Category: Round-Up

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News Round-Up: March 6, 2020

Jim Newman (image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Woofy Jim Newman (above) can wear a flannel plaid onesie like no one. Totally giving us lumbersexual in the pic above. #amiright? • NowThisNews: Donald Trump continues to spread dangerous misinformation on COVID-19 to millions of Fox News viewers.

• Washington Blade: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Thursday signed three pro-LGBTQ measures into law ranging from ensuring transgender students are treated fairly, expanding the definition of a hate crime to include sexual orientation and gender identification, and allowing localities to ban discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, credit, or education based on sexual orientation or gender identity. • KIT212: Kenneth’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in local LGBTQ publications like the latest issue of South Florida Hot Spots featuring Bar Mizrahi. • The Advocate: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit just upheld a preliminary injunction against the Air Force, which appealed the decision of a district court in order to continue the discharge of personnel simply because they are living with HIV. • Netflix: The streaming platform has canceled RuPaul’s scripted series, AJ and the Queen, after only one season.

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News Round-Up: March 5, 2020

The West End cast of City of Angels
Some news items you might have missed: • West End Theater: The Donmar Warehouse’s Olivier Award-winning production of the Broadway musical City of Angels (starring my college bestie Vanessa Williams above) hits the boards on the West End for its first preview tonight. Word in theater circles is the show is stylish, smart, and stunning. • Greenville Journal: A county in South Carolina was about to repeal a 1996 anti-LGBTQ resolution when religious dissenters, citing “traditional family values,” overwhelmed the County Council meeting just before the vote causing two council members to change their votes. • The Hill: Vice President Pence, who is heading up the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus threat told reporters today the United States does not currently have enough tests to meet the expected demand. • Washington Blade: Chris Johnson is one of my favorite LGBTQ reporters and he’s penned an excellent assessment of the historic candidacy of Mayor Pete Buttigieg: “He made a mark on American politics — and not just because he broke barriers as a gay presidential candidate.” • Washington Post: Now that Mike Bloomberg has exited the race for the White House, he has announced he plans to form an independent expenditure campaign that will absorb hundreds of his presidential campaign staffers in six swing states (Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina) to work to elect the Democratic nominee this fall. • Out Music: Maia, who records under the moniker mxmtoon, released her exuberant single and music video, “fever dream,” where she dances with her past and future self.  “We wanted to work with the themes of the single to make a video that exemplifies the nostalgia the lyrics evoke but also the courage to move forward,” shares the out bisexual artist. With a blissfully nostalgic lilt, mxmtoon’s vocals are soothing and sure. The sentimental, upbeat melody is a refreshing escape from the clutter of today’s current news cycle. Her 2018 debut EP plum blossom – recorded in her parent’s guest bedroom – has garnered more than 100 million streams on Spotify. You can follow her on Instagram here.

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News Round-Up: March 4, 2020

Billy Porter (right) on the set of ‘Pose’ (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • Instagram: Emmy Award winner Billy Porter (above) looks euphoric as the cast of Pose begins working on Season 3. “I couldn’t be more excited to be back on set with my @poseonfx family today to start shooting season 3 of this show that I’m so proud to be a part of. I can’t wait for y’all to see what we have in store for you this season – it’s going to be epic hennies!” • Washington Post: Bipartisan congressional negotiators reached an agreement today on a roughly $8 billion emergency spending bill to combat the coronavirus, hoping to send it to Donald Trump’s desk by the end of the week. The deal must still be voted on by the House later Wednesday and the Senate on Thursday. • New Music: Loving the latest from Malia Civetz, “Broke Boy,” a gospel-tinged, pop bop that finds Civetz extolling her guy’s assets even if they aren’t financial. Her raise-the-roof, full-throated vocals paired with a body-positive/sex-positive message is definitely a winning combination. I think we’ll be hearing a lot from the powerhouse vocalist. “I love my broke boy…there’s no credit card that’s gonna buy my heart, cuz I gave it all to a broke boy.” 

• Cape Town: Two teen boys, aged 14 and 17, allegedly gang-raped a lesbian over the weekend in an attempt to ‘correct’ her sexuality just a day before the annual Cape Town Pride Festival on Saturday. • NBC News: After failing to win any states on Super Tuesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is reportedly “assessing” her path forward. Her campaign manager sent an email to staff Wednesday morning, saying that they are “disappointed” in the Super Tuesday results and that Warren will be “going to take time right now to think through the right way to continue this fight.” • Dazed: Straight men, like InstaHunk Ryan Yule (below), are apparently joining content-hosting fan sites like OnlyFans making soft porn for gay men. Yule makes a strong case for doing so: “I used to have a wank and wouldn’t get paid for it, and now, I get paid for it.” He reportedly has 250 subscribers at $15 a month. Minus the site’s 20 percent fee, that adds up to about $3,000 a month.

 

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InstaHunk Round-Up: Weekend Edition

(image via Instagram)
Checking in the Hunks of Insta this weekend. Brandon Osorio (above) got romantical with his boo: “Call Me by Your Name, but more Jewish and a little Cuban.” Woofy Joe Blizzard got some Sunday morning puppy love:

International supermodel Tyson Beckford was pensive as he reflected for a moment:

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Reflecting on Life #tysonbeckford #blackexcellence

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BJ Gruber is living large in Hollywood:

NYC-based trainer Johan Esbjornsson was giving piggyback rides on the beach:

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4 days countdown bebe!

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Dan Amboyer headed home to Michigan for the weekend:

The bears headed to Palm Springs for the annual International Bear Convergence:

Andrew Serkin was all aglow as he took in Celine Dion’s Courage tour:

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Courage. World tour.

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Rodiney Santiago shows you what 38 looks like as he celebrates his b-day:

It was a good day for fitness guy Dan Tai who finally found jeans to fit his 17 inch calves and 28 inch quads:

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Today is a good day. I found jeans that fit! And by the way… I wasn’t paid to say this 😅 I am sure you guys remember me asking everyone for recommendations for clothing companies that provide stretchy jeans. I searched up a lot but after speaking to @barbellappareleurope i knew I had to try their jeans. And you know what… MY LEGS FITTED! With 17 inch calves, 28 inch quads and a waist to match, I find jeans PRETTY challenging😅 Especially since my legs are short, I can’t remember the last time I had jeans that I felt comfy in. But with these bad boys, I can run, squat and all sorts! I’ve basically worn them all weekend🙈 I know a lot of you wanted to know my results so here you go! @barbellappareleurope and @barbellapparel for US.

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I think this one speaks for itself, amiright?

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Favorite sport…ever! #collegewrestling

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News Round-Up: February 28, 2020

(image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Woofy Joe Blizzard (above) thinks he looks ‘thick’ in this pic??? If only I were so ‘thick.’ Follow Joe on Instagram here. #beardgoals • New York Times: Stocks tumbled for a seventh consecutive day on Friday, with the S&P 500 index falling about 0.8 percent, bringing its loss for the week to more than 11 percent. It was the worst weekly decline for stocks since the 2008 financial crisis. • Washington Post: California has a second case of community transmission of the coronavirus, a 65-year-old resident of Santa Clara County who has no known history of travel to countries hit hard by the outbreak, people familiar with the case said Friday. There is also no apparent connection between the new patient and anyone else with the disease caused by the covid-19 virus. • KIT212: Kenneth rounds up the what’s what in local gay publications like Matt Spike on the cover of London’s QX Magazine (below).
(via QX Magazine)
• WDRB: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear defended a photograph of him posing with drag queens at a gay rights rally and accused a Republican lawmaker of using homophobic tactics by displaying the photo at a recent campaign rally while accusing Democrats of corrupting traditional values. Beshear, a Democrat, told reporters Thursday that he would pose for the photo again, saying he was practicing his faith to treat everyone with respect. • ABC News: A 19-year-old was taking a video of herself with a gun when she allegedly shot her 10-year-old nephew in the abdomen by accident, according to Texas authorities. Caitlyn Smith, 19, has been arrested and charged with serious bodily injury to a child — a second-degree felony. • New Music: Lady Gaga released “Stupid Love,” the first single off her highly anticipated sixth studio album. The single is accompanied by a music video that was shot entirely on an iPhone 11 Pro and directed by Daniel Askill. The not-so-good news: the music video is kinda silly, the costumes look like something out of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and the choreography is just so-so. The good news: Gaga is back in dance mode a la “Born This Way.” Her vocals are on point, the bop has serious bounce, and it’s all joy and love. This is one of those I’d rather listen to than watch 🙂

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News Round-Up: February 27, 2020

(image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Handsome Ignacio Pérez Rey (above) sums up France: “Nice is NICE!” Follow the world traveler on Instagram here. • LGBTQ Nation: A trans woman was shot at a gas station by a man shouting anti-trans epithets. But a judge ignored state law and ruled that it wasn’t a hate crime. • KWWL: The Iowa Democratic Party announced the results of the limited-scope recount requests from the Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders campaigns. The recount process resulted in no change to the National Delegate allocation. Pete Buttigieg has 14 national delegates, Sanders has 12. As a result of the recount, county-level delegate allocation changed in 19 precincts. • Out Music: Check out the new music video “Revival” from Broadway actor/singer Juwan Crawley (Aladdin). As a gay black man, Juwan started writing music as a response to the epidemic of police brutality towards and killings of innocent black Americans and has since used it as a platform for the values he holds dear. He continues to write music to express that which tethers us together: self-love, spirituality… and just f*cking fun.

• Gaily Grind: A disturbing cell phone video has been making the rounds on social media showing a Texas high school student viciously beating a transgender classmate. • Pew Research: About two-thirds of Americans (66%) feel worn out by the amount of news there is, while far fewer (32%) say they like the amount of news they are getting, according to a survey of more than 12,000 U.S. adults conducted in October and November of last year. • MSNBC: Democratic White House hopeful Mike Bloomberg tells Kasie Hunt in a new interview airing tomorrow morning on Morning Joe he intends to stay in the race “right to the bitter end.”

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Podcast: Billy Porter On Sesame Street, National Guard LGBTQ Inclusion, Homophobes In Croatia

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: • National Guard units are taking positive steps to promote LGBTQ inclusion • A crowd in Croatia cheered at the burning of an effigy depicting a same-sex couple with a child • Texas teacher wins $100K settlement for LGBTQ discrimination • Atlanta man convicted of rape after pretending to be gay in order to befriend lesbian • The ‘Love, Simon’ TV sequel will premiere in time for Pride Month on Hulu • One Million Moms is really, really mad Billy Porter is heading to Sesame Street All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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News Round-Up: February 25, 2020

Karl Thorssen (via Twitter)
Some news items you might have missed: • Twitter: After the hashtag #BisexualMenExist began to trend on Twitter, Karl Thorssen joined the party tweeting the pic above with the caption, “Joyfully reminding y’all that and sometimes take selfies in trucks.” #woof • The Advocate: An Atlanta man who pretended to be gay in order to befriend a lesbian has been convicted of raping her in 2015. • HRC: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who is technically still running for the Democratic nomination for president, refused to answer questions regarding LGBTQ issues for the Human Rights Campaign. • Politico: Two Florida Democrats have filed a lawsuit asking that Sen. Bernie Sanders be disqualified from the Democratic primary because he’s a declared independent. The two military veterans argue that because Florida has a closed primary only declared Democrats should be on the ballot. • Reuters: The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold a lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit against a Border Patrol agent for fatally shooting a 15-year-old Mexican boy on Mexican soil from across the border in Texas. The family sued in federal court accusing the agent of violating the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment ban on unjustified deadly force and the Fifth Amendment right to due process. The court dismissed the case saying people who are not in the United States at the time of a cross-border incident to file civil rights lawsuits in federal court. • New Music: Hailing from rural isolation on a sheep farm in the Scottish Highlands, ONR (pronounced “honor”) drops his new track “Sober” (feat. Carina Jade). The track draws musical inspiration from both indie rock and 80s synth-pop while the video is an intoxicating wash of pink, black and blue light. “Sober” is his debut release on Warner Records and the first off his forthcoming Must Stop EP, out May 15.

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News Round-Up: February 24, 2020

(image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: I hate to say it, I’m guilty of this as well, but Bremen Menelli (above) is right: there are no excuses to get some kind of workout in  – even if it’s just a few sets of bicep curls. Get up and do something folks. • Deadline: The TV series inspired by the praised 2018 movie Love, Simon is moving from Disney+ to the Disney-controlled Hulu streaming service. The half-hour comedy, which will be re-titled Love, Victor after its protagonist, will debut in time for Pride month. • Reuters: Stock market experts pointed to the growing coronavirus outbreak threat as well as the surging Bernie Sanders campaign for the S&P 500 managed healthcare index of health insurance stocks (SPLRCHMO) tumbling over 7% early Monday afternoon. • LA Times: Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of rape and a felony sex crime Monday. Weinstein was acquitted on the two most serious charges of predatory sexual assault, which each carried a potential life sentence. Sentencing for the 69-year-old is set for March 11. • Axios: The Trump White House and its allies, over the past 18 months, has assembled detailed lists of government officials perceived to be disloyal to oust. The plan would be to dismiss those officials and replace them with Trump loyalists. • NBC News/Marist Poll: A new poll in South Carolina shows Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) trailing former Vice President Joe Biden by only four points. That said, Biden continues to lead the pack of Democratic contenders among African American voters by double-digits with only five days before the South Carolina primary.

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Instagram Round-Up: Weekend Edition

Bruno Tarchetti in Brazil (via Instagram)
Catching up with some of my favorite InstaHunks… It seems like everyone is down in Brazil this week. You could title beefy Bruno Tarchetti‘s pic (above) ‘Bear takes flight in Brazil.” Kiko Riaze is attending the Revolution Party down at Carnival in Rio de Janiero:

Sexy Eliad Cohen took his uber-popular Papa Party world tour down to Rio for Carnival as well:

 

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@papaworldtour Carinval @theweekriodejaneiro 💥 📸 @igoramota Body painting by @vitor_martinez

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And Max Souza is giving you COSTUME down in Rio for Carnival as he expressed his appreciation for the invite to take part:

International pop star Ricky Martin declared he was ready for Miami (but was Miami ready for Ricky?):

 

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Hello #Miami. @premiolonuestro I’m ready. 📷 : @danielavesco

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Emmy Award-winning choreographer Travis Wall flew high above Hawaii:

Karlitos Amarilla says “Life is prettier on the beach!” If this is the view, I’d be inclined to agree:

 

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Por que la vida es más bonita en la playa!!! ☀️

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John Travolta recently joined ‘Mr. Worldwide’ himself, Pitbull, onstage in concert. Posted this twin bald pic from backstage:

 

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A knight hugged a dame as Sir Elton John welcomed Dame Olivia Newton-John to his concert in Melbourne:

 

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There is nothing like a Dame ❤️🚀 @therealonj 🚀❤️#EltonFarewellTour 📷: @bengibsonphoto

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