Hate Crimes Report Released

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department determined that the May 29 murder of Orlando Ortega near the intersection of Sweetzer and Willoughby Avenues in West Hollywood was not a gay hate crime. Ortega (who was heterosexual) was pistol-whipped in the face and shot in the chest around 11:21 p.m. during an attempted robbery, West Hollywood Watch Commander Sgt. Reilley told IN.

Reilly said there has been an “influx of cell phone robberies,” instigated by the perception that people in West Hollywood “have cash [when they] go out clubbing.” Gays are particularly considered soft targets, but a hate crime is not recorded unless an anti-gay slur is heard during the attack.

Nonetheless, hate crimes based on sexual orientation in L.A. County increased by 7 percent in 2006, according to the 2006 Hate Crimes report released June 7 by the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations. Last year, 102 homophobic hate crimes were reported, compared to 95 in 2005. Of the 102 anti-gay crimes, 85 percent targeted gay men and 15 percent targeted lesbians.

There were six hate crimes reported against transgender women, down from nine, the report said, three of which were violent.

Of the sexual orientation cases, 63 percent were violent, which is a greater proportion than for crimes based on race or religion. —K.O. and Ramy Eletreby

L.A. Student Gets Point Foundation Scholarship

Los Angeles scholar Joe Goldman is one of 38 diverse students from around the country named June 5 by the Point Foundation as recipients of the organization’s 2007 LGBT scholarship grants.

This is the largest number of scholarships awarded by the Point Foundation in its six-year history. As of June, a total of 84 Point Scholars will be enrolled in school, and 26 will have graduated. 

Each Point Scholar receives an average scholarship award of $13,600 as well as leadership training and mentoring from a highly successful professional in a field related to that particular scholar’s area of interest.

This year’s recipients feature the first male-to-female transgender Point Scholar, the first Muslim Point Scholar and the first Point Scholars who are also parents. Goldman is currently studying political communication at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. —R.E.

California Assembly Passes Marriage Bill

Xavier Leonard and Daryl W. Brookins are getting married on June 16, surrounded by loved ones who recognize the meaning of the ceremony to the couple, even though their blessing is not yet legal in California.

“Marriage provides couples with legal standing, but it also represents a fundamental bond that is inextricably tied to family, community and faith,” the couple told IN. “For same-gender loving couples it helps to eradicate the pain of trying to separate your love of a life partner and the love you have for your family and your relationship with God, a struggle too many of us have had to endure.”

On June 5, same-sex couples in California rejoiced when the state Assembly passed AB 43, the marriage equality bill authored by openly gay Assemblymember Mark Leno. The vote was 42-34 after a respectful 90-minute debate.

The vote was a courageous one for some, like Assemblymember Laura Richardson, who is in a tough special election race against marriage-equality supporter state Sen. Jenny Oropeza for the Long Beach/Carson congressional district represented by the late Juanita Millender-McDonald. Some African American ministers denounced her vote. Others, such as Stonewall Democratic Club president Michael Andraychak praised it. On the other hand, several gays fumed at Democratic Assemblymember Mike Davis who was called “self-loathing” for voting against the bill.

“The Assembly passed the marriage bill by an even wider margin than last time, demonstrating the growing popularity for ending discrimination against our families as well as the political reality that supporting marriage equality not only doesn't harm candidates but can help them win elections,” Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, told IN. “The legislation is expected to reach the state Senate in August and we are optimistic of its passage again this year.”

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he intends to veto the bill. —Karen Ocamb

Actor Charles Nelson Reilly Dies

Tony Award winner Charles Nelson Reilly, whose colorful openly gay persona brightened television in the ‘70s and ‘80s, died May 25 in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia, his partner, Patrick Hughes, told The New York Times. Reilly was 76.

Best known for his appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and game shows such as Match Game and Hollywood Squares, Reilly started as a serious actor in New York, taking acting classes with Steve McQueen and Geraldine Page. He won a Tony for his 1962 Broadway role as Bud Frump in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.—K.O.

T.R. in, Isaiah out at Grey’s Anatomy

T.R. Knight, who was forced out of the closet after an incident on the set of Grey’s Anatomy, will be back next season on the popular ABC show, EW.com reported June 5. However, co-star Isaiah Washington who called Knight a “faggot” in front of McDreamy co-star Patrick Dempsey and again in front of reporters backstage at the Emmys, was fired June 7 by show creator Shonda Rimes.

According to TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello, Washington’s firing was in part a result of a "pattern of problematic behavior."—K.O.

AIDS/LifeCycle Raises $11 Million

In its sixth year of raising funds for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, the AIDS/LifeCycle has set new records for the event, raising $11 million with 2,300 cyclists from 10 countries and 43 states.

“During the time it will take us to reach L.A., more than 700 Americans will become newly infected with HIV,” said Center CEO Lorri L. Jean of the seven-day, 545-mile ride. “Many won’t learn they’re HIV-positive and may be at risk of infecting others.”

An estimated 151,000 Californians are living with HIV/AIDS, many of whom are unaware of their infection. —K.O.

After a Brief Release, Paris Hilton Ordered Back to Jail

A legal and political turf war was sparked June 7 when L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca released rich heiress Paris Hilton from jail after serving only three days of a 40-day court-ordered incarceration for violating her probation on alcohol-related reckless driving charges. Baca reportedly released her for undisclosed medical reasons. L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and others complained that Hilton was getting preferential treatment.

An emergency court hearing was held June 8. After a morning during which West Hollywood and the Hollywood Hills were drowned in media helicopter noise akin to Apocalypse Now (nod to Boi from Troy), Hilton was handcuffed and driven in a squad car to the courthouse where the judge ordered her back to jail. According to TMZ.com, “Hilton left the courtoom in tears, screaming, ‘Mom, Mom, Mom.’ One witness described the scene as: Paris was ‘physically escorted’ out of the courtroom by a female deputy.”

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors has ordered a report about Baca’s actions, which may have violated the court’s instructions about Hilton’s treatment. —K.O.

Photo Exhibit Celebrates ACT UP’s 20th Anniversary

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the historic AIDS protest group, ACT UP/LA is sponsoring an exhibit of Chuck Stallard’s iconic photographs from June 16-July 21 at the Drkrm. Gallery, 2121 San Fernando Road, Suite 3, in Glassell Park.

The photograph above, taken from the exhibit, documents the 1990 ACT UP demonstration in San Francisco during the International AIDS Conference. “At this street demonstration, Chuck Stallard captured the spontaneous nature of the movement, which often united people in a life-and-death struggle who might have only met a few moments earlier,” says exhibit curator and gay historian Stuart Timmons. —K.O.

CHP Seeks Reckless Driving Charges Against Sen. Carole Migden

State Sen. Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) may have her driver’s license suspended after an erratic 30-mile drive on May 18 that resulted in two accidents.

KCRA TV reported June 4 that the California Highway Patrol is recommending that the Solano County district attorney file reckless-driving charges against Migden after investigating reports that her SUV struck a guardrail in the center median on Interstate 80 in Fairfield, then slammed into the back of a 2005 Honda.

Midgen said in a statement that she doesn’t remember much about what happened and cites prescription medication she’s taking to fight leukemia as a possible factor. Another statement released by her office said she hit the barrier after she took her eyes off the road as she was reaching for her ringing cell phone. Last year, Migden voted for a law that takes effect in July 2008 requiring drivers to use a headset or other hands-free device when talking on a cell phone while driving.

“I am not driving, I am in the process of undergoing a medical evaluation and I will in no way shirk my responsibility for what happened,” Migden said. —R.E.