Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman thinks that both sides of the aisle are praying for his death, he told the New York Times. “What I have found out over the last couple of years is that the right, and now the left, are hoping that I die,” Fetterman said. “There are ones that are rooting for another blood clot. They have both now been wishing that I die.” Fetterman has been criticized by Democrats for announcing, “I'm not a progressive” in an NBC News interview earlier this week. “I just think I'm a Democrat that is very committed to choice and other things. But with Israel, I'm going t…

Read More

View the full article

By Seamus Duff Victoria Beckham amused her fans when she shared a provocative video of her husband exercising. The 49-year-old former Spice Girl has been married to 48-year-old former footballer David since 1999 and together they share four children. The duo have been desperately grabbing public attention since as long as their romance has run – and the managed to survive a bitter affair claim that rocked their romance in 2004. Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Vicky ensured she attracted some fresh attention as she covertly videoed Dave while he was busy doing some exercises on the floor of the…

Read More

View the full article

By Amelia Ward Legendary singer Cher has ‘confirmed' herself for Glastonbury 2024, during a conversation with Rylan Clark. The singer, who has already been rumoured for the coveted ‘legends' slot on the Sunday afternoon of the four day festival, was speaking to Rylan on Radio 2. Chatting to the BBC radio presenter on Scott Mills' show, the 77-year-old icon revealed that she would be more than happy to appear at the event. Rylan said: “There are so many rumours, you haven't done it yet, Glastonbury. Are we ever going to see Cher take on that Legends slot at Glastonbury?” To which Cher replied: …

Read More

View the full article

Kelly Clarkson nailed it! On the Tuesday, December 19, episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, the talented host performed a rendition of Cher's new tune “DJ Play a Christmas Song” — and the music icon loved the performance. The American Idol alum was joined by her band during the show's “Kellyoke” segment as she effortlessly performed the track. The Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again star reacted to the moment via X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “KELLY, U ACED IT. U GOT THE GIRL VERSION OF MY VOICE BABE,” she joked, referencing a recent interview about how she thinks her voice is androgynous….

Read More

View the full article

In a 4-3 decision, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled, on Tuesday, December 19, that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from the state ballot under Section 3 of the United States Constitution's 14th Amendment. According to Section 3, an “officer” who has engaged in “insurrection” is ineligible to hold political office. And the Colorado Supreme Court has reversed a lower court ruling in which District Judge Sarah B. Wallace agreed that Trump engaged in “insurrection” after the 2020 presidential election but wrote that as president, he wasn't an “officer” under the 14th Amendment. Conse…

Read More

View the full article

A cop's decision to sport a body camera and search a Massachusetts middle school for a book has raised serious concerns among civil liberties experts, a new report shows. The Berkshire Eagle reported Wednesday on mounting fears after the Great Barrington plainclothes police officer who entered an eighth grade classroom at W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School. “Police going into schools and searching for books is the sort of thing you hear about in communist China and Russia,” Ruth A. Bourquin, senior and managing attorney for the ACLU of Massachusetts, told the local news outlet. “What are we…

Read More

View the full article

PHILADELPHIA — Hundreds of copies of a highly coveted Taylor Swift vinyl release have been inconspicuously hanging out on the shelves of one Berks County record shop for the last seven months. When superfans found out, they went into a frenzy, descending on Kutztown for a chance to own the record. Some drove for more than a dozen hours, flew hundreds of miles, and even messaged strangers and offered bribes for the chance to own a copy of the rare LP. Now, the shop — Young Ones Records — has one final copy left for a lucky Swiftie. Swift released Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, a live …

Read More

View the full article

Sarah Paulson has been in a relationship with her girlfriend, fellow actress Holland Taylor, since 2015. Sarah has often gushed about her partner of eight years in both interviews and social media posts. Hollywood stars Sarah and Holland first met in 2005 at a dinner party. Sarah later recalled Holland “was the most exquisitely beautiful woman” she'd ever seen, even though the pair were both in relationships at the time. It wasn't until a decade later when the pair became an item in late 2015 after Holland slid into Sarah's DMs. They have been together ever since. Early years of Sarah Paulson …

Read More

View the full article

By Tatiana Krisztina Madonna has shared an update about her health scare this past summer. The Like A Prayer singer spoke to the crowd while performing this weekend at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. She first thanked her friend Shavawn, who she said was the one who rushed her to the hospital after she fainted. “There are some very important people in the room tonight that were with me at the hospital. There's one very important woman who dragged me to the hospital,” Madge said, “I don't even remember; I passed out on my bathroom floor and woke up in the ICU… I was in an induced c…

Read More

View the full article

Dwight Howard unleashed a string of smoking gun text messages to show the man accusing him of sexual assault allegedly went ballistic after the ex-NBA star ended their short-lived fling, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal. Howard, 38, submitted the text messages as evidence to get a scandalous Georgia lawsuit filed by Stephen Harper tossed out of court. The ex-NBA star said the texts showed the victim was allegedly interested in hanging out with the former L.A. Lakers hunk after the alleged attack. “Ultimately, Mr. Harper's anger and contacts with Mr. Howard continued to escalate to the po…

Read More

View the full article

Harrison Ford says he and Brad Pitt clashed over the plot of their 1997 thriller movie and “didn't have a script that Brad and I agreed on.” In an interview for Esquire, the 81-year-old opened up about working with his co-star on their 90s blockbuster, which he had previously said was “tough.” The Devil's Own revolves around Harrison Ford's character, who is an Irish-American policeman who takes in an IRA terrorist pretending to work as an immigrant construction worker. Brad Pitt, who played the character, also didn't have the kindest of words about the film, saying it was “the most irresponsi…

Read More

View the full article

Court documents set to be released in early January 2024 will reportedly expose high-profile associates connected to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, RadarOnline.com can report. The unsealing of the documents, which was ordered by Judge Loretta Preska on Tuesday, reportedly promises to shed new light on Epstein's vast sex trafficking operation and the network of influential individuals involved. According to Daily Mail, up to 177 people linked to Epstein will be identified across hundreds of previously unreleased files. The release of the court documents reportedly stemmed from a defamatio…

Read More

View the full article

Over the past few days multiple news reports paint a picture of GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis in massive trouble, as the January 15, 2024 “first in the nation” Iowa Caucuses quickly approach. But it's not just the DeSantis campaign that's appearing to crumble. It's DeSantis' legacy. “Florida voters are starting to turn on Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to new polling from Progress Florida and Florida Watch,” Florida Politics reports Tuesday. The two groups, together known as the Florida Communications and Research Hub, “found Florida voters weary of the presidential candidate's agenda….

Read More

View the full article

A Florida Republican lawmaker's bill declares showing support for LGBTQ people is a “political viewpoint,” despite the existence of LGBTQ Democrats, Republicans, independents, and entirely unaffiliated and non-political LGBTQ people. The goal of GOP State Rep. David Borrero's legislation is to ban all versions of the LGBTQ pride flag from any and all local government buildings, including schools and universities. “A governmental entity may not erect or display a flag that represent [sic] a political viewpoint, including, but not limited to, a politically partisan, racial, sexual orientation an…

Read More

View the full article

By Charlie Jones The owner ofan LGBT bar has been arrested and charged after a police SUV ‘swerved to miss a dog' and smashed into the front of the bar. After the crash the alarmed co-owners, James Pence and Chad ‘Wick' Morris, came down and the police ended up slapping them both in handcuffs. The bizarre incident happened at around 12.30am Monday morning at Bar:PM in St Louis, Missouri, US. Mr Pence told RFT that the police officer who was driving told him he had swerved to miss a dog in the middle of South Broadway. He also said he has security camera footage of the crash but is not making i…

Read More

View the full article

New York [US], December 17 (ANI): The biopic set at Universal Pictures on American singer-songwriter Madonna has been scrapped already and actor Julia Garner may not be playing the iconic role but she teamed up with ‘Material Girl' singer for a performance, reported People. Several months after the film on the pop icon's life, which she was set to write, produce, and direct, was revealed to be cancelled by Universal Pictures, she brought out the actress, 29, who was set to play her, on stage. The Emmy winner appeared as a special guest judge during the vogueing segment of the programme, inspir…

Read More

View the full article

Madonna paused her concert in Brooklyn to give a humorous shout out to Andy Cohen. In video footage from the Saturday, December 16, show, the singer can be seen interacting with the Bravo star, who appears to be sitting in one of the front rows at the Barclays Center. “Andy, if you say one more bad thing about me on your show… you're gonna get in so much trouble,” the superstar, 65, quipped at Cohen. “You little troublemaking queen.” The dad-of-two, 55, smiled and insisted he's a huge fan, mouthing, “I love you,” to which Madonna replied, “Yeah, sure. It's that crazy kind of love. I know about…

Read More

View the full article

Germany's commissioner for LGBTIQ+ rights has called Pope Francis's decision to open the door to allowing the blessing of same-sex unions by Catholic priests “a signal long overdue.” “This means that all those in Germany who want to bless same-sex couples will also receive support,” Sven Lehmann told dpa on Monday. The step meant that “there is no first or second class love. There is only love.” However, distinguishing between regular and irregular partnerships, as the Vatican continues to do, is still discriminatory, Lehmann stressed. A declaration published by the Vatican on Monday allows th…

Read More

View the full article

(Changes headline) By Gram Slattery, Simon Lewis, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Donald Trump in a second term would likely install loyalists in key positions in the Pentagon, State Department and CIA whose primary allegiance would be to him, allowing him more freedom than in his first presidency to enact isolationist policies and whims, nearly 20 current and former aides and diplomats said. The result would enable Trump to make sweeping changes to the U.S. stance on issues ranging from the Ukraine war to trade with China, as well as to the federal institutions that implement -…

Read More

View the full article

By Jacob Leeks Josh Cavallo, one of just two openly gay top-flight footballers, has shared the vile death threats that he has been sent ever since he came out two years ago. The Adelaide United star made history in October 2021, when he became the world's first openly gay active top-flight footballer. Since then, Cavallo has frequently spoken out in support of LGBT+ rights around the world and marched at New York Pride. But the 24-year-old has been forced to deal with continuous homophobic abuse and death threats. The Australian has now published a selection of the sickening threats he has rec…

Read More

View the full article

KAMPALA (Reuters) – As a Ugandan court hears a challenge on Monday to one of the world's harshest anti-LGBT laws, there's more at stake than the simple constitutionality of the statute. LGBT activists say the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) has given Ugandans an implicit licence to abuse and discriminate against sexual minorities. While at least five people have been charged under the AHA since its enactment in May, including two for alleged offences that carry the death penalty, hundreds more have suffered torture, sexual abuse, intimidation and eviction at the hands of private citizens, accordi…

Read More

View the full article

In a surprising turn of events, the Vatican has blessed same-sex couples under specific conditions, marking a little break from the Catholic Church's traditional stance on homosexuality.

Vatican's Blessings: An Acknowledgement, Not an Endorsement of Same-sex Relationship

The Vatican has emphasized that the blessing does not indicate an endorsement of homosexual acts, which they still consider sinful. The blessings merely acknowledge the “lifelong commitment of same-sex couples.” The details of these conditions have not been fully disclosed, according to Reuters.

Pope Francis, known for his somewhat progressive views, has been the driving force behind this change. His even limited support for same-sex unions sets him apart from his predecessors and adds a dimension to the Church's engagement with sexuality and marriage issues. They seem determined to maintain their awkward discomfort and disdain.

Blessings too little and too late?

At the heart of the debate of course is the fact that this issue — like the rotation of the sun around the moon, evolutionary theory, contraception, divorce, adoption, the role of women, and considering what LGBTQ lives to be defined by sin –is question of traditional teachings remaining stubbornly out of sync with scientific facts, and changed societal attitudes, even by a majority of members ion the church.

German Priests Have Gone Rogue. US Church Attendance is in Free Fall

This type of separate and not liturgical blessing may be literally the least they could do. The Vatican has been unable to do anything about priests in Germany going rogue to bless unions and others continue to bless gay couples quietly around the world.

Responses will undoubtedly be mixed, as are the reasons behind making this move right now. While there are clearly some in the Vatican concerned with recognizing our humanity, likely as many or more hope to slow the free-fall in church affiliation and attendance of recent decades. It's a move similar and cynical as the increased corporate presence at Pride Events driven by recruiting needs. A show of company values to get young heterosexual Millennial and Gen Z workers.

By The Folks Who Sexually Molested Millions of Kids and Covered it Up…

Then, of course there is the elephant in the room. The insane hypocrisy of priests being restrained or at all judgmental about blessing anyone, let alone upstanding gay couples of majority age in supportive relationships is not likely to be acknowledged any time soon. (The number of children sexually molested by priests globally is estimated to be in the millions. Here's an AP global roundup.)

It's been more than 33 years since ACT Up and WHAM's STOP The Church action in New York to protest the Cardinal and Church policies discriminating people with AIDS even under their substantial contracts to provide public care, denying reproductive health, refusing to allow condom use,. Among the more controversial, most widely covered, and most reflexively condemned protest by the group, it actually sparked mainstream groups like GMHC to ask more of the church, catalyzed local change and provided another frame for talking about its role. .

So, there's alway a possibility this announcement will lead even more Catholics to leave when offered more concrete proof that their church is not getting there any time soon, and they won't likely be alive to see it.

Many, many — if not a majority of — American Catholics have come a long way already. 76% favor changing the ban on contraceptives and they may join the rest of the country in seeing this announcement as so very little and so late.

All that said, this decision does indicate the possibility of a new era of openness within the Church, though many clergy globally oppose any movement. It may be the first in a long line of drawn out tortured steps to bring the church in line with changing societal attitudes towards homosexuality and same-sex relationships.

When they get there will anyone be around to care?

Also on Towleroad

Pope Francis: Gay Couples are Not Families

Pope Francis: Gay Children ‘Have the Right to a Family, and the Family Not Throwing Them Out'

Pope Francis Calls for Civil Unions for Gay Couples

Illustration created by the AI machine

View the full article

Washington (AFP) – One month from now, the Midwestern state of Iowa kicks off the US 2024 primary season, and Donald Trump will discover whether he has an insurmountable lead for the Republican presidential nomination, or opponents can spring a surprise. Four criminal indictments are pending against Trump, putting the former president at risk of imprisonment. Still, he has one of the biggest poll advantages in modern times over Republican rivals at this point in a campaign. While they all are vying to run in next November's election as the party seeks to unseat Democratic President Joe Biden, …

Read More

View the full article

A surprising decision by the Supreme Court this past week to not even consider taking up a challenge to a so-called “gay conversion” ban in Washington state caught the eyes of two legal scholars who claimed members of the nation's highest court seems to have had theirfill of specious far-right legal claims. In a back-and-forth between Slate's Mark Joseph Stern and Dahlia Lithwick, Stern noted the fact that a proposed review of the Tingley v. Ferguson case received only three votes from a court with a six-to-three conservative to liberal membership. That rebuke of the case that needed only four…

Read More

View the full article

By Sarah Lumley “Gooning” is the hottest sex act of the last five years – with Google searches for the term having risen by almost 800% during this time, figures have revealed. The kinky term refers to prolonging sexual arousal through sensory overload, often involving hypnotic stimuli. And it has topped a list of kink-related searches that have seen the biggest surge of Google searches since 2018 – coming out ahead of femboy, a male who displays traditionally feminine characteristics, which has seen a 504% increase in searches. Other popular terms of recent years include thirst trap, which in…

Read More

View the full article