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Driver In Wilton Manors Pride Crash Apologizes For ‘Horrible Accident’

The alleged driver of the truck that drove into attendees at the Wilton Manors Pride parade.

The alleged driver of the truck that drove into attendees at the Wilton Manors Pride parade.
(screen capture)
The man who was behind the wheel of the truck that accidentally killed one Wilton Manors Pride parade participant over the weekend and injured two others has issued a statement and apology. From The Daily Beast:

Fred Johnson Jr., who has been named by police as the driver of the vehicle that veered out of control killing one person and injuring two others at Saturday’s Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors, FL, has offered his “sincere regrets to all those who were impacted by this tragic event.”

In a statement sent to The Daily Beast, Johnson, 77, who is a member of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus—as were the deceased, James “Jim” Fahey, 75, and two injured men, Jerry Vroegh, 67, and Gary Keating, 69—wrote, “This was a horrible accident… I love my Chorus family and the community, and would never do anything to intentionally harm anyone. Please know that I hold my fellow Chorus member, Jim Fahy, in my heart forever and offer my condolences to his friends and family.”

Fort Lauderdale police are still gathering evidence, but have acknowledged the incident seems to have been an accident. Apparently, due to health issues Johnson was unable to walk in the parade so he was chosen to drive the white pickup truck. As he moved the vehicle into position for the start of the parade, the truck accelerated unexpectedly, striking the victims.

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Hate Pastor Celebrates Fatal Accident At Pride Parade: ‘I Hope They All Die!’

Jonathan Shelley of the Stedfast Baptist Church

Jonathan Shelley of the Stedfast Baptist Church
Jonathan Shelley of the Stedfast Baptist Church
Hemant Mehta at The Friendly Atheist highlights this hideous ‘sermon’ from Pastor Jonathan Shelley of the Stedfast Baptist Church in Hurst, Texas. In the clip, Shelley celebrates the tragic accident that occurred over the weekend at Wilton Manors Pride when a 77-year-old man driving a pickup truck accidentally drove into attendees killing one gay man and severely injured another. Here’s the transcript via Mehta:

It is going beyond just saying you do all this wicked stuff. It’s saying you enjoy it. You enjoy murder. You enjoy malignity. You enjoy hating God.

Look, there’s only one group that enjoys that: It’s the Pride parades going up and down the street. And, you know, it’s great when trucks accidentally go through those, you know, parades. I think only one person died. So hopefully we can hope for more in the future.

You say, “Well, that’s mean.” Yeah, but the Bible says that they’re worthy of death! You say, “Are you sad when fags die?” No, I think it’s great! I hope they all die! I would love it if every fag would die right now. And you say, “Well, I don’t think that’s what you really mean.” That’s exactly what I mean. I really mean it!

Shelley garnered headlines in 2019 when he told congregants that the answer to rebellious children is to stone them to death.

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One Year Ago Today: Snoopy The Wonder Dog

Snoopy the wonder dog

Snoopy the wonder dog One year ago today our lives were changed for the better when this guy became a part of our family for far too short a time. Snoopy adopted us on June 22, 2020, after being surrendered by his only family at the age of 14 and a half. A short time later we discovered he had advanced cancer. We did everything we could for the Snoop, including some chemotherapy treatments. But we kept his quality of life at the center of every decision we made in terms of his care. We had three amazing, fun-filled months with the Snoop.

June 22, 2020 – the day we met Snoopy
At one point, we noticed he could have a charming gruffness to him that reminded us of Ed Asner’s ‘Lou Grant’ from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. There were moments he was playful as a puppy and other times when he’d look at us and seemed to be channeling Lou Grant’s famous line, “I hate spunk,” and then look away. I know this could be read as a sad post, but it’s not. The gift of life this guy gave us changed us forever. We miss Snoop every day but we’re so glad he happened to us. Please consider adopting adult/senior dogs. I made this video for Michael for Christmas celebrating Snoopy and the awesome life he shared with us last summer. The song – Sammy Davis Jr.’s cover of The Mary Tyler Moore Show theme song – is a nod to our ‘Mr. Grant.’ And the lyrics so perfectly described Snoopy’s effect on everyone he met.

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News Round-Up: June 21, 2021

9.3% of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ+ according to new Gallup poll

(image via Depositphotos)
Some news items you might have missed: • The Gaily Grind: 18-year-old Gage Burlile has been arrested after stealing and destroying 25 Pride flags in Boise, Idaho. • The Advocate: A gay couple in East Cove, Florida, are refusing to take down a small Pride flag flying from their mail box after their HOA informed them it was against neighborhood regulations. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Kenneth’s weekly feature for ‘Manspread Monday’ is a cutie.
(image via kenneth-in-the-212)
• The Hill: The defense fund for Kyle Rittenhouse, the Illinois teenager who is accused of fatally shooting two people and injuring a third at a protest sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake last August, has raised $464,111 since March 1. His trial is scheduled for November. • LGBTQ Nation: Mexico’s soccer team is begging fans to stop chanting homophobic slurs at their games. After receiving one of the toughest punishment from FIFA in recent years, Mexico’s team president scolded fans: “To those who think it’s fun to yell it out, I have news for you. It’s not.” • CNBC: As more and more major corporations embrace the rainbow during Pride Month, more consumers are paying attention to the companies that are allies more than one month a year.

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Study: Brain Tissue Loss Found In Patients Who Experience COVID-19

The first confirmed case of the omicron variant in the U.S. has been discovered in California.

The results of a new study indicates some disconcerting long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain. From the Washington Post:

The researchers from the U.K. Biobank scrutinized before-and-after brain scans from 782 people — half who had developed covid-19 and half who hadn’t. Those who had developed the illness experienced noteworthy tissue loss after infection in areas of the brain associated with the sense of taste and smell, the researchers said.

“It’s very concerning because it does suggest that the virus could be having a direct effect on certain portions of the brain,” said former FDA chief Scott Gottlieb.

“I think what it suggests is that the balance of the information that we’re accruing does indicate that covid is a disease that could create persistent symptoms,” he said. “So, this isn’t a benign disease. This is something you want to avoid. And the bottom line is, we have the tools to avoid it through vaccination.”

Read the full article here.

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Stonewall Inn Dropping Anheuser-Busch Beer Over Anti-LGBTQ Donations

The historic Stonewall Inn (image via GoFundMe)
The Stonewall Inn has announced it will boycott Anheuser-Busch products during NYC Pride weekend (June 25-27) in response to learning the beverage company has made political contributions to lawmakers who publicly support legislation that targets transgender youth. Via press release:

Community members will join the bar’s owners in a public ‘pour-out’ of Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA, and Stella Artois in front of the bar on Wednesday, June 23, to demand that the company stop donating to anti-LGBTQ legislators and commit to using its lobbying efforts to advance the Equality Act, which, if passed, would afford LGBTQ people with equal nondiscrimination protections under federal law.

According to data from the Keep Your Pride campaign, since 2015, Anheuser-Busch has made 48 donations totaling $35,350 to 29 anti-LGBTQ legislators behind recent bills attacking trans youth.

Through its nonprofit arm, The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, Stonewall recently launched the Safe Spaces program, which identifies and certifies entertainment venues, food and beverage locations, stores, businesses, and other public venues as Safe Spaces for LGBTQ people.

Under its criteria for certification, businesses that donate to anti-LGBTQ lawmakers would not qualify for designation as a Safe Space.

The temporary ban is part of Stonewall’s “Keep Your Pride” campaign, which focuses on 5 companies that say they stand with LGBTQ customers but have donated to politicians with anti-LGBTQ policies. The other four companies are NBC, AT&T, General Motors, and Coca-Cola. Anheuser-Busch released a statement in response to the Stonewall ban:

“We support candidates for public office whose policy positions and objectives support investments in our communities, job creation and industry growth. Together, with our brands, we have a clear role to play in bringing real change and creating an inclusive and equitable world where we cherish and celebrate one another.”

 

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Pride Month: Sesame Street Introduces Gay Dads

Sesame Street has introduced its first gay family

Sesame Street has introduced its first gay family
(image via Instagram)
Sesame Street has a new family in the neighborhood. The longtime children’s series recently introduced its first same-sex couple (other than Bert and Ernie) named Dave (Chris Costa) and Frank (Alex Weisman) along with their daughter, Mia (Olivia Perez). The family made their first appearance in the latest episode titled, “Family Day.” The episode was directed by Alan Muraoka, who also plays the owner of Hooper’s Store on the show. Muraoka shared the news of the important milestone on his Instagram account writing, “Sesame Street has always been a welcoming place of diversity and inclusion. I am so honored and humbled to have co-directed this important and milestone episode. Love is love, and we are so happy to add this special family to our Sesame family. Happy Pride to all!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CQONwzeD38i/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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New Book: Trump Considered Quarantining Americans At Guantánamo

Donald Trump
A new book by Washington Post reporters Damian Paletta and Yasmeen Abutaleb, Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic That Changed History, sheds new light on the incredible dysfunction in the Trump White House regarding the bungled COVID-19 response. From the Washington Post:

In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, as White House officials debated whether to bring infected Americans home for care, President Donald Trump suggested his own plan for where to send them, eager to suppress the numbers on U.S. soil.

“Don’t we have an island that we own?” the president reportedly asked those assembled in the Situation Room in February 2020, before the U.S. outbreak would explode. “What about Guantánamo?”

“We import goods,” Trump specified, lecturing his staff. “We are not going to import a virus.”

Aides were stunned, and when Trump brought it up a second time, they quickly scuttled the idea, worried about a backlash over quarantining American tourists on the same Caribbean base where the United States holds terrorism suspects.

The book is based on interviews with over 180 people including White House senior staff members and government health officials.

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Wilton Manors Pride Incident Unintentional Not A ‘Terrorist Attack’

(screen capture via 7News Miami)
The latest news regarding the incident at the Wilton Manors Pride event on Saturday which left one attendee dead and another hospitalized appears to have been unintentional. From the AP:

A member of a men’s chorus group unintentionally slammed into fellow chorists at the start of a Pride parade in South Florida, killing one member of the group and seriously injuring another, the group’s director said Sunday, clarifying initial speculation that it was a hate crime directed at the gay community.

The 77-year-old driver was taken into custody, but police said no charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing.

The elderly driver had ailments that prevented him from walking, according to a statement Sunday from Fort Lauderdale Police, who said he was cooperating with the investigation and there was no evidence drugs or alcohol was involved.

Wilton Manors Vice Mayor Paul Rolli told the AP in a phone interview, “The early investigation now indicates it looks like it was a tragic accident, but nobody’s saying finally what it is.” Out Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis was present when the incident occurred and told WPLG it had been a deliberate attack. “This is a terrorist attack against the LGBT community,” Trantalis said. “This is exactly what it is. Hardly an accident. It was deliberate, it was premeditated, and it was targeted against a specific person. Luckily they missed that person, but unfortunately, they hit two other people.”