GLBT

A Minneapolis man walking downtown Tuesday evening was assaulted by men whom witnesses say were part of the 35W bridge construction crew. While the victim was straight, he was attacked because the assailant thought he was gay. MORE »

Entering Patrick’s Cabaret last Saturday night for the 7th annual Flaming Film Festival’s preview show, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Festival is the brainchild of local rocker, artist, director, activist, mentor, and community volunteer Lisa Ganser. Since 1999 she has been encouraging and supporting independent Queer filmmakers from Minnesota and beyond to push boundaries and blur contemporary understandings of “gay” and “lesbian.” MORE »

A new advocacy group focusing on rights for same-sex couples is launching a campaign to educate Minnesotans about the discriminatory nature of Minnesota’s statutes. Project 515 hopes to shift the discussion regarding same-sex relationships from the divisive rhetoric over gay marriage and activist judges to one Minnesotans support — giving same-sex couples the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else. MORE »

The St. Paul School Board’s longest-serving and only openly gay member stepped down in April after a patron at a St. Paul public library accused him of watching child pornography. Police told reporters last week that their investigation into the allegations indicated that Al Oertwig had not been viewing child pornography. The media attention to his case gave rise to wild accusations and misperceptions because Oertwig is a member of an unpopular minority: gay men. MORE »

When members of All God’s Children Metropolitan Community Church arrived for services Sunday morning they found a pentagram and the words “Slay the priest” spray-painted in black across the building’s brick facade. While church members are citing intimidation and calling it a possible hate crime, some conservative bloggers have laughed it off and even speculated that the church itself was responsible. MORE »

On Monday night, Oct. 8, a vigil will be held in front of the Governor’s Mansion in St. Paul in support of equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Minnesotans — except the participants are not LGBT. Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights is organizing heterosexuals throughout the country to “come out” in support of their LGBT friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers. The organizers are planning on tens of thousands of participants throughout the country in 30 cities including St. Paul and Duluth in Minnesota. MORE »

In the next few days, the U.S. House is likely to pass legislation that would prohibit employment discrimination against gays and lesbians. But pressures from Republicans and groups opposed to homosexuality have resulted in the Democrats proposing a watered-down bill that would leave out transgender people. Those groups purporting to speak for Christians are purposefully distorting the issue through assertions that religious liberties will be violated if transgender people are given protections to work in jobs that they are qualified for. MORE »