losangelesblade.com - 736 Showbiz News and Updates

Editor’s Note: Many of the issues that are raised in the following news and commentary piece from American Civil Liberties Union’s Ashley Gorski, a Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU National Security Project, also directly impacts LGBTQ+ people.

It goes without saying that most of us are more than happy to see 2020 come to an end, but even this dumpster fire of a year could not extinguish the will to fight for a better life. The effort to secure Washington Blade contributor Yariel Valdés González’s release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody is no better example of what is possible.

LOS ANGELES – As California is once again under a stay-at-home order restricting residents and shuttering businesses because of yet another surge of the coronavirus, which has overwhelmed the healthcare system in the Golden State, it’s difficult to imagine that one year ago the events of this past year were literally the essence of science fiction novels come to life.

LOS ANGELES – Authorities in Los Angeles are cracking down on any potential New Year’s Eve celebrations that would create more havoc for an already overburdened healthcare system which over the past thirty days has been crushed by a deadly COVID-19/coronavirus surge.

We end 2020 in an unimaginable place, with more than 80 million cases of the novel coronavirus and more than 1.7 million deaths reported globally. As a result, we are also experiencing a cascading social and economic fallout that heralds perhaps the greatest social and political challenges in modern history. 

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles LGBT Center has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the S. Mark Taper Foundation to support the Center’s innovative Culinary Arts program, an intergenerational training program for LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness and low-income LGBTQ seniors.

SACRAMENTO – California’s top health official announced that the stay-at-home restrictions instituted three weeks ago, as ICU bed capacity fell below 15% eventually bottoming out at 0.0% in Southern California and other parts of the state, were being extended.

HOLLYWOOD – Doctors and staff clapped after Keith Leach, a black frontline worker healthcare coworker at the Los Angeles LGBT Centre, received his first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination Tuesday morning. The first of 400 doses received by the Centre, it was dispensed by Dr. Ward Carpenter, co-director of health services at the Centre’s McDonald/Wright Building located on North Schrader Blvd.

LOS ANGELES – As Public Health officials in hard-hit Los Angeles County issued their most dire warning yet about the coronavirus, cautioning Monday that area hospitals are at risk of running out of space, especially with the looming threat of a Christmas holiday-fueled surge, public health officials amended health orders now requiring that travelers returning to the Southland must quarantine.

LOS ANGELES – California on Wednesday surpassed 2 million coronavirus cases, according to a tabulation of data by the Los Angeles Times. This grim turning point makes the Golden State the first in the country to reach the alarming milestone as the pandemic also claims more lives.

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica—Partiendo de una serie de inquietudes desde su dirección ejecutiva acerca del abordaje del tema del envejecimiento y la vejez en poblaciones LGBTQ y sus retos, nace el proyecto de un grupo costarricense basado en los derechos humanos para tal población en Centroamérica.

SACRAMENTO – In a widely anticipated move to fill the U.S. Senate seat by currently held by the departing Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that he has chosen the state’s secretary of state, Alex Padilla.

Holiday shopping for your friend or family member can be a tough task, which is why people often put off buying until the last minute!  Lucky for you, Los Angeles Blade has crafted the perfect gift guide for all your loved ones! Given that everyone is struggling right now, please consider these purchases from these wonderful businesses all year round!

SACRAMENTO – Speaking to reporters from his home where he is undergoing a ten-day quarantine due to possible exposed to the coronavirus, California Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday that the three-week regional stay-at-home order set to expire on December 28 is very likely to be extended.

LOS ANGELES – Community groups and even some of his own prosecutors felt blindsided when, in his first week in office, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon announced that his sweeping plan for criminal justice reform included a blanket end to sentencing enhancements — including for hate crimes.

WEST HOLLYWOOD – A year ago, turning right onto Santa Monica Blvd. from Robertson on Saturday night might’ve taken you a couple light cycles, as dozens of club-goers crossed the street hopping from Mickey’s to the Abbey. 12 months later, those are two of the only bars left on the quarter-mile stretch of acceptance the LGBTQIA+ community has come to call their LA home.

None of us expected 2020 to be the year of a pandemic, but during these times businesses, organizations and people have adapted to the new normal. Our 2021 Best of LGBTQ LA Awards are adapting as well, but we will still celebrate the Los Angeles LGBTQ community.

The past year has been incredibly challenging for everyone — and at the end of the year we couldn’t be more thankful for all of the support we have received to keep bringing you a weekly print newspaper and 24/7 online news.  This woul

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported Saturday that it has tallied 610,372 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 8,817 deaths. since the pandemic began last February.

LOS ANGELES – Many small businesses, especially in the service hospitality sector, have suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic due to lack of relief for rent and mortgage payments. The state of California’s Health officials have also repeatedly opened and closed restaurants and bars in response to the number of new cases or hospitalizations which has made it difficult for small businesses to stay alive.

SILVER SPRING, Maryland – The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has given its tentative approval for emergency authorisation of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Cambridge, Massachusetts- based biotechnology company Moderna Thursday night. Final FDA sign-off is expected Friday morning.

(Special to the Los Angeles Blade) My name is Rosalynne (Rose) Montoya, I am a Latina, bisexual, transgender woman. I am a social media content creator and before Monday December 14th, 2020, I had grown my audience to 300K+ followers on my TikTok account. (@RosalynneMontoya).

CHINLE, Ariz. — Arizona state Rep.

HOLLYWOOD – Helen Cordova, an ICU nurse at Kaiser Permenante Los Angeles Medical Center, became the first person in California to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

WILMINGTON, Delaware – President-elect Joe Biden spoke to a national primetime audience as he acknowledged the Electoral College vote that officially gave him the presidency Monday.

WASHINGTON – Right-wing media outlets have earned more than two million Facebook interactions on content praising a new bill introduced by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Rep.

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is pleading with Los Angeles County residents to adhere to the COVID-19 health protocols as the department confirmed 70 new deaths and 11,476 new cases Saturday. The bottom-line message is to stay home.

SILVER SPRING, Maryland – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration late Friday afternoon approved emergency use of Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech’s vaccine. The emergency use authorization allows the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to be distributed in the U.S.

WASHINGTON – Democratic Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) and Oklahoma Republican Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-02), introduced a bill Thursday that if enacted would strip Trans-girls and women of their ability to engage in competitive athletics across the United States.

BURBANK – A spokesperson for The Ellen DeGeneres Show confirmed that Ellen DeGeneres has tested positive for the coronavirus. The 62 year old comedian and talk show host broke the news Thursday in a tweet and then in a letter to the show’s production staff and producers.

LOS ANGELES – Reciting the numbers of people affected by the coronavirus pandemic in the greater Los Angeles County region, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director was overcome with emotions breaking into tears as she discussed the mortality tally thus far during the daily press conference Wednesday.

LOS ANGELES – The Spanish Aquí Presents podcast is the first Latinx podcast on the Earwolf network with hosts who embrace a variety of identities. Its name, “Spanish Aquí Presents” was inspired by the “SAP” button on remotes that would turn on the Spanish dubbing for television shows.

Editor’s note. During a televised session of the West Hollywood City Council this past week, City Councilmember John Duran bade farewell after losing his bid for reelection.

WILMINGTON, Delaware – President-elect Joe Biden has selected California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, an ardent LGBT ally and a former congressman, as his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

‘A Promised Land’By Barack Obamac.2020, Crown$45/768 pages

SACRAMENTO – The Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley regions have been ordered to enact a new stay-at-home order beginning Sunday night, December 6, after hospital intensive care beds availability in both regions capacity fell critically low and new COVID-19 cases continued to surge drastically a spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health said.