Author: Randy Slovacek

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News Round-Up: January 3, 2020

Nathan McCallum (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Where in the world is fitness guy Nathan McCallum…and how do I get there? 🙂 • Instinct Magazine: RuPaul’s nascent talk show, which had a three-week trial run this past summer, has not been picked up for syndication. • NewNowNext: The Equitable Restroom Act went into effect in Illinois on January 1, which requires single-occupancy bathrooms in public places to be marked with signs labeling them as “All-Gender.” • KIT212: Kenneth serves up his weekly round-up (below) of the what’s what in gay rags across the country. • LGBTQ Nation: A gay man’s sister kidnapped him & forced him into conversion therapy where he was beaten and flogged. His family thought being gay was “demonic,” so his sister hired a “prophet” to beat it out of him. • Variety: Kevin Spacey has settled a lawsuit with the estate of a man who had accused him of sexual assault, following the accuser’s death in September. A trial was set to take place in federal court in June 2020, but when the accuser died, the accuser’s estate filed a notice dismissing the lawsuit on Monday. Each side agreed to pay their own costs. • WRAL: The United Methodist Church appears poised to split into two separate denominations over the issue of LGBTQ inclusion. The United Methodist Church is currently the third largest Christian denomination in the United States. • Politico: Why Pete Buttigieg enrages the political left – “The unspoken truth about the furor Buttigieg arouses is that his success threatens a core belief of young progressives: that their ideology owns the future, and that the rise of millennials into Democratic politics is going to bring an inevitable demographic triumph for the party’s far left wing.” • Twitter: As many have pointed out, before the 2012 presidential election, Donald Trump repeatedly predicted (wrongly) that President Obama would start a war with Iran in order to secure re-election. We all know Trump projects his own thoughts on others as this video clip resurfaces:

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Domestic Dispute Ends With Crushing Conclusion

Corey Jones (mugshot via EBRSO)
Someone needs to work on their aggressive anger issues. Louisiana teen Corey Jones, 18, was arrested New Year’s Eve after a domestic dispute ended in his ripping his boyfriend’s testicle sac. According to Baton Rouge news outlet WAFB, the victim had returned home after having “a bad day at work.” As a verbal argument began between the two men, the victim locked himself in his bedroom but Jones broke in and the altercation became physical. The incident continued to escalate until Jones allegedly grabbed the victim’s scrotum and squeezed so hard, the testicle sac “ripped and began to bleed uncontrollably.” WAFB reports the victim was treated with stitches at a nearby hospital but the ‘significant laceration’ will leave a permanent scar. Jones was arrested and charged with domestic abuse battery with serious bodily injury. He is currently being held at East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

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Bronx Teen Charged In Fatal Christmas Eve Attack On Gay Couple

A Bronx teen has been charged with murder, gang assault and robbery for the brutal beating that killed 60-year-old Juan Fresnada on Christmas Eve. New York Daily News reports Abu Conteh, 18, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the mugging that profited a gang of attackers $1 and led to the death of Fresnada. As previously reported, Fresnada and his longtime boyfriend, Byron Caceres, 26, were assaulted around 1:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve when they were targeted by muggers outside a McDonald’s restaurant. Fresnada attempted to protect his younger partner in the attack but was overwhelmed as three men took part in the assault which lasted about 15 minutes according to Caceres. In surveillance video, one of the gang can be seen slamming a metal trash can down on Fresnada’s head before fleeing the scene of the crime leaving the elder man bleeding in the street as cars, passers-by and a city bus passed by without stopping. Surveillance video showed Fresnada bleeding on the ground as passers-by, cars, and even a city bus passed by without checking on the man bleeding on the sidewalk.

Fresnada eventually died from his injuries inflicted by the gang, which included swelling in the brain, after clinging to life for three days on a ventilator at Lincoln Hospital. Conteh was reportedly picked up at his home not far from the scene of the crime after being identified as one of the assailants. Two accomplices have also been identified and police are currently searching for them. The 18-year-old’s mother, Isataturay Conteh, told the Daily News her son is innocent. “He saw people fighting and he knows those people in the video but he never touched that man,” said the mother. “It’s not him who killed this man.” Even with the arrest of Conteh, Caceres says he’s been worried that the suspects might come looking for him. “I’m nervous about it,” he told the Daily News. “I’m thinking a lot about it…. A lot of people told me that I should cover my face when I was talking to the news.” “Hopefully justice comes on the way,” he added. “If I have to go to court, if I have to go the grand jury, if I have to do something to recognize this guy, I will do it.” The couple had lived together in a small apartment in the Bronx since 2016.

Juan Fresnada and Byron Caceres
(source: NY Daily News)

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Trump Orders US Forces To Kill Head Of Iran Military

Donald Trump
From CBS News:

Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds military Force, was killed Thursday night in an airstrike in Baghdad. The U.S. Defense Department said late Thursday that the “decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel” was ordered by President Trump.

“This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans,” the Defense Department said. Mr. Trump tweeted a photo of an American flag late Thursday.

The missile attack comes hours after Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the U.S. military will be ready if Iran and its allies plan new attacks, like the one this week at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. The U.S. Defense Department blamed Soleimani and the Quds Force for the embassy attack, as well as the attack on December 27 that killed an American defense contractor. 

The Pentagon issued this statement:

At the direction of the President, the U.S. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.

General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more.

He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months – including the attack on December 27th – culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel. General Soleimani also approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place this week.

Trump took to Twitter to share a pixelated image of the American flag:

NBC News reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling on the Trump administration to immediately brief lawmakers on the U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian commander in Iraq and what the White House plans to do next. “Tonight’s airstrike risks provoking further dangerous escalation of violence. America — and the world — cannot afford to have tensions escalate to the point of no return,” Pelosi said in a statement late Thursday. Pelosi added that the strike was carried out without an “authorization for use of military force” against Iran and without the consultation of Congress. Past tweets from Trump immediately went viral recalling the Donald’s claims that President Obama would begin a war with Iran in order to secure his re-election. All of this comes, of course, amid Trump being impeached over his dealing with the president of Ukraine regarding a phony investigation about his presumed political opponent in the upcoming 2020 presidential election.

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JustFor.Fans Announces Top Accounts For 2019

L-R Gabriel Cross, Griffin Barrows, Max Konnor (images via Instagram)
Dominic Ford, the creator of JustFor.Fans, has announced the most followed gay accounts on the popular fan site platform. “This list is incredibly diverse in porn star vs. amateur, age, race, body type,” wrote Ford on Twitter. “It is the point of a platform like JFF where everyone stands an equal chance of being successful.” “I am proud of everyone on the JFF platform, and this list is a microcosm of that diversity,” added the entrepreneur.

Ford told Out that he opted to share a Top 15 because his list is ordered by the most subscribers. But when ordered by the most profits, some from numbers 11-15 jumped up into the top ten. Those fifteen gay adult accounts garnering the most attention on the streaming platform are listed below with links to their (NSFW) Twitter accounts: 1. Griffin Barrow 2. Gabriel Cross 3. Rhyheim Shabazz 4. Rafael Alencar 5. RopeTrainKeep 6. DeepFillerNYC 7. HungerFF 8. RealMenFullBush 9. Max Konnor 10. PhatRabbitKill2 11. ItsKravemelanin 12. CadeMaddoxX 13. RoccoSteeleNYC 14. MichaelLucasNYC 15. AdamRussoXXX

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Cheri Oteri’s ‘Barbara Walters’ Leaves Anderson Cooper In Tears

SNL alum Cheri Oteri as ‘Barbrsa Walters’ on NYE
While it was fun to see SNL alum Cheri Oteri revive to her ‘Barbara Walters’ persona for New Year’s Eve, it was even more hysterical watching Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper laugh uncontrollably during the clip.

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White Evangelicals Oppose LGBTQ Rights More Than Other Religious Groups

A new poll shows white evangelicals have stark differences from other religious groups when it comes to civil rights protections for LGBTQ Americans. Conducted by the Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, the survey’s results indicate 39 percent of white evangelicals oppose extending anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ people, while only 13 percent of other Americans oppose such protections. Thirty-three percent of evangelicals support government restrictions on discrimination against LGBTQs in schools, housing or the workplace. In comparison, 66 percent of other Americans support banning LGBTQ discrimination. The poll also shows white evangelical Protestants believe religion should have more influence on public policy than it currently does. Sixty-two percent of evangelicals believe religion should have an influence on LGBTQ issues, while only 30 percent of other Americans agree. And it will come as no surprise that President Trump garners strong support (79%) from white evangelicals, while other Americans strongly disapprove of his job performance. (Source: AP/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research)

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Trump, Sanders, Yang & Buttigieg Announce Fundraising Totals

Mayor Pete Buttigieg campaigns in Iowa
Pete Buttigieg raised more than $24.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to the New York Times. Buttigieg’s campaign announced it had now received more than two million donations from more than 733,000 people since he entered the race, and 326,000 people had donated to the South Bend mayor’s effort in the fourth quarter. Since entering the race, the 37-year-old White House hopeful has raised more than $76 million. CBS News reports Sen. Bernie Sanders scored $34.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. Sanders’ best fundraising month was December, when he collected 900,000 donations totaling over $18 million. Still seeking a last-minute boost in the polls that would allow him to qualify for the January Democratic debate, entrepreneur Andrew Yang’s presidential campaign announced he had raised $16.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2019 putting him among the Democratic field’s top five fund-raisers. And over in Trump Land, the Donald’s re-election campaign pulled in $46 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. The Trump campaign begins the 2020 re-election year with cash on hand of $102.7 million. Update – Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s campaign announced the Democrat from Hawaii raised $3.4 million in the last quarter of 2019. The New York Times reports Joe Biden reported raising $22.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, a significant improvement from his lackluster fund-raising performance in the previous three months.

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Julián Castro Drops Out Of Democratic Presidential Race

Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro
The New York Times reports former housing secretary Julián Castro is ending his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Julián Castro, the former housing secretary who was the only Latino candidate in the Democratic primary, said Thursday he would end his bid for the presidency, capping a yearlong campaign where he struggled in polls but remained a policy pacesetter on immigration and fighting poverty.

Throughout his campaign, Mr. Castro, 45, a native of San Antonio who spent five years as its mayor, portrayed himself as an unapologetic liberal who was shaped by his humble beginnings and had been overlooked by the press. Though he created some memorable moments as he championed progressive policy and challenged his rivals on the campaign trail, Mr. Castro failed to catch on with voters and was unable to break into the upper tier of a crowded primary field. His exit is the latest departure of a candidate of color from a field that began as the most racially diverse ever in a Democratic primary.

“I’ve determined that it simply isn’t our time,” Mr. Castro said in a nearly four-minute video message released by his campaign, which included a montage from his year on the trail, including visits to the border and a homeless encampment in Oakland. “Today it’s with a heavy heart, and profound gratitude, that I will suspend my campaign for president.”

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Grindr Hookup Gone Wrong Ends In Murder & Mutilation Charges

Kevin Bacon (image via Facebook)
Mark Latunski, 50, has been charged with one count of murder and one count of mutilation of the body of his alleged victim in a Grindr hookup gone terribly wrong. MLive.com reports that Kevin Bacon (not the actor), 25, of Swartz Creek, Michigan, told his housemate, Michelle Myers, he was meeting a man he’d met on the dating app around 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Bacon then texted Myers at 6:12 p.m. saying he would be out for a while and wasn’t sure when he’d be home. According to Myers, he indicated he was “having fun.” But when the 25-year-old hairstylist was a no-show at his family’s Christmas breakfast, they became concerned. Police eventually found Bacon’s car in a parking lot where a bag containing his phone, clothes, and wallet was discovered. Missing from the scene were his car keys. According to MLive.com, the young man’s body was found on December 28 at Latunski’s home in Shiawassee County’s Bennington Township, 25 miles west of Flint. Police were led to the suspect’s home after some Facebook posts about the home in question were relayed to the Clayton Township Police Department, according to Kevin Bacon’s dad, Karl Bacon. The medical examiner determined Bacon died sometime between late Christmas Eve and early Christmas Day. If found guilty, Latunski faces life in prison.
Mark Latunski (mug shot)
Bacon’s parents, Karl and Pamela Bacon, said at a press conference they didn’t know if their son had any previous contact with Latunski. But the father took issue with the folks at Grindr telling the press “They didn’t give us any info during the initial investigation.” Calling the people in charge at the dating app “rather uncooperative,” the father said,  “There’s no regulation of law on how they operate and how accountable they are to people’s activities on their apps.” “That was our biggest obstacle in this investigation,” said Karl Bacon. “We did not know where he was going and who he was meeting with. If he had relayed that information early on, it may not have been avoided, but it could have been accelerated a lot quicker if we knew who and where.” For its part,  a spokesperson for Grindr issued a statement which read: “We at Grindr are heartbroken to hear about this terrible tragedy, and share our condolences with Mr. Bacon’s family and friends. While for privacy reasons we do not offer public comment on individual user accounts, we remain fully committed to working with law enforcement in the event of any investigation.” The victim’s namesake – Kevin Bacon, the actor – expressed his own condolences on social media writing, “For obvious reasons I’m thinking this morning about the friends and Family of this young person Kevin Bacon. His life was taken from him much too soon. His love was hair dressing. I bet he would have done a great job on this mess on my head. RIP KB.”

This tragic incident, in the wake of previous reports of dating apps being used to lure gay men into dangerous situations, brings to bear the important topic of safety when meeting strangers on such apps. Grindr recently announced new features to protect users’ safety, but are they enough? Some years ago,  a friend told me he always left the web page of a dating website he used open on his laptop when he’d meet up with someone new. His intention was if he went missing people would find the info on his computer. Readers – do you take any specific measures when using dating apps? Tell friends where or who you are meeting? Does anyone have advice on how to help in these situations? Tell us in the comments section. (source: MLive.com)