Politics, pop culture and entertainment news of interest to the LGBTQ community
In this episode of The Randy Report podcast:
• The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and I take a look at the impact of Roe reversal for LGBTQs. Continue reading “Podcast: Impact Of Roe Reversal For LGBTQs, Marriage In Switzerland + Oscar The Gay Dog”
Todrick Hall (screen capture)Some news items you might have missed:
• The Advocate: Out singer and Celebrity Big Brother alum Todrick Hall has been accused of skipping out of paying $60,000 in rent for February and March of this year. Continue reading “News Round-Up: April 7, 2022”
J.K. Rowling (screen capture)Some news items you might have missed:
• Out: J.K. Rowling had to scramble after Russian President Putin defended her against cancel culture. The Harry Potter author basically said, “I’m a transphobe, but not that kind of transphobe.” Continue reading “News Round-Up: March 26, 2022”
Former County Clerk Kim Davis (image via Fox)Nearly seven years later, a federal judge in Kentucky has ruled that former Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis violated the constitutional rights of two same-sex couples when she denied them marriage licenses during the summer of 2015. Continue reading “Judge Rules Kim Davis Violated Constitutional Rights Of Gay Couples”
(image via White House)As President Biden continues to negotiate for an impactful infrastructure bill, the White House has released this short video visiting folks in Kentucky, the home state of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Citizens of the state chat on the condition of the roads, bridges, and water supply as well as needing dependable broadband service to support creating jobs and small businesses.
From the YouTube page: “After decades of neglect, our infrastructure is crumbling – and American families and workers are paying the price. Join us on an infrastructure road trip this week and meet just some of the rural Americans whose lives would be changed by the American Jobs Plan.”
(screen capture via Facebook)Disturbing video posted to social media appears to show a Louisville, Kentucky, police officer punching a protester as four other officers are involved in restraining the man.
From WLKT:
A Louisville Metro police officer is facing an internal investigation after video surfaced on social media of him striking an individual several times in the face.
The video was posted to Facebook Sunday and shows five police officers involved in the attempted arrest of the man at Jefferson Square Park.
The video shows the officers force the man to the ground, and as that’s occurring, one of the LMPD officers begins striking the individual in the face. Once the man is mostly on the ground, the officer can be seen repeatedly striking the individual.
The four other officers continue to pin the man down as they try to arrest him.
The man, identified as Denorver Garrett, was booked on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Chief Erika Shields said in a statement, “This raises serious questions and is not consistent with LMPD training.”
(image via kenneth-in-the-212)Some news items you might have missed:
• Kenneth-in-the-212: Kenneth’s weekly ‘Mask4Masc’ feature is a winner with all kinds of inspiration this week (plus more at the link).
• TVLine: NBC’s streaming platform Peacock has ordered a reboot of the landmark queer TV series Queer As Folk. Described as a “vibrant reimagining,” the new Queer as Folk will center on a diverse group of friends in New Orleans whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy. The original QAF debuted on Britain’s Channel 4 in 1999 and ran for 10 episodes. The American version was created for Showtime and lasted five seasons (from 2000 to 2005).
• Axios: A new Gallup poll shows more Americans identify as Democrats by the largest margin since 2012. Per the recent survey, 49% say they support Democrats, 40% support the Republican Party and 11% say they are Independents with no partisan leaning.
(graphic via Gallup)• Instinct Magazine: Grammy-nominated singer Kehlani shared this past weekend during an Instagram Live chat that she identifies as a lesbian. “You want to know? You want to know what’s new about me? I finally know I’m a lesbian,” said the singer.
• Herald Leader: A southern state is actually making it easier to vote? Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) signed into law Wednesday a significant election reform bill that will make it easier for Kentuckians to vote early, bucking a national trend of more restrictive election laws in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
• The Gaily Grind: The office of embattled Rep. Matt Gaetz released a statement purportedly written by female staffers defending the pro-Trump lawmaker amid his ongoing sex trafficking scandal. Despite being signed by “The Women of the Office of U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz,” not a single woman is named in the statement.
• Instagram: Just a quick reminder that baseball is back – and I ain’t mad 🙂
Ginger go-go dancer Seth Fornea (via BosGuy)Some news items you might have missed:
• BosGuy: Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with ginger go-go dancer and model Seth Fornea (above). Talk about bringing new meaning to the phrase “lucky charms…”
• Block Club Chicago: Did Eric Trump jump the line for COVID vaccination? A top executive of a West Side hospital in Chicago bragged about vaccinating Eric Trump the same day the hospital vaccinated workers at Trump Tower Downtown. Trump would not have been eligible to be vaccinated in Chicago.
• Kenneth-in-the-212: It’s Wrestle Wednesday over at KIT212 and well-worth the click as he features 30-year-old pro wrestler David Starr (below).
• Washington Blade: Dean Trantalis, currently serving as the first openly gay mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., came under criticism by LGBTQ activists this week for backing and signing a proclamation approved by the Fort Lauderdale City Commission honoring the city’s Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, which has a history of anti-LGBTQ policy positions.
• The Hill: The Kentucky legislature has passed a bill that would require a governor to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat with a member of the departed senator’s party. While both houses of Kentucky’s legislature is controlled by Republican supermajorities, the state currently has a Democrat in the governor’s mansion, Gov. Andy Beshear.
• USA Today: The House voted 413-12 on Wednesday to award Capitol police, Metropolitan police and other law enforcement agencies with the Congressional Gold Medal, for protecting lawmakers, staffers, reporters and visitors from insurrectionists on Jan. 6. Twelve Republicans voted against the measure for combining the medal with what they deemed “editorial comments about the January 6 sequence of events.”
12 members who voted against House bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Capitol Police & those who protected the Capitol on Jan 6 🏅
Massie
Harris
Gooden
Good
Gaetz
Cloud
Clyde
Steube
Biggs
Gohmert
Greene
RoseFinal Tally: 413-12
— K Tully-McManus (@ktullymcmanus) March 17, 2021
In this week’s podcast from The Randy Report:
• Longtime LGBTQ ally Sen. Kamala Harris is Joe Biden’s pick for running mate in the 2020 presidential election
• Plus, Harris has named a proud Black lesbian political heavyweight as her chief of staff
• A judge in Kentucky says a photographer can legally discriminate against LGBTQ people
• Ricky Martin told OUT Magazine he once feared he’d never be a parent because of his sexuality, and now he’s a father of four 🙂
• Disney introduces its first bisexual character on ‘The Owl House’
• And the top 5 “Gayest States in the Country”
All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report
Chippendales’ Jeffrey Garrovillo and co-star (via Instagram)Some news items you might have missed:
• InstaHunks: Book a ‘Chippendales at Home’ party (above) and you never know – you might get two woofy Chipps for the price of one.
• Instinct: Why are some gay Republicans unhappy about the recent Supreme Court victory for LGBTQ protections in the workplace?
• Politico: A coalition of advocacy groups sued the Trump administration on Monday over its rollback of LGBTQ patient protections, arguing that last week’s Supreme Court decision extending workplace legal protections to gay and transgender employees invalidates the new rules.
• LGBTQ Families: Family Source Consultants, Fertility Centers of Illinois and International Fertility League Group are hosting an expert-led discussion on family building for the LGBTQ+ community on June 25th at 5pm CDT via ZOOM. The informational event is focused on couples and individuals who are interested in building their family through third party reproduction.
• Newsweek: Kentucky has slashed the number of polling locations for Tuesday’s primary elections to just 170 in-person polling stations across the Commonwealth — a major drop from the standard 3,700 sites usually made available for voters. The decrease comes as state officials heavily encourage residents to vote by mail amid the coronavirus health crisis. Many of the state’s most populous areas, like Jefferson County, home to half of the state’s Black residents, will have ONE polling location.
• NY Post: A defiant shopper fought his way into an Orlando Walmart after he was denied entry for refusing to wear a face mask, a viral video shows. The incident occurred on the same day masks became mandatory in the county. In the viral video, an employee tries to block the man from entering. “You gotta wear a mask, bro!” the man behind the camera says. The older man then shoves the Walmart worker, even falling to the ground at one point.
Meanwhile in Florida clear folks feeling entitled lol 😷 #COVID19 #coronavirus #maskon #maskoff #mask pic.twitter.com/AqbBqGABff
— Cali_CoCo (@CaliCoCo3) June 20, 2020