Two Men Plead Guilty to Federal Hate Crime Against Gay Man Outside Atlanta Grocery Store

Many of you will recall this brutal attack outside an Atlanta grocery story (video at the link) in which a man was beaten while another laughed and repeated, "No faggots in Jack City."

The two men responsible, Christopher Cain (pictured), 19, and Dorian Moragne, 20, both of Atlanta, pleaded guilty yesterday to a federal hate crime, the FBI reports:

“Hate-fueled violence will not be condoned,” said Roy L. Austin Jr., Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will use all the tools in our law enforcement arsenal to investigate and prosecute hate crimes.”

“Using violence against another person because of his or her sexual orientation has no place in our civilized society. The Department of Justice is committed to aggressively enforcing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act to prosecute acts motivated by hate,” said U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.

Cain and Moragne admitted to violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded federal jurisdiction to include certain assaults motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation. The federal hate crimes law criminalizes certain acts of violence motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, or gender identity. This case is the first in Georgia to charge a violation of the sexual orientation provision of this federal hate crimes law.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed Announces Support for Marriage Equality

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed came out for marriage equality yesterday with this statement:

“Today marks an important day as I announce my support for marriage equality. It is well known that I have gone through a good bit of reflection on this issue, but listening to the stories of so many people that I know and care about has strengthened my belief that marriage is a fundamental right for everyone. Loving couples, regardless of their sexual orientation, should have the right to marry whomever they want. By signing this resolution, I pledge my support to marriage equality for same-sex couples, consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution...I believe in tolerance and acceptance, regardless of a person’s race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. That creed has been a guiding force for me throughout my life, as reflected by my actions and votes as a lifelong Democrat and elected official in the state of Georgia for more than 14 years.”

The mayor had been under added pressure after the City Council, led by City Council member Alex Wan, passed a resolution last week in support of marriage equality.

A press release touted Reed's LGBT advocacy:

Today’s announcement follows years of Mayor Reed’s advocacy for equal rights for gays and lesbians. During his term in the Georgia House of Representatives, Mayor Reed sponsored the only hate crimes bill ever to pass the General Assembly and defended the LGBT community’s right to adopt children. As a co-sponsor for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, Mayor Reed proposed a measure that would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by civilian and nonreligious employers. In 2004, Mayor Reed also voted against the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Georgia.

Said Freedom to Marry's Evan Wolfson: "Mayor Reed, like the more than 200 other Mayors for the Freedom to Marry, has his eye on the economic growth, prosperity, diversity, and opportunity that the families he serves cherish -- and knows that including same-sex couples and their contributions in the community and in marriage strengthens the city and our country. As we build toward more wins in 2013, we welcome Mayor Reed's support at this crucial time in the freedom to marry movement, and are excited to work with him to make the case for the freedom to marry both in Atlanta and across America."

Atlanta City Council Passes Resolution Supporting Marriage Equality While Mayor Refuses to Do the Same

The Atlanta City Council has passed a resolution supporting marriage equality, Project Q Atlanta reports:

Gay Atlanta City Council member Alex Wan quietly introduced a resolution supporting gay marriage on Monday. It passed. Crack open the cheap wine! But don’t tell marriage equality wet blanket Mayor Kasim Reed.

Wan developed the resolution out of the public eye, consulting with Georgia Equality and other activists to develop it and present it to the council. But after the vote, Wan announced its passage on Facebook:

Proud to share with everyone that the Atlanta City Council just passed a resolution supporting marriage equality!!!

Reed refuses to publicly back marriage equality, though he will support the right of the Council to pass a resolution.

His office issued a brief statement to the GA Voice after the vote on Monday. “Mayor Reed respects the decision of the Atlanta City Council in passing a resolution supporting marriage equality.”

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #1259

FOODIES: Sid and Randy begin a culinary adventure around the world.

ATLANTA: Cutting the city by laser.

A DUBSTEP CHRISTMAS: If you enjoy Skrillex with your holiday light show.

NYPD: It gets better.

For previous Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

Lesbian Couple Says Two Men Attacked Them in Hate Crime Over Gay Pride Weekend: VIDEO

A lesbian couple says they were attacked by a couple of men during Atlanta Pride over the weekend, FOX5 reports:

Kathryn Katalinich and Brooke Creef tell FOX 5 News that the attack was disturbing by its very nature and its timing.

They say that two men targeted the couple early Saturday outside a popular Atlanta hotel because of their sexual orientation. They said the men grabbed and pushed them to the ground. The men ran after the couple say they started to scream for help.

They are hoping surveillance video from the hotel will help investigators find the two men.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Million Muppet March, Atlanta Pride, Colbert, Mitt Myth

Scottish politician Gordon Wilson says that passing marriage equality would be a "step toward state fascism."

Stephen Colbert appeared on Meet the Press today and said he can't tell Barack Obama and Mitt Romney apart. "I'm not Ralph Nader. I don't think there's no difference... There is a difference. I don't know what the difference is, though." Video is here.

Singer Marsha Ambrosius has taken to Facebook to deny rumors that she is a lesbian, but still admits to having sexy dreams about the ladies: "I am not a lesbian! I am straight! I will never say I haven't fantasized or had sexually explicit dreams about women before! That would make me liar!"

The New York Times on the "moderate Mitt myth": "There isn’t really a Moderate Mitt; what is on display now is better described as Convenient Mitt. Anyone willing to advocate extremism to raise money and win primaries is likely to do the same to stay in office."

Kim and Khloe can't keep their hands to themselves.

A happy birthday to Roger Moore.

A stagehand is suing Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network after the company allegedly fired him following complaints that he pricked himself while injecting an actor's penis with TriMix, a prescription drug that induces an erection.

Useful information for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Los Angeles-based animation executive Michael Bellavia and Idaho college student Chris Mecham are organizing the Million Muppet March on November 3, three days before the election, to rally support for Big Bird and the other people and characters who would suffer should Romney and other Republicans get their wish: the end of federal funding to PBS.

Actor Stephen Amell looked attractive, of course, during a press appearance in Canada on Friday.

"At 0-32, gay-marriage forces seek 1st win at polls"

New bra designed to detect breast cancer.

The anti-gay American Family Association is now claiming that the 11-year old Mix It Up Day, a day when students are encouraged to eat lunch with people they typically don't hang out with, is an attempt by the organizers at the Southern Poverty Law Center to "promote a homosexual lifestyle." AFA leader Bryan Fischer claimed, "[This is] just another thinly veiled attempt to promote the homosexual agenda. No one is in favor of anyone getting bullied for any reason, but these anti-bullying policies become a mechanism for punishing Christian students who believe that homosexual behavior is not something that should be normalized.”

An estimated 200,000 people attended Atlanta Pride today.

Republicans used the Sunday talk shows to continue hammering Obama's Libya policies. Rep. Darrell Issa called the administration's response the recent attack on our embassy there Obama's "mission accomplished moment," while Sen. Lindsey Graham claims the White House has been "misleading" the American people with their various explanations of the attak.