I Didn't Say It ....

Pete Buttigieg, ending his campaign for president:

"We sent a message to every kid out there wondering if whatever marks them out as different means they are somehow destined to be less than ... Someone who once felt that exact same way can become a leading American presidential candidate with his husband at his side.”

Yes, he can.

Thanks Pete.

photo

Donna Brazile, Democratic political strategist, after RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said the Democratic  “process was rigged” against Bernie Sanders:

“First of all, they don’t have a process. They are canceling primaries. They have winner-take-all. They don’t have the kind of democracy that we see on the Democratic side. For people to use Russian talking points to sow division among Americans is stupid. So Ronna, go to hell! This is not about — go to Hell! I’m tired of it. We’re not trying to prevent anyone from becoming the nominee. If you have the delegates and win, you will win. This notion that somehow or other Democrats are out to try and put hurdles or roadblocks for one candidate, that’s stupid. I know what’s going on. They are scared of Democrats coming together to defeat Donald _____. Stop using Russian talking points Madam Chairwoman.”

We have candidates on our side; the GOP has no primaries for fear that people will express their displeasure at the Asshat-In-Chief by not voting for him in a GOP primary.

photo

Michael Elizabeth Pence, Vice President saying _____ tapped him to lead the coronavirus task force because of his experience tackling disease outbreaks in Indiana:

“I think it might be the main reason why President Trump asked me to do this. I think by putting me over the administration’s response to the coronavirus, the president wanted to signal the priority that he’s placed on this.”

No ma’am. He put you in charge so that when this blows up and the markets crash and people die, he can blame you.

Not even Mother will be able to save you.

photo

Jennifer Lopez, whining about not being nominated for an Oscar:

“I was a little sad because there was a lot of buildup to it. I got so many good notices—more than ever in my career, and I’m reading all the articles and I’m going, ‘Oh my God, could this happen?’ And then it didn’t, and it was like, ‘Ouch.’ It was a bit of a letdown. Most of my team has been with me for years. I think they had a lot of hopes on that. They wanted it too, and I felt like I let everybody down a little bit.”

Sorry, JLo, but you played a stripper onscreen and then went to the Superbowl and played a stripper on TV.

That’s not acting; that’s you.

photo

Chris Matthews, Hardball host , announcing his retirement after being accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate comments:

“After conversations with MSNBC I decided tonight would be my last Hardball, so let me tell you why. The younger generations out there are ready to take the reins. You see them in politics, in the media, in fighting for the causes. … A lot of it have to do with how we talk to each other. Compliments on a woman’s appearance that some men, included me, might have once incorrectly thought were okay, were never okay. Not then and certainly not today, and for making such comments in the past, I’m sorry.”

Many people called on Matthews to resign or be fired after he compared Sanders’ victory in Nevada to the Nazi defeat of the French during World War II; he was also blasted after a combative interview with Elizabeth Warren was decried as sexist. That interview prompted journalist Laura Bassett, a frequent MSNBC guest, to allege in an op-ed that Matthews made sexist and belittling comments to her off the air.

Sorry Chris, this is on you.

photo

Aaron Schock, the disgraced former GOP congressman from Illinois, confirming what nearly everyone on the planet already knew:

“For those who know me and for many who only know of me, this will come as no surprise. For the past year, I have been working through a list of people who I felt should finally hear the news directly from me before I made a public statement. I wanted my mother, my father, my sisters, my brother, and my closest friends to hear it from me first. The fact that I am gay is just one of those things in my life in need of explicit affirmation, to remove any doubt and to finally validate who I am as a person. In many ways I regret the time wasted in not having done so sooner. …”

Do you regret the times you voted anti-LGBTQ+ in Congress?

Do you regret the times you got angry for someone merely suggesting you were gay?

I’m happy you’re out, and living your truth, but it’ll take a while before I forget your bigotry and homophobia. So, yeah, no Coming Out Toaster Oven and no copy of The Gay Agenda.

Take a look up top and see what a proud, unashamed, unafraid gay politician looks like.

That’s all.

photo

Bobservations

Programming Note:

As of 5PM EST, I am gone. For the next five weeks, I will be in Oregon helping my Dad recover from surgery. He’s having a new ankle installed and needs several weeks of rehab and until he’s cleared to drive, I’ll be playing Nurse Ratched.

Sadly, and seriously sadly, Carlos cannot come along. He’s filed a claim for disability because of his eyesight and we don’t know when his hearing will be scheduled and so he needs to be in Smallville; plus, the idea of boarding our dog and cats for over a month seemed just too painful, so this is, not for the best, but how it is. I haven’t spent more than a few days away from Carlos and that’s the part that has me most verklempt. But we’ll soldier on, we’ll call several … many ….times per day and may even videochat via Facebook.

I have a few things planned for my absence, but don’t know how much, if any time, I’ll have to read or respond to blogs. So, please, play nice, resist, Vote Blue, speak up, stand up, fight, love.

A few weeks back I posted about LGBTQ straight ally, Cody Barlow, who became internet-famous after decorating his pickup truck in a rainbow flag to show that “not all country boys are bigots.” Well Cody drove his truck in Oklahoma City’s Pride parade recently and shared his experience via Facebook:

“It was truly an honor to be part of the Oklahoma City Pride Parade. I really appreciate the opportunity to support such a wonderful community of people.

I saw people laughing, smiling, and radiating happiness. It was all about expression, love, and supporting others. A beautiful sight.

I was glad to have the opportunity to spend time meeting the people that this had a positive impact on. It gives me a chance to actually shake someone's hand, give them a hug, and feel their emotion when they tell me how this impacted them. Social media is too impersonal, so I like having that human connection when I speak with people.

I apologize if there was anyone that wanted to talk to me, or take pictures, and did not get a chance to. It means a lot to me to try and speak to as many of you as possible. I know it is not easy to tell your stories, especially to a stranger like me, so I appreciate that.

…

Much love to you all!”

As I’ve always said, the march goes on, but it’s nice to see some of our straight allies take us further by truck.

The owners of Plush Daiquiri Bar and Grill in Houston are defending a server who described a customer as a “fat” and “gay” on the customer’s receipt, saying:

“It was just her way of describing him. It wasn’t anything against him or anything personal. It was her way of referencing back who to deliver the food to.”

They said she didn’t realize he would see it and she was disciplined.

Bull.Shiz.

Former GOP congressman and severely self-loathing homosexual Aaron Schock was filmed slipping cash into a go-go dancer’s tiny briefs in a gay bar in Mexico City.

I need little Miss Hater to go away. We didn’t want her when she was spreading anti-LGBTQ ;legislation around town and we don’t want her now that she’s decided to let us all in on the secret we already knew she’s queer, dear.

Skin care company Nivea has been using ad agency FCB for nearly 100 years until last week when FCB presented a new ad for skin cream that featured two men touching hands. At the mere suggestion of that ad, a senior Nivea executive allegedly said:

“We don’t do gay at Nivea.”

FCB has dropped Nivea as an account.

Note to Nivea: homophobia is bad for your skin. Look in a mirror.

In another case of showing his stupidity,  _____ recently claimed credit for homelessness, describing it as a “phenomenon that started two years ago.”

Two.Years.Ago.

In an interview with Fox News’ Racist Misogynist Pig Tucker Carlson, _____ brought up the issue of homelessness and “filth” in America’s cities in comparison to major Japanese cities:

“It’s very sad. It’s a phenomenon that started two years ago. It’s disgraceful. I’m going to maybe, and I’m looking at it very seriously. We’re doing some other things, as you’ve probably noticed, like some of the very important things we’re doing now.”

He then failed to mention one single important thing he’s doing now, but did say:

“You can’t have what’s happening, where police officers are getting sick just by walking the beat. I mean, they’re actually getting very sick.”

He then failed to cite one single provable instance of an officer getting sick while walking a beat.

He then claimed, again without one single shred of evidence, that he has ended homelessness in DC.

Fuck.Off.

New Summer Shows … New Hot Men …

Top row … the gorgeous Brit Adrian Lester on Starz’ The Rook. Two episodes in, and two episodes of Adrian’s gorgeous backside. I don’t even care what the show is about. Then we have Lincoln Younes on the sudsy Grand Hotel. Typical soap opera, but Lincoln does find time to appear shirtless in most of his scenes; Chris Warren is also in Grand Hotel and is not nearly as shirtless …someone needs to rectify that.

Bottom row … Ronan Raferty is also in The Rook and just oozes sexuality while keeping his clothes on. What? Aldis Hodge is in Showtime’s City on a Hill and is just plain dreamy beefcake. Lastly, Latino Shalim Ortiz smolders on Grand Hotel and was half of a man-on-man kiss on the show, though his character, for now, is not gay. Too bad.

Hopefully that will keep you all satisfied until my return

Bobservations

A couple of programming notes … my father has postponed his New Ankle™ surgery for the time being so I won’t be heading out West for an extended stay. He may reschedule; he may not.

On the Carlos front, he’d been a bit worried about his mother since his father passed away; she’s staying with family in Querétaro, outside Mexico City, and they’re keeping her busy and taking good care of her. But the other day, Carlos was speaking to her on the phone and after he’d finished, he hung up and said to me:

“I can’t believe it.”

“What?”

I was telling my mother something, and I made a little joke and she laughed.”

“I can’t believe that anyone would laugh at one of your jokes.”

“No, seriously, this was the first time I’d heard her laugh in I don’t know how long.”

“Well, if you think about all she’s gone through, in the last month that we know about, not even considering that last few years, she probably hasn’t had the chance to laugh much.”

But that was all it took to ease Carlos mind about his mother; a little laugh during a phone call. I am so glad he got to hear that.

Sidenote: I told him that I was kinda happy not to have to go to Oregon for five weeks; and he said:

"Awwww, you'd miss me?"

"You? I'd talk to you five times a day, but Tuxedo doesn't have a phone! What would I do?"

What can I say, what Tuxedo and I have is real, and it's fabulous.

Plus, you know, being away from Carlos would make me crazy.

Shortly after Talabama Governor Kay Ivey signed that extreme anti-abortion bill into law,  she attended the  execution of Michael Brandon Samra, who took part in the quadruple murder of the family of a friend.

Keep that in mind when she says she’s all about the sanctity of life because she attended an execution. In fact, since Ivey assumed office two years ago, Talabama has executed six other men, including convicted serial bomber Walter Moody who, at 83, was the oldest person executed in the nation’s history; and don’t forget Ivey’s attendance at the execution of  Domineque Ray after the Supreme Court refused to issue a stay when Ivey’s government denied the condemned Muslim inmate access to an imam in the death chamber, although it does provide a Christian chaplain.

Keep in mind that California has the nation’s largest death row with 735 condemned inmates, Alabama has the highest per capita rate of death sentences.

So much for Ivey’s notion that the new abortion ban “stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious & that every life is a sacred gift from God.”

Every life is precious?

Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, bigot and homophobe spoke out in opposition last week after the House of Representatives passed the historic Equality Act, which expands existing civil rights laws to protect LGBTQ people.

Lee said the legislation, which heads to the Senate but has little chance of being brought to the floor for a vote, is unnecessary because:

“LGBT people don't need protection because Americans are becoming more "tolerant."

Funny, cuz all that tolerance was nowhere on display last December when GOP bigot and homophobe Mike Lee blocked the renomination of a lesbian to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission because he said her views on marriage were "radical."

LGBTQ Americans need protection from asshats like GOP bigot and homophobe Mike Lee.

Last week Robert F. Smith, the billionaire investor who founded Vista Equity Partners and became the richest black man in America, gave the commencement speech at Morehouse College and kind of went off on a tangent when he …

… told all 396 graduates that he and his family would pay off the entire graduating class’s student debt so they could start their lives without student debt hanging over them.

That’s right. In this last years, full-time tuition at Morehouse was $25,368, with other expenses such as room and board, books and fees, pushing the total to over $48,000.

And :::poof::: it’s gone, thanks to Mr. Smith.

Guess which judge will be hearing _____’s appeal on turning over his taxes to the House?

Wait for it.

Wait for it

Wait for it

Wait for it

Wait for it.

Merrick Garland.

Kris Kobach, the GOP asshat and former Kansas secretary of state, has given the White House a list of requirements that he needs if he is to become the administration’s “immigration czar,” a job _____ has been looking to create to coordinate immigration policy across government agencies.

Here’s what  Kobach needs:

Seriously? What a little bitch. Money, private planes, weekends off. Who does he think he is? Ivanka?

This week Beto O’Rourke “rebooted” his campaign because, after starting off big, he’s really gotten nowhere, so it’s like a do-over.

How about a stop? Full stop.

I like Beto, but if after a few months of campaigning you’re getting nowhere and think you need a reset, you really need to take a seat.

He’s at it again … totally-not-gay-at-all former Republican Congressman, noted homophobe  Aaron Schock was snapped poolside at the Standard Hotel in West Hollywood by a gay tourist visiting from New York.

The closet case was accompanied by an attractive speedo-clad young man lounging at the pool, until he got into the water and tried “chatting up” another young man.

Aaron? Come out already you big queer. And then go away, because after all the years and effort you spent denying the LGBTQ community representation and equal rights, we don’t want you or your turquoise belt.

Come out. Go away.

The oh-so-dreamy Adam Senn was born in Paris, France, but grew up in Sugar Land, Texas, outside of Houston. He studied theater as a child and throughout high school, but then moved to New York City where he began smoldering up my internet searches and modeling for Dolce & Gabbana, among others,

‘In 2016 he began acting, most notably playing a bisexual basketball player in VH1's Hit the Floor for two seasons; why it gotta be ‘bi’?

Anyway, it all boils down to Adam is hot and sexy and cool and just what I needed today …

Just sayin’.

Bobservations

Well, this isn’t so much about Carlos this week, although in the vein of being fully transparent, it’s been a rough week for us at Casa Bob y Carlos, with tempers flaring and feelings hurt. And by a “week” I mean a day and a half because, though we rarely fight, when we do, it’s said and done and over rather quickly, and then we move on.

Still, as I said, this is about me; I’m a faller, in that I’m clumsy and I fall down, not a lot, but when I do …

Years back, living in Miami, I was taking our dog for a walk; we lived in a gated community, so the streets were safe and quiet. As I was returning home, and crossing the street in front of our house, I checked both ways …no cars, no people. I crossed, and in the middle of the road I stepped on a pebble …an actual pea-sized pebble, and down to the ground I went. Then, as I started to stand up, I noticed there were now three cars in the road, all stopping to see the oaf in the road, as well as several groupings of neighbors who’d appeared out of nowhere.

Cut to Smallville … I needed something from the garage, so I stepped down the two steps into the garage, got what I needed, and as I started back into the kitchen, I clearly forgot we had two steps, and hit the bottom one and started to fall through the open doorway. It was all very slo-mo, and I distinctly remember, as I was falling, the one thought that came into my head … God that kitchen floor is ugly.

And now this week, we had a couple of cold night, so I was bundled up in bed, with Tuxedo sleeping on my side as he likes to do. I wanted to turn over and so I gently nudged him off me, apologized for disturbing him, and turned over; but when I reached for my pillow, it wasn’t there. It must have fallen to the floor, so, eyes closed because, in addition to being a faller, I’m an idiot, I reached down to get my pillow not realizing I was lying right on the edge, and fell out of bed, dropping the three feet to the floor.

No harm, no foul, but it did wake Carlos—though how that happened I don’t know because the man sleeps through hurricanes—and he asked what happened and if I was okay. Luckily, I had just bruised my ego and as I got back into bed and was about to doze off, and just as Tuxedo perched himself on my back again, Carlos muttered sleepily:

“Should I get you a crib?”

I was too embarrassed to kill him.

Rightwingnut Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro—which I believe is Spanish for Donald ____—said he believes that the crimes of the Holocaust can be forgiven, though not forgotten.

More than six million dead, but let’s forgive? Can we also forget that earlier this month, Bolsonaro visited the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called Nazism a leftist ideology? Can we forget that, in 1998, as federal deputy in Brazil’s Congress, Bolsonaro defended students at a military school in Porto Alegre who voted for Adolf Hitler, among other figures, as the historic character they admired the most?

No, we can forget; and we won’t forgive.

Jessy Taylor, an Instagram “influencer”—whatever that means—with more than 100,000 followers, had her account reinstated by the site a week after it was removed in error after it kept getting reported as spam.

Taylor complained, with a straight face I imagine, that losing her account felt like “a murder” and because that’s how it felt, she reported the closure of her account to the police who told her she couldn’t compare what happened to a homicide.

Someone needs to lay hands on this girl, because this is a direct quote from Jessy Taylor:

“I’m nothing without my following.”

Oh honey, I have news for you …

And as if we needed proof that Republicans are dumb—some, to be fair, not all—let’s listen to Congressman Thomas Massie questioning John Kerry’s credentials, specifically his college degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

Thomas Massie: “It sounds like you’re questioning the credentials of the president’s advisers currently, but I think we should question your credentials today. Isn’t it true you have a science degree from Yale?”

John Kerry: “Bachelor of Arts degree.”

Massie: “Is it a political science degree?”

Kerry: “Yes, political science.”

Massie: “So, how do you get a Bachelor of Arts in a science?”

Kerry: “Well, it’s a liberal arts education and degree … it’s a Bachelor—”

Massie: “OK, so it’s not really science. So, I think it’s somewhat appropriate that someone with a pseudoscience degree is here pushing pseudoscience in front of our committee today.”

Kerry, after a long pause: “Are you serious? I mean, this is really a serious happening here?”

It is, because Thomas Massie thinks a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science is some kind of scientific degree. And Thomas Massie is an elected official, y’all.

The fire that destroyed the roof and at least one spire of Notre Dame is out now, but embers of stupidity linger on …

As messages of support and donations to rebuild the iconic structure—nearly a billion dollars pledged so far—came in, our president sent out that Tweet:

“So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!”

In response, the official Twitter account of the Sécurité Civile—the French equivalent of FEMA—responded:

“Hundreds of firemen of the Paris Fire Brigade are doing everything they can to bring the terrible #NotreDame fire under control. All means are being used, except for water-bombing aircrafts. which, if used, could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral.”

American Twitterers also responded, reminding the world, and _____, of his own idiotic responses to devastating fires in California—“Rake the forest”—and his failure to even mention the recent arsonist attacks on three black churches in Louisiana.

Luckily, a real President tweeted his thoughts; Barack Obama said:

“Notre Dame is one of the world’s great treasures, and we’re thinking of the people of France in your time of grief. It’s in our nature to mourn when we see history lost—but it’s also in our nature to rebuild for tomorrow, as strong as we can.”

And then Presidential hopeful, Pete Buttigieg offered his thoughts to the French people, by speaking French:

“Au peuple de France je voudrais dire que la cathédrale Notre Dame, c’était comme un cadeau à l’espèce humaine. Nous partageons la douleur mais nous vous remercions aussi de ce cadeau à la civilisation.”

"To the people of France, I would like to say that Notre-Dame Cathedral was like a gift to the human race. We share the pain, but we also thank you for this gift to civilization."

But hey, water tankers, you know, and thoughts and prayers.

Last week, _____ took on freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar over a couple of words in a much longer statement about 9/11; _____ tried to paint Omar as anti-American, and in doing so fanned the flames of his base, when then sent death threats to Omar and her family.

On the upside, though, and perhaps a sign of the times, in the days following _____’s hate speech, Omar raised some $832,000, most of it—$415,000—coming from people who gave less than $200.

People are growing tired of _____’s divisive hate speech … well, except for his racist base.

Remember disgraced former GOP Congressman Aaron Schock? Of the turquoise belt and the Downton Abbey office remodel?

Well, he apparently spent the weekend at Coachella partying with a bunch of hot shirtless gay men, and was ALLEGEDLY intimate with at least one; but here’s the rub … and not the kind of rub that most gay men might want.

While serving as the Illinois Representative, Schock’s voting record was decidedly anti-LGBTQ … he voted against adding ‘sexual orientation, gender identity, gender and disability’ to the federal hate crime protection groups, against the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ and for the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman.

If he’s gay, he’s the worst kind of closeted, hypocritical, sell my community down the river, self-loathing kind of gay. So, when you finally come out Aaron, please note that many of us will remember your hate, for yourself and our community.

Speaking of hateful gays, it looks like Empire actor, and hate crime faker, Jussie Smollett is no longer under consideration for a role in the upcoming Broadway revival of Richard Greenberg’s 2003 play, Take Me Out, about a closeted baseball player.

The Daily Mail reported that producers were ready to announce the casting of Smollett and Zachary Quinto but plans changed following the late January incident in which Smollett ALLEGEDLY faked being attacked in a hate crime.

Again, we know Jussie lied because he said it was two white men; he said he could see the skin around their eyes in the masks they wore. But we also know it was two black men—ALLEGEDLY hired by Smollett-who actually beat him up.

So, Jussie …sorry, not sorry. Until you take responsibility for your actions and explain why two men who knew you attacked you, to me your career is over.

Bye Felicia,

Oh dear … Benjamin Poirier … model, dancer.

The body; the ass; the way he sits nekkid around the house, or perks up a window sill. The dance!

Uh huh.