Salt Lake City Elects Lesbian Mayor and Gay City Councilman

(Tribune file photo) Salt Lake City mayoral candidate Jackie Biskupski.

While the election results in Houston and Kentucky are very disappointing - the finger pointing on the Houston loss has already begun - two total surprises have come out of Salt Lake City, home base of the anti-gay Mormon Church: if the unofficial results hold up, the city will have a lesbian mayor and a gay city council member.  Making it all the sweeter, the new city council man is Derek Kitchen who, with his now-husband Moudi Sbeity, was one half of one of three couples that won their challenge to Utah's gay marriage ban before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit.  Here's what Kitchen posted on Facebook:

Thank you! Thank you to my family for standing next to me through this campaign, for my volunteers for putting in countless hours knocking on doors, making calls, and talking to their friends. Thank you to all my supporters, your enthusiasm, donations, and moral cheers really kept me going. This has been such a positive experience for me as a first time candidate for public office. I’m happy to say that we ran a clean campaign focused on the issues and the residents of this great city.

I feel honored that the residents of District 4 have put their faith in me to represent them and make important decisions on their behalf. I’m energized and excited to get to work on the Salt Lake City council as your next representative!

As for the mayoral race, here are highlights from  the Salt Lake Tribune (let's hope the uncounted ballots confirm Biskupski's win):

There remain several thousand uncounted provisional and mail-in ballots in Salt Lake City's mayor's race, leaving the door open for Mayor Ralph Becker to pull off a come-from-behind win — although such a scenario appears unlikely.

Tuesday's unofficial and incomplete results gave Jackie Biskupski a 52.1 percent to 47.8 percent lead over Becker. They are separated by 1,450 votes out of 33,717 counted — 46.8 percent of registered voters in Salt Lake City.

According to Utah law, the new total will be sealed until the Nov. 17 canvass.

Tuesday night Biskupski said that Becker's 4.3-point deficit was statistically "insurmountable." When she announced at her campaign celebration that Becker would not concede, her crowd of supporters groaned and booed. 

Until Nov. 17, the discussion of Biskupski's possible election as the first openly gay big-city mayor in the deeply conservative, Mormon state are on hold. 

"In a couple weeks," she said, "I'm confident we will have a chance to talk about how historic this is."

Biskupski said she recognized from the beginning that she would lose votes for a number of reasons, not limited to her gender. "There are people who would not vote for me because I'm openly gay," she said. "There are people who would not vote for me because I'm a single mom."

Nonetheless, it's possible to get elected in a conservative state based on your merits, Biskupski told reporters Tuesday night.

"Not my gender, not my sexual orientation," she said. "It matters that we embrace people for their ability to lead and affect change."

Her likely victory says something about Utah, Biskupski said.  "We have a reputation here, right? But ... this community continues to move forward in strides that are mind-blowing," she said. "I'm so proud of our community."

In some ways I am not surprised by Utah.  Jon Huntsman  is one of the few sane Republicans left and he was a popular governor in Utah.  The fact that he is sane is why he failed to gain traction in 2012. That said, what could be more delicious than a lesbian mayor in the Mormon Church's home town. :)

Minister Found Guilty Of Aiding Kidnapping of Daughter Of "Ex-Lesbian"

The folks at Liberty University and Liberty Counsel - two nasty boils on Virginia's reputation - are going to be shrieking along with the rest of the professional Christian set over the conviction of Kenneth Miller (pictured at left) - a Mennonite pastor - for aiding and abetting Lisa Miller (no relation to Kenneth Miller) in the kidnapping of her daughter in contravention to numerous court rulings both here in Virginia and Vermont.  For newer readers, Lisa Miller is a lesbian who now claims to be "ex-gay" and who split from her former partner who was an adopted mother to Lisa Miller's daughter.  With the suspected but as yet unproven help of folks at Liberty University and the now convicted pastor, Lisa Miller abducted her daughter and fled to Central America and has been in hiding since 2009.  The Hartford Courant has details. Here are some highlights: 

A Mennonite minister was found guilty on Tuesday of aiding and abetting international kidnapping by helping a woman flee to Nicaragua with her daughter to evade court orders giving visitation rights to her former lesbian partner.

Federal prosecutors say Kenneth Miller of Stuarts Draft, Virginia, helped orchestrate Lisa Miller's flight to Canada and Nicaragua in 2009 with her daughter out of Christian solidarity with her decision to reject homosexuality and her former partner. The two Millers are not related.

The jury deliberated only a few hours before finding Kenneth Miller guilty. He faces the possibility of three years in prison. No sentencing date was set.  Miller showed no reaction as the verdict was announced. More than 80 other Mennonites filled the Vermont courtroom.

Lisa Miller took the girl to Central America after denouncing homosexuality and losing a series of family court battles in Vermont with her former partner, Janet Jenkins.  Jenkins and Miller were joined in a civil union in Vermont in 2000. After in vitro fertilization, Miller gave birth to Isabella two years later.  Miller filed to dissolve the union in 2003. She got custody of Isabella, but a Vermont court gave Jenkins visitation rights.

Joshua Autrey, a lawyer for Kenneth Miller, did not dispute evidence about his client's role in organizing Lisa Miller's secretive flight days before a court-ordered visitation with Jenkins.  Instead, the defense attorney offered a nuanced legal argument that his client did not know about her intent to violate Jenkins' visitation rights. 

Kenneth Miller contacted Mennonites to drive Lisa Miller and Isabella to an airport in Canada in 2009 and pick her up in Nicaragua where the group runs a mission, according to court documents.  Lisa Miller was indicted on international kidnapping charges in 2010, but federal agents have been unable to locate her or Isabella. Nicaragua does not have an extradition treaty with the United States.
 

The conviction is welcome and hopefully will drive the message home to the Christofascists that they are not exempt from the constraints of the civil laws - even if they see themselves as exempt from the Commandment against lying and bearing false witness.  Personally, I would love to see some of the folks at Liberty University further implicated in this conspiracy to defy the various court orders.

Feel the Love - Lesbain Attacked in Home Invasion

The Christianists continue to produce a constant stream of anti-LGBT propaganda that ranges from depicting all of us a diseased, alcoholic drug users just waiting to prey on children to a threat to marriage and western civilization itself.  It's not surprising, therefore, when some unbalanced or particularly hate filled individuals decide to take matters into their own hands and attack those depicted as such a menace to society.  Based on initial stories coming out of Lincoln, Nebraska, this is what occurred in the early morning hours of yesterday morning.  Fortunately, the victim survived, although the psychological damaging will likely last forever.  To me, it's yet another example of the foul fruits of conservative Christians' feigned religiosity which relies on hatred of others for self-definition.  First highlights from the Journal Star:

Hundreds of people gathered with rainbow flags and candles outside the Capitol for a nighttime vigil sparked by a woman's account of a violent, hate-fueled attack that spread rapidly over the Internet on Sunday.

The woman said she was attacked early that morning by three masked men who barged into her house, bound her wrists and ankles with zip ties, cut her all over her body and carved homophobic slurs into her skin before dumping gasoline on her floor and lighting it with a match, said a friend who spoke to the Journal Star.

The friend said the woman crawled from her house, naked and bleeding and screaming for help before reaching the doorstep of a neighbor's home.

Police Chief Jim Peschong declined to comment further on the status of the investigation or its findings. No arrests had been made as of late Sunday.

The woman's account of the attack drew outrage from a gay and straight-allied community already galvanized by this month's Star City Pride Festival as well as debate over the city's so-called fairness amendment, a proposal to ban discrimination in housing and employment based on a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

Then there's these further details from the Omaha World Herald:

The woman called police around 4 a.m. Sunday, saying men wearing black ski masks had broken into her home, according to Lincoln police.  She told police the men assaulted her — binding her hands and carving words into her skin with a knife — and then set fire to the house.

Davidsaver said the victim’s description of the suspects was limited because of the masks.

When police arrived, the house was still on fire, the captain said. He said it caused about $200 in damage.

Davidsaver would not say what words the men carved into the woman’s skin. “We need to maintain the integrity of the case,” he said.  But Erin Thompson of Lincoln, who described herself as the victim’s best friend, said she got a call from her friend about 6:30 Sunday morning. The friend asked Thompson to pick her up from the hospital.  “They carved on me,” Thompson said her friend tearfully told her.  Thompson said three epithets, including the word “dyke,” were carved on the woman’s arms and stomach.

Thompson said the victim is openly lesbian.

She read a statement on behalf of the victim, who thanked those attending the vigil, her neighbor for summoning help, the police and fire department for their quick response, and the paramedics, nurses and doctors who helped her at BryanLGH Medical Center West in Lincoln, as well as an advocate from Voices of Hope who sat with her.

Thompson said she and her friend “always get harassed here and there.” She said they have only suspicions about the possible identities of the assailants.

Events like this remind ever LGBT individual that there are those out in the world who literally hate us.  Worse yet, they are encouraged and justified in their hate literally daily from pulpits across the nation and from the broadcasts and propaganda of the professional Christian set.  It's disingenuous that the Christianists claim that they are being persecuted, yet they are never the victims of violence.   Instead, it's always those they spew hatred against that end up as the victims.

Florida's GOP Lieutenant Governor Denies Lesbian Affair

Usually it's the less than attractive GOP men who are seeking some hot same sex action on the side.  Now, in a new twist of the Republicans yearning for what they condemn on the campaign trial, Florida GOP Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll, is fighting the fallout from a lawsuit in which Carroll is accused of firing a staffer who caught her in "a compromising position" with another woman in her capitol office. News reports naturally cite that Carroll is married with children - as if that proves a damn thing.  Given straight men and their apparent fascination with lesbian sex - just look at Playboy magazines - perhaps male Republicans will overlook the sordid tale.  It is  telling, however, that like closeted male Republicans Carroll has campaigned on an anti-gay agenda.  Here are highlights from The Advocate:

Jennifer Carroll, Florida's lieutenant governor, is accused of firing a staffer who caught her in "a compromising position" with another woman in her capitol office. But Carroll is denying it ever happened in emails sent to her supporters, according to Florida media.

Reuters first reported Thursday that former staffer Carletha Cole is engaged in a lawsuit and that in a court filing earlier this month revealed she had walked in on her boss with her travel aide, Beatriz Ramos, in "a compromising position" — a phrase used by Cole's lawyer in the filing.

Carroll, who is married with children, said in an email to a supporter released by the governor's office that she "will be fighting back." In another, she blames the media for reporting the accusation.

Carroll, a Republican, is a former state legislator and became the first female elected as lieutenant governor when joining Gov. Rick Scott on his ticket in 2010. She is also the first black politician elected to any statewide office. 

She was famously critical of the media in a fiery sermon of a speech before the Faith and Freedom Coalition in September, when she called for a "righteous government."   Carroll did not talk about LGBT rights but did say, "these are very sad times when we allow the minority to poison the minds of the majority. This is exactly what dictators and socialist rulers did. When it comes to our Christianity, there is no gray area. It is either you believe or you don’t believe. And if you believe, you believe with all of your heart, all of your soul and all of your might."

Carroll, a Navy veteran, also told the conservative website Newsmax in September that she didn't agree with President Obama's decision to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. She said the military should have been left alone to decide how to proceed, without noting that the major military leaders actually supported DADT repeal.

Police Fail to File Report on Lesbian Attacked in Anti-Gay Hate Crime

UPDATE: Shane has information on some new developments here at QueerTwoCents.

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Sadly, Virginia and the USA don't have a monopoly on homophobes in government office or the police force. Alberta, Canada also seems to have its own problem with bigots. I was first tipped off to this story early this morning by Shane at QueerTwoCents, but was not able to write about it until this evening because I had to get out this morning for a CLE seminar. Now, the story has received wider coverage and it illustrates the danger of public officials and public employees being allowed to let their personal beliefs - be they religious based or otherwise - trump the civil rights of other citizens. We here in the USA - at least we in Virginia - think of Canada at time as a nirvana since LGBT citizens have so many more legal rights and protections. Even in progressive countries homophobes and religious based hate have not been eliminated. Here are some highlights from Shane's post:
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Disturbing news out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada... early Saturday morning, April 17th, Shannon Barry was brutally attacked after she and five friends were harassed by four men hurling homophobic slurs ("dykes" and "faggots") at them.
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Shannon and her friends tried to avoid confrontation with the men but they were pursued. At one point, Shannon fell to the ground which is when her attacker kicked her face so violently that she was knocked unconscious for five minutes. She suffered a crushed left eye socket, broken jaw and facial nerve damage. Shannon underwent surgery to implant two plates in her face. She is still in hospital.
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Fortunately for Shannon, ambulance services arrived immediately after her friends called 911. Police, however, did not arrive until 30 minutes later. A CBC news investigation reveals that the officer on the scene failed to follow standard departmental procedures as incredulously, he did NOT file a crime report, . . . . As of Wednesday April 21st, police have not responded to the CBC's interview requests.
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CBC.com has further details on the crime and the indifferent approach taken by the Edmonton police department. Here are more highlights:
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CBC News has learned the investigating officer did not file a report. He also did not call in the dog team or Air 1, the police helicopter, in an attempt to track the four young men. That is standard procedure for such a serious crime, according to one veteran of the Edmonton force, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He also said department policy requires officers to file reports on the same day, especially in a case involving a serious incident, such as an aggravated assault and potential hate crime.
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With no report filed, police would have nothing to work with if someone called in an anonymous tip to Crimestoppers, the veteran officer said. CBC News asked for interviews with Insp. Terry Rocchio, commander of the division responsible for the area where the attack occurred, and Edmonton police Chief Mike Boyd. Neither had responded Wednesday.
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Barry blames the attack on a mistaken belief that hate against gay people is no longer an issue. "I think in this day and age, we've become complacent and passive about educating the young to accept people's differences," she said, touching her swollen, bruised face. "Everyone's under the assumption that we're past all that, but it's right here. It's happening to people that you know, that I know and love, all the time."

Houston Chronicle Endorses Annise Parker

The anti-LGBT far right elements in the greater Houston area are liking calling the Houston Chronicle and threatening to cancel their subscriptions. Why? Because the Chronicle has endorsed openly gay Annise Parker in the run off election for mayor of Houston, Texas' largest city. To her far right critics - who have been running nasty anti-gay campaign ads against her - the only thing that matters is Parker's sexual orientation. Competence and ability mean nothing. Houston has long had a large and diverse LGBT population - the Montrose area was the hub of gay life when I lived in Houston decades ago - and in relative terms a fairly educated populace. All of which is the opposite of what the troglodytes of the far right want in a their Bible thumping backyards. Here are some highlights from the Chronicle's endorsement:

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After scrutinizing the two excellent candidates vying in the mayoral runoff December 12, the Chronicle believes one is clearly better equipped by experience for the job. She is three-term Houston Controller Annise Parker.
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With city tax revenues eroded by the continuing recession, the next occupant of the office must be a prudent fiscal manager as well as a leader who can make hard decisions on spending priorities. That will require a detailed knowledge of the city departments that deliver services to citizens in order to wisely prioritize cuts and stretch available revenues to the maximum. At the same time, the new mayor must also be a visionary focused not just on how things are in Houston but how they should be in the coming decades. Despite a hostile economy, the incoming administration will have to continue improving the quality of life in our increasingly urbanized metropolis.
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In her dozen years in municipal office, she has established a record as an effective fiscal conservative. In her campaign she has opposed using taxpayer money to build a downtown soccer stadium and criticized the White administration for using tax revenue bonds to pay long-term employee pension fund obligations.
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Parker has also been more specific than Locke in spelling out what she will do if elected mayor. While supporting light rail, she pledges to shake up the current Metro leadership to make the agency more transparent and accountable to residents. She also would replace Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt with a more innovative chief (and one with closer ties to the city), and press for more cooperation between area law enforcement agencies.
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In both her public and personal life, Parker has maintained high ethical standards and decorum in her years as an elected official. No scandals have occurred on her watch. As mayor she will present the city's best face to the world, one of tolerance, diversity and compassion for all our citizens. The Chronicle urges voters to allow Parker to take her high standards and solid record of accomplishment to the city's highest office.

Will the Fundies Go Crazy?

Note the following caption that appears on the White House web site with the above photo:

Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne Cheney, welcomed their sixth grandchild, Samuel David Cheney, Wednesday, May 23, 2007. He weighed 8 lbs., 6 oz and was born at 9:46 a.m. at Sibley Hospital in Washington, D.C. His parents are the Cheneys’ daughter Mary, and her partner, Heather Poe. White House photo by David Bohrer