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REPORT: Chicago LGBT Synagogue was Target of Yemeni Terror Bomb

One of the two powerful bombs mailed from Yemen and discovered in two cargo planes was addressed to a small LGBT synagogue on Chicago's North Side,  federal agents tell  the Chicago Tribune.

"Or Chadash has for seven years shared space on North Sheridan Road with another Jewish congregation, the Emanuel Congregation. The squat brick building yards from Lake Michigan also is home to a day school for about 140 children between kindergarten and seventh grade. Or Chadash leaders said they learned that their group was an intended recipient of one of the Yemen packages from Emanuel's Rabbi Michael Zedek.

"'It was just a surprise,' said Rabbi Larry Edwards of Or Chadash. 'When I was first hearing news (about the packages), I assumed there were probably bigger targets. We're a small congregation. Either we were selected at random or it's because we're a mostly gay congregation.' ... Until now, Or Chadash had never received threats of violence, Edwards said."

Even more bizarre: The synagogue's website has recently been repeatedly accessed from computers in Egypt, Rabbi Michael Zedek tells the Sun-Times. "What I was told this morning by the person who keeps our website current is that when she was checking to see how many hits we'd been getting recently, and this is before what occurred on Friday, to her surprise we had 83 hits from an address in Cairo, Egypt. It does assume a greater interest in light of what happened.''

Counter-terrorism officials believe the bombs are the work of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Federal agents are headed to Yemen to monitor cargo security practices, the AP reports. The U.S. Postal Service is temporarily suspending acceptance of inbound mail from Yemen, reports the Washington Post. And Yemeni security forces have "arrested an undisclosed number of people" said to have information regarding the US-bound packages.

WATCH: New Documentary on Openly Gay MLB Player Glenn Burke

A new documentary will soon air that chronicles the life of Glenn Burke, the Black former superstar centerfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers who was the first and only Major League Baseball player known to have been out to his teammates and team owners during his professional career. Burke died from AIDS-related causes in 1995. He was only 43 years old.

Out. The Glenn Burke Story will premiere at a public screening at the Castro Theater on Wednesday, November 10. The film will be replayed exclusively on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. The documentary will tell the story of Burke's rapid "descent from the World Series to being traded to the Athletics to a voluntary retirement and down into the abyss of drug abuse, homelessness, and AIDS that eventually took his life," notes Bleacher Report.

Featuring interviews with Dodger teammates Dusty Baker, Davey Lopes and Rick Monday, among others, as well as A's teammates Claudell Washington, Mike Norris, and Shooty Babitt, Out gets into the nitty-gritty of Burke's athletic and post-athletic career. According to almost everyone interviewed, Burke was run out of baseball because he was gay. The Dodgers apparently offered to pay for his wedding and honeymoon if he got married, and when he refused, he was promptly traded to the Athletics. The situation was no better there with manager Billy Martin, and Burke took a leave of absence from the team to clear his head.

When he decided to come back, it was starkly clear to him that, while he still loved baseball and obviously had the physical tools to play the game, there was no place for a gay man in professional baseball. Burke then took the celebrity that he did have and played it up, spending a majority of his time in San Francisco's famed Castro District. Yet his fame ran out, and his party lifestyle turned into one of drug abuse. The tragedy was compounded when Burke contracted AIDS in 1994. But in the last years of his life, the same game of baseball that abandoned him came back to support him in his greatest time of need.

Glenn Burke is still regarded as the first and only player in the big four (NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA) to come out as gay to his teammates while he was still playing.

The A's Billy Martin called Burke faggot in front of his teammates. "By 1978 I think everybody knew," Glenn Burke later said, adding that he was "sure his teammates didn't care." Management at the Dodgers and A's detested Burke's sexuality, but, according to most reports and the interviews in Out. The Glenn Burke Story, the teammates did not care. Fascinating ... especially because we're talking professional sports in the late 1970s

Former Dodgers teammate Reggie Smith learned about Burke's sexuality (and off-the-field antics) through another player. Here's a clip when he discusses it and stresses that he did not want the information to become public or it would "destroy his career", WATCH AFTER THE JUMP ...

Cook County Board Pres. Candidate Supports Marriage Equality

Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, the progressive who has represented Chicago's 4th Ward for almost 20 years and is the Democratic nominee for President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, has reiterated her support of marriage equality. In an interview with the Chicago News Cooperative, Preckwinkle framed her support in terms of civil rights and added that it was "incumbent" on Blacks to become pro-equality.

"'My view is that it’s particularly incumbent on people who’ve been discriminated against not to discriminate against others,' said Ms. Preckwinkle, who is black. 'This is a view of the world that doesn’t always go down well in the African-American community, particularly among some African-American clergy. But few enough people want to get married these days anyway, and we shouldn’t quibble with the gender of the people who get married.' However, she cautioned county residents not to expect her to take unilateral action to make it happen. She said the General Assembly needs to make the move. 'It’s something we would support at the state level,' she said. 'Every government entity has a lobbying agenda, and that’s where I would support this.'"

That's 180 degrees opposite the position espoused by State Sen. James Meeks, the outspoken anti-gay South Side pastor and possibly (for now) the leading black candidate  for mayor.

Preckwinkle has supported marriage equality for some time. In a January 2010 interview with Windy City Times, Preckwinkle said that she'd use the powerful Cook County Board president position as a "bully pulpit" to raise awareness on gay rights and marriage equality.

"The county has a lobbyist in Springfield and this is one of the things our lobbyist ought to be supporting. Clearly the main mission of the county is around healthcare and criminal justice, so our lobbyist has to be focused on those issues down in Springfield, but our lobbyist also should be supporting measures that contribute to the greater good. And surely directing your lobbyist to support things like full marriage equality is right and just, and that ought to be part of our agenda as well. We should be pushing for things that are in the benefit of all of our citizens, and surely that is one."

That thinking is light years ahead of most officials on board, which manages more than a billion dollars, thousands of employees and vast services in the nation's second largest county. For many years, commissioners rubber stamped the once-venerable Chicago Democratic machine and it was considered the last bastion of patronage.

Preckwinkle is heavily favored to win Tuesday's election. Preckwinkle has long been a thorn in the side of the outgoing Mayor Richard M. Daley. She was an early supporter of Barack Obama– a resident of the 4th Ward–and supported his failed 2000 run for Congress against Bobby Rush. She's also profiled this week in the New York Times, which describes her as an "independent ... no-nonsense pragmatist wary of wasting time and energy on unwinnable causes."

NEWS: Mehcad Brooks, Kanye West, Memphis, Iraq, R.I.P. Pontiac

Study: 1 in 10 sexually active teens have same sex partners.

Kanye West goes full frontal (nsfw)?

  MetroWeekly and the Blade analyze crucial Senate races.

NYC to restore $1M of the $1.88M cut from housing programs for HIV-positive NYers.

Mehcad Brooks shares the secret of his hot bod: "I have a great sex life!"

For the second time this year, the Memphis City Council will debate anti-discrimination protections for gay and lesbian municipal employees. In July, Councilwoman Janis Fullilove received four death threats after sponsoring the proposal. The bill was later withdrawn due to non-support.

MTV's Jersey Shore mocks trans women.

Apple pulls hateful and transphobic  "PeekABooTranny" app.

Field Poll: Barbara Boxer leads Carly Fiorina by 8 points in California Senate race.

  Chicago: Common to campaign with Obama on Saturday.

Dallas County, TX ballot includes two gay men and one Black lesbian—Tonya Parker, candidate for judge.

  Report: Pentagon knew of Iraqi anti-gay murders more than a year before they were reported.

After 84 years, GM's once iconic Pontiac brand will "endure a lonely death on Sunday after about 40 million in sales. Its biggest triumph was the GTO ... in violation of a G.M. policy dictating the maximum size of a car’s engine. The GTO was a hit, and the age of the muscle car had begun. For most of the 1960s, Pontiac ranked third in sales behind Chevy and Ford — a position now held by Toyota. But in the decades since, Pontiac’s edge and high-powered image wore off. By early 2009, Pontiac had fallen to 12th place in the United States market, and its top-selling model was the G6, a sedan commonly found on car-rental lots."

WATCH: LGBT Youth Activists Protest "Ex-Gay" Pastor in Trinidad

On October 23rd, Trinidad & Tobago may have seen what has been described as "the largest—and perhaps the first—GLBT protest" in the Caribbean nation's history. More than 35 students and youth activists dressed in t-shirts that read "The homosexual agenda" attended and protested a seminar sponsored by Trinidad's Hospital Christian Fellowship that featured Bakersfield, California-based "ex-gay" Pastor Phillip Lee. Local evangelicals "have declared war on same sex attractions" and invited Lee to T&T to share his ex-gay message.

Brendon J. OBrien of CAISO (Coalition Advocating for the Inclusion of Sexual Orientation) was one of the organizers and discussed the event on Channel 1's One on One. "It was supposed to be a seminar on ow to change same sex attraction. But it was attended by many young people who were anxious for a different message to come out, one of love and inclusion."

O'Brien says T&T's youth do not need to hear Lee's "discredited"  message. "These messages are stigmatizing and alienating young people ... not just in the United States but worldwide. ... And the message is also contributing to the number of suicides among LGBT young people. We don't need that in Trinidad & Tobago."

Trini-based blogger Globewriter: "After [the protest] the group went to a local mall for dinner still wearing their t-shirts. In many other parts of the world this would be no big deal but here it was a pretty radical act."

Bravo to Brendon O'Brien and his fellow youth activists. It's fantastic they are were able to protest. Obviously they do not want to witness a repeat of the extreme damage caused by American ex-gays and evangelical activists in Uganda.

BTW. "Crix" is a popular and delicious local biscuit made in T & T. Watch the interview—you may need to increase the volume—WHEN YOU JUMP ...

Black Leaders Reject Anti-Gay Chicago Mayoral Rev. James Meeks

Interesting political developments in Chicago, which will soon experience its first open-seat mayoral election in more than 60 years. One of the early leading contenders has been James Meeks, the outspoken and anti-gay South Side pastor of one of the city's largest mega-churches and a state senator. A coalition of more than 60 Black groupsand leaders is hoping to choose the Black community's "consensus candidate"  and has narrowed their choice to two names.

Meeks did not make the cut—reportedly because he plans to continue to pastor his 22,000 member anti-gay mega-church if elected mayor.

"Black elected officials, religious and community leaders snubbed Meeks in favor of former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and Board of Review Commissioner Larry Rogers after a 'heated and passionate' debate that dragged on until nearly midnight Wednesday. Meeks' communications director Brian Zises sloughed off the insult. 'We're not too concerned. It doesn't come as a surprise. We don't know who that coalition is speaking for,' Zises said. He added, 'Sen. Meeks is going to be a mayor for the entire city — not just a small group. This has no impact on his decision to run.' Pressed on whether Meeks would enter the mayor's race without the group's support, Zises said, 'He hasn't announced yet.'"

"The coalition plans to meet again soon and put its resources, and money, behind one candidate," a spokesperson told the Tribune.

"Meeks said he has collected more than 30,000 signatures on petitions to get his name on the ballot, and that he will announce in 'the next few weeks' whether to formally launch a bid," the Tribune adds. "Meeks said members of the group, formally known as the Chicago Coalition for Mayor, never told him they had concerns about his decision to remain pastor at Salem Baptist Church if he is elected."

As chairman of the Illinois General Assembly's Black Caucus, Meeks has been "one of the most influential foes of legislation proposed by gay rights activists." Meeks, who has been criticized for calling homosexuality "an evil sickness", opposed Illinois' LGBT non-discrimination legislation and was the only African American in the Illinois Senate and House to vote against the bill.

To contrast: In addition to being the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Senate and only one of two Blacks to serve in the Senate in the 20th century ... Carol Moseley Braun has long been a champion of gay rights and was one of only 14 Senate votes to oppose the odious Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.

South Bend, Indiana Rejects LGBT Anti-Discrimination Ordinance 6-3

For the second time this week, a city has rejected a proposed LGBT anti-discrimination ordinance. The city of South Bend,Indiana’s fourth largest city, becomes the latest municipality to give a free pass to employers who fire and discriminate against gay or lesbian employees. The Common Council overwhelmingly rejected the measure proposed by Councilmember Oliver Davis, reports the South Bend Tribune.

"The vote was 6-3 with council members Tom LaFountain, David Varner, Derek Dieter, Timothy Rouse, Karen White and Henry Davis Jr. opposed. Proposal sponsors Oliver Davis, Al Kirsits and Ann Puzzello voted in favor of the proposed legislation.

"Explaining his opposition to the proposal, council President Derek Dieter, D-District 1, said afterward, 'I just don't think it's needed in South Bend.' Dieter said he had not seen any documentation proving workplace discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people exists, 'and I think it (the proposal) would cause more harm than good to small businesses.' For his part, Patrick Mangan, executive director of the conservative group Citizens for Community Values, praised Dieter and other opponents of the proposal, who he said "stood up to a lot of pressure behind the scenes." "I'm pleased the council did the right thing in lovingly opposing special rights for homosexuals," he said, adding, "And I renew the offer to all those struggling with same-sex attraction to come to freedom and come to wholeness."

Councilmember Oliver Davis, who sponsored the bill, was forced to postpone the measure in July. After last night's disappointing vote, Davis said, "Rome wasn't built in a night, and it's going to take some time. The battle for employment fairness continues."

Indiana is one of 30 states that lacks any employment protections for LGBT citizens. Indianapolis and Bloomington have passed ordinances protecting LGBT citizens locally. In 2006, a similar measure failed to pass the South Bend Common Council by one vote.

South Bend becomes the third city in recent months to have a Black city council member propose a gay and/or trans inclusive non-discrimination ordinance. Earlier this week, Omaha rejected its proposed anti-discrimination ordinance by a vote of 3-3. And yet more reasons wy we need the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Three Indicted in Sadistic Bronx Anti-Gay Torture Spree

A New York City grand jury has indicted three accused gang members for the sadistic gay-bashing gang initiation in an abandoned Bronx building earlier this month, reports the New York Daily News.

"Elmer Cofresi, 23, Nelson Falu,17, and Ruddy Vargas [Perez], 22, are charged with multiple hate crimes in the anti-gay gang assault this month. Seven alleged members of a homophobic gang known as the Latin Kings Goonies have been charged in the brutal robbery and assault, during which two men were sodomized with wooden objects. Four teens originally charged in the case were released following an investigation by the Bronx district attorney's office."

Ruddy Vargas-Perez, the ninth man arrested, is seen above. Vargas-Perez was released on bail and as proclaimed his "innocence." Six other men remain in jail on charges of gang assault, sexual assault, robbery, weapons possession and menacing—all as hate crimes, which increases the penalties. Of the seven accused gang members charged, all reportedly have been indicted.

Members of the Bronx street gang are accused of a brutal gang assault over October 3 and 4 on a 30-year-old gay man and the two 17-year-old gang recruits that had sex with him. The thugs also broke into the gay man's home, allegedly robbing and beating his 40-year-old brother.

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NYPD Arrests Ninth Suspect in Bronx Anti-Gay Torture Case
Suspect in NYC Anti-Gay Torture Released on Bail
Charges Dropped Against 3 in Sadistic NYC Anti-Gay Torture

Hung Jury Declared in Trial of Teen Accused of Brutal Newsman Slaying

A jury is deadlocked and a judge has declared a mistrial in the trial of John Katehis, the 18-year-old Satan-worshiping hustler who admitted to the bloody slaying of radio newsman George Weber during a rough sex-for-cash-hookup gone wrong. After three days of deliberations and prior indications the jury was at an impasse, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog ruled the panel was hopelessly deadlocked, the Daily News and  Gay City News report.

"One juror held out for an acquittal, with 11 others wanting to convict the 18-year-old of second-degree murder. 'She was adamant about intent,' said Darryl Turner, one of the eleven, referring to the juror who wanted an acquittal. 'We couldn’t get the one holdout to change her mind.' Katehis faced a single count of second -degree murder in the 2009 killing. That count required that the prosecution prove that Katehis intended to kill the 47-year-old Weber when he stabbed him 50 times. 

Closing arguments ended Monday after the one week trial. Katehis plead not guilty to the murder of the former ABC News Radio personality, claiming he acted in "self-defense" when he repeatedly stabbed Weber in his Brooklyn apartment in March 2009.

Defense attorneys portrayed the slain newsman as a drunk predator of teenaged boys who "lured" the then-16-year-old under false pretenses. Prosecutors say the evidence shows otherwise and that Katehis was a hustler and a cold blooded killer. Although Katehis told police that he answered Weber's Craigslist ad offering $60 for rough sex, prosecutors proved that it was actually the Queens teenager who offered oral sex, among other services, in Internet ads aimed at men.

The Brooklyn district attorney will retry the case and John Katehis will remain in jail. Defense attorney Jeffrey Schwartz has petitioned for a bail hearing to hopes to get his client out of jail before a new trial begins.

PHOTOS: Marcus Hill's Muscles Sweat and Bulge for "Instinct"

Major Model of the moment Marcus Hill is featured sweating, stretching, pumping iron and bulging in the "Sweat" editorial in the October 2010 issue of Instinct. The editorial is lensed by New York City-based fashion and beefcake photographer Vincent Dilio. Instinct Fashion Director Sean Krebs styles Marcus in the briefest oh-so-flattering briefs.

Marcus Hill's chiseled muscles were last seen in new digitals. Vincent Dilio recently lensed the Wendell Lissimore and Henry Watkins swimwear feature—and the Anthony Gallo, Bobby Roache and Shawn Sutton beefcake editorials—for the same magazine.

Instinct shares two more images of a very sweaty and very bulging Marcus Hill, not seen in the magazine, WHEN YOU JUMP ...