Project Q Atlanta, Posted: 1/25/2010, 11:13 AM
The trial for the Eagle 8—the eight men arrested in the Sept. 10 raid of the Atlanta Eagle—will open Feb. 4 after all, according to the office of the judge overseeing the proceedings. That contradicts information from the defense attorney for the men and one of the bar’s co-owners, who said Friday that the trial was being delayed at the request of Municipal Court Judge Crystal Gaines. Project Q Atlanta reported Friday that Gaines was delaying the trial and scheduling a conference call this week to discuss the case. On Monday, an official in Gaines’ office said the trial remains scheduled for Feb. 4. The Eagle 8 were arraigned Nov. 3. Eagle co-owner Robert Kelley, bartender Chris Lopez (bottom photo), manager David Shepherd and doorman Ernest Buehl face business license charges. Dancers Leandro Apud, Anitonio Benitez, Thdareius Johnson and Robert Kline are charged with providing adult entertainment without a license.

Edge Boston, Posted: 12/31/2009, 12:28 PM
Police have arrested a man in connection with the beating death of a 32-year-old gay man who was attacked outside a gay bar in Toledo, Ohio. City police have placed 20-year-old Terrance Osley in connection with the beating and subsequent death of Marland Woods. A fight on the dance floor of Toledo gay nightspot Caesar’s Show Bar reportedly led to Woods and a number of other patrons being ejected from the bar in the early morning hours of Dec. 13. Woods crossed the street to a nearby bus station, where he was attacked. The assailant reportedly kicked and stomped Woods before fleeing the scene with a number of others in a white Jeep. Police pulled the vehicle over later and placed 20-year-old Norman Coggins under arrest. Coggins was later arraigned on charges of felonious assault and released; he is due back in court on Jan. 8. Woods was hospitalized, but died of his injuries Dec. 19. Police charged Osley with involuntary manslaughter.

Findlay Courier (Ohio), Posted: 12/29/2009, 3:33 PM
A rare night out for Findlay resident Marland Woods cost him his life. He died Saturday from injuries suffered during a fight outside a Toledo bar on Dec. 13. Woods, 33, was beaten outside of Caesar's Showbar, 725 Jefferson Ave., Toledo, following a large bar fight involving multiple people that spilled out of the bar, according to Toledo Police Sgt. Tim Noble. Woods was pronounced dead at 7:50 p.m. Saturday at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center from head injuries. Shonda Floyd, Woods' sister, said it was ironic the incident happened at a bar because her brother preferred the comforts of his Findlay home. "He was such a homebody," Floyd said Tuesday. "This was only the second time this year he went to a bar and this happened to him. He never started any trouble. He died trying to keep someone else from being hurt." Toledo police arrested Norman Corggens, 20, of Toledo, for felonious assault the day of the fight, but have not charged him or anyone else with murder, Noble said. Corggens was released on bond after a hearing in Toledo Municipal Court.

New York Times, Posted: 7/5/2009, 6:45 PM
The grand opening sign still hangs above the door of the Rainbow Lounge, but the recently opened dance club has already become a rallying point for gay men and lesbians here, after a raid by law enforcement last week left one man hospitalized with a head injury and prompted complaints of brutality. The raid in the early hours of June 28 by Fort Worth police officers and agents from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has set off a political uproar and galvanized gay advocates in Fort Worth, who have traditionally been less vocal than in Dallas and Houston. After years of keeping a low profile, gay men and lesbians in Fort Worth say they are furious, and their complaints have spread on the Internet, attracting support from gay rights groups across the country.

WFTV-TV (Fla.), Posted: 6/7/2009, 12:16 AM
The annual Gay Days event is expected to bring 150,000 people into Orlando. The event caused a lot of controversy when it was first held in Orlando 19 years ago, but now organizers say Orlando's tourism industry is supporting it like never before. An estimated $100 million is expected to be generated thanks to the Gay Days event. Gay Days has grown from a one day event to a week long event. About 3,000 people showed up for the event it’s first year. Now, an estimated 150,000 people are expected to fill Central Florida, bars, theaters, malls, restaurants and theme parks. In the past, finding sponsorship was a problem. Universal Studios Blue Man Group and Sea World's Discovery Cove are now sponsors of the event for the first time. Blue Man Group told Eyewitness News, "We recognize that Gay Days is a significant annual event in Central Florida and we appreciate the support that participants have shown Blue Man Group."
"I've been saving for this since last year. It's definitely an event where you spend a lot of money," said visitor Jason Boglio.

Florida Blade, Posted: 6/6/2009, 8:23 AM
The controversy surrounding One Mighty Weekend events at Gay Days in Orlando is growing as party promoter Johnny Chisholm must now deal with a lawsuit and a the possibility of a temporary freezing of assets days during the festivities. Plaintiffs Stephen Bardfield of New York and Charles Carver of North Carolina have brought seven counts against Chisholm and his company Chisholm Properties Circuit Events, including theft, fraud, racketeering and breach of contract. In the past One Mighty Weekend events took place at Walt Disney World and this year tickets were sold for those venues up until the beginning of May, when the locations were unexpectedly moved to a hotel off of Disney World property. In the lawsuit Bardfield and Carver claim they gave Chisholm a $200,000 loan on March 30 to use as a deposit for the events scheduled at Walt Disney World, and they never would have wired him the money without confirmation from Chisholm that all issues with Disney were worked out and the venues were secure.

United Press International (UPI), Posted: 4/17/2009, 6:39 PM
It didn't play in Peoria, Ill., when a karaoke bar called The Elbo Room put up a sign announcing: "We are not a gay bar." Peoria Councilwoman Barbara Van Auken, whose district includes the bar, says the sign violated state law and the city has notified owner Greg Quast, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday. Quast, who could not be reached for comment, has issued a statement apologizing for the sign. Prior to becoming The Elbo Room, the bar on Main Street was called the Quench Room and was known as a gay bar, longtime residents say. Nick Stroman, 33, snapped a photo of the anti-gay sign and sent it to friends via the Internet. A coalition quickly assembled and held a series of protests last weekend. "The sign was basically a sign of intolerance, and we're not going to stand for it anymore," says Stephanie Worlow, 27, one of the organizers of the protest.

Calgary Herald, Posted: 4/17/2009, 3:05 PM
A convicted nose-biter says his inner cannibal got the better of him during a bar brawl on Whyte Avenue two years ago. Zacharie Morrison, 23, told a psychologist earlier this year that when he saw an older man grab a girl on the dance floor that night, he stepped in to defend her. He said the man adopted “gay tactics” and tried to dance with him, but then grabbed him by the throat. “The cannibalist in me came out, I bit his nose,” Zacharie Morrison, 23, told a psychologist earlier this year. “It was really frightening for me.” The young man pleaded guilty Jan. 19 to aggravated assault in connection with the October 2006 assault on Aaron Helferty, who was 31 at the time. Helferty has since undergone surgery to repair his nose. He was not in court Wednesday. Morrison told the psychologist he felt he committed the offence because he was “under pressure.”

The Stranger (Seattle), Posted: 3/10/2009, 12:38 PM
From the department of “man bites dog,” we bring you the story of a Seattle woman apparently using excessive force on police. She has called 911 “once or twice every night” for the past 21 months to complain about noise coming from Neighbours, a gay dance club that has operated since the early 1980s. Her calls began in June 2007, when she moved into a low-income, partially subsidized apartment building at East Pine Street and Broadway, on the same block as the dance club. The most recent complaint on record, made at 2 a.m. last Friday night, summoned the police. The responding officer notes in a report that the woman “calls nightly to complain about music from this club…. She is the only person who calls to complain. She has told officers in the past that she wants to close this club down and will call as many times as it takes to accomplish this.” The woman, a 56-year-old retired nurse who asked not to be named, denies that she is trying to shut down the club.

Seattle Gay News, Posted: 1/11/2009, 1:52 PM
This week 11 Seattle bars catering to the LGBT community received letters warning, "Your establishment has been targeted. I have in my possession approximately 67 grams of ricin with which I will indiscriminately target at least five of your clients." The Stranger weekly newspaper also received a letter repeating the threat and instructing them to "be prepared to announce the deaths of approximately 55 individuals all of whom were patrons of the following establishments on a Saturday in January." The eleven bars targeted were CC's, the Crescent, the Cuff Complex, the Elite, the Madison Pub, Neighbours, Purr, R Place, the Re-bar, the Seattle Eagle, and the Wildrose. Ricin is an extremely toxic poison derived from castor beans. 500 micrograms is considered a toxic dose for a human being.