Tag: Karens

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News Round-Up: July 21, 2020

L-R Billy Eichner, the late Paul Lynde (via Back2Stonewall)
Some news items you might have missed: • Back2Stonewall: Out actor-comedian Billy Eichner is set to play TV icon Paul Lynde in the upcoming biopic Man in the Box. While Lynde never officially “out,” his sexuality was well-known in front of and behind the camera throughout a run on television beginning in the ’50s up until his death in 1982. • KOMO: The cast and creators of the Emmy-nominated cult HBO classic The Comeback will reunite on July 21 as part of the Stars In the House daily live-streamed series. The show’s creator and star Lisa Kudrow will be on board to chat on the satirical reality show that followed one woman’s journey as a B-list sitcom actress trying to reclaim A-list status via reality TV. Hot hubby Michael and I loved the series – Kudrow was brilliant walking the fine line of reality/scripted TV. • ABC News: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell revealed Tuesday morning that Senate Republicans plan to support another round of stimulus checks to Americans in their next coronavirus relief proposal. This time around, however, Republicans would like to lower the income threshold to qualify. The cap on payments in the first CARES bill was $99,000. • NPR: Teachers in Florida are suing the state to block an emergency order requiring schools to open next month with in-person instruction. They say, with the surge of coronavirus cases, the order violates a provision in Florida’s constitution requiring the state to ensure schools are operated safely. • BroBible: A teen employee at a Lowe’s store in Washington, Kyle Sales, was forced to change his tee-shirt reading “Black Panther Wakanda Forever” after a ‘Karen’ complained the shirt was racist. After the exchange, Sales went home and put a jersey over his Black Panther movie shirt. The next day, ‘Karen’ returned demanding to know how Sales was punished. • Boy Culture: Donald Trump, at his daily coronavirus presser, was asked about Ghislaine Maxwell — perhaps you’ve heard of her? The lady accused of running a child-sex ring for Jeffrey Epstein, who died on Trump’s watch? Yeah, he said — twice — “I wish her well.”

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News Round-Up: July 10, 2020

Snoopy the wonder dog
Some news items you might have missed: • Snoop Watch: Our new 14-year-old beagle rescue, Snoopy, is doing great (above). After having some tumors removed last week, he got some stitches out today. Plus, he had an adventure at PetSmart on the way home, so he’s a bit tuckered out. But awesome 🙂 • The Advocate: Have you heard the one about Brazil’s virulently homophobic president who was so resistant to wear a face mask during the coronavirus pandemic he told aides, “Masks are for fa**ots?” Oh, and then he tested positive for COVID-19. #LifeComesAtYouFast • KIT212: Kenneth rounds up the best of local LGBTQ rags including this week’s Music Issue of California-based Gloss Magazine: • Instinct Magazine: Chicago’s LGBTQ neighborhood, currently known as ‘Boystown,’ may get a new genderless moniker if a Change.org petition has its way. • Baltimore Sun: Packed elevators, crowded committee rooms, and legislators sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the House and Senate floor. All without a mask in sight. Those were common scenes at the Mississippi Capitol in June and now at least 26 lawmakers have been diagnosed with the coronavirus in the biggest known outbreak in any state legislature in the nation. • Las Vegas: I’m so glad someone posted this video to YouTube so I can share it without linking to this idiot woman’s Facebook. ‘Las Vegas Karen’ and her friend came to my town, Las Vegas, and were gobsmacked to learn they have to wear masks around people. She refused and began Facebook Live streaming her exit where she declares face masks are worse than coronavirus and Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said they are ‘symbolic’ and don’t do anything useful (he didn’t say that). With security guards trying to escort them out, they protest how their constitutional rights are being violated (they aren’t) and how it’s illegal to require masks in casinos and restaurants (it’s not). Have you ever heard “No shirt, no shoes, no service?” Miss Karen, there’s no constitutional right to gamble in a casino…ok?

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Viral Video: Homophobic ‘Karen’ Goes Full-On Anti-Grindr

Oh, lord have mercy, ‘Karens’ gonna ‘Karen’… This homophobic Karen caught on video in a Toronto shopping mall parking lot goes full-on anti-Grindr as she calls out “punks” and “young people” for recording inhabitants of the Karen-verse. It’s not clear how the incident began, but from the start of the video clip shared on Twitter, ‘Karen’ has parked her non-electric Hyundai Elantra at a charging station. From the beginning, ‘Karen’ is irritated by the presence of the camera recording her as she slaps her broadside announcing, “Take this!” Heading back to her car, the woman announces she’s going to record her own video as well grousing about “punks who think they own the world and can do what they want.” At this point, security guards have noticed ‘Karen’ parking in the wrong spot and approach her, but she dismisses them because “I have to do my video.” Turning to the person recording the episode, the woman unloads. “You’re disgusting and I’m so sick of these young people who think they’re all that,” she declares. “Here you go, sweetheart, let’s test you.” (Hand on hip, hand off hip) “My goodness, nothing better to do with your time, because this is what your generation does,” she says before making an odd observation: “You go on Grindr and do hookups. You show every part of your body, and you have no self-respect. Oh my goodness, none whatsoever.” At that point, one of the security guards tries to step in again, but ‘Karen’ is on a roll. “He! He comes and tells me what I can do,” she announces to the security guard. “He’s not my boss.” The guard points to a sign attached to the top of the electric charging station indicating the space is reserved for ELECTRIC CARS, but to no avail. “Oh well, I’m sorry – I can’t see. I can’t see,” she demures. “Need to make it bigger! Bigger!” As she climbs into her car, she tells the person recording, “Yours goes up, mine goes up, and it WILL have a lot to say!” In that the Grindr reference was so out of left-field, some folks in the Twitterverse asked why ‘Karen’ had to drag the gays wondering if she’d caught her husband cheating on the gay dating app. Others inquired as to who does her choreography because her ‘Karen-isms’ were so on point.

But this had to be my favorite shade thrown, LOL…

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‘Central Park Karen’ Charged With Filing False Police Report

(screen captures)
The gay birdwatcher who was the target of hysterical threats by ‘Central Park Karen’ Amy Cooper says he won’t be participating in her prosecution since she’s “already paid a steep price.” Cooper became infamous in May when she encountered Christian Cooper (no relation) in a quiet part of Central Park. A Harvard graduate who works in communications, Mr. Cooper is on the board of the New York Audubon Society and an avid bird watcher. Just before 8 a.m. on May 25, Mr. Cooper’s birdwatching was interrupted by Ms. Cooper who was calling loudly after her unleashed dog. When he asked her to put the dog on a leash as park rules require, she refused. As the incident escalated, she called the police claiming “an African-American man is threatening my life.” In the aftermath of the encounter, she lost her dog and her job as well as being publicly shamed. Since the video was posted to Twitter, the clip has been viewed over 44 million times. https://twitter.com/sanosbo1/status/1280225043306463235 The New York Times reports the Manhattan district attorney’s office charged Ms. Cooper on Monday “with filing a false police report, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.” But Mr. Cooper, who is openly gay, says he has not been involved in the investigation and doesn’t plan on taking part in her prosecution. “On the one hand, she’s already paid a steep price,” Mr. Cooper said in a statement to the Times. “That’s not enough of a deterrent to others? Bringing her more misery just seems like piling on.” “If the DA feels the need to pursue charges, he should pursue charges,” he added. “But he can do that without me.” Ms. Cooper’s attorney, Robert Barnes, predicts his client will be found not guilty for what he characterized as a “misunderstood 60-second video.” “She lost her job, her home, and her public life,” Mr. Barnes said in a statement to the Times. “Now some demand her freedom? How many lives are we going to destroy over misunderstood 60-second videos on social media?” Most cases of filing a false police report don’t end up with charges filed as the police generally want citizens to report crimes. Legal analysts say in this case, the racial component as well as the strong evidence makes for broader implications in regard to future instances of white people calling in false police reports against Black people.

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News Round-Up: July 8, 2020

Gustavo Naspolini (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Gustavo Naspolini (above) knows how to find his ‘post-beach/sunset light’ on the Rehoboth boardwalk. • Pink News: The Netherlands’ House of Representatives voted 124 to 26 in favor of a measure to amend the country’s constitution to add explicit protections based on sexual orientation. The measure now heads to the 75-seat upper chamber of the country’s Parliament. In 2001, the Netherlands was the first nation in the world to legalize marriage equality. • Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro, the virulently anti-LGBTQ leader of the South American country who recently tested positive for COVID-19, told aides and visitors to his office that “Wearing masks is a faggot thing.” • WHJL: Sonya Holt, the homophobic Tennessee resident who became a viral sensation after footage of her harassing a Black Lives Matter protester went viral, has lost her job over her hideous behavior. Among other things, video captured Holt telling a protester, “You’re a gay homosexual piece of crap who’s going to burn in hell.” • The Advocate: In a decision that has broad implications for LGBTQ+ workers, the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday ruled that federal anti-discrimination laws do not apply to teachers at church-sponsored schools if instruction in religion is part of their jobs. In recent years, there have been many teachers and other church employees fired for being LGBTQ+, often because they had married a same-sex partner. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Check out this deft parody of the now-infamous Corey Hannon, who took to the beaches of Fire Island this past weekend believing he had COVID-19. In a follow-up tweet, Chase shared that many of his followers on Twitter didn’t get the ‘parody’ part. LOL

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News Round-Up: July 2, 2020

Some news items you might have missed: • Instagram: If you don’t already, click over and follow @BigKidProblems (above) on the Gram of Insta….I like the way they think 🙂 • Christian Post: A professional photographer has filed a lawsuit against a new Virginia law that he says would force him to violate his sincerely held Christian beliefs by requiring him to provide his services to same-sex weddings. • NBC News: The Trump administration is moving to repeal transgender protections in homeless shelters. If the proposal is implemented, transgender women could be placed in sex-segregated shelters for men. • NY Times: U.S. payrolls grew by 4.8 million in June, according to the Labor Department. It was the second month of gains after a loss of more than 20 million in April when the pandemic put a large swath of economic activity on ice. The unemployment rate fell to 11.1 percent, down from a peak of 14.7 percent in April but still higher than in any previous period since World War II.

(image via NY Times)
• American Journal of Managed Care: A new study of nearly 78,000 HIV+ people diagnosed with coronavirus indicates that antiretroviral therapy (ART) medications may reduce a person’s risk of getting coronavirus and/or reduce the severity of the disease should they contract it. • Hollywood Reporter: Hugh Downs, the congenial broadcaster whose thousands of hours on network television included two decades on the ABC’s  20/20 and 9 years as the host of NBC’s Today Show, has died. He was 99. Downs also hosted the game show Concentration for nearly a decade as well as five years as announcer and side-kick to Jack Paar on The Tonight Show. • Reuters: Democrat Joe Biden edged out Republican Donald Trump in fundraising for a second straight month in June, according to reports from the rival U.S. presidential campaigns. Biden and allied Democratic groups raked in over $141 million during the month, while Donald Trump and closely tied groups hauled $131 million. • Karen Chronicles: A Costco customer refused to wear a face mask while returning an item. So she staged a sit-in. For perspective, the second video shows you how a Black man was treated when he refused to wear a face mask. Please note the difference in how the two were treated.

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News Round-Up: June 30, 2020

Patricia and Mark McCloskey (screen capture)
Some news items you might have missed: • Bear World Magazine: During a time when the Black Lives Matter movement has rightfully taken up space on our news feeds, a conversation has opened up again in Bear spaces about the lack of diversity and inclusion, and the silence of White gays when it comes to the lives of Black people and People of Color. But, it’s a conversation that many White Bears still seem to not want to have. • Local10: In early April, openly gay Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy Shannon Bennett was the first South Florida first responder to be killed by COVID-19. His family was crushed by the loss. Now, they feel like they’ve been dealt another blow after the AIG insurance company denied their claim for accidental death in the line of duty. • NY Post: Mark and Patricia McCloskey (above), the St. Louis lawyers who brandished an AR-15-style rifle and a silver-colored handgun at protesters marching past their home on Sunday, are being investigated for possible criminal charges. The couple insists they were “victims” of threatening trespassers who entered a gated community. Nothing says ‘tough’ as much as a pink polo shirt tucked into a pair of khakis, no?

• AOL: Remembering back to 1993 when Mattel released ‘Earring Magic Ken,’ the accidentally gay version of Barbie’s bf that was just about every ’90s gay stereotype in a chiseled hunk of plastic. • Washington Blade: Amid concerns the iconic Stonewall Inn in New York City may close due the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Gill Foundation announced on Sunday it will match contributions of up to $250,000 to protect the business from closure. • Twitter: This Dallas-area ‘Karen’ threw a temper tantrum when she was told she had too many items for the Express lane. She also refused (surprise!) to wear the face mask she’s holding in her hand. #smh

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GoFundMe Campaign Raises $100K In Tips For Barista, Now ‘Karen’ Wants Half

L-R Lenin Gutierrez, Amber Lynn Gilles (screen captures)
The GoFundMe campaign for a San Diego-area Starbucks employee who asked a ‘Karen’ to wear a face mask has now surpassed more than $99,000. And the crunchy ‘Karen’ now wants half of the funds raised. As I reported last week, yoga instructor Amber Lynn Gilles snapped a photo of the barista and posted it on Facebook in an attempt to shame him for following the safety guidelines of his employer and the state of California. But the snarky post backfired on Gilles and has led to a $100K windfall for the beleaguered barista. On June 18, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide order requiring face coverings in public spaces as new coronavirus cases began to rise dramatically in the Golden State. But this ‘San Diego Karen’ was clearly not happy about the new public health rule. “Meet lenen [sic] from Starbucks who refused to serve me cause I’m not wearing a mask,” wrote Gilles in the accompanying caption. “Next time I will wait for cops and bring a medical exemption.” Since last week, the post has been shared more than 50K times and received over 132K comments, overwhelmingly in support of the barista, Lenin. “Listen, Karen, if you can’t be bothered to wear a f**king mask for 10 minutes out of consideration for *other people* AND because it’s store policy, then you’re not only rude, you’re incredibly selfish,” wrote one commenter. “News flash: everything isn’t about you.” “There’s no reason to publicly shame a kid who’s trying to work his shift like any other day,” added another. One person asked, “If you cannot wear a mask, why not go through the drive-through?” For its part, Starbucks issued a statement asking all customers to follow the current guidelines regarding mask requirements. “We want everyone to feel welcome in our stores. We respectfully request customers follow social distancing and safety protocols recommended by public health officials, including wearing a facial covering when visiting our stores,” a Starbucks spokesperson said. Facebook user Matt Cowan saw the snarky post and decided to set up a GoFundMe page to collect tips for the Lenin. “I set it at $1,000, thinking that was a reach, and we would be lucky if we hit like $250,” Cowan told local news station KGTV in San Diego last week. “And when we hit $100, I was overwhelmed by that,” In one day, Cowan’s campaign – titled “Tips for Lenin Standing Up To A San Diego Karen” – had raised more than $5,000 for Lenin. Over the past week, tips continued to pour in, and as of this writing, the campaign had raised over $99,000 from 7,400+ donors. The majority of the contributions were in the amount of $5 or $10. Lenin expressed his thanks in a Facebook video and shared his side of the story saying he was just following company policy when he asked Gilles if she had a face mask. “Before I could say anything she flipped me off and said I don’t need one and she started cursing up a storm,” said Gutierrez on the video. “She started calling people sheep and she left and within a few minutes came back and she asked for my name and took a photo.”

Gutierrez also shared that, before the coronavirus health threat, he had taught dance to children. “That’s all I really want to do — to just be able to show dance to others and show them how much I love it and how much it affected me,” he said. “And if I can show that to someone else, that would be amazing and change their life like it changed mine.” In an update to the crowdfunding page, Cowan underscored that Lenin will be receiving 100% of the funds from the campaign. A financial adviser has been arranged to help Lenin “plan how to properly invest and use the large sum of money.” “Lenin has said that he plans to use some of the money to pursue his dreams of becoming a dancer,” Cowan added. “He also wants to donate to some organizations in the San Diego community.” In a video shared by local NBC News affiliate KNSD-TV, Gilles claimed she was “denied and discriminated against” in the incident, and says since her post went live she’s received ‘thousands’ of death threats. Gilles also admitted she is an anti-vaxxer and believes masks are ineffective. “I didn’t harass anyone,” she says in the video. “I called them out because I’m frustrated.” Gilles also says that she plans on suing Cowan for defamation and slander, AND she wants at least half the money raised through the GoFundMe campaign “because they’re using me to get it.”

(source: KNSD, GoFundMe)

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‘Karen’ Asked To Wear Face Mask Screams “Democratic Pigs!” Exiting Store

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UPDATE: A Twitter user has posted a detailed account by a friend who says they witnessed this sad episode. According to them, the ‘Karen’ in question wore a mask with no problem while waiting in line outside the store for 30 minutes. Apparently, once inside the store, she removed her mask and began “getting up in people’s face, getting as close as possible,” all while putting not one item in her basket. Check out the tweets following the video clips below for more details.

In this installment of the ‘Karen’ Chronicles, a woman shopping at a newly-opened Trader Joe’s in North Hollywood, California, on Friday evening became irate when asked to wear a face mask. In a video shared on Twitter, the woman seems incredulous that a mask is required to shop in the store. After slamming her shopping basket to the floor, she screamed “Democratic pigs!” as she headed to the door. Passing the man recording the incident, she made a point to say she has “a breathing problem” and her doctor would not “let” her wear a face mask. Please note – that ‘breathing problem’ doesn’t seem to inhibit her from yelling at the top of her lungs. As one person on Twitter noted, if she has a respiratory condition she would be at a higher risk of coronavirus infection. You think her ‘doctor’ would either tell her to wear a mask or stay at home. On June 18, California officials announced face coverings will be required in public areas, workplaces, public transportation, and in common walkways and elevators of offices and businesses. Dining, drinking, or participating in outdoor athletic activity that can be done with a distance between people of 6 feet are exempt from the requirement. The order also exempts medical conditions. The Los Angeles CBS News affiliate reports hospitalization rates for COVID-19 in the Golden State have been steadily increasing. Currently, 4,240 people with coronavirus occupy hospital beds, which is a 32 percent increase from two weeks ago. Intensive care units are seeing 1,306 people with the virus, up 19 percent over the last two weeks.

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Internet Tips Barista $20K After San Diego ‘Karen’ Gets Snarky Over Mask

Barista Lenin Gutierrez says ‘thank you’ (image via GoFundMe)
In this installment of the ‘Karen Chronicles,’ a San Diego woman recently took to Facebook to criticize a Starbucks barista named Lenin who refused to ask her to wear a face mask. But the snarky post backfired and resulted in over 1,300 social media peeps donating over $20,000 in tips to a GoFundMe campaign in less than two days. “Meet lenen [sic] from Starbucks who refused to serve me cause I’m not wearing a mask,” read the caption for the photo. “Next time I will wait for cops and bring a medical exemption.” The post has been shared over 47,000 times and received over 133K comments which are overwhelmingly in support of young Lenin.

This probably isn’t what ‘Karen’ had in mind: “Listen, Karen, if you can’t be bothered to wear a f**king mask for 10 minutes out of consideration for *other people* AND because it’s store policy, then you’re not only rude, you’re incredibly selfish,” wrote one commenter. “News flash: everything isn’t about you.” “Being a Karen isn’t a medical exemption,” added another. “You’re in the store for 10 minutes max to wait for coffee, not taking a trip to Mars for 6 months. If your condition is that bad then you are half dead already and should be having your coffee delivered to you in hospice!” One person asked, “If you cannot wear a mask, why not go through the drive through?” Another wrote, “Are you really crying cause you had to wear a mask for 10 minutes to get coffee then leave? Is it really that hard? Just wear the mask, get your coffee then take it off when you leave Karen, Jesus Christ.” Several people noted that ‘Karen’ had shared many photos on Facebook in the past showing her wearing all kinds of masks – when she wanted to. “You wore all these masks,” wrote one poster. The ‘Karen’ – who describes herself as a “mother, photographer, yoga instructor, activist, and artist” – tried to troll back, but failed in epic fashion. At one point, she could only muster a lame, “Masks are stupid and so are the people wearing them.” Earlier in June, she had shared a meme that read, “I have a condition that prevents me from wearing a mask. It’s called intelligence.” It’s worth noting that, during the coronavirus pandemic, face masks are mandated for everyone in California while in public unless they have a medical condition that prevents them from covering their face. After internet sleuths identified the barista as Lenin Gutierrez, many expressed they wanted to tip Lenin for having to put up with the ‘Karen.’ And so, Matt Cowan decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign with a goal of $1,000. Cowan told the local ABC News affiliate 10News, “I set it at $1,000 thinking that was a reach but we would be lucky if we hit like $250, and when we hit $100 I was overwhelmed by that.” When the original goal was quickly reached, Cowan raised his target to $5,000, which was also surpassed in no time. “You all are absolutely incredible,” wrote Cowan on the GoFundMe page. “Update from Lenin cause he wanted to say thank you to everyone. So you are all aware, he and I will be meeting in San Diego so that he can receive all the funds in person.” Cowan also shared a photo of Lenin holding a sign which read, “Thank you everyone for the tips!!! Stay Safe.” On Wednesday, Lenin posted a video message of thanks on his Facebook and shared his side of the incident.

Lenin says that when the woman came in without a mask, he asked if she had one, to which she replied that she doesn’t need one. As he attempted to show her the official guidelines from Starbucks, she snapped back repeating she didn’t need a mask and began “cussing up a storm.” “She started calling people ‘sheep’ and she left,” explained Gutierrez. “Within a few minutes she came back and asked for my name, she took a photo of me and said ‘I’m calling corporate’ and started cussing some more at everyone and just left.” He added that he’s a dancer and before the coronavirus pandemic he’s shared his passion by teaching dance to children. He says he plans to use his sudden windfall to fund his dream of “changing other people’s lives the way dance changed mine.” A Starbucks spokesman issued the following statement to News10: We want everyone to feel welcome in our stores. We respectfully request customers follow social distancing and safety protocols recommended by public health officials, including wearing a facial covering when visiting our stores.