Judge Denies Philly Gay Basher Kathryn Knott’s Early Release Request

Dear convicted gay basher Kathryn Knott: in the words of our favorite lesbian Suze Orman: you are denied.

A Philadelphia judge has denied her request for early release based on good behavior.

The men who participated in the bashing, Kevin Harrigan and Philip Williams, avoided jail time with a plea that included community service and probation, but Knott decided to try her luck with a trial. Bad move.

After being convicted of simple assault, conspiracy and reckless endangerment in the attack of two gay men in Philadelphia in 2014 and sentenced to 5-10 months behind bars, Knott faced a civil suit from the victims and was unsuccessful at getting released in order to record an anti-bullying PSA and move on.

Now’s she’s definitely not getting time off for good behavior. Philadelphia Gay News writes:

An attorney for Knott submitted a petition June 10 for an “earned time, good time” release, which allows petitioners to be released before the minimum time limit on their sentence if they have behaved as model inmates.

Knott’s attorney Bill Brennan told PGN she’s been a “model inmate,” which is why he filed the request:

“She’s been performing her duties — cleaning toilets — and has been a model inmate. Inmates are given this reward, if you will, where the minimum sentence is slightly reduced and they have the opportunity to be released slightly early with ‘earned time, good time.’”

Unfortunately for Knott, the judge denied the request. However, Brennan intends to revisit it once she meets her 5-month minimum sentence:

“I’m cautiously optimistic that she will not be singled out for any reason because it really is the norm that, if you’ve behaved yourself, you are eligible for release at the minimum.”

We’re not really into kicking someone when they’re down, but unfortunately Knott was. Here’s to hoping that she’s learned her lesson once she completes her minimum sentence…and no less.

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Professional Soccer Player’s Boyfriend Is His #1 Fan In Adorable Ad

Gay footballers need love and a partner that’s always their #1 fan.

That’s the idea behind this very cute and gay-inclusive ad from German railway Deutsche Bahn, who packed a lot of messages and a whole lot of “awwwwww” into this 90-second travel spot.

You’ll guess the twist a mile away, but that doesn’t make it any less adorable.

Check it out below, catch all the feels, and enjoy something positive and light during this heavy pride season.

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Despite Orlando Massacre, U.S. Senate Votes Down Commonsense Gun Violence Prevention Legislation

 Today, HRC responded to the U.S. Senate voting down two gun violence prevention amendments that would have struck the balance Americans are seeking in our nation’s laws regulating the sale and ownership of guns. The unconscionable vote to stop these gun violence prevention measures comes just a week after 49 LGBTQ and allied people were massacred — and 53 others were injured — in an attack on a club in Orlando on Latin night.

The amendments to the FY 17 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Act (H.R. 2578) were introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Chris Murphy. Senator Feinstein’s proposal, backed by the Department of Justice, would have ensured that the Department of Justice had the authority to deny gun sales to individuals the Department had a reasonable suspicion was involved in terrorism. Senator Murphy’s proposal would have closed the unlicensed seller loophole by requiring criminal background checks on all sales while maintaining reasonable exceptions for family, hunting, and emergency self-defense.

“We are deeply disappointed in each and every Senator who failed to stand up today for commonsense gun violence prevention legislation,” said HRC Government Affairs Director David Stacy. “For decades, LGBTQ people have been a target for bias-motivated violence, and easy access to deadly weapons has compounded this threat. The volatile combination of animosity towards the LGBTQ community and easy access to deadly weapons exacerbates the climate of fear and the dangers faced by LGBTQ people. Reasonable gun violence prevention measures are part of the solution to bias-motivated violence, and it’s critical that Congress pass commonsense legislation.”

In a letter sent prior to the vote, HRC urged Senators to vote in favor of the critical legislation. Just over one week ago, a violent individual with easy access to guns was responsible for the most deadly mass shooting in our nation’s history, opening fire on an LGBTQ club on Latin night. Though details continue to emerge, and exact motives may never be known, it is clear that the murderer intentionally chose to target LGBTQ people out of deep-seated hate toward our community. The scale of devastation and horror wrought in the Orlando massacre may have been unique but, unfortunately, hate-motivated violence and murder has plagued our community for decades. According to the most recent FBI statistics, more than 20 percent of all reported hate crimes target people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity — and we know that federal data vastly underestimates the true extent of this epidemic.

The degree of bloodshed at Pulse nightclub and many other recent mass shootings may have been avoided if the perpetrators had faced reasonable restrictions on their ability to own a gun. In most states across the country, troubled individuals intent on carrying out violence can purchase assault-type weapons without a background check from an unlicensed seller, no questions asked, including in Florida. A supermajority of Americans support common sense solutions to gun violence including expanded background checks.

www.hrc.org/blog/despite-orlando-massacre-senate-votes-down-gun-violence-prevention-bill?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Oh, the Places an Overthinker's Mind Goes

You might be an overthinker if you believe your friend is late because he choked to death on a cashew or is the star of a reality show.

www.advocate.com/comedy/2016/6/20/oh-places-overthinkers-mind-goes

Orlando Vigil Drew 50,000 Supporters, Friends and Families (Video)

www.advocate.com/crime/2016/6/20/orlando-vigil-drew-50000-supporters-friends-and-families-video

Hillary Clinton: 'Prayers Alone Aren’t Enough'

In comments to The Advocate, the Democratic nominee calls for action.

www.advocate.com/election/2016/6/20/hillary-clinton-prayers-alone-arent-enough

Trump To Meet With 400 Antigay Evangelists After Claiming To Be An Ally

Remember a week ago, when Donald Trump said “ask yourself who is really the friend of women and the LGBT community, Donald Trump with his actions or Hillary Clinton with her words?”

Well, now we have an answer, and it sure as hell isn’t Donald Trump. He’s going to be meeting with 400 of the worst anti-LGBT evangelical activists in the country.

And this isn’t the first time he’s affirmed his friendship with bigots. Last week he spoke to the Road to Majority summit, telling anti-gay organizers “I’m with you 100 percent.” He told them that he stands by them on “marriage and family” and “religious freedom.”

This latest meeting will include people like Tony Perkins — a staunch opponent of anything queer, and also a beneficiary of the Ku Klux Klan’s mailing list — and James Dobson from Focus on the Family. It’ll be moderated by Ben Carson, if he can manage to stay awake. Carson, you’ll recall, has compared being LGBT to bestiality and pedophilia.

Meanwhile, gay Republicans have been scrambling to justify their support for Trump, pointing out that he’s not as bad as the other GOP candidates. That might be true, but being less-bad isn’t the same as being good.

And let’s not forget, Trump’s on the record with quotes like “I’m against gay marriage” and “they should not be able to marry.” About Kim Davis, he said “I haven’t been opposed to her stand.” And regarding the lovely Michael Sam kiss, he said “the display after he was chosen was inappropriate… he was really going at it.”

It’s hard to imagine that there are any LGBT people out there who’ve been suckered into thinking that Donald Trump has their best interests at heart. But just in case there are: don’t fall for it. Don’t believe him. Don’t trust him. Go ahead, ask yourself who is really your friend … it’s not a hard question to answer.

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The Trailer For “Looking: The Movie” Is Ready For You Now

Good news for fans of the woefully short-lived HBO series Looking. Today, the official trailer for the full-length feature follow-up has been released, and it finds Patrick (Jonathan Groff) returning to San Francisco to find closure and resolution in his relationships with Richie (Raúl Castillo) and Kevin (Russell Tovey), but instead chaffing up against a host of new challenges, old resentments, and boilerplate advice on letting go (i.e, “Sometimes you have to leave everything behind so you can move forward.”)

Related: Where Did “Looking” Go Wrong?

Effectively wrapping up the story that was left hanging from its abrupt cancellation in 2015,  Looking: The Movie is directed by filmmaker Andrew Heigh (“45 Years”) and once again co-stars Frankie J. Alvarez as Agustin and Murray Bartlett as Dom.

Related: Russell Tovey’s “Looking” Audition Almost Put Jonathan Groff Out Of A Job

The film debuts Saturday, July 23rd at 10PM Eastern.

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