AMERICA’S LARGEST CIRCULATION GAY AND LESBIAN NEWSPAPER! TM NEWS YOUR FREE LGBT NEWSPAPER APRIL 16-29, 2009 VOL. EIGHT, ISS. 08 SERVING GAY, LESBIAN, BI AND TRANSGENDERED NEW YORK • WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM ■ Gay City■ HUMAN RIGHTS CRIME Iraqi Gay DA, Prostitution Murders Surge; Arrestees Meet; World Finally Dismissals May Takes Note Come BY DOUG IRELAND BY DUNCAN OSBORNE s organized killings of Iraqi gays n what may be a prelude to dis- have escalated in recent months missing charges against some men A amid a homophobic campaign in I and women who were arrested for that nation’s media, openly gay Demo- prostitution by officers in the Manhat- cratic Congressman Jared Polis of Colo- tan South Vice Enforcement Squad, the rado has asked the US State Depart- Manhattan district attorney’s office has ment to investigate. Polis, the first non- met with some of the arrestees. incumbent openly gay man ever elected “She took it seriously, she listened to to Congress, who returned from a visit what he had to say,” said Linda Poust to Iraq at the beginning of April, told Gay Lopez, a Legal Aid supervising attorney, City News that while in Baghdad he had referring to the assistant district attor- met with the chargé d’affaires, who is ney who met with her and a male client overseeing the US embassy pending the arrested in an East Village porn shop arrival of a new ambassador. last year. “I just wish they would talk to “We asked the embassy and the State the other defendants also.” Department to investigate the reports Under an arrangement called “queen of killings of gay men, and turned over for a day,” defendants tell the story of to the chargé d’affaires the names and their arrests to the district attorney. The phone numbers of all the gay Iraqi con- deal is that the information may not be tacts we had and a letter detailing our ACETO F. DONNA used against them unless later testimo- concerns,” including allegations that GOVERNOR DAVID PATERSON AT LAST JUNE’S LGBT PRIDE MARCH IN MANHATTAN ny departs from what they said during the Iraqi government is involved in the the “queen for a day” session. killings, Polis told this reporter, adding, Gay City News is aware of roughly “They seemed very willing to investi- gate.” DA P. 11 If the State Department does under- Paterson take such an investigation, that would IRAQ P. 2 In this issue: Ups the Ante ■ EDITORIAL Marriage’s time has come ■ 12 BY PAUL SCHINDLER votes for passage that Majority Leader ————————————————— Malcolm Smith of Queens continues to ■ iming to capitalize on the wave say are not there yet. The heavily Demo- TRIBECA UNSPOOLS of momentum created by mar- cratic Assembly passed the bill in June As ever, festival strongest A riage equality victories in Iowa 2007 by a comfortable margin of 85-61, in international films and Vermont — which led the Empire and is expected to do the same this year. ■ 16 State Pride Agenda’s top official to say, On April 14, hours after word of Pat- ————————————————— “I’m embarrassed for New York State” erson’s impending announcement sur- — Governor David Paterson will intro- faced on the New York Times’ website, ■ FLOWER POWER duce a marriage equality bill on April 16. Senator Thomas Duane, an out gay “Hair” still shining, The Democratic governor’s action comes Chelsea Democrat expected to be the gleaming, streaming VADIM SHEPEL VADIM roughly 75 days ahead of the end of the measure’s lead Senate sponsor, voiced ■ 2009 legislative session, which means optimism that, notwithstanding Smith’s 20 WEST END GAYEST YET his party’s leaders in the State Senate ————————————————— 22 will have to move aggressively to find the PATERSON P. 4 © GAY CITY NEWS 2009 • COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 16 - 29 APR 2009 2/ Human Rights ᭤ IRAQ, from p.1 have now only one safe house left.” Hili also said that he had reflect a significant change in received reports from Iraq of five US policy by the Obama admin- gay men, all Iraqi LGBT mem- istration. In 2007, two openly bers, who are in prison awaiting gay members of Congress, Dem- execution. Hili said “We have ocrats Barney Frank of Massa- been told they are expecting to chusetts and Tammy Baldwin be executed in two weeks.” of Wisconsin, wrote a lengthy Hili said it is unclear on what letter to Bush Secretary of State precise charges the gay men Condoleezza Rice detailing the will be executed. “One of our anti-gay death squads’ murder informants who was in deten- campaign and asking the US to tion with these five guys and investigate and intervene. Their then was released told me by letter, which cited extensive phone how these men told him reporting in Gay City News on that their trial was a lighten- repression of gays in Iraq, had ing-quick kangaroo court. It no effect. was an incredibly brief trial, Polis, a millionaire Internet and these five members of ours entrepreneur and philanthro- weren’t able to obtain legal rep- pist, traveled to Iraq at his own resentation or defend them- expense before his election last selves in that kind of context.” year and attempted to inves- Hili said that according to this tigate the ongoing campaign account, the five members of of “sexual cleansing” of Iraqi his group “thought they were homosexuals, and on his return being accused of being a part of contributed $10,000 to the Lon- a ‘terrorist organization,’ mean- don-based all-volunteer asso- Activists, including Barbara Anne Mohr, Walter Armstrong, Brendan Fay, and Jesus Lebron, protested outside the Iraqi Mission to the United ing Iraqi LGBT,” Hili recounted. ciation Iraqi LGBT, which has a Nations on April 10, and were stymied by the NYPD in standing on the adjacent sidewalk and in delivering a letter to the door. A Mission official The five were found by police in network of members and corre- eventually came outside to accept the letter, ending the stalemate. possession of literature from his spondents throughout Iraq that group. Hili has spoken with both has been tracking the organized this time which we believe is death squads, which Gay City com at the conclusion of this Amnesty International and with campaign of assassinations of inspired by the Ministry of the News first reported three years article’s online version). Human Rights Watch about the Iraqi gays. Interior, both in the daily news- ago (see this reporter’s March Iraqi LGBT activists in Iraq case of his five members await- Ali Hili, the coordinator of papers and on nearly all the 23, 2006 article, “Shia Death have been the victims of Badr ing execution. Iraqi LGBT, who briefed Polis television stations. Their reports Squads Target Iraqi Gays,” a Corps members operating in Dalia Hashad of Amnesty by telephone for his Iraqi trip, brand all gays as ‘perverts’ and link to which appears in the police uniforms, including five International told Gay City told Gay City News from Lon- try to portray us as terrorists online version of this story at key gay activists arrested in a News, “Amnesty has been don that “we have been able to who are undermining the moral gaycitynews.com). “Gay men police raid on a secret organiz- unable to get from the Iraqi gov- confirm 63 more murders of gay fiber of Iraqi youth.” Hili said and lesbians have long been ing meeting in 2006; no word of ernment any confirmation that people in Iraq just since Decem- the current homo-hating media among the targets of both Shi- them has since surfaced, and the men are in custody or that ber,” bringing to nearly 600 the campaign appears to have been ite and Sunni death squads” in they are presumed to have been they are facing execution, but number of cases of LGBT Iraqis sparked as an unfortunate reac- Iraq, the Times reported. killed (see the link to this report- from what we have heard from killed for their sexuality that his tion to an April 4 Reuters dis- Unfortunately, the Times er’s December 7-12, 2006 arti- individuals in Iraq, they were group has documented since patch that reported: “Two gay article omitted any mention of cle, “Iraqi Gay Activists Abduct- sentenced to die for belong- the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sis- men were killed in Baghdad’s the anti-gay death squads of the ed”). There have been 17 Iraqi ing to a ‘banned group.’ We are tani, the spiritual leader of all Sadr City slum, a local official Badr Corps, the military arm of LGBT activists killed since the protesting to the Iraqi govern- Iraqi Shiite Muslims, issued a said, and police said they had the former Supreme Council for Ayatollah Sistani’s 2005 fatwa, ment and are continuing to try death-to-all-gays fatwa in 2005. found the bodies of four more the Islamic Revolution in Iraq including Hili’s own brother. to investigate, but it is very dif- But, Hili added, “Since there are after clerics urged a crackdown (SCIRI), which in 2007 changed Hili said the Times article ficult to get any information parts of Iraq where we have no on a perceived spread of homo- its name to the Islamic Supreme also gave a somewhat mislead- about such prisoners in Iraq.” correspondents or members, we sexuality… The police source Council of Iraq when it entered ing impression about the degree Scott Long, director of Human are convinced that the actual said the bodies of four gay men the coalition government as to which Iraqi gays are able to Rights Watch’s LGBT desk, told number of gays killed in these were unearthed in Sadr City on its largest Islamist party, and be open.