KISS OFF: Gay Groups Face Off Against Dallas Mayor Over Pledge to Support Marriage Equality!

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings was not among the dozens of American mayors who signed the 'Mayors for the Freedom to Marry' endorsement of marriage equality last week, and the LGBT community in Dallas is not happy about it, WFAA reports: The gay groups say they're organizing a 7:00 p.m. protest of Rawlings' refusal to sign a pledge to fight for gay marriage. And Rawlings says although he'll meet with them, he's not backing down.

After being in Washington last week, Rawlings led the city council meeting again, determined to stick to city business. "[W]e were getting off track and dealing with some partisan politics, some issues that I don't think are relevant to the lion's share of the citizens of Dallas, so chose not to do it," Rawlings said.

QUESTIONED: De La Plaz Gay Bashed At Miami Bar?

Henry De La Plaz says he was gay-bashed at San Antonio's Miami Bar. The bar's staff says he wasn't. The police say there were no injuries or "signs of struggle." Commentators say evidence was suppressed.

SMART: Perry Quits, Endorses 'Not Perfect' Gingrich!

"I've always believed the mission was greater than the man," said Rick Perry this morning, as he announced that he is no longer the man for the mission. Perry officially bowed out of the GOP race for the presidential nomination in an 11am press conference, and threw his support, as expected, behind Newt Gingrich, praising him as a "conservative visionary who can transform our country."

In what could be a nod to some of Gingrich's personal issues, Perry noted that "Newt is not perfect, but who among us is?" He continued, "I believe in the power of redemption." Perry noted that he will return home to Texas "with pride ... with the love of my life by my side," but vowed to stay in the public eye. "I'm not done fighting for the cause of conservatives; as a matter of fact, I have just begun to fight. God bless ya, and God bless this great country of America."

DIMWIT: Rick Perry Not Quitting!

Rick Perry's dismal finish in Iowa, which inspired press specualtion that he would be dropping out of the race, has not dampened Perry's will to go on.

Tweeted Perry (along with a photo of himself wearing black tights) this morning: "And the next leg of the marathon is the Palmetto State...Here we come South Carolina!!!"
South Carolina's GOP primary is January 21.

What's That? Perry on Lawrence v. Texas!

One day in the not-too-distant future, Rick Perry will disappear from the pages of the nation's newspapers forever. Unfortunately for him, that day has yet to arrive, and the Texan governor still has at least a few weeks in which to embarass himself on the record.

At a meet and greet today in Cedar Falls, IA, Gov. Perry was asked by a voter to "defend his criticism of limited government" in the Supreme Court case of Lawrence v. Texas -- the case which, in 2003, resulted in Texas's anti-sodomy law being struck down as unconstitutional. Perry was Texas's governor at the time. According to ABC News: “I wish I could tell you I knew every Supreme Court case. I don’t, I’m not even going to try to go through every Supreme Court case, that would be — I’m not a lawyer,” Perry said at the Blue Strawberry Coffee Shop here. “We can sit here and you know play I gotcha questions on what about this Supreme Court case or whatever, but let me tell you, you know and I know that the problem in this country is spending in Washington, D.C., it’s not some Supreme Court case.”
Maybe so. But seeing as Perry referenced the case in his most recent book, and seeing how Perry is trying to portray himself as the most stridently "pro-family," anti-gay candidate in the Republican field, he ought at least to behave as though he's been paying attention to the culture wars. You can bet Rick Santorum knows about Lawrence v. Texas.

CHANGES: Dallas Mavericks Owner Expects Gay NBA Player Within 5 Years, Likely Before a Female Coach!

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told TMZ yesterday that he expects to see an openly gay player before a woman coach, probably within the next three to five years, the Dallas Voice reports. 

Said Cuban: I don’t think there’s really the perception that we are intolerant. I think the only issues we’ve had is with some fallback and some old-school type language that’s derogatory to gays. So there are certain words that I think were accepted five or 10 ten years ago that guys are starting to recognize you can’t use any longer, and that hasn’t been a problem. So I think it will be more of a media sensation when somebody comes out than it will be a player issue.

DIS-ENGAGED: Rick Perry Confronted by Teen Bi Girl About Views on DADT!

Rick Perry was confronted by a teen girl after a town hall in Decorah, Iowa yesterday, about his views on gays in the military.

ABC News reports: “I just want to know why you’re so opposed to gays serving openly in the military, why you want to deny them that freedom when they’re fighting and dying for your right to run for president,” Rebecka Green, a high school student from Decorah, asked the Texas governor.

HEADING TO OZ: Three Men Charged with Hate Crime Assault in Attack on Texas Gay Man!

Three suspects arrested for the beating last month of Reno, TX gay man Burke Burnett have been charged, the Dallas Voice reports: The victim, 26-year-old Burke Burnett, said he was notified by the Lamar County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday, Nov. 10 that his attackers will face hate crimes enhancements in the case. The Paris News reported on its website Thursday that a Lamar County grand jury indicted the suspects on three counts each of aggravated assault with hate crimes enhancements. Two of the three suspects will also face enhancements as repeat offenders.

Aggravated assault is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison, but the hate crimes enhancements would bump up the charges, making them first-degree felonies punishable by up to life in prison.

SLURRED: San Antonio Student Says She Was Beaten by Two Men Because She's a Lesbian!

Kristen Cooper, a student at the University of Texas San Antonio says she was beaten by two men who grabbed her and dragged her into their truck while she was waiting for a ride outside a Halloween party. The men, she said, began punching her, KENS5 reports.

“It was bad, it hurt really bad, it was like full fist and I tried to fight them off, but I couldn’t,” said Cooper.

Cooper said the men eventually dropped her off near 1604. Without a phone she claims she walked along the roadway until someone spotted her and called 911. Cooper said the only thing the men knew about her was that she was gay and during the beating she claims they were calling her anti-homosexual slurs.

STAY IN: Houston Chronicle Columnist Instructs Parents to Tell Their Gay Kids to Stay in the Closet for Their Own Safety!

Houston Chronicle columnist Kathleen McKinley has penned an incredibly homophobic and irresponsible column suggesting that LGBTQ teens should be told by their parents to stay in the closet for their own safety.

McKinley says she came up with her brilliant idea after reading a People magazine about gay teen suicides due to bullying. Am I mad at the hateful mean kids who bully and tease these teens? You bet I am. But I am just as mad at the idiotic adults who force our adult views on kids, and pull them into our adult world long before they are mature enough to handle it. The 13 year old that killed himself told his Mom he was gay. She said she already knew and hugged him. She said she just assumed that everyone else would be as accepting as she was.

Really? Have you been around teenagers? They are cruel and mean. They constantly tear each other down. It was bad when I was a teenager, I can only imagine what it’s like now. No, I don’t have to imagine how it is now. This is how it is now. Why in the world would you give teenagers a REASON to tease you? Oh, yes, because the adults tell you to embrace who you are, the only problem? Kids that age are just discovering who they are. They really have no idea yet.  The adults tell you to “come out,” when what we should be telling them is that sex is for adults, and there is plenty of time for figuring out that later.

VOICE: Texas Man Burke Burnett Speaks Out About Vicious Anti-Gay Attack!

Burke Burnett has spoken out to KDAF-TV about the attack last weekend in which he was stabbed, beaten, and thrown onto a lit fire.
Said Burnett, his voice breaking: "I'm taking it one day at a time trying to do the next right thing."

Three suspects are now in custody: Daniel Martin, James Mitchell Laster and Micky Joe Smith are being held on $250,000 bond each.

JUSTICE: Two Arrested in Horrific Texas Attack on Gay Man!

On Tuesday I posted about the brutal attack on Burke Burnett in Reno, Texas. Burnett said he was attacked by four men at a private party early Sunday morning. The men stabbed him with a broken beer bottle before throwing him onto a fire. His attackers hurled ugly anti-gay slurs as they beat him.

Two men have been arrested, the Dallas Voice reports: Reno Police Chief Jeff W. Sugg announced in a two-sentence statement this morning that Daniel Martin and James “Tray” Mitchell Lasiter have been arrested in the beating of 26-year-old Burke Burnett...Reno police spokeswoman Alicia Myrick told Dallas Voice that Martin and Lasiter are charged with aggravated assault with a a deadly weapon, causing serious bodily injury — a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years in prison. According to Sugg’s statement, the investigation is ongoing. Myrick said it will be up the Lamar County District Attorney’s Office to determine whether the case is prosecuted as a hate crime."

The case is unlikely to be prosecuted as a hate crime, according to the Voice, because "there is no penalty enhancement for a hate crime if the offense is a first-degree felony..." It will be up to the Lamar County District Attorney’s Office to decide whether to prosecute it that way.

UGLY: Gay Man Stabbed, Beaten, Burned in Hate Crime in Rural Texas!

The Dallas Voice has the details of a hideous hate crime that happened on Sunday, in Reno, Texas: Burke Burnett said he was at a private party at about 1 a.m. when four men suddenly attacked him, stabbing him at least twice with a broken beer bottle before throwing him onto a fire. His attackers yelled things like “pussy-ass faggot,” “gay bitch” and “c*ck-sucking punk,” Burnett said.

Burnett said it took 30 stitches to close stab wounds to his back and forearm, as well as a cut above his left eye. He also sustained second-degree burns and severe bruises.

“They knew I was gay,” Burnett said Monday. “I’m convinced they were trying to kill me.”

KARMA: Police Officer Assaulted During Brawl at Ft. Worth Rainbow Lounge!

Fort Worth's Rainbow Lounge, the site of a 2009 Stonewall-style police raid that made national headlines, was the scene of a brawl late last night during which a law enforcement officer was assaulted, the Star-Telegram reports: An on-duty Fort Worth police officer was assaulted during a fight at the Rainbow Lounge early Sunday but was not injured, police said. The brawl was reported at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday at the lounge, 651 S. Jennings Ave.

Four men were arrested and accused of offenses ranging from public intoxication to resisting arrest, according to the reports.

A 22-year-old man was taken into custody and accused of assaulting a public servant, the reports said.

OBSCENE: Male Cheerleader in Texas Kicked Off Squad, Suspended for Gay Kiss Seen on Surveillance Camera!

A male cheerleader in Alice, Texas outside of Corpus Christi says he was kicked off the cheerleading squad and suspended after Alice High School officials observed him kissing another male student on a surveillance camera, KRIS reports.

"They never check cameras for anything unless something is stolen," the young man said, asking not be indentified. "We would be the ones getting caught because I'm sure we were the only ones, sexual orientation wise, being caught like that."

The boy said public displays of affection are a relatively common occurrence at Alice HS, and he believes that the principal would not have targeted him had he been caught kissing a female student.

"In this school [kissing] is everywhere, if that were the case, suspending everyone for that, half the school would be suspended," he said.

The student says he worked for years to make the varsity cheer squad. His family is prepared to Pursue legal action.

PHONY: Did an 'A-List Dallas' Actor Taylor Garrett Fake an Attack Against Him by 'Anti-Republican' Gays?

Late last week, Taylor Garrett, a reality show participant in LOGO's A-List: Dallas, tweeted a photo of a rock with a note on it and claimed that he was the victim of an anti-GOP attack by someone defending the gay community.

The tweet, since deleted, came following LOGO's decision to feature Republican pundit Ann Coulter in a guest spot on the show. 

LOGO's NewNowNext wrote, of her participation: Politics aside, kind of, Coulter joined some of her fave boys, specifically Dallas cast member Taylor Garrett and Jimmy LaSalvia of GOProud, for a late lunch, and some reality show filming, in LA yesterday. It is unsure when Coulter’s episode as a Logo guest star will end up airing, but there is no doubt there will be some rumblings and controversy as a result.

Blogger Joe Jervis wasn't convinced that Garrett's tweet and claim passed the smell test and noted that LOGO executive producer John Hill shortly thereafter tweeted congratulations to Garrett for "making headlines" with his claim.

RETURN: Gay Teacher Back To Work After Investigation!

Kristopher Franks, the Fort Worth teacher who booted Dakota Ary from his class for anti-gay comments, returns to work today following an investigation into alleged improper behavior.

Franks was put on paid administrative leave last Monday for reasons unknown, though reportedly unrelated to the Ary incident, which became a national news story.

The Dallas Voice has more details: Franks, who had not spoken to the press previously on the advice of his union representative, said Thursday afternoon that he had just met with Fort Worth Independent School District administrators, who told him the nearly weeklong investigation had determined that the allegations against him were unfounded. He did not elaborate on the substance of those allegations.

AFFIRMED: New Details Call 'Homosexuality Is Wrong' Student's Story Into Question!

Texas teen Dakota Ary became a conservative super star when it was revealed last week that he had been suspended from school for telling his class, "I'm a Christian and, to me, being homosexual is wrong."

With the help of right wing defense team at Liberty Counsel, 14-year old Ary was able to get his three-day suspension reduce to one single day, and cleared his permanent record of the incident. He also helped ignite a national conversation about whether the student should have been reprimanded or if he was simply exercising his Freedom of Speech.

Even though he was spouting intolerance, many people, right and left alike, agreed Ary had been wronged. As new details emerge, however, it's starting to look as if Ary's remarks were less about the First Amendment and more about challenging his teacher.

BIAS: Student Suspended for Saying Homosexuality is Wrong!

A Texas student has been suspended for telling a friend during a class discussion of homosexuality, "I'm a Christian and, to me, being homosexual is wrong."

Fourteen-year-old Dakota Ary, an honor student and football player, has become an instant cause celebre among conservatives. Liberty Counsel, a right-wing defense firm, helped him clear his permanent record and get the suspension reduced to a day: Ary's lawyer, Matthew Krause, said the suspension was unjustified and that Ary is entitled to express his opinion on homosexuality in school.

FILTHY: Perry Living High on the (Donors') Hog!

Rick Perry may play up his modest background, but these days he’s living in the lap of luxury—with a little help from his friends. Donors pay for the mansion he rents from the state for $10,000 a month—and they’ve covered worldwide travel, resort visits, top-tier hotel stays, and big entertainment events he attends. On top of that, Perry has received a wealth of gifts from his buddies, Politico reports. 

“Coming from a family without means, I think the perks of office can be more important to you, as opposed to if you grew up with means and are more accustomed to it,” as a GOP lawyer puts it. Or, according to a liberal watchdog: “He’s enhanced his lifestyle by taking advantage of a wealthy class that supports him and his campaigns and wants to lavish him with favors.” It helps, too, that Perry is from Texas, a state that’s easygoing on campaign and ethics regulations.