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Anti-gay Kentucky County Clerk Likens Herself to an Anti-War ‘Conscientious Objector’

The lawyers for Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk being sued by the ACLU for refusing to issue licenses to gay couples, have an eye-rolling new justification for Davis’ refusal to do her job.

The Courier-Journal reports:

Like a noncombatant who cannot shoulder a rifle, a county clerk who cannot issue” same-sex licenses “can still faithfully and devotedly serve this country, and their county,” lawyers for Kim Davis argued in a pleading filed Thursday in U.S. District Court.

Asking Judge David Bunning to deny an injunction forcing Davis to begin issuing licenses again, attorneys Roger Gannam and Jonathan Christman from the Orlando-based Liberty Counsel note that Kentucky law allows county clerks an exemption from issuing fishing and hunting licenses.

“If Kentucky is able to accommodate personal beliefs and conscientious objection regarding something that is (to some) as trivial as fishing and hunting, surely Kentucky can and must provide similar accommodation for deeply held beliefs about the fundamental nature of marriage,” they said in their pleading.

Davis is being repped by the anti-gay Christian legal group Liberty Counsel. Earlier this month, a bill was introduced in the Kentucky House of Representatives allowing county clerks to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious grounds.

The post Anti-gay Kentucky County Clerk Likens Herself to an Anti-War ‘Conscientious Objector’ appeared first on Towleroad.

Kyler Geoffroy

Anti-gay Kentucky County Clerk Likens Herself to an Anti-War ‘Conscientious Objector’

Chi Chi LaRue “Really, Really Appreciative” Of Everyone Footing His Bill For Rehab

Earlier this week we asked why Chi Chi LaRue was crowdsourcing his path to sobriety, and a quick scroll through the comments section of that post reveals that most readers were just as puzzled.

But that hasn’t stopped the fundraising efforts from quietly gaining traction. The current tally shows $10,300 of the $40k goal in the bank.

Related: Sister Roma Says Chi Chi LaRue’s Drug Addiction “Desperate and Critical”

This morning, Chi Chi posted a video update from the Hazelden Betty Ford Center in Minnesota after completing 30 days in treatment.

“I just wanted to say that I’m really, really thankful and grateful and appreciative of everyone that has helped me emotionally and financially with this journey. Um, the cards and letters have been amazing, and you guys sending me coffee and green straws made it better. Thank you for donating to my Gofundme page. It’s humbling, and, uh, weird but it’s something I’ve had to do because I’ve screwed up a lot, and I really appreciate your help…Here’s to another 30 days of getting better so I can be better for you guys.”

Watch below:

Stay strong, girl! We may find your fundraising efforts a bit unorthodox but don’t think for a second we aren’t rooting for your recovery.

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/JEDwqFXIHm8/chi-chi-larue-really-really-appreciative-of-everyone-footing-his-bill-for-rehab-20150731

Nation’s First Bisexual Governor Visits HRC

Oregon Governor Kate Brown was in Washington, D.C. today and came to HRC’s office to say hello.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/nations-first-bisexual-governor-visits-hrc?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Will & Grace actor Leslie Jordan confronts men yelling anti-gay slurs

Actor Leslie Jordan, who is best known for his appearances on Will & Grace, confronted three men who were yelling anti-gay slurs at him on Wednesday in a West Hollywood Starbucks.

According to a witness , the openly gay actor, who is 60 and known for his small 4-foot-11 stature, followed the men outside the Santa Monica Boulevard coffee shop after he was verbally attacked.

Jordan was reportedly seen throwing his iced tea at the man when one of the men lunged at him.

‘Get out of our house. Get out of here,’ witness Joseph Daniels recounted to CBS2/KCAL9 news what he saw Jordan do.

‘I just think he’s a Southern belle that snapped,’ referring to the Tennessee-born and raised actor.

Although no charges were filed, a sheriff’s official said deputies documented the disturbance as a ‘hate incident.’

The three men were released after being questioned and arrested by Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene.

CBS News said Jordan’s actions have made him a hero to many in West Hollywood.

‘He stood up for the community, for all of us,’ local resident Pati Arana was quoted as saying.

Jordan said in a Facebook post on Friday night, ‘I was hoping to remain silent on the incident at Starbucks but somehow the story found legs and has made its way into the press.’

He clarified that it was a ‘”sweet” iced tea,’ and not coffee as reported in some news stories.

‘I am a “sweet” mannered Southern boy who was taught not to start a fight. Nobody ever told me I could not end one. I refused to sit and watch these hate crimes continue. I guess our work for equality is not done yet!

‘I’m being hailed a hero which is all well and good but I lost my temper. My heroes in life always kept their cool.’

The post Will & Grace actor Leslie Jordan confronts men yelling anti-gay slurs appeared first on Gay Star News.

Sylvia Tan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/will-grace-actor-leslie-jordan-confronts-men-yelling-anti-gay-slurs/

Suspect Arrested In Murder Of Transgender Woman India Clarke

Police in Tampa, Florida, have arrested a man they believe murdered India Clarke, whose death put her on a growing list of transgender woman killed violently in the U.S. this year.

DNA evidence linked 18-year-old Keith Lamayne Gaillard to Clarke’s death, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office press release. Investigators found Gaillard’s DNA under Clarke’s fingernails, as well as on a condom containing fluid in her car. Police said the suspect’s fingerprint was found on a cigar wrapper in the car.

Clarke had died at a family-friendly park in Tampa on July 21. Detectives initially reported that the cause of death was blunt force trauma, but revealed this week that she’d been shot in the head and arm.

A maintenance worker found Clarke’s body on the morning of July 21 in the park at the University Area Community Center.

In addition to the DNA and fingerprint evidence, the sheriff’s office noted that Gaillard was holding a .22-caliber handgun in one of his Facebook photos. Clarke’s wounds, authorities said, were consistent with such a gun.

The motive for her death is not unclear.

After the shooting, Gaillard allegedly went to a friend’s house and said, “I think I killed somebody.” He then sold his gun to the friend for $50, according to police. 

When deputies confronted him, they found a scratch on his neck, “consistent with a fight” and with the discovery of another person’s DNA under Clarke’s fingernails.

Gaillard has been charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a career criminal. He’s being held on $275,000 bail.

Clarke was reportedly the 10th transgender woman murdered this year in the United States. Her community mourned her last week, demanding swift action for what many called a hate crime.

Meanwhile, her parents and authorities refused to call her by her preferred pronouns. 

“We are not going to categorize him as a transgender. We can just tell you he had women’s clothing on at the time,” detective Larry McKinnon told BuzzFeed News. “What his lifestyle was prior to that we don’t know — whether he was a cross-dresser, we don’t know.”

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Iowa Couple Plans 1,000 Antigay Billboards

Betty and Dick Odgaard, former owners of an antigay wedding venue, have already unveiled their first sign in Oklahoma. They plan on raising money to post more.

read more

Neal Broverman

www.advocate.com/religion/2015/07/31/iowa-couple-plans-1000-antigay-billboards

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