Jail for mugger who targeted gay men
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK


A man who targeted gay men using London's Hampstead Heath has been jailed for six years.

Nicholas Stewart received his sentence late last week, after pleading guilty to 18 charges, including theft and blackmail.

Stewart, 34, admitted he targeted gay men or those he perceived to be gay between December 2001 and January this year, when local police issued information to the media in a bid to catch him.

As well as robbing some of his victims, he admitted threatening one with a knife and head butting another.


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SACRAMENTO - Judge targeted for same-sex ruling
Group opposing domestic-partners law plans recall
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer


An organization opposed to same-sex marriage is targeting a Sacramento judge for recall after he upheld a state law that would give registered domestic partners many of the same rights as married couples.

Superior Court Judge Loren McMaster "trashed the vote of the people and ruled in favor of the corrupt legislators who hated the voters' opinions on marriage,'' Randy Thomasson, executive director of the Campaign for California Families, said Friday.

The state law, AB205, scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, increases the rights available to domestic partners, a status recognized by California in 1999. The new rights are to include community property, child custody and support on the same terms as spouses, as well as certain government benefits, bereavement leave and the right not to testify against a partner.

It was challenged in court by Thomasson's group and other supporters of Proposition 22, the voter-approved 2000 ballot measure that prohibited California from recognizing same-sex marriages. They argued that AB205 was the equivalent of a same-sex marriage law and could not take effect without voter approval.


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Lesbian 'raped by cops'  - (SA)  


Johannesburg - They wanted to show her what happens to a woman "who tries to be a man".

A young lesbian woman believes this is the reason why two policemen allegedly first beat her unconscious and then raped her.

On Sunday, Riana Joubert, 24, told of the hell she went through when she was arrested "out of the blue" on Thursday night.

Superintendent Eugene Opperman, police spokesperson, confirmed that Joubert had been arrested and that police are investigating her allegations against the arresting officers.


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US bishop in St Paul's plea to heal rift on gays
Reports by Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent


The pro-gay leader of the American Anglican Church, who faces discipline for consecrating an actively homosexual bishop, used the pulpit of St Paul's Cathedral yesterday to plead for reconciliation.

Bishop Frank Griswold, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, admitted that worldwide Anglicanism was torn between those who had a "concern for boundaries" and those who followed the holy spirit wherever it led them.
 
In an appeal for tolerance, the bishop argued that the spirit had a habit of "stretching" the Church to make room for "new realities".

Bishop Griswold's sermon followed growing speculation that he and other liberal bishops would be punished for consecrating Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire last year.


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Televangelist fights sex claims
Former employee alleges affair with TBN owner
By WILLIAM LOBDELL
Los Angeles Times


Televangelist Paul Crouch, founder of the world's largest Christian broadcasting network, has waged a fierce legal battle to prevent a former employee from publicizing allegations that he and Crouch had a sexual encounter eight years ago.

Crouch, 70, is the president of Trinity Broadcasting Network, based in Orange County, whose Christian programming reaches millions of viewers around the world via satellite, cable and broadcast stations.

The source of the allegations against him is Enoch Lonnie Ford, who met Crouch at a TBN-affiliated drug treatment center in 1991 and later went to work for the ministry.

After Ford threatened to sue TBN in 1998, claiming that he had been unjustly fired, Crouch reached a $425,000 settlement with him. In return, Ford agreed, among other things, not to discuss his claim about a sexual encounter with the TV preacher.


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Dominos Pizza brought onto MOPS program
LGBT community shows concern over former CEO's 'homophobia'
By Patrick Gordon


The Merchants on Points System (MOPS) has added a new vendor that promises to be popular with pizza-hungry Tufts students: Dominos Pizza. The change became effective Sept. 1 after Helen's, formerly Pizzeria Roma, chose to discontinue its participation in the program.

Dining Services was interested in adding Dominos to MOPS because on busy nights in past years, students would often have to wait 90 minutes to two hours for a pizza because of a shortage of pizza vendors.

"It is our belief that by adding Dominos, the pressure will be somewhat relieved from the other restaurants and students can get their food more quickly," said Director of Dining Service Patti Lee Klos.

While it may have a somewhat limited menu, Dominos has an excellent reputation for speedy delivery and is very popular among the student body, Klos said.



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Gephardt seeks rights
Pitt-cision 2004
By ANDY MEDICI
Staff Writer


Chrissy Gephardt always called home to talk to her partner, Amy Loder. But one day Amy did not pick up. After 15 tries, Loder finally picked up the phone and said she had fallen and hit her head, and that there was a lot of blood.

Gephardt, 31, immediately called 911 and had an ambulance dispatched to the house the two share. When Gephardt called the hospital to find out how Loder, 31, was doing, she was denied information, since she wasn't a recognized part of Loder's family.

"I don't know about you, but I think that is wrong. We should get the basic health information about the people we love," Gephard said to a small gathering of students in Pitt's Public Health building Saturday.

The Rainbow Alliance, a non-partisan student group, hosted the event.


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Congressman who has voted against gay rights believed gayHustler Magazine discloses massive investigation on congressman who was major force for Schwarzenegger gubenatorial campaign
By John Byrne | Raw Story Editor

A Republican congressman from California who has repeatedly voted against gay rights measures is believed to be gay himself.

After RAW STORY ran an article Wednesday about a gay activist who announced his intention to ‘out’ Congressman David Dreier, R-CA, Hustler Magazine revealed that they planned a major expose exploring the intersection of the congressman’s sexuality and his positions on gay rights.

Another individual also came forward after the article was published, saying that she set up a liaison between the congressman and another man.