Category: News

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Lady Gaga Offers $500K For Stolen Bulldogs

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga (image via Instagram)
International pop star Lady Gaga is offering a $500,000 reward in hopes of retrieving her two French bulldogs stolen from her dog-walker Wednesday evening. From NBC News:

The sources said the pop star “is offering half-a-million dollars to anyone who has her 2 dogs, no questions asked. Anyone who has the dogs can use this email — KojiandGustav@gmail.com — to retrieve the reward.”

According to Los Angeles police, the victim was walking the dogs when an unknown male shot him about 9:40 p.m. local time in the 1500 block of North Sierra Bonita Avenue. The dog walker was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, police said.

He was “recovering well,” according to the sources close to Gaga.

Authorities are searching for the shooter, who they said used a semiautomatic gun and sped from the scene in a white vehicle.

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Rand Paul Goes Transphobic During Senate Hearing

Left to right - Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Pennsylvania Surgeon General Dr. Rachel Levine

Left to right - Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Pennsylvania Surgeon General Dr. Rachel Levine
L-R Sen. Rand Paul, Dr. Rachel Levine (screen captures)
During a joint hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held today to confirm Surgeon General Nominee Dr. Vivek Murphy and Dr. Levine, most questions were focused on the issue of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) – who is also a self-certified ophthalmologist – came prepared with an unhinged transphobic rant which seemed to catch everyone by surprise including Dr. Levine, who is transgender. Levine, currently the Secretary of Health for Pennsylvania, is President Biden’s nominee for assistant secretary of health. The position oversees the department’s key public health offices, several presidential and secretarial advisory committees, 10 regional health offices across the nation, the Office of the Surgeon General, and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. In addition to being the Keystone State’s Health Secretary, Levine has amassed a lengthy resume in the field of health care which includes being a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine. It’s worth noting that Levine has been confirmed three times by the Republican-controlled state Senate of Pennsylvania. “Genital mutilation has been condemned by the WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund,” said Paul reading from a prepared statement. He continued stating that such medical procedures are “nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children.” The senator seemed to be conflating bottom surgery with castration and female circumcision, which is performed on children in some countries around the world. Minors being treated for gender dysphoria almost never have bottom surgery. Instead, they are given puberty blockers which allows trans youth time to consider, weigh and explore who they are before teen hormones can permanently change their bodies. Paul attacked the use of such puberty blockers citing the American College of Pediatricians. That might have sounded like a legit reference except the organization has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for promoting anti-LGBTQ bias. The name is intended to be misleading as it is often confused with the American Pediatric Association, the actual recognized organization of pediatric physicians. That group advises parents of trans kids to “listen, respect and support their child’s self-expressed identity.” Levine showed admirable composure during Paul’s lengthy tirade. “Transgender medicine is a very complex, and nuanced field,” Levine said. “And if confirmed to the as assistant Secretary of Health, I would certainly be pleased to come to your office and talk with you and your staff about the standards of care and the complexity of this field.” For the record, Dr. Levine never endorsed the idea of government overriding the involvement of parents being involved in their children’s health care issues. Sen. Patty Murray, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, clapped back at Paul asking him to treat nominees before the committee with respect. “It is really critical to me that our nominees be treated with respect and that our questions focus on their qualifications and the work ahead of us, rather than ideological and harmful misrepresentations like those who heard from Sen. Paul earlier,” Murray said. Today’s hearing marked the first time an openly transgender person has sat for Senate confirmation for a presidential appointment.

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New Ad Encourages Questions About Vaccines And Where To Find Answers

A new campaign from The Ad Council encourages people to ask questions about vaccinating against the coronavirus and where to get answers

A new campaign from The Ad Council encourages people to ask questions about vaccinating against the coronavirus and where to get answers
(image via The Ad Council)
A new $500 million ad campaign via The Ad Council focuses not only questions people may have about getting vaccinated for the coronavirus, but where to find answers. The message of the campaign, which will slowly shift as different groups become eligible, underscores that having questions is good because it’s normal to be cautious when something new comes along. And – answers are available. The ads will direct folks to getvaccineanswers.org with the slug line, “It’s up to you,” not to get vaccinated but to be informed.

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News Round-Up: February 24, 2021

French InstaHunk Yeti (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Just because I like looking at nice things…Hump Day moment via French hunk Yeti (above). Follow him here. • Instinct Magazine: A new documentary, Trans in Trumpland, shines new light on how the Trump administration affected the lives of transgender people. • Washington Blade: D.C.’s FOX 5 News anchor Blake McCoy, who’s gay, has been suspended from his job following a since-deleted tweet saying he is “annoyed obese people of all ages get priority vaccine access before all essential workers” like himself. He later apologized saying he regretted his words and asked “that you accept my sincere apology.” • CNBC: The Food and Drug Administration’s staff endorsed Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, a critical step in bringing a third shot to the U.S. marketplace. The vaccine’s level of protection varied by region demonstrating 66% effectiveness overall, 72% in the United States, 66% in Latin America and 57% in South Africa. • NPR: The cost of repairing damages from the attack on the U.S. Capitol and related security expenses have already topped $30 million and will keep rising, Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton told lawmakers on Wednesday. • CNN: The Manhattan district attorney’s office has subpoenaed financial records related to Steve Bannon’s crowd-funding border-wall effort, signaling that its criminal investigation into Donald Trump’s chief strategist is advancing. Bannon’s presidential pardon only shields him from federal, not state, crimes.

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Interview: Kevin Spirtas Of 6x Emmy Winning Series ‘After Forever’

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' Today I’m speaking to the oh-so-charming Kevin Spirtas – one of the co-creators, writers and stars of the acclaimed LGBTQ TV series, After Forever. After Forever is the recipient of 6 Daytime Emmy Awards – the most Emmy-awarded LGBTQ-themed drama series on any platform. The first two seasons of the series received rave reviews for telling the rarely seen story of vibrant, active, diverse “grown-up” gay men… a group who tend to disappear from television and film once they are no longer 20- or 30-something, not returning until they are elderly and non-sexual. Last year, I spoke with Kevin and co-creator/writer Michael Slade about their successful collaboration and the response the series has received. The producers of the series recently released a documentary-style special episode titled, Riley’s Unforgettable School Project. This unique installment of the series centers around the character of Riley (Finn Douglas) who, while attending school remotely due to COVID-19, is tasked with creating a project about the most unforgettable person he’s ever met. The creators of the acclaimed Amazon Video series 'After Forever' have released a special episode, 'Riley's Unforgettable School Project' The special was shot remotely throughout the Fall of 2020 while the country continued the battle against COVID-19. The creative team says they knew they couldn’t film Season 3 as intended due to COVID, but they wanted do something creative to keep the After Forever family and fans engaged. The producers plan to resume production on Season 3 once it’s safe to do so in late 2021. Also, the GLAAD Media Awards recently announced the news that After Forever will be honored with a Special Recognition Award this year. Join me as I chat with Kevin Spirtas about the new special Riley’s Unforgettable School Project, life imitating art, and more. You can find After Forever on Amazon Prime video. For more info, check out the official website for the acclaimed series here.

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News Round-Up: February 23, 2021

Champ and Major visit President Biden in the Oval Office

Champ and Major visit President Biden in the Oval Office
Champ and Major have Oval Office walk-in privileges (photo: WhiteHouse/Flickr)
Some news items you might have missed: • White House: It looks like Champ and Major Biden (above) have Oval Office walk-in privileges. Great to see dogs in the White House again 🙂 • BBC: Olympic champion figure skater Eric Radford tells BBC Sport that he felt as though “someone had taken invisible bricks off his shoulders” when he came out and that becoming the first openly gay male Winter Olympics champion in 2018 made him “explode with pride.” • NowThis News: Dr. Anthony Fauci reflects on the U.S. surpassing 500k COVID-19 deaths and how political polarization contributed to the tragic milestone.

• Edge Media: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shares his thoughts on being a member of both the LGBTQ and faith communities, and essentially how the divide between the two can be bridged. • Gay City News: Check out this report on Black/queer-owned businesses, the obstacles they might face – plus 12 brands you can support right now. • Raw Story: It appears the notorious ‘eye-gouger’ who allegedly beat a Capitol Police officer with a pipe at the violent invasion of the U. S. Capitol building is a former NYPD cop. • Instagram: RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Ross Matthews announced today that he recently got engaged to his boyfriend, Dr. Wellington García. Congratulations to the happy couple!

 

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Trudeau To Biden: ‘US Leadership Has Been Sorely Missed’

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Joe Biden

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Joe Biden
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Joe Biden
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t hold back during his first virtual meeting with President Joe Biden today. From the Washington Post:

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greeted Biden like an old friend, took a tacit swipe at former president Donald Trump and said he was glad to have a partner on climate change again during the leaders’ first virtual bilateral meeting.

“U.S. leadership has been sorely missed over the past years,” Trudeau said, referring to his strained relationship with Trump.

This was Biden’s first bilateral meeting with a foreign leader, signaling the importance of America’s relationship with its neighbor to the north. “I look forward to seeing you in person in the future,” Biden told Trudeau. “The United States has no closer friend than Canada.”

Read more at the Post.

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News Round-Up: February 22, 2021

My four-year-old Scarlett is tired of being patient about dinner time

My four-year-old Scarlett is tired of being patient about dinner time
Scarlett is done waiting for dinner time
Some news items you might have missed: • Life: Scarlett (above) is apparently tired of being impatient waiting for dinner. #HaveAGoodNightFolks • The Advocate: When MSNBC launched The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart in December, the move made Capehart the first out LGBTQ+ person to host one of the vaunted Sunday morning political talk shows. • Variety: “Mayor Pete,” directed by Jesse Moss, will take the audience inside Pete Buttigieg’s quest to be the first openly gay president in US history. The documentary (set for release later this year) will show Buttigieg at home in Indiana with his husband, Chasten, and go inside his campaign’s early days as well as Buttigieg’s historic, contested victory in the Iowa caucuses. • Revry: The streaming LGBTQ platform continues its celebration of Black History month. Check out the series Giving Me Life – A dramedy series about six Black and Latinx friends of diverse sexualities as they struggle to live and love in New York City.

• New York Daily News: People who wear glasses could be up to three times less likely to get coronavirus, according to a new study conducted in India. The preliminary study suggests that glass-wearers may have the extra protection because they tend to touch their eyes less frequently than most people. • USA Today: A new Suffolk University/USA TODAY Poll finds 46% of Trump supporters would join the Trump party if the Trumpster created one. Good, it would effectively split the Republican party. I’m down for that. • Miami Herald: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered flags to be flown at half-mast to honor hate monger Rush Limbaugh. However, the official flag protocol in Florida is specific about when state flags are to be lowered: certain holidays honoring veterans; if a present or former governor of Florida dies; if an active service member from Florida dies; if a prominent state official dies; or if a law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty. #ThatsNotLimbaugh

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11 GOP Senators Oppose Biden’s Pick For HHS Secretary

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (image via Twitter)

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (image via Twitter)
A group of 11 Senate Republicans have publicly announced their opposition to President Biden’s nominee for Health Secretary Xavier Bacerra, California’s attorney general. From The Hill:

Eleven Senate Republicans announced their opposition to President Biden’s nominee for health secretary ahead of his confirmation hearings before two committees this week.

The senators, led by Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), urged Biden in a letter to withdraw the nomination of Xavier Becerra, California’s attorney general, arguing he is unqualified to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The senators wrote that Becerra has “no meaningful experience in health care, public health, large-scale logistics, or any other areas critical to meeting our present challenges.”

The letter was also signed by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), James Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

Four years ago, Donald Trump nominated Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary when she had no experience whatsoever in as an educator. Not a single Republican brought up lack of experience then. Dr. Ben Carson, noted neurosurgeon, was nominated for, and became, HUD Secretary with no experience in housing or urban development. Again, not a single GOPer made a peep over that.

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Eric Trump Blames Texas Freezing On Biden?

Eric Trump

Eric Trump blames Biden for Texas freezing
Eric Trump (screen capture)
Eric Trump, son of “the former guy,” told viewers of Fox News this morning that President Biden’s policies are what’s “causing Texas to freeze.” Of course, that’s not true in the least. President Biden hasn’t made any policy changes at this point that would affect energy policies in the Lone Star state, let alone Texas freezing. Texas went through its horrific week of water and electricity outages because of frozen natural gas lines that weren’t properly winterized. “Texas largely relies on natural gas – especially during times of high demand–to power the state,” reports the Texas Tribune. “Experts say natural gas infrastructure, from pumping it out of the ground to the plants in city centers, was unprepared for the plunging temperatures brought by the winter storm.” That’s what was behind Texas freezing. But all of that might be a little over Eric’s head. Heck, he still believes there are “75, 80 million people who would follow my father to the end of the earth.” To the end of the earth…?