LGBTQ news and entertainment
Happy Sunday! Some links I thought worth your time:
• Queerty: “Gentleman farmer” and out entrepreneur Matt Baumgartner (above) is the owner of the idyllic June Farms, cited as upstate New York’s premier wedding & events destination. Amazon Prime Video’s new reality series “June Farms” takes you behind the scenes of Baumgartner’s business. Continue reading “Amazon Video Reality Series ‘June Farms’ + More News”
Chandler Massey and Zach Tinker are returning to ‘Days of Our Lives’
New Zealand (image via Google Maps)
New Zealanders are going to the polls on Sept. 19. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been widely praised for her leadership that saw NZ lock down hard for several weeks before all domestic restrictions were lifted in June. She sees her government’s response to and recovery from the coronavirus outbreak as key to her Labour Party being re-elected.
By the numbers: New Zealand has 23 active coronavirus cases. All are NZ residents newly returned from abroad, who are staying in managed isolation facilities.
The border remains closed to non-residents and all newly returned Kiwis must undergo a two-week isolation program managed by the country’s defense force. All travelers tested three times before they leave.
Police are stationed outside hotels where travelers are in quarantine.
At this writing, New Zealand (population just over 5 million) has had 1,569 confirmed cases and only 22 deaths from COVID-19. New Zealand’s number of confirmed cases translates to 315 per million people versus 15,366 cases in the U.S. per million citizens.
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: When the future’s so bright you gotta wear shades, you might be hottie Max Souza (above). • NZ Herald: Ken Miller and his husband Jason Brumbaugh moved to New Zealand two years ago and bought a restaurant, Saluté, that became the target of local homophobia. Then, an online review of the small-town restaurant raved about the food and denounced the homophobia sparking a nationwide wave of support for its owners. • The Gaily Grind: Actress Jamie Lee Curtis said in a new interview that she “fully accepts outing” hypocritical politicians that pass “anti-gay legislation.” And I’m totally with her. • Boy Culture: First a hit novel, then a movie, and in 2020 will become ‘The Series,’ Matt Rettenmund is releasing a 25th Anniversary Edition of his book, Boy Culture. Click here for the backstory on the novel, a cavalcade of sexy covers from all the international iterations of the book, plus a link to buy the new, updated edition. Congrats, Matt! 
• PEOPLE: First lady Melania Trump was met with a “resounding chorus of loud boos” from middle and high schoolers as soon as she walked on stage at an opioid awareness event on Tuesday. • Advocate: For her decades of activism with LGBTQ youth, Cyndi Lauper will be awarded the inaugural High Note Global Prize presented by the United Nations Human Rights and the High Note Global Initiative at her annual Home for the Holidays concert on December 10. • JustJared: Wendy Williams denied she’s gay telling her audience today, “I am no lesbian. I like women for friendship. I like men and I like the D.” • Instagram: Madonna had ‘a moment’ with out rapper Lil Nas X at the Wiltern Theater during the residency of her Madame X tour in Los Angeles.
View this post on Instagram
Is happy to Share her last name ❌ and a beer 🍺 with @lilnasx #madamextheatre #thewiltern
Host Ryan Bridge was a bit flustered after being outed on the air (screen capture)Radio host Ryan Bridge was filling in on New Zealand’s The AM Show when a casual remark abruptly outed him to the show’s listeners.
The moment occurred on Thursday’s broadcast, as the morning crew was discussing collector’s items. Bridge was asked if he collected anything, to which co-host Mark Richardson laughingly suggested, “Ex-boyfriends?”
Cue the awkward laughing. Richardson and co-host Amanda Gillies continued giggling for a few seconds until they realized what had happened.
“Yes, it’s true, I’m gay,” said Bridge after a few seconds of uncomfortable stammering. “There we go, it’s out there.”
We can’t embed the video here due to geo-blocking, but you can watch the clip here. Apparently, while Bridge isn’t closeted to his family or friends (like Richardson), he hadn’t come out to his audience yet. After composing himself, Bridge addressed the elephant in the room about half an hour later. “If you caught what was said before, it’s not something I’ve tried to hide, it’s something all my friends and family have known about for a very long time,” he told the audience. “The reason I haven’t chosen to share it with you at home, with listeners on my radio show is just that, I don’t know, it’s not that interesting really, is it?” “It’s just my private business and my life and not something I have necessarily tried to hide but it’s just not something that I’ve bothered or cared to share with the world, with you at home, but it’s out there, so that is that,” added Bridge. “Thank you very much to the people who have been getting in touch in the last few minutes. It’s quite heartening.” He also displayed tremendous grace in addressing his colleague’s faux pas. “I wanted to say that Mark didn’t do this on purpose,” Bridge told the viewers. “It wasn’t like he was being mean, or he was trying to get me to say something I didn’t want to say. it was an innocent, honest mistake.” 
Mark Richardson apologies to his colleague as co-host Amanda Gillies looks on
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| Opening night of ‘Potted Potter’ in Las Vegas |
Some news items you might have missed:
• I attended the opening night of the hit two-man play Potted Potter at Ballys Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas last night. The show, which parodies all 7 books of the Harry Potter series in 70 minutes, has been running for years in the UK. The original stars opened the show here and I was thrilled to take my uber-handsome god son, Josh, to the performance.
• During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, John Cena talked about getting ‘accidental boners’ during wrestling matches.
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) somehow ‘straight-washed’ his proclamation observing the 3rd anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting. DeSantis blamed the missing mention of the LGBTQ community on staffers. It was later added to the proclamation.
• A mother in South Carolina was arrested after walking into an elementary school and confronting her son’s bullies.
• The Australian man accused of killing 51 worshippers at two mosques in New Zealand in March pleaded not guilty to all charges in a court on Friday.
• The 20 Democratic presidential candidates who qualified for the first Dem debates have been announced:
BREAKING: DNC announces the names of the candidates who will appear in the first Democratic Debates on June 26 & 27 from Miami. @chucktodd: “After months of campaigning and polling, the stage is now set.” pic.twitter.com/fQbafzHr26— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 13, 2019
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| New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern |
Less than a month after a white supremacist loon shot up two mosques killing 50 people, New Zealand’s lawmakers have banned most automatic and semi-automatic weapons.
Additionally, components that modify existing weapons were prohibited as well.
From NBC News:
All but one member of New Zealand’s parliament voted Wednesday to change gun laws, less than a month after shooting attack targeting two Christchurch mosques that killed 50 people.
The gun reform bill passed 119-1 after its final reading in Parliament. It must now receive royal assent from the governor general before it officially becomes law.
Brenton Tarrant, 28, a suspected white supremacist, was charged with 50 murder charges after the attack on two mosques on March 15.
Around 250,000 people in New Zealand own a total of about 1.5 million weapons.
BREAKING: New Zealand’s parliament voted 119-1 today to ban military-style semi-automatic weapons. The change comes less than one month after the Christchurch mosque shootings that left 50 people dead. pic.twitter.com/UHxFn7Vuez— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 10, 2019
As New Zealand continues mourning the deaths of 50 people gunned down by a white nationalist terrorist, dozens of boys from Christchurch Boys’ High performed a ceremonial haka dance to show support and unity with the Muslim community.
I’ve posted hakas on The Randy Report before here.
I always find the fierce commitment to the dance, and the spirit of those performing the haka, to be profoundly inspiring.
According to ABC News Australia, “Tears began to stream down the faces of some people watching as the boys performed the traditional dance.”
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| Donald Trump |
In the aftermath of the Christchurch shooting in New Zealand which left 50 people dead, it was discovered that a manifesto was sent to the Prime Minister of New Zealand as well as media outlets.
In the documents, the accused gunman hailed Donald Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose” although he did not support his policies.
Donald Trump has since tweeted angry rebuttals for being ‘blamed’ for the shooting.
The Fake News Media is working overtime to blame me for the horrible attack in New Zealand. They will have to work very hard to prove that one. So Ridiculous!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2019
Although he tweeted his ‘warmest sympathies’ and ‘best wishes’ to New Zealand, he refused to criticize the white supremacist ideology behind the shooting. This has been contrasted with his quick responses to Islamist terror attacks in the past.
New Zealand massacre suspect praised Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.”Trump has:
1. Advocated banning all Muslims from the U.S.
2. Praised the (apocryphal) killing of Muslims with pigs blood
3. Proposed creating registry of all Muslims
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) March 15, 2019
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| Chelsea Clinton (image via Twitter) |
A video showing a Muslim student blaming a very pregnant Chelsea Clinton for the anti-Muslim massacre of 49 people in New Zealand instantly went viral.
The moment took place at a vigil to honor the victims gunned down at two New Zealand mosques.
Clinton, pregnant with her third child, displays extraordinary composure while an angry student alleges Clinton’s recent commentary about anti-Semitic comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar about a pro-Israel lobby, helped cause the massacre in New Zealand.
“This, right here, is a result of a massacre stoked by people like you and the words that you put out into the world,” the student tells Clinton. “And I want you to know that and I want you to feel that deep down inside. Forty-nine people died because of the rhetoric you put out there.”
“I’m so sorry you feel that way,” Clinton replies in the video. “Certainly, it was never my intention. I do believe words matter. I believe we have to show solidarity.”
Another student snaps at Chelsea: “What does ‘I’m sorry you feel that way’ mean? What does that mean?”
So, now, it’s Chelsea Clinton’s fault a violent gun massacre took place in New Zealand???
Here is a pregnant Chelsea Clinton being accosted in public by NYU students blaming her for the New Zealand massacre. You are free to have your opinion, but how you express yourself matters. Note how Clinton never shuts down or stops listening, despite not deserving any of this. pic.twitter.com/V6XcC3lWCB— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) March 16, 2019
@ChelseaClinton, your grace and composure is a lesson for me daily ❤️🙌— Esther Choo MD MPH 🙋🏻♀️ (@choo_ek) March 16, 2019
I know that on my best day I have 1/10 the grace that she has, but damn I aspire to be more like her. And I wish that people would knock it off with the misdirected anger.— Miranda Yaver (@mirandayaver) March 16, 2019
The girl in the video shut down her Twitter for a while, but apparently reactivated it today.
It seems she’s something of a homophobe and racist. These tweets were culled from her account.
She also appears to be a Bernie Sanders supporter which might explain things a bit more.
“There is no proof the young woman who accosted Chelsea Clinton is a Bernie supporter.”Except she is and there are receipts. Whoopsie doodle… pic.twitter.com/8vuvZc4lEz
— Christopher Bouzy (@cbouzy) March 16, 2019