Category: News

Posted on

Nominees Announced For 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards

GLAAD has announced its nominees for the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards which honors media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues. The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies, which fund GLAAD’s work to accelerate LGBTQ acceptance, will be held in New York at the Hilton Midtown on Thursday, March 19, 2020 and Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday, April 16, 2020. Yesterday, GLAAD announced that Taylor Swift will receive the Vanguard Award and Janet Mock will receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles. Lots of diversity among these 176 nominees across 30 categories. Yay! Shout-out to Joe Jervis of JoeMyGod.com for his well-deserved recognition and I’m glad to see the return of Outstanding Broadway Production to the list of categories 🙂

Outstanding Film – Wide Release Bombshell (Lionsgate) Booksmart (United Artists Releasing) Downton Abbey (Focus Features) Judy (Roadside Attractions) Rocketman (Paramount Pictures) Outstanding Film – Limited Release Adam (Wolfe Releasing) Brittany Runs a Marathon (Amazon Studios) End of the Century (The Cinema Guild) The Heiresses (1844 Entertainment) Kanarie (Breaking Glass Pictures) Pain & Glory (Sony Pictures Classics) Portrait of a Lady on Fire (NEON) Rafiki (Film Movement) Socrates (Breaking Glass Pictures) This Is Not Berlin (Samuel Goldwyn Films) Outstanding Documentary 5B (RYOT Films) Gay Chorus Deep South (MTV) Leitis in Waiting (PBS) State of Pride (YouTube) Wig (HBO) Outstanding Drama Series Batwoman (The CW) Billions (Showtime) Euphoria (HBO) Killing Eve (AMC) The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime) The Politician (Netflix) Pose (FX) Shadowhunters (Freeform) Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access) Supergirl (The CW) Outstanding Comedy Series Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC) Dear White People (Netflix) Dickinson (Apple TV+) One Day at a Time (Netflix) The Other Two (Comedy Central) Schitt’s Creek (Pop) Sex Education (Netflix) Superstore (NBC) Vida (Starz) Work in Progress (Showtime) Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series w/o a regular LGBTQ character) “Love” Drunk History (Comedy Central) “Murdered at a Bad Address” Law & Order: SVU (NBC)| “Spontaneous Combustion” Easy (Netflix) “This Extraordinary Being” Watchmen (HBO) “Two Doors Down” Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings (Netflix) Outstanding TV Movie Deadwood: The Movie (HBO) Let It Snow (Netflix) Rent: Live (FOX) Transparent: Musicale Finale (Amazon) Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story (Lifetime) Outstanding Limited Series Mrs. Fletcher (HBO) The Red Line (CBS) Tales of the City (Netflix) When They See Us (Netflix) Years & Years (HBO)  Outstanding Kids & Family Programming Andi Mack (The Disney Channel) The Bravest Knight (Hulu) High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Disney+) The Loud House (Nickelodeon) “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” Arthur (PBS) Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling (Netflix) She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Netflix) Steven Universe: The Movie (Cartoon Network) “A Tale of Two Nellas” Nella the Princess Knight (Nick Jr.) Twelve Forever (Netflix)  Outstanding Reality Program Are You the One? (MTV) Bachelor in Paradise (ABC) I Am Jazz (TLC) Queer Eye (Netflix) RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1) Outstanding Music Artist Adam Lambert, Velvet: Side A (More is More/Empire) Brittany Howard, Jaime (ATO) Kevin Abstract, ARIZONA BABY (Question Everything/RCA) Kim Petras, Clarity (Bunhead) King Princess, Cheap Queen (Zelig/Columbia Records) Lil Nas X, 7 (Columbia) Melissa Etheridge, The Medicine Show (ME Records/Concord) Mika, My Name Is Michael Holbrook (Casablanca/Republic Records) Tegan and Sara, Hey, I’m Just Like You (Sire) Young M.A, Herstory in the Making (M.A Music/3D) Outstanding Comic Book To see the complete creative team for each nominee, please visit http://glaad.org/mediaawards/nominees The Avant-Guards, written by Carly Usdin (BOOM! Studios) Bloom, written by Kevin Panetta (First Second) Crowded, written by Christopher Sebela (Image Comics) Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass, written by Mariko Tamaki (DC Comics) Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, written by Mariko Tamaki (First Second) Liebestrasse, written by Greg Lockard (ComiXology Originals) Lumberjanes, written by Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh (BOOM! Studios) Runaways, written by Rainbow Rowell (Marvel Comics) Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, written by Simon Spurrier (Marvel Comics) The Wicked + Divine, written by Kieron Gillen (Image Comics) Outstanding Video Game Apex Legends (Electronic Arts) Borderlands 3 (2K Games) The Outer Worlds (Private Division) Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment) The Walking Dead: The Final Season (Skybound Entertainment) Outstanding Broadway Production Choir Boy, by Tarell Alvin McCraney The Inheritance, by Matthew Lopez Jagged Little Pill, book by Diablo Cody, lyrics by Alanis Morissette, music by Alanis Morissette, Glen Ballard Slave Play, by Jeremy O. Harris What the Constitution Means to Me, by Heidi Schreck Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode “Billy Porter Serves Cataract Realness, Fashion, and Tonys” The View (ABC) “Ellen Meets Inspiring Mormon Valedictorian” The Ellen Show (Syndicated/Telepictures Productions) “Jacob Tobia – Promoting a ‘Gender-Chill’ Exploration of Identity with ‘Sissy’” The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central) “Jonathan Van Ness: Honey, She’s An Onion With All Sorts of Layers” The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS) “Lilly Is Struggling to Date Women” A Little Late with Lilly Singh (NBC) Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine “ABC News Pride Day” (WABC-TV/ABC News) “All Her Sons” CBS Sunday Morning (CBS) “Am I Next? Gay and Targeted in Chechnya” Nightline (ABC) “Am I Next? Trans and Targeted” Nightline (ABC) “Rainbow Railroad” 60 Minutes (CBS) Outstanding TV Journalism Segment “Black and Trans in Texas” Vice News Tonight (HBO) “Don Lemon to Kevin Hart: Walking away right now is your choice” CNN Tonight with Don Lemon (CNN) “Laverne Cox: We exist, we deserve human rights” Up with David Gura (MSNBC) “One-on-One with Mayor Pete Buttigieg” The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC) “Ryan Russell Reveals His Truth” ESPN (ESPN)  Outstanding Newspaper Article “L.G.B.T.Q. Community Finds ‘Sense of Home’ in the Bronx” by Rick Rojas (The New York Times) “Military Reports No Discharges Under Trans Ban — But Advocates Have Doubts” by Chris Johnson (Washington Blade) “Nearly 4 Million LGBTQ People Live in Rural America, and ‘Everything is not bias and awful’” by Susan Miller (USA Today) “Texas Leads the Nation in Transgender Murders. After the Latest Attack, the Dallas Trans Community Asks Why” by Lauren McGaughy (The Dallas Morning News) “Trump Pledged to End the HIV Epidemic. San Francisco Could Get There First” by Maria L. La Ganga (Los Angeles Times) Outstanding Magazine Article “2019 Sportsperson of the Year: Megan Rapinoe” by Jenny Vrentas (Sports Illustrated) “In Her Element: Geena Rocero” by Geena Rocero (Playboy) “Indya Moore Just Wants to Be Free” by Jada Yuan (ELLE) “Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s Unlikely, Untested, Unprecedented Presidential Campaign” by Charlotte Alter (TIME) “The Trans Obituaries Project” by Raquel Willis (OUT) Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage Advocate Billboard Entertainment Weekly OUT Variety  Outstanding Digital Journalism Article “Finding the Truth About Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports” [series] by Cyd Zeigler, Dawn Ennis (Outsports.com) “How a New Class of Trans Male Actors Are Changing the Face of Television” by Trish Bendix (TIME.com) “’This time is real’: Taiwan Counts Down to Asia’s First Same-Sex Weddings” by Beh Lih Yi (Openlynews.com) “Trump Administration to LGBT Couples: Your ‘Out of Wedlock’ Kids Aren’t Citizens” by Scott Bixby (TheDailyBeast.com) “When Transgender Travelers Walk Into Scanners, Invasive Searches Sometimes Wait on the Other Side” by Lucas Waldron, Brenda Medina (ProPublica.org)  Outstanding Digital Journalism – Video or Multimedia “Between Two Homes: The LGBTQ+ Refugees America Left Behind” by Judah Robinson (NowThis) “LGBTQ+ Community Debates the Meaning of ‘Queer,’ Military Bans, & More” by Arielle Duhaime-Ross (VICE) “The Life Threatening Dangers Of Gay Conversion Therapy” by Grace Baldridge (Refinery29) “Sound On: Community, Representation and Identity” by Terron Moore and Rakhee Jethwa (MTV News) “Stonewall 50: The Revolution” produced by Sekiya Dorsett, Brooke Sopelsa, Elizabeth Kuhr, Shahrzad Elghanayan, Wesley Oliver, Tim Fitzsimmons (NBC OUT and Nightly Films) Outstanding Blog Gays with Kids JoeMyGod My Fabulous Disease Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents TransGriot Special Recognition Special (Netflix) Karen Ocamb, news editor, Los Angeles Blade Mark Segal, founder and publisher, Philadelphia Gay News   31ST ANNUAL GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS – SPANISH-LANGUAGE NOMINEES Outstanding Spanish-Language Scripted Television Series Amar a Muerte (Univision) El Corazón Nunca Se Equivoca (Univision) El Juego de las Llaves (Pantaya) Élite (Netflix) Los Espookys (HBO) Outstanding Spanish-Language TV Journalism – Newsmagazine “Después de Stonewall” (CNN en Español) “Fallece Mujer Transgénero” Conclusiones (CNN en Español) “Nosotrxs Somos” (RTVE) “Orgullo” Despierta América (Univision)  Outstanding Spanish-Language TV Interview “Cómo y Cuándo Salir del Clóset” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo) “Conoce la Importancia de Apoyar a un Ser Querido Cuando ‘Sale del Clóset’” A Primera Hora (Univision 34) “Deportada y Asesinada” Al Punto (Univision) “Pareja Transgénero Quiere Tener Hijos” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo) “Tanya Saracho, Una Latina en Hollywood” Ojo Crítico (CNN en Español)   Outstanding Spanish-Language TV Journalism Segment “Amor Sin Condición” Noticiero Univision 33 (Univision) “Exigen Justicia Para Franco” Noticias 22 (Mundo Fox) “Sabor a Comunidad” Noticiero Telemundo 48 (Telemundo) “Ser Latina y Trans en EE.UU. Implica una Lucha Contra la Discriminación en Varios Frentes” Proyecto Ser Humano (CNN en Español) “Triunfa el Amor por Ser Padres” Noticiero Telemundo 44 (Telemundo) Outstanding Spanish-Language Digital Journalism Article “Fue Negligencia de ICE: las Denuncias de Abusos y Discriminación de Mujeres Transgénero Tras Dos Muertes en un Año” por Patricia Clarembaux (Univision.com) “Los Multiples Rostros de la Comunidad Transgénero en Estados Unidos” [series] (Al Día News) “Una Pareja Gay Celebra su Primer Día de Madres, Algo que Pensaron Nunca Sería Posible” por Laura Rodriguez (Hoy) “Queer en la Caravana: el Peligro de Ser Migrante LGBT Buscando Asilo” por Mabel Jiménez (eltecolote.org) “Soy Gay y Estoy Orgulloso de Poder Decirlo: Jorge Luis Martínez, patinador mexicano” por Mario Villagrán (GQ Mexico) Outstanding Spanish-Language Digital Journalism – Video or Multimedia “América a Fondo: Brigitte Baptiste, el Rostro de la (bio) Diversidad” por David Casasús (EFE) “Conoce a Jorge Luis Martínez Patinador que se Declaró Abiertamente Gay” (Quién) “Latinxs Cuentan Qué Es Ser Latinx” (BBC Mundo) “Santuario, el Inesperado Refugio de Indígenas Trans en Colombia” por Alejandro Millán Valencia (BBC Mundo)

Posted on

Podcast: Grindr Hookup Goes Bad, UK Rapist Gets Life, Recapping The 77th Golden Globes

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s podcast: • A Grindr hookup in Michigan on Christmas Eve goes horribly wrong • Britain’s most prolific rapist is sentenced to life in prison • Grammy winner Sam Smith posts an inspiring shirtless photo on Instagram • A transgender actress gets the lead in the upcoming reboot of ‘Saved By The Bell’ • Recapping this year’s Golden Globe Awards All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

Posted on

News Round-Up: January 7, 2020

Pete Buttigieg (via Facebook)
Some news items you might have missed: • Deadline: Pete Buttigieg will appear at another Fox News town hall on January 26, a little more than a week before the Iowa caucuses, with Chris Wallace as moderator. This will be Buttigieg’s second Fox News town hall, having headlined a well-received event last May. He’s one of six Democratic candidates to appear at town halls on the network. • Instinct Magazine: A Canadian man has been busted for mailing an envelope filled with white powder – and a note with an indication that the powder was anthrax – to New York City East Village spot Nowhere Bar. • CBS News: A new CBS News poll ties Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden and Mayor Pete Buttigieg for the lead in Iowa. Sanders, Biden and Buttigieg are tied at 23%, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren comes fourth with 16% and Sen. Amy Klobuchar falls in fifth at 7%. • Washington Post: Rep. Duncan D. Hunter will resign from Congress effective January 13, more than one month after the California Republican pleaded guilty in federal court to misusing campaign funds. The six-term congressman is scheduled to be sentenced in March. He faces a maximum of five years in prison, although he is expected to serve less than one year. • Politico: Donald Trump’s reelection campaign will spend $10 million on 60 seconds of television ad time during the Super Bowl next month as the president ramps up his push for a second term. • New York Times: Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell informed Republicans on Tuesday that he planned to move forward with President Trump’s impeachment trial without committing to additional witnesses or admitting new evidence, over the objections of Democrats who are insisting on both.

Posted on

Iran Claims Responsibility For Missile Attack On U.S. Troops Stationed In Iraq

From Axios:

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for a missile attack on Al Asad airbase in Iraq, where U.S. troops are stationed, according to Iranian state TV.

Why it matters: It’s the first sign of direct retaliation against the U.S. for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, following three days of mourning. President Trump visited the airbase in December 2018 and said that the U.S. would keep a presence in Iraq in part to “watch over Iran.”

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: “The brave soldiers of IRGC’s aerospace unit have launched a successful attack with tens of ballistic missiles on Al Assad military base in the name of martyr Gen. Qasem Soleimani. … We warn all allied countries of the U.S. that if attacks are launched from bases in their countries on Iran, they will be a target of military retaliation.”

White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham: “We are aware of the reports of attacks on US facilities in Iraq. The President has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team.”

CNN reports at least 10 rockets hit the airbase.

On Twitter, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, in direct response to Donald Trump’s USA flag tweet, shared this:

Posted on

CNN Agrees To Settlement With Smirking High School Student

L-R Nick Sandmann, Nathan Phillips (screen capture)
CNN has reportedly agreed to settle a lawsuit by MAGA hat-wearing high school student Nick Sandmann, who became famous in January 2019 for staring down Native American Nathan Phillips at a Washington, D.C. event. The amount of the settlement was not made public during a hearing at the federal courthouse in Covington, Kentucky. Sandmann’s lawyer says the damages were sought due to “emotional distress Nicholas and his family suffered.” He also said the family had to move from their home temporarily and that Nicholas was not permitted to attend school directly after the trip to Washington. The initial lawsuit sought $800 million from CNN, the Washington Post and NBC Universal. No trial dates have been set for the NBC Universal and Washington Post portions of the lawsuit. Sandmann reportedly plans to sue Phillips as well. At the time of the incident, people became polarized over what had happened and what, exactly, they saw. To this day, having seen the full video footage, I’m still clear that the boy in the photo above is smirking at an elder. And now, he will be rich for doing so. #MAGA

Posted on

Iran Reportedly Considering ’13 Scenarios For Revenge’

Iranian leaders attend funeral of Gen. Qassem Soleimani (screen capture)
The Independent reports that Iran is considering “13 scenarios for revenge” against the US for the killing of top general Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike last week, local media reported the country’s top security official as saying in comments later disavowed by senior officials.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said “the mission to avenge our slain brother will not be limited to a single operation,” according to the hardline Fars news agency.

“Up until now, 13 scenarios for revenge have been proposed,” he reportedly said. “Even if there is a consensus on the weakest scenario, executing it can turn into a historic nightmare for the Americans.”

Reuters adds that Shamkhani would not reveal any specific details of the plans, he said all US forces in the Middle East are being considered for strikes. “Those who crawl into shelters and close the doors hoping to escape our revenge are unaware that the Islamic Republic will open the door to hell.” BUT – the Supreme National Security Council later disavowed the comments saying  Shamkhani never gave the interview. The SNSC secretariat said: “A local paper yesterday committed a criminal act and attributed an interview to the SNSC’s secretary which had not taken place. Legal action is underway to understand how and and why the interview was produced and published.” The SNSC’s claims have not been proven.

Posted on

Buttigieg Crushes Trump In 8 Words After The Donald Questioned His Faith

Mayor Pete Buttigieg (image via Instagram)
While speaking at King Jesus International Ministry in Miami, Donald Trump claimed that Mayor Pete Buttigieg and other Democrats are trying to replace religion with socialism. The Donald then openly questioned if Mayor Pete was as religious as he claimed. “And I see Alfred E. Neuman comes out and he’s trying to pretend he’s very religious,” Trump said, referencing the former mayor as the MAD Magazine mascot. “Now all of a sudden, he’s become extremely religious, this happened about two weeks ago,” Trump continued. Buttigieg, a former Catholic who is openly Episcopalian, clapped back with 8 simple words: “God does not belong to a political party.”

Buttigieg elaborated further on Trump’s remarks during a campaign stop in New Hampshire. “I’m not sure why the president’s taken an interest in my faith journey, but certainly I would be happy to discuss it with him,” he said. “I just don’t know where that’s coming from, you know. Certainly, it has been a complex journey for me, as it is for a lot of people, but I’m pretty sure I’ve been a believer longer than he’s been a Republican.”

Posted on

News Round-Up: January 6, 2020

Michael J. Reynolds (mugshot via Metro Nashville Police)
Some news items you might have missed: • NBC News: New York City Police officer Michael J. Reynolds (above), who broke into a black woman’s home in Tennessee and threatened her and her sons with a racist slur has resigned from the force. Last month, Reynolds was sentenced to 15 days in jail and three years’ probation after pleading no contest to one count of aggravated criminal trespassing and three counts of assault. • The Advocate: Hate preacher Steven Anderson, the Arizona minister whose death wishes for LGBTQ people have gotten him banned from more than 30 countries, says Australia is being devastated by wildfires because he was banned from the country. • Twitter: Singer Lizzo says she’s done with Twitter for now – “Too many trolls…”

• JoeMyGod: American Family Association radio host Bryan Fischer told his listeners gay men founded the Nazi party: “Let’s not forget that the Nazi Party started in a gay bar. The Nazi Party started in a gay bar in Munich, Germany, and the Stormtroopers were Hitler’s enforcers in the early days of the Nazi regime — the S.A., the Stormtroopers. Without exception, the officers in Hitler’s private army were homosexuals. You had no chance of advancing through the ranks unless you were a hardcore homosexual.” • NewNowNext: Brokeback Mountain star Jake Gyllenhaal has secured the rights to produce and star in the film adaptation of the award-winning Broadway musical, Fun Home. He will play troubled gay patriarch Bruce Bechdel, who runs the family funeral home. • Delaware News Journal: A Republican County Chairman in Pennsylvania, Chris Rowe, has announced he will resign for using the word “faggots” in a comment on a recent Facebook post. “Faggots cannot handle reality. Bad guy loses FB pisses themselves,” wrote Rowe. He later added on Facebook that he feels he has nothing to apologize for as the comment was “locker room talk” between him and a lifelong friend. #LockerroomTalk • Apple TV: Check out this first look at the five-part series Visible: Out on Television debuting on Apple TV+ on February 14. Apple TV’s The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon was thrilling to watch. Just saying…

Posted on

Plurality Of Americans (43%) Support Airstrike That Killed Iranian General

A new poll by HuffPost/YouGov shows a slight plurality of Americans approve of the airstrike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani (43%) versus those who disapprove (38%). Those views fall pretty much along partisan lines with stronger support among Republicans (84%) as opposed to 71% of Democrats who disapprove. More from the poll: • A clear majority (57%) believe the airstrike will lead to further military conflict between the U.S. and Iran • 43% of those polled feel Donald Trump did not think through the repercussions of his ordered attack compared to 35% who think he planned carefully • The public is evenly split – 40% vs 39% – on the decision to send 3,500 U.S. troops to the Middle East • 44% believe Trump should have informed Congress before launching the attack versus 34% who do not

Posted on

Former National Security Adviser Will Testify In Trump Impeachment Trial If Subpoenaed

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton in May 2019 (image via White House – public domain)
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton has issued a statement saying he will testify during the impeachment trial of Donald Trump if subpoenaed by the Senate.

During the present impeachment controversy, I have tried to meet my obligations both as a citizen and as former National Security Advisor. My colleague, Dr. Charles Kupperman, faced with a House committee subpoena on the one hand, and a Presidential directive not to testify on the other, sought final resolution of this Constitutional conflict from the Federal judiciary. After my counsel informed the House committee that I too would seek judicial resolution of these Constitutional issues, the committee chose not to subpoena me. Nevertheless, I publicly resolved to be guided by the outcome of Dr. Kupperman’s case.

But both the President and the House of Representatives opposed his effort on jurisdictional grounds, and each other on the merits. The House committee went so far as to withdraw its subpoena to Dr. Kupperman in a deliberate attempt to moot the case and deprive the court of jurisdiction. Judge Richard Leon, in a carefully reasoned opinion on December 30, held Dr. Kupperman’s case to be moot, and therefore did not reach the separation-of-powers issues.

The House has concluded its Constitutional responsibility by adopting Articles of Impeachment related to the Ukraine matter. It now falls to the Senate to fulfill its Constitutional obligation to try impeachments, and it does not appear possible that a final judicial resolution of the still-unanswered Constitutional questions can be obtained before the Senate acts.

Accordingly, since my testimony is once again at issue, I have had to resolve the serious competing issues as best I could, based on careful consideration and study. I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify.

ABC News reports Bolton informed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of his statement before it was released, but did not tell the White House. While publicly saying he wants to see witnesses testify at the Senate trial, Trump has repeatedly blocked White House officials from doing so. McConnell has said he doesn’t see the need for witnesses or documentary evidence during Trump’s trial. CNN’s Manu Raju reports that with this new development, Democrats say Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s decision to withhold the articles of impeachment until now has been vindicated.