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Covington Catholic High School Investigation: We Have Investigated Ourselves And Find We Did Nothing Wrong

An investigation commissioned by the Covington Catholic Diocese reports no evidence of racism by the students of Covington Catholic High School during the now-infamous incident at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2019.
Nick Sandmann and Nathan Phillips 

An investigation commissioned by the Covington Catholic Diocese reports no evidence of racism by the students of Covington Catholic High School during the now-infamous incident at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2019.

The encounter went viral after video of a male high school student appearing to smirk at a Native American elder was shared across social media platforms.

From The Washington Post:

A short video clip showed Nathan Phillips, playing a traditional drum, in an apparent standoff with student Nick Sandmann, who was wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat. The Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School, which arranged the trip, were among those who initially condemned the boys’ actions in the video.

The report, prepared by Greater Cincinnati Investigation, Inc. and dated Feb. 11, employed four licensed investigators for approximately 240 hours to take statements from students and chaperones, as well as to interview third-party witnesses and review about 50 hours of video. Investigators were not able to interview either Phillips or Sandmann in person and instead reviewed the student’s written account.

The investigators said they found no evidence that the students responded in an offensive manner to the black Hebrew Israelites or that they chanted “build the wall.” After asking chaperones, they performed a school cheer, according to the report, to drown out the black Hebrew Israelites.

Other key findings include testimony that the students felt “confused” when Phillips approached them. Investigators said they found no evidence of “racist or offensive statements by students to Mr. Phillips,” though some performed a “tomahawk chop.”

We have investigated ourselves and we find we are innocent.

It’s notable that neither Sandmann nor Phillips was interviewed by the investigators.

To this day, I don’t know that everyone was talking about being upset about the same thing.

Were people angry the kid seemed disrespectful?

Were people angry the Native American elder seemed aggressive?

Was this about a young man trying to show his buddies he was ‘tough’ and wouldn’t back down?

I don’t know.

I know, from my perspective, I saw a young man being rude and condescending to a senior citizen.

I wasn’t seeing a racial issue, I just saw a kid who was mocking a senior, thinking he was being ‘funny.’

I watched all of the video out there. I don’t know if someone wants to assign ‘blame’ about the incident even occurring, but nothing has convinced me the kid wasn’t just being a little punk.

You can find the report here.

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Sam Smith Posts Shirtless Pic To Overcome Body Shame

Sam Smith (photo: Ryan Pfluger)

Here’s something most of us mere mortals can relate to.

Grammy Award winner Sam Smith posted a shirtless photo of himself on a beach to his Instagram as he works towards overcoming his own sense of body shame.

In the caption, the singer admits he used to starve himself before photoshoots because of what he saw in the mirror.

“Yesterday I decided to fight the fuck back,” wrote Smith. “Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally.”

The shirtless pic was shot by photographer Ryan Pfluger on an undisclosed beach.

In the past if I have ever done a photo shoot with so much as a t-shirt on, I have starved myself for weeks in advance and then picked and prodded at every picture and then normally taken the picture down. Yesterday I decided to fight the fuck back. Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally. Some may take this as narcissistic and showing off but if you knew how much courage it took to do this and the body trauma I have experienced as a kid you wouldn’t think those things. Thank you for helping me celebrate my body AS IT IS @ryanpfluger I have never felt safer than I did with you. I’ll always be at war with this bloody mirror but this shoot and this day was a step in the right fucking direction 👅🤘🏼🍑
A post shared by Sam Smith (@samsmith) on Feb 12, 2019 at 10:15am PST

The post has garnered over 1 million likes since it was posted yesterday.

Here’s Smith’s full caption from the post:

In the past if I have ever done a photo shoot with so much as a t-shirt on, I have starved myself for weeks in advance and then picked and prodded at every picture and then normally taken the picture down.

Yesterday I decided to fight the fuck back. Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally.

Some may take this as narcissistic and showing off but if you knew how much courage it took to do this and the body trauma I have experienced as a kid you wouldn’t think those things.

Thank you for helping me celebrate my body AS IT IS @ryanpfluger I have never felt safer than I did with you.

I’ll always be at war with this bloody mirror but this shoot and this day was a step in the right fucking direction.

Tons of fans applauded the post, including America’s Next Top Model champ Nyle DiMarco, who wrote, “You look beautiful and I love that you’re embracing yourself. The benefits of embracing yourself outweigh the fallbacks of hiding. ALWAYS BE YOU!”

Out singer/songwriter (and newly-crowned 3-time Grammy Award winner) Brandi Carlile chimed in, “Sam. You look absolutely beautiful and healthy and you always have to me. You are a fucking dream. No one like you – I will get in a bar fight with anyone who says anything less.”

Sarah Jessica Parker added, “Simply divine my friend. Never more beautiful. I miss you.”

Pfluger posted the photo on his own Instagram, writing,

“My MFA thesis was on how photography is therapy. I did a TEDx talk on how photography is therapy. I feel so lucky to have met the people I have in my career & even luckier to create meaningful connections after working with people. @samsmith thank you for trusting me to facilitate photographs that empower your ownership of your body and mind. I honestly wish everyone relinquished themselves to the experience like you did. An experience that has brought us closer together & I look forward to creating with you through the years. All the love. Xoxo”

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El Paso Gay Bar Owner Attends Trump Rally

(image via Instagram)

An owner of a gay bar in El Paso, Texas, has come under fire for attending Donald Trump’s recent rally in his city.

Johnny Alcantar, one of five owners of The Old Plantation (known as the OP), not only took in the event but posted photos on his Instagram with other Trump supporters next to a Trump banner.

The post has since been deleted from Alcantar’s Instagram but not before being screen captured.

Alcantar has since disabled commenting on the post, but left the photo up.

A local drag queen and DJ, Puto Kahlo, noticed the post and shared it via social media saying he was “disgusted.”

In his Facebook post, Kahlo wrote, “Y’all, straight people are the first to try to profit off of our community and our art but won’t hesitate to support a man who has called trans people burdens, hasn’t done shit for community but try to erase us, degraded women, and perpetuated racist and xenophobic rhetoric.”

The post has been shared over 700 times at this writing.

Owner and CEO of the Old Plantation, Mark Adkins, apologized in a statement saying,”The Old Plantation Nightclub does NOT support Trump’s views or opinions especially towards our LGBTQ community.”

Adkins went on to say Alcantar is a minority stakeholder in the club and does not “represent The Old Plantation, its ownership or our community in any way.”

Additionally, the statement noted Alcantar had been spoken to about the Instagram post and “expressed his regret for posting about the rally on social media and his fundamental lack of knowledge about the ways in which Trump’s administration is working to stifle the rights of the LGBTQ community, as well as the rights of others in the greater El Paso community.”

The CEO closed his message saying, “It’s very easy to forget how to express and show love and respect when politicians, including our own president, are spreading division through their words and policies. We have faith, however, that love will always win.”

Local news station KTSM spoke with Alcantar who said he only attended the rally to see a sitting president.

“It was never my intention to hurt anyone,” Alcantar told KTSM. “I didn’t know the stuff that Trump was passing.”

“I don’t agree with everything that Donald Trump says,” he added, “But I have to support our President because he’s our current president; I don’t have any other choice.”

Alcantar also mentioned he “has gay friends and family members.”

Now, there’s a tired old trope…

Some members of the El Paso LGBTQ community are calling for a boycott of the club, which recently reopened after years of being shuttered.

What do you think, readers?

Is it plausible a straight man who invested in a gay bar in Texas had no inkling of Donald Trump’s attacks on the LGBTQ community?

Should the local community hold the bar responsible for a “minority stakeholder” attending a Trump rally?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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White House Says It’s ‘Absurd’ That Trump Encourages Violence At His Rallies

In the aftermath of a Trump supporter violently attacking BBC cameraman Ron Skeans at Donald Trump's El Paso rally this week, White House press secretary raised some eyebrows during an interview with Fox & Friends as she defended the president.

In the aftermath of a Trump supporter violently attacking BBC cameraman Ron Skeans at Donald Trump’s El Paso rally this week, White House press secretary raised some eyebrows during an interview with Fox & Friends as she defended the president.

“The idea that the president or anybody on his team or in his administration would encourage violence is absolutely absurd,” Sanders said. “The president stopped, asked and made sure everyone was okay before continuing on with the event. Certainly, we condemn violence in any form against anyone, and that certainly includes the press.”

As we all know, on several occasions, Trump has called for his supporters to address detractors with violence.

He has suggested “Maybe he should have been roughed up,” offered to pay the legal fees of supporters who “knock the crap” out of a protester, and even said himself, “I’d like to punch him in the face” regarding another protester.

Mediaite has much more of the Trumpster’s history of violent histrionics here.

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Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen) Comes Out In PEOPLE Interview, Drops New Music Video “Ease My Mind”

With his debut album set to drop March 29, Ben Platt comes out in an interview with PEOPLE
Ben Platt and Charlie Carver in “Ease My Mind” (screen capture)

For several years now, Broadway’s sensitive ‘golden boy,’ Ben Platt has captured the hearts and minds of theater audiences with his show-stopping performances in The Book of Mormon and his Tony Award-winning turn as the anxious, social misfit “Evan Hansen” in the hit musical, Dear Evan Hansen.

Now, he’s set his sights on conquering the music industry with his first solo album, Sing To Me Instead, set to drop on March 29.

He recently released the first two music videos from the album, both directed by longtime friend Nick Lieberman.

At the end of “Bad Habit,” after spending the bulk of the song missing a former lover, a last second shot revealed that lover to be out actor Charlie Carver (Teen Wolf, Boys in the Band).

At the time, this writer wondered, “Did Ben Platt just come out?”

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Platt does just that as he shares that wanted his audience to hear from the authentic “Ben.”

“If I was going to write about people I loved, I wasn’t going to pretend they weren’t men just because I hadn’t talked about that before,” Platt tells PEOPLE.

As he worked with a team of songwriters to create what he wanted to be a deeply personal statement about who he is, Platt felt the album would be his “first opportunity to represent my relationships and the men that I’ve loved.”

“I only wanted to take this leap if I was going to present every part of myself,” he adds.

Always a storyteller, Platt knew he wanted the collection of songs to have an arc that covered not only his personal relationships but “a grander perspective about bigger questions about family and mortality and things like that.”

Platt released the full music video for the gospel-tinged, “Ease My Mind,” today again incorporating a relationship with Charlie Carver in the story arc.

With the album release date looming on the horizon, Platt is also prepping for a concert tour to support the record.

“As a kid, I wanted to do an original musical and get a Tony, and so the fact that that happened is such a freeing thing,” says Platt. “Now I can sort of go down another path and see where that leads.”

(ht/ PEOPLE)

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News Round-Up: February 12, 2019

• America's Next Top Model & Dancing with the Stars champ Nyle DiMarco is asking Instagram "wyd (what you doing) on Valentines?" #MeMePickMe
Nyle DiMarco

Some news items you might have missed:

• America’s Next Top Model & Dancing with the Stars champ Nyle DiMarco is asking Instagram “wyd (what you doing) on Valentines?” #MeMePickMe

• Will & Grace star Sean Hayes is set to receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 30th annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on March 28. The Stephen F. Kolzak prize “is presented to a LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting LGBTQ acceptance.”

• State lawmakers in Tennessee may be targeting the LGBTQ community with discriminatory legislation, but the mayor of Nashville just signed an executive order intended to help LGBTQ-owned businesses.

• Movie star Chris Pratt got called out for attending an anti-gay church. So, of course, Ellen DeGeneres couldn’t wait to invite him on her show tweeting, “Whatever @PrattPrattPratt is selling, I’m buying!”

• Donald Trump, the first president in modern times to not have a dog, says he would feel “a little phony” having a dog. With all the lies he tells on a daily basis, having a DOG would make him phony? I’ve always felt if someone doesn’t like dogs, I probably wouldn’t like them.

• Lots of folks come to together to make dance/pop bop, “So Close,” a lively, infectious track.

With Swedish producers NOTD, German DJ Felix Jaehn and vocalist Georgia Ku onboard, plus California remixers Captain Cuts, the resulting collaboration makes for upbeat ear candy. That chorus definitely has some melodic, catchy DNA.

I like the music video, although the camera work gets a bit kinetic for me. Check it out.

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Hillary Trolls Trump On Copying Her Campaign Slogan

Hillary Clinton trolled Donald Trump and the Republican Party on his use of the phrase "Stronger Together" at his El Paso, Texas, rally last night.
Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton trolled Donald Trump and the Republican Party on his use of the phrase “Stronger Together” at his El Paso, Texas, rally last night.

Trump repeated the phrase during his speech, and the GOP tweeted the phrase out superimposed on an image of the Trumpster.

Hillary was clearly flattered they liked her campaign slogan, so she encouraged them to “copy my plan on health care, a fairer tax system and voting rights.”

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Trump Supporters Violently Attack Media During Trump Rally

A violent Trump supporter shoved a BBC cameraman and starting yelling profanities during Donald Trump's rally in El Paso, Texas, last night.

A violent Trump supporter shoved a BBC cameraman and starting yelling, “F*ck the media! F*ck the media!” during Donald Trump’s rally in El Paso, Texas, last night.

From NPR:

The BBC’s Ron Skeans was working in the area of a raised camera platform at Trump’s campaign event when, he says, a “very hard shove” came out of nowhere. At the time, Trump was touting recent economic numbers to a roaring crowd in the El Paso County Coliseum.

Skeans’ colleagues say the apparent attack came after repeated verbal assaults on the media during the event. The BBC says it is “clearly unacceptable for any of our staff to be attacked for doing their job.”

“I didn’t know what was going on,” Skeans said, according to the BBC, describing the moment when his camera suddenly skewed down and away from the stage. Video footage showed a Trump supporter yelling obscenities as he was restrained and taken away from the area.

The incident was apparently so wild and noticeable that even Trump stopped to check and see if the cameraman was fine asking, “You all right? Everything OK?”

The BBC’s Washington news editor, Eleanor Montague, tweeted that Trump had whipped the crowd “into a frenzy against the media” prior to the attack.

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Lawmaker Suggests He’d Drown His Own Children If They Were Gay

Continuing his attacks on the LGBTQ community, a West Virginia lawmaker suggested he would drown his own children if he found out they were gay.
West Virginia Republican Eric Porterfield

Continuing his attacks on the LGBTQ community, a West Virginia lawmaker suggested he would drown his own children if he found out they were gay.

West Virginia delegate Eric Porterfield sat down with local NBC affiliate WVVA to discuss his homophobic comments made last week where he called the LGBTQ Community “a modern day version of the Klux Klan.”

WVVA’s Rachel Anderson asked Porterfield what he would do if his “adorable daughter” or “precious son” came out to him as gay?

Proudly wearing a red MAGA hat, the first term lawmaker replied, with a wide smile, “Well, I would dress my daughter first, as I would take her for a pedicure, I’d take her to get her nails done, and see if she could swim.”

“If it was my son, I would probably take him hunting, I would take him fishing, then I’d see if he could swim,” he added, again flashing a chilling smile.

After a pause, Anderson asked Porterfield to clarify what he meant by “see if they could swim?”

“I just want to make sure they could swim,” he reiterated and then again beamed with a smile.

Anderson, clearly flustered, asked one more time, “What do you mean?”

“That’s just it – I’d take them out to do activities,” said Porterfield.

Porterfield found himself in the national spotlight last Wednesday when he vociferously advocated for an amendment to a bill that would have prohibited local towns and cities from passing their own anti-discrimination laws for LGBTQ people.

West Virginia has no statewide protections for LGBTQ citizens.

Debating the legislation, Porterfield called anti-discrimination laws “bigoted,” “intolerant,” and “discriminatory.”

“The LGBT is the most socialist group in this country,” he said. “They do not protect gays. There are many gays they persecute if they do not line up with their social ideology.”

He also used the word “faggot” during the debate while referencing the speaking tour of controversial homocon, Milo Yiannopoulos.

Speaking to The New York Daily News on Monday, Porterfield adamantly stood by his comments, saying, “I stand by my statements; I double down on my statements.”

“They’re the closest thing to political terrorism in this country,” he said of the LGBTQ community. “If you don’t agree with them or give them their way, they’ll intimidate you, threaten you and bully you. They want people’s freedom to be restricted.”

WVVA reports West Virginia’s GOP Chairwoman Melody Potter has issued a statement denounced his comments, describing them as “hateful, hurtful, and do not reflect the values of our country.”

“As West Virginians, we are taught to respect one another, love our neighbors, and when we disagree to seek understanding of our fellow Mountaineers.

In recent days, Delegate Eric Porterfield has made comments that are hateful, hurtful, and do not reflect the values of our country, our state, and the Republican Party.

These comments are unacceptable and we denounce them. They have no place in America.

We may disagree on policy, politics, and the direction of our state, but we can disagree civilly and respectfully because intolerant and hateful views hold us back, divide us, and hurt our state.”

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News Round-Up: February 11, 2019

Austin Wolf (via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Austin Wolf (above) took time to recover in Miami from last week’s Atlantis cruise.

• The Tennessee Republican Party is attempting to ban marriage equality again in an effort to get the issue back in front of the Supreme Court – of course, this time with a court tilted in their favor.

• Over the weekend, I reported on West Virginia Del. Eric Porterfield, who got in hot water for calling the LGBT community a “modern day KKK.” Now, an interview clip has surfaced where he says he would “see if they could swim” if a child of his came out to him.

• A gay Trump supporter, who happens to be the brother of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ mistress, may have been the one who leaked private photos and text messages to the National Enquirer to embarrass and smear Bezos.

• In addition to legislation introduced by Democrats in the House and Senate aimed at protecting transgender military service members, Massachusetts Rep. Joseph Kennedy III will introduce a non-binding resolution in the House of Representatives rejecting the ban. The legislation currently has 103 co-sponsors.

• Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló‘s administration on Feb. 8, 2019, issued guidelines that urge public employees in the U.S. commonwealth to be more sensitive to the needs of LGBT people and their children.

• Check out the trailer for Teen Spirit, a visceral, stylish spin on the Cinderella story from the producer of La La Land.

Starring Elle Fanning, the film’s soundtrack features music by LGBT artists and favorites including Robyn, Ellie Goulding, Tegan & Sara, Annie Lennox, Orbital, Sigrid, Carly Rae Jepsen & Jack Antonoff. Additional music by Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Grimes, The Undertones, Aqua, Alice Deejay, Whigfield, Major Lazer and No Doubt.