Politics, pop culture and entertainment news of interest to the LGBTQ community
State Sen. Nathan Wesenberg (R)During a debate regarding an amendment to a financial omnibus bill in the Minnesota state Senate, Sen. Nathan Wesenberg (R) told the chamber he calls 911 to report drag shows. Continue reading “State Senator Admits To Calling Police On Drag Shows”
Michael Knowles (screen capture)Some news items you might have missed:
• The Advocate: Right-wing commentator Michael Knowles of the Daily Wire said that “transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely” at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday. Continue reading “Nutjob At CPAC Calls For Eradicating ‘Transgenderism’ + More News”
Some news items you might have missed:
• The Advocate: Police officials in London have warned people who use Grindr of an alarming string of robberies associated with the hookup app. It’s not the first time the app has been used for bad things. Continue reading “London Robbers Target Gays Using Grindr + More News”
Denis Vladmirovich Molla (screen capture via CBS News Minnesota)A Trump supporter in Minnesota has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after filing fraudulent insurance claims for an act of arson he staged in September 2020 and then blamed on Black Lives Matter activists and Antifa.
A Trump supporter lied??? Color me shocked… Continue reading “Trump Supporter Admits To Staging Arson, Blamed ‘Antifa And BLM’”
Herschel Walker (screen capture)Some news items you might have missed:
• The Daily Beast: GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker says he’s anti-abortion – except when it comes to his own affairs. He reportedly got his girlfriend pregnant in 2009, urged her to get an abortion, reimbursed her for it (she has the receipt), then sent her a ‘get well’ card. Walker denies the allegations. Continue reading “Anti-Abortion Herschel Walker Paid For Girlfriend’s Abortion + More News”
Kimberly Potter, former Brooklyn Center police officer, was sentenced Friday to two years in prison after being found guilty of first and second-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in April of 2021. Continue reading “Kimberly Potter Sentenced To 2 Years In Prison For Shooting Death Of Daunte Wright”
Nick Vallejo (image via Instagram)Some news items you might have missed:
• Outsports: A gay surfer started an OnlyFans page to feel sexy, and apparently it’s working. Nick Vallejo (above) finds inner-peace in the ocean and confidence in front of the camera.
• Pink News: Arizona Republicans have passed an anti-LGBT+ bill that would allow parents to stop their kids from learning about queer people. The bill would also prohibit schools from providing sex-ed classes which include information about AIDS and HIV without parent’s permission.
• Instagram: Ivanka Trump celebrated getting her coronavirus vaccine shot on social media, and Republicans lost their minds leaving ugly comments. I’m still surprised they oppose the vaccines so much considering their lord and savior the Donald says he created them with his own two, itty-bitty hands.
• New York Times: While it is rare for the police to mistake their sidearms for their stun guns, it is even rarer for charges to be brought against them in such cases. A Times review of 15 other cases of so-called weapon confusion showed that only five of the officers were indicted. Just three received guilty verdicts.
• WIS News10: Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott confirms Sergeant First Class Jonathan Pentland had been arrested and charged with third-degree assault and battery after viral video footage showed him assaulting a young Black man on a public sidewalk. The charge carries a maximum penalty of a $500 fine or 30 days in jail.
• The Hill: A Minnesota man was arrested Wednesday for assault after he allegedly drove away while a police officer’s arm was trapped in his truck window. An officer was standing on the truck’s running board when Oeltjenbruns is accused of rolling up the window on his arm. The suspect then allegedly drove away at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, leaving the officer hanging off the vehicle. Note: the accused was neither tased nor shot.
This happened yesterday in Minnesota, the suspect was a 61-year-old white man fleeing police. He wasn’t shot or tased. pic.twitter.com/FEq39kssC9
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) April 15, 2021
Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter, the officer who shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright, resigned from her position Tuesday, effective immediately.
The police chief, Tim Gannon, also tendered his resignation.
From the local NBC News affiliate KARE11:
In a letter to Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott, Acting City Manager Reggie Edwards and Police Chief Tim Gannon, Potter wrote:
“I am tendering my resignation from the Brooklyn Center Police Department immediately. I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department and my fellow officers if I resign immediately.”
Elliott said the city did not ask Potter to resign, and that it was a decision she made herself. The mayor said he hasn’t officially accepted Potter’s resignation, and that the city is completing its internal process “to make sure we’re being accountable to the step that we need to take.”
Elliott would not comment on whether Gannon gave a reasoning behind his resignation.
No word on if Potter will be arrested for the homicide of Daunte Wright any time soon.
It also came to light today that none of the 49 members of the Brooklyn Center Police Department live in Brooklyn Center.
BREAKING: Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, who shot and killed Daunte Wright during a traffic stop, resigns, officials announce.
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon also resigns, mayor says.https://t.co/OKeXxR9DcX pic.twitter.com/VQzPTKkwbZ
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 13, 2021
‘Great … put her in jail like they would do any one of us’ — Naisha Wright, in response to hearing that the officer who killed her nephew Daunte Wright has resigned pic.twitter.com/95oPUPMq8Y
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 13, 2021
UPDATE: Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon has also resigned https://t.co/jPUWGZQm6r
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 13, 2021
None of the 49 sworn Brooklyn Center police officers actually live in Brooklyn Center, according to Mayor Mike Elliott. “We do feel very strongly that we need officers to be from the community,” he says.
— Tony Webster (@webster) April 13, 2021
In the aftermath of a Black man being fatally shot on Sunday during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb, the police chief told reporters the officer meant to fire a Taser – not her handgun.
I kid you not.
From APNews:
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon described the shooting death Sunday of 20-year-old Daunte Wright as “an accidental discharge.” It happened as police were trying to arrest Wright on an outstanding warrant.
The shooting sparked violent protests in a metropolitan area already on edge because of the trial of the first of four police officers charged in George Floyd’s death.
“I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” the officer is heard shouting on her body cam footage released at a news conference. She draws her weapon after the man breaks free from police outside his car and gets back behind the wheel.
After firing a single shot from her handgun, the car speeds away, and the officer is heard saying, “Holy (expletive)! I shot him.”
Warning: Graphic footage, including the shooting
Here's the body camera footage of the killing of Daunte Wright that was just released. pic.twitter.com/A2X8qS8ZFH
— The Recount (@therecount) April 12, 2021
Brooklyn Center, MN Police Chief Tim Gannon calls Daunte Wright’s killing an “accidental discharge.”
He says: “It is my belief that the officer had the intention to employ their taser, but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet.” pic.twitter.com/pEFmc1tOh2
— The Recount (@therecount) April 12, 2021
Reporter: "Why is it that police officers in the United States keep killing young Black men and young Black women at a far far far higher rate than they do white people?"
Brooklyn Center, MN, Police Chief Tim Gannon: "I don't have an answer to that question." pic.twitter.com/Xc4SkhfvCA
— The Recount (@therecount) April 12, 2021
Former President Barack Obama (screen capture)Some news items you might have missed:
• Mediaite: Former President Barack Obama’s newly-released memoir, A Promised Land, sold more than 887,000 copies in the U.S. and Canada in its first 24 hours putting it on track to be the highest selling presidential memoir in modern history.
• Back2Stonewall: The FBI has released its annual report on hate crimes showing that, broadly, hate crimes rose 2.7 percent in 2019. Hate crimes perpetrated against gay men rose for the third straight year from 57.8% in 2017 to 61.8% in 2019.
• The Advocate: Ryan Phillippe says his parents “shunned” him for taking on the role on One Life to Live’s Billy Douglas, the first gay character on a soap opera, which he portrayed during the early ’90s. Phillippe is currently starring in ABC’s new drama, Big Sky.
• Minneapolis Star Tribune: Gov. Tim Walz will impose new restrictions on bars, restaurants and fitness centers starting Friday, closing them down to the public for four weeks as COVID-19 cases surge across the state. Bars and restaurants will still be allowed to offer takeout services during that time.
• CNN: The Trump campaign alleged last week that a vote cast by a Georgia woman named Deborah Jean Christiansen was fraudulent because she was reportedly dead. In fact, the vote was legally cast by a living woman who also happens to be named Deborah Jean Christiansen. Christiansen answered the door when CNN showed up on Tuesday evening.
• OUT: Schitt’s Creek co-creator and star Dan Levy scored another honor as he lands on PEOPLE’s 2020 ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ List
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