Politics, pop culture and entertainment news of interest to the LGBTQ community
Some news items you might have missed:
• TikTok: After an anonymous homophobe tore up his two Pride flags displayed for Pride Month, Albuquerque resident Addison Foskey decided to replace his vandalized Pride flag with hundreds of rainbow flags. Folks, you can try but you can’t kill the rainbow. Continue reading “Vandalized Pride Flag Replaced With 100s + More LGBTQ News”
(image via Facebook/CMT)CMT (Country Music Television) tried to do a little something for Pride Month by changing its logo/profile image on Facebook to include the colors of the rainbow flag on Monday.
Since that time the image has received 1,200+ comments and 4,000+ reactions. It probably won’t surprise you to learn the majority appear to be unhinged anti-LGBTQ folks who couldn’t stop themselves from ranting at CMT for the rainbow move.
Here are just some of the lame, hateful reactions on the CMT Facebook page. The saddest thing is none are very original:
Kurt: “Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve!!” (We told you they weren’t very creative…)
Melody: “It’s ridiculous to celebrate an entire month just for being gay yet our Veterans get one day. Veterans deserve better.” (Umm, May is National Military Appreciation Month, but whatevs…)
Steven: “So sad and juvenile that CMT caves to political correctness.”
Calvin: “Great so now CMT done jumped on the gay pride band wagon what a joke no more CMT for me.”
Mike: “Well the kind of so called country music now days fit their wussafide pop rap crap”
Daryl: “I’m proud to be white and straight.”
Gar: “What you do behind closed doors carry on but when everyone is ramming this in our faces gets beyond a joke. Are we going to have straight day ? Worlds gone mad”
Jason: “Every time I see a rainbow I unlike the page I’m sick of seeing it where is the straight flag”
Sammi: “Disgusting, pandering, money obsessed fools. Country music is officially Godless.”
Perhaps the funniest part of the comments were the number of people still bent out of joint because CMT apparently stopped airing Dukes of Hazzard reruns. There were dozens of remarks about the booting of Bo and Luke Duke.
Keith: “Wrong. Just wrong. Y’all over do the gay and lesbo. I don’t care if you are… but we sure as hell don’t need a whole month of this crap. And bring back Dukes of Hazard you nazi’s.”
(screen capture from Dukes of Hazzard)But it wasn’t all ugly. There were many responses thanking CMT for the gesture as well as sharing gifs from Brokeback Mountain and rainbow flags.
Sarah: “Thank you so much! We can love country music and believe in basic human rights!”
H.M.: “Thank you, CMT for standing with ALL OF US!”
Tony: “Happy for CMT I’m gay. It’s not a political thing. It’s to support the LGBTQ. Because there are a lot of haters out there. And it’s time to stand up and support people.”
Tracey: “Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It’s not pie.”
Arlo: “OOOH Yall gonna make the hillbilly bigots maaaaaad!!!!!! But we thank you for those who support !!!! Sincerely, the next transgender country singer”
Kathleen: “I love this. Thanks for posting. As a queer Southern person, I feel seen!”
(Brokeback Mountain screen capture via YouTube)
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?
This is Tabitha Dardeau Travis of Maryville, TN. She works at @Blount_Memorial’s Wellness Center. pic.twitter.com/I1FDhwujTr
— Opossum Press (@OpossumPress) June 9, 2021
— Billjockstud2 (@billjockstud2) June 11, 2021
If this person is working there, its not a safe environment for minorities and queer folks. pic.twitter.com/fUdPtyZG1f
— Bella Rose (@BellaRose888) June 9, 2021
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.
Here’s the result:
(image via Imgur)The post has received over 81,000 upvotes and 6,000+ comments.
Here’s just a few of the supportive comments on the thread:
“It looks far more beautiful than just a flag. Bravo on your fabulous compliance!”
“Call that Home-O-Sexuality”
“This is awesome. F*ck HOAs”
“No Home-of-Phobia allowed”
“Woah. The lighting is much better than a simple flag imo”
Readers – have you ever been told to remove a rainbow flag or other Pride symbols from your home? If so, what did you do?
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.”
• 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
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) June 1, 2021
(screen capture via Fox13Now)How about some good news for a Saturday?
Julie Cordell-Seamons of Eagle Mountain, Utah, had several rainbow Pride flags stolen last Halloween. So she was surprised to find a new flag sitting on her porch along with an apology note this week.
“I’m sorry for taking your flag last fall,” read the note reports local news station Fox13Now. “It did not sit right with me, so I’m making it up to you guys for my actions. Have a good 2021.” the note read. (Editor’s note: Corrected for punctuation)
(screen capture)The gesture not only surprised but touched Cordell-Seamons.
“I’m assuming it was a trick-or-treater. It looked like a kid from what I could tell,” Cordell-Seamons told FOX 13 on Monday. “But I was so impressed — to have an adult do that, let alone a kid, you know, admit they were wrong and try to make up for it… I seriously started tearing up.”
“In this day and age, we don’t see that a lot, so it meant a lot to me. It warmed my heart.”
(screen captures)A bisexual teacher in Nevada was told she couldn’t have a rainbow flag in the classroom because it constitutes ‘political speech,’ so she found other ways to bring the rainbow.
Jennifer Leja teaches 7th and 8th grade students in Reno for the Washoe County School District, and she’s the only openly LGBTQ teacher in the school.
https://www.tiktok.com/@msleja/video/6872790325333642502
Leja says over the past five years of teaching there she’s always had a rainbow Pride flag in her classroom because her students “are trying to learn who they are and how they identify, and they come towards me.”
But this year, the school district issued a new policy this year prohibiting “partisan political activities” during classroom hours. The new policy orders that “any signage that is displayed on District property that is, or becomes, political in nature must be removed or covered,” reports Buzzfeed News.
Upon receiving the new guidance, Leja asked Trustee Andrew Caudill if rainbow flags or LGBTQ issues were banned as part of the new policy. Caudill emailed the veteran teacher back to say ‘yes,’ LGBTQ issues are banned in the classroom.
In his email, Caudill wrote, “The courts have held LGBTQ+ issues to be political speech and thus, the rainbow flag [is considered] to be political speech, so it cannot be expressed through clothing and other means, such as displaying a flag in your class.”
However, he did add that Leja is allowed to mention her girlfriend because, “Who you are is not impacted by this policy, only what is expressed in class through visual aids.”
But Leja says , pointing to marriage equality being legal in every state across the country, “I don’t think my existence and my identity is a political issue.”
She also notes that she’s become the defacto ‘go-to’ person for students coming to realize who they are or their identity.
“It’s important for me because I feel like there are students who spend their lives in the closet and especially in middle school; that is when students are starting to figure out where they are,” Leja told Buzzfeed. “They go through that time period where they don’t know who they are or what they like.”
She shares that she has a transgender student in her class this year, and she’s intent on making sure the student feels supported in her classroom.
And so, even without putting a traditional Pride flag on display, Leja found a way to make her perspective known whether through lots of rainbow lettering on banners, rainbow feathers in her pencil jar, rainbow ducttape to spread desks or a rainbow face mask during the coronavirus.
It’s worth noting that the new policy doesn’t apply to students who are still allowed to dress or express themselves as they wish.
Speaking to Buzzfeed, Caudill said that the new guidance isn’t just about LGBTQ issues, but “other kinds of speech such as Pro-Life, Pro-Choice, NRA, etc.”
He shared that it would “inappropriate” for the District to pick and choose only the speech it agrees with. And so, the decision was made to ask staff “to refrain from all single-issue political speech,” he said.
“But I want to be abundantly clear, the policy does not require staff to hide their own sexuality,” added Caudill. “Teachers can let students know their sexuality, or mention their significant others, if they wish, regardless of sexuality. The policy does not impact who a teacher is, it only impacts the advocacy for a specific political position.”
(screen capture)A gay couple in Chicago went viral with their cheeky video clap back aimed at a thief who stole a Pride flag from their front porch.
Twitter user BowtieinChicago shared the video which mocks the banner bandit with sass galore.
“To the person who stole the Pride flag off our front porch, we’re so sorry a rainbow bruised your fragile ego,” begins the narration. “But, don’t worry – we have next-day Amazon Prime. You can keep taking our flag but you’ll never take our pride!”
During the clip, Pride flags literally run rampant as the boys show off a plethora of newly-acquired rainbows.
The duo warns the pennant pilferer to smile for the security cameras next time as they sign off with, “Love, the big ole homos who live here.”
You can take our flag but you can never take our pride. #gay #pride pic.twitter.com/7nz2ZSJGE7
— BowtieinChicago (@bowtieinchicago) August 14, 2020
The Twitterverse loved the cheeky video so much its been viewed over 358,000 times and received over 42K+ Likes.
Related: Iowa Man Sentenced To 16 Years In Prison For Stealing/Burning Pride Flag
One of the best responses on Twitter read, “This is Our Culture: clapback with humor, flair, and a generous helping of Petty. Love and power to you!”
This is Our Culture: clapback with humor, flair, and a generous helping of Petty. Love and power to you!
— #AllBlackLivesMatter ✊🏽 E*Q*U*I*T*Y (@AnooshInTheSun) August 15, 2020
The “We’ve got Amazon Prime” had me laughing!!! I love their attitude!!
— Mx. Frazley Sparkspan (@Frazleytastic) August 15, 2020
This made me smile, fly that flag dude! 🏳️🌈🌈❤️ pic.twitter.com/cEz4fkE3so
— Daz James 🏳️🌈 : NHS Anaesthetic ODP & Nerd DM (@FoxCrewe) August 15, 2020
The pride flag got stolen from my Uni's pride center last year and they responded with a sign saying "To the person who stole our pride flag: we're still gay. Now we're just gay and angry."
— girl in progress (@GoToSleepKate) August 15, 2020
Our answer to our bigot neighbor: pic.twitter.com/UFFkUegfke
— Lady Glodiva (@AtomicCareBear) August 15, 2020
This is perfection. It’s exactly what I needed to see today. Thanks for sharing your positive attitude and sense of humor. And your beret is my fav!! 💜💜🌈🌈
— nora-no-H (@HarryBoschGal) August 14, 2020
A Pride flag hanging at the front of a Harlem gay bar was set on fire early Monday morning. This is the second time a rainbow flag has been burned at the same club in just over a month.
NBC News reports the flag was discovered by staff members sometime between 12:20 a.m. and 12:45 a.m.
The previous attack, which New York City Police have been investigating as a possible anti-gay crime, occurred in the early morning hours of May 31.
Alexi Minko, owner of the Alibi Lounge, says he finds the timing of the two incidents suspect.
“I have to say that what I find odd was the timing of both events,” said Minko. “One was at the beginning of Pride, and one was right at the end. One has to wonder if there’s a kind of message they’re trying to send.”
Sad to report that it happened again tonight! https://t.co/AdzSaLXd1L pic.twitter.com/8sdI06B0rI— Alibi Lounge (@lounge_alibi) July 8, 2019
Calling the repeat offense “surreal,” Minko added that he’s surprised the second flag-burning happened since police had released surveillance camera footage of the suspect in the first incident, alerting the public that cameras are trained on the nightclub’s entrance.
“Second time around, I’m really kind of in shock, I have to admit,” Minko said.
Speaking to local news station PIX11, the owner said that no matter the message, “What’s important is that we stand tall, we don’t get afraid.”
PIX11 reports that Alibi Lounge bills itself as the only black-owned LGBTQ bar in Manhattan.
You might think the city of Dublin, California, would be pretty inclusive in regard to LGBTQ issues being just 35 miles east of San Francisco.
But at a City Council meeting Tuesday night, a request for flying the LGBTQ rainbow flag at City Hall for Pride month was voted down, according to local Fox affiliate KTVU.
Shawn Kumagi, the first openly gay member of the city council, filed the request for flying the flag as well as issuing a proclamation for Pride month.
The proclamation was unanimously approved by the five-member panel, but the response from some citizens about the rainbow flag surprised many.
One resident attending the council meeting asked, “If you agree to fly the rainbow flag, can we fly the Confederate flag, the Black Lives Matter flag, a Communist flag?”
Another Dublinite, Mike Grant, owns the Guns Unlimited firearms store in town. He brought his NRA flag to the meeting insisting if the rainbow flag gets time at City Hall, so should his flag.
“I’ve been discriminated against for 41 years as a federal firearms dealer by the Democrats,” said Grant. “They don’t like guns. I’m in the same group as they are.”
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| Mike Grant (screen capture) |
One resident opposed the idea because they said they had heard of plans to add a “P” – for ‘pedophile’ – to the LGBTQ acronym. And another objected since LGBTQ doesn’t have an “S” for ‘straight.’
Jeannine Sullivan, a member of the local LGBTQ community for 20 years in Dublin, told the San Francisco Chronicle, “It was ridiculous and unfounded, but it still shows what is being perpetuated by some people in our community.”
And Dublin resident Maria Ceremello said she felt “angry” about the comments.
“I came out of there steaming, swearing,” she told KTVU. “It’s unreal people are against this when it’s just a flag flying for a month. It’s not right.”
Kumagi amended his request to flying the rainbow flag for just one day, but even that was voted down.
“Of course I find it disappointing,” said Kumagi. “But I think it is a testament that, even in the Bay Area, we still need to have this conversation.”
Pride supporters are reportedly organizing a grassroots campaign via social media to encourage citizens fly their own rainbow flags at their homes for Pride month.