It’s Pride Month, y’all! We’re at the third Friday in June. Happy Pride Month!

I went into the office for the first time in 16 months this week. The place was almost completely deserted. The corporate overlords are limiting us to coming in no more than every other day. I’m a member of team "B" by the way. It was very strange to ride the bus for the first time in so long. My current plan is to go in about one day a week just to start getting used to being out and about. Before the pandemic I worked from home two days a week. I might eventually work back to that schedule. We’ll see.

Meanwhile, we have this week’s Friday Five. This week I bring you: one headline that brought tears to my eyes, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about Pride Month, five stories about seditious traitors, five stories about deplorables, and five videos (plus some things I wrote plus a notable obituaries).

This Week’s Headline That Made Me Tear Up:

Single gay man who ‘always dreamed’ of a big family adopts six children with disabilities

Stories of the Week:

Supreme Court Rejects GOP Challenge to Affordable Care Act

Biden Signs Bill Making Juneteenth A Federal Holiday

Most top hospitals charge a more than 5x markup

Defiant male teachers wear skirts to school after student cruelly sent to psychologist for wearing a skirt

What the Supreme Court Ruling on Foster Care Means for LGBTQ+ Parents

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Biden administration extends Title IX protections to LGBTQ students – Experts warn that schools could just defy the federal government and discriminate against transgender student-athletes. Will the Biden administration take them to court?

Congresswoman is shredding companies celebrating “Pride” while supporting anti-LGBTQ politicians – Companies that change their logo to include a rainbow are finding out that isn’t good enough when they’re funding the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation we’ve faced over the past years Not just any Congresswoman, but my Congresswoman. I’m so proud.

Nearly 1 in 5 young adults say they’re not straight, global survey finds – The survey, conducted in 27 countries, also found that 4 percent of those in Generation Z identify as transgender, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming or gender-fluid

Lesbian couple crowned prom queens after surprise win – The couple didn’t even think they’d make it on the ballot, let alone win, at their rural school in a small Pennsylvania town. Now they’ve made history

Charles M. Blow on Bi Visibility and the Debt We Owe as Queer People

This Week in Pride:

The very first rainbow Pride flags were thought to be gone. Until now – Gilbert Baker had saved one of his two original Pride flags. No one knew, even when it was used for another historic occasion. Now it’s on display in San Francisco

Opinion | Pride offers LGBTQ youth opportunities for community – Whether out or not, everyone benefits from annual celebrations

Before Stonewall, LGBTQ history was made at Bucks County Community College — and then forgotten. Until now – When the school abruptly cancelled a 1968 gay rights advocate’s talk at the school, up to 200 students protested. That history is now being celebrated

Kamala Harris Becomes First Sitting V.P. to March in Pride Event

‘The Colors of Pride’ Is a Celebration Beyond Parades and Parties

This Week in Seditious Traitors:

Capitol riot suspect used charity to promote violence, feds say – Alan Hostetter, a former California police chief, used his charity as a platform to protest that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, according to an indictment

Showing D.C. How It’s Done: Oregon Boots Lawmaker Who Aided State Capitol Incursion – State representative Mike Nearman was caught on video opening the door of the state capitol to an armed incursion, completing what he’d referred to as “Operation Hall Pass”

Watching Biden meet Putin was ‘the real moment’ Trump realized he wasn’t president anymore: NYT’s Haberman

Riot Suspect Collared After Boasting Post: I’m On TV

Ted Cruz Talks to Flag While Texans Don’t Have Air Conditioning

This Week in Deplorables, Haters, and Hate Crimes:

A gay couple endured years of anonymous hate mail. Then they found out who was sending it

High court rejects 2 Virginia white nationalist rally cases

‘Alito was just pissed’: Trump’s Supreme Court breaks down along surprising lines – Thursday’s decisions laid bare an emerging rift within the court’s conservative majority.

Muslim family in Canada killed in ‘premeditated’ truck attack

Leaked Messages Implicate White Nationalist Rep. Paul Gosar in Plot to Disrupt Biden Arizona Win Using Proud Boys

In Memoriam:

Seattle Loses Bill Kennedy, The Best Friend a Movie Lover Could Ever Have – Bill never found a movie, any movie, to be a waste of time

Things I Wrote:

Five years after the Pulse massacre, what can we do?

Loki Loses His “Glorious Purpose”

Videos

Click on the image to be taken to the video!

No One Knows How to Behave in Public Anymore | The Daily Show

460 Days Later, Stephen Colbert Returns To THE Late Show Stage With A Full Audience

Mitch McConnell Shamelessly Says ‘The Era of Bipartisanship Is Over’: A Closer Look

"They Are Going To Kill Us All’ – Jon Stewart Declares His Love For Scientists

DC’s Stargirl Season 2 Trailer – Brec Bassinger Superhero series

It’s Pride Month, y’all! We’re at the second Friday in June. Happy Pride Month!

I reached full vaccination last week, and now my husband is fully vaccinated, as well. That means I’m starting to try to clean up the house that we’ve let get taken over by piles of things so that we could invite some fully vaccinated friends to visit in the near future. I am quite happy with that development!

Meanwhile, we have this week’s Friday Five. This week I bring you: one headline that is extremely sobering, one headline that should have made me laugh instead of cry, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about Pride Month, five stories about seditious traitors, five stories about deplorables, and five videos (plus some notable obituaries).

The Story of the Year, Perhaps:

Service Workers Aren’t Lazy – Service workers didn’t decide one day to stop working — rather huge numbers of them cannot work anymore. Because they’ve died of coronavirus.

This Week’s Headline That Made Me Cry But Not In A Good Way:

Lunar New Deal: GOP Rep. Gohmert suggests altering moon’s orbit to combat climate change – The Texas congressman asked whether there was anything the U.S. Forest Service could do "to change the course of the moon’s orbit or the Earth’s orbit around the sun."

Stories of the Week:

Joy Reid Delivers History Lesson About U.S. Exploitation in the Countries of Central and South America Everyone Needs To See

Forty years after first documented AIDS cases, survivors reckon with ‘dichotomy of feelings’

Treasure Trove Of Secret IRS Files Reveals How Rich Avoid Taxes – Pro Publica has obtained a vast trove of never-before-seen tax data on thousands of the richest Americans covering more than 15 years

What My Covid-19 Vaccine Saga Taught Me About the U.S. Health Care System – I had to change Covid-19 vaccines midstream. Two months, five doctors and multiple Benadryls later, it was very clear the system isn’t set up to help non-cookie-cutter patients like me

The rise and fall of Chrissy Teigen shows how drastically Twitter changed in 10 years

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Candidate Biden said he’d overturn the Pentagon ban on Pride flags. Will President Biden do it?

Depicting LGBTQ+ People in the Media, Without Stereotypes

Biden Recognizes 40th Year of HIV, Calls for Billions to End It

11-year-old trans girl sues her state because they’re banning her from cross-country

10’s Across the Board: Why ‘Pose’ Deserves Every 2021 Emmy Nomination

This Week in Pride:

It matters that (almost) all of baseball is embracing Pride now. It changes the game – The activism happening in baseball, on the corporate and individual level, sends a clear message to everyone in sports: do something more than change your logos or send social media posts

Secretary of Defense celebrates LGBTQ+ military members at Pentagon Pride Month celebration

Texas Bakery’s Pride Cookies Sparked Backlash, Now Customers Are Lined Up Down the Block

Record-High 70% in U.S. Support Same-Sex Marriage

Tiresome debate around kink at Pride sends worrying message about sex and sex workers

This Week in Seditious Treason:

Feds obtain another conspiracy indictment against six militia members in Jan. 6 riot – Six men connected to a California-based “Three Percenter” group are hit with charges over unrest at the Capitol

Judge Finds Proud Boy’s Pleas to Get Out of Jail ‘Without Merit,’ Highlighting Vulgar Threats He Made Against People Who ‘Ratted’ Him Out

Capitol Rioter Pleads Guilty In Plot To Bomb Amazon Servers – He brought a sawed-off rifle to the Capitol on Jan. 6. Then he plotted to bomb Amazon data centers

Trump Appointee Riot Suspect Rejects Plea Deal Offer

Riot Suspect Collared After Mom Shares Boasting Posts

This Week in Deplorables, Haters, and Other Evil People:

Even Joe Scarborough Knows This Lafayette Park IG Report Is A Complete Joke – He called it "laughable on its face."

Trump’s PAC, Save America, repeats scam – PAC is opting supporters into extra ‘surprise’ donations for Trump’s birthday

The 45th president was in bed financially with foreign governments, a precedent for America’s enemies to wield influence over the Oval Office. Lawmakers and voters must prevent this from becoming common practice

‘Ex-Gay’ Organization Gathers Paltry Group for Sad D.C. Rally

State GOPs Can’t Explain Millions in ‘Trump Victory’ Cash

In Memoriam:

Honoring Chief Crow Dog, His Many Gifts, and Wishing Him A Peaceful Journey

Lakota Spiritual Leader Leonard Crow Dog Walked On at 78

Videos

Click on the image to be taken to the video!

The World’s Biggest Asshole – Funniest Commercial Ever

Why No Progressive Agenda Can Survive the Senate Filibuster

Vaccine Magnetism? These Anti-Vax Theories Come Straight From Crazytown

Bezos’s Space Trip, Manchin’s Break from Democrats & Nigeria’s Twitter Block | The Daily Show

The GOP’s Insane Election Conspiracy Theories Now Include ‘Italygate’: A Closer Look

It’s Pride Month, y’all! This is the first Friday in June, which means that we are well into Pride Month!

This Friday marks two weeks since my second COVID vaccine shot, so in theory around the time many of you are reading this I will technically be fully vaccined. My husband’s second shot was some days after mine, so he won’t be fully vaccinated until next week, and I feel like I shouldn’t consider myself out fo the woods until we’re at a point where is is least likely to suffer ill effects if one of us brings the virus home. And that’s a point a lot of people elide over: even when we are fully vaccinated we can still carry the virus. We won’t show any symptoms, and some of us won’t be contagious… but there isn’t an easy way to tell whether we are, so we can still be a danger to anyone we know who isn’t fully vaccinated for any reason. So think about any of your loved ones (such as children who aren’t old enough to get the vaccine) and keep being careful, okay?

Meanwhile, we have this week’s Friday Five. This week I bring you: one headline that made me laugh, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about Pride Month, five stories about deplorables, and five videos (plus some things I posted and some notable obituaries).

This Week’s Headline That Made Me Laugh:

Albuquerque Mayoral Event Interrupted By Dildo Drone, Candidate Punched – Sheriff Manuel Gonzales was on stage when a drone with a large sex toy flew overhead

Stories of the Week:

Meet The TikTok Heartthrob Who Flipped The Script On Gender And Age – If you do not have a TIkTok account, you may want to open one purely to follow the lipsyncing phenom who tapped into an underappreciated group – middle aged women

Almost all new COVID cases in King Co. are from unvaccinated people, experts say

What the JBS cyberattack means for your meat supply

NIH Director Hits Fox News Host For Her Disregard For Human Life – The director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, clashed with Fox News’ Martha McCallum Wednesday over her insistence on focusing on Fox News’ Wuhan lab conspiracy

What is ‘race-norming’? NFL blasted after admitting racist concussion policy

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

New Connecticut parenting bill gives LGBTQ families a sigh of relief – “We already know we are a family, and now with this bill passing, no one can tell us differently," one lesbian mom said of the Connecticut Parentage Act

Wisconsin Governor Stands Against Conversion Therapy, for Trans Youth

Portland church helps build LGBTQ+ senior housing – A church in the Cedar Mills neighborhood is designating land to help build affordable housing for LGBTQ+ seniors, which would be the first in Oregon

Meet the queer mechanics working to repair a ‘toxic industry’

Safe/Haven: Gay Life in 1950s Cherry Grove

It is nearly Pride month, y’all:

Gone West. Iconic Captures of the Golden Gate’s Gay Golden Age. 3 Queer Eras. 1 City. 50 Years of ‘Bay Area Reporter’

The ‘Kink at Pride’ Discourse Needs to Retire

The U.S. embassy at the Vatican is flying the Pride flag & the right is flipping out – Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) is particularly incensed. His sister is a lesbian

Joe Biden issues Pride month proclamation to honor LGBTQ people “fighting to live freely” – Trump refused to issue a Pride proclamation. He sold Pride campaign t-shirts instead. Joe Biden honors the LGBTQ community instead of himself

Pride 30: The Firsts

This Week in Deplorables, Haters, and Other Evil People:

Christian Billionaires Are Funding a Push to Kill the Equality Act

Man Rescued in Colorado Mountain Pass Is Accused in 1982 Murders – Alan Lee Phillips was rescued from a snowdrift in 1982 after he signaled SOS with his headlights. The police now say he became trapped on the road after killing two women

Montana Man Faces Life On Hate Crime Charge After Shooting Into Home To “Get Rid Of Lesbians And Gays”

New York AG Petitions Kodak CEO To Testify On His Stock Buys After Secret $655M Loan Deal With Trump

Riot Suspect Charged With Attacking Female DC Cop Has Long Criminal History Of Brutalizing Women

In Memoriam:

Gavin MacLeod, ‘Love Boat’ Captain and ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show’ Star, Dies at 90

B.J. Thomas, ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head’ Singer, Dead at 78 – Grammy-winning singer had hits in pop, country, and gospel with songs like “Hooked on a Feeling” and “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song”

Things I Wrote:

It’s Pride Month!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Jill!

Videos

Click on the image to be taken to the video!

Texas valedictorian goes viral after using speech to talk about abortion rights in her state

No. 45 Sweats As Cable News Speculates About Criminal Charges And A Flipping CFO

A Daily Show: How Is Trump Handling Retirement?

Cereal: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Selfish Americans Delay Herd Immunity, Drunk Politicians & Can Anyone Identify Dr. Jill Biden?

Hey! It’s the fourth and final Friday in May, leading into the fifth weekend of May. Pride Month is just days away!

A week ago I got my second Covid vaccine. The side effects for me were a lot milder for the second shot. Then the middle of this week my husband got his second shot. His side effects seem to be much worse for the second than the first one. So we’re having a very mixed week.

Meanwhile, we have this week’s Friday Five. This week I bring you: one story that made me smile, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about Pride Month, five stories about seditious traitors, five stories about other deplorables, and five videos (plus some notable obituaries).

This Week’s Story That Made Me Smile:

A group of bikers pull up to a lemonade stand and made the day for some little kids

Stories of the Week:

DC Statehood Gets Huge Push From Constitutional Scholars – No, you do NOT need a constitutional amendment to pass DC statehood, say a wide variety of constitutional scholars

US attorney general expands resources to combat hate crimes – Justice Department move follows passage of anti-hate crimes legislation in US Congress

UN rights council to investigate crimes during Gaza conflict – UN Human Rights Council will also investigate ‘systematic’ abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel

Democrats, GO NEGATIVE in Your Advertising! It WORKS! "The conclusion is clear: START LABELING THE REPUBLICANS AS THE DANGEROUS RADICALS THAT THEY ARE"

The surge in U.S. coronavirus cases shows a shift in who’s getting sick – Younger, unvaccinated people aren’t just getting mild infections; they’re landing in the ER too

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Oregon’s out governor signs bill banning gay & trans “panic” murder defense – The maneuver is usually attempted when an LGBTQ person is killed by someone they recently had sex with

Nashville prosecutor says he won’t enforce anti-trans law requiring bathroom signs – Tennessee passed a law requiring businesses to warn their customers if they serve trans people equally. This DA isn’t having it

Hunter Schafer’s pastor dad says Jesus inspires his fight for trans rights – The father of Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer has written a powerful essay explaining why people of faith should be rushing to support trans rights

Classmates rally behind trans student as school plans to deadname him at graduation – Soren Tucker’s school says they’re going to use the name he was given at birth at his graduation. His classmates aren’t having it

Federal agencies take aim at Trump’s LGBTQ policies

It is nearly Pride month, y’all:

‘Pride Month Song’ sketch by SNL is wicked and hilarious, but never insulting to LGBTQ people

Pride 2021: Big cities ‘playing the safe card’ with small gatherings, virtual events – “We believe that we certainly can’t have millions of spectators in one massive crowd just yet. It’s just too soon for that,” Dan Dimant of NYC Pride said

Companies need to swap tokenism for authenticity if they want to celebrate Pride with us – Companies hoping to make a buck from slapping a rainbow on their products and calling it a day should think carefully about engaging in pink capitalism this year

No Kink at Pride? What’s Next, a Drag Ban?

Nazis, Puriteens and Accessibility: The pointless ‘kink at pride’ discourse "Coddling normies doesn’t move the struggle for liberation. Rights aren’t granted – they’re taken."

This Week in Seditious Treason:

Scared McConnell Begs GOP Senators To Kill Jan 6 Panel As ‘Personal Favor’ – McConnell is so afraid of Brian Sicknick’s mother that he’s strongarming colleagues not to meet with her and to dump the commission as "a personal favor."

Self-Described ‘MAGA Caravan’ Leader ‘Pi Annon’ Charged with Assaulting Police During Capitol Siege

The Capitol Siege: The Arrested And Their Stories

Capitol Rioters Hoping for a Plea Bargain are in for Some Bad News — They Better Prepare for Prison

Giuliani Defends His Call For ‘Trial By Combat’ on Jan 6 as ‘Clearly Hyperbolic’ in Response to Capitol Riot Lawsuit

This Week in Deplorables, Haters, and Obstructors:

Rick Santorum axed by CNN over racist remarks on Native Americans If any headline in the history of the universe was more desperately crying out to have the word "FINALLY" added to it, I don’t know what it could be…

Court documents allege KS lawmaker left student with bruise – Kansas GOP State Rep Told Police He Was Acting Under God’s Instruction When He Kicked Student In The Balls

Son, ghostwriter of late senator say Trump intervened to stop probe of Patriots’ Spygate scandal

Once Again, Rage-Filled Woman-Abusing Good Guy With Gun Does Mass Shooting

Neo-Nazi arrested after terrorizing gay couple & vandalizing trans support center for months – Officers say Seth Bertrand is behind a campaign of terror targeting the LGBTQ community in Ontario

In Memoriam:

Eric Carle, Author of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar,’ Dies at 91 – A self-described “picture writer,” he wrote and illustrated more than 70 books for young children, selling more than 170 million copies

John Davis, one of the real voices behind Milli Vanilli, dies at 66

Samuel E. Wright Dies: ‘The Little Mermaid’s Sebastian The Crab, Broadway’s Mufasa Was 74

Legendary gay rights pioneer Kay Lahusen passes at 91 – The world’s first out gay photojournalist, she documented the birth of the LGBTQ movement

Videos

Click on the image to be taken to the video!

Will Jeff Bezos Release The Apprentice’ Tapes To Shame The Former President?

Biden Bans Justice Department from Seizing Journalist Phone Records

Sponsored Content: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

If You Don’t Know, Now You Know: New Tech | The Daily Show

Lil Nas X: MONTERO -Call Me By Your Name -Live – SNL

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+

We have reached the second Friday in May. Which, paradoxically, will be followed by the third Saturday. Which I keep forgetting; which is an issue because the third Saturday is when I host the monthly (virtual) Writers’ Meeting.

I have reached the point where I am not only counting down the days until I get my second vaccine shot (and when my husband gets his), I am starting to enter into my calendar the dates when various friends will be fully vaccinated, and when we can start maybe actually visiting some of them in person.

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

This Week’s Story That Made Me Cry:

A father kicked his son out when he came out. Two dads adopted the teen & now he’s speaking out – Families didn’t want to adopt a gay teen because they thought he would "turn the other children gay." Now he wants to stop discrimination against LGBTQ parents

This Week’s Story That Made Me Laugh:

Tyson blames underperforming roosters for US chicken shortage

Stories of the Week:

The Art in the Oval Office Tells a Story. Here’s How to See It

10 of the World’s Oldest Languages Still Used Today

Dry cleaners suffer as pandemic changes what we wear

Facepalm Pilot: Where Technology Meets Stupidity: An Interactive Guide to Ambiguous Grammar

Biden orders federal cyber upgrade after barrage of hacks – The far-reaching directive is an attempt to close longstanding gaps in the government’s ability to block and investigate hacks

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Judge blocks requirement for ‘gay sex’ offender registration

U.S. Will Protect Gay And Transgender People Against Discrimination In Health Care

‘The love of homosexuals is something good’: German Catholics to bless gay unions, defying Vatican ban

Author fights to keep her queer memoir on a Texas high school reading list — dildo and all – In The Dream House, about an abusive same-sex relationship, is one of 15 titles up for review in Leander

A Gay Man Says He Was Tormented at Liberty University. Now He’s Suing

This Week in Deplorables, Haters, and Obstructors

Lawsuit from Stephen Miller group alleges racial discrimination in distribution of COVID-19 relief

Joel Greenberg set for federal court hearing Monday, expected to plead guilty

Federal Judge Rules NRA Bankruptcy Effort A Sham – Score one for New York Attorney General Letitia James! Judge Harlin Hale ruled that the bankruptcy filing was an effort to escape regulation rather than a financial decision

First active duty service member arrested over Jan. 6 riot

Mum’s internet research on vaccines doesn’t make her an expert, court decides

This Week in Science:

A study of Earth’s crust hints that supernovas aren’t gold mines – The stellar explosions can’t be the main source for heavy elements, new data suggest

Is Mars Ours? – Should we treat other planets like natural resources or national parks?

Voyager spacecraft detects ‘persistent hum’ beyond our solar system

There’s no such thing as a tree (phylogenetically)

Saturn has a fuzzy core, spread over more than half the planet’s diameter – A wave in one of the rings reveals the size and composition of the planet’s core

This Week in Science Fiction:

Cora is the Winner of the 2021 Space Cowboy Award!

15 recent sci-fi books that forever shaped the genre – About the future, shaping the future

Mark Millar is ushering in Netflix’s new superhero universe with ‘Jupiter’s Legacy’

#DisneyMustPay Task Force Updates

Doctor Who fans feel ‘demonised’ by BBC crackdown on fan fiction

In Memoriam:

Norman Lloyd Dies: ‘St. Elsewhere’ Actor Who Worked With Welles, Hitchcock & Chaplin Was 106

Things I Wrote:

Don’t Roll the Dice if You Can’t Pay the Price — or, some writing lessons from a 1960 heist film

Thinking about professional conclusion jumpers

Videos

Click on the image to be taken to the video!

Stephen Colbert: McCarthy Admits Election Wasn’t Stolen, But GOP’s Tent Isn’t Big Enough For Liz Cheney

Republicans Refuse to Move On from Donald Trump: A Closer Look

Let’s Talk About the Israel-Palestine Conflict | The Daily Show

Venom: Let There Be Carnage – Official Trailer 2021 Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson

LOKI Trailer 3- NEW, 2021

And here we are at the first Friday in May. Wow!

With both my husband and I getting vaccinated within days of each other late last week, we spent the weekend dealing with an ever-changing set of side effects. All of the side effects we had are the sorts of things one experiences when one immune system is having a strong reaction to something, so I’m taking it as a good sign, but it threw me off for the whole week. Still, thank you science!

Meanwhile, we have the Friday Five. This week I bring you: one story that made me chuckle, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about deplorable people, and five videos (plus one thing I wrote and some notable obituaries).

This Week’s Story That Made Me Wonder:

Mountlake Terrace Police close to filing charges in serial crow killings. This is local to me, but the best part is the if you go to this related link and jump to page 16, where they detail such things as the crow murder board assembled by volunteers, and the ludicrous attempt the culprit made to cover his tracks, thus giving police a lot of the evidence they needed: First quarter 2021 Police Report

Stories of the Week:

Rare lobster saved from being dinner at Red Lobster: ‘One in every 30 million’

Maddow: Arizona ‘Recount’ May Violate Federal Law – And Rachel Maddow has a new technical term for the bamboo sniffing "recount" team…

Biden decision on COVID vaccine patent waivers is more about global leadership than Intellectual Property

The reopening of the US economy is driving a steel boom so strong that some are convinced it will end in tears

Alabama Legislature votes to legalize medical marijuana

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Push against trans athletes in girls’ sports fails in Kansas

Country Duo Graciously Responds To Republican Who Blocked Honor For Gay Singer – Tennessee Rep. Jeremy Faison expressed “some concerns” about congratulating T.J. Osborne of the Brothers Osborne, who came out as gay in February

Florida Republican gets slammed by her own daughter: Kids’ lives are at stake

Utah Supreme Court rules in favor of transgender rights – With a sharp rebuke, the court overturned a district judge’s decision to deny two transgender people the right to change their birth certificates to reflect their gender identity

Middle school teacher loses control & scrawls “heteros rule” over students’ Pride flag chalk art – When the group of students refused to erase the Pride flags from their drawing, the situation escalated quickly

This Week in Deplorables, Haters, and Obstructors

Neo-Nazi Hero Tucker Carlson Says ‘Cat Cafes’ Are The Real Threat To America – Tucker Carlson opened his show by doubling down on his love of white nationalism and saying the real threat to America isn’t from these violent racist bastards at all

Traitor Trump Launches A Blog Like It’s 1995 – Donald Trump has been forced to launch his own "social media platform" after being banned from Twitter, Facebook, Tiktok, YouTube, Pinterest, Etsy, Yahoo Groups and Ask Jeeves

Giuliani evidence should be reviewed by an outside lawyer, Justice Dept. says

“Sorry” Neo-Nazi Gets 41 Months In Swatting Scheme

Trump family travel cost $140,000+ in just the first month post-presidency

In Memoriam:

Olympia Dukakis dead: ‘Moonstruck’ actress was Oscar winner – Los Angeles Times

Armistead Maupin & Cher pay tribute to iconic actress Olympia Dukakis – She was one of the first actresses to portray a trans character on American television when she took on the role of Anna Madrigal in Maupin’s Tales of the City

Billie Hayes Dies: Wicked Witchiepoo Of ‘H.R. Pufnstuf’ Was 96

Billie Hayes, ‘H.R. Pufnstuf’ and Broadway Star, Dies at 96

Things I Wrote:

Weekend Update 5/1/2021: Astronauts, Unhinged pundits, Crazed substitute teachers, and how I accidentally quit smoking 26 years ago

Videos

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Covid Vaccines: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Republicans Lash Out at Liz Cheney for Not Supporting Trump’s Big Lie: A Closer Look

‘Deep sh–‘: Giuliani Criminal Raid Has Trump Worried | The Beat With Ari Melber | MSNBC

Stranger Things 4 Teaser | Eleven, are you listening? | Netflix

**ETERNALS Teaser Trailer | NEW 2021 Marvel Superhero Movie HD **

We have reached the fifth and final Friday in April!

My husband got his first dose of Covid vaccine this week. And I get my first dose today. It is difficult to explain how relieved I felt when he got his first shot.

Meanwhile, we have the Friday Five. This week I bring you: one story that made me smile, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about deplorable people, five stories about the pandemic, five stories about the pandemic, five stories from the world of tech, and five videos (plus things I wrote and some notable obituaries).

This Week’s Story That Made Me Smile:

Meet Kiri, the tiny Japanese fire truck bringing joy to San Francisco

Stories of the Week:

German Bomb Squad: “Hand Grenade” Was Sex Toy

Supreme court dodges dispute between Texas, California over religious freedom, gay rights

FDA says it will ban menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars

Writers Must Be Paid

Overdue VHS Tape From 1999 Leads to Warrant for Embezzlement – The charge was related to a “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” tape that had been rented from a video store in Norman, Okla. Prosecutors dismissed the case on Wednesday

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Judge tosses suit that sought to block transgender athletes – The federal lawsuit sought to prevent transgender athletes from competing in girls high school sports in Connecticut

Pennsylvania’s governor shuts down legislature’s proposed ban on trans youth in sports – "I’ll veto this discriminatory bill if it gets to my desk," Gov. Tom Wolf unequivocally stated. The Republican-majority legislature is unlikely to obtain a veto-proof vote to override him

Ohio to allow transgender people to change birth certificate gender

Over 400 Major Businesses Endorse Equality Act, LGBTQ+ Civil Rights

Joe Biden has made a lot of progress on LGBTQ rights in first 100 days. Now the Senate needs to act – Biden has an impressive record of getting LGBTQ rights back on track. His one failure: signing the Equality Act into law (and that’s not his fault)

This Week in Deplorables, Haters, and Obstructors

Three defendants in Ahmaud Arbery killing charged with federal hate crimes

Bombshell letter ‘by Matt Gaetz wingman Joel Greenberg claims he did have sex with underage girl’ The letter was written to Roger Stone who was supposed to accept a large payment from Greenberg in exchange for getting a pre-emptive pardon from Trump.

CEO fired after publicly ridiculing Tennessee teen over his prom dress I’ve seen the video, it wasn’t just ridicule. He was a grown-ass man following and harassing the teen-ager at the Prom venue.

Texas Senate is set to redefine supportive parents of trans kids as child abusers – One mother said she’s "terrified" to speak out against the bill because her kids could be taken away from her if it passes. Republicans were not swayed

‘They Don’t Care’: Republicans Blasted for Refusing to Applaud for Cutting Child Poverty in Half

This Week in the Pandemic:

India Covid deaths: Crematoriums overflow with victims, with pyres burning through the night

Brazil COVID-19 Deaths Top 400,000 Amid Fears Of Worsening Crisis

Moderna to Boost Covid-19 Vaccine Production to Meet Rising Global Demand

CDC unveils new mask guidance for fully vaccinated Americans

Gov. Ned Lamont signs bill eliminating Connecticut’s religious exemption for mandatory school vaccinations

This Week in Tech:

Apple’s M1 Positioning Mocks the Entire x86 Business Model

Buying a PC with Dell: My Journey Into Hell

How Pfizer Makes Its Covid-19 Vaccine

Disney Imagineering’s Project Kiwi is a free-walking robot that will make you believe in Groot

Electric cars: What will happen to all the dead batteries?

In Memoriam:

Michael Collins, ‘Third Man’ of the Moon Landing, Dies at 90 – Orbiting dozens of miles above the lunar surface, he kept solitary watch of the Apollo command module as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin embarked for the moon

Remembering Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, dead at age 90

Daniel Kaminsky, Internet Security Savior, Dies at 42 – If you are reading this obituary online, you owe your digital safety to him

Things I Wrote:

In “One World, One People” Sam and Bucky Bring This Adventure to an End

When you don’t know how anything works, it’s easy to see conspiracies everywhere

Wednesday Update: The Prez is About to Address Congress

Videos

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Pose – Season 3: Official Trailer – FX

Biden’s Big Speech: Progressive Proposals & Ted Cruz Caught Napping – The Daily Show

One of Trump’s Biggest Scams, the Foxconn Deal, Falls Apart: A Closer Look

Cruz And Christie Roundly Mocked While Biden Enjoys Widespread Approval Of Congressional Address

Lil Nas X – MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) – But Lil Nas X Makes All The Sounds With His Mouth

It’s hard to believe that it’s already the fourth Friday in April!

We’ve had a bit over a week of warmer than usual days for this time of year. We have already set a new record for the number of days in April with a daytime high of 70 or more! Rain is supposed to come back on Saturday.

Meanwhile, we have the Friday Five. This week I bring you: one story that made me laugh, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about deplorable people, five stories about the pandemic, five stories about latest mass shooting, five stories about the pandemic, five stories from the world of tech, and five videos (plus things I wrote and some notable obituaries).

This Week’s Story That Made Me Laugh:

In this Tik-Tok Lil Nas X Reveals a Childhood Crush

Stories of the Week:

NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity successfully completed its historic first flight

Why Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder when so many other officers are not – The same factors that spurred millions of people to protest were the same points prosecutors repeatedly made in court to convince a jury to convict

Italian hospital employee accused of skipping work for 15 years …and kept drawing his salary the whole time!

A Texas Rancher Illegally Cloned Deer For Years. Some Lawmakers Want To Legalize It – The Lone Star State has long muddled the line between hunting and farming. Now cloning may help game ranches breed big bucksv

Even Street Artists Don’t Like Seeing Their Work Tagged. Now, Chemists Have Developed New Methods to Clean Murals of Graffiti – The chemistry is complicated, but the resulting product is easy to use and could revolutionize the field of street art restoration

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Scottsdale becomes 8th Arizona city to provide LGBTQ protections

4th grader who shamed Texas Republicans for attacking her rights is now getting death threats – A mother who testified at the same hearing has now filed a police report after getting so many death threats for standing up for trans youth

Texas business leaders say Legislature’s anti-LGBTQ bills could hurt the state’s economy – Texas Competes, which is made up of more than 1,450 Texas employers, chambers of commerce, tourism bureaus and industry associations, is advocating the “economic case for equality.”

Gay teen was suspended for wearing nail polish. He finally won – Trevor Wilkinson’s Texas school banned boys from wearing nail polish. Now their dress code is gender-neutral. "I’m at a loss of words for the joy I am feeling."

‘Yep, America’s Good With a Gay President’; New Study Also Finds Pundits’ Predictions Wrong On Black-Voter Homophobia

This Week in Deplorables, Haters, and Obstructors

A more nauseating than titillating gay scandal has possibly engulfed Tucker Carlson

Rep. Val Demings Yells At Jim Jordan: ‘Did I Strike A Nerve?’ – Fireworks erupted when former police chief Rep. Val Demings smacked down Big-Lie-supporter Rep. Jim Jordan’s accusations that Democrats don’t support police

How Josh Hawley and Marjorie Taylor Greene Juiced Their Fundraising Numbers – Politicians get the veneer of grassroots support, while shadowy consultants get rich

Church sends divorced lesbian a letter saying she’ll be shunned by community unless she “repents” – The church elders were hostile in their letter to the woman, but now they’re hiding from the media who want to know why they did something so incredibly offensive

Elephants trample suspected poacher in South African park; second poacher injured and missing

This Week in the Pandemic:

Is herd immunity to COVID-19 possible? Experts increasingly say no

Biden Helps Employers Give Paid Time Off For Vaccination – Employers under 500 employees can provide paid time off to their employees to get vaccinated AND recover from side effects if necessary

COVID-19 hospitalizations among older Americans have plunged more than 70 percent since start of the year

23 Dogs Test Positive for COVID-19 Antibodies in Washington, Study Finds

New Covid variant detected at Texas A&M lab shows signs of antibody resistance and more severe illness in young people

This Week in Tech:

How To Ditch Facebook: A Guide | Part 1: Hit Them In The Wallet

Apple’s Gay Rainbow Product Launch Was A Coming-Out Party For A Couple of VGL, No-Drama, Well-Endowed, Transgressive, Iconic Tech Products Looking to Hook Up on 4/20

The whole story of the FBI iPhone fight only shows how right Apple was – If someone really wants to get into your iPhone they’re going to have a hard time. That’s a good thing

The Mac and the iPad aren’t meeting in the middle yet

Ransomware gang tries to extort Apple hours ahead of Spring Loaded event

In Memoriam:

Walter ‘Fritz’ Mondale, former vice president under Jimmy Carter, dead at 93

Walter Mondale: The Last Old-School Democrat – His 1984 campaign was a political obituary for a party

Walter Mondale Sent A Touching Farewell Message 48 Hours Before His Death – “Well my time has come,” the former vice president wrote to his staff

Hester Ford, the oldest living American, has died

Things I Wrote:

Sam and Bucky Face the “Truth”

Tuesday Tidbits 4/20/2021: Sometimes bad (white) men face consequences

If Good Days Start With Coffee, Then Bad Days…

Videos

Click on the image to be taken to the video!

Helicopter Ingenuity’s flight on Mars in 4K with dust swirling (enhanced video + sound)

Now You Know: Being Black in America | The Daily Show

Trump Praises Biden’s Decision to Withdraw U.S. Forces from Afghanistan

Did the Mars Helicopter Really Fly?

Cher Recounts The Story Of Sneaking A Drugged Up Music Producer Onto A Plane

Welcome to the third Friday in April!

We’re getting rather warm dry days in Seattle. The curent long-term forecast says no rain for the next eight days. The sky has been so clear that at some times in the day, even with the blinds closed, some parts of the house are so brightly lit I sometimes have to wear sunglasses indoors!

Which brings us to the Friday Five. This week I bring you: five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five videos about fairly serious topics, and five videos or a slightly more lightweight nature (plus something I wrote and notable obituaries).

Stories of the week:

Enjoy a little restoration of your faith in humanity

The Pandemic’s Wrongest Man – In a crowded field of wrongness, one person stands out: Alex Berenson

The Sand Octopus Was Hiding in Plain Sight

Maxine Waters cuts off Jim Jordan after he keeps arguing with Dr Fauci after his time was up at hearing: ‘Shut your mouth’

Biden civil rights nominee fends off Republican attacks at hearing

This Week in News for Queers and Allies:

Biden Picks Gay Police Chief to Lead Border Protection. Known for BLM Pic, Sanctuary Support, and Being First Gay Chief to Marry

How a Georgia pastor practiced what he preached by accepting LGBTQ members into his Southern Baptist church

Meet Rebekah, a Trans 14-Year-Old Who Just Wants to Play Sport

Tearful mom begs Texas lawmakers not to throw her in jail for supporting her trans child – Amber Briggle is "terrified… that my words will be used against me" and her son "will be taken from me."

Florida’s new ban on transgender students in sports would allow schools to subject minors to genital inspections – The legislation has passed the state’s House of Representatives

In Memoriam

Winfred Rembert, 75, Dies; Turned Painful Memories Into Art – Decades after nearly being lynched in rural Georgia, he began recreating vivid scenes from his life by carving figures into leather

Things I Wrote:

Weekend Update 4/10/2021: Hypocrites, volcanoes, vaccines, and humor

Weekend Supplement 4/11/2021: Images and Ideas that Need to be Shared

Adventures in Memories of the Poorly Educated

Bucky and Sam are reminded that “The Whole World is Watching”

Tuesday Tidbits: Tools Who Have Outlived Their Usefulness

We Have the 2021 Hugo Ballot… and a really looooooooooong time to fill our our ballots!

Eye-rolling from a White Homo Devil, or, Not-So-Hot Take Misses the Point

Heavy Topic Videos

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Republicans Want to Cancel Dr. Fauci and Major League Baseball: A Closer Look

Trevor Noah Speaks Truth On Policing: No ‘Bad Apples,’ A ‘Rotten Tree’

John Oliver explains the industry behind nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and why long-term care needs fixing

The Daily Show’s Brutal Montage Of Tucker Carlson Using Language Of Mass Murderers

The FBI Seized Matt Gaetz’s Phone Amid Sex Trafficking Investigation: A Closer Look

Less Heavy Videos

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Saturday Night Live Weekend Update: The Iceberg on the Sinking of the Titanic – Bowen Yang

Stephen Colbert: Quarantinewhile… Another Giant Jesus Statue Rises In Brazil

Lil Nas X Answers Kids’ Questions | Arts & Raps | All Def Music

Years & Years – It’s A Sin (Official Audio)

Rag’n’Bone Man & P!nk – Anywhere Away From Here (Official Video)