Author: Randy Slovacek

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News Round-Up: June 12, 2019

• My family came from then-Czechoslovakia, but clearly I didn't swim in the same gene pool as Czech InstaHunk Petr Hollesch (above). #dang #eyes #body
(Petr Hollesch)

Some news items you might have missed:

• My family came from then-Czechoslovakia, but clearly I didn’t swim in the same gene pool as Czech InstaHunk Petr Hollesch (above). #dang #eyes #body

• Tales of the City author Armistead Maupin shares with The Guardian that being gay “liberated” him from “all sorts of shit,” and “sped up the process of wisdom.” He also reveals he is estranged from his Trump-supporting brother.

• Researchers at the University of New Mexico are testing a vaccine they believe could prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

• Ecuador’s high court has legalized same-sex marriage for the South American country.

• Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) slammed the Trump administration’s ban on transgender military service members at a Department of Defense Pride event today calling the policy “heartless as it is dangerous.”

• Christian hate preachers are planning an anti-LGBTQ conference in Orlando, Florida, during the city’s Pride celebration.

• Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris says she would pursue obstruction of justice charges against Donald Trump if she were elected.

• Sultry out singer/songwriter Gia Woods dropped her latest single, “Feel It,” recently and even as I type this I’m bouncing in my chair.

Sexy, seductive vocals slink over an irresistible electro-pop mid-tempo groove. “You can dance to it, but it’s not aggressive.,” says Woods. “It’s sensual and fun — just like the beginning of a heavy crush.”

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Beto O’Rourke Reveals 30+ Point Plan For LGBTQ Equality

Beto O’Rourke and supporters (image via Instagram)

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke has announced a wide-ranging plan for LGBTQ equality on Wednesday.

Listing an agenda of more than 30 actions he would take and/or support, the plan is divided in three parts: Executive Action to Protect LGBTQ+ People, Legislative Action to Ensure Full Equality and Protect the LGBTQ+ Community Across the Globe.

On his Instagram, O’Rourke said the proposal “would leverage executive power and call for congressional action that ensures that LGBTQ+ people have full equality and opportunity.”

First, O’Rourke would reverse many of Donald Trump’s disastrous executive actions and policies including:

• The discriminatory transgender military ban

• Overturning the ‘Deploy or Get Out’ policy that is currently discharging HIV+ service members

• Reversing the Trump policy that allows healthcare providers to deny treatment to LGBTQ+ people

• Directing the Department of Justice to investigate crimes against transgender people, especially trans women of color

• Reviewing the outdated blood donation requirements including the current 1-year ban for sexually active gay and bisexual men

• Ensure LGBTQ+ people are included in federal data collection efforts

• Appoint judges who have a proven record of supporting full civil rights for everyone

On a legislative front, O’Rourke promises to:

• Push for the passage of The Equality Act

• Ensure LGBTQ+ people have equal access to healthcare

• Enact the Every Child Deserves a Family Act which bars adoption and foster care programs that receive taxpayer dollars from discriminating against prospective LGBTQ parents

And the foreign policy aspect of his efforts would be:

• To promote foreign policy efforts to protect LGBTQ people abroad fleeing from persecution and violence

• Working with the United Nations on global protections for LGBTQ folks

• Investment in the Global Equality Fund which provides assistance to human rights groups working on behalf of LGBTQ people.

Click over to O’Rourke’s campaign site for more the details.

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Nearly Half Of Americans Erroneously Believe There Are Federal Laws Barring LGBTQ Discrimination

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows nearly half of all Americans erroneously believe that there are federal laws to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows nearly half of all Americans erroneously believe that there are federal laws to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination.

The survey of 2,237 adults in the U.S. indicates 45% of those polled believed the federal government has anti-discrimination laws in place for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. Twenty-three percent knew there are no nationwide protections for LGB folks.

The results were nearly evenly split when asked if transgender people were protected from discrimination by federal statute. Thirty-one percent believed they are protected, 32% believed they are not, and 37% didn’t know.

More from the poll:

• 65% support federal discrimination protections for LGBTQ people, 11% oppose

• 58% support same-sex marriage, 28% oppose

• 61% support LGBTQs being allowed to adopt children, 22% oppose

• 56% say conversion therapy should be outlawed for LGBTQ children, 18% support the use

• 44% said they believe LGBTQ people are treated about the same as straight people in public settings like restaurants or businesses

• 64% say they disagree with the idea that medical professionals should be able to withhold treatment from LGBTQ people due to religious objections, 24% agreed with the idea

• 20% of those polled said LGBTQ people are “treated about the same” in the U.S. military, 43% believe they are treated worse than non-LGBTQ people

All of this goes to show how important it is to talk about and pass The Equality Act which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ensuring protections for LGBTQs in areas of housing, public accommodations, healthcare and more.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, in 30 states across the country LGBTQ people can be fired, evicted from their homes or turned away from businesses due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Click here for the full results of the poll.

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Must See: Jon Stewart’s Emotional Take-Down Of Absent Congress Members At 9/11 First Responders Hearing

Jon Stewart

Everyone seriously needs to stop and watch Jon Stewart’s incredible speech before a Congressional committee regarding funding for 9/11 first responders.

Less than half the committee bothered to show up for the hearing, and an emotional Stewart lambasts those there in front of the cameras.

Congress loves to say “Never Forget,” but they forgot to show up.

Watch below.

CBS News reports the shaming worked:

The House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed a bill which would permanently reauthorize the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Wednesday, the day after comedian Jon Stewart gave impassioned testimony in support of the bill in video that quickly went viral.

The bill will now go to the floor for a full vote in the House of Representatives, where it is likely to pass. It’s unclear whether Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will take up the bill in the Senate, although Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Wednesday that he was “imploring, pleading, even begging” McConnell to bring the bill to the floor as soon as it passes in the House.

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Florida Lawmakers Propose Declaring Pulse Nightclub A Federal Landmark

The temporary memorial at Pulse Nightclub

As the nation remembers the tragedy of the mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, three years ago today, Florida lawmakers in Congress have begun plans to have the nightclub declared a national monument.

CNN reports that during a memorial ceremony on Monday, Reps. Stephanie Murphy, Val Demings and Darren Soto shared their plans to sponsor landmark legislation, H.R. 3094. Soto said he would like to see the legislation pass by June 2020.

The local non-profit OnePulse Foundation would retain control of the design and construction, but the designation would make the monument eligible for federal funds as part of the National Park System.

If passed, work to build a permanent memorial would begin by 2021.

In the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, lone gunman Omar Mateen entered Pulse Nightclub and opened fire killing 49 people and injuring more than 50 more. During the crisis, Mateen told police he considered himself a soldier of ISIS.

At the time, it was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

Two years later, a temporary memorial in front of the nightclub.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order on Tuesday commemorating June 12 as Pulse Remembrance Day, and directed all state flags in the state to be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday.

Here’s part of the memorial service and announcement held on Monday:

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Trump Tells Aides To Deny His Own Polling Showing Him Trailing 6 Democrats

Donald Trump

No surprise, but when Donald Trump gets bad news – even from inside his own campaign – he just jumps over to Earth 2 and lives in his own reality.

From the New York Times:

After being briefed on a devastating 17-state poll conducted by his campaign pollster, Tony Fabrizio, Mr. Trump told aides to deny that his internal polling showed him trailing Mr. Biden in many of the states he needs to win, even though he is also trailing in public polls from key states like Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

And when top-line details of the polling leaked, including numbers showing the president lagging in a cluster of critical Rust Belt states, Mr. Trump instructed aides to say publicly that other data showed him doing well.

Trump then took to Twitter to lie saying his internal polling shows “the best numbers WE have ever had.”

In reality, a new Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday showed Trump trailing six Democratic White House hopefuls nationally:

In hypothetical head-to-head matchups, former Vice President Joe Biden trumped Trump by 13 points, 53 percent to 40 percent.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) beat Trump 51 percent to Trump’s 42 percent.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) ahead of Trump 49 percent to 41 percent.

Sen. Elizabeth Warrant (D-MA) up 49 percent to Trump’s 42 percent.

Both Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Cory Booker (N-NJ) topped Trump by 5 points, 47 percent to 42 percent.

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FEC Filing – Is ‘Totally-Not-Gay’ Aaron Schock Running For Congress Again?

Is former Congressman/current West Hollywood gadabout Aaron Schock planning on running for Congress again soon?
Aaron Schock (image via Instagram)

Is former Congressman/current West Hollywood gadabout Aaron Schock planning on running for Congress again soon?

Just days ago a Statement of Organization was filed or updated with the Federal Election Commission by Schock for Congress.

The date shown is June 7, 2019 and the form indicates it was signed by Schock himself.

The office sought is listed as Illinois’ 18th Congressional District and the party? Yep, still Republican.

The 38-year-old is also named as the Treasurer, although there’s not much to tend to since the Financial Summary shows 0.00 funds.

In 2015, Schock resigned from office in disgrace for alleged financial misconduct regarding his campaign funds.

Back in March, the Justice Department agreed to drop the corruption case involving false expense claims and inappropriate use of campaign funds. In exchange for paying $110,000 in restitution and taxes, the 24 felony counts against him were dropped.

The agreement did not require him to admit any wrongdoing, and left him without a criminal conviction.

At the time, the Republican told CBS News that he hadn’t shut the door on a possible return to politics at some point in the future.

“At 37-years-old, I don’t think I’ll ever say never,” said Schock. He added that he had “enjoyed being out of politics the last four years.”

Of course, we know he’s enjoyed a lot over the last few years than just “being out of politics.”

(image via Instagram)

The ‘totally-not-gay’ former Congressman has been spotted and photographed hanging, kissing and getting handsy with gay men at Coachella, flirting at WeHo pools and apparently getting busy on dating apps.

Now, nothing wrong with that – unless you spent your time in office opposing LGBTQ rights like voting against the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ or supporting a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

(images via Facebook/Queerty)

For the record, Schock denies being gay. So, there.

It is difficult to imagine how a run for political office would play out.

The recent stories and photos would definitely come up at some point, and he would have to address those, as well his insistent denials about being gay.

Would a conservative-leaning, Republican district vote for him? Or, in a wider context, who would vote for him? A guy who lied over and over on the issue, and voted against a community that he’s a part of?

Does Schock have a second chapter in politics in mind?

Or, maybe he just re-upped the FEC filing for “old times sake.”

We’ll just have to see.

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Fox & Friends Aghast At John Dean’s Use Of Nicknames For Donald Trump On Twitter

During this morning’s iteration of Fox & Friends, co-hosts Brian Kilmeade and Ainsley Earhardt were busy as bees attacking former Nixon White House counsel John Dean for testifying before Congress on Monday.

Media Matters noted how especially offended by how Dean has referred to Donald Trump on Twitter:

KIMLEADE: Listen to how he describes Donald Trump: Demeaning Don. Deadbeat Don. Demagogue Don. He calls him Deranged Don. Those are just some of the things included in his 970 tweets. But yet Jerry Nadler said…

EARHARDT: Almost 1,000 tweets. Who has time for that?

Wow. Almost 1,000 tweets? Wow.

And what kind of person uses insulting nicknames to attack on Twi….oh. Wait a second.

Ahem…

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More Than One Third Of LGBTQ Youth Have Seriously Considered Suicide

The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, has released the results of its first-ever National LGBTQ Youth Mental Health Survey, and the results are deeply concerning.

The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, has released the results of its first-ever National LGBTQ Youth Mental Health Survey, and the results are deeply concerning.

Conducted between February 2018 through September 2018, the massive survey includes responses from 34,808 LGBTQ young people.

The results show a staggering 39 percent of respondents had seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous 12 months.

When looking at just transgender/non-binary respondents, 54 percent said they’d seriously considered suicide.

Eighteen percent of the respondents admitted to attempting suicide in the past 12 months; 29 percent of trans/non-binary youth reported a suicide attempt.

Sixty-seven percent reported someone had attempted to change their sexual orientation or gender identity through so-called ‘conversion therapy.’ 

Of those who underwent conversion therapy, 42 percent admitted to attempting suicide.

When you break down the numbers, 32 percent of LGB youth who underwent conversion therapy reported a suicide attempt in the last 12 months, while the number jumped to 57 percent for trans/non-binary youth.

Conversion therapy has been discredited as ‘pseudoscience’ and widely denounced by leading professional medical associations including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association.

Currently, 18 states have outlawed conversion therapy involving minors.

The research also showed that 71 percent of LGBTQ youth reported being discriminated against, and 21 percent reported experiencing physical threats or abuse.

Discrimination definitely had an impact on suicidal thoughts as 23 percent of those who experienced discrimination reported a suicide attempt in the last 12 months as opposed to 11 percent of respondents who did not.

The survey is part of The Trevor Project’s commitment to compile data and research to aid in improving the organization’s life-saving services for LGBTQ youth.

In sharing the results, The Trevor Project aims to elevate the voices and experiences of LGBTQ youth and shed more light on the dangerous practice of conversion therapy.

You can find the full results of the new survey here.

If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or suicidal, reach out to The Trevor Project 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at 1-866-488-7386 or www.TheTrevorProject.org/Help

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Anti-LGBTQ Pastor: Every Rainbow Flag In The Country Should Be Burned

Right Wing Watch reports that anti-LGBTQ pastor and failed 2018 U.S. Senate candidate E.W. Jackson took to his radio program on Monday to rant about Pride Flags being flown and announced “we need to burn every rainbow flag in this nation.”
E.W. Jackson

Right Wing Watch reports that anti-LGBTQ pastor and failed 2018 U.S. Senate candidate E.W. Jackson took to his radio program on Monday to rant about Pride Flags being flown and announced “we need to burn every rainbow flag in this nation.”

Incensed that U.S. embassies were displaying the rainbow flags in honor of Pride Month, Jackson compared the Pride flag to the Confederate flag.

“As far as I am concerned, the rainbow flag is no different than the Confederate flag. That’s right, I said it and I mean it. The rainbow flag is no different than the Confederate flag in that sense. It is a flag that represents the interests of a special group and their interests, not the interests of our country.”

Of course, it goes without saying that the Confederate flag was created to represent the South during the Civil War – a bloody conflict over slavery.

The rainbow flag is a symbol of pride raised in peace to represent a marginalized minority.

So, slavery on one hand, peace and pride on the other…

Jackson goes on to say that the only reason Pride flags are flown is because “these homosexual activists and radicals have so intimidated people throughout the culture, throughout the government, throughout the society that everybody thinks you’ve got to kowtow to them.”

Considering the LGBTQ population makes up about 4.5% of the U.S. population, according to a 2017 poll by Gallup, I’m not sure if we’ve really got folks “kowtowing” to us. If they were “kowtowing,” we’d have the Equality Act enacted by now.

Jackson continued with some general bashing of gays saying “it’s a lie” that folks can be attracted to people of the same sex.

He also declared that “We need to burn every rainbow flag in this nation.”

Hit play to hear the man lose his mind over a rainbow flag.

For those who may not know the good pastor, the list of outrageous statements he’s made against the LGBTQ community includes blaming the Charleston mass murders on LGBTQs and President Obama, saying Christians should be willing to die to stop marriage equality, and that Satan made Mayor Pete Buttigieg gay.