Gay Republicans, Ariana Grande, Gorilla, Blair Witch, Boy Scouts, Bernie Sanders: NEWS

Gay Republicans, Ariana Grande, Gorilla, Blair Witch, Boy Scouts, Bernie Sanders: NEWS

DEM CONVENTION. A list of banned items.

SWING STATE DEMOCRATS. Skipping the convention: “The Democrats looking to flip Senate seats in Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida and Missouri are all skipping the convention, as is the woman running to hold Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s seat in Nevada. And the Democrat hoping to take back the governor’s mansion in North Carolina will also stay home.”

SandersWIKILEAK. DNC staffer apologizes for suggesting DNC use Bernie Sanders’ religious beliefs against him: “I deeply regret that my insensitive, emotional emails would cause embarrassment to the DNC, the Chairwoman, and all of the staffers who worked hard to make the primary a fair and open process. The comments expressed do not reflect my beliefs nor do they reflect the beliefs of the DNC and its employees. I apologize to those I offended.”

OPTIMISTIC. What Trump thought his RNC Speech was. “I thought it was very optimistic. To me, it was an optimistic speech.”

GAY REPUBLICANS. Why?

rnc_trumpSIGNORILE. How the media allows Donald Trump to appear LGBTQ-friendly. “Trump can count on much of the media falling for stock phrases, engaging in superficial coverage and often running with a false narrative that the Trump campaign hands to journalists on Trump and LGBT issues rather than doing the most basic reporting and presenting an accurate story.”

ARIANA GRANDE. Donut-licking incident cost her a White House appearance.

CHURCH OF ENGLAND. Gay priest quits to avoid ban on marrying. “The Rev Clive Larsen, 60, officially left his post as a parish priest in the diocese of Manchester on Friday. The clergyman would have faced disciplinary action if he had gone ahead with the marriage tomorrow without quitting.”

JACK MONROE. Food blogger comes out as non-binary transgender.

Zachary QuintoZACHARY QUINTO. Scared to be a gay American. “There are indicators of the pendulum swinging the other way right now in terms of the political temperature and the landscape of Trump. It’s absurd to me, but I have to have faith that we’ll endure and triumph. I have to feel like people will look at these two old white men, who represent everything that is negative in history, and say there are more people who want to go a different direction. I hope so. I am scared. I don’t take anything for granted. I have a lot of people in my life that think there’s no way Trump will win. I don’t believe that for a second. We have to fight with everything we have to continue the path that we’ve been able to gain such ground on in the last five to ten years. It’s just a bleak and dangerous moment in our geopolitical landscape right now.”

bsaBOY SCOUTS. One year after easing ban on gay adults, group is thriving: “Remarkably, nearly 12 months after the BSA National Executive Board’s decision, the Boy Scouts seem more robust than they have in many years. Youth membership is on the verge of stabilizing after a prolonged decline, corporations which halted donations because of the ban have resumed their support, and the vast majority of units affiliated with conservative religious denominations have remained in the fold — still free to exclude gay adults if that’s in accordance with their religious doctrine.”

pulsePULSE. Boy Scouts collected weathered flags at site of Orlando massacre this week. “Officials from the Orange County Regional History Center oversaw the Scouts, who were asked to collect the flags so the American Legion can give them a proper retirement ceremony. The flags have been deemed unserviceable for various reasons, including touching the ground, and will be respectfully retired and burned, said Chris Crowley, director of field service for the Boy Scouts of America Central Florida Council.”

POLICY CHANGES. Transgender drill sergeant Ken Ochoa not sure if he’ll be processed as male or female. “Following Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s announcement that transgender individuals can serve openly in the military, but with specific guidance not due for months, Drill Sergeant Ken Ochoa faces uncertainty about whether he’ll be processed as male or female as he moves to a new post.”

sulu_choBRYAN FULLER. Star Trek: Discovery TV series weighs in on gay Sulu controversy: “I think when you’re an actor, you’re playing a role from a specific direction. It is that interpretation that you worked with, with the creator of the show, that has been cemented in your mind. So I think [George Takei] is absolutely entitled to feel that way, because I absolutely understand why he feels that way. I think the bigger picture is that we need gay representation. And the fact that they embraced that idea and made John Cho’s portrayal as Sulu a gay man was a lovely move of inclusivity.”

RWANDA. Woman shoved by gorilla during safari tour. “The couple said the group observed the gorillas for about 40 minutes before one gorilla, the male head of the family, beat his chest and charged toward the humans. The gorilla gave Gemma a one-handed shove, knocking her to the ground, before continuing on his way.”

POKEMON GO. Two Canadian teens illegally crossed the U.S.-Canada border while playing the game: “The two, who were not identified, were found by U.S. Border Patrol agents on Thursday, with their attention affixed to their phones as they were trying to hunt down cartoon characters on a journey that took them over the border.”

BLAIR WITCH. The upcoming film The Woods was revealed to be a sequel to the horror classic The Blair Witch Project, at San Diego’s Comic-Con. Here’s the trailer. It has a September 16 release date.

SUNDAY STUD. Javier Santo.

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Nico Tortorella Debuts Drag Persona ‘Almond Milk’

Nico Tortorella Debuts Drag Persona ‘Almond Milk’

Actor Nico Tortorella, fresh off the revelation that he identifies as sexually “fluid”, revealed his drag persona over the weekend on Instagram.

Instagram Photo

 

The explanation behind the name is that Tortorella has been welcomed into the family of The Dairy Queens. They’re “a batch of hilarious drag queens based in NYC,” according to their Instagram page, and “the group consists of: MILK, Ühu Betch, Skim Burley, Linda Lakes & Juggz.”

RELATED: Actor Nico Tortorella Says He’s Sexually Fluid: ‘I’ve Never Been in Any Sort of Closet’

And now Almond Milk. RuPaul’s Drag Race alum MILK welcomed Tortorella into the fold in another Instagram post.

The group’s YouTube channel is HERE.

NNN tips us to this (work-unfriendly) video posted back in March.

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Liberal Redneck’ Trae Crowder Recaps the Republican Convention: WATCH

Liberal Redneck’ Trae Crowder Recaps the Republican Convention: WATCH

Liberal Redneck Trae Crowder

Liberal Redneck Trae Crowder turns in a video recap of last week’s Republican National Convention which took apart the confab piece by piece, from Melania’s plagiarism to Ted Cruz’s Trump snub:

“Ted Cruz emerged from his mucus sac having fully assimilated into his latest flesh vessel to give a speech in which he pointedly refused to endorse his party’s nominee,” enthuses Crowder.

Crowder also parses the Trump speech but concludes on an upbeat note:

“The whole thing last night was one of the most disturbing experiences I can remember having watching an American politician, but, to keep me from being guilty of what I am accusing Donny of, I am gonna end on a positive note. Not once, but twice, overtly pro-LGBT sentiment received rounds of applause and cheers at the Republican National Convention. Holy s**t. I never thought I’d see that. And secondly, Trump himself didn’t mention God once. and that is the one glimmer of sunlight I saw through the s**t cyclone that was the Republican Convention this week.”

Watch:

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HRC’s Sarah McBride to Become First Openly Transgender Person to Speak at a Major Party Convention

HRC’s Sarah McBride to Become First Openly Transgender Person to Speak at a Major Party Convention

Today, the Human Rights Campaign announced that HRC Foundation National Press Secretary Sarah McBride will speak at the DNC on Thursday — marking the first time in history an openly transgender person will speak at a major party convention. HRC President Chad Griffin will also address the Democratic National Convention that evening.

“Hillary Clinton won’t be the only woman to make history this Thursday. When Sarah McBride takes the stage, she will become the first transgender person to speak at a national Democratic or Republican convention,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Sarah’s inclusion in Thursday’s program is a significant milestone for our community, and it sends a strong message that transgender people and their voices matter. I’m also honored to address a national convention where LGBTQ advocates will play such an integral and historic role. Next week’s Democratic National Convention will underscore the stark contrast between Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine’s vision for a more equal America and Donald Trump and Mike Pence’s agenda of hate and division.”

McBride currently serves as the National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and on the steering committee of Trans United for Hillary, a volunteer effort dedicated to educating and mobilizing transgender people and their allies in support of Hillary Clinton. McBride was invited to speak on the main stage of the convention by the Congressional LGBT Caucus and her speech will follow remarks by Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, (D-NY).

“I’m honored for this opportunity to share my story and to be the first transgender person to speak at a major party convention,” said Sarah McBride, National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. “People must understand that even as we face daily harassment, tragic violence, and an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ political attacks across the country, we are real people merely seeking to be treated with the dignity and respect every person deserves. I’m so proud to stand with the LGBT Caucus and speak out in support of Hillary Clinton, because we know she stands with us.”

Last week, the RNC adopted the most anti-LGBTQ platform in the Republican Party’s history, including an endorsement of so-called “conversion therapy” and dangerous, discriminatory laws like North Carolina’s HB2. A number of speakers at the Convention and related events also mocked and ridiculed transgender people.

A record number of LGBTQ delegates — including a historic high of 27 transgender delegates — will also be attending the Democratic convention.The party is slated to adopt the most inclusive and progressive platform ever on LGBTQ equality. That proposed platform includes planks endorsing comprehensive non-discrimination protections, opposing anti-LGBTQ bills, condemning violence against transgender people, and calling for LGBTQ equality to continue to be a part of U.S. foreign policy. Mara Keisling, veteran trans advocate, served on the platform committee.

The Human Rights Campaign endorsed Hillary Clinton in January 2016. With 1.5 million members and supporters nationwide, HRC is planning an unprecedented organizational effort to register and mobilize the nation’s pro-equality majority, and elect pro-LGBT candidates up and down the ballot. In 2016, HRC expects that the pro-equality vote will be larger, stronger, and more energized than at any point in history.

 
Paid for by Human Rights Campaign Equality Votes and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrcs-sarah-mcbride-to-become-first-openly-transgender-person-to-speak-at-a?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

‘Justice League’ and ‘Wonder Woman’ Debut Must-See Footage at Comic-Con: WATCH

‘Justice League’ and ‘Wonder Woman’ Debut Must-See Footage at Comic-Con: WATCH

Justice League

Warner Bros. has released the first official image from its forthcoming Justice League movie at San Diego’s Comic-Con during its Hall H presentation on Saturday morning

In the first footage from Justice League we see Flash (Ezra Miller), Superman (Henry Cavill), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Batman (Ben Affleck) and Aquaman (Jason Momoa), as the crime-fighting coalition is assembled.

Writes Bleeding Cool:

The sorta quick two-paragraph run-down version of the trailer goes basically like this: Batman, as Bruce Wayne, tracks down Aquaman and the Flash—separately in different sequences—to recruit them for a team to fight an enemy that’s coming (an enemy he doesn’t name and whom we don’t see because the focus of this trailer is solely on the good guys). Aquaman is a beer swiggin’ tough guy who runs around delivering fish to hungry land dwellers in need. It’s the whole he’s-rough-around-the-edges-but-has-a-really-good-heart sort of routine, but he’s not happy to see Wayne—at all. When Wayne meets the Flash in his civilian identity as Barry Allen, he throws a batarang at Allen to force him to reveal his superspeed, and it totally works. Allen dodges the projectile, with some cool speed lightning effects, and catches it. When Wayne asks Allen to join up, Allen quickly agrees because he says he needs more friends (he’s lonely, you see), and there we have the start of our team.

There’s also some funny Wonder Woman-Batman banter, and we see glimpses of most of the heroes in costume doing cool poses and stuff, including Cyborg, who actually doesn’t do too much in the teaser but say a few lines and look good in metal. And Superman is nowhere to be seen in the footage, though his portrayer Henry Cavill was present during the panel in Hall H.

Justice League has a release date of November 2017.

Coming sooner is Gadot in Wonder Woman, and that also saw a fully-fleshed official trailer appear at Comic-Con. The film, coming in June 2017, also stars Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright.

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