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CNN’s Anderson Cooper Becomes A Dad

CNN’s Anderson Cooper welcomes his son Wyatt Morgan Cooper to the world (images via Instagram)
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper shared with his audience at the end of his show last night that he became a dad Monday night. “I’m a dad” he proudly said. “I have a son and I want you to meet him.” In an Instagram post featuring Wyatt Morgan Cooper, Anderson wrote, “I want to share with you some joyful news. On Monday, I became a father. This is Wyatt Cooper. He is three days old. He is named after my father, who died when I was ten. I hope I can be as good a dad as he was.” Cooper goes on to share that Wyatt’s middle name is Morgan, which he chose because he recently found a list his parents made 52 years ago when thinking up names for Anderson. “Wyatt Morgan Cooper. My son. He was 7.2 lbs at birth, and he is sweet, and soft, and healthy and I am beyond happy.” He adds that, growing up knowing he was gay, he “never thought it would be possible to have a child, and I’m grateful for all those who have paved the way, and for the doctors and nurses and everyone involved in my son’s birth.” Anderson also thanked the surrogate who carried Wyatt and watched over him during those months. “I do wish my mom and dad and my brother, Carter, were alive to meet Wyatt, but I like to believe they can see him,” Anderson said in closing. “I imagine them all together, arms around each other, smiling and laughing, happy to know that their love is alive in me and in Wyatt, and that our family continues.” Congratulations to Anderson and his entire family as they welcome Wyatt to the world.

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I want to share with you some joyful news. On Monday, I became a father. This is Wyatt Cooper. He is three days old. He is named after my father, who died when I was ten. I hope I can be as good a dad as he was. My son's middle name is Morgan. It's a family name on my mom's side. I know my mom and dad liked the name morgan because I recently found a list they made 52 years ago when they were trying to think of names for me. Wyatt Morgan Cooper. My son. He was 7.2 lbs at birth, and he is sweet, and soft, and healthy and I am beyond happy. As a gay kid, I never thought it would be possible to have a child, and I’m grateful for all those who have paved the way, and for the doctors and nurses and everyone involved in my son's birth. Most of all, I am grateful to a remarkable surrogate who carried Wyatt, and watched over him lovingly, and tenderly, and gave birth to him. It is an extraordinary blessing – what she, and all surrogates give to families who cant have children. My surrogate has a beautiful family of her own, a wonderfully supportive husband, and kids, and I am incredibly thankful for all the support they have given Wyatt and me. My family is blessed to have this family in our lives I do wish my mom and dad and my brother, Carter, were alive to meet Wyatt, but I like to believe they can see him. I imagine them all together, arms around each other, smiling and laughing, happy to know that their love is alive in me and in Wyatt, and that our family continues.

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News Round-Up: April 30, 2020

Los Angeles, CA, 1998
Some news items you might have missed: • International Day of Dance: I’m a day late but I have to pay tribute to the gift, the discipline, and the artistry afforded me by my many (many) years of dance training. It all was a gift. The pic above was taken as I warmed up for a performance of CHICAGO the Musical in Los Angeles at the Shubert Theatre in 1998. • Agence France-Presse: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said the World Health Organization encourages homosexuality and masturbation among young children, his latest clash with an organization whose advice on social distancing and other anti-coronavirus measures he has repeatedly questioned. • Washington Blade: Rufus Gifford has been named deputy campaign manager for Joseph Biden, the campaign confirmed Wednesday. The former U.S. ambassador to Denmark from 2013 to 2017, Gifford was one of seven openly gay ambassadors who served under the Obama administration. Oh, and he’s a dog man and pretty easy on the eyes, which never hurts 🙂
Former US Ambassador Rufus Giffords (via Instagram)
• Media Matters: National Rifle Association board member Anthony Colandro called the novel coronavirus pandemic “bullshit” and encouraged his followers to join him at an anti-social distancing protest in New Jersey insisting the state police “can’t arrest all of us.” • Pink News: A scientist has explained why Mike Pence refused to wear a mask while visiting patients recovering from coronavirus: toxic masculinity. Peter Glick Ph.D., a social sciences professor, says Pence refusing to abide by the hospital’s guidelines comes down to “one critical reason, which is that appearing to play it safe contradicts a core principle of masculinity: show no weakness.” p.s. Pence wore a mask at a GM plant after the backlash. • Fox News: After over one million confirmed cases and over 62,000 deaths of COVID-19 in the U.S., plus 30 million Americans have lost their jobs, Donald Trump’s campaign is set to launch a seven-figure ad blitz on his “spectacular success.” Priorities USA has its own take on Trump’s efforts.

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NY Gov. Cuomo Slams Mitch McConnell “Who Is Bailing Out Whom?”

L-R Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
From NowThis News:

States across the U.S. are struggling to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. New York state has been hit especially hard, as coronavirus cases across the state and New York City increase.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who holds coronavirus press briefings regularly, has called out Donald Trump and the Trump admin for its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Recently, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo laid into Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans for blocking emergency aid for Democratic states amid COVID-19.

As Gov. Cuomo points out, New York state pays $29 billion more to the federal government than it gets back on an annual basis. But Sen. McConnell’s state of Kentucky regularly takes $37 billion MORE than it sends to Washington DC, and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida sees his state take $30 billion more than it sends to the federal government. So, when McConnell and his GOP compatriots say they don’t want to “bailout” states like New York, Cuomo rightfully asks, “Who is bailing out whom?”

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Chippendales@Home: A New Way To Beat The Quarantine Blues

L-R Jayson Michael, Ryan Worley of the Chippendales
Need a break from binge-watching? Looking for a different kind of ‘self-care’ from home? With their Las Vegas home on lock-down, the world-famous Chippendales have come up with the perfect solution to beat the quarantine blues: a virtual night out with friends as the hunks stream into your homes. And yes, men are totally welcome. “Chippendales@Home” is the perfect way to make sure birthdays, bachelor/bachelorette parties, or just plain “let’s have fun” nights all have their own special moments. The new streaming experience gives folks the chance to hang out and party with the men of Chippendales right in your own homes. Get to know the guys in a private, virtual setting as they host your party, play games like “Never Have I Ever?” or guessing what’s in a Chipp’s pants, get or give a virtual lap dance and experience some of the interaction Chippendales live shows thrive on. Each 30-minute party features at least two Chippendales cast members and will be hosted utilizing streaming platforms such as ZOOM, House Party, FaceTime, or Google Hangout. Said one participant, “Hands down my FAVORITE quarantine experience thus far!” And another, “I liked that it was interactive – and the fruit/vegetable in the pants game was hilarious!” Check out this one-minute video (warning – bare butts ahead) from a recent “Chippendales@Home” party featuring Chippendales emcee Jayson Michael (wearing cuffs and collar) and Ryan Worley (wearing…a guitar).

For a limited time, Chippendales is offering their streaming service for free as a thank you to all first responders and health care workers as well as to any ticket purchaser that was unable to attend one of their postponed shows. For more information about booking “Chippendales@Home,” visit chippendales.com. In addition to “Chippendales@Home,” the brand has been cranking out online experiences as people are urged to stay inside. Recent digital offerings include at-home workouts with cast members, Instagram Live chats with alumni of the brand, and light-hearted digital content such as one of the current cast members performing a lap dance for a 12-pack of toilet paper. Here’s more from the men of Chippendales via Instagram:

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#Chippendales quarantine day 14.

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Sexy Trans Men Offer Their Own #DontRushChallenge Video

Paulo Batista @ftmmuscle (screen capture)
If you’ve been clicking through Instagram lately you’ve probably come across the latest social media trend – the #DontRushChallenge video. It all began with women sharing videos (set to the song “Don’t Rush”) showing themselves sans makeup/glam, then touching the camera lens whereupon they are revealed in full beat. Ta-dah!!!! Now, a group of transgender men are featured in a new compilation assembled by Instagrammer Lucas Elliot. He and the men in the video recently took part in a fashion show for MarcoMarco underwear. “Got together (digitally) with the FTM boys who walked in NYFW for MarcoMarco and made our version of this silly little Don’t Rush challenge,” wrote Elliot. “I hope you enjoy it as much as we did filming it.” The video uses the song “Aura” by one of the models, Jamie Wilson, and shows the guys making their own spiffy transformations and then tossing (literally) to the next model. Guys in order of appearance: @dezjorngauthier @courtp1453 @yonik_unique @hansongobron @phoenix_montoya @ftmmuscle @tboy61915 @cooltransluke Elliot’s post has been viewed over 12,000 times and when Wilson shared the video it soared to over 163,000 views. The video is very well done and the guys look terrific 🙂

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Report: Over 100,000 Crew Members Stuck On Cruise Ships

The CDC is dropping its COVID-19 cruise ship travel warning

(stock image via Pixabay)
A new investigation by The Guardian shows over 100,000 crew members of cruise ships are still stuck onboard as ports refuse to allow the vessels to dock. Additionally, air travel restrictions are keeping them from returning to their home countries. The Guardian reports:

Many of these crew are quarantined in tiny cabins, and some have had their pay cut off. They have in effect become a nation of floating castaways, marooned on boats from the Galapagos Islands to Dubai port.

Many of the crew have only minimal communication with the outside world, making their situations hard to scrutinise. But at least 17 cruise ship workers are confirmed to have died from suspected Covid-19, and dozens more have had to be evacuated from ships and taken to hospital, the Guardian found.

“We all have family, we all want to go home,” said one crew member who has been isolating in his cabin onboard the MSC Seaview off South America for nearly a month, but is no longer being paid.

One crew member, who spoke anonymously for fear of losing his job, said those on his ship were initially allowed to move about freely, but have since been told to remain in their cabins after a co-worker (who had already left the ship) tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Guardian’s reporting adds that at the beginning of April the U.S. Coast Guard estimated there were approximately 93,000 crew members still onboard ships in and around U.S. waters alone. In other parts of the world, its believed there are tens of thousands more crew members stuck on their ships. The article quotes John Hickey, a maritime lawyer, who said crew members “did not have access to the rights afforded by their nations of citizenship, yet they were often outside the jurisdiction of the countries where their ships were sailing.”

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Podcast: UNSAD Podcast, Ohio Teacher Fired For Having Husband, Ryan Murphy’s ‘Hollywood’

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: • A former police officer will receive a settlement after being denied a job because he is HIV positive • Ohio teacher fired for having a husband • Small steps forward for LGBTQ rights in Morocco • The Trump administration is close to removing important anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQs from the Affordable Care Act • Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix series Hollywood is a progressive, pro-LGBTQ reimagining of post-World War II Tinseltown • New ‘good news’ podcast to help you sleep at night – UNSAD Podcast www.unsadpodcast.com All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report podcast

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News Round-Up: April 29, 2020

I’m a little late getting this News Round-Up out, so rather than make you wait while I scour the Gram of Insta for an InstaHunk, you get this pic of me from this morning before the day got away from me. Just want to let you know we’re still kicking out here in Las Vegas and I hope everyone’s going great as we close out Hump Day. Here are a few news items you might have missed: • The Advocate: After teaching English for 23 years at Archbishop Alter High School in a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, a teacher has been notified his contract will not be renewed for the coming school year because he’s married to his husband. • Gay City News: LGBTQ groups in Morocco are encouraging gay men to get rid of the Grindr accounts after a social media influencer encouraged people to use the app’s location data to identify gay locals. • Out Music: After years battling a debilitating chronic pain condition, out indie artist Stefan Alexander recently released his first new music since 2016. Check out the pop-synth title track from his new EP, Cry Again. “Cry Again is sort of the aftermath and getting back in touch with my emotions, all these emotions I had bottled up for so long and didn’t allow myself to feel,” Alexander shared with American Songwriter earlier this year.

• Washington Post: U.S. intelligence agencies issued warnings about the novel coronavirus in more than a dozen classified briefings prepared for President Trump in January and February, months during which he continued to play down the threat, according to current and former U.S. officials. • KIT212: For this week’s edition of ‘Wrestle Wednesdays,’ Kenneth notes “there’s so much going on in this scene you have to see it for yourself.” In addition to the athlete, that coach can seriously wear some pants…

 

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FDA To Authorize Emergency Use Of New Drug After ‘Optimistic’ Signs

The New York Times reports the F.D.A. is expected to authorize as early as Wednesday Gilead Sciences’ experimental anti-viral drug remdesivir for emergency use in treating patients with Covid-19. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the federal government’s leading infectious diseases scientist, told reporters a trial study overseen by the National Institutes of Health showed clear signs the drug could make a difference in speeding up the recovery of some patients.

Dr. Fauci said the federal trial indicated that the drug remdesivir could shorten the time to recovery by about a third. “Although a 31 percent improvement doesn’t seem like a knockout 100 percent, it is a very important proof of concept because what it has proven is that a drug can block this virus,” Dr. Fauci said. “This is very optimistic.”

In a statement, Gilead Sciences said it was “aware of positive data emerging from” the study by Dr. Fauci’s institute, known as NIAID. “We understand that the trial has met its primary endpoint and that NIAID will provide detailed information at an upcoming briefing.”

Remdesivir is not yet licensed or approved in the United States or anywhere in the world “and has not yet been demonstrated to be safe or effective for the treatment of Covid-19,” according to Gilead.

Remdesivir has never been approved as a treatment for any disease. It was developed to fight Ebola, but results from a clinical trial in Africa were disappointing.

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Jared Kushner On COVID-19 Response: “This Has Been A Great Success Story”

Jared Kushner (screen capture)
During an appearance on Fox & Friends this morning, Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner told viewers, “The federal government rose to the challenge and this is a great success story.” At this writing, there have been 1,023,304 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. with 58,965 deaths. “A great success story…?”