Court tosses anti-gay protester’s arrest
Yahoo News reports that a federal-appeals court ruled an anti-gay evangelist arrested in 2007 had a First Amendment right to demonstrate on a sidewalk near the entrance of the building that houses the Liberty Bell.
The June 16 decision overturns lower-court rulings that upheld the arrest of Michael Marcavage, who lives in suburban Lansdowne. He had been sentenced to a year’s probation for refusing a National Park Service order to move to a nearby designated demonstration area.
Marcavage founded Repent America, an organization that opposes abortion, gay rights and the teaching of evolution.
The appeals court tossed out two charges on free speech and procedural grounds. The three-judge panel said Marcavage caused no more of a disturbance than other people near the Liberty Bell entrance, including a cancer-survivors group and the drivers of horse-drawn carriages hawking their services.
Anti-gay vandals allowed to return to school
Oregon’s Fox 12 reports two Southern Oregon University students who wrote anti-gay graffiti in dorms will be allowed to return to school, but must perform community service and live off campus.
The university’s hearings board ruled that 19-year-old Blake Adkins and 20-year-old Kevin Novotny will be required to do community service projects for the school’s Queer Resource, Women’s Resource and Multicultural centers.
Adkins said he and Novotny must also perform 25 additional hours of community service and attend a gay-rights meeting in October at the university.
Adkins said on June 16 he and Novotny were sorry about the incident and thankful they were allowed to return to school in the fall.
Transgender program spared
Advocate.com reports San Francisco’s Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative has been saved by Mayor Gavin Newsom after being threatened by budget cuts.
The program provides mentoring, legal help and assistance with job searching for transgender people. It also provides training to employers seeking to hire transgender employees.
San Francisco’s budget is in the red by over $480 million, and city officials are being forced to cut programs such as TEEI. But after pressure from community members and city gay supervisor Bevan Dufty, Newsom helped saved the initiative by restoring $500,000 to its budget.
— Larry Nichols