NEW YORK: State Prison System To Grant Conjugal Visits For Married Gay Inmates

The New York state Department of Corrections announced yesterday that gay inmates who are legally married or in civil union partnerships will be granted conjugal visits with their spouses. Fewer than one-third of New York's 67 prisons allow such visits for anyone and gay inmates applying for a visit must be housed in one of those facilities.

Cutler said the regulation, which appeared in the state Register this week, formalizes a policy change initiated in 2008 by then-Gov. David Paterson, who ordered New York State agencies to recognize same-sex marriages that were legally performed in other states and civil unions. Cutler could not explain why it took so long for the regulation to be finalized in the Register, which lists recent rule-making activities by state agencies. Cutler was unaware of any inmate in a same-sex relationship who has had a conjugal visit, known officially as family reunions. About 20 of the state's 67 correctional facilities allow conjugal visits. Gay marriage advocates welcomed the move, saying any recognition of same-sex relationships is a positive step - even when it occurs in the prisons. "The more the state is consistent with that status of law the better off we are," said Ross Levi, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda.

The new regulations also allow gay inmates to be temporarily furloughed if their spouse is terminally ill.

OREGON: Four Year Prison Sentence For Brutal Attack Over "Gay Hairstyle"

Brandon Sanchez, 21, has been sentenced to four years in an Oregon prison after attacking another man for having a supposedly "gay hairstyle."

Sanchez apparently targeted Mark Bryant, 20, because he showed up at an Aug. 11 party with his hair gelled into a faux hawk, or fake mohawk. Bryant was in a coma for 22 days, had part of his skull temporarily removed to relieve pressure on his brain from swelling and now -- five months after the attack -- wears a patch over his right eye because he can't see clearly out of it. In recent weeks, he's started to walk again. "I'd never wish this upon anyone," Sanchez said. "I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused in your family. ...I've been praying for you." Bryant then asked something he's always wondered about the attack: "Your honor, I have a question he never answered before: Why?" "I was stupid," Sanchez responded. "I wish I could tell you an answer."

(Tipped by JMG reader John)

SENTENCED: Former GOP Majority Leader Tom DeLay Gets Three Years In Prison

Former GOP House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has been sentenced to three years in prison for funneling corporate money to Republican candidates.

The sentence comes after a jury in November convicted DeLay on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. DeLay was once one of the most powerful men in U.S. politics, ascending to the No. 2 job in the House of Representatives. Senior Judge Pat Priest sentenced him to the three-year term on the conspiracy charge. He also sentenced him to five years in prison on the money laundering charge but allowed DeLay to accept 10 years of probation instead of more prison time.

DeLay is appealing the conviction.

The Nation Examines Violence Against Imprisoned LGBT Youth

Not only are LGBT youth highly overrepresented among the nation's homeless, they are imprisoned at a much higher rate than their heterosexual peers. And once behind bars they continue to be victimized. The Nation examines their plight in an online article and the below accompanying video. An excerpt:

Across the United States, the brutal and dysfunctional juvenile justice system sends queer youth to prison in disproportionate numbers, fails to protect them from violence and discrimination while they're inside and to this day condones attempts to turn them straight. Antigay policies aren't just a problem in the Deep South or rural regions. According to Jody Marksamer of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, one of co-authors of a recent report on LGBT youth in the juvenile justice system, "These things happen in every state."

The road to incarceration begins in pretrial detention, before the youth even meets a judge. Laws and professional standards state that it's appropriate to detain a child before trial only if she might run away or harm someone. Yet for queer youth, these standards are frequently ignored. According to UC Santa Cruz researcher Dr. Angela Irvine, LGBT youth are two times more likely than straight youth to land in a prison cell before adjudication for nonviolent offenses like truancy, running away and prostitution. According to Ilona Picou, executive director of Juvenile Regional Services, Inc., in Louisiana, 50 percent of the gay youth picked up for nonviolent offenses in Louisiana in 2009 were sent to jail to await trial, while less than 10 percent of straight kids were. "Once a child is detained, the judge assumes there's a reason you can't go home," says Dr. Marty Beyer, a juvenile justice specialist. "A kid coming into court wearing handcuffs and shackles versus a kid coming in with his parents—it makes a very different impression."