How horrible do you have to be to spray paint over some kids Pride sign? When two teens went to paint a rainbow on a bridge – which the community reportedly uses as a free speech space – Tabitha Dardeau Travis decided it was a good time to show her bigotry. It wasn’t enough to show them she’s homophobic, she had to make clear that she’s racist, too, claiming she has “more” rights than the young folks. “Because I work, I pay taxes, I’m an American…” Some on Twitter say Travis works at a hospital. Can you imagine how unsafe POC and LGBTQ folks are?
Joshua Hall (image via Edge Media) Some news items you might have missed: • Edge Media: A 22-year-old DoorDash delivery man from Pennsylvania reportedly used a social media scam, which included creating the fake organization called “Gay Voices for Trump,” to solicit donations from Trump supporters. Joshua Hall (above) is a “big Trump supporter,” but that didn’t stop him from defrauding his fellow supporters out of thousands of dollars. • Riding for Pride: Trek Bicycle will be celebrating Pride Month by hosting individual Pride Ride events on June 27 in support of their local communities and will be donating a total of $75,000 across local LGBTQIA+ organizations. • Associated Press: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and other top department officials took part in the Pentagon’s 10th annual LGBT Pride Month celebration on Wednesday morning. In his comments, Austin commemorated the progress the military had come in standing up for LGBTQ+ rights but recognized that there was still work to come.
• The Advocate: A gay man in Florianópolis, Brazil, was gang-raped last week, one of the latest examples of horrific violence against LGBTQ+ people in the country — violence that activists say is spurred on by the nation’s homophobic president. • Page Six: The Bachelor host Chris Harrison demanded a $25 million payout after being booted from the show — and threatened to spill all the franchise’s dirty secrets if he didn’t get it, sources told Page Six. “He has nearly 20 years of dirt,” an ABC source said Tuesday. • New York Post: Jeff Bezos is getting shafted online over the shape of his big rocket. “Is it me, or does Jeff Bezos’ rocket look like a giant penis?” one person tweeted alongside a photo of Blue Origin, the craft the 57-year-old world’s richest man will fly into space next month. “I thought ‘penis’ as soon as I saw that image,” another person agreed.
(screen capture from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) Some news items you might have missed: • Gallup Polling: U.S. support for legal same-sex marriage continues to trend upward, now at 70% – a new high in Gallup’s trend since 1996. This latest figure marks an increase of 10 percentage points since 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all states must recognize same-sex marriages. • Gothamist: Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today that the vast majority of New York’s coronavirus restrictions and safety measures will be lifted once 70% of adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine—which he estimated could happen within the next two weeks. • Washington Blade: An East Texas bakery shared a photo of rainbow Pride cookies on Facebook and immediately got slammed with homophobic hate including customers cancelling huge orders. But by the next morning, the owners were deluged with orders offering to buy the cancelled cookies and a line of customers down the block buying out the entire bakery in a show of support.
• NBC4i: An anti-vaccine physician told Ohio lawmakers Tuesday that COVID-19 vaccines can magnetize people. “I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures all over the internet of people who have had these shots and now they’re magnetized. They can put a key on their forehead. It sticks.” • NBC News: Wisconsin pharmacist Steven Brandenburg has been sentenced to 3 years in prison after pleading guilty to destroying 500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine in January. Brandenburg admitted he removed doses of Moderna vaccine from refrigeration storage overnight knowing it would render them ineffective. • Buzzfeed: Check out this list of 33 great LGBTQ-themed shows to watch on Hulu for Pride Month like Love, Victor or that awesome coming out dance sequence on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (top image).
(All images via Bombas) I’m not the kind of consumer who’s generally married to a certain brand. Cost and quality usually drive my buying choices. One of the few items in our house we do practice brand loyalty to is Bombas socks. As I’m sure you know from their ad spots, not only are the socks better quality than the average sock (and they really are!) but for every pair of socks purchased, the company donates a pair to homeless shelters. So, when I was perusing my emails regarding Pride Month merchandise, trust and believe I stopped to read about the 2021 Bombas Pride Collection. Made in partnership with LGBTQ+ artists Ohni Lisle (she/her) and Daniel Quasar (xe/they), and the Bombas design team, the collection is a vibrant assortment of socks, t-shirts, underwear, and a limited-edition Pride tote bag, marking the first Bombas Pride collection that expands beyond socks. For the first time, “Bee Proud” is stitched into each Pride item in place of the brand’s “Bee Better” mantra. Plus, all Bombas.com orders will be shipped in a snazzy new custom Pride polybag packaging through June. The polybag packaging was created in partnership with artist Daniel Quasar featuring the Progress Pride flag design. Bombas worked with Ohni Lisle (she/her) to create a screen-printed design featured on select Bombas Pride t-shirts. She was inspired by squiggly type humanoid forms that are similar to gestures of people — people meet shapes. Customers can shop the full Pride collection exclusively on Bombas.com. By the way, just like Pride isn’t out and loud for just one month each year, the Pride collection will be available throughout 2021. Staying true to the Bombas mission (One Purchased=One Donated), for every Pride item purchased, a specially-designed item will be donated to someone in need within the LGBTQ+ community through three Bombas Giving Partners including:
In celebration of Pride Month, UPS is unveiling a new set of commissioned artwork for UPS Express envelopes. Fernando Volken Togni, a UK-based artist originally from Brazil, was commissioned to design original artwork which will be featured on UPS Express Packaging and is titled “Love Delivered.” Like all creators, illustrator and graphic design artist Fernando Togni had a vision when he sat down in his studio and turned on some music. The process of creating an image to capture the essence of what Pride Month means was important. “When you create something for Pride you always want to be vibrant. I wanted to create this rainbow connecting everything,” Fernando said. “In the end, the main aspect of it was to try and focus on camaraderie, joy and love … a theme that connects everything.” The final product, titled Love Delivered, was completed in just three days. Artwork by Fernando Volken TogniBut wait – there’s more! UPS is also collaborating with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce to offer grants to LGBTQ+-owned small businesses. Recent data shows that LGBTQ+-owned businesses are expected to account for $1.7 trillion of the U.S. economy. The National LGBT Chamber helps certified LGBTQ+ businesses move forward toward relationships that help them thrive. The UPS initiative Proudly Unstoppable works to spotlight minority-owned small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), many of which have been hard hit by the pandemic. Ranked by the Human Rights Campaign as one of the best places to work for LGBTQ+ equality in 2021, UPS remains committed to working to advance equity for all. https://www.instagram.com/p/CPqv8oMHevF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Ricky Martin (screen capture via People)PEOPLE Magazine shares more of their Pride Month cover interview with international pop star Ricky Martin, this time focusing on that ‘other’ part of his career. Some folks forget that after becoming a breakout star of the boy band Menudo, Martin shifted gears with some acting roles. For two years, he was the frequently shirtless bartender Miguel Morez on the iconic soap opera General Hospital in the mid-90s. He also scored on Broadway playing “Marius” in the mega-hit musical Les Miserables and returned to star as “Che” in the 2012 revival of Evita. Martin returned to TV that same year to guest on the then-red-hot GLEE. More from PEOPLE:
His next major acting gig, in 2018, was also a Ryan Murphy production, The Assassination of Gianni Versace. He scored an Emmy nomination for the role — and after the laudation was hoping for more prestige acting offers. He’s still waiting.
“I love acting,” he says. “I’m waiting for those scripts, for those great scripts. I can play gay, I can play straight, I can play a serial killer. I can play Latin, but I can also play European. I am ready. Just give it to me, man. Give it to me.”
A few years ago, Martin was told by a music label executive that he’d be selling more records if he’d never come out.
“That was something that really affected me. And I was like, ‘Am I really dealing with this? They’re not playing my music in this country because I’m gay? Is this really happening?’ We’re talking about four years ago. This executive doesn’t work for the record company anymore. He was fired. But I felt it. It hit me hard.”
“I don’t know if I’m not getting parts because I’m gay,” he admits. “But if that’s the case, it’s really sad. I’m going to keep working until life is different.”
Read more at PEOPLE.com. https://www.instagram.com/p/CPn_7rmNWYj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Republican Party Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel The chairwoman for the GOP, Ronna McDaniel, attempted to send some sort of pro-LGBTQ message for Pride Month. “Happy #PrideMonth!” wrote McDaniel. “@GOP is proud to have doubled our LGBTQ support over the last 4 years, and we will continue to grow our big tent by supporting measures that promote fairness and balance protections for LGBTQ Americans and those with deeply held religious beliefs.” Let’s just say it didn’t go well… Many in the Twitterverse, including Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, chimed in with their thoughts on how ‘big tent’ the Republican party truly is. As Chasten tweeted, “Re-visit your party’s platform before you open your mouth about pride…”
Happy #PrideMonth!@GOP is proud to have doubled our LGBTQ support over the last 4 years, and we will continue to grow our big tent by supporting measures that promote fairness and balance protections for LGBTQ Americans and those with deeply held religious beliefs.
Those with "deeply held religious beliefs" are often the parents who force their LGBTQ children out of the home and onto the street. I've met with those kids. 40% of homeless youth in this country are LGBTQ. Re-visit your party's platform before you open your mouth about #pride. https://t.co/z36BuFrQsO
— Chasten Glezman Buttigieg (@Chasten) June 3, 2021
Keep the words "Happy Pride" out of your mouth.
You've done nothing to stop the wave of anti-trans legislation this year.
You did nothing to stop Trumps anti-LGBTQ actions during his ONE term Presidency.
While living in a neighborhood with a Homeowners Association (HOA) can often ensure your neighbors probably won’t be painting their house Martian green (no offense to Martians), sometimes the rules can inadvertently step on well-meaning toes.
A Redditor recently posted that their HOA had recently revised the rules regarding flags being displayed outside residents’ homes.
“Due to some neighbors flying BLM flags, thin blue line flags, and other opinion flags, our HOA decided last month that we’re only allowed to fly the USA flag, and nothing else,” wrote the poster. “The day after the decision, we received an email that someone reported our Pride flag (that we had on our house since 2016), and that we needed to take it down. We complied and removed the flag.”
But wait – there’s more!
The poster went on to share that they sat down and studied the full set of rules regarding what is and is not allowable in adorning their house. It turns out removable lights are “permitted without restriction.”
So the intrepid Redditor went out and bought several flood lights and bathed the entire home in rainbow pride colors.
Some news items you might have missed: • CNBC: The labor market continues to improve as initial jobless claims fell to 385,000 last week. The last time claims were lower was the week of March 14, 2020, with 256,000. The number spiked to nearly 3 million the following week and peaked at more than 6.1 million in early April as governments across the U.S. shut down businesses in an effort to slow the coronavirus spread. • Instinct Magazine: In honor of Pride month, the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) will stream for one week only Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City The Musical. The 2011 show will stream at Broadway On Demand’s National Theater Network. • Edge Media: A viral video about a 73-year-old man coming out and being celebrated by his neighbor has taken the internet by storm. “My dad’s neighbour just came out as gay at 73!” reads the video’s caption. “His family aren’t supportive. So Dad did this to show him he is not alone.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CPlDYz8DR0e/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • Washington Post: U.S. prosecutors this week put a price tag for the first time on damage to the U.S. Capitol from the Jan. 6 breach — $1.5 million so far — and are asking defendants to cover some of that in plea offers. Prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington are seeking to require restitution of $2,000 in each felony case and $500 in each misdemeanor case. • Delusional: Writing for the National Review, Charles Cooke reports, “Donald Trump does indeed believe quite genuinely that he — along with former senators David Perdue and Martha McSally — will be ‘reinstated’ to office this summer after “audits” of the 2020 elections in Arizona, Georgia, and a handful of other states have been completed. • Twitter: The U.S. Embassy at the Vatican is flying the rainbow flag for Pride Month and a host of Republican politicians, religious right leaders, and far right media figures are losing their minds that the government would promote tolerance.
This is a deliberate provocation from the US embassy to the Vatican. It is intended to offend devout Catholic sensibilities. Trampling on human hearts is what the Left does best. https://t.co/J7CizPWBT9
International pop star Ricky Martin (screen capture via People) When the world watches international pop star Ricky Martin onstage singing and shaking his bon-bon, we see a handsome, confident artist at home in his element. But in a new cover interview with PEOPLE for their 2nd annual Pride Issue, he shares that he’s actually “really insecure.” “I’m super socially awkward but today, well the difference is that I know I’m socially awkward,” explains the 49-year-old singer. “So, I don’t go anywhere that causes me anxiety. I’m at peace with performing in front of 30,000 people and feel like the king of the world. But then I walk into a small room at an intimate gathering, and someone will say, ‘Hey Rick, sing a song for us!’ and that creates such anxiety.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CPnqFp0tkci/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Martin also tells PEOPLE that early in his career he felt pressure prove himself as “a sex symbol.” Before coming out, he was dating women (publicly) and men (privately) trying to decode his own confusion wondering “Am I gay? Am I bisexual? Am I confused?”
One thing he is not confused about is that he was not ‘misleading’ anyone.’
“Sexuality is one complicated thing,” Martin shares with the celebrity magazine. “It’s not black and white. It’s filled with colors. When I was dating women, I was in love with women. It felt right, it felt beautiful.”
At the time, though, the question of his sexuality seemed to hang in the air. Still, Martin intrinsically knew he would come to terms with those questions in his own time.
But there are still moments, before coming out, that haunt him.
Martin recalls a national TV interview with Barbara Walters in 2000 when she asked the question point-blank. “You could stop these rumors,” Walters prodded. “You could say, ‘Yes I am gay or no I’m not.'”
With an almost imperceptible touch of fear in his eyes, Martin found his center and replied, “Barbara, for some reason, I just don’t feel like it.”
Martin says the moment he heard the question, “I felt violated because I was just not ready to come out. I was very afraid.” He adds, “There’s a little PTSD with that.”
Martin eventually came out ten years later in 2010. Looking back now in 2021, with four kids and a husband, Martin says he has considered the question “what would you do differently?”
“Well, maybe I would have come out in that interview,” says the “Livin’ La Vida Loca” singer. “It would’ve been great because when I came out, it just felt amazing. When it comes to my sexuality, when it comes to who I am, I want to talk about what I’m made of, about everything that I am. Because if you hide it, it’s a life-or-death situation.”
“There are many, many kids out there that don’t have someone to look up to,” Martin says. “All they have around them is people telling them, ‘What you’re feeling is evil.’ But, you can’t force someone to come out. But if you have an egg and you open it from the outside, only death comes out. But if the egg opens up from the inside, life comes out.”
For her part, Walters would later admit regret for urging Martin to come out and how the moment was perceived by the public.
“I pushed Ricky Martin very hard to admit if he was gay or not, and the way he refused to do it made everyone decide that he was,” Walters told the Toronto Star in 2010. “A lot of people say that destroyed his career, and when I think back on it now, I feel it was an inappropriate question.”
Read more of Jason Sheeler’s interview over at PEOPLE. Make sure to pick up this year’s Pride Issue on newsstands Friday.
How horrible do you have to be to spray paint over some kids Pride sign? When two teens went to paint a rainbow on a bridge – which the community reportedly uses as a free speech space – Tabitha Dardeau Travis decided it was a good time to show her bigotry. It wasn’t enough to show them she’s homophobic, she had to make clear that she’s racist, too, claiming she has “more” rights than the young folks. “Because I work, I pay taxes, I’m an American…” Some on Twitter say Travis works at a hospital. Can you imagine how unsafe POC and LGBTQ folks are? 
For the first time, “Bee Proud” is stitched into each Pride item in place of the brand’s “Bee Better” mantra. Plus, all Bombas.com orders will be shipped in a snazzy new custom Pride polybag packaging through June. The polybag packaging was created in partnership with artist Daniel Quasar featuring the Progress Pride flag design. Bombas worked with Ohni Lisle (she/her) to create a screen-printed design featured on select Bombas Pride t-shirts. She was inspired by squiggly type humanoid forms that are similar to gestures of people — people meet shapes. 
Customers can 
In celebration of Pride Month, UPS is unveiling a new set of commissioned artwork for UPS Express envelopes. 
