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Honey Boo Boo’s “Uncle Poodle” reveals HIV-positive status

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo cast member Lee Thompson, who is known on the show as Uncle Poodle and who gained praise last year for being out on the program, has revealed that he had his former boyfriend charged with HIV transmission after learning that he himself was HIV-positive last year.

Dino: Lee, when did you find out about your HIV status?

Lee: I was adamant about getting my HIV status checked on a regular basis. On March 16, 2012, I tested negative. Then, in May of 2012 my test results came back positive. I knew it had been my boyfriend who infected me. I later learned he had been HIV positive and was not taking medication and had not bothered to tell me about it. I was advised that I should press charges and, hesitantly, I did. It was the right thing to do.

Dino: What happened to your ex?

Lee: He is serving a 5-year sentence. I would have been cool with his HIV status if he had been honest. I don’t have an issue with the disease. I would have known how to protect myself.

Dino: What is your message to folks having unsafe sex?

Lee: They are damn fools! They are playing Russian roulette; they are playing with their lives and that of their sexual partners.

(source)

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Rhode Island: Governor Chafee launches marriage equality campaign from local church

House Speaker Gordon Fox has called a vote on gay marriage legislation in his chamber by month’s end, making Rhode Island the latest state to address an issue whose supporters see things swinging their way after last November’s election.

The House Judiciary Committee is set to hear testimony from supporters and opponents on Tuesday.

If earlier hearings are any indication, it’s likely to be a long, contentious day filled with protest signs, tears and sometimes bitter arguments over one of our culture’s most basic institutions.

Via YahooNews

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Gun advocate James Yeager has handgun permit suspended after threat of violence

From ThinkProgress: James Yeager, CEO of Tennessee-based Tactical Response, delivered a frightening rant last week on YouTube, declaring that gun owners “load your damn mags” and “get ready to fight,” because if gun violence prevention “goes one inch further, I’m going to start killing people.”  (emphasis mine)

His followup video was not any better: Yeager clarified he does not “condone anyone committing any kind of felonies, up to and including aggravated assaults and murders, unless it’s necessary.  Right now, it’s not necessary.” There was no retraction.

As a result, Yeager has had his handgun permit suspended because of “material likelihood of risk of harm to the public.”

Tennessee Department of Saftey and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons said, “Mr. Yeager’s comments were irresponsible, dangerous, and deserved our immediate attention. Due to our concern, as well as that of law enforcement, his handgun permit was suspended immediately.”

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Lance Armstrong admits to using “performance enhancing” drugs

According the the AP, a person familiar with the situation says Lance Armstrong confessed to Oprah Winfrey during an interview Monday that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the interview is to be broadcast Thursday on Winfrey’s network.

(source)

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NY: State legislature passes sweeping gun laws including banning assault weapons

The New York Senate has passed a landmark gun control bill that would ban assault weapons, the NYT reports:

The state Senate, controlled by a coalition of Republicans and a handful of Democrats, approved the legislative package just after 11 p.m. by a lopsided vote of 43 to 18. The Assembly, where Democrats who have been strongly supportive of gun control have an overwhelming majority, planned to vote on the measure Tuesday…

..The expanded ban on assault weapons would broaden the definition of such weapons, banning semiautomatic pistols and rifles with detachable magazines and one military-style feature, as well as semiautomatic shotguns with one military-style feature. New Yorkers who already own such guns could keep them but would be required to register them with the state.

The legislative package, which Mr. Cuomo said he believed would be “the most comprehensive package in the nation,” would ban any gun magazine that can hold over 7 rounds of ammunition — the current limit is 10 rounds. It would also require background checks of ammunition buyers and automated alerts to law enforcement of high-volume purchases.

The legislation would increase penalties for multiple crimes committed with guns, would require background checks for most private gun sales, and create a statewide gun-registration database.

UPDATE: The NY Assembly has passed the measure 104-43. Governor Cuomo has indicated he will sign the measure.

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Wyoming to consider LGBT marriage or other protections

Marriage equality, or some form of legal protections for gay and lesbian couples, could become a reality in Wyoming sometime soon.

The Jackson Hole Daily reports on a pair of bills that have been introduced with bipartisan support, backed by Jackson Republican Rep. Keith Gingery and Laramie Democratic Rep. Cathy Connolly:

House Bill 169 would change the state’s definition of marriage to say that marriage is a civil contract between “two natural persons.” Current law says that marriage is a contract between “a male and a female person.”

This piece of legislation would plug gay marriage into the state’s existing framework for marriage, Gingery said. It simply would open the rights afforded to heterosexual couples to gay couples as well.

“Legally speaking, I would prefer the gay marriage bill,” he said. “We already know how it works.”

House Bill 168, which Connolly filed Monday, would create a legal framework for domestic partnerships, allowing same-sex couples to “obtain the rights, responsibilities, protections and legal benefits provided in Wyoming for immediate family members.”

The law would consider a member of a domestic partnership to be a spouse under all state rules and laws.

Gingery is a Catholic and says the bills protect church policy.

(via Towleroad)