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Elizabeth Warren Courts The DragCon Vote

During the 3rd annual DragCon NYC this past weekend, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a video greeting to the happy attendees encouraging them to not only register to vote, but then make sure they sashay their way to the voting booth. “When we make our voices heard, when we get into the fight, we win,” said the White House hopeful. “I’m in this fight for an America that works for everyone; I’m in this fight for full LGBTQ+ equality.” “We’ve got a lot of work to do to make sure everyone is free to be who they are and love who they love,” she added. Warren went on to note the record number of transgender Americans that were murdered last year telling the viewers, “We need to call it out, and we need to fight back.” The senior senator from Massachusetts continued saying, “Everyone should be able to go to school, to work, to get healthcare, or just walk down the street without fear of discrimination or violence.” https://twitter.com/TeamWarren/status/1170750332357545985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1170750332357545985&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finstinctmagazine.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D168000%26action%3Dedit RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Shea Couleé was one of those manning the Warren campaign booth at DragCon handing out signs and stickers as well as inviting folks to ‘strike a pose’ with a cardboard cutout of Warren. According to Couleé, all of the current Democratic presidential hopefuls were offered the chance to send a video greeting to the DragCon attendees, but only Warren responded to the invite. “The folks at DragCon extended an invitation to all of the Democratic candidates to come to DragCon, and she is the only one that accepted the invitation,” Couleé shared with NBC News. “For me, that speaks volumes.” Next up for Warren is the third Democratic presidential primary debate taking place this Thursday, Sept 12, in Houston, Texas. Warren is also announced to take part in both the upcoming GLAAD presidential forum in Iowa on September 20, as well as the CNN/Human Rights Campaign televised Town Hall on October 10. https://twitter.com/TeamWarren/status/1170494015923523584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1170494015923523584&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finstinctmagazine.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D168000%26action%3Dedit https://twitter.com/XorjeO/status/1170754649630158852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1170754649630158852&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finstinctmagazine.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D168000%26action%3Dedit https://twitter.com/SheaCoulee/status/1170099183036129280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1170099183036129280&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finstinctmagazine.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D168000%26action%3Dedit

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Sarah Palin Headed For Divorce Court, Husband Says ‘Impossible To Live Together’

The New York Daily News is reporting Todd Palin has filed for divorce from Sarah Palin, the former half-term Governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate.

Sarah Palin and her husband have reportedly split after more than 30 years together.

The former Alaska governor’s husband, Todd, filed for divorce in Anchorage Superior Court Friday, citing an “incompatibility of temperament between the parties such that they find it impossible to live together as husband and wife,” according to the Anchorage Daily News.

Sarah and Todd Palin are reportedly seeking joint legal custody of their child, Trig; their other four children — Bristol, Willow, Piper and Track — are all adults. Sarah Palin served as governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009, during which time she ran an unsuccessful campaign as John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential election.

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Brazil’s Largest Newspaper Trolls Homophobes, Prints Superhero Kiss On Front Page

Last week, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro called for a ban on superhero comic book because of ‘sexual content’ he deemed unsuitable for minors. The ‘content’ in question occurs in the three-year-old Marvel publication Avengers: The Children’s Crusade. In one panel of the graphic novel, the characters Wiccan and Hulkling, who are in a committed relationship, engage in a kiss. Why the 2016 publication suddenly caught the eye of the Mayor Marcello Crivella, a former evangelical pastor, now is unclear. But Crivella called for the comic to be banned from the Riocentro Bienal do Livro, Brazil’s most important literary event. Rio de Janeiro’s councilman Alexandre Isquierdo also made a statement calling the imaging an “attempt to propagate homosexuality.” But before authorities could remove the graphic novel, word spread and all copies were almost instantly snapped up by fans. And now, Brazil’s Supreme Court has blocked the efforts to censor the Marvel publication. “Attorney General Raquel Dodge challenged the move by Crivella, a former evangelical pastor,” reports ABC News. “She said allowing the mayor to remove books goes against freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas.” According to the report, a lower court initially supported the mayor, but chief justice José Dias Toffoli “ruled in favor of Dodge on Sunday, blocking the mayor from removing any books.”

And just to put a point on the subject, Brazil’s largest newspaper Folha De S.Paulothrew shade by printing the image on the front page of the publication. Ha! It’s perfectly legal to be LGBTQ in Brazil (the country has legalized same-sex marriage), but thanks to statements and actions by virulently anti-LGBTQ president Jair Bolsonaro, the gay community has reasons to be concerned. Bolsonaro has announced plans to remove mentions of LGBTQ people from textbooks and classrooms in schools; he’s posted tweets denouncing the country’s annual Carnival event for being too risque; told the world “Brazil can’t be a country of gay tourism” because “we have families.” He’s even told publications he’d rather have a dead son than a gay son. But, today, we celebrate this small triumph (and epic trolling) over hate. (source: ABC News)

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Trump: Air Force Has ‘Good Taste’ Staying At My Resort

Donald Trump took an ALL CAPS defensive stance Monday morning on Twitter denying any connection to a shift in military practice that has allowed Air Force crews to overnight at his luxury Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. “I know nothing about an Air Force plane landing at an airport (which I do not own and have nothing to do with) near Turnberry Resort (which I do own) in Scotland, and filling up with fuel, with the crew staying overnight at Turnberry (they have good taste!),” tweeted Trump as he claimed the stops at his resort had “NOTHING TO DO WITH ME.” From Politico:

The U.S. Air Force on Sunday ordered a world-wide review of how the branch chooses overnight accommodations for its crews following a POLITICO report revealing that the House Oversight Committee was investigating an uptick in unusual stops there — stops that included overnight stays at Trump Turnberry by Air Force crews in the last four years.

Typically, Air Force crews will stop at U.S. military bases elsewhere in Europe to refuel, where it would be cheaper to do so. But according to a letter the Oversight Committee sent the Pentagon in June, the military has spent $11 million on fuel at the Prestwick Airport — the closest to Trump Turnberry — since October 2017.

The committee’s investigation, which began in April of this year, is probing whether the stops pose a conflict of interest for the president and whether the military is helping to prop up Trump’s resort, which had been losing money. An aide for the committee told POLITICO that the Pentagon has not responded to their inquiries as part of the probe.

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Sunday Slowdown: Kevin Spirtas “I’d Rather Leave While I’m In Love”

I’ve always loved the Pete Allen/Carole Bayer Sager song, “I’d Rather Leave While I’m in Love.” Rita Coolidge had something of a comeback with the tune in 1979 when she hit #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. My pal Kevin Spirtas shared this today and I had to hit repeat a few times. I’ve written about Kevin on The Randy Report several times in the past. While daytime fans know him from his years on Days of Our Lives as Dr. Craig Wesley, his most recent triumph was winning ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series’ for his performance in After Forever. He also won for ‘Outstanding Writing for a Digital Daytime Series’ and the top prize, ‘Outstanding Digital Drama Series.’ The Broadway veteran (A Chorus Line, The Boy From Oz, Meet Me In St. Louis) also sings and dances,  oh, just a bit LOL Many folks may not know that Kevin was Hugh Jackman’s standby for the Broadway run of the Peter Allen bio-musical, The Boy From Oz. You most probably don’t know that because Hugh never missed a performance, so Kevin never got the chance to step into his Peter Allen shoes. But trust and believe, he was ready. This is just a taste of what audience MIGHT have gotten back then. Enjoy.

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Uber Driver Kicks Same-Sex Couple Out For ‘Kiss On The Cheek’

An Uber driver kicked two Camden County, N.J. women out of her car after one kissed the other on the cheek. One of the women, Kristin Michele, recorded the incident. From NJ.com:

Kristin Michele and Jenn Mangan were in an Uber on their way to a Zac Brown Band concert in Camden on Friday night when Michele leaned over and gave Mangan a kiss on the cheek, they said.

The driver then immediately told the women to get out of the car, Michele said.

“I said ‘I don’t understand.’ She said ‘I can’t ride with that. You kissed her,’” Michele said. “She said ‘I won’t have that.’”

Michele started recording a video right after that, in which she asks, “Are you kicking me out because I’m gay?” and the driver responds, “Yes, I am. Yes. Get out.”

The women eventually walked half a mile home, and then took a train to their concert. They say they reached out to Uber and the company says they would look into the incident.

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Trump Cancels Secret Plan To Host Taliban At Camp David

Donald Trump tweeted Saturday night that he had abruptly canceled a clandestine meeting at Camp David with the president of Afghanistan and Taliban leaders. The president also ‘called off peace negotiations’ that had appeared to be close to a final agreement. From the Washington Post:

President Trump said Saturday that he had canceled a previously undisclosed summit at Camp David with Taliban leadership and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani after the Taliban took responsibility for an attack last week that killed a U.S. soldier.

Trump said the meetings had been set to take place Sunday.

On Twitter, the president appeared to cancel talks with the Taliban indefinitely, a significant blow to the peace process kicked off last year, which was nearing its conclusion. In tweets Saturday evening, Trump wrote that he has “called off peace negotiations” and accused the Taliban of perpetrating the attacks to strengthen their negotiating hand.

“What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position?” Trump tweeted. “They didn’t, they only made it worse!”

The canceled meetings were scheduled to be held just days before the 18th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which led to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. The Taliban. On U.S. soil. Three days before the 9/11 anniversary. Seriously.

And just to show you that the Donald is totes on his game, he followed those tweets with this:

(image via Flickr/White House – public domain)

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Podcast: Gerald McCullouch Chats On New Film ‘All Male All Nude – Johnsons’

Today I’m chatting with award-winning filmmaker Gerald McCullouch – whose acting work you know from movies like Daddy, the Bear City franchise, as well as his ten seasons as ‘Bobby Dawson’ on the hit TV series, CSI. Gerald has spent years exploring and documenting the world of male strippers. Two years ago, he shared his acclaimed documentary ‘All Male All Nude’ which took a look behind the scenes of Atlanta’s famous Swinging Richards strip club. Now he’s back with a second feature-length documentary titled, ‘All Male All Nude: Johnsons.’ Here’s the official synopsis:

Journey into the unique world of male stripping at a small gay strip club located in America’s Second Gayest City.

‘All Male, All Nude: Johnsons’ is set in Florida’s newest gay strip club, Johnsons, located in Wilton Manors, Florida and new home to the creator and owner of Johnsons – Matt Colunga, an award-winning bodybuilder, who has been in the male entertainment industry for 23 years and was introduced in the first documentary film.

The cast of characters in the film range from Matt, to a hunky 26-year-old who spends his days dressed as Spider-Man creating early memories for children at kid parties and then spends his nights stripping down to his G-String for gay men, to single fathers putting themselves through college with their stripping income, to entertainers in the adult film world.

The men who compose the heart of Johnsons are diverse, unique, and captivating.

Hit the play button to hear my chat with the always-awesome Gerald McCullouch:

‘All Male, All Nude: Johnsons’ will have its official premiere in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday, September 15 at 6:30 PM at the Gateway Theater (1820 E. Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304). A pre-reception for VIP guests which will begin at 5 PM at the Modern Sixties Wine Lounge next to The Classic Gateway. As well as an exclusively catered VIP afterparty following the premiere at Johnsons the club, complete with an open bar where guests are welcome to mingle with the chiseled centerpieces of the film. Plus, guests attending the premiere will be treated to a special performance by acclaimed NYC musician Corey TuT performing songs from the film’s soundtrack. Click here for ticket information: tickets.completeticketsolutions.com/OSFF/On…E53D31B

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School Board Has Filed Appeal After Losing Gavin Grimm ‘Bathroom’ Case

Last month, Gavin Grimm, a transgender man who graduated from Gloucester High School in Virginia two years ago, won his long legal battle with his former high school over the right for trans students to use the public bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.

But this week, the Gloucester County School Board decided to appeal the federal court ruling in Grimm’s favor.

And so, Gavin Grimm will have to fight his trans ‘bathroom case’ yet again.

Yes, he’s graduated and moved on, but the pro-trans ruling is so important to trans people that you can bet the 20-year-old activist will continue the good fight.

His case dates all the way back to 2014, when he began to transition in his sophomore year of high school.

Grimm began using a men’s restroom and told school administrators what was going on in his life.

But in December of that year, the school board instituted a policy that prohibited Grimm from using the boys’ room.

Grimm filed his initial law suit in 2015 with the aid of the ACLU. Since that time, he has been locked in this never-ending legal.

He finally took his case to the U.S. Supreme Court two years ago, but the high court sent the case back to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals after the Trump administration reversed Obama-era protections for transgender students in American public schools under Title IX.

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NOAA Backs Trump On Early Dorian Threat To Alabama

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Weather Service, has issued a statement backing up Donald Trump’s ongoing assertion that Alabama was, at one time, a possible target of Hurricane Dorian. From the Washington Post:

In a statement released Friday afternoon, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stated Alabama was in fact threatened by the storm at the time Trump tweeted Alabama would “most likely be hit (much) harder than anticipated.”

Referencing archived hurricane advisories, the NOAA statement said that information provided to the president and the public between Aug. 28 and Sept. 2 “demonstrated that tropical-storm-force winds from Hurricane Dorian could impact Alabama.”

The WaPo goes on to report that on August 29, when the president was briefed by acting NOAA administrator Neil Jacobs, any risk to Alabama had become highly unlikely. By the time Trump tweeted about the Alabama threat on Sunday morning, no credible computer model showed any risk to the state. NOAA also clapped back at its own National Weather Service office in Birmingham, Ala., which had contradicted Trump’s tweet (without naming Trump) writing, “Alabama will NOT see any impacts from #Dorian.”

“The Birmingham National Weather Service’s Sunday morning tweet spoke in absolute terms that were inconsistent with probabilities from the best forecast products available at the time,” wrote NOAA’s leadership. ‘Absolute terms’ and ‘probabilities’ aside, the Birmingham office ended up being correct, and Trump was wrong. Alabama was not ‘hit (much) harder than anticipated.’ Responding to the statement from NOAA, the organization’s former chief operating officer, David Titley, tweeted this: