Maltese police are investigating the shocking murder of a gay couple shot dead in their own home when three gunmen stormed in and raided the property.
Ivor Maciejowski, a British art dealer, and Christian Pandolfino, a Maltese doctor, were described by friends as two “beautiful souls” who were “always together”.
Police were called to their Sliema home at around 10.30pm on 18 August following reports of gunfire. Both men were found dead with multiple gunshot wounds, Maciejowski on the top floor of the property and Pandolfino on the lower floor.
Officers are now hunting three gunmen who were seen on CCTV entering the house at 10.19pm and leaving at 10.23pm. They are said to have been driven away from the scene by a fourth person who waited in a white car nearby.
Police have not yet disclosed a motive for the crime, but the LGBT+ group Malta Pride suggested that it could have been a “botched hold up”.
“Tragic is an understatement,” they said in a statement on Facebook. “Although details of the case are still emerging, it seems that this was a botched hold up and not necessarily related to being a homophobic hate crime.
“It would be sensible to wait and see at this point without making any rash conclusions.”
The couple were known to keep a large amount of fine art in their home, which Maciejowski sometimes posted to his Instagram account. Officers say there are signs of a struggle inside the property but have not revealed whether any valuables were taken.
According to the Times of Malta the gay couple had been together for at least four years, enjoyed working out and were regulars at MedAsia Playa beach club in Sliema.
Tributes are pouring in for the gay couple as their loved ones process their shocking and sudden deaths. Jordan Munn, who has known the couple for years, said friends were stunned by the news.
“They were just really, really great people. Selfless and funny and just friendly and fantastic and fabulous in every way,” he said.
Another friend, Rebecca Dimech, described the couple as “beautiful, kind souls” and “amazing people that loved each other very much”.
Pandolfino’s nephew, Luca Pandolfino, said his family had lost two “gentle giants”.
“We all are still trying to make sense of things during these tragic times,” he wrote on Facebook.
“Yesterday the world lost two gentle giants who were the two nicest people you could ever meet, keep your loved ones close because you never know when they could be taken away from you. Rest in peace uncle Chris and Ivor.”
JK Rowling refuted allegations that she is transphobic while returning a Ripple of Hope award to the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights organisation.
Rowling announced she is giving back the honour after Kerry Kennedy, daughter of the late senator and president of the human rights nonprofit, shared her “profound disappointment” in the author’s remarks on trans rights.
Kerry Kennedy released a statement on August 3, eight months after Rowling received the award for her work on behalf of children. She joined previous honourees including Barack Obama, Desmond Tutu and Hillary Clinton.
“I have spoken with JK Rowling to express my profound disappointment that she has chosen to use her remarkable gifts to create a narrative that diminishes the identity of trans and non-binary people, undermining the validity and integrity of the entire transgender community,” she wrote, citing Rowling’s tweets and essay on trans lives, as well her liking a tweet “that opposed a bill to ban conversion therapy”.
Kennedy rejected what she understands Rowling’s position to be: that sex as assigned at birth “is the primary and determinative factor of one’s gender, regardless of one’s gender identity”.
“The science is clear and conclusive: Sex is not binary,” she continued.
“Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling’s attacks upon the transgender community are inconsistent with the fundamental beliefs and values of RFK Human Rights and represent a repudiation of my father’s vision.”ADVERTISING
JK Rowling can’t keep Robert Kennedy award in good conscience.
In response, Rowling wrote Thursday (August 27): “The statement incorrectly implied that I was transphobic, and that I am responsible for harm to trans people.
“As a longstanding donor to LGBT charities and a supporter of trans people’s right to live free of persecution, I absolutely refute the accusation that I hate trans people or wish them ill, or that standing up for the rights of women is wrong, discriminatory, or incites harm or violence to the trans community.”
She continued by repeating her claim that she “feels nothing but sympathy towards those with gender dysphoria”, and her baseless allegation that “an ethical and medical scandal is brewing” regarding gender-affirming therapies.
Rowling ended her statement by disagreeing with the Kennedy organisation’s stance on trans rights: that they do not clash with women’s rights.
“The thousands of women who’ve got in touch with me disagree, and, like me, believe this clash of rights can only be resolved if more nuance is permitted in the debate.”
She concluded: “I am deeply saddened that RFKHR has felt compelled to adopt this stance, but no award or honour, no matter my admiration for the person for whom it was named, means so much to me that I would forfeit the right to follow the dictates of my own conscience.”
Hundreds of Black trans people lost to violence have been honoured in a powerful street mural painted by local artists in Chicago.
The words ‘Black Trans Lives Matter’ stretch across the street in Catalpa Avenue, Andersonville. It was created by 22 artists or art groups, with the help of neighbours who donated $4,000 to pay the artists for their time and materials.
Last weekend the whole community came together to add names and portraits to the artwork, giving faces to those who have died.
“It is vital that when folks see that Black Trans Lives Matter [mural] they understand the context of why it matters,” said David Oakes of the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, speaking to Block Club Chicago.
Each participating artist decorated an individual letter in the mural. One artist, Bailey Funk, painted the words “say their names” in the letter B, prompting the chamber to consider giving more prominence to the names of the dead.
Now the names encircle the mural, each one colour-coded to give context to the deaths.
The names in pink are people whom police killed in the last five years, while the names in yellow identify unarmed people of colour killed by police since 1975. More names are being added this week, according to the chamber.
Among those honoured in portraits are Merci Mack, a Black trans woman killed by a gunshot to the head, Tony McDade, a Black trans man shot by police, and Marsha P Johnson, a Black queer rights activist instrumental in the Stonewall uprising of 1969.
“Transgender women of colour were leaders in LGBT+ activism and throughout time, but they have been erased,” Laura Austin, associate director of the Andersonville chamber, said in a statement.
“We wanted to give them space. We wanted to make them a priority. It is long overdue.”
The Black Lives Matter movement gave rise to several memorials to the trans community, including a huge art installation on Hollywood Boulevard. Last week it was announced that the huge letters reading ‘All Black Lives Matter’ will remain there permanently.
The Anchorage Assembly on Wednesday passed a ban on “conversion therapy,” making illegal the practice of trying to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The practice has been widely condemned by medical professionals and counselors.
The move drew criticism from some religious institutions and groups as well as some parents who felt the ban infringed on parental and religious rights. The ordinance passed 9-2 with Assemblywomen Crystal Kennedy and Jamie Allard opposing.
The ban only pertains to licensed professionals, and specifically excludes clergy acting in a religious capacity and not as mental health professionals. It also excludes parents and others who are not licensed in provide counseling. The new law imposes a $500 fine on anyone who performs conversion therapy for each day they are in violation.
Hate group leader Tony Perkins rages:
The vote came despite widespread community opposition, with a majority of the 65 people who testified opposing the bill. Credit goes to a large local church (Anchorage Baptist Temple) and the Alaska Family Council for raising the alarm. Assembly Members Jamie Allard and Crystal Kennedy made heroic efforts to either defeat the measure or amend it to mitigate some of its harmful effects.
However, Family Research Council had a strong virtual presence in the form of Senior Fellow for Policy Studies Peter Sprigg. Last month, Peter spoke to the Anchorage Baptist Temple by video and, together with Matt Sharp of the Alliance Defending Freedom, briefed a group of Anchorage pastors via Zoom to educate them about the ordinance and encourage them to speak out against it.
Unfortunately, despite Peter’s best efforts, the Anchorage Assembly chose to move forward with a measure that is not anchored in constitutional law, professional ethics, or scientific truth.
The Spahr Center operates Marin County’s only syringe access program to prevent HIV and hepatitis and promote healthcare for injection drug users. This program distributes Naloxone, a drug that can save lives by preventing opioid related overdoses. Still, however, the epidemic of opioid use continues.
El Centro Spahr opera el unico programa de acceso a jeringas del condado de Marin para prevenir el VIH, la hepatitis y promueve la atencion medical para los usuarios de drogas injectables. Este programa distribuye naloxone, un medicamento que pude salvar vidas al prevenir las sobredosis de opioids. Sin embargo, la epidemia de uso de opiodes continuea.
A time to remember those we’ve lost to overdoses. 08-31-2020, from 12pm – 1pm over Zoom
Please join us if you’ve lost a friend or loved one to an overdose. We will say their names and honor their lives.
Un momento para recordar a las personas que perdimos por una sobredosis, únete a nosotros para recordar a nuestros amigos y familiares que han fallecido. Diremos sus nombres y honraremos sus vidas.
Call The Spahr Center at 415-886-8556 for more information.Email info@thespahrcenter.org to RSVP and get the Zoom link.
Queer Virtual TV Network, Revry, will kick off this Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15th – Oct. 15th) with a lineup of fresh and fabulous LatinX content, including the Revry premiere of Latino Alternative TV’s (LATV) fan favorite THE Q AGENDA–a talk show hosted by a passionate community of Latinx LGBTQ+ personalities and influencers featuring special guests from celebrities to activists for candid and genuine conversations about issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community.
THE Q AGENDA is hosted by executive producer, actor and tv personality Enrique Sapene; comedian Lianna Carrera; beauty influencer, Victor Ramos; and actress and trans activist, Juliana Joel. THE Q AGENDA was featured in GLAAD’s 2020 Pride Guide and received multiple awards from The Los Angeles Blade Magazine. THE Q AGENDA season 3 includes such guests as Monica Trasandes from GLAAD, Rafael De la Fuente (Dynasty), Candis Cayne (The Magicians), Sutton Stracke (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), Alexandra Grey (Empire), telenovela star Litzy, Actor Omar Shariff Jr., publicist to the stars Howard Bragman, influencer Tony Directs and singer Tatiana Hazel.
For the entirety of Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15th – Oct. 15th), special THE Q AGENDA episodes from Season 3 will play each week live on Wednesdays at 6pm (EST)/ 3pm (PST) and replay at 9pm(EST) / 6pm (PST) on the Revry News channel. THE Q AGENDA assets here.***Request Full Sept. 15th Press Release w/Quotes for Coverage.
Revry’s Hispanic Heritage Month Content Calendar Includes: FEATURE FILMS
AnnCarmin TropicalCheckmateExtra TerrestrialsLifes a Bitch!Personal BeliefsTí@sVianeyXXY
SERIES The Q AgendaFunctionalThe Category Is: Mexico CityDele ViajeDos Mas Dos CincoGiving Me LifeSui GenerisThreesomeTiny LaughsTravis
SHORTS Atmosphere BSXLChasing The DragonFamilia?FluJulia’s PiecePangea
MUSIC VIDEOS Gabe LopezLibre by Luis GamarraROB.B
PODCASTS Dead For Filth – #79. Ray Santiago
To learn more about and experience Revry, please visit www.revry.tv.
Unapologetically LatinX by Revry Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, Christopher J. Rodriguez, Esq.
This Hispanic Heritage month, I’m taking the opportunity to consider the role that my heritage has played in my life. Specifically, what aspects of my unique experience as a Mexican/Colombian American helped shape my career and my overall identity. Growing up as a “white presenting Latino,” there were times when I didn’t feel like a real Latino. I didn’t speak Spanish. I’m light-skinned. I didn’t have the same interests as some of the other Hispanic kids in my classes. I’m gay. However, as I got older I started to realize that my heritage and culture inextricably formed who I was and who I continue to be to this day.
I remember family parties on my mother’s side scored by the familiar music curated by Art Leboe— that tastemaker for the most beloved “cholo” jams. I remember the food. Not just the typical Mexican cuisine but also those specialties favored by my family: potato tacos, my grandmother’s famous “air” enchiladas I also remember the stories! Funny stories. Tragic stories. Tall tales. Urban legends. Many took place in the neighborhood that my mother and her 5 siblings lived for the greater part of their childhood: Echo Park, Los Angeles. I found myself settling into this very same neighborhood. By then of course, much had changed since my mother explored the streets. Many of the corner carnicerias had been replaced with organic wine and vegan pizza shops; old Victorian houses, once occupied by multiple low-income families, had been replaced with upscale (and expensive) Airbnbs; roving gangs of street toughs had been replaced with hipster moms pushing thousand dollar strollers. Luckily for me, the “Elote Lady” is still there. Looking back, it’s a beautiful type of irony that in some ways my mother’s past has become my own present.
This was, however, just one side of my Hispanic heritage. While my mother was second generation Mexican–her grandmother having migrated from Chihuahua to Texas and later to Los Angeles–my father was born and spent much of his formative years in Colombia. His experience was dramatically different from that of my mother. His family was well educated and well off in South America. When his family finally emigrated to the States, they had the advantage of money, but not necessarily, connections. It wasn’t until I was much older that I discovered the immense value in having deep roots in the country in which you are trying to build a life. The likelihood of success in the US is not just dictated by access to money but also access to privilege. And while my immediate family was solidly middle class in my childhood, this provided no meaningful advantages in my education or career. I went to public schools and neither myself nor my brothers could afford to transition directly to a good university following graduation. We also found ourselves in the frustrating position of having a household income too high for public assistance but too low to afford to go to college on our own dime. Like many in my position, I spent 2 years at community college–where, for the record, I received an excellent education–before transferring to UCLA to complete my degree in Political Science. Upon graduation, I knew I wanted to go to law school but also knew that I had no money to do so. Fortunately, I obtained a half-ride scholarship to a great law school which helped alleviate the debt.
Law was a novel industry for my family. Where we were lucky to have careers, they tended to be in the fields of engineering, healthcare, and law enforcement. Following my admission to the California Bar, I spent the next several years trying to make my own opportunities. I immediately gravitated toward entertainment law but quickly discovered that this field was almost as competitive as the entertainment industry proper. Thankfully, I had unknowingly inherited the indomitable spirit that characterized my family and which was embodied by my maternal grandmother. I found clients who were willing to be represented by a fledgling attorney in exchange for a gratis fee and slowly, but surely, I built my solo entertainment law practice. My later experience in the industry at subsequent jobs was less encouraging. The negativity and nepotism permeating this field, which usually favored non-POC people, was palpable and contributed to the toxicity in many of these work environments. This, in turn, led to my disillusionment with a field that I had spent years fighting to get into. The extent to which prejudices against my race, ethnicity, and sexuality played in my struggles is not clear but, nonetheless, I’m thankful for everything I endured as it pushed me even further in forging my own future. This drive toward career independence culminated in 2015 with the founding of my own business along with three other amazing, like-minded people. Revry was born of a desire to create a space by and for the marginalized and the ignored. Rather than cynically taking advantage of a growing minority demographic (i.e. LGBTQ+, POC, multicultural), our network was created by these communities and–I’m proud to say–it shows. In addition, our network is embedded with the unwavering persistence and resilience of my heritage and that of my co-founders. I never let my lack of access or resources hold me back and neither do we. Luck favors the bold, and being bold is one of our company’s greatest assets as well as my own. We take risks in everything from technology to content and we’re not afraid to be unapologetically…us. I like to believe that the struggles of my ancestors in this country and their refusal to give up has played a small yet meaningful role in our success. I know it has in mine. Christopher J Rodriguez, Esq is the 37 year old LatinX co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Revry, the global Queer streaming network. An entertainment attorney, cancer-survivor, and out and proud gay man, Christopher has used his diverse range of skills as an artist, lawyer, and writer to help bring Revry’s message of inclusivity and entertainment to 250+ million households and devices worldwide.
The congressional GOP’s campaign arm is asking other Republican and conservative groups to attack Gina Ortiz Jones, the Democratic candidate for a key swing House seat in Texas, for being gay. A NRCC website outlining its preferred attacks on candidates instructs outside groups to include reminders of Jones’ sexual orientation in digital and TV advertising and mailers, highlighting an image of Jones with her partner.
The NRCC website, DemocratFacts.org, is a way for the committee to communicate its preferred messaging to Republican super PACs and other conservative groups without running afoul of campaign finance laws barring direct coordination. But of the dozens of candidates covered by DemocratFacts, Jones appears to be the only one pictured with their spouse or partner.
Steven King, a popular content creator on the social media platform TikTok, said he stumbled across the video-sharing app by accident early last year.
“I saw an advertisement for what I thought was an app that could put your selfies into motion” he said. “I downloaded it, and two days later I was posting my first video.”
King, 47, started by sharing videos about his day, his relationship with his husband and what clothes he wanted to wear. They must have resonated because his following started to grow — all the way to 3 million as of this week.
As Steven King’s TikTok account started to grow, he needed to be photo-ready every time he left his house, he said. Courtesy Steven King
“The amount of people that are seeing my face, that are engaging with these videos I’m creating,” he said, “really put me in awe.”
King, now a verified creator on the platform, said he knew he was onto something when the comment sections on his page started to fill up with questions about coming out, LGBTQ relationships and confidence in one’s own identity.
“When I joined TikTok, there was definitely the sense that it was a young-adult app,” he said, and “I knew right away that these were teenagers asking, and I had a responsibility.”
So in February 2019, King, who lives in Arizona, began doing livestreams where he would answer questions from his followers — many of them LGBTQ youth and young adults — and creating videos to share his advice and aspects of his life story, from his 24-year relationship to his sobriety.
“The traumas that we suffer from as we grow have a huge impact on who we are as adults,” King said. “To be able to empathize and put myself back in the position that these teenagers are in, knowing where I came from and how I made it through, I just had to give back that information.”
With the help of the algorithm on its “For You” page, which feeds users curated content based on their previous interactions and “likes,” TikTok has helped LGBTQ content creators and audiences find one another on the platform. But some fear the queer community they helped foster on the social network may be in danger amid the face-off between TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and the Trump administration.
Collins Onosike, a verified TikTok content creator, has amassed 4.4 million followers since joining the platform several years ago.
Collins Onosike started making videos in 2016. Now, as a college student, he balances school and life as an influencer.Slash MGMT
“My ‘For You’ page is full of queer people — I love it,” he said. “I’ve met a lot of friends on here; it’s really a happy place”
Onosike, who has built both his career and social group around TikTok, is among those who has been on edge amid the back and forth between the president and ByteDance.
“The thought of just losing it, just losing all of it is quite scary — for myself and other influencers,” he said.
Onosike, 20, joined TikTok in its early days when the app was still called Musical.ly. At first, he focused on dance and lip-sync videos, but he then pivoted to comedy skits where he often incorporates drag into his performances.
“I get a lot of comments saying, ‘Seeing the way you express yourself has given me the courage to be myself as well.’ It’s so cool to see the amount of power a video can give to someone else.”
‘Freaking out’
For Sarah Schauer, the prospect of TikTok shutting down was like “having deja vu.”
“I was like, ‘Are you f—— kidding me? I’ve done this before,” said Schauer, who started her social media career on the now-defunct video-sharing platform Vine and lost 848,000 followers in one day when it shut down in 2017.
“I understand why everyone else was freaking out, but it was like ‘I had practiced for this,'” she said. “This time I would lose 1.2 million [followers].”
Sarah Schauer said it felt good to get recognized on TikTok after her time on the now-defunct video-sharing platform Vine.Slash MGMT
Schauer, who lives in Los Angeles, started posting on TikTok last year after hearing success stories of other creator accounts growing rapidly on the platform. She said she has found a supportive fan base on the app, where she shares point-of-view-style comedy videos.
“I didn’t do queer content when I was on Vine, because I came out later, but I’ve started to integrate it into my content now,” said Schauer, who is bisexual and estimates that her followers are about half queer and half straight.
Schauer, who said the platform’s large queer community is commonly referred to as “gay TikTok,” said the app’s algorithm is about discoverability — and goes far beyond LGBTQ-related content.
“I’ve seen so much Native American and native Hawaiian content. The disabled community can create videos about their situations,” she explained. “I’ve never seen their videos as much as I have now.”
‘We’ll find a way to do it again’
For Chris Olsen and Ian Paget, a gay couple who split their time between New York and Los Angeles, TikTok started as a place to watch videos and stay entertained amid the pandemic. But then in April, the duo started posting their own videos to the platform.
Ian Paget, left, and Chris Olsen wear apparel they made after seeing the success of their pages on TikTok.Courtesy Chris Olsen
Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, announced the endorsement of five openly LGBTQ+ champions for local offices across California. The endorsements come just 76 days before the November 3, 2020 election.
Oakland City Council, At-Large: Rebecca Kaplan Tracy City Council, At Large: William Muetzenberg San Francisco Community College Board: Tom Temprano San Francisco Community College Board: Shanell Williams Desert Healthcare District 2020, Zone 1: Dr. Les Zendle
Names shown in bold indicate an openly LGBTQ candidate.
Equality California released the following statement from Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur:
“Equality California is thrilled to officially endorse Rebecca Kaplan, William Muetzenberg, Tom Temprano, Shannell Williams and Dr. Les Zendle. They have shown themselves to be incredible advocates for our LGBTQ+ community and the diverse communities to which we belong. We look forward to the election of each of these candidates in November and urge everyone who can to vote for these amazing trailblazers.”
For a full list of Equality California’s 2020 endorsements to date, visit eqca.org/elections.
###
Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ+ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
The allegations — that the young, gay mayor had used his position of power to sexually proposition vulnerable college students — spread quickly through his western Massachusetts district, leading one member of Holyoke’s city council to call for his resignation.
But less than a week later, The Intercept published explosive reports alleging that members of the College Democrats at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where Morse once worked, had schemed for months to create a sex scandal to derail Morse’s progressive challenge to incumbent Rep. Richard Neal, with whom the students reportedly wanted to secure an internship.
Two debates later, and a week before the Massachusetts Democratic primary, Morse says he has been vindicated, and that he is raising more money through donations than at any point so far in his campaign.
“A number of folks are seeing it for what it is, in terms of the the language and response to the accusations being rooted in age-old homophobic tropes and the constant overpolicing of the personal lives, the sex lives, of gay men and members of the queer community,” Morse told NBC News.
Relationships with ‘teenagers’
The Aug. 7 article in UMass Amherst’s paper, the Daily Collegian, reported that the school’s College Democrats chapter had sent a letter to Morse saying he was disinvited from their future events because the Holyoke mayor used apps such as Grindr, Tinder and Instagram to meet college students “who were as young as 18 years old,” reportedly making them feel uncomfortable.
The next day, Masslive.com reported on allegations that Morse had relationships with “teenagers,” and UMass Amherst posted a statement saying it was “launching an immediate review of the matter” and had no plans to hire Morse back as a lecturer in the political science department, where he worked from 2014 to 2019. The College Democrats of Massachusetts published a letter on Twitter on Aug. 9, saying Morse “abused his power for sexual relationships” and confirmed they sent a similar emailed statement to the candidate himself.
The LGBTQ Victory Fund condemned Sullivan, saying it “believes the use of the word ‘teenagers’ is meant to purposely evoke homophobic stereotypes of gay men as pedophiles.”
“The architects of these efforts knew this is where the conversation would lead – with no regard for the homophobia it would unleash,” the group said, asking those supporting Sullivan’s motion to “ask themselves whether he would treat a straight candidate the same way.”
Sullivan did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment. However, he told Masslive last week that he is seeking a Holyoke City Council vote on an investigation into the allegations against Morse.
In response to a request from NBC News about the Daily Collegian’s role in the first days of the controversy and the source of the letter from the College Democrats to Morse, which the paper was the first to report on, a spokesperson shared this statement on Tuesday: “The letter was provided by a member within a chapter of the College Democrats of Massachusetts, who was granted anonymity. As newspaper policy, we do not comment further on sourcing.”
Two days after the first story broke, Morse posted a statement on Twitter saying accusations that he abused his position were “false.”
“I have never, in my entire life, had a non-consensual sexual encounter with anyone,” he wrote. “I have never used my position of power as Mayor or UMass lecturer for romantic or sexual gain, or to take advantage of students. I have never violated UMass policy.”
Morse decided to stay in the race, saying he trusts the voters of Massachusetts’ 1st Congressional District to make up their own minds as to whether homophobia influenced the alleged scheme.
“If voters aren’t seeing the homophobia, they are certainly seeing the establishment — they are seeing a powerful incumbent at risk of losing a seat and the people around him willing to do whatever it takes for him to hold onto power,” Morse said.
But just as quickly as the scandal had appeared, it seemed to disappear: A new report cast strong doubts on the original College Democrats letter five days after it made news.
On Aug. 12, The Intercept reported on leaked chat logs showing these students conspiring in 2019 to gin up a sex scandal in order to harm Morse’s candidacy — and help his opponent, incumbent Democratic Rep. Richard Neal. The Intercept — which did not name the source of the leaked chat logs and private Instagram messages, some of which were included in the article — reported that these young Democrats hoped that by sabotaging Morse’s campaign they would endear themselves to Rep. Neal, first elected in 1988 and, as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, one of the most powerful incumbent Democrats in Congress.
Two days later, UMass Amherst — which bans faculty from sexual relationships with students “for whom the faculty member has any responsibility for supervision, evaluation, grading, advising, employment, or other instructional or supervisory activity” —announced it had hired an independent attorney to investigate the scandal.
The College Democrats of Massachusetts did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment, but in a statement to HuffPost, which was shared on Twitter, the College Democrats of Massachusetts denied any wrongdoing and said the letter to Morse “was not politically motivated” and “had nothing to do with any of our members’ professional ambitions or personal politics.” In its Aug. 9 letter shared on Twitter before the Intercept reported on its chat logs, the student group said suggestions that its decision to break ties with Morse had anything to do with his sexual orientation are “untrue, disingenuous, and harmful.”
In a statement, Rep. Neal said, “any implications that I or anyone from my campaign are involved are flat wrong and an attempt to distract from the issue at hand.”
Morse, however, maintains this was “a coordinated political attack with the intention of harming our campaign at a pivotal moment.”
“There were students that Congressman Neal involved that were trying to curry favor with a powerful incumbent to secure a job, and this goes to the height of the Massachusetts Democratic Party,” Morse told NBC News.
The Intercept reports revitalized his campaign by changing the narrative and fueling a surge of campaign donations. On Sunday, Morse appeared to acknowledge this by sharing a picture of himself on Twitter carrying a bag emblazoned with The Intercept’s logo: “New tote.”
The mayor and his message
Since declaring his candidacy last year, Morse has taken an anti-incumbent progressive message to voters in the Bay State’s first district, which covers part of the central Connecticut River Valley and the hilly western Berkshires area.
“On every issue Congressman Neal doesn’t understand the urgency of the moment,” Morse said. “From criminal justice, climate change, to the influence of money in politics.”
“He’s using his power to benefit the corporate and special interests that have invested millions in his campaign, and he’s not using his power to help the people, places, and communities in western and central Massachusetts,” Morse added.
His message echoes those that helped propel figures such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ritchie Torres to primary victories in solid blue districts, and one Morse hopes will win in his Sept. 1 primary.
A poll conducted this month put Morse within five points of Neal, with 13 percent of voters undecided — well within the striking distance that other Democratic challengers from the left had before winning in their primaries.
Morse, who at 31 is among the first of a generation of LGBTQ politicians who came of age using common dating apps such as OkCupid, Tinder and Grindr, said he “will never apologize for being young and gay and single and using gay dating apps and having consensual relations with other adult men.”
“I think my decision to stay in this race and fight and be open and honest about my life and my personal life I think will make it more likely that other young people, other queer people, other single people feel like they, too, can run for office,” he said.
