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The Weekly Readlines April 5
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
The right indulged in another manufactured freakout, this time over the White House Easter egg hunt, and Biden’s observation of the Trans Day of Visibility. The egg hunt has had the same rules about not including religious imagery for 45 years, and trans visibility day has been on March 31 since it began in 2009. Meanwhile, Trump escalates his fusion of politics and Christian nationalist grievance, declaring that election day will be ‘Christian Visibility Day.’ As if anyone could miss the most ubiquitous religion in America.
Costo weighs in on the weight-loss game with its new $179 three-month plan, in partnership with Sesame, its healthcare vendor. You can sign up after snagging their super popular $1.50 hot dogs with a whopping 700 calories. Seems like the perfect combo.
Disney shareholders rejected a push for an anti-trans policy in an explosive annual meeting, and the Talented Mr. Ripley got a remake on Netflix that has everyone calling it a masterpiece.
SMALL PLATES AND FINGER FOODS
LGBT Adults More Likely To Experience Discrimination In The Exam Room – MSN
A Queer Muslim HIV-positive Journey – POZ Magazine
Joe Biden Calls Trans People “Fabric Of Our Nation” In Trans Day Of Visibility Proclamation
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The Weekly Readlines March 21
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Like rain in the dessert, President Biden finally gets a boost in the polls, beating Trump in three of them this past week. Maybe it was that whole ‘there will be a bloodbath’ thing Trump promised to his enthralled supporters in Ohio. Or maybe people are finally realizing the man’s got stage-three something of the brain. Biden’s also crushing Trump in fundraising, possibly because Biden donors aren’t paying off his legal bills.
SCOTUS gave Texas the green light to start its own dictatorship, seizing immigration authority explicitly given to the federal government in the Constitution. But hey, what’s that dusty old document when it stands in the way of six ‘strict constructionists’ everyone knows by now aren’t strict at all.
In a preview of gay life in America beneath the boot of Christian nationalism, Russia arrested the managers of a gay club under its ‘Extremism’ law. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
And primed for success, Amazon began selling over-the-counter birth control pills online. But is there free shipping?
IN OTHER NEWS
First Openly Gay Top Flight Footballer Proposes To His Partner On The Pitch – Indy100
LGBTQ+ voters in Michigan, other battleground states overwhelmingly support Biden
Retirement Fears Do Not Play Out In Reality, Survey Shows – Journal Of Accountancy
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The Weekly Readlines March 8
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
BREAKING: Biden scorches a win with his State of the Union, reminding a country that needs it of the dangers ahead. Will we stop hearing about his age and his imagined infirmities? Perhaps in the real world where it’s needed. In the right-wing bubble? Not so much. Bravo!
2024 is now set to be among the longest years in memory. Barring the arrival of a species-ending comet, Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee. Joe Biden, as the incumbent, will face him in another cage match for the gerontocracy. One of these two men will occupy the White House for the following four years. And to think we once had a president named Obama who was younger than me.
Nikki Haley has dropped out of the race, with her expected genuflection coming soon. Even Mitch McConnell, stepping down as Senate Minority Leader, having at one time affixed blame for the assault on the Capitol squarely on Trump, and having allowed his wife to endure Trump’s and racist slurs, has kissed the ring in record time. I wouldn’t call what they’re all kissing a ring.
To absolutely no one’s disappointment, fashion hound and senatorial obstructionist Krysten Sinema has announced her retirement. Don’t let the changing booth door hit you in the ass on the way out.
LGBTQ NEWS
GLAAD Releases 2024 Voter Poll: 94% Of LGBTQ Americans Are Motivated To Vote
California survey seeks insights on LGBTQ older adults – Q Voice News
AARP-Backed LGBTQ+ Bill of Rights Takes Effect for Oregon Nursing Homes
As a Catholic Doctor, I Know Gender-Affirming Care Is Essential for Transgender Youth.
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The Weekly Readlines February 25
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Alabama’s Supreme Court declared embryos are children, complete with biblical justifications. Seeing danger ahead, Trump issued orders to reverse course. We know the GOP is listening, but will God do his bidding as well?
Nonbinary teen Nex Benedict died after being beaten in the girls bathroom of an Oklahoma school. The likelihood of charges being brought is zero.
Sammy “the ferret” Alito issued a virulent screed (does he write any other kind?) insisting marriage equality will all but imprison Christians who refuse to submit to the nefarious queer agenda. On the other side of town, Tennessee passed a law allowing anyone involved in ‘solemnizing’ marriages to refuse to do so as a matter of religious objection, aimed solely at the gays no matter what the language says. Clarence “Pay Up” Thomas and Sammy “the rodent” Alito began salivating immediately.
LGBTQ NEWS
My Little Pony” Convention Raided By Russian Authorities For “LGBT Propaganda”
LGBTQ NationIreland Ranks As One Of The Best Places To Live For Lgbtq+ People
Irish StarThe Alarming Negative Outlook of LGBTQ Youth
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The Weekly Readlines February 15
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Kansas City Chiefs took home the trophy, with the help of Taylor Swift’s witchcraft and Biden’s deal with George Soros and the NFL. Shake it off!
Democrats took back the seat vacated by George Santos, handing it to Tom Suozzi in a closely-watched election that should send shivers up the spine of spineless Republicans everywhere.
And the GOP House impeached Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by one vote, giving the MAGA base the revenge theater it craves.
LGBTQ NEWS
Annise Parker: LGBTQ+ Elected Leaders Are ‘The Strongest Line Of Defense’
Watermark OnlineBans Of LGBTQ Books Erase Representation For Queer Kids. That’s Why This Podcast Exists
Milwaukee Journal SentinelA Proposed Deal In Congress Could Make Asylum Harder For LGBTQ Migrants To Obtain
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The Weekly Readlines February 8
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
The House and Senate GOP took their marching orders from Trump and killed the border bill, to everyone’s shock and no one’s surprise. The border crisis is now theirs.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas lived to be impeached another day.
Taylor Swift set a new record with four Album of the Year Wins. And Tracy Chapman showed the world what serenity looks like, sharing a stage with a deeply respectful Luke Combs to sing her iconic song, Fast Car.
LGBTQ NEWS
FBI: Schools Are The Third Most Popular Location For Hate Crimes
Los Angeles BladeUtah’s First LGBTQ Community Health Center Celebrates Grand Opening
KSL TVUniversity of North Florida Students Protest Closing Of LGBT Center
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The Weekly Readlines December 23
New logo, new year (almost)!
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump cannot be on the primary ballot because he incited and supported the January 6 insurrection, in violation of Article 3 of the 14th Amendment. SCOTUS will have to decide the issue, and it’s nobody’s guess how that will go.
Wisconsin’s Supreme Court threw out the GOP-gerrymandered maps that had given them an undemocratic lock on state government.
Americans remain pessimistic, blaming it on President Biden because … why not? Many of them hope an unhinged, maniacal dictator will heal their booboos and bring sunshine upon the land. The clock is ticking!
And morning people probably have Neanderthal genes, something I’ve always believed about myself as I hurry out of bed at 5:00 a.m. Merry Christmas.
GRAB BAG ‘O HEADLINES
In Russia, Parents Are Having Gay Children Abducted To Be ‘Cured’
Washington PostFrom Drag Bans To Sports Restrictions, 75 Anti-LGBTQ Bills Have Become Law In 2023
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The Weekly Readlines December 9
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Time Magazine named talent Taylor Swift as its Person of the Year, offering a refreshing break from politics and acknowledging the megastar of her generation. Haters gonna hate, she’s great.
Kevin McCarthy announced he’ll be leaving Congress at the end of this year, marking the abrupt close of a pointless political career. Hunter Biden was indicted in California on tax evasion charges, while multiple-indicted one-term president Donald Trump attacked a judge’s wife to the wild applause of his plant-based supporters everywhere.
And incumbent school board member Karen Smith in Central Bucks County (PA) was sworn in on a stack of banned books.
LGBTQ NEWS
Republican States Are Gayer Than You Think – Newsweek
NewsweekWisconsin governor vetoes anti-trans youth healthcare ban – Windy City Times
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The Weekly Readlines December 1
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) is a feature at LGBTSr offering news you can use every week.
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Santa comes through early: Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler, husband of Bridget Ziegler, notorious co-founder of Moms for Liberty, has been accused of sexual assault … by the woman they’ve enjoyed a three-way with for years! Apparently no children were indoctrinated in the process.
Tiring of his own act, Tommy Tuberville has signaled he’ll lift his block on military promotions, with the exception of “woke” higher-ups, assuming someone can define a word no self-respecting woke person uses.
In her new book, Liz Cheney says Kevin McCarthy told her Trump knew he’d lost, and that his trip to Mar-a-logo shortly after the failed coup was an effort to get poor depressed Donald eating again.
The Koch network endorsed Nikki Haley, while the Mercers prepare to back Trump, guaranteeing Republican voters a choice between heinous and horrible.
Garden gnome-slash-Speaker of the House Mike Johnson declared Trump’s two impeachments “meritless,” and Hunter Biden agreed to testify before Congress providing it’s a public hearing. Fearing they’ll melt like vampires in the sun, Comer and his clown committee are not having it.
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The Weekly Readlines October 19
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
I worked at Reuters News for 11 years in the Editorial Department. They have a giant book in the lobby that has the photos and stories of journalists killed over the company’s long history while doing their jobs. They will be adding another one: Issam Abdullah was killed in an Israeli Airstrike. Professional journalists do not engage in fake news, no matter what anyone says.
President Biden visited Israel to show his support for the country at war with Hamas. A strike that killed hundreds at a Gaza hospital was first blamed on an Israeli airstrike, but later determined to have been fired from within Gaza by its own extremists.
Jim “See No Evil” Jordan continues to fall short of the votes needed to make him the worst Speaker of the House in the nation’s history. Perhaps those aging college wrestlers reminding people that he did and said nothing about their reports of sexual abuse has had an impact?
And Tommy Tuberville, who insists on being called Coach as if he’s the star in a bad sitcom, continues to knee-cap the military with his hold on promotions.
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The Weekly Readlines October 12
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
War in Israel. I have no words.
In a choice between horrible and worse, GOP Reps Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise are competing to be House Speaker. Expect a buffet of shutdown extortion, lies, and base-thrilling vengeance in either case. America, we hardly knew ye. Meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor Greene, classy as ever, says she won’t support Scalise because he has cancer.
And the cherry on top of the hate cake goes to Alabama, where a children’s book that has nothing to do with being gay and no gay characters, was flagged in a public library system because the author’s last name is Gay. If you’re not awake yet, queer folk, you better set your alarms!
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The Weekly Readlines October 6
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Quote for the Week: “Vacations mean a change of pace, a gentleness with ourselves, a time of rest and renewal, and a time to stretch ourselves and encounter new people, new lands, new ways, and new options.”—Anne Wilson Schaef
Speaker McCarthy out, Paris bed bugs in! For the first time in American history, the Speaker of the House has been removed, in a charge led by the inimitable Matt Gaetz. Claims that Gaetz is behind the historic Paris bed bug infestation have yet to be confirmed. Mais oui!
California Governor Gavin Newsom named Laphonza Butler, president of pro-choice Emily’s List, to replace the late Diane Feinstein. Butler is both Black and a lesbian, making this a double dose of deliciousness.
The MAGA government shutdown was averted at the very last moment by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s refusal to be extorted. We know the price he paid.
Trump, more accustomed to gagging people than being gagged, was ordered to stop issuing fatwas against law clerks and attorneys general on his bizarre social media platform. The countdown clock to his violation of the order is ticking, with Vegas odds makers favoring jail time.
And my favorite nearby town, Lambertville, NJ, was named among the most charming in the country. I told you so!