Mike Pence, Standing Next to Patients, Defies Mayo Clinic Mask Policy

The clinic, which Pence visited today, requires all staff, patients, and visitors to wear face coverings, but the vice president was an unmasked man.

www.advocate.com/health/2020/4/28/mike-pence-standing-next-patients-defies-mayo-clinic-mask-policy

This long-lost video of Oprah interrogating Dennis Rodman about his sexuality is super uncomfortable

A long-lost interview between NFL superstar Dennis Rodman and TV legend Oprah Winfrey recently began circulating online and, let’s just say, it hasn’t aged well.

At the time, Rodman was at the peak of his popularity and was making tons of TV appearances. His highest profile one was on Oprah’s show in 1996.

A snippet of the interview resurfaced on Twitter this week. It shows Rodman being asked about his sexuality, which has always been a hot topic of conversation.

Related: Dennis Rodman opens up about his relationship with gay men in the ’90s

When Oprah questioned whether he was worried about his “sense of sexuality” as a young person, Rodman replied, “I was very scared to be around boys. I didn’t know how I would fit in because I was so shy.”

Then, in a truly cringeworthy moment by today’s standards, Oprah flat out asked if he was gay. When he said “no,” she said she believed him. Then she immediately asked if he was bisexual. When he said “no” again, she asked whether he had ever “thought about” having sex with another man.

After the interview started circulating on social media, many criticized Oprah for her line of questioning, which bordered on interrogation.

In her defense, it was a much different time and we’re 99.9% sure she wouldn’t ask those same questions today, nearly 25 years later. Also, it’s not known whether she ran them by Rodman prior to interviewing him. Often, high profile sit-downs like these are scripted in advance.

Check out the responses…

Oprah is so damn rude , she basically wanted this man to say he’s gay so bad ….

— Tokyo (@khanykleee) April 27, 2020

These old clips of Oprah make me realize how problematic she was & how she was able to attain her level of success. She consistently vilified her own community for the White gaze, for DECADES. I was way too young to get it then but I’m grown & wide awake, now.

T R A S H. pic.twitter.com/r6V6lapZ6Z

— Petty L’Belle ☾ (@xoJoyBelleox) April 27, 2020

I’m so sick of Oprah… he told her no and she still persisted to ask him

— Janet Annette (@ThaPerfectBlend) April 27, 2020

I understand the conversation of black mans sexuality was taboo (and still is) but the man said no several times, and why does the audience seem so hostile to the idea of him saying yes?

— Nia Imani (@Niamani_) April 27, 2020

Dennis is comfortable with himself, why tf is Oprah trying to pressure him into saying he is gay?? pic.twitter.com/si0xH8e13t

— A DON (@gigi_likespizza) April 27, 2020

she asked the same question 30 times in 15 different ways …

— lateisha lopez (@lateishalopez) April 27, 2020

Listen… Rodman be like, pic.twitter.com/jOACQ9RKDg

— #1 mom (@indigotshai) April 27, 2020

i really hate oprah. like she asked him so many times was he gay passive aggressively as if asking him again would make him change his answer like shes so fucjing jarring bro.

— virghoe ria . (@riatheevirgo2) April 27, 2020

Oprah said: pic.twitter.com/s5cajuL0Ld

— yo kellz dont roll up (@kvllytrollin) April 27, 2020

And if he said he was gay or bi what was the endgame gonna be?

— Migos of the Offsets (@SeaOf23) April 27, 2020

This isn’t the first time Oprah has been criticized for past interviews she’s conducted around this same issue.

Earlier this year, actor Nathan Lane recalled going on her show while promoting The Birdcage in 1996 and having Oprah question whether he was worried about being typecast in gay roles.

“Were you afraid of being typecast as ‘are you, are you not?’ ‘Is he, isn’t he…?’” she asked.

Lane called the line of questioning “terrifying,” adding, “No one had been interested in my sex life up until then.”

Related: Nathan Lane recalls that time Oprah tried to out him on her show, says “It was terrifying”

www.queerty.com/long-lost-video-oprah-interrogating-dennis-rodman-sexuality-super-uncomfortable-20200428?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Tom of Finland, COVID-19 Vaccine, Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe, Sean Penn, JetBlue, Michelle Obama, Laith Ashley: HOT LINKS

WARNINGS. Trump ignored coronavirus warnings in classified presidential memos in January and February: “U.S. intelligence agencies issued warnings about the novel coronavirus in more than a dozen classified briefings prepared for President Trump in January and February, months during which he continued to play down the threat, according to current and former U.S. officials.”

LOCKDOWN PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY. Kermit the Frog “Rainbow Connection”.

VACCINE RACE. Oxford University’s Jenner Institute is in the lead: “The Oxford scientists now say that with an emergency approval from regulators, the first few million doses of their vaccine could be available by September — at least several months ahead of any of the other announced efforts — if it proves to be effective.”

OUTSIDER DISH Tom Cruise refused to share a hotel room with Rob Lowe back in 1983.

WOOF FOR HELP. Jim Parsons’s blind dog gets lost in his new NYC place.

CORE. Sean Penn’s nonprofit is expanding free coronavirus testing sites in L.A., Detroit, New Orleans, and Atlanta: “This is right now an active shooter scenario, the virus is. And its principal focus is on people of color, the elderly, the indigenous. But it doesn’t really care who else is in the way.”

MAYO CLINIC. Pence flouts mask order.

UP IN THE AIR. JetBlue to require all passengers to wear masks. “Starting May 4, all JetBlue Airways passengers will be required to wear a face covering, the strictest policy so far in the U.S. and one that follows the New York-based airline’s requirement that flight attendants wear a mask or face covering while on duty. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines earlier Monday said they will require thousands of employees to wear face masks and provide masks for passengers.”

AG. Bill Barr tells federal prosecutors to watch local governments’ lockdown restrictions: “Many policies that would be unthinkable in regular times have become commonplace in recent weeks, and we do not want to unduly interfere with the important efforts of state and local officials to protect the public,” Barr wrote. “But the Constitution is not suspended in times of crisis. We must therefore be vigilant to ensure its protections are preserved, at the same time that the public is protected.”

BACK TO WORK? House of Representatives won’t be coming back to D.C. next week: “The change of course comes as members expressed concern about returning to Washington while some areas in the region are developing into coronavirus hot spots. Hoyer said the decision to delay the return, which had been briefly scheduled for May 4, came after he talked with the Capitol physician, Brian Monahan, who said he recommended against taking the risk involved in members returning.”

FIRST LOOK OF THE DAY. Becoming.

TRUMP’S BEST WORDS OF THE DAY. Coronavirus briefing edition. “Here are some of the words Trump has said while in total command of his faculties at these coronavirus briefings”

QUICKFIRE CHALLENGE OF THE DAY. Antoni Porowski makes shaksuka.

MOVIE FOOD OF THE DAY. Deadpool’s Chimichangas.

TOM OF FINLAND TRIBUTE OF THE DAY. Albron.

View this post on Instagram

100th Birthday of Tom of Finland . Tom of Finland would have turned 100 years old on May 8 if he was still alive . . To commemorate this, I’ve done this image based on one of his: A cover of Kake. This is a cropped version of the image due Instagram policy regarding nudity. Uncensored image available for my donors on PATREON: . www.patreon.com/albron . I hope you’d like it. . . This image and its rewards will be available for April and May donors… . . Take a good care of yourself, . Even though we’re preparing to end the quarantine in some part of the world, let’s stay safe and follow some basic rules to take care of each other. . Wishing you all the best, . Alex #tomoffinland #albronmuscle #muscle #gayart #pecs #gay #toms100

A post shared by Alex Bronnings (ALBRON) (@albron111) on Apr 28, 2020 at 8:42am PDT

TOP MODEL TUESDAY. Laith Ashley.

View this post on Instagram

Big thank you to @Abercrombie for helping push boundaries! #faceyourfierce #abercrombiepartner #serioustan #thankyou #sun

A post shared by Laith Ashley [De La Cruz] (@laith_ashley) on Apr 22, 2020 at 3:54pm PDT

The post Tom of Finland, COVID-19 Vaccine, Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe, Sean Penn, JetBlue, Michelle Obama, Laith Ashley: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Tom of Finland, COVID-19 Vaccine, Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe, Sean Penn, JetBlue, Michelle Obama, Laith Ashley: HOT LINKS

Rep. David Cicilline: Pandemic Relief Must Include LGBTQ Protections

With Trump working to greenlight discrimination, the out Rhode Island congressman demands a defense plan.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2020/4/28/rep-david-cicilline-pandemic-relief-must-include-lgbtq-protections

Influencer who led campaign to out gay men has “no regrets” even after one victim dies by suicide

Transgender beauty influencer Sofia Taloni (aka Naofal Moussa) encouraged people in her home country of Morocco to create fake profiles on gay dating apps and out closeted men in their communities. Now, at least one of those men has died by suicide, and Taloni couldn’t care less.

Quick backstory: Speaking to her 627,000 followers on Instagram earlier this month, Taloni instructed people to create fake profiles and identify themselves as “bottoms” to make themselves more appealing to closeted men. After collecting their pics, she told them to circulate the images on Facebook to try and learn their identities. As a result, gay dating apps in Morocco were flooded with new users.

Related: Awful influencer encourages people to make fake Grindr profiles to out gay men

Now, reporter Hicham Tahir reports on Twitter that a friend of a friend took his own life after having his identity published at Taloni’s direction. The 21-year-old had been studying in France but returned to Morocco to stay with his family during the coronavirus pandemic.

In Morocco, homosexuality is punishable with up to three years in prison. LGBTQ people have no legal protections and are often subjected to harassment and physical violence. 

After posting the video, Taloni has her Instagram account suspended. Now, in an interview with The Moroccan Times, she says she sorta “feels bad” about what happened but she ultimately doesn’t regret it.

Related: One Gay Tourist’s Harrowing Account Of Being Yanked Off The Streets Of Morocco And Thrown In Prison

“In all honesty, I did not want to out them, but they started this war,” she quips. “The Moroccan gay community shared my profile on many Facebook groups and were encouraging people to report me so that my account gets deactivated.”

She adds, “They were outing me, out of jealously, because I am successful on various social media platforms and Moroccans started sympathizing with me. They put my life at risk.”

Taloni says that she “feels bad” for outed LGBTQ people who were just “living their lives normally” and “did nothing against me,” but “the other ones that reported me, I have no regrets whatsoever.”

Related: Hours after outing man on Facebook live, woman found dead on side of the road

www.queerty.com/influencer-led-campaign-gay-men-no-regrets-even-one-victim-dies-suicide-20200428?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29