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News Round-Up: September 25, 2017

Ben Cohen

Some news items you might have missed:

• Rugby champ and LGBT ally Ben Cohen is more than enough woofy goodness for my Monday 😉

• Two male-identifying transgender students were kicked off a school bus in upstate New York after choosing to sit with other male students.

• Anti-same-sex marriage folks tried to hold a “Straight Lives Matter” rally down under in Sydney, Australia, as the country is currently in the middle of a vote-by-mail on marriage equality. A whopping 20 people showed up. #Fail

• Donald Trump’s nominee for a federal district judgeship says transgender folks are proof “Satan’s plan is working” and that he doesn’t see “anything right about same-sex marriage rights.”

• Former Congressman Anthony Weiner sentenced to 21 months in prison for sexting a 15 year-old girl.

• Among the many NFL players who spoke out against Donald Trump’s Twitter rant on those “taking a knee” during the national anthem football games was Trump pal and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who called Trump’s attacks “divisive.”

• Check out indie singer/songwriter Sara Phillips’ latest, “Rich and Famous.” Phillips wrote the hypnotic track as an homage to her journey through the music industry – “about trying to navigate the music industry, the loneliness of it all, and the hope that all the sacrifices you make will one day be worth it.” I find the song sexy and ethereal.

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North Korea Accuses Donald Trump Of Declaring War

The Foreign Minister of North Korea, Ri Yong Ho, accused Donald Trump of “declaring war” on his country referencing Trump’s tweet over the weekend that North Korea “won’t be around much longer.”

From CNN:

“Last weekend Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn’t be around much longer and declared a war on our country,” Ri said, according to an official translation of his remarks to reporters in New York.

“Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make all self-defensive counter measures, including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers at any time even when they are not yet inside the aerospace border of our country,” Ri said.

A White House spokesman said Monday the Trump administration had no reaction to the comments.

The ongoing war of words between the two nations saw several new fiery salvos on Saturday, a day on which the US military, in a show of force, flew bombers in international airspace over waters east of North Korea.

Speaking at the UN on Saturday, Ri said that Trump had made a missile attack on the US mainland inevitable by insulting the dignity of North Korea.

“None other than Trump himself is on a suicide mission,” Ri said in a speech at the UN General Assembly. “In case innocent lives of the US are harmed because of this suicide attack, Trump will be held totally responsible.”

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New Randy Rainbow: “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Korea?”

Everyone’s favorite political/Broadway parodist, Randy Rainbow, looks to The Sound of Music for inspiration for his latest musical skewering of Donald Trump with “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Korea?”

Randy also throws in a bit of Elton John’s “Rocketman” in pondering North Korea’s wild dictator, Kim Jong-Un.

Watch below:

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Russell Tovey To Play Gay Super-Hero On Super Crossover Storyline On The CW

Woofy actor Russell Tovey (HBO’s Looking, Being Human) will take a turn as gay super-hero The Ray in an upcoming four-episode storyline that will crossover four current shows on The CW.

From The CW website:

Raymond “Ray” Terrill was a reporter who discovered a group of government scientists working on a secret project to turn light into a weapon of mass destruction. But before he could report on his findings, the project head exposed Ray to a “genetic light bomb.” The bomb failed to kill him and instead gifted Ray with light-based powers. With these abilities, Ray realized he could go beyond reporting on injustice — he could take action to help stop it. Calling himself The Ray, he was recruited by Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters to fight violence and oppression wherever it exists.

Look for the “Crisis on Earth-X” event November 27-28 airing across Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash and Arrow.

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Azerbaijan Follows Chechnya In Rounding Up And Torturing LGBTs

(photo credit: Ghvinotsdaati, Wikimedia Commons)

After months of reports of gay men being rounded up and tortured in Chechnya, now the neighboring country is Azerbaijan seems to be following suit.

From Eurasianet:

Police have detained dozens of gay and transsexual people in Azerbaijan following a number of raids around Baku, with reports of torture and beatings, local LGBT activists have reported.

It’s unclear what prompted the roundup, or how many people have been affected. Lawyers working on the cases say that at least 100 people have been detained over a period of several days.

“Suddenly, without any clear reasons to us, police officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs organized raids against gay and transsexual people,” said Javid Nabiyev, the president of the Nefes LGBT Azerbaijan Alliance, in a video message published on September 22.

Nabiyev said that the raids took place in private homes and public places where gay people are known to congregate. Some of those detained have been forced to inform on their friends. Family members and lawyers have been denied access to the detainees.

The Sweden-based human rights group Civil Rights Defenders spoke to several activists in Baku on condition of anonymity.

“Activists report that the detainees were subjected to beatings, verbal abuse, and forced medical examinations, as well as transsexual women’s heads being forcibly shaven,” the group said in a statement. “Many were released only after giving up the addresses of fellow members of the LGBTI community, who were then in turn arrested and subjected to the same treatment. An undetermined number of those detained have been sentenced to either 20 or 30 days of administrative detention.”

Azerbaijan has a terrible record on LGBT rights and ranks near the bottom of European countries in terms of laws and practices regarding the LGBT community.

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Lock Him Up! Senior White House Adviser Jared Kushner Used Private Email Server

Now let me see, I seem to remember when Hillary Clinton used a private email account as Secretary of State, the folks in Trump land chanted “Lock her up!”

Via Politico:

Presidential son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner has corresponded with other administration officials about White House matters through a private email account set up during the transition last December, part of a larger pattern of Trump administration aides using personal email accounts for government business.

Kushner uses his private account alongside his official White House email account, sometimes trading emails with senior White House officials, outside advisers and others about media coverage, event planning and other subjects, according to four people familiar with the correspondence. POLITICO has seen and verified about two dozen emails.

“Mr. Kushner uses his White House email address to conduct White House business,” said Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Kushner in a statement Sunday. “Fewer than 100 emails from January through August were either sent to or returned by Mr. Kushner to colleagues in the White House from his personal email account. These usually forwarded news articles or political commentary and most often occurred when someone initiated the exchange by sending an email to his personal rather than his White House address.”

Politico also reports that private email accounts were also used for official business by former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, former White House adviser Steve Bannon, spokesman Josh Raffel and National Economic Council director Gary Cohn.

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Instahunk Round-Up

Just Because… Sunday Edition

A post shared by Jake Miller (@jakemiller) on Sep 20, 2017 at 4:20pm PDT

Beach day take 2! #rhodeisland #beachA post shared by Seth Tyler (@tylset) on Sep 24, 2017 at 10:25am PDT

Motel Ferry's 💞🏨 #countrylifeA post shared by Ignacio Pérez Rey (@igperey) on Sep 24, 2017 at 9:15am PDT

Get the sweat!💦A post shared by The Bear-Naked Chef (@thebearnakedchef) on Sep 23, 2017 at 1:40pm PDT

A post shared by Charlie Puth (@charlieputh) on Aug 20, 2017 at 6:39pm PDT
A post shared by Jake Miller (@jakemiller) on Sep 20, 2017 at 4:20pm PDT

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#TakeAKnee Movement Spreads After Trump Attacks Pro Athletes For Silent Protest

After Donald Trump continued his attack on NFL players who choose to take a knee during the National Anthem, the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday morning announced they will not appear on the field until the ceremony has concluded.

Trump took to Twitter this morning saying owners of NFL teams should fire players who refuse to stand for the National Anthem in a silent protest of racism and injustice.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin broke the news to CBS: “We will not bow on the field. We’re not participating in the anthem today.”

“These are very divisive times for our country. For us, as a football team, it’s about us remaining solid. We are not going to be divided by anything said by anyone. That’s the thing that I posted to our guys. I said, ‘If you feel the need to do anything, I’m going to be supportive of that. As Americans, you have that right.’ But whatever we do, we’re gonna do 100 percent, we’re gonna do together. We’re not gonna let divisive times or divisive individuals affect our agenda. This collection of men, we’re chasing something here in 2017, and we’re not gonna play politics with football players, with football coaches.”

“We’re not participating in the anthem today. Not to be disrespectful to the anthem, to remove ourselves from the circumstance. People shouldn’t have to choose. If a guy wants to go about his normal business and participate in the anthem, he shouldn’t be forced to choose sides. If a guy feels the need to do something, he shouldn’t be separated from his teammate who chooses not to. So we’re not participating today. That’s our decision. We’re gonna be 100 percent. We came here to play a football game. That’s our intentions, and we’re going to play and play to win.”

And over in London, where the Jaguars and the Ravens are playing, players linked arms in solidarity.

This is quite moving to see these men stand together on principle.

And it got bigger from there. Via USAToday:

Several players from the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons were among those who chose not to stand for the anthem. The Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets stood with arms locked, though some players from those teams chose to kneel.

And now the movement has spread to Major League Baseball as the Oakland A’s catcher, Bruce Maxwell, became the first MLB player to take a knee. Note: Maxwell comes from a military family.

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HIV Meds For African Nations For $75 Per Patient Per Year

Thanks to the Bill Gates Foundation, African nations will soon get life-saving HIV medications at a cost of only $75 a year per patient!

Via The Guardian:

Makers of generic AIDS drugs will start churning out millions of pills for Africa containing a state-of-the-art medicine widely used in rich countries, after securing a multi-million dollar guarantee that caps prices at just $75 per patient a year.

Global health experts hope the deal will help address two looming problems in the HIV epidemic – the rising threat of resistance developing to standard AIDS drugs, and the need for more investment in manufacturing capacity.

Bill Gates’ charitable foundation will guarantee minimum sales volumes of the new combination pills using dolutegravir, a so-called integrase inhibitor that avoids the drug resistance that often develops with older treatments.

In return the drugmakers, India-based Mylan Laboratories (MYL.O) and Aurobindo Pharma (ARBN.NS), will agree the maximum price of about $75 per patient for a year’s supply – less than the list price for one day’s supply of a dolutegravir combination in the United States.