TEXAS: Fort Worth To Extend Same-Sex Spousal Benefits To City Employees

Via Fort Worth's CBS affiliate:

Fort Worth police Cpl. Tracey Knight, it is a life-changing decision. "When I got the news last night," she said, pausing, tears in her eyes... "When I got the news last night, it was very emotional." The news that has Knight, all choked up came from a memo sent Wednesday to all Fort Worth city employees. It says starting February 1, the city will extend spousal pension benefits to all legally-married same-sex couples. It's a decision the city says makes sense. "I told my wife and we burst into tears," said Knight, who serves as the department's LGBT liaison. "We're like any other family. And God forbid if I'm ever killed in the line of duty, I want her and our child to be taken care of." It has been a journey for the city, gaining back the trust of the LGBT community after the widely-publicized 2009 police raid on a gay bar, the Rainbow Lounge. "I'm proud to say that as a result of that incident, many many good things have come out of it," Knight said.

Stand by for the screaming from Texas Values. By the way, Fort Worth already has one of them there liberty-destroying LGBT rights ordinances like the one under fire in Houston.

TEXAS: Fort Worth Seeks Gay Cops

(Tipped by JMG reader Alan)

SLIDESHOW: Houston Meet-Up

We had a great turnout of handsome guys for the JMG meetup in Houston last night! Too many names to remember, save the very notable presence of openly gay Fort Worth Councilman Joel Burns, whose poignant anti-bullying video went globally viral in October 2010. Fantastic to meet him and all of the rest of you! Also: Ow, my head! Thanks to everybody for coming out and making Houston so much fun for all of us.

FORT WORTH: Teacher Claims Suspended Student Had Been Harassing Him

Finally we get the other side of the story in the case of the Fort Worth high school student allegedly suspended merely for saying he finds homosexuality morally wrong. A spokesman for an LGBT teachers organization reports in the Dallas Voice:

He [the class teacher] reports (and has reported to his school) repeated acts of anti-gay harassment by several students that occurred this and last year, including by a group of four specific boys in this class, of whom Ary is one. Among other incidents, Mr. Franks maintains a “word wall” for his German IV class on which he posts articles and images from several journals, including the German magazine, Stern. One of these articles concerned gay rights in Germany, and included a photo of two men kissing. The group of four boys concerned was sitting near this image immediately before Mr. Franks found it had been ripped from the wall. The student and his lawyer are now asserting that including this photo among the others constituted his teacher’s “imposing acceptance of homosexuality” in his classroom. These students subsequently took every opportunity to denounce homosexuality in class, frequently without context; that is, with the topic having otherwise been broached.

Read the entire linked article and you'll learn what many of us already suspected - that the student in question has a long history of Christianity-fueled anti-gay misbehavior. Clearly, if the teacher's story is true, the suspension was the inevitable result of a running pattern of harassment. The case has been trumpeted on virtually every Christianist site as evidence of rampant homofascism, but you can bet that the teacher's side of the story will see zero attention.

FORT WORTH: Student Suspended For Saying Homosexuality Is Wrong

Free Republic and similar sites are going ballistic over the news that a Fort Worth high school student was suspended for telling another student that he believes that "homosexuality is wrong."

TEXAS: Fort Worth Recommends $400K Payoff To Man Injured In Gay Bar Raid

After the Fort Worth police and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission staged a widely criticized raid of the Rainbow Lounge in June 2009, authorities from both organizations admitted wrongdoings that resulted in the firings of three TABC officers and a rewriting of the rules regarding nightclub raids. Now the Fort Worth city attorneys are recommending a $400,000 settlement with Chad Gibson, the Rainbow Lounge patron who suffered a brain injury after being thrown to the ground by police.

"In light of the circumstances, city staff believes proceeding with this settlement is the right thing to do, not only to bring closure to those involved but also to prevent lengthy and even more costly litigation," Jason Lamers, a city spokesman, said Friday. Lamers said the city has also agreed to pay $40,000 to another patron, George Armstrong, who said he suffered a torn rotator cuff during his arrest for public intoxication at the bar. Because the settlement is for under $50,000, council authorization is not needed, he said. Don Tittle, the civil attorney for Gibson and Armstrong, said all parties have worked together for months to reach a resolution without a lawsuit. "Everybody worked toward a resolution that was fair," Tittle said. "I thought that the city, at least in this regard, they recognized that there was significant legal exposure. I think there was also just an element where they felt like it was, on some level, just the right thing to do." Tittle said Gibson is still seeking treatment for injuries. "He had some significant injuries and is still getting treated and will be for quite some time," Tittle said.

An internal police investigation had concluded that no excessive force was used during the raid. But they're going to pay anyway, apparently.

Fort Worth Bans Atheism Bus Ads

Dallas Morning News Names Joel Burns Finalist For "Texan Of The Year"

The Dallas Morning News has named openly gay Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns as a finalist for their annual Texan Of The Year award. Burns gained national attention for his heartfelt and heartbreaking "It Gets Better" message delivered from his seat during a city council meeting in October.

From an editorial in today's paper:

Joel Burns was the picture of courage. Fort Worth's openly gay City Council member had privately carried the pain of anti-gay bullying he suffered while growing up in nearby Crowley. Even his parents didn't know the depths of his despair – until they found out in a very public way this fall.

In the opening moments of a City Council meeting, Burns used his microphone to reflect on a half-dozen teenagers who ended their lives rather than endure another minute of harassment. And he tearfully talked about his torment. "When someone like him who is so laid back speaks out so passionately, you know it really matters to him," said state Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth.

Burns' appeal has inspired anti-bullying legislation in Texas, an outgrowth that could well save young lives. Burns has appeared on national and international radio and TV shows and received thousands of supportive e-mails and voicemails. Some are emotional and graphic testimonies from youngsters who said they were on the verge of suicide until they heard Burns speak. For his uncommon, selfless courage to spare others, Burns is a finalist for 2010 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year.

Our congratulations to Councilman Burns!

FORT WORTH: Christian Group Chases City Buses With Atheist Message

In a public transit atheism campaign now becoming familiar around the country, some Fort Worth city buses bear a billboard declaring "Millions Of People Are Good Without God." That has pissed off some local Christians, who are now chasing the buses around their routes with a message of their own.

“We want to tell people they are not alone,” said Terry McDonald, the chairman of Metroplex Atheists, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Coalition of Reason, which paid for the atheist ads. “People don’t realize there are other atheists. All you hear around here is, ‘Where do you go to church?’" But the reaction from believers has been harsher than anyone in the nonbeliever’s club expected. Some ministers organized a boycott of the buses, with limited success. Other clergy members are pressing the Fort Worth Transportation Authority to ban all religious advertising on public buses. And a group of local businessmen paid for the van with the Christian message to follow the atheist-messaged buses around town. “We just wanted to reach out to them and let them know about God’s love,” said Heath Hill, president of the media company that owns the van and one of the businessmen who arranged for the Christian ads.

Many of the atheism billboards around the nation have been destroyed or defaced. Groups backing the campaigns say their intent in not to insult Christians, but to console non-believers during what can be a lonely holiday season.

Win Ft. Worth City Councilman Joel Burn's Boxers: Proceeds Benefit Trevor Project

Openly gay Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns writes to direct us to an online raffle for the boxer shorts given him by Ellen DeGeneres when he appeared to speak about his heart-wrenching video about LGBT bullying. Raffle tickets are only $5 each and all proceeds go to the Trevor Project! But do it right now because the winner will be chosen tomorrow.

Joel Burn's Husband Joins Him On MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell Show

Openly Gay Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns Speaks To Ellen DeGeneres

(Via - Victory Fund)

RELATED: Burns has posted a YouTube message about his experience on the show. "You know you're a redneck when your mom is more excited about meeting Jeff Foxworthy than Ellen DeGeneres."

Thomas Roberts Interviews Openly Gay Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns

Openly Gay Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns - It Gets Better

Openly gay Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns broke down in tears last night as he related his own bullying at the hands of anti-gay teens while in high school. Watch this. But grab a tissue first.

(Tipped by JMG reader SharonTX)

OUTRAGEOUS: Fort Worth Police Press Charges Against Rainbow Lounge Patrons

After the Fort Worth police and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission staged a widely criticized raid of the Rainbow Lounge last June, authorities from both organizations admitted wrongdoings that resulted in the firings of three TABC officers and a rewriting of the rules regarding nightclub raids. But despite all of that and an abject apology to the gay community from the mayor of Fort Worth, police are pressing charges against two of the victims of the raid, including the man who suffered a severe brain injury at the hands of sheriff's deputies.

City prosecutors in Fort Worth, Texas, announced on February 24 that they would press charges against two patrons of the Rainbow Lounge Gay bar who were injured in a police raid last June. Chad Gibson suffered a severe brain injury while in police custody that kept him hospitalized for a week. Officers said he fell and hit his head while handcuffed. He said he was injured when officers slammed him against a wall inside the bar. Gibson is being charged with "public intoxication" and "assaulting a state agent." George Armstrong suffered severe bruising and muscle strain while being arrested. He is charged with "public intoxication." Adam Seidel, the attorney for both men, said his clients are not willing to accept a plea bargain and asked that a date be set for the trial. He declined to state categorically if prosecutors offered a deal, but said he was surprised they did not drop the charges entirely. "The city's message has been, 'Let's learn from this and move forward and get past it,'" Seidel said. "That doesn't seem to be consistent with prosecuting these two victims."

Good for the two men for refusing a plea deal. This bullshit needs to go to a VERY public trial.

Near Violence Outside City Hall As Fort Worth Adds Transgender Protections

After heated debate, last night the Fort Worth City Council voted 6-3 to expand employment discrimination protections to include transgender persons. Outside the building, pro and anti-gay activists clashed and nearly came to blows. Reportedly, the city's human relations committee was working on adding transgender protections before the recent embarrassment over the Rainbow Lounge raid.

More than 200 people packed the council chambers, lining the walls and spilling into overflow rooms. "We believe, as you do, that we should respect each other," said Jon Nelson of Fairness Fort Worth. "The foundation of these recommendations isn’t preferential treatment, it’s equal treatment." Three transgender people — two transsexual women and a cross-dressing man — were among those who spoke in favor of the ordinance. "Being a transgender person has nothing to do with a person’s ability to do their job," Victoria Van Fleet said. Conservative protesters saw the proposals as violating traditional morals. "Is it our city’s responsibility to take taxpayer money and promote a lifestyle based on sexual preference or gender identity?" asked Richard Clough, a Republican activist. Ron Armstrong stood on top of his Bible in front of City Hall to symbolize that he was "standing on the word of God. "The law says clearly no man is supposed to lie with a man the way he lies with a woman," he said.

The Dallas Voice reports on the scene outside.

LGBT protesters and anti-gay counterprotesters clashed outside Fort Worth City Hall this evening in a tense scene that nearly became violent. There were no arrests or major physical altercations, but there was plenty of taunting and some heated verbal exchanges. Participants from both sides later accused the other of elbowing and pushing, and one of the counterprotesters admitted to ripping a gay Pride flag. The drama unfolded shortly after 5 p.m. with TV news cameras rolling. Fort Worth police officers looked on from a distance but did nothing to separate the two factions, which each appeared to number about a dozen.

Commenters on the Dallas Voice article report that the protesting ministers were from Eagle Mountain International Church. The church's 2008 voter guide (PDF) includes calls to oppose allowing gay Pride parades in Fort Worth, to support anti-marriage equality amendments in Florida and California, and to oppose "homosexual education" and fairness in hiring.

TABC Fires Three Agents Involved In Gay Bar Raid

The Dallas Voice is reporting that the Texas Alcoholic Beverages Commission has fired two agents and their supervising sergeant in the wake of public outrage over their brutal handling of a raid on the Rainbow Lounge. Other agents have been suspended or been issued written reprimands. The TABC is also rewriting its rules for bar inspections and has changed the requirements for writing a "use of force report" after a Rainbow patron suffered a severe head injury during his arrest. The Fort Worth chief of police initially claimed that patrons had sexually groped the officers as the raid began, a ridiculous and outrageous charge that was immediately denied by witnesses.

Rainbow Lounge Fallout: Fort Worth Cops Rewrite Rules On Bar Raids

After enduring a firestorm of criticism and demonstrations over their violent raid of the Rainbow Lounge, Fort Worth police are completely revising their rules on conducting inspections of nightclubs.

The Fort Worth police chief said Tuesday that he is revising bar inspection policies in the wake of a raid on a gay bar that left one customer seriously injured and several officers facing allegations of wrongdoing. Chief Jeff Halstead told the City Council that problems happened at the Rainbow Lounge in the early morning hours of June 28 because the department's bar inspection policy lacked specific guidelines, which he said was why no policies were violated. He said a revised policy should be in place by Sept. 1 with rules for a three tiered-system: bar checks, inspections and investigations. The department is also trying to mend its relationship with the gay community — which held several protest marches after the raid — by having meetings, appointing an officer as a liaison and providing more diversity training to officers, Halstead said. "Once the policy is complete, we're never going to come here again," he said after giving his preliminary report on the investigation into the raid. "We are recovering from this, and I'm very proud of that."

You may recall that the above-quoted police chief initially claimed that Rainbow Lounge patrons groped the officers involved in the raid. Investigations continue against those officers. No lawsuits have yet been filed by customers.

Numerous Violations Found In Raid Of Forth Worth's Rainbow Lounge

The investigation of the raid of Fort Worth's Rainbow Lounge has uncovered numerous violations of procedures and the involved TABC agents and their superiors will likely face discipline.

"There were so many violations that one could readily assert that they had no business walking through the door," said state Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, who met with Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officials Wednesday to discuss the report. The 32-page document outlines what happened during the controversial bar check by Fort Worth police and TABC agents at the gay bar, which led to six public intoxication arrests and left one bar patron, Chad Gibson, seriously injured. The report says agents Christopher Aller and Jason Chapman violated agency policy because they:

-Participated in the operation with Fort Worth police without approval.
-Were dressed in "unapproved" attire.
-Failed to follow bar inspection procedures.
-Failed to report using force against patrons.
-Failed to report that Gibson was injured.
-Disrupted business, among other things.

Aller told investigators that he violated some policies, according to the report. "I hope I’m not the scapegoat for some things.  . . . I’ll take the responsibility for the things I did wrong," Aller said.

A spokesman for the TABC said, "We know we violated the rules and bruised our relationship with the gay and lesbian community and the community as a whole. We want to do what we can to mend that." How about starting by firing everybody involved?

TABC Chief: We Messed Up

The head of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission yesterday admitted that his agents violated their own procedures in their raid of the Rainbow Lounge in Fort Worth. The Dallas Voice has an exclusive interview:

The administrator of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said this week that two TABC agents involved in a raid of the Rainbow Lounge on June 28 committed multiple “clear violations” of agency policy. In an exclusive phone interview with Dallas Voice on Wednesday, July 15, TABC Administrator Alan Steen also said the supervisor directly responsible for the two agents — a sergeant in TABC’s Fort Worth district office — announced his retirement last week in the wake of the raid and amid an ongoing internal investigation. Steen didn’t identify the sergeant or the agents by name.

“I don’t think you have to dig very deep to figure out that TABC has violated some of their policies,” Steen said. “We know that, and I apologize for that. Like I said in my original press release, we have in the past and we will in the future act very swiftly in making sure that those issues are corrected. It’s real clear that however it is that we were doing business that night is not the typical TABC. ... I have good policy in place, I have good training in place, and I have good supervision in place to ensure that things like this don’t happen.” Steen said if the two agents, who are on desk duty pending the outcome of the investigation, sought approval from the supervisor before the Rainbow Lounge inspection, it shouldn’t have been granted. The agents were accompanied by six Fort Worth police officers.

As ugly as this entire situation has been, heads have rolled, investigations continue, and the voices of the LGBT community are clearly being listened to Fort Worth. That, at least, is satisfying. Expect a big settlement for Chad Gibson.