Jussie Smollett Pleads Not Guilty to New Charges Alleging Staged Hate Crime: WATCH
Former Empire actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty to six new charges of disorderly conduct in Chicago related to an investigation by special prosecutor Dan Webb in connection with the January 2019 racist and homophobic attack Smollett allegedly staged.
CBS Chicago reports: “Smollett’s attorney, Tina Glandian, entered the plea on his behalf during a brief hearing Monday morning before Cook County Judge James Linn. Special prosecutor Dan Webb requested $10,000 bail for Smollett – the same bond from his original case – but Linn said he didn’t see Smollett as a flight risk, and granted him a recognizance bond, which doesn’t require him to post any money to be released ahead of trial. Smollett is due back in court on March 18. Smollett’s attorneys had sought to delay the arraignment, after filing a motion with the Illinois Supreme Court, seeking a stay as it considers their request to vacate a Cook County court order appointing a special prosecutor in the case. The defense team also filed a separate motion to dismiss the case against Smollett on double jeopardy grounds.”
‘And Then We Danced’ Is a Love Letter to Brave LGBTQ Georgian People
The director of Sweden’s gay-themed Oscar entry writes about resilience in the face of oppression accompanied by an exclusive clip from the film that highlights self-expression and joy.
Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, a group which once said Washington was under the control of gay witches, slammed Grenell’s appointment. “There is concern among our pro-family allies around the world that ambassador Grenell will engage in LGBT+ activism as acting director of national intelligence, a cabinet-level position,” Perkins said in a statement. “An effort to impose the same redefinition of marriage upon other nations that was imposed upon Americans by an activist Supreme Court would be reminiscent of the cultural imperialism of the Obama administration.”
Peter LaBarbera, President of Americans for the Truth about Homosexuality, an anti-gay hate group that claims the very existence of LGBTQ people threatens religious freedom in the United States, denounced Grenell’s appointment. “As an open and proud homosexual, [Grenell] bills himself as an evangelical Christian. This only confuses the Gospel and undermines true, biblical Christianity.”
We can find plenty of reasons to criticize Grenell’s appointment, starting with the fact that he has no experience within the intelligence community whatsoever, making him vastly underqualified for the job. How interesting then, that men like La Barbera and Perkins only attack Grenell for his sexuality, not the threat to national security he actually poses.
Susan Sarandon vs. Pelosi, Stock Market, Katherine Johnson, Clint Eastwood, Marianne Williamson, Ricky Martin: HOT LINKS
ENEMIES LIST. Trump has one, and it’s long: “The Trump White House and its allies, over the past 18 months, assembled detailed lists of disloyal government officials to oust — and trusted pro-Trump people to replace them — according to more than a dozen sources familiar with the effort who spoke to Axios. … Since Trump’s Senate acquittal, aides say the president has crossed a psychological line regarding what he calls the ‘Deep State.’ He feels his government — from Justice to State to Defense to Homeland Security — is filled with ‘snakes.’ He wants them fired and replaced ASAP.”
SUSAN SARANDON. Actress tweets call to unseat Nancy Pelosi.
We’re not looking to keep Pelosi because there’s a progressive running against her who supports Medicare for All and the Green New Deal among other things. Check out @ShahidForChange at t.co/g293QvlKFB and vote by March 3rd. t.co/6G8MWfUzIP
HARVEY WEINSTEIN. Guilty of third degree rape and criminal sexual act. “The criminal sex act charge could get Harvey up to 25 years in prison, so while Harvey won’t be getting life in prison, nor was he held accountable for the more serious crimes alleged against him, he could be sent to the clink for a while.”
“The judge then announced that Mr. Weinstein would immediately be sent to jail to await his sentencing.
But as court officers approached him, the producer seemed stunned and refused to move.
Moments later, he was handcuffed and removed from the room, limping.”
RIP. Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician portrayed in Hidden Figures, has died. “Johnson helped our nation enlarge the frontiers of space even as she made huge strides that also opened doors for women and people of color in the universal human quest to explore space,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement.
PLUNGE. FOX Business host Charles Payne blames stock market plunge on Bernie Sanders Nevada win: “After America’s Newsroom co-host Ed Henry asked whether the sell off was ‘all coronavirus or is this the first time the markets were open since Bernie Sanders took control of the Democratic battle,’ Payne replied that ‘the Bernie factor is finally rearing its head in the stock market.’”
MORE ENDORSEMENTS. Marianne Williamson endorsing Sanders. “In a surprise appearance at the rally, Williamson told attendees that Sanders’s strong performance a day earlier in the Nevada caucuses made it clear that the energy in the 2020 cycle was ‘unquestionably’ with his campaign.”
NIGERIA. Life is ruined for dozens of men accused of being gay: “In this resolutely Christian and Muslim country, homosexuality is broadly rejected across society, as casual as a snub on the street and as serious as Sharia law that threatens death by stoning.”
Dozens of Nigerian men accused of being gay were arrested and paraded before the press in a video that went viral in August 2018. They are still awaiting a trial, but the society has already penalized them t.co/LGjQvnxSZBpic.twitter.com/aENFvZSuIa
A black model at a FIT runway show says she was pressured to wear bizarre, “racist” accessories like “monkey ears” and oversized lips. “I was told that it was fine to feel uncomfortable for only 45 seconds.” t.co/egD5tRcgVp
RICKY MARTIN. New album to “carry the message of all those who aren’t being heard” in Puerto Rico: “Martin’s upcoming album is not the one he originally envisioned. He said he was going through a very romantic period in his life when he began recording, but all that changed when the 2019 protests in Puerto Rico erupted. The demonstrations were fed by anger over corruption and over the way the government responded to Hurricane Maria, the September 2017 storm that wreaked havoc on the island, killing an estimated 2,975 people in its aftermath.”
LOVE, VICTOR.Love, Simon spin-off moves from Disney + to Hulu: “The TV series inspired by the praised 2018 movie Love, Simon is moving from Disney+ to the Disney-controlled Hulu streaming service. The half-hour comedy, which will be titled Love, Victor after its protagonist, will debut in June, LGBTQ Pride month.”
ON MORTALITY. Trixie and Katya talk about death.
NEW TUNE OF THE DAY. ONR “Sober”.
MONDAY MUSCLE. Next In Fashion‘s Julian Woodhouse.
Supreme Court Must Reject Taxpayer-Funded Discrimination
Today, HRC responded to the Supreme Court’s decision to hear Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, which could have an enormous impact on the lives of more than 440,000 children in foster care around the country by enabling a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities using taxpayer funds.
“It is unconscionable to turn away prospective foster and adoptive families because they are LGBTQ, religious minorities, or for any other reason unrelated to their capacity to love and care for children,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Neither Philadelphia nor any other governmental entity should be forced to permit discrimination against loving families, especially at a time when half a million children around the country are in foster care. We reject the suggestion that taxpayer-funded child welfare services should be allowed to put discrimination over a child’s best interest. This case could also have implications for religious refusals that go far beyond child welfare. The Supreme Court must make it clear that freedom of religion does not include using taxpayer funds to further marginalize vulnerable communities.”
In Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, Catholic Social Services is claiming a constitutional right to exclude prospective foster families headed by same-sexcouples when providing public child welfare services. It claims it has a right to do so because of a religious objection to approving LGBTQ families. The City of Philadelphia maintains that no family should face discrimination because of who they are or who they love.
In 2017, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation releasedDisregarding the Best Interest of the Child: License to Discriminate In Child Welfare Services, a report detailing the harms of efforts to write anti-LGBTQ discrimination by child welfare agencies into law. The comprehensive resource continues to be relevant as legislatures across the country consider anti-LGBTQ bills that marginalize children and their prospective families of all backgrounds. Earlier this year, Tennessee passed a license to discriminate in child welfare services law, becoming the tenth such state to do so.
Elephant in the Closet present Why I am an Avocado, a semi-interactive comedy performance where the audience meet a range of characters all with one thing in common – they are queer. From a self-help session, a love story for the ages, and a TV letter corner, these narratives all take a varied look at queer experiences.
Keith and Delilah invite the audience to find their true purpose, one that they are confident they cannot and will not turn away from. With games, exercises, and confessions, Keith and Delilah intend to unlock the potential within all of us.
Then there is Juliet where in this re-telling of her story the conflict resides not with her family but rather with her own subconscious. A back-and-forth battle between the two taking place with an unsuspecting Romeo as the sole witness.
In Callum’s Corner, a TV agony aunt gives his advice on the issues facing his long-time and loyal viewers. Trying his best, prepare for some interesting tips on dealing with some of life’s most difficult situations.
Each of these characters and their interactions speak to the multitude of queer experiences. Their stories are told with love, laughter and honesty, which gives this comedy show more layers than first expected.
