Category: News

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News Round-Up: June 23, 2021

Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy

Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy
Gus Kenworthy (image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • OK Magazine: Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy (above) tells the gossip mag that the 2022 Winter Olympics will be his last after which he’ll turn his focus to acting and TV hosting gigs. • The Advocate: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has vetoed a bill that would have banned transgender girls and women from competing in school sports designated for females calling it “a solution in search of a problem.” Edwards, a moderate Democrat, said in an online statement. “Even the author of the bill acknowledged throughout the legislative session that there wasn’t a single case where this was an issue.” • Boy Culture: Britney Spears had her day in court, wants her life back, and Matt Rettenmund has her full (explosive) statement to the court. This is a wild ride, folks. I’m not a Britney fan, but I think folks should give her her life back and let the chips fall where they may.
International pop star Britney Spears
International pop star Britney Spears (image via Instagram)
• Raw Story: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation requiring students, faculty and staff at Florida’s public universities and colleges to register their political views with the state as a way to encourage “intellectual diversity.” • New York Times: Graydon Young, of Sarasota, Fla., admitted to conspiring to breach the U. S. Capitol building as part of a military-style “stack” made up of members of the Oath Keepers militia and disrupt the certification of the Electoral College vote. As part of his deal with the government, Mr. Young agreed to cooperate with prosecutors — the second member of the Oath Keepers to provide assistance to investigators. He faces an estimated 63 to 78 months in prison. • Mediaite: Former NRA president David Keene accepted an invitation to address what he thought was going to be its graduating class of 2021. Instead, the 3,044 chairs in the audience were left completely unoccupied. And not because it was a dress rehearsal as Keene was told, but to represent all of the should-have-been 2021 high school graduates who were killed by gun violence, “The Lost Class.”

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General Takes Down Matt Gaetz Over ‘Woke Military’ Remark

General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General Mark Milley (screen capture)
Alleged sex trafficker Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who’s never worn a military uniform, attempted to blast Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, today on Capitol Hill saying the military is too “woke.” But General Milley does not suffer fools lightly: “I’ve read Karl Marx. I’ve read Lenin. That doesn’t make me a communist. So what is wrong with understanding…the country which we are here to defend?” But wait! There’s more! “And I personally find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military, our general officers, our commissioned, non-commissioned officers of being, quote, ‘woke’ or something else, because we’re studying some theories that are out there.”

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News Round-Up: June 22, 2021

Some news items you might have missed: • New York Times: Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked the most ambitious voting rights legislation to come before Congress in a generation, using the filibuster to deal a blow to a bid by President Biden and Democrats to counter a wave of state-level ballot restrictions. Continue reading “News Round-Up: June 22, 2021”

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Texas Governor Vetoes Anti-Dog Cruelty Legislation

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (screen capture)

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (screen capture)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (screen capture)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) vetoed Senate Bill 474, known as the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act, that would have made it illegal to leave dogs chained up outside without drinkable water, adequate shade or shelter. The bill passed in the Senate 28-3 and the House 83-32. From the Texas Tribune:

Abbott said Texas already has the statutes in place to protect dogs from animal cruelty, and the penalties proposed in Lucio’s bill seemed excessive.

“Texas is no place for this kind of micro-managing and over-criminalization,” he said in the veto statement.

Shelby Bobosky, executive director of Texas Humane Legislation Network, a nonprofit that lobbies in support of animal rights, said the organization’s members are devastated by the veto, and the bill would have “clarified the vague language that makes the statute completely unenforceable.”

The hashtag #AbbottHatesDogs began trending on Twitter soon after Abbott’s veto.

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Driver In Wilton Manors Pride Crash Apologizes For ‘Horrible Accident’

The alleged driver of the truck that drove into attendees at the Wilton Manors Pride parade.

The alleged driver of the truck that drove into attendees at the Wilton Manors Pride parade.
(screen capture)
The man who was behind the wheel of the truck that accidentally killed one Wilton Manors Pride parade participant over the weekend and injured two others has issued a statement and apology. From The Daily Beast:

Fred Johnson Jr., who has been named by police as the driver of the vehicle that veered out of control killing one person and injuring two others at Saturday’s Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors, FL, has offered his “sincere regrets to all those who were impacted by this tragic event.”

In a statement sent to The Daily Beast, Johnson, 77, who is a member of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus—as were the deceased, James “Jim” Fahey, 75, and two injured men, Jerry Vroegh, 67, and Gary Keating, 69—wrote, “This was a horrible accident… I love my Chorus family and the community, and would never do anything to intentionally harm anyone. Please know that I hold my fellow Chorus member, Jim Fahy, in my heart forever and offer my condolences to his friends and family.”

Fort Lauderdale police are still gathering evidence, but have acknowledged the incident seems to have been an accident. Apparently, due to health issues Johnson was unable to walk in the parade so he was chosen to drive the white pickup truck. As he moved the vehicle into position for the start of the parade, the truck accelerated unexpectedly, striking the victims.

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Hate Pastor Celebrates Fatal Accident At Pride Parade: ‘I Hope They All Die!’

Jonathan Shelley of the Stedfast Baptist Church

Jonathan Shelley of the Stedfast Baptist Church
Jonathan Shelley of the Stedfast Baptist Church
Hemant Mehta at The Friendly Atheist highlights this hideous ‘sermon’ from Pastor Jonathan Shelley of the Stedfast Baptist Church in Hurst, Texas. In the clip, Shelley celebrates the tragic accident that occurred over the weekend at Wilton Manors Pride when a 77-year-old man driving a pickup truck accidentally drove into attendees killing one gay man and severely injured another. Here’s the transcript via Mehta:

It is going beyond just saying you do all this wicked stuff. It’s saying you enjoy it. You enjoy murder. You enjoy malignity. You enjoy hating God.

Look, there’s only one group that enjoys that: It’s the Pride parades going up and down the street. And, you know, it’s great when trucks accidentally go through those, you know, parades. I think only one person died. So hopefully we can hope for more in the future.

You say, “Well, that’s mean.” Yeah, but the Bible says that they’re worthy of death! You say, “Are you sad when fags die?” No, I think it’s great! I hope they all die! I would love it if every fag would die right now. And you say, “Well, I don’t think that’s what you really mean.” That’s exactly what I mean. I really mean it!

Shelley garnered headlines in 2019 when he told congregants that the answer to rebellious children is to stone them to death.

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News Round-Up: June 21, 2021

9.3% of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ+ according to new Gallup poll

(image via Depositphotos)
Some news items you might have missed: • The Gaily Grind: 18-year-old Gage Burlile has been arrested after stealing and destroying 25 Pride flags in Boise, Idaho. • The Advocate: A gay couple in East Cove, Florida, are refusing to take down a small Pride flag flying from their mail box after their HOA informed them it was against neighborhood regulations. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Kenneth’s weekly feature for ‘Manspread Monday’ is a cutie.
(image via kenneth-in-the-212)
• The Hill: The defense fund for Kyle Rittenhouse, the Illinois teenager who is accused of fatally shooting two people and injuring a third at a protest sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake last August, has raised $464,111 since March 1. His trial is scheduled for November. • LGBTQ Nation: Mexico’s soccer team is begging fans to stop chanting homophobic slurs at their games. After receiving one of the toughest punishment from FIFA in recent years, Mexico’s team president scolded fans: “To those who think it’s fun to yell it out, I have news for you. It’s not.” • CNBC: As more and more major corporations embrace the rainbow during Pride Month, more consumers are paying attention to the companies that are allies more than one month a year.

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Stonewall Inn Dropping Anheuser-Busch Beer Over Anti-LGBTQ Donations

The historic Stonewall Inn (image via GoFundMe)
The Stonewall Inn has announced it will boycott Anheuser-Busch products during NYC Pride weekend (June 25-27) in response to learning the beverage company has made political contributions to lawmakers who publicly support legislation that targets transgender youth. Via press release:

Community members will join the bar’s owners in a public ‘pour-out’ of Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA, and Stella Artois in front of the bar on Wednesday, June 23, to demand that the company stop donating to anti-LGBTQ legislators and commit to using its lobbying efforts to advance the Equality Act, which, if passed, would afford LGBTQ people with equal nondiscrimination protections under federal law.

According to data from the Keep Your Pride campaign, since 2015, Anheuser-Busch has made 48 donations totaling $35,350 to 29 anti-LGBTQ legislators behind recent bills attacking trans youth.

Through its nonprofit arm, The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, Stonewall recently launched the Safe Spaces program, which identifies and certifies entertainment venues, food and beverage locations, stores, businesses, and other public venues as Safe Spaces for LGBTQ people.

Under its criteria for certification, businesses that donate to anti-LGBTQ lawmakers would not qualify for designation as a Safe Space.

The temporary ban is part of Stonewall’s “Keep Your Pride” campaign, which focuses on 5 companies that say they stand with LGBTQ customers but have donated to politicians with anti-LGBTQ policies. The other four companies are NBC, AT&T, General Motors, and Coca-Cola. Anheuser-Busch released a statement in response to the Stonewall ban:

“We support candidates for public office whose policy positions and objectives support investments in our communities, job creation and industry growth. Together, with our brands, we have a clear role to play in bringing real change and creating an inclusive and equitable world where we cherish and celebrate one another.”

 

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Pride Month: Sesame Street Introduces Gay Dads

Sesame Street has introduced its first gay family

Sesame Street has introduced its first gay family
(image via Instagram)
Sesame Street has a new family in the neighborhood. The longtime children’s series recently introduced its first same-sex couple (other than Bert and Ernie) named Dave (Chris Costa) and Frank (Alex Weisman) along with their daughter, Mia (Olivia Perez). The family made their first appearance in the latest episode titled, “Family Day.” The episode was directed by Alan Muraoka, who also plays the owner of Hooper’s Store on the show. Muraoka shared the news of the important milestone on his Instagram account writing, “Sesame Street has always been a welcoming place of diversity and inclusion. I am so honored and humbled to have co-directed this important and milestone episode. Love is love, and we are so happy to add this special family to our Sesame family. Happy Pride to all!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CQONwzeD38i/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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New Book: Trump Considered Quarantining Americans At Guantánamo

Donald Trump
A new book by Washington Post reporters Damian Paletta and Yasmeen Abutaleb, Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic That Changed History, sheds new light on the incredible dysfunction in the Trump White House regarding the bungled COVID-19 response. From the Washington Post:

In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, as White House officials debated whether to bring infected Americans home for care, President Donald Trump suggested his own plan for where to send them, eager to suppress the numbers on U.S. soil.

“Don’t we have an island that we own?” the president reportedly asked those assembled in the Situation Room in February 2020, before the U.S. outbreak would explode. “What about Guantánamo?”

“We import goods,” Trump specified, lecturing his staff. “We are not going to import a virus.”

Aides were stunned, and when Trump brought it up a second time, they quickly scuttled the idea, worried about a backlash over quarantining American tourists on the same Caribbean base where the United States holds terrorism suspects.

The book is based on interviews with over 180 people including White House senior staff members and government health officials.