YUMA, Ariz. — The murder of a gay man who also was a female impersonator has become a rallying point for gay rights advocates throughout the state, the Arizona Republic reported. Amancio Corrales, 23, worked as a cosmetologist but also performed under the stage name Dalila, impersonating famous singers. His body was found May 6 near Yuma in shallow water in the Colorado River, and the cause of death was violent trauma, police said. Corrales was dressed as a female when the body was found, but the unsolved case is not yet classified by police as a hate crime. Nearly 100 gay rights activists, family supporters and others gathered Saturday at the Arizona capitol for a candlelight vigil to honor Corrales and call for action to prevent hate crimes. “We don’t know if this is a hate crime,” state Sen. Robert Cannell (D-Yuma), who attended the event, told the newspaper. “But if it was a hate crime, it’s tragic. We hope that the perpetrator will be bought to justice.” Capt. Eben Bratcher, spokesperson for the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, said prosecutors and the courts will determine if the murder was a hate crime.

ACLU claims gay inmates abused in Los Angeles jail
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The sheriff’s department is investigating claims by the American Civil Liberties Union that gay inmates were publicly called derogatory names and strip searched last month at a county jail. About 20 gay inmates were forced to remove their clothes in a busy hallway July 19 at the Men’s Central Jail while being called names and taunted with vulgar sexual language by some deputies, the ACLU said in a letter to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, citing inmates’ claims. “Such behavior by staff demonstrates a level of immaturity, lack of professionalism, and sadism, which tarnishes the reputation of the entire department,” wrote Ricardo Garcia and Jody Kent, who monitor jailhouse issues for the ACLU of Southern California. The ACLU wanted anti-discrimination training for all deputies. Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said jail supervisors launched an investigation two weeks ago.

Inmate rapes in Nevada reported for first time under new law
RENO, Nev. (AP) — About one of every 677 Nevada prison inmates reported being raped or having nonconsensual sex with other inmates in 2004, according to a federal report. Fifteen of Nevada’s 10,152 prisoners made such claims, and the state was ranked 13th nationally in reports per capita of inmate population by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Six of the claims were found to be unsubstantiated, says the report, the first compiled under the 2003 federal Prison Rape Elimination Act. Inmate rape was among the topics at a meeting last week of state prison wardens, said Fritz Schlottman, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Corrections. Gov. Kenny Guinn is expected to receive a report by the end of the year on steps the state can take to reduce the problem. “It’s something that shouldn’t occur, and it’s something we’re going to take steps to eliminate,” Schlottman said.

Montrose slaying defendants not charged with a hate crime
MONTROSE, Colo. (AP) — Prosecutors on Monday declined to pursue the slaying of an openly gay man as a hate crime, a move that disappointed gay rights activists. Todd Fiske, 24, and Adam Hernandez, 21, have been charged with first-degree murder and intimidation of a witness in the death of Kevin Hale, 36. Hale had told police he was being threatened because he was gay. His body was found in a town park July 30. Assistant District Attorney Mark Adams said pursing the case as a hate crime, which can enhance a sentence, could happen later. Prosecutors were seeking to have Fiske and Hernandez held without bail. The Colorado Anti-Violence Program and Western Equality, two Western Slope groups, said they’re not asking prosecutors to seek the hate crime aspect because of the enhanced penalty.

Austrians want gays’ convictions removed from crime registry
VIENNA, Austria (AP) — A lobby group said last week it will launch efforts to have the names of almost 1,500 people convicted under now-repealed laws banning some gay sex removed from a registry of criminals. In Austria, all people convicted of crimes are listed in a registry. The names are removed after five years for lighter crimes, but could remain indefinitely for serious crimes. The Interior Ministry said in a response to a question from a parliamentarian that 1,434 people were listed in the registry for having violated now-repealed laws relating to homosexual activity. Almost 600 of them were listed for convictions under a law banning all homosexual activity — a law that was abolished more than 30 years ago. More than 400 were listed for violating a law that set the age of consent for gays to 18, while the heterosexual age of consent was 14.

From staff and wire reports

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