Week In Review: Australia Hates Poppers, Trump’s Penis Ruined Mario Kart for Everyone
In the Week in Review, we look at 10 of the week’s top stories that you may have missed. In this week’s edition, we look at why Australia could soon ban poppers (and why the LGBTQ community is fighting back), how Donald Trump’s penis just ruined Mario Kart for everybody and a Florida mother who’s a downright hero.
Here are 10 of the week’s top stories:
1. Thanks to This Florida Mother, the Man Who Drugged and Raped Her 16-Year-Old Son Is in Custody
Florida man Victor Williams is sitting in jail thanks to a mother who tricked him into confessing to raping her son. According to reports, a 16-year-old boy snuck out to meet an “older guy” — that’d be Williams — but when he came back he told his mother he thought he’d been drugged and raped. She then confronted Williams, who confessed, and she turned him over to the cops.
Read the full story here.
2. Every Year This Guy Pays Tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘September’ With a New Dance Routine
Do you remember the 21st night of September? You may not remember the specific date, but you certainly remember the Earth, Wind and Fire classic “September” and its iconic opening line. Since 2016, comedian and screenwriter Demi Adejuyigbe pays tribute to the song every year with a filmed dance routine. And this year he’s using Sept. 21 as an excuse to raise money for some very worthy charities.
Read the full story here.
3. Australia Could Soon Ban Poppers, Because Apparently Gays Just Can’t Have Nice Things
On Sept. 14, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) — sort of the equivalent of the United States’ Food and Drug Administration — published an interim decision banning amyl nitrite, better known as poppers. The TGA also recommended classifying nitrite inhalants as Schedule 9, the same as heroin (and another miscategorized drug, marijuana). But the LGBTQ community is fighting back against the poppers ban, and may just get it reversed.
Read the full story here.
4. The Netflix Canada Twitter Account Calls Itself ‘The Gay One,’ and It’s Not Kidding
Netflix uses different social media accounts for different countries to help keep its international users up-to-date on the different TV shows and films offered in each region. On Twitter, for example, there’s Netflix US, Netflix U.K. and Ireland and then there’s Netflix Canada, or as it likes to call itself, “the gay one.” And it’s not kidding around. This gay Netflix account even has a queer sense of humor in its posts.
Read the full story here.
5. No, the Upcoming Queen Biopic Doesn’t ‘Straightwash’ Queer Rocker Freddie Mercury
Bohemian Rhapsody, a film we’ve been eagerly awaiting since we first heard news of its production, doesn’t “straightwash” Freddie Mercury (who found himself in relationships with both women and men and so is more than likely a bisexual icon). Nor does it gloss over the legendary artist’s unfortunate 1991 death due to HIV complications.
Read the full story here.
6. Mario Kart Is Currently Trending, But for the Most Horrific of Reasons
If you’ve checked out the trending news topics online today, you might have noticed the Nintendo racing game Mario Kart is trending. And while that might sound like great fun for video game fans, sadly its trending has absolutely nothing to do with the game. You see, Stormy Daniels recently published a tell-all memoir entitled Full Disclosure. She offers an unflattering description of the president’s penis, comparing it to “the mushroom character in Mario Kart.” That character is named Toad, and the comparison has pretty much ruined the lovable video game character for everyone.
Read the full story here.
7. Read This Twitter Thread About the ‘80s HIV Epidemic That Has Left Everyone in Tears
Tucker Shaw lived through the height of the HIV epidemic in the ’80s and ’90s during which 447,060 people died — basically the entire population of Miami, Florida; Oakland, California; or New Orleans, Louisiana. Last night Shaw posted a heartbreaking thread on Twitter after hearing a young man on a train tell someone else that the HIV epidemic had beneficial effects “in the long run” because it ultimately strengthened the LGBTQ community.
Read the full story here.
8. Before You Measure Your Penis with the iPhone’s New Ruler Tool, Know This
Apple released an iOS update on Monday, iOS 12. Among iOS 12’s new features is the Measure app, which gives people ability to measure things with their cameras using an “augmented reality” ruler — just point your camera at something and bam! The ruler will measure it. Naturally we (and other people) immediately thought about guys using the Measure app on their penises. But we’ve uncovered that the Measure app may not be entirely accurate for penis measurement.
Read the full story here.
9. These Countries Currently Forbid LGBTQ Groups From Forming Within Their Borders
A report released by OutRight Action International (OAI) — a group addressing LGBTQ human rights violations around the world — found there are 55 countries that forbid LGBTQ groups from forming and an additional 30 have no national LGBTQ groups whatsoever, denying queer citizens any sort of organized advocates to help fight for civil and human rights.
Read the full story here.
10. 21 Drag Queens Who Double as Some of Our Favorite Music Makers
Considering there are quite literally a ton of openly LGBTQ musicians and bands (seriously, check out our A-Z encyclopedia of queer musicians here), we began wondering how many drag queens have released full albums. It turns out there are quite a few drag queen musicians — and not just “Ru girls,” either.
Read the full story here.
Did you enjoy our look at this week’s top stories?
