Equally Speaking
The following is a transcript of HRC’s morning news webcast "Equally Speaking." To view the current videos visit the main Equally Speaking page.
Good morning, and thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking, your morning dose of GLBT news from the Human Rights Campaign for Friday, May 9th. I’m Brad Mayer.
And I’m Sultan Shakir. First up, news from Virginia.
Lawrence Webb was elected to the Falls Church City Council this week. This makes Webb the first openly gay African American elected in Virginia. To read more about Webb’s victory, visit the Back Story blog at hrcbackstory.org.
A Colorado jury has found a same-sex couple guilty of trespassing. The two women staged a sit-in last fall after being denied a marriage license in Denver. They have been sentenced to 28 hours of community service and ordered to pay a small fine.
The Alabama House has approved a bill to add sexual orientation to the state’s hate crimes law. It now goes to the Senate, where passage is doubtful with only two days remaining in the legislative session. The state’s current hate crimes law covers crimes against people for race, color, religion and national origin.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco are seeking people who have HIV and are over 60 for a three-year study. The study’s purpose is to examine how being HIV positive might affect cognitive health in seniors. Doctors are interested in finding out if they are more likely to have problems with memory and thinking, and if so, why.
A New Mexico man accused of attacking another man for being gay has been convicted of kidnapping and aggravated battery. However, the jury rejected prosecutor’s arguments that the attack was a hate crime. In New Mexico, a hate crime conviction adds an extra year to two years to the prison sentence.
The lawyer for 14-year-old Brandon McInerney has put forth a defense that partly blames school officials. McInerney is accused of murdering 15-year-old Lawrence King on February 12th for his sexual orientation and gender identity. The defense maintains that educators should have been more involved in diffusing the tension between the two boys.
That’s the news from us today. Thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking.
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