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Tongan Olympian Amini Fonua on being an openly gay athlete at Texas A&M

Posted on 06 May 2013 at 1:45pm

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FonuaTexas A&M is consistently ranked as one of the most homophobic schools in the nation by the Princeton Review — and recently the Aggie Student Senate again tried to cut funding for the school’s GLBT Resource Center.

So we were pleasantly surprised to hear that the school is home to an openly gay swimmer, senior Amini Fonua, who represented his native Tonga at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

It sounds like Fonua has been out to his Aggie teammates for some time, but a story today on the front page of the campus newspaper, The Battallion, appears to be his first public announcement:

Fonua, a senior telecommunications and media studies major, said many assume maintaining his identity as an Aggie athlete and a gay man would be difficult and controversial. Yet the Olympian said his story has been a “fairy tale” in terms of what others have experienced and not the trial and battle many perceive it would be.

Fonua said problems tend to arise when one must hide his or her true identity. The Aggie honor code, he said, is not compatible with dishonesty about one’s nature.

“An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal,” Fonua said. “And if you’re living in the closet, you’re living a lie.”

Fonua was a flag-bearer for Tonga in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Over the weekend, he flew 7,000 miles to surprise his mother on her birthday — which he has missed for each of the last three years due to NCAA Swimming Championships. Watch the heartwarming video from Fonua’s blog below.

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— John Wright

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Gov. Rick Perry compares support for BSA gay ban to opposition of slavery

Posted on 06 May 2013 at 1:44pm
Gov. Rick Perry

Gov. Rick Perry

Gov. Rick Perry is still adamant about his opposition to gay youth and leaders in the Boy Scouts.

While the decision to allow gay youth into the organization will be voted on later this month, Perry appeared on the anti-gay Family Research Council’s Stand With Scouts Sunday show yesterday to voice his disdain for gay Scouts.

He appeared from the library in the governor’s mansion, and compared the gay ban to slavery, saying the BSA should reject pop culture like the greatest governor in Texas’s history, Gov. Sam Houston, opposed slavery.

“That’s the type of principled leadership, that’s the type of courage that I hope people across this country on this issue of Scouts and keeping the Boy Scouts the organization that it is today,” he said. “If we change and become more like pop culture, young men will be not as well served. America will not be as well served, and Boy Scouts will start on a decline that I don’t think will serve this country well as we go into the future.”

Perry also said he hopes the push for LGBT equality as the “flavor of the month” won’t override the BSA’s moral history.

“I know there are those in the world today that would tear that apart. But the fact is this is a private organization,” Perry said. “Their values and principles have worked for a century now. And for pop culture to come in and try to tear that up because it just happens to be, you know, the flavor of the month so to speak and to tear apart one of the great organizations that have served millions of young men, helped them to become men and become great fathers. That is just not appropriate. Frankly, I hope the American people will stand up and say, ‘Not on my watch.’”

Watch the video below.

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— Anna Waugh

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PHOTOS: LGBT group joins March for Citizenship in Dallas

Posted on 06 May 2013 at 12:01pm

Dallas Rainbow LULAC chapter

An LGBT group led by Rainbow LULAC joined the March for Citizenship through downtown Dallas on May 5. Provisions that would protect transgender immigrants and non-resident same-sex partners of U.S. citizens have been stripped from the immigration reform bill working its way through Congress.

In September, Lucy Martinez applied for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, under a presidential executive order. At the march, she said it took about two months to get approved, and she is now documented.

But DACA provides no path to citizenship and the permit to work must be renewed every two years. Martinez was at the March for Citizenship to support the DREAM Act, which is currently part of the immigration reform bill, to provide a path to citizenship.

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— David Taffet

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WATCH: Footage of GetEQUAL TX members’ arrests at Texas Capitol

Posted on 03 May 2013 at 12:58pm

Screen shot 2013-05-03 at 12.00.19 PM

GetEQUAL members were arrested for trespassing in two state Senate offices earlier this week when they attempted to speak to the senators on a committee that heard SB 237, a state employment nondiscrimination bill.

Those arrested were Cd Kirven of Dallas, Erin Jennings and Jennifer Falcon of San Antonio, Tiffani Bishop of Austin and Koby Ozias of Corpus Christi.

Michael Diviesti notes that Jennings, who is a trans woman, was properly placed in a female cell. Ozias, who is a trans male, was also placed in a female cell and booked under his female name Stephanie Dees.

Austin CBS affiliate KEYE posted the below video of the arrests:

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— David Taffet

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Georgia governor is too homophobic to use the word ‘homophobia’

Posted on 03 May 2013 at 12:11pm
Deal

Nathan Deal

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is taking a page right out of Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings’ For-You-But-Against-You book.

That’s right, Dallas may have the mayor who supports marriage equality yet somehow doesn’t, but Georgia can now rightfully stake its claim to the governor who’s too homophobic to use the word “homophobia.”

The Georgia Voice reports that Deal has issued a proclamation requested by organizers of the International Day Against Homophobia — but only after sanitizing it into “Mistreatment Awareness Day.”

This has prompted activists to launch a Change.org petition calling for Deal to call IDAHO by its name:

In Georgia, well-known activist Betty Couvertier has been the IDAHO organizer for the last four years. For the second year in a row, Governor Nathan Deal’s office has issued a proclamation per Betty’s request to recognize the annual Atlanta and Georgia-wide events. Herein lies the problem – the Governor’s office refuses to officially address a day against homophobia, instead issuing the vague recognition of “Mistreatment Awareness Day,” as they did last year.

By sanitizing the word “homophobia,” Governor Deal’s office has quite literally engaged in it, by refusing to address the specific concerns of Georgia’s LGBTQ citizens. The Georgia House of Representatives recognizes the importance of this event by issuing a correct proclamation, as should the Office of the Governor.

Please join us in petitioning Governor Deal’s office to immediatley reissue a proclamation for “International Day Against Homophobia” as it was originally requested. To issue a proclamation as anything else, is to do disservice to the very purpose of IDAHO events, and feed the homophobia worldwide organizers seek to advocate against.

The petition also calls for Deal to “mail the official proclamation in an appropriate certificate envelope, to ensure it does not arrive a second time folded and tattered, signifying diminished value by the Governor’s office.”

Sign it by going here.

And by the way, if anyone wants to start petition on Rawlings, we’ll be glad to post it as well.

— John Wright

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BREAKING: Police arrest suspect in gay Oak Cliff man’s murder

Posted on 02 May 2013 at 4:22pm
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Christopher Howard Beachum

Christopher Howard Beachum, wanted in the murder of a gay man in Oak Cliff, was taken into custody in Eugene, Ore. late this afternoon.

On Monday, Dallas police issued an arrest warrant for the 27-year-old Beachum on a charge of capital murder. The warrant alleges that Beachum murdered 68-year-old Gerald Canepa in his home at 1430 S. Montreal Ave. on March 15.

Beachum allegedly stabbed and strangled Canepa to death after the two had arranged to have sex after they met on Craigslist. According to the warrant, Canepa was found nude on his bed on March 18 with multiple stab wounds. A TV, DVD player, computers and Canepa’s cell phone had been removed from the residence.

— David Taffet

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GetEQUAL TX activists released on bail, promise more actions

Posted on 02 May 2013 at 12:13pm
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Cd Kirven as she was escorted out of the Capitol

Cd Kirven and four other GetEQUAL TX activists were released on $1,500 bail each on Wednesday. They were charged with class-B misdemeanors.

The five held sit-ins in state Senate offices to protest Senate bill SB 237 not being moved to the Senate floor for a vote. The legislation is a statewide LGBT employment nondiscrimination law.

“We have three weeks to push hard,” Kirven said.

GetEQUAL TX had threatened action if the bill was not moved to the Senate floor by May 1. Kirven said additional actions are planned.

While they were being arrested, Kirven said she was talking to officers about the lack of workplace protection for LGBT people.

“No wonder you’re doing this,” she said her arresting officer told her.

Kirven said a vote from just one of four Republican Senators targeted is needed to move the bill to the floor.

A preliminary hearing for the arrested activists is set for May 15, but defense attorney Dax Garvin left the country this morning for several weeks. His associate Makenna Hatter said the first hearing is always reset in Travis County so the case will probably be rescheduled for the end of the month.

Garvin also represents Dallas marriage-equality demonstrators Major and Beau Jiminez.

Kirven said GetEQUAL plans polling place demonstrations on May 11 when municipal elections are held throughout the state to let the public know about the lack of workplace protections. She said other actions are planned in and around the Capitol through the session until the bill moves to the floor of both houses for a vote.

Class-B misdemeanors are punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 and/or a jail sentence of up to 180 days. The court may also impose a maximum of two years of probation or three years of community supervision with an extension.

Kirven said she’s not sure if the charges against the group will stick. The Texas Capitol is considered public park land.

“You can’t criminally trespass on public land,” she said.

In 2010, Kirven was arrested in former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office in Washington, D.C., demonstrating for the federal ENDA bill. After serving six months probation, charges were dismissed.

After posting bail in Austin on Wednesday night, Kirven returned to Dallas and got home about 3 a.m.

“They haven’t seen the last of us,” Kirven said.

— David Taffet

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The hypocrisy of Mayor Rawlings

Posted on 02 May 2013 at 8:42am

DMNmetrofront

The above image — from the front of today’s Dallas Morning News Metro section — highlights the hypocrisy of Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings’ argument that marriage equality isn’t a city issue.

Public education, of course, isn’t technically a city issue, either. The school district is run by an elected school board, which appoints a superintendent. Neither the mayor nor the City Council has any jurisdiction over the school district. But as you can see from the headline, Rawlings isn’t shy about wading into public eduction issues. I’m not saying he’s wrong for that. I’m saying it’s hypocritical for him to turn around and argue that a resolution expressing support for the basic civil rights of tens of thousands of Dallas residents is a “misuse” of the council’s time.

— John Wright

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Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings suggests LGBT civil rights are a waste of time

Posted on 01 May 2013 at 4:03pm
Mayor Mike Rawlings speaks during an LGBT Pride Month Reception at City Hall in June 2011.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told The Dallas Morning News on Wednesday that he thinks a proposed City Council resolution backing marriage equality and LGBT employment protections is “a misuse of City Council time.”

As we reported Tuesday, Councilman Scott Griggs, who authored the resolution, says he believes it has the eight votes needed to pass. Griggs filed the resolution last Friday, and Rawlings now has until June 12 to place it on the council agenda.

Later Tuesday, Rawlings’ chief of staff told the Morning News that the mayor hadn’t read the resolution, even though he received a copy of it three weeks ago. Then, on Wednesday, Rawlings told The DMN’s Rudy Bush that while he personally supports marriage equality, he doesn’t think the council should debate political issues over which it has no power:

“I don’t want to be talking about late-term abortions, or gun control, or GITMO,” he said.

To do so is “a misuse of City Council time.”

Well, personally I’d argue that the city should be involved in gun control. Besides, Rawlings has not been shy about getting involved in other issues the city doesn’t control, including public education.

Furthermore, although the city doesn’t have direct control over marriage equality or employment discrimination outside its limits, the council can certainly exert some influence.

Dallas has had an ordinance banning anti-LGBT employment discrimination since 2002, so it would only be logical for the council to give its blessing to a statewide law — especially when enforcement of the city’s ban has been inhibited by the lack of a state or federal statute. In fact, Rawlings reportedly agreed last year to travel to Austin and lobby in favor of statewide LGBT employment protections. But now he’s getting cold feet about a council resolution?

The “misuse of City Council time” excuse is similar to one Rawlings used last year when he refused to sign a pledge in support of marriage equality. At the time, he said he wanted to focus on “substantive” things, not “symbolic” ones like the pledge.

But symbols do matter, and any expert will tell you that the U.S. Supreme Court, which is about to decide two key marriage equality cases, is influenced by public opinion.

And those 300-plus mayors from across the U.S. who did sign the marriage pledge? Turns out they ended up filing a friend-of-the-court brief in one of the marriage equality cases. Now, what could possibly be more substantive than that?

— John Wright

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5 GetEQUAL TX activists arrested in ENDA protest at Texas Capitol

Posted on 01 May 2013 at 11:10am
Kirven

Cd Kirven

Cd Kirven of Dallas was among five GetEQUAL members arrested at the Texas Capitol this morning, according to KEYE, the CBS affiliate in Austin.

The five held a sit-in at the offices Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville and Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury and refused to leave. The protest was in support of SB 237, statewide employment nondiscrimination legislation that would add sexual orientation and gender identity or expression to categories protected under the law.

According to GetEQUAL state organizer Michael Diviesti, after the bill was heard in the Economic Development Committee in April, the group threatened action if it was not moved to the Senate floor by May 1.

“This is a follow-up to that promise,” he said.

According to Diviesti, the other four arrested were Coby Ozias from Corpus Christi, Tiffani Bishop from Austin and two women from San Antonio whose names he could not confirm. He said Ozias, who is trans, would have a different name on the court docket.

They are awaiting a bail hearing.

“If all five got the maximum, we’re about $450 short,” he said.

Kirven was arrested for a similar protest in Washington D.C. when she participated in a similar demonstration in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.

Watch video from the protest below.

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— David Taffet

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