Vogue Reveals Historic Covid-19 Cover!
Vogue has released their June/July cover featuring an unpublished 1970 Irving Penn photograph of a rose against a white backdrop. It marks the first time American Vogue has published a still life cover in over 50 years. The issue also kept coverlines to a minimum with only the words: “Our Common Thread. A Special Issue. Creativity in a Time ff Crisis” featured.
“I’m of the great belief that we can find our way forward by also considering the past, and Mr. Penn’s legendary work is a beautiful and powerful conduit between the two; his decades of pictures for Vogue were always adept at conveying both deep emotion and journalistic acuity,” Anna Wintour wrote in an editor’s letter also released today. “I was always proud of every image of his that we published, and this one is no different. I’m also pretty sure that he would have loved it.”
The issue will also include designers, actors, artists, photographers, and models self-rendered images reflecting the new realities of their lives. The portfolio includes images from Donatella Versace, Karen Elson, Steven Klein, Kim Kardashian, Florence Pugh, Marc Jacobs, Cindy Sherman, Juergen Teller, and more. Photographer Ethan James Green was also enlisted to shoot health-care professionals outside of the Javits Center in New York earlier this month.
Vogue’s special June/July issue is expected to be be on newsstands nationwide on May 19, barring any Covid-19-related delays. We’re looking forward to seeing how the other fashion titles handle their covers and content in the following weeks.
#RHOA: Porsha Williams Updates Her Fans on Wedding Plans With Fiancé Dennis McKinley!
It’s been almost a year now since Porsha Williams got re-engaged to fiancé Dennis McKinley, leaving some Real Housewives of Atlanta fans to wonder if they are still planning the wedding of their dreams. Fret not as Porsha is now sharing an update on where things stand with her and Dennis.
The RHOA star told Andy Cohen in an unseen clip from the RHOA reunion that she and Dennis are taking things slow, focusing on caring for their daughter, Pilar Jhena, and making sure their relationship is in the right place.
The couple has faced many ups and downs since partnering up, including rumors of a potential split circulating earlier this year.
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“I’m not in a rush,” Porsha explained in the clip. “I mean, my fiancé is here, we are living together, we are loving each other, we are raising our daughter. I am not in a rush. What I’m taking my time doing is making sure our love is solid and strong. When you get married, you’re married for a lifetime. It will be there, honey. I have my ring and we’re good.”
Andy then asked when Porsha predicts the two will tie the knot and what their wedding planning goals are on the road ahead.
“You know, I want to have a New Year wedding,” Porsha explained. “All this crazy stuff going on with the pandemic, I don’t really know when it is. It would be great to have a New Year wedding. So maybe this New Year or next New Year.”
When asked if she would be considering any of her co-stars as bridesmaids, Porsha noted that she may just want to be at the alter with her sister and Dennis, but she isn’t ruling anything out.
“I really didn’t think about having a whole bunch of bridesmaids … but a lot of these girls in these squares are very loving and have been very supportive of me and yes, if I have a bridal party, I would definitely be choosing some of these glamazons,” she said.
“I’m an easygoing bridesmaid!” Marlo Hampton chimed in in the clip.
“She’s always loved Dennis, that would be so easy. He would actually probably have her stand on his side!” Porsha exclaimed. “That’s how much they ride for each other.”
#MusicNews: Georgia Anne Muldrow Returns With “This Walk,” Announces New Album!
Georgia Anne Muldrow has announced a new album, as well as shared its lead single.
Titled Mama, You Can Bet!, the forthcoming album is the third Muldrow is doing under the moniker Jyoti, a name she was given by the late Alice Coltrane. Like her previous Jyoti albums — Denderah and Ocotea — You Can Bet! is a more jazz-focused musical endeavor, as is evident in its lead single, “This Walk,” which Okayplayer is premiering.
Described by Muldrow as how “violence can both ignite and snuff out a voice,” “This Walk” is a short and somber track that finds Muldrow offering a reflective, spoken word delivery alongside wistful piano and harp.
“The silence teases me far away / Because the violence I see articulates / Because the violence I see articulates,” she sings toward the song’s end, the repeated phrase resonant and timely, considering the current injustices that are taking place in the United States, and how people are responding to them.
Along with “This Walk,” Muldrow has also released the b-side “Cowrie Waltz,” a bluesy lounge track that rides coolly and ends with a distant shredding guitar solo.
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LISTEN HERE
Mama, You Can Bet! is due for release on August 28, 2020 via eOne Music and Muldrow’s own SomeOthaShip Connect. A track list for the album can be viewed below. A 7″ single version of “This Walk,” along with “Cowrie Waltz,” can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp.
Mama, You Can Bet! track list
Mama, You Can Bet!
Bop For Aneho
Zane, The Scribe
Our Joy (Mercedes)
Ra’s Noise (Thukubad)
Bemoanable Lady Geemix
Orgone
Skippin And Trippin
Swing Kirikou, Swing
Quarrys, Queries
Ancestral Duckets
Hard Bap Duke
This Walk
Fabus Foo Geemix
The Cowrie Waltz
#HipHopNews: The Lox Are Back To Their Tough-Talking Ways On New Single “Gave It To ‘Em”!
The Lox have dropped the latest single from their upcoming album, Living Off Xperience.
Despite being one of the greatest rap groups of all time, The Lox, comprised of Sheek Louch, Styles P, and Jadakiss, have only released three albums together in 20 years. That will change this year when the trio will drop their fourth album Living Off Xperience — which is the acronym for The Lox — on June 19th.
The first single from the album was “Loyalty and Love,” which featured the three MCs reminiscing about their long bond. The second song is “Gave it to ‘Em,” which was produced by AraabMuzik.
We are excited to be premiering the track, which features all three MCs trading bars and spitting about the real-life experiences. The meaning behind the record: be careful what you ask for. “Gave it to ‘Em” serves as a reminder to listeners all across the world: be sure you want this life we’re living. Don’t get caught up, be ready for the things you’re asking for.
Speaking about the song, Sheek Louch, said:
We’re in the best shape in our life: how we look, how we sound. Our content and our hunger is still there. Especially in a time like this, to where there’s no content in the music really. You have a handful of guys that’s dope and really saying something but for the most part, it’s a bunch of wack shit. I’m excited for you guys to hear that and all the stuff on this new album. It’s going to be amazing.
Styles P, who just dropped his Ghost Your Enthusiasm last week, said:
People deserve to hear some raw authentic hip-hop. Our fans have always been there for us and we owe them this… the least we can do they need to hear this fire!! It’s an awesome feeling hearing us murder this song.
LISTEN HERE
The release of Living Off Xperience will celebrate an impressive 26 years as The Lox. This album follows the release of Filthy America… It’s Beautiful back in 2016.
Eve Opens Up About Having Tough Conversations with Husband Maximillion Cooper!
Eve has been married to her husband Maximillion Cooper since 2014 and is opening up about how they’re having uncomfortable conversations in the wake of protests, riots and the murders of Black men and women.
During Tuesday’s episode of The Talk, the 41-year-old rapper is opening up about how their tough conversations have also been constructive.
“I am in an interracial relationship,” Eve shared. “I am having some of the most difficult and uncomfortable conversations I think I’ve ever had, and vice versa with my husband. But, at the same time, it’s a beautiful thing, because … I don’t know his life through his eyes. He doesn’t know my life through my eyes. All he can do is try to understand and try to ask the questions, and he wants to understand, and that’s what the nation — that’s what the world — has to do.”
She continues, “It’s gonna be uncomfortable. Yeah, it’s going to be uncomfortable! But we have to be OK with being uncomfortable so that we can get to a solution.”
Eve also revealed that seeing the peaceful protesters has been keeping her calm during the trying times.
“There are some people that are having beautiful, peaceful protests, with their fists in the air and their hands in the air and all different colors and genders, all together, on one knee, wanting to get past this,” she added. “That’s what actually keeps me from getting too emotional.”
“We are under rock bottom,” Eve continued. “The only thing we can do now is to build up. I pray that we can build up from here.”
Amanda Seales Is Exiting 'The Real' Over Claims Of Censorship and Fans Applaud!
Ever since Amanda Seales confirmed that she was joining the round table at The Real, the show has made headlines – most of which involve Seales. She famously shushed a news reporter who questioned her about the drama between her and her co-hosts over a disagreement on the show. But Seales was also beloved by viewers for being outspoken on important issues in society and pop culture. After Seales announced that she’s leaving the show due to the threat of censorship, fans are showing their support.
Amanda Seales announces she did not renew her contract for ‘The Real’ after six months on the job
The Jasmine Brand exclusively reported that Seales was tapped to be Tamar Braxton’s replacement after the daytime talk show relied on the remaining four hosts for two seasons following Braxton’s exit. Seales was added mid-season and officially began taping in January 2020.
The addition of Seales was met with speculation as to whether she’d be fit, as she’s outspoken on all things related to racial inequality. Some fans felt that Seales would overpower her co-hosts and that she was too good for the show while others waited to see how things would play out.
The perception of Seales was pretty balanced, with some believing she was too harsh with her co-stars, namely Jeannie Mai – and others praising her for adding quality conversation surrounding race.
It appears that viewers’ love for the intense conversations Seales held on race is what ultimately led to her not renewing her contract. During an Instagram live chat, she hinted that the network tried to censor her discussion on what’s currently taking place with the Black Lives Matter Movement and various protests happening around the country.
I didn’t renew it, because it doesn’t feel good to my soul to be at a place where I can not, speak to my people the way they need to be spoken to. And where the people that are speaking to me in despairing ways are not being handled…I’m not at a space where as a full black woman I can have my voice and my co-workers also have their voices and where the people at the top are not respecting the necessity for black voices to be at the top too.
Fans are proud of Amanda Seales for taking a stand and leaving ‘The Real’
Despite Seales expanding the viewership of the daytime talk show with her network of fans and colleagues – and the expectation that her absence will be felt – viewers of the show are expressing how proud they are of her for stepping away from a platform she says no longer serves her. Moreso, fans are glad that Seales left on her terms in refusing to be silent about what matters to her.
Many fans voiced that they felt Seales brought a certain quality to the show that lacked previously.
None of Seales’ co-hosts nor has FOX commented on her exit. This marks the second co-host that has left the show, or in Braxton’s case was fired.
Hellofresh Cuts Ties With Lea Michele Following 'Glee' Co-Star's Allegations!
Lea Michele's partnership with HelloFresh has ended.
The meal kit company announced Tuesday it is terminating its relationship with the actress after she was called out on Twitter by a former "Glee" co-star who responded to her Black Lives Matter tweet by alleging Michele made her life on the set a "living hell."
HelloFresh partners with actors and influencers to promote its meal kits on social media and in advertising.
"HelloFresh does not condone racism nor discrimination of any kind. We are disheartened and disappointed to learn of the recent claims concerning Lea Michele. We take this very seriously, and have ended our partnership with Lea Michele, effective immediately," the company said on Twitter.
On Friday, Michele tweeted about the killing of George Floyd.
"George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end. #BlackLivesMatter," she wrote.
Samantha Marie Ware, who had a recurring role on the sixth season of "Glee," then called her out Monday in a tweet that has now been liked more than 400,000 times.
"LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISON GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET. I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF TOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY YOU WOULD 'S--- IN MY WIG!' AMONGST OTHER TRAUMATIC MICROAGRESSIONS THAT MADE ME QUESTION A CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD..." she wrote.
Michele hasn't responded to the allegations. However, other "Glee" actors have chimed in on Twitter, including Dabier Snell, who guest-starred on a 2014 episode of the show.
Snell tweeted, “GIRL YOU WOULDNT LET ME SIT AT THE TABLE WITH THE OTHER CAST MEMBERS CAUSE 'I DIDNT BELONG THERE' F--- YOU LEA.”
Amber Riley, who played Mercedes Jones on all six seasons of “Glee,” shared GIFs that many fans on social media thought was her way of addressing the matter.
#WendysIsOverParty Trends After Wendy’s CEO Donates Over $400,000 to Donald Trump’s Presidential Campaign!
Fast-food chain Wendy’s is the target of social media backlash after it was discovered that the chain has donated over $440,000 to Donald Trump’s reelection campaign. The hashtag #WendysIsOverParty began to trend in support of boycotting the popular restaurant.
Trump participated in the roundtable discussion with restaurant-industry leaders on the recovery efforts for fast food establishments on Monday. These leaders included Panera CEO Niren Chaudhary; Jose Cil, the CEO of Burger King and Popeyes’ parent company, Restaurant Brands International; Thomas Keller, a fine-dining restaurateur; and Muy Cos. CEO James Bodenstedt, whose company operates several Wendys, Taco Bells, and Pizza Huts across the nation, was the first fast-food franchisee to take a seat among restaurant-industry leaders.
Since 2018, Bodenstedt has donated more than $440,000 to Trump’s reelection campaign, with his most recent donation being on March 12th, when he donated $200,000 to the Trump Victory PAC.
Other restaurants head officials have shown their support for Trump as well. This includes Tilman Fertitta, the CEO of Landry’s Inc, who donated $35,000 back in February. Landry’s owns restaurant brands such as Bubba Gump, Del Frisco’s and Joe’s Crab Shack. Jose Cil, the CEO of Burger King and Popeyes’ parent company, Restaurant Brands International; Thomas Keller, a fine-dining restaurateur; and Panera CEO Niren Chaudhary, all donated to help Trump gain reelection.
Jay-Z Takes Out Full Page Newspaper Ads Across the Country for George Floyd!
Jay-Z and Roc Nation are honoring the memory of George Floyd.
The 50-year-old entrepreneur and his company have taken out several full-page ads in newspapers across the country in honor of George, whose murder sparked nationwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality.
The ad has been displayed on Roc Nation’s social media channels, and includes a passage from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s 1965 Selma address.
“Only way we can really achieve freedom is to somehow hunker the fear of death. But if a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live. Deep down in our nonviolent creed is the conviction — that there are some things so dear, so things so precious, so things so eternally true, that they are worth dying for,” the ad reads.
“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true. So we’re going to stand up amid horses. We’re going to stand up right here, amid the billy-clubs. We’re going to stand up right here amid police dogs, if they have them. We’re going to stand up amid tear gas!”
The ad was signed by Jay, 50 Cent and many organizations, as well as the parents of three black men killed by police: Botham Jean, DJ Henry and Antwon Rose II.
The letter was printed in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Philadelphia Enquirer on Tuesday, with more to come, according to CNN.
Rep. Steve King defeated by Randy Feenstra in Iowa Primary!
Iowa U.S. Rep. Steve King has lost his party’s primary election.
The Associated Press declares Randy Feenstra, an Iowa State Senator from the 2nd district since 2009, the winner over King. Feenstra came out on top over King, Steven Reeder, Bret Richards and Jeremy Taylor. He will face Democrat J.D. Scholten in the fall. Scholten ran unopposed in the primary.
"I am truly humbled by the outpouring of support over the past 17 months that made tonight possible and I thank Congressman King for his decades of public service," Feenstra said. "As we turn to the general election, I will remain focused on my plans to deliver results for the families, farmers and communities of Iowa. But first, we must make sure this seat doesn’t land in the hands of Nancy Pelosi and her liberal allies in Congress. Tomorrow, we get back to work.”
After winning the 2018 general election, King was removed from his House committees after comments made during a New York Times interview. King asked during the interview, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization -- how did that language become offensive?" He later said his comments were taken out of context.
In recent weeks, the GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy announced he would allow King to provide a case why his committee assignments should be reinstated. But, his Republican peers have released statements pushing back on the idea of King returning.
Feenstra was also the treasurer of Sioux County from 2006 to 2008. While serving in the Iowa senate, he worked for ISB Insurance in Hull and was adjunct faculty at Dordt University since 2011.
According to Feenstra's campaign website, he has worked with Gov. Kim Reynolds on income tax cuts, supports President Donald Trump in securing the U.S.-Mexico border, works to defend the Second Amendment, and protects Christian values.
Atlanta Police Officers Charged with Assault For Using Tasers on Black College Students!
Taniyah Pilgrim holds Messiah Young's bandaged hand as he speaks during a news conference on the campus of Morehouse College…
Taniyah Pilgrim listens to Messiah Young as he speaks during a news conference on the campus of Morehouse College, June 1, 2020, in Atlanta.
The district attorney serving the city of Atlanta has filed charges against six police officers after a dramatic video showed them pulling two young people from a car during protests over the death of George Floyd.
The Saturday night incident was posted on social media and shown on local television news. Twenty-year-old Spelman College student Taniyah Pilgrim and 22-year-old former Morehouse College student Messiah Young were driving near downtown Atlanta as protests were taking place.
In video taken by bystanders and in police bodycam video, two of the officers, Mark Gardner and Ivory Streeter, can be seen pulling the two from their car and shocking them with Tasers. Throughout, the couple can be heard screaming and asking officers what is happening. Streeter and Gardner were fired Monday.
At a news conference, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced Streeter and Gardner are being charged with aggravated assault. He said Streeter faces an additional charge of pointing or aiming a gun at Messiah Young.
Howard has also charged Officer Lonnie Hood with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of simple battery; Officer Willie Sauls with aggravated assault and criminal damage to property; Officer Armond Jones with aggravated assault and pointing or aiming a gun; and Officer Ronald Claud with criminal damage to property.
The Associated Press reports Atlanta Police arrested more than 150 protesters on Sunday.
Batwoman Will Not Recast Kate Kane in Wake of Ruby Rose's Exit; New Character Eyed to Lead Series!
Batwoman is opting to erase, rather than recast, Kate Kane. TVLine has confirmed that the CW series will create a brand new character to don Batwoman’s cape in Season 2 in the wake of Ruby Rose’s sudden departure.
Further details on the new character have not been released officially, but Decider reports that a leaked casting breakdown referred to the newbie superhero as “Ryan Wilder,” a woman in her mid-20s who “is about to become Batwoman.”
“She’s likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed,” the casting notice reportedly went on to read. “She’s also nothing like Kate Kane, the woman who wore the batsuit before her. With no one in her life to keep her on track, Ryan spent years as a drug-runner, dodging the GCPD and masking her pain with bad habits. A girl who would steal milk for an alley cat could also kill you with her bare hands, Ryan is the most dangerous type of fighter: highly skilled and wildly undisciplined. An out lesbian. Athletic. Raw. Passionate. Fallible. And very much not your stereotypical All-American hero.”
Warner Bros. and The CW previously confirmed that they would cast another LGBTQ actress in the role.
In an Instagram post last week, Rose addressed reports that she left the series after just one season because she balked at the long hours required to star in a weekly series that shoots in Vancouver. “Don’t believe everything you read by anon sources online,” she urged a fan in the comments section. “Also I lived in Vancouver for a year working on the mountains when I was 18 because I love that city! I’ve also worked in other places in Canada.. perfect beautiful country.”
Dick Wolf Fires Writer From ‘Law & Order’ Spinoff for Threatening to ‘Light Up’ Looters!
Craig Gore, a writer whose credits include “S.W.A.T.” and “Chicago P.D.,” has been fired from Dick Wolf’s upcoming “Law & Order” spinoff series after controversial Facebook posts about looters and the recent curfew put in place across Los Angeles.
“I will not tolerate this conduct, especially during our hour of national grief. I am terminating Craig Gore immediately,” Dick Wolf said in a statement to Variety.
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Photos on social media show Gore holding a weapon with the caption “Curfew…” In another comment, Gore threatened to “light motherf—ers up who are trying to f— with my property,” in reference to protests that took place in Los Angeles on Monday.
Gore’s posts, which incited a strong reaction on social media, come amid calls for criminal justice reform after George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minnesota. His posts gained traction on social media after Drew Janda, who worked on the OWN series “Greenleaf” and HBO shows “Big Little Lies” and “Barry,” brought attention to Gore’s remarks.
Variety has also learned from sources that Paradigm, which represented Gore, has now cut ties with the writer and producer.
“Craig Gore is no longer a Paradigm client. We condemn his post in the strongest possible terms,” said a spokesperson for the agency.
Gore previously listed himself as a “co-executive producer on ‘Law & Order: Organized Crime'” — the new Chris Meloni series in the works at NBC — on his Facebook profile. However, Meloni replied to Janda’s tweet saying that he has “no idea who this person is or what they do.” Meloni clarified that the showrunner on the “Law & Order: SVU” spinoff is Matt Olmstead, not Gore, adding that he has “gotten no word on any hirings.”
On the same day as Gore’s posts, the “S.W.A.T.” writers’ room Twitter account posted a statement calling for “law enforcement to de-escalate conflicts, not exacerbate them.” Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, one of the show’s executive producers, said that he is “frustrated, angry, but determined to do better. Onscreen and off.”
Other than “S.W.A.T.” and “Chicago P.D.,” Gore recently had a “DEA” series in development at Fox. However, according to sources the network passed on the project, which had been given a script plus penalty commitment, earlier this year.
Ben & Jerry’s Release Scathing Statement Over George Floyd’s Death and Call For Real Change: ”We Must Dismantle White Supremacy”!
Beloved ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s released a real and thoughtful statement today on the death of George Floyd, calling on officer Derek Chauvin to be brought to justice and offering steps on how to make change.
The company says Floyd’s death was the result of “inhumane police brutality that is perpetuated by a culture of white supremacy” and says that the officers who watched as he was killed “stole him from his family and his friends, his church and his community, and from his own future.”
They mapped out four ways to make change, starting with calling on Trump to “disavow white supremacists and nationalist groups that overly support him.” They then call on Congress to pass H.R. 40, a legislation that would create a commission to study the effects of slavery and discrimination from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies because “we cannot move forward together as a nation until we begin to grapple with the sins of our past.”
family’s call to create a national task force that would create legislation aimed at ending racial violence and increasing police accountability.
Finally, they call on the Department of Justice to “reinvigorate its Civil Rights Division as a staunch defender of the rights of Black and Brown people.”
“Unless and until white America is willing to collectively acknowledge its privilege, take responsibility for its past and the impact it has on the present, and commit to creating a future steeped in justice, the list of names that George Floyd has been added to will never end,” the company added. “We have to use this moment to accelerate our nation’s long journey towards justice and a more perfect union.”
#LGBTQ: President Trump Misses To Acknowledge Pride Month For Third Time!
Over the past several days, President Donald Trump has issued presidential actions proclaiming June as National Homeownership Month, Great Outdoors Month and Caribbean-American Heritage Month, among others. On Monday, amid protests across the country, the White House still managed to issue a statement recognizing June 1 as Global Coptic Day — but two days in, nothing, so far, for LGBTQ Pride month.
In the nearly four years since he has been president, Trump has acknowledged Pride Month once, last June, notably becoming the first Republican president to do so. But his acknowledgement was not in an official presidential proclamation, as President Barack Obama’s had been for all eight years of his presidency. Instead, it was a tweet that was later issued as a White House press release promoting the administration's effort to decriminalize homosexuality around the globe.
“Let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation,” Trump stated last June.
Trump did not acknowledge Pride Month in either proclamations or tweets in 2017 and 2018.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group, issued a statement Tuesday morning blasting Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for failing again to recognize Pride Month “to honor the history of the LGBTQ community and acknowledge the ongoing movement toward full equality.”
“In a global pandemic and national crisis highlighting ongoing racial violence and police brutality across the country — violence that particularly targets Black lives — Trump and his administration have stoked division, hate and anger with continued attacks on LGBTQ people, people of color, immigrants and other vulnerable communities,” Alphonso David, the group’s executive director, said in the statement.
A request to the White House for comment was not immediately returned Tuesday.
Over the past five years, during his presidential campaign and his presidency, Trump has mentioned the LGBTQ community only a few times. During his campaign, he frequently referred to the Pulse nightclub shootings in 2016 in Orlando, Florida, and promised to protect LGBTQ people from what he described as “the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology.”
On his social media platform of choice, Twitter, he has mentioned the “LGBT” community only a few times in the past five years, transgender people once in July 2017 (when he famously announced he would reinstitute the country’s transgender military ban), and a few scattered comments about “gay” people over the past decade. Lesbians and bisexuals have gone unmentioned.
The Trump re-election campaign, notably, continues to sell rainbow-colored “Make America Great Again” T-shirts on its website for $25.
LGBTQ Pride Month was established by Bill Clinton in June 1999, though it was called Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. In his first proclamation recognizing Pride Month, Clinton said he was “proud” of his administration’s efforts to “end discrimination against gays and lesbians and ensure that they have the same rights guaranteed to their fellow Americans,” citing his signing in 1998 of executive order 13087, which made it possible for people of any sexual orientation to work in the federal government and to receive security clearances.
"Today, more openly gay and lesbian individuals serve in senior posts throughout the Federal Government than during any other Administration," Clinton's June 2000 proclamation stated.
George W. Bush declined to recognize June as Pride Month, and it was not until the election of Barack Obama that the tradition started again.
"All people deserve to live with dignity and respect, free from fear and violence, and protected against discrimination, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation," Obama's June 2015 proclamation read.
June 1, traditionally the start of Pride Month, was a tumultuous day for President Trump, after police and national guard members tear-gassed peaceful protesters outside the White House so that the president could be photographed outside a church that had been near the center of the antiracism protests.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘MJ4EVER’
WOW, Someone really loves Michael!
HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!!!
EFREM
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