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Local Residents Outraged At Fox After Reporter Outs Teacher’s Porn Past

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Malden, Massachusetts residents are furious at local Fox TV reporter Mike Beaudet, who outed a beloved teacher and coach for his gay porn past, resulting in the teacher’s suspension, which may lead to his being fired.

Kevin Hogan, who heads the English Department and coaches the crew team at prestigious Mystic Valley Regional Charter School, according to Fox News, had appeared in three low-budget gay porn films last year, before being hired at the school. “Hytch Cawke” was his film name in movies titled, “Fetish World,” and “Just Gone Gay 8.”

What’s truly disgusting, aside from the fact that this was even considered a story by Fox to begin with, is the way Fox affiliate WFXT investigative reporter Mike Beaudet handled the story. Instead of calling the teacher, Kevin Hogan, Fox got a camera crew and tracked Hogan down — the station ran B-roll of Hogan on his cell during the day in a parking lot, then ambushed him, not even outside his home, at night. Then, on-camera, without his consent, Beaudet asked Hogan if he had “starred in any of these movies?” Fox ran the story with the title, “Porn Star Teacher.” In between, Fox ran tape of Hogan (assuming it even is Hogan) taking his shirt off and talking about making movies.

Stay classy, Fox.

Perhaps next you can track down your owner Rupert Murdoch and ask him how many cell phones his papers have illegally hacked?

WFXT investigative reporter Mike Beaudet on camera asks Hogan, “Do you really think it’s appropriate to be working with kids?,” as if Hogan’s a pedophile — which is where Beaudet is leading his audience.

Huffington Post writer Brody Brown said Beaudet interrogated Hogan, “smarmily,” and added, “the charter school told FOX 25 in a statement that they ‘value the health and safety of their students.’ That’s great and all, but how does the students’ general ‘health’ and ‘safety’ relate to the uncovering of Hogan’s past in porn?”

“Since the story first aired, Beaudet and WFXT have been heavily criticized by students at the school, who have banded together in support of Hogan,” writes Andrew Gauthier  at TV Spy, who fished out tweets from the students and included them in his story:

“Hogan is the best thing that has happened to my crew team. Students now have more respect for him due to what you did #thanks”

“It’s not like he was doing anything illegal,” one student tweeted, “he shouldn’t get fired.”

“Reporters are so fucking annoying,” tweeted another student.

Gauthier adds:

A petition in support of Hogan, who joined Mystic Valley in August, is now reportedly being circulated at the school.

While a handful of parents Beaudet spoke to for his story voiced concern about a teacher having a pornographic past, an overwhelming majority of viewers believe WFXT went too far.

“I just saw your story on Kevin Hogan and found it to be in very bad taste,” one viewer wrote in a letter to the station, which WFXT commentator Doug VB Goudie read on-air during today’s morning newscast. “If he loses his job, someone at Fox should lose their job or better yet support him going forward. It is lazy and sloppy and has negative consequences for him–it should for you as well.”

Goudie estimated that viewer feedback has been split 80/20, with 80% of viewers “against us.”

Will Kohler at Back 2 Stonewall adds:

Not only did FOX 25 and Mike Beaudet purposely invade Hogans privacy bringing up something from his past that’s legal for no other reason than sensationalist homophobia the piece insulated pedophilia in light of the Sandusky scandal at Penn State by pointing out numerously that Hogan was the school’s Crew Coach and asking parents if they they thought it was appropriate that Hogan be allowed to work with children.

Reactions on the Fox News website are extremely angry — at reporter Mike Beaudet. Aside from their own Fox poll that now puts support for teacher Hogan at 84%, there are a lot of pro-Hogan comments. Looking through the almost 400 comments, easily the vast majority lambast Fox News and its reporter.

One recent comment reads,

You duplicitous, greedy weasels. I’m all at once horrified and amused that you animals are so cynical and find your audience so stupid. Let’s call this little enterprise for what it is. You’re trying to make a couple of bucks off the sensationalism generated by destroying the life of a private citizen. Nothing brings in the ad revenue like a little tawdry gay sex, right? Yellow journalism. We’re trying to have a society here and you’re in the way. We’d all appreciate it if you’d hurry up an go out of business. I look forward to reading about this man’s lawsuit.

Another,

One has to wonder how much “investigating” Mr. Beaudet went through in preparation for his ambush. How did he even knew about Mr. Hogan’s videos? Mr. Beaudet, what was your reason for singling out Mr. Hogan for your story? How many of these types of videos did you watch for this story? Is watching these types of adult movies something you do on an average day? Should America let a TV personality with that pastime into their homes, with their kids watching? Is that behavior a detriment to our children? Perhaps next week’s story should be an in-depth look at what you do on your weekends so America can decide.

And yet another:

I’m a student at Mystic Valley Charter School and also a student of Mr.Hogan’s. He is honestly one of the best teachers at our school and is a brilliant man. I have learned so much from him in the past few months. I have the utmost respect and support for him. Those who are gossiping, speaking negatively, or jumping to conclusions about him barely know who he is. The media, specifically Fox News, had no right or reason to expose him in such manner and have done unforgivable and permanent damage to the school, especially to Mr.Hogan. People should keep in mind that the media is extremely misleading and had cut out most of the positive things said in their impromptu interviews with the parents. Mr.Hogan did not harm the students nor the faculty at the school. He came to Mystic Valley with the intention of educating students and was doing very well, until unnecessary information was dug up about him that was completely irrelevant to anything within our community. It’s absolutely disgusting that the Fox had the audacity to interfere and destroy the life and career of such a valuable teacher in such a brutal way. Fox has deprived us of the education and values he had to offer us. What Fox “investigated” had no purpose or importance to our community and to those outside the community, it simply sabotaged the life of a great contributor to Mystic Valley and its education. We all hope that he comes back to us.

Today, I’m proud of the American people. Fox News and reporter Mike Beaudet, not so much.

Fortunately, there’s a “Support Kevin Hogan, FIRE Mike Beaudet” Facebook page, with almost 1000 fans.

Fox News’ WFXT can be contacted at: 781-467-2525, or via their online contact page. “Investigative reporter” Mike Beaudet can be reached via Twitter.

One post script: The photo (above) from the Fox story was titled by someone at Fox as “Porn Star Arrest” in its URL. Make of that what you will.

http://www.myfoxboston.com/video/videoplayer.swf?dppversion=11212

Public high school teacher starred in porno movies released last year: MyFoxBOSTON.com

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‘People Will Die’: Shock Over Trump Shutting Down LGBTQ Youth Suicide Hotline Is Growing

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The Trump administration is once again drawing criticism during LGBTQ Pride Month—this time for defunding the LGBTQ youth-specific branch of the national 988 suicide hotline, which has supported 1.3 million LGBTQ+ young people since its launch in 2022.

Known as “988 Press 3 Option,” the LGBTQ crisis line has been operated by The Trevor Project—a nonprofit serving LGBTQ+ youth in crisis—since 1998. As the nation’s first suicide prevention helpline dedicated to LGBTQ youth, it will continue to operate independently, but it is being removed from the federal government’s 988 system.

The “Press 3 Option” support for LGBTQ+ callers “was established in 2022 based on a recognition that gay and transgender people experience distinct mental health issues — often driven by family rejection and societal discrimination — and have disproportionately high suicide rates,” The New York Times reported.

READ MORE: ‘Make Asbestos Great Again?’: Trump Slammed for Move to End Ban on Russia-Tied Carcinogen

“On July 17, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will no longer silo LGB+ youth services, also known as the ‘Press 3 option,’ to focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option,” read a statement Tuesday from the federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

CBS News reports it is “unclear if staff for the specialized option 3 care line will be cut or moved to the general 988 line.”

“This means that, in 30 short days, this program that has provided life-saving services to more than 1.3 million LGBTQ+ young people will no longer be available for those who need it,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, in a statement Wednesday. “Suicide prevention is about people, not politics. The administration’s decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible.”

Black called the decision to announce the shutdown during Pride Month “callous,” and blasted the federal government for removing the “T” in LGBT, writing: “Transgender people can never, and will never, be erased.”

But as The New York Time3s also reported, “the White House Office of Management and Budget has previously described the hotline’s L.G.B.T.Q. section as ‘a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by ‘counselors’ without consent or knowledge of their parents.’ That language reflects the Trump administration’s broader efforts to eliminate services for and legal recognition of transgender people.”

Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the un-naming of the USNS Harvey Milk, a U.S. Navy ship named for the assassinated veteran and LGBTQ activist who was the first openly-gay man to be elected to public office in California. The decision to announce the plan during LGBTQ Pride Month reportedly was intentional.

RELATED: Pride Month Purge: Pentagon Chief Defends Renaming USNS Harvey Milk and Trans Ban

Critics are blasting the decision to end federal funding for the LGBTQ+ option for the 988 suicide prevention hotline.

“The ‘pro-life’ party is shutting down suicide hotlines,” wrote podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen.

“When folks are in crisis, this admin chooses cruelty over care—every time. But this is the party of ‘family values,’ right?” observed U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX).

“The LGBTQ+ community faces so much discrimination, isolation, and violence that makes them over 4x as likely to die by suicide. Trump’s decision to end the federal LGBTQ+ suicide hotline is absolutely devastating and it’s the opposite of ‘pro-life’,” noted U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA).

“The Trump Administration is wholly pro-death,” declared The Atlantic’s Dr. Norman Ornstein, a political scientist. “As they fan the flames of virulent homophobia and trans-hatred, they cut out the LGBT suicide hotline. People will die. For them, it is a feature, not a bug.”

CBS News cited these support options:

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.

The Trevor Project’s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.

For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.

READ MORE: Hegseth Sidelines Juneteenth and Its Military History

 

Image via Reuters

 

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‘Make Asbestos Great Again?’: Trump Slammed for Move to End Ban on Russia-Tied Carcinogen

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Thousands of Americans die each year from asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma—a toll that prompted the Biden administration to ban the carcinogenic substance, long used in roofing materials and auto parts. Now, President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency is moving to reconsider that ban, despite years of advocacy aimed at preventing such deaths.

In the five months that Trump has been in office,”his administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been on a deregulation spree,” Fast Company reports. “So far, the agency’s leaders have expressed interest in rolling back regulations around ‘forever chemicals,’ or PFAS; reversing a cornerstone finding that greenhouse gases are dangerous for public health; and weakening enforcement of coal ash regulations.”

“This latest move by Administrator Lee Zeldin and EPA is yet another alarming signal that this administration is operating without limits as they dole out favors to polluter lobbyists without regard for the health and well-being of people living in the US,” Michelle Roos, executive director of the nonprofit organization Environmental Protection Network, told the Associated Press

READ MORE: Hegseth Sidelines Juneteenth and Its Military History

The EPA’s proposed 30-month delay to examine the ban would “move the nation backward, once again putting lives at risk,” Linda Reinstein, president and co-founder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, told The New York Times.

The majority of asbestos imported into the U.S. comes from Brazil, but about a quarter comes directly from Russia, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Russia is the top global producer of asbestos.

Asbestos originally from Russia also enters the U.S. indirectly through other sources.

“Trump’s support for asbestos'” Ars Technica adds, “has been welcomed in Russia, a primary asbestos supplier to the US. In 2018, a Russian asbestos company began marketing asbestos with Trump’s face and a seal reading ‘Approved by Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States.'”

READ MORE: Trump Appears to Confuse America’s Revolutionary War With the Civil War

In 2019, The New York Times pointed to this photo on a Facebook page showing pallets of asbestos stamped with a seal that featured President Trump’s face and the alleged endorsement—a “public relations stunt.”

“Strangely enough,” Fast Company also reported, “Trump himself wrote in his 1997 book Art of the Comeback that he believed asbestos bans were a conspiracy ‘led by the mob, because it was often mob-related companies that would do the asbestos removal.'”

Critics are blasting the decision to reconsider the asbestos ban.

“The Trump administration isn’t just going after ‘regulations,’ they’re going after your health. Who benefits from bringing back cancer-causing asbestos? Russia,” noted U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM).

“It’s another pro-Putin policy from Trump. Russia is a major asbestos producer,” wrote Courier Newsroom correspondent Allan Piper.

“What is this—Make Asbestos Great Again?” snarked former U.S. Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

The Atlantic’s Dr. Norman Ornstein wrote simply, “Pro-death.”

See the social media post above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Feckless or Complicit’: Hegseth Blasted in Heated Hearing Over Social Media Influencer

 

Image via Reuters

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Hegseth Sidelines Juneteenth and Its Military History

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, whose work includes scrubbing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) from the U.S. military, is reportedly taking a “passive approach” to the federal holiday of Juneteenth, the day symbolizing the end of slavery. The U.S. military played a pivotal role in actions that led to the holiday.

President Joe Biden, in 2021, signed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday, and in years since then the Defense Department has marked the occasion. That year, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a statement that read:

“Juneteenth holds particular significance for the United States military since it marks the date in 1865—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation—on which Union soldiers, led by Army Major General Gordon Granger, issued the famous General Order No. 3, informing the people of Texas that ‘all slaves are free.'”

READ MORE: Trump Appears to Confuse America’s Revolutionary War With the Civil War

In 2023, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Gil Cisneros published a memo on the Pentagon’s observance of Juneteenth.

“In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation confirming that all enslaved people in the confederate states are to be freed. It took two and a half years before General Gordon Granger presented General Orders No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, stating ‘The people of Texas are informed that, by a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.’ For this reason, Juneteenth is also known as Freedom or Emancipation Day for African Americans. This is why we celebrate June 19, 2023 as Juneteenth National Independence Day to commemorate the notification of emancipation to enslaved African Americans and abolishment of slavery in the United States.”

Secretary Hegseth, however, has issued no similar memos or statements. Instead, his office “requested ‘a passive approach to Juneteenth messaging’ for the holiday on Thursday commemorating the end of slavery, according to an email obtained by Rolling Stone,” the news outlet reported.

This year, there is no plan to even “publish Juneteenth-related content online” according to the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs.

So what is the Pentagon under Hegseth allowing, although not promoting?

READ MORE: ‘Feckless or Complicit’: Hegseth Blasted in Heated Hearing Over Social Media Influencer

According to Rolling Stone, “holiday celebrations that build camaraderie and esprit de corps; outreach events (e.g., recruiting engagements with all-male, all-female, or minority-serving academic institutions) where doing so directly supports DoD’s mission; and recognition of historical events and notable figures where such recognition informs strategic thinking, reinforces our unity, and promotes meritocracy and accountability.”

Secretary Hegseth has implemented stringent anti-DEI policies, and “dutifully carried out Trump’s anti-diversity purge, declaring in a handwritten directive, posted to X, that ‘DEI is DEAD’ at the Department of Defense.”

“Those who do not comply will no longer work here,” he wrote.

Last week in a Senate hearing, Hegseth said in prepared remarks (video below), “DEI is dead. We replaced it with a colorblind, gender-neutral, merit-based approach, and the force is responding incredibly.”

Rolling Stone also reported that “Hegseth has claimed that ‘DEI & social/gender theories directly undermine meritocracy and standards. Which, in the military, makes us less ready — and gets troops killed.’”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Middle Finger to Parental Rights’: SCOTUS Conservatives Scorched Over Trans Kids Ruling

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