Donald Trump (screen capture) Twitter has locked Donald Trump’s personal Twitter account for 12 hours due to “repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy” as his nutjob cultists invaded the US Capitol on Wednesday. According to the @TwitterSafety account, the violations were connected to three tweets. One included a video message shared to his followers and another defended the extremists who invaded the Capitol today: “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long.” Those tweets have since been deleted. “If the Tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked,” Twitter added. “Future violations of the Twitter Rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.” Facebook and YouTube also removed his video message to the insurrectionists.
As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy. https://t.co/k6OkjNG3bM
Future violations of the Twitter Rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.
After hours of violent insurrection by mobs of MAGA cultists, Donald Trump asked his cultists who violently breached the U.S. Capitol to go home while still pushing his baseless claims of election fraud.
I know your pain. I know you’re hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election. And everyone knows it. Especially the other side.
But you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order. We have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anybody hurt.
It’s a very tough period of time. There’s never been a time like this, where such a thing happened, where they could take it away from all of us. From me, from you, from our country. This was a fraudulent election. But we can’t play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace.
So go home. We love you. You’re very special. You’ve seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace.
As you can see, Twitter tagged the video for its “disputed claim of voter fraud.”
Prior to Trump’s video, President-elect Joe Biden issued his own message calling on Trump to call off the domestic terrorists. “I call on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege,” Mr. Biden said from Wilmington, Delaware. Biden urged the insurrectionists to end what was effectively an armed occupation of the Capitol. Biden also called out Trump for not speaking out against the violence. “At their best, the words of a president can inspire. At their worst, they can incite,” said Biden. “This is not dissent. It’s disorder. It’s chaos. It borders on sedition, and it must end now. I call on this mob to pull back and allow the work of democracy to go forward.”
BREAKING: President-elect Joe Biden: “At this hour, our democracy is under unprecedented assault.”
(screen capture via CNN) Several news outlets are reporting that Vice President Mike Pence has been evacuated from the Senate Chamber as Trump cultists have breached security barricades outside the Capitol. According to reports, there is an armed standoff at the door to the House floor. From the New York Times:
The Capitol building was placed on lockdown, with senators and members of the House locked inside their chambers, as Congress began debating President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. President Trump addressed supporters near the White House before protesters marched to Capitol Hill.
Chaos engulfed the Capitol on Wednesday as a faction of Republicans sought to overturn President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory in Congress and a group of protesters loyal to President Trump tried to storm the building, demanding to be heard.
Around 2:15 p.m., the proceedings ground to a halt as security rushed Vice President Mike Pence out of the Senate chamber and the Capitol building was placed on lockdown, with senators and members of the House locked inside their chambers.
The extraordinary day in Washington laid bare deep divisions both between the two parties and within Republican ranks, the ceremonial counting of electoral votes that unfolds every four years in Congress was transformed into an explosive spectacle, with President Trump stoking the unrest.
BREAKING: Trump supporters have breached the Capitol building, tearing down 4 layers of security fencing and are attempting to occupy the building — fighting federal police who are overrun
This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Thousands, police can’t stop them pic.twitter.com/VVdTUwV5YN — ELIJAH SCHAFFER (@ElijahSchaffer) January 6, 2021
Expect a loud chorus of crickets from GOP hypocrites who constantly point fingers of blame at Antifa and BLM.pic.twitter.com/pB21nQY1RE — BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) January 6, 2021
It took 159 years, but a mob marching behind a confederate flag has stormed the US Capitol. They are doing so on @realDonaldTrump’s express orders. pic.twitter.com/Q9MnbT0emZ
Supporters of President Trump have breached the US Capitol, according to Capitol police officers, as lawmakers count the Electoral College votes certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win. https://t.co/ZBCV1fksDrpic.twitter.com/v4Lh39nFCy
Nicholas Yatromanolakis (via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • The Independent: Greece has appointed its first openly gay minister as Nicholas Yatromanolakis, 44, (above) made history after he was named the new deputy minister of culture on Monday. • Instinct Magazine: Out radio host Larry Flick announced on Monday he will be taking a sabbatical from his Sirius XM duties in order to cope with some serious health issues as well as embrace some well-deserved ‘me time.’ • Variety: The Grammy Awards are being postponed until March 14 due to coronavirus-related concerns, a rep for the show confirms to Variety. The show, which is scheduled to be hosted by “The Daily Show”‘s Trevor Noah, was originally scheduled for January 31st.
The #Grammys have been rescheduled to March 14, 2021: “Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.” https://t.co/5GJ49VuvTh
• NPR: Kyle Rittenhouse, a young gunman facing criminal charges in the killing of two men and the serious injury of a third this summer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, entered not guilty pleas to all charges during an arraignment Tuesday. The 18-year-old faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional reckless homicide, and violation of curfew the night of the shootings. • Washington Post: There is compelling evidence that covid-19 will have long-term effects on the brains and nervous systems of survivors as they age, and researchers on Tuesday announced a large international study to investigate the correlation between the coronavirus and cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia in later life. • TikTok: The video influencers are coming for the muscle gays who ignore commonsense guidelines to try and curtail the COVID-19 pandemic.
Terri Nunn of Berlin (photo via Facebook) Terri Nunn, lead singer for 80s band Berlin, has penned an apology for performing at Donald Trump’s New Year’s Eve super-spreader event at Mar-a-Lago. On the band’s Facebook page she writes:
I am truly sorry I performed at Mar-a-Lago and would not have done so if I’d known what I learned while I was there. My goal in performing was not to support a political party. I see now that that’s not the way it appeared and I am apologetic for that as well.
The contract stated it was a small Covid-safe event for the members of Mar-a-Lago. Unfortunately it was not Covid-safe anywhere in Florida. I had no idea masks and social distancing were not required. I thought I was current on all Covid news everywhere, but clearly I was not.
I was shocked by Florida and Mar-a-Lago’s lack of regard for the pandemic and if I’d known I would never have gone. Once I fulfilled my contractual obligation, I left the event as quickly as I could. It is a mistake I regret. I took a Covid 19 test yesterday and tested negative.My apologies to those in the LGBTQ community who thought my performance was a statement against them. I have been and always will be fully supportive.
I’m not sure how you could perform at Trump’s own party and not see how it could be considered some kind of stamp of approval for him and his woeful policies. But the apology was direct and without qualifications, so I give her that.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain (screen capture) Some news items you might have missed: • Out Magazine: The author of Brokeback Mountain says she wishes she’d never written the story because so many people now pen fan fiction based on the characters attempting to give ‘Ennis’ and ‘Jack’ a happy ending. • Acadiana Advocate: Nineteen-year-old Holden White is lucky to have survived a Grindr date gone horribly wrong during which he was strangled, stabbed, hit in the head, and nearly had his hands sawed off. • BosGuy: The new year is here and so is the 2021 Warwick Rowers calendar (below). (image via BosGuy) • Associated Press: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered a new 6-week lockdown for England in an attempt to get the new quickly spreading variant of the coronavirus under control. Under the new rules, schools and colleges will be closed for face to face learning except for the children of key workers and vulnerable pupils; all nonessential services like hairdressers will be closed, and restaurants can only operate takeout services. • KFOR News: An Oklahoma City gar bar has been vandalized with food two nights in a row. • Right Wing Watch: Lin Wood, an attorney who has partnered with leaders of the “Stop the Steal” movement and has called on Trump to declare martial law and use the military to oversee a new election, charged on Twitter in the early hours of Monday morning, “I believe Chief Justice John Roberts & a multitude of powerful individuals worldwide are being blackmailed in a horrendous scheme involving rape & murder of children captured on videotape.”
I believe Chief Justice John Roberts & a multitude of powerful individuals worldwide are being blackmailed in a horrendous scheme involving rape & murder of children captured on videotape.
I have the key to the files containing the videos. I have also shared this information. — Lin Wood (@LLinWood) January 4, 2021
There was a lot in 2020 that was just heinous and I’m happy to leave it behind. But I did want to take a pause to look at some of the good news and big moments of the past year in this ‘Best of 2020 – LGBTQ edition.’ Continue reading “Podcast: The Best of 2020 – LGBTQ Edition”
Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness and husband Mark Peacock (via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • Deadline: Season 13 of RuPaul’s Drag Race will feature several A-list guest judges including Cynthia Erivo, Nicole Byer, Loni Love, TS Madison, and Jamal Sims. • Boy Culture: Taylor Dayne is getting dragged for pretending to be apolitical after she appeared at Donald Trump’s New Year’s Eve event at Mar-a-Lago. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Click over to KIT212’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in LGBTQ publications like Attitude Magazinenaming out presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg as their ‘Person of the Year.’ (image via Attitude Magazine) • CNN: A federal judge has shitcanned Rep. Louie Gohmert’s ridiculous lawsuit to compel Vice President Mike Pence to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election. • New York Post: The “Soho Karen” who accused the 14-year-old son of jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold of swiping her iPhone in a hotel (turned out she left it in an Uber) has been identified. Apparently, she also had two brushes with the law last year — one for public intoxication and another for drunken driving, according to a report. • Men’s Variety: Breaking down the reasons why you shouldn’t be worried about the coronavirus vaccine. • NewNowNext: Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness secretly got married last summer. Congratulations to the happy couple!
Donald Trump (image via Flickr/White House)And stay out! In a virtual backhand, the Senate voted today to override Donald Trump’s veto of the $740 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). From the Washington Post:
The Senate on Friday voted to turn a $741 billion defense authorization bill into law over President Trump’s objections, delivering the first successful veto override of his presidency in the waning days of his administration.
The 81-to-13 vote in the Senate, just days after the House also voted in overwhelming numbers to back the legislation, was one of two rare rebukes of Trump on Friday from Republican lawmakers.
Ahead of the vote on rejecting the president’s veto, Senate Republicans blocked a Trump-endorsed effort to increase the size of stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000.
The House of Representatives voted 322-87 on Monday to overturn Trump’s veto. This is the only veto override of Trump’s presidency. The defense bill, which funds the armed forces, also includes a pay increase for the men and women in our military. Normally, this is a bill that gets widespread bipartisan support. But Trump wanted legislation to allow lawsuits against tech companies like Twitter, which the Donald longs to sue because they’ve taken to tagging his disinformation tweets with warning signs. He also opposed language in the defense bill that would rename 10 military bases currently named after Confederate leaders.
In three weeks, our country will inaugurate a President who respects our military, protects our security and honors the will of the Congress. Until then, the Congress urges Trump to end his desperate and dangerous sabotage. https://t.co/FRJfI0O7uW
If the Commander in Chief cared about our troops and their families half as much as his own political fortunes, we never would have needed today’s vote to override his NDAA veto. ⁰⁰I’m relieved to finally put an end to Trump’s temper tantrum and support our national security.
