Matt Lauer Showed Colleague His Penis, Gave Another a Sex Toy and Told Her How He’d Use It

Matt Lauer Showed Colleague His Penis, Gave Another a Sex Toy and Told Her How He’d Use It
Matt Lauer

Matt Lauer

Details are emerging about complaints against TODAY co-host Matt Lauer and the inappropriate and creepy conduct which got him fired by NBC News. Variety spoke with three women harassed by Lauer and “dozens of interviews with current and former staffer” as part of a two-month investigation into Lauer’s behavior.

Variety reports:

As the co-host of NBC’s “Today,” Matt Lauer once gave a colleague a sex toy as a present. It included an explicit note about how he wanted to use it on her, which left her mortified.

On another day, he summoned a different female employee to his office, and then dropped his pants, showing her his penis. After the employee declined to do anything, visibly shaken, he reprimanded her for not engaging in a sexual act.

He would sometimes quiz female producers about who they’d slept with, offering to trade names. And he loved to engage in a crass quiz game with men and women in the office: “f—, marry, or kill,” in which he would identify the female co-hosts that he’d most like to sleep with.

Variety adds:

Despite being married, Lauer was fixated on women, especially their bodies and looks, according to more than 10 accounts from current and former employees. He was known for making lewd comments verbally or over text messages. He once made a suggestive reference to a colleague’s performance in bed and compared it to how she was able to complete her job, according to witnesses to the exchange. For Lauer, work and sex were intertwined.

More at Variety.

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Matt Lauer Showed Colleague His Penis, Gave Another a Sex Toy and Told Her How He’d Use It

Sajid Javid Shows Fellow Government Ministers How To Confront Donald Trump Over ‘Racist’ Britain First

Sajid Javid Shows Fellow Government Ministers How To Confront Donald Trump Over ‘Racist’ Britain First

A Muslim government minister has hit out at Donald Trump for endorsing a “vile, hate-filled racist” far-right British group in fierce criticism that contrasted with his Cabinet colleagues.

Sajid Javid, the Communities Secretary, said he would would “refuse to let it go and say nothing” after the US President shared three inflammatory anti-Muslim videos spread by Britain First’s deputy leader, Jayda Fransen.

So POTUS has endorsed the views of a vile, hate-filled racist organisation that hates me and people like me. He is wrong and I refuse to let it go and say nothing

— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) November 29, 2017

He wrote:

“So POTUS has endorsed the views of a vile, hate-filled racist organisation that hates me and people like me. He is wrong and I refuse to let it go and say nothing.”

Earlier, Theresa May had criticised Trump directly when her official spokesman said the President was “wrong” to have supported Britain First’s attempts to “divide communities through their use of hateful narratives which peddle lies and stoke tension”.

Education Secretary Justine Greening repeated the line that Trump was “wrong” to retweet Britain First, and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson raised eyebrows when he condemned Britain First – but made no mention of Trump. 

Britain First is a divisive, hateful group whose views are not in line with our values. UK has a proud history as an open, tolerant society & hate speech has no place here

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 29, 2017

Javid’s remarks were widely hailed, even among Labour MPs.

Hi @theresa_may and @BorisJohnson. This is the right response t.co/xXBmuKVGfl

— Lisa Nandy (@lisanandy) November 29, 2017

Well said. Let’s have a united cross party condemnation of these vile views and their endorsement by the current US President @USAmbUKt.co/nstp4tS1v8

— Mike Gapes (@MikeGapes) November 29, 2017

Tweets from @realDonaldTrump effectively endorsing a convicted white supremacist must mean he gets no state welcome here. Good to see Cabinet member @sajidjavid of similar view

— Ruth Cadbury MP (@RuthCadbury) November 29, 2017

The condemnation came as Trump’s press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended his actions.

“Whether it’s a real video, the threat is real. His goal is to promote strong border security and strong national security,” she said.

Trump’s actions have increased calls for the Government to rescind a state visit for the US President, but Downing Street has said it still stands. “The United States is one of our oldest and closest allies. An invitation for a state visit has been extended and accepted. Further details will announced in due course,” a spokesman said.

The videos retweeted by Trump include footage of migrants allegedly assaulting a boy on crutches, clips of a boy allegedly thrown of a roof and a video claiming to show a Muslim destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary. None of the videos have been verified.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/sajid-javid-trump_uk_5a1f3362e4b0392a4ebaf2d5

HRC Mourns Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson, a Black Transgender Woman Killed in Oklahoma City

HRC Mourns Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson, a Black Transgender Woman Killed in Oklahoma City

HRC mourns the loss of Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson, a 31-year-old Black transgender woman who was found murdered in a motel room in Oklahoma City on Monday.

Oklahoma’s News 4 reported that police are still investigating the crime and have made no arrests. Stevenson is the 27th known transgender person killed in the U.S. this year. Eighty-five percent of the victims, including Stevenson, were people of color, and 81 percent were women.

“We are heartbroken. Brooklyn BreYanna was an amazing daughter, sister and friend with a giving and loving heart,” her family said in a statement. “We pray that those who committed this heinous crime will be identified and Brooklyn will receive justice.”

Stevenson’s death comes after the HRC Foundation and the Trans People of Color Coalition released a report documenting the often deadly violence faced by transgender people and exploring factors that have made 2017 the deadliest on record for the transgender community.

To learn more about HRC’s transgender justice work, and the epidemic of violence against transgender people, visit hrc.org/Transgender.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-mourns-brooklyn-breyanna-stevenson-a-black-transgender-woman-killed-in?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Check out the LGBTQ-inclusive films and docs coming to Sundance 2018

Check out the LGBTQ-inclusive films and docs coming to Sundance 2018

Photo Credit: Sundance / A Kid Like Jake

The 2018 Sundance Film Festival lineup of features was announced today, with announcements on short films and other arts coming soon. The festival will take place January 18-28, 2018 in Park City, Utah, and tickets are on sale now.

Sundance has long been a stand out as one of the most LGBTQ-inclusive of the mainstream film festivals. Previous years have included the premieres or screenings of great films and documentaries including Call Me By Your Name, Pariah, Keep the Lights On, Dope, Other People, Bayard & Me, God’s Own Country, Kiki, Spa Night, and many more.

Below, check out the LGBTQ-inclusive films and documentaries coming to Sundance this year. These are listed in alphabetical order, and synopses are taken directly from the Sundance program. We will update this post as further announcements are made.

Believer / U.S.A. (Director: Don Argott, Producers: Heather Parry, Sheena M. Joyce, Robert Reynolds) — Imagine Dragons’ Mormon frontman Dan Reynolds is taking on a new mission to explore how the church treats its LGBTQ members. With the rising suicide rate amongst teens in the state of Utah, his concern with the church’s policies sends him on an unexpected path for acceptance and change. World Premiere

The Happy Prince / Germany, Belgium, Italy (Director and screenwriter: Rupert Everett) — The last days of Oscar Wilde—and the ghosts haunting them—are brought to vivid life. His body ailing, Wilde lives in exile, surviving on the flamboyant irony and brilliant wit that defined him as the transience of lust is laid bare and the true riches of love are revealed. Cast: Colin Firth, Emily Watson, Colin Morgan, Edwin Thomas, Rupert Everett. World Premiere

A Kid Like Jake / U.S.A. (Director: Silas Howard, Screenwriter: Daniel Pearle, Producers: Jim Parsons, Todd Spiewak, Eric Norsoph, Paul Bernon, Rachel Song) — As married couple Alex and Greg navigate their roles as parents to a young son who prefers Cinderella to G.I. Joe, a rift grows between them, one that forces them to confront their own concerns about what’s best for their child, and each other. Cast: Claire Danes, Jim Parsons, Octavia Spencer, Priyanka Chopra, Ann Dowd, Amy Landecker. World Premiere

Lizzie / U.S.A. (Director: Craig William Macneill, Screenwriter: Bryce Kass, Producers: Naomi Despres, Liz Destro) — Based on the 1892 murder of Lizzie Borden’s family in Fall River, MA, this tense psychological thriller lays bare the legend of Lizzie Borden to reveal the much more complex, poignant and truly terrifying woman within — and her intimate bond with the family’s young Irish housemaid, Bridget Sullivan. Cast: Chloë Sevigny, Kristen Stewart, Jamey Sheridan, Fiona Shaw, Kim Dickens, Denis O’Hare. World Premiere

The Miseducation of Cameron Post / U.S.A. (Director: Desiree Akhavan, Screenwriters: Desiree Akhavan, Cecilia Frugiuele, Producers: Cecilia Frugiuele, Jonathan Montepare, Michael B. Clark, Alex Turtletaub) — 1993: after being caught having sex with the prom queen, a girl is forced into a gay conversion therapy center. Based on Emily Danforth’s acclaimed and controversial coming-of-age novel. Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane, Forrest Goodluck, John Gallagher Jr., Jennifer EhleWorld Premiere

Quiet Heroes/ U.S.A. (Director: Jenny Mackenzie, Co-Directors: Jared Ruga, Amanda Stoddard, Producers: Jenny Mackenzie, Jared Ruga, Amanda Stoddard) — In Salt Lake City, Utah, the socially conservative religious monoculture complicated the AIDS crisis, where patients in the entire state and intermountain region relied on only one doctor. This is the story of her fight to save a maligned population everyone else seemed willing to just let die. World Premiere

STUDIO 54 / U.S.A. (Director: Matt Tyrnauer, Producers: Matt Tyrnauer, John Battsek, Corey Reeser) — Studio 54 was the pulsating epicenter of 1970s hedonism: a disco hothouse of beautiful people, drugs, and sex. The journeys of Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell — two best friends from Brooklyn who conquered New York City — frame this history of the “greatest club of all time.” World Premiere

The 2018 Sundance Film Festival will take place in Park City, Utah from January 18-28. Find out more and keep up to date with announcements on Twitter at @SundanceFest.

November 29, 2017
Issues: 

www.glaad.org/blog/check-out-lgbtq-inclusive-films-and-docs-coming-sundance-2018

Garrison Keillor, Theresa May, Alexis Carrington, Ridley Scott, Portland, Katy Perry, Sandy Hot Tub: HOT LINKS

Garrison Keillor, Theresa May, Alexis Carrington, Ridley Scott, Portland, Katy Perry, Sandy Hot Tub: HOT LINKS
Michael Knin

UNLEASHED. Something’s different with Trump lately, says Maggie Haberman. “I think the last couple of day’s tweets have been markedly accelerated in terms of seeming a little unmoored.”

THERESA MAY. British Prime Minister condemns Trump’s retweet of anti-Muslim videos: “Britain First seeks to divide communities through their use of hateful narratives which peddle lies and stoke tensions. They cause anxiety to law-abiding people. British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far-right, which is the antithesis of the values that this country represents – decency, tolerance and respect. It is wrong for the President to have done this.”

SOAP OPERA SIN. Who has signed on to play Alexis Carrington in the Dynasty reboot?

LIFE IN HELL. With the Trump’s White House Christmas decorations.

DISDAIN. Black WH reporter April Ryan not invited.

GARRISON KEILLOR. Fired for sexual misconduct. ‘“A Prairie Home Companion” creator Garrison Keillor announced Wednesday that he has been fired from Minnesota Public Radio amid allegations of inappropriate actions toward a co-worker, making him the second round-spectacled nerd from Minnesota to come under fire in recent weeks for workplace misconduct. Keillor hosted the wry Midwestern variety program from its debut in 1974 until 2016.’

DAVID SWEENEY. NPR Chief News Editor leaves after sexual harassment allegations: “David Sweeney is no longer on staff,” Chris Turpin, acting senior vice president of news, said in an email to staff.”This is a difficult time for our newsroom and I’m committed to supporting all of you as we move forward. I know you appreciate that there are some questions I cannot answer in keeping with our practice to not comment on personnel issues, but I will do my best to address those I can.”

RIDLEY SCOTT. On replacing Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World: ” I sat and thought about it and realized, we cannot. You can’t tolerate any kind of behavior like that. And it will affect the film. We cannot let one person’s action affect the good work of all these other people. It’s that simple.”

HATCH ACT. U.S. Office of Special Counsel opens file on Kellyanne Conway. “Walter Shaub, the former director of the Office of Government Ethics, filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel last week alleging that Conway violated the Hatch Act, a decades-old law prohibiting federal employees from using their offices to campaign for or against political candidates.”

PORTLAND. Gay club The Embers Avenue to close abruptly after owner suffers stroke. “Unfortunately The Embers Avenue will be closing as of 2:30am on Friday morning. The main owner of our beloved club has had a massive stroke and we can no longer operate as a business”

HOMEWORK. Darren Criss announces new EP.

NORTH CAROLINA. PFLAG banned from local holiday parade: “The separate group was PFLAG, which includes parents of LGBTQ children. Donna Brown Odrosky, president of the group’s Salisbury-Rowan chapter, said the parade’s organizers objected to her members’ attire: rainbow-colored Mardi Gras beads, rainbow designs on their hats and black PFLAG shirts.”

WHOOPSIE DAISY OF THE DAY. When Katy Perry kicks a ball in your face.

MESMERIZING HOT TUB OF THE DAY. “Liquid” sand.

HUMP DAY HOTTIE. Michael Knin.

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Garrison Keillor, Theresa May, Alexis Carrington, Ridley Scott, Portland, Katy Perry, Sandy Hot Tub: HOT LINKS

Jo Cox MP’s Widow Condemns Donald Trump’s Anti-Muslim ‘Britain First’ Tweets

Jo Cox MP’s Widow Condemns Donald Trump’s Anti-Muslim ‘Britain First’ Tweets

.@MrBrendanCox calls Donald Trump “a purveyor of hate” after Britain First retweets t.co/Qvpq4okf9spic.twitter.com/FX1ehUlKsD

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) November 29, 2017

The husband of the British MP murdered by a right-wing extremist has condemned Donald Trump for being a “purveyor of hate” after the US President shared anti-Muslim tweets from a notorious far-right group.

Brendan Cox, the widow of Jo Cox, joined the chorus of disapproval after Trump retweeted three inflammatory anti-Islam videos spread by Britain First figurehead Jayda Fransen.

The Labour MP was stabbed to death last year by Thomas Mair, who was heard to shout ‘Britain first’ while he attacked her.

Brendan Cox told the BBC: “If you look at Trump this isn’t a mistake, this is a strategy. He consistently does this.

“He’s retweeted people on the far-right in the US, he’s shared anti-Semitic memes in the past and his whole campaign was based on calling Mexicans rapists and saying he’d ban Muslims from the country.

“I think we have to recognise now that this is a president who is a purveyor of hate.”

Trump has legitimised the far right in his own country, now he’s trying to do it in ours. Spreading hatred has consequences & the President should be ashamed of himself.

— Brendan Cox (@MrBrendanCox) November 29, 2017

Earlier, Cox wrote: “Trump has legitimised the far right in his own country, now he’s trying to do it in ours. Spreading hatred has consequences & the President should be ashamed of himself.”

Theresa May and the Archbishop of Canterbury are among many others to have criticised Trump for sharing with his 43 million Twitter followers three videos spread by Britain First’s deputy leader.

“Britain First seeks to divide communities through their use of hateful narratives which peddle lies and stoke tension,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

“They cause anxiety to law-abiding people. British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far-right which is the antithesis of the values that this country represents: decency, tolerance and respect.”

Disgraceful and tragic that a man whose wife’s murder was preceded by repeated shouts of “Britain First” should have to point this out. Solidarity with the Coxes; shame upon shame for Trump t.co/pjT80O2EnL

— Marina Hyde (@MarinaHyde) November 29, 2017

Britain First retweets are “final nail in the coffin” for President Trump’s state visit to the UK, says @MrBrendanCoxt.co/dHfT4Fjllupic.twitter.com/TkNhwLTFXe

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) November 29, 2017

Do not forget that the man who murdered Jo Cox shouted “Britain First” as he did so. Trump has truly gone beyond the pale today. t.co/umMD6iUYVt

— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) November 29, 2017

Downing Street’s condemnation came as Trump’s press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended his actions.

“Whether it’s a real video, the threat is real. His goal is to promote strong border security and strong national security,” she said.

Labour’s Chuka Umunna renewed requests that Trump’s invitation to visit the UK next year be withdrawn. “I don’t think the president of the United States, a president that has not only promoted bigotry, misogyny and racism in his own country, I don’t think he is welcome here,” Umunna told Sky News.

“Somebody in his position, doing what he has done and said, not only in his own country but now getting involved in the debate here ― he is normalising hatred,” Umunna added.

But Downing Street said Trump’s planned state visit stands: “The United States is one of our oldest and closest allies. An invitation for a state visit has been extended and accepted. Further details will announced in due course,” a spokesman said.

The videos retweeted by Trump include footage of migrants allegedly assaulting a boy on crutches, clips of a boy allegedly thrown of a roof and a video claiming to show a Muslim destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary. None of the videos have been verified.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/jo-cox-brendan-trump-britain-first_uk_5a1f0d72e4b017a311ec018b