Author: Randy Slovacek

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Homophobe Screams ‘You Are Desecrating The Name Of God! You Will Be Murdered!’

On Sunday afternoon, as Adam Eli, a community organizer in New York City, made his way out of the 28th Street subway station, he was followed and verbally harassed for being gay. Eli, who is openly gay and Jewish, told local news station PIX 11, “I’m sort of assuming they read that I was gay cause of the purse and also I have a patch on my butt,” referring to a pink handbag he was carrying and a gay pride patch on his jeans. The man had apparently tapped Eli on the shoulder on the subway and ordered him to remove his yarmulke. Eli declined. As Eli exited the station, he began recording the encounter on his phone which quickly went viral. https://twitter.com/aewerner/status/1171062243317997568 As the man followed him, he pointed directly at Eli and demanded he remove his pink yarmulke (kippah). On the video, you can hear Eli ask, “Because I’m gay and wearing a kippah…is that why?” “You’re desecrating the name of God,” said the homophobe as he began quoting verses from Leviticus. “You will be murdered! Take the kippah off.” Continuing down the sidewalk, Eli told the man, “No – this is my life and my city. I don’t have to take my kippah off.” “Stay in the closet!” yelled the man, his voice rising in volume. “Make sure your closet is in another closet! Take your kippah off! This is not Judaism!” “I’m cisgender, white, I have a social media platform I have resources and that’s the type of violence that I’m getting,” Eli told PIX 11 in an interview. “If that’s the type of violence that one of the most privileged members of our community is getting, can you imagine what it’s like every day in the subway to be a trans person or a gender non-conforming person or a queer person of color?” In a series of tweets, Eli explained his reasons for sharing the encounter with his followers. “ I spent the first 18 years of my life listening to people tell me I couldn’t be gay and Jewish,” he began. “Today I love my queer Jewish identity and nobody is taking that away from me.”

Eli says he didn’t report the incident to the police because he “didn’t see how that could help.” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio became aware of the encounter and tweeted his support writing, “It takes courage to confront homophobia and tell a story like this.” “I’m sorry you had to go through this, Adam,” continued the mayor. “But we’re proud of how you responded. There’s no place for hate in this city.” https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/1171230660104740865

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US Extracted Covert Agent In Russia Due To Trump’s Handling Of Intel

Nervous over early mismanaged handling of classified intelligence materials on the part of the Trump administration, the United States reportedly felt the need to extract a covert agent inside the Russian government before Donald Trump might slip and mention the operative. From CNN:

A person directly involved in the discussions said that the removal of the Russian was driven, in part, by concerns that President Donald Trump and his administration repeatedly mishandled classified intelligence and could contribute to exposing the covert source as a spy.
The decision to carry out the extraction occurred soon after a May 2017 meeting in the Oval Office in which Trump discussed highly classified intelligence with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and then-Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. The intelligence, concerning ISIS in Syria, had been provided by Israel.

The disclosure to the Russians by the President, though not about the Russian spy specifically, prompted intelligence officials to renew earlier discussions about the potential risk of exposure, according to the source directly involved in the matter.

(image via Flickr/White House – public domain)

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News Round-Up: September 9, 2019

L-R Shannen Doherty, me, Ian Ziering, Jennie Garth, Michael Caprio
Some news items you might have missed: • Monday Memory: One of those “Can you believe this is happening?” moments – back when Beverly Hills 90210 star Ian Ziering was the celebrity guest host of Chippendales here in Las Vegas, and his two 90210 co-stars Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth came to see Ian in the show. This was snapped backstage before the show. #Goodtimes • Yahoo News: Four months before the wedding of a gay couple in the UK, the mother of one of the grooms received an anonymous note claiming it was the ‘consensus of the village’ that if the wedding was going to happen then “it should do so far, far away from the village.” The mother did not tell her son before the nuptials, but police are investigating the homophobic note. • OUT: Only five of the long list of Democratic presidential candidates have confirmed for both of the upcoming LGBTQ-centric events – the GLAAD-sponsored LGBTQ presidential forum in Iowa, and the HRC-sponsored LGBTQ CNN Town Hall. • TIME: Hollywood’s wonder gay Ryan Murphy has announced he is adapting the legendary Broadway musical A Chorus Line into a 10-episode miniseries for Netflix. #Hmmm • Hollywood Reporter: The cast and creators of the CW series Riverdale, as well as actress Octavia Spencer, will be honored at this year’s GLSEN Respect Awards on October 25 in Los Angeles. •  Out Music: Last month, I shared out singer/songwriter Kyle Motsinger’s groovy anthem for positivity, “Love On Each Other,” and today he drops the equally groovilicious music video. He’s paired his 70s disco beat bop with images of hippie love kids dancing and prancing in the park. Check it out below.

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Elizabeth Warren Courts The DragCon Vote

During the 3rd annual DragCon NYC this past weekend, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a video greeting to the happy attendees encouraging them to not only register to vote, but then make sure they sashay their way to the voting booth. “When we make our voices heard, when we get into the fight, we win,” said the White House hopeful. “I’m in this fight for an America that works for everyone; I’m in this fight for full LGBTQ+ equality.” “We’ve got a lot of work to do to make sure everyone is free to be who they are and love who they love,” she added. Warren went on to note the record number of transgender Americans that were murdered last year telling the viewers, “We need to call it out, and we need to fight back.” The senior senator from Massachusetts continued saying, “Everyone should be able to go to school, to work, to get healthcare, or just walk down the street without fear of discrimination or violence.” https://twitter.com/TeamWarren/status/1170750332357545985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1170750332357545985&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finstinctmagazine.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D168000%26action%3Dedit RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Shea Couleé was one of those manning the Warren campaign booth at DragCon handing out signs and stickers as well as inviting folks to ‘strike a pose’ with a cardboard cutout of Warren. According to Couleé, all of the current Democratic presidential hopefuls were offered the chance to send a video greeting to the DragCon attendees, but only Warren responded to the invite. “The folks at DragCon extended an invitation to all of the Democratic candidates to come to DragCon, and she is the only one that accepted the invitation,” Couleé shared with NBC News. “For me, that speaks volumes.” Next up for Warren is the third Democratic presidential primary debate taking place this Thursday, Sept 12, in Houston, Texas. Warren is also announced to take part in both the upcoming GLAAD presidential forum in Iowa on September 20, as well as the CNN/Human Rights Campaign televised Town Hall on October 10. https://twitter.com/TeamWarren/status/1170494015923523584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1170494015923523584&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finstinctmagazine.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D168000%26action%3Dedit https://twitter.com/XorjeO/status/1170754649630158852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1170754649630158852&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finstinctmagazine.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D168000%26action%3Dedit https://twitter.com/SheaCoulee/status/1170099183036129280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1170099183036129280&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finstinctmagazine.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D168000%26action%3Dedit

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Sarah Palin Headed For Divorce Court, Husband Says ‘Impossible To Live Together’

The New York Daily News is reporting Todd Palin has filed for divorce from Sarah Palin, the former half-term Governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate.

Sarah Palin and her husband have reportedly split after more than 30 years together.

The former Alaska governor’s husband, Todd, filed for divorce in Anchorage Superior Court Friday, citing an “incompatibility of temperament between the parties such that they find it impossible to live together as husband and wife,” according to the Anchorage Daily News.

Sarah and Todd Palin are reportedly seeking joint legal custody of their child, Trig; their other four children — Bristol, Willow, Piper and Track — are all adults. Sarah Palin served as governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009, during which time she ran an unsuccessful campaign as John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential election.

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Brazil’s Largest Newspaper Trolls Homophobes, Prints Superhero Kiss On Front Page

Last week, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro called for a ban on superhero comic book because of ‘sexual content’ he deemed unsuitable for minors. The ‘content’ in question occurs in the three-year-old Marvel publication Avengers: The Children’s Crusade. In one panel of the graphic novel, the characters Wiccan and Hulkling, who are in a committed relationship, engage in a kiss. Why the 2016 publication suddenly caught the eye of the Mayor Marcello Crivella, a former evangelical pastor, now is unclear. But Crivella called for the comic to be banned from the Riocentro Bienal do Livro, Brazil’s most important literary event. Rio de Janeiro’s councilman Alexandre Isquierdo also made a statement calling the imaging an “attempt to propagate homosexuality.” But before authorities could remove the graphic novel, word spread and all copies were almost instantly snapped up by fans. And now, Brazil’s Supreme Court has blocked the efforts to censor the Marvel publication. “Attorney General Raquel Dodge challenged the move by Crivella, a former evangelical pastor,” reports ABC News. “She said allowing the mayor to remove books goes against freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas.” According to the report, a lower court initially supported the mayor, but chief justice José Dias Toffoli “ruled in favor of Dodge on Sunday, blocking the mayor from removing any books.”

And just to put a point on the subject, Brazil’s largest newspaper Folha De S.Paulothrew shade by printing the image on the front page of the publication. Ha! It’s perfectly legal to be LGBTQ in Brazil (the country has legalized same-sex marriage), but thanks to statements and actions by virulently anti-LGBTQ president Jair Bolsonaro, the gay community has reasons to be concerned. Bolsonaro has announced plans to remove mentions of LGBTQ people from textbooks and classrooms in schools; he’s posted tweets denouncing the country’s annual Carnival event for being too risque; told the world “Brazil can’t be a country of gay tourism” because “we have families.” He’s even told publications he’d rather have a dead son than a gay son. But, today, we celebrate this small triumph (and epic trolling) over hate. (source: ABC News)

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Trump: Air Force Has ‘Good Taste’ Staying At My Resort

Donald Trump took an ALL CAPS defensive stance Monday morning on Twitter denying any connection to a shift in military practice that has allowed Air Force crews to overnight at his luxury Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. “I know nothing about an Air Force plane landing at an airport (which I do not own and have nothing to do with) near Turnberry Resort (which I do own) in Scotland, and filling up with fuel, with the crew staying overnight at Turnberry (they have good taste!),” tweeted Trump as he claimed the stops at his resort had “NOTHING TO DO WITH ME.” From Politico:

The U.S. Air Force on Sunday ordered a world-wide review of how the branch chooses overnight accommodations for its crews following a POLITICO report revealing that the House Oversight Committee was investigating an uptick in unusual stops there — stops that included overnight stays at Trump Turnberry by Air Force crews in the last four years.

Typically, Air Force crews will stop at U.S. military bases elsewhere in Europe to refuel, where it would be cheaper to do so. But according to a letter the Oversight Committee sent the Pentagon in June, the military has spent $11 million on fuel at the Prestwick Airport — the closest to Trump Turnberry — since October 2017.

The committee’s investigation, which began in April of this year, is probing whether the stops pose a conflict of interest for the president and whether the military is helping to prop up Trump’s resort, which had been losing money. An aide for the committee told POLITICO that the Pentagon has not responded to their inquiries as part of the probe.

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Sunday Slowdown: Kevin Spirtas “I’d Rather Leave While I’m In Love”

I’ve always loved the Pete Allen/Carole Bayer Sager song, “I’d Rather Leave While I’m in Love.” Rita Coolidge had something of a comeback with the tune in 1979 when she hit #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. My pal Kevin Spirtas shared this today and I had to hit repeat a few times. I’ve written about Kevin on The Randy Report several times in the past. While daytime fans know him from his years on Days of Our Lives as Dr. Craig Wesley, his most recent triumph was winning ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series’ for his performance in After Forever. He also won for ‘Outstanding Writing for a Digital Daytime Series’ and the top prize, ‘Outstanding Digital Drama Series.’ The Broadway veteran (A Chorus Line, The Boy From Oz, Meet Me In St. Louis) also sings and dances,  oh, just a bit LOL Many folks may not know that Kevin was Hugh Jackman’s standby for the Broadway run of the Peter Allen bio-musical, The Boy From Oz. You most probably don’t know that because Hugh never missed a performance, so Kevin never got the chance to step into his Peter Allen shoes. But trust and believe, he was ready. This is just a taste of what audience MIGHT have gotten back then. Enjoy.

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Uber Driver Kicks Same-Sex Couple Out For ‘Kiss On The Cheek’

An Uber driver kicked two Camden County, N.J. women out of her car after one kissed the other on the cheek. One of the women, Kristin Michele, recorded the incident. From NJ.com:

Kristin Michele and Jenn Mangan were in an Uber on their way to a Zac Brown Band concert in Camden on Friday night when Michele leaned over and gave Mangan a kiss on the cheek, they said.

The driver then immediately told the women to get out of the car, Michele said.

“I said ‘I don’t understand.’ She said ‘I can’t ride with that. You kissed her,’” Michele said. “She said ‘I won’t have that.’”

Michele started recording a video right after that, in which she asks, “Are you kicking me out because I’m gay?” and the driver responds, “Yes, I am. Yes. Get out.”

The women eventually walked half a mile home, and then took a train to their concert. They say they reached out to Uber and the company says they would look into the incident.

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Trump Cancels Secret Plan To Host Taliban At Camp David

Donald Trump tweeted Saturday night that he had abruptly canceled a clandestine meeting at Camp David with the president of Afghanistan and Taliban leaders. The president also ‘called off peace negotiations’ that had appeared to be close to a final agreement. From the Washington Post:

President Trump said Saturday that he had canceled a previously undisclosed summit at Camp David with Taliban leadership and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani after the Taliban took responsibility for an attack last week that killed a U.S. soldier.

Trump said the meetings had been set to take place Sunday.

On Twitter, the president appeared to cancel talks with the Taliban indefinitely, a significant blow to the peace process kicked off last year, which was nearing its conclusion. In tweets Saturday evening, Trump wrote that he has “called off peace negotiations” and accused the Taliban of perpetrating the attacks to strengthen their negotiating hand.

“What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position?” Trump tweeted. “They didn’t, they only made it worse!”

The canceled meetings were scheduled to be held just days before the 18th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which led to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. The Taliban. On U.S. soil. Three days before the 9/11 anniversary. Seriously.

And just to show you that the Donald is totes on his game, he followed those tweets with this:

(image via Flickr/White House – public domain)