I Didn't Say It ...

Dan Reynolds, Imagine Dragons frontman, accepting the award for Top Rock Artist at the Billboard Music Awards and using the time to call for an end to gay conversion therapy:

“I just want to take this moment to say that there are still 34 states that have no laws banning conversion therapy. 34. And on top of that, 58% of our LGBTQ population live in those states. This can change but it’s going to take all of us talking to our state legislation, pushing forward laws to protect our LGBTQ youth. And lastly, I just want to say we have seen with conversion therapy that our LGBTQ youth have doubled the rate of depression, tripled the rate of suicide after conversion therapy. It’s not working. It needs to change.”

And speaking out at events like this gets that message out there.

Thanks Dan.

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Matt Easton, a political science student and practicing Mormon at Brigham Young University, came out as gay during his commencement speech:

“I stand before my family, friends, and graduating class today to say that I am proud to be a gay son of God. I am not broken. I am loved and important in the plan of our Great Creator. Each of us are. Four years ago, it would have been impossible for me to imagine that I would come out to my entire college. It is a phenomenal feeling. And it is a victory for me in and of itself.”

When Easton came out to that crowd, that predominantly Mormon crowd, they cheered him.

I wonder how the actual Church felt?

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Roseanne Barr, trying to stay relevant by being irrelevant:

“Uh, the word ‘fag’ is a really hateful word, isn’t it? Especially when it’s like one gay calling another gay guy that? Whoo! Have you ever been in the middle of one of them hate marriages? Whoof! It’s like, (mimicking an argument) ‘wait a minute, we’re not supposed to say that word.’ ‘How come you’re saying that word?’ ‘What?’ Oh, I just can’t say the word. Well, I can when I’m in the house, but I can’t say it outside of the house. Okay, I get your rules. But it is a hateful word and we should get rid of it,” added Barr. “Get rid of it being spoken. All that LGBTQ stuff, okay let me just be real, I put the Q in LGBTQ. Okay? Cause I am queer as two motherf**kers. I’m queer, I’m alien, I don’t belong here with all these people. They makes no sense. They are very queer. And that makes me a queer, I guess. But I did put the Q in it. Bye!”

I think she put the Q in “She Quit taking her meds.”

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Bernie Sanders, presidential hopeful, saying everyone should have the right to vote … even the Boston Marathon bomber:

“This is a democracy and we have got to expand that democracy, and I believe every single person does have the right to vote. Yes, even for terrible people, because once you start chipping away and you say, 'Well, that guy committed a terrible crime, not going to let him vote. Well, that person did that. Not going to let that person vote,' you're running down a slippery slope ... terrorists and murderers should have voting rights. So I believe people commit crimes and they paid the price and they have the right to vote. I believe even if they're in jail they're paying their price to society but that should not take away their inherent American right to participate in our democracy."

Um, Bernie, there’s a crime, like I stole a car, or I sold some weed, and then there’s a crime like I set off a bomb to murder and maim Americans.

One deserves the right to vote, one does not.

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Andy McKean, Iowa’s longest-serving Republican state lawmaker, on his defection to the Democratic Party because _____:

“With the 2020 presidential election looming on the horizon, I feel, as a Republican, that I need to be able to support the standard bearer of our party. Unfortunately, that’s something I’m unable to do. He sets, in my opinion, a poor example for the nation and particularly for our children by personally insulting—often in a crude and juvenile fashion—those who disagree with him, being a bully at a time when we are attempting to discourage bullying, his frequent disregard for the truth and his willingness to ridicule or marginalize people for their appearance, ethnicity or disability. I believe that it is just a matter of time before our party pays a heavy price for President _____’s reckless spending and shortsighted financial policies, his erratic, destabilizing foreign policy and his disregard for environmental concerns. If this is the new normal, I want no part of it.”

I say, ‘What took you so long,’ but I also say, ‘Welcome.’

The move puts Iowa Democrats four seats away from taking control of the Iowa House.

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Joe Scarborough, going off on religious hypocrite Franklin Graham, who called on Pete Buttigieg to repent for being gay.

“Just shut up Franklin Graham! You are a disgrace! You are a disgrace for normalizing Donald _____’s behavior … Here’s a man, who along with so many people in my community, the evangelical community, attacked Bill Clinton for his personal failings [yet] they are now using their … positions to gain political power and apologize for Donald _____. Now suddenly Franklin Graham’s talking about lifestyles and sinning, and a guy who has gone through a very difficult personal journey to figure out who he really is, he’s criticizing them for that? It’s not a lifestyle choice. Anyone who’s heard Pete Buttigieg talk knows that.”

Graham is exactly what’s wrong with so-called men of faith these days; their faith is less about god, and more about money and power; those are their real gods.

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Sam Donaldson, veteran journalist, on Lying Bag of Flesh, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and others in the White House for their transparent lying:

“Look, I’ve had the pleasure of working with almost every press secretary beginning with Pierre Salinger of John F. Kennedy’s administration and, except for Ron Ziegler who lied for Richard Nixon, I’ve never seen anything like this with Sarah Sanders … Sarah Sanders simply lies about everything taking a cue from her boss. Not just one thing. I think she’s had an Oscar, a lifetime achievement Oscar for lying. I feel a little sorry for her because it’s the boss who does it. She takes the cue from him. Leadership begins at the top. And so it is all the bad things that happen in the administration.”

We all know that _____ passed off his 10,000^th lie earlier this week, and Kellyanne and Huck aren’t far behind.

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James Clyburn, Democratic Congressman from South Carolina, on _____ talking idiotically again about Charlottesville and celebrating Robert E. Lee:

"Robert E. Lee was a slave owner and a brutal slave master. Thankfully, he lost that war. And I find it kind of interesting that the president is now glorifying a loser, he always said that he hated losers."

The president is a racist liar, so, yeah, there’s that.

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I Didn't Say It ....

Adam Schiff, Democratic congressman from California, to the GOP in Congress doing _____’s bidding by demanding he resign because he’s long claimed that evidence of _____’s collusion with Russia:

“My colleagues might think it’s OK that the Russians offered dirt on the Democratic candidate for president as part of what’s described as the Russian government’s effort to help the _____ campaign.

My colleagues might think it’s OK that when that was offered to the son of the president, who had a pivotal role in the campaign, that the son did not call the FBI, he did not adamantly refuse that foreign help—no, instead that son said he would ‘love’ the help with the Russians.

You might think it was OK that he took that meeting.

You might think it’s OK that Paul Manafort, the campaign chair, someone with great experience running campaigns, also took that meeting.

You might think it’s OK that the president’s son-in-law also took that meeting.

You might think it’s OK that they concealed it from the public.

You might think it’s OK that their only disappointment after that meeting was that the dirt they received on Hillary Clinton wasn’t better.

You might think it’s OK. I don’t.

You might think it's OK that [Flynn] secretly conferred with a Russian ambassador about undermining US sanctions & then lied about it to the FBI.

You might say that's all OK—that’s just what you have to do to win... I think it's corrupt & evidence of collusion.

You might think it’s OK that the president’s son-in-law sought to establish a secret back channel of communication with Russians through a Russian diplomatic facility.

I don’t think that’s OK.

You might think it’s OK that an associate of the president made direct contact with the GRU through Guccifer 2.0 and WikiLeaks.

You might think it’s OK that a senior campaign official was instructed to reach that associate and find out what that hostile intelligence agency had to say, in terms of dirt on his opponent.

You might think it’s OK that the national security adviser-designate secretly conferred with a Russian ambassador about undermining U.S. sanctions, and you might think it’s OK he lied about it to the FBI.

You might say that’s all OK, that that’s just what you need to do to win.

But I don’t think it’s OK.

I think it’s immoral, I think it’s unethical, I think it’s unpatriotic and, yes, I think it’s corrupt, and evidence of collusion. I do not think that conduct, criminal or not, is OK,” concluded Schiff. “The day we do think that’s OK is the day we will look back and say that is the day America lost its way.”

Damn. That is just about perfection.

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Sally Field, mother of a gay son, Sam Greisman, and an advocate for LGBTQ rights, standing up for the Equality Act:

“Sam’s journey was a different one that his older brothers’. Being with him, watching him finally be able to be all that nature intended him to be … It was not an easy road for him. He wanted to be like his big brothers and nature had given him other gifts. This is change that isn’t just about the government. It would be the government making such an important move to change how people think altogether. As long as I am upright, I will fight for this to be—that Sam and everyone’s children and grandchildren and sisters and brothers will be protected in every state of the United States.”

It’s equality. What’s so wrong about that?

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Taron Egerton, on his sex scene with Richard Madden in Rocketman, the story of Elton John:

“I probably shouldn’t be telling you this but we have a sex scene. We went to some places together and got quite physical. I’ve watched it back and I think it looks great. The grown-up nature of the film, combined with it being a musical, makes it feel quite zeitgeisty. I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this but it’s basically about Elton in rehab, so we’re not watering anything down.”

I’ll just say this … Taron and Richard having sex on film will get my butt into a seat. It doesn’t hurt that the movie’s about Elton, though, but, still, I’m shallow like that.

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Pete Buttigieg, presidential candidate, on the need for a “religious left”;

“The idea that the only way a religious person could enter politics is through the religious right—I just don’t think that makes sense. What could be more different than the message I take from my faith and what we’re being shown in Washington right now? I think a lot of people wonder where they fit, either because who they are, if you’re a member of the LGBTQ community like I am, or because of what you believe politically. I think the time has come for more of a religious left to emerge in our country, that let’s people know that they aren’t alone when they look at faith and think that teaches us to reach out to others, to humble ourselves, to take care of the immigrant, the prisoner, and frankly the sex worker.”

The more Pete talks, common sense is what it's called, the more I like him.

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Dan Reynolds, straight Mormon Imagine Dragons frontman, demanding religious leaders denounce ‘gay cure’ therapy:

“‘I plead with our religious leaders across the world to stand up for equality together. ‘True equality–not empty words of love–but statements and actions that shows our LGBTQ youth that they are “sinless” and perfect just as they are. Until these changes are made within the doctrines of orthodox faith, we will continue to see increased rates of suicidality and depression/anxiety amongst our LGBTQ youth. It is a false notion that LGBTQ youth are more likely to have emotional vulnerabilities because of who they are/how their brains are programmed. The truth is that the leaders of our communities have created societal rules that leave no room for our LGBTQ youth to be healthy. It is a flawed system, not a flawed individual. Until the leaders of all orthodox faiths denounce conversion therapy and accept our LGBTQ youth into full fellowship, I believe we will continue to see a great exodus from all orthodox faith. We are not a generation that will stand for intolerance, homophobia or racism. And to those that say the simple answer is for our youth to just leave religion–it isn’t that simple. Many of these LGBTQ youth will be kicked out of the home and put into a more dangerous situation if they denounce the faith of their family. Also many find peace in their faith. They love it. It brings them comfort in a sad and oftentimes scary world. It is now up to our leaders to LEAD. How many more children will be lost before we practice true love in our churches?”

Reynolds is vocal in his support to the LGBTQ community and established the Love Loud music festival which benefits LGBTQ Suicide charities.

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Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman warning the DOJ not to hide evidence of _____ wrongdoing with regard to the Mueller investigation:

“If the president cannot be indicted … as a matter of law, then the only way to hold the president accountable is for Congress to consider it and act, if warranted. Congress can only do that if it has the information. For the department to take the position that ‘we’re not going to give information because he’s not indicted, like a normal person who’s not indicted because of lack of evidence,’ is equivalent to a cover-up and subverts the only ability to hold the president accountable. And the president no more than anybody else cannot be above the law.”

Nadler is ready to take the case to the Supreme Court that the report be published in full.

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Corey Lewandowski, former _____ campaign buttboy, on folks blaming _____ for the shooting in New Zealand:

“Many on the left, in the minutes following the tragic shootings in New Zealand, raced to blame President Donald J. _____ as motivating the killer. It is truly a despicable act to use a tragedy for political gain, yet this is an all-too-common tactic for many on the political left. The Democratic Party and voices on the left need to dial back their hate speech. Their actions have led to people wearing ‘Make America Great Again’ caps being kicked out of bars and restaurants for showing support for the president of the United States. We hear much talk about tolerance and civility from the left — yet, they only want to practice those ideas on people with whom they agree. The only person to blame for the mass shooting in New Zealand is the deranged person who committed the act. Democrats should not be allowed by the media to use that or any other tragedy for political advantage.”

Oh, Corey, you forgot to mention that the shooter praised _____ in his manifesto. You also forgot to mention the 2012 shooting at Family Research Council headquarters, which right wingers continue to relentlessly blame on liberals.

Get your lips off his ass for a minute.

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Paul Rudd, explaining why he looks the same in 2019 as he has for the last twenty years:

“I’m 80 years old on the inside. In here [pointing to his chest], pure darkness—and a little moisturizer.”

First off, Rudd is totes adorbs.

Secondly, my sister used to say to me, ‘How come you don’t ever look any older,’ and I’d say it’s against the Gay laws … we aren’t allowed to age.

Also, it has a lot to do with the fact that I am extraordinarily childish.

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I Didn't Say It ....

John Paul Stevens, former SCOTUS justice, on gun control … repeal the Second Amendment:

“That simple but dramatic action would move Saturday’s marchers closer to their objective than any other possible reform. It would eliminate the only legal rule that protects sellers of firearms in the United States — unlike every other market in the world. It would make our schoolchildren safer than they have been since 2008 and honor the memories of the many, indeed far too many, victims of recent gun violence.”

It will never happen, but wouldn’t it be great? I mean, it doesn’t mean couldn’t own guns, but this whole “it’s my right” argument would have no merit.

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Karl Schmid, an entertainment reporter for ABC affiliate in LA, coming out as HIV-positive:

“Hi. I’m a 37 year old HIV+ man who has been poz for almost ten years. I work in television. And on the side of the camera where, for better or worse it’s considered “taboo” for people ‘like me’ to be ‘like me’. For 10 years I’ve struggled with ‘do I or don’t I’? For ten years the stigma and industry professionals have said, ‘don’t! It’ll ruin you’. But here’s the thing. I’m me. I’m just like you. I have a big heart and I want to be loved and accepted. I may be on TV from time to time, but at the end of the day I’m just an average guy who wants what we all want. To be accepted and loved by our friends and family and to be encouraged by our peers. So here’s what I say, stand tall, and stand proud. You can’t make everybody happy, but you can make you happy. And so long as you tell the truth, you will never have to remember anything. Labels are things that come and go but your dignity and who you are is what defines you. I know who I am, I know what I stand for and while in the past I may not have always had clarity, I do now. Love me or hate me, that’s up to you. But, for anyone who has ever doubted themselves because of those scary three letters and one symbol, let me tell you this, you are somebody who matters. Your feelings, your thoughts, your emotions count. And don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. I’m Karl Schmid, and I’m an HIV-positive man!”

Good for Schmid.

Thirty-five-plus years into the virus and there’s still this stigma and shame from some people. Being positive is a condition, a manageable condition, and shouldn’t be treated, by anyone, as a death sentence or something to fear.

Silence + Death.

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Kellyanne Conway, White House Propaganda Minister, on the opioid crisis:

“On our college campuses, your folks are reading the labels, they won’t put any sugar in their body, they don’t eat carbs anymore, and they’re very, very fastidious about what goes into their body. And then you buy a street drug for $5 or $10, it’s laced with fentanyl, and that’s it. So I guess my short advice is, as somebody double your age: eat the ice cream, have the French fry, don’t buy the street drug. Believe me, it all works out.”

Seriously, this bitch thinks having a French fry will solve the problem?

God is she dumb.

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Gregg Popovich, head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, on _____ and the GOP’s response to school shootings:

“Imagine bullets going through bodies, and what those bodies might have looked like afterwards. How can the president of the country talk about all of the things he’s going to do, and then go have lunch with the NRA? It’s just cowardice. A real leader would have been in Washington DC, not at his penthouse at Mar-a-Lago. He would have had the decency to meet with a group, to see what’s going on, and how important it is, and how important our children are to us. For all those politicians involved, it’s just a dereliction of duty.”

I.Love.This.Guy. Too bad we can’t get him into the White House and get back to some Obama-era common sense and compassion.

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Rick Santorum, former Senator and Frothy Mix, admitted he was an idiot for saying students should take CPR classes instead of fighting for gun control:

“I blame myself. I said that wrong comment Sunday and I got everybody off on a rabbit trail. The fact of the matter is I did misspeak in using the term CPR and I think Sanjay Gupta’s job here at CNN is probably safe as being the medical commentator on things.”

Everyone’s job is safe from you because you don’t have the common sense to even be a rubbish collector.

See, right after apologizing for being a daft fool Frothy Mix then said that past mass shootings have spawned organizations that he said have done significant work in combating school shootings by addressing mental health issues and bullying.

Yes, mass shootings have helped in combating mass shootings.

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Luca Guadagnino, on the lack of male frontal nudity in Call Me By Your Name;

"To put our gaze upon their lovemaking would have been a sort of unkind intrusion. I think that their love is in all things, so when we gaze towards the window and we see the trees, there is a sense of witnessing that. I refuse with strong firmness that I was coy in not showing that, because I think that Oliver and Elio and Armie and Timothée, the four of them displayed a very strong intimacy and closeness in so many ways and it was enough."

Um, wait just a gosh darned minute … There was a chance that I could have seen Armie Hammer, My Husband In My Head, in his full glory and you quashed it.

Someone hold my shoes cuz shiz is about to get real.

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James Ivory, Call Me By Your Name screenwriter, on director Luca Guadagnino choice to not show male full-front nudity:

"When Luca says he never thought of putting nudity in, that is totally untrue. He sat in this very room where I am sitting now, talking about how he would do it. So when he says that it was a conscious aesthetic decision not to—well, that’s just bullshit. When people are wandering around before or after making love, and they’re decorously covered with sheets, it’s always seemed phony to me. To me, there’s a more natural way of doing things than to hide them, or to do what Luca did, which is to pan the camera out of the window toward some trees … "

Ivory, who won an Oscar for adapting André Aciman's novel, said his screenplay explicitly specified nude scenes for Elio and Oliver—Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer. The idea was scrapped, thanks to clauses in the actors’ contracts.

Still, there is a sequel in the works, which will take place "five or six years" after the ending of the first film, and maybe, just maybe, Hammer and Chalamet will update those nudity riders.

Armie? Do it for me?????

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Dan Reynolds, Imagine Dragons frontman and a straight Mormon, on his support for LGBTQ youth:

“One of the reasons I’ve felt such a need to speak out on this is I’ve gotten countless emails and letters from fans around the world who said, ‘I’m gay, but I know you’re Mormon so that probably means you don’t accept my lifestyle, but I love ‘It’s Time’ and your music.’ That was devastating, and it broke my heart to get letters like that. I’ve written back to these people to tell them, “No, I do support you and I’m here for you.” It’s been a driving force for me to raise awareness and make a difference and not just sit back to let people feel that hurt. “It’s Time” reached a lot in a lot of different ways.”

You can’t paint all people of faith with the same brush. Many, like Reynolds, have evolved and don’t buy into the hate and intolerance.

The march goes on …

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