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Stephen Colbert Diagrams Trump’s Response to the Orlando Massacre: WATCH
Stephen Colbert had a lot to say about Donald Trump’s response this week to the Orlando massacre. Colbert’s revealing diagrams, however, speak for themselves.
Watch:
The post Stephen Colbert Diagrams Trump’s Response to the Orlando Massacre: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
Teacher Accused of Anti-Gay Rant in Wake of Orlando Attack Says Account Was Hacked – VIDEO
Last month, we told you how Ali Chaney (above), a gay 13-year-old student in Texas, was sent home from school for wearing a T-shirt that read: “Some people are gay. Get over it.”
On Monday, a teacher allegedly sent Ali’s mother, Cassie Watson, a Facebook message (right) suggesting that Sunday’s terror attack at a gay nightclub in Orlando shows administrators at SC Lee Junior High School in Copperas Cove made the correct decision.
“In light of the Orlando incident wear (sic) all gay people were openly slaughtered, I wonder if you’d still let your daughter wear the t-shirt to school that caused public controversy and may have subjected her to possible harm by others?” the teacher wrote. “Being gay isn’t a crime but publicly forcing your opinion upon others, and to do it through your child at school, will always be offensive to others.”
KCEN-TV has chosen not to identify the teacher, who reportedly works at a local elementary school. The station reports that while district administrators are aware of the message, it’s unclear whether they are investigating.
“I would hate to ruin somebody’s career over a simple message,” Watson told KCEN. “But, if this is how she truly feels, and there is a possibility that she could be teaching our young kids these lessons, then I absolutely believe that she may need to find a new profession.”
On Tuesday, the unidentified teacher sent KCEN a statement alleging that her Facebook account had been hacked.
“My FB account was hacked yesterday and I was not responsible for the message sent to the lady causing her to believe that her child would be harmed. It took several attempts to delete the account after notifying FB that my account had been hacked. I have lived my life protecting the rights of others and being an advocate for ALL children. I’m saddened that a hacker can cause such negativity and division among so many people. Please give my sincerest apology to this woman and her child. Thank you.”
Watson told the station she doesn’t believe the message was the work of a hacker.
Watch KCEN’s report below.
kcentv.com – KCEN HD – Waco, Temple, and Killeen
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Hillary Clinton, DC Primary, #TwoMenKissing, Omar Mateen, Pete’s Dragon, Trent Reznor: NEWS
#TWOMENKISSING. Art from Brian Kenny.
THE END, FOR NOW. Hillary Clinton wins Washington DC primary, meets with Sanders: “Hillary Clinton formally concluded the U.S. Democratic presidential race on Tuesday with a win in the District of Columbia primary, then turned her focus to uniting the party during a 90-minute private meeting with defeated rival Bernie Sanders….Both camps described the meeting as “positive” and said the two noted their shared commitment to stopping Trump and pursuing issues such as raising the minimum wage, eliminating undisclosed money in politics, making college affordable and making healthcare coverage more accessible.”
ORLANDO. Tampa Bay Rays will donate Pride night proceeds to Orlando victims: “Beginning this morning, all open seats to Friday’s Rays-San Francisco Giants 7:10 p.m. game at Tropicana Field will be available for $5 with 100 percent of proceeds benefitting the Pulse Victims Fund (gofundme.com/PulseVictimsFund), set up for the families of the victims.”
OMAR MATEEN. Orlando killer visited gay chat rooms. “Investigators don’t know whether he visited the chat rooms for personal reasons or for surveillance before carrying out the brutal attack early Sunday at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, killing 49 people and wounding more than 50 others.”
ITAY HOD. Did self-hatred drive Mateen?
PULSE. Straight Pulse bartender returns to cover Orlando massacre as AP videographer: “As a cash-strapped college student at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, I was more than willing to try something outside the box to earn good money. Taking that job selling shots of alcohol was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The gay community virtually adopted me and eased my college expenses with its generosity. It feels surreal to now be a member of the news media covering the massacre at Pulse. I’ve focused my camera on countless murder scenes and tragic stories, and I rarely get emotional. I use my lens to distance me and keep work separate from real life.”
POSSIBLE SECOND TARGET. Mateen sent Facebook friend request to owner of Orlando gay club Revere: “When I didn’t accept (the Facebook friend request), I looked through his friends first and rejected it. In doing that, I looked — a few of his friends were just Arabic writing and I didn’t even know. It was just nothing that would relate to an LGBT club. It just didn’t make sense.”
JOINT MUSLIM STATEMENT. Leading Muslims speak out: “On behalf of the American Muslim community, we, the undersigned, want to extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the barbaric assault that occurred early yesterday morning at Pulse, an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, Florida. We unequivocally say that such an act of hate-fueled violence has no place in any faith, including Islam. As people of faith, we believe that all human beings have the right to safety and security and that each and every human life is inviolable.”
ELLEN PAGE. Speaks out on Orlando.
FLORENCE WELCH. Sends her thoughts to Orlando. “Say my name and every color illuminates. We are shining, and we will never be afraid again.”
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI. City Council passes landmark LGBT nondiscrimination ordinance. “As the LGBTQ community grapples with the horrific massacre in Orlando, it is truly encouraging to see the Jackson City Council taking decisive action to protect and affirm the rights of all their citizens,” said HRC Mississippi State Director Rob Hill. “Discrimination and hate have no place in Jackson, and everyone, regardless of who they are, should have the legal right to feel safe in their community. We thank Councilman Tyrone Hendrix for his continued leadership on issues of equality, and are confident that the Council’s actions will serve as an example to communities across the country.”
NARB. Nick Jonas explains.
PILOTS. Louis CK explains why he’s voting for Hillary. It’s like if you were on a plane and you wanted to choose a pilot. You have one person, Hillary, who says, “Here’s my license. Here’s all the thousands of flights that I’ve flown. Here’s planes I’ve flown in really difficult situations. I’ve had some good flights and some bad flights, but I’ve been flying for a very long time, and I know exactly how this plane works.” Then you’ve got Bernie, who says, “Everyone should get a ride right to their house with this plane.” “Well, how are you going to do that?” “I just think we should. It’s only fair that everyone gets to use the plane equally.” And then Trump says, “I’m going to fly so well. You’re not going to believe how good I’m going to fly this plane, and by the way, Hillary never flew a plane in her life.” “She did, and we have pictures.” “No, she never did it.” It’s insane.
FORMAT WAR. Apple’s Trent Reznor blasts YouTube: “Personally, I find YouTube’s business to be very disingenuous. It is built on the backs of free, stolen content and that’s how they got that big. I think any free-tiered service is not fair. It’s making their numbers and getting them a big IPO and it is built on the back of my work and that of my peers. That’s how I feel about it. Strongly. We’re trying to build a platform that provides an alternative – where you can get paid and an artist can control where their [content] goes.”
PETE’S DRAGON. A trailer for the remake.
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Congressman Denies Shooting Targeted Gay People Then Blocks Nondiscrimination Amendment
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) doesn’t think gay people are targeted for violence or discrimination.
The post Congressman Denies Shooting Targeted Gay People Then Blocks Nondiscrimination Amendment appeared first on ThinkProgress.
VIDEO: 2012 gun violence survivor Kristene Chapa speaks at #WeAreOrlando vigil
Since surviving an execution-style shooting in a Texas park four years ago, Kristene Chapa has dedicated herself to healing physically and emotionally from the attack’s severe wounds and the loss of her girlfriend, Mollie Olgin, who died at the scene. But she is also committed to standing publicly against violence, particularly violence against fellow LGBT community members.
She is working with a writer on a book to tell her story in print, she shared her experiences on stage at the 26th annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York, and last night, she spoke at a vigil in Corpus Christi to honor the victims who lost their lives in an attack of historic proportions at Latin Night in Orlando’s Pulse club. In 2012, vigils were held nationwide as prayers were sent for her survival and recovery. Now, she is paying it forward.
In her gripping and honest speech, of which GLAAD has video, Kris told the large crowd, united in solidarity:
Hello. My name is Kristene Chapa. Some of you may have heard my name, others may have not. Like the victims in Orlando, I was attacked by a gunman and left for dead. My girlfriend, Mollie Olgin, and I were both shot in the head. Tragically, Mollie did not make it. When I lost Mollie, my whole world came crashing down. Every single part of me hurt.
Sunday’s mass shooting in Orlando was a horrible massacre. Parents should not have to bury their children. I know this tragedy has scared a lot of LGBT people. I will never understand how someone can kill innocent people as if they’re nothing! As if they are not human beings! Each person who died in Orlando was somebody’s loved one!
Having a gun pointed at you is an awful experience. Praying you will make it. Fearing you will not see your loved ones again. Knowing this is it, you are going to die. So scared you need to throw up. Your heart beating so fast you feel like it’s going to jump out of your chest.
After I was shot, doctors told my family I could die within 24-hours. But I survived and slowly began to recover. Even after I learned to walk again, I was terrified to go out in public. Scared to go to the mall or the movies. But one day, I woke up and told myself: I cannot be afraid the rest of my life. I have a second chance to live!
After Orlando, we must turn to faith and love. Fear and hatred will not save us. We must come together and fight for each other. Stand side by side. Because what good is a life lived in fear? That would be giving the terrorists what they want. We have to trust in God and live our lives to the fullest!
You can watch the full video of her speech here:
Video courtesy of Mark Martinez & Kristene Chapa
For years, GLAAD has been working with Kristene and her advocates in Texas and around the country to bring attention and support to her message. Kristene and Mollie’s story has captured the attention of local and national media, including an MSNBC Originals episode from December 2014. Her alleged attacker is set to go to trial this fall. The #justice4krisandmollie movement has continued to grow. You can join in the support by visiting www.glaad.org/justice4krisandmollie, tweeting with the hashtag #justice4krisandmollie, or donating to Kristene’s Go Fund Me page.
GLAAD stands in solidarity with Florida’s LGBTQ community and is working to support the efforts of Equality Florida. Check out a list of resources Equality Florida has provided for those seeking information or who wish to offer their support here.
www.glaad.org/blog/video-2012-gun-violence-survivor-kristene-chapa-speaks-weareorlando-vigil
Will Wife of Orlando Killer Be Charged? (Video)
www.advocate.com/crime/2016/6/15/will-wife-orlando-killer-be-charged-video
Gay Rights historical marker by Liberty Bell, Philadelphia
davidvictor513 posted a photo:
Gay Rights historical sign beside the Liberty Bell, marking the site of the first major Gay Rights march (1965) in the US
Gay GOProud Founder Chris Barron Launches Loathsome ‘LGBT for Trump’ Campaign: WATCH
Chris Barron, the homocon founder of gay conservative group GOProud, has launched a campaign to convince LGBT people that Trump will be better for them than Hillary Clinton.
Chris Barron, the former president of the now-defunct gay conservative group GOProud, was recently a vocal Trump critic, but now is circulating a letter among like-minded members of the LGBT community, arguing that Republican Trump will better-suited to protect them from acts of extremism as president than Democrat Hillary Clinton.
“I have no doubt that Donald Trump would be better for LGBT Americans,” Barron said in an interview with CNN. “Hillary Clinton wants to continue a reckless foreign policy that has made the world less safe for all Americans, including LGBT Americans. She can find plenty of time to crucify Christians in the U.S. for perceived anti-gay bias, but when we’ve got ISIS throwing gay people off of buildings, when we have Muslim states that are prescribing the death penalty for people who are gay, I would think this would be something that a friend of the LGBT community would be able to speak out on, and Hillary Clinton finds it unable to do so.”
Barron’s campaign on Trump’s behalf will be an uphill battle, as polling shows that most LGBT voters remain skeptical of Republicans, whose officials party platform opposes same-sex marriage. Gay voters overwhelmingly supported President Obama in 2012, according to CNN’s national exit poll.
Barron’s career has been based around pretending (or believing) that conservatives actually like gay people.
Longtime readers may recall how Barron stood by “strong ally” Ann Coulter after she mocked National Coming Out Day with her own “disown your son” day, compared GLAAD to terrorists, and spent lots of time sucking up to Michelle Bachmann and other anti-LGBT arch-conservatives.
You might also recall that Barron called Trump’s birther views on Obama “common sense”.
Watch:
Don’t fall for it.
As Dan Savage noted last night on All In with Chris Hayes:
“Donald Trump has pledged to undo marriage equality. Donald Trump is the enemy of the LGBT community just as he is the enemy of the Muslim community. And beating up on what is, in the United States, a vulnerable minority group isn’t the way that you impress other members of other vulnerable minority groups to win their support.”
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Police Formally Charge Man Headed to L.A. Pride With Loaded Assault Rifle, Explosives: VIDEO
James Wesley Howell, who was arrested Sunday heading towards the Los Angeles Pride festival in a car loaded with weapons and explosive chemicals, has been formally charged.
Howell “had a loaded assault rifle with magazines rigged to allow 60 shots to be fired in quick succession, along with 15 pounds of chemicals mixed and ready to explode.”
Howell made his initial court appearance Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to three felony weapons and ammunition charges. The judge set bail at $2 million.
Alone, each item found in Howell’s car might not indicate anything sinister, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz said. But together, they “just don’t pass the common sense test.”
“I cannot in good conscience think of any reasonable reason that somebody would be traveling across the country with all of these things,” he said.
Although Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks mistakenly tweeted that Howell intended to “harm” the L.A. Pride festival, authorities later said they did not know his intentions.
James Howell held on weapons and explosive materials charges. Stated intent: go to Gay Pride event; wrong on initial rpt of wanting to harm
— Jacqueline Seabrooks (@SantaMonicaCoP) June 13, 2016
It was also ruled out that Howell was connected to the massacre of 49 people in Orlando, Florida on Sunday.
James Wesley Howell’s ex-boyfriend: ‘It didnt surprise me at all.’ t.co/rFwVeox5mp via @jdisis @MichaelAdams317
— Kristine Guerra (@kristine_guerra) June 14, 2016
A restraining order against Howell in Indiana prohibits him from possessing firearms.
Howell has said he did not intend to harm festival attendees.
According to the Los Angeles Times, he was charged with three felony offenses – possession of explosives on a highway, possession of an assault weapon and possession of high-capacity magazines. Police also filed a misdemeanor charge, possession of a firearm in a car.
Trump-lovin’ gun-nut James Wesley Howell who planned to attack LA LGBT pride has a history of criminal violence, yet had stockpiles of guns.
— Bill Madden (@activist360) June 12, 2016
Robert Boyd, Howell’s attorney in a separate Kentucky criminal case, said his client’s father and mother are struggling to get details about their son’s arrest. Details about the case, said Boyd said, “may have been blown out of proportion.They are very interested to find out the true facts of the case.”
Appearing at the Airport Courthouse in L.A. yesterday, Howell entered a plea of not guilty.
He faces up to nine years and four months in prison if convicted on all charges.
Watch a CNN report below.
(Image via Twitter)
The post Police Formally Charge Man Headed to L.A. Pride With Loaded Assault Rifle, Explosives: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.
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