Author: Randy Slovacek

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Delaware Becomes 15th State To Ban Harmful “Ex-Gay” Therapy

Delaware has become the 15th state to ban the harmful practice of so-called “conversion” or “reparative” therapy.

On Monday, Governor John Carney signed the bill that bans attempts to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of minors. The legislation considers conversion therapy “unprofessional conduct” for mental health and medical professionals. Any mental health professional caught practicing the ‘theraphy’ on a minor will find themselves subject to discipline.

The new law also contains language preventing the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families from recommending “conversion therapy.”

During the legislation’s journey to becoming law, state Rep. Richard Collins (R-Millsboro) introduced an amendment that would have allowed conversion therapy if a patient were to request it. The amendment, fortunately, gained no traction and was soundly voted down.

HRC National Press Secretary Sarah McBride, a Delawarean herself, issued a statement which read, in part, “Today’s signing is a critical step forward in the fight to ensure that Delaware is a safe and affirming state for all LGBTQ youth, and we hope that the values and progress reflected in this law guide the ongoing conversation in Delaware about protecting LGBTQ students from discrimination.”

The practice has been condemned by the American Medical Association, the American Pediatrics Association, the American Psychiatric Association and many others due to its disastrous effects which can lead to depression and, in some cases, suicide.

Delaware joins Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New York, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland, Hawaii, New Hampshire – plus Washington, D.C. in enacting legislation to ban the widely discredited practice of “ex-gay” therapy.

Additionally, over 30 cities and municipalities have banned the practice from being performed on minors.

See below a map from the Williams Institute showing where bans have been enacted as well as states with pending legislation.

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News Round-Up: July 23, 2018

Derek Chadwick (image via Instagram)

 Some news items you might have missed:

• Instagram celeb/model Derek Chadwick (above) comes out as gay.

• Liza Minnelli is auctioning thousands of personal belongings July 30 – August 1, including personal items, correspondence, awards, and photos from her mother Judy Garland, as well as pristine bespoke outfits from designers such as Halston, Chanel, Givenchy, and more. For more info, click on this link.

• The New York Daily News has gutted its newsroom by firing half its staff in an effort to refocus the newspaper’s efforts on breaking news. The below tweet is from the now-former editor-in-chief.

• Controversial soccer player Jaelene Hinkle has been cut from U.S. Women’s National Team. In 2017, she refused a call-up to the women’s national team on the basis that she didn’t want to wear a rainbow number for the team’s Pride Month initiative based on her religion.

• My Instinct colleague Samuel reviews Kathy Griffin’s new Laugh Your Head Off comedy tour.

• Read this: The story of a woman who took care of hundreds of abandoned gay men dying of AIDS.

•  Delaware has become the 15th state to ban so-called “conversion therapy.” #happyDance

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Out Music: Echo V “Rainbow”

Jay, Mike, Randy, Devin and Gama are ECHO V, five guys with distinct, echoing voices that combine to create one beautiful sound. By all outward appearances, they seem to be the typical boyband with good looks, lush harmonies and killer choreography, but they have one important difference: they’re all gay. Their debut single, “Rainbow,” reflects their decision to be out about their sexuality. While it is a fun, high energy pop anthem with an explosive hook that will get listeners dancing and singing, it also has an important message.
(photo credit: Bernard Mesa)

Meet Echo V, America’s first all-openly gay boy band.

It’s totally apropos that since the band itself is a virtual rainbow, their first single is titled, “Rainbow,” a high-energy pop anthem that reflects their decision to be open about their sexuality. Check out Jay, Mike, Randy, Devin and Gama in their debut music video below.

 “Our hope is that the song inspires people to stand up and claim their truth, be happy with who they are and find comfort in the fact that they are not alone,” says Jay.

“Rainbow is about unapologetically owning your multifaceted-ness and realizing that you have to live for yourself. It’s a journey to self-discovery and the strength it takes to live life in the open, day in and out.”

The five were united by their management who were looking to build the next generation of boy band. At first, management didn’t know the group they had assembled were all gay. It was the guys that realized it after coming together. They and management decided to go with it.

 “At the end of the day we are musicians who take a great pride in the art we create,” Jay explains. “We want listeners to be proud of who they are and there is no other way for us to do that other than to be honest with who we are.”

Says Mike, “I hope listeners find something fresh in ECHO V. Something different.”

“Is it over zealous to hope they find the voice of a generation?” he questions, with a grin.

Check out the debut song “Rainbow” below, and head over to the official website for Echo V for more info.

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Trailer: Hunky Jason Momoa Stars As ‘Aquaman’

Jason Momoa stars as the king of the seven seas, Aquaman, in the upcoming super hero adventure film from Warner Brothers

One of the most highly-anticipated reveals of this weekend’s Comic Con in San Diego came when Warner Brothers shared the first trailer for the upcoming Aquaman starring hot and hunky Jason Momoa.

In the aftermath of last year’s disappointing Justice League, fans are hoping this new entry in the DC universe will turn the tide.

Directed by James Wan, the film explores Aquaman’s ongoing contention with his royal legacy. But after years of being somewhat useless as an action hero in much of the Justice League adventures in the 60s and 70s (plus the animated Super Friends series), Wan is clearly going for a roller-coaster adrenaline rush approach.

The official log line reads, “The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be…a king.”

The plot of the film follows Aquaman’s origin story being the son of a lighthouse keeper Tom Curry (played by Temuera Morrison) who rescues and falls in love with Atlanna, queen of Atlantis, played by Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman.

As an adult, Aquaman (real name Arthur Curry) is called to oppose his half-brother, Orm (the always on-point Patrick Wilson), a longtime foe of Aquaman’s who goes by the monicker Ocean Master. Orm has been ruling Atlantis for some time and now intends to destroy the surface world over polluting.

Fellow Atlantean Mera (Amber Heard) finds Arthur and urges him to return with her and take up the throne of Atlantis.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, which describes the movie as “Game of Thrones underwater,” Wan says he views Aquaman as a ‘quest film.’

This will be Momoa’s first outing as THE lead of a major movie. It will be interesting to see if he and his massive pecs can carry the film.

Aquaman opens in theaters December 14.

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Hot Dentist’s Dance Video Gets 50 Million Views In 3 Days

Dr. Rich Constantine of Greenville, SC

South Carolina dentist Dr. Rich Constantine has gone viral thanks to his “Shiggy” dance video to Drake’s “In My Feelings.”

Posted last Thursday on Facebook, the viral video of the sexy doc has racked up almost 50 million views in only three days and been shared almost 600,000 times.

Check it out:

The challenge began after Instagram comedian TheShiggyShow put together the dance steps and folks started posting videos doing the dance.

Speaking to Good Morning America today, Constantine shared his amazement at the widespread audience the video has gotten.

“It was surreal! I’ve never seen anything like that before. I’ve maybe gotten a couple thousand views before at best. That’s it. Never expected anything like this,” Constantine told GMA. “I thought a few people in Greenville, South Carolina, might see it, and a few of my friends and family members. But I had no idea that it would get legs like it did and take off.”

The comments on the viral video have been wild as well. One commenter wrote, “Annnnnnnd he has the smooth “dap” when he walks?!?!? Jesus be a moving van, take the wheel and drive FAST ’cause I’m headed to Greenville, SC!!”

The dentist’s staff had been urging the self-proclaimed Drake fan to take part in the dance challenge, but he was a bit too shy initially.

Constantine says he changed his mind in an effort to show his fun side.

Acknowledging visits to the dentist aren’t always something folks look forward to, Constantine shared, “We like to do fun things at the office to keep the atmosphere light and to make patients smile.”

Trust and believe, Dr. Constantine, you made us smile.

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McDonalds Trolls Chick-Fil-A With “Welcome” Message

A Connecticut McDonalds appeared to be throwing shade at its new neighbor, a Chick-Fil-A restaurant over its history of anti-gay policies
(screen capture)

Did McDonald’s just shade Chick-Fil-A?

A new Chick-Fil-A restaurant is opening in Glastonbury, Connecticut, right next to a McDonalds, and over the weekend, locals noticed a message on the McDonalds sign which read, “We Welcome Everyone.”

In the past, Chick-Fil-A has caught some serious criticism for the owner’s opposition to LGBTQ rights like same-sex marriage.

Founded in 1946 by religiously conservative S. Truett Cathy, and now run by his family, the chain’s policies have often been guided by those beliefs including allowing none of the restaurants to be open on Sundays in order to give employees ‘a day of rest.’

The general manager of the McDonalds told the local NBC affiliate that the sign’s message wasn’t political in nature.

“It just means that everyone is welcome, young old, everyone,” she said.

Most folks liked the message.

Tina Manus of Stratford drove almost an hour to show her support.

“For McDonald’s to step up and say we welcome everyone,” she told NBC. “I feel that is a huge step for them. Then in the background you have Chick-fil-A who has historically not welcomed everyone.”

Zack Caporale of Glastonbury wasn’t feeling it thought.

“I feel like it’s kind of rude to Chick-fil-A because they have Christian beliefs, but that doesn’t mean they have to not accept gay people,” said Caporale.

Jordan Snook, the franchise owner of the new Chick-Fil-A wasn’t quite sure what to think about the McDonalds message but issued a statement which read:

“We are excited to open in Glastonbury next week, and look forward to being great neighbors who welcome everyone. Glastonbury will be representative of all Chick-fil-A restaurants in serving great food and providing remarkable service for all customers, as well as a diverse workplace of individuals who represent many viewpoints, opinions, backgrounds and beliefs.”

(h/t NBC Connecticut)

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Riverdale’s Kevin Cott: Moose & Kevin Are ‘Definitely A Thing’

One of the actors from RIVERDALE confirms 'Moose' and 'Kevin' are 'definitely a thing' this season
Kevin and Moose’s infamous bathroom kiss

 The CW dropped a new trailer for the upcoming third season of Riverdale at San Diego Comic Con over the weekend.

While the three-minute video recapped some of last season, there was some new footage and it appears that two male characters are headed for Romance-ville.

You may recall that in the pilot of the series, “Kevin” and “Moose” had a bit of a late-night tryst. But nothing really came of that as Moose stayed loyal to girlfriend Midge.

Well, until she was murdered, and a grieving Moose sought comfort in Kevin’s arms and a make-out session in the high school bathroom.

In May, creator and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told EW that a men’s room kiss between Kevin Keller and Moose could become “more than just a moment of passion:”

“My hope is that it continues. It’d be nice to see Kevin in a romance again. But they’ve got a big cloud looming over them, which is the death of Midge. Which is kind of par for the course on Riverdale. But I’m rooting for them. I hope it’s more than just a moment of passion.”

This weekend, Casey Cott, who plays Kevin, went further in Comic Con interviews saying Kevin and Moose “definitely are a thing.”

In another statement, Cott shared, “I think making out in the bathroom cemented us as a ‘thing.’ We’re trying to push Moose in the right direction [in terms of him being out].”

And there’s more in the LGBTQ news as the new trailer features a two women kissing, and Aguirre-Sacasa has teased that there will be “an unlikely romance for Reggie starting in Episode 3.”

Season 3 of Riverdale premieres Oct. 10.

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Trump Tweets Caps-Locked Rant At Country That Can’t See Twitter

Donald Trump

Donald Trump shocked many last night as he tweeted a full-on, caps-lock threat to Iran.

According to newspaper reports, Iran’s President Rouhani urged Trump to make peace with Iran.

Rouhani is quoted as saying “American must understand well that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace and war with Iran is the mother of all wars.”

Rouhani went on to warn Trump to stop “playing with the lion’s tail” and threatening Iran, “or else you will regret it.”

And so, the Trumpster’s tiny fingers tapped out, “To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!”

It’s not clear who Trump was trying to impress with his swagger as Twitter has been banned in Iran since 2009. So, the folks there weren’t reading this.

The Twitterverse immediately assumed some bad news is about to come down Trump’s pike and this was a case of ‘wag the dog.’

As we all know, Trump has tweeted the idea of threatening war with Iran as a distraction many times in the past.

There’s always a tweet.

More from the tweet people:

Some Twitterers took the missive for the unhinged musing that it is and just inserted song lyrics at random:

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News Round-Up: July 22, 2018

UK fitness guy Dan Tai (above) worked out with a broken wrist this weekend. #slacker #woof #ThatFace - plus some other news stories
Dan Tai

 Some news items you might have missed:

• UK fitness guy Dan Tai (above) worked out with a broken wrist this weekend. #slacker #woof #ThatFace

• Cuba is currently in the process of re-writing its constitution, and the latest draft opens the door to same-sex marriage. Instead listing marriage as between husband and wife, the language presently only defines marriage as ‘between two individuals.’

• Step aside, Batman. The CW is currently developing a new addition to the DC super-hero universe of TV shows around the character of “Batwoman,” aka Kate Kane. Kane, a lesbian, would be DC’s first openly LGBT character on TV.

• Also in super-news, the CW’s Supergirl is making TV history having cast transgender activist and actress Nicole Maines to play TV’s first transgender superhero, Nia Nal (aka Dreamer), a character described as a soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others.

• A gay couple in Indiana were turned away by an anti-gay florist when shopping for flowers for their wedding. Rita Harris of Avon Flowers was initially fine with the impending wedding date, but when she realized there wasn’t a bride, she suddenly had a vacation planned and wasn’t available. #liar

• New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch will not punish his players for any displays of protest during the national anthem. Tisch added that Donald Trump’s interference in the issue shows “he has no understanding of why they take a knee or why they’re protesting.”

• Sexy out artist Billy Winn begins his new EP, Dreamland I, with “Seal It with a Kiss,” a smooth, electro-pop track written and produced by Billy and Johnie & Elliot of the production team OneVision, about an attraction that’s so strong, words are not needed to express it.

Check out the new music video “Seal It with a Kiss” below and head over to his Soundcloud to hear the full EP.

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CVS Pharmacist Fired For Refusing To Fill Trans Woman’s Prescriptions

Hilde Hall (image via ACLU)

 Penning a personal essay for the ACLU, Hilde Hall shared a sad turn of events on what began as one of the happiest days of her life.

Hall, a transgender woman, left her doctor’s office this past April with her first prescriptions for hormone therapy as she was about to begin the journey to seeing her body reflect her gender identity.

Excited, Hall drove directly to the local CVS pharmacy in Fountain Hills, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix.

After handing over the three prescriptions from her doctor, a hormone therapy specialist, she was informed the pharmacist refused to fill one necessary to affirm her gender identity.

Without any specified reason, according to Hall, the pharmacist “kept asking, loudly and in front of other CVS staff and customers, why I was given the prescriptions.”

Embarrassed, Hall says she became distressed and nearly began to cry right there in the store.

“I didn’t want to answer why I had been prescribed this hormone therapy combination by my doctor,” writes Hall. “I felt like the pharmacist was trying to out me as transgender in front of strangers. I just froze and worked on holding back the tears.”

To make matters even worse, when Hall asked for the written prescriptions from the pharmacist so she could leave, he refused to return the written script.

Hall was forced to call her doctor’s office to intervene. But, according to reports, the pharmacist wouldn’t return the prescriptions without being told EXACTLY why the medication had been ordered.

In her essay, Hall shares she left the CVS store ‘feeling mortified.’

Eventually, the prescriptions were transferred to a Walgreens pharmacy where the meds were filled ‘without question.’

Hall adds that, after the insulting episode, she moved all of her prescriptions from CVS to Walgreens “so that I never again have to see the pharmacist who discriminated against me.”

She contacted CVS’ corporate complaint line several times but didn’t no one addressed her concerns initially.

It was after filing a complaint with the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy that CVS responded.

“CVS Health extends its sincere apologies to Ms. Hall for her experience at our pharmacy in Fountain Hills, Arizona last spring,” said in a statement to The Hill.

According to CVS, the employee had been dismissed, and assured Hall that it had not responded due to “an unintentional oversight.”

The company indicated the former employees attitude did not “reflect our values or our commitment to inclusion, nondiscrimination and the delivery of outstanding patient care,” CVS said.

It’s important to note that this isn’t a cautionary tale for just transgender people.

This easily could have been the case of a pharmacist refusing to fill a prescription for Truvada or “PrEP.” Or refusing to refill a birth control script.

At Walgreens, pharmacists are allowed to step down from filling scripts they find don’t align with their personal religious beliefs, but at least there is a company policy requiring another pharmacist step in to accommodate the customer’s needs.

This CVS pharmacist wouldn’t even return the written paper scripts. This was a guy taking out his own personal agenda against an innocent trans woman.