A Virginia “ex-gay” group won a small victory alongside a big defeat in D.C. Superior Court this summer.

In 2002, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) applied for an exhibit booth at the National Education Association’s annual convention, “Expo 2002.” PFOX submitted an application, signed a deposit check, and prepared its exhibit: an educational display, it claims, “to promote tolerance and equality for the ex-gay community.” The NEA denied PFOX’s application, citing limited booth space. PFOX suspected there was another motive at play: sexual orientation discrimination.

In 2005, POX filed a discrimination claim with the D.C. Office of Human Rights against the NEA for “refusing to provide public accommodations to ex-gays.” When the D.C. Office of Human Rights sided with the NEA, PFOX appealed the decision to D.C. Superior Court. Judge Maurice Ross handed down the decision [PDF] in June of this year: PFOX’s request to reverse the OHR’s decision was denied.

But Ross’s decision wasn’t a total loss for PFOX: While Ross decided in the NEA’s favor, he also held that ex-gays do, in fact, constitute a protected group under the D.C. Human Rights Act. Judging from PFOX’s eerily celebratory press release, this is kind of a big deal for them.

Read More ““Ex-Gays” Protected Under D.C. Human Rights Act, Judge Rules” »

Sure, the hallway of domestic violence courtrooms at D.C. Superior Court sounds like a great place to pick up women. They’re bored. They’re probably on the rebound. And their ex-boyfriend is court-ordered to stay far, far away from your sweet moves. But somehow, the men I’ve witnessed hitting on chicks in Superior have not had much luck leering and hollering inside the courthouse.

Read More “Pick-Up Lines Not to Use In Court” »

Melvin Brown didn’t know that she had another man. Brown had been fooling around with the woman for a little while when he found out about her relationship with Scott Young. Once Brown got to know Young, he decided that no woman was worth the hassle. Besides, Brown had other problems to deal with—he had a girlfriend of his own, and she wasn’t too happy about his girl on the side, either.

Even after the woman was out of the picture, and Brown began patching things up with his own girlfriend, Brown and Young kept on fighting. Both men have been in and out of Erik P. Christian’s courtroom for the past year on various assault charges and protection orders in relation to the mess. Once, Young rode past Brown’s house and threatened him with a gun. It ended up being a fake—a cap gun Young borrowed from his son—but Brown didn’t know that at the time. Today, Young is in court for another schoolyard-appropriate threat: taunting Brown about prison rape.

Read More ““Don’t Drop the Soap! Don’t Drop the Soap!”” »

The Good Guys arson trial is coming to the end. The jury is hearing closing statements now in the trial of Vasile Graure. I’ll have updates on the arguments later in the day.