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Copyright 1993 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company  

The Houston Chronicle

January 13, 1993, Wednesday, 2 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 1

LENGTH: 59 words

HEADLINE: Three sentenced in Montrose murder

BYLINE: Staff

BODY:

   A deputy escorts Javier Aguirre, 19, left, Jaime Aguirre, 20,

and Leandro Ramirez, 20, from state district court Tuesday. The

three were sentenced to prison terms of 15 years and one day in the

beating death of gay banker Paul Broussard. The extra day on the

sentence ensures the men cannot post bail while lawyers appeal

their case: Page 15A.

 

 

GRAPHIC: Photo: A deputy escorts Javier Aguirre, 19, left, Jaime Aguirre, 20, and Leandro Ramirez, 20, from state district court Tuesday (color); Richard Carson/Chronicle

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

TYPE: Photo

LOAD-DATE: February 3, 1993

 

 

 

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12

Copyright 1993 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company  

The Houston Chronicle

January 13, 1993, Wednesday, 2 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 15

LENGTH: 719 words

HEADLINE: 15 years ordered in gay-bash case;

Judge sets sentence to ensure trio will spend time in prison

BYLINE: JOHN MAKEIG; Staff

BODY:

   A judge sentenced three Woodlands residents Tuesday to

15-year prison terms in the beating death of gay banker Paul

Broussard.

Saying the trio had failed to admit that their conduct was

wrong, state District Judge Brian Rains added an extra day to each

of the sentences to assure that the three spent time behind bars.

Leandro ""Leo'' Ramirez, 20; Javier ""Jave'' Aguirre, 19; and

Jaime Aguirre, 20, who pleaded guilty Monday, were escorted

immediately to the Harris County Jail.

The extra day on their 15-year prison terms made Ramirez and

the Aguirre brothers ineligible for posting appeals bonds, which

would have allowed them to remain free until their appeals are

exhausted.

The three -- who can't receive parole for at least 15 months

-- were among 10 Montgomery County men accused in the July 4, 1991,

slaying of Broussard outside a bar in Montrose.

Prosecutor Mike Anderson and Nancy Rodriguez, Broussard's

mother, were pleased with the sentences.

""I feel good with 15 years,'' Rodriguez said.

Gay activist Scott Lewis said Rains' sentence ""sent a real

strong message today that the gay-lesbian community is equal to the

heterosexual community. ''

Lewis said the killing also should serve as an example to

parents of what sort of trouble can befall unsupervised children.

In the end, the case came down to a question of credibility.

First, Jon Christopher Buice, 18, the actual killer who's

already serving a 45-year sentence, testified Monday that all 10

Woodlands youths in the case knew full well what they were doing

when they drove to Montrose ""to beat up some queers. ''

Buice told how members of the group pounced on Broussard and

two friends near the nightspot Heaven. Buice said he and his

companions hit Broussard and his friends with a 2-by-4, kicked the

fallen banker and even rifled his pockets as he lay dying in the

street.

On Tuesday, the Aguirre brothers told the judge they were

simply riding with friends, had no idea anybody was out to harass

homosexuals and downplayed their roles in what happened.

Rains called the brothers' testimony incredible, adding that

""probation is for people who admit they're wrong. ''

As for Buice, Rains said: ""He may be a lot of things, but I

don't believe he's a liar. ''

The sentences mean four of the 10 accused killers in the

widely publicized case have drawn prison terms.

Anderson declined to predict how the sentences may affect

murder charges pending against Derrick J. Attard, 18; Paul Chance

Dillon, 23; Brian Douglas Spake, 18; Raphael Gonzalez, 19; Gayland

Earl Randle, 18; and Jeffery Valentine, 18.

The latest sentences were a blow to defense attorneys who

portrayed their clients as remorseful youths whose lives were

thrown in chaos because of Buice.

In arguments, the attorneys asked Rains to grant probation to

Ramirez and the Aguirre brothers.

Lawyer Ted Doebbler, representing Jaime Aguirre, called the

case a ""prime example of what happens when you associate with

people of disreputable character -- you'll get in trouble. ''

The case dates to shortly before midnight on July 3, 1991,

when the young men -- all students or former students at McCullough

High School in The Woodlands, got in two cars and headed south for

Houston.

Testimony suggested they'd made similar trips to visit bars

and cruise the city.

The Aguirre brothers said repeatedly that they didn't set out

to attack homosexual males in the neighborhood known for its gay

bars.

This was countered by Buice, who testified that some of the

group started the trip by filling their pockets with ""queer

rocks,'' meaning stones they could hurl at men in Montrose.

The brothers danced, dodged and evaded a lengthy series of

questions from Anderson intended to show the group had hunted

homosexuals on other trips into Houston.

The brothers adamantly denied Anderson's assertion.

Finally the judge broke into the questioning of Jaime

Aguirre, who kept saying he did not know why he'd rifled

Broussard's pockets after the beating and stabbing.

""There had to be something going on at 3 a.m. when you were

going through his pockets,'' Rains said. ""You were looking for his

wallet, weren't you? ''

Jaime Aguirre didn't say but acknowledged finding only a comb

in Broussard's pockets.

GRAPHIC: Mug: 1. Paul Broussard (b/w); Photo: 2. Deputy escorts Javier Aguirre, Jaime Aguirre, Leandro Ramirez from court after sentencing (color, p.1); 2. Richard Carson/Chronicle

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: February 3, 1993

 

 

 

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13

 

Copyright 1993 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company  

The Houston Chronicle

January 12, 1993, Tuesday, 2 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 9

LENGTH: 598 words

HEADLINE: 3 youths plead guilty to murder of banker

BYLINE: JOHN MAKEIG; Staff

BODY:

   Three youths from The Woodlands pleaded guilty Monday in the

killing of a banker that occurred after they, along with seven

companions, drove to Houston's Montrose area to ""beat up some

queers. ''

Leandro ""Leo'' Ramirez, 20, Javier Aguirre, 19, and Jaime

Aguirre, 20, entered their pleas in the murder of Paul Broussard,

27, who was slain a short distance from the gay nightspot he had

visited with two friends.

They opted to forgo jury trials and placed their fates in the

hands of state District Judge Brian Rains. His options range from

putting the three on probation to sending them to prison with life

sentences that cannot end in less than 15 years.

The 10 defendants in the case were students or former

students at McCullough High School in The Woodlands.

The day's most graphic testimony about what happened on July

4, 1991, to Broussard came from the actual killer, Jon Christopher

Buice, 18, now serving a 45-year sentence.

Buice said that the day before the killing, he and his

co-defendant, Paul Dillon, 23, began consuming one-and-a-half cases

of beer. Buice also took one-half hit of LSD that day.

By the time the group had assembled in a McDonald's parking

lot, they were ""amped up,'' Buice indicated. They made a unanimous

decision to drive south to Montrose and ""go beat up some queers. ''

Some of them even filled their pockets with ""queer rocks,'' which

were ordinary stones meant to be thrown at men in the area known

for its gay nightspots.

Riding in two cars, they spotted Broussard and his friends,

Richard ""Rick'' Delaunay and Cary Scott Anderson, on Drew Street

just after they had left Heaven, a gay nightclub.

Delaunay said the youths' cars drove past them, then one

vehicle returned and someone asked Anderson if Heaven was still

open. He told them it had just closed, and then the second car

arrived.

""All these people started attacking us. It seemed like a

million of them,'' Anderson, now living in Indiana, told Rains.

Delaunay compared the youths' raucous cheering to the crowd

roars typically heard at football games, adding: ""We were the

football. ''

Anderson said he fled with a youth holding a 2-by-4 board in

pursuit. Behind him, Delaunay first was hit on the head and then on

the back when he tried to get up. Delaunay also succeeded in

running away.

""I stuck Mr. Broussard,'' Buice explained. ""Mr. Ramirez ran

up and kicked Mr.Broussard in the head. ''

Buice said the Aguirre brothers also struck blows. Ramirez

and Jaime Aguirre rifled Broussard's pockets before they departed.

Anderson and Delaunay eventually were able to return to the

fatally wounded Broussard. The killing wound was a 5 1/2-inch-deep

stab on his right abdomen, but he also had been stabbed in the left

chest, one of his ribs was broken and he had been hit in the

testicles. One injury apparently was inflicted by a nail that had

been driven through a board.

While Broussard was being rushed to a hospital, the 10 youths

were at a Denny's restaurant eating breakfast. It was there, Buice

said, that he revealed that he had used his Buck knife on Broussard.

That was the first time the three defendants were aware of

the knifing, he said. But Buice added that all the 10 youths knew

why they were going to Montrose and none of them were hesitant

about participating.

On the way back to Montgomery County, Buice said, the youths'

two cars drove side by side for a time while the defendants leaned

out the windows and slapped their palms together, giving each other

""high fives. ''

 

GRAPHIC: Mugs: 1. Jaime Aguirre; 2. Leandro ""Leo'' Ramirez; 3. Paul Broussard (p. 15)

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: January 13, 1993

 

 

 

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14

Copyright 1993 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company  

The Houston Chronicle

January 5, 1993, Tuesday, 2 STAR Edition

Correction Appended

SECTION: A; Pg. 11

LENGTH: 361 words

HEADLINE: Trial put off a week in fatal gay-bashing

BYLINE: JOHN MAKEIG; Staff

BODY:

   Lack of a courtroom big enough to accommodate 100 potential

jurors has forced officials to delay for a week the trial of three

youths charged in the 1991 murder of gay banker Paul Broussard.

State District Judge Brian Rains on Monday postponed for a

week the trial of Leandro Ramirez, 20, and brothers Javier R.

Aguirre, 18, and Jaime Rafael Aguirre, 20.

Jury selection will be in the spacious facilities of state

District Judge Joe Kegans.

Rains also granted defense lawyer Henry Oncken's motion and

severed a fourth defendant, Brian Douglas Spake, 18, from standing

trial with the Aguirre brothers and Ramirez.

Oncken contended prosecutors plan to tell jurors of

""extraneous offenses'' committed by the other three that don't

apply to Spake.

Apparently, the distinction is that Ramirez and Aguirres

allegedly had made previous trips to Montrose to harass

homosexuals, whereas Spake allegedly was only present during the

July 4, 1991, stabbing of Broussard, 27, near a night spot on Hyde

Park.

The slaying touched off widespread outcry about out-of-county

teens driving through Montrose bothering gay men at night, chasing

them in the streets and, sometimes, beating them.

Ten Montgomery County youths were charged in Broussard's

murder.

The defendant who actually inflicted the fatal knife wounds

on Broussard -- Jon Christopher Bice (SEE CORRECTION), 18 -- pleaded guilty last May

and was sentenced to a 45-year prison term that, under the terms of

the plea agreement, puts off any chance of parole for at least 11

years.

Attorneys for the remaining defendants say prosecutors Mike

Anderson and Joan Huffman haven't made offers to get others to

plead guilty instead of going to trial.

But Huffman said she wouldn't rule out plea bargains if

prosecutors received what she called ""a serious offer,''

apparently one that includes a significant number of years in

custody.

The cases of Spake and his co-defendants -- Derrick J.

Attard, 18, Paul Chance Dillion, 23, Raphael G. Gonzalez, 19,

Gayland Earl Randle, 18, and Jeffery Valentine, 18 -- won't be

heard until after the trial of Ramirez and the Aguirre brothers.

 

 

CORRECTION-DATE: February 9, 1993

CORRECTION:

The name of defendant Jon Christopher Buice was misspelled in this story.Unpublished correction 2/9/93.

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: February 10, 1993

 

 

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15

Copyright 1992 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company  

The Houston Chronicle

July 12, 1992, Sunday, 2 STAR Edition

SECTION: LIFESTYLE; Pg. 1

LENGTH: 3300 words

HEADLINE: FAMILY TIES;

Some parents are stunned when they learn their child is gay or lesbian. Others suspected but never dared ask. The revelation can break homes and hearts. But in the end, one parents' group says, what counts is love

BYLINE: BARBARA KARKABI; Staff

BODY:

   ON a hot morning in May, a 45-year-old woman from a small

town in Georgia linked arms with a young gay activist in a downtown

Houston park.

Nancy Rodriguez listened quietly as gay and lesbian activists

announced the verdict that had just been handed down in the 1991

beating and stabbing death of her son, 27-year-old banker Paul

Broussard.

Her stance was ramrod-straight, and her face had the composed,

tight look of someone trying hard to control deeply felt emotions.

Occasionally she pressed the hand of Scott Lewis, a member of the

gay activist group Queer Nation who has become like a surrogate

son, or touched a large college ring she wears on the third finger

of her right hand. It was her son's ring. Rodriguez has not taken

it off since his death.

In the year since Broussard was killed in a widely publicized

""gay bashing'' incident, his legacy has touched the lives of

people who never even knew him. The shock of his killing has caused

at least some parents of gays and lesbians to become more involved

and to strengthen their relations with their children. It has

brought home to parents, police and the general public how much at

risk gays and lesbians are from anti-gay harassment.

""When I heard about his death, I thought, "Oh, my God, that

could have been my son,' '' said Carole Miller, who has a gay son

and a lesbian daughter. ""I had already started to attend meetings

. . . but this really motivated me to try and make a difference . .

. ''

Now Miller is vice president of the Houston chapter of the

Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, a national

organization and support group that helps family members come to

terms with their children's sexual orientation. Over the past year,

the local P-FLAG group has begun to take a higher public profile,

partly because of new leadership and partly because of the sadness

and horror many parents felt at Broussard's death.

""We are not a cross section of parents. There are lots that

we never see, who have thrown their children out or broken

relations,'' said Gail Rickey, president of the Houston P-FLAG

group. ""Many of the parents we see are hurting and searching for

answers but want to keep their relationships going with their

children. Others have accepted and want to make things better for

their own child and other children. ''

Rodriguez's search for answers and for justice has thrust the

soft-spoken woman from Warner Robins, Ga., into a role she would

never have imagined for herself. She has taken part in rallies,

like the one that took place Saturday to commemorate her son's

death, has made the long drive from her hometown to Houston more

times than she cares to think, and has worked closely with local

gay activists and the district attorney's office to hammer out an

acceptable sentence for Jon Christopher Buice, 18, one of 10 young

men accused in her son's death. Buice was accused of landing the

fatal blow.

""I didn't decide to get involved. It just sort of

happened,'' she said. ""I'm doing it for my son -- he can't be in

the courtroom or in the marches, so I have to be there for him. If

somewhere along the line it helps someone else's children not to

(harass gays), he won't have died in vain. There's enough problems

in this world; we all need to learn to get along together. ''

In an interview in a downtown hotel room after the press

conference announcing the 45-year prison sentence given to Buice

after he pleaded guilty, Rodriguez described her emotions -- relief

at the stiff sentence, anger at her son's brutal slaying, sadness

at the thought of a family atmosphere that might encourage gay

bashing.

""I've been told you can't blame the parents. But they had to

have been raised with some kind of prejudice,'' she said of the

teens accused in the slaying. ""I wasn't brought up that way. I was

a GI brat, but you are taught to get along with everyone. I wasn't

raised to hate people. ''

She admits it's been hard not to hate those charged with

attacking her son with nail-studded boards and a knife about 3 a.m.

on July 4, 1991, as he was leaving the gay nightclub Heaven.

Broussard died later at the hospital. The incident rocked Houston

and gained national attention.

To Rodriguez, who struggles to find meaning in her son's

death, letting people know that gays and lesbians have families who

care about them has become a major goal. Although she has only

attended one P-FLAG meeting (in Atlanta, two hours from her

hometown), she speaks highly of the group.

Rodriguez has talked with Miller on the local P-FLAG help

line, a number that gays and their parents can call to get

information or just to talk. The help line is staffed by parent

volunteers who check the answering machine frequently and return

calls within 24 hours. Rodriguez also plans to attend a monthly

Houston P-FLAG meeting at 2 p.m. today at IntraCare Hospital, 7601

Fannin.

Since ""coming out'' is an important and often emotional time

for gays and lesbians and their families, she may tell P-FLAG

members about her son and their relationship. She may even talk

about the day Broussard came home from Texas A&M University and

told his mother he was gay.

""I guess he was about 18 or 19. He came home from college

and said, "I have something to tell you,' '' she recalled. ""We had

just been to visit him and the fellow he lived with, and I had

figured it out, but I thought it was up to him to bring it up.

After he told me, I remember saying, "If you want to talk about it,

that's fine -- but it's OK with me. ' You see, I felt that it was

his own business. ''

As she has told people over and over during the past year,

""That's your child. If you loved them before they told you, why

would you stop loving them after they tell you? ''

Rodriguez was proud of her son. He was born in New Mexico and

spent most of his youth in Warner Robins, Ga., where he and his

brother and sister were raised. She loves to tell how Paul, who was

an Eagle Scout and played in the school band, graduated 15th in a

class of 469. He paid his own way through college by working at two

jobs, and eventually found a job with NationsBank in Houston.

She knows that many parents of gays and lesbians do not

accept their children's homosexuality, and few are as open to it as

she was. Even so, many are having to come to terms with it. P-FLAG

brochures quote Kinsey Report statistics estimating that 10 percent

of the U.S. population is homosexual. One out of four families,

they say, has a gay member.

Since Broussard's death, one of his teachers has visited

Rodriguez and told her that she has a number of gay students in her

class. A therapist who counsels Rodriguez said many parents of gay

and lesbian children come to her and ask her to ""fix'' their children. She, like other parents, has learned over the past year

that an estimated one-third of the teen-agers who kill themselves

are homosexual.

""I would love to do something for those kids in my town,''

she said. ""I told my therapist that I could open up my house for

the kids, but she said the town would never accept it. ''

The tragedy of gay and lesbian suicide was discussed at the

June P-FLAG meeting, during which a tape of a ""20/20'' segment on

the issue was shown. Featured in the interview was a California

woman named Mary Griffith, whose son Bobby killed himself in 1983,

shortly after he turned 20.

Griffith, who was a fundamentalist Christian at the time of

her son's suicide, recently visited Houston and talked to parents

at a party hosted by P-FLAG president Rickey. Since her son's

death, the guilt-stricken Griffith has dedicated her life to

working with parents and children to prevent teen suicides and to

promote understanding. While in town, Griffith spoke at a

fund-raiser for the Houston Institute for the Protection of Youth,

a new group that helps disenfranchised youths.

""The family is a child's lifeline,'' Griffith said. ""I

firmly believe that if Bobby had family support or education in

school, he would be alive today. For all of us it was the biggest

secret. I didn't want anyone to know, and neither did Bobby. It's

such a terrible trap for parents, and that is why P-FLAG is so

good. The group is a godsend as far as I'm concerned. ''

When Bobby, at the age of 16, told his family he was gay,

Griffith prayed that God would ""heal'' her son, and she believed

that he would, right up to the day Bobby died. She constantly

played a Christian radio station in their home and told her son to

pray harder. Her husband thought that if Bobby would date more

girls, he'd change his mind about being gay. A Christian counselor

told their son the same thing.

""By the time he was 18, Bobby decided none of that was true.

That was just the way he was, and he was trying to accept it,'' she

said. ""Of course I discouraged that every step of the way. He was

afraid that God would send him to hell, because that is what I

thought.

""I think he finally felt that God's hell couldn't be any

worse than what he was suffering. He felt rejected by God, church,

family and society. ''

The morning Griffith learned that her son had jumped off a

bridge into the path of an 18-wheeler, she remembers telling

herself: ""God's will be done. God knows best. '' But then she began

to feel troubled. Why, she asked, hadn't God ""cured'' Bobby and

made him straight? The more she thought about it, the more she

refused to accept that her son would burn in hell and that she

would never see him again.

Eventually, she said, she suppressed her homophobia enough to

visit a minister at the Metropolitan Community Church near her

home. MCC was founded in 1968 to minister to gays and lesbians. For

the first time she was able to discuss homosexuality, her beliefs

and her fears in a more open atmosphere.

Besides helping her along on her spiritual journey, she said,

he also recommended that she attend a P-FLAG meeting.

""It's scary to believe in something so strongly and not know

it's wrong,'' she said. ""When I went to my first P-FLAG meeting, I

was just amazed. I didn't know other parents existed, and it was

like listening to myself talk.

""I had come to the conclusion there was nothing wrong with

my son, and they reaffirmed that. This is how Bobby and other gays

and lesbians were born -- their feelings are just as natural as

ours. It might have made a difference if I had known about P-FLAG

before, but I probably would have thought they were from Satan back

then. ''

Not everyone's journey to acceptance is so difficult. But

many parents go through periods of anger and grief after their

children ""come out'' to them, Rickey said. Once those feelings are

processed, she and other parents said, relationships with their

children have grown and their own lives have become more open to

diversity.

Coming out makes a difference in their children's lives, too,

Rickey said. Those who feel they have to hide their sexual

orientation from their parents often lead unhappy and fragmented

lives.

In the wake of Broussard's death, activist Lewis decided to

tell his family that he was gay.

""It was a wake-up call to me. I left Heaven that night only

30 minutes after Paul and his friends did. What if they called my

mother and said, "Your son was killed coming out of a gay bar'? ''

Lewis said. ""I needed to tell her myself, and I realized that

until I told her, we could never have a complete relationship. She

went into therapy to deal with it and seemed pretty open. Then she

went to a revival and changed her mind. But I'm luckier than most

because I haven't lost any of my family, and many of my friends

have. ''

As for Rickey, the past year has brought changes, too. In

June, she proudly marched down Westheimer and Montrose in the

Houston 1992 Lesbian/Gay Pride Parade, something she might not have

done in the past. She loved every minute of it, in spite of the

blistering heat.

""Walking down that parade route, the crowd would look at our

flag and cheer. The response was so incredible,'' she said. ""The

more I waved, the more they cheered. They said things like, "Thank

you for being here' and, "I wish you would talk to my mom. ' To do

so little and get such a response was really touching. ''

Ronalyn Hall, president of Houston P-FLAG in 1990, and her

son John David McDaniel, both marched in the parade, though with

different groups. McDaniel, 28, came out to his mother when he was

18.

""We always had a good relationship, but now it's even

better, and there are no secrets, no walls between us,'' he said.

""Even so, the first thing she said was, "Tell me it's not my

fault. ' That was a long time ago, before people realized that it's

a genetic thing. The older I get, the prouder I get and the more I

realize I'm OK. ''

Hall is proud of her relationship with her son. Over the

years, she has tried hard to educate others about gay and lesbian

issues and let people know that gays are not ""evil, scary people. ''

""I joined P-FLAG because while I didn't need support myself,

I thought I might be able to help others that did,'' said Hall, who

is no longer as active as she once was. ""The group has really

grown this year, and I'm very pleased about that. ''

Rickey has watched as parents have clung together and cried

their way through their first P-FLAG meetings. As parents learn and

grow, some call her between meetings and tell her how much better

they feel. She watches with pride as they in turn counsel other

newcomers in the group.

Some parents who call the help line or attend meetings say

they have suspected their children were gay or lesbian for years.

Others have never had any idea. For all parents it is helpful if

children prepare what Rickey calls a ""psychological packet''

containing suggestions on books to read and perhaps a therapist or

friend to consult.

Sadly, many parents find out their sons are gay at the same

time they learn of an AIDS diagnosis.

""I met one mother who seemed to be more upset about the fact

her son was gay than the fact that he was dying of AIDS,'' said

Walter Porter, a P-FLAG member whose son died of AIDS four years

ago. ""I told her, "Look, you can't do this. You have got to come

to terms with your son. ' ''

Rickey quickly corrects visitors who hope P-FLAG will ""fix''

their children. That's not what the group is about. Some parents

don't like that message and never return.

But everyone reacts differently. One father, who asked that

his name not be used, read everything he could get his hands on. He

found comfort in statistics and came to understand that his child's

sexual orientation was natural. In the process, he also set aside

the homophobic feelings he was raised with and brought his family

closer together.

One mother recalled the years she spent suppressing the fear

that her daughter was a lesbian.

""It was like, if we didn't name it, maybe it wouldn't be

true. When I finally found out, I wanted to die. I prayed very hard

to die, because all I knew was to flee or fight, and there was no

place on the planet I could run to,'' she said. ""I figured it was

my fault and that my husband would blame me. But we went through it

all together. I look at it as when I was sick and when I got

better. I was real sick for three months, and after that I was just

fine. ''

P-FLAG's Miller's longtime suspicion that her daughter might

be a lesbian was confirmed when she came home with her lover, a

nurse, and told her mother the two had a special relationship.

Still, she had never thought her son was gay. He had dated women

and was close to being engaged when he told her.

""When my son came home three years ago and told me he was

gay, I said, "But how can that be? You're a terrible dresser and

you always have holes in your socks,' '' she recalled with a laugh.

""Every gay man I knew was always such a snappy dresser. ''

Miller now is actively involved in gay and lesbian issues and

is pleased at the pride her children feel in her commitment. She

flew out to San Francisco two weeks ago to walk with her son in

that city's Gay Pride Day Parade. Next year she hopes her children,

who both live in California, will join her in the Houston parade.

Since they lost their son to AIDS four years ago, Walter and Lou Porter have found comfort working with a Catholic AIDS support

group and helping parents adjust to their children's homosexuality.

A large color photograph of Walter Jr. dominates the couple's

living room and reminds them of the promise they made him to help

AIDS patients and their families. They began attending P-FLAG

meetings six months ago and view that as part of their work.

""We loved our son, but we didn't condone or accept his

sexual orientation,'' Walter Porter said. ""I tell people, "God

gave us our children for a reason. They are going to be difficult,

but we are going to love them because they are our children. ' The

alternative is to lose them. I think a lot of parents feel they

will lose their friends, or kinfolks won't talk to them. But if

that's what they think, they need more help than the gay person. ''

Rodriguez remembers her fears that AIDS would take Paul

Broussard from her. She never worried about gay bashing. The

anniversary of his death was tough as she recalled the

early-morning call telling her that Paul was badly hurt and would

probably not live.

Rodriguez rushed to Houston, hoping to get there and hold him

in her arms one more time. But Paul died before she arrived. Now

she often sits at her son's grave in Georgia, decorated with roses

from her garden, and wonders why.

""I visit his grave almost every day. I sit there and say,

"Kid, let me know it's OK,' '' she said. ""I know he would tell me,

"Mom, cut it out. Let go of it. ' Because some days it just eats me

alive. It's not going to change the world, but if his death starts

making people accept each other for what they are, then maybe it

will mean something. ''

                                 

Recommended reading

Here are some books recommended by the Federation of Parents

and Friends of Lesbians and Gays and other sources:

""Now That You Know: What Parents Should Know About

Homosexuality'' by Betty Fairchild and Nancy Hayward (Harbrace,

$ 8.95).

""Beyond Acceptance: Parents of Lesbians and Gays Talk About

Their Experiences'' by Carolyn Welch Griffing, Marian J. Wirth and

Arthur G. Wirth (St. Martin Press, $ 9.95).

""Parents Matter: Parents' Relationships With Lesbian

Daughters and Gay Sons'' by Ann Muller (Naiad Press, $ 9.95).

""Loving Someone Gay'' by Don Clark (NAL-Dutton, $ 4.95).

""Parents of the Homosexual'' by David K. and Shirley Switzer

(Westminster John Knox, $ 8.95).

""Coming Out to Parents -- A Two-Way Survival Guide for

Lesbians and Gay Men and Their Parents'' by Mary Borhek (Pilgrim

Press, $ 9.95).

From a religious point of view:

""Taking a Chance on God: Liberating Theology for Gays,

Lesbians and Their Lovers, Families and Friends'' by John J.

McNeill (Beacon Press, $ 10.95).

""Is the Homosexual My Neighbor? '' by Letha Scanzoni and

Virginia Ramey Mollenkott (Harper, $ 9.95).

""But Lord, They're Gay'' by Sylvia Pennington (Lambda

Christian Fellowship, $ 10).

Many of these books are available from the local P-FLAG

lending library for people who attend the group's meetings (call

the P-FLAG help line at 867-9020 for information).

The books can also be found or ordered at Inklings -- An

Alternative Book Shop, 1846 Richmond Ave

 

 

GRAPHIC: Photos: 1. John David McDaniel, 28, ""came out'' to his mother, Ronalyn Hall (color); 2.The local P-FLAG chapter showed its colors in last month's Houston 1992 Lesbian / Gay Pride Parade in Montrose (color); 3. Nancy Rodriguez (b/w, p. 4); 4. Carole Miller (b/w, p. 4); Graph: 5. Recommended reading (b/w, p. 4, TEXT); 1. Ben DeSoto/Chronicle, 2. Robert Seale/Chronicle, Larry Reese/Chronicle, 4.Steve Campbell/Chronicle

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: July 13, 1992

 

 

 

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16

Copyright 1992 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company  

The Houston Chronicle

July 4, 1992, Saturday, 2 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 29

LENGTH: 600 words

HEADLINE: Minding their P's and Q's;

Broussard's death led gay community to patrol, protect

BYLINE: R.A. DYER; Staff

BODY:

   They attacked on the Fourth of July.

A rabble of young men, wielding a knife and nail-studded

boards, set upon Paul Broussard, attacking so viciously that the

young banker was left bleeding and semi-conscious. He died soon

afterward.

It would have been another murder in a city of murders except

that Broussard was gay. Police say that was why he was killed.

As a result of Broussard's death -- one year ago today -- the

gay community has experienced subtle yet undeniable changes. Most

of those changes, say activists, have been for the better.

""The hate crime against Paul Broussard became an extension

of the lawlessness and fear many people were experiencing,''

explained Ray Hill, a longtime gay activist. ""It hit a chord for

both gay and non-gay people. It led to bonding between people who

previously only tolerated each other. ''

One assailant, 18-year-old Jon Christopher Buice, has already

been sentenced to 45 years in prison. Nine others also could face

lengthy terms if convicted.

Hill said the attack on Broussard, which occurred in the

early hours of July 4, 1991, eventually led to cooperation between

gay groups and Montrose civic associations to reduce crime. It also

prompted a police sting operation and a crime patrol by gay

activists.

Combined, those efforts have made Montrose safer, said Hill.

""Car burglaries are down; burglaries to residences are down

-- I think the statistics speak for themselves,'' he said, citing

recent police studies.

Following Broussard's death, Hill and other activists created

the Montrose Q-Patrol, which monitors anti-gay harassment,

vandalism and assaults. It also sends letters to owners of

suspicious vehicles, warning that ""gay bashing is no longer a

sport. ''

Some of the group's nearly 100 volunteers, who patrol

Montrose on foot and in cars several times a week, have been

threatened and even fired on by passing motorists, said Q-Patrol

director Mark Gartner.

He also said Houston police provided two-way radios and

loaned meeting space to the organization. Police also responded to

the Broussard killing with their now-famous anti-hate-crime sting

operation.

Posing as homosexuals, officers last year walked singly or in

couples down Montrose streets.

The officers suffered over a dozen hate-motivated assaults by

young men on the prowl.

Activists said the attacks produced a sense of trust between

police and gays. Far from the days of raids on gay bars, police

began to understand that being homosexual often means living in

fear.

""I have become more aware of how difficult it is for them,''

said one officer who was assaulted during the sting operation.

""They are basically in fear 24 hours a day -- especially when

they're walking. They have a fear of being beaten, robbed and

killed. It's tough. ''

The national television coverage of Broussard's murder and

the subsequent sting also brought the horror of anti-gay violence

to the living rooms of those living outside Montrose and the gay

community.

Nancy Rodriguez, Broussard's mother, said she hopes that some

good has come from her son's murder -- and the attention it

attracted.

""To hate somebody just because he's different -- I don't

understand that,'' she said. ""But maybe people will start

accepting homosexuals. It's just a shame that my son had to die. ''

The local chapter of Queer Nation, a gay activist group that

rose to prominence following Broussard's death, has scheduled a

first anniversary rally for July 11. A march is to begin at

Montrose and West Drew at 9 p.m.

GRAPHIC: Photo: 1. Q-patrol members Christopher Miles, from left, Keith Stewart and Jan Lee patrol the Westheimer area at Melrose Thursday night in an effort to reduce crime. The citizens' group was formed in the wake of Paul Broussard's death at the hands of 10 men who beat him because he was gay. Today, the first anniversary of Broussard's death, gay community leaders say the Montrose area is a safer place; Mug: 2.Paul Broussard; 1. Richard Carson/Chronicle

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: July 8, 1992

 

 

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17

Document 55 of 61.

Copyright 1992 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company  

The Houston Chronicle

July 3, 1992, Friday, 2 STAR Edition

Correction Appended

SECTION: A; Pg. 37

LENGTH: 554 words

HEADLINE: "Gay bashing' suspects offered lesser pleas

BYLINE: JOHN MAKEIG, R.A. DYER; Staff

BODY:

   Harris County prosecutors have drawn a sort of legal line in

the sand for eight teens accused of killing banker Paul Broussard

in a notorious ""gay-bashing'' incident a year ago.

Prosecutors say they're willing to offer the Montgomery

County youths plea-bargained prison sentences below the maximum for

murder and attempted murder.

However, the offers have not been warmly received by

attorneys for the teens -- who hoped to escape with probation -- or

Broussard's mother, Nancy Rodriguez.

""It's like saying it's OK to go beat up queers -- just don't

kill them,'' she said.

A Sept. 14 trial is now scheduled for four teens deemed by

prosecutors to have been ""directly involved'' in the July 4, 1991,

killing.

They are Leandro ""Leo'' Ramirez, 18, Brian Spake, 18, and

Jaime Aguirre, 19, and brother Javier, 18.

""If they'd come down to assault, I'd talk to them about a

plea,'' said attorney Jim Sims, who represents Ramirez. ""Going to

trial's like pitching a football. I don't know where it'll fall. ''

Defense lawyers say the prosecutors, Mike Anderson and Joan

Huffman, are not only demanding time in prison but will not agree

to any charges other than murder or attempted murder.

Broussard's mother, however, believes the bargains are too

lenient. She recently asked state District Judge Brian Rains to

recuse himself if he pressured attorneys for the plea bargains.

She said Anderson told her Rains ""ordered'' prosecutors to

offer some plea arrangement. ""(Attorneys) have told me this is not

normal procedure and that you are stepping outside your

authority,'' she wrote Rains on June 15.

Rains said he stayed out of the plea-bargaining process

except to urge the prosecution to be ""realistic'' in settling the

cases.

The fates of four other teens -- Derrick Attard, 18, Raphael

Gonzalez, 19, Gayland Randle, 18, and Jeffery Valentine, 18 -- will

be decided by the outcome of their co-defendants' September trial.

Another defendant, Paul Dillion, 23, already was on probation

for a theft-related offense. His case will be handled separately.

The final defendant, Jon Christopher Buice, 18, pleaded

guilty May 11 and was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Attorney Gerald Bourque said Randle, his client, and

Valentine are considered to have been the least involved in

Broussard's killing.

Interviews with prosecutors and defense lawyers indicate the

youths, all present or former students at McCullough High School in

The Woodlands, attacked Broussard and two companions on West Drew

about 3 a.m

Afterward they talked about the incident at a restaurant and,

attorneys said, Buice hauled out his knife and announced he had

stabbed Broussard.

Until then, some defense lawyers maintain, their clients had

not realized Broussard may have been seriously injured.

Huffman, however, contends they had gathered around Broussard

to kick and hit him and had to have known about the knifing.

Rodriguez, 45, of Georgia, also complained Spake and his

mother wrote her, offering a prayer and saying their lives, too,

had been changed by the crime.

""When I saw the signature, I started crying,'' said

Rodriguez. ""I cried most of the day. It was so cruel. ''

She said she asked prosecutors to prevent future contact by

the defendants or their families.

 

 

CORRECTION-DATE: July 10, 1992

CORRECTION:

Reporter R.A. Dyer was misidentified as J.A. Dyer in the credit of this story. Unpublished correction 7/10/92.

GRAPHIC: Mug: Paul Broussard

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

NOTES: Chronicle reporter J.A. Dyer (SEE CORRECTION) contributed to this story.

LOAD-DATE: July 11, 1992

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18

Copyright 1992 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company  

The Houston Chronicle

May 12, 1992, Tuesday, 2 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 1

LENGTH: 713 words

HEADLINE: Teen pleads guilty, gets 45 years in gay-bashing death

BYLINE: JOHN MAKEIG, JULIE MASON; Staff

BODY:

   A Woodlands teen-ager accused of landing the fatal blows in a

gay-bashing murder outside a Montrose bar pleaded guilty Monday in

exchange for a 45-year prison sentence.

The agreement came after Jon Christopher Buice, 18, was

turned in to authorities by a bail bondsman, reportedly because he

was making plans to flee to South Korea.

Buice and nine others were charged in the July 4 beating and

stabbing death of 27-year-old banker Paul Broussard. The attack,

and gay protests that followed, gained national attention.

Buice's sentence, which will not allow parole before 2003,

""sends a message that people will be prosecuted for the crimes

they commit,'' said Broussard's mother, Nancy Rodriguez.

""We must not forget the other nine,'' Rodriguez said,

referring to Buice's co-defendants. ""We must not let the others go

unpunished. ''

Buice spoke little during his brief appearance before state

District Judge Brian Rains, but did admit killing Broussard ""along

with'' his co-defendants.

Prosecutor Mike Anderson was careful to coax that statement

from Buice. Without it, the record might have indicated Buice acted

alone, which could have damaged the remaining cases.

It was unclear whether Buice may become a state witness

against the other Montgomery County suspects. ""We're not saying

we're going to use him as a witness,'' prosecutor Joan Huffman

said. ""We don't know yet. ''

Huffman said the bonding company canceled Buice's bail

shortly before the plea bargain.

Broussard's mother and gay activists told reporters the bond

was voided because Buice recently had applied for a South Korean

work permit. Buice's mother is of Korean descent.

Investigators said Broussard and two friends were walking

from the gay nightclub Heaven to their car in the 1000 block of

Drew about 3 a.m. July 4 when two carloads of youths pulled up and

asked where to find Heaven.

When one of Broussard's trio said they had just left the

club, the youths attacked them with nail-studded boards and a knife.

Broussard, beaten and stabbed in the stomach, died at Ben

Taub Hospital. One of his companions also was beaten; the other

escaped.

Prosecutor Anderson said Buice (pronounced Bice) wielded the

knife that fatally wounded Broussard that night. He said other

members of the group inflicted non-lethal injuries on Broussard.

Earlier the same evening, prosecutors said, the youths threw

rocks at two other gay men in Montrose, breaking a car windshield

and striking one man in the mouth.

Huffman said the early morning raid that led to Broussard's

death was a ""group decision. ''

All 10 youths were current or former students at McCullough

High School in The Woodlands. Some had made similar gay-bashing

trips before, Huffman said, but July 4 was their first foray

together.

Broussard's mother, Rodriguez, had stark words for her son's

accused attackers.

""I think they're very arrogant and malicious,'' she said.

""They don't care about what they've done, they don't think of my

son as a person. ''

Gay activist Scott Lewis said gay-bashing is still going on

in Montrose, despite increased police presence and public awareness

of the problem.

Buice's sentence ""is a wake-up call to everyone that says

this must not continue,'' Lewis said. ""Gay bashing is murder. ''

Shortly after Broussard's murder, more than 1,200 people

marched in Montrose to demand police action. Houston police began a

months-long undercover operation aimed at arresting perpetrators of

anti-gay violence.

Gay activist Ray Hill said Broussard's family initially

feared prosecutors might not take the case seriously, and they were

pleased with the 45-year sentence. Had Buice been sentenced to

life, he would have become eligible for parole in 15 years.

""He's been sentenced to twice his lifetime,'' Hill said,

""and he'll serve more than half his present lifetime before he's

eligible for parole. ''

Other defendants in the Broussard case are Paul Chance

Dillion, 23, Derrick Jan Attard, 18, Leondro Ramirez, 19, Brian

Douglas Spake, 18, Raphael G. Gonzalez, 18, Gayland Earl Randle,

18, Jeffery Valentine, 18, and brothers Javier Aguirre, 18, and

Jaime Aguirre, 19.

Dillion is on probation from a 1990 burglary case.

 

 

GRAPHIC: Mugs: 1. Jon Christopher Buice (color); 2. Paul Broussard (color); 3. Nancy Rodriguez (b/w, p.6); 4. Paul Broussard (b/w, p. 6, 4-star edition); 5. Jon Christopher Buice (b/w, p. 6, 4-star edition)

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: May 13, 1992

 

 

 

 

 

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19

Copyright 1992 The Times Mirror Company  

Los Angeles Times

March 22, 1992, Sunday, Bulldog Edition

SECTION: Part A; Page 21; Column 1; Advance Desk

LENGTH: 556 words

HEADLINE: MURDER LEADS TO PROTECTION FOR GAYS;

HATE CRIME: 'Q PATROL' OFFICERS NOW ESCORT BAR PATRONS TO THEIR CARS. POLICE ARE GIVEN CREDIT FOR A SAFER NEIGHBORHOOD.

BYLINE: By SUSAN HIGHTOWER, ASSOCIATED PRESS

DATELINE: HOUSTON

BODY:

   Paul Broussard was stabbed to death outside a gay bar in Houston, allegedly by 10 teen-agers who wanted to "beat up fags."

The banker's slaying stirred Houston's homosexual community to activism, made the rest of the city more aware of violence against homosexuals, and focused police attention on "gay bashing."

Eight months after the killing, gay activists say the streets have become safer in the Montrose neighborhood where many of Houston's estimated 150,000 to 200,000 homosexuals live.

"The police in Houston have been really wonderful. I feel that things have improved," said gay activist Ray Hill.

"The police department has been very receptive and very understanding, and they no longer consider this an imaginary problem," Chris Bacon, president of the Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, said.

Broussard and two friends were attacked by a group of young men wielding pipes and nail-studded boards after leaving a Montrose nightclub July 4. Broussard, 27, died of stab wounds.

Ten teen-agers from The Woodlands, an affluent Houston suburb, were arrested in the attack and charged with murder. Police said the teen-agers told them they wanted to "beat up some fags."

The first defendant, John Christopher Buice, 17, is scheduled to go on trial Monday. He could be sentenced to life in prison on the first-degree murder charge, said Harris County assistant district attorney Mike Anderson.

"We want to put this case to the jury to give us an idea and give the community an idea what the response is to this kind of crime," Anderson said.

Buice's attorney, Tim Gavrel, did not return repeated telephone calls from The Associated Press.

The slaying galvanized the gay community into demanding police reforms. A protest rally days after the killing drew more than 1,000 people.

Police responded by organizing an undercover sting operation in which officers posed as homosexuals.

During the 15 days of "Operation Vice Versa," five undercover officers were attacked -- sprayed with Mace and hit with a baseball bat and a tree branch.

One policeman was punched in the face by a man who apologized after his arrest, saying he had thought the officer was "a damn queer."

Since then, homosexuals have worked with police to set up training programs to make officers and cadets aware of gay issues.

And late last year, police helped organized the Montrose-based "Q Patrol," whose members escort patrons of gay bars to their cars, said Assistant Police Chief Frank Yorek.

Yorek cited the patrol as a good example of "police-citizen crime fighting."

"I think they will continue to fight back -- and, unfortunately, will continue to be victimized," he said.

Gay activists, meanwhile, say the slaying finally made the whole community aware of violence against homosexuals.

"I think in the past it was something that was talked about in gay establishments, among gay people," Bacon said.

Knight said her organization was flooded with sympathetic telephone calls -- most from people who identified themselves as heterosexual.

"It's not a gay-and-straight issue. It has to do with hate and bias to people," she said.

And Hill told of being invited to speak to church and parent groups in the defendants' neighborhood.

"What I find in those communities is they are as shocked and horrified as my community," Hill said.

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

 

 

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20

The Houston Chronicle

October 15, 1991, Tuesday, 2 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 22

LENGTH: 464 words

HEADLINE: Plan to sensitize police to gays criticized

BYLINE: R.A. DYER; Staff

BODY:

   Conservative activists Monday blasted a proposal to sensitize police to the gay and lesbian lifestyle -- likening the plan to police training on behalf of drug dealers.

Ken Hoover, coordinator of the local chapter of the John Birch Society, accused Mayor Kathy Whitmire and Police Chief Elizabeth M. Watson of caving in to the demands of gay activists who have called for the training.

Pointing out that sexual relations between members of the same sex is illegal in Texas, Hoover said, ""Sensitivity training is more properly used for sick people -- but how can you be sensitive to people who are considered lawbreakers in the state of Texas? '' ""By the same logic, drug dealers could call for sensitivity training to their alternative lifestyle. '' Police sources announced the training in August after the murder of gay banker Paul Broussard outside a Montrose bar. The killing -- which appears to have been motivated by hatred of homosexuals -- sparked the ire of gays and lesbians, who rallied in the streets for more protection.

But H. Kyle Searle III, chairman of a police support group associated with the John Birch Society, said that if the training is implemented, ""our Police Department will become sitting ducks for every minority group with a grievance Respect for law enforcement would then collapse, and lawlessness will prevail. '' He said his group will speak out against the training during a press conference today at the Stouffer Presidente Hotel.

Longtime gay activist Ray Hill said he is not surprised by the statements, accusing the John Birch Society of bigotry. He said a press release issued by Searle was leaked to activists by a gay member of the conservative group.

""It should be anticipated that the John Birch Society would spend money and organize in the protection of ignorance,'' Hill said. ""They have traditionally been anti-Semitic, and they are certainly anti-black, anti-Hispanic and anti-women's issues. It was just a matter of time before they got around to us. '' Many rank-and-file officers have already loudly complained about the training, saying it violated their religious beliefs. And police sources on Monday said the training plan had been put on hold -- possibly in response to those complaints.

But the presidents of both major police employee organizations said the training would be a good idea if properly implemented.

Doug Elder, president of the Houston Police Officers Association, and Greg Bisso, president of the Houston Police Patrolmen's Union, said the training should be voluntary and provided in conjunction with cultural and racial sensitivity training to be offered in the coming months.

Said Elder: ""If it can help our officers do a better job, it's something we need to explore. ''

 

 

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: October 18, 1991

 

 

 

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21

Copyright 1991 The New York Times Company  

The New York Times

 View Related Topics 

August 31, 1991, Saturday, Late Edition - Final

SECTION: Section 1; Page 9; Column 1; National Desk

LENGTH: 625 words

HEADLINE: Houston Post Columnist Dismissed in Dispute Over Announcing His Homosexuality

BYLINE: By ROBERTO SURO,  Special to The New York Times

DATELINE: HOUSTON, Aug. 30

BODY:

   A columnist for The Houston Post was dismissed today after telling interviewers that his editors had prohibited him from writing about his own homosexuality.

The dismissal grew out of events that began when the columnist, Juan R. Palomo, sought to announce his sexual preference in a column that decried the lack of public outrage over the slaying of a 27-year-old banker, Paul Broussard, on July 4. Mr. Broussard was killed when 10 suburban youths allegedly chased down and attacked him and two companions as they were leaving a gay bar in Houston's Montrose neighborhood.

Mr. Palomo asserts that his editors told him they would not allow him to declare his homosexuality in the column, published in a revised version on July 9, with the passage about his own homosexuality deleted.

Mr. Palomo later discussed the conflict with his editors in interviews published in July and earlier this month by The Houston Press, a weekly newspaper; Editor & Publisher, a trade magazine, and The Washington Post.

 

'Personal Agenda' Cited

In a memorandum today to the staff of The Houston Post announcing Mr. Palomo's dismissal, Charles Cooper, the newspaper's senior vice president and editor, wrote: "The best interests of The Post come before the personal agenda of an individual. Juan chose to take the matter public to the extent I felt would be detrimental to The Post, and I told him that."

In an interview today, Mr. Palomo said: "I think this is a result of my talking about their decision to censor me. I don't think they are homophobes or racists, but it has been pointed out to me that it doesn't make any difference if they take the same action as homophobes and racists."

While he has not made any specific plans for the future, Mr. Palomo said, "If there is any legal action I can take against The Post that has a reasonable chance of success, I'll take it."

Mr. Palomo acknowledges that he went along when his editors asked him to remove the passage announcing his homosexuality from the column he wrote about the slaying of Mr. Broussard. He said he had not discussed this aspect of the column before submitting it shortly before deadline.

 

A Need to Speak Out

Mr. Palomo, who is 45 years old, had not told even family members about his homosexuality, but he said he thought it was important for him as a homosexual to speak out against the crime.

Mr. Cooper said the column was not published as written because Mr. Palomo's announcement of his homosexuality "was not appropriate in that column and deflected attention from what was already a very powerful piece."

Both Mr. Palomo and Mr. Cooper said today that their conflict focused not so much on the July 9 column, but on what happened after it was published.

Within days Mr. Palomo gave a detailed account of the handling of the column in a long interview with The Houston Press, which frequently publishes critical articles about internal matters involving the city's news organizations.

Mr. Cooper said today, "I know I am not going to tell a reporter not to go talk to someone." But he said that after he and other editors learned of the interview with The Houston Press they asked Mr. Palomo "to concentrate on his column writing rather than do things to keep the controversy rolling."

Of that conversation Mr. Palomo recalls: "The Post editors were very upset with me. They said I had no right to talk about a conversation I had with my editors." Mr. Palomo said he agreed that "I would not talk about the editing process, but I would reserve the right to talk about the personal side of it."

Mr. Cooper contended today that Mr. Palomo had "violated the spirit of the agreement," and mentioned "continued instances in which he decided to go public."

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: August 31, 1991