LGBTQ
Tyler Clementi Case: Dormmate & Resident Assistant Testifies
A dormmate of Dharun Ravi testified on Wednesday in Superior Court in New Brunswick, NJ that he helped Ravi set up a webcam to spy on his gay roommate’s encounter with another man.
As the trial for Dharun Ravi gets underway, new details begin to emerge.
Dharun Ravi’s trial
A dormmate of Dharun Ravi testified on Wednesday in Superior Court in New Brunswick, NJ that he helped Ravi set up a webcam to spy on his gay roommate’s encounter with another man, reports the Daily News.
Lokesh Ohja explained how he helped set up a web cam that could be accessed from remote locations.
Ravi’s roommate, Tyler Clementi, died by suicide after learning about the web cam. Ravi was charged with bias intimidation as a hate crime, along with invasion of privacy and hindering apprehension. He was not charged in connection to Clementi’s death.
Witnesses testified that Tyler had been spied on through webcam on September 19, 2010, and Ravi attempted to spy again on September 21, 2010.
Clementi realized he was being spied on Sept. 19th, 2010 and disconnected the webcam on the evening of Sept. 21, 2010, when he and a man known as M.B. were in the room together. The man is only being identified by those initials to keep his privacy to the public and jurors, according to reports.
A Rutgers dorm assistant testified saying he had filed a report saying Clementi seemed “uncomfortable and upset” with his roommate, a day before killing himself.
Raahi Grover testified Clementi came to his room with a conflict, and had a closed-door meeting.
“I could tell by the tone of his voice he seemed a little uncomfortable, so I knew this was a necessary for a closed door conversation,” Grover testified. “It seemed like his voice was a little shaky and as well he was a little quiet.” – NY Daily News
The jury was not allowed to hear what Clementi told Grover, but the resident assistant filed an incident report to university officials.
“Tyler Clementi approached me … to discuss an issue of violation of privacy against his roommate Dharun Ravi,” Grover wrote in the report.
“Tyler is quite upset and feels uncomfortable. Tyler prefers a roommate swap asap and would like to see some sort of punishment for Dharun Ravi.” – NY Daily News
Grover also included in his report an email Clementi sent outlining his grievances and problems.
Ravi is on trial on charges he used a webcam to spy on his roommate Clementi before he jumped off the George Washington Bridge.
Grover also testified Wednesday he approached Ravi the day after his chat with Clementi to inform him a complaint had been filed with university officials.
“(Ravi) attempts to explain himself,” Grover said. “I stopped him from explaining to me the entire situation … It’s not me he needs to be explaining to.”
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LGBTQ
Creating a safe space for Black LGBTQ+ joy
BLACK JOY DISCO wants to celebrate Black LGBTQ+ culture in Washington, DC with performances, art, and custom mocktails, but financial challenges have prompted organizer and DC creative Lee Levingston Perine to start a GoFundMe to help fund the affirming space.
BLACK JOY DISCO wants to celebrate Black LGBTQ+ culture in Washington, DC with performances, art, and custom mocktails, but financial challenges have prompted organizer and DC creative Lee Levingston Perine to start a GoFundMe to help fund the affirming space.
“I seek to raise $5,000 by Friday, May 17, 2024, to cover essential expenses for this significant community event,” Perine wrote.
About BLACK JOY DISCO
BLACK JOY DISCO is an Afrofuturist, zero-proof micro-festival celebrating Black LGBTQ+ joy and culture through music, movement, and media.
The event is set to take place Saturday, May 18, 2024 at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.
The lineup includes performances by local luminaries like Riley Knoxx, Pussy Noir, King Molasses, and The Experience Band & Show, a pop-up shop, custom mocktails, and a dance party with Baronhawk Poitier and live drumming by Asha “BOOMCLAK” Santee.
They are also creating a “Liberation Lounge, ” a sanctuary that imagines a collective future where Black LGBTQ+ folx can thrive. The multimedia installation affirms and uplifts Black cultural practices of joy, activism, and wellness through projection, soundscapes, and art making, including the Chocolate City Wishing Tree.
GoFundMe
Donations are expected to help ensure this celebration of Black LGBTQ+ joy can move forward as planned.
To read more and donate to their cause, visit the GoFundMe.
Visit BLACK JOY DISCO’s website.
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Unheard Voices Magazine LLC is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Culture
Billy Porter To Play James Baldwin In Biopic
Billy Porter is set to play novelist and civil rights activist James Baldwin in an upcoming biopic produced by Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group Motion Pictures.
Billy Porter is set to play writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin in an upcoming biopic produced by Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group Motion Pictures.
Billy Porter will play in James Baldwin biopic
Porter and Dan McCabe will write the script for the biopic based on David Leeming’s 1994 book James Baldwin: A Biography.
The deep look into Baldwin’s life and struggles represents the culmination of a long-held creative ambition for the Emmy-, Tony- and Grammy Award-winning performer.
“As a Black queer man on this planet with relative consciousness, I find myself, like James Baldwin said, ‘in a rage all the time.’ I am because James was. I stand on James Baldwin’s shoulders, and I intend to expand his legacy for generations to come,” Porter said in a statement.
About James Baldwin
Born in Harlem in 1924, Baldwin was a gay African American writer and civil rights activist who spent much of his life outside the U.S., writing largely about Black identity, activism, sexuality and race relations.
Baldwin is best-known for the iconic books, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Notes of a Native Son, Another Country and The Fire Next Time, which have all been turned into or inspired by movies, including If Beale Street Could Talk and I Am Not Your Negro documentary.
Production
Porter’s Incognegro Productions will co-produce the James Baldwin biopic along with Allen Media Group.
“Billy Porter and Dan McCabe’s talent and commitment to amplifying James Baldwin’s legacy and contributions are invaluable and unmatched for this unique and epic story,” said Allen, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, in a statement reports The Hollywood Reporter.
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Culture
Byron Perkins Makes History As First Openly Gay HBCU Football Player
With his announcement, Perkins is the first openly gay football player at a Historically Black College or University.
Byron Perkins, a defensive back who plays Division I football at Hampton University in Virginia, came out as gay on Instagram this week. With his announcement, Perkins is the first openly gay football player at a Historically Black College or University.
Byron Perkins on being the first openly gay HBCU football player
“I have come to understand that life is precious and I could be gone at any moment, therefore, I will no longer be living a lie,” Perkins posted to Instagram. “No one should have to live a life crippled by what society thinks.”
Perkins is a 6’3” redshirt junior from Chicago, Ill. The transfer from Purdue University has appeared in a total of 11 games over two seasons at Hampton. The Hampton Pirates have a record of 4-2 this season in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
In an exclusive interview with OutSports, Perkins said he came out in part to set an example for other Black gay male athletes who are suffering in the closet.
“Especially at an HBCU, young Black gay men need an outlet,” Perkins told Zeigler of OutSports. “They need a support system. There hasn’t been an out gay football athlete at an HBCU. I want to end the stigma of what people think. I want people to know they can be themselves.”
Perkins opened up with the outlet, sharing the challenges of being in the closet and how keeping his sexual identity private had hindered his growth as a person.
“I’ve been self-reflective and trying to prioritize what makes me happy and makes me feel alive,” Perkins told OutSports. “I thought it could be just football and school, but there was a component missing. And recently I’ve been able to figure out that I haven’t been fully happy because everyone didn’t know who I was. Authenticity is everything to me.”
He is proving gay men can play football as well.
About Hampton University
Hampton University was founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School for freed Black men following the U.S. Civil War. The research university in Hampton, VA is renowned for its museum, which is not only the oldest museum in Virginia but it’s also the oldest African American museum in the U.S.
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Unheard Voices Magazine LLC is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
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