Tag: domestic abuse

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Michael Henry Tackles Toxic Relationships: ‘You Don’t Know Him Like I Do’

Roz Hernandez and Michael Henry in 'You Don't Know Him Like I Do'

Funnyman Michael Henry, whose short films artfully offer insight into queer pop culture, takes a more sober approach in his latest video as he steps into the tricky terrain of toxic relationships. Continue reading “Michael Henry Tackles Toxic Relationships: ‘You Don’t Know Him Like I Do’”

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Domestic Dispute Ends With Crushing Conclusion

Corey Jones (mugshot via EBRSO)
Someone needs to work on their aggressive anger issues. Louisiana teen Corey Jones, 18, was arrested New Year’s Eve after a domestic dispute ended in his ripping his boyfriend’s testicle sac. According to Baton Rouge news outlet WAFB, the victim had returned home after having “a bad day at work.” As a verbal argument began between the two men, the victim locked himself in his bedroom but Jones broke in and the altercation became physical. The incident continued to escalate until Jones allegedly grabbed the victim’s scrotum and squeezed so hard, the testicle sac “ripped and began to bleed uncontrollably.” WAFB reports the victim was treated with stitches at a nearby hospital but the ‘significant laceration’ will leave a permanent scar. Jones was arrested and charged with domestic abuse battery with serious bodily injury. He is currently being held at East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

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Only One State Won’t Issue Restraining Order In Cases Of Same-Sex Dating Abuse

(stock photo via Depositphotos)

In the entire United States, there’s only one state that doesn’t allow people in same-sex dating relationships to get a restraining order should the romance turn violent.

Anyone who becomes a victim of domestic violence can go to the police and file criminal charges in North Carolina.

But criminal cases can take time, and when there’s a greater sense of urgency, many opt for a restraining order – also known as a 50(B) protective order.

A restraining order can prohibit the alleged abuser from coming near the victim, force them to give up their guns or lose custody of their children.

Married people, straight or gay, can file for a restraining order. Divorced couples, as well as parents and children, have the legal option as well.

But in the Tar Heel state, when it comes to folks who are living together or just dating, the state law on restraining orders only applies to “persons of the opposite sex.”

According to the NewsObserver, the loophole became news after a Wake County woman attempted to get a protective order against her ex-girlfriend last May.

At the time, the judge denied her request. The woman filed again a month later, and was rebuffed again thanks to the language of the law.

Now, the state Attorney General, Josh Stein, is working through the courts to have the law overturned.

Stein, a Democrat, filed a legal brief earlier this week saying the law is unconstitutional because it singles out LGBTQ people and denies them equal protection and due process under the law.

Gov. Roy Cooper, also a Democrat, agrees and has asked to join Stein’s efforts.

Additionally, LGBTQ advocacy group Equality NC has also filed a brief in support of Stein’s efforts.

In their ‘friend of the court’ filing, Equality NC writes that since “the threat of intimate partner violence does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, neither should the State in protecting individuals from such violence.”

“Otherwise, there is no constitutionally guaranteed ‘equal dignity in the eyes of the law’ for same-sex relationships,” the brief continues.

Stein has support from the ACLU of North Carolina as well as the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police.

The NewsObserver notes there are other legal options available to same-sex victims of abuse.

The woman who originally filed her request in May was eventually granted a 50(C) no-contact order. However, that kind of restraining order doesn’t give a judge the authority to revoke an alleged abuser’s right to own guns.

The woman’s primary concern for protection was predicated on threats of physical violence from her former girlfriend as well as her access to guns.

(h/t The NewsObserver)

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Irony Of The Day: Trump Laments “Shattered Lives” From False Allegations

Donald Trump took to Twitter Saturday morning to defend two White House staffers who resigned due to allegations of domestic abuse.

Time and again Donald Trump finds a way to side with men accused of bad behavior but he never has a word for the victims.

From The New York Times:

In a Twitter post, Mr. Trump appeared to raise doubts about the entire #MeToo movement, a day after he had offered sympathy for a former aide accused of spousal abuse.

“Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation,” the president wrote on Twitter, adding: “There is no recovery for someone falsely accused – life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?”

On Friday, the president had jumped into the controversy over the former aide, Rob Porter, who is accused by two former wives of physical and emotional abuse, defending him and offering no denunciation even for the idea of assaulting women. Mr. Trump, who himself has been accused of sexual misconduct, focused instead on Mr. Porter, saying that he was enduring a “tough time.”

Of course, this is the same man who makes unfounded claims against his enemies all the time…

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Trump Defends Rob Porter: “He Says He’s Innocent And I Think You Have To Remember That”

CNN gets the award for Shade of the Day with that banner

What is it with Donald Trump that he has to defend White House advisers as they exit due to their own bad behavior?

This morning, Trump defended now-defunct White House staff secretary Rob Porter, who resigned this week after TWO ex-wives alleged domestic abuse which apparently torpedoed his security clearance.

Trump made a point of telling reporters that he only recently became aware of Porter’s history of abuse, says he “was very surprised by it,” adding, “It’s obviously a tough time for him.”

“We wish him well. He worked very hard. I found out about it recently and I was surprised by it. But we certainly wish him well. It’s obviously a tough time for him. He did a very good job when he was in the White House. And we hope he has a wonderful career. Hopefully, he will have a great career ahead of him. But, it was very sad when we heard about it. And certainly, he’s also very sad.

“Now he also, as you probably know, he says he’s innocent and I think you have to remember that. He said very strongly yesterday that he’s innocent. So, you’ll have to talk to him about that. But we absolutely wish him well. Did a very good job while he was at the White House.”

Gee, I’ll bet it was a tough time for the ex-wives. But Trump’s got nothing for them.

Trump also said Porter “says he’s innocent and I think you have to remember that […] but we absolutely wish him well.”

The Donald didn’t address the fact that Porter is currently dating White House communications director Hope Hicks, who is one of his closest advisers.

Hmm, wonder why?

It might have something to do with this:

And just to show there’s ALWAYS a tweet…

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WH Aide To Donald Trump Resigns Amid Accusations Of Abuse

Rob Porter (R)

A top White House aide, Rob Porter, has resigned after his two ex-wives came forward with stories of domestic abuse.

Remember, Donald Trump told us over and over how he has “the best people.”

From The New York Times:

As the White House staff secretary, Rob Porter is not a public figure, but he is responsible for paper flow to the president, a job of crucial importance in the Trump administration. He frequently travels with President Trump on Air Force One, and he helped write Mr. Trump’s first State of the Union address last month.

But despite initial support from John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, and other West Wing staff aides, Mr. Porter announced his resignation on Wednesday, a day after his two former wives accused him in interviews of physical abuse when they were married to him.

His troubles were not a complete secret at the White House: Two people close to the White House said that the allegations against him made by his former wives, Colbie Holderness and Jennifer Willoughby, had contributed to a delay in granting him a permanent security clearance.

In a statement, Mr. Porter said that “these allegations are simply false,” even as details of the alleged abuse and photographs of one of his former wives with a black eye that she said he had given her were widely circulated.

Ms. Willoughby shared a blog post back in April of last year that, without naming Porter, described the abuse during their marriage.

Porter reportedly asked Willoughby to remove the post several times.

Here’s just the beginning:

The first time he called me a “fucking bitch” was on our honeymoon. (I found out years later he had kicked his first wife on theirs.) A month later he physically prevented me from leaving the house. Less than two months after that, I filed a protective order with the police because he punched in the glass on our front door while I was locked inside. We bought a house to make up for it. Just after our one year anniversary, he pulled me, naked and dripping, from the shower to yell at me.

Everyone loved him. People commented all the time how lucky I was. Strangers complimented him to me every time we went out. But in my home, the abuse was insidious. The threats were personal. The terror was real. And yet I stayed.

Even though White House Chief of Staff John Kelly knew of the allegations since last fall, he defended Porter this week saying, “He is a friend, a confidant and a trusted professional.”

“I am proud to serve alongside him,” Kelly added.

One more detail of note: Porter is apparently now dating White House communications director Hope Hicks, who is one of the closest, most influential advisers to Trump.

Here are the photos of the black eye Porter allegedly dealt his first ex-wife:

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Sarah Palin Blames President Obama For Her Son’s Domestic Abuse Arrest

It’s so much fun having former half-term Gov. Sarah Palin in the news again. Bloggers rejoice!

Today, for example, Palin addressed the recent domestic abuse arrest of her son, Track.

As Palin tells it, Track suffers from PTSD from his time in Iraq, which is all President Obama’s fault.

#ThanksObama

NBC News reports:

Sarah Palin suggested Wednesday that her son’s arrest on domestic violence charges this week stemmed from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and – in part – the president’s lack of “respect” for veterans.

Addressing what she called “the elephant in the room” during a rally in support of Donald Trump, Palin said her son Track came back “different” from his year-long deployment in Iraq.

“My son, like so many others, they come back a bit different, they come back hardened, they come back wondering if there is that respect for what it is that their fellow soldiers and airmen every other member of the military so sacrificially have given to this country,” she said after alluding to the arrest.

“It starts from the top. The question though it comes from our own president, when they have to look at him and wonder, do you know what we go through, do you know what we’re trying to do to secure America and to secure the freedoms that have been bequeathed us?” she added. “So when my own son is going through what he goes through, coming back, I can certainly relate with other families who feel these ramifications of some PTSD and some of the woundedness that our soldiers do return with.”

According to police reports, Track Palin punched and kicked his girlfriend, threatened suicide by putting an AR-15 to his head and taunted her yelling “do you think I’m a pussy?” and “do you think I won’t do it?”

Between her daughter, who’s had two children out of wedlock while preaching abstinence, and a son who beats his girlfriend while allegedly drunk, I think it takes some big stones to blame someone else for your children’s shortcomings.

Clean your own house, Ms. Palin, before you blame others.