School official accused of sending raunchy Grindr messages and photos to male students
David Stetter allegedly sent multiple texts and photos to several different students while he was employed by the University as assistant director of fraternity and sorority life.
Daily Archives: August 3, 2017
NEW MUSIC: Public Service Broadcasting, Broken Social Scene, Charli XCX, Björk, Tegan and Sarah, The Smiths
NEW MUSIC: Public Service Broadcasting, Broken Social Scene, Charli XCX, Björk, Tegan and Sarah, The Smiths
This week in New Music: Public Service Broadcasting‘s concept album Every Valley is ultimately uplifting and inspired, Broken Social Scene‘s Hug of Thunder is a series of ramshackle anthems and Charli XCX goes all feminist on “Boys” – plus music news.
Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
Nice middle class London boys Public Service Broadcasting are an unlikely lot to produce a concept album about the destruction of the coal-mining industry under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, but here it is.
Recorded in Ebbw Vale in Wales, the album’s bleak subject matter entirely lends itself to the space funk of their previous album The Race For Space – it’s close to post rock sparse at times but ultimately wide open and huge enough to suggest the general sense of despair within the coal mining community rather than the specifics of Thatcher’s care free decimation of entire communities.
From Richard Burton talking in 1980 about “the arrogant strut of the lords of the coalface” to Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield urgency on “Turn No More” to the Beaufort male choir on closing track “Take Me Home,” Every Valley could be depressing as all hell but leaves the listener with a curious sense of hope.
Broken Social Scene – Hug of Thunder
Broken Social Scene: either you are a huge fan, you maybe know it’s a massive collective of sorts or you’ve never heard of them.
That’s okay because Hug of Thunder, their first album in seven years, feels like the ultimate destination of a two-decade trip.
Former/sometimes members like Feist are back for Hug of Thunder and Stars’ Evan Cranley seems to be at the fore with main man Kevin Drew.
The album is absolutely massive, every song is an anthem. With 15 members, it sounds like everyone threw in their ideas, all of them were accepted and somehow they all came together to form a delicious whole.
Charli XCX – “Boys”
On her latest track “Boys”, Charli XCX is hoping to “subvert gender roles” by basically objectifying men in the video in the usual arse-shaking female role.
Seems legit.
“They’re doing all the sexy things that girls usually do in music videos,” she said. “I just wanted to flip the male gaze on its head.”
The video features the likes of Joe Jonas, Wiz Khalifa, Will.i.am, Mark Ronson and Diplo.
It’s a decent song but far from her best.
In other news…
Björk has announced the imminent release of a new album to follow up 2015 work of utter genius Vulnicura. There is pre-order page for vinyl and CD versions of the album.
t.co/UZPxrmnTXY pic.twitter.com/C6Nn15cVRE
— björk (@bjork) August 2, 2017
Tegan and Sarah (right) have announced a fall acoustic tour to commemorate their breakthrough album The Con. On the album’s 10th anniversary last month, the duo also revealed plans for The Con X: Covers on which 14 other artists will cover songs from The Con. The covers album is out on October 13th. All profits will go to The Tegan and Sara Foundation which works with LGBTQ girls and women.
Due in October, a deluxe reissue of The Queen Is Dead by the Smiths will include the remastered original album, demos and early takes and some newly mastered B-sides including “Rubber Ring” and “Asleep”. The three-CD collection also includes the 13-track Live In Boston.
The post NEW MUSIC: Public Service Broadcasting, Broken Social Scene, Charli XCX, Björk, Tegan and Sarah, The Smiths appeared first on Towleroad.
Debate Yes Threaten No
Let’s all take a break from our busy modern lives to drool over the Mr. Gay Europe candidates
Let’s all take a break from our busy modern lives to drool over the Mr. Gay Europe candidates
Woof! Rwowr! Meow! Moo? Caw, caw.
United HealthCare Denies PrEP Drug Truvada to Gay Man, Citing ‘High Risk Homosexual Behavior’
United HealthCare Denies PrEP Drug Truvada to Gay Man, Citing ‘High Risk Homosexual Behavior’
United HealthCare denied the PrEP drug Truvada to a gay man because “the information you sent in shows you are using this medicine for high risk homosexual behavior” according to a notice posted to a Facebook group for HIV awareness, Raw Story reports:
The insurer tells the man his plan covers Truvada only if used to treat HIV infection, reduce the risk from possible HIV exposure or potential HIV exposure for certain high-risk patients – but the man was told he didn’t fit any of those criteria.
The letter claims the decision falls under New York state law governing health care coverage — but HIV activist Jeremiah Johnson said that’s not true.
This was a malicious attempt to discourage PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) uptake by people who need it most,” said Johnson, of the Treatment Action Group.
The denial was reportedly appealed by the man’s doctor and the man was given coverage, but the incident has alarmed HIV prevention advocates.
“An HIV activist group sent a letter to the New York health commissioner about the matter, and included a petition to sign on.”
The post United HealthCare Denies PrEP Drug Truvada to Gay Man, Citing ‘High Risk Homosexual Behavior’ appeared first on Towleroad.
United HealthCare Denies PrEP Drug Truvada to Gay Man, Citing ‘High Risk Homosexual Behavior’
ICYMI: LGBTQ men face terrorism charges if they flee Chechnya, Trump remains silent
ICYMI: LGBTQ men face terrorism charges if they flee Chechnya, Trump remains silent
After more than 100 days, President Trump refuses to answer GLAAD’s call to condemn attacks on LGBTQ community in Chechnya
NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today expressed outrage over President Trump’s continued silence on the attacks against LGBTQ men in Chechnya even as new reports indicate that members of the Chechen LGBTQ community could face terrorism charges if these men attempt to escape the country and attacks on them based on their perceived sexual orientation.
President Trump and his administration have displayed clear negligence to a humanitarian crisis happening in Russia-controlled Chechnya where more than 100 LGBTQ men are said to have been detained and attacked simply because of their perceived sexual orientation. Additionally, about 27 men have reportedly been killed by Chechen government officials. It has been over 100 days since GLAAD has called on President Trump to use the power of the presidency and denounce this anti-LGBTQ violence happening in Chechnya, but this call has been treated with silence.
Politicians and human rights activists across the globe, including British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden, have all condemned the horrific violence in Chechnya. Yet still, President Trump has chosen to remain silent.
GLAAD has led the charge in calling on the Trump Administration to recognize this humanitarian crisis since the news broke about the anti-LGBTQ attacks and reported concentration camps. Before the White House informed The Washington Blade the attacks did not come up in a meeting between Presidents Trump and Vladimir Putin during the G20 Summit in Germany, GLAAD joined The Council for Global Equality and many others in releasing a letter calling on the Trump Administration to address the anti-LGBTQ attacks in Chechnya. Prior to the letter, GLAAD also called on Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, to recognize the attacks and use the United States’ presence in the United Nations to condemn the attacks. After a week-long online campaign where thousands of supporters joined GLAAD’s voice, Haley denounced the violence in Chechnya. However, President Trump – the leader of the United States of America – remains silent.
The full story by Russian publication Crime Russia is below.
ICYMI: Crime Russia: No escape from Russia: Chechen gays are accused of terrorism so they cannot flee country
The authorities of Chechnya have found a new way of persecuting Chechen homosexuals following they cannot leave Russia. Gay men are charged with terrorism and are wanted as supporters of the Islamic State (an organization banned on the territory of the Russian Federation).
Chechen security forces visit homosexuals’ relatives and demand to write statements about the departure of their children to Syria, employees of two human rights organizations told Kavkaz.Realii edition.
“The policy of the Chechen law enforcement agencies is such: it is easier for them to immediately state that the person was recruited and he left for Syria. Most likely, this is designed to ensure that people, who do not want to live in those conditions, did not go anywhere. Because this one message about leaving for Syria is not the end. His entire family will have a monkey on their back, Kadyrovtsy (Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov’s special forces officers – Ed.) will impose pressure on them,” the interlocutor of Kavkaz.Realii explained.
According to the edition, the police of Chechnya have already announced the search for several homosexuals on suspicion of terrorism.
Recall that previously BBC journalists reported that the relatives of the disappeared residents of the Republic were forced to write statements about leaving for Syria. As the CrimeRussia previously wrote, the Chechens disappeared after mass arrests in December-January 2016-2017, which began after the attack on policemen in Grozny on the night of December 17. Novaya Gazeta reported that at least 27 detainees were shot to death.
Information about the hard oppression of gays in Chechnya appeared in Novaya Gazeta in April this year. According to the press, mass purges among homosexuals were held in the Republic. It was also pointed out that secret prisons, where men were held and tortured, operated in the region. In connection with these publications, Tatyana Moskalkova, the Human Rights Ombudswoman in the Russian Federation, applied to law enforcement agencies to verify this information. At the end of June, the Ombudswoman once again stated that she did not receive a single appeal about violations of the rights of LGBT community representatives in Chechnya. Despite this, media publish new stories from gay refugees, who managed to leave the Republic. They talk about tortures and murders, which began in 2009.
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August 3, 2017
Issues:
Tags:
www.glaad.org/blog/icymi-lgbtq-men-face-terrorism-charges-if-they-flee-chechnya-trump-remains-silent
Kesha – Hymn (Official Audio) | Reaction
Kesha – Hymn (Official Audio) | Reaction
Gay Star News’ reaction guy Lewis reacts to Kesha’s new song ‘Hymn’
Follow Gay Star News: twitter.com/gaystarnews
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Follow Kesha: twitter.com/kesharose
Pre-order Rainbow on iTunes NOW.
Court docs reveal Aaron Schock’s aides urged him to stop acting so ‘gay’
Court docs reveal Aaron Schock’s aides urged him to stop acting so ‘gay’
More details have emerged from the ongoing case against disgraced congressman Aaron Schock and they are gayer than ever.
Out Gay Musicians Kele Okereke and Olly Alexander Sing Together on Unprecedented Romantic Duet – LISTEN
Out Gay Musicians Kele Okereke and Olly Alexander Sing Together on Unprecedented Romantic Duet – LISTEN
Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke shared “Grounds for Resentment”, a new collaboration with Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander which he teased in a recent webchat at The Guardian.
Said Kele:
I remember reading something that [Olly] wrote about the use of pronouns in pop music for gay artists that I thought that was very perceptive and intelligent – that the use of pronouns was the last frontier for gay artists. There are lots of gay acts that avoid using the term ‘he’ when singing about same sex desire. It will just be a neutral term, whereas Olly understands from what I read that there is a long way to go for gay musicians in being able to describe love and desire authentically.
So I was very happy to sing a romantic duet with him on my album, because I couldn’t think of a precedent of any out gay musicians singing a love song to one another without having to hide behind codes.
And Olly was thrilled by the experience as well:
can’t explain how happy I am to have collaborated with one of my heroes ❤️ thankyou kele ?? listen to the song below ! Xxx YAY LIFE !! t.co/E9qWTN10Ym
— olly ? (@alexander_olly) August 3, 2017
Listen:
The post Out Gay Musicians Kele Okereke and Olly Alexander Sing Together on Unprecedented Romantic Duet – LISTEN appeared first on Towleroad.
Colbert Rips Trump’s Plan to Make Immigrants Learn Proper English — ‘Like ‘Bigly’, and ‘Covfefe” — WATCH
Colbert Rips Trump’s Plan to Make Immigrants Learn Proper English — ‘Like ‘Bigly’, and ‘Covfefe” — WATCH
Stephen Colbert took aim at Trump’s new immigration plan, also known as the RAISE act (The Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act).
Said Colbert
“Much better marketing than the original name: the Reforming American Citizenship Is Super Tough (RACIST) act. They didn’t use that. I don’t know why.”
Added Colbert: “Basically, Donald Trump wants to make ‘a merit based system’ which ‘awards points to green card applicants based on such factors as English ability.’ Yes, immigrants have to learn proper English like ‘Bigly’, ‘Covfefe’, and ‘Bing Bing Bing Bing Bing Bing Bing.’”
“Mr. President, wherever you are today, it’s not based on merit.”
Watch:
The post Colbert Rips Trump’s Plan to Make Immigrants Learn Proper English — ‘Like ‘Bigly’, and ‘Covfefe” — WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.