Another Dallas-area gay bar raided
The Houston Chronicle reports activists are questioning the raid of a Dallas-area gay bar less than a month after the raid of another club ended with one man injured.
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officials entered the Dallas Eagle club around midnight July 10, just a few weeks after the raid of a Fort Worth club where witnesses claimed authorities were overly aggressive.
A guard at the Eagle said TABC officials were questioning whether the address on the liquor license was changed after the club reopened just yards from its previous location.
Rockstar donates to gay groups
Advocate.com reports Rockstar Energy Drink CEO Russell Weiner, son of antigay shock jock Michael Savage, announced on July 9 that his company is donating $100,000 to gay-rights groups.
The move comes after several gay Web sites reported that Weiner was Savage’s son, prompting many to assume that Savage helped fund Rockstar and played a role in its business dealings.
In a statement, Weiner made an effort to distance his company from his father.
The Las Vegas-based Rockstar will be distributing the $100,000 donation to a number of LGBT organizations.
Chico’s Tacos responds to protests
The El Paso Times reports a demonstration supporting gay rights took place July 10 outside a Chico’s Tacos, where five men say they were kicked out after two of them kissed.
Some 100 people picketed in front of the restaurant, holding signs that stated, “El Paso is Diversity,” “What About Our 1st Amendment Rights?” and “ … With Liberty and Justice For All.”
Carlos Diaz de Leon, a leader in the protest, claims that at 12:30 a.m. June 29, he and four others were at Chico’s when two of his friends kissed, prompting a private security guard to use an antigay slur and to call police, who cited a statute on homosexual conduct declared unconstitutional six years ago.
The security company’s general manager, Robert Gamboa, released a statement on July 10 claiming the men were disruptive and caused a disturbance when the guard approached them.
— Larry Nichols
