Michael Urie & Drew Droege on their new film and “coke-fueled wedding parties in Palm Springs”

Michael Urie & Drew Droege on their new film and “coke-fueled wedding parties in Palm Springs”
The duo chat about Broadway, Palm Springs, drugged-out weddings, marriage equality and ‘Designing Women.’

www.queerty.com/michael-urie-drew-droege-marriage-change-coke-fueled-wedding-parties-palm-springs-20180718?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Taron Egerton, Jeff Goldblum, The Queen, Chris Gagin, Timothee Chalamet, Duncan Hunter, Thai Rescue: HOT LINKS

Taron Egerton, Jeff Goldblum, The Queen, Chris Gagin, Timothee Chalamet, Duncan Hunter, Thai Rescue: HOT LINKS
pablo buosi

THAI CAVE RESCUE. One of rescued boys describes what it was like seeing first rescuer: “I didn’t know what to say. All I was able to say was hello…”

NEW TRUMP LIE. Queen reviewed honor guard on his visit for first time in 70 years: “Contrary to Trump’s statement, however, the queen has reviewed her honor guard many times over the last 70 years. The tradition often takes place during visits from foreign officials, including during former President Obama’s visit in 2011.”

INTEL BRIEFING. Trump skips it again: “For the second consecutive day since he broke with America’s spy agencies over Russia’s election meddling, President Donald Trump on Wednesday will not get an intelligence briefing. The daily presidential guidance email sent out each evening by the White House initially featured only one item, an 11:30 a.m. Cabinet meeting. It was was updated Wednesday morning to include a 2 p.m. press briefing with Sarah Huckabee Sanders.”

A BRIDGE TOO FAR. Ohio County GOP Chair Chris Gagin resigns over Trump. “In the moment, you can’t recapture the gravitas that the President of the United States had available to him yesterday. To make that clarification in the Cabinet room in the White House without President Putin being there, to hear it, to see it in his eyes, the conviction in his statement, I don’t see this as anything other than sort of what has to be put out from a political standpoint. It’s just going to take a good while, I believe, to rebuild the president’s credibility with President Putin.”

REMAKE OF THE DAY. Timothee Chalamet in Dune? ‘Dune is complicated as all get out, so it’s in Denis’ best interests to have a cutie like Timothée up on the screen to help distract everyone in the audience from thinking “What the hell is this sh*t all about?”’

BRETT KAVANAUGH. 100+ civil rights groups call on Senate to reject Trump SCOTUS nominee. The letter.

JAMES COMEY. Vote for Democrats this fall.

This Republican Congress has proven incapable of fulfilling the Founders’ design that “Ambition must … counteract ambition.” All who believe in this country’s values must vote for Democrats this fall. Policy differences don’t matter right now. History has its eyes on us.

— James Comey (@Comey) July 18, 2018

LIPS ARE SEALED. Republicans see no upside in speaking out against Trump.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER. “I don’t care if President Trump misspeaks.”

.@Rep_Hunter: I don’t care if President Trump misspeaks… he has a different technique–that’s why I voted for him and that’s why the American people elected him. @foxandfriends pic.twitter.com/RWiBtQubIj

— Brian Kilmeade (@kilmeade) July 18, 2018

USDA. Trump nominates pesticide company executive to lead the US Department of Agriculture.

JOEL MCHALE. Putting on a gun show.

HATE CRIME. Gay rights activist has rainbow flag ripped from door on Long Island.



GEORGETTE KENNEBRAE. Gay Black rabbi shattering stereotypes: “As a Jew of color, Rabbi Georgette Kennebrae has had her fair share of experiences that have made her feel less than welcome in the Jewish community. People sometimes assume that she is a member of the synagogue janitorial staff rather than the rabbi. Sometimes when visiting a synagogue, she’ll be asked if she’s lost.”

TRAILER OF THE DAY. Taron Egerton in Robin Hood.

GIANT STATUE OF THE DAY. Massive Jeff Goldblum statue from Jurassic Park appears near London’t Tower Bridge.

25 years ago, Jurassic Park (and one of the best moments in movie history) was born ??

A quarter of a century later, we introduce you to #JurassicJeff ??#JurassicPark pic.twitter.com/8yFZY5AtCU

— NOW TV (@NOWTV) July 18, 2018

HUMP DAY HOTTIE. Pablo Buosi.

Instagram Photo

The post Taron Egerton, Jeff Goldblum, The Queen, Chris Gagin, Timothee Chalamet, Duncan Hunter, Thai Rescue: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.


Taron Egerton, Jeff Goldblum, The Queen, Chris Gagin, Timothee Chalamet, Duncan Hunter, Thai Rescue: HOT LINKS

Ninth Circuit Denies Another Trump-Pence Effort to Implement Transgender Military Ban

Ninth Circuit Denies Another Trump-Pence Effort to Implement Transgender Military Ban

Post submitted by Tom Warncke, Lambda Legal

Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied yet another attempt by the Trump Administration to implement its discriminatory plan to ban transgender people from serving openly in the U.S. Armed Services. Today’s ruling in the lawsuit brought by Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN and joined by the State of Washington denied the administration’s motion to stay the preliminary injunction a lower court granted in December 2017, and affirmed last month. The injunction blocks implementation of the ban and enables transgender people to continue enlisting in the military.

“Seven courts across the country have considered this so-called plan, and seven courts have recognized that there is no defensible reason to bar transgender Americans from serving our nation,” Staff Sergeant Cathrine (Katie) Schmid said. “Being transgender has no impact on my ability to perform my duties. I’m grateful that the courts to date have recognized the value in our service, and I look forward to the day when we can put this argument behind us and focus on what’s really important– the accomplishment of our mission, and the welfare of our service members.”

“The Ninth Circuit, much like the six other courts to have considered the proposed policy, has recognized it for what it is – blatant and impermissible discrimination.  The court rejected the government’s attempt to ‘upend’ the status quo, as well as the lives of transgender people serving and seeking to serve our country.” said Lambda Legal Senior Attorney Peter Renn. “It has been one year since President Trump announced via tweet his plan to bar transgender people from the military, and in that year four district courts and, now, three courts of appeal have blocked its implementation. What more evidence does the administration need before it abandons this discriminatory and harmful scheme to prevent brave and qualified transgender people from serving their country?”

The Ninth Circuit ruling holds that the stay requested by the government “would upend, rather than preserve, the status quo,” which currently allows transgender people to serve in the military.

The Trump administration had sought a stay from the Ninth Circuit while it appealed the April 13 ruling of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington affirming an earlier preliminary injunction and barring implementation of the transgender military ban.

The April 13 ruling rejected the Trump administration’s claim that its “new” plan to ban transgender people from serving openly in the U.S. Armed Services, released March 23, passed muster. Instead, the court found that plan to be a retread of the original ban, not a new policy, threatening the very same constitutional violations. Furthermore, the court also found that the effort to ban transgender people from military service must meet the most demanding level of scrutiny because it so clearly targets transgender people.

The case is on track to go to trial in April 2019.

”Every court ruling has been consistent and unequivocal: the ban on transgender military service is discrimination, no matter how it’s phrased and no matter the myriad ways the administration has tried to cloak its intent,” OutServe-SLDN Legal Director Peter Perkowski said. “The administration has failed to come up with any adequate rationale for the president’s ill-conceived tweets of last July that justifies their blatant discriminatory nature, and we are confident it never will.”

In the lawsuit, Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN represent nine individual plaintiffs – six currently serving members of the armed services and three individuals seeking to enlist – and three organizational plaintiffs: the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Seattle-based Gender Justice League, and the American Military Partner Association (AMPA), who joined the lawsuit on behalf of their transgender members harmed by the ban.

The lawsuit is Karnoski v. Trump. Read today’s ruling hereRead more about the case here.

The Lambda Legal attorneys working on the case are: Peter Renn, Camilla B. Taylor, Tara Borelli, Sasha Buchert, Paul Castillo and Kara Ingelhart. They are joined by co-counsel Peter Perkowski of OutServe-SLDN. Also on the legal team are pro-bono co-counsel at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Newman Du Wors LLP.

Statements from Organizational Plaintiffs:

“Once again, another court has held off Donald Trump and Mike Pence’s desperate attempts to impose their extreme anti-LGBTQ agenda on the U.S. military,” said HRC National Press Secretary Sarah McBride. “After a string of victories for transgender troops and enlistees at the district court level, this appeals court ruling reinforces that there is simply no need or legitimate reason to bar capable and willing transgender Americans from serving their country. We are grateful to Lambda Legal and Outserve-SLDN for their representation in this critical case, and we hope that the constitutional rights of transgender Americans will continue to be upheld by the courts as this case proceeds.”

“The Trump-Pence administration’s continued insistence on targeting our nation’s transgender service members for discrimination is truly deplorable,” said AMPA President Ashley Broadway-Mack. “These brave American volunteers have already proven their ability to serve by putting their lives on the line for our nation. What matters in service to our country is whether a person is able to accomplish the mission, not gender identity.”

www.hrc.org/blog/ninth-circuit-denies-another-trump-pence-effort-to-implement-transgender-mi?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

7634 YJ61OBG Newcastle X10

7634 YJ61OBG Newcastle X10

Matt D Williamson posted a photo:

7634 YJ61OBG Newcastle X10

Arriva North East VDL DB300/Wright Gemini 2 7634 YJ61OBG is pictured on St Mary’s Place in Newcastle while operating MAX service X10.

New to Arriva Yorkshire as their, this Gemini carries the new Arriva livery with an added rainbow in support of this year’s Pride.

© All rights reserved. Images are copyrighted to myself. Photographs lifted from my photostream and being reused elsewhere without my permission or being credited, will not be tolerated. Links to the image on Flickr may be posted.

7634 YJ61OBG Newcastle X10