Peter Avsenew, convicted of killing a Wilton Manors couple days before Christmas 2010 and stealing their car to escape to north Florida, who told a jury in January that he had no regrets and a judge in March that he had killed before and would again, has been sentenced to die.
He is the first defendant in Broward to receive a death sentence since a new law was passed in 2017 requiring juries to be unanimous in finding an execution is warranted. It seemed to be the result Avsenew wanted — after his conviction last fall for the murders of Stephen Adams and Kevin Powell, a Wilton Manors couple who took him in after he posted a sexually suggestive classified ad on Craigslist.
Adams and Powell had been together for nearly 30 years. But Avsenew’s comments about them, in his letter, were without mercy. “It is my duty as a white man to cull the weak and timid from existence.” Avsenew, 33, wrote. “Homosexuals are a disease to mankind and must be put down.”
The judge could have rejected the jury’s recommendation for a death sentence, but apparently the killer’s letter did the trick. As you can see in the photo above, he gave the finger to family members of the victims earlier this year.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Thursday to force the city of Philadelphia to resume the placement of children in need of foster care with a Catholic agency that refuses to accept gay couples as foster parents.
In a decision that Catholic Social Services had said would force its foster care program to close, the justices refused the religious agency’s request for an injunction compelling the city to allow it to place children in foster homes while litigation over the dispute continues in lower courts.
In the brief order that did not give any reasons for the decision, three conservative members of the court, Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, said they would have granted the agency’s request.
Five of the nine Supreme Court justices are needed to grant an injunction, but the court is one member short since Justice Anthony Kennedy retired at the end of July. The court is split 4-4 between liberal and conservative justices. President Donald Trump has nominated conservative federal appeals court Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Kennedy.
“We hoped for a different decision today,” said Lori Windham, a lawyer at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represents the agency. She said she was encouraged that three justices agreed with their position.
The dispute arose last March after the city suspended referrals with Catholic Social Services following a newspaper report on the agency’s policy to turn away same-sex couples.
At issue is Catholic Social Services’ policy of refusing to perform home studies on same-sex couples to evaluate and certify them as foster parents, which it says would amount to a written endorsement of same-sex marriage, according to court papers.
The case underscores increasing tensions in the United States between advocates for religious groups seeking exemptions from anti-discrimination laws, and gay rights proponents who say such exemptions would be a license to discriminate.
Legal fights are brewing in several U.S. states over laws allowing private agencies to block gay couples from adoptions or taking in foster children.
The Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide in a landmark 2015 decision.
Philadelphia says that as part of its foster care contract with Catholic Social Services, the agency must follow a city anti-discrimination law, which covers sexual orientation.
Catholic Social Services, which is part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, filed suit in federal court arguing that the city had violated its religious and free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution.
A 9-year-old boy from Denver, Co. was found dead after he was bullied by classmates for coming out as gay. Denver Police say the death is being investigated as a suicide.
Leia Pierce found her son Jamel Myles unresponsive just four days after he told his fourth-grade classmates at Joe Shoemaker Elementary School he was gay.
According to Fox 31, Jamel came out to his mother over the summer before the school year started.
“And he looked so scared when he told me. He was like, ‘Mom I’m gay.’ And I thought he was playing, so I looked back because I was driving, and he was all curled up, so scared. And I said, I still love you,” Pierce said.
After coming out to his family, Jamel decided he wanted to also come out to his classmates.
“He went to school and said he was gonna tell people he’s gay because he’s proud of himself,” Pierce said.
Pierce says Jamel told her oldest daughter that when he came out to his classmates they bullied him and told him to “kill himself.”
Four days later, Jamel was found dead.
“I’m so upset that he thought that was his option,” Pierce said.
Denver Public Schools sent out a letter to families that grief counselors and extra social workers would be available for classmates, faculty and staff.
For Pierce, the root of the tragedy is bullying. She says children and parents should be held accountable.
“We should have accountability for bullying. I think the child should. Because the child knows it’s wrong. The child wouldn’t want someone to do it to them. I think the parent should be held because obviously the parents are either teaching them to be like that, or they’re treating them like that,” Pierce said.
California’s legislature passed a historic resolution on Tuesday that affirms the rights of intersex people.
The resolution, SCR-110, formally condemns unnecessary surgery on intersex babies that is often performed by doctors to “correct” the child’s genitals. The resolution defines intersex people as “individuals born with variations in their physical sex characteristics” and who “may present with differences in genital anatomy, internal reproductive structures, chromosomes, or hormonal variations.”
The resolution was introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D) and co-sponsored by social justice organizations interACT and Equality California.
“Our resolution (#SCR110) urging the medical profession to delay medically unnecessary genital surgeries on #intersex babies has now fully passed the CA Legislature,” Wiener tweeted on Tuesday. “This is the first time a state has gone on record supporting the intersex community & opposing these surgeries.”
Intersex individuals, who account for 1 to 2 percent of the population, often present with ambiguous genitalia that don’t fall perfectly into the cisgender male and female categories. This atypical anatomy can present as a larger-than-normal clitoris, lacking a vaginal opening or a scrotum that is divided, making it look more like labia.
Beginning in the 1950s, parents were given the choice to “correct” the child’s genitals at birth or shortly after. Many intersex advocates argue, however, that infants and children are too young to consent to such an invasive and often identity-altering surgery.
“These surgeries are often performed before a child can even speak or stand, meaning the intersex individual is excluded from the decision whether to undergo these irreversible procedures,” the resolution reads.
Surgeries like these can cause “severe psychological and physiological harm,” the resolution states, including scarring, urinary incontinence, loss of sexual sensation, post-traumatic stress disorder and incorrect gender assignment.
“California has long been a leader for all people, and we can lead the way in supporting intersex children and their families,” Wiener said in March when he introduced the resolution. “Infants who are born healthy should not be forced into a medically unnecessary surgery, and our medical community needs to help families to take a more measured approach to surgery. Over time, as a child grows and they can make their own choices, then that is the appropriate time to discuss medical options.”
Although the resolution does not ban intersex surgeries, advocates hope the message will start a trend.
“It means for the very first time a U.S. legislative body has affirmatively recognized that intersex children deserve dignity and the right to make decisions about their own bodies ― just like everyone else,” the executive director of interACT, Kimberly Zieselman, told USA Today.
“Intersex bodies are beautiful,” he said. “People should have the right to choose, to bodily autonomy, to reproductive integrity. But the immediate work to be done is to educate people on what it means to be intersex. That’s where we’re starting.”
A Democratic candidate has released a raw political ad opening up about his experiences of homophobia.
Rufus Gifford is one of ten Democrats seeking election to the US House of Representatives to represent the solidly-Democratic Massachusetts District 3.
Ahead of the party primary on September 4, Gifford has released a “groundbreaking” ad, focused on his own struggles as a gay man.While many LGBT candidates are keen to not focus too much on their own identity, Gifford puts it front and centre.
In the ad, he says: “Anyone who can look in the face of a gay kid who grew up in the 80s and tell them that they haven’t struggled a day in their life, is fooling themselves.
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“Yeah, I struggled. A lot less than most people on this planet and even in this community, but those struggles are so meaningful to me and they made me who I am.”
He adds: “As someone who has been called names, has been discriminated against, as someone who wasn’t taken seriously for a lot of his life because of this, it made me initially want to fight for the 15-year old version of me.
“I didn’t want to be judged for who I was, and I know I wanted to live in a world that was going to treat me equally. That’s what I want to fight for, always, every day.
“We’ve got to do everything we can to fight for people who are struggling.”
Rufus Gifford
The ad “will appear on digital platforms targeting voters throughout the 3rd District through Primary Day,” according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which backs out candidates across the US.
Gifford is eminently qualified for Congress, having worked on Barack Obama’s two election campaigns, and having served as United States Ambassador to Denmark from 2013 to 2017.
The Ambassador was an unlikely household name in Denmark thanks to his fly-on-the-wall TV documentary series I am the Ambassador.
The show followed Gifford through his everyday work as a US ambassador as well as his personal life, including his Copenhagen wedding to husband Dr Stephen DeVincent.
The documentary later became a hit on Netflix around the world, though it naturally concluded when the political appointee was relieved of his post by the incoming Trump administration.
Annise Parker of LGBTQ Victory Fund said: “Rufus is running to push forward a positive and inclusive agenda for all Massachusetts residents – and this groundbreaking ad demonstrates where his social justice lens originated.
“The struggles and experiences he faced as a gay man provoked an intense desire for fairness and equal treatment of all Americans – and Rufus will take that commitment and fighting spirit with him to Congress.
“Both Rufus and this campaign ad embody what is sorely missing from much of our politics today: authenticity. We desperately need authentic, values-driven leaders like Rufus to be our voice in the U.S. Congress.”
A lesbian is now officially married to her longtime partner, who died months ago.
Utah Judge Patrick Corum declared 74-year-old Bonnie Foerster legally wed to her “soulmate” and common law partner Beverly Grossaint, who died in May at the age of 82, just a few weeks after the couple celebrated their five-decade anniversary together.
Foerster was crying tears of joy following the rare ruling on August 21. “I’m numb from happiness. I’m married,” she said, quoted in The Salt Lake Tribune. “I’m a married woman. I’ve waited 50 years,” she added.The couple met in New York in 1968, after Foerster left her abusive husband. “I met her with two black eyes and broken ribs and so on and so forth, had sunglasses on,” she told local publication News4Utah ahead of the ruling.
“She told me to take the damn sunglasses off and looked into my eyes and said she could see my soul.
“I fell in love. She was my soulmate. When she met me we were both lost and we became Bonnie and Bev…Bev and Bonnie for 50 years.”
The couple celebrated their 50-year anniversary in April (Bonnie Foerster/Facebook)
In the span of the following half-century, Foerster and her partner stayed by each other’s side for good or ill, in happiness or sadness.
In court, Foerster recalled marching with her partner, a veteran of the Women’s Army Corps, in the first gay pride parade in New York City in 1970.
“We had people throw garbage at us,” Foerster recalled, quoted in The Salt Lake Tribune. “We went home, took showers and got clean. Those people still have garbage in their hands.”
The couple moved to Utah in 1979 to care for Grossaint’s sick mother. The pair also looked after each other’s health—Grossaint was Foerster’s caretaker as she battled breast and cervical cancer, as well as undergoing 29 back surgeries and suffering from a macular degeneration that left her legally blind.
Foerster was also diagnosed with a rare bone infection called osteomyelitis, which caused her two have both legs amputated in April 2016.
By that point, Grossaint had developed health problems of her own—lung disease emphysema and chronic heart failure—and Foerster was her main caretaker for the three years prior to her death, ultimately caused by pneumonia.
The pair met in New York in 1968 (Bonnie Foerster/Facebook)
The idea of a post-mortem marriage recognition came from Roger Hoole, the couple’s attorney. “I knew that in Utah you can marry somebody within a year of after the marriage ends even though it ended in the death of one of the partners,” he told News4Utah.
Foerster is now planning a party to celebrate the wedding and the couple’s anniversary on September 15, according to the local news outlet. The marriage date has however yet to be decided.
Hoole had petitioned for the date to be July 26, 2015—when the Supreme Court ruled marriage equality law of the land, but Judge Corum argued that they could be considered married since December 20, 2013—when Utah legalised same-sex marriage—or even 1968, when the couple began living together, although this would entail a more complex legal process.
According to the judge, this was the Utah’s second posthumous same-sex marriage in Utah, following the case of a woman who married her partner, who died in a car crash.
A similar case in France made worldwide headlines in 2009, when a woman became the legal wife—and widow—of her fiancée, who had proposed to her two days before he was killed in a road accident.
Photo of Attorney General Xavier Becerra from his Facebook page
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has been an LGBT ally since he first ran for the California Assembly in 1990 representing the 59th District in downtown Los Angeles. Now he is wielding the sword of constitutional righteousness defending all of California from the erratic, irrational and harmful machinations of former New York developer and reality TV producer/star Donald Trump, who is apparently trying to apply his questionable business tactics to running the U.S. government. Trump, Becerra says, is a serious danger to American democracy.
Becerra, who has been prolific in his lawsuits and amicus briefs against the Trump administration since becoming attorney general in March 2017, is no stranger to standing up for the rule of law. Having graduated with his law degree from Stanford University, he went to Congress in 1993 and was one of only 65 Democrats to vote no against the Clinton-backed Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. Twelve years later, on March 27, 2013, Becerra brought his daughter Natalia, with a rainbow ribbon in her hair, to the steps of the Supreme Court as the court heard arguments against DOMA. Originally intending to only be a witness to history, he was spotted in the crowd outside, which was hotly debating gay marriage versus the Bible.
“When you enter into the public forum, when you start to have our civil life dictated by our religious values, our Constitution says no,” said the then-lawmaker, a proud Catholic. “Our Constitution says everyone is created equally. If that conflicts with someone’s religious values, we still say, in this country, that the civil value wins out.”
Five years later and the whole notion of simple civility is in shambles, thanks to the divineness of the Trump campaign and 18 months of his shocking presidency. Now, as both Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump’s possible conspiracy with Russia to influence the 2016 election and a New York state investigation of Trump associates and the Trump organization for possible violations of campaign finance laws, tax evasion and fraud closes in around the president, Becerra is concerned about the lack of congressional oversight and how Trump may react to feeling cornered.
“I think it’s chilling to watch Congress abandon its role to put a check on Donald Trump’s excesses,” Becerra told the Los Angeles Blade by phone Thursday. “I have no hope for Donald Trump. And I think he’s proven himself repeatedly who he is and what he’ll do. When you have someone who’s that much of a rogue and that dangerous a player, you expect the other branches of government to stand up. And here’s where I think I blame those in power in Congress more for being AWOL right now because I think it’s become clear that no one should expect Donald Trump to change and all of a sudden begin to act like a president.”
“In every respect he’s endangering the health, the security, the economic well-being of the people of the country,” Becerra continued. “It’s been a long time since we thought we were this close to having someone press the button that could end up starting some nuclear conflict. But given how erratic Donald Trump is—you just never know what he’s going to come up with next. I think that’s probably as bad as it gets when you get to the point of a nuclear conflict. But the fact that we would even talk about that or believe that could be possible for irrational reasons—it makes you just wonder where are the checks and balances that would make sure that one irrational person could not topple the longest living democracy in history.”
Twenty-year-old Ryan from Kentucky will board a plane at the end of this month to fly to Phoenix, then hop on a bus to head north to participate in his second year at Camp OUTdoors, an LGBTQ youth summer camp now in its 11th year. Because of his experience last year, Ryan was able to return home and find the courage to come out as part of the LGBTQ community to his family and friends. He’ll be back this year to recharge and rekindle supportive relationships he developed to help him keep moving toward a brighter future. From rural to urban areas, from the deep South to the Pacific Northwest, LGBTQ youth will be spending four days building bonds with one another, building team and leadership skills, and creating the inclusive community they want to see in the world.
one•n•ten’s Camp OUTdoors is one of the largest and longest running programs in the country. The Camp will be welcoming more than 145 youth, more than 60 volunteers and dozens of workshop presenters from all over the U.S. this August 31st – September 3rd. In a wilderness setting in a community up north from Phoenix, Camp OUTdoors provides campers with information and skills to confront the unique set of challenges LGBTQ youth face, which includes bullying, that can then lead to isolation, rejection from their family, community, and religious/spiritual institutions, and higher risk of depression. Additionally, Camp OUTdoors workshops aim to assist youth in identifying sources of strength in their life to address the risk of suicide that the community is facing at an ever-increasing rate.
“Being from Kentucky, I will say Camp OUTdoors gave me hope and life again. This is the one place I was finally able to be myself, to be open, and not afraid to hide behind a mask. It allows me to feel safe and not live in fear. I am so thankful for everything they do for youth like myself and the community. I couldn’t be any more thankful for them!” – Ryan, 20-year-old from Kentucky
In 2017, Camp OUTdoors was featured in a National Geographic documentary titled Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric, which aired worldwide. With more than 500 applicants this year alone, one•n•ten hopes to double its impact by offering two Camp OUTdoors experiences in 2019. To serve more youth, it needs to get the word out. And the stories are plentiful.
A variety of story opportunities can be coordinated through one•n•ten’s media representative:
Camper Ryan from Kentucky and former camper turned volunteer Erin from Phoenix can share their stories from Camp and their personal journeys to find the courage to be themselves.
Jasmine from Buckeye, AZ volunteered at camp and was so inspired about the work and the organization she now serves in a leadership role on one•n•ten’s board.
Zami from Berkley, CA can share why he’s been heading east to Arizona to volunteer for so many years and in so many roles and what he’s learned from the experience.
Tally, a Phoenix-based therapist, and a one•n•ten certified Sources of Strength trainer, can share the raw stories of the youth who are trying to cope when life throws challenges at them, including overcoming suicidal ideations and how we all can help a friend.
Letitia Frye, a Scottsdale, AZ resident and longtime volunteer has spoken openly about the recent suicide of her boyfriend’s transgender son, Aksel. To honor his memory, she participated in a ballroom dancing contest for one•n•ten on August 19 and raised a record-breaking $30,000. This community auctiontainer, as she calls herself, is a highly-sought after auctioneer for charity events and was just named as a finalist for the prestigious ATHENA Award given out by the Greater Phoenix Chamber at its event in October. She says her time at Camp OUTdoors were and are some of the most profound and life-changing experiences she has ever had.
Kado Stewart is the founder of Camp OUTdoors as part of her senior project in college. She later incorporated Camp into the program offerings with one•n•ten and together has grown it to serve more than 1,100 youth inspiring camps for LGBTQ youth across the country. Kado was recently named as a finalist in the Young Professionals category of the ATHENA Awards in Phoenix where she serves as one•n•ten’s Director of Programs and Camp Director.
For “send off” footage of the campers, mark the following times. Please note volunteers and staff head up in advance to set up for the arrival of the campers. In respect for camper privacy, some of whom are not out, all media outlets must check-in with one·n·ten’s media representative upon arrival before they begin filming.
Date and Time: Thursday, August 30th – first bus staged for 1:30pm; second bus prepped for loading at 3:30pm
Location: 1101 N. Central Ave – one•n•ten – Parsons Center for Health & Wellness off of Portland on the north side of the street.
Parking: Easily accessible from 1st street just south of Portland. The Parson’s Center for Health and Wellness has a larger parking lot.
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About one•n•ten
Founded in 1993, one•n•ten is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving and assisting LGBTQ youth. We provide youth ages 11 to 24 with tools to improve self-esteem by providing access to social programs that promote self‐acceptance, leadership development and healthy life choices. one•n•ten provides a comprehensive set of programs and services, including supportive youth centers, housing programs, employment programs, athletics, arts and music, and partnerships with national LGBTQ organizations. one•n•ten is building a world where all LGBTQ youth and young adults are embraced for who they are, actively engaged in their communities and empowered to lead.
State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) called on legislators to push alcohol sales to 4 a.m. for California cities with Senate Bill 905 that recently passed to state assembly. The bill would affect seven major cities in California, three of which are in Los Angeles county: Los Angeles, Long Beach, West Hollywood, Sacramento, Palm Springs, San Francisco and Oakland. This would allow bars and nightclubs in these cities to sell alcohol at the same hours as places like New York City.
California bars have operated until 2 a.m. since the end of prohibition, this new bill could change not only the economy of L.A. but also the city culture. The bill’s advancement to state assembly has therefore been met with some opposition. California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA), Alcohol Justice and Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz held a press event to oppose the bill in early August. Activists and the councilmember compared selling more alcohol to having more injuries and deaths.
“If this passes we can expect more DUIs, more drunk driving injuries and more alcohol related deaths,” Councilmember Koretz said. “No district is an island and it is outrageous to call this a local discretion bill when its impacts will spill over into adjacent jurisdictions that will be stuck with the very expensive public safety bill — the cost of life and death.”
Photo: Yelp.
The Pride L.A. spoke with the owner of Club Ripples in Long Beach, Larry Hebert, to get his take. In regards to his support of the bill, Hebert stated, “Give it a try.”
“If they’re going to get drunk at midnight, then they’re going to get drunk at four,” Hebert said. “Responsible people will use Uber or Lyft or have a designated driver. Irresponsible people will get drunk anytime — they don’t care. So I don’t feel that there’s going to be a big difference.”
He and his partner, John Garcia, have owned Club Ripples for over 40 years. They also own a liquor store behind the club that also sees a lot of the same customers.
“I see when people leave my club they run over to my liquor store in the back and get alcohol before we close so they can take it home and party some more,” Herbert said. “There are some, but not all. It’s going to be hit or miss for different people and different lifestyles.”
Hebert also stressed the importance of responsibility as a bar or club owner, saying that he or she must make sure that customers get home safely.
“I’ve driven customers home before and I’ve taken their keys from them, and they get mad but I don’t care,” he said.
He and his partner are known to have strict rules as bar owners, such as making sure people who walk in already under the influence are not permitted inside the club. Drugs and sex are also not permitted on the premises.
Although Hebert admits there are many other bars and clubs that operate otherwise, the vigilance and responsibility of bar, club and restaurant owners like himself can help create a safer community instead of fueling the dangers within it.
“The Long Beach police know that I run a tight ship,” Herbert said. “We’re more of a neighborhood place where straight and gay people come and everybody has a good time.”
If the bill gets signed into law, it will take effect in 2021 in order for bars, clubs and restaurants as well as each city to adjust to the new hours of operation. After five years, cities can decide how to continue or discontinue implementing the law.
California has made LGBTQ history this week, being the first state to honor LGBT veterans with a memorial.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB2439 on Monday which officially recognizes the LGBTQ Veterans Memorial at the Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City as the official state LGBTQ veterans memorial.
The obelisk-shaped stone memorial also features an eagle and a pink triangle. The landmark was dedicated in May 2001, spearheaded by founding chair of AMVETS Post 66 Tom Swann Hernandez.
Hernandez approached Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia and together they organized a plan to get the memorial an official designation.
“Our perseverance has paid off,” Hernandez said in a statement. “California is leading the nation by honoring the heroes, many of whom have had to die in silence because they were forced to conceal their sexual orientation.”
In May, Garcia, who penned the bill, told Q Voice News that California must honor all the brave men and women in the nation’s armed forces, “This memorial is a testament to honor the contributions the LGBT community has made to the security of the United States.”
AB2439 was put forth in February eventually making its way to the Governor’s desk and awaited his signature.
Cathedral City’s Mayor Pro-tem Greg Pettis said, “Designating it as the state memorial it will be on all the state materials and everything and really recognizes thousands of people that have served honorably and need to be recognized. It really is there for reflection and for people to come and remember the people.”
Post 66 would like the Governor to attend the dedication ceremony scheduled to take place in November.
