Campaign to stamp out homophobia in soccer sees surge in public support
Demand for Stonewall’s rainbow laces passes the 100,000 mark – and laces are even on their way to the Westboro Baptist Church in the US
davidh
www.gaystarnews.com/article/campaign-stamp-out-homophobia-soccer-sees-surge-public-support110914
Addressing Deficits in Healthcare for Transgender Men
Robert Eads Health Partnership at the Southern Comfort Conference is working to provide care to transgender men in need.
HRC.org
Todrick Hall’s Latest Viral Hit Has Strong Mariah Carey Game
Todrick Hall is back to take over your news feed this week with another brilliant musical parody, this time set to the tune of Chicago‘s “Cell Block Tango”.
“Cell Black Django” features performances from actors impersonating pop icons Beyonce, Solange, Rihanna, and even Sharkeisha, spilling the deets on their respective beefs. Hall’s usual high production value aside, he deserves an award for casting alone on this one. These ladies are seriously on point, and we’re pretty sure that’s actually the real Mariah Carey.
Check it out below:
Todrick Hall has also announced dates for his upcoming national tour. Check out a special preview of “Twerk du Soleil” below:
Queerty Editor
Third Circuit Upholds New Jersey's Ban on 'Ex-gay' Conversion Therapy for Minors
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld New Jersey’s ban on ‘ex-gay’ conversion therapy for minors, which was being challenged by the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) and other ‘ex-gay’ activists.
Last year, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed the bill into law banning the dangerous practice.
Read the ruling below:
Kyler Geoffroy
#TBT: 12 Flaming Film Performances
Call the PC Police, because we have a list of the 12 most prancing, mincing, nelly, campy, and stereotypically flaming film performances of all time for this Throwback Thursday.
Christopher Harrity
vowser.advocate.com/comedy/2014/09/11/tbt-12-flaming-film-performances
Ben Rimalower On His New Show, 'Bad With Money,' And How Being Gay Has Impacted His Finances
In the acclaimed one-man show “Patti Issues,” Ben Rimalower used his passion for Broadway diva Patti LuPone as the foil to a deeper narrative about his fractured relationship with his father. For “Bad With Money,” the openly gay writer-performer opted to wrestle with another personal (and, in some respects, more imposing) demon: finances.
It’s safe to say Rimalower’s struggles go beyond a few bounced checks and late payment fees, as the new act, which runs at New York’s Duplex Cabaret Theatre through Nov. 6, chronicles both his brief stint as a prostitute as well as his brush with credit card fraud.
“It’s taken me to some real extreme places in my life and I’ve made a lot of really terrible, unethical choices,” Rimalower, 38, explained. He’s hopeful the new show will match the success of “Patti Issues,” particularly given the universal nature of the subject at hand: “People might not tumble down the slide as far as I go, but I think they can relate to those first few slippery steps.”
The Huffington Post caught up with Rimalower shortly after opening night to talk about the new show, his biggest splurges and the impact that being a gay man has had on his struggles with managing cash.
The Huffington Post: Do you feel any pressure to make “Bad With Money” a success given that “Patti Issues” was a smash?
Ben Rimalower: I feel a lot of pressure for myself because I need the money (laughs), so there’s that! But this show is so different. When I wrote “Patti Issues,” the common response — whether people loved it or were less crazy about it — was, “This is not what I expected.” In a way, we’re pulling that off again, because I think people are expecting something similar to “Patti Issues,” but it really is so different from that show. I think the pressure is really all internal. The show was difficult to write in comparison to “Patti Issues,” which was so safe. The actual stories of “Patti Issues,” in my life, I feel very evolved with. Whereas this stuff…I don’t think William Shakespeare could write about me and my money struggles without some sort of f**ked-up ending.
How did the “Bad With Money” narrative come about for you?
It’s weird with autobiographical things, because everything in your life is interconnected. That was the case with writing “Patti Issues.” I had a lot of material in there about getting sober and a lot of material about my struggles with money. But as my director Aaron Mark and I were chiseling away at the raw material I wrote for “Patti Issues,” much of the [financial] stuff was left on the proverbial cutting room floor. But I still felt very charged by those stories, so it wasn’t long into the run of “Patti Issues” that I started to feel like there was another show I was going to write from those [financial] things, so it was just a matter of fleshing all of that out.
Obviously, your being gay influenced much of “Patti Issues.” Does sexuality come into play at all in the new show?
I think gay men have the worst of both worlds when it comes to money. We’re raised, as men, to be earners, to achieve and to amass wealth. Unlike the drive to play sports — which is something many gay men reject — I think we take that mentality on just like all men. But as gay men, we also want to attract men, so we aspire to a lot of what women are taught, too. We want to be beautiful and we want to be glamorous, and that costs money. So I think we’ve got both of those things going. That’s certainly been my experience, anyway.
Like many gay men, I had a stunted romantic development. Even at Berkeley, there weren’t that many out gay guys. The only place for me to meet guys was going out in San Francisco — not a safe, collegiate environment [and a] dangerous, grown-up world I wasn’t ready for. So it wasn’t such a stretch from getting wasted and sleeping with random guys in the Castro to being in downtown San Francisco and getting guys to pay me for it.
What’s your biggest splurge been, generally?
It’s the quantity, it’s the day-to-day, and it’s been mismanagement. The truth is, I spend so much money on overdraft fees, interest, late charges and penalties. If you took all of that out of the picture, the amount of money I actually spend per month might not be so terrible. It’s a constant hemorrhage. Honestly, my favorite shopping is Duane Reade. I go in there and I’m literally high. I can’t walk out of there without spending at least $100, and I live it for it. Nothing makes me happier than to just walk out of Duane Reade with one of those big shopping bags. When I’m in Duane Reade, I’m living the dream.
Why do you think your financial issues have been a bigger struggle for you compared to drugs and alcohol?
I was a crazy alcoholic and drug abuser, but then I got sober. I know a lot of people have a really difficult time, but it was very easy for me to give up drugs and alcohol and my life has been so much better and I’m much happier. But money…it’s been a day-to-day struggle and I just keep coming up short.
I always think that looking at financial problems [as an addiction] is similar to an eating disorder. Unlike drugs and alcohol, you can’t quit. I have a very black-and-white personality…I was a huge drinker, and I’m a huge non-drinker. It was easy for me to change the channel. But you have to spend money if you live in the world. You have to spend money and you have to earn money.
What would you say is the ultimate message of “Bad With Money”?
I think money is just such a taboo. I’m an alcoholic in recovery, and I’ve noticed that it’s very easy to talk about that in the world, not just because I’m open about it, but it’s just out there. People talk about it. That’s not true of money at all. I hope that people who see my show will talk about money, and I hope it’ll open them up to being more communicative with the people in their lives and with themselves about money. I think that can only be a good thing.
Ben Rimalower’s “Bad With Money” plays New York’s Duplex Cabaret Theatre through Nov. 6. For more information, head here.
This interview has been edited for content and length.
Gay teen found murdered with neck broken in Brazil
Police are investigating whether the 18-year-old’s death was a homophobic hate crime
davidh
www.gaystarnews.com/article/gay-teen-found-murdered-neck-broken-brazil110914
HRC Celebrates Victory Fund President & CEO Chuck Wolfe After a Decade of LGBT Leadership
Yesterday Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Institute, announced he would be leaving the organization after nearly 12 years as head of the organization.
HRC.org
Massachusetts Could Make History This Fall Electing First Out Gay Attorney General, Lt. Governor
On Tuesday night, two openly gay candidates secured their party’s nominations in the Massachusetts primary, paving the way for a history-making election night on November 4th.
Maura Healey (top left) beat out former state senator Warren Tolman to become the Democratic nominee for attorney general. Steve Karrigan (top right), became the Democratic lieutenant governor nominee alongside gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley. If Healey and Kerrigan are elected this fall, they would be the first LGBT people to hold their respective positions in the United States.
Buzzfeed reports:
“As an advocate, as a prosecutor, and as a civil rights attorney, you have got to make your case and you have it give it all of your heart,” Healey said in her victory speech. “We have made our case tonight.”
As an assistant attorney general in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Healey played a key role in the state’s fight against the Defense of Marriage Act, arguing against DOMA’s constitutionally at the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in 2012.
Martha Coakley, Kerrigan’s gubernatorial running mate, coincidentally filed the very same DOMA suit in 2009 while serving as attorney general.
Kara S. Coredini of MassEquality was thrilled with the primary’s outcome:
“Tonight was a tremendous night for LGBTQ justice and equality. Voters saw Steve Kerrigan and Maura Healey for what they offer and not solely who they are — and both won by resounding margins. For the young LGBTQ people growing up anywhere in Massachusetts and anywhere in the country, the people of Massachusetts have said to them tonight, it’s what you do that matters, and we celebrate who you are…
Massachusetts is poised to shatter several glass ceilings after tonight. Our first elected female Governor of Massachusetts, our first openly gay Lieutenant Governor and state Attorney General in Massachusetts and the country, and the second female treasurer in the Commonwealth’s history, which is a great accomplishment given the glass ceiling that has existed for women in politics, both statewide and nationally. They will bring to the job the wisdom and insight of the lives they’ve led, and they will give hope to all that follow.”
Congratulations to Healey, Kerrigan, and Coakley!
Joseph Ehrman-Dupre
