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Traveling today so won't be able post until late afternoon.

Autopsy Reports Slain Chattanooga AME Pastor Stabbed 18 Times

More on the tragic story of Rev. David Strong, the prominent Chattanooga pastor who was tortured and killed last week. Police have arrested a 25-year-old man with a history of mental problems and his 16-year-old cousin. Detectives believe Strong refused to reveal the PIN for his debit card during a routine robbery. Chattanooga Police Department detectives also tell the media the reverend was possibly "gay" and there could have been "motivating factors."

An autopsy report has been released that shows the pastor's death was extremely violent, reports The Chattanoogan and The Times Free Press.

The Rev. David Strong’s killer stabbed his torso 18 times and lacerated his head four times during a violent homicide last week, according to a medical examiner’s report released Wednesday. ... Diagrams show his neck was punctured seven times. Police say Antonio Henry, 25, and his 16-year-old cousin, Brendan Barnes, used a vase, a stick and a knife to beat Strong’s head and stab his throat. Lt. Kirk Eidson, head of the Chattanooga Police Department’s major crimes division, said dozens of superficial stab wounds indicate a long struggle.

Two days ago, Lt. Kirk Eidson told reporters, "The possibility existed that Rev. Strong was gay. We’re exploring that. We are currently investigating as to any type of motivating factor of that nature. ... Even if that would be the case, they planned a robbery, and they still killed him."

Police have not released any more details on Strong's sexuality or the "motivating factors" ...

Antonio Henry was an "acquainatance" of the slain pastor and Strong was "mentoring" him, members of St. Paul AME Church tell The Chattanoogan. Henry and Barnes each are charged with felony murder and aggravated robbery. Henry remains behind bars on $350,000 bond. Authorities soon will determine whether to try Barnes as an adult.

Rev. David Strong had pastored the St. Paul AME Church for a decade and had a long history in Tennessee and Kentucky with the AME Church. The 2.5 million-member African Methodist Episcopal Church is the world's oldest and largest predominately Black denomination. The AME Church has opposed openly gay clergy, same sex unions and marriage equality.

Justice Dept Expected to Appeal ''Dont Ask, Don't Tell" Injunction

The Department of Justice plans to appeal U. S. District Judge Virginia Phillips' worldwide injunction barring enforcement of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", reports CNN.

"While the government has up to 60 days to file an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco, California, officials familiar with the case said that could happen in the next day or two. A Justice Department spokesman declined comment. The sources familiar with the government's plans expect a motion for an emergency stay to halt the injunction to be filed first with Philips as a matter of procedure. If she rejects it, as expected, the request for an emergency stay would accompany the formal appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court."

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates warns of "enormous consequences" if the ruling in Log Cabin Republicans v the United States of America is allowed to stand.

"A day after a judge in California ordered the Pentagon to cease enforcement of its policy barring gays from openly serving in the military, Gates told reporters that the question of whether to repeal the law should be decided by Congress, and done only after the Pentagon completes its study on the issue. 'I feel strongly this is an action that needs to be taken by the Congress and that it is an action that requires careful preparation, and a lot of training,' said Gates. 'It has enormous consequences for our troops.' The defense secretary said that besides the changes in training, regulations will need revisions and changes may be necessary to benefits and Defense Department buildings."

At the beinning of the summer, Gates also warned Congress of ''damaging'' consequences if they attempted to repeal the ban before the Pentagon completed its "study." This is becoming a recurring theme with the Administration ...

And perhaps not coincidentally, the Pentagon is now leaking the supposed results of surveys that have been conducted in recent months. The LA Times reports the "task force found deep resistance to the idea of repealing the law in some elements of the armed services."

Suspect in NYC Anti-Gay Torture Released on Bail, Claims Innocence

More on the investigation into last week's sadistic anti-gay torture spree in New York City.

On the same day the NYPD arrested a 10th man in connection with the savage gang torture of a 30-year-old gay Bronx man and the two 17-year-old street gang recruits that had sex with him, Ruddy Vargas-Perez, the ninth man arrested, was released on bail and proclaimed his innocence.

" 'God knows that I'm innocent. I had nothing to do with this. I feel good to be free,' he said after posting $25,000 bail. Although Vargas, like the nine others, was charged with a series of hate crimes, Judge John Zoll seemed to sympathize with Vargas' defense lawyer that his client played a lesser role in the crimes. He rejected prosecutors' request to set bond at $250,000."

Meanwhile: 22-year-old Jose Dominguez, arrested on Tuesday, remains behind bars without bail and his wife maintains he is not homophobic.

"Dominguez's 20-year-old pregnant wife, Mary Salas, insisted that her hubby is neither a homophobe - nor a sadist. And she denied he was a member of the sadistic Latin Kings Goonies gang that beat, tortured and sodomized a 30-year-old gay man and two 17-year-olds. His sister is gay, and so are some of his cousins, Salas said."

Of course. Because family members of gay men and lesbians are always so supportive.

You May Have Missed:
UPDATE: Ninth Suspect in NYC Anti-Gay Torture to Surrender
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7 Bronx Gang Members Arrested After Torturing Suspected Gays
WATCH: Victim of NYC Anti-Gay Torture Speaks; 10th Arrest
NYPD Arrests Ninth Suspect in Bronx Anti-Gay Torture Case

Chattanooga: Prominent Pastor Killed; Police Suggest He Was Gay

A 25-year-old man with a history of mental problems and his 16-year-old cousin are accused of the violent torture and killing of a prominent Chattanooga, Tennessee pastor. But what seemingly was the investigation into the botched robbery of Rev. David Strong, pastor at the historic St. Paul AME Church, could become a "gay panic" case .... as police tell reporters the reverend could have been "gay" and there could be "motivating factors."

Detectives discovered the savagely battered body of the 55-year-old Rev. David Strong at his home on Sunday. Strong had been beaten, stabbed, "his throat was cut and he was beaten with a stick or club," reports The Tennessean. This after police pulled over Strong's missing vehicle which was driven by 16-year-old Brendan Barnes. Police linked Barnes and his 25-year-old cousin Antonio Henry to the vicious killing.

Henry and Barnes each are charged with felony murder and aggravated robbery, reports the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

On Tuesday, Chattanooga Assistant Police Chief Tim Carroll said “one of the most brutal” crimes of the year happened after Strong refused to reveal the PIN for his debit card during a routine robbery, but Lt. Kirk Eidson said authorities are investigating “other possible motivating factors.” “The possibility existed that Rev. Strong was gay,” said Eidson, head of the Chattanooga Police Department’s major crimes division. “We’re exploring that. We are currently investigating as to any type of motivating factor of that nature. ... Even if that would be the case, they planned a robbery, and they still killed him.''

As Henry sat in jail on a $350,000 bond, his mother said she “would understand” her son, whom she calls Tony, robbing the preacher. But she said she couldn’t see him murdering the pastor “without a reason.”

Apparently the Chattanooga Police Department is posthumously outing Rev. Strong. That's usually the job of defense attorneys planning a gay panic defense ...

Antonio Henry, who is described as an "acquainatance" of the slain pastor,  has plead guilty to 11 violent crimes in seven years and has "history of schizophrenia... court and medical records show." Henry was convicted of assault after "pulling the braids out of his girlfriend’s scalp during an argument" and ''swinging a crowbar at a man’s head."

Rev. David Strong had pastored the St. Paul AME Church for a decade and had a long history in Tennessee and Kentucky with the AME Church. The 2.5 million-member African Methodist Episcopal Church is the world's oldest and largest predominately Black denomination. The AME Church has opposed openly gay clergy, same sex unions and marriage equality.

Thanks JAMES!

PHOTOS: Essence.com Features First Wedding of Lesbian Couple

For the first time ever, Essence.com, the digital companion to Essence magazine, has featured a lesbian couple in its “Bridal Bliss” section. Essence.com made the decision after meeting with GLAAD regarding including more LGBT issues.There is a 37 page slideshow of Aisha and Danielle Moodie-Mills' gorgeous August 2010 wedding at Old Westbury Gardens in New York.

Aisha and Danielle were among the very first same sex couples to receive a marriage license in Washington DC last spring.

WATCH: Victim of NYC Anti-Gay Torture Speaks; 10th Arrest

Tonight there are two updates to the investigation into last week's sadistic anti-gay torture spree in New York City. The New York Police Department has made a 10th arrest after the brutal anti-gay gang assaults on a 30-year-old gay Bronx man and the two 17-year-old street gang recruits that had sex with him.

Twenty-two-year-old Jose Dominguez was arrested Tuesday and faces charges with assault, unlawful imprisonment and aggravated assault—all as hate crimes, which increase the penalties. On Monday, the NYPD collared its ninth suspect, Ruddy Vargas-Perez, who reneged on a promise made through a lawyer to turn himself in on Friday.

Prosecutors say the Bronx street gang members discovered two of their recruits were possibly gay or bisexual, so they brutally attacked and tortured the 17-year-olds, viciously beating and violently sodomizing them with a wooden plunger handle. One of the teen victims is speaking out about his ordeal. "They asked me 'are you gay?' I was like 'nah'," he tells ABC 7. "They was like 'you did this?' I said 'yea.' 'You did this with the gay guy?' I was like 'yea.' That's when they started hitting me. Like beating me up. I was there for like an hour."

The recruit says gang members told him not to take the gang assault "personally". And after the ordeal ... they told him that he could remain in the gang. Watch the interview AFTER THE JUMP ...

Fed Judge Orders Military to Stop Enforcing "Don't Ask, Dont Tell"

A federal judge has issued a worldwide injunction barring enforcement of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, effectively ending the military's 17-year-old ban on openly gay troops. The order instructs the Department of Defense to immediately "suspend and discontinue any investigation, or discharge, separation, or other proceeding" related to the policy.

U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips' order follows a landmark ruling in September when she declared the law unconstitutional after a two-week trial in Riverside, California. Ruling in Log Cabin Republicans v the United States of America, Judge Phillips said the policy violates the First and Fifth Amendment rights of gay and lesbians. The lawsuit was brought by the Log Cabin Republiocans and originally filed in 2004 against the Bush Administration and then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"Department of Justice attorneys have 60 days to appeal," adds the Associated Press. "Legal experts say the department is under no legal obligation to do so and could let Phillips' ruling stand."

In responding to the lawsuit, the Justice Department was forced into an embarrassing position to contradict statements made by President Barack Obama that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"  "weakens our national security." Obama made the statements in June 2009 at the White House's LGBT Pride Month Reception and in February 2010 at the State of the Union Address. In the response filed by DOJ attorneys, the Administration said the President's statement was not true.

Justice Department attorney previously argued that Phillips does not have the authority to issue an injunction against the ban. Legal experts tell the Associated Press and the New York Times the Obama Administration is not required to appeal the decision. But it is expected that DOJ will file a motion for a stay pending appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

NYPD Arrests Ninth Suspect in Bronx Anti-Gay Torture Case

The New York Police Department has arrested Ruddy Vargas-Perez, the ninth and reportedly final suspect in last week's savage anti-gay torture spree in the Bronx. He was arrested Monday afternoon in the Bronx and taken for questioning to the Special Victims Unit. The 22-year-old Vargas-Perez reneged on a promise made through a lawyer to turn himself in on Friday.

Vargas-Perez and other members of a Bronx street gang are accused in a brutal gang assault on a 30-year-old gay man and the two 17-year-old gang recruits that had sex with him. Vargas-Perez will be arraigned today.

Eight other suspects, ranging from ages 16 to 23, were arraigned on Sunday on charges of gang assault, sexual assault, robbery, weapons possession and menacing—all as hate crimes, which increases the penalties. Six were denied bail and two were given $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond. The eight defendants accused of the vicious assault are literally laughing behind bars, a cellmate tells the Daily News.

Prosecutors say the Bronx street gang discovered two of their recruits were possibly gay or bisexual, so they brutally attacked and tortured the 17-year-olds, as well as the 30-year-old gay man that allegedly had sex with them. The NYPD says the thugs repeatedly beat, burned and tortured the victims ... and sodomized them with a baseball bat and a wooden plunger handle. The most severely brutalized victim was the gay 30-year-old Ecuadorean man. Prosecutors say the man was "stripped, tied up, beaten, made to drink 10 cans of malt liquor, burned on his genitals and sodomized with a small baseball bat."

You May Have Missed:
UPDATE: Ninth Suspect in NYC Anti-Gay Torture to Surrender
Gang Members "Laugh" in Jail After Brutal Anti-Gay Torture
7 Bronx Gang Members Arrested After Torturing Suspected Gays

Las Vegas COGIC Pastor Arrested on 11 Sexual Abuse Counts

This is becoming a sadly familiar story. Yet another pastor in the rabidly anti-gay Church of God in Christ—the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States and the second largest African-American denomination—is accused of sexual misconduct against teenage boys. A Las Vegas pastor was arrested on 11 sexual abuse charges ... five years after a similar case against him was dropped, reports the Las Vegas Sun.

Billy Eckstine McCurdy, 57, pastor of the Revival Temple Church of God in Christ, was taken into custody at 1 p.m. Friday at his home in North Las Vegas without incident, police said. The alleged victims say they were forced into a sexual relationship with McCurdy, police said. They allege he used his position in the church and biblical scriptures to control them and force them into sex acts, police said.

Police said McCurdy spent a great deal of time with young people, including on youth trips to Arizona and California. Police said he conducted events at his home with young men, including sleepovers, and allowed teenagers — two victims involved in the case, among them — to live with him for extended periods. According to the criminal complaint, the alleged crimes happened between April 2007 and October 2009.

The teen boys testified at a grand jury, which indicted McCurdy last Thursday on six counts of sexual assault and five counts of open or gross lewdness. McCurdy is being held at the Clark County Detention Center without bail, adds the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Detectives believe "other victims" have not come forward.

Similar charges were dropped in 2005, after North Las Vegas Police arrested McCurdy after a teenage boy told investigators the pastor fondled him while they slept in the same bed. Will McCurdy's congregation stand by their pastor ... again? Or will they blame the boys for coming forward?

This becomes only the latest charge of sexual misconduct within the Church of God in Christ, which is well known for attracting many closeted black gay men and rivals the Catholic Church for the many sexual predators within its leadership. COGIC is embroiled in numerous lawsuits and criminal investigations around clergy sexual abuse—there is a micro-site on the Church website—and has been accused of covering up sexual misconduct cases for decades. On January 30, a former COGIC pastor was sentenced to 20 years on charges he raped a teenage girl some 25 years ago. One church reportedly has four convicted pedophiles on its payroll. And in March 2010, an Alabama COGIC bishop was also accused of sexual misconduct.

In November 2010 at the Church of God in Christ's Holy Convocation Youth Service in Memphis, the infamously "ex-gay"—or should we say merely "re-closeted"—Grammy Award winning gospel singer Donnie McClurkin delivered an incendiary rant against gays and gay youth and compared them to vampires.  Glass houses, stones, etc..

 

WATCH: Nicki Minaj to Gay Teens: "Be Brave, Suicide Not the Answer"

In a very emotional interview with MTV News, Nicki Minaj discussed the recent nationwide increase of suicide among LGBT teenagers. Seven gay teens have taken their lives in recent weeks—and the most recent two were black gay and lesbian college students.

"I could never imagine what they're going through," the 25-year-old rapper sensation acknowledged. "But I know that suicide is never the answer and I know that things always get better."

Minaj pledged her love and support for her gay fans, saying, "I love you very, very much," and criticized homophobes. "For the people who don't love you, they need help."

Minaj is arguably this year's breakout rap artist and has become a huge favorite among Black LGBT youth. In the May 2010 Details, Nicki Minaj was asked if she thought hip-hop was becoming more gay friendly. The response: "I think the world is getting more gay-friendly, so hip-hop is too. But it's harder to imagine an openly gay male rapper being embraced. People view gay men as having no street credibility. But I think we'll see one in my lifetime."

Watch the interview WHEN YOU JUMP ...

19YO Former Howard Univ Student Aiyisha Hassan Commits Suicide

Very unfortunate news to report as yet another LGBT teen has ended their life. Nineteen-year-old Aiyisha Hassan, a lesbian former Howard University student, took her own life last Tuesday in California.

Hassan becomes at least the seventh LGBT teen to commit suicide in the past five weeks. She also becomes the second Black LGBT teen to commit suicide in two weeks.

Aiyisha Hassan attended Howard University from 2008 to 2009. Students at the historically black university organized a candlelight vigil for Aiyisha Hassan on Thursday night, reports The Hilltop and MetroWeekly. Reports suggest the former HU student was struggling with her sexuality.

"She was having a lot of trouble with a lot of different things, but mainly her sexual identity and just trying to express that," says 21-year-old Lauren Morris, a fourth-year student. Morris says she introduced Hassan to Howard's LGBT student group, and both attended meetings.

There are few details on Aiyisha Hassan's suicide. Services will be held Wednesday, October 13 in Los Angeles at the Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Will this ever end? Will there ever be hope for young people such as Aiyisha Hassan, Raymond Chase and Tyler Clementi?