A family in Florida is is facing counts of first-degree attempted murder, burglary with battery, and kidnapping, all with hate crimes enhancements, following an alleged attack that left the gay victim permanently blind.
Prosecutors with the Broward County State Attorney’s Office didn’t give many details about the alleged August 6, 2021 attack when they announced that Inna Makarenko, 44, Yevhen Makarenko, 43, and Oleh Makarenko, 21, were arrested this past March and are all facing charges because they are “accused of severely beating a man based on his sexual orientation.”
The 31-year-old victim, a gay man, lives in Pompano beach and was “severely beaten” during the alleged attack.
“He has been permanently blinded and sustained other serious injuries as a result of the incident,” the Broward County State Attorney’s Office said in a statement. According to court documents, the family brandished a firearm during the attack.
The victim has asked that his name not be made public.
A fourth person, Vladyslav Makarenko, 25, was transferred from a jail in Alabama to Florida. Prosecutors have not said whether he will be facing charges in the case yet.
All four of the defendants are being held without bond and Assistant State Attorney Darryl Torres of the State Attorney’s Office Hate Crimes Unit is handling the case.
Florida’s hate crimes law allows for enhanced penalties for crimes committed because of the victim’s sexual orientation. The law does not include gender identity as a protected category.
A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging John Lhota with the April 3, 2022 arson of Rash, a bar and nightclub in Bushwick frequented by members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Lhota was arrested yesterday and will make his initial appearance this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Roanne L. Mann.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; John B. DeVito, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Laura Kavanagh, Acting Commissioner, New York City Fire Department (FDNY), announced the arrest and charge.
“As alleged, Lhota deliberately set fire to a bar and nightclub patronized by members of the LGBTQ+ community, seriously injuring two of its employees, and endangering all present including the tenants of the building as well as the first responders who battled the blaze for approximately one hour,” stated United States Attorney Peace.
“This Office strongly condemns such acts of violence, and will vigorously prosecute this case. The victims, and all LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, should be able to enjoy their nights out in peace and without fear of such a dangerous attack.”
As set forth in the complaint, on the evening of April 3, 2022, Lhota was captured on security video purchasing a red gas canister at a service station and filling it with gasoline.
Lhota then proceeded to Rash, located on the ground floor of a multi-story building at 941 Willoughby Avenue, where he allegedly poured gasoline over the floor of the bar. The video showed Lhota tossing a lit cigarette on the floor, but the gasoline did not ignite.
Lhota then used a cigarette lighter to ignite the gasoline, causing an explosion and a fire. The floors above Rash contain residential apartments. Firefighters responded to the location and extinguished the blaze.
Two employees of Rash were injured and required hospitalization. The building sustained heavy damage due to the fire. Security video captured Lhota fleeing the burning nightclub.
The charge in the complaint is an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Lhota faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years’ imprisonment, and a maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two men were killed in Sligo, Ireland with an apparent homophobic motive.
The Irish Examinerreports that a man in his twenties was arrested on Wednesday morning (13 April) in connection with the deaths of Michael Snee, 58, and Aidan Moffitt, 42.
Snee was found dead in his home on Tuesday (12 April), while Moffit was found dead in his home on Monday night (11 April). Both men reportedly lived alone.
Snee had “been subject of a serious physical assault and had suffered significant injuries”, said Garda superintendent Aidan Glacken. Moffit’s body was described as “badly multilated” by the Irish press.
According to The Irish Independent, officers are allegedly investigating whether the killings were conducted by a person targeting men on dating apps.
Speaking at a press conference, Garda superintendent Aidan Glacken said: “Shortly after 1.30am this morning, a male in his early 20s was arrested for murder. This male remains in custody at Sligo Garda Station detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 and I cannot make any further comment on this part of the investigation.”
According to The Irish Times, Moffit worked in the property sector, and was a peace commissioner for his local area. His close friend Blaine Gaffney said he was an “all-round good guy”.
Gaffney told RTE: “It’s hard to believe what happened, and I’d be looking to speak about Aidan as the positive person he was, and remember Aidan for who he was and not what happened to him.”
Snee was described by a local as a quiet man who was always happy to help when needed.
“He was like a church mouse,” a neighbour told The Irish Independent. “You wouldn’t know he was there unless you went looking for him.
“But if you needed him he was there for you. How can anyone do something like that. It is the cruellest of cruel.
“It’s unreal.”
“Michael and Aidan were well known and respected in this community,” Glacken said.
“We continue to retain an open mind in this investigation.
“We are actively investigating as to whether there is any hate-related motive to these murders.”
He added that gardaí “will endeavour to seek out all the available evidence, and ultimately it will be for a court to decide on the motivation behind these appalling crimes.”
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he sent his “deepest sympathies” to the family and friends of Aidan Moffitt.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said he was “shocked” and “worried” by the killings.
“I just really wanted to say, I’ve been speaking to some of our members in Sligo last night, and I just really wanted to say how shocked and how worried I am actually by the two murders that appeared to have occurred in Sligo over the last couple of days,” he told RTÉ.
Sligo Pride has issued a warning to those attending two Pride events over the weekend in light of the recent incidents, assuring attendees that it is looking into security at its event.
“If at all possible, do not walk home alone. If you cannot afford a taxi, please let a friend know when you have left a venue and when you’ve gotten home,” the organisation said on Twitter.“If you are meeting someone online in person for the first time, give a trusted friend as much information on this other person as you can and let your friend know where you are. We understand the worries and concerns at this time.”Gardai are appealing to “any person who may have been subject to any unwanted approaches or who was assaulted or otherwise attacked to contact the incident room at Sligo Garda station”.
Most people will never understand just how traumatic it is to flee your home country to search for safety.
It’s a terrifying prospect, and it’s one that the people of Ukraine are dealing with right now as Russia’s cruel, unjust war wages on. More than 4.4 million people have fled Ukraine in the six weeks since the attack began.
For LGBT+ people fleeing war and violence, there are specific issues they have to face. On top of leaving their homes behind, some will have to contend with homophobia, biphobia or transphobia along the way. That’s why they need specific, targeted supports.
Micro Rainbow is just one of the organisations working to make sure LGBT+ refugees are being adequately cared for when they arrive in the UK. They operate 16 safe houses around the UK for queer refugees arriving into the country, and they also provide numerous other services to help them adjust to their new lives.
Their work has never been so important – that’s why PinkNews has launched the LGBTQ Refugees Welcome campaign, an initiative that aims to raise £50,000 to support LGBT+ Ukrainians and other displaced people.
Donations will be shared between Micro Rainbow and OutRight Action International, which is distributing funds to LGBT+ groups working on the ground in Ukraine to support the community.
It’s now been six weeks since Russia declared war on Ukraine. In that time, advocacy groups have been working tirelessly to keep the country’s LGBT+ community afloat.
Lenny Emson, director of Kyiv Pride, told PinkNews that the community isfacing specific issues such as family estrangement, homophobia and transphobia that are exacerbating an already impossible situation.
Meanwhile, countless others have already fled the country in the hope that they can get to safety elsewhere as Russia continues its barbaric attack.
Ukraine’s LGBT+ community needs your support – both those who have chosen to stay and those who have already fled to safety. Please donate what you can to the LGBTQ+ Refugees Welcome campaign by visiting our GoFundMe page.
Robbie Pierce wrote about what happened to him, his husband, and their six- and five-year-old children while riding on an Amtrak train. Pierce said they were approached by a man they didn’t know who shouted at the six-year-old: “Remember what I told you. They stole you. They’re pedophiles.”
Pierce told the man to “get away from my family,” and the man allegedly responded: “Family? That’s not a family! You’re both rapists. You steal Black and Asian kids.”
“You guys aren’t natural,” the man continued as the children cried. “Homosexuals are an abomination. They steal and rape kids.”
Pierce said that he took the kids to another car while his husband dealt with the man. A conductor came and further distracted the man.
He said that his children “cried for almost an hour.” During that time, he asked his son if he had seen the man before and the son said that the man had already confronted him when he went to the bathroom.
“Yet we’re the groomers,” Pierce wrote sardonically.
According to Pierce, no one in the car helped. Several people gave what he called “sympathetic looks” or came up to him later to apologize.
The man was arrested for refusing to leave the train, according to Pierce.
Pierce said that this isn’t the first time he and his family have been shouted at by homophobic strangers, but this is the first time that they have been called pedophiles, something he believes is a product of the current political climate.
“We’ve dealt with this brand of terrifying homophobic stranger before with our son,” he wrote. “But ‘pedophiles’ and ‘rapists’ were new in the mix, at least out loud.”
“We all know where that comes from. So thanks to Fox [News and CEO Rupert] Murdoch, JK Rowling [and Rep.] Marjorie Taylor Green, to the senators and priests and everyone else who harms kids and thinks it’s politically expedient to project onto gentle families like mine to stir up their lucrative culture war.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, more than 2.4 million refugees have fled across the border to Poland.
In order to get to Lublin, the closest major Polish city to the northern border, refugees often have to travel through some of Poland’s so-called “LGBT-free zones”.
These zones began popping up across the country in 2019, with almost 100 municipalities declaring themselves unwelcoming of “LGBT ideology”.
“One of the trans women we were helping asked me: ‘Are we going to be going through those ‘LGBT-free zones’, and what does that mean?” explains Filip Kijowski, 28, co-founder of the LGBT+ library Biblioteka Azyl, based in Lublin.
He and curator Waldemar Tatarczuk, 57, have been working flat-out to assist LGBT+ refugees in finding community, safety and healthcare after leaving Ukraine.
“It’s horrific that they are not only fleeing war and have these traumas, but also have to be worried about being more traumatised by our government,” Kijowski tells PinkNews.
In 2020 “LGBT-free zones” covered a third of Poland; a small handful have since renounced the declarations.
In February, Poland’s parliament passed a law banning so-called “LGBT+ propaganda” in schools across the country. It is illegal for same-sex couples to marry or adopt children, and a 2019 opinion poll found that almost a quarter of the population believes homosexuality must not be tolerated.
Although it is hard to ascertain how many Polish citizens identify as queer, ninety per cent of anti-LGBT attacks go unreported, a 2016 survey found.
Standing against this bigotry as a beacon of hope is exactly why the library was founded last year. The largest of its kind in Poland, it houses more than 1,000 books, all donated by queer authors and publishers from around the world.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, Kijowski knew that he had the framework and connections to begin a “direct response” to the situation.
“We’re assisting people specifically to escape from the war,” he explains. “What I mean by this is we are in touch with drivers who are able to drive into Ukraine… they’re able to drive people out, and I usually meet them at the border.
“We try and create a safe space for them to rest in Poland for a short while, because most of them want to move on, actually, they want to go to Berlin or Sweden. Some want to stay in Poland but it, unfortunately, isn’t the most queer-friendly environment.”
Waldemar Tatarczuk and Filip Kijowski in Lviv, Ukraine, last year. (Kijowski)
The pair have so far assisted more than 20 people, in some cases finding them work and accommodation.
Recently they found a home for “a young trans person and their parents”, and secured work and housing in Berlin for a non-binary refugee and a trans woman.
However, Kijowski stresses it is all about catering to people’s “specific needs”. For instance, they were able to raise the funds to get a new laptop for a graphic designer to continue working after hers was left behind in Ukraine.
Kijowski and Tatarcuk’s daily work includes linking people up with doctors to provide psychological and medical care, as well as securing vital hormones for trans people, which have been donated by the international community.
Some trans people, particularly trans women, are unable to flee the war zone. While Ukrainian trans people are able to have their gender legally recognised, the process is lengthy and some who haven’t completed it are reportedly being turned away at the borders because they have male gender markers.
The Polish pair want to be ready when more Ukrainian LGBT+ people come across the border, so are crowdfunding for their organisation’s move to a larger building in May.
It will be an “LGBTQ+ refugee centre for Ukrainian queer people”, giving people “access to safety, to be able to rest, to have some food, talk with us and talk amongst each other.” It will also house the library.
So far they have raised more than £6,000 on their GoFundMe page.
Kijowski says that the moment that he realised he needed to help came when he was on the phone with a Ukrainian friend and heard sirens in the background.
“I could sense the fear,” he says. “As a queer person, knowing what it’s like to receive support, and having been helped for quite a few years growing up in the queer community, it’s also a responsibility.
“That’s a strong word, but it is a responsibility to be able to at least give doses of that support back into the community.”
Even after two men were found dead in his California apartment, Ed Buck did not stop injecting gay men with walloping doses of methamphetamine.
Federal prosecutors said Buck’s unrelenting fervor to satisfy a fetish by preying on vulnerable men, often young and Black, is reason enough to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.
Buck, 67, a big dollar donor to Democratic, LGBTQ and animal rights causes, was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles for providing fatal doses of drugs, operating a drug den and enticing men to travel for prostitution.
Thursday’s sentencing closes a long saga, involving Buck, who prosecutors say used his wealth and influence to prey on and exploit mostly vulnerable Black men for “party and play” encounters at his West Hollywood apartment.
The encounters involved Buck paying men to use drugs, injecting large amounts and performing sex acts on them. Officials said Buck would inject methamphetamine with or without the men’s consent and sometimes when they were unconscious.
Gemmel Moore, 26, fatally overdosed at Buck’s West Hollywood apartment in July 2017. A second man, Timothy Dean, 55, died nearly two years later in 2019 from a fatal overdose of methamphetamine at Buck’s home.
If convicted, medical professionals face up to 10 years in prison and a hefty fine for providing what researchers argue is ‘life-saving’ care to trans minors.
Ivey’s signature makes Alabama the latest state in the US to pass legislation restricting gender-affirming care after Arkansas, Tennessee and Arizonapassed various anti-trans healthcare bans. But Alabama is the first state to impose criminal penalties for such care, according to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
Two doctors and two families of trans kids have filed a lawsuit against the state, challenging the new law which is set to go into effect on 8 May.
The families said in the complaint, which was filed on Monday (11 April), that being denied the medically necessary treatment will be devastating to the mental health of their children. The lawsuit alleges that the new Alabama law violates the Affordable Care Act and the equal protection clause of the US Constitution.
One plaintiff, referred to as Robert Roe, is the father of a 13-year-old trans girl who is called Mary in the lawsuit. The complaint detailed how it is “essential for Mary’s mental health” that she can receive “puberty-blocking medications every three months” and can receive future medical treatments that her healthcare providers determine are “medically necessary to treat her gender dysphoria”.
“For Mary to be forced to go through male puberty would be devastating; it would predictably result in her experiencing isolation, depression, anxiety and distress,” the lawsuit continued. “Mary’s parents are also concerned that without access to the puberty-blocking medication she needs, Mary would resort to self-harm as a means of coping with her psychological distress or even attempt suicide.”
Roe said in a press release by the HRC, which is supporting the lawsuit, described how his family has seen “our daughter change from being reclusive and anxious to being an engaged, happy child” after being able to access the “care she needs” to flourish.
But he said this law threatens “all of this” and “takes away our ability to follow the advice of highly qualified medical professionals”.
“I was born and raised in Alabama and came back here with my wife to raise our family,” Roe said. “We love this community which has shown us incredible support. But if this law goes into effect we may be forced to leave the state we call home in order to protect our daughter’s life.”
The parents of another trans teen, referred to as John Doe, described in the lawsuit how starting hormone therapy had been “amazing” for the 17-year-old as he was finally able to feel “more like himself, building greater confidence” and is now “happier overall”.
However, the lawsuit said that John will suffer “devastating physical and psychological consequences” if the trans healthcare ban goes into effect. According to the lawsuit, the teen’s healthcare will be “disrupted” as he won’t be able to access “medications his physicians have prescribed to treat his gender dysphoria” if the law goes into effect and won’t be able to undergo gender-affirming surgery until he “reaches the age of majority, which in Alabama is age 19”.
Dr Morissa Ladinsky, a third plaintiff, works at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama alongside another plaintiff, Dr Hussein D Abdul-Latif. Both physicians provide medical care to trans youth in Alabama.
The lawsuit described how Dr Ladinsky has treated and is currently treating “dozens of trans youth people for gender dysphoria” – including the two trans teens listed in the complaint – in her role as a paediatrician as well as co-lead of the multi-disciplinary gender clinic at the UAB Hospital.
Dr Ladinsky said in a statement that governor Ivey has told “kind, loving and loyal Alabama families that they cannot stay here without denying their children the basic medical care they need” by signing the trans healthcare ban.
“She has undermined the health and well-being of Alabama children and put doctors like me in the horrifying position of choosing between ignoring the medical needs of our patients or risking being sent to prison,” she said.
The plaintiffs are represented by a host of LGBT+ and civil rights organisations including the Southern Poverty Law Center, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the HRC with King & Spalding LLP and Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC.
A trans woman in Ukraine has said the community is struggling to access essential healthcare as the Russian war rages on.
Anastasiia, director of Cohort NGO, an organisation for transgender people in Ukraine, has chosen to remain in the country – though many trans people have had that choice taken away from them, and are unable to flee.
“I’m empowered by the opportunity to help people,” Anastasiia told Gaydiohosts Dave Cooper and Paris Munro.
She explained that many trans women are unable to leave because they have male gender markers in their passports. The same is true for cis queer men, and some intersex people.
When asked by Gaydio what the community needs, Anastasiia said: “We need medication [and] hormones.”
Russia has targeted hospitals and other healthcare facilities throughout its barbaric invasion, including children’s hospitals.
The World Health Organisation reported in late March that there had been more than 70 separate attacks on hospitals, ambulances and doctors in Ukraine. It said the number was rising on a daily basis.
Anastasiia also urged Gaydio listeners to support local trans and LGBT+ groups financially. She recommended her organisation, Cohort, alongside Kyiv Pride, Trans Generation and Insight, which provide shelter, financial aid and medical help to LGBT+ people in Ukraine.
“This broadcast, this visibility allows us to be spoken about, and not forgotten at this time,” she added. “It creates the opportunity for donations, not just from organisations, but also from private donors.”
Anastasiia added: “I’m not intimidated by violence and danger, I have two revolutions behind my back.”
She continued: “It’s important that I can do this work, and that I can do this work mostly from here.
“If I was anywhere else I wouldn’t find my place, I would be restless and full of self-deprecation. Here, I can really do the work that I need to be doing. It empowers me when I see that I’m really helping people.”
More than four million people have fled the country since Russia invaded, while 20,000 have been killed, according to Ukrainian officials.
Amid several bills introduced in Tennessee that have attracted national attention this year, none has sparked as much alarm among both Republicans and Democrats as a proposal that would create a new marriage contract specifically designed to exclude same-sex couples.
Supporters argue the measure is needed to give religious officials, couples and others opposed to gay marriage an option that wouldn’t conflict with their beliefs.
Critics say it’s a deliberate effort to circumvent the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling legalizing gay marriage and could lead to costly legal battles. Many have noted that the bill initially failed to include a minimum age — an omission that has opened the door to widespread mockery. Some worry the move helped reinforce stereotypes regarding Tennessee as backward.
The bill’s Republican sponsors have downplayed concerns that the age omission would result in a wave of child marriages, but they’ve since introduced an amendment that would incorporate an age requirement of 18 years old or older.
Who would be eligible for common law marriage contract?
If enacted, the legislation would allow opposite-sex couples to fill out marriage “contracts” based on common law marriage principles. Typically, common law marriage refers to the legal protections of marriage given to couples who live together as a married couple, but who haven’t gotten a state marriage license.
Just eight states allow common law marriages, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and Tennessee isn’t one of them. It’s a practice that in America has dated back to Colonial times when it was sometimes difficult to find a preacher to solemnize a marriage.
The Tennessee bill, however, specifically states the contract would only apply to “one man and one woman,” thereby banning same-sex couples from pursuing the option. Opposite-sex couples wouldn’t have to file the contract with the state, meaning county clerks wouldn’t have to recognize the contracts like they do with marriage licenses.
“This legislation has kept me up at night,” Republican Rep. Johnny Garrett told lawmakers earlier this week.
Garrett, who is an attorney, said the lack of state recognition would mean couples would likely be unable to claim benefits and be denied rights typically given to married couples. He also pointed out that there’s nothing prohibiting individuals from entering into multiple contracts.
“We’re going to legalize polygamy in this state,” he warned.
Republican Rep. Tom Leatherwood countered that people could commit fraud using marriage licenses and added that he believed courts would recognize the contracts so that individuals could receive spousal benefits.
“All this bill does is give an alternative form of marriage for those pastors and other individuals who have a conscientious objection to the current pathway to marriage in our law,” Leatherwood said during a legislative hearing in March.
Would the bill allow child marriage?
Get the Morning Rundown
Get a head start on the morning’s top stories.SIGN UPTHIS SITE IS PROTECTED BY RECAPTCHA PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS OF SERVICE
When the bill was first introduced in the House, Democratic Rep. Mike Stewart quickly pointed out that the proposed common law marriage contract did not include an age minimum.
Currently, there is no federal minimum age requirement to be married. Instead, that decision is left to the states. For Tennessee, the minimum age to obtain a marriage license is 18, but 17-year-olds can still be married as long as they have parental consent. It is illegal for minors ages 11-17 to be married under a 2018 state law.
The proposed common law marriage bill wouldn’t automatically legalize child marriages. But the omission of an age requirement sparked widespread criticism that it would create a loophole allowing children to marry.
After downplaying child marriage accusations, the sponsors have since tweaked the bill to say it would apply to opposite-sex couples who “both have attained the age of majority,” which is 18 years old in Tennessee.
But that hasn’t stopped the skepticism from Democrats and Republicans who worry the bill is setting up the state for a costly lawsuit.
“This argument that it is going to set up two separate paths to marriage is blatantly unconstitutional in violation of the Obergefell decision, which is the law of the land,” said attorney Abby Rubenfeld, who in 2013 helped lead the challenge to Tennessee’s ban on same-sex marriage.
The suit, which was filed by Rubenfeld, was included in the SCOTUS case that eventually legalized gay marriage in 2015.
“We won that case before the Supreme Court and we also obtained, as you probably know, a substantial award in attorney fees and costs — which Tennessee taxpayers had to pay,” Rubenfeld warned lawmakers. “It can be expensive for our state to adopt unconstitutional laws.”
Who is supporting the proposal?
The fate of the bill remains unknown. Despite having nearly 20 Republican cosponsors, GOP Senate Speaker Randy McNally told reporters this week that he wouldn’t support it due to the lingering constitutional problems. The bill has been scheduled for several weeks to be debated before the full Senate, but has been delayed several times at the request of the sponsor.
Over in the House, the bill was discussed in a committee this week, but lawmakers ran out of time before taking a vote. It’s slated to come up again next Wednesday.
“I don’t know if it has the votes or not,” Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton told reporters recently. “I guess we’ll find out next week.”
