LGBTQ news and entertainment
It’s not often one of the newer holiday songs comes along and actually sticks with me, but I’ve been smitten with “Every Time It Snows” from my first listening.
But the romantic nature of the lyrics and the soaring vocals by Grammy winners Olivia Newton-John and Jon Secada just kill me.
I love the little moment at the end between the two superstars 🙂
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| Sen. John McCain of Arizona |
CNN is reporting Sen. John McCain has announced he is heading home to Arizona to continue recovering from the side effects of chemotherapy for a brain tumor and will not be in Washington for the tax vote this week.
The Republican senator was admitted into the hospital on Wednesday after missing a third straight day of votes in the Senate. McCain suffers from a type of brain tumor called a glioblastoma. He was diagnosed with the tumor following surgery to remove a blood clot in July.
The final vote on the Republican tax bill is expected to take place early this week.
According to Donald Trump, McCain told him he would return to Washington DC if his vote became necessary.
.@POTUS: “I did speak to Cindy McCain, and I wished her well, I wished John well. They’ve headed back, but I understand he’ll come if we ever needed his vote — which hopefully we won’t.” https://t.co/OxiF0zKNnQ pic.twitter.com/4c0HcNlfnm— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 18, 2017
With McCain missing the vote, Corker’s unexplained flip flop becomes critical—potentially the deciding vote. This should bring extreme, heightened scrutiny to the #CorkerKickback.— Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) December 17, 2017
Donald (Alec Baldwin), Melania (Cecily Strong), Ivanka (Scarlett Johansson), Donald Jr. (Mikey Day) and Eric Trump (Alex Moffat) trim the White House Christmas tree with help from Kellyanne Conway (Kate McKinnon), Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Aidy Bryant), Mike Pence (Beck Bennett) and more.
There’s a big lump of coal in Donald Trump’s Christmas stocking according to two new polls by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The results show Trump is the least popular first-year president in the country’s history.
The survey shows the Trumpster’s approval rating at a dismal 32% and his disapproval rating at a sky-high 67%.
Of those polled, only 23% feel Trump has kept his campaign promises versus 45% who say he’s failed to keep them. Interestingly, 30% say he has “tried and failed.”
If you look to averaged poll results, Real Clear Politics says Trump is in the 37% approval range.
Ouch.
Note: According to Gallup, Barack Obama averaged 57.2% approval his first year as president.
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Some news items you might have missed:
• I’ve been fascinated by this pic of fitness model Quin Bruce (above). I find his expression captivating.
• A Tennessee county commission is planning a symbolic resolution condemning same-sex marriage after the U.S. Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land. #Whatever #WhyHate?
• All credit to Boy Culture for revealing not only did Democrat Doug Jones win the special Alabama Senate election this week, but Jones has a hottie gay son.
• A new poll shows a clear majority of Americans believe Donald Trump is guilty of sexual misconduct.
• Out actor and Teen Wolf star Charlie Carver has joined the cast of the upcoming all-star Broadway production of the groundbreaking gay play, The Boys in the Band, as “Cowboy.” The production is slated to run April 30-August 12 at the Booth Theatre on Broadway.
• The rumor around Washington DC is Donald Trump may fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller before Christmas. If that happens, watch hell break loose.
• I was just down in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, celebrating my hubby’s birthday and ran into underwear designer Andrew Christian. So in his honor, let’s celebrate a bit of the holiday season with his hottie models. Watch below.
The Center for Disease Control has been issued a list by the Trump administration of banned words in official documents in preparation for next year’s budget.
• Fetus
• Transgender
• Diversity
• Vulnerable
• Entitlement
• Science-based
• Evidence-based
How does a health agency not use the words evidence-based?
Or science based?
From The Washington Post:
The question of how to address such issues as sexual orientation, gender identity and abortion rights — all of which received significant visibility under the Obama administration — has surfaced repeatedly in federal agencies since President Trump took office. Several key departments — including HHS, as well as Justice, Education, and Housing and Urban Development — have changed some federal policies and how they collect government information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.
In March, for example, HHS dropped questions about sexual orientation and gender identity in two surveys of elderly people.
HHS has also removed information about LGBT Americans from its website. The department’s Administration for Children and Families, for example, archived a page that outlined federal services that are available for LGBT people and their families, including how they can adopt and receive help if they are the victims of sex trafficking.
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| Amy Laker and Lauren Price |
History was made today in Australia as the first same-sex marriage, between Lauren Price and Amy Laker, took place in Sydney.
The couple had been planning a commitment ceremony on the date for a long time. But with Ms. Price’s family having already traveled from Wales in the UK and the recent legalization of same-sex marriage, the couple asked for special permission to marry before the new law is to take effect next month.
Another couple, Amy and Elise McDonald, surprised their 60 guests gathered for a commitment ceremony with marriage vows today as well.
Originally planned as a commitment ceremony, the couple realized they qualified for an exemption from the waiting period on financial grounds in that McDonald’s family had traveled from Asia and the United Arab Emirates for the ceremony.
Watch the TV coverage below.
Congrats to the happy couple! And to Australia!
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| Sen. Bob Corker |
Short version: GOP Sen. Bob Corker, who is retiring, was a “no” vote on the current tax reform legislation.
He’s a multi-millionaire thanks to real estate investments.
Last minute language inserted into tax bill gives a big tax break to real estate investors.
Corker is now a “yes” vote.
From The International Business Times:
The new tax provision would specifically allow owners of large real estate holdings through LLCs to deduct a percentage of their “pass through” income from their taxes, according to experts. Although Trump, who became famous for his real estate holdings, has transitioned into branding in recent years, federal records show Trump has ownership stakes in myriad LLCs.
The new provision was not in the bill passed by the House or the Senate. Instead, it was inserted into the final bill during reconciliation negotiations between Republicans from both chambers. The provision, said experts, would offer a special tax cut to LLCs with few employees and large amounts of depreciable property assets, namely buildings: rent generating apartment and office buildings.
Sen. Bob Corker, who was considered a potential “no” vote on the bill, abruptly switched his position upon the release of the final legislation. Federal records reviewed by IBT show that Corker has millions of dollars of ownership stakes in real-estate related LLCs that could also benefit.
Corker won’t have anyone to answer to once he’s out of office next year except his bank account.
This entire tax reform bill has been cobbled together with NO public hearings in a matter of weeks. Republicans released the legislation at 4:30pm on a Friday with plans to vote on the bill next week.
Sen. Bob Corker just announced his support for the tax bill. Reminder: Corker's real-estate empire makes him up to $7 million a year of "pass through" income — the kind that could get a huge tax cut, depending on the final bill that will be unveiled today https://t.co/T5psoa0st4— David Sirota (@davidsirota) December 15, 2017
You know the Republicans are really proud of their tax bill because they are releasing it at 4:30PM on a Friday— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) December 15, 2017
Do you think the public should see @realDonaldTrump’s taxes before Congress votes Tuesday for a #GOPTaxScam that will probably be a windfall for him?— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) December 16, 2017
So the real estate shell loopholes that might have won Corker’s support for this abominable tax bill simultaneously enriches Trump himself and his corrupt family? Why am I not surprised? https://t.co/lNQaBi8DbS— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) December 16, 2017
This is absolutely huge — THEY ADDED IT TO THE FINAL BILL even though it wasn’t in the House- or Senate-passed versions https://t.co/j8NOGLxTIi— David Sirota (@davidsirota) December 16, 2017
Alabama peanut farmer Nathan Mathis, who criticized U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore this week for calling gays perverts, appeared on ELLEN today.
Mathis picketed outside Moore’s Midland City rally earlier this week with a sign which read:
Judge Roy Moore called my daughter Patti Sue Mathis (who committed suicide) a pervert because she was gay. A 32-year-old Roy Moore dated teenage girls aged 14 to 17. So that makes him a pervert of the worse kind.
In honor of Patti Sue, Ellen donated $25,000 to The Trevor Project which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth, courtesy of Shutterfly.
I won’t spoil it for you, but Mathis is beyond touching in his honesty talking about his daughter as well as exceedingly charming in the way he expresses his world views.
Make sure you hit play below and watch. You’ll be very glad you did.