Texas man accused of threatening to shoot at a local pride event arrested by FBI

Trans Woman and Her Friends Were Violently Assaulted at Austin Swimming Hole

Masked attacker caught on video striking gay man with baseball-sized rock

*This is reported by LGBTQ Nation.

An unknown assailant in Washington D.C. attacked a gay man with a rock, causing him to bleed profusely. The victim suspects his attacker may be a young local teen who has yelled homophobic slurs in the past. Police are now investigating.

On Friday, around 12:30 p.m., Addam Schauer-Mayhew was seated on his couch watching tennis when his home camera recorded a masked individual walking up to he and his husband’s house — which was decorated in rainbows for Pride. The masked individual then threw a large rock through their living room window, hitting Schauer-Mayhew in the head.

“The rock that was thrown was about baseball size, and it was almost like a piece of concrete that had sharp, jagged edges,” the victim’s husband Bryan Schauer told WUSA, adding that he came downstairs when he heard his husband crying out in pain. Schauer said he saw broken glass and a lot of blood. “I can’t imagine how much it hurt.”

The couple had been preparing to attend the weekend WorldPride celebration. They suspect the attacker may have been a young local teen who shouted anti-gay slurs at them a year ago. They say the suspect wore an ankle monitor and was accompanied by a younger teen.

The men say the incident has left them afraid and are now asking for the public to help identify the attacker in the video. They’re also asking for the police to consider hate crime charges.

“I am proud of who I am. I’m proud to be a gay man, a queer man, living in the city that I love in. I’m just trying to be accepted.” Schauer-Mayhew said.

June 12, 2025 0

Jonathan Joss Dead at 59; Husband Alleges Hate Crime

*This is reported by Instinct.

Actor Jonathan Joss, best known as the voice of John Redcorn in King of the Hill, has died following a fatal shooting in San Antonio, Texas. He was 59. The tragic news was first reported by TMZ, citing a dispute between neighbors as the initial cause of the altercation.

Joss, also known for his role as Ken Hotate on Parks and Recreation, was shot on the afternoon of June 1 near his home on Dorsey Drive. According to a police report from the San Antonio Police Department, officers were dispatched to the scene in response to an active shooting. When they arrived, they found Joss with gunshot wounds to the neck and torso. Witnesses say three shots were fired. He later succumbed to his injuries.

The suspect, identified as Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, was alleged to have shot Joss after what appeared to be an altercation. Though early police statements cited a disagreement as a possible motive, Joss’s husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, has since claimed the shooting was a hate crime fueled by ongoing homophobic harassment.

In a heartfelt public statement shared via Joss’s official Facebook page, Tristan detailed the harrowing moments leading up to the shooting. He wrote that the two were at the site of their former home, which had burned down earlier in January. While retrieving mail, the couple came across the skull and harness of one of their beloved dogs, sparking visible grief.

“We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw,” Tristan said. “While we were doing this, a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired.” Tristan claimed Joss saved his life by pushing him out of the way.

Tristan went on to describe years of harassment from individuals in the area and repeated threats to burn their home down, which he says were reported to law enforcement but not acted upon.

The San Antonio Police Department, however, has publicly stated that there is currently “no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.” The statement posted to X (formerly Twitter) emphasized that SAPD investigators “handle these allegations very seriously” and will reclassify the charges if new evidence supports a hate crime motive.

Still, the area’s residents noted that Joss had struggled publicly in recent months. SAPD confirmed that they had responded to at least 40 calls involving Joss’s residence since January 2024, ranging from mental health checks to neighborhood disturbances and a house fire. Yet between February and the fatal June incident, no additional calls were logged.

Despite these complexities, many neighbors expressed sadness over Joss’s death. One long-time resident told San Antonio News,

“He was just very loud, very loud. But we knew how he was… we wouldn’t disturb him. Even if he looked at us, talked mess to us, we just ignored him because we knew that’s how he was.”

For fans around the world, Joss will be remembered as a cultural icon who gave voice to underrepresented communities. His performances — rich, bold, and deeply human — left a mark on television history. His husband’s words paint a picture of a man who, despite personal struggles, deeply valued love, community, and legacy.

“He gave me more love in our time together than most people ever get,” Tristan said. “Jonathan saved my life. I will carry that forward. I will protect what he built.”

Joss’s death is currently under active investigation.

June 3, 2025 0

Moving company employee terminated after attacking trans woman in Nashville

*This is reported by WSMV 4. We have removed the repeated misuse of the word “allegedly” from the story.

A Nashville moving company has confirmed to WSMV4 that it has terminated one of its employees after a recent attack against a transgender woman.

Black Tie Moving released a statement on Monday confirming the employee’s termination and condemning the assault.

“We were made aware of an incident that took place over the weekend at a storage facility in Nashville, TN, involving one of our employees and another individual, a member of the LGBTQ+ community,” Black Tie Moving said. “Security footage captures a physical altercation that is deeply troubling and entirely unacceptable.”

Black Tie Moving added that the employee was immediately terminated and the company is fully cooperating with the Metro Nashville Police Department’s investigation into the incident.

Following the incident, MNPD confirmed that its Specialized Division is investigating the attack at the Extra Space Storage facility on Charlotte Avenue on Friday.

Extra Space Storage confirmed to WSMV4 that it’s turned over the security camera footage of the incident to police for the Specialized Division’s investigation.

“While the property has security features like video surveillance, cylinder locks, and coded doors and gates, we do not have on-site security. At the time, the store was staffed by a single employee,” the facility told WSMV4.

The victim also made the following post about the assault:

June 2, 2025 0

Lesbian teen brutally beaten at Illinois McDonald’s

*This is reported by NBC News

Two teenagers, one a juvenile, brutally beat a 19-year-old woman inside a suburban McDonald’s after making derogatory comments about her sexual orientation, according to local police.

The May 13 incident occurred at the fast food chain’s location in Carpentersville, Illinois, about 40 miles from Chicago, with officers responding to a report of a fight in progress, according to news release from the Carpentersville Police Department.

The victim, who was later identified as Kady Grass, sustained severe injuries and was transported to a local hospital, where she was treated and has since been released.

Following an investigation, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office approved multiple felony charges against the suspects, according to police. John Kammrad, 19, was charged with aggravated battery, great bodily harm, aggravated battery in a public place, mob action and more. Kammrad was taken into custody on Saturday, while the juvenile suspect turned himself in on Friday.

Photos posted to a GoFundMe account for Grass show the extent of her injuries, which span her face and her legs. In an interview with NBC Chicago, Grass said the attack happened while she was in town to see her 13-year-old cousin’s choir concert.

“One hit me in the jaw and one was hitting me in the front, and then I didn’t realize that I was getting hit behind until a little bit later, like it took me a while to realize,” Grass said. “I was unconscious when they were stomping on my head, so I don’t remember that part, but my 13-year-old cousin does.”

Carpentersville Police Deputy Chief Kevin Stankowitz said the incident “underscores the importance of addressing violence and discrimination” within the community, according to the news release.

In an email to NBC Chicago, Stankowitz said the department collaborated with the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office on whether or not to file hate crime charges. After a review of the case, Stankowitz said, the office declined to file them.

May 20, 2025 0

Teen gangs are pressuring gay men into falsely confessing to pedophilia as part of a disturbing “pedo hunting” trend on TikTok.

This blog is originally appeared at LGBTQ Nation

Police are taking proactive measures against teenage gangs targeting gay men in “pedo hunts” in the Sydney area.

New South Wales (NSW) Police have been conducting multiple strike forces and investigations for almost a year, focusing on assaults across the city’s northern beaches, as well as its western and south-western suburbs, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Nearly a dozen coordinated attacks have been linked to mostly teenage gangs, though police believe the actual number is likely higher.

In each case, the victims were gay men who had arranged to meet someone from a dating app like Grindr in public parks. Instead of a consensual encounter, the men were ambushed by multiple teenagers who taunted, beat, and robbed them, sometimes using weapons. Several victims were coerced into falsely confessing to being pedophiles while being filmed, which led investigators to discover videos of the assaults online, including an Instagram account called “pedohunting_syd.”

The attacks and videos, which have spread on platforms like TikTok, are part of a growing trend known as “pedo hunting,” according to police.

Seven attacks occurred within five days in April, prompting police to form Strike Force Section to address the violence. On April 2, a 16-year-old was assaulted in a public park, and a 21-year-old was followed by four men in a car, who asked if he was gay or Muslim before attacking and robbing him and a friend.

At least five boys, aged 14 to 17, have been charged with assault, robbery, “corporal violence,” and possessing unauthorized firearms. Authorities are labeling the gang as a terror group.

A second unit, Strike Force Dividing, has made arrests in connection with similar incidents on Sydney’s northern beaches, charging 14 youths with assault and extortion.

In one case, a gang led by a 21-year-old was intercepted before they could carry out an attack. Another gang, including two juveniles and an 18-year-old leader, was apprehended while heading south out of Sydney.

Investigators have also linked a member of the “pedo hunt” gangs to the attempted murder of a far-right Christian preacher, who was repeatedly stabbed in front of his congregation. “Extremist material” was found on the 16-year-old’s phone, and he and six other individuals, who communicated through a group chat, were charged with terror-related offenses.

Historically, gay men in the Sydney area suffered violent attacks from the 1970s to the 2000s while police largely ignored the issue. The NSW government and police have since apologized for their failure to address these hate crimes and secure justice for the victims.

The recent attacks are being treated with the utmost seriousness, according to a police spokeswoman.

These incidents bear similarities to violent acts carried out by ultra-nationalists in Russia a decade ago, who used social media to lure gay victims to meetings, where they were harassed, beaten, humiliated, and forced to perform degrading acts with objects.

December 31, 2024 0