Jackson Heights landlord fights discrimination claim
By James DeWeese 05/27/2004

The lawyer for a Jackson Heights landlord who gave a Latino AIDS clinic the boot after transgendered clients turned up in the womens restrooms argued last week that the group is not a protected minority under state law and its case should be thrown out.
Emmanuel Gold, a lawyer for the estate of Joseph Bruno, told a panel of appellate court judges in Manhattan May 19 that under state law transsexual citizens are not specifically protected.

Gold said he asked the judges from the State Supreme Court Appellate Division to overturn the rulings by several lower courts that extended state protection for the first time to transgendered individuals.

The court is expected to issue a decision within the next couple of months.

With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Hispanic AIDS Forum sued the estate of Joseph Bruno in June 2001, seeking unspecified monetary damages after it lost the lease on the Jackson Heights location it had occupied for 10 years. Bruno owned the building.



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Family of slain teen seeks posthumous name change

I lost Eddie a long time ago, and I had to say goodbye to Eddie. ...Unfortunately, to Gwen, too.
-- Sylvia Guerrero, Araujo's mother
FREMONT, California (AP) -- The name on the birth certificate was Edward Araujo Jr., but the teenager preferred the first name Gwen.

At age 17, before getting a chance to make the name change official, Araujo was beaten and strangled after the people she thought were her friends found out she was biologically male.

This week, Araujo's family asked a court for a posthumous name change to Gwen Amber Rose Araujo.

"She's Gwen to me, and I'm her mother," Sylvia Guerrero said outside the courthouse. "This is who she was. She's transgender and she's Gwen."

Superior Court Commissioner Thomas Surh called the request "a novel situation" and said he would let Guerrero know his decision in about a month.


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Protester plans to prevent gays from receiving Communion
The Associated Press - Thursday, May 27, 2004
ST. PAUL

Gay Roman Catholics and their supporters will have to get past David Pence on Sunday if they want to take Holy Communion on Pentecost at the Cathedral of St. Paul.

The former 1960s peace activist turned orthodox church layman intends to block the path of people wearing the sashes associated with a gay Catholics group. Pence said he hopes 10 to 20 Twin Cities men will join him.

He calls his protest an "extraordinary measure" to "defend the Eucharist from being publicly attacked." He said he is committed to nonviolence and does not plan on "tackling anyone."

Members of the Rainbow Sash Alliance in the Twin Cities plan to wear sashes to Mass on Sunday. Members of the worldwide movement want "a conversion of the heart" toward the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics.


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Gay Haledon, NJ Cop Files Bias Suit

(Haledon, NJ) A police sergeant has sued the borough and several officials, claiming he was passed over for promotion because he is gay.

Sgt. James Len filed suit Wednesday in state Superior Court against the borough, Mayor Ken Pengitore, Councilman Ayman Mamkej and Police Chief Harold Engold Jr. All three defendants said they had not seen the suit and declined to comment when reached by the Herald News of West Paterson.

Len is seeking punitive and compensatory damages, claiming he was subjected to a hostile work environment because of his sexual orientation.

He claims officers rigged the evaluation process to prevent him from being promoted to lieutenant. He also says fellow officers harassed him and made anti-gay comments.


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Gay Prom Film Sparks Fears For Safety Of Teen
by Jan Prout
365Gay.com Newscenter

(Toronto, Ontario)  A teenager who won a legal battle to bring his boyfriend to a high school prom is under tight security amid concerns for his safety.

Marc Hall was told in 2002 by his principal that same-sex dates were not allowed at the prom being held by his Toronto area Catholic high school.

Hall went to court winning an injunction against the school board. The teen's courage and the vocal reaction by conservative religious groups across Canada resulted in the film Prom Queen scheduled for airing on national television across Canada June 1.

Publicity surrounding the telecast has resulted in an outpouring of hate messages, mainly on message boards of conservative religious groups.