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Monthly Archives: February 2017
Trump-inspired cocktails you didn’t know you were thirsting for
Trump-inspired cocktails you didn’t know you were thirsting for
“The Climate Denier” packs a helluva punch.
Rachel Maddow on the Shady Connection Between Wilbur Ross, Trump, and Lots of Russian Money: WATCH
Rachel Maddow on the Shady Connection Between Wilbur Ross, Trump, and Lots of Russian Money: WATCH
Another must-watch connect-the-dots from Rachel Maddow, this one involving newly-confirmed Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
Ross sits at the center of an extremely shady Florida real estate deal between Donald Trump and a billionaire Russian fertilizer magnate named Dmitry Rybolovlev with a need to hide large amounts of money.
Said Maddow:
“At the time this magical deal emerged out of nowhere that put tens of millions of dollars in Donald Trump’s pocket, at that time Donald Trump was financially having a very difficult time. It is a matter of public record that he was fighting very hard among other things to avoid paying off a very big loan that he had with Deutsche Bank. Deutsche Bank needs the money that means Trump needs the money, that means Trump needs to get the money, so… This mysterious infusion of cash from the Russian guy came at just the right time for now President Trump.”
Added Maddow:
“Every investigative reporter in the country right now is trying to figure out whether there is some reason our president appears to feel so beholden to Russia, and to Vladimir Putin. Well this part here, this is not like a loose thread, this is like a rope ladder hanging down from the ceiling begging people to crawl up this and look around.”
Watch:
If you’re interested in digging any further into the shadiness surrounding Ross, check out this article in The Guardian.
And here’s Maddow’s talk with David Remnick:
The post Rachel Maddow on the Shady Connection Between Wilbur Ross, Trump, and Lots of Russian Money: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
Rachel Maddow on the Shady Connection Between Wilbur Ross, Trump, and Lots of Russian Money: WATCH
The stunning 1971 ‘Life Magazine’ feature on gay liberation that inspired ‘When We Rise’
The stunning 1971 ‘Life Magazine’ feature on gay liberation that inspired ‘When We Rise’
When We Rise, the long-awaited TV miniseries about the battle for LGBTQ rights, premiered its first two hours last night to mostly positive reviews. The show isn’t subtle, and the direct, in-your-face approach does the subject justice. For the real life heroes who shed sweat and blood in the struggles for LGBTQ rights, for women’s rights, and for civil rights, the stakes were often as dramatic as life and death, freedom and oppression, dignity and suffering.
Since the show starts with so many seemingly disconnected stories (we suspect that won’t be the case as the narrative progresses), a clever storytelling thread is used to anchor everyone in time and place. Multiple characters are seen holding or reading the 1971 “Year in Pictures” edition of the now-shuttered Life Magazine, a sub-brand of Time Magazine.
The real-life issue included a groundbreaking photo spread titled “Homosexuals in Revolt,” and included the words “Gay Liberation” on the magazine’s cover. In the table of contents, the feature is described as “A major essay on America’s newest militants, the activists of ‘gay liberation.’”
Here’s a shot of the cover from the show:
And here’s the full cover (a near-mint copy can be yours on E-Bay for the near-reasonable price of $69):
In episode one of the series, we also get glimpses of content from the feature:
Here’s a closer look at some of the now-iconic imagery from this issue, together with the captions as they were printed in 1971, courtesy of Time Magazine:
You can find more of the images here.
Here’s a sample of the copy in the feature:
It was the most shocking and, to most Americans, the most surprising liberation movement yet. Under the slogan “Out of the closets and into the streets,” thousands of homosexuals, male and female, were proudly confessing what they had long hidden. They were, moreover, moving into direct confrontation with conventional society. Their battle was far from won. But in 1971 militant homosexuals showed they they were prepared to fight it…They resent what they consider to be savage discrimination against them on the basis of a preference which they did not choose and which they cannot — and do not want to — change. And while mist will admit that “straight” society’s attitudes have caused them unhappiness, they respond to the charge that all homosexuals are guilt-ridden and miserable with the defiant rallying cry “Gay is Good!”
As you can imagine, many Life readers in 1971 were appalled by the coverage.
Here are two reader-submitted responses that were printed in the 1972 edition of the magazine:
From Telford, Penn. — There was plenty to lament in your year-end issue, but the thing that struck me as most sad was the fact that LIFE felt compelled to devote 11 pages to “Homosexuals in Revolt.”
From Chicago — Essentially, it is absurd to accept as a mere “variant lifestyle” a practice which, if universal, would mean the end of the human race.
We owe it to those who fought, and to ourselves, to keep this not-so-distant past fresh in our minds as we take the fight for equality and justice into the 21st century.
When We Rise continues to air on ABC this week.
16-Year-Old Led Chilling Extortion Ring Targeting Grindr Users
16-Year-Old Led Chilling Extortion Ring Targeting Grindr Users
A 16-year-old Australian boy was among four arrested in Canberra for running an extortion racket that preyed upon Grindr users by threatening to out them as “pedophiles.” One of their victims is said to have committed suicide as a consequence.
While the group extorted up to $1,000 cash from the victims often along with their mobile phones, it appears the teenager was motivated by more than avarice, but rather a twisted and misplaced sense of “morality.” He referred to their group as “pedo[phile] hunters.” The boy’s father claimed when contacted by police that his son was “doing [the] police’s job” for them.
First Constable Steven Luxmoore gave evidence the boy was a principal offender in four or five of the seven alleged blackmail incidents reported to police.
“If there was someone I was to say sat at the top of the pyramid in this investigation that would be the individual,” he said.
First Constable Luxmoore said police found text and online messages exchanged with the man who died by suicide showed the boy had discussed meeting him at Mawson shops and was allegedly among a group who visited his house the night before he died.
The court heard the alleged victim’s phone had been active after his death and the accused had advertised that same model of mobile phone for sale on Gumtree soon after.
The others charged included the boy’s 18-year-old brother, a 15-year-old, and another 16-year-old. They face multiple counts of blackmail and drug offenses. An investigation had been launched by police following alerts to LGBT advocacy group the AIDS Action Council about Canberran gay men running afoul of blackmailers.
The magistrate overseeing the boy’s case said the scheme was “startlingly sophisticated” for his age and that there was a “high likelihood of [his] re-offending” before she took the decision to refuse his bail.
The post 16-Year-Old Led Chilling Extortion Ring Targeting Grindr Users appeared first on Towleroad.
16-Year-Old Led Chilling Extortion Ring Targeting Grindr Users
VIDEO: Three things Trump will mention when he speaks to the U.S. Congress
VIDEO: Three things Trump will mention when he speaks to the U.S. Congress
Tonight, President Donald Trump will address a Joint Session of Congress where he is expected to provide an update to the state of this country as well as share his so-called “vision” on what he feels should be the priorities for this nation should be over this next year.
So far, with just 39 days into his presidency, Donald Trump’s so-called “vision” has proven to be anti-LGBTQ, and his actions – including his choice to rescind protections for transgender students – are speaking louder than his words from the campaign trail when he tried to claim he was a friend of the LGBTQ community.
Tonight’s address should be no different.
While there is a lot that is troubling with Trump’s agenda, GLAAD’s very own Alexandra Bolles has the three key points the LGBTQ community should be aware of heading into tonight’s address.
There’s no doubt about it – President Trump’s remarks are expected to be more of the same campaign talking points that we have heard non-stop since he announced his campaign in 2015. Yes, this means you should expect Trump’s renewed call for a refugee ban, a wall along the United States/Mexico border, and maybe even references to his “big win” from November.
Now more than ever, though, this is the time to stay engaged and keep holding President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and his entire anti-LGBTQ administration accountable. Further, go to GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Project where you will see all the anti-LGBTQ records of the entire Trump Administration.
We cannot afford to lose touch with what is at stake, and we must do everything possible to protect the rights we have rightfully secured over the last decade.
February 28, 2017
Issues:
Tags:
www.glaad.org/blog/video-three-things-trump-will-mention-when-he-speaks-us-congress
Paul Ryan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Net Neutrality, Erasure, Patrick Stewart Circumcision: HOT LINKS
Paul Ryan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Net Neutrality, Erasure, Patrick Stewart Circumcision: HOT LINKS
CHICAGO. Gay couple among hosts of major fundraiser for Paul Ryan: “Tickets for the event, at the Chicago Club, are going for as much as $50,000 each, with proceeds to be split among Ryan, Ryan’s Prosperity Action PAC and the National Republican Congressional Committee….So far, the event is drawing a who’s who of GOP names, given that Ryan is considered both somewhat independent of Trump and a loyal Republican. Included: All seven of the state’s GOP congressmen; long-time big-buck fundraisers Ron Gidwitz, Muneer Sateer and Pat Ryan; Citadel’s Ken Griffin; and racing’s Craig Duchossois. There’s also a gay couple, Jay Franke and David Herro, listed as a pair, so who says things ain’t changing in the Grand Old Party.”
PICTURE PERFECT. Seal hugs plushie toy version of itself.
FRESH NEW HELL. Renewed assault on Net Neutrality to begin?
SAN FRANCISCO. City Hall lights up in colors of transgender flag.
SF City Hall, bathed in the colors of the Transgender flag, telling #notmypresident to shove it. @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/9SR1ibslgy
— Jess G Perry (@jessgperry) February 26, 2017
TAX RETURNS. House Dem forces GOP to vote: “A House Democratic lawmaker attempted Monday to force a House floor vote on a resolution to request President Trump’s tax returns, but the effort failed on a party line vote, 229-185, with two Republicans voting “present.” The move was the latest in a series of Democratic efforts to push Congress to request Trump’s tax returns, and Democrats demanded a roll call vote to force Republicans to go on the record. The two Republicans who voted present were Reps. Walter Jones (N.C.) and Mark Sanford (S.C.). Sanford is one of the Republican lawmakers who has in the past called for Trump to release his returns.”
HAYAT KOPRUSU. Cristiano Ronaldo and Angelina Jolie to star in a TV series together?
OSCAR FLUB. James Corden spoofs the Oscar fiasco.
OSCARS. State Department tweets, then deletes, congratulations to Iranian director who criticized Trump: “A congratulatory tweet was posted,” a State Department spokeswoman said. “We later removed the post to avoid any misperception that the USG (U.S. government) endorsed the comments made in the acceptance speech.”
Persian-language @StateDept Twitter account @USAdarFarsi issues, then deletes congratulations for #Iran film director’s #Oscar win. pic.twitter.com/xhQlY5RoXn
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) February 27, 2017
TENNESSEE. The war on same-sex families.
STEP FORWARD. Slovenia welcomes same-sex marriage: “Slovenia permitted same-sex marriages for the first time from Friday under a law giving gay couples largely the same rights as heterosexuals though barring them from jointly adopting children. The head of the unit in charge of weddings in Slovenia’s second largest city Maribor, Ksenija Klampfer, told Reuters the first lesbian wedding would take place there on Saturday.’
GEORGE MICHAEL. Highgate home secretly used as set for gay porn.
NEW EDITION. Couple says they were kicked out of New Edition concert because they’re gay: “Jasmine Corello and Shawnee Centeno filed the lawsuit Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court. Their allegations include assault, battery, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress and false arrest.”
WORLD BE GONE. Erasure announces 17th studio album: “Due for arrival on May 19th via Mute, the forthcoming album spans 10 tracks and features production from the group’s own Andy Bell and Vince Clarke. It’s said to be a reflective and hopeful record focused on the present-day, “giving the world and recent political upheavals a thoughtful examination,” according to a press release.”
OUR BODIES, OURSELVES. Patrick Stewart did not know he was uncircumcised.
HANDLE. Boston Dynamics’ latest terrifying robot.
TOO HOT FOR TUESDAY. Prabh Jyot Singh.
The post Paul Ryan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Net Neutrality, Erasure, Patrick Stewart Circumcision: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.
Paul Ryan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Net Neutrality, Erasure, Patrick Stewart Circumcision: HOT LINKS
There’s a reason this coming out video has quickly gone viral
There’s a reason this coming out video has quickly gone viral
Never in cinematic history has barbecue sauce been used to such effective ends. To mark Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, a hilarious and oddly moving video has been released online and it’s quickly proven to be a runaway viral hit.
Focusing on a close family and a son’s awkward reveal, the two-minute clip has already earned over 1.7 million views since being posted February 24th.
Related: Guys Share Their Feelings Right Before Coming Out
The clip manages to hit a nerve by subtly illuminating how a subtle difference in personality or preference can potentially sully family relations without empathy or understanding. And it’s done in a humorous way that doesn’t spoon-feed you and isn’t overly schmaltzy. But maybe a little schmaltzy.
Make sure to watch until the very end for grandma’s hilarious confession.
Check out “The Big Deal” below:
Rush Limbaugh: ‘Moonlight’ Won the Oscar Because It’s a ‘Twofer’ About a ‘Gay Black Guy’
Rush Limbaugh: ‘Moonlight’ Won the Oscar Because It’s a ‘Twofer’ About a ‘Gay Black Guy’
Rush Limbaugh offered the only explanation his vile, racist, homophobic mind could come up with for why Moonlight won the Oscar, Media Matters reports.
Said LimbaughWell Moonlight is about a gay black man. Now, remember, Hollywood took it on the chin last year. Remember everybody was jumping in their chili, claiming that it was all white, all night, all the nominees, and that the only roles for African-Americans are drug-addled criminals and gang leaders and so forth or servants, and they’re fed up with it, and then they’re fed up with no nominations for anything. So Hollywood had to make it good last night so they went the twofer. They had a movie about a gay black guy. So what they did there, taking no chances whatsoever after the grief they got last year, they went for the twofer. Two protected groups in one movie.
I wonder if they were afraid that Hollywood might be — I’m not, no, nevermind. I’m not going to talk about potential violence if one of the two didn’t happen, but you — folks, this is great. It’s a circus. Hollywood could not have scripted a more ironic ending. After lecturing us all night on who should be president, after telling us all night how to run the country, after lecturing their number-one fan base, middle America, which is where the vast majority of people are. After impugning them, making fun of them, and laughing at them by making fun of the things they believe, these geniuses couldn’t even get their big moment done right, and that’s the award for the best movie of the year.
Quipped one commenter: “When will Hollywood finally make an epic brilliant drama about fat guys who never leave their homes and yell into microphones all day?”
The post Rush Limbaugh: ‘Moonlight’ Won the Oscar Because It’s a ‘Twofer’ About a ‘Gay Black Guy’ appeared first on Towleroad.
Rush Limbaugh: ‘Moonlight’ Won the Oscar Because It’s a ‘Twofer’ About a ‘Gay Black Guy’
UK Tells Gay Asylum Seekers From Afghanistan To Pretend To Be Straight If They Are Deported
UK Tells Gay Asylum Seekers From Afghanistan To Pretend To Be Straight If They Are Deported
Human rights groups have denounced guidelines directing gay asylum seekers who are deported to Afghanistan from the UK to pretend they are heterosexual.
Issued last month, the new guidelines for Afghanistan – where homosexuality is “wholly taboo” and illegal – has been denounced by human rights groups as a violation of international law, and criticised by the Home Office’s own Afghanistan unit, reports the Guardian.
Although the guidelines point out the risks to LGBT Afghans from local laws, Taliban insurgents and their own families, they go on to argue that a closeted gay Afghan could live safely in Kabul.
RELATED: Taliban in Afghanistan Says It Wants to Kill or Kidnap Prince Harry
The document notes:
“While space for being openly gay is limited, subject to individual factors, a practising gay man who, on return to Kabul, would not attract or seek to cause public outrage, would not face a real risk of persecution.
“In the absence of other risk factors, it may be a safe and viable option for a gay man to relocate to Kabul, though individual factors will have to be taken into account.”
The Home Office’s Afghanistan unit expressed concerns with the guidance. An attachment to the main document bluntly states “homosexuality remains wholly taboo” in the country and underlines that gay Afghans have to conceal their identity.
Heather Barr, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said:
“The Home Office’s approach seems to be to tell asylum seekers, ‘Pretend you’re straight, move to Kabul and best of luck.’
“Living a life where you are forced to lie every day about a key part of your identity, and live in constant fear of being found out and harassed, persecuted or attacked, is exactly the kind of persecution asylum laws are supposed to prevent.”
Paul Twocock, director of campaigns, policy and research at Stonewall, added that the new rules set the UK at odds with United Nations guidelines on refugees because they “openly acknowledge that LGBT people are at risk, but also state that they can escape persecution if they are careful not to attract attention by hiding who they are.”
The post UK Tells Gay Asylum Seekers From Afghanistan To Pretend To Be Straight If They Are Deported appeared first on Towleroad.
UK Tells Gay Asylum Seekers From Afghanistan To Pretend To Be Straight If They Are Deported