UNIONVILLE - A 16-year-old lesbian Bedford County student faces
potential rape charges stemming from a kissing incident at Community High
School (CHS) in Unionville. Reports indicate that Jane Doe Minor (not her
real name) is currently being held in the Bedford County Juvenile
Detention Center pending a hearing before General Sessions Court Judge
Charles L. Rich. The proceedings are scheduled to take place on Monday,
April 7, in Shelbyville, the Bedford County seat.
According to Michelle Bell, Jane's mother, her daughter was harassed
and taunted by a classmate in early February at CHS, where both students
attend classes. During the incident, provocative and insulting terms
referring to Jane's sexual orientation caused a scene at the school in
which the offending student exposed himself in a manner commonly known as
"mooning."
"As a result of that incident, Jane was charged with disorderly conduct
and placed on probation," states Bell.
Gyrlgroove Halloween Dance boo-sts community spirit
New venue needed for future gatherings
The annual Halloween Dance held by
Gyrlgroove Productions successfully ushered in the celebration that is
without a doubt the most popular in the LGBT community.
Womyn gathered at the Grand Square Ballroom to dance to tunes DJ’d by Kat
and Taylor. The costumes were especially good this year.
Gyrlgroove Productions is seeking a new venue for our dances and other
gatherings. If you think you may know of a suitable venue, contact
Kathrine at Kathrine (at) gyrlgroove.com or (865) 865-356-7671.
The Wizard of Avondale
Local trucker and son light up the Whittle Springs
area
Scott Nelson and his son, Jason, are the indisputable
Kings of Halloween in the Whittle Springs area. Their front yard is the
site of the most elaborate seasonal display in
the area. Since moving into the home three years ago, the Nelsons have
provided the spirit of the Samhain season to all who drive or walk by
their ornately decorated front lawn.
Nelson, a long-haul truck driver, and his son, Jason,
a military man stationed in Tucson, Arizona, tackle the job together each
year. Jason, a follower of the Wiccan path, takes leave from his duties to
come home and help his Dad set up the display.
“I’ve always been into Halloween,” says Nelson. “I
used to help out with the Knox County Sheriff’s Haunted House until that
event was discontinued.”
The unique family has boasts one LGBTQ member. Mrs.
Nelson chimes in on the "B" side of the fence.
Their home at 2824 Avondale Avenue, near the
intersection of Whittle Springs Road and Fairmont Boulevard will be in
full flower on Wednesday night when the veil between the living and the
dead dissolves and the All Hallow’s Eve or Samhain celebration comes to
pass.
Click here to see the entire photo gallery of what they have on
display at this time. Look for more elaborate decorations on Halloween
Night.
All photos by Beth Maples-Bays
Gyrlgroove Halloween Dance boo-sts community spirit
The annual Halloween Dance held by Gyrlgroove Productions successfully
ushered in the celebration that is without a doubt the most popular in the
LGBT community.
Womyn gathered at the Grand Square Ballroom to dance to tunes DJ’d by Kat
and Taylor, the costumes were especially good this year.
Check out our photo gallery to see some of them.
Gyrlgroove Productions is seeking a new venue for our dances and other
gatherings. If you think you may know of a suitable venue, contact
Kathrine at Kathrine (at) gyrlgroove.com or (865) 865-356-7671.
(CORRECTION: Through unintended oversight, Isa
Infante, Knoxville mayoral candidate, did not receive a questionnaire. The
Equality Herald deeply apologizes for this error and will publish Ms.
Infante's responses as soon as they are available. - Ed.)
City election slated for Tues., Sept. 25, 2007
Few responses to Equality Herald's questions for candidates
This fall's election cycle kicks off tomorrow with the Knoxville races
for mayor, three City Council at Large seats and the 5th District seat.
ACLU Asks Georgia Appeals Court to Dismiss Jail Sentence for Lesbian
Mother
From the Southern Regional ACLU Offices
ATLANTA – The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the Georgia Court
of Appeals to dismiss a county judge’s contempt order and jail sentence
against a lesbian mother. Earlier this year, Wilkinson County Judge John
Lee Parrott ordered that the child Elizabeth Hadaway hopes to adopt be
taken away for three months because Hadaway is a lesbian, and now Hadaway
is battling an order from the same judge that she spend as many as ten
days in jail.
Truth Wins Out claims that the Family Impact Summit is exploiting
so-called "Ex-Gays" to sugarcoat discrimination
Barbara Leavitt, a woman whose marriage ended after "ex-gay" therapy
did not cure her husband, warned against such marriages
From TWO in Tampa
TAMPA, Fl -- Truth Wins Out's Executive Director Wayne Besen spoke at an
Equality Florida press conference today to counter the rabidly anti-gay
Family Impact Summit. Besen, the author of "Anything But Straight:
Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth," said right wing
organizations were embracing so-called ex-gay ministries to cloak their
discriminatory aims.
"Doing Business with Your Local Governments" - 2nd Annual Fete to be
held at Knoxville Convention Center
From the City of Knoxville - Mayor's Office
The East Tennessee Purchasing Association (ETPA) will hold its 2nd
Annual “Doing Business with Your Local Governments” Conference for small
businesses on Thursday, Sept. 27, at the Knoxville Convention Center.
History will judge President Bush on his "administration," his
appointments; and it will be that he and they were incompetent and
unethical. The war in Iraq will not be more important than that issue.
Despite the best efforts of local officials to insure that services are
made available to victims of domestic violence, local agencies continue to
fail to make the crucial connections that enable effective service
delivery.
Gail (not her real name) recently required emergency services after her
boyfriend of seven years beat her, stomping her head and repeatedly
kicking her, causing painful contusions all over her body, including her
neck, ribs, arms, and back. An observant Knoxville Police Department (KPD)
officer questioned Gail when he suspected domestic violence after seeing
her at a local convenience store. Because of the officer’s intervention,
Gail was taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical
Center’s emergency department where she was treated for her injuries.
Miraculously she escaped permanent neurological impairment due to repeated
trauma to her neck.
Metropolitan Community Church - Knoxville will have their annual Auction
on September 29.
The Saturday event will kick off with a Yard sale from 7 am till 1pm.This
new event proceeds the 6 pm Auction.
Over 150 lots will be available to view during the yard sale.
Donations are being accepted until Wednesday September 26. Besides
furniture and collectibles consider donating a personal social event (High
Tea, Gourmet meal, craft) business services, or gift certificates to your
own or favorite business or organization.
Please help MCC-K boost their balance sheet to serve our LGBTQ community.
Remember - Donations through Wednesday, Sept. 26. The auction and
yard sale are on Sat. Sept. 29.
When Kiddo asked me to go to gay pride in our state capitol, I was all,
no! I have to work on my book! I was worried, too, that my bad knee would
give out on a long march. Then I remembered the Golden Crown Literary
Society back in June, and how I danced for hours with anyone in sight, and
lots with my sweetheart-to-be. I thought, if I can dance, I can march.
The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists
Association 2007 convention recently held in San Diego, California, drew
LGBTQ journalists from across the continent.
Insight, NLGJA's student project, provided daily
coverage for convention-goers across a variety of media platforms
including a daily print edition, online and blog, as well as video and
photographic coverage.
The Student Project is now in its tenth year, providing learning
experiences and mentoring opportunities for student journalists.
Panel urges media to cover
disability issues
By Casey D. Hall Insight Staff Writer
Beth Maples-Bays, editor and publisher of the
Equality Herald, moderates the panel "Breaking Down Barriers:
Making Media Accessible. (Tracy Swatfager/Insight)
Being disabled in the workplace is a lot like being a kid and
waiting to be picked from the line-up for a childhood sports team,
Cyndi Jones said.
"If you were a kid that was disabled you knew you would be picked
last," said Jones, director of the Center for an Accessible Society,
an advocacy group in San Diego.
These experiences are carried into the adulthood of many
professionals with disabilities, Jones said.
"Nobody wants to be disabled," William G. Stothers said. "
'Disabled' is deeply rooted in American consciousness as something to
be avoided."
Williams Institute Research Director Lee Badgett
testifies before United States Congress
Professor Lee Badgett, Research Director at the Williams Institute, UCLA
School of Law, testified before Congress today that the passage of HR
2015, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a federal
nondiscrimination law including sexual orientation and gender identity,
would benefit both LGBT people and employers.
Badgett summarized findings from a recent Williams Institute study, Bias
in the Workplace, which reviews 50 studies over the last decade and
demonstrates a disturbing and consistent pattern: sexual orientation-based
and gender identity discrimination is a common occurrence in many
workplaces across the country.
ACLU tells Federal Court it can
protect both gay students and free speech From the ACLU
CINCINNATI - The American Civil Liberties Union today told the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit that a school policy designed to
protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students from harassment
went too far in squelching the right of some religious students to express
their views on homosexuality. The group insists, however, that
schools can protect students from anti-gay harassment constitutionally.
the area. Since moving into the home three years ago, the Nelsons have
provided the spirit of the Samhain season to all who drive or walk by
their ornately decorated front lawn.
