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Smollett to be sentenced March 10
On Jan. 27, a judge set an in-person sentencing hearing for March 10 for embattled actor Jussie Smollett (Alien Covenant; TV's Empire), who was convicted by a jury last December of faking a hate crime attack ...
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Ex-NU professor sentenced for fatally stabbing boyfriend
On Jan. 25, former Northwestern University professor Wyndham Latham—who, in October 2021, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Trenton Cornell—was sentenced to 53 years in prison, WGN-TV reported. Lathem, 47, was ...
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WORLD Namibia ruling, crimes, LGBTQ+ film festival, blogger sentenced
Namibia's High Court ruled against two same-sex couples fighting for recognition of their marriages, with Judge Hannelie Prinsloo saying she agreed with them but was bound by the nation's prohibition of same-sex relations, Reuters reported. Daniel ...
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Chief Judge Evans responds to Mayor Lightfoot's request on electronic monitoring
-- Press release from Office of the Chief Judge Cook County Circuit Court
Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans responded Jan. 19 to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's request for a moratorium on use of electronic monitoring for defendants accused of certain violent crimes by pointing out the national and state ...
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Amariey Lej, 20 year old Black trans woman, killed in Pennsylvania
-- From a NBJC press release
WILKINSBURG, PA- The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) mourns the loss of Amariey Lej, a 20-year-old Black transgender woman. Amariey was shot and found lying in the streets of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, on January 1, 2022. Lej ...
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Duval Princess, 24 year old Black trans woman, found shot to death in Florida
--From a NBJC press release
FLORIDA — The National Black Justice Coalition mourns the loss of Duval Princess, a 24-year-old Black transgender woman. Princess was found shot in a car at Highland Square shopping center in Jacksonville, Florida, on January 3, ...
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Ahmaud Arbery's killers sentenced to life
On Jan. 7, three white men who chased and murdered Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced to life in prison in a Georgia courthouse for the 25-year-old's murder in 2020. According to CNN.com, Travis McMichael, 35; his father, ...
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Trans woman killed at Indianapolis nightclub
Ke'Yahonna Stone, a 32-year-old trans woman and community advocate, died after being shot in the parking lot of an Indianapolis nightclub, LGBTQ Nation reported. The shooting occurred early Dec. 26 outside the Epic Ultra Lounge. Stone ...
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Jury reaches verdict in Ghislaine Maxwell case
On Dec. 29, jury found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty on five of six counts related to her role in Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of minor girls between 1994 and 2004, CNN.com reported. The trial, which took place ...
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Judge orders release of report on handling of Smollett case
On Dec. 20, Cook County Judge Michael Toomin authorized the release of a report exploring the way Cook County prosecutors and Chicago police handled the Jussie Smollett matter, The Chicago Tribune reported. The move came after ...
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USA Gymnastics, USOPC reach $380M settlement with abuse victims
On Dec. 13, a federal bankruptcy court in Indianapolis confirmed a $380-million settlement between USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee with hundreds of victims of former national team doctor Larry Nassar, among others, ...
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VIEWS Will Smollett's hoax affect public perception of hate crimes?
Former Empire actor Jussie Smollett was recently found guilty on five of the six counts of felony disorderly conduct for concocting an elaborate racist and homophobic assault against himself. Each Class 4 felony count can land ...
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Smollett guilty on five counts
After over nine hours of deliberation, a jury found actor Jussie Smollett guilty Dec. 9 of faking an anti-gay hate crime against himself in Streeterville on Jan. 2019, according to multiple reports. Smollett was guilty of ...
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Remembering Ciara Minaj Carter Frazier
Trans Omnibus Project
"And hold that pose for me." That's what Ciara Minaj Carter Frazier's family would hear in the middle of the night, as Ciara was up late voguing, said her sister Lunetta Frazier. "We definitely miss her, ...
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Remembering Tyianna Alexander
Trans Omnibus Project
Chicagoan Tyianna Alexander, also known as Davarea Alexander, was the first trans woman to die by murder in the city in 2021. She was 28. Alexander was shot to death the morning of Jan. 6 at the 800 block of West ...
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Remembering T.T. Saffore
Trans Omnibus Project
Jaliyah Armstrong can still remember how brightly T.T. Saffore smiled. "Silly T.T.," Armstrong called her. Saffore's "magic"—that jokester smile—would bring Armstrong solace regardless of what was going on around them. ...
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Remembering Paige Clay
Trans Omnibus Project
Paige Clay could turn anything into a runway. One time, she strutted up and down the middle of a street, feet sashaying on the yellow lines and cars driving past her in both directions. The wind ...
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Remembering Tiffany Gooden
Trans Omnibus Project
When Tiffany Gooden was killed in August 2012, she was only 19 years old. Almost a decade later, her murder remains unsolved—but there's more to her than the details of her death, according to her friends ...
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Remembering Tiara Richmond/Keke Collier
Trans Omnibus Project
Tiara Richmond, also known as Keke Collier, was killed on Feb. 21, 2017, after being shot while sitting in a car with a man in Englewood. She was only 24 years old and was the second Black transgender woman killed in ...
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Remembering Tiara Banks
Trans Omnibus Project
On April 21, 2021, transgender woman Tiara Banks was killed in her car in the West Pullman neighborhood of Chicago. According to local news reports, Banks, 24, was sitting alone in her Ford Fusion when a ...
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Remembering Courtney Eshay Key
Trans Omnibus Project
Courtney Eshay Key, 25, was a loyal and outspoken friend. She loved to make jokes, wear colorful wigs and invite friends to cook for her. In late 2020, she confided to a friend at a party that she was ready to ...
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Remembering Dejanay Stanton
Trans Omnibus Project
Although Darius Stanton had not seen his sister, Dejanay, in 12 years, he can clearly remember how Dejanay's laugh would fill up a room. It would echo and bounce off the walls. He remembers how infectious ...
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Remembering Selena Reyes-Hernandez
Trans Omnibus Project
Selena Reyes-Hernandez, 37, lived on the Southwest Side of Chicago in the Marquette Park neighborhood. She was an artist and used the stage name Selene Maldonado. In the early hours of May 31, 2020, an 18-year-old ...
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Remembering Chicagoans lost to anti-trans violence
Intro to the Chicago Reader/Windy City Times Trans Omnibus Project
Transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) Chicagoans have not escaped the epidemic of violence that has faced so many TGNC people in the United States. A group of Windy City Times fellows, as part of a project ...
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Advocates: Black, Latinx trans women vulnerable to violence; holistic approach needed
Trans Omnibus Project
At least 48 trans or gender-nonconforming (TGNC) people have been murdered in the United States in 2021, making it the deadliest year on record for that demographic, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Most of the ...
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Webber cleared of criminal charges in spring incident
Criminal charges against business owner Christy Webber that arose from an alleged altercation on the West Side this past spring have been dropped. Webber, a prominent LGBTQ+ activist who also owns Christy Webber Landscapes and Christy ...
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Jussie Smollett takes stand on own behalf, alleges bathhouse visit with witness
On Dec. 6, former Empire actor Jussie Smollett testified in his own defense that he paid $3,500 to a friend for a fitness plan for him, not to arrange a fake hate-crime beating on himself, The ...
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Indiana victim of serial killer ID'd 40 years after being found
A 19-year-old from Jasper County, Indiana, has been identified as a victim of serial killer Larry Eyler—nearly 40 years after the victim died, ABC 7 Chicago reported. The remains of William Joseph Lewis of Peru, Indiana, ...
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Jury selection in Smollett trial to start Nov. 29
Jury selection is set to begin Nov. 29 in the trial of embattled former Empire actor Jussie Smollett, who allegedly lied to Chicago police in January 2019 about being the victim of a racist, anti-gay attack. ...
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Three white men found guilty in fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery
On Nov. 24, a jury found three white men guilty of murder and other charges in the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, who was Black, early last year, according to media reports. Father and son Gregory ...
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AFC commemorates passing of the HIV decriminalization law with World AIDS Day event Dec. 1
--From a press release
The World AIDS Day Community Celebration of the Historic Passage of HB1063, which ended criminal penalties against people living with HIV, will be hosted by AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC). It will also commemorate World AIDS Day ...
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Community mourns the losses of transgender people, celebrates the living at TDOR event
During the Trans Day of Remembrance/Resilience (TDOR) on Nov. 20, community members gathered for a town hall and memorial to remember the losses and lives of trans people in Chicago and beyond. Hosted by Brave Space ...
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The National Black Justice Coalition mourns death of Angel Naira
--From a press release
ALIQUIPPA, PA — The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) mourns the death of Angel Naira, a 36-year-old Black transgender woman. Naira was shot to death in her home in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, on November 11, 2021. She ...
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Kyle Rittenhouse found not guilty on all charges
On Nov. 19 in Wisconsin, a Kenosha County jury composed of seven women and five men acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse of all charges against him, finding the teenage gunman acted in self-defense when he fatally shot two ...
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WORLD Italian senate, Polish bill, LGBTQ+ Afghans, soccer player
Italy's senate killed a bill that would have made violence against LGBTQ+ and disabled people, as well as misogyny, a hate crime, The Guardian reported. The 315-member senate voted 154 to 131 to block the debate ...
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Another John Wayne Gacy victim identified
On Oct. 25, the Cook County sheriff's office announced that another previously unnamed victim of the infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy has been identified, NBC Chicago reported. Authorities have identified the human remains formerly known ...
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NATIONAL Trans women in sports, Grindr crime, 'Berlin Patient,' trans death
Sports icon Billie Jean King, U.S. National Women's Soccer Team Co-Captain and World Cup Champion Megan Rapinoe, and WNBA stars Layshia Clarendon and Brianna Turner joined more than 150 fellow athletes in women's sports to support ...
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Stephen Amell, 'Outlander' star to be at Wizard World Chicago
Stephen Amell, known to millions as the crime-fighting vigilante lead in the hit TV series Arrow, will return to Wizard World Chicago on Saturday, Oct. 16. Amell—who also starred in DC Universe vehicles such as DC's ...
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WORLD False report, Indian activist dies, fashion exhibit, LGBT Awards
In Spain, a man who claimed eight hooded men carved an anti-gay slur on his butt using a knife in a horrific hate crime later said the act was consensual, according to out.com. According to police ...
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WORLD Trapped in Afghanistan, lesbian pioneer, anti-gay crimes, Valencia's bid
Among the Americans trapped in the suburban areas of Kabul, Afghanistan, under Taliban control was Josie Thomas, 32, a transgender government contractor for the U.S. State Department and former U.S. Air Force Sergeant, The Washington Blade ...
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NATIONAL Biden nominees, San Diego crime, HRC, Fox News contributor
President Joe Biden reappointed out lesbian Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum as a commissioner of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which is an advisory post pertaining to issues of religious freedom, Gay City News reported. ...
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Wis. man attacks trans couple but won't be charged with a hate crime
In Wisconsin, a La Crosse official said incomplete state laws prevented them from charging a man with a hate crime after he attacked a transgender couple in a public park, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. La ...
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Analysis of hate crime laws finds limitations, opportunities, rising hate violence
--From a Movement Advancement Project, National Center for Lesbian Rights press release
With a rise in hate violence across the country, a new report from the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) and 16 leading civil rights organizations provides a groundbreaking analysis of state and federal hate crime laws. The report features ...
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WORLD Anti-LGBTQ crimes, conversion therapy, out prime minister, Pakistan school
In England, police are treating the painting of a homophobic slur on an LGBTQ Pride mural as a hate crime, the BBC reported. The wall in St Helens, Merseyside, which was painted by volunteers and artists ...
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Court overturns Cosby's sex-assault conviction
On June 30, Pennsylvania's highest court overturned Bill Cosby's sex-assault conviction after finding an agreement with a previous prosecutor prevented him from being charged in the case, ABC7NY.com reported. Cosby has served more than two years ...
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NATIONAL Panic defense, VP Kamala Harris, Black LGBTQ app, crime items
Four states and the nation's capital have taken action to ban the so-called LGBTQ "panic defense," which is a legal strategy used by defendants to cite a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity as an excuse ...
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Employee fired for using gay slur at Indiana Arby's
An employee at an Arby's restaurant in Lafayette, Indiana, was fired after writing a homophobic slur on the receipt of a gay couple, NBC News reported. Craig Gray and John Burns were dining at the restaurant ...
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When crime goes viral
Activists say Illinois's law that makes it illegal to expose others to HIV is racist and homophobic. Now they're close to changing it.
In early 2016, Jimmy Amutavi had what he considered a happy life. More ...
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Incarceration for HIV crimes in Georgia cost the state $9 million
--From a press release
Between 1999-2020, as many as 133 people were incarcerated in Georgia prisons for HIV-related crimes New analysis from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that as many as 133 people have been incarcerated ...
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WORLD Myanmar activist, Cyprus official, brutal crimes, UK youth
In Myanmar, Equality Myanmar Executive Director Aung Myo Min broke another barrier, becoming the first LGBTQ person to become sworn in as a member of cabinet after being appointed by the National Unity Government as its ...
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President Biden signs historic hate crimes bill into law
WASHINGTON — Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement after President Biden signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which included the Khalid ...
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BOOKS Lesbian author Amanda Kabak to release hate-crime novel July 20
Lesbian author Amanda Kabak—a Chicago native who now resides in Lakeland, Florida—is releasing the novel Upended on July 20. In Upended, Maddie, a driven entrepreneur, finds her world thrown into disarray when she survives a hate ...
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Refugee Coalition of East Africa calls for attention to anti-queer violence
--From a press release
On May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia will be observed worldwide, followed by many celebrations of Pride in the month of June. We at the Refugee Coalition of East Africa will raise ...
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The National Black Justice Coalition mourns death of Mikayla Miller
--From a press release
MASSACHUSETTS — The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) mourns the loss of Mikayla Miller, a Black 16-year-old girl and member of the LGBTQ+ community. Miller was found dead on April 18th in Hopkinton, Massachusetts one day ...
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WORLD Caribbean group, hate crime, 'Queen of the Pacific,' volcano wedding
A Caribbean advocacy group launched a fund to help LGBTQ people who have been impacted by the eruption of a volcano on the island of St. Vincent, The Washington Blade reported. The Eastern Caribbean Alliance for ...
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Warrant issued for Joliet teacher accused of inappropriate communication with teen boy [UPDATE]
Joliet police issued an arrest warrant for a former Catholic school teacher accused of inappropriately communicating with a teenage boy, a. Fox32Chicago.com item reported. Jeremy M. Hylka is facing charges of traveling to meet a child ...
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Former, current Chicago aldermen facing multiple charges
On April 29, former 22nd Ward Ald. Ricardo Munoz was indicted on federal charges alleging he spent cash from a political fund he controlled on sports tickets, travel, meals and other personal expenses, The Chicago Tribune ...
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Deputy shoots Virginia gay man 10 times
Police in Spotsylvania County, Virginia are under intense scrutiny after a sheriff's deputy gave out Black man Isaiah Brown a ride home after his car broke down—only to return minutes later and open fire, shooting him ...
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Senate passes COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, NMAC responds
--From a press release
April 22, 2021 - Following is a statement from NMAC Executive Director Paul Kawata on Senate passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. "NMAC applauds the Senate passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in an ...
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Ex-cop Chauvin found guilty of murder, manslaughter; LGBTQs react
On April 20, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second- and third-degree murder as well as second-degree manslaughter in his case involving George Floyd. Floyd died in May 2020 after Chauvin placed ...
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Bennett, Noriega named to Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes
On April 13, Gov. JB Pritzker announced appointments in his administration—including noted LGBTQ Chicagoans Jim Bennett and Mona Noriega to the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes. Bennett currently serves ...
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WORLD Uzbek activist, hate-crimes report, Ghana arrests, Chely Wright
Uzbek activist Miraziz Bazarov was hospitalized after he was attacked by unknown men hours after his public event was disrupted by dozens of aggressive men in Tashkent, RFERL.org reported. Physicians at the Tashkent Traumatology Hospital said ...
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OP-ED: An AAPI hate crime we dare not say
On March 16, Robert Aaron Long killed eight people, six of whom were women of Asian descent. Long's action has not yet been classified as a hate crime because the motive, he stated, was his sex ...
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SAAPRI vehemently condemns murders of Asian American women in Atlanta
--From a South Asian American Policy & Research Institute press release
Stop AAPI Hate: Together, we must work to stand in solidarity and stop AAPI hate and all hate crimes against people of color. On Tuesday, March 16th, six Asian American women were killed in a series ...
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Pritzker: Almost 500K cannabis arrest records expunged
On Dec. 31, 2020, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced 492,129 non-felony cannabis-related arrest records have been expunged at the state level by the Illinois State Police. The announcement happened four years in advance of the deadline ...
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NATIONAL Federal rule, anti-LGBTQ crimes, restroom case, Karamo
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs announced a final rule that dramatically expands the ability of federal contractors to claim religious exemptions from federal nondiscrimination ...
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Hate crimes rise to highest level in a decade
The FBI revealed that hate-crime reports in the United States surged in 2019 to the highest level since 2008, CNN.com reported. The new figures indicate that hate crimes reported to the FBI by law enforcement agencies ...
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NATIONAL Texas board, intersex portfolio, hate crimes, beauty queen dies
A Texas regulatory board reinstated protections that bar social workers from refusing services to LGBTQ people and people with disabilities, NBC News reported. The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, or BHEC, on Tuesday unanimously reversed an ...
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NATIONAL Attacks, TGNC emojis, lawsuits, 'Divas for Democracy'
A 24-year-old man was punched in the face and called an anti-gay slur while filming a TikTok video with a female friend in lower Manhattan, and police are investigating the attack as a hate crime, according ...
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Study: LGBTs nearly four times more likely than non to face violent crime
--From a press release
LGBT people are nearly four times more likely than non-LGBT people to experience violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault, and aggravated or simple assault, according to a new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School ...
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NATIONAL Anti-Trump ruling, crime items, Equality California, Texas school
A federal judge slapped a hold on a Trump administration rule that allows healthcare providers to refuse services to LGBTQ people on religious grounds, Bloomberg reported. In a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said ...
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Aurora garden damage seen as possible hate crime
In Aurora, a garden that included a shed painted rainbow colors to support the LGBTQ community was destroyed recently after someone smashed it with a pickup truck—and local authorities are viewing the attack as a possible ...
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Annual event spotlights trans lives lost
On Aug. 30, Valerie Griffin celebrated the life of her daughter—Dejanay Stanton, a trans woman of color—with an annual summer get-together billed as "The Main Event Part 2." The event, in its second year, was also ...
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Quigley introduces Reducing Nefarious Crimes (RNC) Act
On Aug. 25, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Illinois) introduced the Reducing Nefarious Crimes Act, or RNC Act, to increase penalties for violating the Hatch Act. The introduction happened while the Republication National ...
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Night three of DNC highlights women, gun violence, anti-trans crime
Emma Gonzalez, a bisexual student who became one of the leaders of a youth movement against gun violence after a 2018 shooting at her high school in Parkland, Florida, was one of the first voices heard ...
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