Senate Bill Protects Gays Against Hate Crimes

Nafissatou Diallo argues rape part of a pattern of misogyny

(NEWSER) - Nafissatou Diallo has added a new wrinkle to her lawsuit against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, arguing that he hates women and that his alleged rape of her hence amounted to gender violence, the Guardian reports. "Strauss-Kahn's conduct towards women generally is, and more specifically his sexual assault of Ms. Diallo was, motivated by gender-animus and a misogynistic attitude," the lawsuit alleges. The charge is significant, because New York City recently outlawed gender-based violence. More»

Cops launch hate crime probe

(NEWSER) - Police have launched a hate crime investigation into vandalism of a "gay nativity" scene outside a California church. The scene at Claremont United Methodist Church featured three wooden light boxes portraying a heterosexual and two homosexual couples holding hands beneath a Star of Bethlehem and the words: "Christ is Born." The gay couples were pushed over, reports the Los Angeles Times . The church has a history of featuring social or political messages in its nativity scenes, but they have never before been vandalized. "Christ's birth in a stable had a lot to do with being marginalized," said the church pastor. "What this church has tried to do through these scenes is say, 'What would that look like today?'" More»

Hate crime charge weighed in vicious assault

(NEWSER) - A cell phone video of two girls beating a transgendered woman so viciously the blows might have triggered a seizure could lead to hate-crime charges, according to Baltimore area officials. The disturbing video shows a prolonged attack of punches, kicks, and dragging by two teen girls in a suburban Maryland McDonald's. A man and a woman attempt to stop the attack, but the girls are relentless. They finally exit as victim Chrissy Lee Polis, 22, writhes on the floor. The video was taken by a restaurant worker, who accuses Polis of faking her seizure, reports the Smoking Gun . The confrontation apparently began when Polis tried to used the woman's bathroom. More»

Religiously motivated crimes also surge

(NEWSER) - The incidence of reported hate crimes in the US rose 2% in 2008, with huge surges in religion- and sexual orientation-based offenses. The FBI compiled the stats but cautions that an increase in reporting—not in crime itself—could be responsible. The AP looks at some numbers:

• Of 7,783 reported hate crimes in 2008, 7 were murders.
• Reports of religiously motivated hate crimes were up 9% from the year before. Crimes related to sexual orientation rose 11%.

Teachers split over flamboyant student who was killed in Calif. class

(NEWSER) - A flamboyant cross-dresser, 14-year-old Lawrence King was killed in his Los Angeles school by a boy he loved. The murder trial starts this week, but analysts are debating another question: Whether King's death could have been avoided. Newsweek goes behind the scenes, looking at King's troubled upbringing, the teachers who argued his case, and the student who ultimately killed him. More»