It’s Friday! The third Friday in May!

We had record-breaking heat over the weekend, prompting my husband and I to order takeout from a restaurant far enough away that we would up spending more than an hour in the air-conditioned car. Then temps dropped on Monday and we’ve had some drizzling nearly every day this week and temperatures generally in a much more pleasant range.

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 the war criminal pretending to be president, five stories about deplorable people, and five videos (plus notable obituaries and some things I wrote).

Stories of the Week:

The World’s Last Blockbuster Remains Open, Pandemic and Netflix Be Damned – “I had a customer come in and she said, ‘I am so grateful that you reopened, because I couldn’t flip through Netflix one more time.'”.

Panicked over ‘murder hornets,’ people are killing native bees we desperately need.

Washington issues $4,000 cleaning bill to embattled Rep. Matt Shea for incident on Capitol steps.

Calvin and Hobbes makes sense of quarantine life, 25 years later .

The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months.

This Week in News for Queers and Allies:

California Cop: I Was Fired for Being Gay, HIV-Positive.

Germany passes law banning ‘gay conversion therapy’ for minors.

#WOWExclusive: The REAL Story Behind the Rock Hudson/ Henry Willson Storyline in “Hollywood”.

Anti-LGBT+ hate group tries to remove judge because he wouldn’t let them repeatedly misgender trans kids in court.

Historic Places: The Black Cat.

This Week in the Pandemic:

Winter Party attendee who caught coronavirus posts shocking photo of virus’ effect on his body – When he attended the National LQBTQ Task Force’s Winter Party in Miami, he had no idea what the consequences would be.

How “truth decay” is harming America’s coronavirus recovery – Americans can’t agree on basic facts. It’s a big threat to coronavirus recovery.

A class war over social distancing? New data suggests otherwise.

US coronavirus death toll passes 80,000 as states move to phased reopening.

Trump blocks desperately needed national testing program, says tests make things “look bad” – “President Trump is prioritizing his efforts to create the illusion that the country is returning to normalcy over taking concrete steps that might make that actually happen safely”.

This Week in the Deplorable Thug Occupying the White House:

Howard Stern to Trump supporters: He hates you and so do I.

“We’re In Deep Shit”: Whistleblower Rick Bright Details Failure to Act on Mask Shortages.

As coronavirus roils the nation, Trump reverts to tactic of accusing foes of felonies.

Court Revives Emoluments Suit Against Trump Hotel.

Explaining coronavirus to Trump is like ‘bringing fruits to the volcano’: Administration official.

This Week in Deplorables:

Feds Thwart NYC Nazi Incels In Potential Terror Plot – Racist, anti-Semitic Queens man — who hinted he can’t get a date — busted in assault weapon buy, feds say.

Michigan Cultists Fight Each Other Over Noose Display – Fight erupts at Michigan Capitol protest over noose; police take ax.

Anti-Vax Nutbag Sued By Anti-Vax Nutbag For $95M – Anti-Vaxx Movement Civil War Has Erupted and It’s Just as Ridiculous as You’d Expect.

Pulse memorial mural at the LGBT+ Center Orlando vandalized with white supremacist stickers.

Bothsidesism Stalks The New York Times.

In Memoriam:

Little Richard, the ‘Architect of Rock,’ Dies @ 87.

One can’t merely say that Little Richard died a homophobe or renounced his queerness when his life as a queer entertainer made such a cultural impact.

Aimee Stephens, the woman who brought the first-ever trans rights case to the Supreme Court, has tragically died.

Jerry Stiller, ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Hairspray’ Actor and Comedian, Dies at 92.

Jerry Stiller’s comedy with Anne Meara deserves to be remembered just as much as Frank Costanza.

Roy Horn, of Siegfried & Roy, Has Died of COVID-19 at 75.

Stonewall riots historian, author David Carter dies at 67.

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

A Brooklyn Man Described As “Mr. Hooper From Sesame Street” Died From The Coronavirus – Dozens turned out for a candlelight procession to honor beloved actor and entrepreneur Lloyd Cornelius Porter.

Breakthrough in Scott Johnson Murder from 1988 – Arrest Made in 1988 Murder of Gay American Chased Off Sydney Cliff.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 5/9/2020: The Best of Cephalopods, the Worst of Cephalopods.

Confessions of a boy who wanted to be a diva, in spite of the bullying.

Videos!

The GOP ‘has turned Wisconsin into a failed state’:

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Trump’s Rose Garden Hissy Fit, Plus The Dumbest Thing The President Has Ever Said:

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Jimmy Kimmel’s Quarantine Monologue – Jimmy Responds to Pence & Trump:

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If You Accuse Your Predecessor Of Crime, You Darn Well Specify What That Crime Is | Deadline | MSNBC:

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Jimmy Fallon, Brendon Urie & The Roots Remix “Under Pressure” (At-Home Instruments):

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