365Gay: Guilty plea in gay porn producer murder

FROM 365GAY.COM:

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania — One of two men accused of killing a gay porn producer, who he thought was a competitor, has been sentenced to life behind bars.

Under a deal with prosecutors, Joseph Kerekes pleaded guilty Monday to the lesser charge of second-degree murder. It is expected he will testify against his onetime lover Harlow Cuadra, who is still facing a first degree murder charge in the 2006 slaying of Bryan Kocis, the owner of Cobra Video.

Both Kerkes and Cuadra originally were charged with first degree murder and prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty. Second-degree murder carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison.

At a preliminary hearing last year, two medical examiners testified that Kocis died of massive blood loss after his head was nearly sliced off.

Luzerne County Coroner Dr. John Consalvo testified that Kocis suffered between 28 and 29 post mortem stab wounds before his home was torched in an attempt to cover up the killing last January.

When Kocis’ body was discovered by firefighters, more than 80 percent of the body was covered by third-degree burns.

Homicide detectives were able to find Kocis’ computer in the charred remains of the rural home and forensics scientists salvaged and reconstructed part of the hard drive.

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Anti-gay Hate Crime in Brooklyn Leads to Death of Ecuadorian Man

FROM THE GLAAD MEDIA CENTER:

December 09, 2008

An Ecuadorian man has passed away from injuries received late Sunday night in what has been described as an anti-gay and anti-Latino hate crime. Jose Sucuzhanay was walking home arm-in-arm with his brother Romel to their Brooklyn home when they were approached by four men. Shouting anti-gay and anti-Latino slurs, the assailants broke a bottle over Jose’s head and continued to beat him with a baseball bat while his brother ran for help. Jose, 31, died from extensive brain damage and skull fractures early Tuesday morning. According to The New York Times, Brooklyn district attorney Charles J. Hynes has vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. The New York Police Department’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating and has yet to find the attackers. The NYPD urges anyone with information to call 1-800-577-TIPS.

Related Media Coverage:

The New York Times- December 9, 2008
“Ecuadorian Dies From Attack That May Be Treated as Hate Crime”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/nyregion/10assault.html

The Associated Press- December 9, 2008
“NYPD: Anti-Gay, anti-Hispanic beating investigated”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jFilhkKapr8HDB_gRxtnS_7AzvPwD94UUMNG1

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Southern Voice: Arkansas adoption ban could start national trend

FROM THE SOUTHERN VOICE:

Georgia seen as potential target for similar legislation

By MATT SCHAFER
DEC. 5, 2008

Jerry Cox doesn’t need flashy campaigns or a lot of money to “blunt the homosexual agenda” in Arkansas. He’s done it twice, and all he needs is a ballot box and a church bulletin insert.

Cox is president of the Arkansas Family Council, a relatively small religious organization that is dedicated to, among other things, thwarting civil rights for gay people. The Arkansas Family Council won an unexpected success for social conservatives on Nov. 4 when 57 percent of the state’s voters approved the “Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act,” a measure that banned unmarried couples from adopting or fostering children. The measure applies regardless of sexual orientation, but was designed to target gay couples.

Polls leading up to the event showed a much closer race, and the work behind the upset win might empower conservative groups in Georgia, Cox said.

Cox and the Arkansas Family Council essentially circumvented the state legislature in Little Rock and appealed directly to the state’s rural, religious base. He believes that same strategy could work in Georgia.

“It’s probably the case that when you get out of Atlanta you find that the rest of the state isn’t that liberal, and that’s the same in Arkansas,” Cox said.

The Arkansas Family Council was outspent by its opposition. They were unable to mount much of a media campaign in response to television ads and endorsements by gay-friendly politicians, so Cox had to find another way to reach his voters.

Where gays have found success turning to social networking sites, the Arkansas Family Council turned to an older form of social networking — the church door. The Arkansas Family Council distributed bulletin inserts to more than 1,000 churches.

“That as much as anything turned it around,” Cox said.

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Wisc. State Journal: Two moms are better than none

FROM THE WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL:

A Wisconsin State Journal editorial

Wisconsin and the nation should reject the backward path Arkansas tripped down last month when it banned same-sex parenting.

At stake are the futures of thousands of children like Maria, 5, who is thriving in Madison with two moms rather than struggling to grow up on her own.

Denise Matyka, the executive director of a Madison nonprofit, adopted Maria from Russia in 2003. Matyka’s partner, Margaret McMurray, is now a legal co-parent.

Today their daughter is happy and loved. Maria was recently honored as a “super thinker” in kindergarten.

Wisconsin should thank same-sex parents for providing attention, encouragement, financial resources and permanent homes for needy children. The fact these parents are gay or lesbian shouldn’t matter. What should matter is what’s best for the children.

Arkansas voters on Nov. 4 banned anyone who is “cohabitating outside of a valid marriage” from being a foster parent or adopting children. The ban is aimed at same-sex parents who can’t legally marry even if they want to. And the ban will even prevent one half of a gay couple from adopting a child if the couple lives together.

The Arkansas ban will kick in Jan. 1 — even though 960 children in that state are waiting and wishing for someone to adopt them. Preventing responsible gay couples from adopting more of these children is a tragic mistake.

The Arkansas vote will only expand the state’s waiting list for adoptions and foster care, depriving more children of stable and loving homes. It also will forbid private adoptions by gay parents.

A Florida judge recently found, after listening to reams of expert testimony, that no legal or scientific reason exists for prohibiting anyone from adopting a child based on sexual orientation alone. The judge struck down as unconstitutional a strict Florida law that tried to prohibit gay people from adopting children.

Wisconsin has quietly allowed gay couples to foster and adopt children for years, although in many cases only one half of the couple can be named as the legal adoptive parent. The state also respects the laws of other states and countries if the adoption occurred there.

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