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Bernie Sanders Endorses Joe Biden: “We Have To Make Trump A One-Term President”

In a joint live stream today, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) officially endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president and he asked his supporters to do the same. “Today I am asking all Americans … to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy,” Sanders told Biden. From the New York Times:

In throwing his weight behind his former rival, Mr. Sanders is sending an unmistakable signal that his supporters — who are known for their intense loyalty — should do so as well, at a moment when Mr. Biden still faces deep skepticism from many younger progressives.

The two men appeared via live stream on split screens — each on each other’s live streams — talking to each other. “We need you in the White House,” Mr. Sanders said to Mr. Biden. “And I will do all that I can to make that happen.”

Mr. Biden said: “I’m going to need you. Not just to win the campaign, but to govern.”

On Sunday, however, the Democratic Socialists of America tweeted in no uncertain terms they will not support Biden. #smh

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Daily Dance: Travis Wall To Host Virtual “Break The Floor: Live”

Choreographer Travis Wall has been removed from the current Break the Floor tour amid allegations of sexual misbehavior

Travis Wall (image via Instagram)
Award-winning dancer-choreographer Travis Wall will host Break the Floor: Live, a free virtual dance convention April 18–19. Faculty members from JUMP, NUVO and 24 Seven will gather virtually for online classes, auditions, a group competition, and more. The event will be streamed from Break the Floor’s new studio in Los Angeles beginning at 12PM ET April 18.

Wall first hit the national spotlight as a competitor on So You Think You Can Dance in Season 2 before going on to choreograph for the reality dance competition for 14 seasons, earning nine Emmy nominations. He currently serves as a resident choreographer for the reality competition and a guest judge. He made his New York choreographic debut with MCC Theater’s The Wrong Man last fall. Wall took to Instagram to share the news writing, “CALLING ALL DANCERS!!!! I’m hosting the FIRST LIVE DANCE CONVENTION APRIL 18th & 19th! Come take class with me and some of your favorite convention teachers! And it’s FREE! My soul needs this! I can not wait to dance with you next weekend! TAG SOMEONE who would love this!!!!” You can also check out a short live performance by Wall and SYTYCD alum Ricky Ubeda below as well.

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Trump’s Favorite Poll Shows His Approval Rating At 6-Month Low

Trump walks past reporters with no comment

Trump walks past reporters with no comment
Donald Trump (image via public domain/White House)
The latest results from Donald Trump’s favorite polling outlet, Rasmussen Reports, shows the Donald’s approval rating declining to a six month low of 43 percent. The survey, released Friday, found that 56 percent of voters disapprove of Trump’s job performance. In the past, Trump has cheered Rasmussen as “one of the most accurate” polling companies in the game. Those numbers mirror what’s happening at the Real Clear Politics average of polls where Trump scored his best-ever approval high of 47.3 percent on March 31 only to tumble to 44.9 percent in the days afterward. Rasmussen’s results have been an up/down adventure as Trump’s approval tends to rise in the middle of weeks only to decline again as new reports of record unemployment claims bring the new reality into focus again and again.

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Fauci On Trump Delaying COVID-19 Guidelines: “It Is What It Is”

Dr. Anthony Fauci on CNN’s State of the Union
If you want answers about the ongoing coronavirus threat, Dr. Anthony Fauci is the guy for straight info. During an interview today on State of the Union, Fauci told CNN’s Jake Tapper he hopes November’s elections will be able to happen in a fairly “normal” way, but wouldn’t commit to a guarantee because so many variables are in play – including a possible second wave of infections later this year. Fauci also said “no one is going to deny” that more lives could have been saved during the coronavirus crisis if the Trump administration had begun social distancing guidelines in mid-February. On Saturday, the New York Times reported that high ranking public health experts in the Trump administration, including Fauci, issued guidance on February 21 that the U.S. would need to move toward “aggressive social distancing even if it would disrupt the economy and millions of American lives.” Fauci told Tapper today, “We look at it from a pure health standpoint. We make a recommendation. Often the recommendation is taken. Sometimes it’s not. But it is what it is. We are where we are right now.” It is what it is…

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‘Disney On Broadway’ Charity Streaming Event Cancelled Over Musicians’ Fees

Back in November, Disney celebrated 25 years on Broadway with a charity concert features songs and artists from the many shows produced by the Mouse House on the Great White Way. The concert event, produced by Disney, served as a charity fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS bringing in over $570,000 to help folks. Broadway Cares, which has been raising money for a COVID-19 assistance fund, sought to stream performances from the concert this coming Monday with actor Ryan McCartan weaving in interviews between performances. And then a snag occurred. From the NY Times:

Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, the unions which represent actors and stage managers, agreed to allow the streaming of the concert without fees, but the American Federation of Musicians, which has been focused on winning greater compensation for streamed content, did not.

“Members of the American Federation of Musicians are suffering from the sudden cancellation of all work as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak,” the union’s international president, Ray Hair, said by email. “During the height of this crisis, Disney Theatrical has come to us asking to stream media content without payment to the musicians involved in the production. Especially now, with zero employment in the entertainment sector, the content producers should care enough about the welfare of those who originally performed the show to see to it that they are fairly compensated when their work is recorded and streamed throughout the world.”

“I understand being told no,” Tom Viola, the organization’s executive director, said in a statement. “When that happens — and it does — I can usually see why or understand the extenuating circumstances. It never feels simply meanspirited. This was different and the result, particularly now, is heartbreaking.”

Broadway Cares shares that, if forced to pay the musicians for an already recorded concert, the organization would have to pay the other unions. Additionally, Broadway Cares has already given $50,000 this year to musicians’ assistance programs and offered to give another $25,000 to a musicians’ emergency fund, which Viola said would be more than the value of the payment Hair was seeking. But Hair refused that offer, saying he wanted the 15 musicians, who were paid in November for their efforts then, paid their streaming rights. You can check out a short montage of performances from the November concert event below.

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Even Amid Coronavirus Epidemic, Pro-LGBTQ Legislation Progresses Across The U.S.

Even as the coronavirus pandemic is disrupting lives around the world, pro-LGBTQ legislation is progressing in legislative chambers across the U.S. Virginia’s Gov. Ralph Northam signed the Virginia Values Act into law on Saturday. The legislation, which adds sexual orientation and gender identity to the commonwealth’s existing nondiscrimination laws, makes Virginia the first in the South to pass such protections. The General Assembly approved the bill earlier this year after gaining control of the chamber in November. Although the legislation had passed in the state Senate several times in the past, Republicans had successfully blocked the measure in the Assembly for years. When Virginia Values Act goes into effect on July 1, Virginia will join 20 other states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in explicitly banning discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in public employment, housing, and credit.

In Florida, the City Commission of Tallahassee unanimously passed an ordinance protecting LGBTQ youth and vulnerable adults from so-called ‘conversion therapy’ this week. The Trevor Project’s 2019 National Survey on LGBTQ Mental Health showed  LGBTQ youth who had undergone the harmful practice were twice as likely to attempt suicide than those who had not. Forty-two percent of LGBTQ young people who had been subjected to the conversion therapy reported a suicide attempt in the previous 12 months. The reported suicide attempts in the previous year jumped to 57 percent among transgender and non-binary youth forced to undergo ex-gay therapy.
States banning conversion therapy (via Movement Advancement Project)
Currently, 20 states and the District of Columbia have banned the practice as well as at least sixty cities and counties in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin. Sam Brinton, Head of Advocacy and Government Affairs for The Trevor Project, issued a statement applauding the Tallahassee City Commission for taking action to protect young LGBTQs from the harmful pseudo-science.  “This conduct has been discredited by prominent medical associations and proven to be dangerous,” wrote Brinton. “According to The Trevor Project’s 2019 national survey, LGBTQ youth who had undergone conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide as those who did not. This new ordinance will send a message to the LGBTQ youth of Tallahassee that they should be proud of who they are, and hopefully, it will inspire other localities in Florida to take similar action as well.” Scott McCoy, a spokesman for the Southern Poverty Law Center, also cheered the ban, writing: “We applaud the Tallahassee city commissioners for unanimously enacting an ordinance to ban conversion therapy for minors, but also going even further to ensure the protection of vulnerable adults. This bogus practice is premised on the lie that LGBTQ+ individuals have a ‘condition’ that needs to be cured by changing an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. “Taking a stand against conversion therapy is an extremely important step in the right direction to support the well-being of Tallahassee’s LGBTQ+ residents. But the commission has also sent an important message to LGBTQ+ youth: you are perfect the way you are and do not need to be fixed. “We urge the rest of Florida to follow the example set by Tallahassee, and pledge to protect our youth from this heinous practice.” (source: Washington Blade) 

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Fact-Check: Trump Says U.S. Has ‘Best’ COVID-19 Testing System (Nope)

L-R CNN’s Jim Acosta, Donald Trump
From NowThis News:

During a White House press briefing, Donald Trump said the U.S. doesn’t need nationwide testing before sending people back to work. Watch CNN’s Jim Acosta challenge President Trump on his COVID-19 testing claim.

The U.S. does not have the ‘best’ testing system. As of April 1, dozens of countries have far higher testing rates including Germany, Italy, Norway, S. Korea, Canada, Australia, & Estonia.

The White House had promised to conduct 27 million tests by the end of March. As of April 9, Trump himself told the press only 2 million tests had been administered. Based on those 2 million tests, the U.S. is testing approximately 6 people per thousand. Countries like South Korea and Germany are triple that rate. In the same exchange between Acosta and Trump, the Donald told the CNN journalist, “You shouldn’t be asking that kind of a question … it is very insulting to a lot of great people.” Journalists ask questions. It’s literally their job. People who are on point don’t get defensive when asked questions. They have answers.

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News Round-Up: April 11, 2020

Darren Young (image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: WWE superstar Darren Young (above) is styling in his new Pride face mask. “Powered by Pride and not built to be defeated by #Covid19 #quarantinelife“ • Pink News: An anti-gay right-wing American pastor defied social distancing orders amid the coronavirus pandemic to host a live reenactment of Christ’s crucifixion starring his teenage son and daughter as Jesus and Mary. • KIT212: Kenneth rounds up the what’s what in local gay rags across the U.S. and the world like this week’s issue of Adelante Magazine featuring Carlos Arcos on the cover:
Carlos Arcos covers Adelante Magazine (photo: Paul Culver)
• CNN: Ammon Bundy, the rancher who led an armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, said he plans on holding a huge Easter gathering despite stay-at-home orders implemented during the coronavirus pandemic. Bundy told CNN he wants to gather hundreds of people in Idaho saying he believes it’s his constitutional right to assemble, even as state and local officials urge people to socially distance to avoid spreading the virus further. • The Advocate: The marvelous Catherine O’Hara chats about the lessons her beloved  Schitt’s Creek character, Moira Rose, learned after losing her fortune and how the series is more timely than ever. In the series finale earlier this week, Moira officiated her son David’s wedding to his fiancé, Patrick, clad in ecclesiastical pope garb as tears of joy ran down her face sending the moment deliciously over the top.
Catherine O’Hara as ‘Moira Rose’ in the finale of Schitt’s Creek
• Project Q Atlanta: The Dawson County Sheriff’s Office arrested nine men during a three-day sting using Grindr, charging them with a host of misdemeanors and felonies after aggressively pursuing at least one of the men on the hookup app. At least one of the men arrested is openly gay and is accused of offering drugs for sex to an undercover officer on Grindr. But screenshots of their conversation don’t support the allegations included in the man’s arrest warrant. • Cirque du Soleil: The over-the-top world-wide phenomenon that is Cirque due Soleil is offering a series of spectacular specials for you while we’re all #TogetherAtHome. This week’s one-hour special highlights performances from the Cirque productions of Alegria, KOOZA and KÀ! If you’ve never seen Cirque, I encourage you to sit back, hit the play button and make sure you watch in full-screen mode. Simply awe-inspiring.

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Matt Baume Explores Cultural Impact Of ‘Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert’

Matt Baume hosts ‘Culture Cruise’
Super-smart Matt Baume explores the cultural impact of the 1994 indie film, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, in the latest episode of his web series, Culture Cruise. Baume’s popular series regularly takes a look at queer moments in TV and film that changed the world. In 1994, a broken-down bus named Priscilla departed Sydney’s gay enclave, carrying three glamorous performers to the rural heart of Australia on the most perilous journey of their lives. And although only three of them set out in the film, they were soon followed in real life by an entire drag army. Baume notes the film became so popular in the land Down Under ” that six years later Australia paid tribute to it at the Sydney Olympics.” Organizers for the Closing Ceremonies featured a contingent of drag queens and pop star Kylie Minogue performed one of the ABBA songs from the film. Also – the town of Broken Hill, featured in the film as hostile to the three traveling queens, now has become home to a huge annual drag fest called ‘Broken Heel.’ But Matt tells the tale much better than I. Take a few minutes and hit the play button below.

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What We’re Listening To This Week

New music to add to your playlists this week: Randy Report favorite Niko reached out this week and shared two new remixes (that I really like). Like many of us, plans and scheduled were shifted and rearranged due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but Niko is of a mind that maybe we could all use some music to bounce to. “So, I decided to release two remixes that I’ve been sitting on, with the idea that these tracks can make someone dance… I think we all need a little escape during quarantine!” The double single, RMXD, features a remixed “Maybe” by Detroit-based DJ Voyage, and “Sexual Tension” from Norwegian producer Middelthon.

Out artist Someya playfully explores the fine line between love and lust in her latest single, “Hung Up Over You.” The mid-tempo bop finds a sweet balance of ambient groove and pensive, summer feels. The gloomy-day bop also acts as a celebration of the San Jose songstress’s bisexuality, as Someya features her first on-screen female love interest in the “Hung Up Over You” music video.

Bright Light Bright Light (aka Welsh pop star Rod Thomas) is taking fans out for a virtual night on the town in New York City with the release of the video for his disco/house dance-tastic single, “This Was My House.” Of the song, Paper Magazine said, “It’s not every day that we get a perfect disco song” while Rolling Stone praised its “buoyant beat to dance through pain and trouble.” The song features Madonna backup duo Niki Harris and Donna De Lory and is an inspired slice of prideful pop that serves as an ode to LGBTQ safe spaces. The video is an irreverently brilliant, campy look into the NYC LGBTQ+ nightlife scene, and features Bright Light Bright Light leading a merry march of party monsters into the subway system, through a dance club (Bedlam to be specific, which is also the location that the majority of the new album’s vocals were recorded in), and to the East Village rooftop of the apartment building he calls home.