It’s Friday! It’s the third Friday in June. Happy Queer Pride Month! I had planned on calling this week’s Friday Links something like “adorable octopus edition” but there is way too much serious and depressing news, and I left a lot of it out!

Anyway, here is a collection of some of the things that I ran across over the course of the week which struck me as worthy of being shared. Sorted into categories with headings so you can skip more easily:

Link of the Week

They published this op-ed about 36 hours before the Charleston shootings: The Other Terror Threat: the main terrorist threat in the United States is not from violent Muslim extremists, but from right-wing extremists.

Science!

Gun owners not likely to use firearms for self-defense, study claims.

The Little Boy Who Should’ve Vanished, But Didn’t.

Gravity –“The Clue to the Dark, Quantum World of Our Universe.”

Tiny Octopus Is So Cute Scientists Might Name It ‘Adorabilis.’

The Oldest Depiction of the Universe Was Made in 1600 BCE.

Does a black hole create a hologram copy of anything that touches it?

This really belongs under an Anti-Science headline, but: 5 completely insane things Christian fundamentalists are teaching their kids.

Gay moths? London museum gives insects ‘gender treatment’ to protect artifacts.

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Giant Cell Arteritis Correlated with Solar Cycles.

General relativity explains why Schrodinger’s cat is alive.

Remembering Clyde Tombaugh on Pluto’s doorstep.

Helium-Shrouded Planets May Be Common around Other Stars in Our Galaxy.

Cosmic ray observatory to explore hotspot.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

Terry Pratchett’s Daughter Says Discworld Is Over.

SORRY, GAME OF THRONES: IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME.

Mad Max: Fury Road Makes Your Rape Arguments Invalid.

Thousands Of Gay Geeks Unite At Flame Con, New York’s First LGBT Comic Con.

Political/culture war news:

Opinion: Washington needs to tell the truth about police violence.

Why There’s No Conservative Jon Stewart.

The GOP Needs a War on Christianity.

John Oliver and Helen Mirren debunk U.S. torture practices: “The reason so many of us believe that torture works is that it does—on TV”.

Donald Trump Campaign Offered Actors $50 to Cheer for Him at Presidential Announcement.

Caitlyn Jenner and Rachel Dolezal: Clash of identity and authenticity.

“Shit’s Gonna Hit the Fan”: Talking to a Billionaire About Class War.

#NoMoreBushes trends on Twitter as Jeb Bush announces he will run for president.

This Week in Racism

Too often we give lots of press to the hateful killers who commit these crimes, when we should be remembering the victims. There are pictures of each of the nine people killed in the church in Charleston, with some biographical details. I needed more than one kleenex: These Are The Victims Of The Charleston Church Shooting.

Why Recognizing The Charleston Church Shooting As An Act Of Racially Motivated Terrorism Is Only The First Step.

Police Search For Man Suspected Of Killing 9 At South Carolina Church.

For Charleston’s Emanuel A.M.E. Church, shooting is another painful chapter in rich history.

Is South Carolina Just Gonna Fly That Confederate Flag Today or What?

“he just said ‘I have to do it. You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.'”

An Emotional Stewart Drops the Comedy to Talk Charleston: ‘We Still Won’t Do Jackshit.’

Shot fired into Saint Matthew Church in Memphis.

Tip from Kings Mountain florists led to Charleston shooting suspect’s arrest. Not just a tip: she called police from her car and kept following him, giving police updates along the way!

Larry Wilmore smacks down Rachel Dolezal: “Sorry lady, you are white, you don’t get an opinion on this. This is not a Buzzfeed quiz”.

Rachel Dolezal Isn’t the Most Important Race Story in Spokane: The Media Circus over One Woman Is Distracting from the Underlying Issues That Need Addressing.

This Week in Sexism

How Tor Books Threw Its Women Employees Under The Bus.

Forget Redefining Beauty: This Fat Chick Just Wants Some Nice Clothes.

News for queers and our allies:

This Trans Man’s Breast Cancer Nightmare Exemplifies The Problem With Transgender Health Care.

Daddy Issues – After years of thinking my father couldn’t understand his gay son, I was surprised to find he accepted me in ways I never could have imagined possible.

What Religious People Actually Think About Using ‘Religious Liberty’ To Justify Anti-Gay Discrimination. 59 percent of white mainline Protestants, 63 percent of non-white Protestants, and 64 percent of Catholics reject “religious liberty” bills.

‘Oranges, Baby Powder, Handcuffs And Duct Tape’: Inside The Trial That May End The Gay ‘Cure’.

Southern Baptist Manual Offers Suggestions on How to Get Around LGBT Anti-Discrimination Laws. Because, obviously, Jesus wants them to disobey the law and discriminate against their neighbors. Because when he said “love your neighbor as you love yourself” he didn’t mean literally love them…

You Have Two Men To Thank For The Greatest Strides In LGBT Representation On TV.

Gay Marriage Isn’t About Assimilation. My Engagement Was a Radical Act.

Don’t Listen To Same-Sex Marriage Foes: It Was Always About Hating On The Gays.

California attorney general moves to dismiss ‘shoot the gays’ ballot proposal.

‘As a Christian, I am Sorry:’ Evangelical Pastor’s Reflections on Attending First Pride Parade.

Southern Baptist President Bravely Pledges Resistance Against Non-Existent Forced-Marriage Threat.

‘Israel wouldn’t be able to “pinkwash” the oppression of Palestinians if the Palastinian Authority and the other Muslim nations that surround Israel treated their gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender citizens at least as well as or better than Israel treats its own sexual minorities. The treatment of LGBT people in the Arab/Muslim world is “barbaric, anti-gay, and backwards”—that’s not Israeli spin, that’s a fact. If you think “pinkwashing” is wrong—if you think it’s actually a thing—then you shouldn’t just be calling for a boycott of Israel. You should be calling for better treatment of LGBT people in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and what’s left of Syria.’

How Schools Justify Canceling Valedictorian Speeches About Coming Out.

Meet Ryan Anderson, The Anti-LGBT ‘Scholar’ Peddling Junk Science To National Media.

What Are the Sounds of Transphobic Dinosaurs Dying?

Richard Land Bigotsplains Why Acceptance of Gay Rights is Growing.

Black gay men face shocking bigotry.

MARRIAGE NEWS WATCH: 1. The president doesn’t get to veto Supreme Court rulings. 2. Rick Santorum will never be president.

The obligatory Sad Puppies/Hugo Awards update:

Infoxicated Corner: ALL THESE THINGS ARE TRUE: Saumya Arya Haas. “It is true. As in many SF/F tales, a world is at risk. The world of “tradition,” the world where straight, cis, white guys are the inheritors of the throne, the world where women and minorities have their identities dictated and blunted by a dominant narrative: that world is gravely at risk.”

The “Heinlein Couldn’t Win a Hugo Today” crowd is now boycotting Heinlein’s publisher.

Puppies Crying Bitter Tears.

The Blending Puppies.

I am a real person and I stand with Irene Gallo.

Final Words on #Hugowank.

Thoughts on toxic bigotry.

And other news:

JACKASS OF THE WEEK: CHRISTOPHER MIMS.

Happy News!

Christian Homeowner Threatens Neighbor Over ‘Relentlessly Gay’ Rainbow Yard Lamps, Because Children; Homeowner Promises More Rainbows. “Needless to say… I need more rainbows… Many, many more rainbows….”

Pete Buttigieg, Mayor Of South Bend, Indiana, Comes Out As Gay.

Meet The First Gay Couple To Graduate Together From The Boston Police Academy.

Boy Who Lost Stuffed Tiger At Airport Finds Tiger Stayed Very Busy.

Things I wrote:

Hugo Ballot Reviews: Novella.

Sincerely (up) yours,.

Hugo Ballot Reviews: Graphic Story.

The Best Kind of Books Are Magic Books – more of why I love sf/f.

Videos!

THICK THIGHS by Willam feat. Latrice Royale:

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How Much Would it Cost to Build Jurassic Park?:

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Thousands drawn to Indy Pride Parade:

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Curious otter pup:

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Long After You’re Gone: A Leverage Tribute:

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Greg Holden – Boys In The Street (Official Music Video):

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