Tag: Puerto Rico

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Governor Of Puerto Rico Bans Ex-Gay Therapy

Governor Ricardo Rosselló of Puerto Rico issued an executive order on Wednesday banning the harmful practice of conversion therapy on LGBTQ minors.

From The New York Times:

The decision came after Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives refused to vote on a bill that would have prohibited conversion therapy, a discredited practice that proponents claim can change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The measure passed the Senate this month.

“I firmly believe that the idea that there are people in our society who need treatment because of their gender identity or whom they love is not only absurd, it is harmful to so many children and young adults who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” said Gov. Rosselló in a statement last week announcing his plans.

Puerto Rico, with 3.2 million citizens, is an unincorporated territory of the United States.

Currently, sixteen states, Washington DC, and dozens of cities and counties have also banned so-called conversion therapy.

As I’ve reported many times on The Randy Report, so-called ‘conversion therapy’ or ‘ex-gay therapy’ has been denounced by practically every major medical organization including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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News Round-Up: February 11, 2019

Austin Wolf (via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Austin Wolf (above) took time to recover in Miami from last week’s Atlantis cruise.

• The Tennessee Republican Party is attempting to ban marriage equality again in an effort to get the issue back in front of the Supreme Court – of course, this time with a court tilted in their favor.

• Over the weekend, I reported on West Virginia Del. Eric Porterfield, who got in hot water for calling the LGBT community a “modern day KKK.” Now, an interview clip has surfaced where he says he would “see if they could swim” if a child of his came out to him.

• A gay Trump supporter, who happens to be the brother of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ mistress, may have been the one who leaked private photos and text messages to the National Enquirer to embarrass and smear Bezos.

• In addition to legislation introduced by Democrats in the House and Senate aimed at protecting transgender military service members, Massachusetts Rep. Joseph Kennedy III will introduce a non-binding resolution in the House of Representatives rejecting the ban. The legislation currently has 103 co-sponsors.

• Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló‘s administration on Feb. 8, 2019, issued guidelines that urge public employees in the U.S. commonwealth to be more sensitive to the needs of LGBT people and their children.

• Check out the trailer for Teen Spirit, a visceral, stylish spin on the Cinderella story from the producer of La La Land.

Starring Elle Fanning, the film’s soundtrack features music by LGBT artists and favorites including Robyn, Ellie Goulding, Tegan & Sara, Annie Lennox, Orbital, Sigrid, Carly Rae Jepsen & Jack Antonoff. Additional music by Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Grimes, The Undertones, Aqua, Alice Deejay, Whigfield, Major Lazer and No Doubt.

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Trump: Death Toll From Hurricane Maria In Puerto Rico Made Up By Dems

Donald Trump took to Twitter this morning to declare the death toll in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria - officially reported at 2.975 according to a study done by George Washington University - is a manufactured nothing-burger in an attempt to make him look "as bad as possible."
Donald Trump

Donald Trump took to Twitter this morning to declare the death toll in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria – officially reported at 2,975 according to an independent study done by George Washington University – is a manufactured nothing-burger in an attempt to make him look “as bad as possible.”

Like the Trumpster really needs help in that department?

You’ll recall during an open meeting/press event in Puerto Rico, when Trump finally went down to the American territory, he claimed the destruction in Puerto Rico was not that bad compared to Hurricane Katrina.

Via Vox:

“If you look at the — every death is a horror, but if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina and you look at the tremendous hundreds and hundreds of people that died and what happened here with a storm that was just totally overbearing. No one has ever seen anything like that. What is your death count?” he said.

“Sixteen,” responded Gov. Ricardo Rosselló.

“Sixteen certified,” Trump said, and then told the leaders assembled that they should all be “very proud.”

Earlier this week, Trump called his administration’s response to the devastation in Puerto Rico “an incredible unsung success.”

Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz responded to Trump’s boasts:

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman told her Twitter followers that, yes, Trump believes the Dems really made up the death toll figures:

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Death Toll In Puerto Rico Hits Almost 3,000 – Trump Declares “Fantastic Job”

Donald Trump defended his administration's response to the horrific devastation in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria saying "we did a fantastic job."
Donald Trump

Donald Trump defended his administration’s response to the horrific devastation in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria saying “we did a fantastic job.” “I think we did a fantastic job in Puerto Rico,” said the Trumpster. “We’re still helping Puerto Rico. The governor is an excellent guy and he’s very happy with the job we’ve done.” “I think most of the people in Puerto Rico really appreciate what we’ve done,” he added. https://twitter.com/NBCPolitics/status/1034879661694693376 It was recently announced that an independent study conducted by George Washington University’s Milken Institute of Public Health showed 2,975 people died as a result of the hurricane. Originally, the death toll was reported as 64. Those numbers now rank as the most deadly U.S. natural disaster in the past century.

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FEMA Contracted Company For 30 Million Meals For Puerto Rico, Only 50K Delivered

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the Federal Emergency Management Agency turned to an Atlanta-based entrepreneur to deliver 30 million meals to the devastated island of Puerto Rico at a cost of $156 million.

Only 50,000 were ever delivered.

From The New York Times:

For this huge task, FEMA tapped Tiffany Brown, an Atlanta entrepreneur with no experience in large-scale disaster relief and at least five canceled government contracts in her past. FEMA awarded her $156 million for the job, and Ms. Brown, who is the sole owner and employee of her company, Tribute Contracting LLC, set out to find some help.

Ms. Brown, who is adept at navigating the federal contracting system, hired a wedding caterer in Atlanta with a staff of 11 to freeze-dry wild mushrooms and rice, chicken and rice, and vegetable soup. She found a nonprofit in Texas that had shipped food aid overseas and domestically, including to a Houston food bank after Hurricane Harvey.

By the time 18.5 million meals were due, Tribute had delivered only 50,000. And FEMA inspectors discovered a problem: The food had been packaged separately from the pouches used to heat them. FEMA’s solicitation required “self-heating meals.”

“Do not ship another meal. Your contract is terminated,” Carolyn Ward, the FEMA contracting officer who handled Tribute’s agreement, wrote to Ms. Brown in an email dated Oct. 19 that Ms. Brown provided to The New York Times. “This is a logistical nightmare.”

Brown refers to herself as “almost like a broker” working to subcontract out all her work. She has no employees and no specific skill in any one arena.

Brown is disputing the cancelled saying the agency did not specify that the meals and heaters had to be together.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico continues to struggle.

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Governor Of Puerto Rico Plans To Mobilize Puerto Rican Votes In 2018 Midterm Elections

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló
(image via Flickr)

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló is done playing nice guy with President Trump and the GOP-led Congress after the lack of action following Hurricane Maria and the recent tax law passed which will hurt Puerto Rico’s already hurting economy.

Rosselló now plans to mobilize the 5.3 million stateside Puerto Ricans to target specific midterm elections.

From Politico:

Rosselló, a Democrat and member of the island’s pro-statehood New Progressive Party, is infuriated about a Republican tax plan that he says could hobble the island’s economy even as thousands of residents remain without power and water three months after Hurricane Maria.

“Everybody has seen the damage of the storm and yet policy decisions go in the opposite direction of where they should go,” Rosselló said in an interview with POLITICO on Tuesday. “We’re not just going to stand by. We are going to take action.”

The 3.4 million U.S. citizens living on the island have no vote in Congress, but they do have 5.3 million fellow Puerto Ricans scattered across the mainland who do have a vote. It’s that political power Rosselló plans to leverage.

“We are a significant voting bloc in the United States that perhaps hasn’t been organized well in the past,” he said. “The diaspora, the Puerto Rican exodus, has always wanted to help Puerto Rico, it just hasn’t been crystal clear how they can do it. If we can establish that organization we can have plenty of influence.”

Take a look at Florida where over 220,000 Puerto Ricans have relocated since the hurricane. Those folks are not happy about how the damage has been addressed.

Donald Trump only won the state of Florida in 2016 by about 112,000 votes.

How do you think those 220,000 (or more) will be voting come 2020?

Rosselló calculates Puerto Rican votes can affect congressional district votes in 14 states, including Florida, Ohio, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

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News Round-Up: November 16, 2017

Some news items you might have missed:

• Well hello there, Jared Techau (above). Fortunately for his Instagram followers, the University of Kentucky grad is dating photographer Brian Kaminski who’s on his gig capturing Techau regularly.

• An organization that delivers meals to people with HIV/AIDS in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico has been without electricity for more than two months.

• A new Fox News poll shows Democrat Doug Jones leading in the Alabama Senate race against embattled Republican Roy Moore 50%-42%.

• Amazon is considering writing out Jeffrey Tambor’s transgender lead character in it’s award-winning series Transparent due to allegations of sexual misconduct by Tambor.

• A federal judge has declared a mistrial in New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez’s corruption case due to a deadlocked jury. Republicans were looking for a guilty verdict in hopes GOP Gov. Chris Christie would get to appoint a replacement before he leaves office.

• GLAAD has teamed up with gay songwriter/activist Justin Tranter to create a PSA Calling for more LGBTQ inclusion in music. The video features a wide range of folks from RuPaul to country songwriter Shane McAnally and members of the Los Angeles Trans Chorus. Watch below.

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Lin-Manuel Miranda To Return To HAMILTON For Puerto Rico Engagement In 2019

Pulitzer Prize/Tony Award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda is taking his Broadway mega-hit musical, Hamilton: An American Musical, to Puerto Rico for a three week run in January 2019.

And Miranda says he plans to reprise his performance as the title role for the limited engagement.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Hamilton will play a three-week run, Jan. 8-27, 2019, at Teatro UPR, the theater at the University of Puerto Rico’s main campus in the Rio Piedras section of San Juan. Built in 1939, Teatro UPR is considered Puerto Rico’s most iconic stage, and recently hosted Spanish language productions of Evita, Into the Woods, Master Class, The Sound of Music and Once on This Island.

Miranda’s first musical, In the Heights, also played in Puerto Rico in 2010, with the actor-composer also reprising his role. Though a Puerto Rico run has been in the works, its announcement comes with an urgency following the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Since then, Miranda has been working solely and tirelessly on relief efforts, including releasing the all-star charity single “Almost Like Praying.”

“Bringing Hamilton: An American Musical to Puerto Rico is a dream that I’ve had since we first opened at The Public Theater in 2015,” stated Miranda. “When I last visited the island, a few weeks before Hurricane Maria, I had made a commitment to not only bring the show to Puerto Rico, but also return again to the title role. In the aftermath of Maria we decided to expedite the announcement of the project to send a bold message that Puerto Rico will recover and be back in business, stronger than ever.”

The Broadway company of Hamilton has grossed $275 million at the Richard Rodgers Theatre thus far.

The show also has companies in Chicago and Los Angeles (through December 2017), a second national tour to launch in February in Seattle, and a London company will debut next month.

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News Round-Up: October 27, 2017

Some news items you might have missed:

• I wish I knew who this guy is – total Furry Friday material 🙂

• The CW’s Riverdale puts the topic of gay cruising in a rural town front and center in this week’s episode.

• Deep Dish blog is asking which is sexier: this guy’s furry face or furry bum?

• Washington Blade reporter Chris Johnson asked White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about proposed legislation in Egypt that would criminalize being gay. Sanders said she “wasn’t aware of specifics” about the news but would be happy to check into it.

• Amid reports former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is growing restless on the sidelines comes the news that Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch may retire at the end of his current term next year stepping aside for Romney to take the seat. A recent poll showed Romney would garner 64% of the vote were that to happen.

• Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, who hails from the small town of Whitefish, Montana, says he had “absolutely nothing to do” with 2-man company Whitefish Energy Holdings being awarded the $300 million contract to rebuild Puerto Rico’s electric grid. I’m sure it’s pure coincidence…

• I swear to you the first thing I saw in the pic below of dancer/aerialist Davide Zongoli was his feet.

A post shared by Davide Zongoli (@acrodave) on Apr 26, 2017 at 7:55am PDT

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Swampy: No-Bid $300 Million Contract To Small Company In Interior Secretary’s Hometown Smells Fishy

Swampity swamp swamp.

Eyebrows are raised high as folks are getting a look at the contract given to a tiny Montana energy company located in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s hometown to help restore power in Puerto Rico.

Get this: at the time of Hurricane Maria, Whitefish Energy Holdings had only two employees and had never attempted work on this scale before.

The contract, obtained by The Daily Beast reporter Ken Klippenstein, states “In no event shall [government bodies] have the right to audit or review the cost and profit elements.”

Plus, the agreement dictates that the Puerto Rican government “waives any claim against Contractor related to delayed completion of work.”

What?

As part of the deal, each employee for the company sent to Puerto Rico will be paid $332.41 each day for accommodations. That’s just housing. And another $79.82 for meals – each day.

The majority of Whitefish’s workforce is comprised of subcontractors who are to be paid $462 per hour for a supervisor and $319.04 for a lineman.

The governor of Puerto Rico has ordered an audit into the contract.

One more thing – did I mention Whitefish Energy was founded and run by a man who contributed large sums of money to President Trump?

Whitefish Energy also got off on the wrong foot by criticizing Mayor Cruz of San Juan when she publicly asked a question of the company about “transparency.”

The company’s Twitter account got crunchy with the mayor which led to deleting the snark and issuing an apology.