It is now the fourth Friday in October. Halloween is so, so, so close!

The rainy weather has gotten much more intense here. My work week was back to a more normal level of stress. After about 10 days on a new medication, my blood sugar levels are starting to noticably go down.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about traitors, five stories about haters and other deplorable people, and five stories about the pandemic. Plus a couple of notable obituaries.

Stories of the Week:

Positive LGBTQ media depictions reduce queer people’s anxiety & depression – Media can play a big role in giving queer people hope and resilience in the face of discrimination

The right-wing playbook against supposed liberal media bias is being used on tech giants with alarming effectiveness – A new Washington Post report shows how Facebook became a hostage of the conservative movement

The Shadow Docket: How Supreme Court Conservatives Are Manipulating Justice – This op-ed argues that this court is forcing conservative outcomes on the public in secret

Vikings were in the Americas exactly a thousand years ago

Governments planned to misuse CSAM scanning tech even before Apple’s announcement

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Wonder Woman has jumped into the battle over transgender rights & she’s not holding back – You’ll hear her theme music playing when you read what Lynda Carter had to say

Dr. Rachel Levine becomes first transgender four-star officer across all uniformed service branches – The Assistant Secretary of Health is now a four-star admiral

Netflix employees plan mass walkout over anti-trans Chappelle special. Celebs are backing them up – Alexandra Billings, Colton Haynes, Angelica Ross, Jameela Jamil, Jonathan Van Ness and more are jumping in to support the company’s transgender employees

High school puts on a drag show for its homecoming halftime show – Both faculty and students strutted across the field as fans decked out in rainbows waved Pride flags

Lil Nas X’s ‘Industry Baby’ finally hits No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 – The platinum-selling hip-hop artist some thought was a one-hit wonder has scored a third number one hit

This Week in Seditious Traitors:

Trump’s New Social Media Company Is His Biggest Scam Yet – TRUTH Social will probably be a flop, but Trump is likely to make hundreds of millions anyway

Jim Jordan Handed the House January 6 Commission the Keys to Subpoenaing Him: Report

BREAKING NEWSFBI Raiding DC Home of Manafort Associate and Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska: Reports

Steve Bannon Held in Criminal Contempt of Congress

Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan and the Proud Boys: How the fragility of the male ego fuels the far-right – Authoritarians know how to play on the gender anxieties of insecure men, building up an army of bitter chumps

This Week in Haters, Deplorables, and Liars:

Indictment accuses Nebraska congressman of lying to FBI – A federal grand jury has indicted U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, accusing him of lying to the FBI and concealing information from federal agents who were investigating campaign contributions funneled to him from a Nigerian billionaire

NV Man Who Claimed Dead Wife’s “Forged” Mail Ballot Proved Voter Fraud Gets Charged With Doing It Himself and Voting Twice

Woman arrested on allegations she threatened judge in Georgia ballot case – She’s Charged With Terror Threat Over GA Ballots

Netflix made a mess of the Dave Chappelle controversy. It’s a crisis of Netflix’s own making It is only a controversy if you are willing to admit that bigots have a point. Otherwise, he’s just a hateful bigot, period.

FBI arrests MAGA-rioting comic book artist who took down officer in ‘violent struggle’

This Week in the Pandemic:

Without Covid-19 jab, ‘reinfection may occur every 16 months’

Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto tests positive for Covid-19 – Fox News Host Reveals Breakthrough COVID Case: Lucky For Me I’m Vaccinated And You Should Be Too

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban: "I require my employees to be vaccinated" as Gov. Greg Abbott bans mandates in Texas

What is the ‘delta plus’ variant of the coronavirus?

COVID vaccine: CDC expands booster rollout, OKs mixing shots – Federal health officials say millions more Americans can get a COVID-19 booster and choose a different vaccine for that next shot

In Memoriam:

Colin Powell, Who Shaped U.S. National Security, Dies at 84 – A former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, secretary of state and national security adviser, Mr. Powell died of complications of Covid-19, his family said

Remembering Dick Kelley, former Seattle Deputy Mayor and Progressive Champion

It is now the third Friday in October. Halloween is getting closer.

Only one day of this work week was as bad as any of last week, so that’s an improvement.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five stories about traitor, and five stories about deplorable people.

Stories of the Week:

Dude, where’s my car? AirTag responsible for tracking down stolen Subaru

Rare beluga whale sighting in Puget Sound stirs excitement — and concern – Marine mammal conservation groups are working to get a health assessment of the whale, which was identified from a video taken Sunday

Superman Comes Out, as DC Comics Ushers In a New Man of Steel – The new Superman, the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, is concerned about the environment, does not shy away from politics and will soon begin a romantic relationship with a male friend

IBM Will Follow Biden Vaccine Order, Defying Texas Ban

What Congress learned from the Facebook whistleblower

This Week in Seditious Traitors:

Capitol rioter admits to two new felonies while representing himself in bond hearing – Brandon Fellows sought to have his bond status revoked, only to make the legal case against him stronger

Trump misled about D.C. hotel finances, House panel says – The House Oversight and Reform Committee obtained documents from the General Services Administration, which leased the Old Post Office building to Trump for his hotel

Fort Bragg soldier arrested, charged for alleged role in Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection – Soldier Charged With Assaulting Cops In Capitol Riot

Colorado county clerk who embraced conspiracy theories is barred from overseeing elections

Trump tells Republicans not to vote in 2024 until 2020 election is ‘solved’

This Week in Haters, Deplorables, and Liars:

Tesla must pay $137 million to a Black employee who sued for racial discrimination

Insider is suing the Biden administration for secret Trump and Pence staffing records

Auditor Demands Favre Return $828k In ‘Illegally Spent Welfare Funds’

Hacked Records Reveal Hundreds Of Oath Keepers Across New Jersey – Records Reveal Oath Keepers Among NJ Cops

GOP Lawmaker’s Campaign Spent Thousands on Her Own Companies

We have arrived at the It is now that second Friday in October. Definitely time to enjoy spooky season!

I had a really stressful week and work, and don’t want to talk about it beyond that.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: two stories that each deserve their own category, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, and five stories about deplorable people.

This Week in Stolen Valor:

USMC Says Soldier Hailed At Trump Rally Was Not The Marine Who Lifted Baby Over Afghanistan Wall

This Week in Typography:

Epicene Font Design Information – Culturally, Epicene says one thing: typefaces have no gender "Perhaps showing a bunch of people stereotypes, noting their response and re-promoting the stereotypes simply reinforces the stereotypes into a self-sustaining feedback loop of bullshit?"

Stories of the Week:

Senate dodges US debt disaster, voting to extend borrowing – Republicans stop obstructing on this one

Deadline nears for Washington state workers to get COVID vaccine under Inslee order

Be Your Own Boss: More Co-op Businesses Are Returning Workers’ Power

Capitol Police arrest man in "suspicious vehicle" outside of Supreme Court

Here are 4 key points from the Facebook whistleblower’s testimony on Capitol Hill

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Mr. Gay World changes rules to allow transgender men to compete – The directive will apply globally to all license holders who host country-level competitions

Kidz Bop covered Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” & they “killed it” – Kidz Bop is one of the most successful brands in children’s music. And now they’re taking on one of the gayest hits of the year

Interview with Cartoonist Damian Alexander

Trans youth & parents rally as Texas advances discriminatory bill after 4th grueling attempt – "Babies, I see you and love you so much," mother Amber Briggle said to trans youth as she testified. "We’re on your side, kids, because you’re worth fighting for."

Dave Chappelle can kiss my black gay ass Oh, snap!

This Week in Haters, Deplorables, and Seditious Traitors:

Head of Wisconsin ‘audit’ admits he doesn’t know how elections work

Self-proclaimed Proud Boy Alan Swinney found guilty of assault, menacing, unlawful use of firearm

Controversial chief of NYPD sergeants union resigns after FBI raids union’s Manhattan headquarters, searches his Long Island home – Mullins, who has a history of making racist comments, has appeared at least twice on Fox News with the QAnon mug positioned for all to see

Texas man, 24, admits shooting at Minneapolis police station during riot – Far-Right Boogaloo Boi Admits Posing As BLM Activist While Shooting At Police Station During Floyd Protest

Ahmaud Arbery murder suspect requests court ban photo of Confederate flag license plate – GA Man Charged With Murder Of Black Jogger Doesn’t Want Jury To Hear About His Confederate Vanity Plate

We have arrived at the first Friday in October. Yes, you must bid farewell to September, that most blesséd of months, when superior people are born. But now we are most definitely in Spooky Season, so that’s good!

Autumn is upon us. We’ve had a number of days with delightfully cool and overcast weather (that is not sarcasm–I love the rain!). I got to see, in person, a friend that I haven’t seen face-to-face since well before the pandemic. That was very nice. Vaccines and masks are godsends!

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about deplorable people, and five stories about the pandemic (plus something I wrote and some notable obituaries).

Stories of the Week:

School Boards Are Asking For Federal Help As They Face Threats And Violence

Forecasters Are Running Out of Hurricane Names (Again)

Hurricane Sam bringing a rough surf weekend to US East Coast

90% of the top Christian Facebook pages were run by Eastern European troll farms – “Our platform has given the largest voice in the Christian American community to a handful of bad actors, who, based on their media production practices, have never been to church,” the leaked report admits

Let’s Encrypt’s root certificate has expired, and it might break your devices

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Orlando school elects its first transgender homecoming queen – “It made me feel like I actually belonged,” Evan Bialosuknia, 17, said after she was crowned

Students stage massive walk-out after a trans girl was blocked from the locker room – Students held trans and rainbow flags and chanted while teachers shouted, "Go back to class!"

Queer rights are reproductive rights & repro rights are queer rights – This fight has never just been about abortion but about freedom from the tyranny of a State that picks and chooses how to control our bodies at will

Students stage defiant walkout after lesbian teacher ‘marched off campus’

Switzerland votes to make same-sex marriage legal by near two-thirds majority

This Week in Haters, Deplorables, and Liars:

Hack Of Oath Keepers Militia Group Includes Names Of Active NYPD Officers, De Blasio Launches Investigation

Accused Washington neo-Nazi leader found guilty in intimidation plot

Pro-Slavery, Pro-Rape Cult-like Church Takes Over Idaho College Town – Doug Wilson’s domineering evangelical church is built on a fundamentally misogynist worldview that permits male members to rape their wives, and threatens any women who object

Alex Jones Just Lost 2 Sandy Hook Cases – A judge issued default judgments — a rarity in the legal world — against Jones and Infowars after the conspiracy theorist failed to produce discovery records

Anti-Vaxxer Brags About Fake Vaccine Card On TikTok, Gets Reported To The FBI – Showing the fake card and lip-synching to "’What You Gonna Do About It?", the TikTokker got her answer quickly and a visit from the FBI

This Week in the Pandemic:

Rural Americans now dying of COVID-19 at twice the rate of those in urban environments: research

Biden signs government funding bill hours before midnight deadline to avert shutdown – The House voted Thursday afternoon after the Senate also approved the measure

Flu and Covid jabs safe to be given at same time, study finds – Clinical trial on joint flu, Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccinations reported only mild to moderate side-effects

Idaho Republican Urges Vaccine After Unvaxxed Mom Dies From COVID – “Frankly, there’s some anger,” Chaney said. “I think there are people in our political realm … who are essentially killing people with misinformation."

Worries grow about a 4th COVID-19 surge

In Memoriam:

“Old Yeller” star Tommy Kirk passes. Disney fired him when he was outed as gay – "Disney was a family film studio and I was supposed to be their young, leading man," Tommy Kirk said in an interview decades later

Bay Area woman who survived 1918 flu, world war succumbs to COVID

Community mourns 37th trans person violently killed in 2021, Brianna Hamilton

Things I Wrote:

Weekend Update 9/25/2021: Thanks for finally noticing, Washington Post!