Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Denver Limo, Inc.: The Hottest Limos In Colorado Now at the Lowest Prices of the Year!
Transgender Military Ban Lawsuit Filed
“Last year, the Department of Defense announced that transgender people could serve openly,” said one plaintiff. “I was very relieved and came out as transgender to my commanding officers, who were supportive. My experience has been positive and I am prouder than ever to continue to serve. I am married and have three children, and the military has been my life. But now, I’m worried about my family’s future.”
In June 2016, after comprehensive review of the issue by military experts and others, the Department of Defense announced that transgender people could serve openly in all branches of the U.S. military. The Department concluded that the ban served no legitimate purpose and that open service by transgender people would serve the military’s best interests. Since that time, thousands of transgender service members have begun to serve openly.
“Trump’s directive to exclude transgender people from military service has created a tidal wave of harms that have already been felt throughout our armed services. Transgender service members have been blindsided by this shift and are scrambling to deal with what it means for their futures and their families,” said Shannon Minter, a transgender legal expert and NCLR Legal Director. “The President’s mistreatment of these dedicated troops will serve only to weaken and demoralize our armed forces.”
“The Commander in Chief has said that transgender service members -- people who have served our nation with honor and distinction -- are no longer welcome to serve. This unjustifiable reversal of policy is devastating to these soldiers and harmful to our country. These plaintiffs put their lives on the line every day for all of us. We can’t afford to lose a single one of them,” said Jennifer Levi, Director of GLAD’s Transgender Rights Project.
Plaintiffs serve in the Air Force, the Coast Guard, and the Army. Their years of service range from three years to two decades, and include tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a result of the President’s statements, they face dramatic uncertainty about their futures including the potential loss of their professions, livelihoods, and post-military and retirement benefits.
The complaint, which can be viewed here, rests on claims of equal protection, due process and estoppel, based on the inequity of the reversal of military policy after thousands of service members followed protocol and informed their chain of command that they are transgender.
In addition to NCLR and GLAD, the plaintiffs in Doe v. Trump are represented by lawyers from Foley, Hoag LLP and WilmerHale.
Stonewall Fitness: Keys to Mental and Physical Successes in Training
By David Smith
When it comes to training, it is important that we ready ourselves to accomplish our personal best, each and every session. There are days where we all struggle with motivation, sometimes our best is simply showing up. As they say… “Nobody regrets a workout when it’s done.” So if you can manage to make it to the gym, where do you go from there?
As an exercise professional and coach, I have always stressed the importance of a consistent, comprehensive and sometimes long warm up session. A good warm up set should consist of…
Dynamic Stretches
Increase Range of Motion (ROM) with active movement within the muscle.
Full Body/ General Exercises
Exercises that engage multiple muscle groups at the same time, upper body, lower body and core. Even if session won’t utilize those muscle groups otherwise.
Specific Exercises as related to your goals of the session.
For example, if your set involves heavy squats, incorporating body weight squats for your warm up is a good idea.
The warm up set should be consistent for every session, with slight adjustments to the “Specific Exercises” based on the goals of the session. Remember, you are not trying for any PRs or 1RMs during the warm up set. The goal of the warm up set is to get you into the zone, allow you to shed all the external stresses (work, relationships, general life stress, etc.) So when it comes time to start on your main set, you can exists solely within the moment, focusing only on the task at hand.
Mindfulness is the state of mind where you exist completely within the present moment. What has past and what has to come is irrelevant because you only focus on what is right now. Simply put, if you are climbing a stair case. You don’t focus on the steps behind you nor the steps above you. Your only focused on taking each step. Hence you “take one step at a time”.
Your warm up should be designed to get you into “the zone”. In essence the warm up is really the hardest part of the workout. Taking a bunch of cold muscles and putting them to work while simultaneously taking all the distractions of the outside world and temporarily pushing them aside. It’s a lot to undertake and people generally skip the warm up as a result. When you skip the warm up, your body still has to “warm up” as it were, but you won’t necessarily see the kind of performance gains and improvements during those first few sets that you might otherwise hope. In addition for untrained/ deconditioned individuals might not see performance improvements at all.
A proper warm up is more than just about preventing injury. It’s putting yourself into “The Zone” where your body and mind work in harmony to accomplish the task at hand (set, lift, repetition, etc.) The “Runner’s High” is a perfect example of “The Zone”, yet it usually takes experienced runners a few miles of grueling, strenuous running before they achieve it (warm up). However once you experience the “Runner’s High” it’s like an endophin rush akin to getting high. (Hence it’s the Runner’s High). In this zone you feel like you can run forever, that it almost feels effortless. The sooner you can get into that zone, the more you are capable of putting in your 100% Best Effort and the more likely you are to reach PRs and ultimately, improvements and results. More advanced athletes can get into this zone much quicker due to the number of hours they spend training and practicing. The more time and effort you commit to training, the quicker your body will adapt and sooner you’ll find yourself in the same zone. Learn to “Embrace the Suck” as it were when it comes to warm up. Yes, warm ups should feel challenging, strenous and repetitively annoying. Yet it allows you to get all of that moaning and groaning out of your system first so you can get into your zone and accomplish what you are there to accomplish. Get it done.
When it comes to training, it is important that we ready ourselves to accomplish our personal best, each and every session. There are days where we all struggle with motivation, sometimes our best is simply showing up. As they say… “Nobody regrets a workout when it’s done.” So if you can manage to make it to the gym, where do you go from there?
As an exercise professional and coach, I have always stressed the importance of a consistent, comprehensive and sometimes long warm up session. A good warm up set should consist of…
Dynamic Stretches
Increase Range of Motion (ROM) with active movement within the muscle.
Full Body/ General Exercises
Exercises that engage multiple muscle groups at the same time, upper body, lower body and core. Even if session won’t utilize those muscle groups otherwise.
Specific Exercises as related to your goals of the session.
For example, if your set involves heavy squats, incorporating body weight squats for your warm up is a good idea.
The warm up set should be consistent for every session, with slight adjustments to the “Specific Exercises” based on the goals of the session. Remember, you are not trying for any PRs or 1RMs during the warm up set. The goal of the warm up set is to get you into the zone, allow you to shed all the external stresses (work, relationships, general life stress, etc.) So when it comes time to start on your main set, you can exists solely within the moment, focusing only on the task at hand.
Mindfulness is the state of mind where you exist completely within the present moment. What has past and what has to come is irrelevant because you only focus on what is right now. Simply put, if you are climbing a stair case. You don’t focus on the steps behind you nor the steps above you. Your only focused on taking each step. Hence you “take one step at a time”.
Your warm up should be designed to get you into “the zone”. In essence the warm up is really the hardest part of the workout. Taking a bunch of cold muscles and putting them to work while simultaneously taking all the distractions of the outside world and temporarily pushing them aside. It’s a lot to undertake and people generally skip the warm up as a result. When you skip the warm up, your body still has to “warm up” as it were, but you won’t necessarily see the kind of performance gains and improvements during those first few sets that you might otherwise hope. In addition for untrained/ deconditioned individuals might not see performance improvements at all.
A proper warm up is more than just about preventing injury. It’s putting yourself into “The Zone” where your body and mind work in harmony to accomplish the task at hand (set, lift, repetition, etc.) The “Runner’s High” is a perfect example of “The Zone”, yet it usually takes experienced runners a few miles of grueling, strenuous running before they achieve it (warm up). However once you experience the “Runner’s High” it’s like an endophin rush akin to getting high. (Hence it’s the Runner’s High). In this zone you feel like you can run forever, that it almost feels effortless. The sooner you can get into that zone, the more you are capable of putting in your 100% Best Effort and the more likely you are to reach PRs and ultimately, improvements and results. More advanced athletes can get into this zone much quicker due to the number of hours they spend training and practicing. The more time and effort you commit to training, the quicker your body will adapt and sooner you’ll find yourself in the same zone. Learn to “Embrace the Suck” as it were when it comes to warm up. Yes, warm ups should feel challenging, strenous and repetitively annoying. Yet it allows you to get all of that moaning and groaning out of your system first so you can get into your zone and accomplish what you are there to accomplish. Get it done.
Are You Gay With Something To Say? Bloggers Wanted For Denver's Best Gay Blog!
Are you a new or experienced writer or blogger? Do you want to be? Or maybe you're just some gay guy with something to say? Well, what better forum for you than MileHighGayGuy?
MileHighGayGuy is looking for regular and guest bloggers to write about local news and events, do music and movie reviews, or write opinion or feature pieces from a gay perspective.
These are unpaid positions but offer the opportunity to be published in Colorado's Best Gay Blog (2010, 2011, 2012 OUTstanding Awards, Denver 2012 #WebAwards), expand your audience and gain valuable experience. There's also swag available in the form of free movie and concert tickets, music, books and other cool stuff.
If interested, shoot an email over to Drew Wilson at drew@milehighgayguy.com. And if you've got column or story ideas to pitch, this is the place to do it.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Come Out. Get Fit With Stonewall Fitness.
Colorado Classic to Feature Tour de France Runner-Up Rigoberto Uran and Colorado’s Three-Time Olympian Taylor Phinney
“This field represents cycling’s fiercest competitors from 23 nations, including Kelly Catlin, Rigoberto Uran, and Colorado’s own Taylor Phinney, ” said David Koff, CEO of RPM Events Group, the organization formed to put on the race. “For four days, Coloradans will have a front-row seat for incredible racing and Velorama, a three-day music festival while the race is in Denver.”
The inaugural Colorado Classic features cyclists that have done well in major international races, including one-time Tour of Italy stage winners: Luxembourg’s Silvan Dillier of BMC Racing, Italy’s Marco Canola of team Nippo-Vini Fantini, and New Zealand’s Greg Henderson of United Heathcare Pro Cycling.
This year’s men’s field includes riders who have fared well in prestigious North American races: Trek-Segafredo will feature former USA Pro Challenge stage winners Kiel Reijnen of the United States and Laurent Didier of Luxembourg; Holowesko-Citadel presented by Hincapie Sportswear’s Robin Carpenter, last year’s Tour of Alberta champion; UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling team’s Janier Acevedo, a stage winner and podium finisher in the Tour of California; Canada’s Rob Britton of Rally Cycling, third overall in the 2015 USA Pro Challenge; Sergei Tvetcov of Team Jelly Belly presented by MAXXIS, third overall in the 2014 USA Pro Challenge; Cannondale-Drapac’s Alex Howes, a past stage winner of the USA Pro Challenge and Lawson Craddock, third place finisher in the Tour of California; and UAE’s Vegard Stake Laengen of Norway, the sixth place finisher in this year’s Tour of California.
“Our high-caliber field means fast-paced, competitive racing on courses that offer fans multiple chances to see the action,” said Jim Birrell, Race Director with Medalist Sports. “Not only will they be competing on extremely tough terrain, they’ll be ripping through the course multiple times, testing their own strength and endurance.“
Among the Coloradans to watch are Rally Cycling’s Danny Pate of Colorado Springs, Trek-Segafredo’s Gregory Daniel of Denver, Alex Howes from Golden, Peter Stetina and Taylor Phinney from Boulder.
Riders to watch for the overall title include: Americans Brent Bookwalter of BMC Racing, Rally Cycling’s Evan Huffman, Daniel and Carpenter, a recent winner of the Cascade Classic in Oregon; and Colombians Uran, Acevedo, and Daniel Jaramillo.
“This is an exciting, new approach to bike racing in the U.S,” said Phinney, a Coloradan and pro rider with the Cannondale-Drapac team, “and I can’t wait to once again be a part of pro racing in my home state.”
OUT on DVD/VOD: Baby Steps
Baby Steps Trailer from Barney Cheng on Vimeo.
From the Oscar-winning producer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Taiwanese-American LGBT film BABY STEPS will release on DVD, Blu-ray & VOD in the U.S. and Canada on August 15th via Gravitas Ventures.
This engaging Taiwanese-U.S. dramedy is an homage to Ang Lee's cross-cultural classic The Wedding Banquet, including
an Asian-Caucasian gay couple, the meddlesome mother and the
never-ending quest for a grandchild. But this time around, director
Barney Cheng (who also co-stars and writes) tells the story largely from
the perspective of the mother (Taiwan actress Grace Guei, who was in The Wedding Banquet
and is widely considered the Meryl Streep of Asia) and adds a modern
spin: surrogacy. It's an adventure that takes mother and son all over
the world, including Taipei, Bangkok, Mumbai and Los Angeles. It's a touching coming-out story - not only of a gay man, but also a mother struggling to be part of her son's life.
After a successful festival run, BABY STEPS opened
theatrically throughout Asia, and caused social waves. In Taiwan, the
film opened on Mother's Day 2015, and was part of a national discussion
on LGBT rights that helped propel Taiwan to legalize same-sex marriage
in May 2017. Of worldwide significance, the U.S. State Department has
hosted U.S. embassy screenings of BABY STEPS throughout Asia, including
China, Mongolia, and Myanmar.
Travel: Intrepid Journeys Into Colorado's Ghost Towns
But when those rich resources went bust, dozens of towns were
abandoned—leaving behind saloons, mercantiles and other hallmarks of
Wild West life. Catch glimpses of this bygone era in the remains of
ghost towns tucked amid high peaks and remote wilderness. Though you’ll
have to drive a portion of the way to these deserted destinations, take
an intrepid approach for the final leg.
1. ATV/OFF-ROAD VEHICLE
Ghost towns in Colorado range from mere ruins to surprisingly intact hamlets—for the latter, venture St. Elmo, where a few lingering residents run a general store and a guesthouse. Seek the help of Buena Vista’s ATV Mountain Adventure Rentals,
which will drop you and your rented ride off trailside (and pick you up
later), leaving you to explore the dusty, straight-out-of-a-movie set
streets on your own. An ATV also comes in handy for a bonus trip to
nearby Tin Cup.
Set your sights on Animas Forks, located high in the San Juan Mountains. Just 12 miles away in Silverton, Rock Pirates Backcountry Adventures can hook you up with one of its rugged Tomcar OHVs for a bumpy-yet-scenic excursion up the Alpine Loop Scenic & Historic Byway. Check out nine remaining structures, including the two-story Duncan House with its impressive bay window.
2. HIKE
The North Park area is home to Teller City,
a former silver-mining camp that at one time boasted 27 saloons,
hundreds of log cabins and more than 1,500 residents—not too shabby
given its dense-forest location. Head southeast of Walden to
the Teller City Interpretive Site, then hit the .75-mil loop trail that
winds arounds scattered remains of cabins and other artifacts.
The high-altitude setting of Carson (almost 12,000 feet) makes it all the more rewarding for its views of massive peaks. Lake City, situated near the Continental Divide, is your base for this adventure. Hop on the Alpine Loop Scenic & Historic Byway to
Wager Gulch Trailhead. The moderate-to-difficult hike is a steady,
3.4-mile climb leading through open meadows and aspen stands to the
Carson site.
3. BIKE
Eleven miles south of Aspen, Ashcroft is
one of a few ghost towns that can be visited year-round. But it would
be a shame to miss the vivid colors of wildflower season in late summer
or fall’s brilliant foliage—both ideal times for a two-wheeled ride
along Castle Creek Road. Named to the National Register of Historic
Places in 1975, Ashcroft is currently maintained by the Aspen Historical
Society, and highlights include the still-standing post office, Blue
Mirror Saloon and town jail.
Central City escaped a boom-to-bust fate, but hidden just up the hill is Nevadaville,
which bustled with some 4,000 people in its heyday. Several original
buildings and a few gravesites are left, in addition to the Nevada Lodge
No.4, still used by Freemasons for monthly meetings. The route up
gravelly County Road 1-S is just over a mile and makes for a nice
mountain-bike jaunt.
4. SNOWSHOE/CROSS-COUNTRY SKI
Wintertime doesn’t always mean you can’t visit—in fact the scene might have a more ethereal vibe blanketed in snow. South of Ouray lies
Ironton Park, home to the slumbering remnants of the Ironton townsite. A
local group maintains and grooms Nordic trails after fresh snows,
including the roughly 2-mile Townsite Loop, which passes by a two-story
Victorian house and the Larson Brother’s Mine.
Close to Summit County’s popular ski resorts is Mayflower Gulch Trail. Go six miles south of Copper Mountain to
the trailhead, then strap on your showshoes for a four-mile round trip
to Boston Mine. Your path follows a gently sloped wagon road through
forest before opening up to a bowl peppered with old mining cabins and
an ore chute at the base of Fletcher Mountain.
5. JEEP TOUR
Sometimes it’s easier—but no less thrilling—to let the pros take
the wheel. Telluride Outside guide service is happy to oblige with its
4WD tours in beefed-up Chevy trucks. The Imogene Pass itinerary departs
from Telluride toward Tomboy
Strike out from Marble on
an expedition to Crystal City, courtesy of Crystal River Jeep Tours.
Your guide will navigate the terrain while you enjoy dramatic
landscapes. Just before the town entrance is the exceptionally
picturesque Crystal Mill, perched above the river. Two shops and a dozen
cabins are reminders of the once-thriving community, but a few friendly
summer residents also carry on.
PIT STOP: HISTORIC COLORADO WATERING HOLES
Detour from the ghost-town quest and relive the Old West at some of Colorado’s oldest places to quench your thirst
- The Centennial State’s longest-surviving gold-rush-era business, Buffalo Rose Saloon in Golden, got its start as the international Bowling Saloon in 1859.
- Though established in 1862, the original building of The Mint in Silverthorne has been taken apart and moved three times.
- Inside Aspen’s historic Hotel Jerome, J-Bar has been slinging boozy concoctions to the likes of John Wayne and Hunter S Thompson since 1889.
- Not much has changed at the New Sheridan Bar in Telluride since its 1895 construction within a hotel of the same name, from the mahogany wood paneling to stiff pours.
- Dining and drinking venues have been operating in The Minturn Saloon’s Vail Valley location since 1901.
*Exercise caution around all sites and be mindful of rapidly
changing weather conditions, especially at high altitude. Taking
souvenirs is strictly prohibited, but snap all the photos you like.
Too Close To Touch - The Art of Eye Contact
Fresh off performing all summer on the Vans Warped Tour, Too Close To Touch share a new video for “The Art of Eye Contact.” Front man Keaton Pierce explains: “The Art Of Eye Contact” is a song that’s holds a lot of meaning to us and is about the wide range of emotions you can often feel throughout the course of a relationship with someone you care about, even if they wear you out in the process. We wanted to do something unique and felt the story behind the track could be best told through interpretive dance. We’re thankful to the talented artists and crew who helped bring this to life.”
Rhein Haus: Serving Up Weiners Und Balls in Downtown Denver
The Gay Vegans: Charities We Support
We believe that our money can help many passionate groups work at their mission even better! So we donate when we can. These are groups we have financially supported in the last year:
Espanola Humane Society
Farm Sanctuary
Max Fund
Mercy For Animals
Rooterville, a sanctuary
Southern Plains Land Trust
Urban Peak
Do You Want To Reach Denver's Gay Community? Advertise With Denver's Best Gay Blog!
Just click the Advertising page or email sales@milehighgayguy.com to get started today.
Monday, August 7, 2017
Are You Gay With Something To Say? Bloggers Wanted For Denver's Best Gay Blog!
Are you a new or experienced writer or blogger? Do you want to be? Or maybe you're just some gay guy with something to say? Well, what better forum for you than MileHighGayGuy?
MileHighGayGuy is looking for regular and guest bloggers to write about local news and events, do music and movie reviews, or write opinion or feature pieces from a gay perspective.
These are unpaid positions but offer the opportunity to be published in Colorado's Best Gay Blog (2010, 2011, 2012 OUTstanding Awards, Denver 2012 #WebAwards), expand your audience and gain valuable experience. There's also swag available in the form of free movie and concert tickets, music, books and other cool stuff.
If interested, shoot an email over to Drew Wilson at drew@milehighgayguy.com. And if you've got column or story ideas to pitch, this is the place to do it.
Nice to See StevieB: Godzilla
I made Mike and the boyfriend, Naveen, sit through a Godzilla movie yesterday. It was Godzilla verses Mothra. No, Not the awesome classic 1964 version. It was an odd sort of remake from 1983. I am finding that both on Hulu and Netflicks, first run classic movies are disappearing faster than King Ghidorah into deep space. (That’s fast). It is exceedingly tough to find and good classic movie. Even ITunes is losing its collection.
Now, I have said many times that I have horrible taste in movies. When Mike the roommate, and/or Naveen settle down with me to watch a movie I wince at the thought of watching any mainstream movie. I will watch it. But, the sound of my eyes rolling may interrupt the experience. I understand that there is a given small amount of 1950’s – 1970’s Science Fiction movies in the universe. This means that my choices are limited, but even with such a small genre you would think that platforms such as Hulu or Netflicks would have a wider selection. Or… still have a wide selection. Because they did. Before they got cool.
Oklahoma gay man files federal civil rights lawsuit after home is burned to the ground following months of racist and homophobic attacks
This week, Randy Gamel-Medler, an Oklahoma gay man, filed a federal equal protection lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma against nine defendants from Blaine County, Oklahoma, including Mayor of Hitchcock Rick Edsall, Sheriff of Blaine County Tony Almaguer, and Undersheriff of Blaine County David Robertson. The lawsuit also includes state law claims for assault, battery, destruction of real and personal property, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The complaint details months of police and government inaction in response to racist and homophobic threats and harassment.
"When our family moved to the town of Hitchcock in rural Oklahoma we thought we were buying our last house, we wanted to know our neighbors by their first names and grow old together, but we were soon met with hatred, suspicion, and discrimination,” said plaintiff Randy Gamel-Medler. “We were terrorized, murder threats were made against our seven year-old African-American son. Town officials conspired to run us out of office, all while local law enforcement ignored our pleas for help. We are now left with the last 27 years of our life literally erased. What do we do now?"
Gamel-Medler, a white gay man with a seven year-old African-American son, was first threatened in September 2016 at a town council meeting only one month after moving to Hitchcock, Oklahoma. Upon learning that Gamel-Medler had an African-American son, defendant Meradith Norris, a town of Hitchcock Trustee, asked, “What’s going to happen when your house burns down and we don’t send out the fire trucks?” In response, Gamel-Medler filed a police report, but no criminal action was taken.
"We must not forget that after years of progress, crimes of bias still exist. The allegations in Hitchcock are horrific, and show the intersection of hate aimed at the both the African-American and LGBTQ Communities. Freedom Oklahoma stands with all victims of bias, and will work vigilantly to ensure the state of Oklahoma passes Bias-Crime Protections for all Oklahomans," said Freedom Oklahoma Executive Director Troy Stevenson.
In early May 2017, Gamel-Medler was performing his duties as town clerk by clearing an obstruction from the road when he was assaulted by defendant Jonita Pauls Jacks, who tried to enter Gamel-Medler’s truck and then after realizing it was locked began shaking the truck, called him a “f***ing queer,” and stated, “I’m going to grab your little boy, rip his n***er head off, and sh** down his throat.” When Gamel-Medler attempted to file a police report after this incident, he was informed that the mayor had already described this incident to the police. The Deputy Sheriff refused to take a report, said that this is just how these folks are, and characterized the incident as free speech.
"This abhorrent incident underscores the urgent need for our communities and public officials to commit to combatting the epidemic of hate-based violence that continues to plague too many in the LGBTQ community," said Robin Maril, HRC's Associate Legal Director. "No family should have to fear for their safety because of who they are or whom they love. LGBTQ people in Oklahoma and around the nation need action. We must demand training to ensure that law enforcement officials have the tools they need to partner with LGBTQ community-members and to swiftly respond to hate crimes with sensitivity. Adoption of mandatory reporting requirements for hate-crime statistics coupled with the passage of statewide LGBTQ-inclusive hate crimes and non-discrimination protections are also essential to ending this violence. Our hearts go out to the Medler family during this incredibly difficult time."
Over the next several weeks, the complaint states that one or more of the defendants threw gravel several times at Gamel-Medler’s home, posted a sign outside of the post office stating that “the town clerk is a “f***ing queer,” and attempted to run a friend of Gamel-Medler’s off of the road.
“No family should live in fear or have to endure harassment and threats based on racism and homophobia,” said Shannon Price Minter, legal director at LGBTQ national legal organization NCLR. “We must hold those government officials, members of law enforcement, and others accountable.
On May 28, the complaint notes that Gamel-Medler heard the sound of glass breaking in his garage and called the Sheriff’s office to report a burglary. He then saw a fire in his garage and called the fire department. Despite the fire department being located one block away from Gamel-Medler’s home, the fire department failed to arrive until the house had burned to the ground. While the house was burning, a number of the named defendants watched it burn, including Mayor of Hitchcock Rick Edsall, who sat and watched with his family in lawn chairs.
"The horrific treatment of this man and his child are a terrible reminder of how hatred and bigotry feed off of each other. I hope this lawsuit will bring justice for him and social awareness for everyone," said the attorney on this case, Mark Hammons of Hammons, Gowens, Hurst, & Associates.
"When our family moved to the town of Hitchcock in rural Oklahoma we thought we were buying our last house, we wanted to know our neighbors by their first names and grow old together, but we were soon met with hatred, suspicion, and discrimination,” said plaintiff Randy Gamel-Medler. “We were terrorized, murder threats were made against our seven year-old African-American son. Town officials conspired to run us out of office, all while local law enforcement ignored our pleas for help. We are now left with the last 27 years of our life literally erased. What do we do now?"
Gamel-Medler, a white gay man with a seven year-old African-American son, was first threatened in September 2016 at a town council meeting only one month after moving to Hitchcock, Oklahoma. Upon learning that Gamel-Medler had an African-American son, defendant Meradith Norris, a town of Hitchcock Trustee, asked, “What’s going to happen when your house burns down and we don’t send out the fire trucks?” In response, Gamel-Medler filed a police report, but no criminal action was taken.
"We must not forget that after years of progress, crimes of bias still exist. The allegations in Hitchcock are horrific, and show the intersection of hate aimed at the both the African-American and LGBTQ Communities. Freedom Oklahoma stands with all victims of bias, and will work vigilantly to ensure the state of Oklahoma passes Bias-Crime Protections for all Oklahomans," said Freedom Oklahoma Executive Director Troy Stevenson.
In early May 2017, Gamel-Medler was performing his duties as town clerk by clearing an obstruction from the road when he was assaulted by defendant Jonita Pauls Jacks, who tried to enter Gamel-Medler’s truck and then after realizing it was locked began shaking the truck, called him a “f***ing queer,” and stated, “I’m going to grab your little boy, rip his n***er head off, and sh** down his throat.” When Gamel-Medler attempted to file a police report after this incident, he was informed that the mayor had already described this incident to the police. The Deputy Sheriff refused to take a report, said that this is just how these folks are, and characterized the incident as free speech.
"This abhorrent incident underscores the urgent need for our communities and public officials to commit to combatting the epidemic of hate-based violence that continues to plague too many in the LGBTQ community," said Robin Maril, HRC's Associate Legal Director. "No family should have to fear for their safety because of who they are or whom they love. LGBTQ people in Oklahoma and around the nation need action. We must demand training to ensure that law enforcement officials have the tools they need to partner with LGBTQ community-members and to swiftly respond to hate crimes with sensitivity. Adoption of mandatory reporting requirements for hate-crime statistics coupled with the passage of statewide LGBTQ-inclusive hate crimes and non-discrimination protections are also essential to ending this violence. Our hearts go out to the Medler family during this incredibly difficult time."
Over the next several weeks, the complaint states that one or more of the defendants threw gravel several times at Gamel-Medler’s home, posted a sign outside of the post office stating that “the town clerk is a “f***ing queer,” and attempted to run a friend of Gamel-Medler’s off of the road.
“No family should live in fear or have to endure harassment and threats based on racism and homophobia,” said Shannon Price Minter, legal director at LGBTQ national legal organization NCLR. “We must hold those government officials, members of law enforcement, and others accountable.
On May 28, the complaint notes that Gamel-Medler heard the sound of glass breaking in his garage and called the Sheriff’s office to report a burglary. He then saw a fire in his garage and called the fire department. Despite the fire department being located one block away from Gamel-Medler’s home, the fire department failed to arrive until the house had burned to the ground. While the house was burning, a number of the named defendants watched it burn, including Mayor of Hitchcock Rick Edsall, who sat and watched with his family in lawn chairs.
"The horrific treatment of this man and his child are a terrible reminder of how hatred and bigotry feed off of each other. I hope this lawsuit will bring justice for him and social awareness for everyone," said the attorney on this case, Mark Hammons of Hammons, Gowens, Hurst, & Associates.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)