BigGayNews.com
Man Punched Over “Homosexual Display”
Allen R. King, 45, of Buffalo, New York, has been charged with assault after allegedly punching another man in the face following an “open display of homosexuality.” According to police, King was intoxicated when he became angry over the victim’s “homosexual display.” The victim was punched in the face, suffering minor injuries.
Philly Boy Scouts Lose Meeting Hall
Philadelphia, the birthplace of the Boy Scouts, will be evicting the organization from the its city-owned meeting hall over a gay-rights fight. The Philadelphia Cradle of Liberty Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the seventh-largest chapter of the organization, will be tossed from the Beaux Arts building, a place it has called home since 1928, for refusing to denounce the national organization’s ban on homosexuality. The city, which owns the half-acre of land where the building stands, is bound by laws against discrimination.
“You cannot be in a city-owned facility being subsidized by the taxpayers, and not have language in your lease that talks about nondiscrimination,” City Councilman Darrell Clarke told The New York Times. “Negotiations are over.”
Sperm Donor Must Pay Child Support
A London firefighter who donated sperm so lesbian friends could have children said he was shocked and angered to learn they’re demanding child support. Britain’s Child Support Agency says only anonymous sperm donors are exempt from child support responsibilities unless the children are legally adopted, The Independent reported. The agency has asked Andy Bathie, 37, to pay thousands of pounds in child support for a girl and boy born to Sharon and Terri Arnold, he told the paper. Bathie, of North London, stated that provided sperm to the couple about five years ago, and was assured he would have no obligations to the children.
“I don’t have any particular ill will,” Bathie told the paper. “It’s the fact that I still even now don’t see why I should have to pay for another couple’s children.”
Canadian Anglican Primate Calls for Unity
The head of the Canadian Anglican Church said efforts to split conservative members into another organization are inappropriate, unwelcome, and invalid. Primate Fred Hiltz released a statement to be read in Canadian churches, The Toronto Star reported. In the document, he deplores the invitation by Archbishop Gregory Venables to Canadian Anglicans who disagree with the church’s position on homosexuality. Venables, a native of Britain, heads an archdiocese in six South American countries.
“We deplore recent actions on the part of the primate and general synod of the Province of the Southern Cone to extend its jurisdiction into Canada,” Hiltz said.
Gay ‘”Bride” Beaten in Morocco
Protesters in Morocco rioted over the lavish wedding of a gay couple whose celebration reportedly included slaying a bull and drinking its blood. More than 600 people in al-Qasr al-Kabir turned out to condemn the northern city’s leniency toward homosexuals, and criticize the couple for a disintegration of Muslim values, al-Arabiya, a satellite TV station in Dubai, reported. The bride, a well-known gay man named Foud, surrendered to police after being beaten, and was sentenced to jail along with five wedding guests for violating laws against homosexuality, according to al-Arabiya. The whereabouts and identity of the groom were unknown. The wedding, which lasted two days, resembled a traditional Moroccan ceremony, with the bride adorned with jewelry over a gown. A bull given as a wedding gift was slain to the celebratory sound of ululations as the bride drank the bull’s blood from a glass, one of the guests reported.
Dutch To Study Gay Bashing
Netherlands authorities are commissioning a study to determine why Moroccan men target gays in Amsterdam, considered one of Europe’s most gay-friendly cities. Amsterdam has experienced a growing number of attacks on gays and lesbians, Der Spiegel reported. In 2006, the Dutch metropolis registered 32 hate crimes directed at gays, but during the first half of 2007, 26 already had been counted, the newspaper said. Mayor Job Cohen commissioned the University of Amsterdam to conduct a study on the motives behind the attacks. Half the hate crimes were committed by men of Moroccan origin. Some researchers believe they lashed out at local gays after feeling stigmatized by Dutch society, according to the newspaper.
