LGBTQ news and entertainment
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (screen capture)
Chris Christie tells @GStephanopoulos Trump’s incitement of Capitol siege is an impeachable offense: “If inciting to insurrection isn’t, then I don’t really know what is.” https://t.co/FnD9YSf2TE pic.twitter.com/rONPP8C0x3
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 10, 2021
Kevin Greeson (image via Parler)
• Wall Street Journal: White House officials pushed Atlanta’s top federal prosecutor to resign before Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoffs because Donald Trump was upset he wasn’t doing enough to investigate the president’s unproven claims of election fraud. A senior Justice Department official, at the behest of the White House, called Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak and told him he needed to step down because he wasn’t pursuing vote-fraud allegations to Mr. Trump’s satisfaction. • Business Insider: Top aides have said Trump has been spiraling out of control for weeks, but now he’s directed much of his ire toward his heretofore loyal vice president. A source told The Wall Street Journal that the president was furious, telling Pence: “I don’t want to be your friend — I want you to be the vice president.” • Billboard: Taylor Swift’s Folklore finishes 2020 as the top-selling album of the year in the U.S., and the only album to sell at least a million copies during the year, according to MRC Data. Plus, the superstar has now claimed the top-selling album of the year five times — becoming the first act to earn the honor.
For the (historic) fifth time, @TaylorSwift13 has the top-selling album of the year in the U.S. https://t.co/2cG7eqep0J
— billboard (@billboard) January 8, 2021
Derrick Evans (photo: West Virginia legislature)
Derrick Evans, 35, of West Virginia, was charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds. Evans was taken into custody Friday.
It is alleged that on Jan. 6, 2021, Evans, a recently elected member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, streamed live to his Facebook page a video of himself joining and encouraging a crowd unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol. In the video, Evans is allegedly seen crossing the threshold of the doorway into the U.S. Capitol and shouting, “We’re in, we’re in! Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!”
Initially, Evans denied the allegations that he was part of the violent mob that broke into the Capitol building, but his own video footage shows differently. As late as Friday, Evans told the press that would not resign. The House released a lengthier statement from Evans that expressed regret for his actions.
“I take full responsibility for my actions, and deeply regret any hurt, pain or embarrassment I may have caused my family, friends, constituents and fellow West Virginians.
“I hope this action I take today can remove any cloud of distraction from the state Legislature, so my colleagues can get to work in earnest building a brighter future for our state. And more importantly, I hope it helps to begin the healing process, so we can all move forward and come together as ‘One Nation, Under God.’”
Five people died during the riot including a Capitol Police officer. Think about all the time and effort he put into running for office, all the people who worked on his behalf and donated money, all so he could go act like a fool and piss it all away.
Derrick Evans resigns https://t.co/DrrTb6sMaZ. House after entering U.S. Capitol with mob – WV MetroNews https://t.co/bdJz85IboK
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) January 9, 2021
Political satirist Randy Rainbow breaks his own rule of never parodying a song twice after getting numerous requests to revisit ‘Tradition’ from the hit Broadway musical, Fiddler on the Roof. Rainbow first tackled the tune back in May with ‘Distraction!‘ After the events of this week at the U.S. Capitol, Randy Rainbow parodies Fiddler again with this second satirical take titled, ‘Sedition!’ As usual, Rainbow’s lyrics are sharp as a tack as he takes on Trump and his delusional supporters insurrectionists who continue to push the baseless idea that the Donald ‘won his reelection in a landslide’ (oh my sides). “A Twitler with no proof. Sounds like a horrible idea for a musical, no?” says Rainbow in the prologue. “Or at least a horrible idea for a president.” “How does a desperate lame duck president and his boot-licking minions with no hope or evidence try to overturn an election they’ve clearly lost multiple times?” continues our hero. “I can tell you in one word – Sedition!” You can find more of my coverage of Rainbow’s clever satire here.
(screen capture)
The video footage was captured by investigative outlet Status Coup.
Jacob Anthony Chansley, a.k.a. Jake Angeli (screen capture)
NEW: Jake Angeli has been arrested and charged. pic.twitter.com/YHjniLyrUQ
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) January 9, 2021
“Q Shaman” Jacob Anthony Chansley, a.k.a. Jake Angeli told the FBI he went to Washington D.C. “at the request of the President that all ‘patriots’ come to D.C.” pic.twitter.com/hNJaPas36A
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) January 9, 2021
LATEST: The U.S. Attorney’s office also arrested Jacob Anthony Chansley, a.k.a. “Jake Angeli,” Saturday. Investigators said he was the man seen in viral photos of the siege dressed in horns, a bearskin headdress, with red, white and blue face paint. https://t.co/uijF0dmLOF pic.twitter.com/e9pW8Q7Tru
— ABC News (@ABC) January 9, 2021
The chatter over Jake “Q Shaman” Angeli’s identity is missing a key element: his tattoos. He’s covered in Odinist symbols—Yggdrasil, Mjolnir, and, significantly, the valknut. These Norse symbols aren’t inherently fascist, but when they show up ON a fascist, it’s for a reason. pic.twitter.com/4km9924T79
— Kim Kelly (@GrimKim) January 7, 2021
Screen capture from Cadbury’s new commercial
• Pink News: Alexandria Winchester, a 24-year-old Latina transgender woman, was shot dead on Boxing Day in the Bronx making 2020 the deadliest year for trans people on record. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Check out the weekly round-up of LGBTQ publications by KIT212 like South Florida’s Hot Spots Health issue (below). 
(image via South Florida’s Hot Spots)
JUST IN – Lindsey Graham approached by an angry crowd at the airport in DC, ranting “You traitor.”pic.twitter.com/usNJMMpt8B
— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) January 8, 2021
A case of ‘a little too late,’ but Twitter just announced it has permanently suspended Donald Trump’s Twitter account.
After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.
In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action. Our public interest framework exists to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly. It is built on a principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open.
However, we made it clear going back years that these accounts are not above our rules entirely and cannot use Twitter to incite violence, among other things. We will continue to be transparent around our policies and their enforcement. Twitter locked Trump’s account for 12 hours over inflammatory tweets on Wednesday evening, but gave him back the keys. Earlier today, Axios reported that Twitter had suspended the accounts of former national security adviser Michael Flynn and President Trump’s lawyer Sidney Powell on Friday for breaking the platform’s “Coordinated Harmful Activity” policy.
Miya Ponsetto gives Gayle King ‘the hand’ (screen captures)Miya Ponsetto, dubbed ‘Soho Karen’ in the press after accusing a Black teen of stealing her cell phone, was ‘forcibly arrested’ in California Thursday night.
NBC News reports the 22-year-old woman refused to stop her car when the police first contacted her. Upon reaching her home, she resisted arrest and had to be forcibly removed from her car.
During the incident, she tried to slam a car door on one of the officers which earned her an additional charge of resisting arrest.
Miya Ponsetto (mugshot via Ventura County Sheriff’s Office)You may recall Ponsetto garnering national attention when she accused (and eventually assaulted) the 14-year-old son of jazz musician Keyon Harrold of stealing her cell phone in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in SoHo in New York City.
On social media, Harrold shared video footage of Ponsetto growing hysterical during the altercation that ended with her tackling the teen as he tried to exit the scene.
p.s. turned out she’d left the phone in an Uber and the driver had already returned the phone to the front desk of the hotel.
Prior to her arrest, Ponsetto recorded an interview with CBS This Morning’s Gayle King that aired on Friday morning.
Sitting next to her attorney and wearing a black ‘Daddy’ hat, Ponsetto did herself no favors by deflecting and/or denying practically any wrongdoing in the December 26 incident.
Speaking with King, Ponsetto admitted she could have “maybe not yelled at him like that and made him feel some sort of inferior way and making him feel as if I was like hurting his feelings.”
But describing herself as “super sweet,” she told King she “never, ever meant for it to hurt him or his father.”
And yet, she tackled the teen, so, there’s that…
She also seemed confused as to how assaulting a teenage boy could be seen as criminal.
“I don’t feel like this one mistake defines me,” she added.
When King tried to put Ponsetto’s actions into context – that she’d physically attacked a teenaged boy, she responded, “How is one girl accusing a guy about a phone a crime? Where’s the context in that? What is the deeper story here?”
You’l note that the 22-year-old suddenly refers to herself as a “girl” but the 14-year-old she assaulted is “a guy.” Talk about coded language…
King again attempted to help Ponsetto own up to her actions saying, “You’re 22-years-old, you’re old enough to know better.”
“Alright, Gayle, enough,” replied Ponsetto complete with a ‘shut it’ hand motion.
Oh no she didn’t…
It was at that point that the attorney finally chimed in whispering, “Ok, ok, stop, stop…”
Just to add perspective, Ponsetto was charged with public intoxication and battery at a Beverly Hills hotel last year in February, and also arrested for driving while intoxicated in Van Nuys, California, on May 28. Miss Thing can get a bit messy it seems. Ponsetto’s lawyer, Sharon Ghatan, told NBC News her client “suffers from a lot of anxiety attacks” and has concerns that she may be “emotionally and mentally unwell.” Gayle King shared at the end of her segment this morning that a second part of the interview will air on Monday. Twitter was not impressed by Miss Miya:
She showed up to that interview with a mid drift tank top, a leather jacket, a dingy hat that says “daddy” and audacity.
A DUI, public intoxication charge and assaulting a child all in one year? Get this her off the streets. — Social distancing is my jam! (@OFL_ATLGA) January 8, 2021
Props to Gayle for keeping her cool as best she could because you can see it in her face that she wanted to rip that little girl a new asshole. I’m wondering what her parents are like having raised a child that shows up to an interview lookin and acting that way… pic.twitter.com/jC2NUGM853
— (@yankeesgoddess) January 8, 2021
“I sincerely apologize if I made the son feels as if I assaulted him…”
Bish, you jumped on him. On camera. There are no *feelings* here. You actually assaulted a stranger. There is nothing subjective about this. — James Baldwin was a genius. (@incogneglo) January 8, 2021
“I consider myself to be super sweet.” pic.twitter.com/6I9TLREB2R
— Eugene Scott (@Eugene_Scott) January 8, 2021
But..but..she is only 22. pic.twitter.com/l5x9hldH0n
— ❄Just Biden My Time 4 Trump to leave (@SueZieCue) January 8, 2021
Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick (image via 6ABC Philly)
A United States Capitol Police officer died Thursday night from injuries sustained when he engaged with a pro-Trump mob that descended on the U.S. Capitol the day before.
Officer Brian D. Sicknick died at about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, the Capitol Police said in a statement. He had been with the agency since 2008.
Mr. Sicknick was responding to the riots on Wednesday and “was injured while physically engaging with protesters,” the agency’s statement said, although officials didn’t immediately elaborate on the nature of his injuries or how he interacted with the crowd. After sustaining the injuries, Mr. Sicknick returned to his division office, collapsed, and was taken to the hospital.
In another article, the New York Times reports that Sicknick was struck by a fire extinguisher during the bedlam at the Capitol. Officer Sicknick is the 5th person to die amid the hideous events that took place on Wednesday. He is the 4th Capitol Police officer to be killed in the history of the force.
Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund tendered his resignation on Thursday after several congressional leaders demanded answers to the epic failure to protect the Capitol building.
Stunning >> MULTITUDE of officers line the front of the Capitol in silence, honoring fallen US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick… Rest In Peace#breaking @WUSA9 @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/swKVbSKcQe
— Mike Valerio (@MikevWUSA) January 8, 2021
The death of Brian D. Sicknick, the US Capitol Police Officer reportedly bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher during the siege of the Capitol, will be investigated as a homicide. https://t.co/0N7vWkThbd
— Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) January 8, 2021