Anti-Gay Attacks on Rural Tennessee Man Continue

You may remember the threats against McMinnville, Tennessee resident Neal Anthony I posted about beginning in April of 2007. At that time, Anthony's property had been the target of a paintball attack committed by three teens who said they did it because Anthony is gay. The paintball incident preceded by days an incident in which graffiti that said "all gays go to hell" and "fags deserve to die" was tagged on the sides of buildings on the property. Then, a month later, another graffiti incident.

In June, the graffiti tagging continued, this time with death threats against Anthony.

So Anthony bought $10,000 of surveillance equipment and spent $80,000 fixing up the home, he says. But the attacks continue:

"Vandals sprayed and splattered hate-filled words on his property Friday morning. Anthony said it's because of his sexuality. 'I'm not out there in my yard running naked, or being with my partner doing all these sex acts or anything like that,' said Anthony. Virtually every square foot of the property is within camera range, but this spray paint assault went undetected. The vandals cut the lines to Anthony's cameras, security lights, landscape lights and even severed power to the main house and his phone line. Anthony said this is the ninth assault on his property and he fears the attack might escalate from personal possessions to people. The suspected vandals also spray painted 'Dorothy's in Hell' referring to Neal's mother, who passed away in December."

The Tennessee Equality Project has stepped in to assist. It was reported that they had also stepped in to help over the last incident, along with the ACLU. It's unclear what transpired at that point, but hopefully they can do some good this time.

The sheriff's office meanwhile, doesn't appear to have an interest in Anthony's problems. Meanwhile, Anthony pleads: “People need to know what’s going on up here in Warren County. I need help. I need for this to stop. . .I’m living in fear of my life.”

Repeat Hate Crime Victim Seeks Relief [newschannel 5] (VIDEO)
GAY HATE [out and about]

Previously
Threats Against Rural Gay Tennessee Man Continue [tr]
Anti-gay Threats Against Rural Tennessee Man Continue [tr]
Tennessee Teens Charged with Hate Crime for Vandalism [tr]

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Gay Party or a Night Out with Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young?

It's apparently the latter, though given the preponderance of shirtlessness, lack of women, and the curious beer-bellied bear dude it's kind of hard to tell.

Young remarked on the photos: "I apologize to some of the kids if they did see it because I am trying to be a role model for them. But at the same time, I was just trying to have fun with (friends). That is the life of a quarterback, somebody of my status. I guess somebody was trying to make some money and sold the picture to the web site. But at the same time that is the life I chose to live. But it is not going to stop me from having fun. I just have to watch myself. They always want to try and get some negative pub on me. It wasn’t really nothing bad. … Everybody deserves to have a good time every once in a while during the offseason."

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Remember MySpace Zach who was sent away to 'Ex-Gay' Camp?

Those of you who have read Towleroad for a while may remember the story of 16-year-old Zach Stark, the teenager who made headlines back in June 2005 when he announced on his MySpace blog that he had told his parents he was gay and they were sending him to the Christian fundamentalist "ex-gay" therapy "Love in Action" camp in Memphis, Tennessee. Zach's story was followed closely that year through his release at the end of July.

For the first time, in some pre-release footage from the feature-length documentary This Is What Love In Action Looks Like we hear from Zach, now older.

Watch the clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously
"Love in Action" [tr]
Zach's Father Speaks Out [tr]
Zach's Release from "Love in Action" Imminent [tr]

(via box turtle bulletin)

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Memphis City Schools Backs Principal Who Outed Gay Students

On Wednesday I posted about principal Daphne Beasley of Hollis F. Price Middle College High School in South Memphis, who outed two gay students who were in a relationship to their parents and to other students at the school via a publicly posted list of students who were involved romantically.

As a result of Beasley's actions, the gay students have been the target of verbal harassment and even discrimination from teachers. The ACLU sent a letter to Memphis City Schools, demanding they reprimand Beasley, and compensate and apologize to the two students whom Beasley outed. The ACLU says Beasley violated the students' constitutional rights to equal protection, freedom of expression and association, due process and privacy.

Well, Memphis City Schools responded today via a statement, and they claim that Beasley did nothing wrong and that what she did helped to facilitate "a safe, nurturing and disciplined learning climate." The schools claim that Beasley "did not list any information other than students’ names on her personal call list, and she certainly did not specify the sexual orientation of any student. Additionally, the list was never posted publicly anywhere at the school."

Well, according to the ACLU, "Beasley hung the list up on the wall of her office, in plain view of teachers and other students."

Read the statement from Memphis City Schools, AFTER THE JUMP...

***MEMPHIS CITY SCHOOLS STATEMENT in response to outing of gay students***

“Memphis City Schools is committed to providing its students with the best possible learning environment. Hollis F. Price Middle College is an accelerated high school, which is located on the historically black LeMoyne-Owen College campus. Eligible students may enroll in college classes in pursuit of completing the first two years of college while attending this high school.

Because we have high school students on a college campus, we have to carefully monitor the activities of our students. We are at all times proactive in assuring that our students are provided a safe, nurturing and disciplined learning climate. Unfortunately, in fall 2007, we received numerous complaints from LeMoyne-Owen College faculty and staff that some of our student couples were involved in explicit sexual behavior in public view on the college campus.

In light of this information from LeMoyne-Owen faculty and staff, the principal of Hollis F. Price made several general announcements to the student body that this behavior would not be tolerated. Regrettably, the improper behavior continued. Therefore, the principal felt it appropriate to notify the parents of those children she knew to be involved romantically. This was done in an effort to gain the support of the parents in reinforcing the message that such behavior is in violation of Memphis City Schools’ Student Code of Conduct. The principal did not list any information other than students’ names on her personal call list, and she certainly did not specify the sexual orientation of any student. Additionally, the list was never posted publicly anywhere at the school.

It is the position of Memphis City Schools that the principal did act in an appropriate manner in order to correct a serious issue at the school and that Memphis City Schools has not subjected either of these students to discriminatory treatment.

In the coming days, we will submit a formal response to the ACLU. We look forward to working with them to amicably resolve this matter.”

***END OF STATEMENT***

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ACLU Slams Tennessee Principal for Outing Gay Students

The ACLU has sent a letter to Memphis City Schools, demanding the school system implement new policies, reprimand principal Daphne Beasley of Hollis F. Price Middle College High School in South Memphis, and compensate and apologize to two students whom Beasley outed in a public posted list which the ACLU says violated the students' constitutional rights to equal protection, freedom of expression and association, due process and privacy.

ABC24 Memphis reports:

"The ACLU says in September 2007, Beasley asked her staff to give her the names of students who were couples, heterosexual and homosexual, because she wanted to keep an eye on them to cut down on public displays of affection. She's accused of publicly posting the names of those students, including two boys, Andrew and Nicholas, who had just started dating. The ACLU says that in doing so, Beasley revealed their relationship to other students, teachers and even their parents."

As a result of Beasley's actions, the gay students have been the target of verbal harassment and even discrimination from teachers:

"One of the young men, Nicholas, an 11th grader who just made the Dean's List, spoke with Eyewitness News Everywhere. 'It was actually frightening,' he says, 'to see a list with my name on it where not just other teachers could see but students as well.' Nicholas says his teachers and other students treat him differently as a result of Principal Beasley's decision and that he and Andrew have both had to deal with verbal assaults. Nicholas was also not allowed to go on a trip to New Orleans to help rebuild homes because, as one of his teacher's explained, he would 'embarrass' the school by engaging in gay affection. 'I really feel that my personal privacy was invaded,' Nicholas says. 'I mean, Principal Beasley called my mother and outed me to my mother!'"

Said Hedy Weinberg, Executive Director at the ACLU of Tennessee: "The principal's outing of these two students to their families, classmates, and teachers is unacceptable. Its only purpose was to intimidate not only these students but all gay students at Hollis Price. Educators should be focused on educating their students and not on harassing them because of their sexual orientation or the people with whom they associate."

Memphis Principal Accused of "Outing" Gay Students [eyewitness news]
ACLU Takes On High School Principal For Discriminating Against Male Couple [aclu]
Demand Letter [aclu]

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Dolly Parton Sends Bald Eagle Back to Nature

Dolly Parton does everything. She even frees bald eagles!

Yesterday she participated in a combo bald eagle and commemorative coin release in Dandridge, Tennessee. Said Parton, whose Dollywood Theme Park also hosts an eagle sanctuary: "Our part is our part, but everybody has to do theirs to make it work."

As she stepped from a vehicle in her high heels, she said: "Well, if you're looking for my wilderness shoes, here they are."

She also named the eagle: "Why don't we name it Liberty since we're talking about the coins and patriotic things. I thought that sounded better than Baldy..."

Parton warned that she didn't want to become a baldy herself: "Don't let it get a hold of my hair, or he may fly off with it."

AFTER THE JUMP, Dolly's video for "Eagle When She Flies"...

Previously
Dolly Parton's Breasts Cause Tour Cancellation [tr]
Jake Shears Interviews Dolly Parton in UK Special [tr]
Dolly Parton: Better Get to Livin' [tr]

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TN House Committee Kills Homophobic Campfield School Bill

A bill proposed by state Rep. Stacey Campfield that would have prohibited any discussion of homosexuality in elementary middle schools today was killed when a motion that the bill be sent to the State Department of Education was approved by a voice vote.

The Knoxville News reports: "Campfield said the ban is needed to leave parents in charge of what their children learn about sexuality. The legislators has heard reports from parents of homosexuality discussions being conducted in schools - one in Knox County and one in Sevier County - though he declined to name them, saying the reports were not verified."

Before the vote occurred, several speakers representing the Tennessee Education Association, the American Civil Liberties Union and the state Department of Education spoke out against it:

"Basically, they said it is not needed and puts the Legislature in the business of dictating school curriculum - decisions best left to the State Board of Education. Hedy Weinberg of the ACLU also said the measure 'a clear attack on one community, the lesbian and gay community.'"

House subcommittee kills Campfield bill banning homosexual discussion [knoxville news]

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Tennessee Bill Would Bar Teachers from Discussing Homosexuality

A bill filed by Representative Stacey Campfield of Knoxville would ban "any instruction or materials discussing sexual orientation other than heterosexuality" in the Tennessee's public schools.

"Campfield says the bill was a response to a National Education Association resolution that suggests schools provide information on diversity of sexual orientation and gender identification in sex-education classes. 'I think the schools should stick to the basics: reading, writing, and arithmetic. And maybe some civics,' says Campfield. 'But teaching transgenderism to middle school students ... I don't think that's the road we should go down. I think that's what parents should be doing.' Currently, individual school boards decide whether or not sexual orientation and gender identity will be discussed within the sex-ed curriculum. Memphis City School officials are currently considering a new curriculum that would address sexual orientation and gender identity. Shelby County School officials did not return phone calls by press time."

Campfield thinks heterosexual sex should be discussed because of procreation: "If I were to say 'Jack and Jill went up the hill' or 'George Washington and Martha Washington were husband and wife,' there are groups out there that would say we were pushing a heterosexual agenda. To keep those lawsuits from coming, I thought we should still be able to talk about that side of it."

Gimme a break.

Don't Say "Gay" [memphis flyer]

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News: Venezuela, Andy Roddick, Melting Glaciers, Lynne Cheney

STUDY: America's youth rejecting Christianity because of hypocrisy and homophobia. "A new book based on research by the California-based research firm The Barna Group found that church attitudes about people in general and gays in particular are driving a negative image of the Christian faith among people ages 16-29. 'The Christian community's ability to take the high road and help to deal with some of the challenges that this (anti-gay) perception represents may be the ... defining response of the Christian church in the next decade,' said David Kinnaman, Barna Group president and author of the book, UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity. 'The anti-homosexual perception has now become sort of the Geiger counter of Christians' ability to love and work with people.'"

Assessing the disaster that is Britney's album cover art.

Venezuela looks ready to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Three people in Cheney's office reportedly tried to silence MSNBC's Chris Matthews: "I thought on the 10th anniversary it would be good to celebrate the First Amendment, which gives us all our living. We reviewed in brief the remarkable experience of covering the Clinton [scandal] and the defense of the war with Iraq. And the difference in these two cases was that although I was extremely tough on Clinton, there was never any attempt to silence me — whereas there was a concerted effort by [Vice President Cheney’s office] to silence me. It came in the form of three different people calling trying to quiet me."

British university student expelled for leaving homophobic comments in a group on Facebook.

STUDY: 16,000 couples wed in first year of UK civil partnerships. "London was the area with the highest number of ceremonies, about 4,000, followed by the South-East, which accounted for about 2,700. Today's report also reveals that 10 per cent of the men and almost a quarter of the women involved in a gay wedding were previously married-The average age for males registering a same-sex partnership was 47 and for females nearly 44. The average age gap between partners was eight years for men and six years for women."

Elton John bangs balls with Andy Roddick at benefit tournament.

Ricky Martin receives key to the city of Miami.

Fragrance industry sniffing out Madonna.

The big melt: Glaciers disappearing from Montana's Glacier National Park "eight years ahead of schedule."

Tennessee attorney general Bob Cooper releases opinon to judge saying that the state's constitution presents no barrier to same-sex couples who want to adopt: "In it, Cooper wrote that, under the state constitution, same-sex couples should be eligible to adopt children as long as the court finds the placement to be in the child's best interest. Cooper found the constitution doesn't mention adoption, meaning the process is governed solely by statutes. Tennessee law doesn't require people petitioning for adoption to be married."

Lynne Cheney booed on The Daily Show, says terrorist attacks worldwide don't affect American interests.

This is a particularly hypnotizing optical illusion.

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Cruising in the Park: Tennessee vs. England

Two recent reports on gay men getting caught while having outdoor sex could not paint more starkly different pictures of attitudes in the rural South vs attitudes in Great Britain:

Johnson City, Tennessee police say a two-week sex sting that led to 40 arrests for indecent behavior is "just the beginning for authorities" in the area:

"'Part of this took place off the paved trails. There’s a thing out there (at Winged Deer Park) they’ve evidently termed the 'Man Cave,'' [Johnson City Police Chief John] Lowry said. 'It’s a good way off the paved trail. It’s underbrush that’s grown up and resembles a cave.' According to investigators, men frequent the Man Cave at all times of day specifically to take part in sexual activities with other men. During their investigation, undercover officers often would strike up a conversation with a man who was approaching the trail leading to the Man Cave. The conversation quickly would turn sexual and, many times, led to proposals for sex, police said."

Those arrested range in age from 26 to 85. They have also been shamefully hung out to dry (names, addresses, all) by the local media.

In Bristol, UK, four firefighters have been disciplined for interrupting a similar scene:

"The firemen shone their torches from their engine into bushes on the Downs - an area of parkland in Bristol said to be popular with people engaging in late-night outdoor sex known as 'dogging' - interrupting the four as they were involved in a gay sex act. One of the group later contacted the AIDS charity, the Terrence Higgins Trust, who advised him to make a formal complaint. That led to the firefighters being suspended while a three month investigation was carried out. Two of them have now been fined up to £1,000; one has been demoted in rank and the other given a written warning. Each of them has also been ordered to attend a two-day equality course. he fines are to be donated to a nominated gay-rights charity. The charity under consideration is the Jamaican Forum for Lesbians All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG), as Bristol has a large Jamaican community, although no final decision has been made. The four-man crew have also been transferred to other stations."

Police in Tennessee said they had received public complaints of inappropriate activity, while in England "Police said they had not received any complaint, but it was an offence to commit a lewd, obscene or disgusting act in a public place, which was capable of outraging public decency."

It's surely hot ammo for religious conservatives and their anti-gay propaganda. Unfortunately for them, it's all too often the Larry Craigs and Bob Allens caught up in the sting.

And it's not always a gay issue. The photo on top is from a recent article about a show of Kohei Yoshiyuki’s photography. Yoshiyuki documented heterosexuals having sex in public parks in Tokyo in the 70's and the peeping Toms who gathered to watch them.

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Christian Theater Group Spends $90K to Condemn Kathy Griffin

The Miracle Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee has paid $90,440 for a full-page ad in USA Today that ran on Monday condemning the "Suck it, Jesus" remarks made by Kathy Griffin upon accepting her Emmy for Best Reality Show, according to the AP.

The ad reads: "We at The Miracle Theater consider it an honor to stand for Jesus today. We may never win a national award. We may never be household names. We may never be seen in Hollywood. Although others may choose to use their national platform to slander our God, we are honored as professional entertainers to stand for Christ."

Of course the Miracle Theater is welcome to waste their money in whatever way they choose, but imagine how much prouder Jesus would have been had they spent that $90,440 to feed the homeless or help needy children. Instead they spent in on a self-aggrandizing ad condemning free speech.

Check out the ad, after the jump...

Recently
FOX News: Jesus Died on Cross So Kathy Griffin Could Win Emmy [tr]
Kathy Griffin Wins Emmy, Gets Censored for Jesus Remark [tr]

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Gay Students Assaulted in Anti-Gay Hate Crime at Vanderbilt

Two gay men were attacked at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee on September 9th by an undergraduate and a non-student guest. While at a Quiznos restaurant on campus, their outward displays of affection drew verbal harassment followed by a physical assault, InsideVandy reports:

"When the couple left Towers West they were accosted by the two suspects in what 'appeared to be a premeditated, unprovoked attack,' said Dean of Students Mark Bandas. The police report narrative does not mention the anti-gay language used in Quiznos, but it does indicate suspicion of a hate crime. Surveillance images, which will not be released by the university in order to protect the victims, captured the entire attack and led to the identification of the undergraduate suspect. According to the VUPD report, 'The suspects began to strike (the graduate) in the head with their fists. The suspects struck (him) four or five times.' The victim suffered minor swelling to the left cheek and lip, according to the report. The attack, an 'isolated and anomalous incident,' was 'beyond disappointing,' Bandas said. 'Vanderbilt has no tolerance for intolerance,' he said. 'An assault like this one is an attack on the fundamental norms and values that constitute our community.'"

Vanderbilt Student Government President Cara Bilotta made note of the attack as University officials expressed dismay over the lack of GLBT visibility on campus: "GLBT issues have been ‘hush-hush,’ but they need to be out in the open if we are going to increase acceptance and increase tolerance. I had hoped our collaboration would be more proactive, but because of this incident, we have been forced to be reactionary."

According to InsideVandy, the victim of the assault has pressed charges and the student attacker will face university disciplinary charges that will not be made public. The non-student attacker may have fled the state.

Students attacked in alleged anti-gay hate crime [inside vandy]
University responds to alleged hate crime [inside vandy]

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Former Senator Fred Thompson Joins GOP Presidential Candidates

The GOP has another potential candidate, as former Tennessee senator and actor Fred Thompson finally announced his candidacy last night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He also posted a web video announcing his run (below, right) that, among other things, took direct aim at Hillary Clinton.

Thompson on Leno: "I'm running for President of the United States. A lot of people have been, of course, running for some time. Everybody kind of changed the rules. Usually you don't announce until after Labor Day, but they started running a lot earlier, spending millions of dollars and so forth, and everyone said that you couldn't run this year without raising a hundred million dollars and starting much earlier. I don't believe that. I wasn't in the room when they made the rules; so I had to kind of follow my own lead. So we started around the kitchen table in late March talking about it, thinking about it, thinking about what kind of world and what kind of country our kids were going to grow up in and how many people have a chance to do something about it. And I decided that it was time for me to step up. So I did."

Thompson's voting record on gay rights is not surprising. He voted "no" on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation, he voted "yes" on DOMA, he voted "no" on a federal bill to prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, and his position on a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage is "against", preferring to let the states decide.

He has said: "I think that we ought to be a tolerant nation. I think we ought to be tolerant people. But we shouldn't set up special categories for anybody. And I'm for the rights of everybody, including gays, but not any special rights."

(Tonight Show video via Talking Points Memo)

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Lesbian Attacked with Fists and Bottle in Tennessee Bar

Miranda Greer, 24, a lesbian from Hall, Tennessee, just northeast of Memphis, has told police that a man assaulted her with a beer bottle and punched her in the face on July 15 after questioning her about her sexuality at Tequila Joe's, a bar in Jackson, Mississippi.

From the Jackson Sun: "Greer said a man approached her after he saw her dancing with a male friend. The man, a patron at the club, thought she was a gay man and, using a slur, told her to leave, she said. Greer told him she was a woman and a lesbian, she said. The man responded by punching her in the face, Greer said. The man then used the bottom of a beer bottle to jab her in the left eye about four times before smashing the bottle over the back of her head, she said. Greer said when she got up, the man charged her, but missed and fell. She said she pinned him down until bouncers grabbed her by the throat and threw her out of the bar. Greer said she could not find the man for police as people filtered out of the club. Her friend Michael Robinson, 27, said a man who was in the nightclub told him he saw Greer's attacker slip out an employee entrance. Robinson said he did not see the attack."

Greer claims that she currently has a blind spot in one eye because of the incident. The paper reports that she and others are planning a protest outside the bar this coming Saturday.

Recent Tennessee News
Drunk, Crossdressing Baptist Minister Flashes Kids, Offers Cops Sex [tr]
Threats Against Rural Gay Tennessee Man Continue [tr]
Kroger Stores Charged with Discrimination by Tennessee Gay Paper [tr]
Tennessee Teacher Suspended for Gay/Racial Slur Lesson [tr]

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Drunk, Crossdressing Baptist Minister Flashes Kids, Offers Cops Sex

A Baptist minister from Bristol, Virginia was arrested in Tennessee and charged with driving under the influence and indecent exposure, according to the Associated Press.

Pastor Tommy Tester, 58, drew attention to himself after relieving himself in front of children at a car wash in Johnson City, Tennessee: "A report also accuses Tester of offering police officers oral sex and says an open bottle of vodka and empty oxycodone prescription bottle was found in his car."

Oh, yeah. He was also wearing a skirt at the time of his arrest.

"Authorities identified Tester as the minister of Gospel Baptist Church in Bristol and an employee of Christian radio station WZAP-AM, also in Bristol. WZAP issued a statement asking for prayers and saying Tester has been suspended during an investigation."

When those Baptist ministers go, they really go.

Minister In Skirt Charged With Indecent Exposure [ap via wgal]
(via queerty)

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Threats Against Rural Gay Tennessee Man Continue

This time it's a death threat. The ACLU and the Hate Crimes Task Force with the Tennessee Equality project have stepped in to help investigate the continued anti-gay harassment of Neal Anthony.

Anthony, who lives in McMinnville, was targeted in April by vandals who sprayed anti-gay messages on the side of his home and peppered it with paintballs, breaking windows.

"Fags deserve to die" and "all gays go to hell" were two of the messages written on the sides of his home, an historic residence built by his great-grandfather who was a county judge.

A group of teens were later charged in the paintball vandalism but the harassment has continued. In late May, Anthony's windows were broken by rocks and threatening messages were sprayed on the inside of his barn.

In this latest attack, vandals sprayed the words "Die Neal" on the outside of his house. They were discovered by his partner Mike, according to Tennessee paper Out & About, who published the above image.

Out & About is the paper recently targeted by Kroger Grocery stores and removed from store shelves.

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Kroger Stores Charged with Discrimination by Tennessee Gay Paper

Kroger grocery stores have been charged with discrimination by the publisher of regional Tennessee gay and lesbian publication Out and About Newspaper after what its publisher claims is an arbitrary decision to pull the paper from stores.

Publisher Jerry Jones (above) says he was told of the decision on Monday by the DistribuTech, with whom the paper has a contract to be distributed in 34 Kroger stores in the middle Tennessee and Nashville area.

Said Jones: "Mr. Duhame informed me that he was enforcing the wishes and policy of Kroger and Harris Teeter stores. He also said the two corporations would not approve publications that are controversial, religious or political...in the decision to remove Out & About Newspapers, DistribuTech was following our own policy, and in your situation not solely the policy and wishes of the retailer. On behalf of management, I sincerely apologize for any confusion or frustration this situation may have caused the publication and its readers."

Jones notes that also appearing alongside Out and About in the stores is the Southern Voice, another regional gay publication based out of Atlanta. Kroger reportedly advertises in the Southern Voice as well.

Jones notes that although the magazine has no sexual or explicit content, gay publications are often stigmatized for that: "The local Kroger managers that I've talked to received no complaints. If Kroger were to review the paper, they would find it is a very clean and well-produced newspaper. The public perception of anything within the gay community is that it's sexual in nature. I think they are reacting to perception, which is not necessarily the reality."

Gay Paper Pulled From Grocery Stores [ap]
Kroger officially says ‘no’ to distributing GLBT newspaper [out and about]

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Tennessee Teacher Suspended for Gay/Racial Slur Lesson

Stephen Henry, a 21-year teaching veteran and recently-elected vice president of the Metro Nashville Education Association, has been placed on administrative leave and will face a three-day suspension from his sixth-grade teaching job after attempting to teach one of his students about the usage of offensive slurs.

Henry reportedly heard the student describe something as "gay" so he asked the student how she would feel being called the N-word. The student's mother said that "she felt the teacher was using the 'what-if' scenario as an excuse to call her the racial slur."

Said the mother, Anzora Lee-Starks: "I don't think he meant it to come out the way it did, but I think my daughter was very hurt, and I was very upset about it. I teach my children not to use that word. I think he made a very poor choice in trying to explain something that is over their heads and using the n-word in the way he did. "I think he's aware what he said was inappropriate for that age group. Maybe high school or college you might have that kind of exchange and be able to say the word and it would be a discussion. It wasn't a discussion."

In an email to the school's principal, Henry wrote: "Because it has been my practice all year long to address teachable moments when they present themselves ... I felt compelled to pursue that lesson. I stated that regardless of what one means, when emotionally-charged words are used, the intent of the speaker is often never heard or understood by those who actually hear the offending words."

According to the Dickson Herald, "Henry is a professional actor who has won numerous awards as a human rights activist and serves as vice president of the Tennessee Equality Project, a group dedicated to advancing the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents. He also is a member of the executive committee for the Metro Nashville Education Association and teaches training courses on safety and gay and lesbian issues."

Teacher suspended after discussion with student about gay, racial slurs [wbir]
Teacher suspended for slur lesson [tr]

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Anti-gay Threats Against Rural Tennessee Man Continue

In April, I posted about the arrest of three teens in McMinnville, Tennessee, who targeted the home of Neal Anthony and his partner Michael Duncan with paintballs because they were gay.

The names of the teens were not released because they are minors, but apparently they were not connected to the disgusting gay slurs that were also spray-painted on the side of Anthony's historic 1851 home. If you'll remember, the messages said "all gays go to hell" and "fags deserve to die".

Last weekend, Anthony was reportedly targeted again, according to a Towleroad tipster. Says our source: "Yet another hate crime took place over the weekend when four rocks crashed through his front windows as a Red (possibly Burgundy) Ford Explorer with people screaming "FAGS MUST DIE" drove by Neal's home. The local Sheriff's Dep't was once again called out but the investigating officer claimed they could do nothing as the car was headed into an adjoining county (where they have no jurisdiction) and so the matter could not be pursued."

According to our source, the police see the spray-painting incident as a cold case and are refusing to pursue it further, even though there may be a connection between this recent rock-throwing incident and the spray paint incident in April. Tracking a red Ford Explorer should not be tough work in rural Tennessee, unless, of course, there is some reason someone is being protected.

I'll bring you more information as I get it...

You may have missed...
Tennessee Teens Charged with Hate Crime for Vandalism [tr]
Vandals Target Tennessee Man in Anti-Gay Hate Crime [tr]

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Tennessee Teens Charged with Hate Crime for Vandalism

Authorities in McMinnville, Tennessee, a rural town approximately halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga, have charged three teens with a hate crime after they apparently confessed to spraying a gay man's house with paintballs. They said they targeted Neal Anthony because he is gay.

Anthony, whom I posted about the other day, found his home covered in anti-gay graffiti that said "all gays go to hell" and "fags deserve to die" just days after the paintball incident, in which he said his home was peppered with more than 80 paintball rounds.

Police aren't releasing the names of those charged, as they are juveniles (two are 15, one is 16), and it's unclear whether they are connected to the anti-gay writings discovered on the side of Anthony's historic 1851 home.

Anthony has asked that they clean up the damage.

Teens charged with hate crime over damage to gay man's house [ap via tennesseean]

For more on this story...
Vandals Target Tennessee Man in Anti-Gay Hate Crime [tr]

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Vandals Target Tennessee Man in Anti-Gay Hate Crime

Neal Anthony, from McMinnville, Tennessee, had his home targeted last weekend by a group of anti-gay vandals who threw a landscaping rock through his window and spray-painted anti-gay messages around the outside of his house, according to WKRN Nashville.

Anthony, who lives there with his partner Michael Duncan, says he makes no secret of the fact that he is openly gay.

Said Anthony: "I guess whoever was doing this thinks they are going to run me off from this community because I’m gay. That is not going to happen… this house has been in my family since it was built in 1851. People out there are ignorant… times have changed. They need to accept open-mindedness.”

"Fags deserve to die" and "all gays go to hell" were two of the messages written on the sides of his home, an historic residence built by his great-grandfather who was a county judge.

Anthony told WKRN that three weeks ago several people riding all-terrain vehicles rode by yelling anti-gay epithets and shot 80 rounds of paintballs at the house, breaking windows.

The vandals even went after Anthony's 82-year-old mother who lives in a nursing home. "You’re mother is hell bound," said one of the messages.

Investigators are treating the incident as a hate crime and say they have suspects.

"Anti-Gay Messages Spray-Painted On Man's Home" [wkrn nashville]

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