US Archives - Page 2 of 6

Los Angeles: Grindr Robber Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison

23Nov

By Sara BanksNo Comments

US

Los Angeles: Grindr Robber Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison

According to documents from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, a 23-year old man from Compton was sentenced Wednesday to nine years in federal prison. In his plea agreement. Derrick Patterson, admitted to using LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr to find and rob five victims in the greater Los Angeles area, from June 2021 to March 2022. In a previous report that was released by the LA Times, prosecutors stated that Patterson was suspected of having committed over 20 similar crimes since 2019. In court documents, authorities claim that Patterson would plan to meet with his victims at their homes or in hotel rooms for sexual encounters. He would then ask to use their phones and transfer significant amounts of money to himself via Venmo or other banking apps. Prosecutors detailed a...

The Mormon Church Supports Legislation That Seeks to Codify Gay Marriage

22Nov

By Sara BanksNo Comments

US

The Mormon Church Supports Legislation That Seeks to Codify Gay Marriage

In what’s being called a “stunning move,” the Mormon Church released a statement in support of the Respect for Marriage Act (HR 8404) that seeks to codify gay marriage into federal law. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), also known as the Mormon Church, announced its stance last week while clarifying that the church only recognizes straight marriages. The bill would make same-sex & interracial marriage legal on a federal level, independently of the Supreme Court. This comes after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas expressed his interest in dismantling court issued same-sex marital protections as was done to abortion rights. In its statement the church said, “the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints related to marriage between a man and...

New York Gay Bar Attacked 3 Times in 1 Week (Video)

21Nov

By Sara BanksNo Comments

US

New York Gay Bar Attacked 3 Times in 1 Week (Video)

Hell’s Kitchen gay bar “VERS,” attacked three times in one week. Local authorities are receiving critique for being reluctant to launch a hate crime investigation. The latest attack, which took place on Nov. 19, was captured by surveillance footage and showed an unknown man hurling a brick at the establishment. This was the third time in one week that someone threw a brick at the bar and fourth total. It is unknown if the same person is responsible for all of the attacks. Members of the community are supposedly outraged by the lack of action taken by authorities. According to a report from the Gothamist, the bar's management has reported the attacks to police but detectives dismissed the suggestion that the attacks were motivated by homophobia and advised against reporting the in...

At Least 5 Killed & 18 Injured After Mass Shooting in Colorado Gay Club

20Nov

By str8darNo Comments

US

At Least 5 Killed & 18 Injured After Mass Shooting in Colorado Gay Club

At least five people were killed and 18 injured in a Colorado Springs gay club after a man opened fire last night. The primary suspect is in custody and his motives are still unknown. Authorities are currently investigating whether or not this was a hate crime as the mass shooter targeted an establishment that was frequented by the LGBTQ+ community, named Club Q. Authorities have revealed that they received the initial call at 11.56 p.m. on Saturday night. Within six minutes, police had entered the nightclub and had a primary suspect in custody. The suspect reportedly used a long rifle and was identified by authorities as Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22. Who also had to be transported to a local hospital for injuries. Club Q released a statement on their official Facebook page saying that ...

Grindr’s Stock Rose by More Than 400% After Going Public

19Nov

By Sara BanksNo Comments

US

Grindr’s Stock Rose by More Than 400% After Going Public

Grindr’s debut on the New York stock market has been called “remarkable” as its stock soared by more than 400% after the company went public on Friday. The dating app first announced that it was going public in March. Yet it wasn’t until Friday that Grindr announced its successful merger with a special purpose acquisition company and debuted on the New York stock market. The app launched in 2009 and has since become popular among LGBTQ+ communities across the globe. "Today marks an important milestone not only for the team at Grindr, but for the LGBTQ community we serve," Grindr CEO George Arison, said in a statement. "We enter the public markets with momentum, carried by our market leadership, strong financial performance and significant growth runway as we step up inve...

New York: 2 dead & dozens robbed by gang that targets gay men

7Nov

By Sara BanksNo Comments

US

New York: 2 dead & dozens robbed by gang that targets gay men

New York: Criminal gang that reportedly targets gay men accused of killing two people and robbing a dozen others. The gang supposedly haunt Hell’s Kitchen nightclubs where they are suspected of drugging and robbing their victims resulting in two deaths. Authorities have revealed that the two men that were killed, died under similar circumstances and were murdered 2 blocks apart within the same five weeks. The victims had been seen with three unknown men hours before being killed earlier this year. They were found without their phones and their accounts had been emptied. The preliminary toxicology report indicates that the two victims died from drug overdoses. Authorities claim that evidence points to the victims having been drugged with date-rape type drugs. Julio Ramirez, a ...

4Oct

By Sara BanksNo Comments

US

Former Gay Pornstar Arrested for Murder

New evidence has led South Florida authorities to link a former gay pornographic actor to a 12-year-old unresolved murder case. Aaron Michael Dobbins, also known as "Trace Michaels" in the adult industry, is now the primary suspect in the killing of Alfred “Chad” McMurray. 31-year-old McMurray was found dead from a gunshot wound in his Oakland Park home, just outside of Fort Lauderdale, in August of 2010. The identity of the killer remained a mystery until May of this year as “new information led homicide investigators to identify a possible suspect,” authorities announced last Friday. Investigators were able to obtain a search warrant earlier this year and collected Dobbins’ DNA which matched that of forensic evidence found under McMurray’s fingernails 12 years ago. The s...

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s LGBT Guidance Overruled by Judge

3Oct

By Sara BanksNo Comments

US

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s LGBT Guidance Overruled by Judge

A federal Texas judge overturned the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s LGBT guidance and deemed it unlawful. The EEOC’s guidance sought to provide workplace protections for LGBT Americans by suggesting that exceptions are made for LGBT workers when it comes to dress codes, locker room and bathroom policies. The Oct. 1 ruling by Trump appointed judge Matthew Kacsmaryk states that the EEOC’s guidance misinterprets the US Supreme Court’s 2020 decision that federal anti-bias laws prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the workplace. Arguing that while the Supreme Court’s ruling establishes that employers can’t discriminate against employees because of their identity or sexual orientation, it doesn’t protect a workers “correlated co...

Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty To Kidnapping Man as Part of Larger Scheme To Kidnap and Murder Grindr Users

29Sep

By Sara BanksNo Comments

US

Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty To Kidnapping Man as Part of Larger Scheme To Kidnap and Murder Grindr Users

21-year-old Chance Seneca from Lafayette, Louisiana, pleaded guilty today to one count of kidnapping. According to his plea agreement, Seneca admitted that on June 20, 2020, he used Grindr, a dating application for gay and bisexual men, to kidnap and attempt to murder H.W., a gay man. Specifically, Seneca acknowledged that he used Grindr to propose a meeting with H.W., and that he drove H.W. to an isolated house, took out a handgun and told him to put on handcuffs. Seneca then attempted to murder and dismember H.W. Seneca acknowledged that he intended to murder and dismember H.W. for the purpose of satisfying his homicidal urges, and that he had planned to continue murdering until he was caught or killed. “The actions and intentions of the defendant in this case were shocking,...

New California Law To Help Veterans Discharged Under ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ Access Benefits

19Sep

By Ernesto FernandezNo Comments

US

New California Law To Help Veterans Discharged Under ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ Access Benefits

California enacts a new law that will help military service members who were discharged because of their sexual orientation or identity during “don’t ask don’t tell” receive benefits. Governor Gavin Newsom announced the legislation on Saturday, “for decades, our bravest heroes, men and women who wore the uniforms of the armed services had to hide who they really were, and many were other than honorably discharged if their sexuality was discovered,” he said. The military didn’t allow gays and lesbians to serve up until “don’t ask don’t tell” was passed in 1993. Which meant that they could serve as long as they weren’t open about who they were. 14,000 service members were dismissed because of their identity or sexual orientation during “don’t ask don’t tell.” The law was rep...