Category: News

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Pennsylvania: GOP Lawmaker Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography

UPDATE: Mike Folmer has resigned from the Pennsylvania state Senate as a result of his child pornography charges.

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The Washington Post is reporting conservative Pennsylvania state Sen. Mike Folmer has been charged with possession of child pornography.

The charges against Folmer include sexual abuse of children, possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility.

The married grandfather of seven was caught as the result of a tip that popular blogging site Tumblr found that a user had uploaded an image of child pornography using its application, officials said.

They said the tip eventually led investigators to Folmer’s home in Lebanon, Pa., where they executed a search warrant and found child pornography images on his cellphone.

Folmer told the police that he received the images via his Tumblr account and that he was experiencing some ‘personal problems.’ Gov. Tom Wolf has called for Folmer’s immediate resignation. It will come as no surprise that Folmer has often voted against LGBTQ protections or rights during his time in office because, you know, Jesus. In 2008, he was a sponsor of Pennsylvania’s “Marriage Protection Act;’ in 2016, he blocked the Pennsylvania Fairness Act saying he didn’t see any ‘urgency’ to passing the legislation; and in 2018, he blocked that same legislation again.

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News Round-Up: September 17, 2019

Some news items you might have missed: • KIT212: Kenneth-in-the-212’s ‘Tennis Tuesday‘ serves up some serious booty workout tips from hunky Australian trainer, Coach Clayton (above). Definitely worth the click here. • NewNowNext: The 5th season of the acclaimed sitcom Schitt’s Creek will debut on Netflix on October 10, with the sixth and final installment to drop in January. The series, heralded for its positive portrayal of LGBTQ life, is nominated for 3 Emmy Awards this weekend. It is the first Canadian sitcom to receive an Emmy nomination for Best Comedy Series. • Variety: After snagging another Emmy Award this past weekend (for her guest appearance on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) Jane Lynch told reporters she and Cyndi Lauper are set to co-star in a new Netflix series that will be “a Golden Girls for today.” • The Sun: Nicole Scherzinger has accepted a reported ‘multi-million pound’ offer to rejoin her former Pussycat Dolls band mates for a 10th anniversary reunion/world tour. • Merriam-Webster: The venerable dictionary has announced a new definition for the word ‘they’ in referencing the gender identity of nonbinary people. • PBS: Longtime ABC News political reporter Cokie Roberts passed away at the age of 75 from complications due to breast cancer. She was NPR’s congressional correspondent for more than a decade beginning in 1978, and co-anchored ABC’s “This Week” from 1996 to 2002. •  Roll Call: 13 House Republicans have announced they will not be running for reelection in 2020. • TVLine: Shortly after comedian Shane Gillis was announced to join the cast of Saturday Night Live this season, footage of racist and homophobic ‘jokes’ by Gillis surfaced and SNL reversed their casting decision. Gillis initially issued one of those ‘I apologize if anyone was actually offended’ statements, but then followed up with a bitter little tweet saying he was “always a MADtv kind of guy” anyway. p.s. MADtv got cancelled, too, so…maybe he is that kind of guy.

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Oklahoma Church Accused Of Holding Gay Man Hostage To ‘Pray The Gay Away’

A gay man in Oklahoma has filed a police report after members of the First Assembly of God Church in Blackwell allegedly held him down and punched him in an attempt to ‘pray the gay away.’ Sean Cormie, 23, came out as gay this past spring. Since that time, his family has asked him to attend services at the church. His partner, Gary Gardner, was invited to attend as well. “I wanted to go to church to make my mom proud,” Cormie told local news station KFOR. On September 8, the couple joined family members at the church, which Cormie had attended several times. Cormie says there was nothing unusual about the service until the end when Cormie and Gardner were asked to come up to the alter. As they did, church members stood up and began to circle the couple. At the same time, the pastor began to preach against homosexuality. “It’s a sin, it’s an abomination, you need to realize, wake up, and see it for a sin,” recalls Cormie. As the praying by 12-15 congregants grew louder and louder, Cormie and Gardner felt uncomfortable and moved to leave. But while Gardner made it out of the church, Cormie says he was physically restrained by the congregants. Gardner told News 9 that Cormie was “slammed to the ground by his stepfather.” “They hold me down, pin me down, and I’m crying, and the Holy Spirit just comes through me, and they keep speaking in tongues, praying over me,” said Cormie. At some point, Cormie says he was punched in the face. “I was just crying ‘mercy, mercy,’” he added.

Cormie says eventually it was his sister who convinced the congregants to let him go. When he was finally released, Cormie says he left the church with a black eye and bruises on his arms and face. He immediately headed to the Blackwell Police Department where he filed a report. According to KFOR, the police chief acknowledges the incident is being investigated. Bill and Tami McKissick, pastors for the First Assembly Church of God, issued this statement:

“On behalf of First Assembly, we have been asked by the media to respond to the allegations that have been made. This began as a family matter that escalated. Our church would never condone restraint of any person unless they were engaged in violent activity. There is much more to this incident, and we are cooperating fully with law enforcement to hopefully bring all of the facts to light as a rush to judgment is not in anyone’s best interest.”

Since filing the police report, Cormie says he’s received anonymous threats to drop his allegations. He adds that family members, who he believes were involved in the incident, have urged his to let the issue go. But Cormie is firm in his belief that “what they did was totally wrong” and he feels there should be “some consequences out of it.” On a spiritual level, he says he believes being gay is a sin, but he is who he is. “I’m a full-fledged gay, you can’t change it,” he told KFOR. “It’s my nature, I’m born that way, so let it be.”

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Trump Demands Everyone At NY Times Resign

Responding to new reports regarding the college behavior of Supreme Court Justice Brett ‘Skippy’ Kavanaugh by the New York Times, Donald Trump called for “the resignation of everybody at the New York Times” involved in the reporting. He has lost his mind.

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Manhattan District Attorney Subpoenaed 8 Years Of Trump Tax Returns

As part of an investigation into the alleged hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels by Donald Trump, the District Attorney of Manhattan has subpoenaed 8 years of personal and corporate income tax returns by the Donald. From the New York Times:

The subpoena opens a new front in a wide-ranging effort to obtain copies of the president’s tax returns, which Mr. Trump initially said he would make public during the 2016 campaign but has since refused to disclose.

The subpoena was issued by the Manhattan district attorney’s office late last month, soon after it opened a criminal investigation into the role that the president and his family business played in hush-money payments made in the run-up to the election.

Both Mr. Trump and his company reimbursed Michael D. Cohen, the president’s former lawyer and fixer, for money Mr. Cohen paid to buy the silence of Stormy Daniels, a pornographic film actress who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump. The president has denied the affair.

(lead image via Flickr/WhiteHouse – public domain)

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Pulse Nightclub Survivors Host ‘Ex-Gay’ Rally In Orlando

Over the weekend, two survivors of the deadly Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, hosted a rally promising ‘deliverance to the LGBTQ community through religion.’ According to the Orlando Sentinel, tens of people gathered at the rainbow amphitheater at Lake Eola Park. Members of the group Changed Movement told the attendees that they have “chosen identity in Christ” over being homosexual. The rally, which was staged much like a religious service, included testimonials from members who say they left the LGBTQ ‘lifestyle’ after finding religion. Among them were Luis Javier Ruiz, 36, (above) and Angel Colon, 29, who survived the Pulse massacre on June 12, 2016, which left 49 dead and 53 more injured. Since the deadly shooting, the two say they have become heterosexual through religion. After healing from their injuries, the two founded Fearless Identity, a religious ministry which, according to the official website, promises to bring “hope and understanding to the LGBTQ community and the church through education, biblical clarity, and support in a judgement free environment for those seeking the option to change.” The duo promise, however, that the ‘option to change’ is not about so-called conversion therapy. Ruiz made a point of underscoring that message at the rally on Saturday telling those gathered, “I want to make a public declaration: This is not conversion therapy, this is not electrotherapy, this is not shock therapy.” “This is all the Holy Spirit, this is the man that died on the cross,” he continued. “This man never cheated on me, never slept with my best friend. He’s the man on the cross.”

Prior to the so-called ‘Freedom March,’ LGBTQ advocates in Orange County called for a statewide ban on conversion therapy. Brandon Wolf, another survivor of the Pulse Nightclub shooting and an LGBTQ advocate, attended a county commission meeting last week asking his local leaders to “take a stand against conversion therapy.” And Wayne Besen, of Truth Wins Out, which works to expose conversion therapy and the ‘ex-gay myth,’ interviewed Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan who shared her own painful experience with conversion therapy.

“I knew I was attracted to women, but I thought I could pray the gay away,” said Sheehan, the first openly gay elected official in central Florida. Sheehan told Besen that, as a teen, she attended a church that promoted ‘ex-gay’ therapy During meetings with the group, Sheehan was promised that an orange mucous was going to “emanate from me as the demon of homosexuality left my body.” Sheehan told Truth Wins Out her message to people considering taking part in an ‘ex-gay’ ministry program is to “get some counseling outside of the church and really get a handle on where you are at, because I think they will take advantage of you, they will make you dependent and they will not do what’s in your best interest.”

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Jealous Much? Trump Rants About Obama’s Netflix Deal

Monday morning and Donald Trump is on yet another Twitter rant about Barack Obama. Claiming the Democrats had ‘failed’ to find any dirt on him via the Mueller report or Mueller’s congressional testimony, the Donald attempted to deflect his own possible misconduct by pointing to the deal announced between streaming giant Netflix and Barack Obama. “House Judiciary has given up on the Mueller Report, sadly for them after two years and $40,000,000 spent – ZERO COLLUSION, ZERO OBSTRUCTION,” wrote the Trumpster. “So they say, OK, lets look at everything else, and all of the deals that “Trump” has done over his lifetime. But it doesn’t….work that way. I have a better idea. Look at the Obama Book Deal, or the ridiculous Netflix deal. Then look at all the deals made by the Dems in Congress, the ‘Congressional Slush Fund,’ and lastly the IG Reports. Take a look at them. Those investigations would be over FAST!”

Meanwhile, as of yesterday, the president has spent 232 days at a Trump golf club and 300 days at a Trump property since taking office. Every time he visits his properties, the business makes money because of the costs associated with coping with the secret service, etc…

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Rugby Legend Gareth Thomas Comes Out As HIV+

In a candid video message shared via social media, rugby legend Gareth Thomas (above) has revealed that he is HIV-positive. Thomas, who came out publicly as gay in 2009 and retired from the sport in 2011, made the announcement Saturday in a video posted on Twitter. As part of his message, he shared he was making the announcement now because he was ‘being blackmailed’ over his status. “I want to share my secret with you,” the former Wales rugby star shares in the video message. “Why? Because it’s mine to tell you. Not the evils that make my life hell by threatening to tell you before I do. And because I believe in you and I trust you.” After pausing for a moment, the 45-year-old athlete continued, “I’m living with HIV.” “Now you have that information, that makes me extremely vulnerable, but it does not make me weak,” he added. “Now, even though I’ve been forced to tell you this, I choose to fight to educate and break the stigma around this subject. And that begins today.” “Everyone lives in fear of people’s reactions and opinions to something about them, but that doesn’t mean we should have to hide,” concluded the rugby icon. “But to do this I really, really need your support.”

The former Celebrity Big Brother star told the Sunday Mirror that even though he’d been living with his secret for years, he made the decision to come out as HIV+ now because “I was being blackmailed, and in my mind you only get blackmailed for something really bad, which compounded the feeling of shame.” Thomas didn’t name the outlet threatening to out his status. Explaining that living with the secret has worn heavily on him, he shared his concerns that “people would judge me and treat me like a leper because of a lack of knowledge.” “I was in a dark place, feeling suicidal,” he added. “I  thought about driving off a cliff.” Thomas gives credit to a strong support system around him, including his husband who he married in 2016 after discovering he was HIV-positive. After years of taking antiretroviral medications, he says his viral load is undetectable, making the possibility of passing on the virus to others practically zero. “Many people live in fear and shame of having HIV, but I refuse to be one of them now,” Thomas says. “We need to break the stigma once and for all. I’m speaking out because I want to help others and make a difference.” Today, Thomas works as an ITV pundit for the Rugby World Cup, and is planning on competing today in the Wales Ironman event. “I’m fitter now than when I played rugby and I didn’t have HIV then,” he says. “I’m not just all right, I’m better than all right.” In November 2018, Thomas was the victim of a gay-bashing incident in his hometown. In lieu of pressing charges, the sports icon instead asked for an apology. The reaction on social media has been overwhelmingly positive, including a message from Prince William via the Kensington Palace Twitter account.

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NYC Set To Repeal Conversion Therapy Ban

Back in 2017, the New York City Council passed a law which bans so-called ‘conversion therapy’ for everyone within its jurisdiction.

Now, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (who is gay) has announced he will introduce a bill to repeal the law.

What???

The legal maneuver comes as the virulently anti-LGBTQ law firm Alliance Defending Freedom has filed a lawsuit challenging the ban.

LGBTQ advocates fear the case could possibly be used to take such prohibitions all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court which has taken a more conservative bent since Donald Trump has put two right-leaning justices in place since taking office.

If the haters were to win at SCOTUS, conversion therapy bans across the country could be at risk of being struck down.

That said, LGBTQ minors in New York City will still be protected by the separate statewide ban that was passed earlier this year by the New York State Legislature.

The City Council’s law was seen as more vulnerable to a court challenge because it was broader than others in effect, including the statewide ban.

LGBTQ advocates say repealing the NYC measure will allow them to focus less on defending the law in court and more on expanding protections against conversion therapy in other states.

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Trump Thanks Himself For Title Of “Very Stable Genius”

From The Hill:

President Trump’s approval rating dipped slightly among Republican voters, though is relatively steady among voters overall, according to the latest Hill-HarrisX poll released Friday.

The nationwide survey shows 83 percent of GOP voters saying they approve of the president’s job performance, marking a 2-point drop from an identical poll conducted Aug. 18-20.

Currently, political news site RealClearPolitics shows Trump has an average approval rating among all Americans of 43 percent. Meanwhile, Trump was just making up approval numbers over on Twitter.

The Donald also thanked himself for giving himself the title of ‘very stable genius,’ while seeming to be confused about whether he wants to ‘make America great again’ or ‘keep America great.’