Giovanni Melton, from Henderson, Nevada, was gunned down by his father Wendell Melton after an argument on Thursday afternoon about how he is gay and has a boyfriend, police told KSNV.

‘He hated the fact that his son was gay,’ the 14-year-old’s former foster mom Sonia Jones told the station.

‘I’m sure that inside of his mind, he would rather have a dead son than a gay son.’

Jones said that Wendell, 53, had previously pulled a gun on his son before when he caught him with his boyfriend.

Police arrived on the scene Thursday after receiving a report about a domestic disturbance at their apartment.

When authorities arrived they found the 14-year-old in critical condition and rushed him to St Rose Dominican Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Giovanni lived alone at the apartment where he was fatally shot, police have said.

Wendell Melton was arrested on Friday and booked into the Henderson Detection center.

He has been charged with open murder, child abuse and prohibited person possessing a firearm. It isn’t clear if he will be charged with a hate crime.

Giovanni’s friends remembered him as an energetic teenager who could make anyone smile.

Bailey Schultz said he was a friend of hers at Coronado High School, and that ‘he was young and had a lot to live for.’

And Jones, his foster mother, described Giovanni as a ‘beautiful life,’ and says she loved the boy as her own.

‘I hope they throw the book at him,’ she told KSNV, referring to Wendell Melton.

‘I hope he never sees the light of day. I hope every day when he looks in the mirror, he sees his son’s face.’

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Source: Daily Mail UK

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Darkwah Kyei Darkwah recently wrote an article titled ‘To be Young, Gifted, Black and Queer’ on intomore.com, saying he is gay but has had a difficult time coming out about his sexuality.

He said in the past he was quiet, obedient and often stayed in his room to prevent being noticed. But he is mature now and can no longer run away from who he is.

Read KKD’s post below:

KKD writes: “a beautiful Friday to you, family, friends, followers, frenemies and foes.

I have been notified of the eagerly re-published article on my dearly beloved son Darkwah Kyei-Darkwah’s speaking up on his acceptance of his sexuality.

His words were candid and courageous.

“The first step to being happy is to be honest and embrace who you are in its totality.” -Anon.

His statement of his conviction and comfort with himself as a young man is a matter of an individual’s sexuality.

Come joy or pain, sunshine or rain, success or failure, I will always love my son Darkwah Kyei-Darkwah and my daughter Ohemaa Asokwa Kyei-Darkwah.

My love, care and devotion to my children are non-negotiable.

There are ex-wives and ex-husbands but there are no ex-children nor ex-parents.

No truth nor lies, no malicious gossip nor ill-willed broadcast can ever change my love and devotion for my children no matter who they think they are.

Through divorce and a year after, I stayed strong through the storm as a single father to raise my son and daughter aged 7+ and 5+, working, teaching, cooking, cleaning, ironing, reading, driving, playing, flying, juggling, mentoring, role-playing and praying, all to keep their welfare paramount.

I have never ever shunned them as some strange and hateful persons would have the feeble-minded and gullible believe.

The uncouth, green-eyed monsters and miserable plebeians’ obsession with the lives of those they secretly admire or hate can lead to some rather curious acts of malice.

I have plenty praise for all the Earth Angels; family, lovers and loyal friends who helped me through my work and studies to care for our kind, courteous and gifted children.

Like all youngsters, they too have their highs and lows but they have been the joy of my life for years and still are.

Whilst the culture in which I was raised influenced me to lean towards raising my children as Asante, Christian, well-mannered, audacious, industrious, cosmopolitan and heterosexual, I do not consider it my place to pontificate, praise or condemn the sexuality any adult identifies with.

Each of us is a sum of many parts and sexual orientation is only one.

I bow with respect to the culture of my people and habitat but I also respect the culture and choices of others in theirs.

I am an open-hearted, open-minded tourist in God’s vast lands, who embraces all colour, race and creed:

Religion; Atheist, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Muslim, Pagan or other,

Gender Identity; Male Female Queer or other

Sexual orientation; Heterosexual, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite or other, and

Skin tone; black, brown, yellow, pink, white, pale or other

I have seen, encountered and worked in offices and at corporate functions, exhibitions and stately banquets with them all.

What I have learnt through travel and open mind is that they have more similarities than differences with you and I.

We all have a shared humanity even though we walk and talk differently, dress and stress differently, win and sin differently.

My admiration and respect for the talents of Oscar Wilde the thinker, writer and aesthete, Tom Ford the designer and film maker, Tim Cook the CEO of Apple, David Geffen, co-founder of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. and investor in Apple, Peter Mandelson the producer turned politician, Queen Latifah, rap artiste and actress, Ellen DeGeneres, Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon the broadcasters, Ryan Murphy the writer, director and producer of Glee, Edward Enninful, first black editor of style Bible Vogue and Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE (born 25 May 1939) the English actor, recipient of six Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BIF Award, two Saturn Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, two Critics’ Choice Awards, two Oscar nominations, four BAFTA nominations and five Emmy Award nominations are not diminished by their sexual identity nor orientation.

My son Darkwah is a gentle, creative, confident, erudite and hard-working 23 year-old who has studied Fashion Design and worked as Sales Executive for Harrods and Givenchy, Sales Executive then Stylist – Luxury Accessories for Tom Ford, Account Executive for Haddon PR and is now Fashion Editor for the Gay Times, arguably the world’s biggest magazine in its genre. And yes I love him, I admonish him, I scold him and I celebrate him as a loving father.

Whats your difference? Whats your talent? What’s your sin?

As you ponder whether to accept and share yours in spirit and truth with the world, take a moment to ask yourself if those people and things you aim your wrath and persecution at are the cause of the state you are in.

Also ask your parents, and your children, if they would treat you the way you treat others in the event that your sexuality were any different.

It warms my heart to see that my dearly beloved son has the courage and clarity of mind to speak up for himself, as everyone should to enable all live without narrow-mindedness, prejudice, fear and hate.

If each one would spend time doing something that brings them closer to realizing their goals, purpose and happiness whilst respecting the existence of others and safeguarding the environment and public purse, we would all be better for it.

All of us cannot be simultaneously happy with the way everyone finds their peace and happiness but we can agree to let what we see wrong in others never overshadow what is wrong with ourselves.

Whether my son says he is straight or gay, he will forever remain my dearly beloved son. Dig that.

Namaste

#son #family #love #father #forever”

By: KKD

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By: Kwame Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The WASH Media Awards, which is the 5th in the series recognizes and supports the crucial role of the media in raising awareness on the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene services for a positive influence on decision-makers, the private sector, the civil society as well as individuals and households.

Umaru Sanda’s documentary, Water Wahala was adjudged the winning entry in the (WASH in the Future: The Post-2015 Development Agenda) category.

“Your entry was extremely well researched and thought provoking. For the 2014 awards, over 100 entries from over 30 countries were received,” said Mark Tran, Jury Chair for the 2014 WASH Media Awards in a statement.

Umaru Sanda will attend the upcoming Stockholm World Water Week conference slated for 31^st August to 5^th September, 2014 in Sweden as a guest of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).

“During the closing ceremony of the Water Week conference, we will formally recognize all winners from our six themes on stage and present you with a diploma and cash award”, a statement from the Awards Committee added.

The winning entry, Water Wahala discusses the daily struggle many Ghanaians go through in an attempt to get potable water for daily use.

Audio: Water Wahala

The WASH Media Awards is a competition opened to journalists who publish or broadcast original investigative stories and reports on issues related to water supply, sanitation, or hygiene and their impact on individual and country development.

This is the second international media award Umaru Sanda has won in his five-year journalism career which has been largely with Accra based Citi FM. In 2012, Umaru Sanda won the Radio for Peace Building – Africa award for a documentary he produced, titled The Fulani Revealed. In the same year, he was nominated for an award at the 17^th Ghana Journalists Association Awards. Earlier that year, Ghana’s National Roads Safety Commission nominated Umaru Sanda Amadu for the Road Safety Media Awards.

Umaru Sanda Amadu is a broadcast journalist and news producer at 97.3 Citi FM. He produces the award winning Citi Breakfast Show and Citi Eyewitness News as well as the weekend news analysis programme, The Big Issue.

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By: Kojo Akoto Boateng/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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