‘SNL’ fires new cast member Shane Gillis over racist, homophobic comments

Comic Shane Gillis will not join the cast of the new season of Saturday Night Life as previously announced. Producers for the show have cited homophobic and racist remarks made by Gillis during a podcast last year.

“After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining SNL,” a spokesperson for the show said in a statement. “We want SNL to have a variety of voices and points of view within the show, and we hired Shane on the strength of his talent as comedian and his impressive audition for SNL. We were not aware of his prior remarks that have surfaced over the past few days. The language he used is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable. We are sorry that we did not see these clips earlier, and that our vetting process was not up to our standard.”

Gillis came under fire after comments he made on a Mike and Shane’s Secret Podcast came to light last week. In one video from 2018, the comic quips that “Chinatown’s fu*king nuts. Let the fu*king ch—s live there.” In another broadcast, he refers to comedians like Judd Apatow as “white f*ggot comics” and “fu*king gayer than ISIS.”

Related: Gay comic Bowen Yang joins SNL, becomes its first Asian cast member

Gillis took to Twitter to plead his mea culpa:

“I’m a comedian who pushes boundaries,” he tweeted. “I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you’re going to find a lot of bad misses. I’m happy to apologize to anyone who’s actually offended by anything I’ve said. My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks.”

Gillis is just the latest in a series of comics under fire for a history of homophobic remarks, following in the likes of Kevin Hart, Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman. He was slated to make his SNL debut when the show returns for a new season September 28.

www.queerty.com/snl-fires-new-cast-member-shane-gillis-racist-homophobic-comments-20190916?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Glitterbox, Downton Abbey, OxyContin, Elizabeth Warren, Buttigieg vs O’Rourke, RuPaul, Ross Mathews: HOT LINKS

WORKING FAMILIES PARTY. Elizabeth Warren gets endorsement of group that endorsed Bernie Sanders in 2016. “The progressive political outfit’s move bolsters Warren’s left-wing credentials as she continues to gain ground on former Vice President Joe Biden in the polls.”

PURDUE PHARMA. Maker of OxyContin files for bankruptcy: “Purdue Pharma L.P. today announced that it has reached an agreement in principle on a framework for settling the U.S. opioid litigation facing the Company with 24 state attorneys general, analogous officials from 5 U.S. territories, the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in the multidistrict litigation (MDL), and co-lead counsel in the MDL.”

SURVIVOR. RuPaul just tied a big Emmy record!

TAX RETURNS. 8 years of Trump tax returns subpoenaed by Manhattan D.A.: “The subpoena was issued by the Manhattan district attorney’s office late last month, soon after it opened a criminal investigationinto the role that the president and his family business played in hush-money payments made in the run-up to the election.”

GUN CONTROL. Beto O’Rourke and Pete Buttigieg take different tacks: ‘Buttigieg agreed with Sen. Chris Coons’ (D-DE) assertion that conservatives are going to use O’Rourke’s demand to take away AR-15s “will be played for years at Second Amendment rallies with organizations that try to scare people by saying Democrats are coming for your guns.” “Look, right now we have an amazing moment on our hands. We have agreement among the American people not just for universal backgrounds checks but we have a majority in favor of red flag laws, high-capacity magazines, banning the new sale of assault weapons,“ he further noted on CNN’s State of the Union. “This is a golden moment to finally do something.”’

JAMES CORDEN VS BILL MAHER. Late Late Show host responds to Maher over fat-shaming: “There’s a common and insulting misconception that fat people are stupid and lazy. We’re not. We get it, we know. We know that being overweight isn’t good for us. I’ve struggled my entire life trying to manage my weight.”

CREEPY DATA GRABS. iOS 13 set to expose Facebook’s efforts to use your private data.

ROSS MATHEWS. On flamboyant men, dating again, and his recent 10-year relationship. “If I were able to tone it down a bit, maybe I’d be more successful than I am. But I just am not equipped with that ability.”

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MALE MODEL MONDAY. Franky Cammarata, Christian Hogue, Chase Mattson, Elliot Meeten and more….

GLITTERBOX. Ibiza club hopes to break open island’s overwhelmingly straight club culture. ‘When Glitterbox was founded five years ago, it was a welcome respite from the electronic dance music and techno nights that dominated the island’s nightlife. “I remember going to Ibiza in 1986 and 1988 and the dancefloors had real personality,” says Simon Dunmore, Glitterbox’s driving force and the founder of house label, Defected. “It was real hedonism, and there were real fashionista personalities. We wanted to bring that back.”’

SERIES RECAP OF THE DAY. Downton Abbey, which you may want to watch before you see the new movie. Also, don’t miss this piece of news on the film’s gay storyline.

QUANTUM MECHANICS THEORY OF THE DAY. Many worlds.

MONDAY MUSCLE. Eric Commette Evans.

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Glitterbox, Downton Abbey, OxyContin, Elizabeth Warren, Buttigieg vs O’Rourke, RuPaul, Ross Mathews: HOT LINKS

Human Rights Campaign Responds to Decision in Brush & Nib Studio v. Phoenix

HRC responded to a decision in the Arizona Supreme Court undermining Phoenix’s six-year-old non-discrimination ordinance.

“Governor Ducey’s Supreme Court just issued a license to discriminate against Arizona’s LGBTQ community in an alarming decision that puts the state’s people, reputation, and the economy at risk,” said HRC Deputy Campaign Director Justin Unga. “For years, Arizona’s economic councils, lawmakers, and leaders from every community, including faith and business leaders, worked together to build an Arizona that is open to everyone and attract investments from across the country. Not only does this decision affect countless LGBTQ Arizonans, it sends a message about inclusivity to businesses and institutions seeking to invest in states that welcome all people. Today’s decision could also open the door for discrimination against other communities protected by the ordinance including religious minorities and women. LGBTQ Arizonans pay taxes, own businesses, serve in our military and contribute to our economy, and they deserve a government that stands with them. HRC joins the vast majority of Arizonans who believe discrimination is wrong, and we will mobilize the over one million Equality Voters in Arizona to proactively pass pro-equality reforms and elect leaders who believe all people deserve dignity and respect.”

Earlier this year, the Arizona Supreme Court heard arguments in Brush & Nib Studio v. City of Phoenix. The Brush & Nib Studio proactively sought the authority to turn away same-sex couples in violation of a Phoenix city ordinance banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual ortientation. The Supreme Court received this case after the Arizona Court of Appeals issued a ruling denying the business owners the ability to discriminate against same-sex couples. HRC joined the ACLU in an amicus brief supporting LGBTQ rights and the City of Phoenix.

Prior to this case, Arizona confronted yet another attack on LGBTQ rights in SB 1062, a bill from the Arizona legislature that would have allowed individuals to refuse service because of a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation. That bill caused tremendous backlash from the business community both in Arizona and across the nation. At a point, the NFL even threatened to move Super Bowl XLIX  if the legislature did not pull the bill, putting millions of dollars in expected revenue at risk. After continued pressure from business groups and civil rights organizations like the Human Rights Campaign, then-Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed the bill.

www.hrc.org/blog/human-rights-campaign-responds-to-decision-in-brush-nib-studio-v.-phoenix?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Cara Delevingne: Weinstein Told Her ‘Get a Beard’ to Hide Being ‘Gay’

Sexual predator Harvey Weinstein once coerced Delevingne into kissing another woman in front of him as some sort of an “audition.” 

www.advocate.com/people/2019/9/16/cara-delevingne-weinstein-told-her-get-beard-hide-being-gay

Harvey Weinstein told this queer star to stay in the closet and get a ‘beard’

Queer actress Cara Delevingne has opened up about her harassment by disgraced movie titan Harvey Weinstein.

Delevingne, who stars opposite Orlando Bloom in the new Amazon series Carnival Row, began her transition from modeling to acting appearing in several films in 2014. Her looks and dramatic range caught her immediate attention, and Hollywood began to take notice too. That led to meetings with Weinstein in 2016, and to incidents of harassment.

Related: Judi Dench sticks up for Kevin Spacey & Harvey Weinstein’s work: “You cannot deny somebody a talent”

According to Delevingne, “One of the first things Harvey Weinstein ever said to me was, ‘You will never make it in this industry as a gay woman – get a beard.’ … When I’d just started to audition for films, he was naming people [women] I’m friends with – famous people – and asking, ‘Have you slept with this person?’ I just thought: this is insane.”

Delevigne also alleges that on another occasion, Weinstein tried to touch her inappropriately. He also asked her to make out with another actress in front of him. To date, more than 100 women–many of them famous actresses–have accuesed Weinstein of misconduct ranging from inappropriate comments to outright rape. Among them: Rose McGowan, Gwenyth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Cate Blanchett, Lupita Nyong’o and Daryl Hannah. At present Weinstein is awaiting a rape trial in New York.

www.queerty.com/harvey-weinstein-told-queer-star-stay-closet-get-beard-20190916?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Arizona Supreme Court Rules 4-3 That Wedding Invitation Design Studio Can Deny Service to Gay Couples

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled 4-3 in favor of Brush & Nib Studio, a Phoenix-based invitation design house that refused to create wedding invitations for same-sex couples.

Wrote Justice Andrew Gould, for the court’s majority: “The rights of free speech and free exercise, so precious to this nation since its founding, are not limited to soft murmurings behind the doors of a person’s home or church, or private conversations with like-minded friends and family. These guarantees protect the right of every American to express their beliefs in public. This includes the right to create and sell words, paintings, and art that express a person’s sincere religious beliefs. With these fundamental principles in mind, today we hold that the City of Phoenix … cannot apply its Human Relations Ordinance … to force Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski, owners of Brush & Nib Studio, LC (“Brush & Nib”), to create custom wedding invitations celebrating same-sex wedding ceremonies in violation of their sincerely held religious beliefs. Duka, Koski, and Brush & Nib (“Plaintiffs”) have the right to refuse to express such messages under article 2, section 6 of the Arizona Constitution, as well as Arizona’s Free Exercise of Religion Act (“FERA”), A.R.S. § 41-1493.01.”

The high court overruled an Arizona Court of Appeals ruling in July 2018 that Brush & Nib Studio in Phoenix must serve gay couples in response to the lawsuit, brought by Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski, the studio’s owners, who had not been asked to provide services by any gay couples, but were trying to preemptively assert their right to deny service on the basis of religious beliefs.

The Phoenix Business Journal reported: “Filed in 2016, the suit alleged that the non-discrimination order would force them to provide services would violate their freedoms of speech and conflict with their belief that marriage is between one man and one woman. Duka and Koski had attempted to override a city ordinance that protects LGBT people from discrimination. Filed in 2016, the suit alleged that the non-discrimination order would force them to provide services would violate their freedoms of speech and conflict with their belief that marriage is between one man and one woman.”

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Arizona Supreme Court Rules 4-3 That Wedding Invitation Design Studio Can Deny Service to Gay Couples