Federal lawsuit filed against Atlanta police over raid at gay club

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/24/georgia.gay.club.lawsuit/index.html
Great news.

Lambda Legal is taking the Atlanta police to court behind the outrageous bar raid in September. According to reports, officers forced patrons to lie face down on the floor for hours, hurled anti-gay slurs at them, man-handled anyone who asked questions and put every patrons name into a computer database before forcing them to leave without their identification.

Here's an exerpt from the cnn article:

"The Atlanta Police Department dispatched about 20 to 30 officers to the Atlanta Eagle, including its 'Red Dog' unit dressed in SWAT team gear," according to a statement from Lambda Legal. "But inside the bar, the APD found no public sex, no drugs or illegal weapons." No patrons were charged with any crime, the organization said.

During the raid, patrons were made to lie facedown on the floor while background checks were run on everyone, the statement said. "Eagle bar patrons heard antigay slurs; were forced to lay in spilled beer and broken glass; and one was forced to lie on the floor even though he had injured his back in the Iraq War."

Patrons say they were "in terror and feared for their lives, believing that the Eagle was being robbed or invaded by criminals or gay-bashers who might kill or injure them," according to the lawsuit.

Read more »

Openly Gay Man Picked as GOP Running Mate

If anyone needed more evidence that times are changing need to look no further than the Massachusetts Governor's race. 

Massachusetts Republicans gubernatorial candidate, Charlie Baker, has picked an openly gay running mate. Richard Tisei is the State Senate Minority Leader and has fought for marriage equality in Massachusetts. Elected to the House at 22, Tisei is the youngest Republican ever elected to the Mass. state legislature. 

"Richard has years of experience fighting for the taxpayer on Beacon Hill and I'm thrilled to have him on the team," said Baker in a statement.

Regarding his sexuality, Tisei said, "It's not exactly a news flash. I don't think people really care these days."

There will be a Republican Primary, the winner goes on to face the state Treasurer Timothy Cahill and incumbent Governor Deval Patrick in a three way race for 2010. 

This is significant because we need more openly LGBT people in higher office, and we especially need more open Republican elected officials. 

DCF: Putting Kids Back Into the System

All along, everyone involved in Martin Gill's adoption of two foster boys agreed that the best possible home for the children was with Gill and his partner.

Everyone, that is, except the lawyers hired by the Department of Children and Families who asked an appeals court to reverse the adoption and "make the children available" for adoption to someone else.

"There was an audible gasp in the packed courtroom when the attorney general's lawyer said that," said ACLU Florida spokesman Brandon Hensler, one of the dozens of attendees during oral arguments before the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Miami in August.

"My recollection was that he seemed uncomfortable saying it, but felt compelled to and the words flowed painfully and quietly from his mouth," Hensler said...

Read the rest at the Palm Beach Post.