Donald Trump Hammered For Response To Resignation Of Rob Porter
Donald Trump has praised a White House aide accused of domestic violence, saying his resignation is “very sad” and he will have a “great career ahead of him”.

The President added that Rob Porter, who resigned this week after allegations that he abused two former wives, had maintained his innocence, and he wished him well.

“He says he’s innocent. I think you have to remember that. He said very strongly yesterday that he’s innocent,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“We certainly wish him well. It’s obviously a tough time for him, and he did a very good job in the White House. We hope he has a wonderful career ahead of him.

“And we hope he has a wonderful career and he will have a great career ahead of him. But it was very sad when we heard about it and certainly he’s also very sad now.”

The President did not refer to the two women who have this week provided graphic accounts of the verbal and physical abuse they said they suffered while married to Porter, reports Reuters.

One of the women, Colbie Holderness, has alleged Porter punched her in the face while holidaying in Italy.

“As you probably know, he says he is innocent and I think you have to remember that.” — Trump pic.twitter.com/Q80OEr91WI
What’s “sad” is having a complete moral vacuum in the Oval Office. Domestic violence is evil, and there aren’t “both sides” on this issue. Real leaders stand with survivors, not perpetrators.

February 9, 2018
Hey @realDonaldTrump, super-courageous statements about Porter today. You’re right — he’s going through a hard time and he needs our all our support. t.co/58Nw396SHe

February 9, 2018
The mix of messages coming out of the WH on Porter: Kelly ordering WH staff to say he took “immediate action”; POTUS touting Porter’s claims of innocence; Shah saying WH against violence… Points to 2 conclusions: -they don’t give a damn about predators -they lie compulsively

February 9, 2018
Trump said he found out about the allegations recently, and was “surprised” by them.

White House spokesman Raj Shah said on Thursday the White House was not fully aware of the extent of the allegations against Porter until photographs of one of his ex-wives with a black eye emerged on Wednesday.

Shah also said the crisis could have better handled by senior White House officials. “A lot of us could have done better.”

Porter is a Harvard Law School graduate whose position as White House staff secretary required a security clearance and close contact with Trump.

At the time of his resignation, Porter had not yet been approved for security clearance because the required background check was still ongoing.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/donald-trump-rob-porter_uk_5a7df188e4b044b3821d3216

Adam Rippon’s Message: Mike Pence’s Presence at Olympics Is an Insult

Out Olympians like Rippon and Gus Kenworthy are showing the world that America is not Mike Pence.

www.advocate.com/sports/2018/2/09/adam-rippons-message-mike-pences-presence-olympics-insult

Vote now: Which ‘Funny Person’ makes you LOL the hardest?
#Queerties

www.queerty.com/vote-now-funny-person-makes-lol-hardest-20180209?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Andrew Garfield Says He’s Open to Sex with Men

Andrew Garfield says that while he’s always been attracted to women, he’s open to sex with men should the right opportunity arise.

RELATED: Actor Andrew Garfield Calls Himself Gay—but Isn’t

Garfield made the remarks in an interview with OUT magazine ahead of the opening of his revival of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America on Broadway.

Said Garfield: “Up until this point, I’ve only been sexually attracted to women. My stance toward life, though, is that I always try to surrender to the mystery of not being in charge. I think most people — we’re intrinsically trying to control our experience here, and manage it, and put walls around what we are and who we are. I want to know as much of the garden as possible before I pass — I have an openness to any impulses that may arise within me at any time. But, if I were to identify, I would identify as heterosexual, and being someone who identifies that way, and who’s taking on this seminal role, my scariest thought was, Am I allowed to do this?”

Garfield also talked about the play on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last night. Watch the video above.

The post Andrew Garfield Says He’s Open to Sex with Men appeared first on Towleroad.

Andrew Garfield Says He’s Open to Sex with Men

“Spiegel” zeigt nackte Merkel – das steckt hinter dem skurrilen Titelbild

www.huffingtonpost.de/entry/spiegel-zeigt-nackte-merkel-das-steckt-hinter-dem-skurrilen-titelbild_de_5a7dd484e4b08dfc93039a6d

Grief Doesn’t Wait For A Person To Die

Whilst walking to an appointment today, I was wondering why the ‘I need my mum [insert tears here]’ feelings had been stirring again over the last few days. Part of it is the state of my life right now. But then I realised that today marks four years since I found out that Mum had a terminal diagnosis.

One day. One conversation. One car journey. My life hasn’t been the same ever since.

‘Diagnosis day’ was a weird one. I was volunteering in Leeds (following a very early morning). Dad text me asking me where I was, which was weird, because I was at uni so he no longer ever needed to know where I was. He drove over, picked me up, and told me while he was driving. I looked out of the window. I didn’t want him to see me cry. We got home and didn’t talk about it. Mum and I took a selfie. I went back to uni later that afternoon.

My grief started that day.

It’s a difficult one to articulate. How can you grieve for a person who’s still there? How can you grieve for your old life, when nothing’s really changed (yet)? The only thing that’s changed is that you’ve received a new piece of information. Everything else is the same.

But you do start grieving. In and amongst all the oh-my-goodness-shock-confusion-trying-to-work-it-all-out, there’s grief. It’s been four years, but it’s something I’ve struggled to come to terms with. That is until I started listening to The Grief Cast podcast lately. Many episodes have people who describe their grief starting while their loved one was still alive. It’s helped me realise that it’s okay. It’s okay that my grief began that day. I’m not alone.

From the moment you find out that your loved one is dying, everything changes. I mean everything. The solid foundation of ‘Mum will always be there’ disappears from beneath your feet. You become more careless with money (can’t take it with you when you’re dead). Assignments feel pointless. Relationships develop new importance. Jobs can feel worthless. Sleep can go out of whack. Food can go a bit wonky. Every time your phone rings, you’re convinced that someone else you love is dying or has died. Your anxiety can skyrocket. You start crying at random objects. Everything changes.

You become a member of a club you never wanted to be in. Grief begins.

You grieve your old carefree life. You wish that the most important thing on your mind was still what to wear for a Friday night out. You begin to miss the person your loved one was, as you watch them fade away in front of your eyes. You watch your family change, too. Morphing into a different family from the one you grew up with, as everyone tries to work out how best to cope. You spend night after night mulling things over, crying, getting angry and bargaining with the unknown. Later on you begin to wish that your loved one would die. You can’t stand seeing them so unwell, and your life is on hold until the point of death. Then you feel guilty and angry at yourself for feeling that way. Grief is well and truly present.

We need to move away from the assumption that we can only grieve once a person is dead. We need to move away from the stereotype that grief is a whole load of crying for a while, then it’s finished and you move on. It’s damaging to have these stereotypes because it makes it so much harder when you do have to experience the reality of grief. It can also cause people to react to our grief in insensitive (and sometimes bizarre) ways.

Grief is ugly. Grief is painful. Grief is messy. Grief is unpredictable. Grief can come in waves. Grief can rear it’s ugly head unexpectedly. Grief doesn’t have a nice, neat, end point. Grief is a life-long experience that affects us from the moment it begins. And that beginning is the moment our life changes. Not necessarily the moment when person dies.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/grief-doesnt-wait-for-a-person-to-die_uk_5a7c6377e4b033149e401c9b

An Intercultural Lesbian Wrestling Rom-Com Makes a Signature Statement

With its portrayals of diverse, powerful women, Signature Move manages to be political while also sweet, funny, and romantic.

www.advocate.com/film/2018/2/09/intercultural-lesbian-wrestling-rom-com-makes-signature-statement

Pita Taufatofua (a.k.a. the Shirtless Tongan) is back at the Olympics and everyone’s fainting
It was -2 degrees Celsius outside, but that didn’t prevent Pita Taufatofua from ripping off his shirt in front of the whole world.

www.queerty.com/pita-taufatofua-k-shirtless-tongan-back-olympics-everyones-fainting-20180209?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29