Bobservations

Carlos grew up in a fairly well-to-do family; there was a maid and a housekeeper and a nanny for Little Carlos. But the way he refuses to throw anything out makes me feel like he grew up in tenement slum.

He will not get a new bar of soap for the bathtub until the current bar is so thin it looks like tissue paper. And then the other day I asked if we had any leftover chicken to make a sandwich at lunch; he told me No but said there was plenty of guacamole left from the previous night’s dinner if I wanted it.

Imagine my surprise at finding “plenty” of guacamole in the fridge. I smeared it on a single Cheez-It  and gobbled it up in a single bite.

Then I reached for the cartoon frying pan …

This is Dogs V Cats from March 2020 …

Excerpts from Ozzo's Diary:
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from Tuxedo's diary:
Day 983 of my captivity...
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. 

In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow ... from the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released--and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously an idiot. 

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.

For now...

Tonea Nicole Miller, a 27-year-old Black woman originally from Flint, Michigan, was found dead, hanging from a tree in Gwen Cherry Park in Gladeview, Florida last month.

Authorities from the Miami-Dade Police Department initially labeled her death as a suicide involving no immediate signs of foul play while few media outlets reported on the incident ALLEGEDLY because it was classified as a suicide. Her family and community members are strongly rejecting the suicide ruling and would like her death fully investigated.

The timing of her death, occurring right around the Juneteenth holiday weekend, combined with the history of racial violence in the United States, has triggered immense pain, distrust, and public skepticism. Tonea's loved ones are demanding full autopsy results, and push for a thorough, transparent independent investigation.

Meanwhile, Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie, who was kidnapped from her home in Tucson, Arizona, on February 1, 2026, is still in the news regularly.

Sounds about white.

It has been so hot and sticky around here, and not in the good way, that even the Hot Cakes are too darn hot!

After a few asshatted and blatantly racist rulings, this week SCOTUS rejected Cankles’ efforts to overturn the sexual assault AND defamation charges against him in relation to E Jean Carroll. He is still  legally a rapist.

And then … SCOTUS upheld birthright citizenship, affirming all persons born in America are U.S. citizens at birth.

But then … SCOTUS also ruled 6-3 that states can ban transgender girls and women from female sports teams.

Justice Brett “Drunken Rapist” Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion stating that Title IX allows schools to decide sports eligibility based on biological sex.

Fuck the court.

Dear Texas … when asked about the US affordability crisis one of your Representatives, Troy Nehls, told a reporter that he will be eating lobster tails and rib-eye steaks this Fourth of July. And when asked about struggling Americans being unable to afford such a meal, Nehls said:

"Maybe the 60% of Americans don't work as hard as I do.”

In 2025, Nehls worked in Congress for 151 legislative days; in 2026, that number will be even lower. And don’t forget Nehls earned a base salary of $174,000 per year for working half the year but he works harder than you and gets full healthcare for free.

Do better Texas.

Guille Castillo is a Barcelona-born model and a professional dancer who made his debut at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2025 so would you dance with him and then Would You Hit It?

Vote Blue .. . And Here's Why, AGAIN!!!

It’s been a few weeks since we checked in on the GOP and their special brand of bigotry and ignorance, so let’s dive right in …

INDIANA

Last week the city of Westfield deleted Twitter and Facebook posts that recognized Pride Month under the direction of Mayor Andy Cook because he says the city “should not engage in supporting a social agenda.”

The city has previously posted celebrations of Black History Month and Juneteenth without Cook complaining about any “social agenda”  but they are clearly trying to erase us.

MONTANA

The state legislature has passed a bill to specifically ban people dressed in drag from reading books to children at public schools and libraries, part of a host of legislation aimed at the rights the LGBTQ+ community.

As RuPaul says, Reading is fundamental, but the library is closed to drag queens trying to read children’s books to children.

TEXAS

Texas Congressman, and a Republican because … of course … Chip Roy wants to defund the entire U.S. military because an Air Force base is hosting a few Pride events in June.

This is the GOP; defund the entire military because The Gays.

Ant then the Texas House gave initial approval to a bill restricting children from seeing sexually explicit performances; the bill was originally designed to restrict kids from attending drag shows, but its most recent version seeks to criminalize any live performance that the bill defines as sexual.

The party who stands against the idea of more government now wants to tell parents how they can and cannot raise their children.

NORTH CAROLINA

The state GOP has proposed the “Clarify Regulations on Adult Entertainment” bill that would prohibit “adult live entertainment” on private property in the presence of anyone under age 18 and not allow it at all on public property.

Now the GOP wants to tell Americans what they can do on their own property.

FLORIDA

Ron DeSantis has signed a bill imposing tough new penalties and restrictions on undocumented immigrants in Florida that, among other things, requires employers to use E-Verify to make sure workers are authorized to work in the U.S.

As a result, Latin American truck drivers were threatening to stop delivering to and in Florida, and migrant workers and construction workers are leaving their jobs as well.

Keep in mind that DeSaster will do the same for this entire country effectively destroying the economy.

Also note that DeSantis signed a bill to bar state colleges and universities from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and limiting how race can be discussed in many courses.

In college, adults cannot be taught about diversity and equality and race.

In Ron DeSantis’ “Straight Whites Only” state.

Oh, and also in Florida under DeSantis, the state education department rejected two new Holocaust-focused textbooks for classroom use, while forcing at least one other textbook to alter a passage about the Hebrew Bible in order to meet state approval.

If we don’t teach the Holocaust how can we stop it from happening again; and if you don’t think it will, keep watching.

PS  DeSantis proclaims himself Israel’s best friend and during a visit there last month he credited a prayer he inserted into the Western Wall with warding off a major hurricane. DeSantis also had his children baptized with water from the Sea of Galilee.

But he doesn’t want his children to learn about the Holocaust.

NORTH DAKOTA

GOP Governor Doug Burgum has signed a bill to prohibit public schools and government entities from requiring teachers and employees to refer to transgender people by the pronouns they use. The new law also requires teachers to out the children to their parents and bans  transgender students from using the bathroom of their choice without prior approval from a parent or guardian.

They are coming for Free Speech.

OKLAHOMA

GOP Governor Kevin Stitt vetoed a bill to fund the state’s PBS station, Oklahoma Educational Television Authority through 2026, accusing the station of indoctrinating young children with shows like “Sesame Street,” “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” and “Clifford The Big Red Dog.”

Stitt is pissy because of a “PBS Newshour” feature on parents’ support for various gender care treatments, a gay character in “Work It Out Wombats,” and the news that “Clifford the Big Red Dog” introduced LGBTQ characters.

Stitt says these anti-LGBTQ+ moves don’t represent his values but says he represents the taxpayers.

Just the hate-filled, anti-LGBTQ+ bigoted ones, apparently.

GOOD NEWS

TEXAS

A push to inject religion into public schools faltered after the House failed to pass a contentious bill that would have required the Ten Commandments to be displayed prominently in every classroom. The measure was part of an effort by conservative Republicans expand the reach of religion … be clear, only Christianity … into public schools.

I’ll remind the Texas GOP: Separation of Church and State.

OREGON

The State Senate failed to reach quorum again, meaning six additional Republican senators have now disqualified themselves from running for reelection under Article IV, Section 15 of the Oregon Constitution.

The Senators in question all hit 10 unexcused absences—refusing to show up for votes in which the GOP side would lose—and under Measure 113, passed by 68% of voters in November, they are now barred from running for their current Senate seat in the next election.

Now just three of the state’s Republican senators are left to run for re-election at the end of their term.

MONTANA

The State Supreme Court has solidified protections for abortion access and will allow nurses with advanced degrees to continue performing abortions in Montana; all seven supreme court justices agreed that the law unconstitutionally interferes with Montanan’s right to privacy to seek medical care from the provider of their choosing.

As of now, women in Montana still have some rights.

MISSISSIPPI

The church-state separation watchdog American Atheists has won a lawsuit to remove mandatory “In God We Trust” language from the state’s official license plate. American Atheists filed suit on behalf of the Mississippi Humanist Association, accusing state officials of violating nonreligious people’s freedoms of speech and religion by forcing them to display “In God We Trust” on their personal vehicles.

GOP Governor Tate Reeves has boasted about the “In God We Trust equating the phrase with “Mississippi’s values,” insinuating that only Christians are real Mississippians.

Not so fast, asshat.

OKLAHOMA

The state Supreme Court has tossed out two state laws outlawing abortion. One bill would have banned abortion when a fetal heartbeat was detected, which is usually at six weeks and before most women know they are pregnant, while the other bans the procedure starting at conception.

A win for women’s rights.

NEVADA

Joe Lombardo is one of the first Republican governors to enshrine protections for out-of-state abortion patients and in-state abortion providers, making Nevada another state that has solidify their status as safe havens for abortion patients.

Lombardo, who describes himself as “pro-life” and was endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee, says he respects the will of voters who codified abortion rights up to 24 weeks in a 1990 referendum vote.

As it should be done.

ALABAMA

In a decision that is a major victory for the Voting Rights Act, the US Supreme Court struck down Alabama’s racist House map, finding that the state discriminated against Black voters when it drew its seven congressional districts last year.

Alabama will have to redraw its congressional map to include a second majority-Black district. Black voters currently comprise a majority of the voting age population in just one district, despite making up a quarter of the state’s population.

A strike against racist GOP tactics to keep Black Americans from voting.

ARIZONA

Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed a GOP-backed bill that would have put legal requirements on public school bathrooms and denied transgender students from using the bathrooms that match their gender identity.

Good news.

LOUISIANA

Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards has vowed to veto the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and says he will veto other bills that would seek to ban gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth and bills to ban teachers from addressing students with their preferred pronouns.

The march goes on …

If you like the Good News, please note that many of the stories are about Democrat governors and Democrat-led legislatures—with a couple of exceptions—which should prove one thing:

Vote Blue .. . And Here's Why, AGAIN!!!

It’s been a few weeks since we checked in on the GOP and their special brand of bigotry and ignorance, so let’s dive right in …

FLORIDA

GOP lawmakers who fear the T in the LGBTQ+ community have passed one of those Bathroom Bills requiring people to use bathrooms that line up with their sex assigned at birth. The bill applies to the use of bathrooms at facilities such as public schools, colleges, universities, state and local government buildings, prisons and jails.

Once again, I’ll say it: trans people use the bathrooms that align with their gender identity because they want to pee.

LOUISIANA

Efforts to increase the state’s minimum wage—currently $7.25 an hour—were rejected in a GOP-controlled legislative committee. The failed bill would have gradually increased the state’s minimum wage to $10 an hour in 2024 and to $14 an hour in 2028. And yet the day before those same GOP lawmakers advanced a bill to double their own salaries from $16,800 to $40,000.

Louisiana has the second-highest poverty rate in the country, with nearly 19% of the population impoverished … unless you’re a GOP lawmaker and you give yourself a raise.

MONTANA

Representative Zooey Zephyr, the transgender state lawmaker who was silenced after telling Republicans they would have blood on their hands for opposing gender-affirming health care for kids, was barred from returning to the Montana House floor in a court ruling that came just hours before the Legislature wrapped up its biennial session.

Silenced by the GOP because she stands for the rights of trans Americans and dares to speak out.

FLORIDA

The GOP-controlled legislature passed a bill to allow the state remove transgender minors from their homes if they are receiving gender-affirming care. Odd when you realize that in 2022 DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education act, which reinforces parents’ fundamental rights to make decisions regarding the upbringing of their children. 

In education, not healthcare; in those cases Ron DeSantis and his merry band of Nazi Sympathizers make the decisions.

TEXAS

Public schools will have to prominently display the Ten Commandments in every classroom starting next school year under a bill the Texas Senate approved. This is the latest attempt from the Texas  GOP to inject religion into public schools. The Senate also gave final passage to Senate Bill 1396 authored by GOP Senator Mayes Middleton to allow public and charter schools to adopt a policy requiring every campus to set aside a time for students and employees to read the Bible or other religious texts and to pray.

What about atheists and agnostics, or those who believe public schools are not the place for religious exercises?

LOUISIANA

GOP Party officials want state lawmakers to forbid the study of racism at colleges and universities, arguing in a resolution that classes examining “inglorious aspects” of United States history are too divisive. The resolution asks the Legislature to pass laws removing diversity, equity and inclusion departments and agencies “within any institution of higher learning within the state.”

Funny, because that old saying goes, “When we know better, we do better,” but in Louisiana they don’t want to know better.

MONTANA

GOP Governor Greg Gianforte signed into law five bills aimed at restricting abortion access in the state triggering a legal request from Planned Parenthood of Montana later in the day to block one of the bills.

Five Bills??

UNITED STATES

After suffering recent electoral losses  due to a historic surge in turnout from younger voters backing Democrats, GOP lawmakers around the country are making it harder for students to cast ballots where they attend school.

A new law in Idaho specifically bars the use of student identification cards to vote, while a change in Ohio law means students will no longer be able to use tuition or college housing receipts as a form of voter ID, long a popular option for students without state driver’s licenses. Similar legislation has been introduced in at least 11 other states this year, including the presidential battlegrounds of Pennsylvania and Nevada, and a bill in Texas would bar college campuses from serving as polling places.

Funny how the GOP only works to suppress the votes of those who vote against their racist, anti-democracy, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-women, pro-gun agenda.

ON THE UPSIDE …

FLORIDA

Mayors across the state, from Orlando, Miami Beach, Tampa, Tallahassee and more, are speaking out in support of LGBTQ+ rights in light of several bills targeting the community that have been passed by the state legislature and are heading to the desk of Fascist Governor Ron DeSantis.

At least eight mayors have signed the pledge in support of the LGBTQ+ advocacy organization GLSEN and its Rise Up campaign.

The march goes on …

ILLINOIS

It looks like Illinois is set to become the first state to punish public institutions that ban books. Democratic Governor JB Pritzker supports a House bill that would withhold state funding from any of the state’s 1,600 public or school libraries that remove books from their shelves, and said:

“In Illinois, we don’t hide from the truth, we embrace it and lead with it. Banning books is a devastating attempt to erase our history and the authentic stories of many.”

The impetus for the legislation came from newly elected Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, a Democrat of course, who said he couldn’t fathom that book banning is happening in 2023.

MINNESOTA

In times like these we need more governors like Tim Walz, who, while not really naming that ‘F’ state and its Fascist governor, said in his State of the State speech:

"They're banning books from their schools. We're banishing hunger from ours."

Walz has also signed the "Democracy for the People Act" which implements automatic voter registration, allows 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote, and creates a permanent absentee voter list that will automatically send people who sign up a ballot each election. The proposal also requires voting materials and sample ballots to be in languages other than English and prohibits voter intimidation at the polls.

Pay attention … vote … speak up … vote … because if we don’t all stand together one day all of this country will be like Florida and Tennessee and Missouri and Idaho, and the GOP and the traitors come for us all.

h/t to JoeMyGod and NCRM

Vote. Vote Blue. And Here's Why, AGAIN!

Well, as we just saw that Thing 45 held his first rally of the 2024 election cycle in Wacko, Texas—not a misspelling, y’all—we need to take a look at what else is happening around the country, and what’s on the line if people like that Traitor and his supporters take control of their states and this country.

Let’s start with …

UTAH

GOP Congressman Burgess Owens will chair a committee on President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, arguing that Biden has no authority to cancel student debt unilaterally:

“Debt cannot be canceled, only transferred from those who borrowed to those who did not.”

Burgess Owens has filed for bankruptcy protection multiple times, having his debts canceled.

GOP hypocrisy.

WASHINGTON DC

Ignorant bigot and transphobe, QAnon nutjob Marjorie Taylor Greene lashed out at Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Dr. Rachel Levine by deadnaming the doctor on Twitter. Deadnaming is using a transgender person’s name they were given at birth. Many social media platforms prohibit deadnaming but Greene’s tweet remains active.

It all started when, while speaking at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Levine expressed hope that people would be more accepting of transgender people:

“What are you suffering? Where’s your harm? Where’s your compassion? I’m a positive and optimistic person, and I choose to be positive, optimistic, and I think that the wheels will turn on this.”

This infuriated Large Marge, so she linked a Fox News article—let’s not even got there—and called Levine by her deadname:

“Sorry [deadname]. We will NOT be embracing the gender change lie and chopping off children’s body parts. We will only protect children from permanent damage to their bodies and continue to stand in the truth that there are only two genders, male and female.”

So much hate … ignorance … stupidity … and bigotry all rolled up into one ugly ball of flesh.

MINNESOTA

State GOP Representative Bobbie Harder claims giving trans people rights will result in her having fewer rights; it smacks of that old anti-marriage equality argument that same-sex marriage will make opposite sex marriage less than:

“I understand the LGBTQ, ok the whole group, they can choose who they wish to partner with, that is their choice. The part that I’m gonna take issue with is that I am a woman. I was born that way. You cannot change that. So you are including people, if I understand this correctly, that are changing because that’s their choice. I mean they can do that, but now you’re including people that were not born as girls, they’re something else. So now they’re being included, so the perception that I have is now I’m potentially gonna be excluded. Because now I’m coming up there with that we are all equal, but apparently some people are more equal than others. I just, I struggle with that.”

Really what ignorant Bobbie Harder is pissed about is that if you make trans people equal, she’ll lose her privilege of name-calling and belittling the trans community.

Bitch. Dumb bitch.

WYOMING

GOP Governor Mark Gordon signed an abortion pill ban on the same day that he said he would allow another more sweeping measure banning abortion to become law without his signature. The new law would ban abortion under almost all circumstances, making it a felony to provide an abortion.

Gordon said he prayed on it, but I don’t think he prayed to God, because She doesn’t approve.

WEST VIRGINIA

A bill that would have prohibited minors from getting married in the state was defeated by the GOP-dominated Senate Judiciary Committee on a 9-8 vote.

Children as young as fourteen will now be allowed to marry in West Virginia.

Adults.Can.Marry.Children.

KENTUCKY

Lawmakers passed a bill to make the state a so-called Second Amendment sanctuary, thus prohibiting local law enforcement agencies from enforcing federal firearm bans. The bill passed the House in a 78-19 vote, and cleared the state Senate in a 27-9 vote, but the bill . Both are now heads to Democratic Governor Andy Beshear for his signature.

Fat chance.

A federal judge in Missouri struck down a similar law there on the grounds that state law can’t override federal law, and that a law doing so would be unconstitutional.

Lawmakers also sent a bill described as a “book-banning” measure to Beshear; the measure cleared the GOP-controlled House 80-18 with every Republican and one idiotic Democrat joining in. Most of the titles targeted center LGBTQ voices, or are written by Black or Latino authors.

They want to erase people of color and the LGBTQ+ community In Kentucky.

FLORIDA

Women who are raped or are victims of incest will now have to show evidence of that crime if they want an exception under the proposed six-week abortion ban. They must provide a copy of a restraining order, police report, medical record or court document to obtain an abortion.

Florida, where women, and children who are raped, don’t matter.

And then identical House and Senate bills, entitled “Protection of Children,” will go after hotels and restaurants that allow children to attend what the bills call “an adult live performance.” While they don’t specifically mention drag, the bills define the performances as depicting or simulating nudity, sexual conduct or excitement, or “the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts.”

Restaurants and hotels that host an adult live performance, including drag, can be fined up to $5,000 for the first violation and $10,000 fine for a second violation; parents could face up to a $1,000 fine or a year behind bars for bringing their child to one of these performances.

This is the same state that wants parents to make all decisions for their children and yet they cannot make this one.

And speaking of parents, a mother in Tallahassee has cost charter school principal Hope Carrasquilla her job after complaining that during a lesson on Renaissance art, sixth-graders were shown a photo of Michelangelo’s David.

Yes, the statue of David is considered porn in Flori-duh.

IDAHO

GOP Governor Brad Little signed a bill allowing execution by firing squad, making Idaho the latest state to turn to older methods of capital punishment amid a nationwide shortage of lethal-injection drugs.

Here’s a novel idea: outlaw the barbaric death penalty as it does not deter crime and allows the convicted death row inmate decades of appeals costing taxpayers millions.

ARKANSAS

GOP Governor, and former liar for the Traitor’s White House, Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed a law prohibiting transgender people at public schools from using the restroom that matches their gender identity.

Because everyone knows trans people only use bathrooms to harass cisgender people, not to, oh I dunno, pee.

But there’s a smidge of Good News …

NEW MEXICO

The state Legislature has passed the Human Rights Modernization Act, to update the state’s anti-discrimination law by adding explicit protections for LGBTQ+ people. The bill now heads to the Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is expected to sign it.

It establishes a broader slate of protections for LGBTQ+ people by defining gender and sex in state law and expanding existing definitions of sexual orientation and gender identity.

It was first introduced in January by state Democratic Reps. Kristina Ortez and Andrea Romero and Democratic Sen. Carrie Hamblen, one of five openly LGBTQ lawmakers in the New Mexico legislature.

What to do?

Pay attention … vote … speak up … vote … because if we don’t all stand together the GOP and the traitors will soon come for us all.

A Tale Of Two Restaurants

Last week, out actor Drew Droege and his date were dining at El Compadre in Los Angeles before heading out to a show and felt the sting of homophobia with their meal:

“I went on a really nice date. With a really sad, disgusting, hateful moment in the middle. We had our arms around each other and kissed a few times. A manager approached our table and said something to the [effect] of, ‘You guys can’t do that here. This is a family restaurant.’”

Droege asked if anyone in the restaurant had complained, but the manager snapped back:

“I don’t care if you’re the president of the United States, we don’t allow your behavior here.”

Droege was stunned by those words, and took it to social media:

“The chilling and pointed tone of ‘we’re a family restaurant.’ ‘We don’t allow your behavior here.’ Ever wonder why gay people often seem nervous? Why do we walk faster? Why do we work so hard to please others and be good little citizens in this world?”

After Droege’s post, which tagged El Compadre, the restaurant posted a statement on Instagram, which they later deleted:

“We have read all of your comments and concerns, and we are looking into what happened Monday night at our Echo Park location. While we work to learn more, we want to make it clear we stand with the LGBTQ community and hold no space for intolerance, hate, or unjust treatment of our beloved guests regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, or status. We were built off of the core value to do everything with love, and we will do what it takes to continue to warmly welcome any and every guest into a safe community. Please give us time to seek out what happened, gather more information, and take appropriate action. We will update you soon.”

But by Wednesday night, I guess the restaurant had investigated and posted this message:

Droege says he has never been “asked not to show love in public”  though, like all of us, he’s dealt with homophobia all his life; still, he thought that a display of affection in Los Angeles was “a safe thing to do.” And he received all kinds of support since coming forward with the story from actors Matt Bomer, Tuc Watkins, and Leslie Grossman, writer Michael Ausiello, and others who posted messages of support which makes Droege feel a little better:

“Given all this support, I do feel safer and supported. This was one a**hole. This was not the entire restaurant. This is not our city.”

On the other hand … in the middle of America …

In September, award-winning restauranteur Chef Dave Heide closed Liliana’s Restaurant, his popular New Orleans-style restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin. But fear not, the restaurant opened back up this month, after Heidi rebranded the establishment in honor of his recently transitioned son.

Ollie’s Madison is now open for business. In addition to the newly renamed Ollie’s Madison, Heide also owns Saint Charles Station and the non-profit caterer Little John’s, all which are named for his children. Heide says that although COVID changed the restaurant business and inspired the reboot, the primary reason to rebuild was his son Ollie:

“My kiddo doesn’t go by the name that’s on the restaurant anymore. They don’t use that name. They go by a different name. As a dad who loves their kid, to have their deadname on my shirt every day when I come home and their deadname on their restaurant … that’s part of it.”

Heide reopened the restaurant on Ollie’s first birthday, after announcing his son’s transition on social media in December 2020:

“I wanted everyone to meet someone you already know. I introduce you to Ollie Joy Heide. You may have known them as Liliana in the past, but now you may call them Ollie. I am so proud of this human. I have known them as Lily for their whole life, and I look forward to many adventures with this amazing human and having a million new memories with them. I love you Ollie, no matter your name, your gender, or your pronouns. You will always be my kiddo that I am proud of and love.”

And that’s how restaurants are done, and that’s especially how parenting is done.

Welcome out, Ollie.

El Compadre  Ollie's Madison

The Funny Papers

Adam Zyglis, Ed Hall, Ted Littleford, RJ Matson, Darrin Bell, Barry Blitt, Ann Telnaes, Michael de Adder, David Horsey, Tim Campbell, Mike Luckovich,