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NYC: COVID Vaccination Site For Broadway Industry Workers Announced

(photo: Ludovic Bertron/Flickr)
Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced plans to create a coronavirus vaccination site on Broadway that will be reserved for theater industry workers. The mayor added there will be additional city resources dedicated to the push to reopen Broadway theaters by this fall. From the New York Times:

At a news conference, Mr. de Blasio said that in addition to the Broadway vaccination site, there would be a mobile vaccination unit to serve theater workers beyond Broadway. The sites will be staffed by theater workers, many of whom have been relying on unemployment insurance since Broadway shut down over a year ago.

The city’s plans will not change the state’s rules around vaccine eligibility, which currently allow residents older than 50 to sign up for shots, as well as those in certain job categories and with certain health conditions. Mr. de Blasio said that the sites would be set up over the next four weeks or so and that vaccination eligibility is expected to be much more broad by then.

I want to stress that last part – theater workers won’t be ‘jumping the line’ to get vaccinated. These plans are being initiated in advance of when eligibility opens up as requested by President Biden. Earlier this month, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that arts, entertainment and events venues will be allowed to reopen April 2 at 33 percent capacity up to a maximum of 100 people indoors or 200 people outdoors. While Broadway shows can’t afford to operate at 100 tickets per performance, it’s expected that there will be some special events inside Broadway theaters throughout the spring and summer. Trust and believe – the Broadway theater community is a resilient one. Just like streaming/virtual events have become the new normal over the past year, I’m sure we’ll be seeing some exciting live theater moments in the near future.

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Dr. Rachel Levine Becomes 1st Transgender Senate-Confirmed Appointee In History

Dr. Rachel Levine could become the first transgender federal official confirmed by the Senate.

Dr. Rachel Levine could become the first transgender federal official confirmed by the Senate.
Dr. Rachel Levine (image via Twitter)
Dr. Rachel Levine was confirmed today by the U.S. Senate as assistant secretary of health at the Department of Health and Human Services. By a vote of 52-48, Levine made history as the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) voted yes along with all Senate Democrats. Levine was previously Pennsylvania’s secretary of health, where she led the commonwealth’s COVID-19 response. LGBTQ advocacy groups applauded the news. Liz Seaton, policy director for the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund:

“Her qualifications as a physician and Surgeon General of Pennsylvania and her experience dealing with the public health issues affecting our country today made her an incredibly qualified candidate for this position. Our country will be in good hands as we face unprecedented health challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic to the epidemic of opioid addiction and the longstanding HIV/AIDS epidemic.”

Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings:

“The Senate’s confirmation of Dr. Levine marks the return of science, competence, and empathy to one of the most important institutions in our government and at one of the most critical public health moments in our nation’s history. Throughout her impressive career as a doctor and public servant, Dr. Levine has demonstrated a commitment to equity in health care and an understanding of how public health is inextricably linked to social justice.”

And Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Institute, said the following about her confirmation:

“President Biden committed to appointing our nation’s most qualified leaders to tackle the pandemic and he delivered in choosing Dr. Levine.

“Yet the importance of this moment extends well-beyond the health of our nation alone. At a time when hateful politicians are weaponizing trans lives for their own perceived political gain, Dr. Levine’s confirmation lends focus to the contributions trans people make to our nation and deflates absurd arguments calling for their exclusion.

“Her experience leading the health department in Pennsylvania will serve our country well and her unique perspective regarding healthcare for trans people will be invaluable.”

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News Round-Up: March 24, 2021

Megan Thee Stallion and Adam Levine in 'Beautiful Mistakes'

Megan Thee Stallion and Adam Levine in 'Beautiful Mistakes'
Megan Thee Stallion and Adam Levine in ‘Beautiful Mistakes’
Some news items you might have missed: • Instinct Magazine: Paul Bettany, who plays the android Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Avengers films, recently told Conan O’Brien that during the making of 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, director Joss Whedon became a bit obsessed with the scene of the Vision being born naked and sporting full-on peen. • New Music: SoCal’s iconic donut shop, Randy’s Donuts, has teamed up with Maroon 5 to create a limited-edition donut box and custom donut, in conjunction with the band’s new video for hit single, “Beautiful Mistakes” and its numerous odes to donuts. Directed by Sophie Muller, the “Beautiful Mistakes”music video takes viewers on an archetypal LA drive, which turns it into a surreal fantasy with a colorful world of flying cars, donuts and a dreamlike narrative. #YouHadMeAtRandy

• Williams Institute: As Republicans push back on Democrats intentions to make Washington, D.C. a state, it’s worth noting that the District has the largest per capita LGBTQ population in the country and 47% of the residents are Black. Also, D.C. has a larger population than Vermont or Wyoming. • Stonewall Gazette: In a recent interview, actor Ronen Rubinstein (9-1-1: Lone Star) recently shared that he identifies as ‘part of the LGBTQ community.’ Rubinstein plays out character TK Strand on the hit TV series. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMkcOuaDjSD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • Data For Progress: Voters across the ideological spectrum overwhelmingly support an 8-year pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who pass a background check – 69% support versus 25% oppose. • NPR: The co-founder and former CEO of Parler has sued the conservative social media platform over his firing this year. John Matze claims Parler’s leadership took away his 40% stake in the company in an “arrogant theft,” intimidated and bullied him in an ouster he says was illegal and left him owed millions of dollars. • Variety: A holiday-themed romantic comedy centered on gay men is coming to Netflix. Single All The Way will star Michael Urie, Philemon Chambers and Luke MacFarlane. Synopsis: Desperate to avoid his family’s judgment about his perpetual single status, Peter (Urie) convinces his best friend Nick (Chambers) to join him for the holidays and pretend that they’re now in a relationship. But when Peter’s mother sets him up on a blind date with her handsome trainer James (MacFarlane), the plan goes awry.

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That Time When Gamers Discovered The Other ‘Manhunt’

Screen capture of Manhunt homepage

Screen capture of Manhunt homepage
Screen capture of Manhunt homepage
Gamers and gays found themselves at a Twitter intersection this afternoon when “Manhunt” began trending and folks got way excited. As gays know, Manhunt is the OG gay dating network founded back in 2001. Before we had smart phones and apps to swipe left on like Scruff and Grindr, Manhunt was the online destination of choice for guys looking for a “date.” The Twitter account for Manhunt even jokes in its bio about the company’s longevity writing, “Yes, we’re still here.” But on the other side of the social spectrum, “Manhunt” means a whole different thing to gamers. Part of the Minecraft series, ‘Minecraft Manhunt’ was created by a Minecraft YouTuber named Dream. The Urban Dictionary files this description: “The basic idea of Minecraft Manhunt is that Dream is trying to beat the Ender Dragon while his friend/s try to stop him, and they have a compass they can use to track him down.” Not being a gamer, I’m not really sharp on what that means, but it’s apparently really popular. Manhunt was also a horror-based video game launched in the 2000s. Gamers chatting on the idea of a reboot is apparently what actually got the word trending on Twitter.

BUT – when the term “Manhunt” began trending, true-blue gamer hearts began to flutter…until they discovered the ‘other’ Manhunt.

https://twitter.com/emilyto11232679/status/1374763789971783680

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COVID Denier Hurls N-Word At Bakery Employee

Stephanie Denaro of Queens, NY
Stephanie Denaro of Queens, NY
When an employee at Davidovich Bakery on the Lower East Side of Manhattan asked a woman ordering bagels to mask up while in the establishment, she lobbed the n-word his way. Oh, and it turns out she’s a COVID denier as well. From the New York Daily News:

A security guard tells the clerk it’s up to him if he wants to serve her — and he said he did not — the guard tells the customer: “Ma’am, he’s not going to serve you, so please leave.”

“Why, cause he’s a b—h-ass n—–?” she responded, and then repeated the slur.

The woman, who spoke to The News on Tuesday, identified herself as Stephanie Denaro of Queens. “I said, ‘You’re a bitch-ass n—-r,’ a term they use,” she said in a phone interview. “All of my children have a Black father. That’s a term I’ve heard them use all my life.”

When asked if she was concerned about the video going viral, she said, “It’s actually great, because they’re forcing people in New York City to wear masks. It’s political theater. I don’t believe in COVID-19. It’s a hoax to convince people to use absentee ballots to steal the election from Donald Trump.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMv4EaLhTCd/ That’s it. The entire planet – all the hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S., Brazil, Europe, the UK…all of that was staged in order to scrounge up absentee ballots so Trump would lose. Okay… Davidovich Bakery issued a statement expressing its strong support for the employee via social media:

We want to commend our employee on his handling of the sad incident which occurred at the Essex Market. As is true with any family an attack on one member of the family is an attack on all of us. Davidovich is a family run business and a family. We stand with all our employees for handling this situation of hate and bigotry with professionalism and grace. We intend to make it clear that this customer or anyone who uses racism and any insensitive language, simply is not welcome in our stores.

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GLAAD Media Awards: GLEE Stars To Reunite In Tribute To Naya Rivera

Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez in GLEE

Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez in GLEE
Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez in GLEE (image via Fox)
The cast of iconic series GLEE will reunite for a special tribute to the legacy of the late Naya Rivera’s character Santana Lopez. Jacob Artist, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Vanessa Lengies, Jane Lynch, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison, Alex Newell, Amber Riley, Harry Shum Jr., Becca Tobin, and Jenna Ushkowitz will come together during the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards to honor the 10th anniversary of Santana’s coming out on the show. And that’s not all – the cast will be joined by global superstar Demi Lovato, who played Santana’s girlfriend on GLEE, to introduce the special tribute. Tune in for the premiere on April 8th at 8:00 P.M. on YouTube, or stream on Hulu starting at 10:00 P.M. Remembering just a little bit of the fabulous Ms. Rivera as Santana in GLEE.

(via press release)

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Podcast: Captain America, Japan & Marriage Equality, The LGBTQ Tribe Takes The Call

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s podcast: • Japan takes a baby step towards marriage equality • A transgender student won a large settlement in his discrimination lawsuit against a school district in Minnesota • A pharmacist came to the aid of LGBTQ seniors in Brooklyn • New polling shows strong support for the Equality Act • Marvel Comics has announced a gay Captain America on the way • And the LGBTQ tribe answers the call – link to Twitter thread here. All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report podcast

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Georgia Sec Of State: ‘The Kraken Cracks Under Pressure’

Attorney Sidney Powell

Attorney Sidney Powell
Attorney Sidney Powell (screen capture)
Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, issued a statement today regarding former legal adviser to Donald Trump Sidney Powell who repeatedly claimed there was election fraud in the Peach State. Among other things, Powell alleged without evidence that Dominion Voting Systems was part of a massive international communist plot to rig the election. Powell never presented any evidence to back up her claims. In January, Dominion filed a $1.3 billion lawsuit against Powell over her conspiracy theories. But this week, Powell’s legal team filed a statement in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia asking for the case to be dismissed saying “no reasonable person would conclude that [her] statements were truly statements of fact.” The statement from Raffensperger, titled ‘The Kraken Cracks Under Pressure,’ states, “In the face of legal action, Sidney Powell admitted that her effort to make millions lying to the American people had no facts to begin with.” In the court filing, Powell and her lawyers point to Dominion’s criticism that Powell’s claims were “wild accusations,” “outlandish claims,” “inherently improbable,” or “impossible” as evidence that “reasonable people would not accept such statements as fact but view them only as claims.” Powell and her legal team now say that her claims about voter fraud, stolen elections, or switched votes were merely “her opinions and legal theories.” It’s worth noting that Powell’s claims in the weeks following the 2020 election helped fuel belief that the election was ‘stolen’ which led to the violent insurrection of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6. Seven people died as a result of that event as well has dozens seriously injured. Over 4,000 lawyers have signed an open letter calling for disciplinary action to be taken against Powell for her outrageous behavior following the 2020 election.

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Elton John Oscars Pre-Party Hosted By Neil Patrick Harris Goes Virtual

Neil Patrick Harris, Elton John, David Furnish, and Dua Lipa

Neil Patrick Harris, Elton John, David Furnish, and Dua Lipa
Neil Patrick Harris, Elton John, David Furnish, Dua Lipa (image – Cisco Webex/Elton John AIDS Foundation)
The 29th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Pre-Party will be hosted by Emmy® and Tony Award®-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris alongside Sir Elton John and David Furnish on April 25, 2021. The virtual event – powered by powered by Cisco Webex – will include a stripped back performance by GRAMMY® Award-winning artist Dua Lipa for the virtual event along with other all-star guests to be announced. For the first time, Foundation supporters worldwide are invited to attend the famed Oscar party by joining a 60-minute Pre-Show Special. “This year, we are bringing our Oscar Party into people’s homes for the first time virtually for an unforgettable evening with David (Furnish), myself, our dear friend Neil Patrick Harris and the incredible Dua Lipa plus many fabulous surprise names,’ says Sir Elton John, Founder, Elton John AIDS Foundation. “Now more than ever, we need to ensure that one pandemic does not override another, and we cannot forget the 38 million people living with HIV globally who need our care, love and support so we hope everyone joins us for this special one of a kind Oscar Pre-Party.” Since the annual event’s inception in 1992, The Academy Awards Viewing Party has supported the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s efforts to raise millions for their lifesaving work. With its presence across four continents, the Foundation is committed to overcome the stigma, discrimination and neglect that keeps us from ending AIDS. Fans can purchase tickets to the Oscar Pre-Show special for $19.99 via Ticketmaster here. Please visit www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org for additional information. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CMuwPAZjZfL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link