LGBTQ news and entertainment
Ivanka Trump really doesn’t want to testify in her father’s civil fraud trial in New York City. And when the judge overseeing the case denied a motion from her attorney to quash a subpoena compelling her testimony, she appealed, claiming “undue hardship” if forced to appear during a “school week.” Continue reading “Ivanka Trump: Testifying During School Week Would Create ‘Undue Hardship’”
Miya Ponsetto gives Gayle King ‘the hand’ (screen captures)Miya Ponsetto, dubbed ‘Soho Karen’ in the press after accusing a Black teen of stealing her cell phone, was ‘forcibly arrested’ in California Thursday night.
NBC News reports the 22-year-old woman refused to stop her car when the police first contacted her. Upon reaching her home, she resisted arrest and had to be forcibly removed from her car.
During the incident, she tried to slam a car door on one of the officers which earned her an additional charge of resisting arrest.
Miya Ponsetto (mugshot via Ventura County Sheriff’s Office)You may recall Ponsetto garnering national attention when she accused (and eventually assaulted) the 14-year-old son of jazz musician Keyon Harrold of stealing her cell phone in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in SoHo in New York City.
On social media, Harrold shared video footage of Ponsetto growing hysterical during the altercation that ended with her tackling the teen as he tried to exit the scene.
p.s. turned out she’d left the phone in an Uber and the driver had already returned the phone to the front desk of the hotel.
Prior to her arrest, Ponsetto recorded an interview with CBS This Morning’s Gayle King that aired on Friday morning.
Sitting next to her attorney and wearing a black ‘Daddy’ hat, Ponsetto did herself no favors by deflecting and/or denying practically any wrongdoing in the December 26 incident.
Speaking with King, Ponsetto admitted she could have “maybe not yelled at him like that and made him feel some sort of inferior way and making him feel as if I was like hurting his feelings.”
But describing herself as “super sweet,” she told King she “never, ever meant for it to hurt him or his father.”
And yet, she tackled the teen, so, there’s that…
She also seemed confused as to how assaulting a teenage boy could be seen as criminal.
“I don’t feel like this one mistake defines me,” she added.
When King tried to put Ponsetto’s actions into context – that she’d physically attacked a teenaged boy, she responded, “How is one girl accusing a guy about a phone a crime? Where’s the context in that? What is the deeper story here?”
You’l note that the 22-year-old suddenly refers to herself as a “girl” but the 14-year-old she assaulted is “a guy.” Talk about coded language…
King again attempted to help Ponsetto own up to her actions saying, “You’re 22-years-old, you’re old enough to know better.”
“Alright, Gayle, enough,” replied Ponsetto complete with a ‘shut it’ hand motion.
Oh no she didn’t…
It was at that point that the attorney finally chimed in whispering, “Ok, ok, stop, stop…”
Just to add perspective, Ponsetto was charged with public intoxication and battery at a Beverly Hills hotel last year in February, and also arrested for driving while intoxicated in Van Nuys, California, on May 28. Miss Thing can get a bit messy it seems. Ponsetto’s lawyer, Sharon Ghatan, told NBC News her client “suffers from a lot of anxiety attacks” and has concerns that she may be “emotionally and mentally unwell.” Gayle King shared at the end of her segment this morning that a second part of the interview will air on Monday. Twitter was not impressed by Miss Miya:
She showed up to that interview with a mid drift tank top, a leather jacket, a dingy hat that says “daddy” and audacity.
A DUI, public intoxication charge and assaulting a child all in one year? Get this her off the streets. — Social distancing is my jam! (@OFL_ATLGA) January 8, 2021
Props to Gayle for keeping her cool as best she could because you can see it in her face that she wanted to rip that little girl a new asshole. I’m wondering what her parents are like having raised a child that shows up to an interview lookin and acting that way… pic.twitter.com/jC2NUGM853
— (@yankeesgoddess) January 8, 2021
“I sincerely apologize if I made the son feels as if I assaulted him…”
Bish, you jumped on him. On camera. There are no *feelings* here. You actually assaulted a stranger. There is nothing subjective about this. — James Baldwin was a genius. (@incogneglo) January 8, 2021
“I consider myself to be super sweet.” pic.twitter.com/6I9TLREB2R
— Eugene Scott (@Eugene_Scott) January 8, 2021
But..but..she is only 22. pic.twitter.com/l5x9hldH0n
— ❄Just Biden My Time 4 Trump to leave (@SueZieCue) January 8, 2021
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| (stock photo via Depositphotos) |
Easily one of the most disturbing things I’ve read in a long time.
From the New York Times:
The 16-year-old girl was visibly intoxicated, her speech slurred, when a drunk 16-year-old boy sexually assaulted her in a dark basement during an alcohol-fueled pajama party in New Jersey, prosecutors said.
The boy filmed himself penetrating her from behind, her torso exposed, her head hanging down, prosecutors said. He later shared the cellphone video among friends, investigators said, and sent a text that said, “When your first time having sex was rape.”
But a family court judge said it wasn’t rape. Instead, he wondered aloud if it was sexual assault, defining rape as something reserved for an attack at gunpoint by strangers.
He also said the young man came from a good family, attended an excellent school, had terrific grades and was an Eagle scout. Prosecutors, the judge said, should have explained to the girl and her family that pressing charges would destroy the boy’s life.
So he denied prosecutors’ motion to try the 16-year-old as an adult. “He is clearly a candidate for not just college but probably for a good college,” Judge James Troiano of Superior Court said last year in a two-hour decision while sitting in Monmouth County.
In New Jersey, juveniles as young as 15-years-old can be tried as adults in serious crimes. Troiano has been accused of showing bias towards teenagers from privileged homes.
The good news is an appeals court has issued a sharp rebuke of Judge Troiano’s decision and clears a path for moving the case from family court to a grand jury where the teen will be tried as an adult.
According to prosecutors, during the alleged assault a group of boys slapped the girl’s buttocks so hard she still had a mark on her hip the next day. And after the assault, the girl was found vomiting on the floor of the basement.
The Monmouth County prosecutor’s office argued that the case belongs in adult criminal court in part because the boy’s actions were “sophisticated and predatory.”
The prosecutors described the act of recording the cellphone video while committing the assault was “a deliberate act of debasement,” adding that it was “calculated and cruel.”
In his decision last summer, Troiano said the boy’s actions were not “sophisticated,” and called the boy’s text messages as “just a 16-year-old kid saying stupid crap to his friends.”
The appellate court disagreed and warned Troiano that he appeared to have “decided the case for himself.”
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| Psychotherapist Matthew Dempsey |
Psychotherapist Matthew Dempsey shares his thoughts on the effect of “pretty privilege” in life, and specifically in the LGBTQ community.
Dempsey begins by defining exactly what “privilege” is.
In other words, what he calls ‘unearned advantages’ some folks are born with like being white, straight, male, cisgender, and yes, attractive.
When it comes to the ‘attractive’ component, Dempsey lists traits like being tall, having good hair, symmetrical features that he calls “hitting the genetic lottery.”
In the United States, its certainly true that all those characteristics can make life a bit easier to maneuver through.
Study after study has shown that being attractive may make it easier to find a mate, are perceived to be more intelligent and likable, and are viewed as healthier.
Speaking candidly, Dempsey admits to his audience that he knows he’s enjoyed “pretty privilege” in his life saying, “I didn’t have to work to be 6’3” and I didn’t have to work to have my face look the way it did.”
“This is just something that I was born into,” he adds.
And what does this get folks? According to Dempsey this ‘privilege’ translates into getting party invites, dates, job offers and more thanks to the way he looks.
Admittedly, its somewhat uncomfortable to watch and listen to someone describe their “born under a lucky star” status.
Even Dempsey admits, the discussion can come off a bit douchey:
“So you might be watching this after a couple minutes and thinking, ‘Why am I watching this douchebag talk about how attractive he is and how easy his life has been?’ Totally get it.
“Listen, my intention here is not to brag, I promise, because I recognize that I’m putting an easy target on my back for people to just drag me for days and tell me that I am no Pietro Boselli. I know that I am no Pietro Boselli!
“I don’t consider myself the pinnacle of physical beauty, but I do recognize that I have had an advantage in life just because of how I look. And so that’s what I want to talk about and acknowledge ‘pretty privilege’ is a real thing.”
Where Dempsey is going with all this is to say that when those with ‘unearned advantages’ admit those privileges, it helps honor and validate the disadvantage of others.
For instance, when hunky guys complain about not having 6% body fat to their friends who may truly struggle with their weight not only doesn’t ‘honor’ their friends but it is insensitive to others.
Take a few minutes and watch the video below.
The comments on the YouTube page ranged from disgust to agreement.
“6:31 minutes of this video basically : “I am hot and I acknowledge I am hot.’”
“I can relate to you Matt. But people let’s be clear there is a dangerous side to “pretty privilege”. The most morally, spiritually, and mentally bankrupt people are the “Hot Gays”.
“Thanks for acknowledging this struggle. Gay Asian male here who has probably internalized all the bad stuff going around about being gay and Asian while living in a mostly white, western NA city.”
“Disappointed in you Matt . I’ve been following you from the very beginning. But lately your vlogs have been very stereotypical on our lgbt community. Hunny this vlog was very narcissistic. I mean let’s be real. You live in Hollywood where you live and thrive on you looks . Smh. Conceited is boring . There are wayyyy more important things going on this world.”
“’… just because of how I look.’ I don’t think I have heard anyone say it more louder and honestly. Thanks Matthew.”
To be fair – watch the full six minutes to get Dempsey’s take on the subject and let me know what you think.
I’ve previously written about Dempsey here where he addresses facing ‘body image’ issues.
Is this a real conversation to be having? Or is it narcissistic to admit “pretty privilege?”
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| Caitlyn Jenner |
“Some of the criticism that my community has had is that I’m white, I’ve got money, I’m privileged and all that kind of stuff. I get that. OK? Can’t do much about being white. Kind of born that way. Privileged? Yeah. I’ve worked hard all my life. I’ve tried to be as smart as I can and yeah, I’ve been successful from that standpoint. And I’m not going to apologise for that. Not even close.”
– Caitlyn Jenner speaking to The Guardian
Clip description:
Have you ever imagined what it’d be like to be an Oscar winner? Me too.
Welcome to the fake Oscar prank. In it, I pretend to be a celebrity and walk around with a fake Oscar to see how people treat me.
Pretending to be famous has its perks because it turns out people treat you like a real Oscar winner. You may have seen fake celebrity pranks and pretending to be famous before, but I think being a fake Oscar winner is the craziest prank of these yet!
I don’t condone lying. At all.
But it is fascinating to view the culture in Hollywood that would bend over backwards for someone perceived to be an Oscar winner.