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Published by Radar Online mega Donald Trump Jr. spoke out against the ongoing conservative boycott of Bud Light over their pro-LGBTQ+ ad campaign, RadarOnline.com has learned. The beer company has been facing an onslaught of protests from right-wing mouthpieces and celebrities such as Fox News’s Tucker Carlson and country rapper Kid Rock since the brand’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney was announced. mega Trump Jr posted a video on his Rumble account touting the brewery’s “conservative credentials,” saying it was wrong to “blame the whole company for the inaction or the stupidity of someone in a marketing campaign that got woke as hell.” He claimed to have researched Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company, and found they mainly donated to Republicans, before pointing out that his fellow conservatives sometimes had “the tendency of — shooting first and aiming second.” mega Squabbling Siblings: Ivanka Trump’s Brothers Feel She ‘Betrayed The Family’ In The Months Leading Up To Daddy Donald’s Arrest Donald Trump Jr. Posts Photo Of Judge’s 34-Year-Old Daughter After Ex-Prez Claims Family Has Ties To Kamala Harris Donald Trump Jr. Says ‘Vegetable’ John Fetterman’s ‘Unfit For Office’ After Being Hospitalized For Depression The 45-year-old claimed that a low-level marketing employee made the decision to partner with Mulvaney rather than the senior executives. “Last cycle, their employees and their PAC gave about 60 percent to Republicans and 40 percent to Democrats,” Trump Jr. told his 1.1 million followers. “That’s literally almost unheard of in corporate America, where it’s really easy to go woke, where they do so constantly, where there’s a consequence to actually being a conservative. So 60 / 40 to the conservative side is kind of a big deal.’ mega The former president’s son said he also respected the St. Louis-based beer company’s corporate approach. “On the lobbying front, we looked into the bills that Anheuser-Busch was working on,” he continued. “You know what they’re focused on, guys? They’ve focused on taxes and trade things that actually impact their business.” The far-right has spoken out against the trans community in recent years, with elected officials such as Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene referring to the growing number of people identifying as transgender as “apocalyptic.” Donald Trump recently spoke at the National Rifle Association, where he said, if re-elected, he would direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to study the effects of gender-affirming healthcare and “trans ideology” on mental health. Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free. View the full article

Published by Raw Story Bud Light’s partnership with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney caused many conservative voices to boycott the beer company, but there is reportedly now a GOP-led push to back off, or risk losing major funding. The National Republican Congressional Committee initially used the beer beef to raise funds in its latest “anti-woke” campaign, but on Saturday quietly deleted a tweet critical of the beer, whose owner happens to be one of their biggest donors, Anheuser-Busch, according to the Daily Beast’s report. The outlet reported that the NRCC, which backs Republican congressional c… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story Donald Trump Jr. thinks the right-wing freakout over Bud Light has gone too far, reported The Independent on Friday. Furious conservatives launched a boycott of Bud Light after the company partnered with Dylan Mulvaney, a TikTok influencer who is transgender, during the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament. “Ms. Mulvaney has documented her experiences of transitioning in the past year in her day ‘of being a girl’ series. The company also released a can showing her face,” reported The Independent. “That led to many conservative figures expressing outrage about the partnership. Kid Rock post… Read More View the full article

Published by Al-Araby Teaching pro-LGBTQ+ lessons in Morocco-based French schools has led to several lawsuits against the institutions prompting a layered debate on the colonial legacy of French mission schools and widespread homophobia in the North African state. The controversy began last December when a teacher at the French mission school of Balzac “encouraged students to accept the notions of homosexuality,” according to local reports. As some parents learned about the teacher’s lessons they reported the incident to the school’s administration which “remained silent and indifferent.” Three months later, the pa… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis managed to anger both Democrats and Republicans on Thursday, people in his state and out of his state, as he continued his unofficial run for president while ignoring real problems at home – and creating new ones just before the stroke of midnight. For starters, Governor DeSantis has ignored a massive flooding crisis in Fort Lauderdale that’s closed the airport for two days. His absence forced the Democratic mayor when asked by a reporter at a press conference on the more than two feet of water that fell from the skies in just two days, to diplomatica… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Gram Slattery MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters) – On issues of policy, Tim Scott, the latest Republican to declare he is interested in a 2024 presidential bid, runs largely with the current, following the party line on hot button matters from abortion to immigration. On issues of style, however, the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate is swimming against the tide, betting that a relentless focus on unity and optimism can appeal in a party where many voters appear hungry for a bare-knuckled brawl. That sunny disposition was on display on Thursday at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester, New Hampshire, a tiny greasy spoon serving French toast and pancakes, where Scott made small talk with patrons, some of whom appeared startled by the sudden arrival of a U.S. senator during breakfast. “What I found on the campaign trail is that people are starving for an optimistic message,” said Scott, after chatting to voters here, one day after announcing the launch of a presidential exploratory committee. Voters need to “focus on the progress we’ve made, and why we made that progress,” he added. In past elections, such rhetoric was unremarkable. President Ronald Reagan, a hero to many conservatives, famously cruised to re-election in 1984 saying, it was “morning in America,” a slogan borrowed by multiple Republicans since. Yet they are words unlikely to be uttered by leading 2024 Republican contenders now, at least by former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who have leaned on light-versus-dark imagery in the opening stages of the campaign. During one of his first campaign events in January, Trump pledged to “stop left-wing radical racists and perverts,” telling his supporters he was “angry.” DeSantis has gone aggressively after political opponents and others who oppose his policies in recent months. He is currently trying to strip Disney World of local government powers due to its opposition to legislation which restricts teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida public schools. He has also pushed for changes to the way Black history is taught. By contrast, ten prominent Scott supporters, including donors and party officials, said his sunny, inclusive demeanor is a major selling point in them being open to voting for him. But they acknowledged they were unsure if the South Carolina native’s positivity still sold among voters who feel besieged by what they see as a corrupt, leftist elite. Those feelings are particularly acute after Trump’s indictment earlier this month for his alleged role in hush-money payments to two women before the 2016 election. If Scott runs, his campaign will be an experiment that optimism still sells among Republican voters, they said. “In a primary setting, where you have mostly Republicans voting, many feel that America is under attack from within and what is required to turn things around are personalities like Donald Trump,” said Maurice Washington, the head of the Charleston County, South Carolina, Republican Party, and a confidante of Scott. “I know of Republicans on the other hand who feel that it is time to pause, take a deep breath and work more towards healing among all people, and that’s where Senator Scott is. The question is which side – or bubble – within the Republican Party is holding the most votes.” While Scott is within the conservative mainstream, he has attempted to portray himself as unusually compassionate, drawing on his personal experience as the impoverished child of a single mother. Among the policies he has supported, which he often highlights, are the creation of “opportunity zones” to boost blighted communities and a tax credit program which helps low-income families with children. Scott struggled to answer questions in New Hampshire on Thursday when pressed by reporters on his stance on abortion pills. He has backed a ban on abortion after 20 weeks of gestation, a position that divides Americans, opinion polls show. LONG ROAD AHEAD At the campaign stop in Manchester, Scott – who is well-known for his skill with face-to-face, “retail politics” – made small talk with patrons on topics as innocuous as baseball. “You know, the vision he’s putting forward is a positive vision for the future. I hope we see more of that from more candidates,” said Chris Maidment, a New Hampshire Republican county chair, while exiting the cramped diner where Scott spoke. Maidment jokingly knocked the senator for ordering grits, a dish more common in Scott’s South Carolina than in northern New England. If Scott formally enters the race, one major challenge will be boosting his name recognition, his supporters acknowledge. As of now, he has no more than 2% support in all major polls. Some potential donors find his positivity appealing but worry that he would struggle against Trump, who dominates headlines. He will also have to best another South Carolina native, former Governor Nikki Haley, who threw her hat into the ring in February and who shares a similar base of donors, allies and voters. “The people that are most stressed out about it are the donors,” said Chip Felkel, a South Carolina Republican operative. “Do they cut their contributions in half and split it, do they pick one, or do they keep their powder dry?” Chris Ager, the chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party and an attendee at the Scott event, said the state’s Republicans “welcome him to the debate.” But will they buy the sunny vision he is selling? “Time will tell,” Ager said. “I’ve heard both sides. As party chairman, I want to see unity. I want to see us together. But I also want to see somebody fighting the policies that we disagree with that are coming from the Democrats.” (Reporting by Gram Slattery, editing by Ross Colvin and Alistair Bell) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine cbs;mega Stephen Colbert is taking a stand against celebrities expressing their hateful opinions on the transgender community. Earlier this month, Kid Rock shared a video of himself shooting a case of Bud Light after the brand announced transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney as their new ambassador, so on the Tuesday, April 11, episode of the comedian’s late night show, he took the opportunity to ridicule the outspoken Republican and those like him. mega After calling Florida State Representative Webster Barnaby a “d******” for referring to transgender individuals as “mutants,” the series aired a mock commercial promoting a fake beer meant just for straight men. “Are you tired of woke beer that blurs gender lines? Wanna drink the beer that you were assigned at birth? Then reach for Shaft Beer: the only brew that comes in a can shaped like a p****,” the voiceover quipped. mega Stephen Colbert Jokes About Whether Joe Biden Is ‘Mentally Fit’ To Be President After Bizarre Remark About Easter Egg Rolls Kamala Harris Fails To Answer Question About What She Does As Vice President: ‘I Have The Great Privilege Of Serving With Joe Biden’ Stephen Colbert Slams Donald Trump After He’s Indicted On 34 Felony Counts: ‘Business Fraud Is His Brand’ The fake ad then called out Kid Rock by promoting a smaller version of the sip. “If you want less beer, try Shaft Light,” the clip stated. “It’s the same beer, but in a can the size of Kid Rock’s p****.” Colbert isn’t the only one slamming the “Cowboy” crooner for his behavior, as Howard Stern ripped him apart during the Monday, April 10, episode of his radio show. mega “I wish I could call Kid Rock and have him come on the show and just tell me, ‘Why are you so upset about this? How is it hurtful?’ I don’t know why he got so upset,” the famous disc jockey spilled. “Kid Rock, I know him. He’s got a great life. He transitioned from some kid in Michigan to a rock superstar! I’m really dumbfounded by why someone would care so much that they would blow up a can of Bud Light and say, ‘F*** Anheuser-Busch.’ I don’t get it.” Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for! Rosie O’Donnell, who came out in 2002, also slammed the singer for his hateful social media post. “Kid Rock had to take an assault weapon and shoot the boxes of beer, proving what?” the actress questioned on the Tuesday, April 11, episode of her podcast. “Gay people, trans people, we drink beer too. Put down your gun, Kid Rock, it’s in bad taste. Especially after what happened at the school in Nashville.” View the full article

Published by Raw Story Sean Kauffmann gave a stiff-arm Nazi salute as he arrived at a protest outside a drag show at a local brewpub in Cookeville, a small city about 75 miles east of Nashville, Tenn., in late January. “Kill all the n—ers and the Jews!” shouted a 15-year-old boy who had come with Kauffmann to protest the “Celebrity Drag Brunch,” an event benefiting a local LGBTQ advocacy organization. An array of fascist and far-right groups flanked Kauffmann and the boy, chanting homophobic slurs at the several dozen people across the street who had arrived to serve as informal protectors for the drag show performe… Read More View the full article

Published by The Spun By Chris Rosvoglou On Thursday, Time magazine officially published its annual Time 100, which honors the most influential people of the year. WNBA star Brittney Griner was included on this list. Griner, an eight-time WNBA All-Star, was detained in Russia in February of 2022 on drug-related charges, She was released in December after the United States agreed to a prisoner swap that also involved arms dealer Viktor Bout. WNBA legend Sue Bird wrote Griner’s entry. She had nothing but praise for the two-time Olympic gold medalist. “Brittney Griner’s story represents so much. First off, it’s about … Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters KAMPALA (Reuters) – When Frank Mugisha came out two decades ago, being gay in Uganda could be lonely and uncomfortable, but it was rarely a matter of life and death. Since then, as Mugisha has emerged as the country’s most prominent LGBTQ rights activist, the perils have multiplied. In 2011, his friend and colleague David Kato was bludgeoned to death. Mugisha regularly receives death threats. Politicians and religious organisations have fanned anti-gay sentiment and lobbied for harsh legislation, culminating in parliament’s passage last month of a bill that would criminalise even identifying as LGBTQ. “The Ugandan population has been radicalised to fear and hate homosexuals,” Mugisha, 38, told Reuters during an interview outside the capital, Kampala. “If I was seven, nine, twelve, fourteen, I don’t think I would tell anyone I am gay right now,” he said. And yet, Mugisha says he will not give an inch in the face of the new bill, which is awaiting President Yoweri Museveni’s signature. The bill passed with near unanimous support in parliament. If Museveni signs it – as he is widely expected to – Mugisha’s work could land him in jail under a provision that punishes the “promotion” of homosexuality with up to 20 years in prison. But Mugisha said he feels an obligation to fight back on behalf of LGBTQ Ugandans, many of whom have left the country or fled their homes for safe houses since the bill was passed. “I guess I am going to be in trouble a lot because I am not going to stop,” Mugisha said. The bill also imposes the death penalty for so-called aggravated homosexuality, which includes having gay sex while HIV-positive. COMING OUT A practising Catholic typically seen in a blue suit and white shirt, Mugisha had what he calls a normal childhood, going to school and playing soccer in his Kampala neighbourhood. He realised he was gay as early as the age of seven but did not start to come out until he was 14. His parents turned to prayer and traditional healers before landing somewhere between denial and acceptance, he said. Mugisha said he encountered no overt hostility from friends about his sexuality, although some kept their distance for fear they would be suspected of being gay themselves. In 2007, Mugisha took over leadership of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), an advocacy group he had earlier joined as an activist. In the following years, he saw a hardening of anti-LGBTQ views, which he attributes to campaigning by ultra-conservative Christian groups, some from the United States. “Homophobia and this whole anti-gay sentiment are Western. They are not Ugandan,” he said. Same-sex relations were first criminalised in Uganda under British colonial rule. Mugisha said historically Ugandans “frowned” upon homosexuality but did not want to harm gay people. Ugandan officials, by contrast, often say LGBTQ rights are a Western imposition. Mugisha’s friend Kato was killed in 2011 months after a local newspaper printed the names, photographs and addresses of him and others in the LGBTQ community and called for them to be hanged. The police said the murder was unconnected to his sexual identity, but Mugisha is certain that it was. He considered leaving Uganda then, but he stayed and led the campaign against a law enacted in 2014 that stiffened penalties for same-sex relations. That law was ultimately voided by the courts on procedural grounds and Mugisha is hoping for a similar outcome this time. “Many people are going to … challenge this law,” he said. “Looking at this legislation, I do not think it will survive.” (Editing by Aaron Ross and Nick Macfie) View the full article

Published by GB News Harry Potter is set to be brought to life in a new decade-long television series, it has been revealed. The series will be based on author JK Rowling’s books and will be produced over the course of a decade, with each series based on one of the seven books. It will feature a different cast to the films, with each season promising to be “authentic to the original books” and bring Harry Potter to new audiences. The series will be available on Max, a streaming service from Warner Bros, the production company behind the original films starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. “The n… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is facing strong criticism for mocking and attacking the U.S. Armed Forces and a U.S. Navy JAG Officer who spoke in a video published Wednesday by the U.S. Navy JAG Corps on its Instagram account. In the video, Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) Audrey Knutson tells about an event held aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier named after the 38th President and commissioned by Donald Trump, the 45th President, both Republicans. The event appears to be one on November 11, 2022, which was sponsored by a suicide prevention group and the ship’s Gay, Le… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News NEW YORK — Billy Porter’s dream role of playing writer James Baldwin has turned into reality. The Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner has been tapped to co-write, co-produce and star in an upcoming biopic about the cultural icon for Allen Media Group Motion Pictures. The film will be based on the 1994 book “James Baldwin: A Biography,” written by David Leeming. The University of Connecticut emeritus English professor was an assistant and friend of the trailblazing scribe for 25 years. Porter will team up with frequent collaborator Dan McCabe on the script. Baldwin was an openly gay, African Ame… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine (Reuters) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s newly formed oversight board is seeking to assert control over development in two cities where Walt Disney World Resort is located, the latest twist in a battle for authority over the company’s Florida theme parks. A resolution, seen on Tuesday by Reuters, would give the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board the power to review and evaluate development in the 25,000-square acres of property in and around Walt Disney Co’s theme parks. The district would hold “superior authority and control” over planning, zoning and other land use in the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, under a Florida law that formed the state-appointed oversight board. Disney’s major theme parks — The Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom — are within the city limits of Bay Lake, while the Disney Springs retail area sits in Lake Buena Vista. Some had speculated that Disney would use its influence over these two municipalities to maintain its autonomy over its resort. A hearing on the resolution is scheduled for April 19. A spokesperson for Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment. A spokesperson for the oversight board referred inquiries to an attorney, who was not immediately available for comment. State Republicans last year targeted Disney after it publicly clashed with DeSantis, widely considered a 2024 presidential candidate, over a law that restricts classroom instruction of gender and sexual orientation. In a move that current Disney CEO Bob Iger called retaliation, Florida lawmakers passed legislation that ended Disney’s virtual autonomy in developing 25,000 acres in central Florida where its theme parks are located. But before the takeover by DeSantis’s appointees, Disney pushed through changes to the special tax district agreement that limit the board’s action for decades. DeSantis has asked the Florida inspector general to investigate what he called “collusive and self-dealing arrangements” that aim to nullify recently passed legislation, and “defy the will of Floridians”. He said the prior board’s actions appear to represent improper delegation of authority, among other violations. (Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Sonali Paul) View the full article

Published by The Mercury News ANTIOCH, Calif. — For years, Antioch Police Department officers routinely used private text messaging groups to flout their racist views, using slurs in front of superiors without fear of reprisal. The horrific language was also common at work, the texts show, even in front of internal affairs investigators. Officers joked about harming Black residents — one offered to buy a “steak dinner” for anyone who shot Mayor Lamar Thorpe with a projectile used on protesters. Others joked about committing civil rights violations and eliciting false confessions. The comments were met with laughter, indiff… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Washington (AFP) – Deadly mass shootings in the United States have fueled a torrent of online disinformation targeting an unlikely group: transgender people. Before police identified the gunman who killed five people Monday at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, users on the fringe internet forum 4chan speculated that the shooter was transgender. Once Connor Sturgeon was named, right-wing commentators such as former Donald Trump aide Sebastian Gorka shared screenshots of the suspect’s LinkedIn page, pointing out that it included his pronouns. The narrative is the latest to fuel anti-LGBTQ disinformation on platforms such as Twitter, which analysts say has increased sharply since Elon Musk bought the company. After a late-March shooting at an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, a former “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant and transgender activist who goes by the name Miss Peppermint and is based in New York said she was shocked to see her name and photo above a tweet she never wrote. “At first I thought that I must have been hacked,” Peppermint told AFP. “Clearly I didn’t make that statement. It’s a statement that I would never have made.” The tweet said transgender people planning to “commit a heinous crime” should “clear your social media” to avoid potential blowback. Several conservative influencers shared it after police identified Nashville shooter Audrey Hale as transgender. Over the course of two days, Peppermint faced a barrage of harassment. “I was receiving actual death threats, people saying we’re coming with our guns for you, we know where you are,” she said. The disinformation that spread after the Nashville shooting came from “very online, right-wing troll accounts, who are always ready to capitalize on an emergency or a disaster,” said Heron Greenesmith, a senior research analyst at Political Research Associates. Activists say they worry about more fallout from such falsehoods, which come as more US states pass bills limiting gender-affirming health care and LGBTQ rights. “It is awful that anti-trans extremists are hijacking this moment to baselessly lie, spread disinformation and attack trans people, including Peppermint,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, an LGBTQ advocacy organization. Lack of moderation Anti-LGBTQ disinformation thrives on Twitter because “the platform prioritizes conflict,” Greenesmith said. Twitter has seen a spike in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric since Musk’s takeover of the company, according to a March report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). Posts mentioning the narrative that LGBTQ people are “grooming” children jumped 119 percent between October 2022 and March 2023, the group found. Five accounts promoting the claims generate up to $6.4 million per year in ad revenue, according to CCDH’s estimates. These accounts consist of right-wing influencers, some of whom were once suspended from Twitter for breaching the company’s hate speech policies. They were reinstated after Musk purchased the company. Exacerbating the spread of disinformation is Twitter’s updated verification policy, which no longer distinguishes between public figures and users who subscribe to Twitter Blue. “Verification was a piece of content moderation. Another piece that seems to be falling by the wayside,” Greenesmith said. Twitter Blue allows users to pay $8 per month to display a blue checkmark on their profile. But some have taken advantage of the new system to impersonate celebrities — including Peppermint. “While it hurts to get lied about, it’s even worse to see anti-trans activists using this moment to spread lies and disinformation about trans leaders,” she said in an Instagram post addressing the tweet impersonating her. Twitter responded to an AFP request for comment with a poop emoji, an automatic response that Musk launched in March. View the full article

Published by Global Voices Screenshot of a YouTube video from the bloggers YouTube channel In December 2022, Vladimir Putin signed a law enforcing an all-encompassing ban on so-called “LGBT propaganda” that included the internet, mass media, literature, cinema, and advertising. Violating the law entails administrative liability in the form of large fines; for foreigners and stateless persons it may result in expulsion from Russia. Apart from widespread censorship, the “anti-propaganda” law leads to unprecedented pressure on LGBTQ+ people and the organizations helping them. A few days ago, bloggers Gela Gogishvili and Ha… Read More View the full article