Lesbian wins stay of deportation
365gay. com reports Canada’s Federal Court said the country’s refugee board must reconsider the case of a lesbian who deserted the U.S. Army and fled to Canada. Judge Yves de Montigny said on Nov. 20 the board erred last February when it rejected Bethany Smith’s bid.
Smith said she fled the Army instead of going to Afghanistan because she was harassed and threatened by fellow soldiers over her sexual orientation.
The U.S. military has a policy of discharging openly gay members, but Smith claimed she was denied a discharge because soldiers were needed for Afghanistan.
The judge said the board unfairly dismissed evidence suggesting that gays face harsher treatment in the American military justice system.
Pageant gives ad time to gay group
MSNBC.com reports the Miss California USA pageant director who became embroiled in a war of words with former titleholder Carrie Prejean has donated 30 seconds of free ad time to the state’s largest gay-rights group.
Equality California announced Nov. 19 that it would be airing a spot featuring a teenage girl with two mothers during the Nov. 22 contest airing on the CW and My Network TV.
Keith Lewis, the pageant’s executive director, said he would give Prejean the same amount of time if she wanted to provide a pre-taped message.
Lewis, who is gay, accused Prejean of violating her contract when she ignored his advice on how to handle the publicity after she said she opposed same-sex marriage during this year’s Miss USA pageant.
Charges in NYC transgender attack
WCBSTV.com reports two men have been indicted on hate-crime charges in an assault on a transgender woman.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said Nov. 20 that a grand jury indicted Gilberto Ortiz and Trinidad Tapia on second-degree assault as a hate crime and other charges in the June 19 attack.
After pleading not guilty to the charges, both were released on their own recognizance.
Brown says the two men spotted a transgender woman, thought she was gay and attacked her with a metal belt buckle.
— Larry Nichols