Jussie Smollett Speaks Out At First Public Appearance: "I Fought The F*ck Back"

Jussie Smollett (image via screen capture)

Almost a week after Empire star Jussie Smollett was assaulted in Chicago by two men who used homophobic, racist slurs during the attack, the actor & singer showed up for his already scheduled concert at The Troubadour in Los Angeles last night.

As he took to the stage, his first public appearance since the attack, he told the crowd, “I had to be here tonight, y’all. I can’t let the motherf—ers win," according to Variety.

“I have so many words on my heart,” Smollett told the sold-out crowd. “The most important thing I have to say is thank you so much and that I’m okay. I’m not fully healed yet, but I’m going to. And I’m gonna stand strong with y’all… l will always stand for love. I will never stand for anything other than that. Regardless of what anyone else says, I will only stand for love. And I hope that you all will stand with me. So now… let’s do it.”

Variety notes that the concert was sold-out before the attack in Chicago.

With a setlist that included songs like, "Freedom," Conqueror," and "Hurt People," Smollett reportedly fought back tears as the evening took on a message of defiance and strength.

Near the end of the concert, the singer called out to two artists in attendance - out actor Wilson Cruz (Star Trek: Discovery) and Empire creator Lee Daniels: “I promised myself I was not gonna cry tonight. Someone in the crowd that I want to recognize: Wilson Cruz is someone I identified with growing up. I stand on the backs of so many people — of the Lee Daniels and the Wilson Cruz's — and I pray to God I make you all proud.”

Before his final encore, he said there were a few points of fact that he wanted to clear up regarding reports of the attack.

“I was bruised but my ribs were not cracked; they were not broken," he began. "I went to the doctor immediately - I was not hospitalized. Both my doctors in L.A. and Chicago cleared me to perform, but said to take care, obviously. And above all: I fought the f— back.”

And the crowd goes wild!

Since the racially motivated attack, @JussieSmollett hit the stage for his #SeanHealyPresentsJussieSmollett in LA with an emotional message. pic.twitter.com/MVBnKdq1pZ

— Karen Civil (@KarenCivil) February 3, 2019

After the roar subsided, he finished the moment by joking, “I’m the gay Tupac! So now, we can do our encore.”

As he exited the stage, Smollett announced, “We are proud. We are gay.”

Wilson Cruz acknowledged Smollett on his Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

I couldn’t be MORE PROUD of you. The FORTITUDE it took for you to show up for US tonight. We are blessed to have you. Love you! @jussiesmollett ❤️✊🏽

A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73) on Feb 2, 2019 at 11:18pm PST

HBO's Vice News Goes Inside Chechen Prison Where Gay Men Were Tortured & Killed

HBO's Vice News goes inside the prison in Chechnya where gay men were allegedly held, tortured and killed as part of the country's "anti-gay purge."

VICE News obtained exclusive access to the now-abandoned buildings where the local prison warden and his officers reportedly beat and tortured men they suspected of being gay. Human Rights Watch has confirmed that this site is at the center of their investigation into homophobic abuse in Chechnya.

Ayub Kataev, prison warden and head of the ministry of internal affairs, initially stuck to the official Chechen response: absolute denial, not only about abuse but even the existence of gay people. “We don’t think these people exist among us,” he told VICE News, accusing those who reported the story of seeking to destabilize Chechnya.

“My officers would not even want to touch such people, if they exist, let alone beating or torturing them.” Kataev continued, accusing both the victims and Human Rights Watch of lying. Kataev suggested that the men making claims of torture were doing so in order “to get asylum, to leave the country and obtain free foreign citizenship.”

At one point, Kataev lines up his officers and asks them, for the cameras, “Was there a single case when I told you to arrest some kind of gays? Have you even heard about them?”

It will not surprise you to learn they all obediently answer, "No."

Key West: No Jail Time For "You're In Trump Country" Gay-Basher

Brandon Ray Davis

There will be no jail time for a North Carolina man who admitted to chasing and assaulting two gay men during a late night February incident in Key West, Florida.

Unbelievable. And people wonder why LGBTs protest.

From the Miami Herald:

Brandon Ray Davis, 30, admitted calling Kevin Paul Taylor and Kevin Seymour “faggots,” and yelling, “You’re in Trump country now!” on Feb. 23 on Duval Street in Key West and smashing his scooter into Seymour’s back bike tire.

“I landed on my feet, that was the luck of it,” Seymour said Wednesday, after the hearing in which Davis received four years probation, 75 hours of community service and was banned from tasting alcohol for two years.

Judge Wayne Miller said the injuries suffered — a flattened bicycle tire and a chain knocked off — weren’t enough to warrant a day in jail after Assistant State Attorney Colleen Dunne asked for 60 days behind bars.

Originally arrested for felony aggravated battery, Davis was allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge Wednesday at the Monroe County Courthouse in Key West.

Taylor and Seymour watched Wednesday as Davis called his fiancée and two family friends to the front of the court to testify that whatever he did at about 1 a.m. Feb. 23 in Key West was completely out of character. Davis also has an openly gay friend, a professional his attorney noted, who wrote one of 30 letters of support.

Then Davis turned toward the two men he threatened in a drunken stupor four months ago, walked toward them from the court’s center and offered to embrace them.

“My heart goes out to you guys, every bit of it,” Davis said to Taylor and Seymour, who were seated in the front row behind the prosecutor’s table. “I’m asking you to come put your arms around me, take my hand.”

The two men were silent.

Davis followed the men for five blocks, taunting them and at one point promising, “If you call the cops I will cut that faggot body up,” and claiming he was a correctional officer.

News Round-Up: June 13, 2017

Ramin Karimloo

Some news items you may have missed:

• One item I forgot in my Tony Awards recap - I truly missed not seeing Ramin Karimloo and the cast of Broadway's Anastasia perform. For the fans, don't miss Ramin at BB Kings in NYC July 23 & 24.

• Four law firms turned down the opportunity to represent Donald Trump because he has a history of not listening to people he hires, and not paying his bill.

• A Malaysian teenager was savagely beaten and left brain-dead for being "effeminate."

• The president's job approval drops to 36% leaving him 23 points under water.

• House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi believes President Donald Trump will “self-impeach.”

• If you held a Pride Parade at my house...

A post shared by George Takei (@georgehtakei) on Jun 13, 2017 at 9:56am PDT

French President Macron To Putin: We Need "Complete Truth" Regarding Torture Of Gay Men In Chechnya

President Putin of Russia (L), President Macron of France (R)

While President Trump has yet to address the horrific torture of gay men in Chechnya, newly-elected French President Macron brought up the subject immédiatement in his first face to face meeting with Russian President Putin.

From the New York Times:

On human rights, Mr. Macron said he had raised the troubles facing gay and transgender people in Chechnya as well as those of nongovernmental organizations.

Mr. Macron said that he had discussed the reports of collective punishment of gay men in Chechnya with Mr. Putin and that they had agreed on a “very regular monitoring” of the situation.

Mr. Macron said Mr. Putin had told him he had taken measures to “establish the complete truth on the activities of local authorities” in Chechnya, but he did not specify what those measures were. Chechnya is under the control of a pro-Kremlin leader, Ramzan A. Kadyrov.

“As for me, I will be constantly vigilant on these issues, which are in keeping with our values,” Mr. Macron said.

Although he did not dispute Mr. Macron’s characterization, Mr. Putin did not mention gay people during the news conference.

In related news, Joël Deumier, president of French LGBT rights organization SOS Homophobie, told FranceInfo that France has started taking in gay refugees from Chechnya.

Earlier this month, Buzzfeed reported that the U.S. State Department has denied visas to gay Chechens fleeing persecution.

Human Rights Watch Reports On Beatings & Electrocution Of Gay Men In Chechnya

President Ramzan Kadyrov of Chechen Republic

Human Rights Watch has published a report detailing the horrific treatment and torture of gay men in Chechnya.

According to the report, the speaker of Chechnya’s parliament, Magomed Daudov, was involved in authorizing the violence.

Radio Free Europe details the torture ranging from beatings to electrocution devices.

"All of the victims suffered repeated beatings," the report said. "Security officials kicked them with booted feet, beat them with polypropylene pipes and sticks, and made other inmates beat them" -- mostly on the men’s buttocks and legs.

"They put you face down on the floor and beat you with pipes," one victim told Human Rights Watch. "Then they force other prisoners [held for allegedly supporting insurgents or for alleged drug offenses] to carry on with the beating. Each man gets some 70 to 80 blows. And so it goes.... And you literally turn black and blue from waist to toes."

The rights group says local Chechen authorities also used electrocution devices to torture the victims.

Former detainees described those devices as machines with a knob on one side and wires sticking out of it with metal clips at the ends -- clips which were attached to the victims' fingers, toes, and earlobes.

"They turn the knob, electric current hits you, and you start shaking," a former detainee told Human Rights Watch. "And they keep turning the hellish machine, and the pain is just insane. You scream and scream and you no longer know who you are."

"Finally, you faint," the former detainee continued. "It all goes dark. But when you come to your senses, they start all over again. And once they’re done with you and you get your bearings, you hear other inmates screaming. The sounds of torture are just there all day, and at some point you start losing your mind."

Many of the victims were returned to their families where authorities suggested the relatives perform "honor killings"

Human Rights Watch urges the European Union and the United States to intervene and offer sanctuary to the victims.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has called on President Trump to address the human rights violations. Trump has not spoken publicly to date about the ongoing atrocities.

Short Film: "Unchechen"

Writer and director Stephen M. Hornby has created the short film Unchechen, based on actual quotes from accounts of the current torture and genocide of gay men in Chechnya.

The short film, created by digitalSTAGE and Inkbrew Productions, began life as a stage play commissioned by theatre collective Take Back, performed in Manchester earlier this month.

Hornby issued this statement with the short film:

“The State organised extermination of gay men in Chechnya is a horrific ghost from World War Two. But it’s real. The men fleeing from it are too terrified to go on camera, and so I wanted to try to fill the silence with something that attempts to make this crisis real and human. This is an emotional story to connect people to what’s happening and hopefully stimulate a response.”

The filmmakers encourage people to donate to Rainbow Railroad to help more gay men escape these horrific conditions.

(tipped by TRR reader Larry)

Russian Foreign Official Dodges Questions On Chechen Torture/Killing Of Gays

My first response when I saw this exchange between Katie Couric and Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, was a chilling shiver up my spine.

Zakharova stopped by Yahoo News to talk with Couric about President Trump, U.S. airstrikes in Syria, and fake news.

BUT - Couric turned to the horrific reports of gay men being detained and tortured in Chechnya, and things went south very quickly.

Zakharova was not of a mind to discuss and shut Couric down, explaining there was an "investigation."

Dodge, dodge, dodge...

Katie Couric asked a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman about the torture and killing of gay men in Chechnya.

Her response is telling. pic.twitter.com/WOpZNCeDjJ

— Raymond Braun (@raymondbraun) April 28, 2017

NY Times Op-Ed: "Time Is Not On The Side Of Gay People" Living In Chechnya

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov

In an op-ed this morning, the New York Times challenges the Trump administration to provide stronger international leadership regarding the rounding up, torturing and killing of gays in Chechnya.

The crimes in Chechnya have presented the Trump administration with its first major test on this issue on the international stage. Last Monday, Nikki Haley, the American ambassador to the United Nations, issued a strong statement calling for a prompt investigation and accountability for the culprits.

“We are against all forms of discrimination, including against people based on sexual orientation,” Ms. Haley said. “When left unchecked, discrimination and human rights abuses can lead to destabilization and conflict.”

It would be encouraging to see Ms. Haley take on this cause with as much passion and perseverance as her predecessor, Samantha Power. Without American leadership, forging a global consensus that gay rights are human rights will take longer. Time is not on the side of gay people living in terror in places like Chechnya.

Even as reporting shows the situation growing more dire by the day, Chechen and Russian officials continue to deny the horrific events.

Over the weekend it was reported that Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has hopes to eradicate all gays in his country before Ramadan on May 26.

LGBT Activists Request Canadian Authorities Issue Emergency Visas For Gays In Chechnya

Canadian human rights organization, Rainbow Railroad, has announced plans to assist LGBTs in Chechnya who are in danger of detention and torture for being gay.

Via press release:

With recent reports of abductions, detentions, enforced disappearances, torture and deaths targeting gay and bisexual men in Chechnya, a Canadian non-profit human rights organization announced today an emergency response plan to assist those in danger. Founded in 2006, Rainbow Railroad actively assists LGBTQ people escape danger through its global network of safe routes.

“Since we first received initial reports of gay concentration camps being established in Chechnya, Rainbow Railroad immediately re-classified Eastern Europe as a priority region,” explains Executive Director, Kimahli Powell. “This means we’re expanding our on-the-ground contacts as well as increasing our capacity to identify and assess new or alternative safe routes out of Chechnya.”

To assist in this effort, Rainbow Railroad is working closely with the Russian LGBT Network, a non-governmental organization currently leading the campaign to rescue those facing danger in Chechnya. The two organizations will work together to identify individuals who need to be evacuated – with Rainbow Railroad providing direct travel assistance.

“An important part of our emergency response plan is to support the Russian LGBT Network in their rescue campaign,” says Powell. “This includes fundraising to support the organization while allocating resources to increase the number of people we can support in the region.. In addition, we are formally requesting the Canadian government provide direct assistance to those in need by way of emergency visas.”

Donations can be made on the Rainbow Railroad's official website here.

More about Rainbow Railroad via the official website:

Rainbow Railroad receives hundreds of requests for help every year from countries where LGBT individuals are open targets of violence.

Because the volume of requests is so high, we focus our efforts on assisting LGBT people who have faced physical violence or face an imminent threat of violence, imprisonment, or death.

At any given time, Rainbow Railroad is working on 30-50 open cases, confirming their details, putting them in touch with local resources and helping them identify safe routes for escape. As the situation worsens in many parts of the world, these numbers continue to grow.

(h/t JoeMyGod)

U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley Calls For Investigation Into Reports Of Torture And Murder Of Gay Men In Chechnya

Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, issued this statement today in regard to the reports of torture and murder of gay men in Chechnya:

We continue to be disturbed by reports of kidnapping, torture, and murder of people in Chechnya based on their sexual orientation and those persecuted by association. If true, this violation of human rights cannot be ignored – Chechen authorities must immediately investigate these allegations, hold anyone involved accountable, and take steps to prevent future abuses.

We are against all forms of discrimination, including against people based on sexual orientation. When left unchecked, discrimination and human rights abuses can lead to destabilization and conflict.

Tomorrow, the United States will lead a first-ever meeting on human rights in international conflicts in the UN Security Council to underscore our commitment to addressing human rights abuses wherever they threaten international peace and security.

I'm not so sure about Chechen authorities "investigating these allegations," but here's hoping the United Nations has some pull to make something stop these horrific violations of human rights.

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov Denounces Claims Of Gay Persecution

President Ramzan Kadyrov of Chechnya

Ramzan Kadyrov, the President of Chechnya, took to his social media accounts to denounce allegations that gay men are being rounded up, tortured and killed in his country.

Kadyrov says that the claims are an attack meant to "blacken our society, lifestyle, traditions and customs."

The Washington Post reports:

The leader of Chechnya has lashed out at international organizations that have strongly criticized the Russian region for reportedly persecuting and killing gays.

The respected newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported two weeks ago that gay men were being detained and beaten in Chechnya and said at least three had been killed.

Since then, international rights groups have denounced the claimed violence and asked Russia to intervene.

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said on his social media account Sunday that he had met with the region’s human rights council and proclaimed that rights have undergone a “grandiose” improvement in Muslim-majority Chechnya.

Kadyrov says international organizations are conducting a “massive information attack ... using the most unworthy methods, reality is distorted, attempts are being made to blacken our society, lifestyle, traditions and customs.”

Kadyrov has also declared that the allegations can't possibly be true because there really aren't any gay people in Chechnya - “If such people existed in Chechnya, law enforcement would not have to worry about them since their own relatives would have sent them to where they could never return.”

Joe Biden Urges Trump Administration To Address Torture/Murder Of Gay Men In Chechnya

My man, former Vice President Joe Biden, issued this statement today via Facebook regarding the horrific human rights abuses against gay men in Chechnya:

"I am disgusted and appalled by reports from both the Russian media and non-governmental organizations that authorities in the Russian republic of Chechnya have rounded up, tortured, and even murdered individuals who are believed to be gay. When faced with such crimes of hate and inhumanity, it is the responsibility of every person of conscience to speak out—to oppose this campaign of violence before it continues further.

"Every man or woman on this earth is entitled to be treated with dignity—to live without fear and to love freely. Unfortunately, the human rights abuses perpetrated by Chechen authorities and the culture of impunity that surrounds them means that these hate crimes are unlikely to ever be properly investigated or that the perpetrators will see justice. But that does not mean that we should fail to defend basic human rights, fundamental freedoms, and universal values.

"I hope that the current administration lives up to the promises it has made to advance human rights for everyone by raising this issue directly with Russia’s leaders. The United States must lead the way to demand an end to these egregious violations of human rights."

Where is President Trump on this?

We've heard nothing from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson nor United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Why so silent?

Putin Spokesman: "We Do Not Have Any Reliable Information" On Torture Of Gay Men In Chechnya

Russian President Vladimir Putin

As the world continues to respond in outrage over reports that over 100 gay men have been rounded up, beaten and tortured in Chechnya, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin denies any knowledge of horrific crimes.

“We do not have any reliable information about any problems in this area” in the Chechen Republic, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Friday.

Chechnya is a federal subject of Russia, and it's leader - Ramzan Kadyrov - is a close ally of Putin.

In 2009, the American organization Freedom House included Chechnya in the "Worst of the Worst" list of most repressive societies in the world. Torture and executions are not uncommon in the Chechen Republic.

Chechnya Opens Gay Concentration Camps

Head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov

The Washington Post reports that there is a full-on war on gays in Chechnya with over 100 men already

Ramzan Kadyrov is unlike any other provincial leader in Russia. He rules the republic of Chechnya with brute force and enjoys the indulgence of President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. Mr. Kadyrov keeps order in Chechnya, and Mr. Putin keeps out of his way. Now this deal has apparently led to barbaric treatment of gay men in the traditionally conservative Muslim society.

The crusading newspaper Novaya Gazeta published a startling article April 1 that reported Mr. Kadyrov’s armed thugs were detaining and executing gay men, with more than 100 men already seized, three of them known to be dead and many others possibly murdered in extrajudicial “honor” killings. A respected human rights expert, Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, Russia project coordinator for the International Crisis Group, told the New York Times and the Guardian that she had been receiving similar reports.

According to the Novaya Gazeta report, the sweep began when a Moscow gay rights group began filing requests for demonstrations in Russia’s provincial cities. Although the group had not focused on the predominantly Muslim North Caucasus region, including Chechnya, the petitions galvanized a local drive to round up gay men. “In Chechnya, the command was given for a ‘prophylactic sweep’ and it went as far as real murders,” Novaya Gazeta reported, saying the authorities searched for closeted gay men partly by posing as men seeking dates on social media websites. The newspaper also noted that none of the men detained had been open about their homosexuality in a society where it is still strictly taboo.

Mr. Kadyrov’s spokesman brushed off the report, saying no one in the republic is homosexual. “You cannot arrest or repress people who just don’t exist in the republic,” Alvi Karimov said to Interfax. “If such people existed in Chechnya, law enforcement would not have to worry about them since their own relatives would have sent them to where they could never return.”

The Daily Mail offers further details, reporting that a concentration camp has been set up in Chechnya, and gay men are being tortured with electricity and being beaten, sometimes to death.

The beatings are apparently meant to coerce the names of other gay men from the prisoners.

Tanya Lokshina, from Human Rights Watch in Moscow, said: 'For several weeks now, a brutal campaign against LGBT people has been sweeping through Chechnya.

'These days, very few people in Chechnya dare speak to human rights monitors or journalists even anonymously because the climate of fear is overwhelming and people have been largely intimidated into silence.

'Filing an official complaint against local security officials is extremely dangerous, as retaliation by local authorities is practically inevitable.

'It is difficult to overstate just how vulnerable LGBT people are in Chechnya, where homophobia is intense and rampant. LGBT people are in danger not only of persecution by the authorities but also of falling victim to "honour killings" by their own relatives for tarnishing family honour.'

An interesting twist in this story is the rumor that Kadyrov could be a closeted gay man.

LGBT activist Aaron Baldwin shared several pics of Kadyrov with various men on Facebook, including this one of Timati, or Mr. BlackStar as he calls himself. The rapper and producer is rumoured to be Kadyrov's lover.

This pic is reportedly from Timati's Instagram, deleted soon after. The rapper is purported to be in Kadyrov's bed on his private jet.

Dutch Gay Couple Violently Beaten For Holding Hands

This past Saturday, a gay Dutch couple was attacked by a group of six to eight young men who followed the couple on bicycles, shouting anti-gay slurs.

The attack escalated to brutal violence which ended with one of the men losing several teeth and a lacerated lip after he was beaten with bolt cutters.

Via RTL News:

The two were on their way home from a dance party at Luxor Live in Arnhem. “We’ll almost never show in public that we are in a relationship”, Jasper told the broadcaster. “But we had a few drinks, it was dark on the street and there were almost no people, so we held hands.”

When they reached the Nelson Mandela Bridge they were confronted by a group of six to eight young men. “I think they were Moroccans. They began to shout: disgusting, dirty, homo, such things. We shouted something back and walked on, but all of a sudden they came after us.” Jasper said to RTL.

Before they knew what was happening, the two men were pulled apart. “Suddenly I saw a guy pull bolt cutters out of his jacket and I heard Ronnie screaming: Jasper, Jasper, they knocked all my teeth out of my mouth’.” When Jasper reached his partner, Ronnie was covered n blood. “He was very upset. I immediately called 112. The ambulance took us to the hospital, where his lip was attached.”

The latest reports indicate that 4 have been arrested in connection with the attack: one 14-year-old, and three 16-year-olds.

Dutch politicians D66 leader Alexander Pechtold and party member Wouter Koolmees arrived at meetings Monday holding hands in a show of solidarity over the violent attack.

Dutch politicians Alexander Pechtold and Wouter Koolmees