Queer News

[Kobi]

A Twitter engineer and transgender activist on Tuesday pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors as part of a plea deal in connection with rape charges involving her wife.

Dana McCallum, who was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of rape and served four days in County Jail, pleaded guilty in San Francisco Superior Court to one count of domestic violence and one count of false imprisonment.

As part of the deal, which included dropping the felony rape charge, McCallum will be on probation for three years and must attend substance abuse counseling for 52 weeks.

McCallum would not comment outside the Hall of Justice after her plea, but her wife read a victim’s statement in court.

“We are a long way from being blushing brides in 2007 and a long way from nine months ago,” began the statement. “Both events seem like yesterday. I still love you as much as I did on our wedding day, truth be told. As I remember that day and the awful hours of that night in January, it’s so painful to reconcile these two experiences. It’s so painful to reconcile these two experiences.”

She went on to say, “I want you to know how difficult this was to report. I didn’t think anyone would believe me, as is often the case with rape victims. …I never anticipated that hitting your bottom would hurt me or my family.”

The statement also said McCallum had betrayed the LGBT community, which itself failed to support a victim who only received public support from hate groups.

A restraining order remains in place and divorce proceedings between the two continue.

McCallum's first lawyer said the victim accused McCallum of rape in an attempt to get more money as part of their divorce settlement. McCallum was set to cash in on substantial Twitter stock and the lawyer implied that the victim was motivated by monetary gains. But under California law, assets like stock are to be split equally.

McCallum, 31, who was born a male, openly identifies as a female and her legal name is Dana Contreras. She was charged Jan. 29 with five felonies, including three counts of spousal rape, one count of false imprisonment and one count of domestic violence, according to the District Attorney's Office. McCallum initially pleaded not guilty to those charges.

McCallum is well-known in the tech world and writes for several online publications. Model View Culture, for which she wrote about transgender people and women in tech in January 2013, contains a profile that reads, "Dana McCallum has been working in software engineering and engineering leadership since 2000. As an advocate for women in technology and the LGBT community, Dana helped create advocacy teams at Twitter and other companies, served as a delegate on women's issues in India, and speaks regularly at events focused on women and LGBT people in tech."

A December story in Business Insider listed McCallum as one of the most important gay people in the tech world.

"Dana McCallum, a senior engineer at Twitter, is one of the geniuses behind Twitter. As a transgender woman, McCallum has previously said that she finds Twitter a great place to work when it comes to being LGBT-friendly," the publication noted.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancis...nt?oid=2761316

----------------------------------


Any violent act toward women is disturbing. This is more disturbing for the overall facts involved.

1. The perpetrator in this case is being held up as a LGBT activist who frequently speaks to womens issues and rights, and women in technology.

The perpetrator has also spoken to the issue of rape albeit in an odd way i.e.

“If our main goal is to protect women from getting raped, then not only should we be educating young men on what constitutes rape but we also should be educating young women on the type of behaviors that make them blinking lights that scream Victimize Me,” the story reads. Link

Rape is about one exercising their power over another. It is about one thinking they have the right or privilege to do as they please to another person. Babies, children, adults, senior citizens, animals and such are raped.
Saying any of these groups make themselves out to be "blinking lights that scream victimize me" is very offensive to women. It also demonstrates a basic lack of knowledge of womens issues.

The victim is never responsible for or the cause of the behavior of the rapist.

2. The victim has received little, if any support from their own community. In the radical community, it appears the general feeling is one cannot easily support the victim without being accused of a "cultural bias against transpersons" or being labeled transphobic.

That is a terrible reason to not support a victim. It also represents a cultural bias against women standing up for other women. And, it seeks to silence women from addressing issues which affect women.

3. There is confusion as to how to label this. Is it lesbian violence? Is it woman-woman violence? Is it male-female violence? I dont the answer to that one. I do know women, statistically, are not known for perpetuating violence. Male violence against women is well known and statistically disturbing. The male mentality of entitlement and solving problems with violence is well known and well documented.

4. The "media" has tried to circumvent the issue by using this case to write about sexual violence against transpersons. Statistics are produced in such a way to give one pause. Except, there is the noticeable omission of the mention of who is perpetrating this sexual violence - men.

5. Most disturbing to me, personally, is the need to keep portraying this perpetrator, who pleaded quilty, as a "spokesperson" for womens issues or one who has done so much for women in tech.

Their behavior is simply misogynistic and it needs to be called what it is. Women do not need spokespeople who exhibit and demonstrate a hatred toward those they are professing to stand up for. And, we certainly, do not need a spokesperson who speaks to womens issues from an androcentric mindset.

[*Anya*]

Apple CEO Tim Cook comes out: 'I'm proud to be gay'
By Chris Isidore @CNNTech October 30, 2014: 8:08 AM ET

Apple CEO Tim Cook came out Thursday, acknowledging publicly for the first time that he is gay.

"Let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me," he wrote in a column in Bloomberg Businessweek.

In his column, the Apple (AAPL, Tech30) chief said that he had tried to maintain "a basic level of privacy." But he said he decided that desire for privacy was stopping him from working for the benefit of others.

"I don't consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I've benefited from the sacrifice of others," he said. "So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it's worth the trade-off with my own privacy."
Cook, who grew up in Alabama, said he has long been open about his sexual orientation, but had just not previously discussed it publicly.

"Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I'm gay, and it doesn't seem to make a difference in the way they treat me," he wrote. "Of course, I've had the good fortune to work at a company that loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish when you embrace people's differences. Not everyone is so lucky."

There have been some rumors and speculation that Cook is gay. Out magazine had previously named him as the most powerful gay person on its Power 50 list.

But there are no other publicly gay CEO's at the 700 largest corporations. John Browne served as CEO of BP (BP) from 1995 to 2007, and acknowledged he was gay after he was forced to leave office. He resigned when an former boyfriend outed him. He has since written a book "The Glass Closet: Why Coming Out is Good Business."

http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/30/tech...html?hpt=hp_t1

[Jesse]

Family: Lakewood church refuses funeral service because woman was gay

By Jesse Paul
The Denver Post


A Lakewood minister refused to hold a memorial service on Saturday for a mother of two at his church because the woman was gay, family and friends said Tuesday."Her casket was open, flowers laid out and hundreds of people sitting in the pews," supporters said in a Facebook post. "He collected money for the funeral and has yet to return it."
Vanessa Collier was 33 when she died on Dec. 29, leaving behind her wife and children.
"You will not find Jesus at New Hope but you will find hypocrisy," said a sign carried at a demonstration outside the church Tuesday by about four dozen family members and friends.
A copy of the program for Vanessa Collier's funeral. (Jesse Paul, The Denver Post)


"Indignity in death," read another placard.
Security guards were stationed in front of the church.
"Give us an apology!" protesters chanted.
Family members said the church pastor ordered them to remove from the church a photo of Collier kissing her wife.
Friends and family said they had to move the memorial service across the street to a funeral home on Saturday. Pallbearers moved the casket to a Hearse and drove it across the street, while others carried flowers they had brought to the church.
"A church turning away a funeral. Who has ever heard of anything like that happening?" said Jeanette Arguello, a family friend.
A representative for New Hope Ministries, where the pastor, Ray Chavez, is based, declined to comment before hanging up on a Denver Post reporter.



A biography on the church website says Chavez founded the church in 1981 with his wife, Lola. It says the church "is a place where those bound by drugs, alcohol, gangs and violence can find an 'Ounce of Hope.'"
David Campanella, area manager for Newcomer Funeral Home, said they handled all of the funeral services for Collier's family. At the last minute the ceremony for Collier was moved from the New Hope Ministry church to the funeral home.
"Certain events were not going to be allowed to take place according to the church," Campanella said. "In talking with family we decided it would be best to have the services here."
"If the story is true, it truly is appalling that a family would have to go through this," said Rex Fuller, a spokesman for the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Colorado. "It's just a really tragic situation."
Friends said Collier's death was "unexpected," and they said family members did not want to discuss the cause. Thornton police are investigating Collier's death as a possible suicide, said spokesman Matt Barnes.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
Staff writer Jordan Steffen contributed to this report.



http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27...-because-woman

[randrum]

I came across an interesting article yesterday on the NPR Blog. Thought I would share with everyone.

The article gives some history on gender identity in the 1800s and provides accounts of "female husbands".

http://www.npr.org/blogs/npr-history...e-19th-century

[MsTinkerbelly]

In disturbing news.....

There is an Attorney here in Orange County California, who has filed for an initiative to criminalize homosexuality, and have all gays killed.

It only takes 365,000 valid signatures to put something up for vote in California, and i imagine he will get the signatures pretty easily.

It really amazes me at times just how much we are hated by people who are supposed to love God and their fellow man.

[*Anya*]

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

In disturbing news.....

There is an Attorney here in Orange County California, who has filed for an initiative to criminalize homosexuality, and have all gays killed.

It only takes 365,000 valid signatures to put something up for vote in California, and i imagine he will get the signatures pretty easily.

It really amazes me at times just how much we are hated by people who are supposed to love God and their fellow man.

Hi Ms. T. Do you have the link to that article please?

Thanks much.

[MsTinkerbelly]

Originally Posted by *Anya*

Hi Ms. T. Do you have the link to that article please?

Thanks much.

I can't link, but if you go to the LGBTQnation.com site you can read it there.

[*Anya*]

Originally Posted by *Anya*

Hi Ms. T. Do you have the link to that article please?

Thanks much.

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

I can't link, but if you go to the LGBTQnation.com site you can read it there.

Unable to find it there but found another link if anyone else wants to read about it.

Yuck.



http://sdgln.com/news/2015/03/02/oc-....Qx17s0ku.dpbs

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

In disturbing news.....

There is an Attorney here in Orange County California, who has filed for an initiative to criminalize homosexuality, and have all gays killed.

It only takes 365,000 valid signatures to put something up for vote in California, and i imagine he will get the signatures pretty easily.

It really amazes me at times just how much we are hated by people who are supposed to love God and their fellow man.

Riiiight??? What happened to 'don't judge lest ye be judged'?

Same book, different verse.

[MsTinkerbelly]

Originally Posted by *Anya*

Unable to find it there but found another link if anyone else wants to read about it.

Yuck.



http://sdgln.com/news/2015/03/02/oc-....Qx17s0ku.dpbs

The Attorney has withdrawn his petition, and the California Bar is looking at disbarrment under the ethics clause.

[Allison W]

Originally Posted by *Anya*

Unable to find it there but found another link if anyone else wants to read about it.

Yuck.



http://sdgln.com/news/2015/03/02/oc-....Qx17s0ku.dpbs

I see in the comments one Sharon Birzer already doxxed his punk ass. I can only hope that this information is being used for its good and proper purpose of making sure he can't bloody sleep through the night without getting woken up by sass.

[Kobi]

A SETTLING DOWN

In the years since 2004, when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled 4-3 that same-sex marriages were protected by the state constitution, the number of gay marriages has tapered off and stabilized.

Between 2005 - after the initial crush of gay marriages - and 2013, the number of same-sex marriages has averaged nearly 2,200 each year out of the more than 35,000 weddings between opposite-sex couples that the state averaged each year during the same period. That means about 6 percent of the state's marriages each year are between same-sex couples.

Perhaps the starkest revelation in the statistics in Massachusetts is the dramatic difference between the number of marriages involving two women compared with the number of marriages involving two men.

Between 2004 and 2013, there have been nearly 16,000 weddings of two women in Massachusetts, compared with about 9,900 involving two men.

Marriage

[MsTinkerbelly]

A Superior Court Judge in Sacramento, California, offically shot down the "kill the gays" ballot inititive proposed by a California Lawyer.

Had the Judge not ruled the proposed inititive as "unconstitutional and a complete waste of time", Attorney General Kamala Harris would have been forced to allow it to go through the signature gathering process.

[MsTinkerbelly]

New york has finally granted Landmark status to the Stonewall Inn.

[ProfPacker]

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

New york has finally granted Landmark status to the Stonewall Inn.

Yes, finally...yay Chirlane Mccray, the first lady of NYC

[MsTinkerbelly]

The Oregon Legislature, is the first to pass a bill to hire a coordinator to assist veterans with "less than honorable" discharges due to sexual orientation, to get them changed to honorable.

The bill now goes to the desk of the Governor for signature.

The full story can be found at LBGTQnation.com

[MsTinkerbelly]

The EEOC ruled today that gay men and women are protected in the workplace by the 1964 Civil Rights Act!

The government is working on expanding those protections, as individual states are trying to keep discrimination on the books.

The story is on LGBTQnation.com

[puddin']

http://www.afterellen.com/people/444...abundance-2015

[puddin']

http://www.wbtv.com/story/29269176/j...nttype=generic

[Jesse]

Boy Scouts vote to allow gay scout leaders. The vote had a 79% approval.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...l_nbn_20150727