Update Central: Crsytal Moore, Frank Schaefer, Kristene Chapa

Earlier this week the people of Latta, South Carolina finally had their say about Mayor Earl Bullard’s firing of openly gay police chief, Crystal Moore, and they spoke loudly and clearly.

Moore was reinstated to her position and Earl Bullard, the mayor who fired her because she was gay — and because she questioned his ethics — was stripped of some of his powers. See my original post HERE.

The voters passed a referendum changing the governing structure of Latta from “mayor-strong” to “council-strong," which gives the town council the ability to rehire Moore, and while the ballots still must be certified by this Friday, the council plans to make the rehiring of Moore its first order of business.

Bullard, who has been mayor since December, started this whole mess back in April when he fired Moore after giving her seven reprimands. Moore maintained that she had done nothing wrong, and that the reprimands were the first she had received in 20 years. 

Shortly afterwards, though, a council member released a recorded phone call in which Bullard went on a homophobic tirade saying he preferred to leave his children with a raging alcoholic than with someone whose "lifestyle is questionable."

And the town, who long felt Moore was the best person, male or female, gay or straight, for the job, fought back, with hundreds of townspeople rallying for her reinstatement. Bullard denied that he fired Moore because of her sexual orientation, and there was no concrete proof — even though there was that damning phone call — that that was his motivation, but many people in Latta felt Moore's firing was personal.

Now she’s back, and the mayor is a little less powerful, all in a tiny town in, of all places, South Carolina.

UPDATE UPDATE ... via Bilerico ... 

In a desperate bid to thwart the will of the town council, Mayor Hubbard scrambled announced this morning that he's hired a new police chief before the council's vote could be certified. Stay tuned.

h/t to BloggerJoe.

via: HuffPost Gay Voices

Late last year, Frank Schaefer, a former Pennsylvania pastor was convicted of breaking church law when he officiated at the 2007 same-sex wedding ceremony of his son and his son’s partner. Schaefer’s son had asked him to perform the wedding — held not in a Methodist church but at a restaurant — and Schaefer did not publicize the wedding. The story came out in April 2013, when a member of the congregation learned of the ceremony and filed a complaint. See my original post HERE.

Now, however, a United Methodist Church appeals panel has overturned a decision to defrock Schaefer and the church has been ordered to restore his pastoral credentials. The panel called the jury’s punishment illegal under church law and said that “revoking his credentials cannot be squared with the well-established principle that our clergy can only be punished for what they have been convicted of doing in the past, not for what they may or may not do in the future.”

“I’ve devoted my life to this church, to serving this church, and to be restored and to be able to call myself a reverend again and to speak with this voice means so much to me.”—Frank Schaefer, who says he will continue to work for LGBT rights “with an even stronger voice from within the United Methodist Church.”

The ruling can be appealed to the Methodist church’s highest court, and the pastor who prosecuted Schaefer, the Reverend Christopher Fisher, said he has not made a decision about an appeal.

Hopefully Fisher has seen that the times are changing, and that the church, even the Methodist Church, needs to change as well. Otherwise, when the change does come, he’ll be seen as the pastor who stood on the wrong side of equality.

via: LGBTQ Nation

One night in 2012, girlfriends Mollie Olgin [right] and Kristene Chapa [left] went to Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas so Olgin could show Chapa were she’d been baptized. See my original post HERE.

They encountered someone who allegedly forced them down a steep incline, tied them up, and then shot each girl in the head. It wasn’t until morning that a couple out for a walk found the two girls; Mollie Olgin had died during the night but Kristene Chapa was alive.

The gunshot initially left Chapa unable to sit or stand, with the bullet piercing the part of her brain controlling movements on her left side. Thankfully, today, she has recovered those abilities though she is still undergoing physical rehabilitation.

Better news, though, is that a suspect in the case — David Malcolm Strickland [right] — was arrested last week by US Marshals and Texas Rangers in San Antonio; his wife, Laura Kimberly, was also arrested. Strickland faces charges of capital murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated sexual assault; his wife faces charges of tampering with evidence.

“I hope that it gives them some closure knowing that this person is taken off the street. It is one day before the two-year anniversary. We've been working very hard to make sure we get him as soon as possible. A series of fortunate events has led us to this point and I'm just very happy that we could help in — at least at this point — in bringing him to justice.”— Portland Police Chief Gary Giles

Nothing will bring back Ollie Olgin, and nothing will erase the memory of what happened that night to Kristene Chapa, but now, at least, the person responsible appears to have been arrested and will stand trial.

via: NBC News

Kristene Chapa Making A Remarkable Recovery

Kristene Chapa, the 18-year-old Texas girl who was shot in the head along with her girlfriend, Mollie Olgin, who died from her wounds, has made tremendous progress since the shooting, and has left Spohn Memorial Hospital for a rehab facility last week. See original post HERE.

Good news.

In fact, she has made such strong improvements of late that she has been able to further aid police in describing the man who shot both her and Olgin on June 22 at Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas.

“She’s doing awesome,” says her brother Hilario Chapa. “One of the last days at the hospitals her friends were able to come and see her and she lit up. She’s in neurological rehab, getting her speech and her way of thinking better. She also is in physical therapy to help strengthen her left side and mental therapy as well.”

As her condition and memory have improved, Kristine, who has already given one description to authorities, needed to revisit her original drawing. The same forensic artist worked with her again on July 13 resulting in the refined drawing—seen at left.

“It is unusual to go back and refine a suspect drawing,” said police chief Randy Wright. “But in this case, our eyewitness sustained a brain injury that initially affected her ability to communicate effectively. The good news is she has made exceptional progress. Her sight and speech have improved and she can now interact with the artist much better.”

Police have previously said they have no evidence to indicate the attack was a hate crime but have not ruled it out. But, the facts are clear that a man entered the park and shot these two women in the head, leaving them for dead.

Luckily, Kristene Chapa didn’t die, and hopefully the man responsible for this horrific crime will be caught and punished.

source

Who's To Blame For The Shootings Of Mollie Olgin and Mary Chapa? I Have A Thought ....

Mollie Olgin, right, and Mary Chapa

Mollie Judith Olgin and Mary Kristene Chapa, two teenaged girls in a Lesbian relationship, were found with gunshot wounds to their heads in a park in Portland, Texas. Mollie Olgin died from her injuries, while Mary Chapa is in serious but stable condition.

Police are searching for their assailants. Portland Police Chief Randy Wright does not have any information about the girls’ relationship, though their friends say they had been together for about five months.

When asked if he thought this might be a hate crime, motivated by the sexual orientation of the victims. Wright said, “That’s always something that we’re looking for, but as of this point, we have not been able to establish that that had anything to do with the attack.” he has been communicating with Mary Chapa and says a third party, or parties, was involved in the shooting.

“If we had a name, you know, we’d be having a different conversation right now. But we have not been able to gather enough information to identify a suspect yet,” Chief Wright said. “It appears as if … this was not just a random attack but that’s something that we really have to develop over time.” 

Police have recovered a bullet casing from a large-caliber gun at the scene, but have not found the weapon. Residents who live near the park recall hearing two loud bangs last Friday, just before midnight, but dismissed them as coming from fireworks.

Friends of the girls gathered at a local high school on Sunday. Olgin's roommate, Samantha Garrett, says neither of the girls ever experienced any negativity for their relationship and has no idea why anyone would do this.

I have a couple of ideas who shares at least part of the blame, and, well, it generally points to the train of thought propagated by the GOP, in places like Texas and elsewhere around this country.

See, the attack on the two girls came just days before the Texas GOP laid out their agenda for the upcoming elections; and their agenda is as anti-gay and mean-spirited as you might find.

The Texas GOP has decided that their planks, their set of beliefs, should include:

Family and Defense of Marriage ― We support the definition of marriage as a God-ordained, legal and moral commitment only between a natural man and a natural woman, which is the foundational unit of a healthy society, and we oppose the assault on marriage by judicial activists. We call on the President and Congress to take immediate action to defend the sanctity of marriage. We are resolute that Congress exercise authority under the United States Constitution, and pass legislation withholding jurisdiction from the Federal Courts in cases involving family law, especially any changes in the definition of marriage.

We further call on Congress to pass and the state legislatures to ratify a marriage amendment declaring that marriage in the United States shall consist of and be recognized only as the union of a natural man and a natural woman. Neither the United States nor any state shall recognize or grant to any unmarried person the legal rights or status of a spouse. We oppose the recognition of and granting of benefits to people who represent themselves as domestic partners without being legally married.

We advocate the repeal of laws that place an unfair tax burden on families. We call upon Congress to completely remove the marriage penalty in the tax code, whereby a married couple receives a smaller standard deduction than their unmarried counterparts living together. The primary family unit consists of those related by blood, heterosexual marriage, or adoption. The family is responsible for its own welfare, education, moral training, conduct, and property.

Judicial Activism in Marriage ― We support marriage and oppose the assault on marriage by judicial activists.

Enforcement of the Defense of Marriage Act ― We support the enforcement of the State and Federal Defense of Marriage Act by state and federal officials respectively, and oppose creation, recognition and benefits for partnerships outside of marriage that are being provided by some political subdivisions.

Marriage and Divorce - We believe in the sanctity of marriage and that the integrity of this institution should be protected at all levels of government. We urge the Legislature to rescind no-fault divorce laws. We support Covenant Marriage.

Family Values ― We support the affirmation of traditional Judeo-Christian family values and oppose the continued assault on those values.

Homosexuality ― We affirm that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society and contributes to the breakdown of the family unit.

Homosexual behavior is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God, recognized by our country’s founders, and shared by the majority of Texans. Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle, in public policy, nor should “family” be redefined to include homosexual “couples.” We believe there should be no granting of special legal entitlements or creation of special status for homosexual behavior, regardless of state of origin. Additionally, we oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction or belief in traditional values.

Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) - We oppose this act through which the federal government would coerce religious business owners and employees to violate their own beliefs and principles by affirming what they consider to be sinful and sexually immoral behavior.

Seriously.

It’s 2012 and this is the state of the GOP. And not just in Texas.

So, is the Texas GOP responsible for the shooting of Mollie and Mary? In a word: yes.

The Texas GOP, and even the national GOP, to an extent, have come out and blatantly said we as a community, do not deserve equality. That we don’t matter, that we don’t count, that we are somehow a perversion.

Well, if one continues to hear this kind of hate-filled, homophobic, bigoted, intolerant rhetoric from out politicians, how can we ever expect change? How can we ever expect those regular folk not to work to deny us rights with their votes, as they did in North Carolina? How can we expect those regular people not to spew hate at us, and tell us that their God hates us, as the Westboro Baptist church says? How can we expect those regular folks not to come after us with guns when their own elected officials spew such venom in our direction?

It’s time to change this way f thinking. It’s time to get all the homophobes out of politics. It’s time to change this mindset. It’s just plain time for the killings and the beatings and the bullying and the hateful legislation to end.

source