(image via Instagram/Chippendales) Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: My brother is in town for the holidays, and that means we have to head down at some point to see the world-famous Chippendales (above) at the Rio Hotel here in Las Vegas. The sold-out show totally rocked. If you can’t get to Vegas, the Chipps just announced a 30 city tour beginning in late January. Click here for dates and tix. #Grrr • JoeMyGod: A teenage boy who alleges sexual abuse by a priest killed the priest by shoving a crucifix down his throat. • The Gaily Grind: Disney has cut a brief scene featuring Star Wars’ first same-sex kiss from its new movie “The Rise of Skywalker” in Singapore, a country where same-sex marriage is illegal and sex between men is punishable by up to two years in prison. • KIT212: Kenneth has the lowdown on the what’s what in gay rags across the country like Chicago’s GRAB Magazine celebrating ‘The Men of Bullies and Biceps.” • Washington Blade: Amid speculation Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will leave his position to pursue his old job as U.S. senator in Kansas, Donald Trump is considering U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell – who’s also the highest-ranking openly gay person in his administration – as a replacement. • NY Times: Foreign teachers at some private schools in Indonesia have been required to answer questions and many more like them in what has been billed as a psychological exam to determine teachers’ sexual orientation and attitude toward gay rights. A 2015 government regulation prohibits international schools from hiring foreign teachers who have “an indication of abnormal sexual behavior or orientation.” • HuffPost: Donald Trump likes to brag that he donates his $400,000 annual salary as president to charities. But according to folks tracking the Trumpster’s golf habit, his passion for the links has now cost taxpayers $118 million – or about 296 years of that presidential salary. Remember when he said if elected he’d “never leave the White House…?”
GOLF UPDATE — 27 DEC 2019:
Trump is at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. He has now spent 232 days on a golf course he owns in his 1,072 days in office. It is his 67th day at his course in West Palm Beach. Taxpayer-paid golf tab: $118.3 million.https://t.co/acbH3EXZ5s — S.V. Dáte (@svdate) December 27, 2019
(image via Luka Malic/Unsplash) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially raised the legal age to buy tobacco products in the United States from 18 to 21, reports The Hill.
The move applies to all tobacco products, e-cigarettes and vaping cartridges, and comes after President Trump last week signed a $1.4 trillion spending package that included a measure raising the tobacco-buying age.
Initially, it was unclear when the age change would take effect. The FDA had six months to amend their policies after Trump signed the bill into law and then 90 days to put the change in place.
However, the FDA said in a message posted on its website that the change is now in effect.
We need to land on an age where someone can be considered an adult. It's confusing right now
18 – Serve in the military and potentially give up your life 18 – Vote 18- Buy a firearm in many states
Broadway composer Jerry Herman (image via official website) Broadway legend Jerry Herman, who wrote blockbuster musicals including Mame, La Cage aux Folles, and Hello, Dolly!, has passed away at the age of 88. The Associated Press reports Herman was taken to the hospital Thursday night after experiencing chest pains. He died of pulmonary complications in Miami, Florida, where he had been living with his longtime partner, Terry Marler. He made his Broadway debut contributing songs to a revue titled, From A to Z (which included material by Woody Allen and Fred Ebb) in 1960. His first full-fledged Broadway score (and first Tony Award nomination) was for Milk and Honey, about a couple on vacation in Israel. But in 1964, he penned the songs to mega-hit Hello, Dolly! which snagged a record-breaking 10 Tony Awards including one for Herman for ‘Best Score,’ and one for its luminous leading lady, Carol Channing. The production ran for 2,844 performances becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history at the time.
The show would be revived several times on the Great White Way, most recently in 2017 with Bette Midler earning the Divine Miss M a Tony Award for her performance as the indomitable Dolly Levi. Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters followed Midler in the show-stopping role.
How Sad,,,Jerry Herman has passed away ,,,of course he made it to Christmas and left us the next day !! He was always so enthusiastic and uplifting about things and gave us the wonderful show Hello Dolly among others !!RIP Jerry Dearest ❤️❤️❤️❤️🎄
He scored again with Angela Lansbury starring as the glamorous title character in Mame in 1966. Winning several Tony Awards (including trophies for Lansbury and Bea Arthur), the show went on to run for 1,508 performances.
As the 1970s came around, musicals began to become darker and more experimental, and Herman’s shows (Dear World, Mack & Mabel, The Grand Tour) didn’t fare as well. But in 1983, Herman found the inspiration for his next hit in the French film, La Cage aux Folles, about a gay couple living on the French Riviera running a drag nightclub. He would win his second Tony Award (among six awarded the production) for the score of the groundbreaking La Cage which gave the world one its first gay anthems written to be a gay anthem, “I Am What I Am.”
I am what I am I don’t want praise…I don’t want pity I bang my own drum Some think it’s noise…I think it’s pretty And so what if I love each feather and each bangle Why not try to see things from a different angle? Your life is a sham ‘til you can shout out loud, ‘I am what I am’
The song not only packed a punch on stage but also in discos as Gloria Gaynor’s version (which reached #3 on the Billboard Dance chart) resonated with the LGBTQ community everywhere as the gay pride movement was hitting its stride.
Connecting theatergoers with a loving, openly gay couple, the show touched audiences in New York City and around the world. The production’s storyline also put drag front and center. In the end, it’s the nightclub’s star Zaza that saves the day leading a conservative couple out of a tight situation decked in glamorous drag. The show would run for 1,761 performances and return to Broadway twice reminding audiences of the power of drag and the depth of love held by the leading characters for each other. Harvey Fierstein, who wrote the book for La Cage, saluted his colleague on Twitter today:
Jerry Herman lost his hard fought battle last night and we lost one of the greats. A collaborator and friend for almost 40 years, I cannot thank him enough for his love, trust, encouragement, support and laughter. Well done, Mr Herman. Bravo! pic.twitter.com/QYws9jQu6h
“I’m certainly aware of how different popular music is today from when I started in this business, and I realize that my songwriting is not generally in fashion,” he shared with the New York Times in 1985. “But ‘La Cage’ made me feel secure about going on and just being what I am, and writing simple, hummable tunes.” There were other projects following La Cage, including songs for the television movie Mrs. Santa Claus reuniting Herman with Ms. Lansbury. The effort would snag him an Emmy Award nomination. In 2009, he was honored with a Special Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Tony Awards. And the next year, he was celebrated alongside Sir Paul McCartney and Oprah at the Kennedy Center Honors.
In full disclosure, this writer will share that, in another lifetime, I was an actor in New York City, and the 1995 revival of Hello, Dolly! was my Broadway debut. Jerry was very involved in the production as the only living creator of the show at the time, and I was fortunate to witness Jerry’s genius first hand. I give Jerry and Dolly! a lot of credit for my life, both professional and personal, taking a great leap forward. It was on October 17, 1994, at Paisley Park recording studios in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that I met my future husband during the pre-Broadway tour of Dolly! We were recording our Broadway cast album prior to heading into New York City and my Michael was the 24-year-old Vice President of Marketing and PR for the record label. Hubby Michael Caprio with Jerry Herman in October 1994 I won’t go into the details but suffice to say, by the end of the day “Dolly” had worked her matchmaking magic. We’ve been together for over 25 years now. Jerry was always very fond of taking credit for our relationship and we happily saluted him for it. After the show closed on Broadway, Jerry was involved in the decision to ask me to stage the dances for the ensuing national touring company of Dolly. Jerry’s belief in me propelled my career forward again, this time as a choreographer. Since that time, I’ve staged nearly a dozen productions of the show with Jerry’s blessing. Jerry Herman (center) with me on the right in 1995 And in 2011, Tony Award winners Patti LuPone and director Jack O’Brien were in talks to mount a new revival of Dolly! One Saturday morning, my phone rang and it was Jerry. He shared the news of the possible revival and asked me to choreograph the new production. At the time, he wanted the creative team to explore new ideas for the show, but there were a few concepts from the Gower Champion original he wanted integrated into the new production. He told me, “I know you’ll have my back.” As if my life hadn’t been blessed enough by Jerry, his confidence in me was surely the crowning moment we would share. In the end, LuPone and O’Brien exited the production and for several months the lead producer and I thought of a raft of leading ladies to approach, including Midler who would finally say ‘yes’ to the role a few years later. The production never happened, but I’ve never forgotten the buoyant, upbeat confidence he instilled not only in me but in everyone he worked with. The constant theme throughout his work – his songs, his shows, the characters he wrote for – was that life was meant to be lived. The titles of just a few of his songs – “Before the Parade Passes By,” “It’s Today,” “I’ll Be Here Tomorrow,” “The Best of Times,” “Tap Your Troubles Away,” “We Need a Little Christmas” – tell the tale of someone who found his truth in hope and celebration.
Even in the late 1980s, when he was diagnosed with HIV and lost his partner Martin Finkelstein to AIDS, he never stopped embracing the power of positivity. In 2010, he seemed content as he reflected on his long, successful career telling the Washington Post, “It’s a very long, colorful parade. With lots of balloons. And banners. And confetti. And all of that. But it’s also kind of near the end of it. That’s very moving and very rewarding.” Along the way, Herman gave us fabulous, bigger-than-life diva characters to cheer for including a drag queen who told the world (and us) how to love ourselves. Rest in power Jerry Herman, Broadway’s gentle giant.
(image via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Fitness guy Nik (above) says “six-packs are overrated – especially after Christmas!” I second that notion 🙂 • Instinct Magazine: A Manhattan school teacher says he was fired for being gay and for standing up for a non-binary gender-nonconforming student. • Hulu: A trailer has been released for the latest installment of Hulu’s Into The Dark, a monthly horror event series. Each feature-length installment is inspired by a holiday. The latest episode – Midnight Kiss – stars Scott Evans and premieres on December 27. According to the official synopsis, “A group of longtime gay best friends head to a beautiful desert home to celebrate New Year’s Eve. One of their annual traditions is to play MIDNIGHT KISS, a sexy but ultimately dangerous challenge to find that special someone to help you ring in the New Year. As friendships have grown strained with secrets, jealousy and resentment, the group faces another challenge when a sadistic killer wants in.”
• NBC News: Donald Trump said Tuesday he wouldn’t rule out pardoning Republican operative Roger Stone, describing what happened to his former confidant as “very tough” and criticizing federal prosecutors and investigators as “dirty cops” and “evil people.” • Out: Dame Judi Dench says her “Deuteronomy” in the now-infamous film version of Cats is transgender. • CNBC: Trump supporters were outraged to hear a version of Home Alone 2 aired on Canada’s CBC network which omits Donald Trump’s cameo in the film. Chuck Thompson, the CBC’s head of public affairs, said in a statement that the edits to the film “were done in 2014 when we first acquired the film and before Mr. Trump was elected president.” • Instagram: Madonna canceled her final ‘Madame X’ tour date in the U.S. due to “indescribable” pain.
Rapper J Hus (image via Facebook) Rapper J Hus began a Twitter firestorm when he tweeted accusations of Europeans “weaponizing” homosexuality and “forcing LGBT onto” Africa. The London-based rapper’s initial tweet (which has since been deleted) read, “STOP FORCING LGBT ONTO US. Live your life I don’t care but don’t force it onto me especially when you don’t wanna recognize these black struggle.” Of course, that was quickly followed with a denial of being homophobic saying he’s good with the gays because “The more gay men the more women for me.” In another tweet J Hus deleted, he added, “They try force Ghana to include LGBT into their education when its not their culture. You can’t tell me they don’t try force it on us.” After a lot of backlash from the Twitterverse, the rapper stood down saying, “Okay maybe I’m wrong then. Forgive me. I don’t wanna offend anyone. From my point I saw things different. You can school me.” Making a point to say he “never once said” he hated anyone, J Hus threw in, “To me it looked like they was weaponizing it against us. But do ur thing.” “Yeah I see all the tweets,” wrote J Hus as he tried to step away from the issue. “The culture I practise, we’re not familiar with these things that’s why I have a different view. I don’t hate anyone but I stand up for my culture. Don’t take no offence. Live your life happily.” Among those who spoke out during the tweetstorm was rapper MNEK, who is both black and gay, who wrote, “Ok so are you saying that LGBT people are exclusively white? that there’s no such thing as intersectionality? that fans of your music who are both black and lgbt, myself included, don’t understand black struggle either? i just want to be clear.”
.@Jhus ok so are you saying that LGBT people are exclusively white? that there’s no such thing as intersectionality? that fans of your music who are both black and lgbt, myself included, don’t understand black struggle either? i just want to be clear.
1) Black LGBT people exist 2) Many black lgbt people have fought for black liberation – James Baldwin, Angela Davis, Audre Lorde, to name a few 3) No one is forcing queerness on you. Ever been beaten up for being straight? No. But many gay & trans ppl are physically attacked
4) The reality is that being straight, or being cisgender, is actually forced on people. Otherwise gay people wouldn’t be scared to hold hands in public, whereas straight couples can do it without fear
(image via public domain) The latest polling shows support to remove Donald Trump from office is the highest it has ever been. From The Independent:
Fifty-five percent of those asked said they were in favor of the US president’s conviction by the Senate, a figure which has shot up from 48 percent the week before.
Meanwhile, the number of people against Mr. Trump’s removal has dropped to an all-time low, according to the MSN poll.
On Christmas Day, 40 percent were opposed to the Senate voting to convict the president, who has been impeached over his dealings with Ukraine and an alleged subsequent attempt to obstruct Congress.
The gap between the two views has become much wider since last week when there was little to divide them (48 percent in favor of Mr. Trump’s removal, 47 percent against).
(image via Jack Sharp/Unsplash) In the aftermath of a landmark grand jury report on sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses have paid out almost $84 million to 564 victims of sexual abuse. The Associated Press reports seven of the Keystone state’s eight dioceses organized victim compensation funds after the release of the August 2018 grand jury report showed hundreds of priests had molested over 1,000 children since the 1940s. One diocese, in Altoona-Johnstown, has no compensation fund saying it lacks the funds after paying out $15.7 million in an earlier clergy abuse scandal. In addition to the abuse, the grand jury report also indicates church leaders had systematically worked to cover up the abuse. According to the AP, the average payout to victims across the seven dioceses has been slightly more than $148,000. But that’s well below what an adult victim of childhood abuse would expect to see had they been able to sue in court. Claims administrator Camille Biros, who was hired to handle the claims for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as well as Allentown, Erie, Pittsburgh and Scranton dioceses, told the AP, “These are all time-barred claims, so it’s not going to be the kind of numbers one sees in a courtroom.” Pennsylvania state law limits such lawsuits to those victims under 30 years of age. State lawmakers had announced plans to amend such laws but there’s no guarantee any changes will materialize. Biros says compensation payouts are based on “the nature of the abuse, how long it went on, the age of the child, (and) the effect of the abuse.” But some claims are rejected due to lack of evidence or not meeting eligibility criteria. One man who allowed his name to be used in the reporting is David Zernhelt, who tells the AP he was offered $400,000 by the diocese of Allentown and accepted it. Zernhelt says he wasn’t willing to trust lawmakers to pass a legislative fix to the state laws any time soon. “It doesn’t make me rich,” said the 45-year-old of Easton. “It creates a positive starting point for me. I can try to make my life a little bit better and put this behind me.” Zernhelt told the administrators of the Allentown fund that Rev. Thomas Kerestus sexually assaulted him two to four times a week for five years. The abuse began when Zernhelt was only 13-years-old. Zernhelt’s family went to the church about the abuse but says the diocese “swept it under the rug.” Kerestus, who was named in the grand jury report, died in 2014. Attorney Richard Serbin has been critical of the compensation funds because the process allows the church to avoid courtroom lawsuits which could become a “public airing of its dirty laundry.”
Although Serbin has worked for years on behalf of past church victims, he admits some of his clients have taken the payouts for various reasons.
“Some did it because they want to try to move forward and are looking to heal, and they feel this will be of assistance, and for those clients, I do think it’s good, and I recommend they take it,” he told the AP. Others, he said, “are in desperate financial situations, and they needed the money.”
Chris Hemsworth and friend Some news items you might have missed: • Advocate: Brazil’s homophobic president, Jair Bolsonaro, complained at a press conference Friday about his treatment by the media, telling a reporter, “Your face looks an awful lot like a homosexual’s.” • The Hill: The Morning Consult poll for this week showed former Vice President Joe Biden with 31 percent support for the second week in a row, after rising 2 percentage points since the beginning of December. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) ranked as the runner-up with 21 percent support. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg kept third and fourth place with 15 percent and 9 percent, respectively. • Instinct: Michael Henry is back with a festive video celebrating the holidays with the dumpster queens. The video features Henry with Pete Zias and Michael Lucid at their iconic meeting spot talking about themes of the season such as giving gifts, sexy encounters, and holiday movies.
• CivilBeat: Former Governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, has called on U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to resign her seat in Congress saying, “I feel very strongly the 2nd District of Hawaii must be fully represented.” Gabbard is running a long-shot campaign for president and recently moved to New Hampshire, an early Democratic primary state. • Out: A European airline will jettison the greeting “ladies and gentlemen” for the more gender-neutral “welcome everyone” a sign of respect for nonbinary people. • Twitter: In order for Thor star Chris Hemsworth and a quokka, a small marsupial native to Australia, to get to know each other a bit, Hemsworth had to get down to the little guy’s level. Which explains the hunky actor’s body position in the pic at the top. The short video also sparked the interest of the gay community for reasons I really don’t need to explain…LOL
Chris Hemsworth, a straight man, single-handedly one-up’d every single bottom in the gay community pic.twitter.com/OFTbH8Yvwf
Academy Award-winner Kevin Spacey has dropped another oddly unsettling video on his YouTube channel. Tending to a raging fire, Spacey appears to still be inhabiting his ‘Frank Underwood’ character from the Netflix series House of Cards as he addresses the viewer saying, “You didn’t really think I was going to miss the opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas, did you?” Noting that he’s happy to “have my health back,” the 60-year-old shares that he’s “made some changes in his life” and he’d like the viewer to join him. “As we walk into 2020, I want to cast my vote for more good in this world,” says Spacey. “Ah yes, I know what you’re thinking – could he be serious?” “I’m dead serious,” he continues. “The next time someone does something you don’t like, you can go on the attack – but you can also hold your fire, and do the unexpected,” advises Spacey. “You can (long dramatic pause)…kill them with kindness.” Cue the creepy, dramatic music as the actor pauses before turning back to his fireplace.
You’ll recall Spacey last shared a similarly odd video during the 2018 holidays, again as his House of Cards persona. At the time, the Oscar winner was facing legal challenges on several fronts. One concerned allegations of sexual harassment of a male teen at a Nantucket restaurant in Massachusetts, but the charges were dropped when the teen asserted his Fifth Amendment rights. In the 2018 video, as he was just days away from being arraigned, he told the viewer, “You wouldn’t believe the worst without evidence, would you? You wouldn’t rush to judgments without facts, would you?” Another case of sexual assault was brought by a masseur in Calfornia but was dismissed when his accuser suddenly died which makes today’s advise to “kill them with kindness” somewhat chilling.
The BBC reports a balloon drop at Westfield Parramatta mall in Sydney went terribly wrong when several participants were crushed in the chaos. Hundreds of shoppers were fighting for the balloons which were stuffed with gift cards (some worth only $5). The incident occurred at the end of a marathon Christmas shopping event. There were children among those injured in the crush, and several were sent to the hospital. The mall owners say they are investigating the incident.
• Washington Blade: Amid speculation Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will leave his position to pursue his old job as U.S. senator in Kansas, Donald Trump is considering U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell – who’s also the highest-ranking openly gay person in his administration – as a replacement. • NY Times: Foreign teachers at some private schools in Indonesia have been required to answer questions and many more like them in what has been billed as a psychological exam to determine teachers’ sexual orientation and attitude toward gay rights. A 2015 government regulation prohibits international schools from hiring foreign teachers who have “an indication of abnormal sexual behavior or orientation.” • HuffPost: Donald Trump likes to brag that he donates his $400,000 annual salary as president to charities. But according to folks tracking the Trumpster’s golf habit, his passion for the links has now cost taxpayers $118 million – or about 296 years of that presidential salary. Remember when he said if elected he’d “never leave the White House…?” 
Of course, that was quickly followed with a denial of being homophobic saying he’s good with the gays because “The more gay men the more women for me.” 
