Category: News

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News Round-Up: December 13, 2019

Three bearded police officers from Norfolk Police Dept

Three bearded police officers from Norfolk Police Dept
(image via Norfolk Police Department)
Some news items you might have missed: • WSET: The Norfolk Police Department has updated its uniform policy to allow officers to grow a beard and openly display tattoos while on-duty. So, if you see me speeding through Norfolk, you know why 🙂 • The Verge: YouTube announced an expansion of its anti-harassment policy that will ban video creators from insulting individuals or inciting violence against people on the basis of their race, gender expression, or sexual orientation. But will YouTube enforce the new rules? • Bloomberg News: The share of credit card borrowers who are at least 90 days past due on their accounts will probably tick up to 2.01% next year, the highest level since 2010. • KIT212: Kenneth has the low-down on the what’s what happening the gay rags across the country. • Gaily Grind: The Senate voted to confirm homophobic nominee Lawrence VanDyke to serve as a Ninth Circuit appeals court judge, despite being rated as “not qualified” by the American Bar Association (ABA) over concerns of anti-LGBTQ past. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was the only GOP ‘no’ in a 51-44 vote. • Washington Blade: The Screen Actors Guild has announced the nominees for its 2019 awards presentation, and like the Golden Globes nominations earlier this week, there are multiple nods for projects with LGBTQ-relevant content and performers. • ESPN: Marijuana will be removed from the list of drugs of abuse and will be treated the same as alcohol as part of changes announced Thursday to the joint drug agreement between MLB and the players’ association. • Tweet of the Day: After Donald Trump trolled 16-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg, saying she need to “work on her anger management” and should “chill,” former First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted her encouragement. #GodILoveHer

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Grindr Adds New Features For Increased User Safety

gay dating app Grindr

Popular gay dating app Grindr has announced new safety/security features to help protect users from identity theft and danger in locations where being gay is a crime. The new features include: • Being able to ‘unsend’ messages and photos from conversations with other users • ‘Expiring photos’ which will allow users to have their photos disappear from conversations • Screenshot blocking to protect content and photos of those in countries or locations unfriendly to LGBTQ people Grindr has also unveiled a “Holistic Security Guide.” The guide, released in six languages, provides advice for digital security, personal safety and emotional well-being while engaging others online. “We are so proud to introduce these new security features, along with the Holistic Security Guide, as we continue to promote safety and justice for our users around the globe,” said Jack Harrison-Quintana, the director of Grindr for Equality. “We are grateful for the feedback from users and the various organizations and activists around the world who have helped us to continue improving the quality of life for Grindr users.” The company says the new features are part of Grindr’s continuing efforts to encourage more awareness of personal safety after reports of crimes being committed against queer people using the app. The U.S. Justice Department announced today, for example, that two men in Dallas have pleaded guilty to using the dating app to lure unsuspecting gay men to a vacant apartment in order to rob them, force them at gunpoint to withdraw cash from ATMs, commit violent acts and other hate crimes.

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House Judiciary Committee Votes To Impeach Trump

Donald Trump
The House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach President Donald Trump on Friday, sending the articles of impeachment to the full House, where Trump could become the third president in U.S. history to be impeached. From NBC News:

“Today is a solemn and sad day,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said after the vote in brief remarks to reporters. “For the third time in a little over a century and a half, the House Judiciary Committee has voted articles of impeachment against the president for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The House will act expeditiously.”

The measures, which will likely be voted on by the full House on Wednesday, were passed by the committee after weeks of damaging testimony about Trump’s alleged conduct from past and present diplomats and other government officials, as well as legal scholars. They asserted the president had improperly withheld security aid to Ukraine for political reasons, including seeking an investigation of the Bidens.

The votes on Friday followed 14 hours on Thursday debating the articles and amendments offered by Republicans that sought to gut resolutions. There was no further discussion of the impeachment articles on Friday morning before the two quick roll call votes lasting only a few minutes.

While publicly mocking the impeachment proceedings, Trump is reportedly humiliated by the move, takes no responsibility for anything that led him to here, and rages against his perceived enemies in private.

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FCC Approves New 988 Suicide Prevention Phone Number

A stressed young man considers suicide

A stressed young man considers suicide
39 percent of young LGBTQs have considered suicide
In a unanimous vote, the five members of the Federal Communications Commission approved plans to establish a three-digit phone number for suicide prevention. The new three-digit number – 988 – will make it easier for those in crisis to reach suicide prevention experts and help reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues. “988 has an echo of the 911 number we all know as an emergency number,” Chairman Ajit Pai said at the commission’s meeting. “And we believe that this three-digit number dedicated for this purpose will help ease access to crisis services, it will reduce the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health conditions, and ultimately it will save lives.” A report by the FCC released in August called for specialized services for LGBTQ youth, veterans, and other populations at high risk. Based on a survey of more than 34,000 respondents, a 2019 study by The Trevor Project found 39 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in the previous twelve months. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control reported that in 2017 suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34. CNN reports the proposal calls for an 18-month timeline which will give phone companies time to implement the 988 number. The time period also allows for public comment on whether it will take more time to do so or if it can be done earlier. Sam Brinton, head of advocacy and government affairs for The Trevor Project, said in a press release, “The Trevor Project applauds the FCC for unanimously approving the proposal to adopt 988 as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number.” “Shortening the Lifeline number to three digits, along with transferring calls to those who can best serve high-risk populations like LGBTQ youth — who are more than four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers — will save lives,” added Briton. “It is critically important that this proposal is implemented as swiftly as possible and that all Lifeline counselors are provided with LGBTQ cultural competency training to best serve LGBTQ youth in crisis.” Until the new phone number is up and running, those in crisis can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386. (source: CNN)

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Sore Loser: Trump Criticizes 16-Year-Old Named TIME’s Person Of The Year

Donald Trump criticized a 16-year-old girl on Twitter after she was named TIME Magazine's Person of the Year

Donald Trump criticized a 16-year-old girl on Twitter after she was named TIME Magazine's Person of the Year
L-R Greta Thunberg, Donald Trump
Following the announcement of climate change activist Greta Thunberg being named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year, Donald Trump (who highly covets the TIME honor) criticized the 16-year-old on Twitter. From CNN:

President Donald Trump on Thursday again publicly mocked teen climate crisis activist Greta Thunberg, tweeting that the 16-year-old Swede who has inspired protesters worldwide has “anger management” issues.

Thunberg, who was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year earlier this week over Trump, has sternly castigated world leaders for not doing enough to combat the climate crisis, and memorably stared down Trump at the UN General Assembly in September. She has been open about her diagnosis of Asperger’s, calling it a “superpower” that helps her activism.

“So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!” Trump wrote Thursday morning, responding to a tweet congratulating Thunberg on being named Person of the Year.

Asperger’s is a challenge for any teenager. Being mocked by the president of the US is next level cruelty. Greta responded by rewriting her bio for Twitter:

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News Round-Up: December 11, 2019

Josh Rimer, left, with his fiancée Heath
Some news items you might have missed: • Gay Cities: A gay Canadian man was denied the chance to have his wedding at a Sheraton hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, because the staff did not want to host a ceremony with two men. Marriott International later apologized saying, “We will focus not only on getting it right for our guest, but also take a closer look at policies and training at the property level, doing all we can to prevent hurtful experiences like this from happening again.” • Washington Blade: The U.S. Senate approved on Tuesday an openly gay federal prosecutor named by President Trump for a seat on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, making him the highest-ranking openly gay federal judge in the country. • Gaily Grind: The runner who slapped a TV reporter’s behind during a live broadcast of a race on Saturday has been identified by online sleuths as a local youth minister and Boy Scout leader, according to multiple news outlets.

• Axios: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told CNN on Wednesday that he’s “very much torn” on voting to convict President Trump in a Senate impeachment trial. • NY Times: I can’t explain it, but I’m over the moon that after 37 years Vanna White is hosting Wheel of Fortune for a few weeks (in a glass ceiling breaking moment) while Pat Sajak recovers from emergency surgery. • Stereogum: Every winter, Cyndi Lauper hosts her all-star Home For The Holiday benefit raising money for LGBTQ youth homelessness. Last night, Lauper headlined the 2019 edition of the show at the Novo for the event’s first year in Los Angeles. Lauper performed alongside people like Kesha, King Princess, Perry Farrell, Lily Tomlin, Belinda Carlisle, and the awesome Henry Rollins of Black Flag fame.

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Pronoun “They” Is The Word Of The Year & Haters Are Mad

The language gurus at Merriam-Webster have announced the personal pronoun “they” is their Word of the Year after the dictionary’s website, Merriam-Webster.com, experienced a 313 percent increase in searches for the word compared to 2018. As more and more people identify as nonbinary (neither exclusively male nor female), like Grammy Award winner Sam Smith sharing on social media their preferred pronouns were “they” and “them,” searches for the word would spike throughout the year. ABC News reports when Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) became emotional during a House committee hearing as she spoke about her gender-conforming child, another spike at the website occurred. And when trans nonbinary model Oslo Grace began garnering high profile attention on the fashion runways of the world, there was another surge in searches for the pronoun. “Pronouns are among the language’s most commonly used words, and like other common words (think ‘go,’ ‘do,’ and ‘have’) they tend to be mostly ignored by dictionary users,” said Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, in a statement. “But over the past year or so, as people have increasingly encountered the nonbinary use, we’ve seen searches for ‘they’ grow dramatically.” “In 2019, the increase in lookups for ‘they’ was so significant and sustained that it stood out from all the other top lookups when we went to analyze the data,” Brewster added. But a day after Merriam-Webster’s statement, hate group leader Mat Staver of the virulently anti-LGBTQ Liberty Counsel, fired off an angry message to his followers calling the announcement “a bizarre disgrace.” Staver wrote in an email that Merriam-Webster “fell in, lockstep, with the garish LGBT parade” by “bowing to deeply radical LGBT forces and pushing the LGBT agenda forward.” The lawyer, who has represented homophobes all over the country in an effort to defeat LGBTQ protections, then turned his raging missive into a money beg asking for a “most generous year-end gift now” to the Liberty Counsel so his ilk can continue defending “life, liberty and the family across America.” Making money from hate is what they do, folks…   (source: ABC News)

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Gay Bashing Victim Left With Severe Head Injuries

A gay man was brutally attacked on the streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland, after kissing another man in a bar. Christopher Haughey’s injuries to his head were so severe from the beating five staples were required to close the wound to his head. The 31-year-old told Belfast Live he walked to the bus stop on Saturday afternoon after spending time in a nearby bar. When he arrived at the bus stop, he realized he had a long wait ahead of him, so he walked to the other side of a building to eat food he’d purchased. “I came back round the corner and I was attacked at the lights,” Haughey. “It was two people: They pushed me and then hit me with something over the head.” He told the police he believes his assailants attacked him because they saw him kissing another man in the bar. “There’s no other reason why it would have happened.” The police were called to the scene, and they transported him to the Royal Victoria Hospital where he was treated. But the assault left him shaken. “It’s embarrassing that it’s happened, it’s humiliating,” said Haughey. “It really knocks your confidence. It’s embarrassing to lift your hand to anybody.” The Police Service of Northern Ireland are investigating the incident, and are asking for help in identifying and locating the men. The authorities ask anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers at 0800 555 111. (source: Belfast Live)

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Schumer To Presidential Candidates: Impeachment Trial Comes First

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York (D)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a message to the five senators currently running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination – Sens. Michael Bennet, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren – the impending impeachment trial of Donald Trump comes first. From CBS News:

President Trump’s trial could tie up senators on the Senate floor for the entire month of January, right before the first contest of the Democratic primary calendar scheduled in Iowa for Feb. 3. With the possibility of close votes on procedural questions such as what witnesses should be called to the Senate floor, Schumer says colleagues should make the trial their first priority, even if it might tread on their campaign plans. “This has to come first. This is one of the most solemn decisions that anyone has to make and I’ve told all members of my caucus that scheduling concerns are secondary to doing this the right way,” Schumer told reporters Tuesday.

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Greta Thunberg Named TIME Magazine’s Person Of The Year

Greta Thunberg is named Time Magazine's Person of the Year for her clarion call to the climate change crisis Greta Thunberg, who sounded a global clarion call in the climate change crisis has been named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year. From TIME:

Thunberg began a global movement by skipping school: starting in August 2018, she spent her days camped out in front of the Swedish Parliament, holding a sign painted in black letters on a white background that read Skolstrejk för klimatet: “School Strike for Climate.”

In the 16 months since, she has addressed heads of state at the U.N., met with the Pope, sparred with the President of the United States and inspired 4 million people to join the global climate strike on September 20, 2019, in what was the largest climate demonstration in human history.

Her image has been celebrated in murals and Halloween costumes, and her name has been attached to everything from bike shares to beetles. Margaret Atwood compared her to Joan of Arc. After noticing a hundredfold increase in its usage, lexicographers at Collins Dictionary named Thunberg’s pioneering idea, climate strike, the word of the year.

The politics of climate action are as entrenched and complex as the phenomenon itself, and Thunberg has no magic solution. But she has succeeded in creating a global attitudinal shift, transforming millions of vague, middle-of-the-night anxieties into a worldwide movement calling for urgent change. She has offered a moral clarion call to those who are willing to act, and hurled shame on those who are not.

She has persuaded leaders, from mayors to Presidents, to make commitments where they had previously fumbled: after she spoke to Parliament and demonstrated with the British environmental group Extinction Rebellion, the U.K. passed a law requiring that the country eliminate its carbon footprint.

She has focused the world’s attention on environmental injustices that young indigenous activists have been protesting for years. Because of her, hundreds of thousands of teenage “Gretas,” from Lebanon to Liberia, have skipped school to lead their peers in climate strikes around the world.