News Round-Up: December 16, 2018

Jim Newman (via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Broadway hunk & 'Daddyhunt' star Jim Newman (above) demonstrates that even Santa's elves have to do laundry some time...

• San Diego Pride is so successful, the organization has announced that it will be donating more than $170,000 to 59 different LGBTQ-serving charities and organizations around the world.

• Ann Coulter offered her description of the Democratic Party on Laura Ingraham's show Tuesday night: "The Muslims and the Jews and the various exotic sexual groups and the black church ladies with the college queers"

On Ingraham's Fox News show, Ann Coulter describes her version of the Dem party

"I mean you have the Muslims and the Jews and the various exotic sexual groups and the black church ladies with the college queers ... you must hate white men. It's the one thing they have in common" pic.twitter.com/xGWe0wH2uP

— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) December 12, 2018

• Sexual abuse settlements could force the Boy Scouts of America into bankruptcy.

• A new poll by the Washington Post Fact Checker shows 70% of Americans don't believe Trump's lies.

• Frankie Grande teams up with his sis, Ariana, for this take on the Act Two opener from RENT, "Seasons of Love," as part of the #RentSingALong initiative celebrating the upcoming live presentation of the hit musical

RENT will air live on January 27 at 8/7c on FOX. Hit play below.

News Round-Up: May 2, 2018

(image via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Yes, in case you were wondering, folks do make passes at guys who wear glasses. Especially if you look like Germany's Obaid Habibi (above).

• The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved a resolution to recognize the South of Market neighborhood as the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District, ensuring the location will remain an LGBTQ haven protected from overzealous gentrification efforts.

• The oh-so-handsome Jake Gyllenhaal will portray gay legendary composer (West Side Story, Candide) and conductor Leonard Bernstein in an upcoming film The American. Gyllenhaal is also set to produce the pic.

• As the Boy Scouts prepare to welcome girls into the organization, they are dropping the word 'boy' from the name of its signature program. Boy Scouts, which includes kids from 10 to 17, will become Scouts BSA in February.

• Anthony Shelton 20, and Cameron Ajiduah, 19, were sentenced to 20 and 15 years in prison, respectively, after having been found guilty of federal hate-crimes charges for assaulting and robbing gay men in four home invasions in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The two men used the dating app Grindr to target their victims.

• The two black men who were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks while waiting for a business colleague have settled with city officials for a symbolic $1 plus the promise to set up a $200,000 program for young entrepreneurs.

• And how about one more shot from "Hunk of the Day," Mr. Obaid Habibi...

what a good day ..☀️🔥👌🏻 .. Hat by @jjmalibu 💕

A post shared by O B A I D 🐻 (@obaid_habibi) on Apr 19, 2018 at 9:18am PDT

Boy Scouts & Mexican President Call Out Trump For Making Up Congratulatory Phone Calls

Donald Trump enjoys his flights of fancy

During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump said the Boy Scouts called him to say his speech at last week's Jamboree was "the greatest speech that was ever made to them."

The Boy Scouts have countered saying they know of no such phone call being made.

From the AP:

Trump told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Wednesday, “I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them, and they were very thankful.” Politico published the transcript of the interview.

“We are unaware of any such call,” the Boy Scouts responded in a statement. It specified that neither of the organization’s two top leaders — President Randall Stephenson and Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh — had placed such a call.

The White House had no immediate response to the Boy Scouts’ denial.

Surbaugh apologized last week to members of the scouting community who were offended by the political rhetoric in Trump’s July 24 speech in West Virginia.

Other U.S. presidents have delivered nonpolitical speeches at past jamborees. To the dismay of many parents and former scouts, Trump promoted his political agenda and derided his rivals, inducing some of the scouts in attendance to boo at the mention of former President Barack Obama.

“I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree,” Surbaugh said. “That was never our intent.”

During the Boy Scouts section of the interview, Trump grew irritated that a reporter in the room referred to the speech as getting "mixed" reception.

“There was no mix there,” Trump said. “That was a standing ovation from the time I walked out to the time I left, and for five minutes after I had already gone. There was no mix.”

In related news, CBS reports that Trump's recent claim that Mexican President Nieto called him to congratulate him on such a great job on border control is false.

As Mr. Trump welcomed his new Chief of Staff John Kelly to the Cabinet table on Monday, Mr. Trump took time to applaud the work Kelly had done during his time leading the Department of Homeland Security. “At Homeland, what he has done has been nothing short of miraculous,” Mr. Trump said of Kelly.

He went on, saying, “As you know, the border was a tremendous problem and they’re close to 80 percent stoppage. And even the president of Mexico called me — they said their southern border, very few people are coming because they know they’re not going to get through our border, which is the ultimate compliment.”

But Nieto denies that ever happened. In a statement released by the Mexican Foreign Ministry, Nieto “has not recently spoken to President Donald Trump over the telephone.”

So, is Trump lying? Or is he delusional?

Boy Scouts Of America Apologize For Trump's Political Rhetoric "Inserted Into The Jamboree"

The Boy Scouts of America have apologized for President Trump's unexpectedly political rhetoric during his speech at last week's National Jamboree.

From BSA Chief Scout Executive Michael Surgaugh:

I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree. That was never our intent.

The invitation for the sitting U.S. President to visit the National Jamboree is a long-standing tradition that has been extended to the leader of our nation that has had a Jamboree during his term since 1937.

It is in no way an endorsement of any person, party or policies. For years, people have called upon us to take a position on political issues, and we have steadfastly remained non-partisan and refused to comment on political matters. We sincerely regret that politics were inserted into the Scouting program.

As you may know, the BSA received thousands of complaints from scouts and parents alike for the political nature of Trump's address to the scouts.

Nine Year Old New Jersey Boy Becomes First Transgender Boy Scout

One week after the Boy Scouts of America announced the organization would now accept transgender boys to be scouts, 9 year old Joe Maldonado put on his Cub Scout uniform and joined Pack 20 in Maplewood, NJ.

From NorthJersey.com:

Scouting's decision to change its longtime policy came about a month after The Record reported that Joe had been thrown out of a Cub Scout pack in Secaucus last year because he was born a girl. The decision was at least in part a response to the national debate generated by that story.

“This is fun; I'm so proud," Joe, 9, said during the meeting. He said that the best part of the night was that "I am accepted, and I'm actually in Boy Scouts."

The leader of Joe's new Scouting pack, which serves Maplewood and South Orange, said after the meeting that Joe's presence was "historic" because he had become Scouting's first openly transgender member. He praised Joe for showing "an immense amount of courage."

Kyle Hackler, the leader of his new pack, helped him put on his uniform and kerchief, and taught him the Cub Scout salute and oath. The meeting was held at the Clinton Elementary school in Maplewood.

"This means you’re the same as Scouts all over the world,” Hackler said to Joe.

Watch Joe's happy face as he wears his Cub Scout uniform for the first time here.

Boy Scouts Of America Will Allow Transgender Scouts

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that, beginning immediately, the Boy Scouts of America will allow transgender youth who identify as boys to enroll in scouting programs:

The organization announced it had made the decision to begin basing enrollment in its boys-only programs on the gender a child or parent lists on the application to become a scout. The organization had previously held a policy that relied on the gender listed on a child's birth certificate for those programs.

Rebecca Rausch, a spokeswoman for the organization, emailed a statement Monday. She said the organization's leadership had considered a recent case in Secaucus, New Jersey, where an 8-year-old transgender child had been asked to leave his Scout troop after parents and leaders found out he is transgender, but the change was made because of the larger conversation about gender identity going on around the country.

"For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America, along with schools, youth sports and other youth organizations, have ultimately deferred to the information on an individual's birth certificate to determine eligibility for our single-gender programs," the statement said. "However, that approach is no longer sufficient as communities and state laws are interpreting gender identity differently, and these laws vary widely from state to state."

New Jersey: 8 Year Old Transgender Boy Barred From Cub Scout Pack

(via WNBC)

While the Boy Scouts of America have taken long looks and made some decisions on openly gay scouts participating in their organization, the issues surrounding transgender kids is now getting some national focus as a Cub Scout pack in Secaucus, NJ, is barring an 8 year old trans boy.

Dawn Ennis at LGBTQ Nation reports:

One month after 8-year-old Joe Maldonado of Secaucus, N.J. joined Cub Scout Pack 87, his mother received a call that the troop sponsored by their local Catholic church had barred her son from participating. The reason, she told reporters, is because her son was assigned the gender of female at birth. Joe is a transgender boy.

And he told the Star-Ledger he’s not so much sad as he is mad.

“It made me mad. I had a sad face, but I wasn’t crying. I’m way more angry than sad. My identity is a boy. If I was them, I would let every person in the world go in. It’s right to do.”

He had joined in October with the intention of camping, conducting science experiments, and all the other fun things Cub Scouts do, like learning how to tie a variety of knots, use a pocket knife, and go on hikes with his friends. Joe’s classmates not only like him, his mother said, but some of them play with him on a boys basketball team. His school teachers have used male pronouns and have accepted him as the boy he is since second grade, Kristie Maldonado told the newspaper.

“Not one of the kids said, ‘You don’t belong here,’” said Maldonado. It wasn’t the boys in their pack; reportedly, it was their moms.

Eric Chamberlin, an executive with the Northern New Jersey Council of Boy Scouts, based in Oakland, N.J., confirmed to the paper that he called Maldonado last month, but he declined to comment further.

Effie Delimarkos, the communications director for the Boy Scouts of America, told the Star-Ledger in a statement the Boy Scouts consider membership for transgender children to be a separate issue from that of gay children.

“No youth may be removed from any of our programs on the basis of his or her sexual orientation,” and “Gender identity isn’t related to sexual orientation.”

The Boy Scouts spokeswoman declined to directly address the Secaucus troop issue and did not answer inquiries about whether local or state Scouting leaders contacted the national office about Joe Maldonado.

But in her statement, Delimarkos made it clear that “the classification on the participant’s birth certificate” would be used to “confirm legal status.”

Chamberlin did not ask to examine Joe’s birth certificate, the boy’s mother told the paper. If the Boy Scouts have ever examined birth certificates for the gender markers, Delimarkos wouldn’t say. And she declined to say whether the Scouts have a written transgender policy.

Mormon Dad Gets Choked Up That His Son Doesn't Hate Gays Enough

Quin Monson, a professor at Brigham Young University, a former scout and father of a current Boy Scout, spoke to NPR radio recently about the Boy Scouts of America's recent decision to lift the ban on gay scout leaders.

“The (Mormon) church took the Boy Scout program and decided its values and mission aligned closely enough with that of the church’s program for young men that they just wholesale adopted it,” Monson said. “Basically, if you are a young Mormon male, you join the Boy Scouts.”

Bu the new policy by the BSA doesn't sit well with Monson even if he can't articulate what exactly bothers him about it.

“The BSA statement allows for leaders who are openly gay and what that means in practice is, I don’t think, exactly clear. But I think that it very well could conflict with the church’s own policy which is, ‘You can identify as gay and be an active, faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.’ The problem is acting on that same-sex attraction, so there’s a distinction between actions and orientation.”

Monson actually sounds despondent and chokes up when he explains that his son just doesn't see the problem with allowing gay scout leaders. Isn't that supposed to be a good thing? When children don't embrace the biases and bigotry that's come before them?

Manson explained how a chat with his son went regarding having openly gay scout leaders went something like this:

"He’s a pretty deep thinker, and a thoughtful kid, but his reaction was, ‘Well, I don’t see why it matters, dad. Why is this such a big deal?'" Monson explained.

“That’s the hard part about all of this is that it impacts a group of young men who don’t necessarily understand why," Monson said, getting choked up.

You can listen below. The "emotional" moment comes at around the 3:20 mark.

Matt Baume Explains New Rules Regarding Openly Gay Scout Leaders

Matt Baume explains the new rule change at the Boy Scouts of America allowing gay scout leaders, and whether that means any young scouts are now at more risk.

(Here's a hint: nope)

While 79% of the National Executive Board of The Boy Scouts of America voted to lift its nation-wide ban on gay adult scout leaders, local chapters are still allowed to decide whether they will discriminate against gay scout leaders.

“The Boy Scouts are a private group, and they’re free to decide who can be a member. In fact, individual chapters are still allowed to deny access to LGBT leaders. Non-discrimination laws just don’t apply here, like they do for public facilities and businesses.”

Got that? Private and religious organizations are NOT under attack. Sorry to disappoint you there, Bryan Fischer.

A former scout himself, Baume explains why having openly gay scout leaders will make a difference in the lives of LGBT youth:

“I didn’t know that I was gay when I was a 7 year-old Boy Scout. I just knew that I was different. And nothing would have been more important to me than to know that I wasn’t alone. And when I got a little older to have seen that people like me aren’t a threat and are just as trustworthy, and helpful and loyal as anyone else.”

Boy Scouts Of America Set To End Gay Scout Leader Ban - Almost

A vote scheduled today for the 80 member board of the Boy Scouts of America could officially end the organization's longtime ban on openly gay scout leaders.

Kinda sorta.

In an effort to assuage some conservative religious groups, the new policy allows church-led scout groups to choose adult leaders “whose beliefs are consistent with their own.”

The Boy Scouts’ executive committee unanimously voted earlier this month to approve a resolution that would effectively end the ban on gay adult leaders. Today's vote makes that resolution official.

Boy Scouts Of America Vote To End Ban On Gay Adult Leaders

Boy Scouts executive committee OKs ending ban on gay leaders - http://t.co/aiKmMVeWgx pic.twitter.com/IXlEa3qMpJ

— LGBTQ Nation (@lgbtqnation) July 13, 2015

The Human Rights Campaign issued this statement:

“The vote by the executive committee to recommend that gay, lesbian and bisexual adults be allowed to work and volunteer for the Boy Scouts is a welcome step toward erasing a stain on one of our nation’s most storied organizations,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “But writing in an exemption for troops organized by religious organizations undermines the potentially historic nature of today’s vote.”

“As we have said countless times, half measures are unacceptable and discriminatory exemptions have no place in the Boy Scouts. It’s long overdue that BSA leaders demonstrate true leadership and embrace a full national policy of inclusion that does not discriminate against anyone because of who they are,” Griffin said.

Boy Scouts President Calls For Ending Ban On Adult Leaders

Boy Scouts of America president Robert Gates has announced the organization will no longer revoke chapters that accept gay adult leaders.

The organization took no formal action on its current policy to ban gay adult leaders, but Gates said the group can no longer "ignore growing internal challenges to our current membership policy."

“Nor can we ignore the social, political and juridicial changes taking place in our country – changes taking place at a pace over this past year no one anticipated,” he said. “We must deal with the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be.”

Gates’ remarks were welcome news to those who have been challenging the Scouts’ longstanding anti-gay policies.

“While our work won’t be done until we see a full end to their ban on gay adults once and for all, today’s announcement is a significant step in that direction,” said Scouts for Equality executive director Zach Wahls. “I’m proud to see Dr. Gates charting a course towards full equality in the BSA.”

As he turns 18, an Eagle Scout asks Robert Gates to allow gay adult Scouts

Pascal Tessier is the first known openly gay Eagle Scout.

Yesterday, Pascal turned 18. This meant that he was now considered an adult by the Boy Scouts of America, and under the current rules adopted by the BSA, Pascal now cannot be a part of the organization that has meant so much to him.

On his 18th birthday, he shared this open letter to former U.S Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who now serves as President of the Boy Scouts of America, wherein he urges Gates to end the ban on gay adult Boy Scouts.  The full essay appeared on Time.com.

Just part of Pascal's letter reads:

I was just 4 years old when I went on my first camping trip with my older brother and his Cub Scouts pack. After that, I was hooked.

Scouting has been a constant part of my life... The Boy Scouts taught me everything from how to survive in the woods to the morals and values that shaped the person I am today. For that, and for the good times and friends I made through Scouting, I will always be grateful.

Today is my 18th birthday, a milestone on my path to becoming an adult and the day I am no longer eligible to be a Boy Scout because I am gay. Despite the Boy Scouts’ historic decision last year to open its ranks to gay youth, the Scouts still ban gay adults. And as of today, that means me.

Mr. Gates, only you have the power and experience to bring an end to the unwarranted, unjust and un-Scout like ban on gay adults. Every day that you do nothing, more boys and parents struggle with their place in Scouting, in their communities and in their families.

Not long ago, Mr. Gates, you were instrumental in the repeal of the military’s ban on gay service members, telling the U.S. Senate in February 2010 that, “The question before us is not whether the military prepares to make this change [to allow gay service members], but how we best prepare for it.”

Openly gay adults will eventually be allowed in Scouting, Mr. Gates. As support for equality continues to grow, Americans will soon demand it. The question before you, then, is not whether the ban should end, but how many more young people like me will be a victim of your failed leadership if you do nothing.

Boy Scouts of America to lead NYC Pride Parade

GLAAD shares the historic news that for the first time, New York-area Boy Scouts and members of the Brooklyn Chapter of Scouts for Equality will be among the groups leading the 44th Annual NYC Pride March:

Active and former Boy Scouts and leaders will present the American flag during the national anthem at the NYC Pride March opening ceremony and subsequently serve as Color Guard during the march, leading more than 14,000 participants down Fifth Avenue in a celebration of recent advancements made for LGBT equality.

Despite the BSA's national policy that bans gay and lesbian adults from participating in Scouting, the Greater New York Councils, which serves nearly 150,000 Scouts in New York City, has previously stated its commitment to full inclusion of gay Scouts regardless of age.

"NYC Pride warmly welcomes Scouts for Equality to the route as our 2014 NYC Pride March Color Guard," said NYC Pride March Director, Dave Studinski. "Our 2014 theme is 'We Have Won When We're One,' and this message resonates well with Scouts for Equality's mission. From their participation in our step-off ceremony through the moment they pass the historic Stonewall Inn, may the Scout's joint display of our nation's colors and the rainbow flag remind us all that the LGBT movement seeks not tolerance, but acceptance as equals."

New Boys Scouts president Bill Gates would include openly gay Scoutmasters

Bill Gates, former Secretary of Defense and director of the CIA, is the newly elected president of the Boy Scouts of America.

In one of his first interviews as BSA president, Gates says he would have included openly gay adult Scoutmasters during the organizations debate on gay scouts. But now he says it would be too problematic to revisit the issue at this time.

Via Gay Star News:

‘I was prepared to go further than the decision that was made,’ Gates told the Associated Press the day after he was elected.

‘I would have supported having gay Scoutmasters, but at the same time, I fully accept the decision that was democratically arrived at by 1,500 volunteers from across the entire country.’

Gates went on to say he fears the contentious issue of gay scout leaders may cause bigger divisions within the BSA, and so he does not want to open up the gay debate again.

‘Given the strong feelings — the passion — involved on both sides of this matter, I believe strongly that to re-open the membership issue or try to take last year's decision to the next step would irreparably fracture and perhaps even provoke a formal, permanent split in this movement — with the high likelihood neither side would subsequently survive on its own’ he said.

During his time as Defense Secretary, Gates was instrumental in ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for US Armed Forces.

Boy Scouts of America to force gay Eagle Scout out while his straight twin allowed to stay

Twin brothers Liam and August Easton-Calabria are Eagle Scouts.   But soon, Liam (right) will be forced out of the Scouts because he is gay. His brother is straight.

From Seattle's KOMO News:

Said Liam: "It was an interesting revelation to see the Boy Scouts come together as a non-inclusive organization. I don't think it's true to the scouting way. I mean, absolutely, scouting should be an inclusive organization."

Liam's sexual orientation has never affected his standing in the Scouts, but on his twenty-first birthday, when he completes his commitment to BSA's Venture Crew, he will no longer be allowed to participate with the Boy Scouts of America.

Additionally, their scoutmaster Geoffrey McGrath is fighting the Scouts after being forced out over his sexual orientation.  Not only was McGrath forced out, but the BSA rescinded his troop's charter for standing by him.

Boy Scouts of America sever ties to Seattle troop over gay scoutmaster

Scoutmaster Geoff McGrath

When a Seattle-based Boy Scouts troop refused to kick it's openly gay scoutmaster to the curb, the Boys Scouts severed ties to the troop.

From Advocate.com:

Geoff McGrath was told his scoutmaster registration would be revoked because he was openly gay (which the parents of the scouts were made aware of before their children joined Troop 98). The Rainier Beach United Methodist Church, which hosted the troop, refused to force him to leave.

BSA general counsel Steven P. McGowan notified the church Thursday that its charter would be revoked because allowing McGrath to remain a scoutmaster defied the organization's policy barring openly gay scout masters.

Thirty-nine Washington state legislators have signed a letter standing by McGrath and the church, calling the Boy Scouts' actions against McGrath on the basis of his sexual orientation "unacceptable."

Disney World pulls funds from Boy Scouts of America over adult gay leaders ban

Disney World has decided that, in light of the Boy Scouts of America's policy of barring adult gay leaders, the company will no longer donate to local scouting groups.

Boy Scouts of America says they are disappointed by the decision.

From OUT:

“We believe every child deserves the opportunity to be a part of the Scouting experience and we are disappointed in this decision because it will impact our ability to serve kids,” BSA spokesman Deron Smith said in a statement issued to the Associated Press Sunday.

The company’s decision became public after the leader of a Florida Boy Scout council let members know Disney was discontinuing its support. “According to [Walt Disney World], their views do not currently align with the BSA,” wrote Central Florida Council board president Robert Utsey. “We will continue to keep an open line of communication with them, but at this time, are unable to reverse their decision.” Scouts for Equality, a group working for full LGBT inclusion in the Boy Scouts, posted his email on its website.

Zach Wahls, a cofounder for Scouts for Equality, agreed with Disney's decision. “We’re never happy to see Scouting suffer as a result of the BSA’s anti-gay policy, but Disney made the right decision to withhold support until Scouting is fully inclusive."

Boys Scouts alternative Trail Life has a questionable "salute"

Trail Life members recite creed in Texas meeting

You may have heard about Trail Life. It's the new "alternative" to the Boy Scouts that still bars gay members.

Via the Mercury News, check out the pic above showing the new members saluting and reciting their "creed."

Anything odd jump out at you...?

(via Twitter)

UPDATE:  Via Business Insider, John Stemberger, the chairman of the board for Trail Life USA, says he initially saw the picture in a story that was published on MSN on Saturday.

"We were horrified when we saw the photo in question on the MSN site and immediately investigated the situation," Stemberger said in a statement Monday.

"Many Boy Scout Troops have a tradition of ending their troop meetings with the boys gathering in a circle and then singing the song 'Taps' which is a slow ceremonial piece of music played or sung at the end of the day. The Boy Scouts that do this closing ceremony start singing the song with their hands raised straight into the air with the scout sign and then gradually lower their hands till they get to the end of the song when hands are at their side. This longstanding Boy Scout tradition was being followed with this Texas Trail Life troop using the Trail Life sign."

"Unfortunately the reporter (either intentionally or unintentionally) caught this photograph at the exact angle which makes their arms look like they are in some kind of a stationary mid-air salute-- which they are not."

Boy Scouts to begin admitting gay scouts January 1st

Beginning January 1st, the Boy Scouts of America will begin admitting openly gay scouts:

The new policy was approved in May, with support from 60 percent of the 1,400 voting members of the BSA's National Council. The vote followed bitter nationwide debate, and was accompanied by an announcement that the BSA would continue to exclude openly gay adults from leadership positions.

Under the new membership policy, youths can no longer be barred from the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts or coed Venturers program solely on the basis of sexual orientation. However, gay Scouts will face some limitations.

"Any sexual conduct, whether heterosexual or homosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting," says one BSA document. "No member may use Scouting to promote or advance any social or political position or agenda, including on the matter of sexual orientation."

While the new policies gained national attention earlier this year, Brad Haddock, a BSA national executive board member who chairs the policy implementation committee, says there been little fallout since the announcement.  "If a church said they wouldn't work with us, we'd have a church right down the street say, 'We'll take the troop.'"

(source)