Tag: New York

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NY Barber Tests Positive For Covid After Continuing To Cut Hair

(stock image via Unsplash/Andi Whiskey)
A barber in Kingston, New York, has tested positive for COVID-19 after he continued to cut hair for weeks in violation of the state’s stay-at-home orders. From NBC News:

In a statement Wednesday, the county health commissioner advised anyone who received a haircut in the past three weeks at a barbershop on Broadway in the city of Kingston, about 20 miles north of Poughkeepsie, to seek testing for the coronavirus. The statement did not identify either the barber or the shop.

Nonessential businesses have been closed since March 22 under an order issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that is set to expire Friday, when certain parts of the state that have met public health metrics will be allowed to begin a phased reopening.

Under the order, barbershops, beauty salons, nail salons and other businesses that provide personal care services are not allowed to be open and operated to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

It goes without saying that the state of New York has been the epicenter of the pandemic, the guy knowingly put himself and his customers at risk. The report didn’t mention if the barber followed any safety guidelines like sanitizing or wearing a mask or limiting the number of clients in his shop at any given time. Restrictions in Nevada were lifted this past week allowing for haircuts if such guidelines were followed. I saw my guy, Phil, who has his own one-man barbershop and was doing double-duty on sanitizing and only allowed one customer in the shop at a time.

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New York Reports Lowest New HIV Diagnoses Since 2001

The Advocate reports there were fewer new diagnoses of HIV among New Yorkers in 2018 (less than 2,000) marking the lowest recorded level since reporting began in 2001.

The 2018 HIV Surveillance Annual Report released this week showed that 1,917 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in New York City in 2018. That marks an 11 percent drop from 2017 and a two-thirds decrease since 2001 when 5,859 new cases were reported. 

New HIV diagnoses were down among men and women; among Black, Latino, white, Native, and Asian New Yorkers; and in all five boroughs. The drops were particularly steep in men who have sex with men, people between the ages of 20 and 29, and those with a history of using injection drugs.

However, rates had increased among transgender people and men who report both having sex with men and injection drug use.

Nearly half of the people newly diagnosed with HIV were Black; 36 percent were Latino, and about 10 percent were white. 

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News Round-Up: June 20, 2019

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunks Rick and the Griffopotamus (above) trying to a-peel to folks’ animal nature. #ItsWorking

• Despite 7 Tony nominations, the LGBTQ-themed Broadway musical The Prom will close August 11, but will live on in a small screen version for Netflix produced by Ryan Murphy.

• New York state lawmakers have banned defendants from citing a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity (known as ‘gay panic’ or ‘trans panic’ defenses) to justify their crime. New York becomes the 7th state in the country to prohibit the legal defense.

• Two students have been indefinitely suspended from the Kearns High School football team for a social media post showing a Pride flag being burned and threatening LGBTQ people saying, “All gays die.”

• Alabama’s former state Supreme Court Justice, the virulently anti-LGBTQ Roy Moore, has announced he will make another run for U.S. Senate in 2020. (and Republicans are NOT happy about it).

• RuPaul’s Drag Race champs, Bob the Drag Queen and Trixie Mattel, are featured in JetBlue’s new Pride month ad serving up sassy fun as they deliver pre-flight instructions.

It’s worth noting that not only did JetBlue engage the drag stars for the video, but the airline scored a 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.

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New York: Lawmakers Hope To Decriminalize Sex Work

(stock photo)


Buoyed by the election of more progressive lawmakers in New York state, a group of legislators are hoping to decriminalize sex work.

First-term state Sen. Julia Salazar and Jessica Ramos are working with Assemblyman Richard Gottfried on a bill that would not legalize but decriminalize sex work.

Working with Decrim NY, a coalition of local human rights activists including LGBTQ, immigration and justice reform advocates, the lawmakers hope to “decriminalize, decarcerate and destigmatize the sex trade in New York City and the state,” according to The Daily Beast.

 According to Urban Institute, a 2007 study in New York showed LGBTQ youth were 7 times more likely to have traded sex for shelter than straight teens. Transgender teens were shown to be 8 times more likely

“Trying to stop adult sex work shouldn’t be the business of the criminal justice system,” said Gottfried at a press event on Monday. “Throughout history, it hasn’t worked, and it makes things worse, Decriminalizing adult sex work is harm reduction.”

State Sen. Salazar is actually the first political candidate to campaign and win on a platform that included sex workers’ rights.

“The climate of fear of intimidation caused by criminalizing sex work makes it very difficult for sex workers to seek any kind of redress for labor issues or to report the various kinds of abuse many endure in silence,” said the 27-year-old legislator at the launch event Monday. “Sex work is work, and we need to start treating it as such.”

Part of the focus of the legislation will be to clear prostitution charges from sex workers records and have them released from jail.

A transgender woman who has done sex work, Cecilia Gentili, addressed the crowd of about 150 people on Monday.

“It feels surreal to be talking about this,” said Gentili, reports HuffPost. “As a transgender woman who did sex work, I have experienced oppression and prejudice from the police, immigration authorities and even social service organizations because I was trading sex.” 
“Until we decriminalize sex work, the people most impacted by criminalization ― trans people, people of color and undocumented people ― will continue to be treated as less than the full humans they are.” 
In November, Democrats were able to take control of all three branches of state government. And so, for the first time, the issue of sex workers’ rights moved from being a taboo issue to a mainstream issue.
The three lawmakers already have support from other legislators including Assemblymembers Catalina Cruz and Dan Quart.

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Wedding Dance Goes Viral As Grooms Have “The Time Of Their Lives”

Noah and PJ

At their wedding in upstate New York this month, Noah and PJ decided their ‘first dance’ was going to be something special.

And thanks to the mashup of totally gay dance music and a wide-ranging choreography covering just about every dance style, it looks like they accomplished their goal.

It all begins oh-so-innocently with the boys slow-dancing to the romantical “It’s a Quiet Thing.”

But then, the music cuts out.

Cue the Miami Sound Machines’ “Conga,” and the boys are off!

Soon they segue into some “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” before slipping in some “Vogue” by Madonna.

You can’t have a wedding dance without classic disco so next up is KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Get Down Tonight,” followed by some tap dancing “Puttin on the Ritz” via Young Frankenstein.

But you need a big finish, and the boys bring it with “The Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing complete with high-flying lifts.

And the crowd goes wild!

In posting the video, PJ and Noah share, “We seriously did have ‘the time of our lives.’ An incredible night surrounded by incredible people!”

We can all use some uplifting moments these days, and this certainly fill the bill.

Check out Noah and PJ’s ‘first dance’ below.

And congratulations, boys!

(h/t Pink News)

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New York Attorney General Looks To Bypass Presidential Pardons

NY Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman (speaking)
Photo: MTA / Patrick Cashin (Flickr)

With talk of Donald Trump possibly considering granting pardons to former associates currently under Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s microscope, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman is asking his state’s governor and legislature to allow criminal charges against those who have received a presidential pardon.

From The New York Times:

Under the plan, Mr. Schneiderman, a Democrat, seeks to exempt New York’s double jeopardy law from cases involving presidential pardons, according to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. The current law and the concept of double jeopardy in general mean that a person cannot be tried for the same crime twice.

Right now, New York state law prevents people from being prosecuted more than once for crimes related to the same act, even if the original prosecution was in federal court. There are already a number of exceptions to the law, and the letter says that Mr. Schneiderman is proposing to add a new one that could be used if federal pardons are issued.

While Mr. Schneiderman’s jurisdiction does not encompass many of the areas being investigated by Mr. Mueller, a president has no authority to commute sentences or pardon offenses at the state level. That leaves convictions obtained by the state attorney general’s office or any other local prosecutor outside the president’s ability to intervene. The proposal would be structured so that it would not affect people who sought clemency after long jail sentences, an aide to Mr. Schneiderman said.

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New York State Will Investigate Claims That Insurance Companies Denied Healthy Gay Men Coverage

According to reports, some insurance companies appear to be denying insurance policies to gay men who admit to taking medication that protects them from HIV infection.

Wait – what? These are healthy guys who are taking preventative steps to avoid HIV infection and insurance companies are holding it against them?

Not only is that not cool, it’s also probably illegal.

From The New York Times:

Such denials would amount to illegal discrimination based on sexual orientation, and the companies doing so could be penalized, said Maria T. Vullo, the state’s superintendent of financial services.

The investigation was triggered by an article published Tuesday by The New York Times, she said.

The Times reported that various insurers around the country had denied policies to gay men after learning they took Truvada, a cocktail of two anti-AIDS drugs, to avoid catching H.I.V. through sex. To get insurance, some men even stopped taking the protective drugs.

The practice — known as “pre-exposure prophylaxis,” or PrEP — is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Studies have shown that people who take the drug every day have nearly a zero chance of becoming infected, even if they are in a long relationship with an H.I.V.-infected person or have sex with many strangers without condoms.

The investigation was prompted by another story in the NY Times about a doctor who couldn’t get disability insurance because he admitted to taking PrEP.

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NY Gov. Cuomo On Post-Election Fears: “We Will Stand Up For You”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo posted the following statement in the wake of the presidential election and the ensuing tensions.

Via Facebook:

The state of New York has a proud legacy as the progressive capital of the nation, and that is more important today than ever before.

As New Yorkers, we have fundamentally different philosophies than what Donald Trump laid out in his campaign.

So let me be absolutely clear: If anyone feels that they are under attack, I want them to know that the state of New York – the state that has the Statue of Liberty in its harbor – is their refuge.

Whether you are gay or straight, Muslim or Christian, rich or poor, black or white or brown, we respect all people in the state of New York.

It’s the very core of what we believe and who we are. But it’s not just what we say, we passed laws that reflect it, and we will continue to do so, no matter what happens nationally. We won’t allow a federal government that attacks immigrants to do so in our state.

We are a state of immigrants.

We are the state that raised the minimum wage to $15.

We are the state that passed Paid Family Leave.

We are the state that passed marriage equality.

We are New York, and we will stand up for you. And on that, I will never compromise.

Count on it.

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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Donald Trump Praises Heroes Of 7/11

Donald Trump, speaking in Buffalo last night in advance of the New York presidential primary, praised the heroes of 7/11.

I had no idea he was such a fan of the convenience store chain.

From the clip:

“I wrote this out, and it’s very close to my heart,because I was down there and I watched our police and our firemen down at 7/11, down at the World Trade Center right after it came down. And I saw the greatest people I’ve ever seen in action.”

Of course, we all believe he must have meant to say 9/11. It’s worth noting the Trumpster never corrected himself.

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Donald Trump Compares Campaign Protesters To ISIS

More violence erupted at a campaign rally for Donald Trump last night as a supporter of Trump’s slapped a protester in the face.

Instead of attempting to stop the violence, Trump called the protester out, comparing him to ISIS.

From the New York Daily News:

The attacker, who was only identified as “Mike,” said he pounced on the protester because “he was yelling in my face.”

“I have my personal rights and my personal space,” he told the Albany Times-Union after the rally. “They’re going to start yelling about some bulls–t, I’ll snatch your ass up.”

Video of the mid-event attack showed Mike and the demonstrator facing each other — apparently arguing — as another audience member stood between the two. After a tense standoff, Mike lunged at the protester and smacked him in the face twice.

The protester was eventually removed from the rally at the Times Union Center.

Of the protester, Trump said,  “This is what’s happening on the border. This is what’s happening with ISIS. This is what’s happening to our country, and we can’t let it happen. We’ve got to take our country back, folks.”

That’s right folks – a man yelling “Boo!” is comparable to ISIS. Got it?