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Identity

Kate McKinnon shares some funny and heartfelt thoughts about Florida’s 'Don't Say Gay' bill on 'SNL'

kate mckinnon, saturday night live, don't say gay bill

Kate McKinnon and Colin Jost.

Florida’s House of Representatives recently passed the Parental Rights in Education bill, commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and it’s believed it will soon pass the state senate and be signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.

The bill is seen as a huge step back for LGBTQ rights in the state because it prohibits “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels” in Florida's primary schools.

The bill will stigmatize LGBTQ children and those who have LGBTQ parents in Florida’s schools. "So, it applies to K through 12 classrooms, and it grants the right for any parent who believes that a conversation is happening about our families to sue a school district. It's an aggressive attack," Equality Florida's Senior Political Director Joe Saunders said according to CBS.

"If children are not feeling that they are accepted or who they are and the family they come from isn't accepted, it will have an impact on them," Todd Delmay told CBS News' Manuel Bojorquez.


“Saturday Night Live” veteran Kate McKinnon, who happens to be gay, spoke out about the bill on last weekend’s “Weekend Update” segment. She opened the bit by jokingly misunderstanding the bill, believing it banned using the term “gay” as a pejorative, which was commonplace when McKinnon was in school.

“I heard about this law, and I think it’s amazing!” McKinnon said. “Because when I was in middle school in the ‘90s, I was kind of tortured by the constant use of the word ‘gay,’ like, ‘That’s so gay’ or ‘Ew, you’re gay,’ and it made me feel horrible. And to hear that (Florida Gov.) Ron DeSantis has taken a stand and said, ‘No, you cannot say gay in school anymore!’ I’m so jazzed. And in Florida, of all places!”

When learning that the bill forbids the word “gay” from being used in classroom settings, McKinnon suggested a different approach to the term. Why not sing it with pride?

"If you can't say it, then you might as well sing it!" she said before singing the word "gay" repeatedly to the riff of "Smoke on the Water."

McKinnon's bit inspired keyboardist extraordinaire Money Mark Nishita to perform a cover of McKinnon's version of "Smoke on the Water."

Seth Rogen on stage during the opening night of Collision 2019 at Enercare Center in Toronto, Canada.

Childless women in the public eye are often plagued by the question: “So, why don’t you have any children?” It’s a deeply personal question that cuts right to the bone, and there can be many answers. But, if the woman doesn’t want children and says so publicly, she is bound to face some judgment.

"[I don't] like [the pressure] that people put on me, on women—that you've failed yourself as a female because you haven't procreated. I don't think it's fair," Jennifer Aniston told Allure. "You may not have a child come out of your vagina, but that doesn't mean you aren't mothering—dogs, friends, friends' children."

On the Monday, March 6 episode of “The Diary Of A CEO” podcast, host Steven Bartlett asked actor Seth Rogen about why he’s childless, and it was a rare moment where a man in the public eye was challenged on the topic. Rogen gave a thoughtful explanation for his and Lauren Miller’s decision to be child-free.

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Jimmy Fallon of the Tonight Show.

High schools are a perfect breeding ground for weirdness. First of all, you have a bunch of teenagers who are starting to deal with adult problems but they don’t have the experience or the brain development to figure out how to navigate complex feelings and relationships.

Then you add sex, drugs, learner’s permits, the stress of trying to get into college and really bad facial hair to the situation and you have all the ingredients for people and situations to go completely sideways.

Then there are the teachers. High school teachers tend to be a bit more eccentric than those in the younger grades because they are hired as specialists in a given field, such as history, math or science. Whereas teachers in younger grades have to be nurturing and have a more holistic approach to child development.

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via Pexels

A woman sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat

Everyone wants to know how long they will live and there are many indicators that can show whether someone is thriving or on the decline. But people have yet to develop a magic formula to determine exactly how long someone should expect to live.

However, a doctor recently featured on the "Today" show says a straightforward test can reveal the likelihood that someone aged 51 to 80 will die in the near future.

NBC News medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar was on the "Today" show on March 8 and demonstrated how to perform the simple “sit to stand test” (aka sit-rising test or SRT) that can help determine the longevity of someone between 51 to 80.

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A powder-saurus caught in the wild.

A father-daughter snowboarding session takes the cuteness up a notch, thanks to dad’s brilliant idea to attach a mic to his 4-year-old. Sweetness ensued.

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Pop Culture

1980s cultural icon Michael Winslow made an emotional comeback on 'America's Got Talent'

He walked away at the height of his fame to raise his children after his wife's sudden death.

via The Nerd Patrol / Flickr

Actor, comedian, and self-proclaimed "voicetramentalist," Michael Winslow was just about everywhere in the '80s. His incredible ability to make sound effects with his voice and uncanny beatboxing skills landed him the role of officer Larvell Jones in all seven "Police Academy" movies.

He also did voiceover work in "Gremlins" and appeared in Mel Brooks' "Spaceballs."

But Winslow was forced to scale back his career in 1993 after the death of his first wife Belinda Church. As a single father, he had to stop appearing in films so he could spend more time with his children.

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Kayla Berridge went above and beyond.

Kayla Berridge had been walking her normal 9-mile delivery route in Newmarket, a small town in New Hampshire, when she noticed something unusual.

The mail she had been delivering continued to pile up over a matter of days at one resident’s home. The resident was an elderly woman in her 80s, and would occasionally share a chat with Berridge, according to CNN.

Berridge told CNN that after noticing the unattended mail pile, she got “a little concerned.”

“I just had this gut feeling and wanted to make sure,” Berridge told WMUR 9 News, explaining that “most people put a hold in if they’re not there, so when people pick up their mail every day, you start to notice their habits.” Not to mention, the woman’s car was still in the driveway.

Berridge followed her instincts and called the local police department for a wellness check, and in the process saved the elderly woman’s life.

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