It’s Friday! The first Friday in May.

Remembering what day it is shouldn’t be as difficult as it has become. Even though I check my calendar every morning, and if it’s work day review meetings and deadlines, it still feel like all the days are blended together.

Meanwhile, welcome to the Friday Five. This week I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about the pandemic, five stories about deplorable people, and five videos (plus notable obituaries and some things I wrote).

Stories of the Week:

Federal Appeals Court Declares Literacy a Constitutional Right.

This brilliant illustration shows how much public space we’ve surrendered to cars.

Sex doll sales soar with gay people and couples fuelling demand. I have some issues with this headline. Some couples are gay. Not all gay people are not in a couple. Who wrote this headline?

Pentagon declassifies Navy videos that purportedly show UFOs – The Navy videos have been leaked in recent years.

It’s Time for a Bluexit.

This Week in News for Queers and Allies:

The sheriff fired her because she’s a lesbian so she ran for his office. She demolished him – There will be a new sheriff in town soon.

Rep. David Cicilline: Pandemic Relief Must Include LGBTQ Protections.

Puerto Rico government sharply criticized over response to LGBTQ murders.

A group is threatening legal action & demanding payment for use of the bisexual pride flag. A few problems with this: the creator of the Bi Pride flag back in 1998 officially put the trademark in the public domain. You can’t copyright a color combination. There is no record of a copyright. One of the articles you find if you search in Google for the guy who created the flag is one published by this group several years ago where he explains about putting it in the public domain…

What will Pride mean this year? – There won’t be rainbow floats in the streets, but Pride will still happen — online.

This Week in the Pandemic:

Seattle’s Leaders Let Scientists Take the Lead. New York’s Did Not .

Health Care Workers Stand Up To Anti-Lockdown Protesters In North Carolina – “They’re putting me and my family at risk,” a health care worker said of the “ReOpen NC” rallygoers in Raleigh.

30 million have sought US jobless aid since virus hit.

How high will it go? As Covid-19 death toll in U.S. blows past 60,000, there are no easy answers.

‘A phantom plague’: Evangelicals who defied social distancing guidelines are dying of coronavirus in frightening numbers.

This Week in Deplorables:

David Letterman Lambastes Mike Pence for “Taunting” Virus Patients by Not Wearing Mask at Mayo Clinic – The former ‘Late Show’ host also revealed Paul Shaffer’s wife was hospitalized with COVID-19.

Federal Judge Issues Scathing Ruling Against Jill Stein’s Lawsuit To Decertify 4000 Pennsylvania Voting Machines. Among other things the judge noted: “she seeks to promote only herself.” Truer words were never said.

Fox News Cuts Ties With Diamond & Silk, Unofficial Trump ‘Advisers’ Who Spread Bonkers Coronavirus Claims.

Once again we see, Red America wouldn’t last a week without daily bailouts from blue states.

NYT On Hannity’s Retraction Demand: That’s A No.

In Memoriam:

Gene Dynarski, Actor on ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind,’ Dies at 86 – He also appeared on ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Batman’ and ‘The X-Files’ and ran a small theater in L.A.

Did the ‘Voices Carry’ Hunk Die of AIDS 29 Years Ago?

College HUNKS® Honors Ryan White’s AIDS Legacy on the 30-Year Anniversary of His Death with ‘Hope’ Sculpture by Bill Mack – Moving Franchise Displays Newly Discovered Rare Sculpture at World Headquarters.

Things I wrote:

Confessions of the child of rednecks, or, not all kids had access to the same resources.

Weekend Update 4/26/2020: Bleach Bum and Son of a Mitch.

I’ve already survived one plague… part 2.

Tuesday Tidbits 4/28/2020: Skipping pants is better than pants on fire, I suppose.

Watch the skies! — and keep your terminology correct.

Why I hate hay fever reason #6529 (plus reason 3786 & 3113 & 2488 & 2149 & 1364, and don’t forget #47).

Videos!

Trump Ignored Coronavirus Warnings; Pence Refused to Wear a Mask – A Closer Look:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Jared Kushner Declares Trump’s Coronavirus Decision-Making “A Great Success Story”:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Something Happening Here: Billy Porter Drops Cover of Stephen Stills and Buffalo Springfield’s ‘For What It’s Worth’:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Mask, Gloves, Soap, Scrubs (Official Video):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski& Audra Mcdonald| Ladies Who lunch @Sondheim90concert:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)