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Welcome to the fifth and final Friday of July!

The weather has been unpleasantly hot. And it’s a very humid hot. Nuff said.

It’s time for the Friday Five in which I bring you: two stories about an insult that backfired, two stories about the other epidemic, two stories about a previously reported death threat, the top five stories of the week, five election-related stories, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about haters, and four notable obituaries.

This Week in Making Lemonade Out of Douche-bag Comments:

Matt Gaetz body-shamed a queer teen. She used the publicity to raise $168K for abortion funds – Olivia Julianna, 19, parlayed the congressman’s attack into an opportunity to do some good

Teen Activist Won’t Stop Making Gaetz Pay For Abortions Across The U.S. That last update I saw, the fund was above 1 million…

This Week in the Other Infectious Disease Emergency:

Here’s Why We Should Stop Calling It ‘Monkeypox’

New HHS reg seeks non-discrimination in health care as monkeypox spreads

This Week Following Up on News About a Death Threat:

Man accused in threats to kill Rep. Pramila Jayapal charged

Jayapal blames Trump for violence after threats against her

Stories of the Week:

Jackie Robinson Museum opens in New York after 14 years of planning

The colloquial definition of a recession isn’t actually the correct one, no matter what the financial press or Fox News says

Two decades of Alzheimer’s research may be based on deliberate fraud that has cost millions of lives

Bioluminescent backlighting illuminates the complex visual signals of a social squid in the deep sea

Brooklyn Public Library Offers Free eCards to Teens Nationwide Facing Book Bans in Local Communities

Elections and Related:

She ran the Nevada Republican Party. She just endorsed Democrats for the next election

Judge: Wisconsin probe found ‘absolutely no’ election fraud – Liberal Group Awarded Legal Fees In WI Election Suit

The Forgotten Constitutional Weapon Against Voter Restrictions

Georgia GOP chair appears before Atlanta-area grand jury in election probe

Democrats are finally bringing the rage. More of this, please – Democrats participating in civil disobedience for abortion rights is a good thing

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Whoopi Goldberg destroys Jim Jones’ same-sex marriage argument

Bakery refuses to back down after receiving threats over family-friendly drag performance

LGBTQ people, keep voting against anyone who votes against you

Record-setting college athlete says coming out as gay was the best thing he did for his career – Kade McCall has excelled at the hammer throw at Kansas State. Since coming out, he feels completely free

Indiana Judge Allows Trans Girl to Rejoin Softball Team – The girl’s school had told her parents she couldn’t play on the team anymore after the passage of the state’s anti-trans sports bill

This Week in Liars, Homophobes, and Other Deplorables:

Former Covington Catholic Student Nick Sandmann Loses Defamation Lawsuits Against CBS, ABC, NYT, and Others

Twitter is letting anti-trans account Libs of TikTok target Pride events, including those that right-wing extremists disrupted

They Don’t Know Us. But They Hate Us.

Why did the GOP reject a bill to help veterans exposed to toxins? – If there’s a defense for Senate Republicans rejecting a bill to help sick veterans, after having already voted for a similar bill, it’s hiding well

QAnon Rioter Pleads Guilty To Felony, Faces 20 Years – Ohio Woman Pleads Guilty to Felony Charge for Actions in Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

In Memoriam:

Paul Sorvino Dead: ‘Goodfellas,’ Law & Order’ Actor Was 83

Tony Dow, Who Played Wally Cleaver on ‘Leave It to Beaver,’ Dies a Day After Erroneous Announcement

Doctor Who’s Bernard Cribbins Dead at 93

David Warner Dead: ‘Titanic,’ ‘Time Bandits,’ And ‘The Omen’ Star Was 80