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Saturday, dec 21
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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
Asbury Park Restaurant Fined For Discriminating Against Nonbinary Customer, AG Says
A restaurant in Asbury Park was fined after it was accused of having a dress code that discriminated against a nonbinary person, officials said. Brando’s Citi Cucina agreed to several punishments, including a $5,000 payment to the customer, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a news release on Friday, June 28. The restaurant was found to have violated the state's Law Against Discrimination (LAD). Investigators said Brando's refused to serve the customer because staff believed they weren't following the restaurant's dress code, banning men from wearing sleeveless shirts while …
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
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 …
Obituaries
Beloved Philly Drag Queen Valencia Prime Dies Mid-Performance At Popular Gay Bar
Members and allies of the LGBTQ community were coming together after a Philadelphia drag queen and transgender woman unexpectedly died mid-performance at a popular gay bar in the city. Valencia Prime, 25, was performing at Tabu Lounge and Sports bar on Monday, Sept. 12 when she suddenly collapsed onstage, bar owner Jeffrey Sotland told NBC News. Her cause of death was not immediately known. "Today we mourn the loss of a very bright and rising star in the performance community and a person who was always full of love and positivity," the business said in a statement shared on Facebook and…
News
NJ Newlyweds' Pride Flag Vandalized During Hawaiian Honeymoon (
Video
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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
Ex-Con Indicted In Brutal Slaying Of LGBTQ+ Advocate, Motive Remains A Mystery
Authorities this week still hadn't offered a motive for why an ex-con killed a 23-year-old LGBTQ+ advocate from Trenton in a horrific shooting this summer. “Detectives continue to investigate what prompted the attack,” Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said in announcing an indictment charging ex-con Daniel L. Smith, 37, with murder in the July 30 shooting of Shaquil Loftin, also known as Shai Vanderpump. Shaquil Lofti was pronounced dead at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton a short time after being found with several gunshots wounds in the face in a house on Kelsey …
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…
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