An unidentified Scottish lad will spend twelve months in prison for his role in the hateful murder of James Kerr. The 15-year old had been walking through a park when he encountered Kerr, a local politico. The boy later told two friends - the previously sentenced David Meehan and Martin Soutar - that Kerr had "tried" it with him. While we don't know what that means exactly, Meehan and Soutar didn't like it one bit. The trio then tracked down Kerr, the 15-year old pushed him to the ground and the older boys beat him to death. Team work!

During the course of the trial, the 15-year old admitted that Kerr had not, in fact, sexually assaulted him. His lie lead to to the attack, which lead to Kerr's death, yet the judge simply wagged a finger at the youth:

It is necessary to keep in mind that you are only 15. However, the primary consideration must be that you committed an unprovoked and homophobic assault upon a man who had not molested you and was not presenting any danger to you. This offence is so serious that, despite your age, a custodial disposal is the only appropriate way of dealing with you.

Now, we don't mean to question the court's judgment, but one year doesn't seem "appropriate".

It'll be a cold winter for David Meehan and Martin Soutar - the Scottish duo have been sentenced for their respective roles in the murder of Perth politico James Kerr.

Soutar got off easy: the 21-year old will serve twelve years for "culpable homocide". Meanwhile, 19-year old Meehan, who not only helped beat Kerr, but later walked by his dying body, received a life sentence, 16-years of which he must serve.

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• Garden State Equality and Blue Jersey will start airing some pretty clever gay marriage ads tonight.

• A hefty paycheck ain't the only thing Rosie O'Donnell wants from potential employer MSNBC. From Jossip:

Sources tell us the network is frantically trying to scrounge up the cash to bankroll her outlandish list of demands (Think a gold-plated trapeze and a private chopper to take her to and from 30 Rock every day. Seriously). But why now? Because MSNBC’s on the eve of renegotiating their contract with their cable provider and landing a big star (no pun intended) and proving they can go toe-to-toe with O’Reilly will give them infinitely more leverage.

If anyone can take on O'Reilly, it's O'Donnell.

• Michigan Supreme Court mulling university benefits.

• The Scottish Socialist Party wants you to put pressure on Stagecoach buses, which attempted to boot a gay teenage couple last weekend. Re-read the original story and check out comment number two.

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A British bus driver went on a power trip this weekend after encountering two gay teens on his route. Steven Black and Mark Craig - aged sixteen and nineteen respectively - were riding late night last week when the driver pulled over and ordered them off because Craig had his arm around Black's shoulder. Says Black:

The driver stopped at the side of the road and told us to get off. He told us he would not move the bus unless we got off or sat apart.

The driver said he was 'not putting up with our shit'. He made us feel like complete freaks.

If we had been all over each other, I could understand - because that behavior in public is not appropriate whatever your sexuality. But Mark just had his arm around my shoulder.

I have never been so humiliated in my life. I just can't believe we are still made to feel like second-class citizens.

The boys were forced to comply, for they had no other way to get home. Now that they're safe and sound, however, they're planning legal action. A representative for the Stagecoach bus company claims they're taking the complaint "seriously," but neglected to mention the company's owner previously donated £500,000 in support of Clause 28, which banned "gay promotion" in schools.

Not only does this ballsy Scottish seagull know how to steal Doritos, he even knows which he prefers: tangy cheese. Adorable!

Marc Goodwin won't be cruising anytime soon. The 23-year old Scotsman has been sentenced to life in prison for beating 57-year old Malcolm Benfold to death last January.

Goodwin and his good-for-nothing buddies decided it would be a grand idea to head over to a gay cruising spot and have a little game of gay bashing. Blackpool Gazette reports:

A killer was today jailed for life after admitting the murder of a Blackpool man at a well-known gay cruising spot.

Marc Goodwin must serve a minimum of 18 years behind bars for the unprovoked attack on "vulnerable victim" Malcolm Benfold.
The 57-year-old was beaten to death on January 30 at Middle Walk, off Blackpool Promenade.

Goodwin, 23, led a booze-fuelled gang of three men who went out with the intention of "gay bashing".

Goodwin's homo-hating cohorts, James McNamee and Joseph Williams, received three year and two-and-a-half year sentences for robbery and assault. Pretty lenient, if you ask us, but nobody did, so the ruling stands.

Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson's treasured pub's about to get a makeover. Rutherford's bar in Edinburgh will soon become a two-story gay club.

The bar, which first opened in 1834, stood (wobbled?) as one of the Treasured Island and Kidnapped penman's hot spots. Stevenson loved that joint so much, in fact, there's an official plaque testimony outside its threshold.

One can't help but wonder what Stevenson would think of this gay turn of events. Or, at least one man can't help but wonder. Bobb Watt tells The Scotsman:

Stevenson wrote quite a bit about it. I'm not sure what Stevenson would have made of the new plans for Rutherford's, because he was so fond of it.

However, it's well known that he was a tolerant sort of person and I'm sure he'd have been pretty open-minded about it.

Indeed. Though there's no evidence Stevenson got down with dudes, that doesn't mean he didn't flirt a bit.

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An Edinburgh native known only as EB remains in custody in the Canary Islands, where Spanish police suspect he murdered 44-year old Karl Heinz Thonningen on Saturday. Thonningen and his lover traveled to the idyllic resort spot for a little holiday. While his lover remained in their hotel, Thonningen took a stroll on the beach. Around 5am another traveler found his dead body, which had been stabbed through the heart. Police speculate EB, who arrived at the hospital after a botched pill-driven suicide attempt, met Thonningen on the beach, attempted to pick him up and then flew into a murderous rage when Thonningen rejected his advances.

Barrie Mahoney, who edits the Islands' English speaking paper, told The Scotsman,

It's all very sketchy but I think [EB] is due to be charged later today. From what I've read in the locals we understand he [EB] was over here with his partner in one of the hotels.

In the two years I've been editor here this is the first case of this kind I can recall. It's a harmonious place so something like this really does shake a community.

We bet EB's lover's pissed. Not as pissed as Thonningen's lover, of course, who remains at the hotel but remains too grief stricken to release a statement.

If Nigeria can't play fair, they may not be able to play at all. The African nation, which has been mulling comprehensive homophobic laws, has applied to host The Commonwealth, also known as the Olympics for Britain and their 52-former colonies.

Glasgow, Scotland and Abuja, Nigeria lead the hosting competition, but some claim Nigeria's unjust laws violate the Games' philosophy. The Guardian's sportsman, Nicky Campbell, writes

I might best explain by adducing Article 2 of the Commonwealth Games Federation constitution, which earnestly promotes "gender equality and tolerance"; or Article 7, which says "there shall be no discrimination against any country or person on any grounds whatsoever including race, colour, gender, religion or politics". That is clear enough, then, and that is Abuja scuppered, then.

One would hope so…

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