Three Gay Men Attacked in Columbus, Ohio in Past Week: VIDEO

Outlook Columbus reports that three gay men have been attacked in Columbus, Ohio over the past five days:

On Thursday, a visitor from out of town who was smoking outside the Southbend Tavern in Merion Village was punched and kicked until he was unconscious by at least two men who had asked him for help starting their car.

Late Sunday, an employee walking home from Union was beaten near Summit Street in Italian Village. A gay man also was attacked and robbed early Monday near E Broad Street and Parsons Avenue in Olde Towne; he posted a photo of his bloodied head, along with a warning: “It sounds like hate crimes are back, boys and girls.”

“There are creeps out there, and they don’t like us,” said Gloria McCauley, executive director of BRAVO, the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization.

Sgt. Richard Weiner, a spokesman for Columbus Police, said Southbend patrons reported the incident there late last week. Christopher Ashcraft told officers he was approached by several men who asked for a jump-start...

...David Conley, the victim of the third attack, said he called 911 as a group of men approached him from behind, and he was on the phone with the dispatcher as they hit him with a 2-by-4. Police arrived quickly and arrested three men. Conley said the men made vulgar comments as they approached that indicated an anti-gay bias.

Exile, a gay bar, was also robbed this week.

Watch Ashcraft tell his story to WCPO, AFTER THE JUMP...

National LGBT Groups Distance Themselves from Ohio Campaign to Put Gay Marriage on 2014 Ballot

Today, FreedomOhio, a group working to put same-sex marriage on the ballot in Ohio in 2014, announced that "the Human Rights Campaign, Equality Ohio, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, National Freedom to Marry, the Gill Action Fund, the American Unity Fund and the BISC met today and discussed how to become involved in next year’s campaign" according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Said Ian James, FreedomOhio co-founder:

“We have decided to be on the ballot in 2014 to allow for a continuing dialogue with voters across Ohio about why marriage matters. We will continue to build upon the hundreds of thousands of conversations we’ve had already, to identify supportive voters, and to raise the resources necessary to mobilize a full-on campaign.”

Later this afternoon, those groups confirmed the meeting in an email, but said there was no discussion about putting the measure on the ballot in 2014 or any other date:

Contrary to the assertions made by Ian James in an unapproved statement, there was no agreement reached to put forward a ballot initiative in 2014 or any other specific date. Instead, all of the groups in attendance, including Freedom Ohio and nearly a dozen other leading organizations, agreed to work together to talk to Ohio voters about why marriage matters and strengthen our coalition in the months ahead, reserving judgment on the timing of a ballot initiative until a clear pathway to victory could be determined and carried out.

“Ohio families deserve to win marriage as soon as possible. And our national partners have won marriage equality in 13 jurisdictions. We are putting together a strong, honest coalition and a responsible plan to win,” said Elyzabeth Holford, Executive Director of Equality Ohio. “We intend to win and will do everything necessary to secure fairness for same-sex couples and their families.”

“We are committed to winning marriage in Ohio as soon as possible, and to developing the kind of robust campaign that has helped us achieve historic victories across the country,” said Marc Solomon, National Campaign Director for Freedom to Marry. “What we need to do now is engage in the real work to increase public support so we can win on the ballot—in 2016, or if possible sooner.”

“Ian James must have attended a different meeting than the rest of us,” said Marty Rouse, National Field Director for the Human Rights Campaign. “Representatives from 11 state and national organizations participated in today’s meeting. Ten of them came away with a clear understanding that we would refrain from deciding on timing until it was responsible to do so. We’re perplexed as to how Freedom Ohio came away with a different understanding.”

Ohio Gubernatorial Candidate Ed FitzGerald: I Will Sign Marriage Equality and LGBT Non-Discrimination Bills

Ohio Governor John Kasich's only Democratic challenger for reeelection, Ed FitzGerald, tells Outlook Columbus that he supports full equality for LGBT Ohioans:

“I believe in full equality for all Ohioans, and that includes the LGBT community, and that includes issues not just related to marriage, but also employment and housing,” said FitzGerald, 44, a former FBI agent and former mayor of gay-friendly Lakewood.

“If it’s on the ballot I’m going to vote for it. If something comes across my desk when I’m governor, I’m going to sign it.”

FitzGerald was critical of Kasich’s position on LGBT issues, which goes no further than a comment in March that he has gay friends. Kasich told a TV interviewer then that he supported civil unions for gay and lesbian Ohioans, but his spokesman quickly retracted the comments and said the governor didn’t know what civil unions were.

“Maybe part of his brain told him it was the right thing to do and the other part told him, ‘You have a right wing in your party that you can’t defy,’” FitzGerald said.

High School Students Protest Firing Of Lesbian Teacher

Bishop Watterson Catholic High School physical education teacher Carla Hale met with the school's principal this past Wednesday for the first time since she was wrongly fired earlier this month. Post-meeting, the principal, Marian Hutson, said she supports the decision to dismiss the teacher, who had taught at the school for 19 years. Hale is fighting the outrageous termination and has filed a grievence. Meeting with Hutson is the first step in the grievence process.

Yesterday, Bishop Watterson students from protested the teacher's firing outside the offices of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus. The Columbus Dispatch reports:

As cars passed the offices on Gay Street, the students held poster-board signs with messages: “ Come together,” “We are all children of God” and “#halestorm,” the Twitter hashtag used to support Hale. Many wore rainbow ribbons or buttons incorporating an equals sign into the Watterson crest. Senior Zac Simmons said he was demonstrating because he wanted his voice to be heard. “She’d always be there for us, and I just want to be there for her,” he said of Hale.

Watch video of the protest, AFTER THE JUMP.

The hacktivist group Anonymous has also become a part of the story. They've posted a video in which they urge the Columbus Ohio Diocese to give Hale back her job. Watch the Anonymous video, AFTER THE JUMP.

More than 63,000 have signed the online petition asking to reinstate Hale. You can sign it yourself here.

Gay Catholic High School Teacher Fired for Being Gay to File Discrimination Complaint: VIDEO

Carla Hale, the Catholic high school teacher in Columbus, Ohio who was fired after an anonymous parent informed them that her partner's name had appeared in her mother's obituary, plans to fight for her reinstatement, she told reporters at a news conference yesterday.

The Columbus Dispatch reports:

Hale has filed a grievance and plans to appeal to the union that represents Catholic teachers in central Ohio after Watterson Principal Marian Hutson denied her initial request on Tuesday.

“I was informed that I was not terminated because I was gay, but ... the spousal relationship that was publicized in the newspaper, which happened to be an obituary, is against church teaching,” she said. Her attorney, Thomas Tootle, said he sees little distinction between the two.

Hale also will file a complaint with the Columbus Community Relations Commission under a city ordinance that makes it a crime for employers to discriminate based on sexual orientation. Mayor Michael B. Coleman is among those who have publicly supported the teacher.

Watch her press conference, AFTER THE JUMP...

Gay Catholic High School Teacher Fired After Partner's Name Appears in Mother's Obituary: VIDEO

Disgusting actions from Bishop Watterson, a Catholic High School in Clintonville, Ohio, have students and other supporters rallying around Carla Hale, a physical education teacher who was fired by the school after an anonymous parent informed them that her partner's name had appeared in her mother's obituary.

Watch Hale tell her story, AFTER THE JUMP...

The Columbus Dispatch reports:

According to a contract between the Columbus diocese and the Central Ohio Association of Catholic Educators, teachers can be terminated for “immorality” or “serious unethical conduct.” George Jones, a spokesman for the diocese, had no comment yesterday, saying personnel matters are confidential.

Hale, a physical-education teacher who taught at Watterson for 19 years, said she has filed a grievance under the terms of the contract, seeking her job back. Her attorney, Thomas Tootle, said they are exploring other legal options.

Hale, a practicing Methodist, said she also hopes the reaction to her dismissal spurs Catholic leaders to reconsider their stance on gay relationships.

Hale did not discuss her sexual orientation or her partner with students or teachers. A Change.org petitionto reinstate her now has more than 10,000 signatures.

The Dispatch adds that Hale's firing may violate city law:

The firing of a gay physical-education teacher from a Columbus Catholic high school would be a violation of a city ordinance if a complaint were filed and investigators determined the dismissal was based on her sexual orientation...A Columbus city ordinance makes it a misdemeanor for an employer to discriminate against an employee based on sexual orientation. City law also states that an employer cannot have a policy that discriminates based on sexual orientation. Those who are found guilty could face up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Students have left testimonies in support of Hale.

Wrote Amanda Lux:

When I was a student at Bishop Watterson, we were always taught to treat others with dignity and compassion. As an alumni, I still credit Bishop Watterson with shaping me into the person I am today -- both morally and ethically. I am deeply saddened to learn that, in spite of what Watterson taught me about respect for all humanity, a longstanding and well-respected faculty member was treated so unfairly. Ms. Hale has always been an excellent coach and teacher. Her sexual orientation and lifestyle choices have no bearing on her capacity to educate her students and should NOT be grounds for termination of employment.

Wrote Lauren Bogenrief:

Bishop Watterson demands that we all treat each other with equality and respect. I hope they see that their students are standing up for the morally right thing, not to just rebel against the school. Carla Hale is a child of God and equal in his eyes to all of us. Bishop Watterson needs to recognize that.

Watch Hale tell her story, AFTER THE JUMP...