Olympic Figure Skater Javier Raya Defies All Odds, Comes Out With Adorable Kiss

Olympic Figure Skater Javier Raya Defies All Odds, Comes Out With Adorable Kiss

javier-raya-skater

In news that’s sure to shake the figure skating world to its very foundation, a top-level Spanish skater has come out as gay.

We’ll give you a moment for the shock to wear off; we know it’s a lot to process.

But predictability aside, we must admit we let out an “aww” when we saw how Javier Raya broke the news to fans.

The 25-year-old skater, who is the 2011 Spanish national senior champion and competed at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, took to Instagram to share an utterly adorable kiss with his boyfriend, writing, “Many of you know, others can imagine by the pictures and others will be surprised, but I have to say that right now I feel like the luckiest person in the world! Thank you @nicholsondrew”.

See exhibit A below:

A photo posted by Javier Raya (@skateraya) on

While the photo and caption are the first time Raya broke the news officially, it doesn’t require a sharp analytical skill set to take a glance through his past Insta-shares and arrive at a similar conclusion:

Happiness ??

A photo posted by Javier Raya (@skateraya) on

A photo posted by Javier Raya (@skateraya) on

We wish the happy couple all the best!

h/t Attitude

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‘Real O’Neals’ Star Noah Galvin Blasts Colton Haynes: ‘That’s Not Coming Out, That’s Pussy Bullsh*t’ 

‘Real O’Neals’ Star Noah Galvin Blasts Colton Haynes: ‘That’s Not Coming Out, That’s Pussy Bullsh*t’ 

noah galvin

Noah Galvin, star of the ABC sitcom The Real O’Neals, based on the life of Dan Savage, derided actor Colton Haynes for the manner in which he recently came out as gay.

As we previously reported, Haynes officially came out last month after first signaling that he might be gay with a coy Tumblr post referring to his “secret gay past.”

In an interview with Vulture, Galvin, who is openly gay, said of Haynes’ coming out,

“That’s not coming out. That’s f*cking pussy bullsh*t. That’s like, enough people assume that I sleep with men, so I’m just going to slightly confirm the fact that I’ve sucked a dick or two. That’s not doing anything for the little gays but giving them more masturbation material.”

Galvin said of his own decision to be openly gay after booking his role on The Real O’Neals,

I have a very large crew of people that all weighed in. But because of the show and the character and this opportunity I’m being given, I couldn’t not come out publicly, solely for the people that watch our show. Too often, gay characters on TV are being played by straight people. Some play stereotypes of gay people, some don’t. But more often than not, the people playing gay on TV are either not gay, or they are gay and they’re not out of the closet.

It’s important to me that with this slightly revolutionary thing we’re doing on network television that I should go full force and follow through as completely as possible.

Galvin went on to talk about homophobia in Hollywood. Galvin says he has had to fight against being seen as just “the funny gay kid” or being “too gay”–something a producer recently said of him when considering him for a straight role:

One producer who watches our show was like, But he’s too gay. It was horrible. It made me feel so shitty. I was like, Well, how did I get so far in the process if I was “too gay”? Obviously that’s one person’s opinion. Somebody who watches our show is maybe blinded by the fact that I play gay on this television show — I’m sure there are a thousand contributing factors. And maybe I was, like, “too gay” in that audition. I don’t know. I don’t get to watch the audition tape, you know? So it’s an interesting thing I’m learning to navigate and having to deal with for the first time.

RELATED: What Is The Answer To Hollywood’s Homophobia Problem? 

In the far-ranging interview, Galvin also criticized actor Eric Stonestreet’s portrayal of the gay character Cam on Modern Family, saying it is in essence a watered down caricature of a stereotype:

I think as wonderful of an actor as Eric Stonestreet is — I’ve never met him, I assume he’s a wonderful guy — he’s playing a caricature of a caricature of a stereotype of stereotype on Modern Family. And he’s a straight man in real life. And as hilarious as that character is, there’s a lack of authenticity. I think people — especially young gay kids — they can laugh at it, and they can see it as a source of comedy, but like, nothing more than that. And I want Kenny to be more than the funny gay kid.

Of Hollywood’s “glass closet”, Galvin remarks that many gay actors are terrified to label themselves as gay. He recalls an encounter he had with a guest star on his show who was flirting with him and ultimately asked him out–but didn’t want to be seen as ‘gay’:

At one point I turned to him and was like, Are you gay? And he was like, Well … I don’t know. I’m more like, go with the flow. And I was like, Shut the f*ck up. Get out of my face with your wishy-washy bullshit answer. You’re a f*cking faggot. Like, I know you are. You know you are. Stop beating around the bush. Just go make out with me in my dressing room. 

And I ran into that more often than not. But also you meet a lot of straight men out in L.A. that are … I question a lot of people’s sexual orientation in L.A. The actual gay-gay community is in WeHo, and it’s a club scene. I have no interest in that whatsoever.

PREVIOUSLY – Noah Galvin From ‘The Real O’Neals’ On Sitcoms, Subversiveness, and Dan Savage: INTERVIEW

Galvin also brought up and seemed to vouch for rumors about director Bryan Singer and his penchant for populating his parties with young boys:

Bryan Singer likes to invite little boys over to his pool and diddle them in the f*cking dark of night. [Laughs.] I want nothing to do with that. I think there are enough boys in L.A. that are questionably homosexual who are willing to do things with the right person who can get them in the door. In New York there is a healthy gay community, and that doesn’t exist in L.A.

You can read Galvin’s full interview with Vulture here.

[Top photo via Instagram]

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Andy Cohen, Curry Seagull, Finding Dory, Madonna, Alzheimer’s, Ed Sheeran: NEWS

Andy Cohen, Curry Seagull, Finding Dory, Madonna, Alzheimer’s, Ed Sheeran: NEWS

Finding DoryFISH STORY. Did Finding Dory really introduce Disney’s first lesbian couple? They can be whatever you want them to be,” said Stanton. “There’s no right or wrong answer.”

HEALTH. Blood test predicts Alzheimer’s with 100% accuracy: “Our results show that it is possible to use a small number of blood-borne autoantibodies to accurately diagnose early-stage Alzheimer’s. These findings could eventually lead to the development of a simple, inexpensive<  and relatively noninvasive way to diagnose this devastating disease in its earliest stages

roy mooreALABAMA. Federal judge says Alabama can’t enforce laws banning same-sex marriage. “U.S. District Judge Callie V. Granade, who is based in Mobile, issued the permanent injunction Tuesday in the case of Strawser v. Alabama, one of the lawsuits filed by same-sex couples around the state seeking marriage equality. The permanent injunction binds all Alabama probate judges and others ‘who would seek to enforce the marriage laws of Alabama that prohibit or fail to recognize same-sex marriage.’”

UN United NationsDECRIMINALIZATION. Russia leads effort to strip ‘decriminalization of homosexuality’ measure from UN AIDS resolution: “Russia was joined by Iran, Poland, and several Gulf states in blocking the decriminalization language from being included in a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on June 8 that called for ending the AIDS pandemic by 2030. An earlier draft resolution had called for treating homosexuality and drug use as “human rights issues.” Instead, it now stresses the need to help intravenous drug users, gay men, and transgender people who are at high risk of contracting HIV.”

ORANGE YOU GLAD TO SEE ME? Seagull fell into vat of curry. “The bird fell into the container while trying to scavenge meat from a food factory bin on Monday. It was rescued by workers at the site in Wales, and picked up by a volunteer for Vale wildlife hospital, near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Staff at the hospital used washing-up liquid to remove the bright orange from the seagull’s feathers. They returned him to its original white colour but have not been able to wash away the smell of curry.”

🍛 ‘He smelled amazing’ 🍛t.co/xFzIu5ulNH
Seagull turns orange after falling into vat of curry pic.twitter.com/oUHmKICXdk

— BBC Wales News (@BBCWalesNews) June 9, 2016

GAYS IN THE WOODS. Life at the Groundswell Institute: “The orgy on the floor before dinner failed to shock me as much as when, a couple hours earlier, I’d found myself in the middle of the forest cutting down a mighty tree. Hacking away at the three-story redwood in the Mendocino wilderness, I had felt a kind of trepidation I hadn’t experienced since high school PE. My life as a gay man in San Francisco had always felt relatively safe; I had never considered living anywhere else. But now, there I was channeling an inner lumberjack that I’d never known was inside of me. I felt much more natural sitting courtside at the orgy, trying to spot the most well-endowed guy through the flickering candlelight.”

Linda HarveyLINDA HARVEY. Right wing nutjob rewrites Obama’s LGBT Pride proclamation: “Despite extraordinary progress, homosexual Americans still face discrimination simply for being who they claim they were born to be. I just went ahead without any authority and signed an executive order in 2014 that prohibits discrimination against federal employees and contractors on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Phooey on Congress! Maybe they will enact such legislation or maybe not, but I’ll just do what I want anyway, as will Hillary if she’s elected.”

LAWSUITS. Ed Sheeran sued for $20 million for allegedly copying the song “Photograph” from Matt Cardle. “Busch is the same lawyer who was victorious last year in representing the family of Marvin Gaye in a copyright infringement lawsuit against artists Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams.”

LONDON. Woman caught on camera dragging her dead dog around town on a leash. “The RSPCA confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances in relation to the ‘tragic incident’ while the Metropolitan Police said no further police action was required after officers removed the animal’s body from the scene.”

MEETINGS. When Madonna met Obama.

Instagram Photo

 

Instagram Photo

 

GOSSIP. Andy Cohen publishing more “superficial” diaries.

SUPERFICIAL: MORE ADVENTURES FROM THE ANDY COHEN DIARIES coming NOV 15! Pre-order now! pic.twitter.com/yQkwbhGCkT

— Andy Cohen (@Andy) June 9, 2016

THIRSTY THURSDAY. Uip0395, where has your Insta profile gone?

Instagram Photo

Instagram Photo

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Charles Barkley Considers Boycotting 2017 NBA All-Star Game if it Remains in Charlotte

Charles Barkley Considers Boycotting 2017 NBA All-Star Game if it Remains in Charlotte

NBA TV Analyst Charles Barkley is considering boycotting the 2017 NBA All-Star Game if HB2 isn’t repealed or the game isn’t moved out of Charlotte, N.C.

“I told my boss, I don’t want to act like I’m jumping on a sword,” Barkley said during an appearance on the Dan Patrick radio program, according to a report in the Charlotte Observer, “but I’ve talked to (NBA commissioner) Adam Silver; we need to move the All-Star Game.

“I hope they don’t put me in a situation where I have to boycott the All-Star Game. We need to move the All-Star Game.”

In April, the NBA reaffirmed its opposition to HB2, noting that NBA owners are unanimous in opposing the bill, and made clear that the league has not ruled out moving the game.

Last week, NBA commissioner Adam Silver expressed optimism that a deal could be reached to keep the All-Star Game in Charlotte, but indicated that the league was looking at alternative cities. All-Star Weekend could bring up to $100 million to the city of Charlotte.

Since the North Carolina legislature passed the dangerous HB2 in March, dozens of HRC staff have been on the ground mobilizing pro-equality supporters and talking with voters about the dangerous implications of this harmful legislation.

TurnOUT! NC is working to mobilize thousands of pro-equality North Carolinians to speak out for full repeal of HB2. TurnOUT! NC has field organizers based in Asheville, Charlotte and the Triangle area. There are daily opportunities to volunteer with weekly phone banks and weekend canvassing opportunities.

If you live in North Carolina and want to join the efforts to repeal HB2, RSVP for upcoming phone banks and volunteer opportunities. For more information about our work in North Carolina, contact HRC Associate Regional Field Director Ryan Rowe at [email protected].

www.hrc.org/blog/charles-barkley-considers-boycotting-2017-nba-all-star-game-if-it-remains-i?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Inside The Clandestine World Of Erotic Gay-For-Pay Wrestling

Inside The Clandestine World Of Erotic Gay-For-Pay Wrestling

bg-east-wrestlers

Gay erotic wrestling. Yes, it’s a thing. And no, not all the wrestlers are actually gay. In fact, most of them are just straight dudes looking to make a little extra scratch.

So say the folks at BG East Wrestling, an online marketplace for DVDs, VOD and downloadable clips of guy-on-guy wrestling matches intended for male self-pleasuring purposes.

Related: WWE Wrestling Gets A Lot Gayer With Strategically Placed Adult Film Logos

“We bring in wrestlers from all over,” Stephen Driscoll, who helped build the brand with founder Bill George, tells Vocative. “House them, feed them, entertain them. We consider ourselves a sort of fraternity.”

The wrestlers are paid $100 each per video, which run about 10 minutes in length. Most of the videos BG East produces fall into the soft core category, since they don’t actually feature any explicit nudity or sexual acts–just oiled up men in g-strings feverishly rubbing up against one another. Though they do produce some more hard core videos.

Dolph Danner is one of the wrestlers for BG East. The 6’0, 180-pound heterosexual says he really doesn’t mind being viewed as a sex object by gay men.

“It’s not a big deal to me,” he tells Vocative. “It’s gonna happen either way as a professional wrestler. We’re good-looking guys who are in shape, who wear tiny little trunks and roll around with other good-looking guys who are in shape, covered in baby oil.”

Related: WWE Wrestling Legend Pat Patterson Comes Out In Emotional Video

Danner, whose day job is working as a personal trainer, says he’s willing to do pretty much anything for a fee. He regularly receives messages asking if people can buy his stinky socks, soiled underpants and sweaty jockstraps. Though he hasn’t sold any of them yet, he’s open to the idea. “If the price is right? Sure!” he says.

Glenn Scott is a former wrestler for BG East. His fascination with the sport began when he was growing up in the 1970s.

“It kind of just fascinated me, as a kid,” Scott tells Vocative, “because it was kinda like… I knew it was like a… I’ll put it in quotes, ‘a bad thing.’”

He first got involved with BG East back in 2002.

“The guy who owns it, he was just, like, ‘Oh, do you want to do a match?’” Scott tells Vocative. “And I was like, ‘Yeah.’ I jumped right out there and I got three matches that weekend.”

Related: Isn’t Now The Perfect Time For A Wrestling Character To Come Out As Gay?

Working with BG East opened many doors for him, he says, including being introduced to then-Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank.

“He’s [Driscoll], like, a friend of the guy who owns BG East,” Scott said.

Frank confirmed to Vocative that he was buddies with Driscoll. The two met at a National Stonewall Democrats event several years ago.

“I went to one or two of his tournaments where you do the filming,” Frank says. “And the ones I saw, everybody was clothed.”

Scott credits BG East with giving him self-confidence.

“I wouldn’t have the confidence I have,” he says. “These kind of things have totally given me, like, so much humility and just the drive. I call it a wrestler’s ego. I can get my butt kicked or I can kick butt, but as long as I’m kicking or as long as someone’s kicking it’s given me the drive to do all kinds of stuff.”

And that, he says, has made all the difference.

Related: Were the College Wrestling Porn Stars Stupid? Or Just Naive?

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This Unreal Gay Marriage Proposal Will Make Your Day Better in So Many Ways: WATCH

This Unreal Gay Marriage Proposal Will Make Your Day Better in So Many Ways: WATCH

DeAndre Stu gay marriage proposal

Ready to smile? Laugh? Shed a few tears? Remember what life’s really about?

DeAndre Upshaw planned this intricate and moving marriage proposal to his longtime partner Stu and it is going to make your day.

Writes DeAndre:

4 months before this video was filmed, I hatched a plan to propose to my boyfriend of six years, Stu, to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in favor of same sex marriage in Dallas, Texas, where we live. I work in digital marketing and video production, and am also the founder of one of DFW’s most successful improv troupes, so I spent four months using every resource at my disposal to make this an amazing experience for Stu.

I’ve always been fond of the dramatic, so this proposal includes:

– A grand total of four costume changes on my end
– Marching Band uniforms purchased in bulk on Craigslist
– Shiny rainbow choir robes direct from eBay
– Confetti Cannons
– A dance troupe
– Flag twirlers
– Ribbon Dancing
– And over forty of our closest friends in family

Watch:

Adds DeAndre:

I’d known from the day we met that I was going to spend the rest of my life with Stu, and we knew we were going to get married, but figured that after six years of being together we’d just announce an engagement. Never one to miss an opportunity to do the absolute most, I spent four months secretly colluding with family, friends and college roommates across the country to help make this an amazing, special day.

He thought we were going to a fancy brunch, and as we got closer to the location, I pulled over and told him that I’d actually planned something amazing for him, and put a blindfold on him before taking him to the location.

Texas received record amounts of rain and flooding that weekend (something that wasn’t factored into the equation when I set the date four months earlier), so we had to change venue at the last minute in order to have a backup indoor location just in case we got rained out. It even sprinkled briefly during the shoot, but we persevered!

My favorite part is his laugh (Stu has the most unique, adorable laugh) when he sees his friends and family pop out. Some of them he hasn’t seen in years, and some drove in from Austin and Houston.

I chose the song “Closer” by Tegan and Sara because we’d seen them open for fun. back in 2013 and immediately became hooked on the song. I’m very much a Beyonce man and his musical tastes lean more towards OK GO and Brett Dennen, so discovering an anthem that we both loved was very exciting for us! We have a joint Spotify playlist that we both add music to so we can jam out in the bathroom while we’re brushing our teeth or driving. This is the only song that never got skipped!

Another thing that made this kind of super special was that I’d lost 119 pounds over the course of the last few months, and this was the first time some of my friends and family had seen me since! It was a great time 🙂

Some quick notes:
– We live in Dallas, Texas
– The proposal was originally supposed to be in downtown Dallas, but due to the threat of rain and flooding, we moved it to nearby Plano, where we were able to have access to a backup indoor location in case it rained.
– Stu works as a professional illustrator of children’s books, originally from Flower Mound, Texas. He is 28.
– DeAndre is a digital marketing strategist and cinematographer, originally from Houston, Texas. He is 29.
– For the #filmnerds: We filmed this video with two Panasonic GH4’s, one in the backseat of the car on sticks and one with an operator on a Glidecam outside of the car. Stu’s shot was captured with a GoPro 4 clamped to the hood of the car. We also filmed it in 360 with a Ricoh Theta S. Edited in Premiere and Graded with MBL.
– The only people who had rehearsals were the dancers – everyone else (the driver, family and friends, guys in robes, our families) met an hour before we arrived to rehearse on the spot. I kept them in the loop with a production document, a secret Facebook event page and videos from the rehearsals.
– Each group of people that comes on camera is a huge surprise for Stu – some he hadn’t seen in years
– Right before we got to the place where filming was, I pulled over to the side of the road and told Stu we weren’t going to brunch, and put a blindfold on him and a handkerchief in his hand. He was shocked!
– My mother is known for her hats. I’m sure you can spot her when she makes her entrance 🙂

Huge thanks to everyone who helped make this happen!

Instagram Photo

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Lea DeLaria: Gay Community Should Replace ‘Divisive’ LGBT Acronym With ‘Queer’ – VIDEO

Lea DeLaria: Gay Community Should Replace ‘Divisive’ LGBT Acronym With ‘Queer’ – VIDEO

Lea DeLaria Orange is the new black

Orange is the New Black star Lea DeLaria wants to replace LGBT with the word ‘queer’ because she says the acronym is divisive.

In an interview with Pride Source, in which DeLaria also discusses the upcoming fourth series of Orange is the New Black, the reason she has turned down many lesbian roles, and being the first out gay comedian on TV, she says:

“This is the biggest issue we have in the queer community to date and will continue to be the biggest issue until we learn to accept our differences, and that’s the issue. And part of me believes that this inclusivity of calling us the LGBTQQTY-whatever-LMNOP tends to stress our differences. And that’s why I refuse to do it. I say queer. Queer is everybody.”

On her history-making appearance as the first openly gay comic to perform on American TV on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1993, DeLaria added:

“The lawyers called Arsenio in and said, ‘We don’t think you should let this go out.’ They were trying to pull it and Arsenio – again this is the lesser story that people don’t know – had a fit and said, ‘She’s a dyke. If she wants to call herself a dyke then it’s none of your f**king business.’ He fought for it and got me on the air. The lawyers at Fox were saying, ‘Noooo. It was a big deal at the time; now it’s ho-hum. But back then it was huge. You gotta remember, Ellen (DeGeneres) wasn’t out yet. Rosie (O’Donnell) wasn’t out yet. None of these guys were out yet.”

Series four of Orange is the New Black premieres on June 17th.

Watch a trailer below.

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