Tag: quisling

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Coachella Gays Who Posed With ‘Totally Not Gay’ Aaron Schock Apologize: “We Didn’t Know Who He Is”

Two of the gays who posed for photos with 'totally not gay' former Congressman Aaron Schockat the Coachella Music Festival last week have posted an apology to the LGBTQ community for not knowing who he is and his impact on the LGBTQ community.
‘Totally not gay’ former Congressman Aaron Schock (second from left) living his
best gay life at Coachella

Two of the gays who posed for photos with ‘totally not gay’ former Congressman Aaron Schock at the Coachella Music Festival last week have posted an apology to the LGBTQ community for not knowing who he is and his impact on the LGBTQ community.

In a post on each of their Instagram accounts, William Rossi and Rob Masi say they had just met Schock on the day of the photo, and had no idea who he is or how horrible he’s been to the LGBTQ community.

“In regards to the picture we took at Coachella, Rob and I have been out since we were 14 and 15, respectively; and living as proud gay men in a loving relationship, who hope to get married one day,” they begin. “We are entirely against Aaron Schock’s values, views, and actions.”

“We had just met Aaron on the day of the photo at Coachella, and before posting it, we were embarrassingly unaware of: who he was, his political views, and the extent of his negative impact on the LGBTQ community which we are proudly a part of,” the couple continued.

The duo say the inclusion of Schock came about out of a desire to be ‘polite’ to a stranger, nothing more.

A post shared by William Rossi (@willrossi3) on Apr 18, 2019 at 3:31pm PDT

“Rob and I wanted to take a photo with our friends at Coachella, to celebrate our last day there,” say the men. “Being polite, we allowed Aaron – who was basically a stranger to us and someone we just met – to include himself in our photo.”

The couple made it clear that “if we had more knowledge of his beliefs and past actions,” they would have never hung with him nor included him in their photo.

“We would not have allowed Aaron to join the photo, nor would we have associated with him if we had more knowledge of his beliefs and past actions,” say the men from San Francisco. “For our own political ignorance, we are deeply sorry.”

They also include a ‘call to action,’ if you will, encouraging Schock to come out.

“We hope Aaron does decide to come out publicly and live the gay life he so freely enjoyed at Coachella, the kind of life so many out and proud LGBTQ individuals have fought for and have made possible for younger gays like to live today,” encouraged the men.

They also say, now that they are aware of his past anti-LGBTQ votes in Congress, that Schock should apologize to the tribe he now seems to want to be a part of.

“And we hope if or when Aaron does decide to come out and own his actions, he apologizes and makes amends with the LGBTQ community, because he certainly owes us one,” they conclude.

Here’s a photo of the two men, sans Schock, at Coachella.

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Quisling Aaron Schock Seen Hanging With The Coachella Gays

Shirtless Aaron Schock was partying with the Coachella gays
Aaron Schock (2nd from left – image via Facebook)

Eagle-eyed folks at Coachella this past weekend spotted ‘totally-not-gay’ former GOP Congressman Aaron Schock hanging out shirtless with a gaggle of gays. Photos were shared in a Facebook post, Schock appeared to be having quite the time at the music festival posing shirtless with a group of men as well as looking a bit parched (or something) standing in a crowded tent (again, shirtless).

And Queerty is reporting that Schock was seen later making out with a guy as his hands were getting busy:

As the pics were shared across social media, several LGBTQ activists expressed their disgust that gay men would be hanging out with the former Republican congressman from Illinois who voted against LGBTQ interests during his time in office. He had a voting record that was very anti-LGBTQ from voting against the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ to supporting an amendment to the Constitution that would ban marriage for gays. All that and more led to a zero rating from the Human Rights Campaign.

Before a financial scandal that promptly led to his resignation in 2015 – you may recall the Downton Abbey-inspired decor of his Washington D.C. office – Schock was making quite the name for himself posing shirtless on the cover of fitness magazines as well as traveling with his own personal photographer. But that all went awry when he was charged with 24 counts that including wire fraud, mail fraud, making false statements, filing false tax returns and more in November of 2016. Just a few weeks ago, prosecutors agreed to drop the charges if he paid $42,000 in back taxes as well as returning $68,000 to his congressional campaign funds. While he never came out during his time in Congress, rumors have followed the 37-year-old for years, including one from out journalist Itay Hod. And former Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts (who came out in 1987) told Business Insider in 2015, “I don’t know if he’s gay or not, but if he is, he’s forfeited any right to privacy because he votes anti-gay. My view is that people who are gay who vote to support the right of other people to do it have a right to privacy, but the right to privacy does not include hypocrisy.” Matthew Rettenmund of Boy Culture wrote about the Coachella photos saying, “It is appalling to see disgraced former Republican Rep. Aaron Schock cavorting at Coachella with members of the smug, white abs club considering his unapologetically anti-gay voting history.” “From the closet, he voted against gay marriage, against rescinding Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and more, and then he left office due to financial irregularities that he seems to have gotten away with,” added Rettenmund. James Duke Mason, who posted the photos to Facebook, penned this caption:

“Normally I wouldn’t comment on something like this, but I am just infuriated by these images of former Republican (and anti-gay) Congressman Aaron Schock partying with a group of gay men at Coachella. The fact that he would think he could show his face in public, particularly when he has NEVER renounced or apologized for his votes against gay marriage, gays in the military and against anti-discrimination laws is astounding. My intention isn’t to out him or target him personally, but simply to point out the hypocrisy. I saw him at a recent gay social event in West Hollywood and shook his hand before I realized who he was; he should really be ashamed of himself. And the gays who associate with him without calling him out should know better. It really is a disgrace.”

Others on Twitter had some opinions as well.

 

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OUT Journalist Comes Out As Homocon

(image via JoeMyGod)

Out Magazine writer Chadwick Moore (above right) shares with the New York Post that, due to the backlash to his feature article with alt-right homocon Milo Yiannopolous, he now feels the need to “come out” as a homocon himself.

At the time, LGBTs were incensed that Moore treated his subject with such kid gloves. This would perhaps explain why his OUT article was so flowery towards Yiannopolous.

After the article was published, Moore says many longtime friends dropped him, he got the cold-shoulder at this favorite gay bar, and even got called a Nazi for supporting strengthening U.S. borders.

He goes on to declare how liberals actually against free speech, and the many difficulties of being conservative in New York City.

From his  the New York Post:

When I was growing up in the Midwest, coming out to my family at the age of 15 was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Today, it’s just as nerve-wracking coming out to all of New York as a conservative. But, like when I was 15, it’s also weirdly exciting.

I’ve already told my family, and it’s brought me closer to my father. He’s a Republican and a farmer in Iowa, and for years we just didn’t have very much to talk about. But after Trump’s inauguration, we chatted for two hours, bonding over the ridiculousness of lefties. But we also got serious: He told me that he is proud of my writing, and I opened up about my personal life in a way I never had before to him.

I’ve made some new friends and also lost some who refuse to speak to me. I’ve come around on Republican pundit Ann Coulter, who I now think is smart and funny and not a totally hateful, self-righteous bigot. A year ago, this would have been unfathomable to me.

I even went on a date this past week with a good-looking Republican construction worker, someone I previously would not have given a shot.

Moore sounds a bit self-important when he writes, “Coming out to all of New York…” As if everyone in the world knows who he is? Ego can be such a funny thing.

It’s hard to imagine how, reading his essay, that he’s completely the victim in all this. I think he comes across as a bit too butt hurt over the Milo article.

And speaking of butt hurt – perhaps it’s a bit oversharing with “all of New York” to respond this way when asked how the construction worker date went:

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Gay Hotelier Ian Reisner Lied Regarding Making Campaign Contribution To Sen. Ted Cruz

Quisling NYC businessman Ian Reisner

Boys, boys, boys. You’ve GOT to get your act together and your stories straight.

For weeks gay NYC hoteliers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass have been in trouble with the NYC LGBT community because they held a “fireside chat” with virulently anti-gay Sen. Ted Cruz last month.

Initially, the two men were “surprised” by the uproar saying they didn’t really understand the degree to which Cruz opposes LGBT rights. And they stressed that the evening was not a fundraiser of any kind.

“There were no checks given, it was nothing like that,” Reisner told New York magazine.

Next, came the community boycott of their businesses including the niche hotel The Out NYC, followed by a full-on “apology tour” stressing that they will work hard to regain the gays’ trust.

That lasted a couple of days until Weiderpass published an attack on the LGBT community including one passage calling the gays “cheap.” Now there’s damage control for you.

“It is amazing that my businesses are being boycotted by some because I hosted a discussion with an elected official. Not a fundraiser. Not an endorsement. A dialogue,” wrote Weiderpass in an op-ed for The New York Observer. “Despite media reports to the contrary, I did not organize the Cruz dinner, but did embrace the opportunity—again, in a non-fundraising setting—to discuss a number of important issues, including support for Israel and support for gay rights.”

Well, the proverbial “other shoe” dropped today as the New York Times reports that Reisner actually DID write a check to Cruz’s campaign – for the maximum amount of $2,700.

It was only AFTER the scandal escalated that Reisner apparently asked for his check back – probably because the donation would should up on Mr. Cruz’s campaign finance filing when it becomes public in July.

“In the interest of transparency, I gave Senator Cruz a $2,700 check to show my support for his work on behalf of Israel,” Mr. Reisner said in a statement he provided after The Times learned of the donation from two people with direct knowledge of it. “When I realized his donation could be misconstrued as supporting his anti-gay marriage agenda, I asked for the money back. Senator Cruz’s office gave the money back, and I have no intention of giving any money to any politicians who aren’t in support of L.G.B.T. issues.”

Bolding is mine.

Umm, yes Mr. Reisner, contributing to a politician’s campaign is generally seen as supporting their positions. Unless you inherited all your money, there’s no way you could be a successful businessman and not understand such rudimentary concepts.

It just keeps getting worse for these guys.

Interestingly, when asked about the $2,700 check, Reisner’s buddy Weiderpass seemed “surprised” to learn about the donation as he attended an event last night at New York’s Marriott Marquis hotel.

And guess who also just happened to attend last night’s event?

Yes – Sen. Ted Cruz.

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Conservative Pundit Guy Benson: I’m Standing On The Shoulders Of Those I Now Belittle

Conservative pundit and Fox News commentator Guy Benson shared in his new book that he is gay.

And yesterday he took a media lap to the thrill of Teabagistan to celebrate his newfound “openness.”

Stopping by Megyn Kelly’s show, Benson gave “some credit” to the gay rights activists who, through decades of fighting for equality and dignity, make it possible for him to be openly gay in America today.

How generous.

“I just want to acknowledge, quickly, that I recognize that I am so fortunate to live in a country and an era where we can be having this exact kind conversation on national television. And I recognize that a lot of that is due to the fact that I’m standing of the shoulders of people who’ve worked very hard for a very long time, who probably don’t share my political persuasion. So I just want to give them some credit in this. But I think when that crosses some threshold into punishing and purging dissenters and trying to exact punishments on people for not agreeing, that is not what we should be about in this country. I think we should be better than that in this country.”

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Hotel Owner Ian Reisner Blames Lack Of Profit On “Cheap” and “Entitled” Gays

Talking to New York Magazine with his business partner, Matti Weiderpass, hotelier Ian Reisner had this to say about the LGBT community and the boycott aimed at his gay-centric hotel and night club The Out NYC since hosting a “fireside chat” with Sen. Ted Cruz:

“You know, it’s so ironic — I wanted to build kind of a community center in the gateway to Hell’s Kitchen, which in 2008–2009 was already a gay place and now it’s even gayer. Very close to Broadway. We decided there’d be so many different ways to give back to the community. We show gay artists there. For gay performers, we have let this cabaret club go on for three and a half years.

“And you don’t make money when you let drag queens in on Tuesday night and 30 people drink at $10 a drink and you have to pay five people to watch over the place. You don’t make money.

“My only point is, this has not been a profitable venture. Gays are cheap. They’re frugal; gays are frugal. Let me retract that … gays are entitled … Do you know how challenging it is to make a penny off a gay person? I’m gay, I don’t pay cover. I’m gay, where’s my comp drink? [Everyone laughs.] No, I’m being serious! The Out NYC has not shown a profit yet.”

Bolding is mine.

I’ll point out here that:

a. Reisner himself is gay.

b. Reisner has run the gamut of being defensive to being “shaken” to his bones to now being just plain icky over his hosting the virulently anti-gay Sen. Ted Cruz in his home two weeks ago.

c. This is an excellent way to dig an even deeper hole…

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More Cancellations For The Out NYC After Owners Host Sen. Ted Cruz

More LGBT groups are cancelling their events at Ian Reisner’s The Out NYC Hotel after the hotelier hosted virulently anti-gay Sen. Ted Cruz in his home earlier this week.

The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus cancalled it’s Lily Garden fundraiser at the hotel that was originally scheduled for last night.

From the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus Facebook page:

We wish we could say this was a clear, easy decision. It wasn’t. We believe in nuanced, complex discussion, and we think that dialogue with your opposition will always lead to positive change in the world. We cannot say who is right and who is wrong, and we hope the debate will continue.

We can say, however, that we made the decision because we want to be 100% clear in our support for the LGBTQ community. NYCGMC has a 35-year history of campaigning for human rights through our music. Our mission must always come first.

We are sorry that we cannot spend the afternoon with our friends and supporters. Besides being an important fundraiser, The Lily Garden is a fantastic event due to the tireless effort of Matt Levison aka Lily Putian. We are grateful that Matt has volunteered to reschedule the event later in the year.

Additionally, HONEY – Urban Bear NYC’s official dance party – that was scheduled at XL Nightclub (located at The Out NYC) on May 15th has been put on hold until further notice.

Executive Producer Robert Valin of Urban Bear sends the news:

With talks of a protest as well as a boycott of the venue, and with others pulling out of their contracts, we have decided to put our dance party HONEY, scheduled at XL Nightclub on Friday, May 15th ON HOLD until further notice.

At this time, we believe this to be the best decision, as numerous members of our community and their families are employed by THE OUT and XL Nightclub, and an impending boycott could adversely affect their livelihoods. We want to do the right thing and believe that waiting until all the facts are in before making any final decisions is best. We welcome your thoughts as we consider alternate locations for the dance event.

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“Broadway Bares Solo Strips” Cancels Over Ian Reisner’s Ted Cruz “Fireside Chat”

Fallout for Ian Reisner after hosting a “fireside chat” with anti-gay 2016 GOP candidate Sen. Ted Cruz.

Broadway Cares has announced they are canceling Broadway Bares Solo Strips which was scheduled to be held at Reisner’s hotel The Out NYC on May 10th:

It is with regret that we have decided to cancel this year’s edition of the Broadway Bares Solo Strips fundraiser, which was scheduled for May 10 at the NYC club 42West. We cannot in good conscience hold an event at a venue whose owners have alienated our community, as reflected in an April 23 New York Times story and an April 24 follow-up post.

We do business with and accept fundraising support from a variety of people across a wide spectrum of political and religious affiliations. The rich diversity of our community makes what we do together so special. It is a rare instance where the actions of a donor negatively impacts us as an organization and potentially jeopardizes our relationship with others whose support is integral to our success. But when it does occur, in a way that’s blatantly against all we stand and work for, we can’t pretend it doesn’t come with consequences. Silence is not a neutral position. It is complicit.

This is not about partisan politics or punishment. This is about doing what’s right to ultimately ensure that our commitment to the men, women and children we serve cannot be questioned.

Ticket purchasers are being contacted by email. If you have questions about your Broadway Bares Solo Strips tickets, please contact Cat Domiano at domiano@broadwaycares.org.

That being said, the big event – Broadway Bares – will still be held on June 21st at Hammerstein Ballroom at 311 West 34th Street for two sensational shows at 9:30 pm and midnight. Get tickets.

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Gay NYC Hotel Owners Host Ted Cruz And Catch Bloody Hell For It

Sen. Ted Cruz with NYC hotelier Mati Weiderpass

Gay New York City hoteliers Mati Weiderpass and Ian Reisner are feeling the heat having “hosted” virulently anti-gay Sen. Ted Cruz in his home this week. Both have gone into complete crisis management as their gay clientele are outraged.

First, Mati Weiderpass posted this statement:

It seems my informal dinner with the Senator has created a back lash. So there is no misunderstanding, I support gay marriage 100%. I have been a major supporter of gay causes and gay charities for two decades. People on both sides of the aisle need to be able to communicate with one another even when they ideologically disagree. As a Captain in the Army I worked tirelessly for the repeal of “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell”. While serving on the Board of Directors for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network I needed to reach across the aisle to make that happen. The fact that Senator Cruz accepted the invitation to my home was a step in the right direction towards him having a better understanding of who I am and what I believe in. We spent most of the time talking about national security issues and in particular the challenges from ISIS, Iran, and defense of Israel — these are issues for which we did find common ground. However, i did not shy away from the opportunity to ask the Senator about social issues, in particular marriage equality, and made it clear that I completely disagree with him on that issue.

And partner Ian Reisner posted this:

“For my entire adult life, I have been an ardent supporter and activist for gay rights and LGBT organizations worldwide. I was given the opportunity to have a candid conversation with Senator Ted Cruz on where he stood on issues including the state of Israel and national security, which are the only places where we share common ground. It was just three months ago that I hosted a ‘Ready for Hillary’ event for a record turnout of 900 people at The OUT Hotel. Senator Ted Cruz and I disagree strongly on the issue of gay marriage, but having an open dialogue with those who have differing political opinions is a part of what this country was founded on. My tireless support of the gay community and its causes worldwide hasn’t changed and will not change.”

I have to admit that my husband and I make a point of staying at their gay-oriented hotel, The OUT NYC, because we like it and we want to support our own.

But I’m not cool on the idea of my gay dollars going into a presidential campaign of Sen. Ted Cruz. I can stay a LOT of places in NYC.

There seem to be conflicting stories about whether or not this event was a fund raiser or merely a “fireside chat.” Either way, it makes me uncomfortable that more wealthy gays may use my consumer dollars to buddy-up to powerful anti-gay folks just because they can.

A Facebook page has been launched to promote boycotting the men’s business venues, “Boycott Fire Island Pines & Out NYC”.

UPDATE: A new development today as it appears Reisner hosted a fund-raiser for anti-gay Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin just last week.

Johnson opposes marriage equality, has a 0% on his HRC Congressional Scorecard. Just this week Johnson voted to allow discrimination against LGBT youth.

Not looking good here.

Sen. Ron Johnson and NYC hotelier Ian Reisner
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San Diego: GOP Candidate Carl DeMaio Struggles On Many Campaign Fronts

Openly gay GOP Congressional candidate Carl DeMaio

Gay Republican candidate Carl DeMaio is having troubles with his campaign on more than one front.

First of all, the LGBT community is not fond of him. There has been no “rallying around the gay candidate” in this case. Apparently, he’s very unlikeable and his policies don’t jive with the community.

Second, there’s the current scandal going on right now as he has been accused of sexual harassment of a former staffer. Not the news you want in the headlines just weeks before an election.

And then there’s the issue of a comment he made at a fundraising event where he said if elected he would owe “everything” to the Tea Party.

Three strikes, you’re out Mr. DeMaio.

See the report by NPR below.