Retired 4-star General Lloyd Austin (image – public domain) Retired four-star Army General Lloyd J. Austin III became the first Black defense secretary in the history of the nation following an overwhelming confirmation vote of 93 to 2 in the Senate. Austin was sworn in as Defense Secretary shortly after the Senate approved his nomination. Congress had to first grant him a waiver from a law restricting those who are retired from military service fewer than seven years from leading the Pentagon. From the New York Times:
Mr. Austin, 67, was the only African-American to have led the United States Central Command, the military’s marquee combat command, with responsibility for Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria.
His most immediate agenda will include issues that have vexed administrations for a generation, and some newly on the rise. It includes an increasingly muscular China, an aggressive Russia, the protracted conflict in Afghanistan and a vague and looming threat of Iran made evident at the end of the Trump administration.
Today, I signed H.R. 335 into law, clearing the way for Lloyd Austin to serve as the next Secretary of Defense. I look forward to working with him to lead our military, revitalize our alliances, and ensure the safety of the American people. pic.twitter.com/joPIeG1pWN
It’s an honor and a privilege to serve as our country’s 28th Secretary of Defense, and I’m especially proud to be the first African American to hold the position. Let’s get to work. pic.twitter.com/qPAzVRxz9L
I am enormously grateful for the service and the sacrifices of those who broke barriers before me—and although I may be the first African American Secretary of Defense, it’s my hope that I won’t be the last. pic.twitter.com/cT3fU6whmE
Haaz Sleiman and Michael Cassidy in ‘Breaking Fast’ Some news items you might have missed: • Pink News: First lady Dr Jill Biden is visiting an LGBTQ health center and HIV/AIDS clinic on her third day in the White House “to highlight and promote support services for cancer patients and caregivers, and hear about the impact of COVID on access to health care, including cancer screenings and prevention efforts.” • Queer Cinema: The gay-themed romantic comedy Breaking Fast, starring Haaz Sleiman and Michael Cassidy (lead image), gets released today on VOD and digital outlets. The acclaimed film offers rare visibility for gay Muslims. Set against the twinkling lights of West Hollywood, Breaking Fast is a romantic comedy that follows Mo, a practicing Muslim still reeling from heartbreak. When an All-American guy named Kal offers to join him in his nightly Iftars –the traditional meal eaten by Muslims during Ramadan– meal after meal, the two start to discover they have more in common than meets the eye.
• Boston Herald: Mark Sahady, 46, of Malden, and Suzanne Ianni, 59, – organizer’s of Boston’s so-called ‘Straight Pride’ event – were arrested for taking part in the violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6. Because of course. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Check out Kenneth’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in LGBTQ publications like Michigan’s BTL featuring Brian Michael Smith (below). • The Nation: Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) has misled the public about training for the Paralympics, just as he misrepresented his education and business history. After saying he “had an opportunity” for the Paralympics with hopes of breaking the 100-meter dash, journalists took a deep dive and couldn’t find any evidence he’d ever competed anywhere. • Instinct Magazine: YouTube star Jojo Siwa (Dance Moms, Nickelodeon) came out via a photo on Twitter.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a long-acting once a month injection that can replace the daily pills now used to control HIV infection.
This is the first FDA-approved injectable, complete regimen for HIV-infected adults that is administered once a month.
Medical researchers expect the two-shot combo called Cabenuva will make it easier for HIV+ people to stay on schedule with their HIV medications.
Cabenuva consists of two drugs packaged together – rilpivirine and cabotegravir – but given as separate shots once a month. Cabenuva is administered as two intramuscular injections in the buttocks by a healthcare professional.
The drug makers are also testing the effectiveness of taking the injection every 8 weeks. The FDA approved Cabenuva for use in adults who have had their disease well controlled by conventional HIV medicines and who have not exhibited signs of viral resistance to the two drugs in Cabenuva. The FDA also approved Vocabria (a tablet form of cabotegravir), which should be taken in combination with oral rilpivirine for one month prior to starting treatment with Cabenuva to ensure the medications are well-tolerated before switching to the extended-release injectable formulation.
Dr. Steven Deeks, an HIV specialist at the University of California, told ABC News that a once-a-month treatment “will enhance quality of life” for those on HIV medications. “People don’t want those daily reminders that they’re HIV infected.”
Deeks also believes a monthly dose may be easier for some who have a difficult time staying on a daily schedule like those with mental illness or substance abuse issues.
In addition to treating those living with HIV, ViiV Healthcare (the maker of cabotegravir) hopes to make their drug available as PrEP for HIV prevention.
Two studies have shown an injection of cabotegravir every two months was more effective than taking Truvada on a daily basis.
Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York (D) Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Friday that the Senate will receive on Monday the article of impeachment against Donald Trump for inciting the riot on the U.S. Capitol, clearing the way for the start of Trump’s second impeachment trial. From the Washington Post:
“It will be a full trial; it will be a fair trial,” Schumer said during remarks on the Senate floor. Shortly after his comments, Pelosi released a statement confirming the timing.
The House impeached Trump on a single article of “incitement of insurrection” for his role in the Jan. 6 takeover of the Capitol by a violent pro-Trump mob.
“Make no mistake, there will be a trial, and when that trial ends, senators will have to decide if they believe Donald John Trump incited the insurrection against the United States,” Schumer said.
Read the full article here. In similar remarks, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporter, “Just because he’s now gone — thank God — you don’t get to say to a president, ‘Do whatever you want in the last months of your administration. You’re going to get a “get out of jail” card free because people think we should make nice-nice and forget that people died here on January 6.'”
JUST IN: Majority Leader Schumer says Speaker Pelosi will deliver article of impeachment against former Pres. Trump to Senate on Monday. “Make no mistake: a trial will be held in the United States Senate, and there will be a vote on whether to convict.” https://t.co/ATqrFm7Rjrpic.twitter.com/JSlyCXB6NV
“I don’t think it’s very unifying to say ‘Let’s just forget it and move on,’” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday about her intention to send an article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump to the Senate soon. https://t.co/XgB1JTqilIpic.twitter.com/KGZhJnKX6U
Can I speak to Pelosi? Yeah we’re coming B**tch. Oh Mike Pence we’re coming for you too. You f**kin traitor! Woahhh .. FreeDUMB!! FreeDUMB!! pic.twitter.com/1Ijevfr7cy
L-R Donald Trump, Joe Biden (screen capture, campaign photo) First Donald Trump lost the popular vote to Joe Biden, then the Electoral College, now – gasp – the TV ratings. From the New York Times:
President Biden’s inaugural address on Wednesday attracted about a million and a half more viewers than tuned in for Donald J. Trump’s inaugural speech four years ago, according to preliminary data from Nielsen.
Nearly 40 million people watched Mr. Biden’s address on the major cable news stations and the three big broadcast networks. In 2017, 38.3 million viewers watched his predecessor’s first speech as president, the Nielsen data shows.
CNN was the ratings leader, drawing roughly 10 million viewers from roughly 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., when Mr. Biden took center stage. Only 2.7 million watched Mr. Biden’s address on Fox News, the lowest of the major networks and a sharp reversal from four years ago, when nearly 12 million viewers tuned in to Mr. Trump’s preferred cable news network.
Of course, we’ve also seen reports that Trump was irked that Hollywood turned out bigly for the Biden inaugural with such stars as Lady Gaga, JLo, Garth Brooks, Katy Perry, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen, Demi Lovato, Tom Hanks and more. Every time a star showed up during either the swearing in ceremony or the Inaugural Concert last evening, my hubby Michael would remind me of Trump’s ‘galaxy of stars’ – Scott Baio, reality contestant Jackie Evancho and Lee Greenwood.
Broadway at the Biden Inaugural Concert Some news items you might have missed: • CNN: Out news anchor Shep Smith has broken his silence about his departure from Fox News. Now at CNBC, Smith says he stayed as long as he did in order to try and counterbalance the misinformation coming out of the right-leaning network. • Broadway at the Inaugural: I was thrilled to see this beautiful collaboration debut during last night’s Biden Inaugural Concert (above). I know several folks in this but five I have longtime ties with: Tony Award winners Betty Buckley, Chita Rivera, and Leslie Uggams, as well as Tony Award nominees Vanessa Williams and Charlotte d’Amboise. Charlotte gives you LIFE dancing in the center during the last minute. #LovedIt
• Outsports: 39 current NFL players on 22 teams say they have already had an out gay teammate, including six players with the Arizona Cardinals. • Instinct Magazine: Tiger King star Joe Maldonado-Passage (a.k.a Joe Exotic) truly believed Donald Trump would issue him a presidential pardon on his last day in office. The Tiger King was so sure the pardon was coming he had a limo standing by to pick him up at the prison.
I was too innocent and too GAY to deserve a Pardon from Trump. I only mattered to Don Jr. when he needed to make a comment about me to boost his social media post. Boy were we all stupid to believe he actually stood for Equal Justice? His corrupt friends all come first. pic.twitter.com/ysGfwnqlHi
• HuffPost: An 18-year veteran police officer, most recently with the Houston Police Department, stormed the U.S. Capitol and then tried to cover his tracks by deleting photos from inside the rotunda and lying about his conduct. • Twitter: First Lady Dr. Jill Biden shares her first video message thanking service members, first responders, civil servants.
Every four years, we celebrate the beginning of a new administration. It’s the start of a bright new chapter. A time for us all to come together. I’m so grateful to all who worked to create an incredible day – especially in this uniquely difficult year. pic.twitter.com/P3L7OYoANR
Kisos in ‘He Didn’t Want Me’ Out singer/songwriter Kisos drops his new music video, the guitar-driven ‘He Didn’t Want Me.’ For Kisos, the video is as much cinema as it is real life – a rebirth after a difficult few years dealing with heartbreak, self-hatred, and loneliness. In an ethereal ritual of communal love, Kisos transforms physically and spiritually right before our eyes in order to truly come to the acceptance the song is about. “‘He Didn’t Want Me’ is about the acceptance stage of grief, and because it’s lyrically so depressing, I wanted to balance that with an uplifting, ethereal ritual of rebirth,” says Kisos. “It was important for me to also honor the symbolic hands of friends and family who cared for me at my lowest points. People who helped me shed my self-hatred, allow love and beauty back in, and re-internalize that I am worthy.” Cinematographer Adam Ouellette and Kisos filmed 100% by candlelight, staying up all night for the sunrise scenes that close the metamorphosis out. The music video is the final release from his sophomore EP, sweet nothings, where each song corresponds to a different stage of grief. Atwood Magazine described Kisos’s work as “suave pop that comes to life…in a dizzying array of musical color.” And Billboard calls the new music video “another beautiful layer to the star’s already heart-rending song.” The single is available on all digital download sites now. Check out the new music video below.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (image via Facebook) From the New York Times:
Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, told senators on Thursday that he planned to ask Democrats to delay the start of former President Donald J. Trump’s impeachment trial until early February to allow Mr. Trump’s legal team time to prepare a defense, according to a person familiar with his remarks.
The proposal emerged as Mr. McConnell and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the incoming majority leader, haggled privately behind the scenes over the timing and structure of the proceeding and Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused again to say when she would transmit the impeachment charge to the Senate, thus prompting the start of the trial.
McConnell wants to give Trump’s team two weeks to prepare for trial; Dems have yet to agree to this. On a call with GOP senators, McConnell indicated he was in no rush, per sources on call. McConnell argues that defense teams have had more time to prepare in past trial, per sens
President-elect Joe Biden Just hours after taking the oath of office, President Joe Biden signed 17 executive orders including one prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination in all federal agencies. The first paragraph of the executive order states, “All persons should receive equal treatment under the law, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation.” The order instructs the head of each agency to “review all existing orders, regulations, guidance documents, policies, program or other agency actions” that prohibit sex discrimination to revise and amend such policies to include banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The order cites the Supreme Court ruling for Bostock v. Clayton Countywhich was handed down on June 15, 2020. The 6-3 decision found that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees on the basis of their gender identity or sexual orientation because such animus is a form of “sex discrimination” which is clearly prohibited under the Civil Rights Act. In the seven months since the ruling, the Trump administration chose to not implement the ruling. That inaction was consistent with most of the Trump administration’s policies regarding LGBTQ rights and protections.
President Biden just issued an executive order protecting Americans against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity — a turning point in our fight for equality under the law. https://t.co/fSuxT8dF8w
Biden’s executive order is more expansive than just the Bostock ruling, however. The order notes that, under Bostock’s reasoning, “laws that prohibit sex discrimination — including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Fair Housing Act, and section 412 of the Immigration and Nationality Act — prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, so long as the laws do not contain sufficient indications to the contrary.” Biden also addresses how discrimination can often overlap with other forms of prohibited discrimination including animus based on the basis of race or disability. The language specifically notes that “transgender Black Americans face unconscionably high levels of workplace discrimination, homelessness, and violence, including fatal violence.”
These protections ensure people like Gerald Bostock, who took his case to the Supreme Court after being fired for expressing interest in an LGBTQ softball league, are able to work without fear of being fired because of who they are or whom they love. pic.twitter.com/YkFHLmQIPW
The executive order is a great start – especially seeing our new president addressing LGBTQ concerns on his first day on the job. But the order will have limitations in that some civil rights legislation doesn’t name sex as a protected class. That makes the passage of the Equality Act, which would expand all federal civil rights laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity protections. Biden has promised to sign the Equality Act, which would add LGBTQ protections to existing federal civil rights laws, into law within his first 100 days. But the impending second impeachment trial of Donald Trump may slow things down a bit. The Senate Judiciary committee, which would oversee the Equality Act bill, is the same committee now tasked with the impeachment proceedings. Additionally, Senate Democrats will need ten Republican colleagues to vote in favor of the bill since there’s the 60 vote threshold required to close debate and move to a vote. Jen Psaki, the new White House press secretary, told the Washington Blade that President Biden plans on issuing an executive order in the next few days that would reverse the Trump administration’s ban on military service by transgender Americans. Other executive orders signed Wednesday reversed Trump’s Muslim travel ban, stopped construction of the Mexico border wall, and rejoining the Paris climate agreement.
President Biden signs first three executive orders in the Oval Office including face mask mandate for federal properties and re-joining the Paris Climate Accord. pic.twitter.com/dtvYm61UF6
Pete Buttigieg during his Senate confirmation hearing In a moment of quiet history making, Pete Buttigieg – the first out gay nominee for a Cabinet secretary position – began his confirmation hearing with the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee by thanking his husband for his support. “I’d like to take a moment to introduce my husband Chasten Buttigieg, who is here with me today,” said the Transportation Secretary nominee with Chasten sitting nearby. “I’m really proud to have him by my side.” “I also want to take this chance to thank him for his many sacrifices and his support in making it possible for me to pursue public service.” Many on social media noted how seeing a gay Cabinet nominee introduce his husband would have meant a lot to them growing up. By the way – for those wondering, Buttigieg’s committee appearance went VERY well. #Forward
So proud to watch this historic moment as our friend @PeteButtigieg, the nation’s first openly gay cabinet secretary nominee, introduces his husband, @Chasten, during Pete Buttigieg’s Transportation Secretary confirmation hearing. 🖤🤎❤️🧡💛💚💙💜pic.twitter.com/uUsSRb2CDp
If I’d been a kid and seen the popular gay news anchor Rachel Maddow anchoring a presidential inauguration and heard her refer to “likely Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband” it honestly would have changed my whole life.
The first presidential election I voted in was 1996. It would have been unthinkable for an openly gay man to sit on the inauguration platform with his husband. To hear “Pete Buttigieg and his husband” during television coverage made me smile. We’ve made some progress. pic.twitter.com/csefxtmh0l
Here at @PeteButtigieg ‘s commerce committee confirmation hearing for Transportation Secretary. He has very strong bipartisan senate support already and I look forward to working with him! Great to see @Chasten here as well!
Transportation Secretary nominee Pete Buttigieg says in opening statement that “misguided policies and missed opportunities in transportation can reinforce racial and economic inequality, by dividing or isolating neighborhoods” https://t.co/23V91I8u7Qpic.twitter.com/DUUMm7fiNM
Senator Jon Tester with some glowing praise for Buttigieg: “You have put on a clinic on how a nominee should work and act. You haven’t avoided the questions. You’ve been straightforward. And you know what the hell you’re talking about. And that’s pretty damn refreshing.”
• 
