Wanda Sykes On Gay Domestic Violence

Via Indie Wire:

A regular feature on the HBO series "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," Wanda Sykes stepped behind the "special commentary" pulpit to deliver a tongue-in-cheek, biting critique of violence within the LGBTQ community - specifically, where professional athletes are concerned - as only the comedian can. It's what she refers to as "the gay perspective on sports headlines."

WNBA Suspends Newly-Married Players In Wake Of Their Domestic Violence Arrest

Via the Associated Press:

WNBA stars Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson were suspended seven games each Friday for their domestic violence arrest last month — the league's longest ban in its 19-year history. WNBA President Laurel Richie said the league "takes all acts of violence extremely seriously" in handing down a suspension that represents more than one-fifth of the 34-game regular season. Richie called the players' actions "unacceptable." "Brittney and Glory's conduct is detrimental to the best interests of the WNBA and violates applicable law," Richie said in a statement. "We also understand that people make mistakes, and that education and training are as important as imposing discipline." The punishment comes at a time when sports leagues around the country are reviewing domestic violence policies following high-profile cases involving the NFL. Richie said she consulted with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and a variety of experts.

The couple was arrested in late April following a fight in the home they recently bought. They married in Arizona last week.

NFL Tackles Domestic Violence

Via Slate:

An anti-domestic violence PSA will air during the Super Bowl this Sunday, courtesy of the No More campaign and the National Football League, which donated its internal ad agency to create the spot and, according to the Wall Street Journal, half a minute of air time on NBC, "where ad time costs roughly $4.5 million for 30 seconds." No More is billing it as the first of its kind. The NFL and No More previously teamed up for a series of PSAs titled "Speechless," which featured footage of current and former players emoting over domestic violence, that aired during NFL games on Thanksgiving; this ad downplays the NFL’s role, instead borrowing its conceit from a tale first published on Reddit last year by a former 911 dispatcher, who recalled taking a call from a woman who had feigned ordering a pizza in order to get police to respond to her home without tipping off her abuser.

NFL Domestic Violence Presser Disrupted

Via Mediaite:

The Roger Goodell NFL press conference was humming along without incident when all of a sudden a man started shouting as security removed him from the room. “Don’t take me to an elevator!” the man yelled, in an obvious reference to Ray Rice. Reporters on the scene and watching from elsewhere are confirming that the man hauled out of the press conference was Benjy Bronk from the Howard Stern radio show.

Beyond bizarre.

Zimmerman Makes Court Appearance

FLORIDA: George Zimmerman Arrested

Scant details so far. Via the Orlando Sentinel:

George Zimmerman has been arrested and was en route to the Seminole County Jail, according to Sheriff Don Eslinger. It's not clear what happened or what crime he's accused of committing, but just before 1:30 p.m., Eslinger confirmed that Zimmerman had been arrested today and was being driven to the county jail in Sanford. He said more information would be available shortly. WESH-Channel 2 reported that Zimmerman was accused of domestic violence by a girlfriend. The Sheriff's Office, in a short news release, reported that the agency had arrested Zimmerman after being called to a disturbance on Topfield Court in western Seminole County near Apopka. Zimmerman's new girlfriend lives in that part of the county.

UPDATE: Zimmerman has been charged with felony aggravated assault, domestic violence battery, and criminal mischief.

President Obama Signs VAWA

Today President Obama signed the Violence Against Women Act, which includes lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women among its protections. Another group now protected under the bill is Native American women, who previously had no legal recourse when assaulted on tribal lands by men who are not Native American. Obama: "When I sign this bill, that ENDS." In the below clip the president also gives a shout-out to Sharon Stapel, head of the New York City Lesbian & Gay Anti-Violence Project.

House Passes Inclusive VAWA

The House has approved the LGBT-inclusive Violence Against Women Act over the vehement objections of anti-gay hate groups. The Violence Against Women Act was first passed in 1994, but it expired in 2011 and was not renewed last year. The act provides federal assistance to health care providers and law enforcement agencies that prosecute domestic violence.  When the bill passed in the Senate two weeks ago, Tony Perkins denounced it as a "feminist slush fund that extends special rights to people based on their sexual behavior." Suck it, Tony.

Perkins Laments VAWA Passage

"Despite the best efforts of our friends on the Hill, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) glided through the Senate yesterday on a 78-22 vote. The Left succeeded in making the GOP pawns in its political game--forcing many to vote for a bill, not because it accomplishes anything--but because of its name. In reality, the legislation is more pro-spending than anti-violence. Unfortunately, most Senators refused to stand up to the politically correct crowd and instead helped them replenish a feminist slush fund that extends special rights to people based on their sexual behavior. If you're one of the lucky few with senators who stood on principle, please email and thank them for refusing to bend under the Left's pressure." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, referencing the bill's inclusion of gay, bisexual, and transgender women. 

RELATED: All 22 "no" votes in the Senate came from GOP males.  The Violence Against Women Act was first passed in 1994, but it expired in 2011 and was not renewed last year. The bill, which provides federal assistance to health care providers and law enforcement agencies that prosecute domestic violence, is expected to face strong GOP opposition in the House.

No Jail For NY Sen. Hiram Monserratte

Local NYC news just announced that Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) will only get three years probation for the "accidental" slashing of his girlfriend's face, an attack that resulted in 40 "accidental" stitches. He also has to perform community service and attend anger management classes.

Last month Monseratte narrowly escaped felony charges for the assault after his girlfriend recanted her emergency room statements to police. Prosecutors had requested a three month prison sentence for today's misdemeanor ruling. On Tuesday Monserrate earned the eternal enmity of the NY's progressives when he joined seven other traitorous Democrats in voting against marriage equality. NOW we have to put the pressure on the NY Senate leadership to eject Monserrate from their broken-down clown car.

Here's the surveillance video prosecutors used against him.

SC Lawmakers: Gay On Gay Violence Is OK

A bill before the South Carolina legislature would authorize public schools to include information about teen dating violence in student handbooks. But one lawmaker wants to be sure that gay-on-gay violence isn't mentioned.

The bill hit an unexpected roadblock Wednesday when Rep. Greg Delleney, R-Chester, introduced an amendment requiring the material to address only heterosexual relationships. “I don’t want the Department of Education or school districts to teach children in grades six through 12 about (same-sex) relationships,” Delleney said. Objections in the House led to the bill being delayed. Gay rights advocates say Delleney’s amendment is another attempt to ignore the gay and lesbian community. “The fact that the state continually tries to find every way to ignore every other type of family ... it’s just outrageous,” said Ryan Wilson, president of the S.C. Pride Movement.

The bill is expected to pass with the "no gays" amendment attached.

(Via - Holy Bullies)

Lesbian Huffington Post Columnist Dead In Florida Murder-Suicide

Carol Anne Burger, 57, an openly lesbian columnist for the Huffington Post, murdered her ex-partner by stabbing her 222 times with a screwdriver and then committed suicide by shooting herself in the head on Friday. The murder occurred two days earlier and it was initially presumed that had Burger killed herself out of sorrow, but yesterday Florida police concluded that she had committed the attack on her ex-partner.

Carol Anne Burger killed her former lover by stabbing her 222 times with a Phillips-head screwdriver and then took pains to hide her crime, police said Wednesday. Jessica Kalish, who shared a house with Burger despite breaking up with her more than a year ago, was found last Thursday stuffed in the backseat of her gun-metal BMW sedan, abandoned behind a medical office at 2300 S. Congress Avenue. Her blood was splashed around the rear end and undercarriage of the car, as if her killer had tried to load her into the trunk. The driver-side window was shattered.

Examining the body, detectives absorbed what had been done to her. Stab wounds were clustered around the back of her head and stitched across her back and arms and face. Most were between an inch and an inch-and-a-half deep. A blow to Kalish's neck probably killed her, investigators determined. At a news conference Wednesday, police laid out what they'd learned during a week of investigation. They said the evidence pointed to one conclusion: Burger killed Kalish, a 56-year-old software executive whom friends described as worldly and intelligent, and then tried to throw investigators off her trail.

On Friday the Huffington Post published a tribute to Burger before it became known that she'd committed the murder.

Carol Anne, an award-winning photojournalist and former editor, was an OffTheBus Election Correspondent. She used her background in journalism to bring us ground reports from her home state of Florida - and was very excited to be writing about the presidential election and filed multiple stories a week. She covered a wide range of stories including early voting in Florida, a summit on green jobs with Barack Obama and swing-state governors and a Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation event. Her high energy and curiosity kept OffTheBus editors on our toes. Vermonter Christian Avard - who worked with Carol Anne on her final dispatch - wrote that she was "always fun to work with, cheerful, and always very supportive. We are all very lucky to have Carol Anne be a part of the Off the Bus family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of Carol Anne Burger and Jessica Kalish."

The story is getting major play in the Christianist and right-wing blogosphere, including at World Net Daily and Free Republic, where forum members are making exulting comments like "Two less votes for Barack Obama!"