For What It’s Worth:

Dueling Substacks about the new Pope, one from Charlotte Clymer, one from The Alt Media (language alert); both inoffensively readable by those who frequent here. Well, the language thing maybe. Snippets, not full pieces.

An American for Pope and a Great Choice by Charlotte Clymer

I’m quite happy. Read on Substack

Chicago native Robert Francis Prevost has just been elected the 267th Bishop of Rome, the head of the Catholic Church, taking the name Leo XIV.

He was only made a cardinal in 2023 and was serving as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, or overseeing the selection of new bishops. Prior to that was a long pastoral career in Peru. He speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and can read Latin and German.

Goodness gracious, y’all, I could not have been more wrong in my prediction for the new pope. I never thought the cardinal electors would select an American. To say I’m stunned would be an understatement.

However, for the record, I did humor his chances in my prediction:

For example, there’s a (very unlikely) scenario in which someone like Cardinal Robert Prevost is elected: a compromise candidate who’s broadly considered safe and palatable between both ends of the ideological spectrum. But there are other cardinals that fit this and Prevost could be in 20+ years.

Okay, so, here are my initial thoughts:

This is a great choice, and I’m quite happy.

Folks need to understand that any choice for the new pope was going to be nominally anti-LGBTQ in a number of ways. What’s important is compassion and openness toward LGBTQ folks, and I’m optimistic that Pope Leo XIV will continue that direction pursued by Pope Francis. (snip-MORE)

The Resistance Pope by Adam Parkhomenko

Thank God the new pope hates JD Vance too Read on Substack

Does everyone hate JD Vance?

Well does the pope shit in the woods?

We might have that second question wrong. But thanks to twitter, we know the answer to the first one. And while we doubt the new pope really hates Vance, it’s nice to know he at least disagrees with the ass-kissing couch-fuck.

Before he became Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, Robert Prevost was on twitter. And it was there that he wrote “JD Vance is wrong,” posting a story that was a rebuke of Vance’s hateful beliefs. It was on twitter that he suggested he wants to battle climate change and believes that Black lives matter and subtweeted about Trump laughing at Kilmar Garcia. Thanks to twitter, we know the new pope is nothing like the new president. https://embed.bsky.app/embed/did:plc:5xeqzwhqcwnczcb62wv3da7o/app.bsky.feed.post/3loohb33sps2i?id=5706215191635626

The new pope is an American. And there’s nothing more American than thinking JD Vance is a douchebag. (snip-MORE, and you can see the bluesky bit on the page)

Official City Emblems Aren’t Flags! 🏳‍🌈

Salt Lake City and Boise make pride flags official city emblems, skirting flag ban laws

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and REBECCA BOONE Updated 6:57 PM CDT, May 7, 2025

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Democratic controlled cities of Salt Lake City and Boise adopted new city flags this week showing support for LGBTQ+ people in defiance of their states’ Republican-controlled Legislatures, which have banned traditional rainbow pride flags at schools and government buildings.

The newly adopted city flags are displayed at the Salt Lake City and County building showing support for LGBTQ+ in defiance of their state’s Republican controlled Legislature, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)

Utah’s capital of Salt Lake City created new flag designs while Boise, the capital of Idaho, made the traditional pride flag one of its official city flags. The move in Utah came hours before a ban on unsanctioned flag displays took effect Wednesday.

The cities’ mayors spoke Tuesday morning to discuss their individual plans and offer each other support, said Andrew Wittenberg, a spokesperson for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s office.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall smiles as she attends the IOC session at the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 24, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/David Goldman) — *Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall smiles as she attends the IOC session in Paris, July 24, 2024. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File*)

Lauren McLean, Mayor, City of Boise listens during a news conference at the Linen Building in Boise, Idaho, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, file) — *Mayor Lauren McLean listens during a news conference at the Linen Building in Boise, Idaho, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, File)*

(snip-MORE, go see it!)

The American Peace Society, Nguyen Thi Co, and More, in Peace & Justice History for 5/8

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistorymay.htm#may8

Reading Alert! 📚

May 2025 Queer Romances

Family

Marlon Wayans Says He Went From “Denial to Complete Acceptance” of His Trans Son Kai

In a revealing podcast interview, the comedian said the process “took me a week.”

By Abby Monteil

Marlon Wayans is opening up about his 24-year-old trans son Kai, and the importance of parenting with “complete acceptance.”

The comedian appeared alongside his brother Damon Wayans on the April 30 episode of the IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson podcast. While discussing parenting advice, Marlon said that Kai’s transition “taught me what real, unconditional love was.”

“When they went through the transition, I actually went through the transition,” he said. “I went from denial to complete acceptance, and it took me a week to get there.”

Wayans joked that although he believes “only God can judge… If that’s a mistake and we get to heaven and God don’t let my child in, I’m going to shave a beard and sneak them in through the back.”

“I’m going to love my baby… I’m a father, and I’m always going to defend them,” he continued. “I’m always going to protect them. I’m always going to respect them. And there’s nothing anybody could ever tell me.”

The White Chicks star added that when it comes to the public’s reaction to him supporting Kai, he could care less about losing fans in the process.

“I lost people that are small-minded, small-hearted, and self-loathing,” he said. “So, goodbye… For every one I lose, I gain 150 more.”

This isn’t the first time that Wayans has used his platform to support Kai and other trans youth. Back in February, the actor defended his son after Soulja Boy called him a transphobic slur while publicly feuding with Wayans.

“You know you can get cancelled for transphobic slander like this,” he tweeted at the time. “Fortunately for you that you don’t have a career. Apparently, You BEEN cancelled for the last 17 years. Crank that was 2007. We waiting.”

Wayans previously opened up about supporting Kai during a September 2024 appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, explaining that after his son came out, “I went through the five stages of grief to get to the beautiful, magical place called acceptance.”

“I learned that my family, my brothers, my sisters, have prepared me to be a rock in our family,” he said. “[Kai is] the same child they was before, they’ve just got a beard now. Okay. Same baby.”

Sharing A Letter

This Substack writer followed me, for some reason, so I followed him back on the free plan. He’s a heck of an author! Here is this that came out today. Just click on the Read on Substack hyperlink to get the whole piece. It’s a worthy click.

Canadian 🇨🇦 Speaking with American 🇺🇸 of Goodwill by Dr. Richard Francis Hogan
Read on Substack

Canada K1R 7X1 Tuesday April 29, 2025 17:39 My dear American friend,

As a Canadian—rooted in the North’s enduring landscapes, shaped by the intellectual rigor of Princeton, Harvard, and Alistair—the perspective I bring carries both the weight of my country’s values and the lens of scholarship. Canada itself is a testament to resilience: vast, unyielding, and profoundly ethical, it stands as a quiet lodestar amid a fractured Western Alliance.

The Alliance, once a cathedral of shared ideals—its pillars of democracy, its arches of trust, and its foundation of justice—has weathered quakes of greed and waves of corruption. Criminal actors, conspiring in darkness, have sought to erode these sacred stones, testing the integrity of the principles that bind nations and people alike. Yet Canada, like the glacier’s edge cutting through stone, does not yield. It understands that sovereignty is not merely a possession, but a responsibility—a covenant to protect truth and justice, not only for itself but for all who look to it as a beacon.

Ethically, Canada reflects what true kinship should embody: colleagues whose integrity is a bridge over tumultuous waters; partners who root themselves in mutual respect, like the intertwining roots of the great boreal forests; and friendships, which are the wildflowers that flourish even in the harshest tundra, bringing color and life to the frostiest of divides. To betray these values, through complicity or complacency, is to allow darkness to encroach upon what light remains. (snip-MORE)

Hate is a Horrible Word

Good-Day Playtime folks!! Not sure how I felt about being back to work today. I often do enjoy my job. I enjoy finding the solution to problems, working with people that are, quite frankly, smarter than I and coming to an understanding of an issue and seeking a solution. I enjoy the creative process of fabrication. What begins a draft on paper ending as a usable and well made product is often magical, in my mind. Ok, I’m a cheap date, I get it.

Many of the people I work with are very much drumpf lovers. I am well known to be not so enamored. In fact, if you asked me, I’d say I hate the guy…. but no, that’s not a fair word. I hate what he’s done. I hate what we’ve become because of this one …. person. Other presidents spoke on Hope and Change, a Shining City on a Hill, Camelot, A Thousand Shining Lights. Drumpf told me I would get to the point where I was tired of winning. I’m there! I lost Camelot. I can’t see the Shining City. Camelot is gone. I am hoping for a change…. But, I don’t hate the man. I was raised better…. ironically by people who are now enamored with the guy. Nonetheless, I don’t hate because I’m better than that. Still, I so hate what he’s done to us.

As I write this I am reminded of a person we had working at the shop who was my senior. He talked a great game, seemed able to manipulate people with ease, was divisive, derisive, abusive even. Somehow I thought he was good for the company despite his faults, despite the internal red flags waving so hard that I just talked myself out of recognizing for what they, for what HE was! In the end, he cost us two big customers, our reputation, and millions of dollars (remember, small business!) We are rebuilding, hoping we survive the cost of his devastating sabotage. I feel foolish for believing this guy. I feel foolish because I KNEW he was a snake, and I FELL FOR IT! I cannot tell you how embarrassed and hurt I am from this asshole.

Remember who you are and please Hold On To Hope as we weather this particular shit storm for this too shall pass and we – as a country, as communities, as families and as individuals – we will have quite the mess to clean up. We will need strong, mature and smart people who can not only speak in complete sentences but who are invested in rebuilding and success. And, just like that snake that I once worked with, we will need to learn from this and NEVER let it happen again. Hugs. Randy

Posting In Order To Comment-

Chop Wood Carry Water …

Stop by here whenever you feel; there’ll be a light on, I bet! And I get what you’re saying, I believe. It does seem a good time to look around oneself locally, take stock, and be surrounded with the little things.

This Is Beautiful-

go see the entire post! 🐙

Octopus – enshrouded

Observing April 25th

Cantare è resistere. Il 25 aprile non può essere messo a tacere

This blogger visits us here; I’ve seen likes on our posts. I checked out the blog and subscribed. I admit, I read with the Translate turned on, so I’ve copy-pasted a snippet here, in English. It’s not too long to read, so please do! It’s motivating.

===============

Singing is resisting. April 25th cannot be silenced

April 24, 2025

The government’s instructions on the “sobriety” to be maintained in the celebrations of April 25 have led to the cancellation of celebrations and concerts, even in municipalities administered by left-wing councils. An indication is not a ban, but many mayors have preferred to avoid being accused of having violated the sobriety required during the five days of national mourning proclaimed for the death of the Pope. As in the case of Foligno, they even cancelled the performance of the philharmonic that was supposed to play the national anthem.

In Lastra a Signa, on the outskirts of Florence, the municipal council has decided to cancel the concert of Quarto Podere , a historic Tuscan band that has always combined commitment, tradition and irony in its long artistic career. In response to this absurd decision, the members of the group wrote a letter in which they expressed deep dismay and asked for a reconsideration. Here is a significant passage:

“ April 25, Liberation Day from Nazi-fascism, is a cornerstone of our Republic. We therefore consider it unacceptable that a left-wing government, in a secular State (as established by Article 1 of the Constitution), chooses to deny the possibility of adequately commemorating such a significant day, outraging the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
This choice appears even more serious at a time in history when our dignity, workers’ rights and the founding values of the Republic are under attack by a far-right government, clearly of neo-fascist origin; a government that, since it has been in office, has undertaken a systematic demolition of political rights, limiting the possibility of dissent and resistance, as demonstrated by the latest Security Decree. The
proclamation of five days of national mourning represents yet another opportunity to exploit a contingent event and silence any form of dissent.
We are convinced that Pope Francis – a figure we deeply respect – would have been opposed to a cancellation that betrays the inclusive and profound spirit of a celebration that, for our country, is sacred .”

Music, singing, artistic expression have always been perceived as dangerous by totalitarian regimes. (snip-MORE)