New York City’s 1st Out Fire Dept Commissioner + More News

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani

Some news items you might have missed:

The Advocate: New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has named Lillian Bonsignore commissioner of the Fire Department of New York, making her the first out gay person in that post.

Queerty: The National Hockey League (NHL) is trying to capitalize on the massive popularity of HBO Max’s gay-centered Heated Rivalry and turn the show’s fervent viewers into hockey fanatics. But fans are quick to remind the NHL of its homophobic past like when it banned Pride jerseys on the ice. Continue reading “New York City’s 1st Out Fire Dept Commissioner + More News”

Ice Hockey Romance ‘Heated Rivalry’ + More News

New hockey romance series "Heated Rivalry"

Some news items I thought worth your time:

Queerty: Check out the newly-released official trailer for “Heated Rivalry,” a gay ice hockey romance. Premieres November 28th on Crave in Canada, but no set air date in the U.S. yet. Continue reading “Ice Hockey Romance ‘Heated Rivalry’ + More News”

DOJ Considering Gun Restrictions For Trans People + More LGBTQ News

Some news items you might have missed:

The Advocate: The Justice Department is considering restricting gun ownership for transgender people, following a deadly mass shooting at a Catholic church school in Minneapolis, in which the perpetrator has been alleged to be trans.

Kenneth-in-the-212: Check out the latest in LGBTQ publications this week including Between The Lines rounding up a list of Winter Pride events across the country. Continue reading “DOJ Considering Gun Restrictions For Trans People + More LGBTQ News”

Federal Judge: Trump’s Deployment Of Military Troops In LA Was Illegal

Donald Trump sent nearly 5,000 military troops into LA (screen capture)

A federal judge has ruled Donald Trump’s deployment of nearly 5,000 military troops in Los Angeles in June was illegal.

In his ruling, the judge said the Trump administration had violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits using the military to enforce domestic law. Continue reading “Federal Judge: Trump’s Deployment Of Military Troops In LA Was Illegal”

DC Restaurants See Steep Decline During Federal Crackdown

Restaurants see steep decline as National Guard takes over D.C.

The White House has declared the federal takeover of the Washington, D.C. police has been very popular among residents, but many local business owners say they are seeing a steep decline in walk-in traffic and reservations.

One restaurant owner, citing already rising labor and ingredient costs:
“It’s like drowning and then someone throws a 100 lb weight to you.” Continue reading “DC Restaurants See Steep Decline During Federal Crackdown”

News Round-Up: July 1, 2021

A French woman has been charged for causing a huge pile-up at the Tour de France over the weekend

Some news items you might have missed:

Cycling News: A spectator who held up a cardboard sign on the opening day of the Tour de France accidentally struck cyclists (above) causing dozens to crash. The 30-year-old French woman has been arrested and charged with involuntarily causing injury and faces a fine of 1,500 euros.

Vanity Fair: Following her very public statement last week, Britney Spears’s request to have her father, Jamie Spears, removed from her conservatorship has been denied by the judge overseeing the case.

WPRI: Chase Allen, 25, of Seekonk, was apprehended by FBI agents for allegedly taking part in the violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol building. Allen is accused of participating in the destruction of thousands of dollars worth of media equipment during the riots. Photos capturing a man wearing the exact same outfit as Allen show him stomping on cameras outside the Capitol building. He claims he was there to document the events as a journalist.

JoeMyGod: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noam has literally rented out 50 members of the state’s National Guard to an auto scrap billionaire to head down to the Texas/Mexico border.

Nevada Independent: Nevada casinos collected a single-month record of $1.23 billion in gaming revenues during May, a stunning figure given that most COVID-19 capacity restrictions weren’t fully lifted until June 1.

People: Out singer/songwriter Hayden Joseph tells the pop culture magazine, “Mainstream country radio is still controlled by a couple of conglomerates, and they still play one-dimensional country music, all signed by a boy’s club that looks and sounds the exact same.” I wrote about his latest single, “Out,” here.

D.C. National Guard To Remain Deployed Through March

D.C. National Guard to remain deployed due to possible civil unrest
National Guard members laying down in parking garage (image via Twitter)
Politico is reporting the deployment for the entire D.C. National Guard has been extended until March 31. With the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump scheduled to begin soon, officials worry about possible civil disturbances in the nation’s capital over the next several weeks.

The memo, signed by D.C. National Guard chief Maj. Gen. William Walker and dated Jan. 25, orders troops to remain on duty at least through the end of March “in continued support of District and Federal civil authorities during anticipated First Amendment demonstrations and Civil Disturbance in the District of Columbia.”

The new orders suggest that law enforcement agencies in the nation’s capital are preparing for potential unrest in the coming days and weeks, as former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial kicks off and his supporters issue threats to lawmakers.

In addition to the D.C. Guard, troops from Maryland have been ordered to remain on duty through at least March 15. The National Guard Bureau initially said the orders will become voluntary after 31 days, but Guard sources said Tuesday that was not the case.

Sadly, the coronavirus pandemic is wrecking havoc with the D.C. National Guard troops as hundreds have tested positive for the virus or are currently quarantining due to exposure. Many of the troops, who have had to sleep on the floor of the Capitol building or an underground parking lot, say the deployment is becoming its own super-spreader event.

Pence: During Riots Biden Sent Out Press Release While Trump Sent In National Guard

L-R Vice Presidents Mike Pence, Joe Biden
Vice President Mike Pence took a shot at his predecessor, former Vice President Joe Biden, during an interview with the Washington Examiner contrasting the actions of Biden and Donald Trump during recent riots. The Washington Examiner reports:

President Trump was the last line of defense between law-abiding people and a dangerous, left-wing mob intent on toppling statues and ripping the nation apart, according to Vice President Mike Pence.

“When rioters were setting fire to one of the oldest churches in America and defacing our national monuments, Joe Biden sent out a press release. President Trump sent in the National Guard,” Pence said Thursday in an exclusive interview aboard his campaign bus with the Washington Examiner.

“The contrast with Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi is, this is a president who understands our commitment is to uphold the rule of law — law and order,” said Pence, who spoke as he completed a swing through Pennsylvania, a battleground critical to Trump’s reelection prospects.

It’s worth noting that Trump is the president of the United States and has the power to send in the National Guard. Biden is a private citizen with no such authority (at this time).

News Round-Up: May 20, 2020

Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic in HBO’s ‘Welcome To Chechnya’
Some news items you might have missed: • Oregon Live: A gay man recently became angry with his mother when she didn’t know how to respond when he introduced his new boyfriend who is HIV-positive. She fears if they stay together and have children the new boo might infect the future/possible kids. She wrote to the popular column ‘Ask Amy’ for advice. • CBS Detroit: A Wisconsin woman who has taken hydroxychloroquine for 19 years to treat lupus has tested positive for COVID-19. The woman, a self-described Trump supporter, says she only left her home to go the grocery store. She told CBS News she thought she would be safe because of what Donald Trump has said about the drug. • HBO: From Academy Award-nominated director David France comes Welcome to Chechnya, a powerful and eye-opening documentary about a group of activists risking their lives to confront the ongoing anti-LGBTQ persecution in the repressive and closed Russian republic of Chechnya.

Politico: More than 40,000 National Guard members currently helping states during the coronavirus health threat will face a “hard stop” on their deployments on June 24 — just one day shy of many members becoming eligible for key federal benefits like education benefits under the Post-9/11 GI bill and/or early retirement. • Bloomberg News: Researchers are finding evidence that patients who test positive for the coronavirus after recovering aren’t capable of transmitting the infection, and could have the antibodies that prevent them from falling sick again. • AZ Central: Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) dropped four percentage points in a month trailing Democrat Mark Kelly by 13 points, according to the latest tracking poll by OH Predictive Insights. The same poll in April favored Kelly 51% to McSally’s 42%, and now in May, it’s 51%-38%. The poll shows independents breaking more than 2-1 for Kelly. • TikTok: Since the fan on my two-year-old laptop sometimes goes into high gear for no apparent reason, I clicked on this. I had no idea computers could get so filthy inside.

Podcast: Billy Porter On Sesame Street, National Guard LGBTQ Inclusion, Homophobes In Croatia

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: • National Guard units are taking positive steps to promote LGBTQ inclusion • A crowd in Croatia cheered at the burning of an effigy depicting a same-sex couple with a child • Texas teacher wins $100K settlement for LGBTQ discrimination • Atlanta man convicted of rape after pretending to be gay in order to befriend lesbian • The ‘Love, Simon’ TV sequel will premiere in time for Pride Month on Hulu • One Million Moms is really, really mad Billy Porter is heading to Sesame Street All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report