A neighbor came to the rescue of a Miami lesbian couple and their eight children after another neighbor, registered sex offender, Braulio Valenzuela-Villanueva, 72, set fire to the couple’s trailer while they slept.

Police arrested Valenzuela-Villanueva, who told police that he “despised the two adult victims for the simple fact that they were lesbians.” His bail is set at $230,000.

In the middle of the night, Valenzuela-Villanueva, who lives next door to the family, allegedly set fire to a mattress leaning on the wall of the family’s trailer, police said.

The neighbor across the street saw the fire and woke up the family who escaped the burning trailer. Other neighbors rallied to fight the fire with garden hoses until fire fighters arrived.

Police have a surveillance recording made by yet another neighbor of the arson, which allowed police to identify Valenzuela-Villanueva, who is charged him with attempted second-degree murder, arson and committing a hate crime.

In a statement to police, Valenzuela-Villanueva said that every time he saw the women kissing, he felt a deep repugnance and in his opinion they did not deserve to have children.

The family has not been named at this point.

The post Neighbor saves lesbian family from burning trailer first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Vigils throughout Texas are planned Wednesday night to commemorate the lives of Britney Cosby and Crystal Jackson, 24, who were found killed near a trash bin in Port Bolivar on March 7.

Cosby’s father, James Larry Cosby, has been arrested in connection with the case. According to various media outlets, Cosby’s mother believes James Cosby was upset by the relationship.

The couple who had been together for two years lived in Houston with Cosby’s five-year-old daughter.

“We want to celebrate the way Britney and Crystal lived and not the way they died. They were a part of a community, an LGBT family that mourns their loss, said Dallas GetEQUAL TX activist C.d. Kirven in a statement.

Vigils will be held in Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin and Corpus Christi.

Tiffani Bishop, co-state lead organizer for GetEQUAL TX said, “The tragic murders of Britney and Crystal are truly heartbreaking. To discover that Britney’s father is suspected of committing these crimes is difficult to wrap my head around. It is beyond time that our community begin an open and honest dialogue about violence against queer women of color.”

Vigil attendees are asked to wear yellow to honor the women’s memory. More vigils throughout the state are in the works. The GetEQUAL TX Facebook page will have details.

If you have information, please contact the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 866-248-8477 or Galveston County Crime Stoppers 409-763-8477.

All the vigils are on Wednesday, March 26, 2014, at the times and locations below.

Austin Vigil
8pm
MCC Austin
8601 South 1st St.

Dallas Prayer Vigil

7pm
Living Faith Covenant Church
3403 Shelley Blvd.

Fort Worth Vigil
8pm
Rainbow Lounge
651 South Jennings Ave.

Corpus Christi
7:30pm
The Water Gardens
1902 N. Shoreline

The post Vigils throughout Texas for murdered lesbian couple first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The father of one of the lesbians killed in Galveston County, Texas, on Friday was arrested in connection with the murders today, according to The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office.

James Larry Cosby, 46, Houston, is the father of Britney Cosby, 24, who was beaten to death. Her girlfriend, Crystal Jackson, 24-year-old mother of a five-year-old daughter was shot, the Galveston County Medical Examiner said. Both women’s bodies were found near a dumpster on the Bolivar Penisula.

Police say the women were killed elsewhere and dumped behind the Cove Food Mart.

James Larry Cosby is being held in the Galveston County Jail with bail set at $500,000. Two charges have been filed against him related to tampering with evidence in connection to the double homicide, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The post Father arrested in lesbian double homicide first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Sketch released by police of the
possible suspect in the Texas lesbians
murder case

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

The sheriff’s office in Galveston County, Texas, has released a sketch of a possible suspect in the murder of a Houston lesbian couple. The man is believed to have been with the couple shortly before their deaths.

Britney Cosby and Crystal Jackson, both 24, were found dead outside a convenience store in Port Bolivar last Friday. The couple, together two years, had traveled to Galveston for Mardi Gras. Police report that Cosby was bludgeoned to death while Jackson, mother to a 5-year-old daughter, was shot.

Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying the man in the composite sketch. He is described as a black man, possibly in his late 20s to early 30s. He would have been last seen with the women and may be driving a new silver 2006 Kia Sorrento that belonged to Cosby. Police are continuing to search for the missing vehicle, which could be a key piece of evidence in helping solve the killing. The vehicle has paper Texas tags.

Meanwhile, earlier this week members of both families gathered in Port Bolivar to pray at the spot where the women were found and pass out flyers depicting the composite sketch of the possible suspect.

“Just come forward, just to give us closure as a family. Just come forward, ’cause we need closure at this point,” said McDade Cosby, sister of one of the slain women.

“I just want closure. It’s not fair,” Cosby’s grandmother, Patricia Dixon, told FOX Houston. “I know we all have to leave here, but it’s not right to take someone’s life and throw them away like garbage.”

Anyone with information about the case should contact the Galveston County sheriff’s office at (866) 248-8477 or Galveston County Crime Stoppers at (409) 763-8477.

The post Police release sketch of suspect in Texas lesbian couple murder case first appeared on Lesbian.com.

A Houston lesbian couple celebrating Mardi Gras were found dead near a Dumpster behind Fisherman’s Cove Food Mart in Galveston, Texas, on Friday morning, according to ABC News.

Crystal Jackson and Britney Cosby, both 24, lived together in Houston and had been together for two years. Jackson has a five-year-old daughter.

It appears the women were killed elsewhere and moved, detectives told ABC News. The women died in different ways. Police say motive is unclear at this point.

The couples’ newly purchased silver 2006 Kia Sorrento is missing. Investigators say whoever took their lives may have the vehicle.

Call the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 866-248-8477, if you have information about the murders or stolen car.

The post Houston lesbian couple found dead first appeared on Lesbian.com.

No Hate Stop Sign

BY KEVIN MATHEWS
Care2

Though laws may be on the books to protect the gay community from hate crimes and homophobic harassment, most such acts go unprosecuted. The blame for this situation can be shared among a number of parties: a flawed justice system, police officers that take these crimes less seriously, and victims who rarely report the incidents so that the perpetrators can be held responsible.

To learn the extent of the problem, Stonewall, a British LGBTQ rights group, conducted “The Gay British Crime Survey.” Respondents were able to illuminate just how rampant homophobic hate crimes are, figures that are usually obscured due to a lack of reporting.

Read more at Care2.com

Care2 is the largest online community of people passionate about making a difference

The post 10 shocking statistics about anti-LGBT hate crimes first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has formally voted to explicitly declare that the so-called gay or trans “panic defense” should not be used during prosecutions. What does this mean, and what work is still to be done?

This week, the ABA House of Delegates passed by unanimous vote a resolution that urges federal and state lawmakers as well as local governments to pass measures against the use of the gay or trans panic defense by criminal defendants.

Read more at Care2.com

Care2 is the largest online community of people passionate about making a difference.

The post ABA to lawmakers: Ban use of ‘gay panic’ defense first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Susan Belyea and Karen Dubinsky
(Photo courtesy of TheWhig.com)

BY KELLY MORRIS
TheSeattleLesbian.com

One particular lesbian couple from Kingston, Ontario is learning first-hand that every cloud has a silver lining. Susan Belyea and Karen Dubinsky were threatened by letters addressed to “Lesbian Bitches” posted outside their home last week.

One of the letters read: “We are a small but dedicated group of Kingston residents devoted to removing the scourge of homosexuality in our city. We know you and have been following you for the past several weeks and we wish for you to leave this city, before it’s too late, for you.”

Read more at TheSeattleLesbian.com

The Seattle Lesbian online magazine reaches more than 188,000 readers per week globally.

The post Lesbian couple receives violent threats from neighbors first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Photo via Queerty

BY HUFFINGTON POST GAY VOICES

An elderly Washington state resident has been slapped with anti-gay hate crime allegations after what started off as a simple fender-bender spiraled into something considerably uglier. The alleged victims said that William Zesbaugh, 71, emerged from his car with a Club steering wheel lock and began beating Branch with it, yelling, “I can tell you’re lesbians. I should beat the crap out of you!”

Although one woman who was in the car is openly lesbian, the woman Zesbaugh attacked reportedly identified herself as being straight and married.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Man charged with hate crime after roadside attack first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Mallory Owens, the young woman who was attacked on Thanksgiving Day by her girlfriend’s brother, has released a statement concerning the attack. The full body of that statement is below:

Official Statement from Mallory Owens and Family

I am represented by attorney Christine Hernandez. I am supported by my family, friends, several organizations including Equality Alabama and GLAAD as well as numerous other indviduals who have offered a multitude of support to myself and my family including all of those that have donated to help me with my medical expenses. For all of you that have supported me, I am very grateful.

Read more at TheSeattleLesbian.com

The Seattle Lesbian online magazine reaches more than 188,000 readers per week globally.

The post Thanksgiving attack victim releases statement first appeared on Lesbian.com.