• Them: The English Football Association (FA) has fined and suspended Jack Fletcher, a Manchester United player, for calling an opposing player a homophobic slur during a game last year.
(image via Twitter/RobertGarcia) Some news items you might have missed: • Edge Media: Lawmakers in Hungary passed legislation Tuesday that prohibits sharing with minors any content portraying homosexuality or sex reassignment, something supporters said would help fight pedophilia but which human rights groups denounced as anti-LGBT discrimination. • NPR: The Senate unanimously approved a bill Tuesday that would make Juneteenth, the date commemorating the end of chattel slavery in the United States, a legal public holiday. The holiday is celebrated on June 19, and it began in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas learned (years after the fact) they had been freed under the Emancipation Proclamation. • Out Music: In a loving tribute to Provincetown, Seth Sikes releases his latest music video, The Trolley Song. Sikes, a longtime interpreter of the songs of the great Judy Garland, performs this signature Garland song from her classic film Meet Me in St Louis. Backed by a full cast Sikes performs the much-loved song on location in Provincetown on the local trolley car. Sikes will perform live in Provincetown in July with his new show Seth Sikes Sings Judy and Liza and Barbra, etc. at the just refurbished Post Office Café and Cabaret.
• OUT: Country music fans should check out veteran journalist Hunter Kelly’s Proud Radio, a monthly two-hour show on the Apple Music Country channel highlighting queer artists, their evolution, and their influence in country music. • The Advocate: Arby’s management fired an employee in Lafayette, Indiana last week after the employee allegedly wrote the homophobic slur “fag” on a gay couple’s receipt. • Pink News: Long Beach’s iconic rainbow lifeguard tower (above) has been reborn after the original was burned down in March by vandals. Robert Garcia, the city’s first openly gay mayor, said the new tower provides an “immediate sense of pride and inclusion” for the city’s LGBT+ community.
We just dedicated the new Long Beach Pride Lifeguard Tower. Thank you to our community and lifeguards for this symbol of love and inclusion. Happy Pride 🌈❤️ pic.twitter.com/UT7xve7yKf
Sebastian Lletget (image via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • Pink News: Major League Soccer has launched an investigation into LA Galaxy’s Sebastian Lletget (above) over a homophobic slur in a video he posted to Instagram. • Washington Blade: President Biden called for ramping up funds in the first year of his administration to beat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States. In his initial budget request to Congress, he signaled he would continue the PrEP-centric initiative that began in the previous administration. • Metrosource: The new hardcover book, On Fire: The Firefighters of France, is a curated collection of the best portraits and smoking shots from the wildly popular French firefighter calendars, personally selected by creator Fred Goudon. https://www.instagram.com/p/CL2IgpiM8g5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • AP News: After promoting doubt about the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine made using the previously experimental messenger RNA, or mRNA, process, a top Chinese health official publicly admitted Chinese COVID-19 vaccines aren’t very effective saying they “don’t have very high protection rates.” • Wichita Eagle: Kansas Senate Republicans ousted Sen. Gene Suellentrop as majority leader Friday after he was charged with leading police on a drunken 90 mile an hour, wrong-way chase down Interstate 70. • HIVPlus Mag: A potential HIV vaccine is showing very promising results in Phase I human trials. The vaccine works by stimulating the production of rare immune cells that generate HIV-resistant antibodies. Such a result was found in 97 percent of human participants administered the potential vaccine.
WOW 😳 New HIV vaccine with a 97% antibody response rate in phase I human trials. This is the most effective trial HIV vaccine to date. It is based on the Moderna’s COVID vaccine. COVID tech acceleration could change Rx for cancer & HIV in future. https://t.co/3Nl0UJj6xW
Mayor Dean Trantalis of Fort Lauderdale (screen capture/CBS4News) As the counting of ballots continues across the country following Election Day this week, we’ve all seen stories of heated rhetoric between supporters of political candidates at the polls. But it turns out even mayors aren’t immune to ugly vitriol this election cycle. Mayor Dean Trantalis, the first openly gay mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, says he was harassed by supporters of Donald Trump who began yelling homophobic slurs at him while he visited an early voting site on Saturday. “I encountered a number of people who were there on behalf of the Trump campaign who immediately accosted me, calling me pedophile, started calling me a fa**ot, and thought it was fun,” Trantalis told the local CBS News affiliate. But Mayor Trantalis didn’t assign blame to the Republican Party saying the people involved in the incident were “a lot of rabble-rousers that are fringe elements of the Trump organization that felt they could come into our city.” “Several were not from our city,” he added. “They admitted they came from other parts of the state.” (photo via Dean Trantalis) The mayor encountered similar behavior at other polling places and near his home as well. Trantalis shared that in his own neighborhood he saw yard signs for his campaign to which people had attached little pink flags. He said it was clear the flags were “a dog whistle for someone who’s gay.” “Almost to say, ‘We’re watching you, we’re around your house,’” he explained. “They wanted to intimidate me.” But the mayor is steadfast in his belief that such behavior doesn’t represent the people who live in Fort Lauderdale. “If you can’t be respectable, honorable people, you need to take your dog and pony show somewhere else,” he told CBS4News. “That’s not who we are.”
Some news items you might have missed: • Outsports: Major League Baseball ended its regular season on Sunday after a COVID-shortened 60 games and for the first time since the 2016 season, there were no players involved in any recorded, on-field anti-gay controversies. Granted, we still have the playoffs to go, but the only notable incident involved Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman. • NY Daily News: A Bronx man is accused of hacking to death with a machete a man he met on Grindr — and his roommate walked in on the bloody aftermath. Juan Alonso, 50, was charged Monday with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon. Cops are still trying to identify his victim. • Insider: Two New Jersey police officers pleaded guilty last week to smashing windows and slashing tires on cars owned by a man who had complained about them. As a part of the plea agreement, neither men will be able to work public service in the state. • Politico: A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll found that just 20 percent of voters said that they believed the winner of the presidential election will be called on election night, while 66 percent said they expect it to happen sometime later, 19 percent believe it will be the next day, and 26 percent believe it will be between two and seven days after the polls close. • The Hill: A new New York Times/Siena College poll shows Joe Biden leading Donald Trump in the vital battleground state of Pennsylvania by 9 points (49-40). The RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Biden with a 5.3 percentage point lead in the Keystone State. • Netflix: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, an organization near and dear to my heart, invites you to “Grab a drink (or two) with the spectacular cast of Netflix’s The Boys in the Band during #SipInWithTheBoys!” The livestream at 8 pm Eastern on October 2 benefits Broadway Cares and The Actors Fund.
Homophobic ‘Kevin’ goes to haul out his junk during rant (screen captures) In this episode of the ‘Kevin Chronicles,’ an anti-masker in Campbell, California, went on a smug, smirky homophobic rant that turned racist. In a video posted on Twitter by San Jose DJ Eddie House, ‘Kevin’ was approached by an employee who asked him to wear a face-covering while in the store or he’d have to leave. “You dumb f**king fa**ot, what’s your problem?” begins the man in full anti-homo mode as he addresses the person recording the incident. “What’s your dumb f**king fa**ot problem? You don’t know the law, that’s how stupid you are.” The employee calmly tells Kevin he can’t use language like that and is asked again to wear a face mask. With a shrug, the man smugly declares, “It’ll cost you $75,000. It’s a health code violation to deny service based on someone’s disability. So, I’d love you to do it – it’ll cost you $75,000.” “Call the police,” he continued. “I’m gonna love this. It’s a $75,000 fine. Dumb Mexican doesn’t know….”
Today at Marshalls in Campbell, Ca this Kevin didn’t want to wear a mask. Hurled offensive comments to the workers, my friends, to customers while exposing gestures to the public. I’m reaching out to y’all in the ether to expose this m’fer to the world! #KarenStrikesAgain#maskpic.twitter.com/ftBkGsDqcW
It would appear our Kevin is referencing information from the totally debunked ‘Freedom To Breathe Agency’ which hands out phony ‘exemption’ cards promising $75,000 penalties for denying access to businesses. Back in late June, the U.S. Justice Department issued an alert warning the public to “be aware regarding fraudulent postings, cards, or flyers on the internet regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the use of face masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” Phony ‘Face Mask Exempt’ card (via Justice Department) “Do not be fooled by the chicanery and misappropriation of the DOJ eagle,” wrote U.S. Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin of North Carolina in an official statement. “These cards do not carry the force of law. The ‘Freedom to Breathe Agency,’ or ‘FTBA,’ is not a government agency.” But wait – there’s more! In a subsequent video, Kevin notices he’s being recorded and begins to wave to the camera giving a thumbs-up sign. He then unzips his fly and starts to haul out his junk in the middle of the department store as the person recording asks his name.
The police were called but by the time they had arrived, Kevin had departed. The San Francisco CBS News affiliate KPIX has identified the man as 52-year-old Tim Gaskin, who apparently hosted a local LGBTQ weekly talk show for Comcast public access in 2004 called “OUT Spoken.” He also reportedly took part in fundraising for AIDS-related causes. So, it’s pretty surprising Gaskin throws around the word “fa**ot” so freely. His LinkedIn account says he helped launch the local LGBTQ publication Gloss Magazine, although publisher Cecil Russell told KPIX that Gaskin only contributed some articles. Gaskin’s bio announces he’s been in the “imported red meat trade” for 31 years, which considering his zipper action in the video above, is kind of ironic. Gaskin hasn’t responded to the news stories regarding his antics at Marshall’s at this time.
A gay man in the UK was knocked unconscious and severely beaten requiring medical attention at a hospital.
Ryan Williams, of Preston, Lancashire, shared his story along with graphic photos of his injuries from the attack on social media.
“I never thought in my life that I would get beaten up for being GAY!,” wrote Williams on his Facebook page. “Wtf has this world actually come too, you’re all vile and disgusting!”
“I want people to understand that being gay isn’t a choice and I can’t help it,” he added. “I’m sorry that you can’t deal with it but hey ho no need to knock someone out because of it!
He closed his post writing, “I seriously can not believe that a homophonic attack happens! Which it does and it’s wrong! Stand strong and love yourself, this isn’t gonna stop me from being fabulous! Being gay is OK!”
Williams told The Mirror he and some friends were headed to McDonalds for a bite to eat after an evening out on July 13.
“There was a group of people nearby in the street and they started calling me and my friends gay,” explained the 22-year-old. “We went over and told them it’s not okay to say things like that.”
But as Williams walked away, he says he was hit in the back of the head and fell to the ground. Stunned from the attack, he was then kicked repeatedly in the face until he blacked out.
He was taken to Royal Preston Hospital where he was treated for injuries to his face.
Police told The Mirror they are treating the attack as a hate crime.
Governor Ricardo Rosselló of Puerto Rico is currently embroiled in an ugly political scandal as hundreds of pages of a private group chat between the governor and 11 other officials were anonymously released last week.
Now dubbed #RickyLeaks, the private text messages (889 pages) included profane homophobic and sexist comments from the governor and others regarding politicians, officials and journalists.
El Nuevo Dia reports that on December 24, 2018, Rosselló posted a video featuring PDP senator Eduardo Bhatia which elicited jokes from two other participants about Bhatia’s sexuality. At one point in the exchange, Rosselló added, “Historic c*cksucker levels.”
Rosselló clearly likes that label as just a few days later, on December 31, the governor called journalist Torres Gotay an “unprecedented c*cksucker” in response to a report Gotay had written about ferry service issues.
International pop star Ricky Martin was the target of one exchange when former Chief Financial Officer Christian Sobrino wrote, “Nothing says patriarchal oppression like Ricky Martin.”, He later added, “Ricky Martin is such a male chauvinist that he f**ks men because women don’t measure up. Pure patriarchy.”
Martin responded via social media tweeting, in part, “We cannot allow our Puerto Rico to be in the hands of such ‘leaders.’”
Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz of San Juan has filed a police report in response to an exchange in the leaked messages that included what appeared to be a death threat.
The previously mentioned Sobrino wrote in a message that he was, “Salivating to shoot her.”
Rosselló responded saying, “You do me a favor.”
The 40-year-old governor also referred to former speaker of the New York City Council, Puerto Rico-born Melissa Mark-Viverito, as a “whore.”
When news of the leaked text messages broke, Rosselló returned home from a family vacation in Europe and issued an apology.
“I’m the governor of Puerto Rico, but I’m a human being who has his faults,” Rosselló said in a press conference late Thursday. “I ask for forgiveness.”
Saying that his comments were the result of working long 18-hour days, he added, “None of this justifies the words I’ve written. My apologies to all the people I have offended… This was a private chat.”
BREAKING: Puerto Rico’s Governor @ricardorossello is refusing to resign amid public pressure that he should, all while he is dismissing members of his cabinet and staff over scandalous text messages, many of which, the Governor himself was engaged in sending.
Rosselló has had a rough time since taking office. Puerto Rico was already in a years-long recession at the time, and a federal oversight board has controlled the island’s finances since 2016, when Rosselló became governor.
And, of course, the slow response to the devastating damage inflicted by Hurricane Maria in 2017 increased criticism of the governor.
Last week, two high level members of his administration were arrested by the FBI, further eroding any support he may have had.
According to the New York Times, many political insiders and pundits believe the governor’s days in office are numbered. But CBS reporter David Begnaud reports that members of Rosselló’s party have decided to give him “time for reflection” and are not planning to ask him to resign “at this moment.”
Puerto Rico’s Governor has dodged a political bullet.
Members of the Governors party in the House of Representatives decided tonight not ask Governor @ricardorossello to resign “at this moment”.
Protesters gathered outside La Fortaleza governor’s residence on Sunday, demanding Rosselló resign chanting, “Ricky resign – the people don’t want you!”
At a church in San Juan, the governortold reportershe is looking to God to guide him through “figurative or real” hurricanes, and that he is committed to learning from “what was done.”
Some news items you might have missed: • 
