Meet Brandon Straka, a gay former liberal enuragg others to #WalkAway om Democrats

Contents:

• SEND HUNTER BIN IRS WHISTLEBLOWER INTIFIED AS GAY DEMOCRAT
• A GAY UPLE RAN A RAL RTRANT PEACE. THEN NEW NEIGHBORS ARRIVED.
• KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
• GUY FIERI’S TMP PHOTO OP HAS PEOPLE RECKONG WH HIS POLICSTHE NEW ELLEN/BUSHTWTER NATURALLY HAD A LOT TO SAY (AND A LOT OF RECEIPTS TO PULL) AFTER THE TYPILLY APOLIL MAYOR OF FLAVORTOWN CHATTED UP THE FORMER PRINT.LRA BRADLEYSENR ENTERTAMENT REPORTERUPDATED JUL. 10, 2023 4:22PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUL. 10, 2023 4:15PM EDT JEFF BOTTARI/ZUFFA LLC VIA GETTY IMAGFOR MOST OF HIS REER, GUY FIERI HAS MANAGED TO KEEP HIS BRAND RELATIVELY APOLIL. NOW THAT HE’S BEEN PHOTOGRAPHED WH DONALD TMP, HOWEVER, THE BLEACH-TIPPED CELEBRY CHEF MIGHT BE STARTG TO FEEL THE HEAT.ON SATURDAY, FIERI WAS PHOTOGRAPHED MEETG THE RECENTLY DICTED FORMER PRINT AT THE T-MOBILE ARENA LAS VEGAS DURG UFC 290. NBC NEWS REPORTS THAT THE TWO CHATTED AT THE MIXED MARTIAL ARTS EVENT, WHERE TMP WAS ALSO SPOTTED TALKG TO MEL GIBSON AND MARK WAHLBERG. TURNG POT USA CREATIVE DIRECTOR BENNY JOHNSON TWEETED OUT A PHOTO OF FIERI AND TMP TOGETHER ON SUNDAY, WRG, “2024 UNY TICKET.” FIERI’S FACE IS NOT VISIBLE ENOUGH THE PHOTOS TO GGE HIS EXPRSN, BUT HE N BE SEEN FACG TMP WH HIS HAND ON THE FORMER PRINT’S ARM. REPRENTATIV FOR FIERI AND DISVERY, WHOSE WORKS RRY FIERI’S SERI, DID NOT IMMEDIATELY RPOND TO THE DAILY BEAST’S REQUT FOR MENT.UNSURPRISGLY, THE TMP PHOTO HAS SET FLAVORTOWN ON FIRE. SIWAYS GLANC NOW ABOUND ON TWTER, CLUDG OM THE VIRAL ACUNT POP CRAVE, WHICH SHARED THE PHOTO WH THE Y PTN, “GUY FIERI GREETG CRIMAL FENDANT DONALD TMP AT UFC 290 LAS VEGAS.” MEANWHILE, WHE STRIP ONTMAN JACK WHE SHARED PHOTOS OF FIERI AND OTHER CELEBRI WHO REPORTEDLY MET WH TMP AT UFC AND LLED THEM ALL “DISGTG.” “ANYBODY WHO ‘NORMALIZ’ OR TREATS THIS DISGTG FASCIST, RACIST, N MAN, DISGTG PIECE OF SH TMP WH ANY LEVEL OF RPECT IS ALSO DISGTG MY BOOK,” WHE WROTE ON INSTAGRAM. “THAT’S YOU JOE ROGAN, YOU MEL GIBSON, YOU MARK WAHLBERG, YOU GUY FIERI. THIS IS A STATEMENT OM ME, NOT A DISCSN/BATE.” THE IRE SURROUNDG FIERI FEELS LIKE AN ECHO OF SOMETHG WE SAW BEFORE, WHEN ELLEN DEGENER WAS PHOTOGRAPHED PALLG AROUND WH FORMER PRINT GEE W. BH AT A DALLAS COWBOYS GAME 2019. THEN, LIKE NOW, A RELATIVELY BENIGN CELEBRY’S POLICS HAVE BEEN THST TO THE LIMELIGHT, REPLACG FANS’ BLISSFUL, FORTG IGNORANCE WH SKEPTICISM.THE NTROVERSY OVER FIERI’S PHOTO OPP HAS ALSO RURFACED SOME OF HIS PAST NTROVERSI. IN 2021, THE AV CLUB DOCUMENTED THE DERS, DRIVE-INS AND DIV HOST’S RISE AS A MORN FOLK HERO THANKS TO HIS FUNDRAISG EFFORTS DURG THE PANMIC. AT THE SAME TIME, WRER MATT SCHIMKOWZ POTED OUT, FIERI REMAS A “POLIL RORSCHACH TT” WHO SKIRTS DIRECT QUTNS ABOUT HIS PERSONAL VIEWS. ON ONE HAND, FIERI N SOMETIM GTURE TOWARD PROGRSIVE ALLYSHIP—LIKE THE BERNIE SANRS MEME HE POSTED 2021 WH THE PTN, “NOT ME. US.” SIX MONTHS AFTER POSTG THAT MEME, HOWEVER, FIERI SLD RTRANT WORKERS WHO HAD NOT RETURNED TO WORK DURG AN TERVIEW WH THE NEW YORK TIM. RATHER THAN ADDRS WORKERS’ NCERNS ABOUT THEIR JOBS—WHICH EATER POTED OUT AT THE TIME CLUD COVID RISK, LOW WAG, AND PALTRY CHILDRE AND SICK LEAVE—HE PARED THEM TO SPOILED CHILDREN. “WHY WOULD YOU GO AND EAT BROCLI,” FIERI ASKED, “IF YOU JT GOT TO EAT DOROS?” FANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA HAVE ALSO POSTED ARTICL ABOUT THE SNARL OF ALLEGATNS THAT EMERGED MORE THAN A AGO, WHEN FORMER DERS, DRIVE-INS AND DIV PRODUCER DAVID PAGE SUED FOOD NETWORK FOR BREACH OF NTRACT. THE WORK UNTERSUED MONTHS LATER, ALLEGG THAT PAGE HAD MA THE WORKPLACE “TOLERABLE” FOR STAFF. THE PARTI EVENTUALLY SETTLED, AND TWO MONTHS LATER, PAGE BLASTED FIERI WH SEPARATE ALLEGATNS.IN A 2011 CY PAG ARTICLE PRERVED BY THE INTER ARCHIVE, PAGE ALLEGED THAT FIERI MA HOMOPHOBIC MENTS DURG DDD’S PRODUCTN. AT ONE POT, PAGE ALLEGED, THE HOST SAID, “YOU N’T SEND ME TO TALK TO GAY PEOPLE WHOUT WARNG! THOSE PEOPLE WEIRD ME OUT!” THE EX-PRODUCER ALSO CLAIMED THAT FIERI HAD MA AN ANTI-SEMIC REMARK TOWARD HIM DURG A MOARY DISPUTE, THAT HE ED LEWD HUMOR THE WORKPLACE, AND THAT WHEN CUTTG THE SHOW TOGETHER, DDD EDORS NEED “TO WATCH GUY’S EYELE, BEE ’S ALWAYS ON BREASTS.”FIERI CLED TO MENT ON THE CY PAG ARTICLE. AFTER THE ARTICLE’S PUBLITN, A REPRENTATIVE FOR FIERI TOLD EATER, “GUY’S REPUTATN SPEAKS FOR SELF. HE’S A STANDUP GUY WHO DO RIGHT BY PEOPLE. HE WOULD NEVER MAKE THE KD OF MENTS ATTRIBUTED TO HIM THIS STORY, AND ANYONE WHO KNOWS OR HAS EVEN MET HIM KNOWS THAT. THAT MR. PAGE MA THE SADLY SPERATE STATEMENTS SAYS MORE ABOUT HIM THAN DO ABOUT GUY OR ANYONE ON THE FOOD NETWORK TEAM.”A “SOURCE WH KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUATN” ALSO TOLD EATER THAT PAGE’S ALLEGATNS WERE “FANTASI,” AND THAT THE CY PAG ARTICLE WAS FULL OF “OMISSNS,” “BASIC ERRORS,” AND “PLETE FABRITNS.” MEANWHILE, A SOURCE POTED OUT TO GOTHAMIST THAT FIERI’S LATE SISTER WAS HOMOSEXUAL AND THAT HIS LONGTIME BS PARTNER AND CLOSE IEND IS ALSO JEWISH.FOR NOW, ONLY TIME WILL TELL HOW THE TMP PHOTOS WILL AFFECT FIERI’S BRAND: WILL THIS TANK THE GOODWILL HE BUILT DURG THE PANMIC, OR N HE RI OUT BY KEEPG QUIET? THE STATE OF THE UNN FLAVORTOWN, MEANWHILE, REMAS SHAMBL. LRA BRADLEY
• MEET BRANDON STRAKA, A GAY FORMER LIBERAL ENURAGG OTHERS TO #WALKAWAY OM DEMOCRATS
• GENEVA COLLEGE ALLEGEDLY FIR GAY SOCCER ACH AFTER INSTAGRAM POSTS ABOUT CLIVENS
• TMP PRI: GAY REPUBLINS ON WHY THEY'RE BACKG THE PRINT

SEND HUNTER BIN IRS WHISTLEBLOWER INTIFIED AS GAY DEMOCRAT

A prevly anonymo IRS whistleblower ttifyg about an vtigatn to Hunter Bin me forward Wednday, intifyg as a gay Democrat who wanted to do the “right thg.

A GAY UPLE RAN A RAL RTRANT PEACE. THEN NEW NEIGHBORS ARRIVED.

Poilievre tells T to 'butt out' of New Bnswick's policy on LGBTQ stuntsPoilievre wish Canadians a happy Pri month — but won't say if he'll attend an eventThe "straight pri" movement has emerged recent years as a backlash agast growg social acceptance of gay, lbian, bisexual, transgenr and other sexually diverse Pri paras are held around the world throughout the summer months. They mark the June 1969 Stonewall rt, when gay bar patrons fought back agast a police crackdown — a pivotal moment wily seen as the start of morn gay rights paras are meant to celebrate a muny that has endured generatns of opprsn and events have taken on new promence at a time when some jurisdictns, notably the U.

"Poilievre's adoptive father is posg his shadow bet Parliament, Poilievre picked a lbian and a gay man for two proment posns. The bsman and his wife, Melissa, first plaed to the Front Porch proprietors about pre-dawn vendor liveri 2019, not long after the nservative Christian uple moved their fancial firm right next door to the rtrant, which fli a gay Pri flag.

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

(Front Porch Market and Grill)What’s more, the Washers say, the ad rat was jt one more sult that the uple, who once planted an “all liv matter” sign their ont yard, have endured sce movg next door to a rtrant owned by a gay uple. They married 2020, five years after they opened the Front Porch, which quickly beme a statn The Front Porch has been flyg a Pri flag on s pat sce 2016, not long after a gunman killed 49 people a gay bar Orlando. Waybourn was print of the Dallas Gay Alliance when sued Parkland Memorial Hospal for failg to provi readily available medic to AIDS patients.

In 1991, he lnched the Gay and Lbian Victory Fund (now the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund) to elect openly gay policians to office. He served as managg director of the Gay & Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn, or GLAAD, which he helped turn to a natnal group.

He owned gay newspapers Hoton, Atlanta, New York and Washgton.

GUY FIERI’S TMP PHOTO OP HAS PEOPLE RECKONG WH HIS POLICSTHE NEW ELLEN/BUSHTWTER NATURALLY HAD A LOT TO SAY (AND A LOT OF RECEIPTS TO PULL) AFTER THE TYPILLY APOLIL MAYOR OF FLAVORTOWN CHATTED UP THE FORMER PRINT.LRA BRADLEYSENR ENTERTAMENT REPORTERUPDATED JUL. 10, 2023 4:22PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUL. 10, 2023 4:15PM EDT JEFF BOTTARI/ZUFFA LLC VIA GETTY IMAGFOR MOST OF HIS REER, GUY FIERI HAS MANAGED TO KEEP HIS BRAND RELATIVELY APOLIL. NOW THAT HE’S BEEN PHOTOGRAPHED WH DONALD TMP, HOWEVER, THE BLEACH-TIPPED CELEBRY CHEF MIGHT BE STARTG TO FEEL THE HEAT.ON SATURDAY, FIERI WAS PHOTOGRAPHED MEETG THE RECENTLY DICTED FORMER PRINT AT THE T-MOBILE ARENA LAS VEGAS DURG UFC 290. NBC NEWS REPORTS THAT THE TWO CHATTED AT THE MIXED MARTIAL ARTS EVENT, WHERE TMP WAS ALSO SPOTTED TALKG TO MEL GIBSON AND MARK WAHLBERG. TURNG POT USA CREATIVE DIRECTOR BENNY JOHNSON TWEETED OUT A PHOTO OF FIERI AND TMP TOGETHER ON SUNDAY, WRG, “2024 UNY TICKET.” FIERI’S FACE IS NOT VISIBLE ENOUGH THE PHOTOS TO GGE HIS EXPRSN, BUT HE N BE SEEN FACG TMP WH HIS HAND ON THE FORMER PRINT’S ARM. REPRENTATIV FOR FIERI AND DISVERY, WHOSE WORKS RRY FIERI’S SERI, DID NOT IMMEDIATELY RPOND TO THE DAILY BEAST’S REQUT FOR MENT.UNSURPRISGLY, THE TMP PHOTO HAS SET FLAVORTOWN ON FIRE. SIWAYS GLANC NOW ABOUND ON TWTER, CLUDG OM THE VIRAL ACUNT POP CRAVE, WHICH SHARED THE PHOTO WH THE Y PTN, “GUY FIERI GREETG CRIMAL FENDANT DONALD TMP AT UFC 290 LAS VEGAS.” MEANWHILE, WHE STRIP ONTMAN JACK WHE SHARED PHOTOS OF FIERI AND OTHER CELEBRI WHO REPORTEDLY MET WH TMP AT UFC AND LLED THEM ALL “DISGTG.” “ANYBODY WHO ‘NORMALIZ’ OR TREATS THIS DISGTG FASCIST, RACIST, N MAN, DISGTG PIECE OF SH TMP WH ANY LEVEL OF RPECT IS ALSO DISGTG MY BOOK,” WHE WROTE ON INSTAGRAM. “THAT’S YOU JOE ROGAN, YOU MEL GIBSON, YOU MARK WAHLBERG, YOU GUY FIERI. THIS IS A STATEMENT OM ME, NOT A DISCSN/BATE.” THE IRE SURROUNDG FIERI FEELS LIKE AN ECHO OF SOMETHG WE SAW BEFORE, WHEN ELLEN DEGENER WAS PHOTOGRAPHED PALLG AROUND WH FORMER PRINT GEE W. BH AT A DALLAS COWBOYS GAME 2019. THEN, LIKE NOW, A RELATIVELY BENIGN CELEBRY’S POLICS HAVE BEEN THST TO THE LIMELIGHT, REPLACG FANS’ BLISSFUL, FORTG IGNORANCE WH SKEPTICISM.THE NTROVERSY OVER FIERI’S PHOTO OPP HAS ALSO RURFACED SOME OF HIS PAST NTROVERSI. IN 2021, THE AV CLUB DOCUMENTED THE DERS, DRIVE-INS AND DIV HOST’S RISE AS A MORN FOLK HERO THANKS TO HIS FUNDRAISG EFFORTS DURG THE PANMIC. AT THE SAME TIME, WRER MATT SCHIMKOWZ POTED OUT, FIERI REMAS A “POLIL RORSCHACH TT” WHO SKIRTS DIRECT QUTNS ABOUT HIS PERSONAL VIEWS. ON ONE HAND, FIERI N SOMETIM GTURE TOWARD PROGRSIVE ALLYSHIP—LIKE THE BERNIE SANRS MEME HE POSTED 2021 WH THE PTN, “NOT ME. US.” SIX MONTHS AFTER POSTG THAT MEME, HOWEVER, FIERI SLD RTRANT WORKERS WHO HAD NOT RETURNED TO WORK DURG AN TERVIEW WH THE NEW YORK TIM. RATHER THAN ADDRS WORKERS’ NCERNS ABOUT THEIR JOBS—WHICH EATER POTED OUT AT THE TIME CLUD COVID RISK, LOW WAG, AND PALTRY CHILDRE AND SICK LEAVE—HE PARED THEM TO SPOILED CHILDREN. “WHY WOULD YOU GO AND EAT BROCLI,” FIERI ASKED, “IF YOU JT GOT TO EAT DOROS?” FANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA HAVE ALSO POSTED ARTICL ABOUT THE SNARL OF ALLEGATNS THAT EMERGED MORE THAN A AGO, WHEN FORMER DERS, DRIVE-INS AND DIV PRODUCER DAVID PAGE SUED FOOD NETWORK FOR BREACH OF NTRACT. THE WORK UNTERSUED MONTHS LATER, ALLEGG THAT PAGE HAD MA THE WORKPLACE “TOLERABLE” FOR STAFF. THE PARTI EVENTUALLY SETTLED, AND TWO MONTHS LATER, PAGE BLASTED FIERI WH SEPARATE ALLEGATNS.IN A 2011 CY PAG ARTICLE PRERVED BY THE INTER ARCHIVE, PAGE ALLEGED THAT FIERI MA HOMOPHOBIC MENTS DURG DDD’S PRODUCTN. AT ONE POT, PAGE ALLEGED, THE HOST SAID, “YOU N’T SEND ME TO TALK TO GAY PEOPLE WHOUT WARNG! THOSE PEOPLE WEIRD ME OUT!” THE EX-PRODUCER ALSO CLAIMED THAT FIERI HAD MA AN ANTI-SEMIC REMARK TOWARD HIM DURG A MOARY DISPUTE, THAT HE ED LEWD HUMOR THE WORKPLACE, AND THAT WHEN CUTTG THE SHOW TOGETHER, DDD EDORS NEED “TO WATCH GUY’S EYELE, BEE ’S ALWAYS ON BREASTS.”FIERI CLED TO MENT ON THE CY PAG ARTICLE. AFTER THE ARTICLE’S PUBLITN, A REPRENTATIVE FOR FIERI TOLD EATER, “GUY’S REPUTATN SPEAKS FOR SELF. HE’S A STANDUP GUY WHO DO RIGHT BY PEOPLE. HE WOULD NEVER MAKE THE KD OF MENTS ATTRIBUTED TO HIM THIS STORY, AND ANYONE WHO KNOWS OR HAS EVEN MET HIM KNOWS THAT. THAT MR. PAGE MA THE SADLY SPERATE STATEMENTS SAYS MORE ABOUT HIM THAN DO ABOUT GUY OR ANYONE ON THE FOOD NETWORK TEAM.”A “SOURCE WH KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUATN” ALSO TOLD EATER THAT PAGE’S ALLEGATNS WERE “FANTASI,” AND THAT THE CY PAG ARTICLE WAS FULL OF “OMISSNS,” “BASIC ERRORS,” AND “PLETE FABRITNS.” MEANWHILE, A SOURCE POTED OUT TO GOTHAMIST THAT FIERI’S LATE SISTER WAS HOMOSEXUAL AND THAT HIS LONGTIME BS PARTNER AND CLOSE IEND IS ALSO JEWISH.FOR NOW, ONLY TIME WILL TELL HOW THE TMP PHOTOS WILL AFFECT FIERI’S BRAND: WILL THIS TANK THE GOODWILL HE BUILT DURG THE PANMIC, OR N HE RI OUT BY KEEPG QUIET? THE STATE OF THE UNN FLAVORTOWN, MEANWHILE, REMAS SHAMBL. LRA BRADLEY

“I had so many threats agast me that even the Dallas police statned squad rs outsi our home, ” Waybourn an activist, Waybourn says, his goals were clear: same-sex marriage, gays and lbians the ary, accs to lifavg medic. To the activist, feels like a step backward after a lifetime of fightg for gay pack the seats at the Board of Zong Appeals hearg hosted at Grace Epispal Church. “I have que a few gay iends, clients and a fay member, and I have patronized a gay-owned rtrant for years, ” he whether the Washers are tryg to remake The Plas to their image of Ameri — Whe, nservative, Christian — Melissa said, “I n see where you’re g om.

“As today’s report mak clear, that perd many endured the most horrific sexual abe and vlence, homophobic bullyg and harassment, all while bravely servg this untry, ” Sunak told MP. Promisg the ernment would implement the “vast majory” of Etherton’s remendatns, Wallace said he would fully update the Commons a formal bate about the issue after the about pensatn, Wallace said he hoped to fd “an elegant solutn that match the need and the requirements of those dividuals”, promisg to set this out after Kelly Holm, who served the army and me out as gay last year, was among mpaigners who weled the apology.

MEET BRANDON STRAKA, A GAY FORMER LIBERAL ENURAGG OTHERS TO #WALKAWAY OM DEMOCRATS

Starmer said one of his nstuents, Ken Wright, a former RAF service member who was “forced to leave the job he loved simply bee he was gay”, was the public gallery to hear the apology. The parti eventually settled, and two months later, Page blasted Fieri wh separate a 2011 Cy Pag article prerved by the Inter Archive, Page alleged that Fieri ma homophobic ments durg DDD’s productn.

At one pot, Page alleged, the host said, “You n’t send me to talk to gay people whout warng!

GENEVA COLLEGE ALLEGEDLY FIR GAY SOCCER ACH AFTER INSTAGRAM POSTS ABOUT CLIVENS

” Meanwhile, a source poted out to Gothamist that Fieri’s late sister was homosexual and that his longtime bs partner and close iend is also now, only time will tell how the Tmp photos will affect Fieri’s brand: Will this tank the goodwill he built durg the panmic, or n he ri out by keepg quiet? ”Straka’s story of beg a whe, gay, Manhattan liberal-turned-nservative proved irristible to those on the right.

TMP PRI: GAY REPUBLINS ON WHY THEY'RE BACKG THE PRINT

He said he faced vlence and discrimatn for beg gay his nservative high school, he moved to New York to pursue actg and sgg. ”“That’s what started to drive me away om liberalism, ” he said his “red-pillg” — or his journey om liberal to nservative — was furthered by watchg YouTube vios that alleged the “liberal media” was tryg to take down me to believe that news outlets nspired to pat Tmp as “the most racist, most homophobic, most horrible person the world” and ma so “anybody who supports him is pated as the same. Angelo, print of the gay nservative group Log Cab Republins, thks there’s potential #WalkAway, but only if nservativ n figure out how to harns s energy.

An openly gay man, Miller also walked away, but the other directn: He nsirs himself a “#NeverTmp Republin. An NBC News ex poll om the 2016 printial electn found jt 14 percent of lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr voters st their ballots for Tmp, pared to 78 percent for Clton.

“GAY CONSERVATIVE PUBLIC FIGURE”Ls than three months after postg his viral #WalkAway vio, Straka has qu his day job and now foc on his mpaign full-time, llg himself a “gay nservative public figure startg a movement to save the untry!