Kentucky Judge Who Discriminated Against LGB Families Forced to Resign

Judge W. Mitchell Nance refused to hear adoption cases involving LGB families based on his “convictions.” 

www.advocate.com/families/2017/10/26/kentucky-judge-who-discriminated-against-lgb-families-forced-resign

Donald Trump Blocks Release Of Hundreds Of JFK Files As 2,800 Documents Released
President Donald Trump ordered the release of nearly all the remaining long-classified documents concerning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which has perennially spawned a litany of conspiracy theories.

The National Archives will release 2,800 documents on Thursday, the White House said in a call with reporters that afternoon.

The release of a number of other documents with redactions will be postponed for 180 days to allow for further review, despite a decades-old law establishing this day as a deadline for the release of all remaining documents.

“The American public expects ― and deserves ― its Government to provide as much access as possible to the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records … so that the people may finally be fully informed about all aspects of this pivotal event,” Trump said in his presidential memorandum mandating the documents’ release. “Therefore, I am ordering today that the veil finally be lifted.”

The “vast majority” of the redactions in the blocked documents were requested by the FBI and CIA in the interest of national security, according to a White House spokeswoman.  
According to the archives, “much of what will be released will be tangential to the assassination events”.

The documents were expected to focus on Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, and his exploits in Mexico City two months before he shot the president in Dallas on November 22, 1963, according to USA Today.

The files are set for release under a law spurred by a popular 1992 movie directed by Oliver Stone, “JFK,” which suggested a U.S. government conspiracy was behind Kennedy’s killing. The JFK Assassination Records Collection Act mandated that the last of the documents on the assassination be released exactly 25 years after the law was enacted on October 26, 1992.

President Donald Trump on Saturday tweeted that he would permit “the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.” As president, he had the authority to withhold their release for national security reasons.

In one of the many controversies sparked by Trump during his presidential campaign, he linked Rafael Cruz ― the father of his GOP primary opponent, Senator Ted Cruz ― to Oswald.

Several people on Twitter noted the irony of the conspiracy-laden documents being released by Trump, who has pushed a number of conspiracy theories himself over the years ― including the notorious “birther” speculation that former President Barack Obama was born outside the United States.

On Wednesday, Trump called the impending document release “so interesting!”

The document release appeared to hit a snag on Thursday afternoon, as intelligence agencies were still deciding what details to keep redacted, according to NBC News. The delay meant that only some of the documents could be released to meet the deadline.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/donald-trump-jfk-files_uk_59f26c2fe4b077d8dfc8a523

18 Real-Life LGBT Villains

www.advocate.com/crime/2017/10/26/18-real-life-lgbt-villains

Hundreds of this gay student’s classmates rallied outside school to show he wasn’t alone
The rally began at 6:30 in the morning on Monday, and continued well past the start of school.

www.queerty.com/hundreds-gay-students-classmates-rallied-outside-school-show-wasnt-alone-20171026?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Jeremy Corbyn ‘Can Become PM’ If He Wins A Few Hundred Votes In Small Towns Battleground
Jeremy Corbyn can become Prime Minister by swinging just a few hundred voters towards Labour in 45 small towns across the UK, research from a new think tank has found.

Analysis for Centre For Towns, to be launched next month, suggests that Corbyn can win the keys to Downing Street if he and his party can break out of their “Metropolitan” base in Britain’s big cities.

Early findings by the group of leading political and social scientists, released exclusively to HuffPost UK, show that Labour can take power from the Tories by addressing the concerns of votes in urban areas often seen as remote from London and other big conurbations.

The study found that 45 marginal Westminster seats are dominated by small towns that have been neglected by successive governments and have borne the brunt of Britain’s de-industrialisation for decades.

These so-called “town seats”, a new electoral definition where most of the electorate live in a town, have average majorities of just 734 votes each, according to the analysis of Parliamentary results from 2015 and 2017.

The 45 key marginals make up a crucial chunk of the 76 swing seats with majorities below 2,000 votes and are set to determine the outcome of the next general election.

Following the June election’s switch back to a largely ‘two-party’ system, most big cities in England are now packed with solid Labour seats, while rural areas are the almost exclusive preserve of the Tories.

As a result, several MPs believe Corbyn needs to change Labour’s image as a “Metropolitan” party and win back areas which either voted ‘Leave’ in the Brexit referendum or have drifted away to the Tories over the years.

Centre for Towns will unveil more data on an interactive website that brings together the largest single town-based data set in the UK, tracking everything from demographic make ups and social attitudes, to home ownership and election trends.

The brand new think tank has been created to address what its founders see as the current lack of research and focus on the small towns in England, Wales and Scotland that are often dismissed as “left behind” by globalisation.

Among its contributors are Manchester University’s Professor Rob Ford and Dr Maria Sobolewska and Southampton University’s Dr Will Jennings. Elections analyst Ian Warren is another key figure behind the Centre.

Big urban populations are already served by their own independent research group, Centre for Cities, which has existed since 2005, but the founders of the new think tank believe a more tailored approach is required to meet the specific needs of towns.

Labour’s ‘Corbyn surge’ in the 2017 election saw the party win back ‘town seats’ such as Bedford, Warwick, Portsmouth South and Lincoln.

But next time it needs to clinch constituencies such as Thurrock, Hastings (held by Amber Rudd), Norwich North, Stoke on Trent South, Telford, Northampton North and Pendle where tiny vote swings would ensure it becomes the largest party in a hung Parliament.

The Tory party has built an electoral power base in many of England’s towns, and its strategists believe its success is in part due to Labour being seen as out of touch with their residents’ values.

Labour still has a mountain to climb to win an outright majority, needing a big swing in key marginals, but becoming the largest party would allow Corbyn to seek to form a government with the support of smaller parties.

Wigan’s Labour MP Lisa Nandy, who has toured the country to assess the issues faced by small towns, told HuffPost UK that Labour can’t win without changing its approach.

“Cities have dominated decision making for decades. After Brexit it is clear that this status quo is completely unsustainable,” she said.

“The needs, values and priorities of the 12 million people in towns have been ignored for too long. The Centre for Towns will put those views back on the political agenda and ensure that decisions are made in the interests of the whole country.

“Our towns can offer the skills, strong relationships and environment that will help our economy to thrive but too often these assets are ignored by decision makers. Far too many of our towns do well despite the system. That must change.”

Warren, who has acted as an adviser for both Labour and UKIP, added: “Early research from Centre for Towns has shown the potential impact that understanding – or neglecting – the unique dynamics of towns can have on our elections.

“A relatively small number of voters, spread across a handful of constituencies, now have the ability to dramatically alter the face of British politics.”

Jennings said that the new think tank would help promote urban areas beyond London, Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham and other big cities.

“Increasingly, we are seeing the politics of place emerging as a key determinant of social, economic and political outcomes. Centre for Towns has been established to understand the challenges and opportunities that exist beyond cities, and work towards realising the full potential of towns.”

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/jeremy-corbyn-can-become-pm-if-he-wins-734-votes-in-45-small-towns-centre-for-towns-think-tank_uk_59f23593e4b07fdc5fbcebe8

“Pose” cast & creative team news is a watershed moment in transgender visibility

www.glaad.org/blog/pose-cast-creative-team-news-watershed-moment-transgender-visibility

SUNY Geneseo Professor Investigated for Viral Transphopic Quiz

Professor David Sorbello asked students to take a quiz entitled “Female or SheMale.” 

www.advocate.com/transgender/2017/10/26/suny-geneseo-professor-investigated-viral-transphopic-quiz

‘Riverdale’ boldly sends its teen star cruising for gay hookups in the woods
It’s a bold plot move for the series.

www.queerty.com/riverdale-boldly-sends-teen-star-cruising-gay-hookups-woods-20171026?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29