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Hey! It’s the third Friday in May! And this year that means that today I’m getting my second Covid vaccine shot!

It’s been a weird week, with some bad news about a relative, the usual stress at work, and trying to deal with some unexpected wildlife issues.

Meanwhile, we have this week’s Friday Five. This week I bring you: one story that made me squee, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about science fiction and fact, and five videos (plus one thing I wrote and some notable obituaries).

This Week’s Story That Made Me Squee:

Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy Officially Returning for ‘Hocus Pocus’ Sequel

Stories of the Week:

Israel, Hamas Cease-Fire Begins After 11 Days of Conflict – Recent clashes have claimed the lives of more than 200 Palestians

Feds Seize 68 Big Cats From Infamous “Tiger King Park”

Biden proposes doubling IRS workforce as part of plan to snag tax cheats – The department’s total budget would increase by about 10 percent annually

New York and Maryland follow Ohio in creating Covid vaccine lottery – Ohio Vax Rate Surged 28% After $1M Lottery Offer

Novelist Cory Doctorow on the Problem with Intellectual Property

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Creating Gender-Affirming Spaces Literally Saves LGBTQ Kids’ Lives- A Trevor Project survey found that LGBTQ youth who had at least one accepting adult were 40% less likely to report suicide attempts in the past year

U.S. Expands Birthright Citizenship Of Babies Born Abroad To Same-Sex Couples – The State Department now recognizes the citizenship of babies born abroad to same-sex married couples, even if an American parent is not genetically related

Alabama bill to force teachers to out trans youth & ban health care access fails – Trans youth and their supporters protested in front of the state’s capitol to stop the attack on their rights. And the bill failed

Trans/Nonbinary Candidate Has Historic Primary Win in Pennsylvania

TikTok’s recommendation algorithm is promoting homophobia and anti-trans violence

This Week in Science Fiction and Fact:

In the latest wave of science fiction, authors of color take space to imagine multiple new societies

UFO studies and the possibility of alien origin

The Curious Case of the Many Black Supermen

A newfound quasicrystal formed in the first atomic bomb test

China on Mars: Zhurong rover returns first pictures

In Memoriam:

Charles Grodin, Midnight Run and Beethoven star, dies at 86

Charles Grodin, activist, author and actor who made grouchiness cool, dead at 86

Mistress Velvet, the queer intersex dominatrix who made clients read Black feminist theory, has died. She was 3

Riley Hadley – 12-year-old boy died by suicide after relentless homophobic bullying at school

Felicia ‘Flames’ Elizondo, Trans and HIV Activist, Dies at 74

Don Sakers, SF writer and editor, Dies at 62

Writer and editor Marvin Kaye Dies at 83

Things I Wrote:

https://fontfolly.net/2021/05/20/write-what-you-know-is-not-good-advice-but-ignorance-is-not-a-good-tool-either/

Videos

Click on the image to be taken to the video!

What Barack Obama Really Thinks About No. 45, Who May Face Criminal Charges

CDC Says Vaccinated People Can Stop Wearing Masks & Why the Honor System Won’t Work | The Daily Show

Matt Gaetz Wingman Pleads Guilty and Says He’ll Cooperate with Feds – A Closer Look

I promise this story about microwaves is interesting – it involved reviving frozen hamsters

Miss Minutes Teaser – Marvel Studios’ Loki – Disney+