News Round-Up: May 2, 2019

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk JW says, "Be thankful for the hard times - they can only make you stronger."

• Jake Bain, the Indiana State football player who came out while still in high school, has announced he will "step away from football and focus on academics."

• In anticipation of the upcoming Rocketman, chronicling the life of music superstar Elton John, the producers have released an official music video of the title song sung by film's star, Taron Egerton. The musical fantasy biopic lands in US theaters May 31.

• Out producer/director Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon; Riverdale; Supergirl) says the most egregious example of anti-LGBTQ bias he's seen in Hollywood was "gay executives and gay casting people who were the least likely to let me cast an actor they knew was gay in a straight part. These were the individuals who knew how important it would be."

• Far-right loons like Alex Jones and Milo Yiannopolous have been banned from Facebook and Instagram (finally) in an effort to reduce hate speech.

• When Channing Tatum loses, we all win. The 'Magic Mike' star lost a game of Jenga, and so he had to post a photo of girlfriend Jessie J's choosing. She has good taste.

View this post on Instagram

I lost a game of Jenga to Jessica Cornish. The loser (me) had to post a picture the other person (Jessica Cornish) picked... Smh and fml... I’m never playing Jenga with her ever again... 🚿 + 🐰 📸 : @jessiej

A post shared by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) on May 1, 2019 at 1:34pm PDT

News Round-Up: March 7, 2019

Some news items you might have missed:

• Is it weird that I think InstaHunk Ignacio Pérez Rey (above) rocks these board shorts even better than a Speedo?

• A federal judge in Maryland has lifted his order against President Trump’s transgender military ban, bringing the administration one step closer toward enforcing the hideous policy.

• Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on passage of the Equality Act, which will be introduced in the House next week: "I'm very pleased because we have a great deal of outside support for it, which I hope will help us pass it in the Senate. We most certainly will pass it overwhelmingly in the House."

• A recently-released biography of Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood fame, says that the children’s television icon was bisexual?

• The U.S. Senate voted this week to confirm 36-year-old Allison Jones Rushing to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, handing the 36-year-old judge a lifetime seat on one of the nation’s top courts. Not only is she now the youngest and least experienced member of the judiciary, she spent a decade working with one of the most virulently anti-gay groups in America.

• Homocon and provocateur Milo Yiannopolous has been banned from entering Australia. #Good

• Bi actress/singer/model Paris Jackson says she doesn’t believe the claims in the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland that her father, Michael Jackson, was a child sex abuser.

• And I close with this fabulously 'groovy' clip from the Carol Burnett Show in 1967 with the incomparable, 4-time Tony Award winner, Gwen Verdon.

And that awesome dancer who starts out with the silver horn is my dear friend, Lee Roy Reams :)

News Round-Up: August 27, 2018

Some news items you might have missed:

• California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law AB 2439 which designates the Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City as the official state LGBTQ veterans memorial. California is the first state to have a designated memorial honoring LGBT veterans.

• Streaming service Netflix is catching flak for under-representing lesbians, bisexuals and trans folks in it's LGBT content.

Someone let netflix know that 678 gay men films and 2 lesbian films doesnt make a lgbtq section

— Des (@dspxna) August 23, 2018

• Homocon and self-described provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos recently took to Facebook to cry about his ‘ruined life.’ The far-right lunatic says his cancelled speaking events have cost him "tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. And when I get dumped from conferences, BARELY ANYONE makes a sound about it – not my fellow conservative media figures and not even, in many cases, you guys."

• Human Rights Campaign Foundation president Mary Beth Maxwell resigned her position after multiple instances of using the N-word in the workplace.

• The Hollywood Reporter calls the upcoming film, 1985, "Sensitively observed, a model of eloguent restraint;" and Variety calls the film an "Excellent drama... nothing here rings false."

Starring Gotham's Cory Michael Smith as "Adrian," eldest son to Texas residents Virginia Madsen and Michael Chiklis, the film follows Adrian as he returns home following the death of his partner to AIDS. Home for the holidays to say goodbye to his family, he reconnects with his old friend Carly (Jamie Chung) and his younger brother Andrew (Aidan Langford).

Watch the trailer below. The film is set for limited release October 26.

News Round-Up: January 8, 2018

Some news items you might have missed:

• It may be cold in a lot of the U.S., but fitness trainer/model Austen Gravett (above) says the cold never bothered him anyway.

• Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien, the founder of the Miss Trans America Pageant, was found stabbed to death in her Massachusetts home on Friday. Her husband, Mark Steele-Knudslien, 47, has been charged in the murder after confessing to the crime. Christa, sadly, becomes the first transgender woman killed in 2018.

• Total LGBT ally and all-around badass pop star Pink will perform the national anthem at this year's Super Bowl. Her latest album, Beautiful Trauma, has sold over 2 million copies in just a few months.

• Alt-right provocateur, homocon and professional asshole Milo Yiannopoulos will be representing himself in his lawsuit against his former publisher, Simon & Schuster, after his own lawyers dumped him.

• Donald Trump says he wants $18 billion in funding for his wall along the Mexican border or he won't allow the DACA program to continue. The outcome will affect 800,000 young people who were brought to the U.S. as young children. Remember the 1,000+ times Trump told the world Mexico would pay for the wall?

• The West Hollywood gays in L.A. were dying when THE Diana Ross dropped by popular gay hang The Abbey with her son Evan this past Saturday night. Video shows she still can groove. She is still The Boss.

#DianaRoss... yes D I A N A R O S S... stops by @TheAbbeyWeHo tonight in LA! #TheAbbey @DianaRoss #LosAngeles #WeHo 🏳️‍🌈😲 pic.twitter.com/HjeTdqeiFK

— Brian Peel (@Brian_Peel) January 7, 2018

Milo Yiannopolous "Resigns" From Breitbart

In light of his current "man/love/pedophilia" controversy, Milo Yiannopolous issued the above resignation from the alt-right website, Breitbart:

"Today, Milo Yiannopolous, senior editor at Breitbart News, has announced his resignation from the company.

"Breitbart News has stood by me when others caved. They have allowed me to carry conservative and libertarian ideas to communities that would otherwise never have heard them. They have been a significant factor in my success. I'm grateful for that freedom and for the friendships I forged there.

"I would be wrong to allow my poor choice of words to detract from my colleagues' important reporting, so today I am resigning from Breitbart, effective immediately. This decision is mine alone.

"When your friends have done right by you, you do right by them. For me, now, that means stepping aside so my colleagues at Breitbart can get back to the great work they do."

WikiLeaks Julian Assange Defends Milo Yiannopolous

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange chimed in via Twitter regarding the Milo Yiannopoulos "pedophilia" controversy last night.

It was just this past Saturday that Yiannopolous was officially announced to give the keynote speech at CPAC this week, but the next day video came to light where Milo seemed to defend adult men having sex with young boys.

In short time, Yiannopoulos was disinvited to CPAC, and Simon & Schuster cancelled his $250K book deal.

Tweeted Assange: “US ‘liberals’ today celebrate the censorship of right-wing UK provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos over teen sex quote.”

He followed up with, “Issue is ‘liberals’ cheering on a clearly illiberal act — book censorship — for political reasons with morality as cover.”

Yiannopoulos is holding a press conference at 3 pm today in New York City.

US 'liberals' today celebrate the censorship of right-wing UK provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos over teen sex quote.https://t.co/bz6dH0jyhk

— Julian Assange (@JulianAssange) February 21, 2017

.@nycjaneyvee Issue is 'liberals' cheering on a clearly illiberal act -- book censorship -- for political reasons with morality as cover.

— Julian Assange (@JulianAssange) February 21, 2017

News Round-Up: February 20, 2017

Happy Presidents Day! (image via Pete Souza)

Some news items you may have missed:

• How did you celebrate Presidents Day? Or was it more a #NotMyPresident Day for you?

• Rumors are swirling that loathsome conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopolous could be fired soon from Breitbart website for his "man-boy-pedophilia comments" on the Drunken Peasants podcast last year.

• The Trump administration is set Tuesday to rescind Obama administration guidance to schools barring discrimination against transgender students and ensuring they have access to the restroom consistent with their gender identity. #Shameful

• Virginia state House of Delegates approves a "religious freedom" bill - HB 2025 - that would legalize LGBT discrimination in the name of religion. Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe has promised to veto the legislation.

• President Trump finally found someone to take the job of National Security Adviser.

• Check out royally ripped Charlie Hunnam in this new trailer for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (release date May 12)

Simon & Schuster Cancels Milo Yiannopolous' $250K Book Deal

Milo Yiannopolous

After video of conservative, loathsome, professional provocateur Milo Yiannopolous' appearance on the Drunken Peasants podcast last year resurfaced showing him allegedly defending sex between adult men and boys of the age of 13 or 14, book publisher Simon & Schuster has cancelled the publication of his book, Dangerous.

Statement: After careful consideration @simonschuster and its @threshold_books have cancelled publication of Dangerous by Milo Yiannopoulos

— (((Adam Rothberg))) (@AdamRothberg) February 20, 2017

Simon & Schuster is canceling the publication of 'Dangerous' by Milo Yiannopoulos "After careful consideration." Full story coming soon.

— Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) February 20, 2017

It's sad that Simon & Schuster even needed "careful consideration" to cancel Yiannopolous' book publication.

It wasn't hateful racist, transphobic, white supremacist, misogynist nattering. In the end, it was defending man/boy sex.

Nice to know there's a "bridge too far" somewhere.

CPAC Un-Invites Milo Yiannopolous As Keynote Speaker

Earlier today, I posted about professional conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopolous' comments regarding young boys and adult men on the "Drunken Peasants" podcast last year which came to light in the past day.

The scandal erupted just a day after the American Conservative Union had asked Milo to be the keynote speaker this week at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Just minutes ago, CPAC rescinded the invite based on the offensive comments made by Milo in the videos.

It turns out there is something in the world that's too extreme for CPAC.

The "un-invite" reads in part:

"Due to the revelation of an offensive video in the past 24 hours condoning pedophilia, the American Conservative Union has decided to rescind the invitation of Milo Yiannopolous to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

"We realize that Mr. Yiannopolous has responded on Facebook, but it is insufficient. It is up to him to answer the ought questions and we urge him to immediately further address these disturbing comments."

See the full statement below (click to enlarge image).

"@ACUConservative has decided to rescind the invitation of Milo Yiannopoulos to speak at #CPAC2017." pic.twitter.com/sVWGnPCW7C

— Matt Schlapp (@mschlapp) February 20, 2017

Video: 'Alt-Right' Darling Milo Yiannopolous Seems To Defend Men Having Sex With Boys

The big news in LGBT political circles today are two videos featuring loathsome Milo Yiannopolous seeming to defend or give a pass to pedophilia.

Additionally, it appears he admits to being sexually molested as a young teen himself.

The Blaze reports:

Sunday morning, less than one day after the controversial announcement about the CPAC speaker lineup, video surfaced of Milo Yiannopoulos allegedly defending pedophilia in the past.

“We get hung up on this sort of child abuse stuff,” Yiannopoulos is heard saying in a video, acknowledging that he has a controversial point of view, “to the point where we are heavily policing consensual adults.”

“In the homosexual world, particularly, some of those relationships between younger boys and older men — the sort of ‘coming of age’ relationship — those relationships in which those older men help those young boys discover who they are and give them security and safety and provide them with love and a reliable, sort of rock, where they can’t speak to their parents,” he added.

“It sounds like molestation to me,” an unnamed person tells Yiannopoulos in reply, likely an interviewer. “It sounds like Catholic priest molestation to me.”

“But you know what? I’m grateful for Father Michael. I wouldn’t give nearly such good head if it wasn’t for him,” Yiannopoulos replied, using a euphemism for male oral sex.

Yiannopoulos has since shared two posts on Facebook defending his language. Here's the first:

There’s a video going around that purports to show me saying anti-semitic things (nope) and advocating for pedophilia (big nope). The shocking thing? It’s Republicans doing it. Sad to see establishment types collapse into the same tactics as social justice warriors: name calling, deceptively edited videos, confected moral outrage and public shaming. This is why they deserve to burn — and why they are burning. Here’s how I actually feel about pedophilia, which you’d know if you’d actually watched or read anything I’ve ever done. Or, you know, if you had two brain cells to rub together. There’s only one appropriate response to this sort of behavior, and it’s a gigantic FUCK YOU!

And his second Facebook post was much longer, which read, in part:

I have never defended and would never defend child abusers, as my reporting history shows. The world is messy and complicated, and I recognize it as such, as this furore demonstrates. But that is a red line for any decent person.

The videos do not show what people say they show. I *did* joke about giving better head as a result of clerical sexual abuse committed against me when I was a teen. If I choose to deal in an edgy way on an internet livestream with a crime I was the victim of that's my prerogative. It's no different to gallows humor from AIDS sufferers.

National Review, whose journalists are tweeting about this, published an article defending Salon for giving a pedophile a platform.

I did say that there are relationships between younger men and older men that can help a young gay man escape from a lack of support or understanding at home. That's perfectly true and every gay man knows it. But I was not talking about anything illegal and I was not referring to pre-pubescent boys.

I said in the same "Drunken Peasants" podcast from which the footage is taken that I agree with the current age of consent.

I shouldn't have used the word "boy" when I talked about those relationships between older men and younger gay men. (I was talking about my own relationship when I was 17 with a man who was 29. The age of consent in the UK is 16.) That was a mistake. Gay men often use the word "boy" when they refer to consenting adults. I understand that heterosexual people might not know that, so it was a sloppy choice of words that I regret.

This rush to judgment from establishment conservatives who hate Trump as much as they hate me, before I have had any chance to provide context or a response, is one of the big reasons gays vote Democrat.

Many in the conservative world are already calling for Milo to be booted as the keynote speaker of CPAC this week.

Here's two of the videos folks are talking about. One clip seems to be from a January 2016 episode of the “Drunken Peasants” podcast.

Here is a longer cut where Milo Yiannopoulos says that he "is advocating" for legal sex between 13 year olds! & older men. #CPAC2017 pic.twitter.com/1fiuv7TSKs

— The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) February 19, 2017

(via JoeMyGod)

Larry Wilmore To Loathsome Milo: "You Can Go F*ck Yourself"

Every bit as loathsome as you've heard, Breitbart editor and professional child Milo Yiannopoulos made the most of his appearance on last night's HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher.

Although he only did the one-on-one segment near the beginning of the show with Maher, he did join the panel for the online post-show segment.

And that's where things got rocky.

From Mediaite:

Yiannopoulos was defending his past remarks about transgender people and Larry Wilmore got heated with him over that, saying similar discriminatory remarks have been made against gay people.

But things got personal when Yiannopoulos told Maher he needs to start “inviting higher IQ guests” on the show. Wilmore told him, “You can go fuck yourself.”

He went off on Yiannopoulos and told him “go fuck yourself” again for trolling Leslie Jones over Ghostbusters.

The surprise of the evening was Maher treating Yiannopolous with such kid gloves.

One example - the exchange in this segment, when the icky Milo says of transgender people:

Yiannopolous: "I think women and girls should be protected from having men who are confused about their sexual identities from their bathrooms.”

Maher: “That’s not unreasonable.”

Women and children are in no danger of transgender folks wanting to use the bathroom. Maher's agreement was a bit chilling.

Milo really is rather infantile, and lashes out just to get a response or attention. It's his own form of self-entertainment.

Earlier in the show, Maher asked him about rumors that he doesn't hire gay people. This was his reply:

“Oh, no! You can’t trust them to show up to work on time. Too much drugs, too much sex, they’re always making excuses,” said Yiannopoulos, inspiring boos from the audience. He then turned to the audience and giggled: “I’m just kidding. You’re easy. You’re very easy. Very easily triggered. It’s pathetic.”

And his body language is oddly telling. He frequently drops his chin and looks through his eye brows when addressing people. According to body language experts, "A lowered head covers the neck with the chin and hence can be a defensive posture that can occur as a result of any perceived threat (not just physical threat). It can also be a sign of defiance or caution, for example when showing respect to an enemy ('You are strong and I do not trust you')."

Hundreds Protest And Shut Down Homocon Milo Yiannopoulos' Event In California

While I don't support violence as a form of protest, I do support the hundreds of protesters right to raise their voices.

From CNN:

A speech by right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos’ at UC Davis was over before it even started Friday after protests erupted, forcing sponsors to cancel the event. Thirty minutes before the Breitbart tech editor was scheduled to speak, the UC Davis College Republicans canceled the controversial talk after consulting with the university’s police department and student affairs officials. Former pharmaceutical executive, Martin Shkreli had also been scheduled to speak at the event.

“I am deeply disappointed with the events of this evening,” said Interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter. “Our community is founded on principles of respect for all views, even those that we personally find repellent. As I have stated repeatedly, a university is at its best when it listens to and critically engages opposing views, especially ones that many of us find upsetting or even offensive.”

Earlier in the evening, protesters blocked access to the venue. Surrounding the lecture hall with signs, they chanted, “Say it loud, say it clear, racists are not welcome here.” Yiannopoulos posted on Facebook that the event had been canceled “after violence from left-wing protestors.”

UK News Host Obliterates Alt-Right Provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos

Professional provocateur and openly gay face of the 'alt-right,' Milo Yiannopoulos, had his butt handed to him by Channel 4 News’s Cathy Newman where he claimed the wage gap and university rape culture is “not real”.

Yiannopoulos, banned for life from Twitter for his inflammatory discourse, was confronted by Newman for his inflammatory discourse over, and in particular his contrary definition of feminism.

Yiannopoulos attempted to dismiss Newman's criticism by saying his online engagement was meant as "humor."

This is the moment Milo Yiannopoulos is challenged on @BreitbartNews headlines and so-called “post-truth politics.” pic.twitter.com/9v9wRVBz5r

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) November 17, 2016

News Round-Up: September 21, 2016

Finding Prince Charming's Robert Sepulveda Jr.

Some news stories you may have missed:

• Finding Prince Charming bachelor Robert Sepulveda Jr. warns he will SUE you if you shame him, call him out or just plain be mean to him on social media.

• The school district in McKinney, Texas, is about to get a $70 million high school football stadium. Everything in Texas IS bigger!

• The man who violently smashed a wooden chair over the heads of a gay couple after a fight at Dallas BBQ in NYC has been sentenced to 9 years in prison.

• President George H.W. Bush has told those in his close circle he plans to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton in this year's presidential election.

• OUT Magazine is catching hell for "profiling" right-wing nut-job and professional asshole Milo Yiannopoulos.


• Charlotte, North Carolina, erupts in racial tension as another black man is shot dead by police.

• Homeowners in Seattle are now being sued for $1.6 million in fines and damages for cutting down more than 150 trees on public property to improve the view from their homes.

• On the 4th anniversary of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney releasing his tax returns last election cycle, Hillary Clinton hits Donald Trump with this little valentine.

Happy anniversary! 4 years ago today, Romney released his 2011 tax returns (which Trump urged him to do). Where are Trump's? pic.twitter.com/MqwCgs5ltW

— The Briefing (@TheBriefing2016) September 21, 2016

ABC Reporter Calls Breitbart's Milo Yiannopolous A 13-Year Old Idiot

You may have heard of Milo Yiannopoulos, the loathsome toad who among other things is captivated by trolling folks on social media for his own sense of delight.

The openly gay (I hate that the LGBT community has to include him in our tribe) Tech editor for anti-LGBT media site Breitbart, and a self-proclaimed entrepreneur was kicked off Twitter for life for his direct attacks on people.

ABC News's Terry Moran interviewed Yiannopoulos for a piece on trolling, and I'm guessing Yiannopoulos' employer Breitbart wasn't thrilled with the results.

ABC’s Terry Moran launched a full scale attack on Breitbart Tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos as part of a feature for ABC Nightline, calling Milo an “idiot,” “revolting” and comparing him to a “13-year-old” child.

The piece centered around the topic of trolling, with ABC describing Milo as “the tip of the iceberg in a rising tide of hate and abuse in social media, one he clearly sees as a noble purpose.” Asked by Moran whether he would call Leslie Jones a “dude” to her face, Milo confirmed that he “probably would.”

“Then you’re an idiot,” Moran angrily replied.

The segment continues, describing Milo as a “self-proclaimed troll” who “makes a career out of sparking outrage, spreading vitriol at many and helping to legitimize a movement of negativity growing on the internet.”

“You’re going to go after somebody’s body to go after their ideas, what grade are you in? Are you a 13-year-old?,” to which Milo said that the real problem lies with the body positivity movement and the “idea that you can tell women they’ll be happy and health at any size.”

“My rudeness creates conversation, provokes people into saying oh what a monster and then 20% of people start talking about what I was actually saying I will consider my career to be a terrific success,” Milo added.

You really should watch just to get an idea of the hideous people out there who live to insult for sport.

(h/t JoeMyGod)

News Round-Up: August 23, 2016

Some news stories you may have missed:

• Kayne Lawton posted something about food on his Instagram, but... there's food in the pic?

• There's yet another sexual harassment lawsuit filed against former Fox News boss Roger Ailes.

• Right-wing nutjob Ann Coulter says if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency, there will never be another Republican president. I'm not seeing the problem here...

• GOP presidential candidate flew to Louisiana for a photo op during which he spent exactly 49 seconds "helping" the people affected by disastrous flooding, and gave a $100K donation to the church of virulently anti-LGBT Tony Perkins.

• Homocon and Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos raised between $100-250K for scholarships for "white men" but in almost a year none of the money has been distributed as the cash sits in Yiannopoulos' bank account.

• Speaking of Milo, Trump supporters have begun to defend accusations of racism by saying "We can't be racist because Milo is gay." Feel free to explain that cognitive dissonance.

• Melania Trump is suing the Daily Mail and other outlets for insinuating she was an "escort" in the 1990s.

• A federal judge has ordered the release of another 15,000 emails from Hillary Clinton's email server over the course of four dates in October.

• The man who wrote the Republican National Convention speech for Pat Smith, whose son was killed in the Benghazi attacks, now says he will probably be voting for Hillary Clinton.

• Check out the one and only Cher introducing Hillary Clinton at a fundraiser in Provincetown this past weekend.