Politics, pop culture and entertainment news of interest to the LGBTQ community
Today marks the one-year anniversary of our beloved senior wonder beagle, Snoopy, crossing the rainbow bridge. I wrote this post after taking time to process the amazing gift that was the Snoop. Continue reading “One Year Later: Our Magical Journey With Snoopy The Wonder Beagle”
One year ago today our lives were changed for the better when this guy became a part of our family for far too short a time.
Snoopy adopted us on June 22, 2020, after being surrendered by his only family at the age of 14 and a half. A short time later we discovered he had advanced cancer.
We did everything we could for the Snoop, including some chemotherapy treatments. But we kept his quality of life at the center of every decision we made in terms of his care.
We had three amazing, fun-filled months with the Snoop.
June 22, 2020 – the day we met SnoopyAt one point, we noticed he could have a charming gruffness to him that reminded us of Ed Asner’s ‘Lou Grant’ from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. There were moments he was playful as a puppy and other times when he’d look at us and seemed to be channeling Lou Grant’s famous line, “I hate spunk,” and then look away.
I know this could be read as a sad post, but it’s not. The gift of life this guy gave us changed us forever. We miss Snoop every day but we’re so glad he happened to us. Please consider adopting adult/senior dogs.
I made this video for Michael for Christmas celebrating Snoopy and the awesome life he shared with us last summer.
The song – Sammy Davis Jr.’s cover of The Mary Tyler Moore Show theme song – is a nod to our ‘Mr. Grant.’ And the lyrics so perfectly described Snoopy’s effect on everyone he met.
Happy World Smile Day from SnoopySome news items you might have missed:
• World Smile Day: Talk about ‘who can turn the world on with his smile?’ Snoopy (above) sends TGIF greetings to all. #HandsomeDog #DogsRule
• The Advocate: A man was dancing with a female friend recording a TikTok video in Lower Manhattan on Saturday when an unknown assailant called him a homophobic slur and punched him repeatedly in the head. The assailant fled on foot, and the New York Police Department’s hate-crimes unit is investigating the incident as a bias crime.
• Pink News: In a letter to USA Today’s political reporter Susan Page, who will serve as moderator for the upcoming vice presidential debate, 13 LGBT+ rights groups asked her to address queer rights, as it would “do our nation and community a disservice to exclude these issues as a part of the conversation.”
• KIT212: Check out Kenneth’s lastest round-up of LGBTQ publications including DNA Magazine’s latest issue (below) featuring Ian Utterback on the cover.
Ian Utterback covers DNA Magazine (photo: James Franklin)• USA Today: Newly revealed secretly recorded conversations with Melania Trump show the first lady expressing dismay at her role in decorating and promoting the White House during Christmas time, while she was being criticized for not doing more meaningful work. “I’m working my a– off with the Christmas stuff that, you know, who gives a f— about Christmas stuff and decorations but I need to do it, right?” Trump is heard saying.
• Washington Post: Amazon said Thursday that nearly 20,000 of its U.S. employees had tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began. The retailer has faced harsh criticism as hundreds of workers and critics have said it hasn’t done enough to keep employees safe as they work in its warehouses amid a surge in demand to send items to shoppers across the country.
• Twitter: File this clip of Donald Trump mocking Joe Biden for wearing a face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic under “Didn’t age well.”
“I don't wear masks like him (Biden). Every time you see him, he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away and he shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen." – Donald Trump at Tuesday’s debate pic.twitter.com/0Sj6IR8eqP
— Andrew Kimmel (@andrewkimmel) October 2, 2020
Me and the SnoopSome news items you might have missed:
• Snoop Watch: Taking a ride with Snoopy (above). He’s soooo good in the car… #BeagleLife
• Law And Crime: A federal judge in Wisconsin ruled on Monday that absentee ballots postmarked as mailed on Nov. 3—namely, Election Day—shall be counted up to six days later.
• The Advocate: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden denounced Poland’s so-called ‘LGBT-free zones’ as “having no place in the European Union or anywhere in the world.” Biden has pledged to make LGBTQ+ rights around the world a priority of his administration.
Let me be clear: LGBTQ+ rights are human rights — and “LGBT-free zones” have no place in the European Union or anywhere in the world. https://t.co/zc8YvSq6iN
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 21, 2020
• Flip-Flop: In a letter to his Senate Judiciary Committee colleagues, Sen. Lindsey Graham says he’s reversed on confirming a Supreme Court Justice so close to a presidential election because he thinks Democrats were mean to Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings.
• Tennessean: Former Nashville Councilman Tony Tenpenny died of complications due to COVID-19 on Sunday after several weeks in the hospital. In the months before his death, the conservative Republican shared several social media posts expressing doubts about the coronavirus pandemic including a post calling the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) “pure lying asses.”
• Reuters: Spain has recorded 31,428 more coronavirus cases since Friday, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 671,468, health ministry data showed on Monday. Spain has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in western Europe and regional authorities have ordered a partial lockdown from Monday in some Madrid neighborhoods where cases are rising fast.
• ETonline: I thought the Television Academy did a terrific job presenting its virtual Emmy Awards last night, although some of the attempts at comedy fell a bit flat without a live audience’s reaction.
For instance, having lost earlier in the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series category (for the 4th time), a stunning Laverne Cox presented the award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series and did a funny bit about missing out on the award. But the tone of her voice – plus no live audience to laugh along with her – made for an awkward moment, and ABC censored part of her remarks.
#emmys This was so odd 😂😂. Gave off Joan Crawford vibes. Laverne killed this dress though 🔥 #Emmy #Emmys2020 #EmmyAwards #lavernecox pic.twitter.com/bim0vlP6fR
— None Ya (@whtabtprmblne) September 21, 2020
Snoopy doing his best turned-in Fosse legSome news items you might have missed:
• National Dog Day: Celebrating all of the furry family members that make our lives liveable. That’s the amazing Snoopy above, and yes, he is giving you turned-in Fosse leg 🙂
• NY Times: Just over two months before Election Day, Donald Trump is trailing in almost every poll to former Vice President Joe Biden, whom activists credit with pushing President Obama to support gay marriage. And Trump’s advisers are suddenly talking about LGBTQ people as they scramble to find new voter support.
• Washington Blade: A federal appeals court on Wednesday once again ruled in favor of Gavin Grimm, a transgender man who challenged his Virginia school district’s bathroom policy.
• The Advocate: Well-known homophobe and pool boy/personal trainer aficionado Jerry Falwell Jr. will receive a $10.5 million severance package from Liberty University as he heads out the door amid controversy.
• CNN: A sudden change in federal guidelines on coronavirus testing came this week as a result of pressure from the upper ranks of the Trump administration, a federal health official tells CNN – “It’s coming from the top down.” The new guidelines raise the bar on who should get tested, advising that some people without symptoms probably don’t need it — even if they’ve been in close contact with an infected person.
• New Music: Rising pop artist MkX has released his latest single “Fall” – an escapist pop bop that wrestles with the feeling of falling in love.
“I wrote “Fall” about the three stages of falling for someone,” says MkX. “The first stage is apprehension and wanting to protect yourself from getting hurt. The second stage is realization and coming to terms with the fact that you’re starting to fall in love. The third stage is owning it and switching roles by making that person fall for you. Each chorus has the same melody, but slightly different lyrics that reflect each of these stages.”
MkX is a new artist for me but I definitely like mixing up synth-pop and R&B on a very modern, ‘now’ soundscape.
Driving Mr. SnoopySorry for the light posting today, dear awesome readers, I spent my first day out of the house with hubby Michael and the awesome Snoopy together.
Today marks our 2 month anniversary with the Snoop, and we continue to feel blessed he adopted us.
Of course, I spent the day on chauffer duty as you can see above LOL… #DogsRule
Me and Snoopy (photo: Denise Truscello)Some news items you might have missed:
• Snoop Watch: Just a quick check-in to say Snoopy (the short one above) is doing great settling in with Michael and me. For those interested in #BeagleLife, most of my posts about Snoopy will be on Instagram here. Thanks to Denise Truscello for the pic and to everyone for all the messages of support about our new 14-year-old addition 🙂
• Instinct Magazine: The Lifetime TV channel has announced that it will release its first-ever holiday film with a same-sex romance as the central storyline. The upcoming tv movie is titled The Christmas Set-Up and follows two former high school friends who get (surprise!) ‘set-up’ by one’s mother during holidays at home.
• Out Music: Acclaimed singer and songwriter VINCINT recently released “Hard 2 Forget,” the eagerly awaited follow-up to his acclaimed debut EP, The Feeling.
The out artist has received raves from the media like this from Eonline: “VINCINT has kept us captivated with his sumptuous synth-pop sound and his outrageous vocals. As masterful with a full-throated belt as he is slipping into a soft falsetto, his is a voice.”
• WOW: Former Grey’s Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington (who was fired from the show for using a homophobic slur) came out to FoxNews as a Trump supporter. In April, the actor tweeted he had left the Democratic party.
• Sunday Times: Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber on why the now-infamous CATS movie turned out the way it did – “The problem with the film was that [director] Tom Hooper decided that he didn’t want anybody involved in it who was involved in the original show. The whole thing was ridiculous.”
• CNN: After repeatedly seeking to discredit mail-in voting, Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed Florida’s election system is “safe and secure” and encouraged Floridians to vote by mail.
Whether you call it Vote by Mail or Absentee Voting, in Florida the election system is Safe and Secure, Tried and True. Florida’s Voting system has been cleaned up (we defeated Democrats attempts at change), so in Florida I encourage all to request a Ballot & Vote by Mail! #MAGA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 4, 2020
In which he admits that absentee and mail-in ballots are the same exact thing.
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) August 4, 2020
Guess Trump finally realized that his attacks on mail-in voting have only discouraged his *own* voters from safely voting during a pandemic.
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) August 4, 2020
This will clear this all up for everyone 😃 pic.twitter.com/HQdBaykHGD
— 🌍🌏🌎 Super Duper Covfefe Missile🌍🌎🌏 (@aaliyahnelly12) August 4, 2020
Whenever @realDonaldTrump complains about MAIL-IN voting just remember that @realDonaldTrump@VP@KellyannePolls@BetsyDeVosED @PressSec@GOPChairwoman
and others in the #TrumpCrimeSyndicate have used Mail in voting for years #VoteBlue2020 https://t.co/neqQHzAIrI pic.twitter.com/If5AB4U50t
— Nestor “the boss” Gomez (@soloyochapin) August 4, 2020
Green.Joel (via Instagram)Checking in with the Hunks of Instagram – first up, Joel Green (above) answers the eternal Sondheimian question: Does anyone still wear…a hat? (The answer is clearly yes, and, well).
International pop star Maluma is dancing in Hawaii asking if anyone celebrates “for the love that is gone?”
Bremen Menelli had some quality time with Hugo the doggo:
Bearded Frank needed (and got) some well-deserved beach care:
Daniel Newman seems to know as much about sportsball as I do, LOL…
I don’t really need an explanation about what Jason Momoa is doing here. I just want to watch 🙂
Ignacio Pérez Rey gets all mysterious with his caption, “All good, but…” #thingsthatmakeyougohmm
Apparently Rick and the Griffopotamus had a lake party:
Don’t forget to tune into this year’s virtual edition of Broadway Bares tonight at 9:30 pm ET on the Broadway Cares YouTube channel:
And speaking of woofy guys, the handsome Snoopy is giving you serious face here:
(image via Instagram)Some news items you might have missed:
• InstaHunks: Dan Tai (above) is giving me life wearing his sexy swim shorts from Box Menswear. Dan’s post shares some very wise somethingsomethingsomething and then asks how many other people are in the photo? #OtherPeople?
• The Advocate: The past 12 months saw LGBTQ+ representation in elective office in the U.S. grow by 21 percent, with 843 known out officials as of June. The number of out officials is likely to grow even more over the next 12 months with more than 880 openly LGBTQ+ people currently running for office in 2020 — the most ever.
• U.S. Military: A study by the Palm Center shows Donald Trump’s ban on transgender military service members could realistically be reversed within a 30-day period. “All the ingredients are there for a virtually instant reversal.”
• The Lincoln Project: Major props to this anti-Trump group for their latest – a totally Seinfeld-inspired campaign ad. You’ve got to give it to these folks for style.
• Gaily Grind: Another day, another ‘Karen.’ A woman in Washington state walked into a pizza restaurant demanding they serve her when she refused to wear a face mask. ‘I have a right to my pizza!’ #srsly
• NBC News: Two data sets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published Tuesday say true COVID-19 rates are more than 10 times higher than reported cases in some U.S. regions. The estimates are based on COVID-19 antibody tests performed on routine blood samples in 16,000 people in 10 U.S. regions.
• Snoop Watch: My hubby Michael got tired of waiting for our new dog to freely offer up kisses, so he bribed the Snoop with peanut butter (top photo). Hit the play button below to see the craven bribery.
Snoopy the wonder dogSome news items you might have missed:
• Snoop Watch: Our new 14-year-old beagle rescue, Snoopy, is doing great (above). After having some tumors removed last week, he got some stitches out today. Plus, he had an adventure at PetSmart on the way home, so he’s a bit tuckered out. But awesome 🙂
• The Advocate: Have you heard the one about Brazil’s virulently homophobic president who was so resistant to wear a face mask during the coronavirus pandemic he told aides, “Masks are for fa**ots?” Oh, and then he tested positive for COVID-19. #LifeComesAtYouFast
• KIT212: Kenneth rounds up the best of local LGBTQ rags including this week’s Music Issue of California-based Gloss Magazine:
• Instinct Magazine: Chicago’s LGBTQ neighborhood, currently known as ‘Boystown,’ may get a new genderless moniker if a Change.org petition has its way.
• Baltimore Sun: Packed elevators, crowded committee rooms, and legislators sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the House and Senate floor. All without a mask in sight. Those were common scenes at the Mississippi Capitol in June and now at least 26 lawmakers have been diagnosed with the coronavirus in the biggest known outbreak in any state legislature in the nation.
• Las Vegas: I’m so glad someone posted this video to YouTube so I can share it without linking to this idiot woman’s Facebook.
‘Las Vegas Karen’ and her friend came to my town, Las Vegas, and were gobsmacked to learn they have to wear masks around people. She refused and began Facebook Live streaming her exit where she declares face masks are worse than coronavirus and Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said they are ‘symbolic’ and don’t do anything useful (he didn’t say that).
With security guards trying to escort them out, they protest how their constitutional rights are being violated (they aren’t) and how it’s illegal to require masks in casinos and restaurants (it’s not). Have you ever heard “No shirt, no shoes, no service?” Miss Karen, there’s no constitutional right to gamble in a casino…ok?