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REPORTS: Congressional Bid by Openly Gay NC State Rep. Brandon?

Democratic North Carolina State Rep. Marcus Brandon has made history and formed the "committee for a congressional bid to seek Congressman Mel Watt's 12th District seat," reports the Charlotte News Observer. Brandon would become the nation's first Black openly LGBT member of Congress if he were elected.

Watt is President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Federal Housing Finance Administration. If confirmed, a Democratic frenzy is expected in the race to replace him. A campaign treasurer for Brandon, a High Point political consultant, filed papers May 1, the day the president announced Watt's appointment, to create the Marcus Brandon for Congress political committee, the first step needed to raise money for a potential bid.

Brandon also makes history as the "first openly gay or lesbian North Carolinian in a major political party to announce his candidacy for the U.S. House," reports Matt Coner at QNotes.

Brandon, the state’s only openly gay or lesbian legislator, joins what may be a crowded Democratic primary.  ... Brandon was first elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2010. He’s been an advocate for charter schools and education reform. In 2011, Brandon came to the center of debate when state lawmakers considered and later approved an anti-LGBT state constitutional amendment. The measure won approval from voters 61-39 percent on May 8, 2012.

Brandon has represented Charlotte, Greensboro and Winston-Salem in the state legislature since 2011. He is the only openly LGBT member of the North Carolina General Assembly.

Marcus Brandon is also one of only six Black openly LGBT state legislators. The others include Kelvin Atkinson and Patricia Spearman in Nevada, Georgia's Simone Bell and Keisha Waites, as well as Mary Washington of Maryland.

In related news: President Obama has nominated rising political star Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx as the Transportation Secretary. Foxx would replace Ray LaHood, whose performance has been criticized in recent weeks due to air traffic delays.

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AUDIO: NV Sen. Kelvin Atkinson's Emotional Coming Out Speech

PHOTO: @KAtkinson702

After more than an hour of late night testimony, the Nevada Senate took its first step toward legalizing marriage equality with a "near party-line vote to repeal" the state's "one man, one-man" definition of marriage, reports KLAS.

The Nevada Senate voted 12-9 in favor of Senate Joint Resolution 13, which begins the process to repeal the same-sex marriage ban from the state constitution. Only one Republican voted with Democrats. If passed by lawmakers this year and in 2015, the measure would go to voters in 2016 for ratification.

The vote included the emotional floor speech of one state senator who publicly announced for the first time that he is gay. Sen. Kelvin Atkinson becomes one of only a handful of  Black openly gay or lesbian state legislators. Listen AFTER THE JUMP ...

The Las Vegas Sun:

In a particularly emotional moment, Sen. Kelvin Atkinson, D-North Las Vegas, publicly declared for the first time that he is gay. "I’m black. I'm gay," Atkinson said in a trembling voice after describing his father's interracial re-marriage that would have been banned earlier in American history. "I know this is the first time many of you have heard me say that I am a black, gay male."

Atkinson went on to rebut the argument that gay marriage threatens any other definition of marriage. "If this hurts your marriage, then your marriage was in trouble in the first place," he said.

The North Las Vegas Democrat becomes the state senate's second out Black lawmaker. Patricia Spearman—a Black openly lesbian minister—defeated a powerful two-term incumbent senator in the 2012 Democratic primary. 

Atkinson becomes the nation's sixth serving Black LGBT state legislator, joining Georgia's Simone Bell and Keisha Waites, as well as Mary Washington of Maryland and North Carolina's Marcus Brandon. Georgia state Rep. Rashad Taylor lost his re-election bid in August 2012. Taylor became Georgia's first openly gay male legislator when he came out in 2011.

Sen. Atkinson's makes his surprise revelation at 3:05 into the video. Via On Top Magazine, listen to his amazing speech AFTER THE JUMP ...

DC Police Officer Arraigned for Shooting at Transgender Woman

A Washington, D.C., police officer pled "not guilty" today to charges connected to an August 2011 shooting rampage that injured at least two transgender women. Forty-eight-year-old Kenneth Furr is charged with assault with intent to kill while armed after allegedly shooting at a trans woman who ignored his advances. Furr was off-duty and intoxicated at the time, reports The Washington Post.

Furr entered the plea during a hearing in D.C. Superior Court. Another hearing is scheduled for April 13. Furr has been held in jail since his arrest in August. He was charged with nine offenses — including multiple counts of assault and assault with a dangerous weapon — after an incident in which, according to authorities and interviews, he tried to solicit sex from transgender women, leading to a collision between two vehicles and gunfire.

Furr was indicted Wednesday. The indictment said Furr, off-duty and intoxicated in the early hours of the morning on August 26, fired five shots through the windshield of a car in which the transgender women were riding, striking one passenger in the arm and hand.

Two transgender women were injured during the intoxicated police officer's shooting rampage, the Post reported last August. More details:

In interviews, one said Furr approached her as she walked into a CVS in Northwest Washington. “His eyes were bloodshot,” she said. “I could smell the liquor on his breath. He told me he wanted to pay me to have sex with me. He kept trying to get me in his car.”

Furr did not touch her, she said, but he continued to harass her until a male friend intervened. She left the store with the friend, and they drove off with three other people in a car, she said. ... The woman who accused Furr of harassment said she was sitting in the back seat of one of the cars when the crash occurred. She and her friends did not know then that the other car was Furr’s, she said.

"He hopped out of the car, gun drawn, and started shooting at us," said the other transgender woman, who also reported being wounded. "He was yelling, 'What now? What now? All of y’all are going to die tonight.'"

Police said that one man was hit by gunfire and that the two transgender women were injured; all three suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.

Since last July, at least 22 trans women have been violently attacked in Washington DC, including the tragic killing of 19-year-old Lashai McLean who was gunned down in July 2011. Police have made no arrests. There have also been no arrests in the horrific daylight stabbing of Nana Boo Mack in August 2009.

Black transgender women face "extreme discrimination and poverty", and are more than likely to suffer from violence, physical or sexual abuse and police brutality, according to a first of its kind survey recently conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, More HERE.

NEWARK: 200+ Year Sentence for Triple Schoolyard Slayings

The third of six defendants has been sentenced to more than 200 years for the gruesome 2007 execution-style slayings of three Newark college friends—including one who he hacked with a machete before shooting. A fourth victim survived. At least two of the college students were gay.

In April, a jury convicted Alexander Alfaro on 16 of 17 counts related to the attack. On Thursday, Alfaro was sentenced to 212 years in prison, reports the Star-Ledger. Alfaro received 60 years each on two of the murders and 75 years on the third. The terms are consecutive. Alfaro was also sentenced to a 17-year consecutive term for armed robbery.

Terrance Aeriel, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey were killed August 4, 2007 when they were shot execution style in a schoolyard. Aeriel's sister was shot and sexually assaulted but survived. Harvey and Hightower were openly gay. The friends "planned to drive together" to New York City the next morning to attend a Black Gay Pride event. Hightower, a lesbian, was also sexually assaulted. All four victims were enrolled or about to be enrolled at Delaware State University.

Alfaro is the second of  three adults and three teens to be tried for the violent gang initiation. His half-brother, Rodolfo Godinez, was convicted last year and a third man, Melvin Jovel, pleaded guilty. They are serving life terms. Three others await trial.

In 2007, Rod 2.0 reported one of the teen suspects attended high school with one of the gay victims—and this may have been among the reasons the victims were targeted. Prosecutors declined to file hate crime charges because the victims' families "did not want" the deceased identified as gay.

R20's complete coverage HERE.

3rd Conviction in Slaying of 3 Newark College Students

A third man has been convicted in the gruesome 2007 execution-style slayings of three Newark college friends. A fourth victim survived. At least two of the college students were gay.

A jury debated four days before returning a guilty verdict against gang member Alexander Alfaro. Alfaro was found guilty of the murders of all three victims. He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment when he is sentenced on May 19,  reports CNN.

Terrance Aeriel, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey were killed August 4, 2007 when they were shot execution style. Aeriel's sister was shot and sexually assaulted but survived. Harvey and Hightower were openly gay. The friends "planned to drive together "to New York City the next morning to attend a black Gay Pride event. Hightower, a lesbian, was also sexually assaulted. All four victims were enrolled or about to be enrolled at Delaware State University.

Alfaro is the second of  three adults and three teens to be tried for the violent gang initiation. His half-brother, Rodolfo Godinez, was convicted last year and a third man, Melvin Jovel, pleaded guilty. They are serving life terms. Three others await trial.

In 2007, Rod 2.0 reported one of the teen suspects attended high school with one of the gay victims—and this may have been among the reasons the victims were targeted. Prosecutors declined to file hate crime charges because the victims' families "did not want" the deceased identified as gay.

R20's complete coverage HERE.

245 Year Sentence in Slaying of Three Newark College Students

The first defendant convicted in the gruesome 2007 execution-style slayings of three Newark college friends—and attacking and sexually assaulting a fourth, who survived—was sentenced Thursday to three consecutive life terms in prison plus 20 years. The 245-year-sentence means Rodolfo Godinez must serve at least 218 years for his convictions on murder, felony murder, robbery and weapons charges.

Terrance Aeriel, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey were killed August 4, 2007 when they were shot execution style. Aeriel's sister was shot and sexually assaulted but survived. Harvey and Hightower were openly gay. The friends "planned to drive together "to New York City the next morning to attend a black Gay Pride event. Hightower, a lesbian, was also sexually assaulted. All four victims were enrolled or about to be enrolled at Delaware State University.

Godinez is the first of three adults and three teens to be tried for the violent gang initiation. In 2007, Rod 2.0 reported one of the teen suspects attended high school with one of the gay victims—and this may have been among the reasons the victims were targeted. Prosecutors declined to file hate crime charges because the victims' families "did not want" the deceased identified as gay.

R20's complete coverage HERE.

Watch ABC 7's report WHEN YOU JUMP ...

Jurors Reach Guilty Verdict in Newark Triple Murder

The jury has reached a guilty verdict in the trial of a man accused of the slayings of three Newark college students  in  2007. Rodolfo Godinez was found guilty on all 17 counts, reports the Star Ledger.

Terrance Aeriel, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey were killed August 4, 2007 when they were shot execution style in a Newark schoolyard. Aeriel's sister was shot but survived. Harvey and Hightower were openly gay, The friends "planned to drive together "to New York City the next morning to attend a black Gay Pride event. Hightower, a lesbian, was sexually assaulted.

Prosecutors declined to file hate crime charges because the victims' families "did not want" the deceased identified as gay.

Godinez is the first of three adults and three teens to be tried for the violent gang initiation. Sentencing is July 8.

R20's complete coverage HERE.

Newark Triple Murder Trial Begins w/o Mention of Anti Gay Hate Crime

The first trial in connection with the brutal murders of three friends in a Newark schoolyard began Tuesday with opening statements. Three men and three teens were indicted for the gruesome August 2007 killings of three college students. At least two victims were gay. One woman, a lesbian, was sexually assaulted. Prosecutors declined to file hate crime charges ... partly because the victims' families "did not want" their deceased children identified as gay.

Terrance Aeriel, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey were killed August 4, 2007 when they were shot execution style outside a Newark elementary school. A fourth victim survived the shootings. Harvey, Aeriel and the 19 year old survivor attended Delaware State University and lived in Newark. Harvey was openly gay, Hightower was reportedly lesbian and the friends "planned to drive together to New York City the next morning to attend a black Gay Pride event at Riis Park Beach. 

Rodolfo Godinez is the first of six defendants to go to trial. In today's opening arguments, Essex County prosecutors said this was a robbery and initiation into a violent El Salvadoran street gang. The defendants allegedly attacked the victims with a machete before shooting them execution-style. All six suspects face murder, felony murder, robbery and weapons counts in addition to the sexual assault.

Sources tell Rod 2.0 at least one teen defendant attended high school with one of the gay victims. "Some of the kids who hung with that clique were gay, some weren't, but it was widely known as 'the gay clique'", one person said.

In April 2008, Rod 2.0 reported the victim's families resisted efforts to label the case an anti-gay hate crime:

[Newark] black gay activists say the families of the victims "did not support efforts to publicly identify the murders as an anti-gay hate crime. 'We were told that anything related to the victims' sexual orientation should remain a private matter,' said James Credle, co-president of Newark Pride Alliance, a gay group. 'They made it clear that they didn't want the case to go in that direction.' " The police and mayor have refused to label the case as more than a "robbery gone wrong". Credle says anti-gay stigma remains strong in Newark's predominately black community.

R20's complete coverage HERE.

Read more and listen to a report at 1010 WINS.

Indictments in Newark Triple Murders ... But No Anti-Gay Hate Crime Charges

An update to the tragic story of three Newark college students who were killed execution-style only hours before they planned to attend a black gay pride festival: Three men and three teens were indicted for the gruesome killings—but there are no hate crime charges.

Terrance Aeriel, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey were killed in August 4, 2007 when they were shot execution style outside a Newark elementary school. A fourth victim survived the shootings. Harvey was openly gay, Hightower was reportedly lesbian and the friends "planned to drive together to New York City the next morning to attend a black Gay Pride event at Riis Park Beach." Police also say at least one woman was sexually assaulted.

The grand jury charged all six suspects with "murder, attempted murder, robbery and weapons offenses" related to the Aug. 4, 2007 killings. Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow says the indictments took a year because charges against the three teens were upgraded from juvenile to adult court. Dow tells NBC 4 robbery and gang involvement were both "elements" of the case "but declined to say what police believe to be the primary motive."

The "primary motive" that police decline to reveal is anti-gay bias. Although at least two of the victims were openly gay, authorities declined to file hate crime charges in the case. The Washington Blade and gay activists have reported "jewelry, cell phones and other items of value were found at the crime scene" which eliminates the robbery motive. Sources also reveal at least one woman—who may be lesbian—was sexually assaulted. Other reports suggest at least one teen suspect attended high school with one of the gay victims.

To complicate matters, the victims' families "do not want" their deceased children identified as gay.

This is a difficult time for the families and they are entitled to their privacy. Unfortunately, if the victims were killed because they were gay, or the perception thereof, the beefed up charges would send a strong message to families and the many young black gay men and lesbians in Newark and across New Jersey. It's not about outing someone after their death. It's about bringing justice and purpose to the lives that were cut short. And trying to prevent the same thing from happening again.

6 Indicted in Newark Schoolyard Slayings [WNBC]
Six Indicted in NJ Schoolyard Slayings [CBS News]
Indictments in NJ Killings [SoVo/Wash Blade]

Some Background ...
Indictments Expected in Newark Triple Murders [R20]
Families of Newark Triple Murder Victims Do Not Want Case Prosecuted as Hate Crime [R20]
Newark Triple Murders an Anti-Gay Hate Crime? [R20]
Triple Murders Victims Were in "the Gay Clique" [R20]
Newark Triple Murders: Sexual Assault, Gay Angle [R20]

Report: Indictments Expected in Newark Triple Murders

An update to the investigation into the fatal shootings of three Newark college students who were killed only hours before they planned to attend a black gay pride festival. Prosecutor say a grand jury could return indictments as soon as next month.

Terrance Aeriel, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey were killed in August 4, 2007 when they were shot execution style outside a Newark elementary school. Harvey was openly gay, Hightower may have been lesbian, and, the friends "had planned to drive together to New York City the next morning to attend a black Gay Pride event at Riis Park Beach." Police also say at least one woman was sexually assaulted. Six men, ranging in age from 16 to 28, face murder, aggravated sexual assault, robbery and weapon possession charges.

Paul Loriquet, a spokesperson for the Essex County prosecutor’s office, tells the Washington Blade the grand jury is expected to finish its investigation in September or October. The grand jury will be asked to return indictments affirming charges stemming from the triple murder.

Although one of the victims was openly gay, authorities have declined to file hate crime charges in the case. Reportedly the victims' families "do not want" their deceased children identified as gay.

Indictments Expected Soon in Newark Triple Murder [WaBl]

Some Background ...
Families of Newark Triple Murder Victims Do Not Want Case Prosecuted as Hate Crime [R20]
Newark Triple Murders an Anti-Gay Hate Crime? [R20]
Triple Murders Victims Were in "the Gay Clique" [R20]
Newark Triple Murders: Sexual Assault, Gay Angle [R20]