MICHIGAN: State Court Of Appeals Rules Against "Gay Panic" As Defense Claim

A little common sense out of the Michigan Court of Appeals (PDF):

This case arises from the beating of Ryan Young. In the early morning hours of June 11, 2009, Young was celebrating his birthday with friends at a local bar. Defendant was also at the bar. Young did not know defendant, but defendant joined Young and his friends at their table and defendant and Young talked and became acquainted. At about 3:30 a.m., Young and defendant were dropped off at Young's apartment. Young testified that he went into his bedroom to change and asked defendant: "did you want to do anything or did you just want to go to bed," to which defendant responded: "yeah, I'm going to do something you fucking faggot."

Young testified that defendant choked him "so bad" that he "could not get away from him" and Young thought he was going to die because defendant "wouldn't get off me and just stop punching me." Young believed that he was fighting for his life. Young remembered defendant cutting off his oxygen until he passed out and that, when he came to, defendant was "just still bashing my face in" until he went unconscious again. Young believed defendant hit him "a good 30 times." According to Young, he never tried to touch defendant and neither of them ever fell asleep-except when Young went unconscious from the assault. Young testified that there was no discussion about flipping the television on or anything and that he believed this was because defendant had the assault already planned.

Read the full court ruling at the above link.

(Via - Pam Spaulding)

Grand Rapids Lip-Dub

Residents of Grand Rapids, Michigan responded with this video after being named one of America's "dying cities." I hate hate hate the song with a blinding white super-hate, but I have to admit the production is stunning.

MICHIGAN: House Approves Bill Cutting Funding To Gay-Friendly Universities

The GOP-dominated Michigan House has approved a bill penalizing state universities that offer same-sex partner benefits to members of their faculties. If the bill becomes law, any state college that offers domestic partner benefits will see their funding cut by 5%. The measure was authored by Tea Party-backed Rep. Dave Agema (left). Todd Heywood reports at the Michigan Messenger:

Shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday night, State Rep. Dave Agema (R-Greenville) posted the following status update to his Facebook page announcing the amendment: "I had an amendment put into the education budget that takes 5% away from colleges that give same sex/unmarried benefits and places up to $60 million of that into the MPSRS K-12 budget if colleges do not stop skirting the law and the will of the people. Colleges can’t say they are short of money when they skirt the law and give such benefits. The Dems didn’t like this – it passed."

The bill now goes into a conference committee between the two state chambers. Heywood notes that Agema has introduced a similar measure several times in recent years.

14 Year-Old Gay Student Defends Teacher

After his teacher faced disciplinary action for throwing out a student who had made anti-gay remarks, openly gay 14 year-old Ann Arbor, Michigan student Graeme Taylor spoke on the teacher's behalf. Brave kid!

Former Michigan AG Andrew Shirvell: The Liberal Media Was Out To Get Me!

MICHIGAN: Assistant AG Andrew Shirvell Fired Over Anti-Gay Stalking Campaign

Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell was fired this afternoon for his loony tunes campaign against openly gay University of Michigan student body president Chris Armstrong.

Shirvell was called before the attorney general’s staff at 1:30 p.m. today, said Philip Thomas, Shirvell’s attorney. “The only reason they gave was the fact that they felt his actions had made it impossible for him to continue in his role,” Thomas said. The Attorney General’s Office was not available for comment. Shirvell has been under fire for comments he made about University of Michigan student body President Chris Armstrong, who is openly gay. Shirvell has shown up at public events to condemn Armstrong’s “radical homosexual agenda.”

Shirvell met for four hours on Friday with a panel made up of officials from the Attorney General’s Office. Shirvell has claimed his actions were both protected by Constitutional rights of free speech and were conducted away from his work on off-hours. “I think it’s most unfortunate,” Thomas said. “This whole thing has a political aroma to me. I think my client is a victim of the liberal media piling on. In the first stories about this, (Attorney General Mike Cox) was quoted as saying that my client was doing this on his own time. What’s changed since then?”

Shirvell still faces a disbarment hearing due to a grievance filed by Armstrong's lawyer.

MICHIGAN: Assistant AG Andrew Shirvell May Be Disbarred For Anti-Gay Stalking

A complaint has been filed seeking the disbarment of Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell over his anti-gay harassment of UM student body president Chris Armstrong.

The complaint alleges Shirvell harassed and defamed Armstrong during what Gordon describes as a six-month campaign "of lies, dishonesty, heckling, hate speech and even job interference." The commission could disbar Shirvell if it investigates. "I could not stand by and let Mr. Shirvell continue his reckless, bullying behavior," Armstrong said in a statement. Shirvell already is fighting a ban from the U-M campus. And he faces a Friday disciplinary hearing in the Attorney General's Office.

Armstrong's attorney: "We just feel very strongly ... that you can't be a licensed attorney and an officer of the court and conduct yourself this way and essentially terrorize a college student."

Homosexual Homosexual Homosexual

Sam Stein reports at Huffington Post:

An otherwise obscure statehouse race in Midland County, Michigan, may be home to the most remarkable robocall of the election cycle -- put up by a social conservative group, it drops the word "homosexual" ten times. Over the weekend, Gary Glenn, the chairman of the Campaign for Michigan Families, released a robocall attacking the Democratic candidate in the race, Toni Sessoms, as a stooge for the "homosexual activist agenda." Sessoms is openly gay. But if a voter didn't know that, they certainly got the point after getting Glenn's call.

University Of Michigan Student President Talks About Attacks From Andrew Shirvell

MICHIGAN: Andrew Shirvell Isn't Suspended, He's On A Leave Of Absence

The Detroit News has issued a correction to yesterday's story.

An assistant attorney general who has attracted national attention for a controversial blog that ridicules and denounces a University of Michigan student leader for his gay advocacy, religious beliefs and character has taken a personal leave following intense public scrutiny, a spokesman for Attorney General Mike Cox said today. Cox spokesman John Sellek said, however, Andrew Shirvell will be the subject of a disciplinary hearing after he returns to work at an undetermined future date. Shirvell's decision to go on leave came a day after Cox told CNN he didn't intend to fire Shirvell, citing civil service rules that protect government employees from being "fired willy-nilly" for exercising their rights of free speech.

MICHIGAN: Andrew Shirvell Suspended

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox has reversed his position and suspended Assistant AG Andrew Shirvell (left) after a national media outcry about Shivrell's cyber-harassment of openly gay University of Michigan student body president Chris Armstrong.

The suspension came a day after Cox told CNN he didn't intend to fire Shirvell, citing civil service rules that protect government employees from being "fired willy-nilly" for exercising their rights of free speech. Cox said he hadn't earlier read all of Shirvell's blog, "Chris Armstrong Watch," that dogs Armstrong, the 21-year-old, openly gay president of U-M's student government and accuses him of "anti-Christian behavior," "mocking God," promoting homosexuality and trying "to recruit your sons and daughters" into the gay lifestyle. "I'm at fault here," Cox said. "I've been saying for weeks that (Shirvell's) been acting like a bully, that his behavior is immature, but it's after-hours and protected by the First Amendment." But Cox also took a shot at Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who posted a Twitter item Thursday saying she would have fired Shirvell. "I don't know why she's so freaking irresponsible. ... she went to Harvard Law School," Cox said. "The civil service rules are a huge shield for free speech and she knows that."

The ACLU is backing Cox's opinion on Shirvell's First Amendment rights, saying they believe "the answer to hate speech is more speech."

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm Tweets...

Assistant Michigan AG Andrew Shirvell's Anti-Gay Harassment Goes Way Back

A reader writes to note that Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell has been on an anti-gay campaign for years. From a 2005 news story:

Members of a local student-oriented Catholic parish received an e-mail last week urging them to boycott the New York Pizza Depot on East William Street because of a gay pride rainbow sicker on its front door. The sticker has upset some people, including Andrew Shirvell, an NYPD customer and member of St. Mary’s Student Parish, located down the street from NYPD. Shirvell, a University alumnus and former president of Students for Life, said the sticker is offensive because it endorses homosexuality instead of simply tolerating it. “I find the rainbow flag offensive because it is a symbol of the homosexual movement that, in my opinion, indicates a validation of the homosexual lifestyle, as opposed to a sign that indicates ‘openness’ to customers who are of the homosexual orientation,” he said.

Shirvell said the pizzeria "had to put up the rainbow flag decal in order to appease the homosexuals who frequented NYPD on Friday nights." No homosexual pizza! No homosexual cupcakes!

MICHIGAN: Assistant Attorney General To Keep Job Despite Anti-Gay Harassment

MICHIGAN: Assistant Attorney General Harasses Gay College Student

This is just too bizarre.

American Family Association: Transgender People Are Committing Identity Theft

"In an era of identity theft and national security concerns, we’re glad that Ruth Johnson has now joined Rep. Paul Scott in expressly stating her opposition to the Secretary of State policy of allowing men to falsely identify themselves as female on their state-issued driver’s license, and vice versa. The people of Michigan should at minimum be able to trust their state government to tell the truth, not enable certain individuals’ psychological and emotional delusions by officially and legally identifying them as something they biologically are not. We urge all candidates for Secretary of State to let voters know where they stand on this honesty-in-government issue." - American Family Association of Michigan head Gary Glenn, endorsing GOP Secretary of State candidate Ruth Johnson.

MICHIGAN: Federal Judge Upholds Dismissal Of Anti-Gay Student Counselor

A federal judge today upheld Eastern Michigan University's dismissal of a graduate student who refused to "affirm homosexuality" when counseling gay students. Julea Ward's case has been a hot topic on Christianist and rightwing blogs, who maintain hers is just the latest in the homofascist campaign to stifle anti-gay dissent at the nation's universities.

In an order granting summary judgment to the university on Monday, Judge George Caram Steeh of the U.S. District Court in Detroit held that the university's requirement that the student be willing to serve people who are homosexual was reasonable, and did not amount to an infringement of the Christian student's constitutional rights to free speech and free expression of religion. The university "had a right and duty to enforce compliance" with professional ethics rules barring counselors from being intolerant or engaging in discrimination, and no reasonable person could conclude that a counseling program's requirement that students comply with such rules "conveys a message endorsing or disapproving of religion," Judge Steeh wrote.

The Alliance Defense Fund, a coalition of Christian lawyers that is helping to represent the student, Julea Ward, issued a statement on Tuesday saying it plans to appeal the judge's decision. "Christian students shouldn't be expelled for holding to and abiding by their beliefs," said David French, a senior counsel for the group, which helped out in a similar lawsuit filed against Augusta State University, in Georgia, this month.

Last year Ward refused to treat a suicidal gay student, telling fellow counselors that her religious views prevented her from helping him feel better about himself. Ward plans to become a high school counselor, if anybody will have her after this.

Today In Crazy Teabaggers

The Big House Gets Bigger

After $226M in renovations, Michigan Stadium has become the nation's largest sporting arena. A comparison of its new seating capacity:

For some context, 109,901 people will make the stadium the seventh-largest city in Michigan on game days (passing up Ann Arbor, ironically), and is significantly larger than the largest city in Delaware, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire or North Dakota. The combined populations of the largest cities in West Virginia (Charleston, 53,421) and Wyoming (Cheyenne, 55,362) couldn't quite fill it.

Michigan Stadium is now the third-largest in the world behind arenas in North Korea and India.

Arab Immigrant Wins Miss USA Pageant

Lebanese immigrant Rima Fakih was crowned Miss USA in Las Vegas last night, becoming what may be both the first immigrant and first Muslim to win the 60 year-old pageant.

Fakih was born into a powerful Shiite family in a village in southern Lebanon that was heavily bombed during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. But she and her sister said the family celebrates both Muslim and Christian faiths and prefer to be referred to as Lebanese, Arabs or Arab-Americans. She moved to the United States with her family in 1993 and attended a Catholic school in New York. Her family moved to Michigan in 2003. Her sister, Rana Faqih, who moved back to Lebanon a few months ago for a new job, said she spent the night exchanging messages with her father, Hussein, and another sister, Ruba, who were attending the competition. "It was a beautiful surprise," she told the Associated Press from the family's native village of Srifa in southern Lebanon. "It was not easy for Rima to reach this title."

Predictably, wingnuts and teabaggers are claiming that the contest was rigged. (Probably by our Kenyan president.) Noted loon Debbie Shlussel is already screaming that Fakih is a supporter of Hezbollah. First Carrie Prejean, now this. Beauty pageants used to be so boring!