Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Anderson Cooper brutally calls out 'MyPillow' CEO and Trump supporter for pushing untested COVID-19 cure





It's always a delight when Anderson Cooper channels his "this queen has had enough of your bullsh!t" persona and proceeds to "read" (that's a black gay vernacular word) his guest like a dictionary.

I've only seen him do it once to a very deserving Roy Moore surrogate, but this time is a better delight. Cooper conducted an interview with 'MyPillow' CEO and widely known Donald Trump supporter Mike Lindell. According to The Hill, Lindell was pushing an untested cure for COVID-19 which could ultimately benefit his bank account:

Lindell is pushing oleandrin as a potential therapeutic for COVID-19. Last week, he was added to the board of Phoenix Biotechnology, which makes oleandrin, receiving a financial stake in the company, CNN reported. Lindell confirmed to CNN Monday that Trump participated in a July meeting at the White House regarding the use of oleandrin, an extract from the plant Nerium oleander, as a potential coronavirus treatment.

During the interview, Cooper "was not having it." Not even a little bit. You can watch either the full interview or snippets of it from the above videos.

'The Owl House' makes history with Disney's first bisexual lead character' & other Tue midday news briefs

'The Owl House' character Luz Noceda makes history .

'The Owl House' makes history with Disney's first bisexual lead character - Good for Disney. Our LGBTQ children should never be ignored or pushed to the side.

Three gay Democratic “rising stars” to give joint keynote address at convention - Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention is going to be fierce.

Margaret Atwood, Ed Harris, Judith Butler and more call out Poland’s hateful homophobia in powerful open letter - A wonderful way to use their platform. Good for them. 

The Internet Responds After Hallmark Movie Debuts Its First LGBTQ Couple - So how did it go? What do you think?

Monday, August 17, 2020

Federal judge blocks Trump administration rule against trans health a day before it was to take effect



This just came in this afternoon and it proves how important the recent Bostock decision was.

From Buzzfeed:

A federal judge on Monday blocked a Trump administration rule that would allow healthcare providers to discriminate against transgender individuals, one day before the rule was set to take effect. 
US District Judge Frederic Block found that the landmark US Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer expanding workplace protections for LGBTQ individuals applied in a legal fight over anti-discrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act. It's one of the first cases to apply the Supreme Court's decision to other areas of federal law — in this case, healthcare. 
The Supreme Court ruled that workplace discrimination based on "sex" included discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Block, who sits in the federal district court in Brooklyn, found that the administration's plan to remove gender identity from the ACA's anti-discrimination provisions could not stand in light of the Supreme Court's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. 
"The Court reiterates the same practical concern it raised at oral argument: When the Supreme Court announces a major decision, it seems a sensible thing to pause and reflect on the decision’s impact," Block wrote. "Since HHS has been unwilling to take that path voluntarily, the Court now imposes it." 
The case before Block involves Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits discrimination in health programs that receive federal funding. Under the Obama administration, the Department of Health and Human Services adopted rules in 2016 that made clear that Section 1557 applied to discrimination based on gender identity. 
A federal judge previously blocked the Obama-era rules from being enforced and sent the matter back to the Department of Health and Human Services. The Trump administration moved to get rid of the gender identity protections altogether. On June 12, the administration announced a final rule that would strip away the gender identity language.

For more details, check out the Buzzfeed article in its entirety.

'DC Congresswoman demands feds prosecute anti-LGBTQ hate crimes they've been ignoring' & other Mon midday news briefs

Eleanor Holmes Norton
DC Congresswoman demands feds prosecute the dozens of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes they’ve been ignoring - Eleanor Holmes Norton has always been an ally.

I’m A Nurse Who Cares For Gender Surgery Patients. Here’s Why I Love It So Much. - About time we hear from more than fake experts getting paid by right-wing groups.

Ashlee Marie Preston on What’s Next for Black Trans Americans - A wonderful and fascinating interview. 

Rising LGBTQ stars, historic platform on deck for Democratic convention - It's coming.

Sunday, August 16, 2020

Creepy but effective ad highlights homophobia of VP Mike Pence and 2nd Lady Karen Pence



I had trepidation about this newest Don Winslow ad because while it speaks truth, it is also probably the creepiest ad of the 2020 campaign. If it gives you a"Norman  Bates from 'Psycho' vibe, please know that it's neither accidental nor a coincidence.

  But then again I sometimes wish the LGBTQ community could be this unapologetically brutal when calling out those who oppose our basic rights and humanity.