Friday Five (tree DNA conviction edition)

And here we are at the third Friday in July!

It was a very busy and frantic work week, and I am so glad to have today off!

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: a headline I felt needed its own topic, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about the climate, and five stories about haters and deplorables (plus one post I wrote plus a notable obituary).

This Week in Deserves Its Own Category!:

Pedophile Youth Pastor Denied Appeal Of 1008-Year Sentence – The Alabama Supreme Court has refused to review the case of a former youth pastor sentenced to more than 1,000 years in prison for sex crimes against young boys

Stories of the Week:

Tree DNA Helped Convict Washington Man Who Set Forest Fire – Prosecutors say the case marked the first time tree DNA had been introduced in a federal trial

Some U.S. politicians voice support for Cuba protesters as State Department calls for "calm"

Gay political donor Ed Buck finally goes on trial for deadly drug fetish after years of injustice – Buck allegedly got off on injecting other men with methamphetamine. Two Black men died at his hands, but the wealthy white Democrat kept escaping justice. Until now.

People With HIV Have Higher Death Risk From COVID-19

Black Teen Barred From Skating Rink After Facial Recognition Camera Misidentified Her

This Week in Climate:

Florida’s manatees are dying in record numbers, officials say

Extreme heat cooked mussels, clams and other shellfish alive on beaches in Western Canada

Power Up: Progressives ramp up climate demands as Manchin draws red line on eliminating fossil fuels

The moon’s natural wobble alters Earth’s tides. With climate change, that’s bad news

West on fire, East under water as climate change fuels extremes

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

The Emmy Nominations Are Out, and They Are Super Gay and Trans

Nick Wagman, headed to the Tokyo Olympics, talks for the first time about being a gay athlete, married to his husband

Joyful new documentary “Senior Prom” is a revolutionary portrayal of aging while queer – Senior Prom is about queer elders finding happiness, confidence, and desire in a world "where they just don’t feel that there’s room for them," filmmaker Luisa Conlon told LGBTQ Nation.

Hungary Gay and LGBTQ Activists Protest Latest Anti-LGBTQ Law with 30-Foot Rainbow Heart

More young people than ever identify as LGBT, and 1 in 4 are nonbinary

This Week in Haters and Seditious Traitors:

A federal judge skewered ‘Kraken’ lawyers for making ‘fantastical’ allegations of election fraud and failing to do the most basic due diligence

‘Absolutely Bizarre’: Lindsey Graham Torched for Declaring He Will ‘Go to War’ for What ‘Chick-fil-A Stands For’

Gaetz Hires Jeffrey Epstein’s Criminal Defense Lawyer

16 Members of Florida White Supremacist Group Hit With Major Charges

Rioter Who Rappelled Into Senate Pleads Guilty, Flips

In Memoriam:

Sally Gearhart, Veteran Activist and Academic, Dead at 90

Things I Wrote:

Loki “For All Times. Always.”