Arts & Entertainment
Celebrities react to Donald Trump victory
tweets range from humor to sadness

(Celebrities express shock and confusion over election results.)
As Donald Trump’s presidential victory was announced in the early hours of Wednesday morning, many celebrities expressed their feelings on social media with reactions ranging from humor and optimism to disbelief and sadness.
A true American Horror Story
— Cheyenne Jackson (@cheyennejackson) November 9, 2016
I’m taking tonight to grieve for minorities, women, immigrants, muslims & the LGBTQ community but tomorrow I’m waking up ready to fight.
— Jesse Tyler Ferguson (@jessetyler) November 9, 2016
world will never be the same. I feel Sad for the young.?will never be more than the toilet, I’ve used as a symbol 4 Him.
U Can’t Polish ?— Cher (@cher) November 9, 2016
A New Fire Is Lit ? We Never Give Up. ?We Never Give In’ ?? pic.twitter.com/CM4PAnR1nj
— Madonna (@Madonna) November 9, 2016
This can’t be real
— Colton Haynes (@ColtonLHaynes) November 9, 2016
To be clear: our new Vice President thinks I need shock therapy to stop being gay.
— conrad ricamora (@conradricamora) November 9, 2016
Gather your strength. Now we must turn our tears to sweat, do battle with hate, and turn this chaos into progress. The great work begins.
— Dustin Lance Black (@DLanceBlack) November 9, 2016
if you wish you had done more to stop trump, remember how tonight feels. brand it into your memory, & during the next election, GET TO WORK.
— Tyler Oakley (@tyleroakley) November 9, 2016
This is an embarrassing night for America. We’ve let a hatemonger lead our great nation. We’ve let a bully set our course. I’m devastated.
— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) November 9, 2016
Do not sit still. Do not weep. MOVE. We are not a nation that will let HATE lead us.
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) November 9, 2016
George Takei tweeted advice “to all who voted to defeat Donald Trump” saying “We may not have prevailed, but we must not despair.”
6) This country has seen wars and grave injustices, slavery and even civil war in its past. Yet we found our way through. We will now, too.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 9, 2016
Online Culture
Clavicular charged in alleged rape of teenage influencer
Online personality’s real name is Braden Peters
Online personality Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, has been accused of rape.
According to NBC, Aleksandra Vasilevna Mendoza, an 18-year-old influencer known online as Alorah or Alorah Ziva, accused Peters of sexual assault, and the case is making its way through the court system.
The alleged incident occurred on May 23, 2025, when Mendoza was 17.
According to a criminal complaint from the Chatham (Mass.) Police Department, Peters called her an Uber to his family’s home. Once there, he allegedly got her drunk on vodka while they livestreamed on Twitch and then raped her. His mother and grandmother were allegedly in the house.
The documents allege Clavicular committed rape, drugging a person for sexual intercourse, and procuring and providing liquor to a person under 21.
According to court documents acquired by NPR, Mendoza began communicating with Peters on Instagram, where he paid her to appear on his livestreams to help her “make her name known on social media.”
According to those documents, Peters arranged for the minor to come to Cape Cod home to participate in a videostream for his 437,000 followers on Kick, 1.2 million followers on TikTok, and more than 1 million followers on Instagram.
At his home, Peters allegedly instructed Mendoza to say she was 18 on his videostream and to claim the alcohol on camera was water instead of vodka. Mendoza said she felt peer-pressured to drink the spirit and that she became noticeably intoxicated after a couple of drinks.
The allegations go on to state that after stopping the stream, Peters and Mendoza kissed on a couch and then had sex in his bed without her consent. Mendoza said she did not receive a sexual assault forensic exam after the incident. NPR does not name alleged victims of sexual assault.
The charges come months after Mendoza sued Peters in Miami, accusing him of sexual battery in connection with the events of May 2025. The civil lawsuit also separately alleges that he injected her face with a non-FDA-approved fat-dissolving substance during a November livestream in Florida.
Peters is known for his “looksmaxxing” concept of vanity, which is at the core of his online presence. The “looksmaxxing” culture he has helped cultivate combines elements of incel culture and heterosexuality, with the stated goal of attracting the opposite sex. He has gone as far as to say he has undergone “bonesmashing,” or hitting his own face with a hammer; taken anabolic steroids to more rapidly grow muscle; and used crystal meth as an appetite suppressant.
At the same time, looksmaxxing has been described as having elements of homoeroticism, with “looksmaxxers” appearing more concerned with impressing other men than women. Peters has multiple times pointed to openly gay actor Matt Bomer as the gold standard for male facial aesthetics.
Peters’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 14.
Photos
PHOTOS: Shenandoah Valley Pride
LGBTQ celebration held at Turner Pavilion in Harrisonburg, Va.
The 2026 Shenandoah Valley Pride Festival was held at Turner Pavilion in Harrisonburg, Va. on Sunday, Sept. 20.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
















Whitman-Walker Health held the 40th annual Walk and 5K to End HIV at Anacostia Park on Saturday, Sept. 19.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)



















