homophobic hammer attack, gay man commits suicide – LGBTQ Nation

UPDATED::Same-sex couple denied cake by Longview bakery - Longview News-Journal - Longview, TX

UPDATE::  John Wright makes an interesting point,

If someone really threatened violence against their son — behavior which we certainly don’t condone — the person would be guilty of making a terroristic threat. So, if the Delormes are truly concerned about their family’s safety, they should have contacted law enforcement. And their attorneys at First Liberty, an anti-LGBT “religious freedom” group, should have advised them to do so, instead of whining about the alleged call to right-wing media. 

And that’s part of why this whole story is beginning to sound as though it was baked up by First Liberty and other anti-LGBT hate groups, which are endlessly trolling for cause célèbres to help them raise money and further line the pockets of their attorneys. Again, Texas has no law prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations, so there would be no other point in retaining bakery-chasing First Amendment lawyers.

Either way, it should be investigated!

Anti-Gay Texas Bakers Claim Caller Threatened To Violate Son With Broken Beer Bottle

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This incident is from February but it illustrates well the using of religion as a sword for your bigotry, how Christ like.  Regretfully this is legal in Texas,,,

A same-sex couple says they were saddened last week when a Longview bakery refused to bake their wedding cake, and the business owner said it would have offended her faith for the business to be linked to the event.

Ben Valencia and Luis Marmolejo still plan to wed March 27, and the couple said they will cut a wedding cake prepared by a local baker who read of their plight on Facebook.

"It just kind of makes you feel dehumanized," Valencia said Tuesday. "People shouldn't have to worry about going into a business, especially a public business that serves the public, and have to worry about being turned away for something, for who you are."

Same-sex couple denied cake by Longview bakery - Longview News-Journal - Longview, TX

Ex-officer who waged gay rights battle against LAPD arrested in domestic violence case - LA Times

A former Los Angeles police sergeant who had a protracted legal battle against the LAPD over its treatment of gay and lesbian officers was arrested last week after an hours-long standoff in West Hollywood, authorities said Monday.

Mitchell Grobeson, 57, was taken into custody Friday in the 800 block of West Knoll Drive and booked on a charge of corporal injury on a spouse, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The incident was initially reported about 10 a.m. as a barricaded suspect, according to the Sheriff's Department. About 2 p.m., after crisis negotiators persuaded Grobeson to surrender, he was arrested.

Arrest records reviewed by The Times list Grobeson's occupation as a "retired police officer." He is being held in a Los Angeles County jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, and he's scheduled to appear in the Airport Courthouse on Tuesday morning, according to jail records.

Ex-officer who waged gay rights battle against LAPD arrested in domestic violence case - LA Times

Instant noodles can make babies gay, claims Indonesia mayor | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis

The mayor of Indonesia's Tangerang city has reportedly claimed that babies can become gay by consuming instant noodles and milk formula.

"To create Indonesian children that are healthy smart and competitive, the most important thing is, from the beginning, to provide them adequate nutrition, especially breastfeeding," Arief R Wismansyah said during a city-run pregnancy seminar on Tuesday, reported Coconuts Jakarta.

According to Wismansyah, the reason is because parents today are so busy, that they resort to feeding their children formula and quick instants meals, which he claims has a negative impact on the child's development. "So, it’s no wonder that recently there are more LGBT," he said.

Instant noodles can make babies gay, claims Indonesia mayor | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis

UPDATED::Police identify transgender woman stabbed to death in Frankford | 6abc.com

UPDATE:: Second arrest made in transgender woman's killing

A second person has been arrested in the stabbing death of a transgender woman in Frankford last month, police said Thursday.

Jose Pena, 19, of the 900 block of Pratt Street in the Summerdale section of Northeast Philadelphia, was taken into custody by homicide detectives on Wednesday and charged in the stabbing death of Maya Young.

On Tuesday, police arrested and charged Tiffany Floyd, 24, of the 4300 block of Cloud Street, in Frankford, with murder in Young's killing.

UPDATE::  Woman arrested in transgender stabbing death

A 24-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday and charged with killing Maya Young, a 25-year-old transgender woman who was stabbed to death in Frankford last month.

Tiffany E. Floyd, 24, is being held without bond on murder and conspiracy charges, according to court records.

Authorities said more arrests were "imminent," but they did not elaborate Tuesday night.

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Philadelphia Police have identified a transgender woman stabbed to death in the Frankford section of Philadelphia late Saturday night.

Investigators say 25-year-old Mya Young was found at 11:50 p.m. Saturday.

She had been stabbed multiple times in the 4800 block of Penn Street.

Police identify transgender woman stabbed to death in Frankford | 6abc.com

Advocates Search for Answers in Bakersfield Trans Woman’s Killing | Advocate.com

In the absence of specifics from police surrounding the alleged murder of a transgender woman in Bakersfield, California, advocates are searching for clues about her life and death.

Police found the body of Jasmine Sierra, a transgender woman of color, on January 22 in an apartment on the 1000 block of Monterey Street, according to a report from local TV station KBAK. Police say Sierra’s body showed signs of trauma and foul play is suspected. Whether the police found the body in Sierra's home or a neighbor's house is still unknown.

While police reportedly interviewed neighbors and witnesses about hearing gunshots and fighting, they won't release further specifics about the circumstances of Sierra’s death. Calls to Bakersfield police were not returned by press time.

The alleged murder was not included among the other four homicides of transgender individuals in the United States this year because Sierra's gender-variant identity was unknown due to deadnaming and misgendering in the KBAK report. (Deadnaming occurs when using a transgender person’s former name, and misgendering occurs when identifying a trans person with pronouns or usages that depart from the person’s gender identity and expression.)

Advocates Search for Answers in Bakersfield Trans Woman’s Killing | Advocate.com

UPDATED::Man Testifies How Night Out in the West Village Ended With Gay Slurs and a Friend’s Killing - The New York Times

UPDATE:: Man Accused of Gay-Bias Killing Says He Acted in Self-Defense

A man charged with murdering a gay man in the West Village because of his sexual orientation testified on Wednesday that he had acted in self-defense because he believed he was about to be attacked. He denied that his motive had been a bigoted hatred toward gay people and said that he himself was bisexual.

Taking the stand in his own defense, the man, Elliot Morales, admitted that he had gone to the West Village carrying a loaded revolver on May 17, 2013, after a day of heavy drinking and had gotten into a heated argument with two gay men he encountered on Avenue of the Americas near Eighth Street.

Mr. Morales said the men followed him around a corner onto Eighth Street and challenged him to a fight, even after he took out the revolver and, holding it at his side, told them to leave him alone.

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Mr. Morales said he could not remember yelling gay slurs at the men before the shooting, as several witnesses recalled. He testified that he was bisexual and had had relationships with transgender men. Asked if he harbored animosity toward gay people, he said, “Absolutely not.”

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The killing of Mr. Carson just after midnight on May 18, 2013, shocked New York City and led to angry street protests to call attention to a surge of violence against gays in the city that year. He was 32 when he died, a Brooklyn native who worked as an assistant manager at a gelato kiosk in Grand Central Terminal.

On Monday, the trial of Mr. Morales, 36, who is charged with murder as a hate crime and weapons possession, began with opening statements.

Mr. Morales, who is representing himself, told jurors that he was “not a bigot of any type” and claimed that “what happened was not an act of intent or hate on my part.”

“I am a human being like everyone else,” he said. “I made my share of mistakes. That doesn’t make me a bad person.”

But a prosecutor, Shannon Lucey, said the evidence would show that Mr. Morales purposely picked an argument with Mr. Carson because he was gay, then shot him in cold blood as several people looked on. “Mark Carson was a total stranger to Elliot Morales, and he was killed for no other reason than because he was gay,” Ms. Lucey told the jury. “No other reason.”

Man Testifies How Night Out in the West Village Ended With Gay Slurs and a Friend’s Killing - The New York Times

UPDATED::Have you heard of the Pastor Protection Act? – LGBTQ Nation

Not getting much attention, it should be,,,

UPDATE:: House passes bill saying churches don’t have to wed gays

But Rep. Scott Plakon said the bill simply gives pastors added protection. He said he hopes it is never needed. The vote was largely along party lines, with most Republicans in favor and most Democrats opposed.

A similar bill is ready for a Senate vote.

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Like Texas, Florida is set to to pass a piece of legislation that is pointless.  As John Wright, for Toweleroad notes, the Pastor Protection Act "reaffirms existing protections under state and federal law."

The “pastor protection act” aimed at preventing lawsuits against churches or preachers for refusing to perform same-sex marriages is ready for a vote on the Florida House floor, where it’s likely to pass.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the measure after lengthy debate Thursday. That was the final committee stop for the bill in the House. It still faces two more Senate committee hearings before it can go to a floor vote there.

Have you heard of the Pastor Protection Act? – LGBTQ Nation

UPDATED::South Dakota Bill on Transgender Students’ Bathroom Access Draws Ire - The New York Times

The veto over-ride was unsuccessful, South Dakota House fails to override transgender bill veto 

UPDATE:: South Dakota governor vetoes law on transgender bathrooms

South Dakota‘s governor vetoed a bill Tuesday that would have made the state the first in the U.S. to approve a law requiring transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their sex at birth.

Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard, who initially reacted positively to the proposal but said he needed to research the issue, rejected the bill after the American Civil Liberties Union and the Human Rights Campaign insisted it was discriminatory.

In his veto message, Daugaard said the bill “does not address any pressing issue” and that such decisions were best left to local school officials. He also noted that signing the bill could create costly liability issues for schools and the state. The ACLU had promised to encourage legal action if the bill became law.
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Daugaard initially offered a positive reaction to South Dakota‘s proposal, but said he wanted to listen to testimony before making a decision. Last week, he met with three transgender individuals and heard their personal stories; before the meeting, the governor said he had never knowingly met a transgender person.

Opponents said the legislation an attack on vulnerable transgender students that would further marginalize them at school. They also criticized comments made by some lawmakers, including Republican Sen. David Omdahl.

“I’m sorry if you’re so twisted you don’t know who you are,” Omdahl said when asked about the bill last month.

“I’m telling you right now, it’s about protecting the kids, and I don’t even understand where our society is these days.”

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Proponents of the legislation say it would help protect children and ensure everyone’s privacy, but its passage has inserted South Dakota into the center of a national debate about transgender rights and access to restrooms and locker rooms.

It is among a number of bills addressing the rights of transgender people that are being pushed by conservative legislators in this state and others. Another South Dakota bill, which was shelved this week, would have required public agencies to accept only information on birth certificates, effectively preventing legal recognition of sex changes.

Mr. Lewis said the bathroom legislation, which was passed by the South Dakota Legislature last week, “creates more stigma,” increases the risk of bullying and sends a message to transgender students: “You’re so different, in a bad way, that you need your own bathroom, your own locker room, your own shower situation.”

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The South Dakota legislation would seem to put the state in conflict with the Obama administration’s interpretation of the federal Title IX law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity that receives federal funds. Mr. Lewis said last week that he would probably continue to use the men’s restroom at school even if Mr. Daugaard signed the bill. Even supporters of the legislation acknowledge that a school district will probably be sued if it becomes law.

South Dakota Bill on Transgender Students’ Bathroom Access Draws Ire - The New York Times

BREAKING: KFC apologizes to transgender woman, offers her a job, fires manager – LGBTQ Nation

Georgia Carter, 27, had been out of work for about a year when she went into an interview with a local KFC on Williamsburg Rd. last week. Sure enough, with her experience in fast food services, she nailed the interview and was offered a job on the spot.

“How would you handle an upset customer?” said Carter (top image), remembering one of the questions she was asked. “You be polite. You’re in customer service. There’s no ‘handling’ them, you’re polite regardless.”

But that expected level of politeness wasn’t extended to her when an hour later she got a call from the manager she interviewed with.

“George, we have a problem,” Carter said, again recalling that afternoon. She wasn’t bothered being referred to by her birth-name, but the next sentence was heart breaking.

When the manager pointed out she put ‘male’ as her gender on her application, she was quick to clarify.
“Yes, I’m transgender, I live as a woman,” she recalled saying. “I am a woman.”
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"I’d like to become someone people can talk to, an advocate or something. I want to help people,” she said. “I hope it opens people eyes. I hope people wake up. It’s not the dark ages anymore, its 2016, its time for us to step out in the light and not hide who we are or who we love.”

And don’t think she’s proud or happy to see the offending manager get canned – she said she felt sad that he lost his job, but she think’s the broader fight for equality is more important.

“It was just desserts,” she said. “You can’t do wrong to people and expect everything to be okay.”

BREAKING: KFC apologizes to transgender woman, offers her a job, fires manager – LGBTQ Nation

Hillcrest Drag performer attacked outside Rich's nightclub Sunday morning. | San Diego Gay and Lesbian News

According to a report via Facebook a drag performer was attacked outside Rich’s following the show called “Euphoria” early Sunday morning.

The victim, known as Kickxy Vixen-Styles posted that the assailant tried to sneak into the club earlier that night, but was escorted outside by security.

Vixen-Styles greets people at the club and is used to seeing unruly patrons handled by security, but wasn't prepared for what happened to her next.

She claims that the rejected man waited in the parking lot for her after her shift; about 3:30 am, and that’s when things turned physical.

She tells SDGLN, “I'm done for the night and I'm walking to my car when all of a sudden he's behind me and I try to get in my car but it was too late he grabs my door open, and at that point I'm stuck between my door and him slamming it against me and trying to break my window.”

Hillcrest Drag performer attacked outside Rich's nightclub Sunday morning. | San Diego Gay and Lesbian News

Deputies arrest man in connection with Prescott Rd. deadly shoot - KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana News Weather & Sports

 

Authorities reported a suspect is in custody in connection with Saturday's deadly shooting on Prescott Road.
The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office said Nicholas Matthews, 24, turned himself in just after 5 p.m. the day of the shooting. He just turned 24 on Monday.

The shooting happened on Prescott Road east of Airline Highway just before 11:30 a.m. Deputies said they found Demarkis Stamsberry, 30, with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Matthews' brother reportedly told deputies he found Stamsberry on the floor with a gunshot wound to the head and Matthews standing over him with a gun in his hand. The report stated Matthews' brother said Matthews kept repeating that he had messed up. 

Deputies arrest man in connection with Prescott Rd. deadly shoot - KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana News Weather & Sports

See also::   Sheriff’s Office: Baton Rouge man accidentally shoots, kills friend; thought magazine empty after firing gun New Year’s Eve

This teenager decided to finally come out to her father, so he put a gun to her head – LGBTQ Nation

This week, a North Dakota man was taken into custody after aiming a loaded gun at his daughter for coming out as a lesbian.

West Fargo’s Kamiran Bakir was taken into custody on a felony charge of terrorizing.

Police responded to a call from Bakir’s teenage daughter, who claims her dad threatened to “blow her head off.”

Bakir pointed the gun at his daughter and relatives, who’s either 16 or 17, who sat in the back seat of his car at a gas station.

This teenager decided to finally come out to her father, so he put a gun to her head – LGBTQ Nation

See also:   

Upset she's a lesbian, West Fargo dad accused of pulling gun on teen daughter

Dad Arrested for Pointing Loaded Gun at Teen Daughter When She Came Out

Growing Support for New Mexico Couple Targeted for Hate | Advocate.com

An outpouring of support for an Albuquerque couple targeted by antigay vandals has helped them reach their modest goal to raise enough money to cover expenses for their damaged cars.

Tommy Sloan, who is an out trans man, and his boyfriend, Jesus Martinez, created an online fundraiser after the third in a series of attacks on their cars. Sloan said he believes someone poured bleach in the gas tanks.

"Someone had actually taken a tool and ripped open my gas tank to pour bleach in there so my car's engine doesn't even work," Sloan told Alburqueque TV station KOB.

On their CrowdRise page, Martinez wrote the latest attack came two days after his partner’s top surgery. He tells The Advocate in an email they’re sure they’re being targeted because they’re gay.

Growing Support for New Mexico Couple Targeted for Hate | Advocate.com

Study Finds Employers Are Less Likely To Interview LGBT Women | ThinkProgress

It would be interesting too see the impact of such a study in small towns were everyone assumes they know your personal life.   Not to knock the study but this is telling me something I already know, although it does put numbers to a face, so to speak.

A new study finds that similarly qualified queer women receive significantly fewer callbacks than their straight peers when applying for jobs.

Emma Mishel, a doctoral student in the sociology program at New York University, conducted the study by generating a pair of test résumés, which she submitted to more than 800 administrative, clerical, and secretarial job openings in New York City, Washington, D.C., Tennessee, and Virginia. The résumés were similarly qualified, and for each application, she would flip a coin to randomize whether the Cornell University grad or the Columbia University grad had experience as a leader in her school’s LGBT student organization or just a general progressive organization.

Because the indicator was an LGBT organization, Mishel refers to “queer women” throughout the study, because the applicants might have been perceived as any variation of LGBT identity. In a footnote, she explains that “queer” has become “an umbrella term for anyone identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.”

The study found that the applicant who did not have an LGBT indicator was 29 percent more likely to be contacted for a interview than the applicant who did,,,

By applying to jobs in different locations, Mishel hoped to assess what impact LGBT employment protections may have played in the results. Interestingly, though callback rates were lower in general for Tennessee and Virginia (perhaps because the applicant’s home address was in New York), rates of discrimination did not actually vary across the locations. Thus, the study suggests that having protections does not directly lower the amount of discrimination that takes place.

Study Finds Employers Are Less Likely To Interview LGBT Women | ThinkProgress