Random News: June 22, 2023

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

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Good morning. It’s June 22, 2023, and it’s Thursday for some reason. This week is sorta flying by; I’ve had a lot going on with work and such, but there’s always time to learn about things and stuff…

• Before I get to today’s Pride note, I want to say that it’s been great hearing from many people on a direct basis who’ve expressed their appreciation for my devoting the month of June to giving a closer look at these topics.
• As I said earlier, the more you understand something, the less you fear it, and the less likely you are to react fearfully rather than logically and with compassion.
• Today’s topic is the concept of “LGBTQ-friendly” businesses and activities. Big topic, but I’ll try and condense it in a reasonable way.
• Though it’s been around much longer, I think I personally took note of this around 2010. I was looking for a place to stay for one of our earlier desert trips to Joshua Tree, and there were several possibilities.
• Something caught my eye with one of them, which was an icon on their website that proclaimed LGBTQ people to be welcomed there.
• And it starts you thinking… if they go out of their way to welcome LGBTQ people, that means a) they’re probably cool and b) they’ll also automatically repel people who have homophobia and/or transphobia. And who wants to be around those people?
• In the subsequent years, I’ve found that if I have two choices or places to spend money — be it for retail purchases or travel or just about anything — and they seem to be equal other than one saying it’s LGBTQ-friendly and the other doesn’t, I pick the business that is, and I’m rarely if ever disappointed.
• For people in the community, gay travel just makes sense in many cases. People go on gay cruises and similar events to be around and meet other gay people, and to know they will be accepted and not shunned.
• But in the case of a hotel or Airbnb, you definitely don’t want to arrive and find that you are specifically unwelcome there. If those businesses don’t want your money, there are plenty who do, and who will also treat you with dignity and respect.
• These days, you can get on a travel site like Expedia and sort results based on hotels that are LGBTQ welcoming, meaning properties that “pledge to make all guests feel safe, welcome, and respected.”
• Here’s a surprising list: 22 small US cities that are known to be LGBTQ-friendly…
• Asbury Park, NJ; Asheville, NC; Bisbee, AZ; Blue Ridge, GA; Brookings, SD; Corning, NY; Covington, KY; Eureka Springs, AR; Guerneville, CA; Juneau, AK; Lost River, WV; Manhattan, KS; Missoula, MT; Moab, UT; New Hope, PA; Norman, OK; Northampton, MA; Ogunquit, ME; Omaha, NB; Rehobath Beach, DE; Saugatuck & Douglas, MI; Walla Walla, WA.
• You can also choose to work for companies that offer the most supportive environment for LGBT folks. Job-seeker sites have lists available that rate employers as such.
• Glassdoor’s list of “The 10 highest-rated companies for LGBTQ+ workers” is as follows…
• 1. Google (tech), 2. Microsoft (tech), 3. H E B (grocery retail), 4. Lululemon (retail), 5. Deloitte (professional services), 6. Bath & Body Works (retail), 7. Progressive (insurance), 8. IBM (tech), 9. Walt Disney Company (entertainment and media), and 10. Apple (tech).
• And, of course, a great way to be supportive is to spend money at places owned by actual gay people.
• Here are 21 highly-rated Queer-owned businesses that you can support during Pride month and throughout the year…

- Babeland (sex toys)
- Bianca Designs (apparel, merchandise, accessories)
- Bowtie Behavior (bowties)
- Carmen Liu (tucking underwear and related items)
- Dapper Boy (gender-neutral clothing)
- dfrntpigeon (apparel and accessories)
- Diaspora (spices)
- Flavnt (clothing and accessories)
- gc2b (chest binding tops)
- Origami Customs (swimwear, underwear)
- Pals Socks (socks)
- The Peach Fuzz (queer-themed apparel, merchandise, accessories)
- Peau De Loup (clothing)
- Pumpkinfish (knickknacks) 
- Queer Candle Co. (candles)
- QueerlyDesigns (Etsy-based queer-themed apparel)
- Steer Queer (Etsy-based merchandise and accessories)
- Stuzo (gender-free clothing)
- SUAY Sew Shop (home goods and apparel)
- A Tribe Called Queer (queer/black pride apparel and accessories)
- Wildfang (clothing, accessories, shoes)

• Anyway, it may just be my gut feeling, but if the people who run a business are proud of their identities, they probably also take pride in the products they make or the services they offer.
• And finally, per a study this month by Wells Fargo, states with higher concentrations of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender have had higher rates of economic growth.
• Many things contribute to a state’s economic growth like unemployment rates, median wage, and corporate tax rates. But the analysis notes that after controlling for these other factors, there’s still a positive relationship between higher LGBTQ populations and higher economic growth.  
• In 2021, about 20 percent of Generation Z adults — or people born between 1997 and 2003 — identified as LGBTQ. They will continue to be a massive economic force moving into the future.
• That was kind of all over the place, but I hope the info was useful. Let’s do some news…
• Starting off with some January 6 justice. Daniel "DJ" Rodriguez, described as "one of the most violent defendants” in the failed coup attempt at the US Capitol, was sentenced to 151 months — about 12 ½ years — in prison yesterday after pleading guilty to violent and obstructive conduct.
• This was the piece of shit who attacked former Washington, D.C. police officer Michael Fanone with a taser and then tried to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.
• Rodriguez will also have to pay $96,000 to cover medical treatment for Fanone. I hope he spends every minute behind walls until his release December 2035.
• His defense attorney laid blame for the riot and Rodriguez's conduct on Trump, arguing in pre-sentencing filings that his client "believed the former President's lies and manipulation, just as thousands of others did when they gathered at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, with the understanding they were there on behalf of the President of the United States to protect their government."
• Everything Trump touches dies. Everything.
• Moving on…
• Kinda.
• According to a court filing yesterday, special counsel Jack Smith began producing evidence in the Mar-a-Lago documents case to Donald Trump.
• The first batch of discovery production – made up of unclassified materials – includes transcripts of witness testimony in front of the grand juries in Washington, D.C. and Florida. It also includes materials collected via subpoenas and search warrants; memos detailing other witness interviews given through mid-May in the investigation; and copies of the surveillance footage investigators obtained in the probe.
• Trump is, unsurprisingly, panicking. My new name for him: Marmalade Toast.
• Okay, now moving on…
• The House voted yesterday to censure Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) for comments he made several years ago about investigations into Donald Trump’s ties to Russia. The vote passed on a party-line vote of 213-209. As House Speaker Kevin McCarthy took up the gavel to read out the censure, Democrats repeatedly booed, interrupted, and chanted over McCarthy.
• Schiff was defiant ahead of the vote, saying he will wear the formal disapproval as a “badge of honor” and charged his GOP colleagues of doing the former president’s bidding.
• If they wanted to help Schiff in his plan to move up to being a Senator, they did a great job.
• “I will not yield,” said Schiff. “Not one inch.”
• In other news…
• Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle struck down Florida rules championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis restricting Medicaid coverage for gender dysphoria treatments for potentially thousands of transgender people.
• ”Gender identity is real" and the state has admitted it, he wrote in a 54-page ruling.
• He said a Florida health code rule and a new state law violated federal laws on Medicaid, equal protection and the Affordable Care Act's prohibition of sex discrimination.
• Fuck all you haters.
• Moving on…
• In classy people news, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene called her colleague Lauren Boebert a “little bitch” on the House floor yesterday during the Adam Schiff debate.
• Sporky is bigly mad at BoBo, saying that she copied her homework- er, parroting her efforts to unseat President Biden.
• “I’ve donated to you, I’ve defended you. But you’ve been nothing but a little bitch to me.” - MTG
• Their conflict reportedly ended with Boebert telling Green they were “through,” with the Georgia lawmaker snapping back, “We were never together.”
• Ah, middle school girl drama… among adult members of Congress.
• Let’s move on…
• The Texas Senate voted yesterday to start state Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial on September 5 and to bar his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, from voting on the historic proceedings.
• Angela Paxton, a Republican, had not said whether she would recuse from herself helping determine whether her husband of more than 30 years will be convicted over accusations that include abuse of power and accepting bribes.
• Speaking of Texas, former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd announced today he is running for president.
• The Republican faces long odds, including the challenge of, “Who the fuck is Will Hurd?” He represented Texas in Congress from 2015-21, and is an unabashed moderate and a Donald Trump critic in a party where many remain loyal to the former president.
• But it sure seems like a lot of folks are jumping into the GOP race… almost as if they think Trump won’t be available to be President in 2024. Hmm.
• In “WTF?” News, a city in Delaware is now moving to raise businesses' influence in the state even further, with a proposal to grant corporations the right to vote. Yes, the businesses. Voting.
• Seaford, a town of about 8,000 on the Nanticoke River, amended its charter in April to allow businesses — including LLCs, corporations, trusts or partnerships — the right to vote in local elections. The law would go into effect once both houses of Delaware's state legislature approve it, which I really hope they won’t.
• "It was very shocking to see this attempt to have artificial entities have voting rights," said Claire Snyder-Hall, executive director of Common Cause Delaware, a watchdog group. 
• And now, The Weather: “What The Peephole Say” by Queens of the Stone Age
• Hopefully your weather isn’t trying to kill you. It’s quite nice here in Southern California today.
• At noon ET today, the identities of two people who guaranteed George Santos’s $500,000 bail after the Republican congressman was charged with 13 counts of fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds are set to be revealed.
• Looking forward to that in less than two hours.
• A brief note on terrible things.
• I know there are often big news items you don’t see me cover here. Plane crashes, gas line explosions, lost submarines, devastating earthquakes. I’m well aware of them all.
• But you don’t need my analysis to understand more about those things, and there’s little you or I can do about them, other than to offer sympathy to the survivors.
• This isn’t the bad news channel. It’s the “let’s be aware of things that affect us all, and that we can possible affect ourselves in the future” channel. I know that’s not a good name… I’m working on something more snappy.
• From the Sports Desk… the US Women’s National Team roster for the upcoming World Cup was announced yesterday with a fun video that featured Joe and Jill Biden, Taylor Swift, Shaquille O’Neal, Megan Thee Stallion, and many more.
• The U.S. women's national team has won the last two World Cups, and will have their eye on a third title this summer when Australia and New Zealand host. Here’s this year’s roster that includes 14 players making their World Cup debuts.…

- Goalkeepers: Aubrey Kingsbury, Casey Murphy, and Alyssa Naeher.
- Defenders: Alana Cook, Crystal Dunn, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Sofia Huerta, Kelley O'Hara, and Emily Sonnett.
- Midfielders: Savannah DeMelo, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Kristie Mewis, Ashley Sanchez, and Andi Sullivan.
- Forwards: Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Alyssa Thompson, and Lynn Williams.

• In other sports news, the Boston Celtics are finalizing a three-way trade with the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies to acquire Kristaps Porzingis. Boston will send Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies and Washington will get Tyus Jones from the Grizzlies.
• Today in history… Romans defeat Macedonians in the Battle of Pydna (168 BC). The Catholic Church forces Galileo Galilei to recant his view that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the universe (1633). The United States Department of Justice is created by the U.S. Congress (1870). George V and Mary of Teck are crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1911). Nazi Germany invades the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa (1941). The Pledge of Allegiance is formally adopted by the US Congress (1942). U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs into law the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill (1944). The Cuyahoga River catches fire in Cleveland, OH, spurring passage of the Clean Water Act and the foundation of the EPA (1969). Charon, the first of Pluto's satellites to be discovered, was first seen at the United States Naval Observatory by James W. Christy (1978). Diego Maradona scores the famous “Hand of God” goal allowing Argentina to defeat England in the World Cup quarterfinals (1986).
• June 22 is the birthday of explorer George Vancouver (1757), criminal John Dillinger (1903), film director Billy Wilder (1906), fashion designer Bill Blass (1922), actor Ralph Waite (1928), politician Dianne Feinstein (1933), actor/singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson (1936), music producer Chris Blackwell (1937), journalist Ed Bradley (1941), singer-songwriter/musician Howard Kaylan (1947), NBA player Pete Maravich (1947), singer-songwriter/musician Todd Rundgren (1948), actress Meryl Streep (1949), actress Lindsay Wagner (1949), politician Elizabeth Warren (1949), singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper (1953), comedian/actor Freddie Prinze (1954), actor Tim Russ (1956), lawyer/activist Erin Brockovich (1960), NBA player Clyde Drexler (1962), author Dan Brown (1964), NFL player Kurt Warner (1971), TV host Carson Daly (1973), and NFL player Champ Bailey (1978).

This coming Saturday is the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade, and I’ll be dedicating some thoughts to that then. For now, it’s a Thursday and I have work to do and meetings to attend and all the various life responsibilities to handle like most of us do, or try to do. Enjoy your day.