The Daily Sting, Wednesday: Proud Boys Banned From Facebook, Eurovision Comes to Asia
Happy Halloween, everyone! It’s the gay high holy day, and we’ve got some of our favorite headlines of the day for you. (You’re gonna need something to chat about while standing around the punchbowl at tonight’s Halloween party!) Let’s start with some great news: the Proud Boys banned from Facebook! And have you heard about Eurovision Asia? It’s apparently in the works!
In other news today, there’s a new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor with a political twist, those gay penguins in Sydney have a baby chick, and we just got our first look at Henry Cavill as Geralt for the upcoming The Witcher Netflix series!
From Eurovision Asia to the Proud Boys banned from Facebook, here are the day’s top headlines:
1. Proud Boys Banned From Facebook Following (News)
The New York Post has reported that Facebook banned the alt-right extremist group Proud Boys and its founder, Gavin McInnes, from the platform yesterday. The ban comes after incidents two weeks back in which Proud Boys attacked multiple people on the streets of New York City. Facebook insists we’re seeing the Proud Boys banned from the platform in a company-wide effort to remove hate speech and hate groups from the site. “We’re in the process of removing The Proud Boys and Gavin McInnes from Facebook and Instagram in line with our policies against hate organizations and figures,” says a Facebook spokesperson. And going one step further, the site says it will also remove “praise and support” for the group following the ban.
2. Eurovision Asia Is Apparently in the Works (Music, World)
It’s been rumored for a while, but now Eurovision Asia is apparently in the works. Now a new report is claiming it will launch in December 2019, with the inaugural contest held in Australia. Much like Eurovision, which features contestants representing European nations, Eurovision Asia will invite entries from 16 countries across the Asian continent. Much like Eurovision, a live, three-hour broadcast of the finals would be televised.
3. Sydney’s Gay Penguins Are Officially Parents (News)
The viral gay penguin couple known as “Sphengic” officially became parents when their baby penguin hatched. The Sydney birds had initially been given a dummy egg to prove they had parental instincts before they were allowed to foster the egg of a couple that had laid two. These first few weeks of a penguin’s life are crucial, so the Sydney zookeepers are keeping a close watch on what they’re calling the first penguin chick fostered to a same-sex couple.
We reported back in September that in Denmark a pair of gay penguins kidnapped a straight couple’s chick while its parents were preoccupied. The zookeepers returned the chick, only to then give the gay penguins a chick of their own.
4. First Look: Henry Cavill as Geralt for Netflix Series The Witcher (TV)
We announced back in September that the hunky actor who has played Superman since the 2013 film Man of Steel would next be taking on the role of Geralt for the upcoming Netflix fantasy series The Witcher, and today we got our first look at the silver-haired monster hunter. Here’s a description of the upcoming series: “An epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.”
5. New Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Is a Protest Against Donald Trump (Stuff)
Just in time for the U.S. midterm elections, popular ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s has released its latest flavor, which is itself a protest against the policies of Donald Trump. Called “Pecan Resist,” it’s chocolate ice cream with white and dark fudge chunks, walnuts, fudge-covered almonds and pecans. The ice cream company has called out the “regressive and discriminatory policies” of the current American administration against women, people of color, LGBTQ people, refugees and immigrants.
