Stories to Watch

Police in Atlanta have created a new, nine-person advisory board created to better address the needs of the LGBT community in the city. It is intended to improve the relationship between police and LGBT-identified citizens. According to the Associated Press, “members include an assortment of business owners, advocates, and city professionals active in the gay and lesbian community.” This comes just days after the killing of Durand Robinson, the organizer of the Black Gay Pride and co-owner of a gay nightclub – a case that police are still investigating.

Related Media Coverage:
Associated Press – August 31, 2010
“Atlanta Police Name Gay Advisory Board”
http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=13075412

The 5^th Texas Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday that same-sex couples married in other states cannot be granted divorces in Texas because it would require recognizing and validating same-sex marriage, which is unconstitutional under Texas law. This overturned District Judge Tena Callahan’s attempt to hear a case regarding two men who were married in Massachusetts in 2006 and are now seeking a legal divorce in Dallas. Callahan had also ruled that marriage cannot be limited to the union of a man and a woman in Texas, which the appeals court overturned as well. The two men, called J.B. and H.B., were married for two years and had no children or property disputes, but only sought an official divorce. Republican state Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office had appealed the case and also appealed a case in Austin earlier this year regarding a judge who granted a divorce to two women married in Massachusetts in 2004. The case will be sent back to Callahan, who must withdraw her order. J.B.’s attorney said the men have not yet decided if they will appeal to the Texas Supreme Court.

Related Media Coverage:
Associated Press – August 31, 2010
“Court Says Gay Couples Can’t Divorce In Texas”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h4yuYnK0hU4FGiLltOHfhGLSnAngD9HUPKQ02

The Pacific Justice Institute, a California-based legal group, petitioned Sacramento’s 3^rd District Court of Appeal earlier this week in an effort to force Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown to appeal Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision to overturn Proposition 8. Although sponsors of the proposition have already appealed, there are concerns as to whether they are actually allowed to do so. The institute says that the attorney general has an obligation to defend state laws and constitutional provisions regardless of his personal stance on them. The state has until September 11 to file an appeal, but both Schwarzenegger and Brown say they do not plan to.

Equality California, the largest LGBT rights organization in the state, responded with a statement in which Executive Director Geoff Kors points out, “This is an outrageous attempt to try and force elected officials who have sworn to uphold the United States Constitution to defend a law that the Federal Court has found to be unconstitutional. It demonstrates their acknowledgement that the proponents of Proposition 8 lack standing to appeal.” Brown has said in public statements and legal filings that he has an obligation not to defend laws that he thinks violate the state or federal constitutions.

Related Media Coverage:
Associated Press – August 31, 2010
“Legal Group Seeks To Compel Calif. To Defend Prop 8”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hOiMLmsztmiGlNvjNLQLw4N41h1QD9HUPEQ03

Equality California – August 31, 2010
Press Release: Equality California Condemns Lawsuit to Force Governor, AG to Defend Prop. 8
http://www.eqca.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=kuLRJ9MRKrH&b=4869041&ct=8628561

Michael Rosenfeld, an associate professor of sociology at Stanford University, released a study earlier this month using data from the 2000 U.S. Census to compare how well children of straight and gay couples do in elementary and middle school. The study appears in the journal Demography and considers the rates at which children repeat a grade in their youth.

“Having parents who are the same gender is not in itself a disadvantage to children… Parents’ income and education are the biggest indicators of a child’s success,” Rosenfeld concluded. His study also revealed that children raised by single parents, unmarried heterosexual couples, or in group housing had especially negative impacts on the their education, as opposed to that of children of same-sex and married couples. Researchers have had difficulty conducting studies like this one in the past, but Rosenfeld’s findings are promising because of the large sample size he used, contributing new data to an important conversation about evolving family structures.

Related Media Coverage:
Stanford Report – August 30, 2010
“Children Raised By Gay Couples Show Good Progress Through School”
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/august/gay-study-083010.html

Two marines accused of beating of a gay man in Savannah in June will not be charged with a hate crime. The men, Lance Corporal Christopher Stanzel and Corporal Keil Cronauer, have instead been charged with misdemeanor battery against 26-year-old Keiran Daly. According to a police report, the attack took place after Stanzel and Cronauer learned Daly was gay and claimed that he “winked at them.” A new hearing has been rescheduled for September 9^th, in order to allow time to review further evidence.

Related Media Coverage:
WSAV.com – August 31, 2010
“No Felony Charges For Marines Accused of Beating a Gay Man in Savannah”
http://www2.wsav.com/news/2010/aug/30/no-felony-charges-marines-accused-beating-gay-man--ar-768953/

Actor David Yost played the Blue Power Ranger in the popular television show "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" in the 1990s, and in a recent interview revealed his reason for leaving the show. Yost told No Pink Spandex that he encountered strong anti-gay feelings "expressed by the staff, including creators, producers, writers, and directors," such as aggressive questioning of his sexual orientation and the use of anti-gay slurs. He described the experience as humiliating and went on to suffer psychologically and emotionally with his sexuality after leaving the show.