Author: Randy Slovacek

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Klobuchar Becomes 8th Democratic Candidate To Qualify For Next Debates

Sen. Amy Klobuchar

NBC News reports eight of the current Democratic presidential contenders have qualified for the next round of debates coming up in September.

Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is the latest to meet the increased donor threshold her campaign said early Friday morning. She had previously reached the higher polling qualification of polling at least 2 percent in four major surveys.

Pundits predict the current field of Democrats could be cut in half by debate time rolls around.

In addition to Klobuchar, the other seven candidates to qualify are:

• Former Vice President Joe Biden
• New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
• Mayor Pete Buttigieg
• California Sen. Kamala Harris
• Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke
• Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
• Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren

According to NBC News, it may have been what Klobuchar didn’t do in this week’s debate that stood out and that was to avoid attacking her opponents by name or take part in the ‘bloodsport’ that some resorted to.

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Manhattan DA Revives Investigation Into Trump Payments To Stormy Daniels

Manhattan DA Revives Investigation Into Trump Payments To Stormy Daniels

The saga of Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels is not over.

From the New York Times:

State prosecutors in Manhattan subpoenaed President Trump’s family business on Thursday, reviving an investigation into the company’s role in hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to people briefed on the matter.

The subpoena, issued by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, demanded the Trump Organization provide documents related to money that had been used to buy the silence of Stormy Daniels, a pornographic film actress who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump.

The inquiry from the district attorney’s office, which is in early stages, is examining whether any senior executives at the company filed false business records about the hush money, which would be a state crime, the people said.

The prosecutors say they are also looking at payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said she had an affair with the Donald.

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One Million Moms Rants About Drag Queen Story Hour At Whole Foods

Bigoted anti-LGBTQ group One Million Moms (really just 94k) is throwing a new temper tantrum, this time aimed at Whole Foods Market for hosting a Drag Queen story hour.

In an email to their supporters, the group moans about the retailer who “once promoted organics and clean food” saying the upscale grocer is now “saturated in absolute filth, exploiting America’s children to be ‘groomed’ by drag queens.”

Pointing to a Drag Queen story hour held in Atlanta, Georgia, One Million Moms calls the events an attempt to “indoctrinate children into transgenderism and homosexuality” and “to normalize the LGBTQ lifestyle.”

The group is equally mad at Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for having the nerve to endorse the “disturbing” events.

OMM may try to paint a picture of “child exploitation,” but the fact of the matter is the events have been hailed across the country for encouraging children to get more involved in reading.

The drag queen aspect works because children have no preconceived ideas about bigotry or judgement, and allow their imaginations to take flight during the story hours.

And when you think of it, where does OMM’s get off trying to deny a child learning about being fabulous?

Personally, this just makes me want to go spend money at my nearest Whole Foods Market.

FYI – those so-called ‘one million moms’ have generated just barely 7,000 signatures on their sad little petition.

So, there you go…

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Aquaman Comes Out As Queer In New ‘Young Justice: Outsiders’

(screen capture via Young Justice: Outsiders)

In a new episode of DC Universe’s Young Justice: Outsiders, the character of Aquaman is shown swimming up to his boyfriend Wynnde, a member of the underwater court of King Orion, and delivering a smooch.

The character – whose real name is Kaldur’Ahm – was once known as Aqualad but has since taken up the mantle of Aquaman in the series.

Young Justice, which chronicles the adventures of teenage superheroes and sidekicks, originally ran on Cartoon Network for two seasons from 2010 to 2013 but was cancelled due to low toy sales by partner Mattel.

Fan outcry plus strong viewership on Netflix reruns prompted DC Comics to revive the series this year via its newly-launched streaming platform, DC Universe.

For decades comic books have led the way in terms of LGBTQ representation from the X-Men (whose characters are seen by many as a metaphor for marginalized communities) to the recent announcement that Marvel is looking at “transgender actresses only” to cast a new, upcoming role.

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Mario Lopez Misses EXTRA Taping After Issuing Trans Apology

After issuing an apology for comments about parents raising transgenger children, TV host Mario Lopez missed the latest taping of his entertainment gabfest, Extra.
Mario Lopez on the Candace Owens podcast

After issuing an apology for comments about parents raising transgender children, TV host Mario Lopez missed the latest taping of his entertainment gabfest, Extra. Lopez, who has been a presenter at GLAAD media events in the past, caught heat for suggesting that it was “dangerous” for parents to be supportive of a child’s transition during an interview on the conservative Candace Owens podcast. After media outlets picked up on the comments, he released an apology saying, “The comments I made were ignorant and insensitive, and I now have a deeper understanding of how hurtful they were.” Deadline reports “No explanation was given for Lopez’s absence from today’s show, although Extra hosts Renee Bargh and Tanika Ray addressed the controversy by interviewing GLAAD director Anthony Ramos and Dr Johanna Olson Kennedy, an expert on trans youth development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.” Additionally, producers for Extra issued this statement: “While we have enjoyed a long relationship with Mario Lopez, who we know to be a caring person, the opinions he expressed in this interview do not reflect those of Extra. “We wholeheartedly embrace our friends from the LGBTQ community and believe they need support and love. For more support on these issues you can go to GLAAD.org.”

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AGT Judge Julianne Hough: “You Know I’m Not Straight, Right?”

In a new interview for Women’s Health Magazine, DWTS alum/America’s Got Talent judge Julianne Hough shares that she once told her husband, “You know I’m not straight, right?”
Julianne Hough (image via Facebook)

In a new interview for Women’s Health Magazine, DWTS alum/America’s Got Talent judge Julianne Hough shares that she once told her husband, “You know I’m not straight, right?”

The revelation came amid a “massive transformation” period for the 31-year-old actress and dancer just four months after marrying hockey player Brooks Laich in July 2017.

In working to develop her own dance-based workout called Kinrgy (kin as in family and kinesthetic, plus energy), she felt more and more empowered and confident.

Hough says that confidence became transformative and cathartic in her life.

“I’ve been de-layering all the survival tactics I’ve built up my whole life,” she explains. “Now, I feel limitless.”

As her new-found confidence began to permeate other aspects of her life, she wondered if that might be a turn-off for her husband.

“I was connecting to the woman inside that doesn’t need anything, versus the little girl that looked to him to protect me,” Hough tells Women’s Health. “I was like, ‘Is he going to love this version of me?’ But the more I dropped into my most authentic self, the more attracted he was to me. Now we have a more intimate relationship.”

With that deeper intimacy came the courage to share some truths with Brooks.

“I [told him], ‘You know I’m not straight, right?’” says Hough.

“And he was like, ‘I’m sorry, what?’ I was like, ‘I’m not. But I choose to be with you.’”

Audiences have grown to know Hough since she was first cast in 2007 as a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars. That was followed with the leading role in the 2011 film remake of Footloose.

In 2016, she played Sandy in the live Fox television production of Grease. And in 2019, she joined the reality TV series America’s Got Talent as a judge.

It’s understandable that Hough would have some trepidation about opening up about her sexuality. She and her famous DWTS brother, Derek, were raised in the very anti-LGBTQ Mormon Church in Utah.

But today she finds ’safety’ in living authentically.

“I think there’s a safety with my husband now that I’m unpacking all of this, and there’s no fear of voicing things that I’ve been afraid to admit or that I’ve had shame or guilt about because of what I’ve been told or how I was raised.”

Hough also shares how she got over her fear of being naked as she posed for an extensive nude photo shoot for the ‘Naked Strength’ issue of Women’s Health.

SShe recently joined her hubby Brooks and his co-host Gavin DeGraw on their podcast, How Men Think, to discuss intimacy, sex and more.

“We have never been so specific, detailed and open about exactly what goes on in our relationship and our respective thoughts and approaches to intimacy and sex,” the former Los Angeles King forward told Closer Weekly about the podcast chat.

“We give people our exact specifics, how we create intimacy, why it’s important to us and open up about our sex life.”

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Heavy Metal Band Defies Russia’s Anti-LGBTQ Law With Onstage Lip Lock

Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers of Rammstein (photo: Jens Koch)

Two members of the German heavy metal band Rammstein shared an onstage kiss in defiance of Russia’s anti-LGBTQ policies during their concert at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow Tuesday night.

While performing their song “Aüslander,” which means “foreigner” in German, guitarists Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers slowly walked towards each other. After briefly catching each other’s eyes, they leaned in for a quick kiss.

And the crowd goes wild!

The kiss took place just days after a prominent LGBTQ activist was found murdered in St. Petersburg.

The band posted a photo of the kiss by photographer Jens Koch on their Instagram account with the caption, “Russia, we love you.”

A post shared by Rammstein (@rammsteinofficial) on Jul 30, 2019 at 10:23am PDT

Since the band was formed in 1994, Rammstein has scored two Grammy nominations, six number-one albums on German and European music charts, and had dozens of Top Ten singles across Europe.

While the kiss itself was a quick peck, it’s clear the bold moment was inspired by Russia’s 2013 ‘gay propaganda’ law which bans promoting “non-traditional sexual relationships” to young people.

The passage of the legislation has increased hostile pressures on LGBTQ people in Russia.

In 2017, the European Court of Human Rights ruled the law “had reinforced stigma and prejudice and encouraged homophobia.”

Foreigners found to have violated the law may be fined up to 5,000 rubles ($78) and deported, or detained for up to 15 days before being deported.

Rammstein is well-known not only for spectacular stage shows but also for standing up for LGBTQ rights while on tour.

The Washington Post notes that just last week, during a concert in Chorzów, Poland, the band waved rainbow Pride flags while crowd surfing in inflatable rafts.

Photographer Jens Koch snapped the moment and shared it to her Instagram with the caption, “Wow, this means a lot to me. My favorite band standing up for equal rights in Poland this week. #LIFAD#lgbtqpoland#lgbti#rammstein”

Here’s a video of the kiss that rocked Russia:

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News Round-Up: July 31, 2019

(image via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunks: So, I went to take a selfie after working out at the gym today (cause I hear that’s what you’re supposed to do), but I somehow ended up with a snap of woofy Jeff Ferreira (above). And everyone is all the better for it…

• Journal-Constitution: Police have arrested Shaleeya Moore and Joshua Ellis in connection with the shooting death of Ronald “Trey” Peters, a 28-year-old gay social worker in Decatur, Georgia.  A third suspect is still being sought.

• CNN: After the Federal Reserve cut interest rates a quarter point, the Dow dropped 450 points following comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell who said not to expect any further rate cuts.

• Kenneth-in-the-212: It’s Hump Day! And that means it’s ‘Wrestle Wednesday’ over at Kenneth’s blog! Yay!

• New York Times: Students who said they were discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity were significantly less likely to get any relief from the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights under the Trump administration than they were under the Obama administration

• IMF: There are more $100 bills in circulation than $1 bills. And most are held abroad.

• Twitter: When the wave pool operator gets drunk and moves the setting to “Tsunami.” According to reports, 44 people were injured in Yanbian, Manchuria (Eastern China) when the malfunction occurred.

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Mom Rants That ‘Childless’ People Should Be Banned From Disney World

Twitter user @JenKatWrites recently shared a mother’s off-the-charts Facebook rant about ‘childless couples’ at Disney World, and the Twitterverse took note.
(stock photo via Depositphotos)

Twitter user @JenKatWrites recently shared a mother’s off-the-charts Facebook rant about ‘childless couples’ at Disney World, and the Twitterverse took note.

The post, which is dated September 22, begins, “It pisses me off TO NO END!!!!! when I see CHILDLESS COUPLES WITHOUT AT Disney World!!!!”

Warning – the mother likes her capital letters.

“DW is a FAMILY amusement park!!!!,” continued our super-pissed off mom. “Yet these IMMATURE millennials THROW AWAY THEIR MONEY ON USELESS CRAP!!!!”

This is probably a good time to point out a married couple without kids are still a family, but, hey…

“They have NO idea the JOY and happiness it is to MOHTER WHO BUYS THEIR BABIES TREATS AND TOYS!!!!!,” continued Miss Hannigan. “THEY WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE THE EXHAUSTION THAT IT IS TO CHASE A 3 YEAR OLD AROUND AND GETTING STARES ASSUMING IM A BAD MOTHER!!!!”

Ok, I think we’re getting closer to the heart of the rage here.

“This c*nt in some very SLUTTY shorts was buying a Mickey pretzel and Aiden wanted one but the line was very long so I said later and it broke his poor little heart and he cried,” said the mom, finally getting to the crux of the tantrum.

“I WANTED TO TAKE THAT FUCKING PRETZEL FROM THAT TRAMP LIKE THANKS B*TCH YOU MADE MY SON CRY!!!”

Well, actually, it sounds like the mom made her kid cry because she didn’t have the patience to wait in line. I hear lines are common at Disney World.

The mother of the year then kicked into high gear with, “DW is for CHILDREN!!!! People without CHILDREN need to be banned!!!!!”

Now, that’s not going to work for some Disney queens I know. But the mom has her own self-interest at heart it seems. She’s wanting some privilege as part of her parenthood.

“Mothers with children should be allowed to skip ALL THE LINE!!!! YOU HAVE NO F*CKING IDEA WHAT ITS LIKE TO STAND IN LINE FOR 3 HOURS WITH A CRANKY TIRED EXHAUSTED TODDLER!!!!”

Miss Thing really likes some exclamation points, huh?

“AND I CANT’ JUST TELL HIM THAT WE CANT DO SOMETHING BECAUSE ITS HIS VACATION TOO!!!!,” adding just a few more exclamation points to the epic rant.

She closed with this charming bon mot: “I f*cking hate childless women with a BURNING PASSION!!!!”

Thrown in throughout were many red frown face emojis.

Needless to say, that’s all a bit over the top.

And this “banning childless couples from Disney” is not going to fly. Especially for the LGBTQ community – a vast majority of which do not have children.

Disney, as I understand it, appeals to the kid in all of us no matter the age.

As expected, the Twitterverse dragged the ‘mom from hell’ for her comments.

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Mario Lopez Backpedals On ‘Ignorant’ & ‘Insensitive’ Transgender Comments

Mario Lopez (screen capture)

Much of LGBTQ media has put EXTRA host Mario Lopez on blast for saying it’s “dangerous” for parents to support their transgender children on the Candace Owens radio show.

Lopez appeared on the show in June, but the comments are only just now getting attention.
During the chat, Owens – whose politics run waaay to the right and is a big Trump supporter – began the chat about trans kids by saying, “A lot of weird trends come out of Hollywood and one of the weirder ones, for me, is this new trend where celebrities are coming out — and I know Charlize Theron did this a few weeks ago — is saying that their child is picking their gender. And this is strange to me.”

Notice how she frames the transgender issue as a ‘weird trend’ out of Hollywood…

“I’m trying to undertstand it myself. And please don’t lump me into that whole (group). I’m kind of blown away, too,” Lopez chimed in. “I’m never one to tell anyone how to parent their kids obviously and I think if you come from a place of love, you really can’t go wrong.”

Ok, so far, so good…

“But at the same time, if you’re 3-years-old and you’re saying you’re feeling a certain way or you think you’re a boy or a girl or whatever the case may be, I just think it’s dangerous as a parent to make this determination,” continued Lopez.

“It’s sort of alarming,” he added. “I just think about the repercussions later on.”

Ok, not so good…

Here’s the appearance by Lopez on the radio show. The clip should be cued up to the chat on trans kids.

Lopez also seemed confused about the difference between gender and sexuality saying, “When you’re a kid you don’t know anything about sexuality yet. You’re just a kid.”

To be clear, sexuality has nothing to do with feeling you’re male or female. That’s gender identity.

That said, I’m not for calling for pitchforks and such regarding Lopez’s trans statement. Reading the whole quote, he makes a point to say ‘lead with love’ and not tell parents how to raise kids. So, he gets credit for that.

I will say, as someone who writes in the LGBTQ space every day, I don’t know anyone trotting their 3-year-old into surgery. That’s pretty much a big ole exaggeration.

Later in the chat, Lopez criticized the “politically correct” nature of Hollywood, and also expressed concern about the me too movement, saying hashtags like #BelieveWomen are “dangerous” because they could be lying.

“God forbid you have a son out there and a girl may have felt a certain way about a situation—dismissed, hurt, whatever, and is feeling vengeful and just decides to tell a certain story that’s not even exactly true, come back and hurt that individual,” he said.

Following the social media buzz, Lopez issued a statement via his press rep.

“The comments I made were ignorant and insensitive, and I now have a deeper understanding of how hurtful they were,” said Lopez.

“I have been and always will be an ardent supporter of the LGBTQ community, and I am going to use this opportunity to better educate myself. Moving forward I will be more informed and thoughtful,” he added.

One would think Lopez would be a bit more informed on trans issues seeing that he has been a presenter at the 2011 and 2012 GLAAD Media Awards and was named grand marshal of the Miami Beach Gay Pride parade in 2015.

GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement that Lopez “clearly needs a primer on trans issues.”

“Medical and psychological experts, and parents of children who are transgender have long discredited the ideas that Mario Lopez shared last month,” Ellis said. “The real ‘dangerous action’ is when someone with a public platform uses bad science to speak against a marginalized and vulnerable group of children.”

GLAAD also reached out to the producers of EXTRA who confirmed they did not share Lopez’s view stated on the radio show. The producers added they will address the topic in tonight’s show.