Author: Randy Slovacek

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Adam Rippon Launches His Own YouTube Channel

Olympic medalist Adam Rippon

Whether you know him from the 2018 Winter Olympics where he scored a bronze medal with the US figure skating team, or as a Dancing with the Stars champ, or his well-publicized sparring with Vice President Mike Pence over LGBTQ issues, Adam Rippon wants you to “get ready for something spectacular.”

The self-described “America’s sweetheart” is launching his own YouTube channel.

Rippon promises “VIP access to his life – on and off the ice.”

Mondays and Fridays will feature “anything ranging from my favorite cat show documentaries to my innermost thoughts on eating good.” Topics like travel, boyfriends, and hot takes on pop culture are all on the table.

And Wednesday’s will feature segments that are part interview and part skating lesson. Titled “Break The Ice,” Rippon will lace up his skates with his famous friends for learning, laughing and, of course, backward twerking.

With a guarantee of that “good old Scranton charm,” the 29-year-old former U.S. National champ says he’ll make it worth your while to tune in. As he admits, “I’ve got the time – I’m retired now.”

To kick things off on the channel, Rippon’s first episode tackles a Twitter ‘Ask Me Anything’ round of questions. The queries range from advice to his younger self, tips on recharging after long travel days, what are his biggest regrets, how beautiful is bff Gus Kenworthy, and more.

Rippon is definitely charming, and he can hold a viewer’s attention. We’ll definitely be tuning in to see what Rippon brings to the YouTube table.

Hit play, readers, and let us know what you think.

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Whitney Houston’s Rumored Ex-Girlfriend To Pen Tell-All Memoir

Robyn Crawford, Whitney Houston’s long-rumored lesbian lover, says she will “set the record straight” once and for all in a new memoir titled, A Song For You: My Life with Whitney Houston, due out November 5.

Robyn Crawford, Whitney Houston’s long-rumored lesbian lover, says she will “set the record straight” once and for all in a new memoir titled, A Song For You: My Life with Whitney Houston, due out November 5.

During their decades-long friendship, both women denied any romantic involvement with each other. But fans have long speculated about the nature of their relationship.

Since Houston’s death at the age of 48 in 2012, there have been two documentary films of Houston’s life – Nick Broomfield’s Whitney: Can I Be Me?, and Kevin MacDonald’s Whitney. Both films addressed Houston’s rumored bisexuality and the women’s speculated relationship.

Crawford, notably, declined to take part in either project.

Houston’s mother, Cissy Houston, famously told Oprah in 2013 that it “absolutely” would have bothered her if Whitney had been lesbian or bisexual.

Bobby Brown, Houston’s ex-husband, shared with US Weekly in 2016 that he felt Houston would still be alive today if the “I Will Always Love You” singer’s family had accepted Robyn.

According to the book’s official synopsis, “In A Song for You, Robyn breaks her silence to share the moving and often complicated story of her life and relationship with Whitney.”

Whitney Houston (image via YouTube/I Will Always Love You)

The memoir will follow the years from the women’s meeting in the 1980s, to the singer’s self-titled debut album in 1985, her record-breaking world tours, the success of The Bodyguard, and more.

The publisher of the upcoming book, Penguin imprint Dutton, describes the release as “the vital, honest and previously untold story that provides an understanding of the complex life of Whitney Houston,” and promises that “finally, the person who knew her best sets the record straight.”

The talkers at E! News’s ‘Daily Pop’ discuss the upcoming book below.

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Funnyman Michael Henry Challenges “Masc/Fem” Gay Couple Stereotypes

Funnyman Michael Henry is back with a new video challenging gender norms and sexual stereotypes.
Michael Henry (L) and Sachin Bhatt (R)

Funnyman Michael Henry is back with a new video challenging gender norms and sexual stereotypes.

This time, he’s joined by Chad Westbrook and Sachin Bhatt heading to the ice cream store.

When Bhatt goes to get his phone in his car, Michael and Chad get to talking about whether Chad is the assumed ‘fem’ member of the couple.

Chad has an epic gay meltdown, until Sachin makes a startling confession.

Watch below.

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NowThis News: Meet Chasten Buttigieg

NowThis News gets to know Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of 2020 hopeful Pete Buttigieg, who could make history as America's First Gentleman.
Pete and Chasten Buttigieg

NowThis News gets to know Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of 2020 hopeful Pete Buttigieg, who could make history as America’s First Gentleman.

Chasten shares details from the couple’s first date, and what it was like to stand backstage as Mayor Pete announced his candidacy.

Really quite charming. Hit play below.

A post shared by Chasten Buttigieg (@chasten.buttigieg) on Sep 3, 2018 at 5:33pm PDT

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Tampa Elects First Openly LGBTQ Mayor

Tampa, Florida has elected its first openly gay female mayor, ex-police chief Jane Castor, who won a runoff election in a landslide.
Jane Castor becomes mayor of Tampa, FL

Tampa, Florida has elected its first openly gay female mayor, ex-police chief Jane Castor, who won a runoff election in a landslide.

Within thirty minutes of the polls closing, the outcome was clear. Castor defeated wealthy businessman David Straz garnering a huge 73% of the vote.

“It shows a change in the times, but really all along, the majority of people just want someone who can do the job,” Castor said of her historic win. “They want a leader who’s gonna improve their lives and focus on the issues that matter to them. And that’s what I intend to do.”

“We don’t tear people down with negativity, so thank you all for believing in that message,” added the 59-year-old former police chief.

The reference to negativity was a clear nod to her opponent who reportedly spent $5 million, much of that his own money, in the race.

In the week’s leading up to the runoff vote, Straz declined any debates or forums saying voters had grown tired of them.

“That means Straz spent nearly $345 for every vote he received,” The Tampa Bay Times reports. “Castor, who won all but 7 of the city’s 103 precincts, spent about $44 per vote.”

Castor nearly won the general election outright, but fell 2 points short with 48% of the vote. That number was triple Straz’s 15.5% he earned to come in second.

Acknowledging her long-time partner, Ana Cruz, Castor gushed, “She was everything. I’ve never been involved in campaign before, that’s her wheelhouse. She knows how to run a positive campaign.”

In conceding the race, Straz called for the city to rally around the new mayor.

“This is all about the future of Tampa,” Straz told the media. “The voters have spoken. They elected Jane Castor. And we need to get behind our mayor and help move the city forward.”

According to her campaign website, Castor served 31 years at the Tampa Police Department, first as a beat cop and then six years as police chief.

LGBTQ advocacy groups celebrated the news.

“Jane Castor’s victory is a clear sign that LGBTQ Americans are being welcomed as leaders in every part of society,” said Erin Uritus, CEO of Out & Equal. “Tampa is the second major American city to elect an openly lesbian mayor so far this month, coming just weeks after Lori Lightfoot won in Chicago.”

“For decades we have fought to make sure that LGBTQ Americans like Castor can have a seat at the table,” she added. “Elections like this show us that all of us belong at the table.”

(Source: Tampa Bay Times)

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“This Is All Science” – Doctor In Kuwait Invents Suppository That Cures Being Gay

An anti-LGBTQ researcher in Kuwait, Dr. Mariam Al-Sohel, has announced to the world that she has invented a ‘cure’ for homosexuality.
Dr. Mariam Al-Sohel

An anti-LGBTQ researcher in Kuwait, Dr. Mariam Al-Sohel, has announced to the world that she has invented a ‘cure’ for homosexuality.

“I discovered therapeutic suppositories that curb the sexual urges of boys of the third gender as well as the fourth gender, which is butch lesbians,” she explained on Scope TV, as reported by The Jerusalem Post.

The problem, she discovered, is those folks “have excessive sexual urges.”

I’ve never seen that as a ‘problem,’ but whatever…

“By the way, this is all science, so there is nothing to be ashamed of,” said the academic.

Well then, if its science…

According to Al-Sohel, “The sexual urge develops when a person is sexually attacked, and afterward it persists because there is an anal worm that feeds on semen.”

Ah – that’s the answer!

She goes on to explain that her cure, based on “prophetic medicine,” comes in the form of a suppository and “cures those urges by exterminating the worm that feeds on the semen.”

Kind of like Alien?

The secret behind Al-Sohel’s ’science’ is that “bitter foods increase masculinity.” That said, it turns out the ingredients for her cure “are the same for both sexes.”

Not sure how that plays out as a ‘cure’ for her so-called ’fourth gender butch lesbians,’ but she made them different colors anyway.

Pretty!

I’m joking here only because it’s completely laughable that someone thinks any of this nonsense is real.

What’s not laughable is how LGBTQ people are treated in Kuwait.

Homosexuality is a criminal offense under the country’s ‘debauchery’ laws, as is cross-dressing. Being openly gay in Kuwait means possible prison sentences – long ones.

In fact, Kuwait is so anti-LGBTQ, Jerusalem Post reports that the National Cinema Company banned a ‘gay’ scene from the Disney film, Beauty and the Beast.

(Source: Jerusalem Post)

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News Round-Up: April 23, 2019

Who else is feeling springtime in the air? Graphic artist Silverjow captures the mood perfectly (above). He shares that he was inspired by the cherry blossoms in Japan as well as the stylish peeps heading to work in their business suits :)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Who else is feeling springtime in the air? Graphic artist Silverjow captures the mood perfectly (above). He shares that he was inspired by the cherry blossoms in Japan as well as the stylish peeps heading to work in their business suits 🙂

• Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, the brothers accused of attacking actor Jussie Smollett and later cleared when prosecutors announced Smollett had orchestrated a hoax to advance his career, are suing Smollett’s legal team for defamation.

• Donald Trump’s son-in-law and presidential adviser Jared Kushner suggested Tuesday that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation was more harmful to the US than Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Kushner downplayed Russia’s efforts to interfere with the 2016 election as “buying some Facebook ads.”

• Voter turnout for young voters during the midterm elections was the highest in four decades.

• Nigel Shelby, a 15-year-old high school student in Huntsville, Alabama, took his own life after suffering from homophobic bullying from classmates. The Center for Social Equity found 89% of LGBTQ students report being bullied.

If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of suicide, please consider reaching out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386.

• A major faith-based foster care and adoption contractor for the state of Michigan, Bethany Christian Services, announced it will place children in LGBTQ homes, reversing course following a recent legal settlement.

• Politico reports that Donald Trump has ordered administration officials to boycott the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the annual fundraising gala attended by the White House press corps and scheduled for this Saturday. For the third year in a row, Trump has announced he will not attend, and instead hold a political rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, describing the dinner as “so boring and so negative.”

• Flipping the script from Trump’s negative, let’s end this Round-Up with Salt Cathedral‘s upbeat tribute to folks who work hard for what they want: “Go and Get It” featuring guest artists Big Freedia & Jarina DeMarco.

The bouncy, euphoric electronic track features playful pop vocals along with sunny horn samples on a bass-heavy track.

Salt Cathedral say, ”‘Go And Get It’ is our hustler anthem. Since we came to this country we worked to open doors constantly by hustling like crazy. Having Jarina and Freedia be part of this and bring their magic into it makes the message and emotion extra powerful. We hope for people to feel inspired and go and get the shit that they want in their lives.”

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Wyoming School Bans, Then Un-Bans, Rainbow Flags

Earlier this month, I reported on an incident at McCormick Junior High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where homophobic and racist flyers appeared in the hallways of the school.
McCormick Junior High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming

Earlier this month,  I reported on an incident at McCormick Junior High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where homophobic and racist flyers appeared in the hallways of the school.

Students discovered flyers which read, “It’s great to be straight. It’s not OK to be gay. Black lives matter only because if it weren’t for them who would pick our cotton.”

“Join the kkk,” concluded the message, which appeared to be signed by “the confederate kid club.” 

After Kaycee Cook, a substitute teacher and co-sponsor of the school’s gay/straight alliance, reported the flyers she was later notified that she’d been fired by Principal Jeff Conine.

Since then, Laramie County School District 1 Superintendent Boyd Brown announced that he had identified at least one student believed to be responsible for creating the racist and anti-gay flyers, and that Cook was likely to be reinstated at the school.

But wait – there’s more!

Last Wednesday, 20-25 students who are members of the GSA were called out of class to a meeting with three faculty members who told them they could no longer post any rainbow flags, wear any rainbow clothing or anything LGBTQ-related.

According to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Ashlynn Kercher, an 8th grade member of the GSA, said, “They told us it was a school distraction and ‘You don’t want to make other people feel like you felt when you saw the posters.’”

The students were reportedly told that if they break the ‘no rainbow/LGBTQ paraphernalia’ rule they will be written up on dress code infractions, and possibly suspended.

Principal Conine told the Tribune Eagle he didn’t know anything about the meeting taking place and that he had not decided to ban anything.

But Ashlynn’s mother, Abby Kercher, spoke to the district’s Title IX coordinator, John Below, who reportedly told her he and the principal had decided to ban the flags and clothing.

On Thursday, the School District issued a statementwhich read, in part:

“Because of the provocative use of flags, especially under the current controversy at the local junior high, the District will not allow the display of confederate flags on District property or at District events. Further, the District will review potential policies or regulations regarding the disruptive use of flags and symbols within the District.”

You’ll note the statement does not say the district is banning rainbow flags.

Superintendent Brown clarified the next day that rainbow flags were not being banned“as long as students do not use them to incite other students.”

(Source: Wyoming Tribune Eagle)

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Mayor Pete Agrees To Fox News Town Hall Event

Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg has agreed to appear at a town hall to be hosted by Fox News.

Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace will moderate the event on May 19 in Claremont, New Hampshire.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is already set for a town hall with Fox News in Milwaukee on May 8.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was the first of the Democratic White House hopefuls to take part in a town hall event for Fox News on April 15.

(source)

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One Night, Five Democrats, Five Town Halls

CNN held five back-to-back town hall events with five Democratic presidential contenders last night – Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Good stuff from everyone, they all had strong moments at times.

A few takeaways:

While I appreciate the moderate lane Klobuchar has staked out for herself, it came across a bit timid and noncommittal in some of her answers. I’ll admit that a lot of issues can’t be truly addressed in a couple of minutes on a stage, but she was notably more cautious than her fellow candidates.

I really like Kamala Harris. She’s clear about what she stands for, and she has a strong decisive energy about her.

When asked about impeachment proceedings for Donald Trump, she said Congress should take steps towards impeachment but added Democrats must be “realistic about what might be the end result.”

One of Harris’ best moments came when she was asked about the issue of gun violence in the country and what she would do about it. Here’s what she said:

I have to say I almost became emotional as Mayor Pete took to the stage. As a gay man, to see this 37-year-old mayor take to the stage as a real player and handle himself so well was uplifting and energizing.

Mayor Pete had one of the biggest moments of the night when he was asked about the back and forth he’s had with Vice President Pence, and a comment made by Trump ally and homocon Richard Grennell, the current ambassador to Germany.

Buttigieg’s response: “I’m not a master fisherman, but I know bait when I see and I’m not going to take it.” And the crowd went wild.

A new talking point emerged throughout the night after Sen. Sanders said even the Boston bomber deserved to be able to vote. Sen. Harris concurred saying, “We should have that conversation.”

But Buttigieg was clear and concise in his opinion that prisoners should not be allowed to vote. “While incarcerated? No, I don’t think so,” the South Bend mayor said.

CNN has recapped each of the candidate’s hour-long turns onstage.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Sen. Bernie Sanders

Sen. Kamala Harris

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

A few more moments from the night: