Fitness trainer Michael Blevins (screen capture via Boy Culture) Some news items you might have missed: • Boy Culture: Michael Blevins (above), a close personal friend of actor Henry Cavill’s who has trained him since 2011, used Instagram Stories to argue against the COVID-19 vaccine and face masks, leaning on his belief that the main reason the virus has been so deadly — well over a million killed worldwide — is because too many of you are fat, fat, fat. • PBS: A record number of bills to limit transgender rights have been introduced this year in state legislators across the country, with lawmakers in 28 states considering 93 bills targeting the rights of transgender Americans. • KTLA: NSYNC’s Lance Bass is getting ready to open the nation’s largest gay club in West Hollywood. Bass signed a lease to rent the space that was once home to famed gay nightclub Rage, which closed in September after a 37-year run over a landlord dispute.
• AP: As Wisconsin stands on the precipice of another COVID-19 surge, the state Supreme Court struck down Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate on Wednesday, stripping the governor of one of his last remaining tools to curb the spread of the coronavirus. • New York Times: Pfizer and BioNTech report that their coronavirus vaccine is extremely effective in adolescents 12 to 15 years old, perhaps even more so than in adults. No infections were found among children who received the vaccine in a recent clinical trial; they produced strong antibody responses and experienced no serious side effects. • PEOPLE: Former half-term governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, has announced she has tested positive for the coronavirus and is urging people to wear face masks. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Over at KIT212 the ‘Song of the Day’ is Madonna’s “Live To Tell,” inspired by a Facebook post by one of my favorite LGBTQ journalists, Jeremy Kinser, who declares the tune is Madge’s best ballad. I agree with Jeremy and Kenneth. (Although, ‘Rain’ comes in a close second…)
Timed to coincide with the Transgender Day of Visibility, the Pentagon has announced its reversal of Trump-era policies which effectively banned transgender Americans from serving in the military. The Associated Press reports the new department regulations “allow transgender people who meet military standards to enlist and serve openly in their self-identified gender, and they will be able to get medically necessary transition-related care authorized by law.” More from the AP:
The changes come after a two-month Pentagon review aimed at developing guidelines for the new policy, which was announced by President Joe Biden just days after he took office in January.
Biden’s executive order overturned the Trump policy and immediately prohibited any service member from being forced out of the military on the basis of gender identity. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin then gave the Pentagon two months to finalize the more detailed regulations that the military services will follow.
The new rules also prohibit discrimination based on gender identity.
A review of service members who were discharged or denied reenlistment because of gender identity issues under the previous policy has also been ordered. Read the full report here.
BREAKING: Defense officials say the Pentagon will sweep away Trump-era policies that largely banned transgender people from serving in the military and will issue new rules that broaden their access to medical care and gender transition. https://t.co/Az4rbKMaJX
DOD spokesperson John Kirby announces an update of Pentagon policy on transgender service: "The revised policies…restore the department's original 2016 policies regarding transgender service—specifically they prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity." pic.twitter.com/b8w6RzUPKg
Screen capture of Brandon Elliott via surveillance footage Police have arrested the man seen in a viral video viciously attacking a 65-year-old Asian woman in Manhattan. It turns out he’s on parole after serving 16 years in prison for killing his own mother. From the New York Times:
The man, Brandon Elliot, 38, was living at a hotel in Midtown Manhattan that has been serving as a homeless shelter, the police said. He was charged with felony assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime and separate assault and attempted assault charges.
The police said that Mr. Elliot was the man seen on security footage brutally assaulting Vilma Kari, 65, who was walking down a city street on Monday morning.
The video shows the man kicking Ms. Kari in the chest outside a luxury apartment building. After she staggers back and collapses onto the sidewalk, he then kicks her repeatedly in the head. A police official said that he then shouted an obscenity at her and said “You don’t belong here.”
The brutal attack left the woman with a fractured pelvis and several head injuries. According to the Times, Elliott pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2002 for stabbing his mother to death in front of his 5-year-old sister. He was 19-years-old at the time. Anti-Asian violence has risen sharply during the pandemic as some people falsely blame Asian-Americans for spreading the coronavirus.
Warning, graphic video: another angle of a 65-year-old Asian woman being brutally attacked on W 43rd st yesterday… police still looking for the attacker. The people who work in the building and did nothing to help her have been suspended. @NY1pic.twitter.com/zrT4FICM7I
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks to reporters (screen capture) Some news items you might have missed: • New York Times: GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida (above) is being investigated by the Justice Department over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him. Investigators are examining whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws. Gaetz told Axios today that he has been “generous as a partner.” • Kenneth-in-the-212: The ‘Morning Wood’ series on KIT212 is always worth the click. Eye-candy is good for the soul 🙂 • American Greatness: The right wing site calls out Donald Trump’s post-election fund raising which continues to rake in huge piles of cash, but very little of that money has gone toward the causes for which donors believe they are giving. • Instagram: BMX pro Corey Walsh has become one of the few professional bikers to come out as gay. In a touching post, he shared how he’s struggled for years with his sexuality. p.s. his family and friends have apparently been awesome. https://www.instagram.com/p/CNAkMW2hw0a/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • CNN: Major Biden, the first rescue dog to live in the White House, has had another small ‘nipping’ incident while out on the White House South Lawn. #PoorDoggie • BroadwayWorld: The Drama League has announced the 2021 Nominees for The 87th Annual Drama League Awards. This year the organization has established five unique categories to honor the extraordinary achievements of artists across the nation who created digital and socially-distanced theatrical productions during this challenging year of suspension for live arts. • Logo: Emmy-winning actor and activist Billy Porter has returned for the third year in a row to deliver Logo’s 2021 LGBTQ State of the Union, a rousing speech assessing the status of LGBTQ acceptance and equality in the United States. Needless to say, a lot has changed in the past year. Between the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and the nation’s new presidential administration, Porter had plenty of ground to cover.
A Florida lawmaker has introduced legislation that would follow Georgia’s lead in barring handing out water or food to people waiting in line to vote within 150 feet of a polling venue. Via Politico:
“It’s influencing the vote and that’s what we are trying to stop because they are a captive audience,” Rep. Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill), the bill sponsor and the former chair of the Republican Party of Florida, said at a hearing Monday. “The 150 feet area is supposed to be a safe zone where they are not going to be bothered by a campaign.”
Ingoglia also said that nothing in the proposal would prevent local election supervisors from handing out water to people in line if they wanted. “I just think it should be a function of the government,” he said.
So, people not affiliated with any campaign – folks who just want to encourage people to stay in line and vote, Democrat or Republican – can’t hand someone a bottle of water? #srsly
Florida may bar outside groups from giving food or water to voters standing within 150 feet of polling places. The provision is drawing comparisons to a much broader prohibition included in a contentious election bill recently enacted in Georgia. https://t.co/0Maw5HDvtI
Alleged assailant in anti-Asian assault in NYC (via Crimestoppers) An Asian American woman was violently assaulted on the sidewalks of Manhattan on Monday afternoon as nearby witnesses did nothing to intervene. Surveillance cameras captured the attack on video as a man approached the 65-year-old woman just a few blocks from Times Square as she was making her way to church. In the clip, the man can be seen kicking her in the stomach knocking her to the ground while shouting anti-Asian slurs. According to police reports, he continued punching and stomping her face while saying “(Expletive) you, you don’t belong here.” Witnesses say one man did chase the perpetrator down the street, but the assailant reportedly pulled a knife and he got away.
DISTURBING VIDEO: 65-year-old Asian woman randomly attacked by a man on her way to church. Cops say the victim was punched and kicked until she fell to the ground as the suspect made anti-Asian statements toward her. https://t.co/Vu7JyHho4Spic.twitter.com/XIJ9Nk1ibT
Warning, graphic video: another angle of a 65-year-old Asian woman being brutally attacked on W 43rd st yesterday… police still looking for the attacker. The people who work in the building and did nothing to help her have been suspended. @NY1pic.twitter.com/zrT4FICM7I
In the foreground of the video clip, two men who appear to be doormen or security guards inside the lobby of a building clearly see the attack as it’s happening. Only one man moved towards the woman, but it was to close the door and remain uninvolved. Local ABC News affiliate ABC7 reports “the NYPD Asian Hate Crime Task Force said the security guard captured on video closing the door failed to render aid, and the staff in question has been suspended pending further investigation.” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also called the security guard’s inaction “absolutely unacceptable.” “I don’t care who you are, I don’t care what you do, you got to help your fellow New Yorker,” de Blasio said. A spokesman for the security guard’s service union said in a statement the building’s door staff “called for help immediately” and asked the public “to avoid a rush to judgment while the facts are determined.” The victim was taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated for a fractured pelvis and several head injuries, according to ABC7. During an interview with NY1, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea called the attack “very disturbing.” “It’s really disgusting when you see the video,” he continued. “We are calling on all New Yorkers, anyone with information. We put out a pretty good picture of the individual we want to talk to, that was seen walking away. You try to make sense of it, and you can’t. I don’t know who attacks a 65-year-old woman and leaves her on the street like that.” Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Screen capture of alleged assailant in anti-Asian hate crime The Police Commissioner also announced that he is upping the number of uniformed officers in predominately Asian neighborhoods. “An attack on one group is an attack on all, and that’s the thing we have to keep enforcing here,” added Shea. “Whether it’s anti-Black, anti-Asian, anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ, when New Yorkers come together and just say enough is enough, I think we are getting in the right direction.” This new assault occurs amid an increase in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, including the March 16 shootings at three Atlanta-area spas that killed eight people, six of whom were Asian women. A recent report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, found that in America’s largest 16 cities anti-Asian hate crimes increased 150 percent in 2020.
NYPD says 65-year-old Asian American woman was walking to church this morning when suspect assaulted her and said “f*** you, you don’t belong here.” Happened in front of 360 W. 43rd St. 11:40am. Sources say building security guard not only failed to render her aid… 1/2 pic.twitter.com/ZLtQEHHJci
Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Some news items you might have missed: • The Advocate: Arkansas’s state legislature has approved a bill that would bar doctors from prescribing hormones and puberty blockers for people under 18 which have been shown to have a positive effect on young transgender people. • LGBTQ Nation: A Turkish thug allegedly kidnapped and beat a deaf gay man. The thug then posted photos of the gay man covered in his own blood after the beating to social media. According to reports, the police have apprehended the assailant. • Instinct Magazine: Fans of the new Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (above and below) believe the creators are dropping clues that Bucky Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan) might be bisexual. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ • Axios: A Tampa-area man lost his job at a marketing and web design company after a TikTok user exposed his video advertising a fake COVID-19 vaccine card business. James Koncar’s fake vaccination card video — which included the caption “F*ck masks” — was highlighted by Mississippi pharmacist Savannah Malm, who has posted other viral call-out videos linked to the pandemic. • Mediaite: During an event in Kentucky at the Appalachian Regional Healthcare Hazard Clinic promoting vaccines, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was specifically asked about vaccine hesitancy among Republican men. Recent polling has shown nearly half of Republican men saying they wouldn’t get the vaccine. “As a Republican man, as soon as it was my turn, I took the vaccine. I would encourage all Republican men to do that,” replied McConnell. • Twitter: Even though Lil Nas X has racked up over 37 million views of his new music video “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” conservative detractors have been busy calling the Grammy Award winner out. The fun thing is, though, the acclaimed rapper is having fun clapping back. Check out a few responses from Lil Nas X below.
there was no system involved. i made the decision to create the music video. i am an adult. i am not gonna spend my entire career trying to cater to your children. that is your job. https://t.co/SzjjYe2tf4
there is a mass shooting every week that our government does nothing to stop. me sliding down a cgi pole isn’t what’s destroying society. https://t.co/H21SMVnfNQ
Now that the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccines have been utilized in millions of people for a few months now, health professionals are looking at actual real-world data which shows both are indeed highly effective at preventing COVID-19 infections. From the New York Times:
Consistent with clinical trial data, a two-dose regimen prevented 90 percent of infections by two weeks after the second shot. One dose prevented 80 percent of infections by two weeks after vaccination.
There has been debate over whether vaccinated people can still get asymptomatic infections and transmit the virus to others. The study, by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggested that transmission may be extremely unlikely, as infections were so rare.
There also has been concern that variants may render the vaccines less effective. The study’s results do not confirm that fear. Troubling variants were circulating during the time of the study — from December 14, 2020 to March 13, 2021 — yet the vaccines still provided powerful protection.
In related news, President Biden will announce today that 90% of adults will be eligible to get a coronavirus vaccine within the next three weeks, which moves up his earlier deadline. Plus, the number of pharmacies distributing the vaccines will double soon.
JUST IN: President Joe Biden will announce this afternoon that 90% of adults will be eligible to get a coronavirus vaccine within the next three weeks, an administration official tells CNN https://t.co/8iDmmENSTG
‘Big Dan’ Rodimer? (screen captures) Things that make you go ‘hmm…’ After losing a House race for Nevada’s 3rd District in November, Dan Rodimer is now running in a special election for a U.S. House seat in Texas. Now, not only is this basic carpet-bagging, but Rodimer (a former professional wrestler) has done a complete 180 on his image hoping the folks in Texas don’t notice. During the race in Nevada, Rodimer ran campaign ads sitting on his couch with his wife and 5 children in a prim, proper environment wearing a nice polo shirt. But in his new ads for Texas’s 6th District, he’s morphed into a rough and tough rodeo character – ‘Big Dan’ Rodimer – complete with some kind of accent. I’m a Texas native myself and I don’t know what he thinks he sounds like. The House seat located in the Dallas area was left vacant after Rep. Ron Wright passed away due to COVID-19. It’s a competitive race as Donald Trump barely won the district in 2020 by 3 points, down from winning it in 2016 by 20 points. There are nearly a dozen candidates running in the May 1 special election including Wright’s wife. Take a look at the side-by-side Rodimers.
Joe Jonas (image via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • Socialite Life: Joe Jonas (above), of the Jonas Brothers, has NOT been a gym slug during the pandemic. All props to him and his many abs on display in this selfie from Instagram. • Edge Media: Police officers in the virulently anti-LGBTQ country of Chechnya arrested 20 relatives of two gay brothers who had fled persecution in the Russian province. • Laughing Squid: The Melodica Bros created this truly beguiling and compelling cover version of the traditionally upbeat anthem “Y.M.C.A” by the Village People. This version features a change from major to minor, a slower tempo, and a quiet performance that included an acoustic guitar and a double bass. I love reinvention when well-done.
• The Advocate: Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a bill into law today that will bar transgender student athletes from competing under their gender identity. In a statement, Hutchinson said that female athletes “should not have to compete in a sport against a student of the male sex when the sport is designed for women’s competition.” • CNN: The Republican-controlled Georgia legislature quickly passed a sweeping elections law that substantially reduces voter access. The Georgia bill would limit drop boxes, make giving food or drinks to a voter a crime, & grant state officials broad rights, including the ability to replace local election officials. • Variety: Late-night host and comedian Jay Leno has issued an apology for decades of jokes told over his career targeting Asian communities.
Jay Leno Apologizes for Decades of Jokes About Asians: ‘In My Heart I Knew It Was Wrong’ https://t.co/91t58CCxrY
