Did Catholic School Where Mike Yenni Met Teen Boyfriend Know About His Lust For Underagers?

The scandal involving Republican Mike Yenni, the former mayor of Kenner, Louisiana who currently serves as Jefferson Parish President, is getting messier by the day.

Last week, the 40-year-old conservative “happily married father of one” was outed for allegedly sexting with a 17-year-old boy who he met at a Catholic school function, gifting the teenager designer underwear and kissing him in a mall bathroom.

Related: Married Conservative Politician Outed For Sexting Teen Boy, Kissing Him In Mall Bathroom

Now, it’s being reported that Yenni purchased a table at Jesuit High School’s commencement luncheon in New Orleans back in April of this year. The luncheon is held each spring for graduating seniors as they are formally welcomed into the Jesuit Alumni Association. It also serves as a fundraiser for the school.

The luncheon is where Yenni, who is a graduate of the esteemed high school and who would frequently return to give speeches to students, allegedly met his teenage boyfriend back in 2015.

When school officials learned that he was planning on attending the function again in 2016, they allegedly panicked and asked a friend of the politician to politely inform him that his presence would not be welcome. As a result, Yenni did not attend.

Apparently, the rescinded invitation came just weeks after Yenni’s former election challenger, Elton Lagassee, quietly sent a letter to Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans urging him to investigate rumors about the politician’s affinity for teen boys.

Related: Teen’s Story About Hooking Up With Married Politician Sounds Awfully Like Mike Yenni

“As a grandfather of a child in a Catholic school, I am very concerned about the potential for future incidents of misconduct by Mr. Yenni should these allegations be confirmed by your investigation,” Lagasse wrote, adding that Yenni “will certainly be attending many functions at schools in the parish.”

Aymond responded to the letter by saying, ““I appreciate receiving this information. As you know, we take such allegations very seriously.”

So what does this mean exactly?

It sure sounds like school officials were aware of Yenni’s penchant for Catholic school boys and attempted to mitigate the situation internally.

Sound familiar?

Too bad the press got wind of it before it could be safely swept under the rug.

Tom Bagwill, who serves as director of institutional advancement for Jesuit High School, didn’t return calls from local press seeking comment. Yenni’s office, as well, is keeping mum, though a representative said this morning that he plans to “address the allegations against him later this week.”

Related: Internet Responds In All Sorts Of Ways To Married Conservative Mike Yenni’s Boy Trouble

h/t: The Advocate

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WATCH: Inside Prince’s “Untouched” Paisley Park Estate

We’re going to go ahead and assume that Prince did not, in fact, have a “Purple Rain Room” complete with a video loop of him performing the classic tune when he occupied his legendary Paisley Park estate, but he was a man of eternal mystery so who knows? Maybe he did.

Either way, the sprawling domicile is set to open as a shrine to all things Prince very soon, and is being touted as remaining “untouched” from before the untimely death of the musical great who called it home.

Related: If Prince Was A Homophobe, What Does That Make You?

But Al Roker got to roam the hallowed halls before the general public has a chance to get their sticky fingers all over Prince’s threads.

Weather forecasters get to have all the fun.

Watch below, or at this link if the video isn’t showing up:

www.queerty.com/watch-inside-princes-untouched-paisley-park-estate-20161005?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

The Haunting First Trailer for Natalie Portman’s ‘Jackie’ Is Here – WATCH

The first trailer for Jackie has just been released. The film follows iconic first lady Jackie Kennedy (Natalie Portman) in the aftermath of her husband’s assassination in Dallas.

The film’s synopsis via Fox Searchlight:

JACKIE is a searing and intimate portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history, seen through the eyes of the iconic First Lady, then Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (Natalie Portman). JACKIE places us in her world during the days immediately following her husband’s assassination. Known for her extraordinary dignity and poise, here we see a psychological portrait of the First Lady as she struggles to maintain her husband’s legacy and the world of “Camelot” that they created and loved so well.

As The Playlist notes, both the film and Portman’s performance got rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival, making it an early Oscar contender: 

Every once in a while, there are one or two movies that emerge at the fall festivals with no set release date, only to wow crowds and critics, and rushed into the Oscar season. And this year, that crown belongs to “Jackie.” Pablo Larrain‘s movie was a bit of an unknown quantity heading into Venice and TIFF, but after a strong reception at both festivals, Fox Searchlight is hoping they have new player for the months ahead (particularly now that “The Birth Of A Nation” feels like a big question mark).

RELATED: Oscar Season Preview: Moonlight, La La Land, Fences, Loving, The Arrival, and More!

Jackie hits select theaters on October 2.

Watch the trailer, below.

The post The Haunting First Trailer for Natalie Portman’s ‘Jackie’ Is Here – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

The Haunting First Trailer for Natalie Portman’s ‘Jackie’ Is Here – WATCH

Seth Meyers: Chris Christie & Rudy Giuliani Look Like Comic-Book Henchmen Scared of Their Evil Boss – WATCH

Seth Meyers took a closer look at Donald Trump’s terrible week that won’t seem to end, exploring all the crazy things the candidate has said and done since the first presidential debate.

Said Meyers, “Not only was Trump’s debate performance last Monday disastrous, he spent an entire week talking about it. He’s like a kid who wets the bed at a sleepover, and a week later is still going, ‘I’m telling you, I spilled my juice box.’”

Among the crazier things Trump said last week was that he believes Hillary Clinton isn’t loyal to her husband Bill, offering no proof of this accusation while speaking at a campaign rally.

But because Trump doesn’t back down from any of the insane things he says, he had Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie go on cable news to defend him, tasking Giuliani in particular with defending his claims about Hillary’s alleged infidelity.

RELATED: Chris Christie Tells a Flummoxed Chris Wallace That NYT’s Bombshell on Trump’s Taxes is a ‘Good Story’ – WATCH

Joked Meyers, “Of course, Trump’s own first marriage ended when he cheated on [Ivana] with his eventual second wife [Maples]. So you might think maybe this isn’t the best argument for Trump to make—which is why the Trump team sent their best man, Rudy Giuliani, to go on TV and make it again.”

Giuliani has also infamously had extramarital affairs.

Pointing to a clip of CNN’s Jake Tapper grilling Giuliani over Trump’s “indefensible” accusation, Meyers pointed out that the only response Giuliani could muster was, “Well that’s your opinion.”

Said Meyers, “Trump’s campaign is such a cluster-fart they’ve been reduced to quoting the Dude.”

Of both Giuliani and Christie’s attempts to defend Trump, Meyers quipped, “Those two are like comic-book henchmen who are scared to death of their evil boss.”

Watch, below.

The post Seth Meyers: Chris Christie & Rudy Giuliani Look Like Comic-Book Henchmen Scared of Their Evil Boss – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Seth Meyers: Chris Christie & Rudy Giuliani Look Like Comic-Book Henchmen Scared of Their Evil Boss – WATCH

Right-Wing Conservative Blames Hurricane Matthew on Orlando’s Gay Pride Parade

Hurricane Matthew has been sent by God as a punishment to the cities of Orlando and Savannah because they’re having Gay Pride parades this month, says a right-wing conservative.

Andrew Bieszad, a contributor to Shoebat.com, the website run by anti-gay extremists Walid and Theodore Shoebat, made the claims in an essay posted today, Right Wing Watch reports.

Writes Bieszad:

The Bible clearly teaches that in the Old Testament whenever the Hebrews were very disobedient towards God, He would send punishments against them, many times in the forms of natural disasters. Christian history also recognizes the same, where God will use His creation to execute judgment against the wicked. While not all bad weather is necessarily a sign of sin, both sacred scripture and sacred tradition clearly note that it can be so. Now we know that Florida is an area that is infected with sin, especially cities such as Miami and Orlando, which are veritable dens of sodomy.

But instead of looking at mere particularities, I thought I would ask a broader question- Is there any “homosexual” activities going on this month in either the Orlando or Savannah areas? Sure enough, I found that both Orlando and Savannah are having massive sodomite pride parades this month, especially in Orlando, which is sponsoring this very weekend as the hurricane is about to hit a massive “coming out” parade sponsored no less than with the major support of the city itself and major corporate backers.

…A hurricane- the storms from an evil being- named after the New Testament Evangelist whose symbol is an angel- a messenger of God and and executor of His will among and upon men- is about to make landfall on the exact area where two massive sodomite parades are taking place and almost to the day for the largest one, and the exact day the hurricane is scheduled to hit is the Feast Day of the Holiest Prayer in the Catholic Church used to fight the most wicked of sins and heresies given by the Mother of God herself.

Oh, and nobody show Bieszad, the ‘Skull of Hurricane Matthew’ screen shot above, which is an actual screenshot of the hurricane captured during meteorologist Matt Devitt’s weathercast yesterday.

The post Right-Wing Conservative Blames Hurricane Matthew on Orlando’s Gay Pride Parade appeared first on Towleroad.

Right-Wing Conservative Blames Hurricane Matthew on Orlando’s Gay Pride Parade

Not Everyone Was Pleased With Grindr’s Clueless Deportation Tweet During VP Debate

There was some serious drama on Grindr’s Twitter page last night.

The dating app decided to let gay comedian Guy Branum take over its account during last night’s vice presidential debate, tweeting out GIFs, memes, and other snarky commentary during the 90 minute snooze fest, er, presentation.

The exercise started out innocently enough, with Branum making middle school jabs at both candidates, first by comparing Pence to “a cartoon turtle” and then by saying Tim Kaine is “1/4 bobblehead on his mother’s side.”

And then came this tweet:

If Donald Trump gets to deport 16 million people, I want you to think how much hotness would be lost from your @Grindr screen. #VPDebate

— Grindr (@Grindr) October 5, 2016

But not everybody found the joke funny. Or even kinda funny.

@Grindr pic.twitter.com/ydJhpRDY3Z

— Jacob (@OhHeyJacob) October 5, 2016

.@Grindr aww you were doing so well until this one!

— Slade Sohmer (@Slade) October 5, 2016

@Grindr pic.twitter.com/HjTNTxUssh

— Dad Celo (@DadCelo) October 5, 2016

@Grindr You probably want to delete this

— Yes, You’re Racist (@YesYoureRacist) October 5, 2016

@Grindr You’re cut off. pic.twitter.com/7HziIrAtqI

— Brian Gluckman (@bgluckman) October 5, 2016

@Grindr … or we could think about the torn-apart families, people uprooted from their homes, etc. Not just about lost chances to be laid.

— SpoopyEnby (@CanadiEnby) October 5, 2016

@Grindr really? You tried and failed. pic.twitter.com/BODuzznnyt

— Cedric Gum (@OMCeddie) October 5, 2016

After it became clear the tweet had hit a nerve, Grindr immediately went into damage control. The very next tweet was a disclaimer from Branum that sounded an awful lot like it was written for him by the app’s PR team:

Fun reminder: right I (@guybranum) am tweeting for @grindr, these opinions are mine, not necessarily @Grindr‘s pic.twitter.com/9fUTlOzOs9

— Grindr (@Grindr) October 5, 2016

That was followed by another tweet a short while later:

I (@guybranum), am white, and I’m sorry for the extent to which my privilege made me feel it was ok to joke about deportation.

— Grindr (@Grindr) October 5, 2016

He could have left it at that. But instead, Brenum decided to dig himself into an even deeper hole by arguing with people.

@eatsleepFEELS @guybranum They asked me to!

— Grindr (@Grindr) October 5, 2016

@rolandodiaz16 @Grindr I got a perfect score on my LSATs.

— Guy Branum (@guybranum) October 5, 2016

That was me, @guybranum, tweeting the #VPDebate. I got distracted about half way through by people yelling at me for the deportation tweet.

— Grindr (@Grindr) October 5, 2016

Then he took to his own Twitter account to double down on his original statement that massive deportation would be an absolute tragedy for horny gay men:

For the record: Gays who want to fuck being torn apart by racist immigration policies is just as sad as families being torn apart by them.

— Guy Branum (@guybranum) October 5, 2016

So what’s the takeaway from all this… aside from yet another reason why hookup apps and late night comedian’s might want to refrain from trying to make serious political commentary?

Mathew Rodriguez at Mic.com says that, in addition to ignoring the fact that many of the LGBTQ people who would be deported under a Trump/Pence administration would be sent back to countries that are hostile towards gay people, it highlights the ongoing issue of white privilege within the gay community:

Because white gay men are still afforded a disproportionate amount of power and representation in the gay community, a conversation about immigration became a conversation about white access to black and brown bodies. The funny thing is, this still centers the idea that white people should have access to any body they want.

What do you think? Were the tweets by Branum sent from Grindr’s Twitter account offensive? Or are people taking what was mean to be a flippant remark too seriously? Share your thoughts in the comments section…

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How Excited Do We Get About An IKEA Ad Featuring Gay People?

This week, IKEA has begun rolling out a new advertising campaign that touts “all homes are created equal,” as demonstrated by a page in their 2017 catalog prominently featuring an interracial gay couple getting cozy on a couch.

Related: It’s Gays Versus Lesbians In This IKEA Furniture Building Competition

Speaking to AdWeek, Leslie Stone, director of strategic services for Ogilvy & Mather, whimsically asked, “Where did the American Dream go? The idea of asking where did the American dream go was not to show that it went away, but that people are living it every day in diverse ways.”

Related: IKEA Admits To Cooperating With Russian Gay Purge

There are so many different ways that Americans live—multigenerational, gay parents, etc.—that define the real portrait of the America that’s really out there. If we’d put across 20 different living situations, they’d all be equally powerful.”

Watch one of the new commercials here: 

www.queerty.com/excited-get-ikea-ad-featuring-gay-people-20161005?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

September 2016’s Funniest News Clips and Bloopers are Here to Make You Gag: WATCH

News Be Funny compiles the funniest news clips and bloopers each month and September 2016 had to be one of the crazier months of the year, given the political moment we’re in.

Not only did Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson reveal his brain is completely empty of knowledge on foreign events, he also assaulted an MSNBC reporter with his tongue.

But that’s not all: Hillary Clinton’s death, Ben Carson’s luggage, a Colin Powell heckler all figure big in this round-up, along with bad parking meter math, alligator wrestling, errant marching bands, an overaffectionate giraffe, a warning not to wear clown shoes while driving, a man who lived among goats, and a really odd performance by Corey Feldman.

Enjoy!

The post September 2016’s Funniest News Clips and Bloopers are Here to Make You Gag: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

September 2016’s Funniest News Clips and Bloopers are Here to Make You Gag: WATCH

#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: October 5, 2016

PENCE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE — DONALD WHO? During Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, Republican nominee Mike Pence repeatedly feigned ignorance — or simply lied — about his running mate Donald Trump’s campaign of insult and disparagement; epic business failures; and refusal to provide his federal tax records. Democratic nominee Tim Kaine sought clarity on the Trump-Pence ticket’s cozy relationship with Vladimir Putin, underscoring their praising of Putin while he runs a regime that “persecutes LGBT folks and journalists.” Pence’s response was to claim that he and Trump had never complimented Putin’s leadership (they have, several times).  As Frank Bruni (@FrankBruni) noted in The New York Times, Pence offered no apology for the “grotesque cornucopia of Donald Trump’s slurs and bad behavior.” Read more here about “Mike Pence’s Fantasy Running Mate,” and how “Magic Mike: Makes Trump Disappear!”

#VPDebate highlight: @timkaine slams Trump/Pence ticket for Putin praise: “He persecutes #LGBT folks & journalists.” #AskTheGays pic.twitter.com/MPhS0ojw9S

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) October 5, 2016

MIKE PENCE IS NATIONALLY NOTORIOUS FOR ATTACKING LGBTQ PEOPLE — from passing a dangerous and costly anti-LGBTQ law in Indiana, to trying to divert funding for HIV prevention to harmful “conversion therapy,” to fighting against hate crimes laws and open service for LGB service members. Notably, the moderator failed to ask a single question about Pence’s hateful track record.

Before Trump picked him as his VP, @mike_pence was notorious for attacking LGBTQ people. But not 1 question about his hateful views tonight.

— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) October 5, 2016

• Meanwhile, we did #AskThe Gays during a debate tweet storm… and they didn’t disappoint….

Before @PatMcCroryNC‘s HB2, Indiana had @Mike_Pence‘s discriminatory bill. Both champions of hate and losing on 11/8. #AskTheGays #VPDebate

— Lincoln Pennington (@Lincoln_Ross) October 5, 2016

MIKE PENCE’S HATEFUL POLITICS: Ahead of last night’s debate, HRC released a new video and unveiled a billboard on a highway heading into the Virginia debate venue highlighting how Mike Pence has made opposing LGBTQ equality a cornerstone of his political career. Pence’s record stands in stark contrast with Tim Kaine, who has advanced LGBTQ equality as Governor, Senator and now as a vice presidential candidate, advocating the most aggressive platform for LGBTQ equality in U.S. history. HRC President Chad Griffin, who attended the debate, tweeted that @timkaine‘s commitment to equality is embodied by his debate guests, Virginia marriage equality plaintiffs Carol Schall and Mary Townley, and their daughter, Emily.

Kaine’s faith calls him to stand for the oppressed. Pence’s faith calls him to oppress those on the margins. #VPDebate #AskTheGays

— Eliel Cruz (@elielcruz) October 5, 2016

From USA Today:

Says it all. → @mike_pence‘s hateful politics: Bad for Indiana. Bad for our country. t.co/Eu5GtFG7VV via @DonovanSlack #AskTheGays pic.twitter.com/PeAeWlnZcH

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) October 5, 2016

ADD THIS TO OUR EVER-GROWING LIST OF WHY WE LOVE THE FIRST LADY: ICYMI, check out First Lady Michelle Obama throwing perfect, yet subtle, shade on Donald Trump and his post-presidential debate whining about his microphone. Watch it here.

LGBTQ PARENTAL RIGHTS WIN IN MASSACHUSETTS: In a historic win for LGBTQ parental rights in Massachusetts, the state’s high court ruled yesterday that a woman can legally be the parent of a child, even if she is not the birth mother or adoptive parent. Prior to this ruling, a non-birth mother in a same-sex relationship could have visitation rights as a “de facto parent,” which fell short of full parentage. More from USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.

WHAT WE’RE READING WEDNESDAY: Dick Wagner, one of Wisconsin’s first openly-LGBTQ politicians — the state is the only one to have had three openly-LGBTQ people serve in Congress — talks about being inspired by the words of Harvey Milk, and striving to live live boldly.  “You need to be part of a community, and you need to share the story of what our lives are …,” Wagner told Wisconsin Public Radio. “But there’s still a lot of work out there to convince people that we are citizens of this country and that we have contributions to make and we will make them.”

PRESTIGIOUS JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION CANCELS NC VISIT, CITING HB2: In what the Raleigh News & Observer described as a blow to the area’s rising culinary profile, the James Beard Foundation yesterday canceled its plan to hold a meeting in the city in January, saying that provisions of the state’s discriminatory HB2 law “are contrary to the values” of the organization. “This meeting had been planned prior to the passage of HB2; we had hoped that the condemnation by the NCAA, the NBA and the many members of North Carolina’s restaurant community, would have persuaded North Carolina’s leaders to repeal this outrageous law,” the foundation said in a statement. “As it has not, the subcommittee feels compelled to conduct its business elsewhere.”

OUTRAGEOUS — ANTI-EQUALITY BOARD MEMBER THREATENS TO PULL FUNDING FROM HOME CARE CENTER OVER A …..POSTER: The Aging and Disability Resource Center office in Baraboo, Wisconsin, could lose funding because an anti-equality county supervisor is upset over poster in the county’s Aging and Disability Resource Center that features an HRC logo. More from The Baraboo News Republic.

CONGRATS TO THE HAPPY COUPLE: Samira Wiley (@SamiraWiley) of the Netflix hit show Orange Is The New Black is engaged. She and her new fiancé, writer Lauren Morelli (@lomorelli), showed off Wiley’s engagement ring in an Instagram post. See Wiley’s powerful introduction of civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis at HRC’s 2016 National Dinner here.

 

Tap twice to congratulate Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli on their engagement! #Repost @whododatlikedat: Yes.

A photo posted by Human Rights Campaign (@humanrightscampaign) on Oct 4, 2016 at 11:24am PDT

NEW VIDEO FROM GLSEN — WHAT DOES GENDERFLUID MEAN?: Check out GLSEN’s new video on gender fluidity. Genderfluid people do not identify with a single, fixed gender. More from Teen Vogue.

HUNDREDS OF MINORS ARRESTED UNDER INDIA’S ANTI-LGBTQ LAW: More than 200 young adults and children as young as 11 were arrested in 2015 under India’s law criminalizing same-sex sexual activity, according to the Times of India. The discriminatory law was reintroduced to the country in 2013. More from Gay Star News.

READING RAINBOW

Jeff Green (@JeffAGreen) talks about LGBTQ inclusion in pro sports for Bloomberg Markets… Forbes discusses the need for LGBTQ-friendly housing for elders…
Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to A.M. Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tip-sheet-october-5-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed