9 totally believable scandals that will blow your mind

The truth is stranger than fiction these days — the last year has proven as much.

So at the rate things are going, would you really be all that surprised if, say, the White House was compromised by Scientologists planning to use our nukes to clear the Thetans?

OK, so maybe these fictitious scandals are a little farfetched, but we’ll keep an eye out for developments in any case. Who knows? Maybe your unhinged uncle will be ranting about one of these stories next Thanksgiving. Talk about suspense.

Scroll down for some highly distracting #BelievableScandals:

Kellyanne Conway really HAS been Denis Leary in drag all along. #BelievableScandals pic.twitter.com/UCa5EaoeUP

— RenBabz (@renbabz) February 16, 2017

#BelievableScandals Hidden ingredient: Crack. pic.twitter.com/85VKkEN7Yj

— LunchLettersFromMom (@Resist_LoveMom) February 16, 2017

#BelievableScandals : Melania Trump is staying in New York City to be near Alec Baldwin.

— Squirrel (@Squirrel3218) February 16, 2017

#BelievableScandals all the hashtag game hosts are the same person. pic.twitter.com/JQytX0bgsb

— #Jesus (@TheLordHasSpoke) February 16, 2017

Russia created Fox News to Dumb Down America. #BelievableScandals@MilesOfHashtags pic.twitter.com/d3m5X6XzcP

— CK (@charley_ck14) February 16, 2017

#BelievableScandals
Trump & Melania’s Secret Service code names are Boris & Natasha pic.twitter.com/ULtx4kKqbm

— Matt 2.0 (@1CynicalCyborg) February 16, 2017

Beyoncé’s pregnancy was an immaculate conception and she is bearing Messianic twins. #BelievableScandals pic.twitter.com/23Z0OuS7DX

— Alika Hope (@AlikaHope) February 16, 2017

#BelievableScandals The Tooth Fairy is part of a world-wide money laundering scheme

— Mike LeBlanc (@Michael24532985) February 16, 2017

Steve Bannon distraught over the 2008 and 2012 elections, spiraled into an experimental phase due to deep depression #BelievableScandals pic.twitter.com/1vo1H0svEz

— Buddy Revelle (@JGotJuic3NowKid) February 16, 2017

www.queerty.com/9-totally-believable-scandals-will-blow-mind-20170216?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Did You Know Poverty Is Sexist?

A new 60-second film by the ONE Campaign explores how women are kept in the cycle of poverty with a single word.

www.advocate.com/women/2017/2/16/did-you-know-poverty-sexist

'A Day Without Immigrants' Protest Shows the Importance of Foreign-Born Workers

Immigrants around the U.S. stayed home from work and school on Thursday to defy Trump and demonstrate how important they are to America’s working economy.

www.advocate.com/politics/2017/2/16/day-without-immigrants-protest-shows-importance-foreign-born-workers

WATCH: This dance tribute to ‘Moonlight’ is absolutely stunning

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has teamed up with Nowness to produce a dance tribute to the 2016 indie hit Moonlight, and they’ve knocked it out of the park.

The dance company, founded in 1958 by dance icon Alvin Ailey, worked with Moonlight’s composer, Nicholas Britell, to create the piece. The school’s artistic director Robert Battle choreographed, and it features dancers Jamar Roberts, Christopher Taylor and Jeremy T. Villas portraying three phases of one man’s life.

Related: Beyond Moonlight: 5 Black LGBTQ films that blazed the trail

The film, which is nominated for eight Academy Awards, is told in three parts, with three actors playing the protagonist during distinct phases of his life. It paints a strikingly intimate portrait of a gay man’s journey towards self-acceptance.

Watch below:

h/t NNN

www.queerty.com/watch-dance-tribute-moonlight-absolutely-stunning-20170216?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

End Racial and Religious Profiling Act Introduced in Congress

Today, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced the End Racial and Religious Profiling Act. The End Racial and Religious Profiling Act would prohibit federal, state, and local law enforcement from targeting a person based on actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation without trustworthy information that is relevant to linking a person to a crime.  

The bill would also require law enforcement to maintain adequate policies and procedures designed to eliminate profiling, including increased data collection in order to accurately assess the extent of the problem.  Furthermore, the bill would require training for law enforcement officials on issues of profiling and mandates the creation of procedures for receiving, investigating, and responding to complaints of alleged profiling.   

Profiling of LGBTQ individuals continues to be a problem, particularly for LGBTQ people of color and members of the transgender community. A study by Lambda Legal found that a quarter of LGBTQ people and people living with HIV who reported in-person contact with law enforcement said they experienced harassment or misconduct—including profiling, verbal or physical assault, sexual harassment, or assault and false arrest. In addition, the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey reported that 49% of transgender individuals who interacted with officers who thought or knew they were transgender were addressed using the wrong gender pronouns or titles. In addition, 20% were verbally harassed, 4% physically assaulted, and 3% sexually assaulted by officers.

Police misconduct, when left unchecked, not only stigmatizes law enforcement agencies that, on the whole, seek to serve the community with integrity, but also fosters mistrust between the community and police that is difficult to repair. The introduction of the End Racial and Religious Profiling Act is an important step in addressing these issues. The Human Rights Campaign welcomes the introduction of this bill and joined 126 organizations calling on Senators to cosponsor this important piece of legislation.

www.hrc.org/blog/end-racial-and-religious-profiling-act-introduced-in-congress?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Judges Shut Down Antigay Florist, Case Could Head to Supreme Court

The Washington State Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision on a florist who refused service to a male couple.

www.advocate.com/marriage-equality/2017/2/16/judges-shut-down-antigay-florist-case-could-head-supreme-court

Donald Trump claims to have the will of the people, but Facebook video tells a different story

“The media’s trying to attack our administration because they know we are following through on pledges that we made,” Donald Trump said at his press conference on Thursday. “And they’re not happy about it for whatever reason. And, but a lot of people are happy about it. In fact I’ll be in Melbourne, Florida 5 o’clock on Saturday, and I heard — just heard that the crowds are massive, that want to be there.”

This is the world in which the President lives — one in which he has the backing of the American people.

No matter that his Pew Research approval rating is currently at a historical low — just 39% — and so what if members of his own administration keep leaking to the press what an utter mess it is behind the scenes at the White House. The people love him, he can just feel it!

Related: Time’s new cover is going to royally piss off Donald Trump

But watching the conference live on Facebook, another story emerges.

Viewers can react during a live feed, and those reactions cascade over the image in real time.

Here’s a snippet of the president’s statements that The Hill broadcast — notice a pattern emerging in the reactions?

It’s not exactly a sunny reception. One heart to every 15 angry faces — sounds about right.

And how’s Sean Spicer doing by the same metric? We’re sure this comes as no surprise:

www.queerty.com/donald-trump-claims-will-people-facebook-video-tells-different-story-20170216?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Ashton Kutcher, Clarence Thomas, Amsterdam, Cristiano Ronaldo, Adam Lambert: HOT LINKS

SHAUN KING. Trump is a wife beater who surrounds himself with wife beaters: “Donald Trump, chief White House strategist Steve Bannon, and his now vanquished choice for labor secretary, Andrew Puzder, have one deeply disturbing thing in common: Each of them have had wives who accused them of physical assaults.”

FLORIDA. Donald Trump holding rally this weekend, and here’s how YOU can attend, resisters. “If you want to welcome Donald Trump to Florida, click here to RSVP and register for tickets. Bring a friend! Bring all your friends!”

CLARENCE THOMAS. Justice’s wife pushed travel ban: “In leaked emails, Ginni Thomas asked for advice on how to organize in favor of Trump’s travel ban. But by doing so, she may have inadvertently made it harder for the executive order to survive the Supreme Court.”

SCHPROCKETS. FKA Twigs is now dressing Robert Pattinson.

BRIAN BROWN. NOM is sad that Trump hasn’t yet signed the religious freedom executive order.

CONOR KENNEDY. RFK’s grandson pleads guilty in bar fight in which he defended a friend after someone used a homophobic slur against him.

MONTANA. LGBT leaders ask state for protections: “27 people shared personal stories of discrimination without any options for recourse. Experts on the law and sexual violence contradicted claims that the measure would infringe upon religious practice or create a public safety danger.”

ASHTON KUTCHER. Actor speaks out in emotional testimony against human trafficking.

AMSTERDAM. Man arrested for assault on gay couple last October: “Three young men on scooters attacked the gay couple, seemingly out of nowhere. The police believe that the couple was targeted due to their sexual orientation. One of te victims sustained a fractured skull in the attack and spent some time in the hospital. Earlier this week the police released video footage of the attack, as well as a clear image of one of the attackers. It is unclear whether the arrest was made based on information received after this footage was released.”

UK TEACHER. The day I told students I was gay.

UNDERWEAR. Cristiano Ronaldo is showing off his new collection.

BOOKS. Promised Land fairy tale released after crowdfunding campaign: “”If you’re a teenager and 12 or 15, and you’ve realised ‘oh I’m gay’, you can look back at this.”

MUSIC. Adam Lambert is working with Nile Rodgers.

ITALY. Carnevale di Viareggio float features Donald Trump.

NEW TUNE FOR THE DAY. Kygo and Selena Gomez – “It Ain’t Me”.

THIRSTY THURSDAY. Jay Valentine.

The post Ashton Kutcher, Clarence Thomas, Amsterdam, Cristiano Ronaldo, Adam Lambert: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.

Ashton Kutcher, Clarence Thomas, Amsterdam, Cristiano Ronaldo, Adam Lambert: HOT LINKS