(photo: public domain/White House) A new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey shows President Joe Biden with garnering strong support. From AP News:
In the fourth month of his presidency, Biden’s overall approval rating sits at 63%.
When it comes to the new Democratic president’s handling of the pandemic, 71% of Americans approve, including 47% of Republicans.
Additionally, 54% say the country is on the right track, more than any AP/NORC polls since 2017. Forty-four percent say the country is on the wrong track. Broken down along party lines, Democratic voters approve of Biden by 96%, while his approval rating is 63% among independents. Not surprising in this deepening partisan divide, just 23% of GOP voters approve of Biden’s job performance. It goes without saying that the ‘former guy’ never got close to numbers like these.
(photo: Eddy Billard/Unsplash) GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, has announced the findings of its inaugural Social Media Safety Index (SMSI), a 50-page report on LGBTQ user safety across five major social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok. The overall takeaway is that all five platforms are “categorically unsafe” for LGBTQ people. From Axios:
GLAAD had planned to give each of the sites a grade as part of its inaugural social media index, but opted not to give individual grades this year after determining all the leading sites would receive a failing grade.
“They are categorically unsafe, across the board,” GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said. The findings follow a several month effort by GLAAD and a team of outside experts who looked at each of the sites, their policies and track record of enforcing those policies.
Ellis said that all of the sites hold themselves out as LGBTQ-friendly and nonetheless allow for LGBTQ people to be harassed on a daily basis as well as allowing harmful misinformation to spread unchecked.
Each of the social media platforms defended their efforts to protect LGBTQ people. Facebook/Instagram CMO Alex Schultz declared their deep belief in “the representation of and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community that GLAAD champions.” “Finding the right balance between giving voice and taking action on harmful content is hard,” added Schultz. “This is why we partner with experts, non-profits and other stakeholders – like GLAAD – to try to get it right.” YouTube issued a statement noting its ‘significant progress’ in removing “hateful and harassing content against the LGBTQ+ community that violates our policies, prominently surface content in search results and recommendations from authoritative sources and limit the spread of extreme content by our recommendations.” Twitter says it welcomes GLAAD’s initiative and the chance to “better understand the experiences and needs of the LGBTQ+ communities on our service.” And TikTok promised it is “committed to supporting and uplifting LGBTQ+ voices on and off the platform and we care deeply about fostering a welcoming and supportive experience for everyone.”
The latest installment of the Bad Boy web series – ‘Bad Massage Boy’ – features Jim (Drew Canan) trying to give Scott (Artie O’Daly) a reward massage for finishing his movie script about Jim, but unexpected interruptions keep getting in the way of the rubdown.
Scott tries to politely pass on the massage but Jim won’t take no for an answer. When plying Scott with wine doesn’t seem to convince him, Jim goes the ‘alpha’ route: “Listen, you little b*tch, you’re going to get naked, lie down on my table and I’m going to rub you down. Any questions punk?”
Scott obeys.
Jim goes ‘alpha’ on Scott (Artie O’Daly)
Jim begins the massage (wearing perfectly acceptable sequined disco shorts) but is quickly cut off by a phone call from his Aunt Whitney (Theresa Ryan) warning of a ‘dangerous man’ running around the house with a gun.
Forget that – there’s a naked massage to be had!
Next comes a parade of unannounced visitors beginning with James (Alex Dyon) who’s on a mission to hurl water-filled condoms at people.
Wacky FBI agent Calista (Alina Bock) shows up in a faux ‘Swiss Miss’ costume still trying to prove Scott was somehow involved in a murder.
And Brian (Doug Rogers), Scott’s hot ‘boyfriend who’s not really his boyfriend,’ proves the point that every time he visits Scott, Jim is usually there and Scott’s always half-naked.
p.s. yep, this time, too…
Brian (Doug Rogers) takes a peek
Along the way, Scott’s butt makes some cameo appearances and Jim declares he should get naked for his own massage.
As always, the absurdist storyline moves at a fast pace thanks to O’Daly’s rapid-fire dialogue and the cast who are clearly down for the wild and wooly antics.
Hit play below and make sure you hang out for the adorable end title graphics by Charlie Branigan which tell the tale from each character’s perspective.
Philipp Tanzer today (screen capture via BBC) Some news items you might have missed: • Pink News: Former gay porn star turned far-right “men’s rights activist” Philipp Tanzer (above) has failed to win a seat in the Scottish elections. Tanzer was a well-known porn actor and identified as gay until the age of 32 – but he then renounced his sexuality and began dating women. • Variety: POSE star MJ Rodriguez has already booked her next gig – she will star opposite Maya Rudolph in an upcoming Apple comedy series. It follows Molly (Rudolph), a woman whose seemingly perfect life is upended after her husband leaves her with nothing but 87 billion dollars. Rodriguez will play Sofia, the hard-working executive director of the non-profit funded by her absentee billionaire boss, Molly. • C&C: Gifs of actor Andrew Garfield shooting a movie scene in NYC wearing a fake penis have surfaced. In the images, you can see Garfield giving high fives and trying to hug people as he filmed a scene for Mainstream in 2019. Click the link to see uncensored gifs. • ABC News: A new poll shows nearly 60% of people in Japan want the Olympic Games to be cancelled, less than three months before the Games are due to open. The Olympics, which were delayed by a year due to the pandemic, are set to open on July 23. • AP News: The Transportation Security Administration said that slightly more than 1.7 million people were screened at airport checkpoints on Sunday, the highest number since March 2020, when travel was collapsing because of the coronavirus outbreak. • Gr8erDays: The Hollywood nostalgia site celebrates the birthday of actor and race car driver Bruce Penhall as their Mantique of the Day for May 10. Penhall, who turns 64 today, is best known for his role on the NBC series “CHiPs” and the “Savage Beach” (1989) movies. https://www.instagram.com/p/COrA7E6BrMN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Horse trainer Bob Baffert blames “cancel culture” after his horse, Medina Spirit, who won the Kentucky Derby, failed its post-race drug test. According to Mediaite, at least 29 of Baffert’s horses failed a drug test during his career. “We live in a different world now,” says Baffert during an appearance on Fox News. “This America’s different.” “We did not cheat to win the Kentucky Derby,” he added.
Bob Baffert blamed “cancel culture” after his horse, Medina Spirit, who won the Kentucky Derby, failed its post-race drug test. “We live in a different world now. This America’s different.” pic.twitter.com/bsQeiV7oXi
What does cancel culture have to do with horse doping? 😐 This gaslighting convinces me that that using that steroid was intentional and the trainer knew about it. If he didn’t know, he would have just said Churchill Downs is following their process and the truth will come out.
Old rich white dudes can’t get away with all the shit they used to so easily anymore. Cancel culture to them is basically just what everyone else knows as consequences
Randy Rainbow starts our week out on the right track with his parody of Judy Garland’s iconic “The Trolley Song” from the 1944 classic film Meet Me in St. Louis. In Rainbow’s version, “Clang, Clang, Clang Went Josh Hawley,” the artist skewers current GOP members of Congress including Hawley, Lindsey Graham, Matt Gaetz, Ted Cruz and more.
Clang, clang, clang went Josh HawleyYap, yap, yap went Ted CruzCrap, crap, crap went McCarthyCause his party continued to lose…
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (image via Twitter) The Department of Health and Human Services has affirmed that federal laws banning sex discrimination in health care also protect LGTBQ people. From the Washington Post:
The Biden administration said Monday it would provide protections against discrimination in health care based on gender identity and sexual orientation, reversing a policy of its predecessors that had been a priority for social conservatives and had infuriated civil liberties advocates.
The reversal is a victory for transgender people and undoes what had been a significant setback in the movement for LGBTQ rights.
The shift pertains to health-care providers and other organizations that receive funding from the Department of Health and Human Services. Civil rights groups had said the Trump policy would allow health-care workers and institutions, as well as insurers, to deny services to transgender individuals.
Today’s update was made in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. That decision affirmed federal nondiscrimination protections in employment and said that sex discrimination includes discrimination against people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Research shows that one-quarter of LGBTQ people who faced discrimination postponed or avoided receiving needed medical care for fear of further discrimination. In a statement, American Medical Association president Susan R. Bailey applauded the move:
“The Biden administration did the right thing by terminating a short-lived effort to allow discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation when seeking health care.
“As we said in our letter to the previous administration, the interpretation was contrary to the intent and the plain language of the law. It’s unfortunate that such an obvious step had to be taken; the AMA welcomes this common-sense understanding of the law.
“This move is a victory for health equity and ends a dismal chapter in which a federal agency sought to remove civil rights protections.”
Checking in on some of our favorite InstaHunks this weekend. First up, Robbie Rodriguez – CrossFit athlete, Titan Games contestant, and registered nurse – celebrated Nurses Week with his fellow heroes. Continue reading “InstaHunk Round-Up: Weekend Edition”
L-R Lisa Brescia, Christiane Noll, Jessica Phillips, and Jennifer Laura Thompson (screen capture) Broadway musical moms help me celebrate Mother’s Day with some totally appropriate tunes from musicals that mine the gold in all kinds of motherly relationships. Four Dear Evan Hansen moms from the Broadway and touring companies united for this terrific take on “Anybody Have A Map?” from the blockbuster musical. I’m sure a lot of moms out there relate to this.
Liz Callaway really scored with this Act One closer for the 1983 Broadway musical, Baby. The song takes place after Liz’s ‘pregnant for the first time’ character feels her baby kick for the very first time.
From Stephen Sondheim’s brilliant Into The Woods, Broadway icon Betty Buckley served up a show-stopping “Children Will Listen” backed by the Boys Choir of Harlem at the 1992 Carnegie Hall concert honoring Sondheim.
In the 1996 stage musical adaptation of the Tom Hanks hit film BIG, Barbara Walsh played the mother of the lead character who magically grows up and leaves home on an adventure. At the top of Act Two, the mom reflects on how quickly kids can grow up wishing she could ‘stop time’ for just a while.
Just like in life (I’m thinking my own life here), Broadway musical moms take many forms – aunts, godmothers, neighbors, even god-like forces like Mother Earth – who show up at the right moment to help us on our way. I loved the creative and oh-so-moving 2017 revival of Once On This Island. Alex Newell and company brought the house down nightly with this jubilant and earthy “Mama Will Provide.”
L-R Bishop Carlye Hughes, me and Jackie Hughes Regular readers of The Randy Report know there are a few posts that I share annually. I originally wrote this in 2015.
Happy Mother’s Day wishes to all those fabulous, wonderful mothers who teach and nurture us all. When I was young, people felt sad for me because my mother passed away at a young age. But the universe had another (maybe better?) plan for me. Because so many women were sent my way to teach, support and love on me to bring me to here. I think wisdom greater than mine knew it would all be more than ok. This Mother’s Day is my first without Jackie Hughes, who I called “Mother” for over 30 years. She passed last summer and nothing will ever be the same. But what she gave me, and shaped in me, lives on. I loved the smile in Mother’s voice. When she said my name it was musical and lilting. “Rannn-dy.” She made me feel like I belonged. She was the center of the Hughes family. And we all knew it. Mother speaking at Carlye’s wedding reception after my toast Memory: Mother was an expert shopper. EXPERT. She knew how to befriend all the ladies at Neiman Marcus so they would hide items she wanted until they went on serious sale. Double markdowns. Triple markdowns. Then she’d buy. And hide the dresses in the back of the closet for months. When she’d finally wear them, Coach (Father Hughes is the winningest high school basketball coach in the history of the U.S.) might compliment her, asking if that was new. Mother would reply – in perfect ‘Texan’ – “This? I’ve had it for months. But, thank you.” Always followed by a warm, secret smile. I didn’t share Mother’s passing here on The Randy Report when it happened. I kept thinking I would, but I never felt any language worthy of Mother’s memory come to me. I did come across these two quotes that feel right. So, thank you to all the mothers out there – the women who make up more of us than we’ll ever understand. “To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow.” — Maya Angelou “But there’s a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother’s story, because hers is where yours begin.” ― Mitch Albom, For One More Day
My birth mother, Joyce Ann Slovacek, back in 1958. You can see it, right…?
