We have reached the second Friday in November, and I am well into my project for this year’s National Novel Writing Month, a.k.a. NaNoWriMo

It has been a very rainy week. I have been working on a loaner laptop all week because last week I defended my title as clumsiest man in the world by dropping a full glass right on the keyboard of my old laptop.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: one story about vaccines, two stories about a lying jerk, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, and five stories about the pandemic (plus some notable obituaries and things I wrote).

This Week in You Don’t Say:

New study shows why there are so few LGBTQ anti-vaxxers

This Week in Lying A-holes:

The ‘woke mob’ didn’t come for Aaron Rodgers – Rodgers’ response following the news last week that he had misled the league about his vaccination status and contracted Covid-19 has been the opposite of a strong leader

Aaron Rodgers is guilty of a lot more than breaking NFL rules – Our View: When Aaron Rodgers defended himself spouting junk science, he ignored his power as a football superstar to misinform millions of Americans

Stories of the Week:

A secret tape made after Columbine shows the NRA’s evolution on school shootings

Trump insult to wounded troops to be remedied; Purple Heart medals increased

Ferris wheel-size asteroid could be a lost piece of the moon

Justices seek narrow ruling in mosque surveillance case – A suit from post-9/11 snooping on a California Muslim congregations raises questions about the scope of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Spotsylvania School Board orders libraries to remove ‘sexually explicit’ books

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

The All-Queer Justice League Is Back to Make the Yuletide Gay

Coming out as bisexual helped minor league pitcher Kieran Lovegrove find the inner peace he needed

LGBT+ staff are quitting BBC in droves over anti-trans views, leaked recording reveals

Election Day Produces LGBTQ+ Firsts Around the Nation

What books are being targeted at school libraries?

This Week in the Pandemic:

Dennis Prager Pretty Sure Unvaxxed Morons More Shunned Than Gay Men During 1980s AIDS Crisis

Texas research: Unvaxxed 20 times more likely to die from COVID

Anti-mask pair charged in Crumb Together assault has history of criminal charges

Federal judge says Texas governor’s ban on school mask mandates violates Americans with Disabilities Act – The decision bars the state attorney general from enforcing the executive order issued by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott

Berlin bans unvaccinated from entertainment venues, as Germany battles record-breaking Covid cases

In Memoriam:

Seattle TV pioneer ‘Wunda Wunda’ dies at 101 – Ruth Prins, otherwise known as Wunda Wunda, hosted a popular children’s show from 1952-1972

Dean Stockwell, Actor in ‘Married to the Mob’ and ‘Quantum Leap,’ Dies at 85 – The Oscar nominee, who made nearly 20 movies before he turned 15, also was memorable in ‘The Boy With Green Hair,’ ‘Compulsion’ and ‘Blue Velvet.’

Dean Stockwell, ‘Quantum Leap’ Star, Dies at 85

Things I Wrote:

Tuesday Tidbits: Liars who lie to everyone

Remembering the 11th day of the 11th month…

We have reached the first Friday in November, and I am well into my project for this year’s National Novel Writing Month, a.k.a. NaNoWriMo

This has not been a fun week. The first couple of days of the week I thought I was having very severe hay fever. It’s the right time of year for ferns to start sporing around here, and my hay fever is always worst the first few days that a new-for-this-year pollen/spore/mold is in the air. I didn’t think about the fact that since my doctor put me on the new prescription allergy med last winter I have had almost no severe hay fever days. Anyway, my husband came home from work Tuesday with all the symptoms I had and a report that nearly half of his co-workers called in sick that day. The next morning we both had a fever. So far as I can tell, it’s just a run-of-the-mill cold, but still, I’ve been congested and rundown all week.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: one story about treasures, two stories of the WTF is wrong with people type, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, and five stories about haters, traitors and other deplorable people.

This Week in Audio Treasure Troves:

When the Man in Black Met the Guys in Tie-Dye – Owsley Stanley, the legendary Grateful Dead soundman and LSD chemist, left behind thirteen hundred reels of live recordings from his sonic laboratory, including a newly released recording of the night Johnny Cash came to town

This Week in WTF:

LAPD forced to protect comic book artists after anti-LGBTQ fans freak over bisexual Superman – It’s just a comic book but for some it’s yet another entry into a changing world they just cannot handle

“Eternals” inundated with hateful fake reviews because the movie has a gay superhero – IMDB has removed the negative reviews while Rotton Tomatoes has banned anyone from "reviewing" a movie that hasn’t come out yet

Stories of the Week:

Life expectancy fell sharply in the U.S. last year among high-income countries – Russia was the only country that had a steeper drop in 2020, a study of death date spanning several continents found

US puts Israeli spyware firm NSO Group on trade blacklist – Washington accuses company of supplying technology to ‘maliciously target’ activists and journalists It’s about f-ing time…

Dems Have A Deal To Lower Prescription Drug Costs – There’s enough really good stuff in the package to lift you out of your election blues!

Dear Moderates: The Left Isn’t Why McAuliffe Lost Virginia – Voters want a deal that looks much more like Pramilla Jayapal’s than Joe Manchin’s

Joe Rogan and CNN Are Butting Heads Over “Horse Dewormer” COVID Cure – CNN portrayed Rogan’s use of ivermectin as conspiracy-addled. Rogan says the drug, which is also used for animals, was prescribed by a doctor—and that the network bad-mouthed him

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

No charges for Wyoming librarians over sex ed, LGBTQ books

Trans Workers File Unfair Labor Practices Complaints Against Netflix

Senate confirms first Out lesbian to serve on an U.S. Court of Appeals

Same-sex partners win survivors benefits after Justice Dept. dismisses lawsuits – Some same-sex spouses and partners have been barred from Social Security survivors benefits due to now-defunct bans on gay marriage

R.K. Russell opens up about being Black and bisexual in the NFL — and how to make sports more inclusive – Being Black and bisexual in America come with their own challenges, but for R.K. Russell, they’ve come with many blessings as well.

This Week in Haters, Deplorables, and Liars:

It’s ‘Actually’ in ‘the Bible’: Kyle Rittenhouse’s Judge Explains Hearsay Rule to Jury by Talking About Trials of St. Paul the Apostle

Judge In GA Vigilante Murder Trial Says Jury Selection Was “Intentional Discrimination,” Seats Jury Anyway

Jan. 6 Defendant Who Said She’s ‘Definitely Not Going To Jail’ Sentenced To Prison – Jenna Ryan, a Texas real estate agent who flew to D.C. on a private plane and livestreamed in the Capitol, got 60 days in prison

Trump and His Lawyers Have Handed Investigators What They Need to Charge Them With ‘Seditious Conspiracy’: Ex-Prosecutor

Trump DOJ lawyer Jeffrey Clark to testify before Jan. 6 panel Friday

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!

We have arrived at the fourth Friday in September. September, that most blesséd of months, when superior people are born.

We did get rain last weekend. The temperatures have been reasonable all week. A pile of gifts so accumulating in my living room. I’ll probably find out what’s inside them soon.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: twh stories that each need a special category, plus 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 some notable obituaries).

This Week in It’s About Bloody Time:

LGBTQ veterans discharged dishonorably for sexual orientation to get full benefits, VA says

This Week in Stop Being Fuckwits:

OH MY FUCKING GOD, GET THE FUCKING VACCINE ALREADY, YOU FUCKING FUCKS

Stories of the Week:

Florida man fed up with potholes plants banana tree in road

These Sisters Promised Their Brother A "Power Rangers"–Themed Birthday And Here’s What Happened When They Followed Through 16 Years Later – “Once I walked into that door and I realised that this is the Power Rangers party that I’d been promised, it just brought out that little kid again. It was amazing.”

The Afghanistan War Is Over. But the Defense Budget Is Still About to Go Up – Congress is set to pass a spending bill about $40 billion more than the one approved last year

How the Debt Ceiling Turned into a Doomsday Cult – The end never actually comes but we love to obsess about it anyway

The Emmy Voters Need to Watch More TV – Analysis: Awards Don’t Reflect the Breadth of TV

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ album and the power of unabashed queerness – The star’s emotionally vibrant music is only part of the story

Biden pushes for more LGBTQ protections on anniversary of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ repeal

Trystan Reese on how to deal with bullying while raising amazing kids – Trystan Reese and Biff Chaplow are helping to redefine the word “traditional”

How an Atlanta basketball team went from Republican hands to LGBTQ ownership – WNBA veteran Renee Montgomery and executive Suzanne Abair are part of the Atlanta Dream’s new ownership trio — and among the first LGBTQ owners of a pro sports team

Elvira, Cassandra Peterson, Comes Out, Talks 19-Year Relationship

This Week in Haters, Deplorables, and Liars:

Trump Campaign Knew Lawyers’ Voting Machine Claims Were Baseless, Memo Shows – Days before lawyers allied with Donald Trump gave a news conference promoting election conspiracy theories, his campaign had determined that many of those claims were false, court filings reveal

Busted: Steve Bannon Admits He Helped Plot Jan. 6 Trump Rally to ‘Kill Biden Presidency in the Crib’

Maricopa County celebrates Cyber Ninjas audit admitting that Joe Biden did, in fact, win

Law Firm Seeks to Take COVID Misinformation Spreaders to Court

Twitter Bans Anti-LGBT Activist “Porno Pete” LaBarbera

This Week in the Pandemic:

Nearly 69% of Washington residents are fully vaccinated – In addition, more than 75% of Washington residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine

Alabama population on course to shrink for first time ever as Covid takes toll – State’s chief medical officer says ‘Our state literally shrunk in 2020’ as deaths exceeded births

‘Soul-crushing’: US COVID-19 deaths are topping 1,900 a day

A Trump Lawyer Reportedly Came Up With an Absolutely Bizarre Six-Point Plan for Pence to Overturn Election Prior to 1/6

CDC advisers recommend booster doses of Covid-19 vaccine for certain adults only

In Memoriam:

Willie Garson, ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘White Collar’ Actor, Dies at 57

Labelle’s Sarah Dash Dies at 76

We have arrived at the third Friday in September. September, that most blesséd of months, when superior people are born.

By the time this scheduled post publishes on FontFolly.Net, there may well be significant rain falling just outside my windows.

This was a more difficult Friday Five to assemble than usual. I could have easily filled two more categories! I could have filled out a separate category for the Nicki Minaj cousin’s friends swollen testicles stories alone!

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: three stories that need special categories, plus 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, and five stories about vaccine lies (plus something I wrote and some notable obituaries).

This Week in the Children’s Shows from Times Gone By:

Why Is Everyone Freaking Out About Former ‘Blue’s Clues’ Host Steve?

This Week in My Favorite NFL Player Who Isn’t a Seahawk:

Carl Nassib forces game-winning fumble as Raiders win first-ever NFL game with out gay player

Carl Nassib’s debut as an openly gay NFL player is a big deal – Los Angeles Times

Stories of the Week:

At 101, This Woman From Maine Is Still Hauling Lobsters With No Plans To Stop

NASA Is Launching A New Telescope That Could Offer Some Cosmic Eye Candy

Why Is America So Bad at Keeping People Alive? – This story is NOT about COVID.

Ancient spider caring for her offspring is trapped in 99 million-year-old amber

Some birds learn to recognize calls while still in their eggs – Prenatal sound perception is more widespread than previously thought, new research suggests

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Twitter is celebrating the start of #BiWeek – Over half of LGB people identify as bisexual I need to get myself a t-shirt or a button that says, "I’m not bi, but my husband is."

Revisiting the gay dentist framed as an AIDS murderer: He “didn’t do it.”

DOJ expands probe into anti-LGBTQ prison violence in Georgia after 44 murders in the past year – The DOJ is investigating allegedly deplorable conditions in Georgia prisons, like inmates wielding machetes and toilets overflowing because staff turned them off

New Zealand bill to ban LGBTQ conversion practices receives record 100,000 submissions – Activists hopeful the majority of submissions will be in favour, amid previous signs of support and large social media campaign

Twitch sues users who targeted LGBTQ gamers with threatening ‘hate raids’ – The trolls doxxed LGBTQ and POC Twitch users, providing their personal information and leaving links to gory videos on their chat streams

This Week in Haters, Deplorables, and Liars:

Colorado pastor who mocked AIDS deaths and spread vaccine conspiracy theories dies from COVID-19

MyPillow CEO Repeatedly Tried to Get Ads Back on Fox. They Keep Rejecting Him

Former Republican House Speaker reaches settlement for molesting teen boy – Disgraced Republican Dennis Hastert is out of prison, but he’s still on the hook for the hush money he promised to pay the victim

OR HS Students Engaged In Virtual ‘Slave Trade’ Of Black Students – Oregon’s Newberg High School has banned Black Lives Matter and Pride symbols in its school as too divisive but its students were just caught engaging in a group chat “joke” that involved virtual slave trading of Black students

Who Had ‘Dan Quayle Saves The Republic’ On Their Bingo Card? – Mike Pence was under pressure from Trump not to certify the electoral college votes. He turned to former vice-president Dan Quayle for advice

This Week in the Pandemic:

Seattle area to require COVID-19 vaccine to enter indoor venues It’s the whole county, and we’re not the first in the nation to do this.

Republicans are still a bigger obstacle to vaccination than Black Americans

Unvaccinated COVID-19 hospitalizations cost taxpayers billions of dollars

Unvaccinated are 5X more likely to catch delta, 11X more likely to die – Three fresh CDC studies show vaccines holding up against delta

Delta variant vaccinated vs. unvaccinated: This new CDC chart shows how well COVID-19 vaccines work – Fully vaccinated individuals have a much greater chance of not being impacted by COVID-19, whether that impact is via infection, hospitalization, or death

This Week in Vaccine Misinformation:

Joy Reid To GOP: Your ‘Creepy Little’ COVID Cult Killed Your CA Recall – Joy Reid hilariously mocked Republicans’ love for COVID that is killing their politics along with many of their followers: “You may want to ingest horse dewormer and attend far too many funerals, but we, we don’t.”

NH State Rep Switches To Dem Over GOP’s Anti-Vax Nonsense – He said he had been content to ride out the rest of his term until state Republican leaders held a rally Tuesday in opposition to President Biden’s vaccine mandates for federal and private sector workers

Nicki Minaj is now fighting with Trinidad’s Health Minister & Joy Reid as MAGA crowd cheers her on – Nicki’s got a new group of friends who are rallying to her defense while the rest of the world calls out her blatant Trump-level lies bonus related link: Andrew Giuliani tweets his support of Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend’s swollen testicles

Dr. Peter Hotez Blasts Fox News, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham for Vax Disinformation: ‘Authoritarian Effort to Discredit Science’

Jimmy Kimmel Returns, Blasts Alex Jones Over Ivermectin Endorsement, Choice Of Beverage – “We’ve still got a lot of pandimwits out there”

In Memoriam:

Jane Powell, Spirited Star of Movie Musicals ‘Royal Wedding,’ ‘Seven Brides,’ Dies at 92

Jane Powell, Hollywood golden-age musicals star, dies at 92

Norm Macdonald, Comedian and ‘Saturday Night Live’ Star, Dies at 61

Things I Wrote:

Marriage Equality is a larger part of U.S. history than the confederacy

We have arrived at the second Friday in September. September, that most blesséd of months, when superior people are born.

We had to turn the a/c back on in the house this week. Workwise, the Monday holiday meant that some co-workers and customers decided to squeeze about fifteen days worth of urgency and lamentations into the first couple of work days. I’m glad I have to burn off a couple more vacation days this month, just sayin’.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: two stories that need a special category, plus the top five stories of the week, and five stories of interest to queers and our allies (plus a notable obituary).

This Week in the Destruction of Democracy:

Senior Republican demonised by Trump reveals what’s behind GOP election suppression laws: ‘They got scared’

‘They don’t give a sh-t’: Seth Meyers slams Supreme Court for allowing Texas abortion ban – Meyers pointed out how the "odious" and "contentious" ruling was made by a Supreme Court that has three justices appointed by former President Donald Trump

Stories of the Week:

Biden announces sweeping new vaccine mandates for businesses, federal workers

Howard Stern ROASTS Anti-Vax Radio Hosts Who Died, Says Make Vaccine Mandatory: ‘Fck Them, Fck Their Freedom’

The top 1 percent are evading $163 billion a year in taxes, the Treasury finds

Two new Asian giant hornet sightings confirmed in Whatcom County – The new sightings were in the same general area the WSDA found Asian giant hornet nests in 2020 and 2021

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SUES OVER BARBARIC TEXAS ABORTION LAW THAT WOULD FORCE A 12-YEAR-OLD TO HAVE HER RAPIST’S CHILD – The Justice Department argues that the law is “clearly” unconstitutional and sets a dangerous, chilling precedent

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Opinion: My journey from anti-gay activist to LGBTQ ally – The truth is, my religious freedom does not give me the right to discriminate against my fellow Americans. Today, I support nondiscrimination protections because of my faith

Catholic schools can’t fire teachers for being gay, federal court rules – The Catholic church said that the First Amendment gives it the right to fire LGBTQ teachers, but a federal judge has said that’s a bunch of hooey

Author Shon Faye on the agonising struggles affecting trans lives more than anti-trans feminists

Gay teacher forced to quit after school banned him from discussing his sexuality

Students stage defiant walkout after teacher reprimanded for coming out as bisexual

In Memoriam:

Carl Bean, singer, clergyman and queer rights activist, dead at 77