Tag: coronavirus

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Anti-LGBTQ Group Asked To Pack Up Central Park Field Hospital

Franklin Graham (screen capture)
Virulently anti-LGBTQ evangelist Franklin Graham and his Samaritan’s Purse organization have been asked to shut down their Central Park tent hospital after attempting to spread their homophobic agenda. New York City officials asked Graham’s group to pack up and leave after it was revealed volunteers were forced to sign “statements of faith” denouncing same-sex relationships, comparing LGBTQ people to drug addicts and more. Volunteers who refused to sign the document were reportedly turned away. Originally, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he had received assurances the controversial group wouldn’t discriminate before granting permission to Samaritan’s Purse to set up the temporary facility in March. Those promises were apparently discarded soon after setting up the field hospital. In addition to requiring the “faith statements” to be signed, Pink News reported that a camera crew was brought in to shoot a highly publicized Easter service from the Central Park location.
Field hospital in Central Park (screen capture)
And videos released by Samaritan’s Purse have shown Bible verses displayed on health care workers’ face masks and equipment. News outlets including the New York Times have reported on Samaritan’s Purse using medical emergencies in the past to bring aid victims of disasters while seeking to convert those same people. New York City council speaker Corey Johnson, who is gay, issued an official statement from the City Council saying, “It is time for Samaritan’s Purse to leave New York City.” “This group, which is led by the notoriously bigoted, hate-spewing Franklin Graham, came at a time when our city couldn’t in good conscience turn away any offer of help,” wrote Johnson. “That time has passed. Their continued presence here is an affront to our values of inclusion, and is painful for all New Yorkers who care deeply about the LGBTQ community.” “At the City Council, we are committed to supporting those workers and protecting our city’s public health,” he added. “But as a city that values diversity and compassion for all, we cannot continue to allow a group with the track record of Samaritan’s Purse to remain here when we are past the point they are needed.” Noting that Graham has called the LGBTQ community “detestable,” “immoral,” and “an affront to God,” Johnson called for Mount Sinai the end its relationship with the organization The Speaker ended his statement saying, “Hate has no place in our beautiful city.” CBSN New York reports Mount Sinai Hospital and Samaritan’s Purse issued a joint statement saying the tent hospital was packing up. “Now that the surge in COVID hospital admissions is reaching manageable levels, we will stop admitting new patients to the Central Park field hospital as of May 4,” said a Mount Sinai spokesperson on Saturday. ….and stay out!

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Someone Threw A ‘Corona Party’ & Shared It On Instagram

(screen captures)
I’m just sharing, folks. Twitter user Phillip Henry posted these videos on his account a few hours ago that seems to be from an Instagram account with the handle ‘IanFrostok.’ They appear to be a lengthy series of videos shared on his InstaStory (since deleted or expired) that Henry says were “full-on house parties on a Monday night in NYC.”

I don’t know if that’s true but I can tell you the Instagram account has disappeared. Some in the Twitterverse are curious about the shindig (coronavirus don’t you know) and identifying attendees has proven easy enough it seems since they were tagging each other with their Insta-handles. If – cause it could be wrong – but if it’s the same person, it seems an IanFrostok was profiled by DNA Magazine six days ago on how he’s “coping” with the lockdown. I guess now we know. Needless to say, the idea that a group of people partying this close together in a NYC apartment is NOT what the doctor ordered. According to the New York City Health Department, to date there have been 171,723 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city; 43,383 hospitalized, 13,724 confirmed deaths and another 5,383 probable deaths. Twitter had some shade to throw, though.

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Social Distancing: Airline Will Keep Middle Seat Empty For $39

(image via Facebook/FrontierAir)
If you would like to ensure an empty middle seat when flying, Frontier Airlines will let you pay $39 to block off the seat. From NBC News:

Customers will be able to select a “more room” option, beginning at $39, to ensure that the middle seat is reserved without a passenger, the airline announced Monday. Some airlines such as Delta and EasyJet have already started to block off the middle seat, where possible, to allow for social distancing.

Starting May 8, face coverings are also mandatory at the gate and boarding areas as well as on the plane, the airline said.

“While we believe the best measure to keep everyone healthy is to require face coverings, for those who want an empty seat next to them for extra peace of mind or simply additional comfort, we are now offering “More Room,” Frontier chief executive Barry Biffle said in a statement.

Frontier also announced all passengers will have to fill out a form declaring neither they nor any family members have had COVID-19 symptoms in the two weeks before traveling. Additionally, anyone with a fever will not be allowed to travel. (h/t JoeMyGod)

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News Round-Up: May 4, 2020

Some news items you might have missed: • Monday Memory: I came across this photo (above) from a couple of years ago when Michael, I and some friends were invited to the opening of a new club in Las Vegas. We got there kind of early I guess as not many people were there. A photographer told us to pose for a pic laying down and flexing. For some reason, I (top right) was more fascinated with my cocktail than my bicep. • Boy Culture: Matt Rettenmund reminisces on Madonna making her Broadway debut in David Mamet’s acclaimed play, Speed-the-Plow, thirty-two years ago. • NBC News: On April 20, Trump estimated the death toll in the U.S. from the coronavirus threat could be 50,000 to 60,000; by that point, there had been 40,000 U.S. deaths related to COVID-19. Earlier last week, he spoke of 60,000 to 70,000 deaths. During a Fox News town hall Friday night, Trump shifted his estimates to perhaps 100,000. At this writing, there are over 68,000 COVID-19 deaths in the US.

• Gay Star News: Reports of Tunisia recognizing a same-sex marriage have put LGBT+ people in danger. Tunisian LGBT+ organization Mawjoudin – We Exist – told GSN the reports were probably based on an administrative mistake. Moreover, they said the reports have caused ‘a wave of queerphobic speech, attacks, and bullying’. • Twitter: Star Trek star George Takei jokes about people disregarding social distancing guidelines, “I’m starting a rumor on the Breitbart (conservative website) chats that Covid-19 turns you gay. That should keep a lot of these idiots at home.

• Instinct: Trenton Councilwoman Robin Vaughn became unhinged during a city council conference call and launched vicious, homophobic personal attacks against Reed Gusciora – Trenton, New Jersey’s first openly gay Mayor. The slur-laden screed included calling the mayor a “pedophile” and “bitch-ass.” Gov. Murphy has called for her resignation. You can hear the conference call here. • Pink News: Homophobe Franklin Graham has been asked to pack up his tents and leave New York after exploiting the setting up of a tent hospital during the coronavirus crisis to discriminate against gay people and evangelize. • People: And finally, something uplifting to end this round-up. Check out the video below 🙂

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Pence Admits He “Should Have Worn A Mask” At Mayo Clinic

Vice President Mike Pence is the one without a mask (photo via press pool video)
During a Fox News town hall event Sunday night with Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence admitted he “should have worn a mask” when he visited the Mayo Clinic earlier in the week. The Minnesota clinic requires all visitors to wear masks as a precaution against spreading the coronavirus. Health care experts criticized Pence, currently heading up the White House anti-coronavirus effort, for not following the task force’s own guidelines in wearing a mask. A member of the traveling press corps photographed Pence visiting with healthcare professionals and patients. He was the only person in the photos not wearing a face mask. Reuters reports during the town hall event, Pence said, “I didn’t think it was necessary, but I should have worn a mask at the Mayo Clinic.” Pence later said he wanted to look the healthcare personnel “in the eye” and thank them for their efforts. Fyi – face masks don’t cover the eyes. Pence’s wife told the press he didn’t know he was supposed to wear a mask at the clinic, although several people attending the visit say they were informed of the rules the day before. Pence explained Sunday night that, since he and Trump are frequently tested for COVID-19, he felt he wasn’t a risk to others. It wasn’t until his appearance Sunday night that he acknowledged the symbolic weight of leaders wearing masks at this time as the death count from COVID-19 in the U.S. has surpassed 67,000. “It’s really a statement about the American people, the way they have been willing to step forward, practice social distancing and wear masks in settings where they can’t do that,” he said. After Pence received a backlash of criticism, his team reportedly threatened to retaliate against the journalist who released the photos showing him without a mask at the clinic.

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SF Couple Exchange Wedding Vows With Friends, Face Masks & Social Distancing

L-R Kyle Hill and César Salza (image via Instagram)
Even the coronavirus can’t stop love 🙂 The Bay Area Reporter shares that, just as cities and states began to follow shelter-at-home orders in March, César Salza and Kyle Hill found they had to rethink the wedding ceremony of their dreams they’d hoped to host in San Francisco. Having already obtained their marriage license (which the city has now stopped issuing due to the epidemic), the couple arranged to be married on April 18 in a friend’s backyard complete with face masks and social distancing among 8 friends. “We had planned on something in June but we realized quickly with COVID-19 that it wouldn’t be possible,” Hill told the Reporter. “The pandemic couldn’t stop us,” Salza wrote on Instagram. “Don’t worry we practiced social distancing with the rest of witnesses.” Congratulations to the happy couple!

(h/t Instinct)

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Fox News: Birx Calls Protesters Without Masks “Devastatingly Worrisome”

L-R Chris Wallace, Dr. Deborah Birx (screen capture)
One of the medical experts on the White House Coronavirus Task Force told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace she finds crowds, like the ones that protested at the Michigan state capitol recently, “devastatingly worrisome” from a “public health standpoint.” From Fox News:

Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of President Trump’s coronavirus task force, warned that some activities that Americans are engaging in across the country are potentially putting lives in danger as the coronavirus pandemic continues to plague the nation.

In a “Fox News Sunday” interview, Birx weighed in on recent incidents ranging from crowds flocking to Califonia beaches to the reopening of salons and spas, but came down particularly hard on Michigan protesters who stormed the state capitol in large numbers without wearing masks.

“It’s devastatingly worrisome to me personally because if they go home and infect their grandmother or their grandfather who has a co-morbid condition and they have a serious or a very unfortunate outcome, they will feel guilty for the rest of our lives,” Birx said. “So we need to protect each other at the same time we’re voicing our discontent.”

Wallace also asked Birx if she was worried about the many states that have started reopening, and yet not one has met the guidelines of 2 weeks of decline in new coronavirus cases. Said Birx, “Federal guidelines are pretty firm policy of what we think is important from a public health standpoint.” Additionally, Birx restated that the projections for deaths in the U.S. from COVID-19 “have always been between 100,000 and 240,000.” The full interview segment is at the bottom of the post.

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Scientist Working On Coronavirus Vaccine Hopes To See “Signal” Of Efficacy By June

A scientist at Oxford University told “Meet The Press” host Chuck Todd this morning his team hopes to see a “signal” by June was to whether a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed there might work. “We are gradually reeling it in, bit by bit and as everyday goes by, the likelihood of success goes up,” said Sir Bell. From NBC News:

Sir John Bell, the Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University, where one of the leading efforts to develop a vaccine is underway, said that the prospects for its candidate are “pretty good” and that “as every day goes by, the likelihood of success goes up.”

The researchers hope to have enough data from their phase-two trials that “we would get evidence that the vaccine has efficacy by the beginning of June.”

The group at Oxford is one of the many racing toward finding an effective and safe vaccine for the coronavirus alongside efforts to contain the spread of the pandemic.

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A Reminder Of Presidential Empathy

Former President George W. Bush strikes a beautiful balance and tone of what the word ‘united’ can mean to the nation. I especially was struck by his statement, “Let us remember that empathy and simple kindness are essential powerful tools of national recovery.” Empathy. Kindness. I don’t need to elaborate. You know what I would write next. I wasn’t a fan of George W. Bush. Not his politics or policy. I’m sure some readers will be surprised I post this. But despite my disagreements with much of his administration, I am able to recognize that in this message, I find comfort. Moments like this (or Barack Obama’s a capella rendition of “Amazing Grace” at a funeral service for victims of a mass shooting) remind me of an important, vital role our leaders can play at times of turmoil. Just watch. It’s not about GWB but having an uplifting minute or two to remind us who we are.

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Trump Approval Ratings Plummet In 6 Battleground States

Donald Trump

Donald Trump during a White House press briefing (public domain)
Donald Trump has seen his approval rating in six battleground states crucial to his reelection drop a precipitous 15 percentage points in the last month. As Trump faces an expanding economic collapse amid the ongoing COVID-19 health threat, nonpartisan polling group PRRI found Trump’s approval rating in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona and North Carolina plummet from 53% in March to a 38% approval rating. In terms of the entire nation, Trump fell from 49% approval to 43% approval. PRRI notes “Trump benefited from a brief ‘rally around the flag’ effect as the coronavirus pandemic began to spread in the U.S.” But with the number of confirmed U.S. cases of the coronavirus increasing exponentially from around 33,000 cases at the beginning of March to more than 1,000,000 cases and 63,000+ deaths today, that boost has quickly evaporated.