A new a Reuters/Ipsos poll may be good news for Mayor Pete Buttigieg as the survey shows age may be a more disqualifying factor for presidential candidates than sexual orientation.
Overall, the poll found that 48% of adults in the United States said they were “much” or “somewhat” less likely to support someone for the White House if the person was older than 70, while 34% were less likely to vote for someone who is gay.
And 12% said they were more likely to vote for a gay candidate, compared with 11% who said they were more likely to support a candidate who is over 70.
The current Democratic field of candidates running for the 2020 presidential nomination includes two septuagenarians – former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The poll also showed that minorities were more likely to be supportive of a gay candidate than whites, and millennials were more supportive than Baby Boomers. Additionally, urban dwellers were more supportive than those living in rural areas.
Aftabjit Singh arrested at DC Pride for pulling a gun
The mass stampede that brought an end to DC Pride this weekend was triggered by an altercation involving a straight couple, according to the Washington Blade.
When a concerned citizen flagged down police to point out a man with what looked to be a gun, officers approached Aftabjit Singh, 38, and “conducted a stop.”
The officers saw “what appeared to be the body and trigger of a silver handgun” in Singh’s bag. It turned out to be a BB gun.
Singh admitted to pulling the gun on another man who he claimed hit on his “significant other.” He was arrested and charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of a BB gun, Carrying a Dangerous Weapon (Outside Home or Place of Business), and Disorderly Conduct – Cause Unreasonable Fear.
His girlfriend, Melissa Duffy, 43, was also charged for assaulting a police officer after she became irate over her boyfriend being arrested.
When the crowd reacted to Singh pulling the gun, hundreds of Pride attendees went running. Police report at least seven were hospitalized for minor injuries.
Police didn’t confirm any gun shots fired, although several people reported they heard what sounded like ‘popping’ sounds. Tom Roussey, a reporter for the local ABC affiliate, tweeted that police believe the crashing sound of barricades being knocked down by frightened spectators was the cause of the sounds.
.@DCPoliceDept says officers found a gun inside Dupont Circle near this man. He is under arrest and will face a gun possession charge. They don’t believe he actually fired it. Their theory is the loud bangs were barricades crashing as the crowd ran away. pic.twitter.com/N6RFeQ4DDL
Panic at pride. Dozens of people started running from Dupont Circle. I’m trying to find out what happened. @ABC7Newspic.twitter.com/mHoDp4X1Gm
— Victoria Sanchez (@VictoriaSanchez) June 8, 2019
100 Americans are killed by guns every day so of course people are running for their lives. This isn’t how we should have to celebrate #DCPridepic.twitter.com/9X8RhrmNoE
#DCPride#CapitalPride#shooting Marching in the Gay Pride parade in Washington DC. As my girlfriend and I were walking past Dupont Circle, apparently someone started shooting. I did not hear the shots, but caught the moment of the stampede. People went quickly from smiling, pic.twitter.com/oPQdIrM3dG
I was a member of the theater community years before I realized I was also part of the LGBTQ community.
As a young kid, I found the theater to be a safe space. Wondering, pretending, working hard to acquire skills I would eventually take pride in – these were all things that helped me become the man I am today.
Hey hey – check that word ‘pride’
And it was in that community that I discovered an extended family that became even closer to me than my birth family.
I was fortunate to spend decades working professionally in the theater, and specifically on ‘the Broad Way.’
I think it’s awesome that the Tony Awards, theater’s biggest night, falls during Pride Month. My two worlds celebrating at the same time, and both with a sense of pride and community.
I’m looking forward to watching the telecast on CBS tonight for several reasons.
Having appeared in Broadway productions (Chicago the Musical, Follies, Hello, Dolly!) I can tell you when you’re working on a show that’s nominated – and especially when your show wins – there is a sense of pride in the work you’ve accomplished that always gave me a lump in my throat and my heart beat a bit faster.
Tonight, as theater hands out its highest honor, I’ll be cheering as so many of my friends and extended family are recognized for the incredible work they bring to the Great White Way.
And there are several LGBTQ-themed productions and out actors in the mix to take home Tonys tonight.
The Prom, a ground-breaking musical comedy about a midwestern high school student who is told she can’t bring her lesbian girlfriend to the prom received 7 nominations including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Director as well as Best Leading Actor/Musical for Brooks Ashmanskas and two Best Leading Actress/Musical noms for Beth Leavel and Caitlin Kinnunen.
The production already won the Drama Desk Award for “Best Musical” so you can bet it’s in the hunt for the top trophy.
Choir Boy, a coming-of-age story that follows a gay choir leader at a boarding school for black men by Moonlight’s Tarell Alvin McCraney, received 5 nominations including Best Play and Best Leading Actor/Play (Jeremy Pope).
Two acclaimed LGBTQ-themed revivals of plays – The Boys in the Band and Torch Song – were nominated for Best Revival of a Play. Even though Boys had an all-star cast, only Robin De Jesús scored a nomination for his performance.
The Cher Show, which chronicles the life and music of the one and only Cher, was shut out of the Best Musical category but received 3 nominations (Best Actress/Musical, Best Costumes/Musical and Best Lighting Design/Musical). Stephanie J. Block scored the Drama Desk Award for “Outstanding Actress in a Musical.”
Additionally, Judith Light will be honored with the Isabelle Stevenson Award, which is given “to an individual from the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations, regardless of whether such organizations relate to the theatre.”
Two-time Tony Award winner Judith Light
Already a two-time Tony Award winner for Other Desert Cities and The Assembled Parties, Light will receive the honorary award for her decades of work on behalf of the LGBTQ community and HIV/AIDS advocacy.
“The HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ communities are inspirations and demonstrations of how to be and live in the world; courageous, honorable, and uplifting,” said Light in a statement.
“They inspire me and it is my privilege to be of service to them,” she added. “I am humbled by this recognition from my theater family, whom I so respect, honor, and love.”
I stopped making predictions long ago, but it does seem the artsy Hadestown has found many fans in the race for “Best Musical,” although the show was not nominated in that category at the Drama Desk Awards.
And ok, I lied – I’ll make one prediction for Stephanie J. Block to take home a Tony for her impressive turn as ‘Star’ Cher in The Cher Show. (Three actresses play the Oscar winner at different stages of her life/career).
Block has a huge body of work the already includes two Tony nominations, her performance was easily one of the best on Broadway this season, and she’s very well liked by the theater community.
Note – The New York Times reports this interesting factoid about tonight’s proceedings:
“This year, for the first time, voters are receiving personalized electronic ballots based on their self-reported attendance, meaning that they cannot vote in categories in which they have not confirmed seeing all the nominees. As a result, the number of ballots cast, particularly in play categories, is likely to be smaller than in past years.”
So, keep that in mind when you enjoy the telecast.
The 73rd Annual Tony Awards will be broadcast on CBS beginning at 8pm EST hosted by The Late Late Show’s James Corden.
Homophobe Franklin Graham celebrated on his Facebook page the news that the Trump administration is rejecting requests from US embassies to fly the Pride flag during Pride Month.
“I want to thank President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for making the decision not to fly the gay flag over our embassies during June in recognition of gay pride month. That is the right decision.
“The only flag that should fly over our embassies is the flag of the United States of America.
“The gay pride flag is offensive to Christians and millions of people of other faiths, not only in this country but around the world. The U.S. flag represents our nation—everyone—regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation.”
What a dick.
You’re offensive to Jesus, you money grubbing fraud.
Because it has to be said again, corrupt MAGA loons like Jerry Falwell Jr and Franklin Graham use religion and faith as a hate for profit scam to get richer. A line in the Bible to them is either a pay day or a cover for their dirty deeds, period.
It was an unusual outburst for a classical music concert: an audience member shouted out “Wow!” at the very end of Mozart’s “Masonic Funeral Music,” performed by the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston. The group’s president and CEO, David Snead, was determined to find out who had broken audience protocol in such a forthright way. The answer to his query proved very surprising, as Steve Hartman discovered.
Marsha P. Johnson (Credit: Diana Davies/New York Public Library)
As we recognize Pride Month, in addition to the celebrations and Pride festivals/parades, I do want to offer a few short bits of history along the way so we know whose shoulders on which we stand today.
Pioneering drag performer, activist and a leader at the Stonewall Rebellion will be honored with a monument near the Stonewall Inn this year.
Learn why in one minute:
“Darling, I want my gay rights now.” 🙌
In celebration of #PrideMonth, we pay tribute to Marsha P. Johnson, the unapologetic activist who led the ’69 Stonewall Rebellion in NYC that gave birth to the modern LGBTQ movement. pic.twitter.com/FesVwBxmK9
The New York Times, in reporting on Donald Trump’s ‘last minute’ escape from implementing tariffs on Mexico, notes the pattern Donald Trump seems to have in his negotiations that end up with – who else? – him looking like a hero for a mess he created in the first place.
These are often dramas of his own making, with him naturally the hero. He stakes out maximalist positions and issues brutal ultimatums to compel action, arguing that extreme problems demand extreme tactics. At times, though, it can seem like little more than smoke and mirrors substituting for serious policymaking, a way of pretending to make progress without actually solving the underlying problem.
“This is a pattern we’ve seen since the first days of this administration,” said Ned Price, a former C.I.A. official who worked on President Barack Obama’s National Security Council staff and is now director of policy at National Security Action, a progressive foreign policy advocacy organization.
“The president manufactures a crisis, galvanizes his base around the challenge, leaves the definition of success undefined, pretends to play hardball and, lo and behold, finds a solution that entails little more than window-dressing, if that,” Mr. Price said. “For Trump, it’s a win-win.” But “the loser tends to be the American people, oftentimes Trump’s base first and foremost,” he added.
As I, and many other people smarter than me, noted already, the ‘deal’ Trump announced with Mexico is actually a collection of prior agreements with our southern neighbor assembled to look like a wholly new agreement.
Back in 2014, out recording artist Sam Smith debuted his new cover of the Whitney Houston hit “How Will I Know” while visiting the SiriusXM Studios yesterday.
I love when folks slow a song down and we discover a whole new side to the writer’s work.
DC Police say no shooting took place during @CapitalPrideDC parade in Dupont Circle but the end of the parade has been canceled out of an abundance of caution. #dcpride— Washington Blade (@WashBlade) June 9, 2019
There have been reports of gunshots at Washington DC Pride.
Very few details at this time. DC Pride has announced the Pride parade has been suspended.
According to reports, a heavy police presence is responding.
BREAKING: Reports of shots fired and injuries at DC gay Pride Parade. Mass panic as crowd disperses quickly. Heavy police presence responding. This as the 3rd anniversary of the Pulse shooting approaches next week. @cnnbrk@msnbcpic.twitter.com/ZNfyRXhjjE
100 Americans are killed by guns every day so of course people are running for their lives. This isn't how we should have to celebrate #DCPridepic.twitter.com/9X8RhrmNoE— Jay Franzone (@JayFranzone) June 8, 2019
As we celebrate our strength and resilience of not just surviving but thriving as a community during Pride Month, it’s also important to remember even the strongest among us might need a word of support.
“Just know that you can call me, and I’ll always be there.”
With over 1 billion-plus streams, she has been praised by folks at Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, Paper Mag and Marie Claire, and clocked appearances on CONAN, Good Morning America and more.
Known for her recent single “Halfway There,” the “Official Anthem of the 2019 Women’s March,” the Philadelphia artist intentionally worked with an all-female team to produce the new track.
(photo credit: Adam Contiello)
The song sounds the alarm in support of mental health, an important topic close to the talented artist, who says “our mental health is not a burden.”
“I think it’s important that we do not underestimate the power of a phone call,” shares ROZES regarding the inspiration of the song. “The courage to reach out can change a life, and maybe it’s your own. It’s honest about mental health and offering hopeful hand to those in the thick of it.”
Sensitive, passionate, and candidly emotional, “Call Me” falls right in the sweet spot for the multi-platinum artist.
An artist worthy of your attention. If you like Alicia Keyes or Adele, hit the play button below.
