Disney confirms its first bisexual lead character, who is also multi-cultural
Diversity is making its way onto the Disney Channel. Disney has confirmed it has a bixsexual lead character on “The Owl House” series.
The 14-year-old Dominican-American girl, Luz Noceda, is not Disney’s first LGBTQ+ character. Pixar featured a gay main character in a short film on Disney Plus, but Luz is the first bisexual character to make a Disney debut on a television series. “The Owl House” series follows Luz’s adventure to becoming a witch, even though she does not have any magical abilities.
At first, “certain Disney leadership” was not too fond of the idea of having an LGBTQ+ character, said the series’ creator, Dana Terrace, in a tweet.
“I was very open about my intention to put queer kids in the main cast. I’m a horrible liar so sneaking it in would’ve been hard,” she says in her tweet. “I was told by certain Disney leadership that I could not represent any form of bi or gay relationship on the channel.” Terrace identifies as bisexual. She wanted to write about a bisexual character, so she really pushed Disney to allow the character.”Luckily my stubbornness paid off, and now I am very supported by current Disney leadership,” she said.Terrace has gotten tons of positive feedback from viewers. Many are thanking her for representing the LGBTQ+ community, and wishing they had a show like “The Owl House” when they were children.
In “The Owl House,” a teenager finds herself stuck in the Demon Realm and battles the forces of evil alongside a rebellious witch and a pint-sized warrior. One of those commenters is Alex Hirsch, the creator of Disney’s “Gravity Falls.” Disney forbade Hirsch from any kind of LGBTQ+ representation, he says in a tweet to Terrace.”Apparently ‘happiest place on earth’ meant ‘straightest,'” he says in his tweet. “Thanks to Dana Terrace and team, there are explicitly queer animated main character on Disney TV.”
“This time, Disney- you did good,” he adds.Terrace encourages others to fight for what they want to see represented in the media and society. “Representation matters!” she says.
University assistant dean pressured grad student to have threesome
An assistant dean at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania repeatedly pressured a female student to join her in a threesome with a man, a federal lawsuit claims.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, alleges the unidentified former student was propositioned early last year up to four times a week to have a “ménage à trois” by her female supervisor who worked as an assistant dean at the university’s Office of Professional, Continuing and Distance Education.
The student rejected the initial January 2019 offer by her supervisor — identified in the 13-page lawsuit as Dr. Roe — and then told the dean of the office about the sexual advance — but was told by the university official that “she did not want to hear about it,” the lawsuit claims.
The unwanted sexual advances continued through April 2019, during which the assistant dean regularly expressed her desire to have a threesome with the student, as well as “flaunting details” about her sex life, including showing her explicit photographs and text messages, the suit states.
The student then accompanied Dr. Roe on a spring business trip to Philadelphia, where the assistant dean allegedly showed her nude photos from her phone while “engaging in activities as a dominatrix” with several men.
The assistant dean then “threatened” the student’s job when she said she didn’t want to see the steamy pics, warning her that she could “suffer the same fate” as her predecessor, who was terminated by Dr. Roe, according to the lawsuit.
“Plaintiff understood this threat to mean that Dr. Roe was trying to intimidate her to not reject her advances,” the filing claims.
The student again approached the OPCDE dean to complain about the ongoing sexual harassment, but the university official told her “she did not want to hear it” because Dr. Roe was her friend, the lawsuit states.
The harassment then allegedly continued through August 2019 when the student and Dr. Roe attended a work conference in New Orleans, where the assistant dean asked for a room key to the woman’s room “in case I want to visit in the middle of the night,” the suit claims.
After rejecting that request, the student claims she was told by Dr. Roe she no longer had a job at Shippensburg when she returned to Pennsylvania.
The student proceeded to file a Title IX lawsuit in late August, complete with text messages sent by Dr. Roe that purportedly describe some of the harassment she endured.
Shippensburg ultimately put Dr. Roe on leave before she resigned her position in lieu of termination, according to the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages.
Officials at Shippensburg initially said they would reinstate the grad student’s employment after seeing evidence supporting her claims, but she was never brought back to the university, the lawsuit claims.
University officials, meanwhile, declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing its practice not to discuss pending litigation, WHP-TV reports.
“The university was just made aware of this filing and our legal counsel is reviewing it,” university spokeswoman Megan Silverstrim told the station.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/08/14/assistant-dean-pressured-grad-student-to-have-threesome-lawsuit/
Photo Credit: Alamy
Barack Obama reportedly skeptical of Joe Biden’s 2020 White House run “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f–k things up”
Barack Obama publicly endorsed presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden — but has privately expressed grave concerns about his former veep’s 2020 White House run, a report said.
“Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f–k things up,” the former president told an unnamed Democrat, who told Politico about the conversation— reportedly reflective of a strained history between the two.
Former Obama Administration officials painted the relationship as warm and genuinely close — but fraught with tension over the gap between Biden’s old-school backslapping and Obama’s hyper-prepared wonkiness, the outlet reported.
“You could certainly see technocratic eye-rolling at times,” according to former White House communications director Jen Psaki, who recalled other aides chortling at Biden’s frequent gaffes and lack of discipline.
That attitude contributed to Obama’s decision to back Hillary Clinton for the party’s 2016 nomination over Biden.
“The president was not encouraging,” Biden recalled in his 2017 memoir.
When Biden threw his hat in the 2020 presidential mix last year, Obama kept his distance for months — and continued to talk him down behind the scenes.
During the run-up to this year’s Iowa caucuses, one Biden rival told Politico, Obama privately reminisced about the bond he formed with the state’s voters during his 2008 campaign.
But Biden struggled to grasp the electorate, #44 reportedly said. “You know who really doesn’t have it?” “Joe Biden.”
The former commander in chief finally endorsed Biden on April 14.
“I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now,” Obama said at the time. “He’s someone whose own life has taught him how to persevere,”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/08/15/barack-obama-reportedly-undercuts-bidens-2020-white-house-run/
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File
Woman renews driver’s license online, gets new ID with photo of an empty chair
CNN) — Driver’s license photos are the worst, but one Tennessee woman is laughing after a clerical error left her with a picture of an empty chair.
“I was with my Mom and we were going to eat lunch and I said, ‘You need to see this, this isn’t right,'” Jade Dodd told CNN affiliate WKRN.
Dodd had recently renewed her license in Hickman County and when it came in the mail on Thursday, she was surprised to find that in place of her picture ID there was a photo of an empty chair.
“The lady at the DMV did not really believe me when I was like ‘hey, I need my license fixed,'” Dodd said.
“Then, she looked it up in the system and goes, ‘Oh, I need my manager for this.'”
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security told CNN the error happened when the wrong image was captured and saved to Dodd’s profile.
“When the customer recently renewed her driver license online, she received an image of a chair because that was the last picture taken on file,” Wes Moster, director of communications, said in a statement.
“When the Department was made aware of her situation, we immediately made things right with the customer and provided her with a license with her actual photo and have addressed this situation internally.”
Luckily, Dodd mostly just thinks it’s hilarious and told WKRN that it was a good way to lighten the mood due to the coronavirus.
“My boss thinks it’s funnier than anyone. I was at work Friday and he pointed to a chair outside of his office door and was like, ‘I thought this was you, I waved at it this morning’ and I was like ‘thanks,'” said Dodd.
Strangers even started sending her memes to her social media to help capitalize on the humorous incident.
By Monday Dodd had a new license and a great story to tell.
Photo Credit: Jade Dodd/Facebook
9/11 ‘Tribute in Light’ canceled over coronavirus concerns
NEW YORK — Each year, twin towers of light shine into the night sky over Manhattan in honor of the thousands killed during the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, but the sky will be a little darker this year.
The ‘Tribute in Light’ was canceled because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, 9/11 Memorial and Museum spokesman Michael Frazier said. The annual reading of the names was also recently canceled.
“The world’s beloved twin beams of light regrettably will not shine over lower Manhattan as part of this year’s tributes to commemorate 9/11,” Frazier said. “This incredibly difficult decision was reached in consultation with our partners after concluding the health risks during the pandemic were far too great for the large crew required to produce the annual Tribute in Light.”
Nearly 40 people usually work in close proximity for several weeks to produce the ‘Tribute in Light’ each year.
The 9/11 Memorial and Museum will parter with NYC & Company and buildings throughout the city to light up their facades and spires in blue in commemoration of the 19th anniversary of 9/11.
“In a spirit of unity and remembrance, the city will come together for a ‘Tribute in Lights’ to inspire the world and honor the promise to never forget,” Frazier said.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed on Sept. 11, 2001 when hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center.
The Associated Press contributed to this rep
via: https://www.pix11.com/news/local-news/9-11-tribute-in-light-canceled-over-coronavirus-concerns
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Guy in online group that points firearms at genitals has predictable accident
A member of a Facebook group dedicated to men who get their rocks off by posting photos of loaded guns pointing at their privates got a bit trigger happy – and accidentally shot himself in his junk, Vice reported.
The unidentified member of the group “Loaded Guns Pointed at [B]enis” from the San Diego area posted a video of himself pointing his .45-caliber M1911 semiautomatic at his genitalia.
After a brief pause, the gun went off.
“Hey [b]ois, I might have f— up,” the man wrote in a gross understatement above a photo of a towel stuffed between his legs, along with blood splattered on the floor and a copy of the Constitution, according to Vice.
The original footage and subsequent thread was deleted but the group’s members later uploaded the gory mess again, the outlet reported.
As he bled, the man wrote: “God’s caliber [.45] went through my scrotum, mattress, boxspring, and floor.”
He thought at first that the round just grazed his testicles, but he found out about the damage at the hospital, where he posted a photo of himself in a green gown while lying on a gurney.
“Turns out it wasn’t a graze, that round went right the f— through me,” he wrote. “What I thought were two graze wounds, turned out to be an entrance and exit wound.”
An administrator for the Facebook group – which rewarded the nut by making him an admin himself — told Motherboard that he “is 100% okay, actually went to work the next day.”
“The reason we are calling him king is partially because the poor guy already shot himself, don’t think he needs to be chastised as well… I’m quite sure he’s learned his lesson without the entire world calling him an idiot,” the group leader said.
In one meme created by the group, which changed its cover photo to a screenshot of the man pointing his gun at his penis, Barack Obama is seen giving him a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Chicago looters smash Ronald McDonald House with terrified sick kids inside
Sick kids and their families cowered in fear inside a Chicago Ronald McDonald House as looters smashed the front door while trying to get inside this week, according to staff.
The charity says more than 30 families, as well as some sick children with them, were left “frightened” by those who smashed windows as they ransacked the Windy City during Monday’s chaotic crime spree.
“[They were] very concerned there was a lot of activity right in front of the house, people making choices that could put them at risk and put our families at risk, so the staff was frightened,” Ronald McDonald House Charities’ Lisa Mitchell told ABC7.
The attacked site houses families so they and their children can be close to Lurie Children’s Hospital, which should be an easy and safe trip just five blocks away.
“They are already in a really, really difficult spot, and having this kind of additional stress and worry about getting to and from the hospital … because of safety concerns is just doubling the strain,” Mitchell said.
Several windows were smashed and the front door had to be boarded up, but nobody was injured, the charity said.
Mitchell told CBS Chicago that it was vital that families “get the rest they need while they have a child in the hospital seeking care.”
“So it’s so important that anything that might be going on outside, we maintain our care for families,” she stressed.
At least 13 cops were injured in violent clashes with looters, with 100 arrests. It started amid reports that a teen had been shot by cops, although police later said it was a 20-year-old man who had first fired at officers as he fled arrest.
Ariel Atkins, a Chicago Black Lives Matter organizer, cheered the looting, calling it a “reparation.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/08/13/chicago-looters-smash-ronald-mcdonald-house-with-sick-kids-inside/
Photo Credit: CBS Chicago
Coronavirus-stricken 7-year-old suffered seizure in bathtub and drowned
A 7-year-old Georgia boy who had COVID-19 when he died suffered a seizure in the bathtub and drowned, according to a report.
Chatham County Coroner Bill Wessinger said the child, who had no underlying health issues, experienced the seizure due to a high fever, CNN reported.
The boy, whose identity hasn’t been released, was found unresponsive in the tub and brought to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the outlet reported.
The cause of death was drowning, secondary to seizure due to fever from the virus, Wessinger said.
It was previously reported that the child became sick after visiting a Savannah church where he was in contact with two elderly residents who also were infected and died from the virus.
“This child’s death is absolutely tragic, and we are praying for their loved ones in this difficult time,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/08/12/coronavirus-stricken-boy-7-suffered-seizure-in-bathtub-and-drowned/
Photo Credit: us.gblnews.com
Seattle BLM protesters demand white people ‘give up their homes’
A group of protesters in Seattle marched through a residential neighborhood this week demanding that white residents give up their homes, dramatic video shows.
Footage of the Wednesday demonstration posted to Twitter shows a crowd of dozens chanting “Black Lives Matter” before an unidentified man projects his ire toward nearby white residents — saying they are living in a historically black section of the city as another woman in the crowd yells that they should “give up their homes,” the clip shows.
“Do you know that before your white ass came here this was all black people?” the man says. “Do you know people like you came in here and basically bought all the land from the black people for less than what it was worth, kicked them out so you could live here? Do you know that?”
The man continues: “Cause if you don’t, now you f–king do — now do something about it!”
Another woman in the crowd then urges the residents to “open their wallet” as the man continues to yell at the unidentified residents off-camera.
“So how do you plan to fix it?” the man continues. “As a gentrifier, because you are part of that problem.”
A woman with a megaphone then urges the residents to “give up” their house, the footage shows.
“Give black people back their homes!” she yells. “You’re sitting there comfortably — comfortable as f—k as if they didn’t help gentrify this neighborhood! I used to live in this neighborhood, and my family was pushed out, and you’re sitting up there having a good time with your other white friends!”
A second clip purportedly shows BLM demonstrators and Antifa members calling for white people to “get the f–k out” as others in the crowd call for reparations.
“Give us our sh-t back!” one man yells.
Seattle’s police chief, Carmen Best, stepped down this week as city council approved cutting the department by as many as 100 cops through layoffs and attrition. The city currently has some 1,400 officers and the reduction fell short of the 50 percent cut that many Black Lives Matter protesters had sought.
The city’s mayor, Jenny Durkan, is also facing a legal battle to get her kicked out of office for her role in the Seattle’s violent protests, which started in June when demonstrators took over its Capitol Hill district and later renamed it the Capitol Hill Occupation Protest.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/08/14/seattle-blm-protesters-demand-white-people-give-up-their-homes/
Photo Credit: REUTERS
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ to be rebooted as a drama series
(Meredith) — A reboot for “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is in the works, but there’s a surprising twist: the popular 1990s sitcom is coming back as a drama series.
The bold new remake, titled “Bel-Air,” is based on a fan-made trailer that went viral last year. Morgan Cooper created the trailer, which racked up more than 5.7 million views on YouTube and caught the attention of Will Smith, who called the idea “brilliant.”
According to TODAY, Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Universal TV are now working with Cooper on the new project.
“Bel-Air is a one-hour, dramatic retelling of the beloved ’90s sitcom, ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ that leans into the original premise of Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air,” Universal TV said in a statement to TODAY. “With a reimagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions, and biases of what it means to be a Black man in America today, while still delivering the swagger and fun nods to the original show.”
The original NBC comedy ran from 1990-1996.
While a network is not yet attached to the new show, several streaming services are reportedly in a bidding war for the rights — including Netflix, NBC’s Peacock, and HBO Max.
Photo Credit: kmov.com