Billy Porter in an outtake from his ESSENCE photo shoot Chalk up another first for Grammy/Tony/Emmy Award-winner Billy Porter as he becomes the first openly gay Black man to appear on the cover of ESSENCE Magazine. It’s not the first barrier broken by the Pose star. Last year, he was the first gay Black man to win an Emmy Award in an acting category. And, he was also the first man to cover Allure Magazine. In the cover story for Essence, titled ‘Why Billy Porter is a National Treasure,’ writer Tre’vell Anderson chronicles Porter’s journey to ‘here.’ ‘Here’ is where Porter finds himself after multiple gigs on Broadway in the 1990s (Five Guys Named Moe, Miss Saigon, Grease) which ultimately led to his stepping out of the spotlight after being passed over for the serious roles he desired (and deserved) and would eventually appear in (Angels In America, Kinky Boots). “I chose myself over whatever might be,” he says, noting his number of years of unemployment after he made the choice to ‘lean into’ his truth. “But by taking myself out of the masculinity game, that literally turned my life around, and all of those layers were building blocks to the authentic human being you see in front of you who gives zero f–ks. “When I actually leaned into my truth,” he adds, “this is what ultimately happened. Did it take two-plus decades? Yes, but it’s happening and this is my ministry.” He also discusses his recent cover of Buffalo Springfield’s 1966 activism classic “For What It’s Worth.” “Being first-generation post-civil rights and feeding directly into, as a gay man, the AIDS crisis, activism is in my DNA,” Porter says. “And while I don’t fancy myself an organizer, you tell me where to show up, I’m going to show up. I’m that kind of activist.”
Porter also directly addresses the conflict he sees while standing at the intersection of the Black Lives Matter movement and the homophobia he’s experienced by conservative Black people. “You all want to act like you’re concerned about our salvation,” he says referencing church-going African Americans who don’t embrace LGBTQ authenticity. “But don’t worry about my salvation. Let me do that. If you think I’m going to hell, you keep that s–t to yourself. I don’t need tolerance. I don’t need acceptance. We demand respect for our humanity, too.” He also addresses the November election (“get your little asses registered”), and his upcoming projects including the role of ‘Fairy Godmother’ in Sony’s live-action remake of Cinderella. It’s an excellent profile of an artist who has learned to lean into his own truth. “Did it take two-plus decades? Yes,” says Porter.”But it’s happening and this is my ministry.” Read the full article at ESSENCE.
L-R Lenin Gutierrez, Amber Lynn Gilles (screen captures) The GoFundMe campaign for a San Diego-area Starbucks employee who asked a ‘Karen’ to wear a face mask has now surpassed more than $99,000. And the crunchy ‘Karen’ now wants half of the funds raised. As I reported last week, yoga instructor Amber Lynn Gilles snapped a photo of the barista and posted it on Facebook in an attempt to shame him for following the safety guidelines of his employer and the state of California. But the snarky post backfired on Gilles and has led to a $100K windfall for the beleaguered barista. On June 18, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide order requiring face coverings in public spaces as new coronavirus cases began to rise dramatically in the Golden State. But this ‘San Diego Karen’ was clearly not happy about the new public health rule. “Meet lenen [sic] from Starbucks who refused to serve me cause I’m not wearing a mask,” wrote Gilles in the accompanying caption. “Next time I will wait for cops and bring a medical exemption.” Since last week, the post has been shared more than 50K times and received over 132K comments, overwhelmingly in support of the barista, Lenin. “Listen, Karen, if you can’t be bothered to wear a f**king mask for 10 minutes out of consideration for *other people* AND because it’s store policy, then you’re not only rude, you’re incredibly selfish,” wrote one commenter. “News flash: everything isn’t about you.” “There’s no reason to publicly shame a kid who’s trying to work his shift like any other day,” added another. One person asked, “If you cannot wear a mask, why not go through the drive-through?” For its part, Starbucks issued a statement asking all customers to follow the current guidelines regarding mask requirements. “We want everyone to feel welcome in our stores. We respectfully request customers follow social distancing and safety protocols recommended by public health officials, including wearing a facial covering when visiting our stores,” a Starbucks spokesperson said. Facebook user Matt Cowan saw the snarky post and decided to set up a GoFundMe page to collect tips for the Lenin. “I set it at $1,000, thinking that was a reach, and we would be lucky if we hit like $250,” Cowan told local news station KGTV in San Diego last week. “And when we hit $100, I was overwhelmed by that,” In one day, Cowan’s campaign – titled “Tips for Lenin Standing Up To A San Diego Karen” – had raised more than $5,000 for Lenin. Over the past week, tips continued to pour in, and as of this writing, the campaign had raised over $99,000 from 7,400+ donors. The majority of the contributions were in the amount of $5 or $10. Lenin expressed his thanks in a Facebook video and shared his side of the story saying he was just following company policy when he asked Gilles if she had a face mask. “Before I could say anything she flipped me off and said I don’t need one and she started cursing up a storm,” said Gutierrez on the video. “She started calling people sheep and she left and within a few minutes came back and she asked for my name and took a photo.”
Gutierrez also shared that, before the coronavirus health threat, he had taught dance to children. “That’s all I really want to do — to just be able to show dance to others and show them how much I love it and how much it affected me,” he said. “And if I can show that to someone else, that would be amazing and change their life like it changed mine.” In an update to the crowdfunding page, Cowan underscored that Lenin will be receiving 100% of the funds from the campaign. A financial adviser has been arranged to help Lenin “plan how to properly invest and use the large sum of money.” “Lenin has said that he plans to use some of the money to pursue his dreams of becoming a dancer,” Cowan added. “He also wants to donate to some organizations in the San Diego community.” In a video shared by local NBC News affiliate KNSD-TV, Gilles claimed she was “denied and discriminated against” in the incident, and says since her post went live she’s received ‘thousands’ of death threats. Gilles also admitted she is an anti-vaxxer and believes masks are ineffective. “I didn’t harass anyone,” she says in the video. “I called them out because I’m frustrated.” Gilles also says that she plans on suing Cowan for defamation and slander, AND she wants at least half the money raised through the GoFundMe campaign “because they’re using me to get it.”
“I never threatened him.” Hear from woman who was denied service at a Clairemont Starbucks for refusing to wear a mask. She publically shamed the barista. A Go Fund Me Page on his behalf is now over $22,000. She says she’s getting death threats. #nbc7 & https://t.co/ylvk5rP6Vfpic.twitter.com/gCREw0LR5V
Jwan Yosef and Ricky Martin (image via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • Instagram: International pop star Ricky Martin and husband, artist Jwan Yosef, shared a perfectly up-to-date Pride 2020 kiss pic (above) with the caption, “Happy Pride, everyone!” • Inappropriate Questions: “How did you get pregnant?” In the latest episode from the CBC’s podcast that addresses the questions ‘we all want to ask,’ journalist Freddy McConnell takes the listener through his ups and downs of navigating pregnancy as a trans man and single dad. • Instinct Magazine: Over at my ‘other’ outlet, the powers that be have compiled this list of 10 totally classic LGBTQ anthem to help you dance your way through the last days of Pride Month 2020. Hit the link to see if your favorite made the list 🙂
• BuzzFeed LGBTQ: BuzzFeed is relaunching its dedicated vertical on the BuzzFeed.com site focused on LGBTQ content. Its mission is to elevate new voices and curate content that highlights every aspect of queer life – from the big stories to the small everyday moments, in Pride Month and year-round. Zach Stafford, who recently departed his position as editor-in-chief of The Advocate, will be the Editor-at-Large. • Revry TV: The first LGBTQ+ virtual cable network is 100 percent free, 100 percent queer, and features LGBTQ+ programming for a diverse range of audiences through their app, the web, and platforms like Roku and AppleTV. Revry Premium provides access to the streaming platform’s full library of on-demand titles without commercials for as low as $4.99 a month. Get one month of Premium for free thanks to The Advocate by signing up here and using promo code M201. • Back2Stonewall: Even though flying a rainbow Pride flag violates Russia’s hateful ‘anti-gay propaganda’ law passed in 2013, the American embassy in Moscow is proudly and defiantly displaying the flag for all to see.
Pandemonium broke out at the Queer Liberation March Sunday afternoon in New York City as New York Police officers swarmed what was described as a peaceful demonstration on the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The incident occurred near New York’s Washington Square Park amid supporters for the Black Lives Matter and Black Trans Lives Matter movements. The Gothamist reports two demonstrators were being arrested for graffiti when protesters attempted to intervene. Police officers reportedly responded using pepper spray on several in the crowd. One witness told The Gothamist the mood was like an upbeat dance party prior to the arrival of the police. “We were dancing right in front of the arch on 5th ave and out of nowhere, cops started storming into the crowd,” Mike Perles, a 29-year-old city employee, told The Gothamist. “They pushed everyone in front of them out of the way and onto the ground. They pushed a reporter who was taking photos down and started randomly pepper-spraying people.” “I couldn’t see anyone instigating,” added Perles. “It seemed like they felt outnumbered after entering a huge group and panicked and started beating people up.” Pippa Bianco, a volunteer for NourishNYC, described the scene before the police arrived as “totally peaceful.” She was picking up food for a volunteer food station when the police rushed into the crowd. While helping demonstrators get water after they were pepper-sprayed, Bianco says she saw a police medic pouring water into the eyes of two other officers who were standing downwind of the pepper spray and accidentally got the irritant in their eyes. “The arrests that apparently incited the clash were reportedly over graffiti,” wroteTeen Vogue politics editor Lucy Diavolo, who attended the march. “In the midst of the blockade, I heard someone try to start a ‘graffiti is art’ chant.” Diavolo adds that she could identify herself in videos posted to Twitter. “I can see the cops going wild; in one video, an officer uses a nightstick to knock down someone already on their knees with their hands raised above their head.”
— NYC Protest Updates 2020 (@protest_nyc) June 28, 2020
Police have retreated from the area. It doesn't seem like they were able to bring the protester they were attempting to arrest, but that's not certain. As police pull away, what was very nearly a violent confrontation turns into a dance party. pic.twitter.com/eCR7ZzB2ad
— NYC Protest Updates 2020 (@protest_nyc) June 28, 2020
On the anniversary of the start of the Stonewall riots, the NYPD is attacking LGBTQ people who are marching for Pride. Let that sink in. https://t.co/j4ZL4jMHsa
At 11pm on @NBCNewYork, a #Pride weekend demonstration ends with police confrontations and pepper spray. We ask #NYPD what prompted this officer to push a bike-riding protester? pic.twitter.com/8XRRNHnrpK
On Twitter, openly gay City Council Speaker Corey Johnson called for a full investigation into clashes between protesters and police. Johnson called the use of pepper spray on the peaceful protesters “incredibly disturbing.”
The first #Pride started as a response to police brutality. Today, peaceful protesters were pepper sprayed on the 51st anniversary of Stonewall. This is incredibly disturbing.
— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) June 29, 2020
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson is calling for a full investigation into clashes between protesters and police in Washington Square Park yesterday, during a demonstration celebrating Pride. He said it's incredibly disturbing that peaceful protesters were pepper sprayed. pic.twitter.com/CvditkcnpD
In spite of the use of force by police, the organizers of the event said the vast majority of the march was a peaceful celebration attended by over 50,000 supporters. “DO NOT let the NYPD ruin a gorgeous day like today, on the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion,” wrote the group on Instagram. “The sun, the rain and the rainbow came out for us today! And we made history. Let’s carry this spirit forward! Let’s continue supporting our Black Queer and Trans Communities!”
As the last weekend of Pride Month 2020 comes to a close, make sure you check out these two terrific streaming Pride events today. Unfortunately, the two events overlap, but you get a fantastic experience with either one. First, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will sponsor a one-night-only streamed presentation of the 2013 multi-actor performance of David Drake’s Award-winning play – The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me – on June 28 at 7pm ET/4pm PT to benefit Provincetown Theater. After joining the activist group ACT UP, Drake began writing autobiographical monologues about the AIDS crisis that eventually became a one-man show about this critical point in American history. Drake won an Obie Award for his work, and the original Off-Broadway run at the Perry Street Theatre, produced by Sean Strub and Tom Viola, became one of the longest-running solo shows in New York theatre history. Comprised of seven monologues, the play explores many different stages in a gay man’s life, from childhood to adolescence, to adulthood, and travels through his personal timeline, from past, to present, to future. The soliloquies veer from hysterically funny (“Why I go to the Gym”) to deeply inspiring. In the piece, “The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me,” Drake recalls in vivid detail attending a performance of Larry Kramer’s award-winning play, The Normal Heart and the impact of Kramer’s words on the soon-to-be activist. “As Larry Kramer was such a formative figure for me and several generations in the LGBTQ community, it seems absolutely appropriate to stream this virtual event as a salute to his towering legacy at the conclusion of Gay Pride Week on Sunday, June 28,” said Drake in a press statement. “Indeed, I believe the activism inherent in the piece also provides a great gatherer of the current manner in which Gay Prides are being celebrated this year—by joining forces with the Black Lives Matter movement in the march for unequivocal equality.” For its 20th anniversary in 2013, the celebrated solo show was re-imagined to feature an ensemble cast of twelve. The 2013 cast of ‘The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me’ (photo: Monica Simoes) Directed by Tony Award nominee Robert La Fosse, the cast in the archival video features playwright and Provincetown Theatre Artistic Director Drake, Tony winner André De Shields (Hadestown), Tony winner BD Wong (M. Butterfly), three-time Tony nominee Robin De Jesús (The Boys in the Band), Tony nominee Rory O’Malley (The Book of Mormon), Anthony Rapp (If/Then, Rent), and more. On a personal note, I want to add in 1991, while I was still working as an actor in NYC, I was cast as the standby for the original cast of the off-Broadway hit musical, Pageant. David Drake, who stopped the show nightly as ‘Miss Deep South, Lurinda Summerford,’ had in his contract a week’s leave for an early workshop production of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me. So, when I was hired it was with the knowledge I would, at the very least, be going on in that role soon. #SQUEEEE!!! First of all, it was a thrill to go on in David’s brilliant role in Pageant. His performance is indelibly stamped on the role and the play forever. Thankfully I had the good sense God gave a goat and studied his blueprint thoroughly before I went on 🙂 But working with David, and observing the genesis of this stunning one-man show was a gift of inspiration. It was in watching David develop his Obie Award-winning play that I found my own awakening activism. It is impossible for me to underscore what a groundbreaking event his play was for me and thousands of theatergoers. The stream will be available at ProvincetownTheater.org and on YouTube. Although the stream is free, donations are encouraged to Provincetown Theater, which has canceled its operations through 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic.
At the same time, Playbill’s Pride Plays ends its month-long series of primetime livestreams with a musical celebration, Playbill’s Pride Spectacular. Honoring iconic LGBTQIA+ musicals, creators, and musical performers, the Pride Spectacular will feature performances by a cavalcade of theater luminaries including (in alphabetical order) Jelani Alladin, Alexandra Billings, Billy Bustamante, Jenn Colella, DeMarius Copes, Wilson Cruz, Robin De Jesús, Lea DeLaria, Brandon Victor Dixon, Eden Espinosa, Niani Feelings, Harvey Fierstein, Gaby Gamache, Celia Rose Gooding, Matt Gould, James Harkness, Curtis Holland, Cheyenne Jackson, Jawan M. Jackson, Michael R. Jackson, Francis Jue, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Caitlin Kinnunen, L Morgan Lee, Raymond J. Lee, Matthew Lopez, Rick Lyon, Cheech Manohar, Matt Manuel, Griffin Matthews, Anastacia McCleskey, John McDaniel, Michael McElroy, John McGinty, Gerry McIntyre, Chris Medlin, Ezra Menas, Paul HeeSang Miller, John Cameron Mitchell, Mary Kate Morrissey, Javier Muñoz, Alan Muraoka, Shakina Nayfack, Ariana Notartomaso, Diana Oh, Ken Page, Lauren Patten, Clint Ramos, Jelani Remy, Matt Rodin, Jai Rodriguez, Mj Rodriguez, Mars Rucker, Sushma Saha, George Salazar, Miriam Shor, Jason Tam, John Tartaglia, Sonya Tayeh, Sergio Trujillo, Vishal Vaidya, Nik Walker, BD Wong, Iain Young,and Brittany Zeinstra. The 90-minute musical evening includes accompaniment by Dan Berkery, Justin Craig, Charity Wicks-DePinto, Matt Gould, Emmy and Grammy Award winner John McDaniel, and Meg Zervoulis and appearances by Matthew Lopez, Clint Ramos, Sonya Tayeh, and Sergio Trujillo. I hope that you will support the essential work of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Please join the incredible lineup of Pride Plays artists in making a lifesaving difference for men, women and children across the country affected by COVID-19, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses and crises. Your generosity will help provide lifesaving medications, nutritious meals, housing, emergency assistance and other vital services. Hit this link to watch Playbill’s Pride Spectacular. The video player will be posted at this link at 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT.
L-R Vice President Mike Pence, President Donald Trump (image via White House/Public Domain) American intelligence officials reportedly concluded months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly approached Islamic insurgents linked to the Taliban offering rewards in exchange for killing U.S. military forces in Afghanistan. From the New York Times:
The United States concluded months ago that the Russian unit, which has been linked to assassination attempts and other covert operations in Europe intended to destabilize the West or take revenge on turncoats, had covertly offered rewards for successful attacks last year.
The intelligence finding was briefed to President Trump, and the White House’s National Security Council discussed the problem at an interagency meeting in late March, the officials said. Officials developed a menu of potential options — starting with making a diplomatic complaint to Moscow and a demand that it stop, along with an escalating series of sanctions and other possible responses, but the White House has yet to authorize any step, the officials said.
“Not only has he failed to sanction or impose any kind of consequences on Russia for this egregious violation of international law, Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin,” Said Mr. Biden.
“His entire presidency has been a gift to Putin, but this is beyond the pale,” added Biden. “It’s a betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation, to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harm’s way.”
Trump tweeted today that neither he, Vice President Mike Pence, or Chief of Staff Mark Meadows were ever told about bounties on American troops. He also threw shade at Biden for reading a prepared statement, which Trump does all the time.
…Nobody’s been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration. With Corrupt Joe Biden & Obama, Russia had a field day, taking over important parts of Ukraine – Where’s Hunter? Probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax. Who is their “source”?
Funny to see Corrupt Joe Biden reading a statement on Russia, which was obviously written by his handlers. Russia ate his and Obama’s lunch during their time in office, so badly that Obama wanted them out of the then G-8. U.S. was weak on everything, but especially Russia!
Funny to see Traitor Donald Trump refusing to address the fact that Putin tried to kill American troops, and instead just attack Joe Biden who has absolutely nothing to do with any of this, and the media for reporting on the horrific things that took place.
Donald Trump is on the golf course again today. Remember back in 2015 when he said, “I’m not going to have time to go play golf.” Folks are counting his trips to his golf clubs.
“I was going to go to Bedminster, New Jersey, this weekend, but wanted to stay in Washington, D.C. to make sure LAW & ORDER is enforced,” Trump tweeted on Friday. “I am doing what is necessary to keep our communities safe.” Which, of course, means ‘play golf.’
(screen captures) UPDATE: A Twitter user has posted a detailed account by a friend who says they witnessed this sad episode. According to them, the ‘Karen’ in question wore a mask with no problem while waiting in line outside the store for 30 minutes. Apparently, once inside the store, she removed her mask and began “getting up in people’s face, getting as close as possible,” all while putting not one item in her basket. Check out the tweets following the video clips below for more details.
In this installment of the ‘Karen’ Chronicles, a woman shopping at a newly-opened Trader Joe’s in North Hollywood, California, on Friday evening became irate when asked to wear a face mask. In a video shared on Twitter, the woman seems incredulous that a mask is required to shop in the store. After slamming her shopping basket to the floor, she screamed “Democratic pigs!” as she headed to the door. Passing the man recording the incident, she made a point to say she has “a breathing problem” and her doctor would not “let” her wear a face mask. Please note – that ‘breathing problem’ doesn’t seem to inhibit her from yelling at the top of her lungs. As one person on Twitter noted, if she has a respiratory condition she would be at a higher risk of coronavirus infection. You think her ‘doctor’ would either tell her to wear a mask or stay at home. On June 18, California officials announced face coverings will be required in public areas, workplaces, public transportation, and in common walkways and elevators of offices and businesses. Dining, drinking, or participating in outdoor athletic activity that can be done with a distance between people of 6 feet are exempt from the requirement. The order also exempts medical conditions. The Los Angeles CBS News affiliate reports hospitalization rates for COVID-19 in the Golden State have been steadily increasing. Currently, 4,240 people with coronavirus occupy hospital beds, which is a 32 percent increase from two weeks ago. Intensive care units are seeing 1,306 people with the virus, up 19 percent over the last two weeks.
— MelonCollieFlower 🍉🐕🌸 (@TheMelindaBeast) June 27, 2020
For someone with a “breathing problem” she sure has a set of lungs.
Also, she’s blatantly wrong. Her rights are not being violated. Example: When of age we can drink alcohol, & we can drive. But we can not drink alcohol & drive. Why? Because it endangers lives. Like #COVID19! — Andrew M. Hogsten (@Andrew_Hogsten) June 27, 2020
If she really had a breathing problem she DEFINITELY should be wearing a mask so she doesn’t catch the COVID – a virus that attacks the lungs
A woman in Branson, Missouri, was captured on video at a Black Lives Matter protest earlier this week waving a Confederate flag and yelling at protesters “I will teach my grandkids to hate you all.” She also called out “KKK belief.” Kathy Jenkins told local news station KOLR10 that since the video went viral she’s lost her job (a punishment she says she deserves) and has left Branson, her home of six years. Jenkins claims, however, that she “blacked out” and doesn’t remember making those racist statements to BLM protesters assembled outside a store that sells Confederate merchandise. She does, however, say she remembers chanting along with the protesters “Black Lives Matter.” According to Jenkins, she was watching the protest from the other side of the street and was handed a Confederate flag. She says she thought it was a symbol of “unity.” Jenkins says in the video she was yelling at a pair of neighbors who were heckling her and calling her a racist for waving the flag. “I wasn’t saying I’m KKK or for the KKK,” she told KOLR10 reporter David Chasanov on Wednesday. “I was mocking them because I don’t like being called a racist.” “I’m so, so sorry,” Jenkins told KOLR10. “I mean, if it would help for me to stand with Black Lives Matter, I absolutely would do that.” “I didn’t understand that the Confederate flag meant hate,” said Jenkins. “I don’t understand the whole history of the Confederate flag, but I’m learning.” But Faith Pittser, one of the Black Lives Matter organizers, disagreed with that version of the story. She told the news station in a statement:
“She knew exactly what she was doing. She was there from the start on the counter-protesters’ side shouting obscenities and hateful words at our protesters. I think her claims to not know what the confederate flag is and what it represents are absurd and lies. She proudly shouted “KKK belief” in front of all of us.
“Her apology does not make sense as she’s trying to state she didn’t realize she was on the opposing side. How do you not realize that if you’re on Dixie Outfitter’s property holding a confederate flag along with the other counter-protesters that are facing us? She never once shouted ‘black lives matter’ along with us. This woman is lying and apologizing because she’s sorry she got caught in her acts of racism.”
Here’s the original video that went viral on Twitter. The clip has been viewed over 13 million times.
Bremen Menelli (via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Fitness guru Bremen Menelli (above) got his pump on (for a change). #woof • The Advocate: How gay fashion designer Christian Siriano became an ‘accidental activist.’ From being a Stonewall Day Ambassador to producing over 150K face masks for health care workers in NY, Siriano has shown up. • New Music: Dropping the ‘Dixie,’ newly-renamed The Chicks released this powerful new music video and song, “March March.” Featuring visuals that include climate change, LGBTQ issues, Black Lives Matter, and more, the video begins with the quote, “If your voice held no power, they wouldn’t try to silence you.”
• Fox News: Former Vice President Joe Biden tops Donald Trump by 9 points, 49-40 percent, in a Fox News survey of Florida registered voters. That’s up from a 3-point edge in April. If Trump loses Florida and any other state he won in 2016, that’s the whole ballgame. • Today: A surprise birthday party last month (which had 25 attendees) has ended up with 18 members of a Texas family being diagnosed with COVID-19, including a couple in their 80s and a cancer patient. Texas health officials reported a record 4,389 hospitalizations and 5,551 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. • Gallup Polling: More Americans (70%) say marijuana is more ‘morally acceptable’ than same-sex relationships (66%). The difference is mainly among – surprise – conservatives who approve of marijuana by 51% but only 43% give a thumbs up to gay/lesbian relationships. • Instagram: Do I really have to add anything here…?
At the same time, Playbill’s 
