Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has announced he will jump into the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president. “In a spirit of profound gratitude for all the country has given to me, with a determination to build a better, more sustainable, more inclusive American Dream for everyone: I am today announcing my candidacy for President of the United States.” It’s worth noting that the ‘first-in-the-nation’ Iowa caucus is less than three months away on February 3. You can watch his announcement video below, and find more info at his campaign website here.
Donald Trump, who claims to be ‘the most transparent president in history,’ has asked the Supreme Court to prohibit his accounting firm from turning over eight years of his tax returns to Manhattan prosecutors per an appeals court ruling last week. What is it he’s hiding???
President Trump asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to bar his accounting firm from turning over eight years of his tax returns to Manhattan prosecutors.
The case, the first concerning Mr. Trump’s personal conduct and business dealings to reach the court, could yield a major ruling on the scope of presidential immunity from criminal investigations.
Last week, a unanimous three-judge panel of a federal appeals court in Manhattan ruled against Mr. Trump, rejecting his argument that he was absolutely immune from criminal investigation while he remains in office. The court, in a focused ruling, said state prosecutors may require third parties to turn over a sitting president’s financial records for use in a grand jury investigation.
Prosecutors have reportedly agreed not to pursue the Donald’s tax returns until SCOTUS either agrees to take the case or not. The case could result in a major ruling on the scope of presidential immunity from criminal investigations.
Out singer/songwriter Christopher Sorensen’s touching new music video, “Way. Way. Back” chronicles a gay coming of age romance between two teenage boys. The video tells the story of a gay man who returns to his hometown for a funeral. He’s haunted by the memories of a former love from his youth and the events that tore them apart. “The video explores how we collect trauma throughout our lives, weighing us down as we try to move on,” says Sorensen. “Sometimes, by facing our pasts, we can find a new beginning.”
Now I’ve Got A Map Of My Youth / The Way Way Back / It Leads To You
The video, like his music, is well-crafted and offers some unexpected turns through its emotional journey.
I had a chance to chat with the talented artist about the project and how he brings his art to life. The Randy Report: What was the inspiration for “Way. Way. Back?” Christopher Sorensen: “Way. Way. Back” is about a trauma in the past that determines all future outcomes in your life. I was really hurt by a guy in my past and didn’t think I’d be able to recover from it. Writing the song was a way of transforming that pain because music is healing. I’m still learning to let go and to not hold onto things that don’t serve me now. For the sake of the music video, I wanted to give myself and my audience a resolution with a happy ending. TRR: What’s your favorite part of the creative process? CS: My favorite part of the creative process is definitely writing. Whenever I’m feeling anxious or angry or depressed, I can sit down with my guitar and write, and it’s kind of a catharsis for me. Whether I’m writing a song or creating a music video, I’m a storyteller above all else and love collaborating to bring my visions to life. TRR: Do you have a “process” in writing/recording? CS: My best songs come to me when I least expect them. Words and a melody will come to me together when I’m in the shower or the car, and I’ll record them on my phone. There are times when I hear the melody first and the lyrics come second, but for me, I never hear the lyrics first. From there, I usually lay down tracks on Pro Tools and create my arrangement. Sometimes I’ll bring my song to another producer who can help me take it to another level. It’s very exciting when I later add visual elements and create a music video. Christopher SorensenTRR: Who are you listening to today? CS: I come from a family of musicians, so my music taste is pretty eclectic! I love music that’s different and quirky and uses sounds in ways I’ve never heard before. I’m a huge fan of Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas. I’m also digging H.E.R., Kacey Musgraves, and Lizzo. I enjoy some older classics as well like Billy Joel, Elton John, and Kate Bush. TRR: What keeps you up at night? CS: My cats waiting to be let out. Also my fear of failure. TRR: What is the most important lesson life has taught you? CS: There are people who love you. Don’t pursue the ones who don’t. I previously wrote about Sorensen’s music video “Afterglow” which told the story of a young man meeting an older man on a dating app. Check it out here. “Way. Way. Back” is available here.
Students file out of Saugus High School after a reported shooting incident (screen capture) Update from NBC News:
Multiple people were injured, at least two of them critically, in a shooting at a Southern California high school on Thursday morning, officials said. About an hour and a half after the shooting was reported at about 8 a.m. at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, sources said the suspect was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Los Angeles County sheriff’s department earlier said the suspect was an Asian male wearing black clothing who was last seen at the high school.
A shooting was reported Thursday morning at a high school in Santa Clarita near Los Angeles, where multiple people are believed to be injured, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Deputies have swarmed the scene at Saugus High School, about 35 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
Students were led single file through the campus by armed officers. Multiple ambulances were spotted at the scene as worried parents jammed the streets.
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Dan Tai (above) offers this Hump Day inspiration, “Nothing will work unless you do, so chalk up and get it done.” I offer this photo of Dan as Hump Day inspiration. #woof • Advocate: A New Orleans judge has rejected an arrest warrant for gay ex-radio host Seth Dunlap, who is accused of fabricating an antigay tweet from his former station. • Socialite Life: Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer was finally voted off Dancing with the Stars this week. In true Trump form, the Donald deleted his tweet of support for Spicer once the Spice man got the boot. • FBI: The FBI has released its annual Hate Crime Statistics report for 2018 which shows anti-LGBTQ hate crimes increased by almost 6 percent compared to 2017. • NY Daily News: Michael Troina, a former NYC firefighter who said he experienced hazing from colleagues including taunts to “have sex with a stripper” to prove he is straight, received an $80,000 settlement from the city after filing a lawsuit. • Funny: Michael Henry’s latest ‘funny but makes you think’ video confronts gay men’s obsession with parties, drinking, and sex. Eventually, all that sex-crazed fun stops being fun, and that just leaves a lot of loneliness in the gayborhood. “When’s the last time you tried to make any gay friends that didn’t involve parties, drinking, or sex?” Henry asks the lonely party bunny. “All you ‘sexys’ only have surface friendships because you’re stuck in this loop of connecting and validating each other through some sort of sexual activity. Wear some pants and take an improv class, nobody’s having sex there.” #wisdom
Donald Trump Jr. and his mistress Kimberly Guilfoyle (screen capture) The student body president of the University of Florida is facing possible impeachment for inviting Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle to the campus for speeches on October 10. Junior and Guilfoyle, a Trump campaign adviser, were reportedly paid a $50,000 fee for the appearance funded via student activity fees. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the law says public funds cannot be used to support political campaigns. Student body president Michael C. Murphy received a formal resolution for his impeachment Tuesday afternoon, which was signed by more than 100 students and alumni. This is only the second time in the university’s 115-year history a student body president has faced impeachment. The university’s student newspaper The Alligator reports that Murphy’s father, Dan Murphy, is a pro-Trump lobbyist in Washington, D.C. who has maxed out donations to Trump’s re-election campaign and has been photographed speaking to Trump Jr. in Washington. Michael Murphy didn’t answer questions related to his father’s involvement with the Trump campaign, nor with Trump Jr. He said there is “no conflict of interest.”
(image via CEN) A gay teen in Switzerland has shared his shocking story of an attempt by his own father to kill him. The 17-year-old, identified as “Seran M” in the press for his own protection, told the Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten that he woke one night to find his father holding a knife to his throat. According to a Google Translation of the news report, the father shouted at the teen, “You’re gay, you’re gay?” And at that point, he slid the blade across the teen’s neck. Seran says he fought off his father while sustaining further injuries to his neck and upper body. Eventually, the teen escaped the attack across a balcony and sought safety at a neighbor’s home. Due to the severity of his injuries to his throat, chest, arms, and back, he was flown to the University Hospital of Bern. “Fortunately, he narrowly missed the carotid artery, but my trachea was badly injured,” shared Seran. “I had to be put in an artificial coma.” Seran, whose family is from Iraq, told 20 Minuten he doesn’t know how his father discovered he is gay adding, “I’ve always hidden my homosexuality from my family.” Since leaving the hospital six months ago he lives on his own in Bern and feels he is “a freer person than before the incident.” That said, the scars from the hate crime remind him of the incident every day. “I see them in the mirror or when I take selfies and snaps,” he explains. “They will be with me or the rest of my life.” Seran added that he’s begun counseling to help him process the emotional scars. He says he’s sharing his story to encourage other LGBTQ people from Muslim backgrounds to “get help if you want to come out as gay.” “We are living in 2019 and my dad wanted me dead because I’m attracted to men. I just cannot accept that. I hid long enough, this is the end of that now.” According to the UK’s Daily Star, the father was arrested for the attack but it’s unclear when he will stand trial. Switzerland has wrestled with the issue of homophobia for years. A 2016 study found that gay men in Geneva are four times more likely to suffer attacks than men in the general population. ILGA, a human rights organization, ranks Switzerland 27th out of 49 countries in Europe on LGBTQ+ equality. (source: Google Translate/20 Minuten)
In this week’s podcast: • Mayor Pete Buttigieg has surged to number one in the latest polling for the upcoming Iowa caucuses • Gay men in Malaysia have been sentenced to months in prison and being whipped with a cane for having sex at a private residence • A gay teen heard the slur ‘faggot’ one time too many – and took care of it. Link to story at The Randy Report – therandyreport.com/a-gay-teen-had-…g-called-fggot/ • Two male dancers were featured on the UK’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and the world didn’t end. Link to the story on The Randy Report – therandyreport.com/strictly-come-d…tunning-effect/ • Get ready small-town America – the queens are coming! • Representation for the LGBTQ community on TV rose to an all-time high according to the ‘Where We Are On TV report from GLAAD All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report. If you enjoy catching up on LGBTQ news in a quick podcast, I’d appreciate it if you would share The Randy Report with your friends. I like to think of the podcast as ‘the 60 Minutes of gay news…only shorter.’ Hit the play button and thanks for listening 🙂
Antoni Porowski of Queer Eye (image via Facebook) In the lead-up to announcing this year’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive,’ People Magazine is releasing the results of its Reader’s Choice polls. And the ‘Sexiest 2019 Reality Star’ title goes to…Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski. The Emmy Award-winning ‘make better’ chef beat out his competition which included The Bachelorette‘s “Air Force” Mike Johnson and Tyler Cameron, Vanderpump Rules‘ Tom Sandoval and Dancing with the Stars’ Val Chmerkovskiy. It’s been a busy year for the avocado lover as Queer Eye took home the Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Structured Reality Program’ for the second year in a row, and he released his new cookbook, Antoni in the Kitchen, which is currently number one among cookbooks on Amazon. Netflix recently dropped a new mini-season of the hit reality show featuring the make-over men in Japan.
Nice to see some LGBTQ inclusion there, folks. In the category of ‘Sexiest Funny Guy,’ The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah slayed a field that included John Mulaney, Rob Delaney, Kumail Nanjiani, and Hasan Minhaj.
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors was a slam-dunk in the poll for ‘Sexiest Athlete’ taking out competitors Rafael Nadal, Michael Phelps, Bubba Wallace, and Mike Fisher.
High style can catch an eye which is why Crazy Rich Asians‘ Henry Golding was credited with having the ‘Sexiest Funky Fashion Sense’ on red carpets this year coming out a cut above Eddie Redmayne, A$AP Rocky, Donald Glover, and Jeff Goldblum.
Since 1985, when Mel Gibson was named the first ‘Sexiest Man Alive,’ People Magazine has surprised its readers with its pick for next-level hotness. Woofy movie star Idris Elba was crowned ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ last year, but we’ll have to wait one more week to find out who will be People’s 2019 ‘Sexiest Man Alive.’
Police in Georgia said on Saturday they had arrested more than 25 people after ultra-nationalist protesters attempting to derail the premiere of an award-winning movie about gay love clashed with security forces.
A few hundred demonstrators blocked the road outside a cinema in the capital’s city center on Friday ahead of the first screening of “And Then We Danced”, which tells the story of two young male Georgian ballet dancers falling in love.
Chanting “Long live Georgia” and “Shame”, the protesters – some holding crosses and religious icons – tried to force their way inside the cinema but where held back by riot police.
“This is not just a movie. This is an insult to our faith, our traditions and all that is holy for us,” said Guram Damenia, who came dressed in a traditional Georgian costume.
Two police officers and a young woman, who was trying to go watch the film, were injured, police said.
The three days of scheduled screenings in Tbilisi sold out immediately. The film, which has won awards at film festivals around the world, premiered to acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival this past spring.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has announced he will jump into the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president. “In a spirit of profound gratitude for all the country has given to me, with a determination to build a better, more sustainable, more inclusive American Dream for everyone: I am today announcing my candidacy for President of the United States.” It’s worth noting that the ‘first-in-the-nation’ Iowa caucus is less than three months away on February 3. You can watch his announcement video below, and find more info at his campaign website here. 
Some news items you might have missed: • 
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“I see them in the mirror or when I take selfies and snaps,” he explains. “They will be with me or the rest of my life.” Seran added that he’s begun counseling to help him process the emotional scars. He says he’s sharing his story to encourage other LGBTQ people from Muslim backgrounds to “get help if you want to come out as gay.” “We are living in 2019 and my dad wanted me dead because I’m attracted to men. I just cannot accept that. I hid long enough, this is the end of that now.” According to the UK’s 
