Frederick Koch, Subject of Brothers’ Antigay Blackmail Plot, Has Died

The brother of conservative political funders David and Charles Koch denied being gay but was reportedly threatened when his brothers suspected he was.

www.advocate.com/news/2020/2/13/frederick-koch-subject-brothers-antigay-blackmail-plot-has-died

Iowa bill would ban teachers from saying that Pete Buttigieg is gay without notifying parents

www.queerty.com/iowa-bill-ban-teachers-saying-pete-buttigieg-gay-without-notifying-parents-20200213?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

John Kelly, Donald Trump, Pete Buttigieg, Michelle Obama, Jeff Bezos, Jake Borelli, Snoop Dog, AOC, George Takei: HOT LINKS

ICYMI: John Kelly Finally Lets Loose on Trump. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the former National Security Council aide and impeachment witness President Donald Trump fired Friday, was just doing his job, former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told students and guests at a Drew University event here Wednesday night. Over a 75-minute speech and Q&A session, Kelly laid out, in the clearest terms yet, his misgivings about Trump’s words and actions regarding North Korea, illegal immigration, military discipline, Ukraine, and the news media.

And Trump responds:

VETO IN 3, 2, 1: Eight Republicans join Democrats to pass Senate measure to limit President Trump’s war powers against Iran

TWEET OF THE DAY: George Takei blasts Rush Limbaugh over anti-gay attack against Pete Buttigieg.

QUEERS AGAINST PETE: The LGBT Opposition to Buttigieg, Explained

CONDRAGULATIONS: AOC Is Joining “RuPaul’s Drag Race” as a Guest Judge. AOC isn’t the first politician to be on the show as of late — Nancy Pelosi visited the queens of All Stars 3 back in 2018. But AOC has been a Drag Race fan for a while, tweeting her love in the past and even stopping by season 9 winner Sasha Velour‘s show in Washington D.C. 

I’ve been a huge fan for years. If enough NYC-area supporters are down, I’ll host an Ocasio2018 watch party for AS3.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 19, 2018

CLASS ACT: Michelle Obama will have a second California school named after her.

HOT STUFF: “The Thing About Harry” Is the Gay Rom-Com Jake Borelli Wish He Had Growing Up

LATE-NIGHT CLIP OF THE DAY: Jimmy Fallon, Janet Jackson & The Roots Sing “Runaway” (Classroom Instruments)

CUPID FLICK PICKS: Valentine’s Day movies to stream on Netflix.

HIS BAD: Snoop Dogg Has Apologized To Gayle King For His Tirade Against Her Over Her Kobe Bryant Questions

EAT THE RICH: Jeff Bezos dropped $165 million for an LA estate, a love shack for Lauren Sanchez

WEAR PROTECTION: Gay and bisexual men ‘more likely’ to suffer skin cancer, study finds. Study authors believe the reason is vanity.

SO LONG, SALEM: Gay Couple Will and Sonny Depart “Days of Our Lives”

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY: Jakk Fynn, “Special”

THIRSTY THURSDAY: Bryce Willard Smithe

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Black history is decadent. It goes so far back and is often deeply affirming on so many levels for other black men and women but is largely hard to access . So many poem books can be so hard to find. Never translated or stored in so few places. I wanna try to share some excerpts this month to make the words of these men and women a little more accessible. Here is an excerpt from the poem “Cordon Negro” by Essex Hemphill written in 1992, the year I was born…… . . . I drink champagne in the morning instead of leaving my house with an M16 and nowhere to go I die twice as fast as any other american between eighteen and thirty-five this disturbs me I try not to show it in public Each morning I open my eyes is a miracle The blessing of opening them is temporary on any given day I could be taken out I could go off I could forget to be careful Even my brothers, hunted, hunt me I’m the only one who values my life and sometimes I don’t give a damn my love life can kill me I’m faced daily with choosing violence or a demeanor that saves every other life but my own I won’t cross over it’s time someone came to me not to patronize me physically, sexually or humorously… -Essex Hemphill Pic somewhat unrealated but feels appropriate. : @gregory_vaughan_ (The hashtags i would need to use to make sure this gets seen cause me to roll my eyes so severely that i fear they may never return to normal… so i will leave it blank.)

A post shared by Bryce Willard Smithe (@brycewillardsmithe) on Feb 4, 2020 at 1:28pm PST

The post John Kelly, Donald Trump, Pete Buttigieg, Michelle Obama, Jeff Bezos, Jake Borelli, Snoop Dog, AOC, George Takei: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

John Kelly, Donald Trump, Pete Buttigieg, Michelle Obama, Jeff Bezos, Jake Borelli, Snoop Dog, AOC, George Takei: HOT LINKS

Connecticut Suit Targets Trans Female Student Athletes

A lawsuit filed by an anti-LGBTQ group claims trans girls have an advantage over cisgender girls — not so, say advocates for trans athletes.

www.advocate.com/transgender/2020/2/13/connecticut-suit-targets-trans-female-student-athletes

This Miami gay man kissed his date goodnight. Then the pair got shot.

Miami police are searching for several suspects accused of shooting a pair of gay men while the pair kissed in a car. The victim says they were targeted for being gay.

Clive Khouri told ABC News that he and his date kissed in his car on Tuesday night when several men drove by on ATV vehicles. The trio then opened fire on the gay couple, hitting both men as well as a passer-by. The woman who happened on the scene, a neighbor named Shankeka Jefferson, also happens to be queer.

Related: Gay rapper among those shot and wounded in drive-by Florida shooting

“When I tried to speed off to come around this corner, they kept trying to shoot, shoot, shoot,” Khouri said. “Some of the guys probably saw us kissing in the car.” Khouri also added that he believes he and his friend were targets of a hate crime.

As the three men sped off on their ATVs, Khouri rushed into his mother’s nearby house for help. The bullets just grazed his head, and despite the bloody wounds, he was not seriously injured. Jefferson, likewise, sustained flesh wounds to the head from grazed bullets. She has since returned home after hospital treatment. Khouri’s date, on the other hand, was struck in the head and remains in critical condition.

Miami police continue to hunt for the shooters. Police say there could be up to three suspects involved in the attack.

www.queerty.com/miami-gay-man-kissed-date-goodnight-pair-got-shot-20200213?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Twitter Hilariously Reacts to ‘Killer Asteroid’ Reports: ‘Celebrate Valentine’s Day Like It Might Be Your Last’

According to NASA, a “potentially hazardous asteroid” will pass relatively close to the Earth on Saturday.

If it were to strike our planet (it won’t), the asteroid would trigger a nuclear winter and mass extinction event, according to the International Business Times.

“According to the data collected by NASA, the approaching asteroid is larger than the tallest man-made structure in the world,” IBT reported. “NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has identified the incoming asteroid as 163373 (2002 PZ39). As indicated in CNEOS’ database, this asteroid is currently traveling toward Earth at a speed of almost 34,000 miles per hour.

“[The] near-Earth intersection will happen on Feb. 15 at 6:05 a.m. EST. During this time, the asteroid will pass over the planet from a distance of 0.03860 astronomical units or around 3.6 million miles away.”

While many criticized articles about the asteroid as “clickbait,” others found an opportunity for dark humor.

The post Twitter Hilariously Reacts to ‘Killer Asteroid’ Reports: ‘Celebrate Valentine’s Day Like It Might Be Your Last’ appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Twitter Hilariously Reacts to ‘Killer Asteroid’ Reports: ‘Celebrate Valentine’s Day Like It Might Be Your Last’