Brandon Straka (screen captures) Gay right-winger Brandon Straka attempted to board a flight to Tulsa today, where coronavirus diagnoses are rising and expected to really surge after Donald Trump’s upcoming campaign rally. The homocon refused to wear a face mask and caused a ruckus delaying the flight until he was escorted off. Straka founded the so-called “Walk Away” movement which urges Democrats to become Trump cultists. JoeMyGod reports Straka sued the New York City LGBT Center last year when it canceled one of his events. In his tweets, Straka says he told the attendant he has a ‘condition’ that prevents him from wearing a mask – ‘sanity.’ The fact is airlines have the ability to do several things in terms of health policy. Anyone notice you can’t smoke on a plane anymore? Anyone ever heard of ‘no shirt, no shoes, no service?’ How would anyone have felt if Straka attempted to board the plane sans shirt and shoes? Additionally, federal law requires passenger compliance with a crew member’s instructions. Straka, of course, tweeted the episode himself:
I was just removed from my flight for not wearing a mask. 1st time this has happened. Not a federal law. @AmericanAir staff standing over me telling me it’s THE LAW. So much for “please respect those who can not wear a mask”. When I pointed out this wasn’t a law I was removed.
News anchor Thomas Roberts (via Facebook) America’s first openly gay national news anchor, Thomas Roberts, has launched a new digital series focusing on upbeat stories for the LGBTQ community. Titled ‘Gay Good News,’ the series streams on Thomas’ new Facebook page, Thomas Roberts LIVE at 5. Thomas told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently that with so many Pride Month celebrations canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic he wanted to provide upbeat content to help fill the gap. Roberts says the streaming series is inspired by The Office star John Krasinski’s YouTube video series ‘Some Good News.’ “Imitation is the greatest form of flattery,” Roberts shared with the Journal-Constitution. “There are so many good things happening in the world and it’s easy to lose sight of that. We need more good news!” The plan is three Facebook Live shows a week for the month of June, although he has left the door open to continuing past Pride Month. “We can take this platform and celebrate things,” Thomas shared during his first episode on June 8. “We want your voice to be amplified… We hope to do something really fun and really special because we’ve been through a weird moment with isolation. For me, it’s deeply personal.”
That first episode streamed from Thomas’ home in Atlanta, Georgia, featured a chat with Emmy Award-winner Leslie Jordan of Will & Grace fame. During the pandemic, the actor has seen his Instagram account swell from 80k followers to over 4.7 million thanks to his hysterical daily observations of life while sheltering at home. Celebrating Jordan’s success, Roberts declared, “He is the best thing to come out of COVID!” Part of the charm of the series has been Roberts coping with his lack of tech skills. That first show opened with the veteran newsman holding his iPad up to the camera of his laptop to play the intro sequence. And for his interview with Jordan, he sat next to his laptop computer on a plexiglass stand with the actor streaming through. In the second episode, Roberts moved to Zoom technology but still struggled a bit to play his intro. But all done with a sense of humor. His most recent installment covered the landmark ruling on LGBTQ protections in the workplace by the U.S. Supreme Court and a chat with comedienne Kathy Griffin.
After ending his seven-year run as anchor of MSNBC Live, Thomas relocated to Atlanta where he became the evening anchor of the local CBS News affiliate WGCL.
Bruno, the wonder dog, at one-year-old Some news items you might have missed: • Birthdays: Today would have been the 18th birthday of my forever bestie, Bruno. Although he crossed the rainbow bridge two years ago, I think of him constantly. No sadness here, just joy at my awesome memories. I used to refer to the photo above as his headshot, as he was clearly star-material. #LoveTheBrun • Gay Star News: The Republican Party is retaining its 2016 platform for this November’s elections – including its condemnation of marriage equality, wording against same-sex families with children, a section that indicates parents should be able to send their LGBT+ children for dangerous and futile ‘conversion therapy.’ • Towleroad: Houston gay bars Buddy’s (in Montrose) and Blur Bar (in Midtown) have closed after employees and owners tested positive for COVID-19. Since Memorial Day weekend, hospitalizations in Houston’s Texas Medical Center are growing by an average of 3 percent every day. • Alabama Reporter: Alabama has recorded record numbers of new coronavirus cases for four straight days amid a worsening outbreak in the state. • Instinct Magazine: Timothy de Iturriaga, the owner of the male strip club Adonis Lounge, shares how the COVID-19 health threat has affected gay nightlife in NYC. • NewNowNext: In a press conference today, Donald Trump took a moment to praise medical researchers developing a vaccine for COVID-19 amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. According to Trump, they’re “the best, the smartest, the most brilliant [people] anywhere”—and the same people who’ve “come up with the AIDS vaccine.” Ahem, there is NO AIDS vaccine.
L-R Lisa Alexander, Jamie Juanillo (screen capture) Another ‘Karen’ found her time in the spotlight last week when a woman named Lisa Alexander approached Jaime Juanillo in front of his home in San Francisco. Juanillo was stenciling the words ‘Black Lives Matter’ in chalk on the retaining wall of his home in the Pacific Heights neighborhood when Ms. Alexander and her husband stopped to ask him “Is this your property?” When Juanillo inquired as to the nature of their questions, they told him “it’s private property.” “Respectfully,” Alexander says to Juanillo, “absolutely your [Black Lives Matter] signs and everything, that’s good, but this is not the way to do it. It’s private property.” “But if I did live here and it was my property, this would be absolutely fine,” Juanillo responded. “ And you don’t know if I live here or if this is my property.” With the tone of an elementary school teacher, Alexander raises her finger gently to her chin and says, “Yes, we do know. Because we know the person that does live here.” Juanillo told the couple if they believe he was committing a crime, they should call the police because “I’d be more than happy to talk to them.” The couple continued to ask Juanillo’s name and he refused to give them that information saying, “You’re the ones asking me questions.” Alexander – “But we’re not doing anything illegal.” Juanillo – “Neither am I.” Alexander – “Actually, you are.” And so, Lisa Alexander and her husband, who shared his name is Robert, walked off and called the police. https://twitter.com/jaimetoons/status/1271300265170186240 They would later be mortified when the police pulled up to the residence and it became clear the officers knew Jaime Juanillo, and he did indeed live in that home.
In fact, as Juanillo recently shared with local station KQED, he married his husband in the backyard of the home and had lived there for 18 years. Juanillo, who is of Filipino descent, told KQED,“It’s not unusual at all for me to get a look like, ‘Do you belong here?’” He says he held his composure during the incident because one, he knew he had a right to be there, and two, he realized the couple’s intentions were more about race and less about chalk. “Lisa and Robert knew it was chalk art, and that it was going to be washed away in the first rain,” Juanillo said. So, the issue wasn’t ‘destroying property’ but the Black Lives Message itself. “And once I knew that,” he said, “I can act how I needed to act. It was simple after that.” “They’re wrong,” he added. “And they rode that racial bias all the way off a cliff.” Juanillo says in hindsight, he’s struck by how far Alexander was taking the issue. “You can presume that she knew by calling the police that I could possibly die,” said Juanillo. “She was OK with that. Even knowing that I was just working with chalk, she’s willing to call men with guns.” Juanillo considered not posting the video of the encounter for a short while. But later in the day, while standing in his living room, he saw the couple pass by again. He knocked on the window hoping to grab their attention. “If they had come up to my door and they had apologized, I would have accepted it, not posted this. And they could have kept their businesses and lives intact,” Juanillo told KQED. “It was all up to them: Action after action after action.” But instead of admitting they’d been wrong, Juanillo says, “The look on their faces was total mortification” as they kept walking by the home. He says he shared the video because he wanted people to see the more subtle racist conflicts that happen in an effort to help educate white people that they even exist. “If enough people see incidents like this, then maybe people will actually think about it and change their behavior,” Juanillo said. He also addressed those on social media who said he should have argued or engaged in the conflict. “Do you really think they’re going to believe me if I point out a $10 million house and say I live there?” Juanillo said. https://twitter.com/birchbox/status/1271846464268972032 In the aftermath of the viral video, Lisa Alexander was informed the beauty subscription company Birchbox severed ties with her skincare company LAFACE. She also issued a public apology for “being disrespectful” to Juanillo stating, “I should have minded my own business.” https://twitter.com/LuzPenaABC7/status/1272258758207397888 She goes on to write, “When I watch the video I am shocked and sad that I behaved the way I did. It was disrespectful to Mr. Juanillo and I am deeply sorry for that.” Additionally, her husband, identified as Robert Larkins, was dismissed from his position at the financial firm Raymond James on Monday. https://twitter.com/RaymondJames/status/1272479037642899457
Some news items you might have missed: • SCOTUS: I’m still on cloud nine over today’s landmark ruling by the Supreme Court that current civil rights laws prohibit discriminating against LGBTQ people in the workplace. Read my post on the momentous ruling here. • Instinct Magazine: The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri now officially has a gay Black man in charge. The Rt. Rev. Deon K. Johnson, who is not only Black and gay but also a married Barbadian-immigrant and father of two children, was elected in a landslide of 115 votes out of 164. As the 11th bishop for the diocese, he represents 42 parishes in the Eastern half of Missouri. • Quibi: The new streaming app premieres its new program from ’60 Minutes’ titled, ‘60 in 6.’ Stories include features, investigations, and profiles in 6-10 minutes. In this episode, Wesley Lowery takes you to Minneapolis to go in-depth, in minutes. Download Quibi here and try it out for two weeks for free.
• Out Music: Heather Mae and Crys Matthews’s new single “6 Feet Apart” showcases the phenomenal talent of the award-winning Mae (who has been described as Stevie Nicks meets Sara Bareilles) and the unique fusion of Matthews’ Americana folk/jazz sound. In addition to the new single, the duo has announced their LGBTQ+ virtual Pride concert tour, “The Singing OUT Tour,” with dates scheduled throughout the month of June. The concerts will feature not only music but games and giveaways as well.
• CBS News: Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on policing Tuesday that aims to accomplish three things — to incentivize police departments to use modernized best practices, to increase information sharing by tracking people who have “excessive” use-of-force complaints, and to address mental health, homelessness, and addiction. • Philadelphia Inquirer: A Philadelphia court supervisor has been fired after a video surfaced on Monday of him tearing down Black Lives Matter protest signs made by children at a South Philadelphia park.
According to reports, this is a Philadelphia city court supervisor tearing down childrens’ signs saying black lives matter. When the person recording says ‘black lives matter,’ the man responds, ‘Not to me.’ He’s apparently been fired by the city. pic.twitter.com/x3udrMbHNQ
Donald Trump loves to mock former Vice President Joe Biden saying Joe is ‘not well,’ or frail or some such nonsense. Which is why Trump’s slow, awkward exit from giving a commencement speech at West Point yesterday is getting attention. #RampGate is currently trending on the Twitterverse. #TrumpIsUnwell and #TRUMPstroke were also among the hashtags trending on Twitter.
There are more important things going on right now than this video clip but worth noting that it was sunny throughout Trump's appearance at West Point. If the ramp was indeed "slippery" it wasn't because of rain. And it certainly didn't appear to be steep. https://t.co/ZNtO8XyyFA
Lisa Alexander (screen capture via Boy Culture) Oh, lord, another ‘Karen’ telling a Black American what he should or shouldn’t do. Twitter user Jaimetoons shared this video of a woman reportedly named Lisa Alexander, who apparently owns LaFace Laboratories – a makeup company – who politely asserts (as politely as a white person can assert) that he is committing a crime ‘defacing’ his own private property. And she tells him she knows the owner – which is him – so, there’s that. What is wrong with these people? Her Twitter and Instagram accounts were filled with Candace Owens and anti-CNN messaging – until she deleted them.
A white couple call the police on me, a person of color, for stencilling a #BLM chalk message on my own front retaining wall. “Karen” lies and says she knows that I don’t live in my own house, because she knows the person who lives here. #blacklivesmatterpic.twitter.com/rOpHvKVwgP
(image via Unsplash/Spenser) Democratic lawmakers, Republican lawmakers, and the White House are all preparing proposals to address reforms in policing amid the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. According to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Thursday, large majorities of Americans support the Democratic proposals released this week: • 82% of Americans want to ban police from using chokeholds (including 7 in 10 Republicans) • 83% want to ban racial profiling (including 7 in 10 Republicans) • 92% want federal police to be required to wear body cameras (including 9 in 10 Republicans) • 89% of Americans want to require police to give the people they stop their name, badge number and reason for the stop • 91% support allowing independent investigations of police departments that show patterns of misconduct (including 9 in 10 Republicans) • 75% support allowing victims of police misconduct to sue police departments for damages. (including 6 in 10 Republicans) • 76% support reallocating police budgets into better officer training, local programs for homelessness, mental health assistance and domestic violence Read more at Reuters.
Some news items you might have missed: • Queerty: The sugar baby of a retired priest says he grieved for two days before collecting his roughly £260,000 ($330,000) inheritance. Now he’s insisting he is not a gold digger. • Australia: My hubby Michael recently helped coordinate pop icon Olivia Newton-John taking part in this terrific video (below) of unity from Australia and all the Aussies banding together to get to the other side of the COVID-19 crisis.
• NBC News: Despite massive problems at the voting booth, Democratic turnout in Georgia’s primaries skyrocketed — with three times as many votes cast in the Senate primary as in 2016. With 91 percent of the vote in as of Friday, nearly 960,000 voters had cast ballots in the Democratic Senate primary race won by Jon Ossoff, compared to 310,000 who voted in the Senate primary in 2016. • Out Music: Grammy/Emmy/Tony Award winner Billy Porter drops “For What It’s Worth (King Garbage Remix)” today. Porter released his acclaimed cover version of the classic Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” on April 24 as a means to encourage and support voter registration and voter initiatives across the country. In light of recent events, the song is now organically taking on its original intent as the ultimate protest anthem.
• AP News: Joe Biden’s search for a running mate has apparently been whittled down to as few as six serious contenders after initial interviews. Those still in contention include Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California, as well as Susan Rice, who served as President Barack Obama’s national security adviser. Also in contention are Florida Rep. Val Demings and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. • Twitter: The legendary Liza Minnelli will outlive us all. If you don’t know it, make sure to check out this humorous Twitter account humor account, curated with love by Scott Gorenstein, of all the people, trends and pop culture references the diva Liza has outlived.
Liza Minnelli has outlived displaying the Confederate flag at NASCAR events and properties. The ban on the flag is an extraordinary move from #NASCAR which traces its roots—and a large amount of its fanbase – to the Deep South where fans routinely display the flag on race day.
— LizaMinnelliOutlives (@LiZaOutlives) June 11, 2020
Liza Minnelli has outlived the Minneapolis Police Department after a veto-proof City Council announced their intent to disband the department and invest in proven community-led public safety.#MinneapolisPoliceDisbandmentParty#PoliceReformNow
— LizaMinnelliOutlives (@LiZaOutlives) June 7, 2020
Liza Minnelli has outlived the career of Rep. Steve King who lost the Republican primary. King is a racist whose remarks made him one of the most controversial politicians in the country and a pariah within the Republican Party. #SteveKingpic.twitter.com/BuBv842axt
— LizaMinnelliOutlives (@LiZaOutlives) June 3, 2020
Liza Minnelli has outlived the Copacabana, the world-famous NYC nightclub.
— LizaMinnelliOutlives (@LiZaOutlives) May 27, 2020
In an interview with Fox News’ Harris Faulkner today, Donald Trump declared many of those protesting in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder “didn’t know” why they were there. The remarks came after Faulkner asked what the Donald believes the protesters across the county want or need from him. “So I think you had protesters for different reasons, and then you had protesting also because they just didn’t know,” Trump said. “I’ve watched. I watched it very closely. ‘Why are you here?’ And they really weren’t able to say. But they were there — for a reason perhaps. Perhaps? “But a lot of them really were there because they’re following the crowd,” he continued. “A lot of them were there because what we witnessed was a terrible thing. What we saw was a terrible thing, and we’ve seen it over the years. You know, this was one horrible example. but you’ve seen other terrible examples. You know that better than anybody would know it. And I know it. I’ve seen it too. I’ve seen it before I was president and during the presidency, I’ve seen it.” Earlier in the interview, Trump labeled the protests as ‘riots’ and ‘unnecessary.’ He also said that the date of his first campaign rally since the beginning of the COVID-19 health threat on Juneteenth wasn’t scheduled ‘on purpose.’ “The fact that I’m having a rally on that day — you can really think about that very positively as a celebration. Because a rally to me is a celebration,” Trump said. “It’s an interesting date. It wasn’t done for that reason, but it’s an interesting date.” As many know, June 19 is recognized as Juneteenth, the day the last slaves in the United States were freed. The Trump campaign picked Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the location for the rally. Black activists consider the date and the location a slap in the face in light of the 1921 ‘Black Massacre’ that occurred in the city 99 years ago. Nearly 300 Black Americans were killed in the incident that was sparked by the accusation a young Black man assaulted a white woman.
“You had protesters for different reasons & then you had protesting also because, you know, they just didn’t know… a lot of them really were there b/c they were following the crowd” — Trump suggests many George Floyd protesters weren’t even aware of what they were protesting pic.twitter.com/KnbTJy2U8m
