Bishop targets diversity program
Times-Tribune. com reports Bishop Joseph F. Martino is calling on Misericordia University to “seriously consider discontinuing its Diversity Institute,” which hosted a gay-rights speaker in February.
The bishop criticized the appearance of author and commentator Keith Boykin.
The Diversity Institute, which promotes multicultural understanding, invited Boykin to speak on Feb. 17 as part of Black History Month.
In a statement released by the Diocese of Scranton on Feb. 24, the bishop conveyed that students should learn respect for all races and cultures, but that viewpoints in opposition to Catholic teaching should not be presented “under the guise of ‘diversity.’”
Officer cleared in Pride shooting
The San Diego Union Tribune reports the District Attorney’s Office will not prosecute a police officer for the fatal shooting of a dancer during last year’s gay pride festivities.
District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced that Officer Clyde Williams was justified in shooting Steven Paul Hirschfield, 37, of Los Angeles.
Hirschfield was shot July 19 after he jumped off a cruise ship chartered for a pride weekend party.
Williams and his partner, Wayne Schmidt, pulled Hirschfield from the water but claim he scuffled with them once on the boat.
Williams said he heard Schmidt shout, “He’s got my gun! He’s got my gun! Shoot him! Shoot him!” and shot Hirschfield in the back. Hirschfield’s DNA was found on Schmidt’s holster, handgun and taser.
White House seeking LGBT interns
365gay.com reports the Obama administration is reaching out to LGBT youth to apply for White House internships.
The deadline for the internship program, which runs May 22-Aug. 14, is March 22.
“Administration officials have reiterated to us their strong desire that the interns working in the White House should reflect the diversity of the country and that LGBT youth are part of that diversity,” said Candace Gingrich, senior manager for the HRC Foundation’s Youth and Campus Outreach Program. “After eight years of a president who essentially ignored LGBT Americans, it is a step forward to have President Obama reaching out to queer youth and inviting them to take an active part in his administration.”
Applications are available online through the White House Web site.
— Larry Nichols