Politicians Respond to Trump’s Trans Military Ban Sequel

The nation’s Democratic leaders slammed Trump’s insistence on keeping alive his ban on trans servicemembers.

www.advocate.com/military/2018/3/24/politicians-respond-trumps-trans-military-ban-sequel

Pulse Shooting Survivors & Family Members Lead Hundreds of HRC Members in #MarchForOurLives

Today, Pulse Nightclub shooting survivors and family members led hundreds of members and supporters of  HRC in the March For Our Lives in Washington, DC. Before stepping off, the survivors and family members addressed HRC’s annual Spring Equality Convention to talk about the Pulse Nightclub shooting and the importance of mobilizing the LGBTQ community against gun violence. 

Christine Leinonen, mother of Drew Leinonen; Brandon Wolf, friend of Drew and Drew’s boyfriend Juan Guerrero, who were both killed; and José Arraigada — the three of which appeared and spoke on stage at the DNC one month after the shooting in 2016 — joined with fellow survivor and Pulse survivor, Ricardo Negron, onePulse Foundation Board Chair Earl Crittenden, and HRC President Chad Griffin to lead hundreds of HRC members and supporters. The marchers were also led by Karamo Brown, one of the hosts of Queer Eye and a graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Brown knew Aaron Feis, the football coach who was killed in the Parkland attack. He is the co-founder of 6in10.org, which combats HIV stigma and provides support and education to the Black LGBTQ community. Brown has partnered with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the Center for Disease Control, and the National Black Justice Coalition through his advocacy.

“Today we’re proud to be led by Pulse survivors and family members and join the hundreds of thousands of students and their supporters from across the nation in the March For Our Lives,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “As the tragedy at Pulse showed us, hate can turn deadly when coupled with unfettered access to military style weapons. The safety of LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities that face disproportionate levels of hate and violence requires the adoption of common-sense gun safety measures.”

“We cannot only come together in the wake of tragedy. Every day, we have to muster the strength to fight with the same pride, courage, and unity we witnessed after the tragedy at Pulse, and now after Parkland. The legacy of those whose lives were taken must be our action,” added Griffin.

In 2016, after a gunman killed 49 people — most of them LGBTQ and Latinx — in Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub, HRC’s Board of Directors adopted a resolution that addresses both the epidemic of hate that has fueled anti-LGBTQ-motivated murder, assault, and discrimination, as well as common-sense gun violence prevention policies that would help keep the LGBTQ community safe. The resolution established HRC’s organizational position that the safety of LGBTQ people in the United States requires the adoption of common-sense gun violence prevention measures, including limiting access to assault-style rifles, expanding background checks, and limiting the ability for suspected terrorists — and those with a history of violence against women — to access guns. Since 2013, HRC has tracked 111 incidents of fatal violence against transgender and non-binary people. Of these, 62 have been victims of gun violence. In 2017, 16 out of the 28 deaths were the result of gun violence.

www.hrc.org/blog/pulse-shooting-survivors-family-members-lead-hrc-at-march-for-our-lives?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Guess why this college wrestler and his boyfriend are racking up fans in the millions?
Who can resist a singlet?

www.queerty.com/guess-college-wrestler-boyfriend-racking-fans-millions-20180324?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Jimmy Kimmel Opens a Window on the Invasive Anal Procedure We’ll All Need to Have: WATCH

A certain medical rite of passage at age 50 involves anal insertion and it’s the kind most look upon with dread: the colonoscopy.

Jimmy Kimmel opened a window to the procedure this week in an enlightening segment that should help a lot of people who fear anything that requires them to put on a hospital gown.

Accompanied by friend and comforter Katie Couric (Couric’s husband died of colon cancer at the age of 42), Kimmel allowed a film crew to film his journey to the hospital to have the procedure, which takes about 20 minutes to an hour, requires sedation, and involves what many describe as the most unpleasant part of the procedure – the prior night’s bowel prep, which involves drinking a laxative liquid that makes you go to the toilet, frequently.

“You’re about to watch a camera go where no camera has ever gone before,” said Kimmel before embarking on his procedure.

“Colorectal cancer annually strikes about 140,000 people and causes 60,000 deaths, but is potentially curable if detected in its early stages,” according to the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. “More than 90 percent of patients are over 40, at which point the risk of contracting the disease doubles every ten years.”

So, kudos to Kimmel for opening up (so to speak) and bringing attention to this necessary procedure with humor.

Colonoscopies can also detect other health issues, ones of specific significance for gay men.

Anal cancer caused by chronic or persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is one issue gay men should be aware of, particularly if HIV-positive.

Writes The BodyPro.com:

Almost 620,000 gay and bisexual men in the United States were living with HIV in 2014, and 100,000 of these men were not even aware of their infection. These men are 100 times more likely to have anal cancer than HIV-negative men who exclusively have sex with women.

…Initiation of anti-retroviral therapy in the 1990s greatly reduced the AIDS-related death rate and improved survival. However, this improvement in survival led to an increase in the lifetime risk of developing anal cancer, especially among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men.”

…Anal cancer is typically preceded by persistent HPV infection that often leads to precancer. HPV is common among U.S. men; about one out of two men in the general population has HPV infection. HPV typically clears naturally; however, under certain circumstances, it might persist longer and might progress to anal precancer. If it remains undetected, untreated or inadequately treated, this precancer can progress to anal cancer.

Aside from cancer detection, colonoscopies can also reveal other anorectal issues like fissures, and STIs such as herpes, HPV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and peri-anal disease, though many of these can also be detected using less invasive methods.

Which is why you should have regular check-ups with a gay-affirmative doctor.

Body Conscious: Gay Men’s Health, Sex, and Self is a new regular twice-monthly feature from Towleroad covering the unique issues gay men face with regard to physical and mental fitness. 

If you are a writer/professional with a background in gay men’s health interested in contributing to this regular column, shoot us an email at jobs-at-towleroad.com.

The post Jimmy Kimmel Opens a Window on the Invasive Anal Procedure We’ll All Need to Have: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Jimmy Kimmel Opens a Window on the Invasive Anal Procedure We’ll All Need to Have: WATCH

Odell Beckham Jr.’s short shorts, Titanius Maximus’ meat, & Derrick Gordon’s spandex
Instagram + studs = Instastuds

www.queerty.com/odell-beckham-jr-s-short-shorts-titanius-maximus-meat-derrick-gordons-spandex-20180324?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Students ‘March for Our Lives’ in the Wake of Parkland: WATCH

When the survivors of the Parkland, Florida, massacre began channeling their grief into a call for change, 18-year-old Sean Jenkins, a student at a Pennsylvania high school, knew this school shooting would be different. The Pennridge High S chool senior and his classmates are among a new generation of student activists making their voices heard in…

The post Students ‘March for Our Lives’ in the Wake of Parkland: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

www.towleroad.com/2018/03/march-for-our-lives-watch/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+towleroad%2Ffeed+%28Towleroad+Gay+News+%29