Billy Porter in an outtake from his ESSENCE photo shoot Chalk up another first for Grammy/Tony/Emmy Award-winner Billy Porter as he becomes the first openly gay Black man to appear on the cover of ESSENCE Magazine. It’s not the first barrier broken by the Pose star. Last year, he was the first gay Black man to win an Emmy Award in an acting category. And, he was also the first man to cover Allure Magazine. In the cover story for Essence, titled ‘Why Billy Porter is a National Treasure,’ writer Tre’vell Anderson chronicles Porter’s journey to ‘here.’ ‘Here’ is where Porter finds himself after multiple gigs on Broadway in the 1990s (Five Guys Named Moe, Miss Saigon, Grease) which ultimately led to his stepping out of the spotlight after being passed over for the serious roles he desired (and deserved) and would eventually appear in (Angels In America, Kinky Boots). “I chose myself over whatever might be,” he says, noting his number of years of unemployment after he made the choice to ‘lean into’ his truth. “But by taking myself out of the masculinity game, that literally turned my life around, and all of those layers were building blocks to the authentic human being you see in front of you who gives zero f–ks. “When I actually leaned into my truth,” he adds, “this is what ultimately happened. Did it take two-plus decades? Yes, but it’s happening and this is my ministry.” He also discusses his recent cover of Buffalo Springfield’s 1966 activism classic “For What It’s Worth.” “Being first-generation post-civil rights and feeding directly into, as a gay man, the AIDS crisis, activism is in my DNA,” Porter says. “And while I don’t fancy myself an organizer, you tell me where to show up, I’m going to show up. I’m that kind of activist.”
Porter also directly addresses the conflict he sees while standing at the intersection of the Black Lives Matter movement and the homophobia he’s experienced by conservative Black people. “You all want to act like you’re concerned about our salvation,” he says referencing church-going African Americans who don’t embrace LGBTQ authenticity. “But don’t worry about my salvation. Let me do that. If you think I’m going to hell, you keep that s–t to yourself. I don’t need tolerance. I don’t need acceptance. We demand respect for our humanity, too.” He also addresses the November election (“get your little asses registered”), and his upcoming projects including the role of ‘Fairy Godmother’ in Sony’s live-action remake of Cinderella. It’s an excellent profile of an artist who has learned to lean into his own truth. “Did it take two-plus decades? Yes,” says Porter.”But it’s happening and this is my ministry.” Read the full article at ESSENCE.
L-R Lenin Gutierrez, Amber Lynn Gilles (screen captures) The GoFundMe campaign for a San Diego-area Starbucks employee who asked a ‘Karen’ to wear a face mask has now surpassed more than $99,000. And the crunchy ‘Karen’ now wants half of the funds raised. As I reported last week, yoga instructor Amber Lynn Gilles snapped a photo of the barista and posted it on Facebook in an attempt to shame him for following the safety guidelines of his employer and the state of California. But the snarky post backfired on Gilles and has led to a $100K windfall for the beleaguered barista. On June 18, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide order requiring face coverings in public spaces as new coronavirus cases began to rise dramatically in the Golden State. But this ‘San Diego Karen’ was clearly not happy about the new public health rule. “Meet lenen [sic] from Starbucks who refused to serve me cause I’m not wearing a mask,” wrote Gilles in the accompanying caption. “Next time I will wait for cops and bring a medical exemption.” Since last week, the post has been shared more than 50K times and received over 132K comments, overwhelmingly in support of the barista, Lenin. “Listen, Karen, if you can’t be bothered to wear a f**king mask for 10 minutes out of consideration for *other people* AND because it’s store policy, then you’re not only rude, you’re incredibly selfish,” wrote one commenter. “News flash: everything isn’t about you.” “There’s no reason to publicly shame a kid who’s trying to work his shift like any other day,” added another. One person asked, “If you cannot wear a mask, why not go through the drive-through?” For its part, Starbucks issued a statement asking all customers to follow the current guidelines regarding mask requirements. “We want everyone to feel welcome in our stores. We respectfully request customers follow social distancing and safety protocols recommended by public health officials, including wearing a facial covering when visiting our stores,” a Starbucks spokesperson said. Facebook user Matt Cowan saw the snarky post and decided to set up a GoFundMe page to collect tips for the Lenin. “I set it at $1,000, thinking that was a reach, and we would be lucky if we hit like $250,” Cowan told local news station KGTV in San Diego last week. “And when we hit $100, I was overwhelmed by that,” In one day, Cowan’s campaign – titled “Tips for Lenin Standing Up To A San Diego Karen” – had raised more than $5,000 for Lenin. Over the past week, tips continued to pour in, and as of this writing, the campaign had raised over $99,000 from 7,400+ donors. The majority of the contributions were in the amount of $5 or $10. Lenin expressed his thanks in a Facebook video and shared his side of the story saying he was just following company policy when he asked Gilles if she had a face mask. “Before I could say anything she flipped me off and said I don’t need one and she started cursing up a storm,” said Gutierrez on the video. “She started calling people sheep and she left and within a few minutes came back and she asked for my name and took a photo.”
Gutierrez also shared that, before the coronavirus health threat, he had taught dance to children. “That’s all I really want to do — to just be able to show dance to others and show them how much I love it and how much it affected me,” he said. “And if I can show that to someone else, that would be amazing and change their life like it changed mine.” In an update to the crowdfunding page, Cowan underscored that Lenin will be receiving 100% of the funds from the campaign. A financial adviser has been arranged to help Lenin “plan how to properly invest and use the large sum of money.” “Lenin has said that he plans to use some of the money to pursue his dreams of becoming a dancer,” Cowan added. “He also wants to donate to some organizations in the San Diego community.” In a video shared by local NBC News affiliate KNSD-TV, Gilles claimed she was “denied and discriminated against” in the incident, and says since her post went live she’s received ‘thousands’ of death threats. Gilles also admitted she is an anti-vaxxer and believes masks are ineffective. “I didn’t harass anyone,” she says in the video. “I called them out because I’m frustrated.” Gilles also says that she plans on suing Cowan for defamation and slander, AND she wants at least half the money raised through the GoFundMe campaign “because they’re using me to get it.”
“I never threatened him.” Hear from woman who was denied service at a Clairemont Starbucks for refusing to wear a mask. She publically shamed the barista. A Go Fund Me Page on his behalf is now over $22,000. She says she’s getting death threats. #nbc7 & https://t.co/ylvk5rP6Vfpic.twitter.com/gCREw0LR5V
Donald Trump (image via public domain/White House) With coronavirus infections on the rise across the US, Donald Trump’s reelection campaign has canceled plans to hold a rally in Alabama. From CNN:
Trump was slated to travel to the state ahead of the Senate race between his former attorney general Jeff Sessions and the former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville, but plans were called off as state officials voiced concerns about a mass gathering and campaign officials ultimately decided against it.
A person close to the campaign said there are currently no rallies on the horizon, but aides are scoping out possible venues for when they decide to host them again.
“We don’t ever confirm where we’re looking until a rally date and location are announced. There is always work underway to identify sites,” said Tim Murtaugh, communications director for the Trump campaign.
On Tuesday, Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey announced an amended order, which will extend the current rules until the end of July. The order encourages minimizing travel outside the home and wearing face coverings when doing so. The order also states that “all non-work related gatherings of any size, including drive-in gatherings, that cannot maintain a consistent six-foot distance between persons from different households are prohibited.”
You’ll recall Trump’s recent return to the campaign trail in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was a less-than-spectacular result as eight pre-event campaign staffers tested positive for COVID-19 just before the rally. Following the event, which drew less than half capacity, dozens of Secret Service agents had to self-quarantine after two agents tested positive as well.
Legacy Recordings and digital studio Cut.com have partnered to release Love In Transition, an inspirational video celebrating the beauty of transgender love set to Elvis Presley’s timeless romantic classic “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” Love In Transition, released in celebration of Pride Month, shares the stories of six couples who describe falling in love while a trans partner discovers and embraces their true self. Through each couple’s honesty, warmth, and humor, the video showcases how each couples’ love transforms, deepening as they learn more about each other’s truth and resilience. For its appropriately moving soundtrack, Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love” was selected to underscore the simple beauty and endurance of love. First released in 1961 and featured in Elvis’ blockbuster film Blue Hawaii, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” spent four weeks at No. 1 on the U.K. charts and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning a Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Platinum award in 1992 for certified sales of more than 1 million units. Check out the uplifting video below and click here to explore more of Elvis’s iconic music catalog.
L-R Donald Trump, VP Mike Pence (image: public domain/Flickr) Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have argued in recent weeks the increase in confirmed U.S. cases of COVID-19 is primarily the result of more testing for the virus being conducted. However, that’s not true, as The New York Times explains. The U.S., which once trailed the European Union in per capita overall deaths, has now racked up many more. From the New York Times:
Most other high-income countries are dealing with modest numbers of new cases — often an inevitable consequence of reopening — and the countries are responding aggressively. Many are following the advice of public health experts, ordering social distancing, mask-wearing and partial lockdowns and doing their best to track people who came in contact with new patients.
The United States is not. President Trump and many governors continue to flout scientific advice and send mixed messages about the seriousness of the virus.
As the U.S. soars past the EU in coronavirus-related deaths, it’s worth noting that the population of the EU (446 million) eclipses the U.S. (328 million) by nearly 120 million. In the graphic below, check out how many more deaths due to COVID-19 the U.S. has suffered versus the EU. Also, Japan – which has a population of 128 million – has far fewer deaths. But wearing a face mask in the Asian country is a common practice, year in, year out. (graphic via New York Times)
(image via Depositphotos) Gilead Sciences Inc. has announced that it will charge U.S. hospitals approximately $3,120 for the majority of patients who need remdesivir, one of the first drugs to show significant upside in treating COVID-19. From Bloomberg News:
Patients suffering from the illness caused by the novel coronavirus are usually given six vials of remdesivir over five days. The price, which comes to $520 a vial, would apply to commercially insured patients in the U.S., according to a letter from Gilead Chief Executive Officer Daniel O’Day posted on the company’s website Monday.
It plans charge $390 a vial, or $2,340 for a five-day regimen, for direct government purchases by the U.S. or other developed countries.
Gilead’s pricing decision is consequential because it sets a precedent for how much future Covid-19 treatments might cost. While it’s higher than some patient groups had pushed for, it was close to a level that some drug-pricing watchdogs have said would be acceptable based on remdesivir’s expected benefit.
Gilead has promised to donate 940,000 doses of the medication through the month of June. So far, nearly a quarter of a million treatment courses of remdesivir have been made available for free.
Jwan Yosef and Ricky Martin (image via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • Instagram: International pop star Ricky Martin and husband, artist Jwan Yosef, shared a perfectly up-to-date Pride 2020 kiss pic (above) with the caption, “Happy Pride, everyone!” • Inappropriate Questions: “How did you get pregnant?” In the latest episode from the CBC’s podcast that addresses the questions ‘we all want to ask,’ journalist Freddy McConnell takes the listener through his ups and downs of navigating pregnancy as a trans man and single dad. • Instinct Magazine: Over at my ‘other’ outlet, the powers that be have compiled this list of 10 totally classic LGBTQ anthem to help you dance your way through the last days of Pride Month 2020. Hit the link to see if your favorite made the list 🙂
• BuzzFeed LGBTQ: BuzzFeed is relaunching its dedicated vertical on the BuzzFeed.com site focused on LGBTQ content. Its mission is to elevate new voices and curate content that highlights every aspect of queer life – from the big stories to the small everyday moments, in Pride Month and year-round. Zach Stafford, who recently departed his position as editor-in-chief of The Advocate, will be the Editor-at-Large. • Revry TV: The first LGBTQ+ virtual cable network is 100 percent free, 100 percent queer, and features LGBTQ+ programming for a diverse range of audiences through their app, the web, and platforms like Roku and AppleTV. Revry Premium provides access to the streaming platform’s full library of on-demand titles without commercials for as low as $4.99 a month. Get one month of Premium for free thanks to The Advocate by signing up here and using promo code M201. • Back2Stonewall: Even though flying a rainbow Pride flag violates Russia’s hateful ‘anti-gay propaganda’ law passed in 2013, the American embassy in Moscow is proudly and defiantly displaying the flag for all to see.
(photo: Ludovic Bertron/Flickr) From the New York Times:
Broadway will remain closed for at least the rest of this year, and many shows are signaling that they do not expect a return to the stage until late winter or early spring.
The Broadway League said Monday that theater owners and producers will refund or exchange tickets previously purchased for shows through Jan. 3. Given the unpredictability of the coronavirus pandemic that has prompted the shuttering of Broadway, the League said it was not yet ready to specify exactly when shows will reopen.
“Returning productions are currently projected to resume performances over a series of rolling dates in early 2021,” the League said in a statement.
Among the logistical issues industry leaders are discussing with government and medical officials: “screening and testing, cleaning and sanitizing, wayfinding inside theaters, backstage protocols and much more.”
Since March 12, all 41 Broadway theaters have been dark due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pandemonium broke out at the Queer Liberation March Sunday afternoon in New York City as New York Police officers swarmed what was described as a peaceful demonstration on the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The incident occurred near New York’s Washington Square Park amid supporters for the Black Lives Matter and Black Trans Lives Matter movements. The Gothamist reports two demonstrators were being arrested for graffiti when protesters attempted to intervene. Police officers reportedly responded using pepper spray on several in the crowd. One witness told The Gothamist the mood was like an upbeat dance party prior to the arrival of the police. “We were dancing right in front of the arch on 5th ave and out of nowhere, cops started storming into the crowd,” Mike Perles, a 29-year-old city employee, told The Gothamist. “They pushed everyone in front of them out of the way and onto the ground. They pushed a reporter who was taking photos down and started randomly pepper-spraying people.” “I couldn’t see anyone instigating,” added Perles. “It seemed like they felt outnumbered after entering a huge group and panicked and started beating people up.” Pippa Bianco, a volunteer for NourishNYC, described the scene before the police arrived as “totally peaceful.” She was picking up food for a volunteer food station when the police rushed into the crowd. While helping demonstrators get water after they were pepper-sprayed, Bianco says she saw a police medic pouring water into the eyes of two other officers who were standing downwind of the pepper spray and accidentally got the irritant in their eyes. “The arrests that apparently incited the clash were reportedly over graffiti,” wroteTeen Vogue politics editor Lucy Diavolo, who attended the march. “In the midst of the blockade, I heard someone try to start a ‘graffiti is art’ chant.” Diavolo adds that she could identify herself in videos posted to Twitter. “I can see the cops going wild; in one video, an officer uses a nightstick to knock down someone already on their knees with their hands raised above their head.”
— NYC Protest Updates 2020 (@protest_nyc) June 28, 2020
Police have retreated from the area. It doesn't seem like they were able to bring the protester they were attempting to arrest, but that's not certain. As police pull away, what was very nearly a violent confrontation turns into a dance party. pic.twitter.com/eCR7ZzB2ad
— NYC Protest Updates 2020 (@protest_nyc) June 28, 2020
On the anniversary of the start of the Stonewall riots, the NYPD is attacking LGBTQ people who are marching for Pride. Let that sink in. https://t.co/j4ZL4jMHsa
At 11pm on @NBCNewYork, a #Pride weekend demonstration ends with police confrontations and pepper spray. We ask #NYPD what prompted this officer to push a bike-riding protester? pic.twitter.com/8XRRNHnrpK
On Twitter, openly gay City Council Speaker Corey Johnson called for a full investigation into clashes between protesters and police. Johnson called the use of pepper spray on the peaceful protesters “incredibly disturbing.”
The first #Pride started as a response to police brutality. Today, peaceful protesters were pepper sprayed on the 51st anniversary of Stonewall. This is incredibly disturbing.
— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) June 29, 2020
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson is calling for a full investigation into clashes between protesters and police in Washington Square Park yesterday, during a demonstration celebrating Pride. He said it's incredibly disturbing that peaceful protesters were pepper sprayed. pic.twitter.com/CvditkcnpD
In spite of the use of force by police, the organizers of the event said the vast majority of the march was a peaceful celebration attended by over 50,000 supporters. “DO NOT let the NYPD ruin a gorgeous day like today, on the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion,” wrote the group on Instagram. “The sun, the rain and the rainbow came out for us today! And we made history. Let’s carry this spirit forward! Let’s continue supporting our Black Queer and Trans Communities!”
Political satirist Randy Rainbow has some good advice for Donald Trump in his clever parody of “Put On A Happy Face” from the classic Broadway musical, Bye Bye Birdie. In his health-conscious iteration of the tune – “Cover Your Freakin’ Face!” – Rainbow addresses Trump’s avoidance of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic even though the federal government’s experts say it’s an important safety measure in tamping down the spread of the virus.
Please don’t politicize it, Don’t be a putz like PenceDon’t sit and scrutinize it, It’s only common senseDon’t spread droplets all over the placeCover your freakin’ face
For its appropriately moving soundtrack, Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love” was selected to underscore the simple beauty and endurance of love. First released in 1961 and featured in Elvis’ blockbuster film Blue Hawaii, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” spent four weeks at No. 1 on the U.K. charts and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning a Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Platinum award in 1992 for certified sales of more than 1 million units. Check out the uplifting video below and 
