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Podcast: Blood Donations, Anti-LGBTQ Hate Groups, A Virtual Pride Celebration

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: • The FDA issues new guidelines regarding gay and bisexual men donating blood • A new report shows anti-LGBTQ hate groups are on the rise in the U.S. • Get ready to live-stream a global Pride celebration this June • Sean Hayes reflects on saying goodbye to Will & Grace a second time All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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Parody: Randy Rainbow Croons Grease-Tastic “Andy!”

Political satirist Randy Rainbow offers this Grease-tastic take on Danny Zuko’s “Sandy,” as the wily wordsmith croons his love for “Andy!” as in New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been a steadying force during the ongoing health crisis.

Baby, someday, when COVID’s not a thing If we’re on Earth, for what it’s worth I hope they make you king. You run my state while I gain weight with grace and dignity Oh please, be my dad Oh, Andy

Over the bridge, Rainbow professes: “Andy my darling, this global pandemic is scaring me real bad. But watching your daily press briefings sure does calm me down. “The way you manage to lead and inform without terrifying the living sh*t out of me or straying from the facts. And still find time to nurture my delicate spirit with adorable slide shows and relatable anecdotes about meatballs. “You’re wise, levelheaded, eloquent and sexy and a time when the world needs it most. It sure is a refreshing change from that mother— aw gee, I won’t get into specifics.” Super clever, and perfect for a Monday.

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Poll: Biden Leads Trump By 6 Points In Vital Swing State

L-R Former Vice President Joe Biden, Donald Trump
A new poll by the University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab shows Donald Trump’s mixed messages and slow response to the ongoing coronavirus health threat is having a negative impact on his standing with voters in the vital swing-state of Florida. Pollsters found that 55% said the federal government has not gone far enough in taking action against COVID-19. The poll found 45% strongly or somewhat approve of the job Trump is doing to address the pandemic, while a majority of 53% disapprove. Asked if the election were held today, who voters would support for president, former Vice President Joe Biden trumped Trump by six points, 46% to 40%. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the president’s top health advisor, scored the highest rating with 85% approval and 6% disapproval among registered Florida voters.

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Daily Dance: 1984 Morning Show Workout

Tony Britts on BBC’s Breakfast show in 1984 (screen captures)
Oh, take me back to the 80s! The BBC Archives shares this golden goodie (16 million views since Thursday) from an episode of the Breakfast show in 1984 in the UK. “It’s day 4 of the BBC Archive quarantine fitness regime! Time to don some tight clothing that doesn’t quite fit and limber up with the one and only Tony Britts!” Tony’s got a quick little routine consisting of “side to sides,” “ball changes,” and “hands and hips,” although when he puts it all together that “hands and hips” move gets some complicated rhythm going. I’ve got to say, back in the day – and I was there – being ‘fit’ for most folks meant being lean and toned. While today’s InstaHunks might have more size than the venerable Mr. Britts, he’s looking pretty jacked for the early 80s. Over on YouTube, my favorite comment about the clip reads, “He’s so cute, and what a body! How could he get that ripped just by moving sideways?!” #srsly

Fitness InstaHunk Nathan McCallum is feeling the energetic 80s – check out his latest post. And remember, as Mr. Britts says, “Work hard, play hard, rest hard ok. Lots of fun. Have a good week ahead.”

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Funny: Broadway Shows Reimagined Under Quarantine

(all images via Jeremy & Jeffrey West)
Creative brothers Jeremy and Jeffrey West tapped into their love of musical theater during the COVID-19 threat to come up with re-imagined Broadway musical titles and posters, a project they dubbed #QuarantineAMusical. “After being under quarantine and maintaining social distancing recommendations for the past three weeks, my brother Jeffrey and I have been brainstorming fun projects to keep our creative juices flowing,” Jeremy West told Playbill. “This project started when I tweeted a joke about John Guare releasing a revised version of his play titled Six Feet of Separation, making changes in light of 2020 social distancing. From there, we made a list of parody musicals re-imagined during a quarantine and dubbed it #QuarantineAMusical.” Check out some of the clever tweaks on these award-winning musicals. You can see more over at Playbill.com.

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40,000+ Have Arrived In US From China In Past Two Months

Donald Trump at White House press conference (image via White House)
From the New York Times:

Since Chinese officials disclosed the outbreak of a mysterious pneumonialike illness to international health officials on New Year’s Eve, at least 430,000 people have arrived in the United States on direct flights from China, including nearly 40,000 in the two months after President Trump imposed restrictions on such travel, according to an analysis of data collected in both countries.

The bulk of the passengers, who were of multiple nationalities, arrived in January, at airports in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Seattle, Newark and Detroit. Thousands of them flew directly from Wuhan, the center of the coronavirus outbreak, as American public health officials were only beginning to assess the risks to the United States.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly suggested that his travel measures impeded the virus’s spread in the United States.

“I do think we were very early, but I also think that we were very smart, because we stopped China,” he said at a briefing on Tuesday, adding, “That was probably the biggest decision we made so far.” Last month, he said, “We’re the ones that kept China out of here.”

Since the ‘travel ban’ (which exempts Americans) took effect on February 2, 279 flights from China have landed in the U.S. I’m just guessing but I doubt the coronavirus cares if you are a Chinese native or an American when hitching a ride across the Pacific Ocean. Forty thousand people coming here from China certainly didn’t “stop” the virus. The Times also notes that screening procedures during these past two months have been “uneven.”

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Woman Who Mocked COVID-19 Dies From Virus Two Weeks Later

The first confirmed case of the omicron variant in the U.S. has been discovered in California.

A Texas woman who mocked the ongoing COVID-19 health threat as a “hoax” on social media has died of the virus. As Twitter user @sunnmcheaux posted, on March 14th Karen Kolb Sehlke shared a lengthy coronavirus “hoax” rant on her Facebook. On April 2, her family launched a GoFundMe campaign to pay for her medical and funeral costs. The third tweet below carries a Facebook post that has been attributed to a friend of the deceased, but I haven’t been able to confirm that.

The same Twitter user noted that initially, the GoFundMe listed the cause of death as COVID-19. The campaign has since been edited to now say cause of death unknown. The campaign raised more than $35,000 before the family stopped further donations. The Facebook rant has reportedly been removed as well. I agree with Sunn m’Cheaux that the point of highlighting this story isn’t to mock the woman’s death but to understand the ongoing risks and widespread effects of the disease. (h/t JoeMyGod)

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New York Sees First Decline In Daily COVID-19 Deaths

The state of New York reported its first decline in daily coronavirus deaths possibly signaling better days on the horizon. From Bloomberg News:

New York State reported 594 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday, fewer than the 630 it reported on Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said at his daily news briefing. The state has had 4,159 fatalities so far.

New Jersey, which has the second-highest number of U.S. cases, reported a slowdown in the death rate: Fatalities rose by 71 on Sunday, compared with 200 the day before. It also reported fewer new cases, 3,381, for a total of 37,505. Total deaths are 917.

As President Donald Trump and other leaders warned of rising death tolls, Cuomo said it was too early to say if the outbreak had reached a peak in New York — the center of the nation’s outbreak.

“You could argue that you are seeing a plateauing,” he told reporters in Albany. “Next week they will tell you whether we are on a plateau or is it just a blip,” he said, referring to statisticians.

Additional encouraging signs: New hospitalizations declined to 574 on Sunday from 1,095, and 74% of those hospitalized have been discharged.

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Out Music: International Artists Serve Up Virtual Collaboration “True Colors”

An international consortium of 16 LGBTQ+ music artists have come together for a virtual collaboration to encourage people to stay safe and support one another while much of the world is in lockdown via a touching cover of Cyndi Lauper’s LGBTQ+ anthem ‘True Colors.’ The diverse range of talent includes singer-songwriter Tom Goss, cabaret artist Dave the Bear, trans activist Mzz Kimberly, Britain’s Got Talent singer Rob King, guitar hero Mrs. Smith, and the multi-talented Graham J… plus Miles Elliot, Owen Gilhooly, Jason Thorpe, Randy Willcox, Patrick Masse, Felix Over, Lady Lola Lockdown, Syd Carter West, Chris Hibbert, and mental health advocate Paul Middleton, who masterminded the collaboration. “The aim of putting this project together was to let our community know that we are in this together,” said Middleton in a statement. “Wherever you are you can make a difference. To stay safe and look out for each other.”

If this world makes you crazy And you’ve taken all you can bear You call me up Because you know I’ll be there

Middleton adds, “The artists hope that as viewers listen to these words, the community will rise and show their true colors in supporting one another, the elderly and the vulnerable.”