Unearthed tapes of Trump’s new press secretary show her calling him “racist” and “hateful”

Donald Trump’s newly-installed press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, has a long history of trashing LGBTQ people. She also has a long history of trashing Donald Trump, it appears.

Newly unearthed footage of McEnany bashing Trump throughout 2015 has emerged online and it’s probably not going to make her new boss happy.

Shortly after Trump jumped into the presidential ring in June 2015, McEnany went on CNN to say his remarks about Mexican immigrants were “racist,” “derogatory,” and “hateful.”

“To me, a racist statement is a racist statement,” she said. “I don’t like what Donald Trump said.”

McEnany also argued that “mainstream Republican[s]” weren’t in favor of deporting undocumented immigrants, an action she called “not the American way.” Instead, she aruged, many support “some path to citizenship.”

“Donald Trump has shown himself to be a showman. I don’t think he is a serious candidate. I think it is a sideshow. It’s not within the mainstream of the candidates.”

Oh, but it doesn’t stop there.

Another time, McEnany called Trump a “Republican in name only,” as demonstrated by his past donations to Democrats and his liberal stances on many policy positions.

“He supports eminent domain. He supported tax increases before. He’s donated $300,000 to Democratic candidates. So, the fact that the Republican Party is now having to claim him, is both unfortunate, and to me, inauthentic.”

She continued, “Because this is not a true Republican candidate. And the fact that he’s being portrayed as such in media is troublesome and not accurate.”

“I don’t want to claim this guy.”

And another time, McEnany went on Fox Business to say Trump didn’t “deserve” to be polling second in New Hampshire and that his rhetoric was “not welcome.”

“Donald Trump is number two and doesn’t deserve to be there. I appreciate his boldness and I think some of his rhetoric got the base excited, but it is not welcome rhetoric.”

She then went on to argue he was “turning away voters” and that Republicans needed a candidate who could bring people together.

“Donald Trump is the last person who’s going to do that,” McEnany insisted.

Well, what a different a few years makes!

After Trump clinched the nomination and was elected president in 2016, McEnany became a full-time employee at Fox News, where her attitudes towards him drastically shifted. Eventually, she became one of his fiercest defenders. Then she joined his 2020 reelection campaign as its main spokesperson. Now, she’s his press secretary.

McEnany has not commented yet on her past remarks resurfacing, though we’re 100% certain she’ll find some artful way of spinning them, just as many of Trump’s other former critics-turned-allies have, including folks like Kellyanne Conway and Lindsay Graham.

Meanwhile, Twitter sure has a lot to say about the matter…

.@PressSec You called @RealDonaldTrump “racist” in 2015. Why do you work for him today?

— West Wing Reports (@WestWingReport) May 8, 2020

So what’s it called when you sell yourself to a “racist” (@kayleighmcenany word) man (I use the term reluctantly as there are better descriptors…

— Catfan (@thermalmass) May 8, 2020

In other words, @kayleighmcenany is perfect for a job that requires that you have no integrity. t.co/eOUP9XqFxH

— W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) May 8, 2020

Trump’s new Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany called Trump “racist,” “hateful,” and “not the American way” in 2015.

Awkward.

— Travis Allen (@TravisAllen02) May 7, 2020

I’m gonna leave this right here. #KayleighMcEnany He should have done his homework on her before he hired her. I mean, that’s what any real business man would have done. Just saying. pic.twitter.com/aWD79jeM6D

— Sarcastic Sweetness (@SarcasticSweet1) May 8, 2020

.@PressSec willingly and quickly sold her soul to to become infamous and temporarily powerful in DC. But she doesn’t realize she’s on the Hindenburg and they’ll all go down in flames.

— Robert Gaustad (@RMGaustad) May 7, 2020

At what point did @kayleighmcenany change her mind about @realDonaldTrump t.co/3O9Gd6Y5eT

— M (@MoEttehadieh) May 8, 2020

she didnt mean it…..like that….she was just you know locker room talk @PressSec t.co/IFZCnVjS3n

— Quarantine King its a MF Lifestyle (@SageVaughn6) May 8, 2020

Related: Donald Trump picks anti-LGBTQ Fox News producer as new press secretary

www.queerty.com/unearthed-tapes-trumps-new-press-secretary-show-calling-racist-hateful-20200508?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Gays in South Korea Fear Backlash After New COVID-19 Outbreak Linked to LGBT Nightclubs

South Korea advised nightclubs to close for a month on Friday, and may delay next week’s planned reopening of schools, after a man later diagnosed with COVID-19 visited numerous gay bars in Seoul last weekend, leading to a fresh outbreak of the virus in the capital city.

It reportedly marked the first new local infection in four days, and now gay people in South Korea — where the LGBT community already faces rampant discrimination — fear backlash, especially if they need to be tested because they visited the clubs.

The Guardian reports: Members of the gay community said they fear efforts to out them after a major media outlet, Kookmin Ilbo, reported that the man had been in gay clubs in the capital’s Itaewon district. Some social media users then posted video footage from its bars and clubs, urging followers for donations “to help put a stop to these disgusting goings-on.” … Health officials say they have a list of 1,500 people who visited the clubs last weekend and authorities are asking anyone who visited the premises to get tested. A 37-year-old IT engineer using his regular pseudonym, Jang Ji-myung, said he had been at three of the clubs after months of staying away but feared for his job if he was tested. “The company where I work is a regular Korean company, which means they are very anti-gay. I have taken part in conversations where my boss and colleagues said all gay men should be put to death in a gas chamber,” he said.

More from The Korea Herald: Human rights activists on Friday denounced some South Korean media outlets for unnecessarily highlighting the main clientele of the bars and clubs he visited, saying this could incite hatred toward LGBT people and hinder the government’s efforts to contain the spread of the virus. “Revealing detailed personal information such as age, residence and occupation leads to outing the individual and promoting prejudice and hatred against sexual minorities,” an association of human rights groups formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic said in a statement Friday. Because of the media reports, seeking treatment now means revealing a sensitive aspect of one’s identity, the groups said, and the stigma and risks of being outed could push anyone who came into contact with the confirmed patient further into hiding. … “What we need now is not hatred and discrimination, but realizing that our safety is tied together, and we should all come in solidarity for that.”

The Associated Press reports: Schools were supposed to begin reopening next week, but the fears of a resurgence came after Friday’s disclosure of 25 new cases, South Korea’s first jump above 10 in five days. … [An official] said the man did not wear a mask inside the clubs and that the number of infections will likely rise as health workers trace and test contacts. The clubs’ visitor lists show they received more than 1,500 customers combined on Saturday. The central government’s advisory doesn’t require clubs to close, but if they become a source of infections after failing to enforce anti-virus measures they could be shut down. Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said the new cases included three foreigners and a soldier. “A drop of ink in clear water spreads swiftly,” Kim said during a briefing, urging vigilance to maintain hard-won gains against the virus. “Anyone can become that drop of ink that spreads COVID-19.”

The post Gays in South Korea Fear Backlash After New COVID-19 Outbreak Linked to LGBT Nightclubs appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Gays in South Korea Fear Backlash After New COVID-19 Outbreak Linked to LGBT Nightclubs

#AM_Equality: May 8, 2020

TODAY — REP. MAXINE WATERS, JOSIE TOTAH, D.J. “SHANGELA” PIERCE, BOB THE DRAG QUEEN, EUREKA TO SPEAK AT HRC AND GLSEN VIRTUAL LGBTQ+ GRADUATION CEREMONY: The ceremony will honor the nearly half a million LGBTQ+ students HRC estimates are graduating this spring, who may be impacted by school and graduation cancellations and disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Those interested can register for the event here. More from HRC. 

Who can you expect to see at @HRC and @GLSEN’s virtual graduation ceremony May 8 honoring LGBTQ+ graduates? ��@itsShangela@thatonequeen@eurekaohara@RepMaxineWaters@IAmSheaDiamond@_DJYoung1LA_
Josie Totah@AlphonsoDavid @EByard

Register today: t.co/x2oI9j9wGn pic.twitter.com/W7cHizdiWO

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) May 7, 2020

HRC DEMANDS ACTION AFTER THE KILLING OF AHMAUD ARBERY: “Ahmaud Arbery was gunned down for being a Black man, period,” said HRC President Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid). “Yet again, racism has led to the unjust death of a Black man in our country. This is unconscionable, and we cannot allow racism and our woefully inadequate criminal justice system to lead to another mother losing her son or another community in mourning. Ahmaud’s killers must be brought to justice, and an important piece of that is bringing Georgia into the 21st century by passing a hate crimes prevention law.” Read more HRC. 

It is simple:
1- Ahmaud’s killers must be brought to justice.
2- GA must pass hate crimes legislation.
3- Until then, AG Barr must investigate.
We have to address the roots of racism. #AhmaudArbery t.co/adsaIlKcqF

— Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) May 8, 2020

FRIDAY FEATURE — HRC WELCOMES JENNIFER FIORE AS NEW SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING: “I could not be more thrilled to welcome Jennifer to the HRC family,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Jennifer brings significant political and advocacy experience to this role, as well as a true passion for fighting for what is right. Her talent and vision will greatly enhance HRC’s ability to tell our story and show why our work remains more critical than ever during a time when the LGBTQ community is under attack and the most important election of our lifetime is just around the corner.” Fiore (@jennifer_fiore) joins HRC after decades working on the cutting edge of media, technology and politics. She most recently served as a senior advisor for communications and digital on Secretary Julián Castro’s presidential campaign and previously served in the Obama administration at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. More from HRC. 

BLACK TRANSGENDER WOMAN’S DEATH IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI UNDER INVESTIGATION: The death of Nina Pop is believed to be the at least tenth violent death of a transgender or gender non-conforming person this year in the U.S., and the fifth known violent death in the past month — all transgender women of color. More from HRC and the Associated Press. 

MORE THAN 50 ORGANIZATIONS SEND LETTER URGING WHITE HOUSE’S COVID-19 TASK FORCE TO HEED LESSONS LEARNED FROM HIV EPIDEMIC: “As representatives of the community fighting HIV, hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and tuberculosis (TB), our organizations have more than three decades of lessons learned about how to stem the tide of deadly pandemics,” the letter reads. “We also know the devastation that is caused when these best practices are not followed and American lives are unnecessarily lost.” More from Metro Weekly.

NEW REPORT REVEALS THAT NONRELIGIOUS LGBTQ PEOPLE FACE DISCRIMINATION, STIGMA: “LGBTQ young people face significant family rejection that results in a greater rate of negative psychological outcomes,” states the report. “Similarly, nonreligious LGBTQ survey participants were more likely to have unsupportive parents.” More from The Advocate. 

HRC DONATES 15,000 FACE MASKS TO 50 ORGANIZATIONS IN NEED: Read more from the Washington Blade. 

GET CULTURED – Entertainment, arts and sports news!

LGBTQ NATION SHARES LIST OF NINE LGBTQ WRITERS WHO HAVE WON THE PULITZER PRIZE: More from LGBTQ Nation.

SAN FRANCISCO LGBTQ HISTORY MUSEUM BUILDING PLAN ON HOLD DUE TO GLOBAL PANDEMIC: The museum would have been the first full-scale LGBTQ history museum in the U.S. More from Bay Area Reporter. 

READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!
The Advocate announces Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is topping its Women of the Year issue

Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-may-8-2020?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

LISTEN: Cher just released a new track for COVID-19 relief

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Ay Chiquitita

A post shared by Cher (@cher) on May 5, 2020 at 6:32am PDT

Cher today released a new track to streaming services. Proceeds will help toward the fight against COVID-19, via UNICEF.

After her appearance in the movie, Mamma Mia 2, and following up Dancing Queen, her successful covers album of ABBA songs in 2018, the iconic singer has previously teased that she might do something else ABBA-related.

That has turned out to be a Spanish-language version of the Swedish band’s song ‘Chiquitita’. An English version appeared on Dancing Queen. ABBA also released both English and Spanish versions back in 1979.

The full Spanish version – Cher’s first Spanish-language rendition – hit all streaming services this morning at midnight.

Related: Cher offers to pay man’s legal expenses after he was fired for asking not to be called the N-word

“I knew I wanted to do something,” she told Billboard this week. “I actually started learning and rehearsing the song when I was in England last year but didn’t record it then. It was difficult!”

“When everything changed in the world I wanted to help,” Cher continued in a statement.

“This seemed like the right time to complete it. I’ve long admired UNICEF, especially their work educating young women. The actress Audrey Hepburn was a hero of mine and I was so proud when she became their first Goodwill Ambassador in 1988. Now, more than ever, it’s critical that we prioritize every child around the world as if they were our own.”

ABBA performed ‘Chiquitita’ at a UNICEF benefit concert in 1979 and donated half the proceeds from the song to the charity, until 2014, when all four members agreed to donate 100% of the proceeds.

In addition to the song, Cher recently announced the launch of the CherCares Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative (CCPRRI). The aim is to raise $1million to help the “chronically neglected and forgotten people” during the pandemic through the Entertainment Industry Foundation.

Related: Adam Lambert had everyone (including Cher) sobbing with his performance at the Kennedy Center Honors

A video for Cher’s new version of ‘Chiquitita’ will be aired Saturday during the UNICEF’s COVID-19 Virtual Special – streaming at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on unicefwontstop.org and youtube.com/uincefusa.

Cher told Billboard, “I shot my part of the video at home and they later sent me the final cut with children from around the world in it. It’s such a beautiful, optimistic experience. It’s great when you can see anything positive now because all of the turmoil we are in.”

www.queerty.com/listen-cher-just-released-new-track-covid-19-relief-20200508?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

A Beloved Queer Activist Posted This Now-Viral Tweet Moments Before He Was Gunned Down in SF’s Mission District

Courtney Brousseau, a beloved 22-year-old Twitter employee and co-founder of the advocacy group Gay for Transit, was gunned down near San Francisco’s Dolores Park last week.

Brousseau, who identified as bisexual in his Twitter bio, posted photos from the park at 8:17 p.m. on Friday, minutes before he was reportedly caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting.

“I just ate a delicious burrito in Dolores park and for a brief moment everything felt okay,” Brousseau wrote after picking up take-out amid the city’s COVID-19 lockdown.

Brousseau was critically wounded when two men in their 20s got out of a vehicle and fired 50 to 60 shots near Rosa Parks Lane and Guerrero Street, according to media reports. A 17-year-old was also shot but suffered non-life-threatening injuries. After being critically wounded, Brousseau died at San Francisco General Hospital on Monday night. Police are still investigating the shooting, and no arrests have been made.

Brousseau’s tragic death prompted an outpouring of sadness on social media, including from Twitter’s chief marketing officer, Leslie Berland, and the director of transportation for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Jeffrey Tumlin. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey reportedly planned to attend a vigil for Brousseau.

A bicyclist who and was passionate about safety issues, Brousseau co-founded Gay for Transit, a queer San Francisco transit collective, on social media. Janice Li, who co-founded the group with Brousseau, said he regularly gave money to charity, according to Oxygen.com.

“[He] donated $50/month to 10 different organizations,” Li said. “This is obviously incredibly shocking and tragic news for someone who was so eager to build community and for someone who has brought so much joy to our lives.”

After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, with a double major in economics and computer Science, Brousseau hired by Twitter as a product manager in September. He had also worked as an intern for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a civic digital fellow for Code.gov, a consultant for California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and a Microsoft program manager intern.

Friend and Twitter colleague Savannah Badalich told the San Francisco Chronicle that Brousseau worked on notification projects and focused on making technology more accessible and inclusive.

“He just had such fierce empathy for so many communities,” Badalich told the outlet. “He wanted to make a difference, and he did.”

According to Oxygen.com, Brousseau loved architecture, Lego, dogs, cycling, cooking, and is remembered for his generosity, kindness, and ability to bring people together.

“Courtney planted seeds in a garden he never got to see,” Brousseau’s friend, 21-year-old Karen Ni, told the website. “His hope for a better tomorrow was contagious. Courtney unapologetically showed up and offered the world joy, love, and his commitment for justice. He had a way of making you feel seen and heard.” 

The post A Beloved Queer Activist Posted This Now-Viral Tweet Moments Before He Was Gunned Down in SF’s Mission District appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

A Beloved Queer Activist Posted This Now-Viral Tweet Moments Before He Was Gunned Down in SF’s Mission District