Ben Whishaw is ‘baffled’ by debate over straight actors playing gay roles

Ben Whishaw says he is ‘baffled’ by the debate over straight actors playing gay roles.

The openly gay 34-year-old, who plays Q in the Bond movies, made the comments at a screening of his new BBC mini-series London Spy.

‘With gay characters being played by straight people, straight characters being played by gay people, come on, we’re actors,’ he said.

‘I do not understand what the problem is. Actors play all sorts of things. I’ve played murderers, journalists and kings – I’m not any of them. The whole thing is a fiction, it’s about imagination, it’s play. I am baffled to why it’s such a big thing.

‘And also, I’m baffled because it feels like we’re in a time where there are lots of gay people, not just actors but in all walks of life, and let’s be where we are. We’re human beings and I don’t understand why it’s really a discussion now.’

Whishaw also addressed Matt Damon’s controversial comments on gay actors.

The 44-Martian star told The Guardian last month that as an actor, ‘people shouldn’t know anything about your sexuality because that’s one of the mysteries that you should be able to play.’

‘The Matt Damon thing, it has probably been taken out of context but I don’t understand the heat around it,’ Whishaw said.

‘It feels like a story that’s trying to be drummed up, even though there are more important things we should be talking about.’

Ellen Page was less forgiving.

‘He doesn’t have a point because he related it to sexuality,’ the openly gay actress said.

‘Heterosexual actors and actresses do not have to go to great lengths to hide their sexuality. Yes, of course, keep your private life private. Protect yourself. Have boundaries. When you’re a public person, you need to think about your safety.

‘But if it’s in relation to sexuality, then no – that’s an unfair double standard.’

The post Ben Whishaw is ‘baffled’ by debate over straight actors playing gay roles appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/ben-whishaw-is-baffled-by-debate-over-straight-actors-playing-gay-roles/

The Straight Guys Think Gaybaiting Will Be A Walk In The Park In #NoHomo Ep. 6 – WATCH

On last week’s episode of the new webseries #NoHomo by Nelson Moses Lassister, Ryder and Jessica (best friends to straight protagonists Tyler and Skyler) placed bets on which one of the boys will be the first to get laid by gaybaiting their way into women’s hearts.

This week Skyler and Tyler each put their plans into motion, with Skyler meeting a boy and inviting his “girlfirends” over for a house party while Tyler works his magic on a lovelorn woman looking for counsel.

Watch what happens, below:

Missed any of the earlier episodes of #NoHomo? You can catch them HERE.

The post The Straight Guys Think Gaybaiting Will Be A Walk In The Park In #NoHomo Ep. 6 – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

The Straight Guys Think Gaybaiting Will Be A Walk In The Park In #NoHomo Ep. 6 – WATCH

Texas widower who fought to be listed on late husband’s death certificate has died

John Stone-Hoskins spent the last few months of his life fighting – successfully – for his rights.

The Texas man, aware that he did not have long to live, got the state of Texas in August  to amend his late husband’s death certificate to reflect that they were married.

Stone-Hoskins’ husband James had committed suicide in January and on Saturday (10 October) he himself died.

‘Whatever the doctors say, I will always believe he died of a broken heart,’ Stone-Hoskins’ attorney Neel Lane wrote in a Facebook post.

‘In his last days, he told me how happy he was that he helped secure relief to thousands of Texas residents who sought amended death certificates and birth certificates that recognized their marriages.

It was on 6 August that Stone-Hoskins received an amended death certificate on which he was listed as ‘husband’ instead of ‘significant other.’

He had said in court Thursday: ‘I have a terminal liver disease, melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, breast disease, a heart defect, in addition to a defective aorta, which was not discovered until recently. My doctors expect me to live another 45 to 60 days.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had faced possible contempt charges for refusing to recognize a same-sex marriage after the Supreme Court’s 26 June ruling that made same-sex marriage in all 50 US states.

The post Texas widower who fought to be listed on late husband’s death certificate has died appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/texas-widower-who-fought-to-be-listed-on-late-husbands-death-certificate-has-died/

15 Vintage Photos That Prove Straight Guys Have Always Loved A Good Cuddle

A recent study out of the UK found that 93 percent of straight, male college athletes surveyed had enjoyed a good cuddle with their straight bros more than one time, and a whopping 98 percent admitted to sharing a bed with another man during college.

“They don’t realize this is something that older men would find shocking,” said study co-author Mark McCormack. “It’s older generations that think men cuddling is taboo.”

But if you go back a few more generations, straight guys expressing intimacy wasn’t remotely taboo — it was an accepted form of affection.

With the advent of the idea that people can be gay, overt signs of affection became taboo by association, and this guy-on-guy contact fell out of favor.

Related: The Ultimate Collection Of Cuddling Bros Photos

These vintage photos look homoerotic through our modern-day context (and perhaps some of the men featured in them really did have strong emotional/sexual desires for their male companions), but back then they would have simply shown good old fashioned male bonding

Check out more below:

 

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/3Ph3e0PlCjk/15-vintage-photos-that-prove-straight-guys-have-always-loved-a-good-cuddle-20151012

Homophobic UConn Student in Viral Mac and Cheese Video Apologizes: WATCH

Luke Gatti of Long Island, arrested this week after launching into a drunken, gay slur-laden tirade at his school’s cafeteria manager after the manager denied him jalapeño mac and cheese because he was drunk in the cafeteria, posted a video apology to YouTube on Sunday.

Said Gatti to the manager:

“This is going to be posted somewhere and you’re going to look like a f*cking tool. Because you’re a f*cking fag…faggy cafeteria manager cafeteria manager cafeteria manager.”

Says Gatti in the apology video:

“I couldn’t even believe it was me in it. I was watching it and thinking, ‘Oh my God. What the hell’s wrong with me. This is not what I’m all about. I don’t treat people this way.’”

Gatti’s court date for “breach of peace” and “criminal trespass” (despite the fact that he also assaulted the manager) is tomorrow, October 13

Watch Gatti’s attempt to get some leniency:

The post Homophobic UConn Student in Viral Mac and Cheese Video Apologizes: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Andy Towle

www.towleroad.com/2015/10/mac-and-cheese-tantrum/

WATCH: Opponents of LGBT-Inclusive Houston Law Raise Specter of Restroom Attacks

Opponents of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, an LGBT rights measure that will be put to a public vote November 3, are continuing to raise the specter of men in women’s restrooms, with local conservative ministers calling the ordinance “dangerous” and “damning.”

“I believe HERO is the most dangerous thing that’s ever been orchestrated in the city of Houston,” said Rev. Floyd Williams Sr. (pictured) of Antioch Baptist Church at a rally held by opponents of the ordinance last week and covered by Houston TV station KTRK. Others at the event called the ordinance “reverse discrimination for people who believe in God” and “deadly, decisive, and damning,” the station reports.

Those who rallied are members of a conservative pastors’ coalition that has put together the No on 1 website, as the ordinance is known as Proposition 1. Its home page states, “Your vote no on Houston Proposition 1 protects women’s and children’s right to privacy in public restrooms, showers and locker rooms.”

The ordinance, passed last year by the Houston City Council but being put to a public vote because of a Texas Supreme Court ruling in a case brought by opponents who sued the city, bans discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity (as well as race, gender, disability, and several other characteristics) in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Opponents are zeroing in on the public accommodations portion, which means transgender people would be able to use the gender-segregated facilities that comport with their identity.

The opponents are using the repeatedly debunked claim that this access will enable sexual predators to attack women and children, having recently run ads to this effect and now making this the focus of the No on 1 website. Such trans-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances are in force in more than 200 jurisdictions around the country, and there has never been a verified report of anyone using these ordinances as cover to enter gender-segregated spaces and harass women. If anyone did commit such a deed, the ordinance would not prevent them from being prosecuted under existing law, nor does it seek to do so.

The site also claims that all the protections in the ordinance already exist in city, state, and federal law, but they don’t. And at last week’s rally, another minister, Steve Riggle of Grace Community Church, said the coalition had commissioned a poll that found 80 percent of respondents opposed to the law. 

Another poll, though, tells a different story, reports Towleroad. The Houston Association of Realtors, which has endorsed the ordinance, said a poll done by American Strategies on its behalf found 52 percent of respondents favoring the law, 37 percent opposed, and the remainder undecided. A coalition of business executives, clergy members, civil rights activists, and other prominent Houstonians has come together as Houston Unites to support the ordinance.

Below, watch the KRTK report, which includes some misleading language, such as a mention of concerns about “transgender men” in women’s restrooms.

www.advocate.com/politics/2015/10/12/watch-opponents-lgbt-inclusive-houston-law-raise-specter-restroom-attacks

How a Gay Dad Comes out Today – and Every Day
“Titanium metal!” my son exclaimed. “Like a fast robot police sports car!”

“Pink!” my daughter excitedly squealed.

“And what do you think?” I asked my husband, as we were shopping for our new car. “You need to like the color, too.”

A salesperson in the showroom, overhearing our conversation, inquired, “Why does your brother need to like the color of the car you’re buying?”

Since coming out over 20 years ago, I’ve realized that coming out is not a one and done thing.

But now, as a gay dad, with a husband and two kids, coming out happens pretty much on a weekly, if not, daily, basis.

This September, my son started playing hockey, and I’m the assistant coach.

During our coaches meeting, many of the coaches in the room mentioned that we hadn’t received an email, inviting use to fill out one of the forms we were reviewing.

The reply?

“Your wives probably filled it out, without you knowing!”

I don’t intentionally come out every day. Or even purposely call myself a gay dad. No big announcements, no celebratory parties, no viral YouTube videos… well, okay… maybe one… or two…

Yet, the reality is, I am a proud gay dad, whose family looks a bit different than the majority of families where we live.

Earlier this year, my husband I and were out walking with our kids, and new neighbors came up to introduce themselves.

After a bit of small talk, they then asked, “So… what’s going on here… Full House? — guys raising kids together?”

“Well, kind of, but in this case, we’re husbands,” we replied.

Them: “Husbands?”

Me: “Husbands.”

Them: “Husbands?”

Me: “Yes… husbands.”

Them: “Oh… you’re a same-sex couple! Honey — we have a same-sex couple on our new street!”

I know not every coming out moment is funny and not every coming out moment garners a positive reaction.

I also know that barriers still exist for so many LGBTQ individuals, and that some people still feel that they have to hide this part of their identity.

Personally, I’m inspired by those who have “come out” before me — who were visible on the first National Coming Out Day, 27 years ago, when it wasn’t easy to be heard.

Twenty years ago, the hardest words to ever come out of my mouth were, “I’m gay” — and unfortunately, the reactions weren’t as positive or as humorous as the reactions I get now.

For so many youth the reactions still aren’t favorable.

In fact, it’s estimated that 25-40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ.

It’s one of the reasons why I want to live my life so transparent and so visible.

I know that I don’t have to come out in those every day moments but I do feel a responsibility to be visible and to be out.

I want to be a role model for those who aspire to be out, but don’t think they can.

I want to change perception of what families look like, and inspire those who think that by coming out, they have to give up their dream of being a parent.

I want to help LGBTQ youth so that they feel they can live their authentic lives.

One of the best notes I have ever received about one of my blog posts, was from a mother, whose son was having a hard time coming out. He was afraid of being rejected and he thought that by coming out, he would have to give up his dream of being a dad. After reading my post, her son had the courage to come out and to live his authentic life. This woman’s letter was so heartfelt, and showed me how important it is to be visible — because you never know who is going to be helped by your story.

I recognize how fortunate I am. I can be a dad to two incredible kids, a husband, a professional in business world, an assistant hockey coach, a blogger — and an out, gay man.

No one bats an eye or treats me differently when they find out that, no, I actually don’t have a wife. That tall, handsome, man I live with, he’s my husband and papa to our kids — and I love him dearly.

Oh… and the choice of color we selected for the car?

While there was a part of me who really wanted to choose pink… driving a fast robot police sports car is cool, too. Plus, it looks pretty awesome parked in our driveway beside the even cooler mini-van.

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Open Question: Hormone replacement therapy in los Angeles?
Okay i called the lgbt community in LA. And they gave schedule for next it january 2016, and I waited on the for good 15 mins… I have been thinking about doing hrt and I am ready for it, and my question is how did u get prescribed with hrt and how long did it take in Los angeles? also if u had experience getting hrt fast please tell me how? MY last resort is to self medicate myself. PLEASE NO RUDE ANSWER OR DONT TELL ME TO NOT DO THIS BECAUSE I WILL SOONER OR LATER!

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20151012171001AAACH4p

On 17th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death, his parents ‘have so much work left to do’

It was 17 years ago today that college student Matthew Shepard died.

His tragic death came from the severe head injuries he suffered several days earlier when he was abducted and tortured by two men, before being left to die – tied to a fence – near the town of Laramie, Wyoming.

He was just 21.

The attackers were arrested and eventually sentenced to two-consecutive life sentences each for one of the most notorious hate crimes in U.S. history.

His parents created The Matthew Shepard Foundation shortly after their son’s death and  have worked tirelessly to get federal hate crimes legislation passed.

Dennis and Judy Shepard, married for 42 years, have also traveled to 18 counties in recent years for the US State Department to talk about equal rights and bullying and discrimination.

‘After 17 years, Dennis and I are so grateful to still see such a huge outpouring of support from all of you,’ Judy Shepard wrote in a Facebook post over the weekend.

‘Your continuing support allows our message to reach more people so they will no longer feel alone or afraid to speak up, and more people are given the chance to change their hearts and minds in order to accept everyone. We have so much work left to do and we can’t do it alone.’

In an emotional interview with Gay Star News earlier this year, Dennis Shepard spoke of living with such a tremendous loss.

‘You feel the guilt that you weren’t there when he was out there in that field by himself, that’s the thing that really bothers me,’ he said. ‘Was he asking for dad to come take care of him like he used to?’

It’s clear that no many how many years pass, the loss is ever present.

‘You never make progress, you’re always mourning,’ the father said. ‘You always have that hole. You don’t have the same joy when it comes to mother’s Day and Father’s Day and birthdays and Christmas. You always have that little bit of mourning that you’re doing and grieving. But you have to go on with your life. You can’t just shelter up in the corner. Matt wouldn’t have wanted that and I refuse to do it because then the bad guys win.

‘We were forced into (activism),’ he adds. ‘We didn’t know anything about the gay issues. Matt was our son, that’s all we knew. We didn’t know that he’d have to fear for his life, that he couldn’t get a job if he was gay, we didn’t know any of these issues. It just really upset us to find this out – all these kids with no chance to succeed because they are considered different. That is just not right.’

The post On 17th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death, his parents ‘have so much work left to do’ appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/on-17th-anniversary-of-matthew-shepards-death-his-parents-say-we-have-so-much-work-left-to-do/

Here’s How To Make It As The New Gay Twink In West Hollywood

West Hollywood can be a tough place. A welcoming gay metropolis for some, the city has also been known to chew up and spit out the occasional queer guy who can’t adapt to the mean streets. It’s good to know people and have a mentor if possible. In the new series Boy Toys, comic Brian Jordan Alvarez stars as Ivan, who has just split with his boyfriend and takes in a new roomie, Frankie (Brad Wergley), who isn’t quite prepared for the havoc that awaits.

Filled with knowing humor (sales people will lie to make commission), countless truisms (“you live in L.A. now, you have to learn to lie”), and a typically amusing supporting turn by Jimmy Fowlie (beloved by Queerty viewers for his own webseries Go-Go Boy Interrupted) the sitcom is also notable for imparting the three essential rules for throwing a successful twink party:

 

1. Booze (if you can’t afford premium vodka, BYOB usually works)
2. Hot guys (scope out the local dodge ball team)
3. Controversy (you want drama so people will talk about the party for a long time afterwards)

Related: This Go-Go Boy Doesn’t Want To Stop Dancing For You

Watch the slightly-NSFW first episode below.

Jeremy Kinser

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/IdP0uGz2WCM/heres-how-to-make-it-as-the-new-gay-twink-in-west-hollywood-20151012