At The Randy Report, I talk a lot about politics and the political positions we all have.
The official policies here today are definitely “pro-Thanks” and “pro-Giving.”
I’m thankful for so many things this year – especially my hot hubby, Michael, and the 1st Amendment š
That said, it’s easy for so many to enjoy this day. Whether wealthy or not, most of us have family, friends and a warm place to be today. I’m thankful that’s the case for me and my family today.
But there are many less fortunate.
Today I’m thinking of LGBTQ kids who have been turned out of their homes because their families won’t accept them for who they are, and they become homeless. And that’s just the beginning of a nightmare journey for these kids in crisis.
The mission of the Ali Forney Center in NYC is to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) youth from the harm of homelessness, and to support them in becoming safe and independent as they move from adolescence to adulthood.
The Center is committed to providing these young people with safe, dignified, nurturing environments where their needs can be met, and where they can begin to put their lives back together.
I humbly ask you to please take one minute – 60 seconds – and consider what a small donation could mean to help these young people.
If you feel so moved, click over to the Ali Forney Center website and consider this worthy organization when you think of “giving” today.Ā No amount is too small to help.
Or they can be mailed to:
Ali Forney Center
224 West 35th Street, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10001
I’m thankful every day that I get to share, post and pontificate here on The Randy Report.Ā Hopefully, I entertain a bit, help crack a smile, and every now and then inform.
As we head into the Halloween holiday with all its spooky, dress-up fun for everyone, I thought this PSA (which debuted in 2017) makes for a timely #ThrowbackThursday post.
Boys and girls all over the country will get excited this evening about dressing up as their favorite super-hero, comic book character or cartoon persona for Halloween.
And in this day and age, some of those choices might surprise parents.
This public service announcement serves as a touching blueprint for moms and dads who might feel concern as their kids go house to house on Halloween as, say, āBatmanā and āWonder Woman.ā
In the video, two children oversee their parents carving pumpkins with the logos of their favorite superheroes before running up to their rooms to suit up for a night of Halloween fun.
The two-minute video continues as the parents dutifully follow the mighty duo as they make their way from house to house in the neighborhood. We see one neighbor thanking the tiny tots for “keeping our streets safe” as the parents watch from the curb.
At the end of the clip, mom and dad tuck the kids into bed and thereās an important reveal.
One of the co-writers for the spot, Alexander Day, told HuffPost at the time, āHalloween can be a time people can express themselves in a certain way and not be attacked for it.ā
For those who get concerned about so-called āgender norms,ā just remember ā the kids are pretending no matter who or what they choose to dress as.
And that goes for the adults who enjoy the holiday as well.
Hereās hoping everyone has a fun and safe Halloween.
Out singer/songwriter Tom Goss’s new video, “La Bufadora,” features Goss and actor Daniel Franzese (Mean Girls, Looking), as a couple in crisis in Mexico.
La BufadoraĀ is a blowhole just south of Ensenada, Mexico.
Goss shares that the song was written “after a tension-filled weekend in Mexico with my husband.”
“I couldn’t help but notice the similarities betweenĀ La Bufadora (exploding in the middle of the serene ocean) and our emotions (constantly bubbling and ready to explode, just under the surface),” says Goss.
In the video, Goss and Franzese are vacationing in Mexico, but tensions build to physical conflict.
āAs humans, we can be so volatile or wounded at the drop of a hat,ā Goss told HuffPost. āSometimes it is a choice we make, sometimes it is the deep-seated triggers that live within our bodies and minds. Just like La Bufadora, we ebb and flow, rest and explode.ā
HuffPost notes that recent research by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control found that 26% of gay men and 37% of bisexual men have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
For lesbian and bisexual women, those rates are 43.8% and 61%, respectively.
ā¢ Deadline: Hunky Tom Welling (above – image via FB) will reprise his Smallville role of Clark Kent for the upcoming mega-crossover ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ on The CW. Two more former Supermen, Tyler Hoechlin and Brandon Routh, will also take part in the 5-part story arc which will unite the entire Arrowverse series franchise ā Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DCās Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman.
ā¢ The Advocate: A federal judge has ruled that an anti-LGBTQ church, D. James Kennedy Ministries based in Florida, can be labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a matter of free speech. SPLC lists the church as a hate group “because it maligns the entire LGBT community, portraying it as perverted and a threat to the nation.”
ā¢ Twitter: Two of my favorite tweets today come from Democratic White House hopeful Joe Biden. In the first, he congratulates Billy Porter on his historic win last night at the Emmy Awards. In the second, Joe gets his message across in a single sentence.
Tonight, you made history, @theebillyporter. And as you did it, you reminded us that there is so much more that unites us than divides us. You blazed a trail that will mean so much to so many young people who can now imagine themselves standing on that stage because of you.
ā¢ Bloomberg Business: At $28 billion so far, the farm rescue is more than twice as expensive as the 2009 bailout of Detroitās Big Three automakers, which cost taxpayers $12 billion. Plus, an August survey by Purdue University and the CME Group, 58% said farmers anticipate another round of trade aid next year.
ā¢ Billboard: Streaming music continues to grow in popularity. According to Nielsen Music, there have been 505.5 billion on-demand audio streams in 2019 so far. Thatās up 23% compared to the same time a year ago: 409.6 billion year-to-date through the week ending Sept. 13, 2018.
ā¢ Capitol Weekly: Tracking poll in California shows Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) leading the current pack of Democrats in the Golden State with 29% support; Sen. Bernie Sanders is at 21% support and former Vice President Joe Biden lands in 3rd with 18% support.
Simon Dunn attending the Diva Awards: “The closet Iāve ever been to going on a date with the opposite sex and also the most clothes Iāve ever worn…”
The Pentagon will deploy U.S. forces to the Middle East on the heels of the Iranian attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced Friday.
āThe United States has a responsibility to protect our citizens and our interests in the region,ā Esper said.
The strikes on the worldās largest crude-processing plant and oil field forced the kingdom to shut down half of its production operations. Whatās more, the event triggered the largest spike in crude prices in decades and renewed concerns of a budding conflict in the Middle East. All the while, Iran maintains that it was not behind the attacks.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabiaās defense ministry said that drone and missile debris recovered by investigators shows Iranian culpability. Saudi coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said during a press briefing in Riyadh that all military components retrieved from the oil facilities āpoint to Iran.ā
JUST IN: Pentagon to will deploy additional troops and military equipment to Saudi Arabia: "In response to the Kingdom's request, the president has approved the deployment of U.S. forces, which will be defensive in nature and primarily focused on air and missile defense." pic.twitter.com/jFbTYW4dN4
Want to distract from the growing whistleblower scandal? Start a war. Like now. The Pentagon will deploy US forces to the Middle East on the heels of the Iranian attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities https://t.co/3C7JiTlZGp
The Washington Post is reporting Donald Trump, during a communication with a foreign leader, allegedly made a ‘promise’ of some kind that triggered a report from a U.S. intelligence official.
Trumpās interaction with the foreign leader included a āpromiseā that was regarded as so troubling that it prompted an official in the U.S. intelligence community to file a formal whistleblower complaint with the inspector general for the intelligence community, said the former officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
It was not immediately clear which foreign leader Trump was speaking with or what he pledged to deliver, but his direct involvement in the matter has not been previously disclosed. It raises new questions about the presidentās handling of sensitive information and may further strain his relationship with U.S. spy agencies. One former official said the communication was a phone call.
Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson determined that the complaint was credible and troubling enough to be considered a matter of āurgent concern,ā a legal threshold that requires notification of congressional oversight committees.
But acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire has refused to share details about Trumpās alleged transgression with lawmakers, touching off a legal and political dispute that has spilled into public view and prompted speculation that the spy chief is improperly protecting the president.
In the weeks prior to the whistleblower’s complaint, White House records indicate communications between Trump and five world leaders, including a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the end of July.
As the Post points out, Trump has been a bit sloppy when handling classified intel in the past.
In May 2017, he shared “classified information about espionage operations in Syria to senior Russian officials in the Oval Office, disclosures that prompted a scramble among White House officials to contain the potential damage.”
Trump took to Twitter to ask, without a trace of irony, if anybody is “dumb enough to believe that I would say something inappropriate with a foreign leader?”
….Knowing all of this, is anybody dumb enough to believe that I would say something inappropriate with a foreign leader while on such a potentially āheavily populatedā call. I would only do what is right anyway, and only do good for the USA!
ā¢ InstaHunks: Hump Day inspiration from fitness guy Jeff Ferreira (above) who looks like he’s auditioning for the next poolside X-Men movie.
ā¢ Human Rights Campaign: International pop star and actor Ricky Martin will be honored with the HRC National Visibility Award at HRCās 23rd Annual National Dinner in Washington, D.C. on September 28, 2019.
ā¢ BBC: Rugby legend Gareth Thomas recently made headlines as he came out as HIV positive. Taking part in a new documentary for the BBC, watch the UK athlete become emotional as HIV expert Chloe Orkin explains that an undetectable viral load means the virus cannot be transmitted to others and can expect to live as long as those without HIV:
āPeople in the UK who are diagnosed early, have the same life expectancy as people who donāt have it.ā
Gareth Thomas: HIV and Me
Watch now on @BBCiPlayer
ā¢ Variety: According to reports, SNL hired now-fired comedian Shane Gillis in an attempt to attract more conservative viewers. His stand-up act jokes were fine, but then producers became aware of hours and hours of off-the-cuff, off-color comments on his podcast. And that was that.
ā¢ Instinct Magazine: My colleague Mickey Keating over at IM has been reporting on prominent West Hollywood resident, Ed Buck, who was arrested from his residence and charged with operating a drug house. Buck is now being called a violent, sexual predator who seeks men struggling with addictions and who are homeless.
“Lying Down,” penned by David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, and Sia (who you can easily imagine recording the song) plays right into Dion’s sonic super powers.
