L-R Andrew Grose, me, Jeff Williams, Jeff Collins, Bill Ullman (circa 1985)News Round-Up: August 12, 2019
L-R Andrew Grose, me, Jeff Williams, Jeff Collins, Bill Ullman (circa 1985)
L-R Andrew Grose, me, Jeff Williams, Jeff Collins, Bill Ullman (circa 1985)California: PrEP And PEP Could Become Available Without Prescription
California lawmakers are working to make PrEP and PEP available as over-the-counter drugs without a prescription, reports Capital Public Radio.
PrEP, pre-exposure prophylaxis, is the once-a-day treatment using Truvada that has been proven to be more than 90% effective in preventing HIV infection.
PEP, post-exposure prophylaxis, is prescribed to patients who have experienced possible exposure to HIV. Taken within 72 hours of exposure, the 28-day course of HIV medications is meant to stave off infection before the virus can take hold in the patient’s system.
Both PrEP and PEP currently require a prescription from a physician. Often, a patient’s insurance company has to sign off on the prescription before coverage kicks in.
California state Sen. Scott Weiner of San Francisco wants to change that. He is the lead author of Senate Bill 159.
The legislation would authorize pharmacists to provide PrEP and PEP without a prescription, much like birth control pills are currently available in the Golden State.
Under SB 159, Patients would have to be tested for HIV within the seven day period before buying the medication, and pharmacists would have to notify a patient’s primary physician as well as counsel the patient on side effects.
The measure passed in the state Senate in May by a vote of 34-1, and it is now working its way through the state Assembly where Assemblymember Todd Gloria is sponsoring the bill.
Equality California has made the bill a top priority. Additionally, the legislation is supported by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, APLA Health, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and the California Pharmacists Association.
But the California Medical Association wants to see changes made before the bill becomes law.
Specifically, the CMA wants the PrEP component removed from the bill, and only supports allowing a portion of PEP to be dispensed by a pharmacist before a doctor would prescribe the remaining treatment.
The CMA points to possible drug interactions as well as complications with kidney or liver functions that could occur if dispensed without regular checkups and screening.
In a letter to lawmakers, Morgan Carvajal, legislative advocate for the CMA’s Center for Government Relations, wrote, “Prescribing a daily, long-term use, medication of strong HIV regimen drugs to healthy, HIV-negative patients demands a high degree of safety and consideration that is only achieved safely by the patient-physician relationship.”
There’s no word as yet regarding pricing of the medications under SB 159.
Meet The Openly Gay Strongman Who Just Attended His First Pride
|
| Chris “Big Bear” McNaghten |
Woof!
Meet Chris “Big Bear” McNaghten, the openly gay Northern Ireland strongman who recently attended his first Pride event and is featured in the new BBC documentary, My First Pride.
McNaghten shares in the documentary that he is “the first openly gay strongman to come out in the UK and Ireland, possibly even Europe.”
The beefy 30-year-old shares other ‘firsts’ in his life as well, including coming out as gay.
McNaghten explains that coming out to one of his coaches, who had become a close friend as well, was one of his more difficult challenges to overcome.
“I was just as nervous about telling him about it as I was about my dad,” explains the Strongman champion. “It was a wee bit emotional. That was just a massive weight off my back.”
After the coming out process, it was finally time to attend his first Pride. So off to Belfast, Northern Ireland, he went with his fiancé, Jon.
The couple is engaged although same-sex marriage isn’t legal (yet) in Northern Ireland.
While the LGBTQ landscape in his home country hasn’t caught up with the dozens of countries around the world that have embraced marriage equality, he has seen how social attitudes have shifted in other countries.
Take, for example, public displays of affection.
“Whenever we have been in London together, there’s no issue with holding hands, there are no issues being in restaurants with each other or kissing or showing any type of affection with each other,” says McNaghten. “But back home, we have yet to do it.”
Still, even at home, beefy “Big Bear” does enjoy many of the same things LGBTQ folks do, like RuPaul’s Drag Race, which he sees as comparable to what he does in his sport.
“Drag is about putting on a performance and about performing for people,” he says. “It’s the exact same way whenever I’m on stage competing.”
And speaking of “the exact same,” McNaghten is looking forward to the day when his sexuality isn’t really a part of his fame in the sports world.
“I want to be Ireland’s strongest man,” he says. “I don’t want to be Ireland’s strongest gay man.”
PinkNews also produced this short video profile of McNaghten:
The 2018 film, Bear Strong, chronicles his quest to become Ireland’s strongest man, his coming out journey, and how he learned to conquer his battles with mental illness. The full film is available on YouTube here.
View this post on InstagramLaunch day for Larne pride!! #pride #lgbtq #larnepride #pride🌈 #pridefest #stromgman #gaystrongman #larne #ukpride #pridemonth #northernireland #gay #muscle #gaymuscle #standtogetherforourpride #pridesupport #underarmourA post shared by Chris ‘ Big bear’ McNaghten (@bearstrongmcnaghten) on May 26, 2019 at 3:32am PDT
SurveyUSA Poll: Both Biden & Sanders Would Beat Trump By 8 Points
|
| Donald Trump |
The results of a new poll of head-to-head matchups between Donald Trump and possible Democratic opponents by SurveyUSA shows two front-runners would beat Trump by 8 points.
The poll of 5,459 registered voters nationwide showed:
• Former Vice President Biden 50%, President Trump 42%
• Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders 50%, Trump 42%
• Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren 46%, Trump 44% — too close to call
• California Senator Kamala Harris 45%, Trump 44% — too close to call
• Trump 44%, South Bend IN Mayor Pete Buttigieg 42% — too close to call
The polling company says that the survey “approximates the outcome of the USA popular vote but not necessarily the outcome of the Electoral College.”
SurveyUSA also notes that Trump doesn’t break 44% against any Democratic opponent.
Billy Porter On Equinox Controversy: “Leave – That’s What Activism Is”
|
| Billy Porter on FX’s acclaimed series POSE |
POSE star Billy Porter told Variety his solution to the controversy over Equinox/SoulCycle owner Stephen Ross hosting a campaign fundraising event for Donald Trump is simple: “Leave.”
“That’s what activism is. It doesn’t work unless you hit these people where their bank accounts are.
“You don’t get to have these views and rape and pillage from us. That whole business is built on queer people, people of color, the whole business is built on that. So we need to go. It is an us and a they. That’s what it is. I didn’t do that part.
“That’s where we are and so therefore, my Equinox membership is canceled.”
AG Bill Barr On Epstein Suicide: “We Will Get To The Bottom Of This”
Saying he was “appalled” by the suicide death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein over the weekend, Attorney General Bill Barr told the press today, “We will get to the bottom of this and there will be accountability.”
Barr, who oversees the federal prison bureau, says there were “serious irregularities” at the federal jail in Manhattan where Epstein was being held.
He also promised any of Epstein’s possible co-conspirators “should not rest easy.”
“The victims deserve justice and they will get it,” said Barr.
NEW: Attorney General Barr on Jeffrey Epstein: “We are now learning of serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning and demand a thorough investigation.” https://t.co/COcnZV13pc pic.twitter.com/F9eKszn9hH— Dan Linden (@DanLinden) August 12, 2019
Totally-Not-Gay Former Congressman & The ‘Abs Over Principles’ Instagrammer
|
| ‘Totally-not-tipping’ Aaron Schock (screen capture) |
Totally-not-gay, former GOP congressman Aaron Schock reappeared on social media again, this time on the Instagram account of someone named Jeremy Cormier.
Other outlets are designating Cormier as an Instagram “influencer,” but I’ve honestly never heard of him. This post will probably be the most exposure he ever receives, considering after perusing his IG account, his life goals seem to be perfecting his abs and hanging with shirtless boys.
A trainer friend of mine pointed out he might want to balance some other body parts during workouts like his under-developed pecs or even consider a ‘leg day’ once in a while, but I’m not an expert so,…
Posting a photo of himself with Schock on his account, Cormier captioned the post, “Beach bros.”
Now, Cormier could have just shared the pic with “a guy with great abs,” but instead went to the trouble of tagging Schock in the photo. So, Cormier had to know the attention (and not the good kind) he was about to attract.
And, maybe that’s the point. As one commenter wrote, “When abs are more important than principles.”
As I’ve reported many times, during his time in the House of Representatives, the Republican congressman from Illinois took public positions against LGBTQ issues like voting against the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and for the anti-same-sex marriage Defense of Marriage bill. All while rumors abounded that he was a closeted gay.
In the past several months, Schock has been seen hanging with shirtless gays at Coachella, as well as making out and sliding his hands down the pants of a guy at the music festival as well.
In the photo above, Schock was captured tipping a gay go-go dancer in Mexico City.
You can find more on Mr. Schock’s escapades here.
James Duke Mason, who previously shared the photo of Schock at Coachella, wrote on the post:
“Jeremy, you know I love you, and you’re entitled of course to associate with whomever you choose to associate with- but this is disappointing. I don’t know who @aaronschock is in his heart, but this is a man who spent a decade actively fighting our rights and has STILL not apologized for it publicly. Think about the LGBT youth who have literally taken their lives because of anti-gay politicians like Aaron. This post really breaks my heart.”
Many of the comments noted the vast dearth of people of color in Cormier’s IG account.
I scrolled through his entire IG feed going back to 2013. There’s seriously not one black or brown face in any photo. In six years of posts.
Oh, wait – I did see one Asian man in a photo from 2016, but that was about it in terms of diversity.
Other than his abs, the only thing on display appears to be a sea of white gay men.
I think that tells us everything we need to know.
Maybe Cormier has more in common with Mr. Schock than we know.
Just to prove irony is dead, Mr. Cormier’s next IG post was attending a same-sex wedding, which Schock opposed while in office.
This post pretty much sums up his entire Instagram feed.
More the comments section:
“Nothing to see here, just a disgraced anti-gay politician who refuses to acknowledge his hypocrisy and the harm he has done to our community…”
“The dude’s Instagram feed is all the response y’all need. Look at it. What do you notice? Jeremy is more comfortable posting photos with antigay politicians than with anyone who isn’t nonwhite. White supremacy is a spectrum and takes on several forms from mild to serious, but the reality is Jeremy probably just shares Aaron’s worldview. ¯_(ツ)_/¯”
“What do y’all expect from an Instagram that’s a sea of white faces. These instagays who live in the world’s most diverse cities (New York, Los Angeles, etc.) and yet manage to never socialize with or build friendships with a single person who isn’t white have long ago told us who they are.”
“I thought trash was picked up on Mondays in Malibu.”
“This is so fucking corny and so typical of the instagay community. How do you not care he voted against our communities interest while in congress?”
“It’s the epitome of what white gay privilege looks like.”
Note – I did email Mr. Cormier to see if he had any statement he’d like to make about the post and Mr. Schock. I’ve not received a reply at this time. If he does respond, I’ll be sure to update this post.
Video: Dogs Freeze Like Statues On Command
Evelyn Edblad has taught her dogs to freeze like statues until she gives them permission to move.
She shares via YouTube:
“This was filmed during a regular lunch walk with my dogs. I’ve taught Jackson, Cash, and X to stay still on command before I give them the signal that they are free to go.
“They then freeze in expectation, knowing they’ll soon get to run around.
“The behavior comes with a little training combined with their instinct as sheepdogs, the breed is bred to herd, where they’ll freeze while controlling the sheep.”
This video was shot on July 22, 2019, in Sundsvall, Vasternorrland, Sweden.
My Favorite Thing Today
Air Force veteran KB Strawder Jr. shared this video of his dad after attending a Janet Jackson concert here in my town of Las Vegas.
Strawder surprised his dad on Father’s Day with tickets to see Miss Jackson, and after the concert the dad was effusive having experienced the Rhythm Nation artist.
But there was one more surprise in store… 🙂
Remember my dads reaction on Father’s Day to him finding out he was going to see @JanetJackson show in Las Vegas?….well we went to the show and there was one more surprise. pic.twitter.com/NjMAQOMWkN— KB Strawder Jr. (@Real_KB) August 11, 2019
— KB Strawder Jr. (@Real_KB) August 11, 2019
Here’s the moment when dad found out he was seeing Miss Jackson. You might say he’s a fan LOL…
Watch my dad’s reaction to him finding out that my brother and I are taking him to Las Vegas to see @janetjackson 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/j34AYEp0cT— KB Strawder Jr. (@Real_KB) June 16, 2019
Florida Man Tells Facebook He Gets His AR-15 Back Soon, “Don’t Go To Walmart Next Week”
|
| Richard Clayton (mug shot) |
On August 6, three days after a white supremacist shot and killed 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, another white supremacist in Florida wrote on his Facebook account, “3 more days of probation left then I get my AR-15 back. Don’t go to Walmart next week.”
From ABC News:
Richard Clayton, 26, was arrested by Florida Department of Law Enforcement authorities on Friday in Winter Park after making an online threat last week, according to police.
On Aug. 6, Clayton allegedly posted on Facebook, “3 more days of probation left then I get my AR-15 back. Don’t go to Walmart next week.”
“Clayton appears to believe in the white supremacist ideology and has a history of posting threats on Facebook using fictitious accounts,” Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials said.
He was not on probation, despite his threat, Florida officials told The Associated Press.
Clayton was charged with intimidation through a written threat and is being held at Orange County Jail on $15,000 bond.
Clayton reportedly threatened one of the police officers that arrested him asking if he was Hispanic. He also pulled out his genitals and threatened to pee in the officers’ patrol car.
More from WKMG News6:
Clayton was arrested at his parents’ Winter Park home Friday evening. Winter Park police detailed how Clayton was uncooperative and belligerent during the arrest, at one point telling an officer: “Officer, I hope that the next call you go to, you get blown away and killed. God, I pray that happens.”
Court paperwork details how Clayton repeatedly asked an officer if he was Hispanic and that “they are what is wrong with this country. They come in and are ruining everything.”
At one point, Clayton repeatedly asked an officer if he was a Nazi, then proceeded to expose himself and threatened to urinate in the police car. After an officer told Clayton he was not Hispanic, Clayton replied, “OK, well then, I guess I won’t pee in your car, then.”