Host Ryan Bridge was a bit flustered after being outed on the air (screen capture)
Radio host Ryan Bridge was filling in on New Zealand’s The AM Show when a casual remark abruptly outed him to the show’s listeners.
The moment occurred on Thursday’s broadcast, as the morning crew was discussing collector’s items. Bridge was asked if he collected anything, to which co-host Mark Richardson laughingly suggested, “Ex-boyfriends?”
Cue the awkward laughing. Richardson and co-host Amanda Gillies continued giggling for a few seconds until they realized what had happened.
“Yes, it’s true, I’m gay,” said Bridge after a few seconds of uncomfortable stammering. “There we go, it’s out there.”
We can’t embed the video here due to geo-blocking, but you can watch the clip here. Apparently, while Bridge isn’t closeted to his family or friends (like Richardson), he hadn’t come out to his audience yet. After composing himself, Bridge addressed the elephant in the room about half an hour later. “If you caught what was said before, it’s not something I’ve tried to hide, it’s something all my friends and family have known about for a very long time,” he told the audience. “The reason I haven’t chosen to share it with you at home, with listeners on my radio show is just that, I don’t know, it’s not that interesting really, is it?” “It’s just my private business and my life and not something I have necessarily tried to hide but it’s just not something that I’ve bothered or cared to share with the world, with you at home, but it’s out there, so that is that,” added Bridge. “Thank you very much to the people who have been getting in touch in the last few minutes. It’s quite heartening.” He also displayed tremendous grace in addressing his colleague’s faux pas. “I wanted to say that Mark didn’t do this on purpose,” Bridge told the viewers. “It wasn’t like he was being mean, or he was trying to get me to say something I didn’t want to say. it was an innocent, honest mistake.” Mark Richardson apologies to his colleague as co-host Amanda Gillies looks on A clearly chagrined Richardson was effusive in his apology. “In three years of doing this job, this is as bad as I’ve ever felt,” said Richardson. “I say a lot of stuff on this show, and I mean it, and some of it walks the line. I just want to say I’m sorry. It’s because obviously I love you so much as a person.” He added, “Just me being a smartass and trying to poke fun at you for a comedic moment on the show has led to this, and I’m dreadfully sorry.” Gillies chimed in telling Bridge, “You know we love you to bits, completely.” “The way you’ve handled this with immense class – just beautifully,” she added. “Makes us love you even more.”
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (screen capture) Earlier this week, I shared polling results out of Iowa, the first-in-the-nation contest for the Democratic presidential nomination, that showed Mayor Pete Buttigieg had surged into third place. Just days later, a new poll from Iowa State University shows Mayor Pete moving into the number two spot. From the new survey:
Of likely caucus-goers, 20% said Buttigieg is their top choice among the field of Democratic presidential candidates. That moves him to second in the poll – up from fourth in September – just behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren who maintained her lead at 28%.
The Iowa State University/Civiqs poll surveys the same pool of voters each month leading up to the Iowa Caucuses to understand how voter preferences are shifting.
Dave Peterson, a professor and Whitaker Lindgren faculty fellow in political science who organized the poll, says Buttigieg’s ground game in Iowa is paying off.
“You can attribute some of his momentum to basic retail politics. Buttigieg is incredibly well organized and is spending a lot of resources in Iowa. His presence at the Iowa Steak Fry last month was better than any other candidate,” Peterson said.
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders were tied for second in the September poll. Sanders is now third with 18% and Biden is fourth at 12%.
After being the top fund-raising Democrat at the end of the second quarter, Team Buttigieg announced it would put that money to good use. In the past months, Buttigieg has opened more field offices in Iowa than any other candidate. While national polls look impressive, the story (if you’re looking for one) happening in primary season is the early states. A good finish in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada could inspire new traction for a candidate. If Buttigieg comes in second in Iowa, that will be a notable development.
The stars of the new Dekkoo series, The ThirdThe Third is a provocative, sexy new original series created for the gay-centric streaming platform Dekkoo. The series follows Jason (Sean McBride), a young man who enters into a passionate three-way relationship with an established gay Palm Springs couple – Carl (Corey Page) and David (Ryland Shelton). But he quickly learns that “adding a third” could bring a whole new set of skepticism, jealousy, and secrets. In this episode, I chat with show creator Matthew Lynn, who fashioned some of the series after his own real-life experiences in a ‘triad’ or ‘thruple.’ Producer/filmmaker Matthew Lynn Lynn was inspired to make the series to show the world there are different kinds of relationships that can work, none are wrong or right and all take some work. The Third will be available for streaming on Dekkoo beginning October 24. Click the play button to listen to my chat with Matthew Lynn.
For those not familiar – Dekkoo is a streaming entertainment platform much like Hulu or Netflix, but its focus is on LGBTQ-themed content. For $9.99 a month you can stream gay-centric movies, TV series, short films; genres include mysteries, dramas, comedies, romance, sci-fi – the whole gamut of pop culture entertainment. In fact, many of the movies you’ve heard me discuss here on The Randy Report are currently available on Dekkoo. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial to see if it’s your thing, and for a limited time, when you sign up you can get 33% off your first 3 months by entering the promo code TheThird. (p.s. I get nothing whether you sign up or not – this isn’t a sponsored segment) Click here – www.dekkoo.com – for more info. You can check out the trailer for Season 1 of The Third below.
Checking in with some of my favorite InstaHunks on this fine Hump Day. Philip Evelyn II (Modello9) is up first with more than enough gym-spiration to get your heart pumping a bit faster (above). Next up, Garrett Magee went ‘glamping’ in the desert. Check out the rest of the guys below 🙂
(image via Depositphotos) A thread on the AskGayBros Reddit raises some questions about being bullied in school and how to respond to an apology years later. One Reddit user posted, “My former high school bullies apologized to me for being homophobic and I told them to f*ck off. Yet for some reason my friends told me I’m being an a**hole. Why?” The post goes on to say the bullies “tormented” him through high school making his life “a living hell.” He adds that he landed in the hospital twice due to the bullies’ behavior, admitting one hospital visit was the result of a suicide attempt. When asked how the apology occurred, the poster shares that it came “out of nowhere.” According to the poster, the bullies “‘claim’ they’re no longer homophobic and they ‘claim’ to be incredibly sorry” for their behavior back in high school. The posters’ friends said they understood his anger acknowledging he didn’t “have to forgive them” but also that he didn’t “have to be an a**hole about it.” He concludes writing, “If you apologize with the expectation of forgiveness, you’re truly not sorry.” Responses on the thread were split. “You don’t have to accept their apology at all,” replied one commenter. “I do agree that grudges can hold people back. But are you thinking about this person all the time that it hinders your ability to function normally or grow? If not, then I don’t think it’s a problem.” “If you want to forgive do it for you, not because people or society made you feel bad for not giving your bullies the peace of mind they stole from you.” “You don’t owe it to anyone but yourself. If their apology made you feel better and if you would feel relieved forgiving then you do it. If you want them to f*ck off your life then you tell them, like you did.” On the other side of the equation, some folks felt the original poster’s response was over the top. “I agree with your friends,” shared one Redditor. “You do not need to forgive them, but you should’ve taken the high road in just telling them that what they did was wrong and you cannot forgive them for the pain they put you through.” “I agree with your friends,” said another. “You do not need to forgive them, but you should’ve taken the high road in just telling them that what they did was wrong and you cannot forgive them for the pain they put you through.” And this advice was offered: “You don’t want to be stuck in the past, or tormented by memories of the pain and humiliation you suffered. It is not good for you to hang onto grudges. By holding onto that pain and need for revenge, you are allowing them to continue bullying you. every time you revisit those memories, you are just injuring yourself over and over. You DO need to forgive them.” While we don’t have all the details as to the extent of the bullying the original poster experienced (at one point it’s shared that the bullying occurred 8 years ago), it does raise questions about how people move past bullying some LGBTQ people encountered in their young lives. Is it ‘holding a grudge’ to not accept an apology? One commenter pointed out that several people called the original poster out for being a “toxic person,” but said that is missing the point – that the original poster’s anger is a product of being bullied. Does hanging on to anger allow the bullying experienced years ago to continue to drag us down? Readers, what do you think? Have you ever had someone from your past who hurt you reach out years later with an apology? If so, how did you react? Let us know in the comments section. (source: Reddit)
Remember Republicans clutching their pearls when Hillary Clinton called Trump supporters “deplorable?” I’m totally confident those same folks will stand up just as forcefully today after Donald Trump took to Twitter to declare #NeverTrump Republicans “human scum.” “The Never Trumper Republicans, though on respirators with not many left, are in certain ways worse and more dangerous for our Country than the Do Nothing Democrats,” he wrote. “Watch out for them, they are human scum!” This is all normal, right?
The Never Trumper Republicans, though on respirators with not many left, are in certain ways worse and more dangerous for our Country than the Do Nothing Democrats. Watch out for them, they are human scum!
“It was outrageous for Hillary Clinton to refer to people she disagreed with politically ‘deplorable’!” Same people: “Hooray for Trump calling people who disagree with him ‘human scum!'”
Donald Trump’s day so far: – Calls Republicans “human scum” for deserting him – His GOP loyalists are holed up in a SCIF – Trump’s lawyer argues in court that Trump could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue – Great way to lose the case – Trump is going to prison – It’s still only 3pm
President wants you to think that in a free and open society of 325 million people, that anyone whio doesn’t think like him and agree with him is “human scum” https://t.co/NvoOcvVgjZ
Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein in his new play, Bella BellaBy Lawrence Pfeil, Jr. Before AOC, before Nancy Pelosi, there was Bella, Bella Abzug. Known as “Battling Bella,” she was a graduate of Columbia Law School who became a civil rights attorney, social activist, leader of the women’s movement, member of the House of Representatives, and famously wore hats because “as a young lawyer it helped me to establish my professional identity. Before that, whenever I was at a meeting, someone would ask me to get coffee.” Bella Abzug Bella Abzug’s brilliant, often biting words and crusading work are the genesis of Harvey Fierstein’s enthralling, tour de force, new play Bella Bella which opened last night at Manhattan Theatre Club’s City Center Stage I. Awaiting the fateful results of the 1976 New York Democratic Senatorial primary, Bella holds up in the bathroom of her campaign suite reflecting on her life’s work; and for 90 minutes Mr. Fierstein holds an audience captive with her hilarious, heroic, and often heartbreaking story as few other performers could. Billed as “written and performed by Harvey Fierstein from the words and works of Bella Abzug” it’s difficult to know where Abzug stops and Fierstein begins without being her scholar. But Bella Abzug knew how to make her point in no uncertain terms and Harvey Fierstein knows how to weave a story for maximum impact. Together, Bella Bella is a stunningly relevant and eye-opening call to action for a country that doesn’t seem to have progressed much beyond the America outside the window of her john in 1976. Harvey Fierstein in Bella Bella (photo: Jeremy Daniel) Bella’s opening diatribe on equality, sexist elections, and how women, who are a 2% differential in the electorate yet 1% of the House, (still only 30%) vote against themselves, is immediately passionate and gripping. Ringing so familiar, one wonders whether she’s been transported to the present or if we’ve been taken back to her, and so it is throughout Bella Bella. Her fight for civil rights and equality fifty years ago mirrors the very challenges still facing America today. Most widely known for her leadership of the women’s movement and the ERA, Abzug was also a pioneer of Federal Gay Rights. Representing the Lower East Side of Manhattan and Greenwich Village, she embraced her LGBT constituency, even campaigning at the Continental Baths. In 1974 she introduced in Congress the first Gay civil rights bill, the “Equality Act” which would have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation. It failed to pass but succeeded in getting Gay rights into the national conversation. In 1970 when Bella Abzug was elected to Congress, Harvey Fierstein was in Brooklyn already writing and performing in drag. Fifty years and four Tony Awards later he has brought them together on one stage in what can only be described as the perfect pairing of subject and performer. With her words, he has written a smart, insightful, and impassioned portrait of a woman, a Jewish woman, who recognized the discrimination in her path; but walked it anyway because she believed in equality and had the hutzpah to fight for it. With his command of the stage, he creates a Bella that is anything but a drag. Harvey Fierstein in Bella Bella (photo: Jeremy Daniel) Fierstein gives a vibrant, passionate, and powerful performance with no want of makeup or an Abzug ensemble, apart from her iconic hat. In plain black rehearsal clothes, Fierstein is at the top of his prowess as the fierce firebrand wisecracking one minute, outraged the next, inspiring throughout. Some works are a labor of love, done for the joy, not the reward. Still, there are a few others, like Mr. Fierstein’s triumphant Bella Bella which are even more. To those lucky enough to hear what she “thinks about in the bathroom,” this is clearly his labor of passion, created and performed because it had to be done and done now, much like work of Bella Abzug herself. Bella Bella Written and Performed by Harvey Fierstein From the words and works of Bella Abzug 90 minutes No intermission Now through December 1st Manhattan Theatre Club at City Center Stage I More Information and Tickets HERE https://bellabellaplay.com/Lawrence Pfeil, Jr.,is a freelance writer/playwright who has reviewed film and theatre, both on and off-Broadway, for media outlets including The Randy Report, the New York Blade, and Edge Publications
Cristiano Ronaldo (image via Instagram) It sure pays to be popular. And hot. I came across this article about how much Instagram celebrities make from their huge followings. I find the subject fascinating. According to Business Insider, soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo earns more from his Instagram account than he does from playing for his Italian soccer club Juventus. The 34-year-old hottie is the most followed person on Instagram with over 187 million followers. And he puts that fame and celebrity to work. Social media firm Hopper HQ reports that Ronaldo has earned $47.8 million from his 49 sponsored posts on the photo-centric social media platform. That’s more than the reported $34 million a year he earns from his day job. One marketing executive told Hopper HQ, “Companies are paying almost $1 million for posts to access his insane reach.” It also puts him way ahead of other Insta-celebs. Rugby star Leo Messi came in second with $23.3 million in Insta-earnings, followed by reality star Kendall Jenner with $15.9 million. Click over to BuzzBingo to see what famous ‘influencers’ make broken down by category (sports, fashion, travel, entertainment…) and more. Here are some of the more recent sponsored posts by Ronaldo:
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks to reporters (screen capture)NBC Newsreports that some two dozen House Republicans staged a publicity stunt in which they attempted to storm the doors of the House Intelligence Committee as they hold the Trump impeachment inquiry. The attempt to squelch the negative news about quid pro quo occurred as Laura Cooper, deputy assistant to the Secretary of Defense, was scheduled to testify in the inquiry on Wednesday.
Led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., the GOP members — who don’t sit on the committees that are questioning witnesses in the impeachment inquiry — entered the secure room, known as a SCIF, in the basement of the Capitol Visitor’s Center. Before entering, they protested Democrats’ handling of the probe, arguing that the process was not fair to Republicans or the president.
House rules only allow members to participate in depositions if they serve on the committees.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., told reporters that there were approximately 20 GOP members in the room who refused to leave, and said that they came into the secure room yelling that they be allowed inside. Some of these members brought their cellphones, which are not permitted.
New drama: Roughly two dozen House conservatives stormed the secure hearing room – known as the SCIF – to rail on the process, delaying the Cooper testimony. Connolly said that Louie Gohmert and Bradley Byrne were yelling in the room and railing on what they call a sham process.
It’s a stunt. They don’t want to be in the hearings. They want to be kicked out and then go on TV and complain about it afterwards–confident that none of their supporters will understand that Congressional rules stiplulate that they have no business being in the hearings.
Please explain to the American public that impeachment is the equivalent of a grand jury, and that this is just grandstanding by Republicans who want to confuse people about the process. The trial will be publicly held in the Senate.
Sgt. Keith Wildhaber (image via Wildhaber) In the spring of 2014, St. Louis County police Sgt. Keith Wildhaber says he was told he would need to “tone down his gayness” if he hoped to be promoted to lieutenant. The comment, according to Wildhaber, came from a former member of the St. Louis County Police Board of Commissioners, John Saracino, a short time after Chief Jon Belmar took over the department. “I was sickened by it,” said Wildhaber on the first day of his employment discrimination lawsuit against the department, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I think I said, ‘I can’t believe we are having this conversation in 2014.’ It was devastating to hear,” Wildhaber told the jury. “We had never spoken of my sexuality before, and I thought he was just trying to be helpful to me and looking out for my best interest in the promotional process.” Saracino later denied making the comment. Wildhaber filed the lawsuit in 2017 after being passed over for promotion 23 times. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported at the time Wildhaber ranked third among 26 people who took a promotions test in February 2014. In February 2015, he again placed third in a second round of tests. On the opening day of the lawsuit, lawyers representing Wildhaber characterized Chief Belmar as “having a penchant for promoting masculine men that dominates all promotional decisions and said that he will retaliate against anyone who questions them, as Wildhaber did by filing his lawsuit.” “The police department under Chief Belmar is big on high-testosterone, type A masculine personalities, and my method of policing doesn’t conform with that,” testified Wildhaber, who contends he would have been promoted if he weren’t openly gay. “This chief is very heavy on promoting the SWAT, masculine type of guys, and I wasn’t doing that.” Wildhaber’s attorneys told the jury that, after filing his lawsuit, Wildhaber was transferred to the Jennings precinct which nearly tripled his daily commute to work. And he was moved from afternoon shifts and put on midnights. Wildhaber told the court, “It’s what’s known as a ‘geography lesson’ in the department.” Lawyers for the department told the jury the police chief had reasons not to promote the 22-year-veteran, who is still with the department. The department’s attorney’s pointed to a three-day suspension in 2011 for failing to file 23 out of 6,000 police reports during his tenure as a fraud detective. The lawyer’s also said Wildhaber had been the subject of an FBI investigation and hadn’t told Belmar. They accused him of tipping off a suspect the FBI was investigating. But Wildhaber denied the allegations saying, “I didn’t do that,” adding that he informed his supervisor after being questioned by the FBI. Attorneys for Wildhaber say there have been several officers with larger disciplinary issues in their file than Wildhaber who have been promoted to lieutenant. The trial will continue on Wednesday. Missouri has no laws prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ people in the workplace. A bill to add sexual orientation to the state’s non-discrimination laws was passed by the state Senate on May 17, 2013, but the state House of Representatives adjourned that session without taking up the bill for consideration. (source: Post-Dispatch)
