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 LGBT news from the Human Rights Campaign for Monday, August 11th. I’m Shelena Williams.
And I’m Tommy Lodge. First up, news from California.
A California judge has ruled that the recent change in wording describing Proposition 8 will remain on the November ballot. Supporters of Proposition 8, an amendment that would ban marriage for lesbian and gay couples, had taken issue with the submission by California attorney general Jerry Brown, who titled it “Eliminates the Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry.” For more information on this discriminatory initiative and to join in the fight to protect marriage equality, visit HRC.org/California.
Legislation aimed at banning bullying in public schools, including harassment based on sexual orientation, has been introduced in the New York State Senate. The legislation would require training to help teachers recognize and respond to bullying and require schools to keep track of bullying cases, including incidents in which students are harassed for their sexual orientation. The legislation, which was introduced by Republicans but currently has no sponsor, also includes language protecting transgender students and teachers.
A man accused of attempted murder in an East Hartford, Connecticut, shooting July 10th told police he and his roommate were angry over rumors that a relative of the victim was telling people they are gay. 19-year-old Duane Brown is charged with criminal attempt to commit murder, conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree assault for shooting a 19-year-old woman in her apartment bedroom. Several charges have also been filed against the second male, Kevin Nash, also nineteen.
An immigration judge in Miami, Florida, has stayed a deportation order that would have sent a 29-year-old lesbian back to Jamaica because of the extreme climate of violence targeted at LGBT people in the Caribbean country. The woman is currently living with family but may still face potential deportation by the Department of Homeland Security. Acting on same-sex attraction in Jamaica is illegal and is punished with a ten year prison sentence. The country has been described by Human Rights Watch as having the worst record of any country in the New World in its treatment of gays and lesbians.
A 22-year-old Slavic evangelical has been sentenced to one hundred and fifty days in jail for his role in the brutal murder of a gay male immigrant in Sacramento in July 2007. The death of Satender Singh has brought to light the tension between the local LGBT community and members of a radical Slavic evangelical movement who spread hateful anti-LGBT messages. A second assailant, Andrey Vusik, who is alleged to have thrown the fatal blow to Singh, is believed to have fled the country.
A request by the Second Baptist Church of San Antonio, Texas, to change the name of Gay Street, which runs adjacent to the church’s property, was denied by the city council. The church had wanted to rename the street “Second Baptist Way” but many city council members were suspicious of the church’s true intentions regarding the name change. Gay Street was named after a prominent community activist, and those who live on the street and in the area had requested the street keep its name as a tribute.
That’s the news from us today. Thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking.
Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow morning.