Baltimore OUTloud | LGBT Community News

Friday, 16 July 2010 00:00 Deborah J. Draisin Music

Dave Koz: Out and About

By Deborah J. Draisin

Openly gay Dave Koz has had music in his life for as long as he can remember. He took piano lessons as a toddler, then switched to drums in the fourth grade, but found no voice in either instrument. In middle school, as the only means of joining his brother newly formed band, Dave took up the saxophone and fell in love with it. Upon completion of his Bachelor’s at UCLA, Dave won a coveted spot in Bobby Caldwell’s band. The early notoriety paid off: next stop was a 14-month tour with renowned pop singer Richard Marx.

Koz debuted his first album in 1990 and maintained a mutually fruitful 15-year relationship with Capitol Records, consistently topping the Contemporary Jazz charts, achieving double platinum status and garnering Grammy and NAACP Image Award nods.

Gay Man Sues PA Troopers for Beating
“I still get nightmares all the time.”

by Steve Charing

A lawsuit by Brian S. Keener was filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania for damages against two Pennsylvania State Troopers—Brian M. Torkar and Sean Taylor—for the intentional brutal beating of Keener while in custody.

Keener, 44, was spending a rather ordinary Saturday night at Club XS in York, PA on August 30, 2008. He had one beer with some friends and then departed the bar at around 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. From the moment he drove away from the premises, ordinary evolved into extraordinary, and his life changed forever.

Keener was driving home when he noticed a State Police cruiser following him. There were no flashing lights, but it seemed odd to Keener that the cruiser would be tailing him. After as many as several miles, the lights atop the vehicle finally flashed and Keener was forced to stop. Trooper Torkar, upon approaching Keener, stated that he made a left turn from South George St. onto East College Ave. without using a turn signal. Keener was ordered out of his vehicle by the trooper and submitted to a field sobriety test.

Federal Court Strikes Down DOMA
Trial Judge Rules for Plaintiff Couples, Commonwealth of Massachusetts in Challenging Discriminatory Law

On July 8, Judge Joseph Tauro of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts issued two decisions that struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In Gill v. Office of Personnel Management and Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Department of Health and Human Services Judge Tauro declared the denial of federal rights and benefits to lawfully married Massachusetts couples under DOMA to be unconstitutional.

The claims were brought by seven married same-sex couples and three widowers from Massachusetts. Under the ruling, the plaintiffs are entitled to the same federal spousal benefits and protections as every other married couple. Two of the plaintiffs, Melba Abreu and Beatrice Hernandez; photo courtesy GLAD