News Round-Up: July 3, 2019

InstaHunk Jeff Ferreira

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Jeff Ferreira calls the setting for this photo (above) "perfectly perfect." No wonder he looks so natural there ;)

• ABC News: According to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, nearly 5 million people took part in this past weekend's World Pride festivities.

• New York Times: It was 38 years ago today that a mysterious disease was reported to be targeting gay men in San Francisco and New York City. And so began a pandemic that the Reagan and Bush administrations would choose, in large part, to ignore.

• Washington Post: Tennessee has quietly enacted a new law that bars ministers ordained online from solemnizing weddings in the state. As of July 1, only priests, rabbis, ministers, people designated through a temple or church, and public officials can perform weddings. Many LGBT folks have their weddings officiated by family members or friends since many religious or elected officials won't perform the ceremony, especially in deep red states.

• Page Six: Anderson Cooper (youngest child of now-deceased Gloria Vanderbilt) will inherit almost all of his mother's estate. In 2014, Cooper told Howard Stern he didn't expect to inherit anything.

• Tweet of the Day: White contractor shows up to the job of black homeowner with a racist Confederate flag on the back of his truck. Hit play to see what happened next.

A white contractor shows up to the job of a black homowner with a racist confederate flag on the back of his truck. The homeowner turns him away. pic.twitter.com/P6lsS7UG89

— Brother Tyrone X (@tyrone345345) July 2, 2019

News Round-Up: June 21, 2019

The Chippendales handle the desert heat in style

Some news items you might have missed:

• It's heating up here in Las Vegas, but you can trust the Chippendales (above) to always keep cool as they dress for success.

• The American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) apologized today for previously treating homosexuality as a mental illness.

• Currently, 74 members of the House of Representatives support impeaching Donald Trump.

• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) has introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate to expand access to PrEP helping ensure that communities disproportionately impacted by HIV - particularly Black/Latino gay & bisexual men and trans women - are guaranteed insurance coverage for life-saving preventive interventions.

Proud to introduce the PrEP Access and Coverage Act today, my new bill to:

✅require all health care plans to cover PrEP, follow-up visits, and tests with no out-of-pocket costs
✅expand access to PrEP for those uninsured
✅prohibit insurance discrimination against PrEP users

— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) June 20, 2019

• International pop star Olivia Newton-John is putting that famous black leather jacket and pants from the finale of her blockbuster film, Grease, on the auction block along with more personal memorabilia. Proceeds from the auction will go to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Center in Australia.

• Gay porn studio Sean Cody got in hot water for hiring a 'model' named Zane who sports a Confederate flag tattoo. Initially, the studio just blurred the tat thinking that would suffice. But an uproar caused the company to take down all videos using the performer.

• Grammy Award winning artist Daya drops her latest single, "Left Me Yet," from her upcoming album.

In the music video, the openly bisexual singer/songwriter dances her way through self-criticism and doubt as the dance/pop bop grooves along to electronic beats.

“I push you away, why do I do that? / Impatient, but you're patient with me / I'm surprised you haven't left me yet.”

Raise your hand if you can relate ;)

Wyoming School Bans, Then Un-Bans, Rainbow Flags

McCormick Junior High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming

Earlier this month,  I reported on an incident at McCormick Junior High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where homophobic and racist flyers appeared in the hallways of the school.

Students discovered flyers which read, “It’s great to be straight. It’s not OK to be gay. Black lives matter only because if it weren’t for them who would pick our cotton.”

“Join the kkk,” concluded the message, which appeared to be signed by “the confederate kid club.” 

After Kaycee Cook, a substitute teacher and co-sponsor of the school’s gay/straight alliance, reported the flyers she was later notified that she’d been fired by Principal Jeff Conine.

Since then, Laramie County School District 1 Superintendent Boyd Brown announced that he had identified at least one student believed to be responsible for creating the racist and anti-gay flyers, and that Cook was likely to be reinstated at the school.

But wait - there’s more!

Last Wednesday, 20-25 students who are members of the GSA were called out of class to a meeting with three faculty members who told them they could no longer post any rainbow flags, wear any rainbow clothing or anything LGBTQ-related.

According to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Ashlynn Kercher, an 8th grade member of the GSA, said, “They told us it was a school distraction and ‘You don’t want to make other people feel like you felt when you saw the posters.’”

The students were reportedly told that if they break the ‘no rainbow/LGBTQ paraphernalia’ rule they will be written up on dress code infractions, and possibly suspended.

Principal Conine told the Tribune Eagle he didn’t know anything about the meeting taking place and that he had not decided to ban anything.

But Ashlynn’s mother, Abby Kercher, spoke to the district’s Title IX coordinator, John Below, who reportedly told her he and the principal had decided to ban the flags and clothing.

On Thursday, the School District issued a statementwhich read, in part:

“Because of the provocative use of flags, especially under the current controversy at the local junior high, the District will not allow the display of confederate flags on District property or at District events. Further, the District will review potential policies or regulations regarding the disruptive use of flags and symbols within the District.”

You’ll note the statement does not say the district is banning rainbow flags.

Superintendent Brown clarified the next day that rainbow flags were not being banned“as long as students do not use them to incite other students.”

(Source: Wyoming Tribune Eagle)

President Obama, Oklahoma & The Confederate Flag

The scene as President Obama's motorcade arrived at his hotel in Oklahoma City tonight. Photo by @dougmillsnyt pic.twitter.com/L7e9TCrOPQ

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 16, 2015

It's worth noting that during the time of the U.S. Civil War, Oklahoma was not a U.S. state. Oklahoma wasn't admitted into the Union until 1907.

Oklahoma did not fight in the Civil War and did not secede from the Union.

The state has no history with the Confederate flag, other than its symbolism of White Supremacy in the 20th century.

South Carolina Removes Confederate Flag To Chants Of "USA! USA! USA!"

This morning the country watched as South Carolina removed the Confederate flag from the grounds of the State House.

It was thrilling to hear chants of "USA! USA! USA" as the flag - long a symbol that divided not only South Carolina, but the entire country - was lowered and marched off the capitol grounds.

I loved that once the flag was removed it was handed to an African-American. Delicious.

Forward.

South Carolina: House Votes To Remove Confederate Flag From State House Grounds

By a vote of 94 - 20 the South Carolina state House voted to remove the Confederate flag from state house grounds.

Earlier this week, the state Senate had passed the same measure. The bill now goes to Gov. Nikki Haley who supports the measure.

South Carolina Senate Votes To Remove Confederate Flag From State House Grounds

By a vote of 37-3 the South Carolina state Senate voted to remove the Confederate Flag from the State House grounds.

The issue now goes to the state House where it must pass by a two-thirds vote, then be signed by Gov. Nikki Haley.

This flag's presence became a national story in the aftermath of nine African-Americans were murdered during a Bible study at a historic church on June 17.

Alabama Governor Orders Confederate Flag Removed From State Capitol

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) ordered the removal of the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state Capitol Wednesday morning, saying it was simply "the right thing to do."

According to AL.com, two state workers "with no fanfare quickly and quietly took the flag down."

In a statement, Gov. Bentley said his decision was based in part on the recent shooting in South Carolina.

"Yes, partially this is about that," said Bentley. "This is the right thing to do. We are facing some major issues in this state regarding the budget and other matters that we need to deal with. This had the potential to become a major distraction as we go forward. I have taxes to raise, we have work to do. And it was my decision that the flag needed to come down."

Walmart & Sears Will No Longer Sell Confederate Flag Merchandise

According to CNN, both Walmart and Sears - two of America's largest retailers - have issued statements saying the companies will no longer sell Confederate flag merchandise in light of the recent church shooting in Charleston.

"We never want to offend anyone with the products that we offer. We have taken steps to remove all items promoting the confederate flag from our assortment -- whether in our stores or on our web site," said Walmart spokesman Brian Nick. "We have a process in place to help lead us to the right decisions when it comes to the merchandise we sell. Still, at times, items make their way into our assortment improperly -- this is one of those instances."

Walmart's statement came in response to a CNN inquiry Monday.

Sears Holdings Corporation, which operates Sears and Kmart, also said it would remove confederate flag merchandise sold by third-party vendors online. It does not currently sell confederate flags at its stores, Sears Holdings spokesman Chris Brathwaite told CNN.

South Carolina Governor Calls For Removal Of Confederate Flag From State House Grounds

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley says, "Today, we are here in a moment of unity in our state, without ill will to say it's time to remove the flag from our capitol grounds."

Bravo, Gov. Haley for an excellent speech and for stepping up.

South Carolina Governor To Call For Removal Of Confederate Flag From State House

Pic via Facebook

According to Salon.com, Gov. Nikki Haley may have had a change of heart over the weekend regarding flying the Confederate Flag near the state house's ground.

The governor has announced a 4pm press conference for today where she will reportedly call for the flag's removal.

Controversy erupted around the flag that has flown on South Carolina’s State House grounds since 1962, when it was put there in defiance of the civil rights movement, after it flew at full mast the day after the gruesome murder of nine African-American churchgoers by an apparent white supremacist.

Pastor and South Carolina Senator Clementa Pinckney was one of the victims of the church attack. His body will lie in state in the Capitol rotunda where the flag flies right outside.

After pictures of the alleged shooter, Dylann Roof, posing in front of a Confederate Flag surfaced calls for the flags removal grew quickly.

A MoveOn.org petition demanding Haley “Remove the Confederate Flag From All Government Places” has already garnered over half a million signatures.

Removal of the flag would require a two-thirds majority in the state legislature where Republicans outnumber Democrats 106-64.

Over the weekend 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney called for the removal of the flag as a symbol of racism.

President Obama And Mitt Romney Urge South Carolina To Take

In the aftermath of the horrific Charleston church shooting, the Confederate flag - long a symbol of racism to many in the US - still flies over the South Carolina capitol.

In a rare moment of unity, both President Obama AND 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney call for the the flag to be lowered.

Current GOP presidential candidates were not so brave.

Sen. Marco Rubio derided such calls as ignoring a "states rights" issue. While Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal sought to divert to a false "religious freedom" angle.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush still isn't sure if the attack was racially motivated although the shooter has admitted to wanting to start a "race war."

#HeadsInTheSand