Gay bashings can happen anywhere, at any time. Unfortunately, safety isn’t assured even near home. In many states, hate crime laws do not provide protection on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender presentation. Oklahoma is one of those states. While federal hate crime legislation encompassing sexual orientation protections is pending, it didn’t come fast enough for one young man in the Midwest.

A young man in Tulsa, Brandon Patrick, suffered a vicious assault on the evening of October 18th as he walked from his home to visit a nearby friend. Three people, a woman in her 40s and a younger man and woman in their late teens or early twenties approached him, shouting homophobic insults. The verbal assault escalated into a beating after the individuals got into a maroon Ford Mustang and followed the victim. Physical injuries sustained in the attack included bruises, knife wounds and bite wounds. Three staples were required to close the wound on Mr. Patrick’s scalp and three stitches were needed for a stab wound on his knee.

Brandon Patrick fought back, defending himself against the assault once the man began punching him in the head. He continued to fight back and the three returned to their vehicle and fled. The three assailants are still at large; however, due to Oklahoma’s weak hate crime legislation, they will only be charged with felony assault.

News stories like this worry all of us, reminding us that caution, self defense and activism are all necessary. Know your surroundings, keep your cell phone close at hand, and watch out for yourself and your friends. You can find information on activism in Oklahoma, including information on hate crimes in Oklahoma at from Oklahomans for Equality at http://www.okeq.org/. Federal hate crime legislation, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act has passed the House of Representatives. Call your senator and encourage their support of this important piece of legislation.

What is really disturbing about this is that hate crimes for sexual orientation is not covered in Oklahoma’s hate crime law but that may soon change on the Federal level. Let’s hope these attackers get caught and justice is served.

Find more on this story at http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/1009/670120.html and http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=298&articleid=20091019_298_0_Whatsh4950&allcom=1.

Just as we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel here in the United States we are seeing more hate in the UK. London police have reported to the BBC that the homophobic crime rate has went up almost a quarter fold since last year. This is horrible to hear if you are going to London to visit or live there in one of the best cities in the world.

Ian Baynham, is an example of one horrific attack in Trafalgar Square who died just two weeks after the fatal homophobic act. This has thrust homophobic crimes into the public eye in London and hopefully will bring attention to more laws being passed to prevent more deaths.

This rise could be a positive sign according to the Metropolitan (MET) police in London because it means that more homophobic acts are being reported than before. Authorities claim that people were scared to report these attacks before and now they make sure its reported. That they have been way underreported over the years. This holds true everywhere though we need to report something even if we just happen to see an attack. The police should be notified and help put an end to the violence.

A study by Stonewall, conducted last year, showed one in five lesbians and gay men surveyed in London had experienced a homophobic hate incident in the previous three years.
It also found that three quarters of those experiencing such an incident did not report it to the police. In fact, seven in 10 people did not tell anyone else about it. This is disturbing.

President Obama has the Matthew Shepard hate crimes bill on his desk here in the U.S. Let’s hope this act flows over to the U.K. and they see the trend go backwards and let’s hope we do too. I have noticed more hate crimes here in the states lately.

RELATED:  This hate crime in Tulsa, OK earlier this month has still not received the media attention it deserves and the attackers have still not been caught.

Lady Gaga spoke at the 2009 Equality March or as some call it the gay rights rally in Washington D.C. She opened up the speech saying she was humbled to stand here before us and that it is the single most important thing she has done in her career.. and that she loved Judy Garland. Thanked her generation… the young generation who is continuing to push this movement forward and close the gap and demand full equality for all. Lady Gaga wants this country to be free and not equal sometimes but for everyone all the time. She screamed out and asked if Obama was listening and did it quite dramatically. She screamed loud to alert people that this is needed and it is needed now. An urgent call for action!!

To Barney Frank – we are putting more than pressure on this grass and this grass is ours. We will come away today and continue this war in our backyards to our local politicians said Gaga. Barney Frank basically said we were wasting our time marching in Washington and not putting more time into going directly to the politicians involved but I think he was wrong this time. Barney Frank was seen in the Castro district in San Francisco over the weekend and I am sure he will change his tune once he knew all that went down in D.C. this weekend.

Lady Gaga also called her gays beautiful fans and refused to accept any homophobe lyrics and actions in the music industry that has become filled up with hate over the years. She then ended the speech to bless God and to bless the Gays. Amazing speech from Lady gaga.

This of course is after her brilliant piano performance with the John Lennon song “Imagine” where President Barrack Obama “Opened up for Lady Gaga”, at least he said that in his speech. Lady Gaga came on stage and performed a newly written version of the song she made for the HRC Dinner and it made references to equality and even to Matthew Shepard who was murdered from a hate crime while his mother Judy Shepard was there in the audience.

2009 marked one of the best years I have ever seen for gay rights following President Obama’s speech saying he would sign the hate crime into law and saying he would soon get rid of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DOMA). Obama’s speech also made references to Matthew Shepard and told a great story about 60 years ago with the beginning of Pflag and the story behind it. It was a speech that I could watch a million times. He also promised to get the HIV/AIDS infected people visiting this country the approval to come inside and visit friends and relatives or for even business reasons in which they cannot get in our country now.

This is a great time to be a true American and love and embrace each other more than before and fight for our equality because it will come and come within the next few years.

Academy Award Winner and Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black Speaks At The LGBT National Equality March in Washington, DC on October 10th. We are excited to see him here at the gay rights rally and made one of many great speeches that should stick in our brains and motivate us to all be activists for love and equality. Here is the video of Dustin Lance black at the rally on Sunday-

Sally Kerns, a Republican Oklahoma state representative in district 84, known as the Bethany and Northwest Oklahoma City part of town will have a challenger in the ring come next fall.  Brittany Novotny, a local transgender attorney, plans on putting her hat in the ring and with all the big mouthed junk that has came out of Sally Kerns mouth in the last few years we can only hope Brittany wins!

Brittany Novotny is a Democrat and hopes to win the race by not focusing on her being transgendered but her being a better politician for the people of Oklahoma.  This is quite ironic for the Kerns campaign as she has spelled out her dislike (more on the hate side) for homosexuals in the past comparing us to terrorists and such.

This could backfire for Kerns or it could backfire for Novotny. While I think it is a great thing for someone to run against Kerns in this election we better make sure Novotny is well-funded and has her name out there.  No one has been able to beat Kerns yet and Novotny better think of a strategy to beat witch Kerns out.  Kerns is nothing but a talking big mouth wishing for a future with Fox News or some crazy outfit as a commenter but she really has no future.   She has Sarah Palins that have taken her big mouth job on the road.  Kerns holds her state rep. position and there is no visible end in that future unless the GLBT can really stand together and get her out of office.  Then we will be done with this lady.  She can go sit in her husbands Baptist church or help out with some community service if she gets outed but there is a mere chance that will happen unless we build momentum NOW.

While the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community worked earnestly to see a positive and gay-friendly candidate in office, the realities have been somewhat less positive than the promises. What has been accomplished since Obama took office in January and what has not? Are steps being taken to see campaign promises made reality?

The two most critical campaign promises to the gay and lesbian community were the big issues, the Defense of Marriage Act and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The current Defense of Marriage Act prevents the recognition of same-sex marriages across state lines and on a federal basis. This poses questions of states’ rights as well as individual rights. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has led to the expulsion of many qualified military personnel, a practice which still continues.

Unfortunately, the only action on the Defense of Marriage Act has not been positive. On June 12, 2009 the Justice Department filed papers defending DOMA. The official administration statement is that President Obama supports a legislative repeal of the act, but until that time the Justice Department will continue to defend DOMA. Critics contend that the Justice Department brief was especially problematic as the cases quoted backing their argument included a state not recognizing an incestuous marriage and states not being required to recognize underage marriages.

While the Defense of Marriage Act requires legislative repeal, some political experts believe the enforcement of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell could stop immediately with an executive order. This might cause some amount of political fallout; however, pressure from the Obama administration could likely eliminate this piece of legislation altogether. Moreover, public polls support the open service of gays and lesbians in the military, making a repeal likely to pass the House and Senate with ease. Why then, are officers and enlisted service people who have worked hard to serve, served faithfully and given of themselves being given dishonorable discharges?

Gay and lesbian federal employees have seen a positive change. At last, federal employee benefits extend to the partners of gay and lesbian employees. Unfortunately, this change seems a paltry offering to a community that fought for change.

The GLBTQ community has been patient. We have been supportive. For many of us, our patience is beginning to wear thin. It is time for the current administration to make good on their promises and to see change. States are making positive changes and it is time for the federal government to follow.

When I first read this headline the other night It was on Yahoo News and it said “3 Dead in Tel Aviv Gay Club Attack” it was quite shocking. I clicked on the link and could still not believe that it was such a horrible tragedy that happened. It was a gay youth center not a gay club and there were two dead but when they say injured there is no telling how badly the injury can be.

This is an attack on a gay group in Tel Aviv and it really sets gay rights in Israel back in time as the world is becoming more gay accepting. Tel Aviv is ranked highly on the scale of the gay holiday or vacation destinations and could lose a great deal of tourism from this tragedy.

Offer Nissam, a world-wide known DJ with a huge gay following is based out of Tel Aviv but there is no word on his myspace blog or anywhere about this. Madonna also plans a concert to end her Sticky and Sweet tour in Tel Aviv on September 2nd in Tel Aviv, Israel at the Yehoshua Gardens.

Hundreds of Israelis on Sunday staged a protest at the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association, where on Saturday two people were killed and 11 injured in a shooting described by some officials as a hate crime. “What happened last night takes us back years in the fears of parents and families. But we cannot let anyone or anything take us back into the closet,” said Tel Aviv resident Joseph Berg.

There is no doubt that things are improving in our world. More and more states are legalizing gay marriage and recognizing civil unions. According to polls, support for gay marriage is increasing across the country. Unfortunately, the news is not all good.

As of this writing, six states in the United States have legalized gay marriage via legislative or judicial actions. Same sex couples can currently marry in Iowa, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Vermont and Maine will allow gay and lesbian couples to marry as of September, 2009. Gay marriages will be performed after January 1, 2010 in New Hampshire. While New York and the District of Columbia will not allow gay couples to marry, they will recognize marriages from other states. Current legislation is pending in New York to allow same sex marriage.

New Jersey offers civil unions that include all state rights given to heterosexual married couples. A number of states, including Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Wisconsin, Washington and the District of Columbia offer civil unions or domestic partnerships that include some degree of rights and responsibilities.  These range from minimally guaranteeing hospital visitation privileges and some inheritance rights to more comprehensive unions requiring insurance protections, impacting tax laws and more.

Some forty states restrict marriage to a man and a woman. Some of these states do offer domestic partnerships or civil unions. Nineteen states ban any recognition of civil unions, partnerships or gay marriage. Federal law, under the Defense of Marriage Act, does not recognize gay marriages or civil unions; however, some federal employee benefits have been extended to gay partners.

What can we expect to change across the United States? While Obama promised an overturn of the Defense of Marriage Act, this is still to come. Massachusetts has challenged this law on the basis that it is discriminatory, relying on the defense that family law is typically a state matter. Other suits are being brought against the Defense of Marriage Act by private parties. It is expected that other states with legal gay marriage will join in the fight against DOMA.

See http://www.npr.org/news/specials/gaymarriage/map/ for an easy state by state breakdown of gay marriage laws.

If you ever get on CraigsList you may discover more and more massage or “money needed” ads in the mainstream section of the personals.  The men seeking men or the casual encounters posts are free to post but the erotic services posts actually required you give them your credit card information.  I looked on there today and when you try and make a post it came to a error page so I guess they have already taken the ability to post away but leaving up the remaining massage service providers.

We are speaking of a site that is 14-years-old and generates more than 20 billion page views per month in 50 countries and has had one murder case in Boston change the entire category for every city.  I know the Rick Sanchez and Bill O’s have been bitching for weeks about it but they are looking for an excuse to have the sections removed.  They scrape through the news everyday to find things they feel are not acceptable for others they feel should be changed.  The real wanna-be gods of our generation…because we are not adult enough to do things ourselves.

The section is not completely removed though.  It is now a Adult section under Personals in which the service providers pay a $10 fee and approved ads will be eligible for reposting at $5.  The ads will be approved by a person which will be different from the algorithm they used before.

On this same subject I watched Elliott Spitzer speak on Prostitution with Rachel Maddow yesterday and in the interview Spitzer answered as if prostitution was a victim crime and it should not be legal (but yet it was for him to take part in it).  Whether it is massage with a happy ending or more physical intercourse I think that prostitution really is not a crime that has a victim.  It is two adults consenting and unless someone is being forced into having sex like they do in some countries as slaves or such then there should be nothing wrong with it.

The Defense of Marriage Act and lack of federal marriage rights impact gays and lesbians across the country in so many ways. These range from basic day to day issues to problems and legalities that can be destructive to relationships and lives. There are some 1,049 legal rights and responsibilities conferred with marriage under federal law, and approximately 400 more conveyed by the states. Even in states with legalized gay marriage or civil unions, lack of the ability to legally marry at a federal level penalizes gay families financially and personally. Federal income taxes, social security, inheritance laws, immigration regulations and more are all significant issues integrally connected to legalized federally recognized gay marriage. Some of these rights can be granted by private entities or legal documents, but others cannot.

Some of the most significant of these rights and benefits are largely financial or property rights. Without the protections of legal marriage, couples are not be entitled to survivor’s benefits, pension rights, medicaid, income tax exemptions and deductions and certain veteran’s benefits. In the case of the loss of a partner, inheritance is not automatic and property may be held up in probate even if a will is present or ownership was joint. Couples also lack the rights of legal divorce, including property division laws.

In personal and family terms, without legal marriage rights, adoption and child custody issues are problematic. Child support may not be legally mandated during a break up. Children of the relationship, if not legally adopted or biological, will not be entitled to survivors’ benefits and other rights. Bereavement, maternity and paternity leave, and sick leave are not legally protected outside of marriage. In case of a medical crisis or the death of a partner, marriage confers automatic next of kin status and the right to make all medical and end of life decisions. Immigration law impacts many couples and families. A married citizen can legally sponsor their spouse for legal status or citizenship. Gay couples have no such option and in some cases end up opting to live outside the US or separately.

In the courts, gay individuals may have less protection against domestic violence. Judicial protections and spousal immunity only apply to legal marriages. Wrongful death benefits, including the right to sue, only apply to the legal next of kin.

The full repeal of DOMA and federal recognition of same-sex marriages will allow couples across the country to access federal marriage rights, even if their own states do not support or allow for gay marriages. This offers the potential for equality for all couples and families in terms of both financial and legal rights.