Morning Sweep

It’s Friday the 13th (again) and we’re still trying to cool down after Winter Heat last night, so pardon our lateness in posting the Sweep this morning – who are we kidding? – afternoon. Anyway, on to the news…

Back in 2007, four Rochester police officers were investigated – but never faced criminal charges – in an alleged gay bashing incident in which they arrested the victims instead of going after the antagonists. Now, the officers are suing the city for $40 million for being “publicly humiliated.”

The trial has begun in the case of a gay Brooklyn man who was allegedly murdered because his killer thought he was making advances at him.

As a result of two CA federal appeals court judges’ writing orders that employees of their courts are entitled to health benefits for their same-sex partners, Obama must now decide whether the government will provide health insurance benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. A decision against benefits will put him in hot water with the LGBT community, while a decision in favor could upset Republicans.

RNC Chairman Michael Steele has gotten some heat for his recent interview in GQ, where he said that he thinks same-sex marriage should be decided by the states and that being gay isn’t a choice: “…You just can’t simply say, oh, like, ‘Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being gay.’ It’s like saying, ‘Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being black.’”

The Army fired 11 soldiers in January for violating “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” according to a monthly update on the impact of the policy. “How many more good soldiers are we willing to lose due to a bad policy that makes us less safe and secure?" asked Democratic Rep. Jim Moran, the member of the House panel that oversees military spending who asked for the updates.

One of our favorite radical right news services is taking the game of Life a little too seriously.