Category: News

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News Round-Up: June 1, 2021

(image via Twitter)
Some news items you might have missed: • Pink News: Grindr announced last week it is the new sponsor for French professional rugby club Biarritz Olympique (above photo). In the app’s iconic black and yellow color scheme the jerseys will be worn by the French Pro Division Two team in the 2021/22 season. • POSE: How does it feel to be represented on screen? As Pride Month kicks off, the cast of the acclaimed FX series POSE shares the importance of representation in the path toward progress.

• CNN: The Pentagon is reviewing a policy instituted last year that limits which flags can be displayed at military bases. If changes are made to the current policy it could open the door to allowing the rainbow Pride flag to be displayed. • WTOL: A video that has gone viral shows 14-year-old Tristan Torrez being attacked by a bully on the bleachers at his school. In the video, Tristan is grabbed from behind and pulled backward down the bleachers before the bully took the rainbow flag Tristan was wearing and beat him with it.

• NBC News: Dozens of constitutional experts are sending a letter telling congressional leaders they have the authority to make the nation’s capital the 51st state. They argue that there is “no constitutional barrier” to the District’s “entering the Union through a congressional proclamation” just like the 37 other states that have been admitted since the Constitution was adopted. • Sacramento: A pair of white straight ‘Karens’ (top image) demanded that a queer black woman stop kissing her girlfriend in a hotel pool because “there were children present!“ You’ll note it’s the white women using f-bombs during the encounter even though “there were children present.” According to the poster, other (straight/white) couples in the pool were showing PDA, but they only insisted that only black queer woman stop. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CPlEjOBDrAI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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New COVID-19 Cases Drop To Near Pandemic Low

The first confirmed case of the omicron variant in the U.S. has been discovered in California.

While many states didn’t report COVID-19 stats over the Memorial Day holiday, according to CNBC, the U.S. had the lowest number of new cases reported in more than a year on May 29.

The 11,976 new cases reported on May 29 were the lowest since March 23, 2020, when 11,238 new cases were reported, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The seven-day average of 21,007 is the lowest since March 31 of last year, when it was 19,363.

Friday also saw the TSA report the highest number of travelers since the pandemic began, with more than 1.9 million people taking to the skies for the long weekend.

Read the full article at CNBC.

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Texas Democrats Walkout To Stop Voter Restriction Bill Vote

Texas

A high school senior was expelled right before the school year for coming out as gay and proud With a midnight deadline hanging over the proceedings, Texas Democrats staged a walkout in the state House successfully blocking a voting bill that would have made it harder to vote by mail, limit driving non-family members to the polls, and more. From the Washington Post:

The exodus from the floor came after Chris Turner, the House Democratic chairman, sent instructions to colleagues at 10:35 p.m. Central time instructing them to exit the House, according to an image shared with The Washington Post.

“Members, take your key and leave the chamber discreetly,” Turner wrote, referring to the key that locks the voting mechanism on their desks. “Do not go to the gallery. Leave the building.”

Texas sets a quorum for each legislative chamber at 2/3 of the elected members (Texas Constitution Article 3, Section 10). In the House, that means 100 representatives have to be present for a vote. Republicans only have 83 House seats. The bill (Senate Bill 7) would ban drop boxes and drive-through voting – popular practices used in heavily Democratic Harris County last year. It would have moved early voting hours on Sundays to the afternoon. That clause was clearly aimed at the get-out-the-vote programs known as ‘souls to the polls’ popular among Black churchgoers. The bill is dead for now, however, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced he will call a special legislative session to address the bill again later in the year.

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CBS Sunday Morning Remembers The Tulsa Massacre

Photo of Tulsa's 'Black Wall Street' district

Photo of Tulsa's 'Black Wall Street' district CBS Sunday Morning remembers the Tulsa Massacre:

One hundred years ago, a White mob in Tulsa, Oklahoma, killed 300 Black people and reduced the thriving Black community of Greenwood — also known as “Black Wall Street” — to ashes.

New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow talks about one of the most notorious massacres in American history and those who witnessed it.

When white people wonder why there is anger in the Black community via the Black Lives Matter movement, perhaps it’s because they never learned important chapters in Black history like the Tulsa Massacre…? Today, there are Republican lawmakers who oppose the teaching of Black American history calling a focus on slavery and the contributions of Black Americans in history “divisive.” Meanwhile, I’m reminded of Emmy/Tony winner Billy Porter’s ‘Message to America’ last June calling for change regarding how Black Americans are treated today.

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News Round-Up: May 29, 2021

The Pentagon will host a Pride Month event including an address by the Defense Secretary
Some news items you might have missed: • Washington Blade: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is set to deliver the keynote address for an upcoming event at the Pentagon recognizing Pride Month. Defense Secretaries attended such events during the Obama years, but the practice halted during the “other guy’s” administration. • Instinct Magazine: When the pandemic shut down many restaurants and bars, several states legalized to-go cocktails. Now, 14 states have made ‘roadies’ legal forever. https://www.instagram.com/p/CPeeH3htbAp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • Washington Post: Vietnam’s Health Ministry announced Saturday that it had detected a highly transmissible new variant of the coronavirus that has helped fuel a recent wave of infections in the country. • Dallas Voice: Out writer/actor Ryan O’Connell chats with the Texas outlet about his TV series Special. The Netflix show is loosely based on his own life as an out gay man living with cerebral palsy.

• HuffPost: Brazil’s homophobic President Jair Bolsonaro is moving closer and closer to being defeated in next year’s election. As he edges towards crisis mode, he is becoming more abusive toward his adversaries. • Hulu: The documentary Changing The Game takes us into the lives of three high school athletes—all at different stages of their athletic seasons, personal lives, and unique paths as transgender teens. The film centers on Mack Beggs, who made headlines when he became the Texas State Champion in girls wrestling – as a boy – and all he wanted to do was wrestle on the boys team. Also featured are Sarah, a skier and teen policymaker in New Hampshire, and Andraya, a track star in Connecticut openly competing on the girls track team.

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Podcast: Netflix Mini-Series HALSTON, A Wild Rant About Cereal, An LGBTQ Icon Passes

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s headlines: • A 13-year-old student was brutally bullied at her school as other students stood laughing and recording the incident • Karine Jean-Pierre, an out Black woman, made history at the White House this week • We said goodbye to iconic LGBTQ activist & photojournalist Kay Tobin Lahusen as well as gay event producer Jeffrey Sanker • A far-right TV host went on a wild rant about a Kellogg’s cereal honoring Pride Month • And I review the new Netflix mini-series HALSTON All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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Deputy Who Mocked Vaccinations Dies Of COVID-19

Deputy Sheriff Trujillo

Deputy Sheriff Daniel 'Duke' Trujillo (image via Sheriff's Department)
Deputy Sheriff Daniel ‘Duke’ Trujillo (image via Sheriff’s Department)
Deputy Daniel “Duke” Trujillo, a 33-year-old former Marine, enjoyed posting videos and pictures on social media mocking those who chose to get their COVID-19 shot. Trujillo died Wednesday night of COVID-19 according to a news release from the sheriff’s department. He leaves behind a wife and young son. The Denver Post reports he’s the 2nd Denver Sheriff to die in 2 weeks. Deputy James Herrera, 51, died of COVID-19 on May 16. Both deputies worked at the Downtown Detention Center, which has had an active COVID-19 outbreak since April 2020. The Denver Sheriff Department website reported 11 active cases at the detention center as of Thursday. Although the two worked in a location with a high risk of COVID infection, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Department told the Post that “vaccinations were a choice.” At one point, Trujillo changed his social media profile photo to an image which read, “I have an immune system.” Folks, COVID disinformation kills. Sadly, Trujillo bought into the false information that the coronavirus wasn’t that serious.

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CA Cafe Announces $5 ‘Cover Charge’ For Wearing Masks

A sign at Fiddleheads Cafe reads, "Throw your masks in our trash bin"

A sign at Fiddleheads Cafe reads, "Throw your masks in our trash bin"
A sign posted at Fiddleheads Cafe in Northern California
A cafe in Mendocino, California, has announced it will charge a “cover charge” of $5 for those customers who place their order while wearing a face mask. In March, the 34-year-old owner of Fiddleshead Cafe, Chris Castleman, began offering a 50% discount for folks who were willing to throw their masks in the trash. From NBC News:

“It’s about time that the proponents of these ineffective government measures start paying for the collateral damage they have collectively caused,” the owner said.

The restaurant also planned to charge an additional $5 fee to those “caught bragging” about being vaccinated, according to a couple of the posted signs.

“The government shut everything down,” he said Friday. “Everyone wearing a mask is complicit.”

The cafe had previously posted a sign reading “Get your free COVID-19 vaccine card here.” The sign has since been removed.

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Circuit Party Producer Jeffrey Sanker Dead At 65

Circuit party producer Jeffrey Sanker

Circuit party producer Jeffrey Sanker
Jeffrey Sanker (image via White Party Palm Springs)
Jeffrey Sanker, the producer behind several long-running gay circuit parties, has died at the age of 65 after a lengthy battle with liver cancer. From the Washington Blade:

The 65 year old West Hollywood resident had built his company and reputation on hosting large scale parties in exotic places, including Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, Mexico, Las Vegas, Nevada and Miami, Florida although his trademark extravaganza, White Party Palm Springs, had evolved into the nation’s largest gay dance music festival, attracting more than 30,000 attendees from every corner of the globe.

As word of his death spread on social media late Friday, tributes to Sanker flowed in.

In a text to the Blade, former West Hollywood City Councilmember John Duran noted, “Jeffrey was a long time friend. He was an iconic figure in gay history with his creation of the White Party. For many gay men, he created a space for them to find their tribe and sexuality. While he had his critics – he loved his gay community and left a lasting mark. So many of us found a place to belong because of his vision.“

Throughout the years, Sanker not only presented entertainment superstars like Lady Gaga, but also featured top-shelf DJs/producers like Dave Aude, Junior Vasquez, Victor Calderone, Manny Lehman, and Tony Moran at his events.

I have never been a circuit party kind of guy. But I can respect that along with creating a place for gays to celebrate themselves in their own space, many of his events often benefited local organizations and charities including The Trevor Project, Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing (GLEH), and Desert AIDS Project.

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News Round-Up: May 28, 2021

Chuck Norris models 'Action Pants'

Chuck Norris models 'Action Pants'
Chuck Norris models ‘Action Pants’
Some news items you might have missed: • BrandedInThe80s: I have no idea what “action pants” are. The above image is apparently photoshopped, but Chuck Norris did reportedly front a line of stretch jeans back in the 80s. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Hit the link to check out Kenneth’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in LGBTQ publications like the latest issue of DNA Magazine featuring cover guy Airon Mallars.
Airon Mallars covers DNA Magazine (photo: Antony Kozz)
• Edge Media: A new poll from Gallup shows that 66 percent of people favor allowing openly transgender people to serve in the military. However, 62 percent of Americans say trans athletes should only be allowed to play on sports teams that correspond with the sex they were assigned at birth. • The Advocate: Internet sensation and renaissance man Leslie Jordan made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry last weekend sporting a custom-made electric blue suit with fringe and hand embroidery. The appearance was in support of his gospel album Company’s Comin’. Said Jordan, “I grew up in the shadow of the Grand Ole Opry. So you know, it’s like a mecca to me. To be invited and to get to do three songs, it’s a big deal.”

• OUT: In a video clip that went viral, a 13-year-old trans teen was viciously attacked in the hallway of her middle school in South Florida by a bully. Equally disturbing, other students circled around the teen laughing and kicking at her while she struggled to stand up. The school and police say they are investigating, but a week later no disciplinary action has been announced. • JoeMyGod: The last on-air liberal has left Fox News as former DNC chair Donna Brazile and Juan Williams of “The Five” have both departed the right-leaning network. The New York Times reports that “Fox News has adapted to the post-Trump era by moving in a single direction: Trumpward.” • Pink News: A furious ‘Karen’ demanded to speak to the manager of the entire airport and got the response she deserves. The woman went from “I’m a women in a dress” to “You F’off” in a nano second.