And suddenly, it’s July.

When did that happen? Well, okay, I know, Wednesday is when it happened, but it’s a rhetorical question. Sometimes rhetorical questions make great headlines. You’ll find at least one below.

Which means that this must be 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, five stories about science, and five videos (plus notable obituaries and some things I wrote).

Stories of the Week:

Working the Refs Worked: ‘How Facebook Wrote Its Rules to Accommodate Trump’.

Arthur Conan Doyle’s estate sues Netflix for giving Sherlock Holmes too many feelings.

Witness the rare, gay double-proposal that went viral.

Not the End Times I Prepared For.

Thousands of U.S. judges who broke laws or oaths remained on the bench.

This Week in News for Queers and Allies:

9 queer political figures creating a more perfect union this election year.

Godzilla’s daughter just came out as trans in the most adorable, uplifting short film and it deserves every single Oscar.

Tarzan Made Me Gay. I was a couple years younger than the author of this pieces when I saw hunky Mike Henry in Tarzan and the Valley of Gold, and he definitely made an impression.

Former Liberty U. Staffer Opens Up About Being Queer on an Anti-Gay Campus.

Indianapolis Catholic Schools’ New Policy Forces Gender Conformity on Trans Kids.

This Week in the Pandemic:

U.S. Coronavirus Cases Soar Above 50,000 In New Single-Day Record.

As coronavirus cases soar, Texas issues statewide order requiring face coverings.

Another Day, Another Coronavirus Record In Florida.

Arizona activates hospital plan with guidance for rationing health care.

‘Extreme inequality was the preexisting condition’: How COVID-19 widened America’s wealth gap.

This Week in Deplorables:

Is Trump Trying to Kill Us All?

The Coronavirus Spread In A Dallas Megachurch’s Choir And Orchestra. Then It Hosted Mike Pence.

Did Cards Against Humanity’s ironic humor mask a toxic culture all along?

Karens — racist people who weaponize white supremacy against Black people — have permeated every level of American life, all the way up to the Karen-in-Chief. They must be stopped.

Detroit man sentenced to life in prison for killing two gay men and a transgender woman.

This Week in Science and Technology:

Core of a gas planet seen for the first time.

A sparrow song remix took over North America with astonishing speed – A variation on the white-throated sparrow’s song spread 3,300 kilometers in just a few decades.

Flying Snakes Can Travel Remarkable Distances, Now Scientists Know How.

Mystery over monster star’s vanishing act.

How one teaspoon of Amazon soil teems with fungal life.

In Memoriam:

Carl Reiner, longtime comedy legend, dies at 98.

“Now This is Funny”: My Recent Afternoon at Carl Reiner’s House – When The Hollywood Reporter’s senior film editor Rebecca Keegan was invited to watch ‘The Jerk’ with its legendary director, she learned that his reputation for self-effacing generosity was no joke.

Hugh Downs, Longtime Host of ’20/20′ and the ‘Today’ Show, Dies at 99.

Milton Glaser, Master Designer of ‘I ♥ NY’ Logo, Is Dead at 91 – He was also a founder of New York magazine, created a memorable Bob Dylan poster and produced designs for everything from supermarkets to restaurants to “Mad Men.”.

Things I wrote:

It’s Pride Day, 2020 — Happy Pride!.

Confessions of a rainbow wearing queer geek in quarantine.

On the last day of Pride Month: Police Brutality and Religious Bigots.

Midweek Update 7/1/2020: Time for more words and images.

Videos!

The Logical Conclusion: Black Americans Must Be Declared National Monuments:

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

Mrs. Betty Bowers, America’s Best Christian – Evangelicals Unmasked:

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

COVER YOUR FREAKIN’ FACE! – A Randy Rainbow Song Parody:

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

Right Said Fred – ‘Good Times Everybody’ (Official Video):

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

Jessie Ware – What’s Your Pleasure?:

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