Tag Archives: Gay Panic

The Gayly Grind: LGBT News and Stuff from Around The Web - 7/20/22

New Jersey Bans “Gay Panic Defense”

Featured, Gay News Domestic & U.S. Politics, , ,

This week New Jersey joined Hawaii, California, Nevada, Illinois, New York, Connecticut, Maine and Rhode Island in barring the use of the “gay panic defense”

The bill was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, who said: “We will always stand with our LGBT+ community and promote full equality for all our residents,” Murphy said in a statement.

The LGBT Bar, a legal nonprofit, has been on the forefront of getting the gay panic defenses banned across the country. The organization defines the controversial practice as “a legal strategy that asks a jury to find that a victim’s sexual orientation is to blame for a defendant’s violent reaction, including murder.”

“The ‘gay panic or trans panic’ defense is not a freestanding defense to criminal liability, but rather a legal tactic. It’s used to diminish the reason for a defendant’s violent reaction that asks a jury to find a victim’s sexual orientation or gender/expression as the cause,” said John McKeon (D- Essex, Morris). “Whether the person was gay, transgender or heterosexual, sexual orientation should not have any bearing on determining a person’s guilt in a murder trial.

“This law is a major step forward in addressing discrimination in our court system, and showing New Jersey’s LGBTQ community that we stand with them in solidarity against any type of discrimination and hatred,” said Joann Downey (D-Monmouth). “The so-called ‘gay panic defense’ or ‘trans panic defense’ has never been more than a transparent attempt to allow the assault or murder of LGBTQ individuals to happen with impunity, and it is long past time that we ended this dark chapter in American legal history.”

Columbus, OH Man Found Guilty Of Hate Crime After Threatening To Kill “All The Gays” At Local Gym

Featured, Gay News Domestic & U.S. Politics, ,

Michael Harris Hate Crime

A Franklin County, Ohio jury deliberated only under one hour on Friday before convicting Michael D. Smith (pictured above) of the hate crime of “ethnic intimidation” for menacing a gay man at a North Side fitness club.

Columbus police say Smith went into the CalFit 10 Gym on two different days during the last week of August, threatening to “shoot up” the North Side gym if his demands to remove gay patrons were not met.

Smith jumped off his treadmill and charged at a man he suspected was gay, 22-year-old Michael D. Harris. Smith ranted and raved, insisting he couldn’t possibly change in the locker room “because all the fags are in there.”

He allegedly kept repeating that he wished he could kill “all the gays.”

After the gym manager emailed Smith to inform him that his membership had been terminated due to behavior.

Smith wrote back in two separate emails that were filled with profanity, threats and homophobic slurs.

In court, Smith’s attorney argued that he’d been “hit on” by members of the gym, and also ogled in the showers.  There was no collaborative testimony about such incidents.

Assistant City Attorney Yasmine Almikhi said in her closing argument that it was clear from the evidence that Harris was menaced and why.

“You can’t menace a person because they’re gay,” she said. “It’s illegal.”

Ethnic intimidation is a seldom used charge but it is classified as a hate crime and carries a minimum sentence of 10 days in jail for a conviction.

Gay Bashing Attack Mars Austin, TX’s LGBT Pride Celebration Weekend

Featured, Gay News From Around The Globe, , ,

While Austin, TX is showing its pride for the gay, lesbian and transgender communities this weekend  two men were attacked in downtown as they walked toward Fourth Street and innocently stopped for a slice of pizza.

Friday night, Nick Soret and a friend from Houston were headed to 4th Street to go out, when they stopped for a slice of pizza at Ropollo’s food truck near Fourth and Colorado.

“Some guy next to me tells me ‘what are you looking at?’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not looking at you,'” said Soret.  “My order was ready, I picked up my slice of pizza, he knocked it over onto me. It burned my arm. And then my friend tells him what are you doing?.  And then this guy just hauled off and punched him right in the face. And blood started coming out of his mouth, it was gushing everywhere.”

Soret says the man then attacked him, busting his lip and bruising his arms before taking off. Soret says he believes the man attacked them because he and his friend are gay.

“He thought I was checking him out so for that, he knocked all my friend’s teeth out, he punched me in the face,” Soret said.

After spending nearly 12 hours in the hospital, Soret’s friend learned he has a fractured jaw and will likely have to undergo oral surgery.

The attacker fled the scene and is still at large

Video – Actor Will Smith Shoves and Slaps Male Reporter For Trying To Give Him A Kiss

Entertainment, Gay News From Around The Globe, , , , , ,

A Ukrainian reporter whose “schtick” is to kiss all his guests attempted to get some sugar from Will Smith last night on the red carpet of Men in Black 3, when things sudeenly went sour.

TMZ reports:

The Ukrainian reporter tries to kiss Will on the lips on the red carpet and the actor angrily pushes him away and then backhands him across the face. You can clearly see that Will is incredibly pissed that the guy showed overt affection toward him.

After watching the video all I really see is the guy kissing Smith on the cheeks which is a very old world custom.

Me?  I would have much rather preffered to kiss Josh Brolin. But to each thier own.

Did Will Smith overreact?

Gay Panic Defense Being Used In Murder Of 18 Year-Old Texas Student Joshua Wilkerson

Uncategorized, , , , ,

Texas police have offcially charged a 19 year-old student Hermillio Morales with murder after he led investigators to the beaten and burned body of 18 year-old fellow student Joshua Wilkerson (left). The suspect claims the pair fought after Wilkerson made sexual advances on him.

Moralez, beat Joshua Wilkerson to death with a large wooden object sometime Tuesday afternoon, according to court records from Brazoria County. The 19-year-old then burned the teenager’s body. Moralez told investigators Wilkerson gave him a ride in his truck after school and sometime later, the victim “began to come on to him in a sexual manner,” according to a probable cause document. Moralez said he hit Wilkerson and the two got out of his truck and fought. Moralez was previously a person of interest in the investigation when he was seen loitering in the area of Joshua Wilkerson’s abandoned vehicle, according to a Pearland Police Department statement.

Yet another manifestation of the implicit permission to harm found in anti-gay rhetoric.

Oh and while leading police toi the body, Moralez attempted to grab a gun from the holster of a detective and escape.

CLICK HERE to watch the ABC-13 Video News Report