Four Men Arrested in Murder of Gay Journalist in Northern Ireland

Four men have been arrested in the murder of gay journalist and LGBTQ activist Lyra McKee, who was shot to death during riots in Northern Ireland in April 2019.

In a statement, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said the men were aged 20, 27, 29 and 52, and arrested in Derry/Londonderry on Thursday morning.

They wrote: “The arrests have been made under the Terrorism Act after the New IRA claimed responsibility for murdering Lyra, who was shot dead in the Creggan area of the city on 18 April 2019. All four men have been taken to Musgrave Serious Crime Suite in Belfast.”

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy called on the public for help in the investigation: “I have always believed that some people within the community know what happened and who was involved. I understand that people may be frightened to talk to us. I have previously given my personal assurance relating to anonymity for the purpose of this investigation and I renew this assurance today, as we approach the anniversary of Lyra’s murder. I want the community in Creggan to think about how that horrific attack impacted them personally and how it impacted the entire community. We saw widescale revulsion after Lyra was murdered and I remain determined to work with the community and local policing to convert that revulsion into tangible evidence to bring those who murdered Lyra to justice. I also know that many people were recording mobile phone video clips that night and whilst we had a huge response to my initial appeal for those videos, I believe that others may exist. I would ask anyone who has mobile phone footage to upload it onto our Major Incident Public Portal at www.MIPP.police.uk.”

CNN adds: “McKee was shot dead in April 2019 amid rioting in the Creggan area of the Northern Irish city, which is referred to as Derry by Irish nationalists and as Londonderry by British unionists. McKee, who was 29, was standing close to a police vehicle on April 18 when she was wounded by a single gunman firing shots into a residential area. She died soon after from her injuries, police said.She was the first journalist to be killed in the United Kingdom since 2001, according to the nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists.”

The post Four Men Arrested in Murder of Gay Journalist in Northern Ireland appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Four Men Arrested in Murder of Gay Journalist in Northern Ireland

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: February 12, 2020

WE’RE NOT CRYING, YOU ARE — FORMER NBA SUPERSTAR DWYANE WADE TALKS WITH ELLEN ABOUT HOW PROUD HE IS OF ZAYA, HIS 12-YEAR-OLD TRANSGENDER DAUGHTER: Wade (@DwyaneWade) says that since Zaya’s coming out, he and his wife, Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu), have been striving to educate and create a supportive foundation for her. “Now it’s our job to one, go out and get information, to reach out to every relationship that we have,” Wade told Ellen Degeneres (@TheEllenShow) during an appearance Tuesday on her show. “We’re just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self.” More from ENews, NBC and The Hill. 

.@DwyaneWade — you are giving so much light and hope to young LGBTQ people, especially those who may not feel accepted as their true selves. Grateful to you & @itsgabrielleu for being such incredible allies and supportive parents. t.co/BBWxGqQYH0

— Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) February 11, 2020

WHAT WE’RE READING WEDNESDAY — 2020 HRC YOUTH AMBASSADOR SAM MOEHLIG TALKS ABOUT GIVING LGBTQ YOUTH A VOICE: “The best way for an educator or other people to help the youth and make their lives easier is to respect them and to believe that what they are telling you is true. Just something as simple as, ‘What can I do to help you? What do you want from me?’” Moehlig said. More from Karla Peterson (@Karla_Peterson) at the San Diego Union Tribune.

NEW YORK AMONG BEST STATES FOR LGBTQ PROTECTIONS — BUT FEDERAL LAW STILL NEEDED: “Having a federal law that provides protections is absolutely critical,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow (@SarahWarbelow). “We have been working with members of Congress to support the Equality Act. It is an amendment to our basic civil rights laws that would ensure, regardless of where you live, that you would be guaranteed discrimination protections in employment, in housing, in education.” More from WAER.

OHIO STATE REP. MARY LIGHTBODY INTRODUCES BILL TO PROTECT LGBTQ YOUTH AGAINST SO-CALLED “CONVERSION THERAPY”: “The practice of conversion therapy is a dangerous and discredited practice that is based on a false claim that being LGBTQ+ is a mental illness that must be cured,” said Rep. Lightbody (@MaryLightbody). “Ohio must step up to join these other states and localities in ending this practice and prevent future harm.” Read more here.

NBC EXIT POLL SHOWS STRONG TURNOUT FOR LGBTQ AND EQUALITY VOTERS: More from NBC.

4.7% of Granite Staters are LGBTQ but tonight exit polls show LGBTQ voters are representing 7% of the electorate in the New Hampshire primary. LGBTQ voters and Equality Voters are punching above their weight and continue to be a constituency to court. t.co/MdRMrJ3u2y

— Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) February 12, 2020

 GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

NORTHERN IRELAND POLICE ARREST FOUR MEN IN CONNECTION WITH MURDER OF LGBTQ JOURNALIST AND ACTIVIST LYRA MCKEE: More from PinkNews. 

UNIV. OF TORONTO PROFESSOR DEVELOPS APP TO HELP BRAZILIAN TRANS WOMEN AVOID VIOLENCE, AND FIND SAFETY AND SUPPORT: Professor Monica Malta (@MonicaMalta7) developed the app called Dandarah. More from Now Toronto. 

 READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!
BBC reports on discovery of a 200-year-old diary highlighting tolerance toward same-sex relations dating back to 1810

Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

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Firefighters Clap Back at Homophobic Trolls in Hilarious Video: WATCH

Homophobic Twitter users went nuts last year when the UK’s South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue added a rainbow flag to their profile picture.

So the department, whose social media game is on point, decided to take the comments they received and make a video out of them to prove a point: “Fires don’t discriminate, and neither do we.”

Many thanks to these brave and witty first responders.

The post Firefighters Clap Back at Homophobic Trolls in Hilarious Video: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Firefighters Clap Back at Homophobic Trolls in Hilarious Video: WATCH