Daily Archives: May 25, 2022

In February, season two of HBOs teen drama Euphoria reached a climax. Well, if that makes me a villain, proclaimed an unrepentant Cassie Howard, then so fucking be it. This much-memed line encapsulates popular cultures preoccupation with baddies, from Netflixs endless scammer series to Disneys villain origin stories. Social media is pretty much a conveyor belt of villainy, too, with different echo chambers picking their own adversaries. Meanwhile, famous young women such as Britney Spears, who were once demonised, are now being reappraised as victims. And with hindsights perfect vision, its clear that plenty of characters in TV and film were not the actual villain either.

We seem to be more accepting of some baddies than others. History is littered with famous probably-gay villains, from Alexander the Great to Roy Cohn, Senator McCarthys chief counsel and Trumps favourite lawyer. But unlike LGBTQ+ heroes such as Alan Turing or Audre Lorde, they are seldom remembered or claimed as gay. The question of why that should be the case is the starting point of Bad Gays: A Homosexual History by Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller. The books central argument is that, if we are to fully understand how todays gay identities evolved, the lives of villains the most deceitful, criminal, manipulative and power-hungry gay people are just as important as those of gay heroes such as Oscar Wilde.

Bad Gays is a continuation of the duos podcast of the same name, which profiles the evil and complicated queers in history such as Ernst Rhm, the worlds first out gay politician a Nazi and J Edgar Hoover, the FBI director who helped harass political dissidents and gay government employees and was posthumously outed by his friend, Broadway star Ethel Merman. We want to address our history and how gay identity came to be, Lemmey says. But if were ever going to understand our sexual identity in a way that is based around solidarity and friendship, we need to discuss gay people who were devious and ruthless, too.

The podcast began in 2019 when Lemmey, a Welsh author and film-maker, and Miller, a writer and historical researcher, were introduced to each other by friends. While recording the podcast, we found that there were recurring themes, says Lemmey. We kept coming back to colonialism, race and the creation of the white homosexual identity. And also the same disclaimer, which was that concepts like gay and homosexual didnt really exist before 1860. That was when sexologists and early gay rights campaigners first coined the term homosexual, and began to conceive of homosexual and heterosexual as innate sexual identities.

The pair discuss these issues more deeply in the book. The text still has the irreverent swishiness of the podcast there is a reference to evil twinks in the first few pages. But a key difference is that the book tells a story about how white gay identity was formed, and is more focused on men, whereas the podcast which has had five series and almost 1m downloads now profiles an even mix of men and women. When we started the podcast, it was only about men, because the ethics of two cis men talking about villainous women were less clear, Miller says. We changed that partly because women and trans people kept getting in touch saying: We want to be part of these stories and we trust you to tell them.

Bad Gays starts with the story of perpetually horny Roman emperor Hadrian. Next we learn about King James, whose ascension to the throne of Scotland and England formed the United Kingdom. Jamess rule was defined by authoritarian laws, colonialism and misogynistic witch-hunts and by his attraction to athletic jousters half his age. The book unpacks how the gangster Ronnie Kray became an unironic icon of masculinity. And how the Hitler sympathiser and architect Philip Johnson came to influence the skylines of Americas cities more than any other. For us, its not about casting these figures aside and saying: They have nothing to teach us, Lemmey says. Its not fair to say these people are always monsters. Just like our heroes, villains are complicated there are hidden aspects of their lives that might explain their actions.

Rejecting an apolitical approach to LGBTQ+ history and culture, and telling the story of how todays dominant white gay identity was formed, Lemmey and Miller explain how it can uphold systems that marginalise trans people, women, the working class and people of colour. While they are sympathetic to their subjects individually even the murderers they are much more critical of the white gay identity their legacies have helped to form. The authors argue for a dismantling of oppressive structures, rather than mere representation within them a philosophy similar to the gay liberation movements of the 1970s.

When I ask which figure best epitomises the book, Lemmey responds with Thomas Edward Lawrence. He is known as the impossibly blond hero Lawrence of Arabia, who we saw riding a camel across the desert screaming No prisoners! in David Leans 1962 cinema spectacular. But his kinky gay sexual awakening he detailed in his diaries regular thrashings administered by Jack Bruce, a member of the Scots Guards who later sold his story to the tabloids was entwined with imperialist philosophies that persist. His sexual desire towards colonised people was built out of both admiration and exploitation, Lemmey says. The way he used the figure of the colonised primitive was indicative of the types of white identity formation we discuss here. Like all of the books subjects, he was complicated.

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Evil twinks and gay gangsters: why we need to remember historys horrid homosexuals - The Guardian

The Miami Heat didn't just struggle in the first quarter of Game 4 vs. the Boston Celtics. They had one of the worst starts to a playoff game in NBA history.

Miami shot 0-for-14 from the field to begin Monday night's Eastern Conference Finals matchup at TD Garden. It scored one point in the first eight minutes, marking the fewest points through the first eight minutes of a playoff game over the last 25 years.

The Heat didn't make their first shot until 3:22 remaining in the first quarter. That's the longest a team has gone without a field goal to start any postseason game in the last 25 years.

Boston outscored Miami 29-11 in the first quarter. That's the fewest first-quarter playoff points in Heat franchise history. Celtics star Jayson Tatum outscored the Heat on his own with 12 points in the first frame.

Miami shot 3-for-20 from the field in the nightmare first quarter. The Celtics, meanwhile, were 9-for-22 with Derrick White adding 10 points in place of the injured Marcus Smart.

The Celtics are looking to even the series at 2-2 before heading back to Miami for Game 5.

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Heat make history with horrendous start to Game 4 vs. Celtics - NBC Sports Boston

The celebratory moment was pre-meditated for the South Carolina native as from an early age Zindzi was set on becoming a doctor.

I have always wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember, theres nothing else that I wanted to be, Zindzi said, according to News Channel 5.

Ten years later, Zindzi went to Mary Baldwin University in Virginia to obtain a four-year degree through a gifted program open to 20 women. Although the five-hour move was difficult for her parents, they refused to get in the way of their childs dream.

A big part of the process has been letting her go and achieve her goal. And thats been the hardest part. The academics for her and knowing that she was going to do it was easy, but not having your daughter through those years was the hard part, Samuel Thompson said to News Channel 5.

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Zindzi Thompson Set To Make History As The Youngest Black Woman To Graduate From Meharry Medical College - AfroTech

Stanford is once again the top seed entering match play in the NCAA DI Womens Golf Championship. But, its hoping that history doesnt fully repeat itself.

A year ago at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Cardinal led the field through four days of stroke play, only to fall to Arizona in the quarterfinals of match play, 3-2.

Looking for redemption and with a second straight individual champion on its side Stanford finished stroke play this year at 9 over par. That was three shots better than second-seeded Oregon. No top seed has won the women's championship since match play was instituted in 2015. Stanford, however, won in '15 as a 4-seed.

The other teams to advance to the match-play portion of the championship were: Texas A&M (+14), UCLA (+17), Auburn (+23), Florida State (+27), San Jose State (+29) and Georgia (+30).

Rose Zhang won the NCAA womens individual title, becoming the second-straight Stanford freshman to win the title.

Rose Zhang won the individual title by three shots, closing in 75 to finish at 6 under par. She followed Rachel Heck, in 21, as Stanford freshmen to claim that trophy.

Quarterfinal action will take place on Golf Channel, beginning at noon ET on Tuesday. The semifinals will begin at 5 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. The finals will take place Wednesday, also at 5 p.m. ET on Golf Channel.

Here are the quarterfinal matchups:

(1) Stanford vs. (8) Georgia

(4) UCLA vs. (5) Auburn

(2) Oregon vs. (7) San Jose State

(3) Texas A&M vs. (6) Florida State

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Stanford again top-seeded women's team, but hoping history does not repeat - Golf Channel

The Time 100 Most Influential list includes eight Olympians, the most ever in the annual lists 19-year history. At least one Olympian made each edition dating to the first year in 2004.

Beijing Olympic gold medalistsNathan ChenandEileen Guwere joined by soccer playersAlex Morgan,Megan RapinoeandBecky Sauerbrunn, tennis players Rafael Nadal and Peng Shuai and basketball player Candace Parker.

Time 100 listees are based on factors including relevance, impact, innovation, leadership, ambition and success.

Chen and Gu were spotlight athletes in February, each earning gold at the Beijing Games. Chen became the first U.S. singles figure skater to take gold since 2010, four years after struggling as a favorite. Figure skaters Adam Rippon(2018) andYuna Kim(2010) previously made the Time 100.

That perseverance never wavered, even after his first Olympics didnt go as hed hoped, two-time Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan wrote for Time. He trained for another four years and showed the world just how fierce a competitor he is.

Gu earned two golds and a bronze in freestyle skiing as the host nations biggest star. She competed while scrutinized for her decision to switch representation in 2019 from the U.S. to China, her mothers birth nation.

Its hard for athletes particularly Olympic athletes to transcend their sport. Eileen Gu is an exception to that rule, fellow Olympic freeskier Gus Kenworthy wrote for Time. Im not sure Ive ever seen anybody more disciplined, driven, or determined than Eileen. And hard work pays off.

Morgan, Rapinoe and Sauerbrunn have been longtime leaders for the U.S. womens soccer team, winning Olympic and World Cup titles. Last week, after a yearslong battle, a historic victory was scored with the announcement of equal pay for the U.S. mens and womens national teams.

Nadal made the list for a second time 13 years after his previous appearance after winning a mens record-breaking 21st major singles title at the Australian Open.

Peng, an Olympic tennis player in 2008, 2012 and 2016, made the list in the Icons category. Last November, she accused a former high-ranking Chinese government official of sexual assault in a Weibo post that was soon deleted.

Parker, a 36-year-old mom, won her second WNBA title last season and first with her hometown team, the Chicago Sky.

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Olympians and Paralympians on Time100 lists, counting only athletes who had competed in the Games before being listed:

2022 Nathan Chen, Eileen Gu, Alex Morgan, Rafael Nadal, Candace Parker, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn, Peng Shuai2021 Simone Biles, Allyson Felix, Suni Lee, Naomi Osaka2020 Allyson Felix, Maya Moore, Megan Rapinoe, Dwyane Wade2019 LeBron James, Alex Morgan,Mo Salah, Caster Semenya2018 Kevin Durant,Roger Federer,Chloe Kim,Adam Rippon2017 Simone Biles, LeBron James, Neymar2016 Usain Bolt,Caitlyn Jenner,Katie Ledecky,Sania Mirza,Ronda Rousey2015 Abby Wambach2014 Cristiano Ronaldo, Serena Williams2013 LeBron James, Li Na, Lindsey Vonn2012 Novak Djokovic,Lionel Messi,Oscar Pistorius2011 Lionel Messi2010 Yuna Kim,Serena Williams2009 Rafael Nadal2008 Andre Agassi,Lance Armstrong,Oscar Pistorius2007 Roger Federer,Chien Ming-Wang2006 JoeyCheek,Steve Nash2005 LeBron James2004 Lance Armstrong, Paula Radcliffe, Yao Ming2000 (20th Century) Muhammad Ali

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Time 100 includes most Olympians in annual lists history - Home of the Olympic Channel

The Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse have been working to restore the lighthouse and keepers' home since 2003. Now, they offer tours of the island.

The Maine coastline is famous for the lighthouses that dot the rugged shore, but keeping them in ship-shape condition is no small task.

On any given Tuesday, if the seas are obliging, volunteers fromThe Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse take a 20-minute boat ride from Biddeford Pool to Wood Island, where they've been working since 2003 to restore the lighthouse and keeper's home.

Technology has, in large part, replaced the need for lighthouse keepers. Where kerosene lamps used to burn, now LED lights are stacked. Volunteers may not be warning storm-tossed mariners of the jagged coastline. Currently, they are working to keep the history of Wood Island alive.

Volunteers offer toursof the newly-restored home and tower beginning in July and running through August.

The Coast Guard owns the property of Wood Island and maintains the light that shines 12 miles out to sea. But for the last two decades, The Friends of Wood Island have licensed the island, raised thousands of dollars, and restored the property to how it looked in 1906. Every detail has been accounted for from the furniture inside the home to the shingles on the outside.

"The history of [these] area lighthouses are emblematic of Maine," George Bruns, chair of the executive committee of Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse, said.

The first lighthouse on Wood Island was built of wood in 1808 and later replaced by the same tower that is still standing today in 1939. Several rescues happened on the island over the years, including the rescue of two-year-old Tammy Burnham.

On Nov. 29, 1960, the Burnhams were the lighthouse keepers when their daughter fell ill. Fearing she might be having appendicitis, the Burnhams radioed for help. With a fierce storm at sea, Fletcher's Neck Coast Guard boat, a "thirty footer," and its four-person crew left the docks at Biddeford Pool. The ship got as close to the island as possible before two 19-year-old seamen took a small skiff to the island, where Laurier Burnham reluctantly handed over his sick daughter.

Before long, the skiff had swamped, and the seamen needed rescuing. Eventually, Laurier Burnham was able to reach his daughter and the seamen. They had been in the water for 40 minutes. Tammy was taken to an area hospital, where she fully recuperated.

One story of Wood Island still haunts the island. In the 1890s, Thomas Henry Orcutt was the lighthouse keeper when a murder-suicide took place on the island. A tenant living on the island killed his landlord and then knocked on the keeper's home seeking advice. Orcutt is alleged to have told the man "to go back and turn himself in." He didn't.

"The lighthouse is supposedly haunted. Supposedly the ghost has said, 'I didn't mean to do it,'" Bruns shared.

Wood Island Lighthouse kept mariners safe for decades, and now volunteers are safeguarding its history and sharing it.

"If you live anywhere in this area, you become familiar with [the lighthouse], and you rely on it. It's somewhat like an old friend," volunteer David Adams said.

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Keeping the history of an isolated ME lighthouse alive - NewsCenterMaine.com WCSH-WLBZ

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) Caps and gowns are on, and its time for 2022 graduation photos.

Robert Morton of Cre8tive Visions

But behind these Wildcats celebratory smiles, there are stories of perseverance.

Dr. Shericka Smith is a member of the inaugural class of graduates from the University of Kentuckys Doctor of Social Work Program, or DSW.

I'm not really supposed to be here, she said. According to society, according to statistics, according to what everybody else thinks, you know what Black women are supposed to be or supposed to look like, or not supposed to be, or not supposed to look like. That's what makes me the most proud.

Dr. Smith is proud because she and her peers are members of a ground-breaking group. Within their class is the most Black doctors to ever graduate from a single discipline at UK.

We literally made history, said Dr. Sharrion Brown. And that's not something I'm used to. I'm the first person in my immediate family to graduate college, let alone get this far.

Dr. Brown and Dr. Smith joined some of their fellow graduates at the student center last week to talk to LEX 18 about their accomplishments. We met women like Dr. Marilyn Lucille Sails, Dr. Cerenity Leavell-Barker, Dr. Angela Williams, and Dr. Cynae Adams.

They all graduated from the online program in two years, meaning they went to school full-time while working. Many of them are also parents.

I have two children, so I hope one day they can see this and think they're proud their mother was a part of this, said Dr. Brittany Gentry.

According to UK, 23 of the programs 72 graduating doctorate students are Black, including three Black men. Its representation professors say will make a difference in a field thats historically made up of white women.

It's hard to become what you don't see, said Dr. Laura Escobar-Ratliff, the DSW program director. And we are providing opportunities for children to see themselves.

We deal with diverse communities, said Dr. Jay Miller, the dean of the College of Social Work. And it is extremely important practitioners reflect those communities.

A 2017 survey from the National Association of Social Workers found nearly 70% of social workers are white. Dr. Gentry says those disparities are part of the reason she enrolled in the program.

The need for people of color as therapists, as mentors, as case managers, has increased significantly, she told LEX 18.

To many of the graduates, the title of Dr. still feels surreal. But they hope the two letters on the front of their names inspire future students who also want to make a difference.

We see things on TV, about, Oh this is history-making, people make history. And to actually be a part of making history, it's once in a lifetime, Dr. Smith said.

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Meet the social work graduates making history at the University of Kentucky - LEX 18 News - Lexington, KY

New research suggested the overall rates of key safety events were similar between cohorts with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) receiving long-term ustekinumab or placebo.

These findings may be reassuring among the patient population with a history of prior biologic failure, study investigators said.

The long-term safety profile of ustekinumab in IBD patients with a history of biologic failure was favorable and consistent with the overall IBD population and the well-established, long-term, cumulative safety profile of ustekinumab across approved disease indications, wrote study author Edward V. Loftus, MD, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

Loftus presented these data at the 2022 Digestive Disease Week Meeting in San Diego, California.

A significant number of patients may not respond to or lose response to, or are intolerant to, biologic agents and may require switching to a different biologic. The current integrated analysis incorporated ustekinumab phase 2/3 long-term safety data from IBD studies for up to 5 years in Crohns Disease (CD) and 2 years in UC in patients with a history of prior biologic failure.

The data from 5 phase 2/3 UST IBD studies were pooled, according to investigators. In phase 3, patients were given a single intravenous placebo or UST (130 mg or 6 mg/kg) induction dose and followed by a subcutaneous maintenance dose of placebo or ustekinumab (90 mg q8w or q12w).

All patients who received 1 dose of ustekinumab and were identified as having a history of prior biologic failure were included in the data analysis. Investigators noted concomitant immunomodulators and corticosteroids were permitted. In the pooled IBD group, safety outcomes are presented as events per 100 patient-years of follow-up and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

For up to 5 years, a total of 847 IBD patients with a history of prior biologic failure received placebo (473 patient-years) and 1596 patients received ustekinumab (1970 patient-years). The average duration of follow-up was 2-fold longer for ustekinumab compared to placebo (64.18 weeks vs 29.06 weeks).

Data show the rates per 100 patient-years were similar between placebo and ustekinumab through up to 5 years for:

Overall, rates of non-melanoma skin cancer and malignancies were reported infrequently in ustekinumab patients with IBD, with similar rates between ustekinumab and placebo. Notably, the average duration of follow-up through 5 years was 2-fold longer for ustekinumab versus placebo (64.18 vs 29.06 weeks).

The overall rates of adverse events were similar between ustekinumab and placebo for individual events. Data show the most frequently reported adverse event was nasopharyngitis, while the most frequently reported infection was nasopharyngitis and upper respiratory tract infection.

Moreover, a total of 6 deaths were reported through up to 5 years in patients with a history of prior biologic failure treated with ustekinumab (0.3 per 100 patient-years). However, all were considered to have no relation to the study agent, according to investigators.

The study, Long-Term Safety of Ustekinumab in IBD Patients with A History of Biologic Failure: Pooled Safety Analysis Through 5 Years in Crohns Disease and 2 Years in Ulcerative Colitis, was presented at DDW 2022.

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Safety Profile of Ustekinumab Favorable in Patients with IBD, History of BIologic Failure - MD Magazine

A defendant with a juvenile criminal history of sex crimes was in 5th District Court court Thursday on two recent cases involving rape and other charges filed last year in St. George.

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ST. GEORGE A defendant with a juvenile criminal history of sex crimes was in court on two recent cases involving rape and other charges filed last year in St. George, a hearing conducted to determine if the defendant, who has the highest risk rating, should remain free pending trial.

The Thursday hearing involved the case of 20-year-old Avery Jared Anderson, who faces one first-degree felony rape and two second-degree felony charges sexual exploitation of a minor and aggravated assault. He also faces unlawful sexual activity with a minor more than four years younger charges that were filed in two separate cases.

The proceeding was to rule on whether to revoke Anderson's pretrial release, a motion submitted by Washington County Prosecutor Jim Weeks.

During oral arguments before District Judge Keith C. Barnes, Weeks said Anderson "is a danger to the community," while defense attorney Ricky Bonewell countered, saying, "I don't see that he's any type of a danger."

Read the full article at St. George News.

Cody Blowers is a reporter for St. George News. A graduate of Colorado Technical University, Cody earned her bachelors degree in criminal justice with a minor in paralegal studies.

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Man with extensive history of sex crimes appears in court on new cases in St. George - KSL.com