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Hundreds march in support of Austin men attacked in alleged hate crime

Posted Sunday, February 28, 2010, Filed under: Texas

Trailing a banner that read “Austin March Against Hate,” hundreds of people walked from a downtown gay bar to City Hall on Saturday to retrace the path of two gay men who were attacked last weekend.

(Photo: Austin American-Statesman)

Emmanuel Winston and Matthew Morgan said they were walking to a City Hall parking garage from Oilcan Harry’s on Feb. 20 when four men followed and assaulted them.

Winston and Morgan said they were wearing jerseys from the “Shady Ladies,” a gay softball league, and that the attackers used slurs about their sexual orientation.

According to the Austin American-Statesman, Police Chief Art Acevedo attended the rally Saturday and said police were still investigating the attack and that it will be up to prosecutors to decide whether there is enough evidence to charge the suspects with a hate crime.

Tagged with: Attack • Austin TX • Hate Crime • Rally • Texas
 
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City moves forward with prosecution of bar patrons injured in ‘Rainbow Lounge’ raid

Posted Sunday, February 28, 2010, Filed under: Texas

June 28, 2009 raid on the Rainbow Lounge

City prosecutors in Fort Worth have decided to press ahead with criminal charges against at least two patrons of a gay bar who were arrested during a controversial police raid last summer.

Chad Gibson, who received a serious head injury while in custody, and George Armstrong appeared for the first time in Fort Worth Municipal Court, according to KXAS-TV.

Gibson is charged with public intoxication and with assaulting a state agent by allegedly groping him. Armstrong is charged with public intoxication. The intoxication and assault charges are both misdemeanors.

Adam Seidel, the attorney for both men, said his clients were unwilling to accept a plea bargain and asked the case to be set for trial.

He declined to say specifically if prosecutors offered a deal, but said he was surprised they did not drop the charges entirely.

“The city’s message has been, ‘Let’s learn from this and move forward and get past it,’” Seidel said. “That doesn’t seem to be consistent with prosecuting these two victims.”

(more…)

Tagged with: Fort Worth • Harassment • Raid • Rainbow Lounge • Texas
 
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Two Austin men say attack was a hate crime

Posted Wednesday, February 24, 2010, Filed under: Texas

Two gay softball players in Austin were assaulted over the weekend in what they are calling a hate crime.

Winston (left) and Morgan

Matthew Morgan and Emmanuel Winston say and were physically attacked by four men yelling anti-gay epithets.

Matthew Morgan and Emmanuel Winston say they were attacked early Saturday morning after they left the gay bar Oil Can Harry’s in their softball uniforms. The two were just a few feet from the City Hall parking garage where their vehicles were parked, when they say they were attacked by four young black men.

“I had noticed that they were following us and listening in on our conversation, but I really didn’t think anything of it,” said Emmanuel Winston. “I really just thought they were just real close right behind us. It really didn’t hit me why they were so close behind us until we were attacked.”

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Tagged with: Attack • Austin TX • Hate Crime • Texas
 
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Texas Attorney General steps in to block same-sex divorce

Posted Monday, February 15, 2010, Filed under: Texas

Abbott

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is trying to stop the divorce of two women in Austin on grounds their Massachusetts marriage is not legally recognized in the Lone Star state.

Last week, a Travis County state district judge granted a divorce in court to Sabina Daly, 41, of San Antonio, and Angelique Naylor, 39, of Austin. Abbott’s aides went to court the following day to block the divorce before the written decree was entered.

According to the Austin American-Statesman:

Abbott spokesman Jerry Strickland said in a statement, “The State maintains that the Court has no legal authority to grant this divorce, and as a result, the State must intervene in this case to defend the Texas Constitution.” (more…)

Tagged with: Austin TX • Divorce • Gay Marriage • Greg Abbott • Texas
 
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Houston becomes largest U.S. city with gay mayor as Parker takes oath

Posted Sunday, January 3, 2010, Filed under: Texas

The City of Houston officially has a new mayor as of Saturday.

Annise Parker was sworn in as Mayor of Houston in a private ceremony at City Hall, making Houston the largest U.S. city to ever have an openly gay individual serve as mayor.

With her hand on her grandparents’ bible, held by her partner, Kathy Hubbard, State District Judge Steven Kirkland administered the oath to Mayor Parker.

During inaugural festivities planned for Monday, the new mayor will take the oath again at a public ceremony at 9:30 a.m. at downtown’s Wortham Theater Center.

The City Charter mandates the transfer of power occur on January 2, so Parker opted for a private Saturday morning ceremony followed by a formal public inaugural on Monday to avoid the overtime costs the city would have incurred from having to call in police and other city employees for a weekend inauguration.

Parker becomes the highest-ranking municipal official in the LGBTQ community in the United States.

Parker and her partner have been together since 1990. They have three adopted children.

Tagged with: Annise Parker • Houston • Texas
 
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