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Sunday, dec 1
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LGBTQ
Politics
Meet Andy Kim, Curtis Bashaw: NJ Politicians Vying For Menendez's Former Seat
Rep. Andy Kim, D-NJ and Curtis Bashaw, a business owner, are running for Sen. Bob Menendez's old senate seat after the disgraced senator resigned following his conviction on felony corruption charges. Here's a little bit about the two candidates: Kim has represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district since 2019. He jumped into the race upon Menendez's indictment and fended off a challenge from First Lady Tammy Murphy, whose campaign struggled, forcing her to drop out before the primary. Kim's lasting impact in the race may be upending New Jersey's controversial "line" system. A j…
News
Hoboken Council Erupts In Celebration Honoring Local Music Legend Steve Fallon
Steve Fallon helped put the Hoboken music scene on the map. The owner of Maxwell's, the legendary music venue that played host to everyone from REM to Nirvana, was feted at the Hoboken City Council meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 23, receiving a standing ovation from the council and those at the meeting. "No one has ever accused the Hoboken city council of being cool but tonight we're kinda cool, because we're honoring Steve Fallon," Councilman Phil Cohen said. Fallon opened Maxwell's at 1039 Washington St. in 1978 and it quickly became the place to hear the hottest indie music. He also formed …
Politics
Anti-Gay Candidate Whose Brother Was Fired From NJ Job For Supporting Her Loses Big
It has not been a good week for the Gomez family. Valentina Gomez, who had been running in the Republican primary for Missouri Secretary of State, finished in sixth place on Tuesday, Aug. 6, receiving just 7.4% of the vote, after a campaign filled with anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. Her brother, Jonathan Gomez-Noriega was fired from his job as an aide to Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop after donating $1,250 to Valentina's campaign. He apparently shared a recording of his phone call with the mayor with his sister, who promptly posted it on social media. Gomez-Noriega also resigned fr…
Politics
Jersey City Mayoral Aide Fired After Supporting Sister's Anti-Gay Political Campaign
An aide to Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop was fired after a show of support for his sister's political campaign known for its anti-gay rhetoric. Local political leaders, including Hudson County Executive Craig Guy and Rep. Rob Menendez, D-NJ, also called for Jonathan Gomez-Noriega's resignation from the city's LGBTQ+ task force after it was revealed he made four donations to his sister, Valentina Gomez. Valentina is running for the Republican nomination for Missouri Secretary of State. Her brother's donations totaled $1,200. View this post on Instagram …
News
'Crazy Left Wingers Who Hate America:' NJ Bakery Receives Bizarre Anti-Pride Letter
A New Jersey bakery has received an influx of sweet support after receiving a bitter anti-Pride letter in the mail. Sweet n' Fancy Emporium on South Avenue East in Cranford a letter in the mail earlier this month, signed by the Citizens of Cranford. "As a concerned citizen that was about to shop at your site… I noticed the rainbow flag hanging in your window," the typed letter reads "I have notified all of my girlfriends who in turn have decided to boycott your store. It is not that we despise the flag… it is just we do not want to be associated with crazy left wingers who hate America." O…
News
NJ Man Sets Fire To Jack Daniel's Collection Since Company 'Went Woke'
Pauly Michaelis said he was the biggest fan of Jack Daniel's whiskey for more than 40 years. The operative word being "was." Wearing denim overalls and a frown, Michaelis set fire to his collection of Jack Daniel's merchandise in the backyard of what appears to be his Ocean County home, over complaints the company has gone too "woke." Among the items Michaelis torched in the viral Facebook video include a mirror, every Jack Daniel's glass he owned, a wooden sign, and numerous bottles of whiskey. To cap it off, Michaelis torched a $250 bottle of Jack Daniel's and a $100 bottle of the fame…
News
Newark Horror Film Scares Up Theaters
Newark is having its moment on the big screen. "Summoning Sylvia," which was filmed in Newark, opens in select theaters Friday, March 31 and is streaming on demand on Friday, April 7. The LGBTQ horror film is set at a gay bachelor party where a sinister spirit named Sylvia, who has a murderous past, is summoned and wrecks havoc on the proceedings. Things get even crazier when one of the groom's straight ex-military brother shows up to crash the party. The movie was filmed in June 2021 on DeGraw Avenue in the city, according to Steven Gorelick, the executive director of the NJ Motion …
News
Drag Show Sparks Outrage Among Parents, Teachers Of NJ High School
Parents and teachers of a New Jersey high school expressed frustration over administration's handling of a student drag show in October. The event at Hunterdon Central Regional High School was held on Oct. 27, leaving teachers outraged over the loss of instructional time. Parents additionally expressed concern at a recent board meeting, according to footage shared by Libs of TikTok on Twitter: “Instead of our students being engaged in academic time, they were applying makeup and changing into their drag costumes,” says one parent. “This was a loss of over 30 minutes of instructional time fo…
Lifestyle
Amazon Seeking Actors OK With Nudity For Pilot Filming In NJ
An Amazon pilot set to film in New Jersey in Spring 2023 is searching for a cast of unique characters with one big catch, you've got to be ok getting naked. All six roles 5th House Casting is looking for, the company asks that you are ok with nudity as it is required. The casting is for 18+ people to play teenagers who survive an accident and end up in "an intergalactic fight between good and evil," the casting call reads. High school, hormones, love and superpowers are part and parcel of the show. The six 18 through 20-year-olds should also all be able to play 15 or …
Police & Fire
$2.5K Cash Reward For Clues After 11 Pride Flags Damaged, Stolen In Hunterdon County
Authorities are offering a hefty cash reward for clues leading to an arrest after 11 pride flags were reported stolen or damaged in Hunterdon County. The LGBTQ+ pride flags were stolen from homes throughout Frenchtown Borough between Sunday, August 7, and Monday, August 8, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson said. The incidents seem primarily isolated between 4th through 6th Streets, according to a post on the borough’s Facebook page. Update Acts of Vandalism in Frenchtown Borough -- UPDATED 8/10/22 The Hunterdon County CrimeStoppers are offering a... Posted by Frenchtown Bo…
News
NJ Newlyweds' Pride Flag Vandalized During Hawaiian Honeymoon (
Video
)
Coming out was difficult for Natalie Ferrazzano. It was about 4.5 years ago, and she wanted to live her truth. The following year, she met her future wife: Kara Ferrazzano. That was when she began to feel free. The two married last September, and as the saying goes, they lived happily ever after. Mostly... While honeymooning in Hawaii last month, the newlyweds got some bad news from their neighbor back home in Bloomfield: Someone had ripped down the gay flag on their porch, and ripped a pride sign from their garden. Kara and Natalie checked their Ring doorbell footage and, sure enough,…
Police & Fire
LGBTQ+ Resort Owner Arrested In Miami For Another Child Sex Assault — This One In NJ: Report
A 54-year-old co-owner of a "clothing optional" resort charged last month with sexually assaulting a child on his Pennsylvania campgrounds is in custody again for the same — this time for an incident that happened in New Jersey, the Pocono Record reports. Patrick Gremling was arrested in Miami on an out-of-of-state warrant accusing him of sexually assaulting the victim in Little Egg Harbor in 2012, the outlet says. The new charges against Gremling, of Jim Thorpe, were filed two weeks after he was arrested by Pennsylvania State Police for sexually assaulting the same child — then in mid…
News
This NJ District Just Swore In Its First Openly Transgender BOE Member
Daniella Mendez is going down in LGBTQ history. Mendez, 33, on Tuesday was sworn into the Dover Board of Education as its first openly transgender woman. I invite you all to join us tomorrow, Tuesday January 4, 2022 at 6:30 pm to the Dover Board of Education reorganization... Posted by Daniella Mendez for Dover Board Of Education on Monday, January 3, 2022 Mendez is no stranger to minority groups and has long been advocating for them. With an Italian and Puerto Rican background, she was raised by her grandmother in Paterson, where she says her experience was less than comforting. “Cla…
News
Jersey Shore Wrestling Champ Arrested By FBI On Child Porn Charges
A New Jersey state wrestling champion and coach who made national headlines when he revealed that he’s gay was arrested by the FBI Wednesday on child porn charges, federal authorities said. Alec Donovan, 24, of Brick Township also used an app to “solicit and engage in conversations with minors, including requesting nude photographs from the minors and sending nude photographs to them,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Donovan, who records show has coached at the Shorething Wrestling Club in Lakewood, “sent three videos containing images of child sexual abuse and received two vide…
Police & Fire
LGBTQ+ Advocate Killed In Trenton Shooting Was Protecting Loved One, Friends Say
A 23-year-old LGBTQ+ advocate was shot and killed last Friday in Trenton, with their killer in custody as of Monday morning, authorities said. Shaquil Lofti was found with gunshot wounds in their face in a house on Kelsey Avenue around 4:40 a.m., Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said. They were transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead a short time later. The accused gunman, Daniel L. Smith, 36, was arrested in a traffic stop the following day, authorities said. He is charged with one count of murder and multiple weapons offenses. The …
News
Sheriff: Attacker Admits Beating, Leaving Hudson Man For Dead Because He Thought He Was Gay
A Baltimore man admitted luring and then savagely beating a learning-disabled man from West New York in North Hudson Park, leaving him for dead, because he thought he was gay, authorities said. José Tobias Carranza Serrano, 18, was captured by police in Bayonne who found him and his clothes covered in blood while arresting him on a trespassing charge, it was revealed Wednesday. Carranza Serrano confessed to them that he lured the 37-year-old victim into a wooded area of the North Bergen park, where he tried to kill him because he "does not like homosexuals," an affidavit filed by the Hudson…
News
'Not Your Therapy Session': NJ High School Valedictorian Cut Off During LGBTQ Graduation Speech
The valedictorian of a New Jersey high school was cut off by a school administrator during his speech during the graduation ceremony while discussing his LGBTQ identity. Eastern Regional High School's Bryce Dersham says his graduation speech was cut short when he began discussing LGBTQ and mental health struggles -- things that he was told he was not allowed to include in his speech. Video shows the principal then stepping behind Dershem on the podium -- then suddenly, Dershem's mic was silenced. A gay pride flag draped over Dersham's shoulders, the audience cheers in his support, hop…
Police & Fire
Pennsylvania's Carl Nassib Is First Active NFL Player To Publicly Come Out As Gay
West Chester, PA native and Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to publicly come out as gay. Although several athletes have come out after retiring from the NFL, Nassib made history by opening up about his sexual orientation while still being an active player. The 28-year-old said in a video posted to Instagram Monday that he has been "meaning to do this for a while now but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carl Nassib (@carlnass…
News
New Jersey Adds Gender 'X' Option For Drivers Licenses
The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission is adding an “X” gender option to drivers licenses and non-driver identification cards. Gender “X” will indicate a gender is unspecified, and it will be offered alongside the existing “M” (male) and “F” (female) gender options on licenses and IDs. This is offered not only to New Jersey residents who identify as non-binary, but for anyone who prefers that their gender not be specified on their license or ID. The MVC previously announced the ability to change the M/F gender designation on licenses and IDs in February 2020, following passage of the “B…
News
PA's Rachel Levine Poised To Become First Openly Transgender Federal Official
President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine as his assistant secretary of health. This makes Levine poised to become the first openly transgender federal official confirmed by the U.S. Senate. "Dr. Levine has been a wise, calm, and dedicated partner during this pandemic and I couldn’t be prouder of the tireless work she’s done to serve Pennsylvanians," Gov. Tom Wolf said. "She will be missed, but I know she will be a tremendous leader at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services." Levine is a pediatrician having previously served as Pen…
Obituaries
Northern Highlands Regional HS Grad Phillip Hayward Dies, 23
Quick wit. Sharp humor. A bright light and unique character. This is how Ho-Ho-Kus native Phillip Hayward is being remembered. He died on Aug. 24 at 23 years old -- but his legacy lives on, thanks to a GoFundMe launched by Gabrielle Rodriguez in his memory. The $11,800 that had been raised as of Tuesday morning will be donated to "The Trevor Project" in Phillip's name. The American non-profit organization focuses on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth. A Northern Highlands Regional High School graduate, Phillip earned his Ba…
Lifestyle
Bergen County Transgender Model Bares All For PETA
Model and trans rights activist Carmen Carrera is baring it all in a PETA ad that proclaims: “Transform Your Wardrobe: Don't Wear Fur!" The ad features Carrera, formerly of Elmwood Park, standing confidently with her body covered in rainbow-colored text blocks representing the LGBTQ+ community. "Learning about the fur industry, I didn't realize that these animals suffer to the very end," Carrera said. "I've seen videos of animals getting beaten [who] are crying for help. "After seeing that, just the amount of bloodshed, the amount of violence, the animals' cries, like, really got me, becau…
News
W. Orange Middle School Student's 'Lesbians' Shirt Draws Punishment, Praise
An eighth-grader from West Orange caused a stir when she wore a shirt proclaiming "We're All Lesbians" to class at Liberty Middle School -- but the school district is now praising the girl's gesture for prompting a healthy dialogue about tolerance. Justice Cillo-Smith, who identifies as lesbian, was told by a guidance counselor that the shirt violates school district policy prohibiting clothing containing sexual innuendo or inappropriate language, her mother, Gwen Wu, wrote on Facebook. Wu added that the school's principal said officials were trying to prevent the girl from becoming a tar…
News
County Executive: Hackensack BOE Trustee Who Called LGBTQ Teaching 'Repugnant' Should Resign
Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco on Monday called for the resignation of a Hackensack School Board trustee who called new state laws that require teaching about LGBTQ history “repugnant.” “Bergen County’s diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and the thousands of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender help make us all stronger, and help make all of our 70 communities stronger," Tedesco said. “It is important that we stand in solidarity against bigotry, violence, and discrimination and continue to reaffirm our commitment to equal rights for everyone, especiall…
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