Author: Randy Slovacek

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Rugby Legend Gareth Thomas Comes Out As HIV+

In a candid video message shared via social media, rugby legend Gareth Thomas (above) has revealed that he is HIV-positive. Thomas, who came out publicly as gay in 2009 and retired from the sport in 2011, made the announcement Saturday in a video posted on Twitter. As part of his message, he shared he was making the announcement now because he was ‘being blackmailed’ over his status. “I want to share my secret with you,” the former Wales rugby star shares in the video message. “Why? Because it’s mine to tell you. Not the evils that make my life hell by threatening to tell you before I do. And because I believe in you and I trust you.” After pausing for a moment, the 45-year-old athlete continued, “I’m living with HIV.” “Now you have that information, that makes me extremely vulnerable, but it does not make me weak,” he added. “Now, even though I’ve been forced to tell you this, I choose to fight to educate and break the stigma around this subject. And that begins today.” “Everyone lives in fear of people’s reactions and opinions to something about them, but that doesn’t mean we should have to hide,” concluded the rugby icon. “But to do this I really, really need your support.”

The former Celebrity Big Brother star told the Sunday Mirror that even though he’d been living with his secret for years, he made the decision to come out as HIV+ now because “I was being blackmailed, and in my mind you only get blackmailed for something really bad, which compounded the feeling of shame.” Thomas didn’t name the outlet threatening to out his status. Explaining that living with the secret has worn heavily on him, he shared his concerns that “people would judge me and treat me like a leper because of a lack of knowledge.” “I was in a dark place, feeling suicidal,” he added. “I  thought about driving off a cliff.” Thomas gives credit to a strong support system around him, including his husband who he married in 2016 after discovering he was HIV-positive. After years of taking antiretroviral medications, he says his viral load is undetectable, making the possibility of passing on the virus to others practically zero. “Many people live in fear and shame of having HIV, but I refuse to be one of them now,” Thomas says. “We need to break the stigma once and for all. I’m speaking out because I want to help others and make a difference.” Today, Thomas works as an ITV pundit for the Rugby World Cup, and is planning on competing today in the Wales Ironman event. “I’m fitter now than when I played rugby and I didn’t have HIV then,” he says. “I’m not just all right, I’m better than all right.” In November 2018, Thomas was the victim of a gay-bashing incident in his hometown. In lieu of pressing charges, the sports icon instead asked for an apology. The reaction on social media has been overwhelmingly positive, including a message from Prince William via the Kensington Palace Twitter account.

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RuPaul Wins 4th Consecutive Emmy Award For ‘Outstanding Host’

For the fourth year in a row, RuPaul has snatched up the Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program. From the Hollywood Reporter:

Backstage, RuPaul explained he was “having a hard time putting words together,” but he ultimately expressed his gratitude for the win and the art of drag.

“I show up to work because I love drag queens, love dramatic people, love being around people who march to a different drummer,” RuPaul said.

He later added, “Drag is dangerous. Drag is not politically correct,” he said. “I know people say, ‘You’re mainstream,’ but drag will never be mainstream.”

Drag Race was up for 14 awards at this year’s ceremony. The show made history in 2018, becoming the first series to win best reality host and best reality competition program in the same year.

The show was recently renewed for a 12th season on VH1, as well as spinoff RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, which was greenlit for a fifth season.

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NYC Set To Repeal Conversion Therapy Ban

Back in 2017, the New York City Council passed a law which bans so-called ‘conversion therapy’ for everyone within its jurisdiction.

Now, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (who is gay) has announced he will introduce a bill to repeal the law.

What???

The legal maneuver comes as the virulently anti-LGBTQ law firm Alliance Defending Freedom has filed a lawsuit challenging the ban.

LGBTQ advocates fear the case could possibly be used to take such prohibitions all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court which has taken a more conservative bent since Donald Trump has put two right-leaning justices in place since taking office.

If the haters were to win at SCOTUS, conversion therapy bans across the country could be at risk of being struck down.

That said, LGBTQ minors in New York City will still be protected by the separate statewide ban that was passed earlier this year by the New York State Legislature.

The City Council’s law was seen as more vulnerable to a court challenge because it was broader than others in effect, including the statewide ban.

LGBTQ advocates say repealing the NYC measure will allow them to focus less on defending the law in court and more on expanding protections against conversion therapy in other states.

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Trump Thanks Himself For Title Of “Very Stable Genius”

From The Hill:

President Trump’s approval rating dipped slightly among Republican voters, though is relatively steady among voters overall, according to the latest Hill-HarrisX poll released Friday.

The nationwide survey shows 83 percent of GOP voters saying they approve of the president’s job performance, marking a 2-point drop from an identical poll conducted Aug. 18-20.

Currently, political news site RealClearPolitics shows Trump has an average approval rating among all Americans of 43 percent. Meanwhile, Trump was just making up approval numbers over on Twitter.

The Donald also thanked himself for giving himself the title of ‘very stable genius,’ while seeming to be confused about whether he wants to ‘make America great again’ or ‘keep America great.’

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James Corden Shuts Down Bill Maher On Fat-Shaming

On a recent episode of his HBO series Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher declared it is time to ‘bring back fat-shaming’ in an attempt to help fight obesity. The broad point of his comments were that Americans – while citing health insurance and healthcare costs as being a top priority for them in the upcoming 2020 election – bear some responsibility for their own health situations due to poor personal choices in diet. James Corden, host of CBS’ The Late Late Show, wasn’t having it. “If making fun of fat people made them lose weight, there’d be no fat kids in schools,” Corden said during his monologue on the late night gab-fest. “And I’d have a six-pack right now.” “Let’s be honest, fat-shaming is just bullying. And bullying just makes the problem worse,” he said. After addressing some very real aspects of fat-shaming, like triggering depression and self-destructive behavior which leads to more overeating, Corden also addressed some of the root causes of obesity, including how poverty and genetics play a role. Corden closed out his op-ed with this little nugget of wisdom for Maher: “While you’re encouraging people to think about what goes into their mouths, just think a little harder about what comes out of yours.” The segment is definitely worth your time. Hit play below.

In fairness, here’s the clip of Maher’s comments in their full context. Decide for yourself if Maher missed the mark or if Corden overreacted.

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News Round-Up: September 13, 2019

Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Steve Raider (above) is giving you total lawn lounging. Talk about ‘splendor in the grass’… • Metro: In the upcoming big-screen iteration of Downton Abbey, closeted valet-turned-butler Thomas Barrow (played by Rob James-Collier) gets his own storyline offering emotional insight – joy and otherwise – into what it was like to be gay in the 1920s. The film opens in theaters September 20. • CNN: As far back as the 1990s, Vice President Mike Pence argued that homosexuality was a choice during his fight against local efforts in Indiana to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. • CNET: Miami-based porn website BangBros has offered an ambitious $10 million bid to rename the former American Airlines Arena as The BangBros Center or BBC should the company win the bid. • Instinct: SNL has hired its first-ever Asian cast member, Bowen Yang, set to join the venerable comic troupe this fall. • New Music: My fellow Syracuse University alum, John Duff, offers his latest music video, “Rich,” which mocks and celebrates pop culture’s love-hate obsession with those who are already rich and famous. “I like to think I’m holding a mirror to what it is that we do every day, as a culture – what we worship, how we consume, how we cope,” says Duff. “That’s where the visuals really aid in my storytelling.”

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Mayor Pete’s Coming Out Story Takes Center Stage At Debate

As the first openly gay Democratic candidate with a credible chance at winning the White House, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, has already made a historic mark on the 2020 presidential election cycle. But at the close of the third Democratic debate last night, all ten candidates onstage were asked to relate a story of resilience from their lives. In a moment that was as poignant as it was personal, the 37-year-old shared his own coming out story.

As a military officer service under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and as an elected official in the state of Indiana when Mike Pence was governor, at a certain point, when it came to professional setbacks, I had to wonder whether just acknowledging who I was was going to be the ultimate career-ending professional setback.

I came back from the deployment and realized you only get to live one life. I was not interested in not knowing what it was like to be in love any longer.

So I just came out.

I had no idea what kind of professional setback it would be, especially because, inconveniently, it was an election year in my socially conservative community.

What happened was that when I trusted voters to judge me based on the job that I did for them, they decided to trust me, and reelected me with 80% of the vote.

What I learned was that trust can be reciprocated and that part of how you can win – and deserve to win – is to know what’s worth more to you than winning. And I think what’s what we need in the presidency right now: we have to know what we are about.

And this election is not about any of us up here. It is not about this president, even though it’s hard to talk of anything else some days.

It’s about the people who trust us with their lives; the kid wondering if we’re actually going to make their school safer when they’ve learned active shooter drills before they’ve learned to read; a generation wondering if we will actually get the job done on climate change.

And if we hold to that, then it doesn’t matter what happens to each of us professionally. Together, we will win a better era for our country.

While it’s not news that Buttigieg came out during his campaign for a second term as mayor, what IS news is for an openly gay presidential candidate to relate his own coming out journey to millions while standing shoulder to shoulder with his peers. Many in the Twitterverse, from LGBTQ advocates to gay veterans, acknowledged the importance of the moment:

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Felicity Huffman Sentenced To 14 Days In Jail For College Admission Scandal

The Washington Post is reporting former Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman has been sentenced to 14 days in jail in connection with a college admission scandal. The sentence also includes a $30,000 fine 250 hours of community service and supervised release for one year. In May, the actress pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy after paying $15,000 to a ‘college admissions consultant’ to help one of her daughters obtain a fake SAT score. She is among the first of 15 wealthy parents to be sentenced who have admitted guilt in the admissions bribery and cheating scam known as Varsity Blues. Prosecutors recommended a month of incarceration for Huffman, plus a year of supervised release and a $20,000 fine. Huffman’s legal team argued jail was unwarranted and instead asked for a year of probation, 250 hours of community service and the same fine.

In a letter to Judge Indira Talwani, Huffman wrote, “I have a deep and abiding shame over what I have done. Shame and regret that I will carry for the rest of my life.”

“It is right that I should carry this burden and use it as fuel for change in my own life and hopefully it will be a cautionary tale for my daughters and the community,” she added.

Fifty-one people have been charged in the scandal to date. Nineteen parents – including Fuller House star Lori Laughlin – are fighting the charges.

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Trump: You Can’t Impeach Me Because I’ve Done A ‘Great’ Job

From CNN:

The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved a resolution defining the rules of the panel’s impeachment investigation, the first vote the committee has taken related to the potential impeachment of President Donald Trump.

The party-line vote came as House Democrats have struggled to define the committee’s probe, with Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler saying the committee is conducting an impeachment inquiry, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders are refraining from calling it that.

Thursday’s vote, which does not need to be approved by the full House, gives Nadler the ability to deem committee hearings as impeachment hearings. It allows staff to question witnesses at those hearings for an hour after members conclude, gives the President’s lawyers the ability to respond in writing to public testimony and allows the committee to collect information in a closed setting.

Trump responded via Twitter asserting he can’t be impeached because he’s done such a “good (great!) job:”

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NYC Cop Pleads No Contest To Burglary, Using Racial Slurs

Michael Reynolds, a 25-year-old New York City police officer, is accused of breaking into the home of an African-American family and screaming racial slurs while on vacation in Nashville, Tennessee, this past summer. Reynolds has pleaded no contest to charges of aggravated burglary and three misdemeanor assault charges From NewsChannel 5 in Nashville:

Michael Reynolds, 25, pleaded no contest to his felony aggravated burglary charge and three misdemeanor assault charges.

The break-in happened around 2:30 a.m. on July 9th, 2018 at a 12 South home in Nashville.

The homeowner, Conese Halliburton, said she felt traumatized reliving the incident in court today. Reynolds was on vacation and staying at an Airbnb with friends one door down from Halliburton’s home, and police say he was under the influence of alcohol when he broke into the house.

“He knows what he did, it’s on video, there’s audio. There was people there so how can he not plead guilty and say this is what you did and stand up and be truthful. You’re an officer,” Halliburton said.

When the incident occurred, Halliburton told Metro officers Reynolds kicked in the door and started yelling at her and her two sons who had not went to bed yet. A surveillance camera captured part of the exchange and a man’s voice shouting, “Try to shoot me, I’ll break every bone in your f(expletive) neck. You f(expletive) n(expletive).”

Reynolds faces sentencing on November 7.