Tag: Dallas

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Dallas Mayor Switches To GOP Just Months After Reelection

Mayor Eric Johnson (screen capture via CBS Texas)
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, who served in the Texas Legislature for nine years as a Democrat before being elected as mayor of Dallas in 2019 as a Democrat, has announced he is now a Republican. Continue reading “Dallas Mayor Switches To GOP Just Months After Reelection”

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Podcast: Dangers On Grindr, ‘Special’ renewed, Plus Tips For The Holidays With The Family

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: • Two Dallas men plead guilty to using Grindr to commit hate crimes against gay men • The first LGBTQ-welcoming senior housing opens in New York City • An Elder at an anti-LGBTQ Missouri church has been charged with soliciting sexual favors from college guys • The acclaimed Netflix series “Special” is renewed for Season 2 • Plus, tips for introducing your significant other to your family during the holidays All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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Dallas ‘Straight Pride’ Event Draws A Crowd Of Two

(photo: Soraya Colli)
The highly anticipated (I’m joking) ‘Straight Pride’ parade/event in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday turned out to be the most epic fail yet for the ‘Straight Pride’ movement. Although the organizers promised discussions of abortion rights (they say it’s murder), traditional marriage (only one man + one woman), and gender identity (only two!!!!), we’re not sure how long those panels were since only two people showed up. According to the Dallas Voice, the two participants weren’t even from Dallas. Or Texas. The duo, presumably a part of Super Happy Fun America which produced the Boston ‘Straight Pride’ event this summer, were vastly outnumbered by approximately 20 protesters who showed up at the City Hall Plaza “event.” Local activist Soraya Colli shared video footage on Facebook and was sharing details via Twitter:

The story was similar on August 31 in Boston where 200 attendees were greeted by thousands of pro-LGBTQ protesters. The second ‘Straight Pride’ event, which was planned to occur in Modesto, California, couldn’t obtain a permit due to lack of insurance and was reduced to a handful of people protesting in front of a Planned Parenthood location. The Dallas Voice reports that one of the straight Pride participants in Dallas yelled insults at transgender protesters saying, “We know there are only two genders.” He also insisted, “I’m part of the oppressed majority.” And when the space between the protesters and the two Straight Pride attendees began to close, police separated them, putting an end to the fireworks. The local organizer of the Dallas event, Teresa Stephens Richenberger, didn’t bother to show up. In a statement posted on Facebook, Richenberger said the event had to be ‘postponed’ due to the city of Dallas “PRICE GOUGING us and asked for enormous amouts [sic] of money.” We’re guessing she didn’t bother to tell the guys from Boston who traveled to the Lone Star state for her shindig? Richenberger went on to say they would “regroup” and set a date for sometime in the future. She closed her post by shouting, “I AM NOT BACKING DOWN; AND NOT RUNNING;;; WE WILL HAVE OUR PARADE/MARCH.” “SOON……” added Richenberger.

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‘Straight Pride Parade’ Group Announces March In Dallas

2019 Boston ‘Straight Pride Parade’ (images via screen capture)
They’re baaaaaaaack! The folks who created the sad failure that was the Boston ‘Straight Pride Parade’ this past August are planning another shindig to take shots at the LGBTQ community. Alt-right hate group Super Happy Fun America posted an announcement on their Facebook page they will be heading down to Dallas, Texas, on November 16 to hold a ‘March’ they say will “bring awareness to the fact that we as the American people are allowing our values and morals to be compromised!” “We need to stand up and stop this from happening!!!,” continues the post complete with 3 exclamation points. “NO MORE COMPROMISE!!!!” Four exclamation points and all caps must mean they really, really mean it!!!! The title of the event seems to be ‘Protect Our Next Generation.’ From what you may ask? Well, the list of topics planned for discussion include: • Sex/Human Trafficking • Legalized Prostitution • Marriage values (One man and one woman) • Abortion (It is murder) • Genders (There are only two; XX as female and XY as male) • Ploys of the RADICAL left-wing LGBTQ groups trying to shut down our businesses and churches. • Drag Queen Story Times (Stop pushing this onto our children) Sounds like real ‘super happy fun,’ huh? “Straight people are an oppressed majority,” says John Hugo, president of Super Happy Fun America. “We will fight for the right of straights everywhere to express pride in themselves without fear of judgment and hate.” He adds, “The day will come when straights will finally be included as equals among all of the other orientations.” Because nothing says ‘oppressed’ like being over 90% of the population. Of course, the initial ‘Straight Pride Parade’ in Boston was a huge failure with only a couple hundred supporters showing up. The parade-goers were actually outnumbered by 1,000+ pro-LGBTQ counter-protesters. And then there’s the Modesto, California, ‘Straight Pride’ event that flopped bigly in August drawing only about 20 attendees. As in Boston, they were outnumbered by hundreds of counter-protesters. Those folks couldn’t get a permit to hold their rally in a city park, so they did their thing in front of a Planned Parenthood. #EpicFail (source: Facebook)

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Police Officer Sentenced To 10 Years For Shooting Death Of Neighbor

Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, who was found guilty of murder yesterday in the shooting death of her neighbor, Botham Jean, was sentenced to 10 years in prison today. She was facing between 5-99 years in prison. From NBC News:

Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer convicted of murder for fatally shooting her unarmed neighbor in his apartment, was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison.

Guyger, 31, learned her fate after a sentencing hearing that included emotional testimony from the family of the victim, Botham Jean, and revelations that she shared racist and offensive texts and social media posts.

Prosecutors had asked jurors to sentence Guyger to at least 28 years — symbolic because Jean would have turned 28 last Sunday.

Guyger did not testify during her sentencing, but she has the opportunity to appeal the conviction in the unique case, which has gripped the city of Dallas and shattered the idea that law-abiding residents can be safe in their own homes.

The jury was allowed to consider whether Jean’s death was the result of “sudden passion,” which meant Guyger acted in the heat of the moment. It carried a lesser sentence of two to 20 years behind bars.

Guyger shot Jean after walking into his apartment thinking it was hers at the end of a shift. Believing he was a burglar in her home, she shot him while he was armed with just a bowl of ice cream. This stunning moment, between Jean’s brother and Guyger, happened at the sentencing today.

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Police Officer Found Guilty Of Shooting Black Man In His Home

(screen capture)
Police officer Amber Guyger was convicted of murder by a Dallas County jury on Tuesday for fatally shooting Botham Jean in his own apartment last year. According to the Dallas Morning News, the verdict came following five hours of deliberation by the jury. The court now moves to the punishment phase of Guyger’s trial. In Texas, murder carries a sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison. The charge is not eligible for probation. Guyger, 31, fatally shot 26-year-old Jean in his apartment last year. She had said she mistook his apartment for her own and thought Jean, who was sitting on the couch eating ice cream, was a burglar. During testimony, she told the jury she shot Jean because she was ‘scared,’ even though Jean was only armed with a bowl of ice cream. One of the prosecutors asked her during cross-examination if she could have stepped out of the apartment after realizing someone was there and called for backup. She answered, ‘Yes.’ She is the first Dallas officer convicted of murder since the 1970s. On Monday, Judge Tammy Kemp ruled the jury could consider the Castle Doctrine during deliberations. The Castle Doctrine, similar to the Stand Your Ground Law, allows for “using force (even deadly force) in the protection of a home, vehicle, or other property if someone attempts to forcibly enter or remove an individual from the premises.” The judge also allowed the jury to consider manslaughter. According to some legal experts, the judge may have been appeal-proofing the trial outcome by including Castle Doctrine and “mistake of fact.” An appeals court may have more easily overturned the conviction if jurors weren’t allowed to consider both.

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News Round-Up: June 10, 2019

InstaHunk Joel Green's recipe for a successful Monday: "Dream. Plan. Do."
InstaHunk Joel Green 

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Joel Green (above) shares his recipe for a successful Monday: “Dream. Plan. Do.”

• Donald Trump’s entire family tagged along on his recent state visit to the UK, and along the way sons Don Jr. and Eric went on an Irish pub crawl where they offered free rounds of drinks for the house but didn’t pony up when it was time to pay the bill.

• A gay bar manager in Dallas was fired for refusing to serve a transgender customer and her friends.

• I know, I know – no one wants to see a hunky, kilted Scot proposing to his boyfriend in the middle of a Pride parade, but if you did, hit the play button below:

• New York Magazine has rounded up a ‘who’s who’ list of prominent drag queens, given them the photo shoot treatment and attempted to rank them.

• Scientists at the University of Toronto say being left-handed is one of three factors that could indicate a man is gay. Having an older brother is the second and having gay family members is the third.

• Taron Egerton, star of the musical biopic Rocketman, joined Elton John onstage for a duet of the pop star’s classic tune, “Your Song,” wearing a Pride t-shirt. #swoon

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News Round-Up: June 3, 2019

(image via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk The Griffopotamous (above) is feeling fruity and fabulous this gorgeous Monday.

• The valedictorian for the 2019 Sheboygan Lutheran High School senior class says administrators banned him from speaking at commencement because he mentioned being gay in a draft of the speech.

• A federal grand jury charged a pair of Dallas men with conspiracy to commit hate crimes, kidnapping and carjacking. According to the 15-count indictment, suspects used the gay dating app Grindr to create fake profiles and pose as gay men interested in “dates” to lure gay men to an apartment complex in Dallas in order to commit violent crimes against them.

• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are the first British Royals to ‘proudly’ celebrate Pride Month on social media.

• A Roman Catholic bishop who admitted last year to being “aware of incidents of sexual abuse” in the church but did nothing to stop them, warns Catholics that LGBTQ Pride Month is “harmful for children.”

• A former West Virginia Republican official who called Michelle Obama an “ape in heels” has been sentenced to 10 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to embezzling $18,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), funds that were intended to help flood victims.

• Don’t look now but there are more naked selfies by former Congressman Aaron Schock circulating the inter webs. Whatever you do, don’t click here.

More naked selfies of 'totally-not-gay' Aaron Schock are making their way around the interwebs
This is the most tame photo in the latest raft of Schock selfies

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Mayor Pete Heckled In Texas, Beto O’Rourke Denounces The Haters

During a speech to Democrats in Dallas, Texas, Mayor Pete Buttigieg was interrupted five different times by hecklers in a 10-minute period.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg in Dallas

During a speech to Democrats in Dallas, Texas, Mayor Pete Buttigieg was interrupted five different times by hecklers in a 10-minute period.

The group was organized by Randall Terry, who also followed Buttigieg in Iowa last month.

Pausing while one of the hecklers was escorted out, Buttigieg resumed speaking about his military career recalling “that moment when I was packing my bags for Afghanistan for the purpose of defending that gentleman’s freedom of speech.”

Fellow candidate Beto O’Rourke, who had a campaign appearance in nearby Fort Worth, denounced the hecklers, tweeting: “Texans don’t stand for this kind of homophobia and hatred. Mayor Pete, we are grateful you came to Texas and hope to see you and Chasten back again soon.”

Here’s the report from the local CBS News affiliate: