March 22, 2023

Almost a third of queer characters will disappear from screens next year, report finds

Nearly a third of the LGBT+ characters to have featured on US TV over the past year will not be returning in future, a new report has revealed.

Over the period between 1 June 2022 and 31 May 2023, a total of 596 LGBT+ characters were featured on scripted TV.

Of these, 175 will not be returning in the following season, as a result of series being cancelled or coming to a pre-agreed end. The majority of these characters (140) are the result of series being cancelled.

The statistics are taken from the annual report published by the US media monitoring organisation GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).

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You can read the full report here.

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February 7, 2023

My baby chihuahua, Zatanna, left us a week ago. (pics included)

It has taken me this long to even post about this. I haven't even really posted on DU because of it.

We noticed Zatanna was having some issues breathing late in the evening of Friday, January 27 and it got worse Saturday morning. I stayed up with her until we could take her to our vet at 8am. We were told we needed to take her to the Animal hospital 45 minutes away in Tulsa. We came home, got her ready and went down there. They decided it was best for her to stay at least one night. I was already having some anxiety issues because almost exactly 18 months ago, we took our little man, Voodoo, there and came home with a box of ashes. Zatanna was diagnosed with congestive heart disease almost three years ago, and since, we had been giving her three pills in the morning and three in the evening, as well as liquid medicine for her cough every night before bed. They placed her in an oxygen carrier, and we came home. Sunday, we went to visit her, and she was alert, tail wagging and a healthy appetite. We stayed about an hour, then came home again. We got an update that evening and said they were concerned, but the prognosis was looking better because they figured out the problem was not heart related.

Monday night, the news was more grim, but they planned to but her on steroids, keep her in the oxygen carrier, and give her some different meds. They said if there were any issues, they would let us know. 4:30am, they called and told me she was in really bad shape, and we needed to come down later in the day (now Tuesday). Two hours later, they called again and her heart had stopped, they brought her back using CPR. My husband and I got ready (I had only had an hour and a half of sleep), when they called again, and said, it was unlikely we would get there before she passed. My husband responded, "The HELL we won't!" We left 10 minutes later and drove for 45 minutes in complete silence, except for my occasional sobs and my husband sniffling.

We got there and were escorted to the ICU and there was our baby with a breathing tube down her throat and under a mountain of blankets because she couldn't regulate her body temperature. I reached under the blankets and her little belly was so cold, it startled me. My husband was crying, which he NEVER does. Zatanna, our 4.1-pound chihuahua, was laying mostly motionless with a tube in her throat almost as big as her muzzle. The vet told us after her cardiac arrest she was without oxygen for almost 6 minutes, and it was likely she suffered brain damage. She told us Zatanna might recover enough to go home at some point, but it was unlikely, and there was no guarantee she would be the same dog. It took us twenty minutes, but we finally decided to let her go. They unhooked her from all the machines, my husband held her back paws and rubbed her belly, I held her front paws and kissed her little baby head, like I had done every night for almost 10 years, and told her, "Daddy and I love you so much. Nite nite my baby." Then she was gone. We picked up her limp body and held her for the last time. The drive home was agony and again mostly silent.

When he arrived home, our last two dogs, Marigny and Laveau, sisters, were howling, screeching, and bolted into the garage. Laveau circled the car and scratched at the doors. My husband and I were still in tears, well, I was sobbing. Laveau actually had tears coming from her eyes. That made it worse. Marigny, who was Zatanna's best buddy, just ran around and around, whimpering. This past Friday, we went back to the hospital to get her remains and brought her home for the last time.

Now, let me end this with happiness and tell you about her life!

Born in April 2011, we got her four months later. We had just moved back from New Orleans. I had told my husband about her, and he went to our friend who had her. I came downstairs and there he was with her on his stomach. He said, "What if we call her Zatanna?" With all the pets we had, dogs, hamsters, fish, and birds, he had never named one of our pets! I called our friend and told her I would be by later with the payment. Zatanna now lived with us. For almost two weeks, she never made a sound...that soon ended. She became our most vocal dog and she was definitely a "Daddy's girl".

She would let us know when someone was at the door. She barked when she was ready to come back into the house. She loved going outside and sitting by the fence that faced the street so she could bark at passerbys! She barked at Daddy when it was nite-nite time. She loved laying with my husband, especially propping her head on his arm, which made typing difficult for him; he misses that now. She LOVED kissys! If you kissed her cheek, she would then turn her head so you could kiss her other cheek. You were only done when she walked off. Every night when I put her to bed, I kissed one cheek, then the other, then the top of her head, then cheek, cheek, and top of her head one more time saying, "Nite-nite baby, Daddy and I love you!"

She loved when my husband came home and always edged out the other dogs to get his attention. When I entered the room she barked loudly and ran circles around me. At some point, she started putting her tags in her mouth when I came in the room after an extended absence. We have no idea why she did it and why she only did it for ME! My husband constantly carried her around. For a long time, when my husband went to work, everyone went in their individual cages until I woke up and let them out. One day, I went into the bedroom and she was in the bed, not in her cage like everyone else. I assumed my husband forgot to put her in there...NOPE! Zatanna, we called her "Da Baby", had learned to open her cage and walk up the stairs next to the bed. We caught her doing this using a nanny cam!

She would push the other dogs out of the way if my husband was kissing on them. She had to sleep ON him. She also loved to lick him. She loved hot dogs, chicken, and treats. She was NOT a picky eater. She was best friends with Marigny. They travelled together often. Another quirk of her's was that she didn't jump down from the couch like a regular dog, she would stand on the edge and plop off like she was parachuting. It used to crack us up. Also, when she wanted to get up on the couch or another surface, like the bed, she would stand there, whimper (for me) or bark (at my husband) to pick her up. Of course, she was so small, she really couldn't jump high, but unlike the other dogs who would "push off the ground" as I lifted them, she didn't. She had to be picked up, no effort on her part. LOL!

She was a sweet little dog, often with her little baby tongue hanging out. We love her so much and miss her. I was so upset when we were driving home because, unlike when we came back after losing Voodoo when I saw a cloud that looked like a chihuahua following us, I saw nothing. Then, I saw, on our various video photo frames, there she was! Her picture popped up on all five of them as I passed by each one. One last goodbye.

January 19, 2023

Antisemitic images projected onto buildings spur Florida politicians to propose a new law

City council members in Jacksonville, Florida, are working on a law allowing for tougher penalties for projecting images on buildings after several antisemitic incidents across the state.

On Monday, Jacksonville City Council members unveiled details about the bill, which would involve a misdemeanor criminal charge and fines. The bill has yet to be finalized; a vote is scheduled for Jan. 24 and it could become enforceable law within a month.

Jacksonville City Council member Rory Diamond said that while he believes the projected images violate existing laws, a new bill would add clarity by making it illegal to project any images or messages onto a building without permission. He said the proposed law would both protect property rights and crack down on “unwanted speech.” It would also “give some teeth” to penalties by making violations a misdemeanor with a minimum $2,000 fine and the possibility of up to six months in prison.

“It’s a message that Jacksonville City Council sees this and is responding,” he said. “As representatives of all 1 million people who live here, we’re saying ‘No thanks, not here, no way.”

https://twitter.com/jewcyfruitmph/status/1614691694670127105

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Now, the tweet I embedded was responded to in the following ways...

136 responses as I am posting this, and the VAST majority are what you see above. Some are even more vile, but, sadly, par for the course! Notice the number of those who don't capitalize the word "Jew", a common microaggression that too many use as a way to convey the "lessnees" of the Jew.

January 13, 2023

1 in 5 Americans think Jews "have too much power," new ADL survey finds

A majority of Americans believe it is at least partly true that Jews “stick together more than other Americans,” and seek to hire other Jews, a new survey from the Anti-Defamation League found. At the same time, 39% think Jews are more loyal to Israel than the United States, and 20% say that Jews “have too much power” in the United States.

And adults 30 and under reported almost the same share of antisemitic beliefs as older Americans, an indication that the prejudice may not fade with age as was previously believed.

The findings come at a time when concern over antisemitism is rising among American Jews, and several celebrities have sparked controversies related to antisemitism. The American Jewish Committee released its own data Thursday showing that 47% of American Jews felt less safe following the Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis last January.

According to the ADL, the share of Americans who reported a belief in the most negative stereotypes about Jews was relatively low, including 16% who believed it was at least “somewhat” true Jews were less honest than other businesspeople, 17% who believed they were “not warm and friendly” and 19% who said Jews “have a lot of irritating faults.”

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December 28, 2022

Google fixes leading definition of "Jew" after search engine results showed offensive slur

Search engine giant Google said it has fixed the search results for the word "Jew" after an offensive definition of the word was appearing as the top result. For at least several hours on Tuesday morning and into the early afternoon, internet users who typed the word "Jew" into a Google search bar encountered a series of pejorative phrases as the engine's leading result, which appeared above the dictionary definition describing a person affiliated with cultural and religious Judaism.

Prior to the fix, the leading result for the word "Jew" read: "Bargain with someone in a miserly or petty way." The definition, which cited Oxford Languages as a source and characterized the term as a verb, included a small bolded banner marked "offensive" in capital letters. The search engine also presented the word in various "tenses," including "jewed" and "jewing."

Google updated the result after 1 p.m. ET, after many online pointed out the offensive error.

The offensive definition's origin was listed as having been rooted in a 19th-century slur and "in reference to old stereotypes associating Jewish people with trading and moneylending."

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December 19, 2022

Ukraine Jews mark 'Festival of Lights' amid blackouts

War-weary Ukrainian Jews gathered on Sunday for prayer and candle-lighting ceremonies to kick off Hannukah, the so-called Festival of Lights, vowing to overcome blackouts caused by persistent Russian bombardment.

In the capital's iconic Independence Square, known as the Maidan, worshippers huddled together for warmth near what officials claimed was the largest Hannukah menorah -- a nine-branched candelabrum -- in Europe.

The annual, eight-night "Festival of Lights" commemorates the rebellion of Maccabee Jews against formidable Greek-Syrian forces beginning in 167 BC, an event that some believers say included a number of miracles pointing to divine providence.

The chief rabbi of Ukraine and Kyiv, Moshe Reuven Azman, told AFP the story behind the wintertime festival held "valuable lessons" for Ukraine in its resistance to ongoing Russian attacks.


Ukrainian Jews marked the beginning of Hannukah with candle-lighting and a large menorah, amid blackouts caused by persistant bombardment
© Oleksandr GIMANOV

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August 1, 2022

Kari Lake accuses Cindy McCain of plotting 'end to America' with George Soros

Arizona candidate for governor Kari Lake implicated Cindy McCain in a plot to destroy America with liberal billionaire George Soros.

While appearing on a Saturday edition of Steve Bannon's right-wing podcast, Lake suggested that Republicans fear her more than Democrats.

"It just shows you how dangerous the RINO-class of the Republican Party is," she complained. "I believe they're in cahoots basically with the [George] Soros types on the left. And this is why they stabbed President Trump in the back on the fourth of November and we remember that."

"This is the Cindy McCain branch of the Republican Party," the candidate continued. "They're not Republicans. They're globalists and they want -- I think they want an end to America. They want a globalist agenda, a new world order, whatever you want to call it."

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It always comes down to blaming the Jews! From dog whistles like "globalists" and "Soros controlled", to shit like "a cabal of backstabbers".

July 22, 2022

Marking 80 years since the murder of Warsaw's Jews

© dpa/picture alliance
The deportation was carried out with utmost cruelty

In July 1942, the SS launched its operation to systematically exterminate the Jews of Warsaw. A march to commemorate this genocide is taking place in Poland on Friday.Life was hell for Jews in the Polish capital, Warsaw, 80 years ago. Ever since Nazi Germany had invaded Poland in September 1939, they had been subjected to constant persecution by the occupiers, and from November 1940 onward they were confined to the Warsaw Ghetto in the northwest of the city. Up to 450,000 men, women, and children lived crammed together behind the high walls of the ghetto. Around 100,000 people had died of hunger or disease, or been killed in summary executions.

Leaving the sealed-off district without permission was punishable by death, as was providing any kind of outside help to the inhabitants of the ghetto. The guards would even shoot little children who smuggled in food or coal. Emaciated corpses lying by the side of the road became part of daily life.

SS officer Hermann Höfle gave the order to kill

Almost a third of the population of the Polish capital was made up of Jews before World War II. They had been an integral part of the city on the Vistula for centuries. July 22, 1942, would mark a tragic turning point.

On this day, Adam Czerniakow, an engineer and local politician, whom the Nazis had forced to become the head of the Warsaw Ghetto Jewish Council, wrote the following in his diary: "At 10 o'clock, Sturmbannführer Höfle appeared with his people. [ ... ] We were told that all Jews, irrespective of sex and age -- with certain exceptions -- are to be deported to the East." Every day, Czerniakow was to prepare 6,000 people from the ghetto for deportation. The SS later increased that daily target to 10,000.

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June 13, 2022

A Rant: The Patriot Front arrest in Idaho is not a laughing matter.

The recent arrest of 31 one paramilitary assholes in Idaho on their way to "disrupt" a Pride Gathering in Idaho is no laughing matter. While I certainly appreciate dark comedy and satire, there have been way too many posts which are seemingly making light of the situation in a way I find disrespectful and disturbing. Thankfully, nothing came of it, and that may be largely in part to a good Samaritan following the "if you see something, say something" mantra.

Six years ago, today, June 6th, another bigoted asshole went into a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida and massacred 49 gay, bi, lesbian, and allied persons in the Pulse Nightclub. Today, it could have happened again, yet some think this is a time for jokes. It isn't! These supremacists and those like them are dangerous, and I will agree, many are so stupid they are easily caught, but there are those who aren't stupid and use mistakes made by these attempts to improve their tactics. We are only HALF-WAY though pride month and cities around the country are having events for the next two weeks. Pride events are soft targets.

Again, while I, like many, try to find humor in bad situations, this is one where I feel we, the GLBT community, dodged a bullet...literally. So, when commenting on the topic, perhaps a bit of respect is owed, at least until the month of Pride is over. Then have at it with the jokes and laughing at the situation.

"They must secretly be faggots!"

STOP! Just FUCKING STOP! MOST homophobes are NOT secret homos! Yes, I know about the two pathetic studies from several decades ago, and yes, I also know all the anecdotal "proof" about self-loathing gay men (funny, we rarely see this "secret homo" charge leveled against homophobic women). When people make this claim, and I also know gay people do it too, it implies that homophobia is because of homosexuality and the crimes against us are BY us; they aren't! Heterosexuals need to OWN their privilege and admit that much of the hate against my community is coming from them, not gay people.

The people who were planning this attack are not isolated. There is a real possibility that what we witnessed today we will witness next weekend with very different results. These people are dangerous, deranged, and despicable. So, while it is good to sometimes laugh at the darkness, it is also important to respect the reality and let me remind you of it....

Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34

Stanley Almodovar III, 23

Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20

Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22

Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36

Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22

Luis S. Vielma, 22

Kimberly Morris, 37

Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30

Darryl Roman Burt II, 29

Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32

Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21

Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25

Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35

Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50

Amanda Alvear, 25

Martin Benitez Torres, 33

Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37

Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35

Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25

Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31

Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26

Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25

Miguel Angel Honorato, 30

Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40

Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32

Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19

Cory James Connell, 21

Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37

Luis Daniel Conde, 39

Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33

Juan Chavez-Martinez, 25

Jerald Arthur Wright, 31

Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25

Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25

Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24

Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27

Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33

Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49

Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24

Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32

Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28

Frank Hernandez, 27

Paul Terrell Henry, 41

Antonio Davon Brown, 29

Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24

Akyra Monet Murray, 18

Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25

see their faces here: https://time.com/4366349/orlando-shooting-victims-photos/

June 1, 2022

The 203 Worst (& Safest) Countries for LGBTQ+ Travel in 2022

Instead of relying on hearsay and anecdotes from other travelers, we took a deep look at LGBTQ+ rights, country by country. After 350+ hours of research, we’ve reviewed all countries’ individual laws and gathered data from a variety of trusted international sources to create the definitive “LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index” that will help you find the safest (and least safe) countries for your next trip abroad.

Our methodology
We ranked 203 countries with available data, and then carefully examined LGBTQ+ rights for each country. We created our LGBTQ+ travel safety index based on a total of ten ranking factors, each pertaining to the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ individuals. We worked with academic researcher, Eliot Assoudeh PhD., to design the methodology and cross-reference all data. We utilized a mixed methods research design to create the index. In this year’s update, we also added transgender murder rates, which weren’t included in our original 2019 study or the 2021 update.

Note on Russia/Ukraine: Russia and Ukraine were included in this study as the data collection began prior to the 2022 conflict. However, keep in mind that (as in all instances of political unrest), the most marginalized people in society are often targets. Please note that the situation for LGBTQ+ people is constantly evolving in the region.


chart

Out of 203 countries ranked, over 1/3rd (35%), 71 countries rank "F".
27 countries got a "D-".
18 countries got a "D".
17 countries got a "D+".
15 countries got a "C-".
12 countries got a "C".
7 countries got a "C+".
3 countries got a "B-".
12 countries got a "B" (including the US).
9 countries got a "B+".
6 countries got an "A-".
5 countries got an "A". (Portugal, Malta, The Netherlands, Sweden, and Canada)



This is beyond sad, but serves as a powerful reminder that queer people still face many uphill battles.