An interracial family in Raleigh, NC, received a threatening racist letter (screen capture) An interracial family living in a north Raleigh neighborhood shared with local news station WRAL an unsigned letter warning against posting any signs in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The note read:
“Before you think about putting any signage up in your yard, or if you had any idea about making a public statement on your property regarding George Floyd or racism, please remember that the rest of us live in an upscale neighborhood and have spent the extra money to stay out of mixed neighborhoods and/or the ghetto.
“No one wants trouble or any circumstance arising which could turn our neighborhood into a “semi-ghetto.” Please keep your husband and teenage kids well behaved and orderly because no one is interested in your or their “struggles.”
Keep matters inside your own house and do your best to keep this area upscale and free of that element. Most of us would not hesitate to call the police if your kids or husband gets unruly, so please be considerate of everyone else living amongst you.”
“Free of that element…” The letter was signed without a name but expressed “sincere gratitude.” (screen capture via WRAL) The family declined to appear on-camera but several neighbors spoke to WRAL regarding the ugliness of the missive. Kate Pirrung, a neighbor in the Wakefield Plantation neighborhood told WRAL, “I was horrified, appalled, disappointed…sad.” “I couldn’t believe that someone in my neighborhood – that close to me – would have written something so mean,” said neighbor Marianna Morin. Neighbor Armand Morin pointed to the implicit threat in the note. “In the end, underneath all the context, it was a threat: Don’t do this. We’ll report you. We’ll send people over to your house – the police in this particular incident,” said Armand. In response to the note, the family sent out copies to all of their neighbors along with a message of their own. “If you did not write this letter, we wanted you to be aware of what has happened in our neighborhood,” the family wrote. “If you are the person that wrote this letter, we will not be intimidated by your cowardly act and ignorance. We are happy to have a discussion regarding love, respect and racism if your have the courage.” “Something has to change,” Pirrung said. “We are all God’s children. What happened to love thy neighbor, treat each other with respect and kindness?” “It’s not just in the city,” said Marianna Morin of the explicit racism. “It’s not just in the streets. It’s in this neighborhood.” The family issued a public statement regarding the letter to WRAL. “We want to acknowledge that this letter does not compare to some of the more dire circumstances many people find themselves in on a regular basis due to bigotry,” wrote the family. “However, it was shocking and ignorant.” “The outrage, support and kind words expressed to us by so many in our community have overpowered the hate expressed from the one person who wrote the letter,” they continued. “Our hope is for this to inspire respectful conversations and courageous self-examination about bias and racism.” “To the person who wrote the letter, we pray for your heart to be released from bitterness and filled with understanding and compassion for others,” the family added. “Black lives do matter.” You can watch the report from WRAL below.
Nathan Ivie (via Instagram) Republican county commissioner Nathan Ivie came out to his Utah constituents last year via social media, and at the time, the announcement appeared to be well received. But a year later, Ivie has lost his bid for reelection and the 41-year-old says there’s no doubt in his mind that his sexuality “was part of the issue.” With all of the votes counted, Ivie suffered a bruising primary loss to former Marine Lt. Col. Tom Sakievich by a margin of 60.4 percent to 39.6 percent according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Contrast that with his first campaign in 2016 when he won his primary with nearly 59 percent of the vote and won in the general election with 81 percent. What a difference four years can make. “I can’t tell you the number of hate emails I received,” Ivie told the Tribune. “I didn’t make an issue out of it in the campaign because that’s not the kind of person I am. But there is no doubt that the Eagle Forum [a conservative group] and its lies were absolutely in play here.” Sakievich denies the allegations saying Ivie’s openly gay status “was not an issue” in the race. “Most people that I talked to said that they’re aware of his coming out,” said Sakievich. “But to them, that wasn’t the issue. The issue was the taxes and how the government is being run.” Ivie had voted for an unpopular property tax increase, the first in 23 years, to address neglect he discovered when he was elected in 2016. Ivie says his opponent “ran around telling everybody that he was going to cut taxes, increase services, and then use a tax fund that you can’t use to pay for it. That’s a lie. … It’ll be interesting to see what happens when reality sets in.” Ivie has accepted the results of the primary, though, adding that while he’s sad for Utah, he’s upbeat about his own future. “For me personally, I get to go back to my ranch and ride horses full time,” he shared. “I have a lot of work to do with the LGBT community, especially with troubled youth, to reach out to them.”
When he came out in May 2019 (video above), Ivie said it was due to several factors. One, he said he wanted “the 22-year-old version of himself” out there to know things will be ok. “Obviously we have a problem in our community, especially in the LGBT community, of suicide,” he shared. “As someone who’s been there and pulled the trigger once: don’t.” He also says that seeing two men holding hands on a river trail in Boise deeply affected him. “It was just two regular human beings who loved each other who were walking holding hands as an intimate, caring couple, and that image really stuck with me for whatever reason,” he told the Herald Extra. “And that was probably one of the first times in my life I went, ‘Maybe I’m not screwed up. Maybe I’m not broken.’” (source: Salt Lake Tribune)
Walk The Moon lead singer Nicholas Petricca (photo: Anna Lee) Some news items you might have missed: • Global Pride 2020: More than 57 million people from more than 163 countries joined the 27-hour virtual event, Global Pride 2020, that took place on June 27. Major artists including Laverne Cox, Elton John, Adam Lambert, Olivia Newton-John, Kesha, and Pabllo Vittar appeared alongside world leaders including former US Vice President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and openly gay Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. • Andrew Christian Blog: I’m not saying they’re sugar daddies but check out this list of the ‘6 Richest Gay Men in the World.’ • Instinct Magazine: On the last day of Pride Month, Nicholas Petricca (pictured above), lead singer of pop band Walk The Moon (‘Shut Up and Dance’), came out as bisexual on his Instagram page. Petricca posted a photo of a quote by Harvey Milk followed by a four-minute video where he started the video by saying, “Hi. My name is Nicholas. I’m the lead singer of a band called WALK THE MOON and I’m bisexual.”
• CinemaBlend: Matt Bomer explains why it’s been so important to tell the story of a gay superhero on DC Universe’s Doom Patrol. In his role as ‘Larry Trainor/Negative Man,’ Bomer says he gets to not only address the issue of coming out, but overcoming the guilt and shame many LGBTQ people feel in their journey. • Heavy: Corey Hannon, who became infamous over the weekend for heading out to gay mecca Fire Island believing he was infected by the coronavirus, has been banned from all Fire Island bars and restaurants for his shenanigans. • Pink News: Marvel star Tessa Thompson says her bisexual character, Valkyrie, will ‘push the bounds of’ queer representation in future films. Thompson has already told fans to expect a queer storyline in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, teasing that as Asgard’s new king, “she needs to find her queen.” • ABC News: About six-and-a-half years after criticizing then-President Barack Obama for doing the same, Donald Trump is weighing in on the controversial Redskins team name. The franchise put out a statement on Friday saying that it plans to “undergo a thorough review of the team’s name.” With a name change seeming all but certain for Washington’s NFL team, Trump tweeted his disapproval on Monday.
They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct. Indians, like Elizabeth Warren, must be very angry right now!
Arizona is now the 8th state to cross the 100,000 case threshold regarding COVID-19. And no, it’s not just ‘more testing’ behind the case of the number of cases. Hospitalizations due to coronavirus diagnoses are way up. From The Hill:
Arizona joins Texas, California, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Illinois in tallying more than 100,000 cases.
Hospitalizations in inpatient and ICU beds and ventilators in use by coronavirus patients increased Sunday to their highest reported levels since hospital data reporting began in April, according to The Arizona Republic.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) began easing lockdown restrictions on May 1, allowing some salons, barbershops, restaurant dine-in services and retail stores to open their doors. But as cases and hospitalizations began to spike, Ducey last week ordered bars, gyms, movie theaters, waterparks and tubing rentals to close for 30 days.
L-R Brayla Stone, Merci Mack (via social media)The National Black Justice Coalition reports that, in just the past week, at least 5 Black trans women were violently murdered. • On Tuesday, June 30, Merci Mack, a 22-year-old in Dallas, Texas, was found murdered from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. • In Louisiana, Draya McCarty was found killed in Baton Rogue, and Shakie Peters was found killed in Amite. • Cameron Breon — also known as Bree Black — was also found shot in Pompano Beach, Florida on July 3, at just 27 years old. • Social media has also reported that Tatiana Hall was murdered in Philadelphia, but little additional information has been made publicly available. These deaths — all in the last week — bring the number of trans people violently killed this year to 22. Additionally, Brayla Stone was just 17 when she was murdered in late June. And two Black trans women in their twenties, Riah Milton and Dominique “Remmie” Fells, were also murdered in early June. In response to this tragic news, Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition David J. Johns released the following statement:
“I dream of a world where we don’t have to wake up to see headlines of more of our sisters killed because of who they are and how they show up in the world. A world where the beautifully diverse contributions of Black trans women and girls are celebrated, not one where their lives are reduced to memes and hashtags. As we have marched in the streets for the past five weeks, and fought for our lives for the past 400 years, we must ensure that we are uplifting, supporting, and protecting our Black trans sisters too. For Black Lives to Matter, Black Trans Lives must Matter too.
“As we fight to overturn racist systems, we must fight to overturn the patriarchal systems that continue to perpetuate violence against Black women and girls, both Trans and Cis. Black women and girls have been leading the charge to fight police brutality and imagine a better future rooted in collective liberation. We must stand up and dream of a better world for them too. Merci, Draya, Shakie, Bree, and Tatiana mattered. Brayla, Riah, and Remmie mattered.
“We have to make space to talk, both publicly and privately, about the labor that Black women and girls invest to ensure that our families, community, and country are safe and supportive spaces in spite of anti-Blackness. We also have to talk about the violence they face from grown boys who also allow their pain and trauma to go undiscussed and untreated. As we call for justice for Black people, we must call for and work toward justice for all Black people.”
The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is America’s leading national civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and same gender loving (LGBTQ/SGL) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS. (via press release)
Donald Trump (image via Flickr/WhiteHouse – public domain) While the Biden campaign’s view of the COVID-19 pandemic is that of a problem that needs not only leadership but empathy and compassion, Team Trump is hoping Americans will simply grow numb to the mounting death count. From the Washington Post:
Trump’s advisers, by contrast, are seeking ways to reframe his response to the coronavirus — even as the president himself largely seeks to avoid the topic because he views it as a political loser. They are sending health officials to swing states, putting doctors on TV in regional markets where the virus is surging, crafting messages on an economic recovery and writing talking points for allies to deliver to potential voters.
The goal is to convince Americans that they can live with the virus — that schools should reopen, professional sports should return, a vaccine is likely to arrive by the end of the year and the economy will continue to improve.
White House officials also hope Americans will grow numb to the escalating death toll and learn to accept tens of thousands of new cases a day, according to three people familiar with the White House’s thinking, who requested anonymity to reveal internal deliberations. Americans will “live with the virus being a threat,” in the words of one of those people, a senior administration official.
Broadway star Nick Cordero A post I truly did not ever want to write. After more than 90 days in the hospital due to COVID-19, actor and Tony Award nominee Nick Cordero (Waitress, Rock of Ages, A Bronx Tale, Bullets Over Broadway) has passed away at the age of 41. Although I only met Nick once in a backstage moment, I can say I’ve never seen such an outpouring for a member of our Broadway community as I’ve seen for Nick. Nick passed on Sunday morning at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He is survived by his wife Amanda Kloots, whom he wed in September 2017, and their 1-year-old son Elvis Eduardo. Kloots shared the news in a social media post this afternoon.
“God has another angel in heaven now. My darling husband passed away this morning. He was surrounded in love by his family, singing and praying as he gently left this earth.⠀“I am in disbelief and hurting everywhere. My heart is broken as I cannot imagine our lives without him. Nick was such a bright light. He was everyone’s friend, loved to listen, help and especially talk. He was an incredible actor and musician. He loved his family and loved being a father and husband. Elvis and I will miss him in everything we do, everyday.⠀“To Nicks extraordinary doctor, Dr. David Ng, you were my positive doctor! There are not many doctors like you. Kind, smart, compassionate, assertive and always eager to listen to my crazy ideas or call yet another doctor for me for a second opinion. You’re a diamond in the rough.
“I cannot begin to thank everyone enough for the outpour of love , support and help we’ve received these last 95 days. You have no idea how much you lifted my spirits at 3pm everyday as the world sang Nicks song, Live Your Life. We sang it to him today, holding his hands. As I sang the last line to him, “they’ll give you hell but don’t you light them kill your light not without a fight. Live your life,” I smiled because he definitely put up a fight.
“I will love you forever and always my sweet man.”
In this episode of ‘Gays Gone Wild,’ “Fire Island” was trending on Twitter today after several social media posts went viral featuring tons of shirtless gays at shoulder-to-shoulder parties at the gay summer mecca, Fire Island. No masks, no social distancing. Journalist Chris Weidner curated the following posts and reports via Twitter. Among the ‘Covidiots’ is an apparent 23-year-old Giancarlo Kristian Albanese, currency analyst at EverythingFx. It looksl like he was planning on returning to his parents house (where he lives) in White Plains, NY. Except – his mother reportedly if undergoing chemotherapy, and his brother commented on Giancarlo’s post saying he is now unwelcome at home.
I found her Facebook. It’s true that she has cancer. She also seems like a wonderful person. He must be seriously mentally disturbed to be this unhinged. I feel bad for his family.
Hannon later posted an ‘apology’ video which seemed to twist and turn itself in knots. On one hand, he said he never actually tested positive for COVID-19, but he believed he had experienced it. BUT – even though he took a test for the virus, he still headed out to Fire Island to frolic in the sun amid the gays. He ‘apologized’ for the ‘misrepresentation’ of his COVID story and that his video rant was never meant to be posted to his account as it was just ‘bad humor’ intended to be shared among friends. He also denounced so-called ‘cancel culture’ for how his own posts on social media came back to bite him in the ass. First of all, pal, stop posting every second of your life on social media if you don’t want to deal with the ramifications. You’re not that cool. Second, we can’t cancel what hasn’t happened. I’d never heard of Hannon before today. The idea of ‘cancel culture’ is to ‘cancel’ prominent individuals who have abused public trust in having a following. Dude, you ain’t that famous…
Twitter was NOT havin it:
we’re gonna be in quarantine forever because you expired milk ass f words can’t not wear your ~brand new speedo~ to fire island for one goddamn year pic.twitter.com/b5ktvC0LQq
— All Black Lives Matter. (@samkalidi) July 5, 2020
it’s sending me into a fucking rage seeing videos of all the gays at fire island who decided the pandemic is over because they couldn’t wait a year to wear their tacky speedos and do ghb. if any of you were there please block me, you’re an embarrassment
If you went to Fire Island this weekend do us all in NYC/Long Island a favor and extend your Fire Island stay for an extra two weeks. Stay where you are. Parties are fun, but this shit was fucking stupid. Quarantine your ass like our lives depend on it.
You’d think we gay men would have learned from the last pandemic that brought our community to its knees (HIV) and that we’re still reeling from. We criticize Trumpists for denying science and then turn around and do this. Embarrassing.
CNN’s Dana Bash interviews Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (R) During an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union this morning, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (R), who criticized President Obama in 2014 for exhibiting what she called “failed leadership” on Ebola, was asked by CNN’s Dana Bash if Donald Trump is exhibiting “failed leadership” on the coronavirus health threat. Note: There were only 11 confirmed cases of Ebola reported in the U.S. and 2 Americans died from the virus six years ago. At this writing, the number of American deaths from COVID-19 is just under $130,000. Ernst’s response to the question: “I think the president is stepping forward.”
RuPaul (screen capture) Where in the virtual world has RuPaul gone? Fans noticed on Thursday, the 6-time Emmy Award winner had deactivated his Twitter account (“This account doesn’t exist”) and removed all posts on his Instagram account (“No posts yet”). Just gone. Poof. Shantay-ed away. The move has left many fans feeling confused, with one user tweeting: “Can someone please check on @RuPaul. Mother deleted everything on her Instagram.”
Can someone please check on @RuPaul. Mother deleted everything on her Instagram.
“Why did RuPaul just totally decimate his entire Instagram tho — what is happening?” tweeted another fan. One fan, referencing the recent reports that Ru seemingly admitted to allowing fracking on his Wyoming/South Dakota property, responded asking “Did the oil wells dry up in Wyoming??”
Another posited that the world’s most successful drag queen had been hacked, posting a recorded video showing posts disappearing from Instagram one by one. The fan wrote, “@RuPaul someone is hacking your Instagram and deleting your photos.”
Multiple outlets, including The Randy Report, have reached out to RuPaul’s reps about the deletions but received no comment. Page Six points out that Season 10 Drag Race alum Kameron Michaels also wiped his Instagram account on the same day. But early this morning, Michaels posted a note on the Gram of Insta saying he is ‘fine.’
“There is no stunt. No scandal. No big reveal,” wrote Michaels. “Without going into all the whiney details about my own personal issues, I simply want to start over.” Michaels went on to say he cringed at many of his past posts because he began to tie his self-worth in reality “to that of my online content and I’m erasing that toxic behavior.” He added, “As far as someone else doing the same thing I did, weirdly on the very same day…I have mo idea why they or their team erased their content.” Another coincidence – or not? – the timing of RuPaul’s deletions happened the same day as the debut of Canada’s Drag Race, the 4th iteration of the popular reality series. While Mama Ru’s personal social media pages have been deleted or deactivated, for now, the official RuPaul’s Drag RaceInstagram account remains active, although the most recent post was from June 12. The 5th Season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars is currently airing on VH1.
Just gone. Poof. Shantay-ed away. The move has left many fans feeling confused, with one user