IKEA Features Gay Interracial Couple in New ‘American Dream’ Campaign

Furniture company IKEA features a gay interracial couple in its new campaign which recontextualizes the idea of “The American Dream” by showing that “people are living it every day in diverse ways.”

Ad Week reports:

One of the print ads shows two gay men chilling out on a sofa in front of a flag that reads “All homes are created equal.” This is hardly the first time Ikea has put a gay couple in its advertising—it cast one as far back as 1994—but this time the image reads less like the spotlighting of one segment of the population and more like an image of a diverse population overall. (The couple’s not just gay but mixed race, too.)

“There are so many different ways that Americans live—multigenerational, gay parents, etc.—that define the real portrait of the America that’s really out there,” Stone said. “If we’d put across 20 different living situations, they’d all be equally powerful.”

The new creative is the opening salvo in a year’s worth of creative under the slogan “We Help You Make It,” all of it intended to teach consumers that, whatever their definition of the American dream might be, Ikea can help with it.

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IKEA Features Gay Interracial Couple in New ‘American Dream’ Campaign

Hurricane Matthew, VP Debate, Haiti, Alex Jones, Google Pixel, Adam Lambert’s Tattoo: HOT LINKS

HURRICANE MATTHEW. Monster Category 4 storm makes landfall in Haiti, takes aim at US east coast. “The dangerous Category 4 storm made landfall around dawn on Haiti’s southern peninsula, where many people live along the coast in shacks of wood and corrugated steel that stand little chance of withstanding the force of the system’s maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph). Matthew was also expected to bring 15-25 inches of rain, and up to 40 inches (100 centimeters) in isolated places, along with up to 10 feet (3 meters) of storm surge and battering waves, said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.”

#HurricaneMatthew officially made landfall in #Haiti at 7am this morning with winds of 145mph. #Matthew first cat 4 to hit Haiti since 1964. pic.twitter.com/N6kNINFuj0

— Mike Thomas (@MikeTFox5) October 4, 2016

VP DEBATE TONIGHT. Tim Kaine vs Mike Pence in the first and only vice presidential debate from Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia at 9 pm ET. We’ll be streaming it live here, so join us and let us know your thoughts.

TIM KAINE. RNC launches attack ad: “Today, the RNC tweeted a Roll Call story that compares the ad to the Willie Horton ad, which was widely viewed as an example of racist dog whistle politics when it aired in the 1988 presidential campaign. The RNC later deleted its tweet.”

ALEX JONES. The conspiracy theorist is very upset with Julian Assange and Wikileaks for the non-release.

NYC. Beloved Three Lives bookstore in danger: “The fate of beloved West Village bookstore Three Lives has been up in the air since June, when store owner Toby Cox penned a letter saying its lease was moving month-to-month at its home of more than 33 years as the building’s owner looked to sell. It didn’t take too long for the valuable slice of West Village to go; a tipster of Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York points out that the property has traded hands, with itsdeed hitting public record last week. There are several red flags here for the independent bookstore.”

POOLE, UK Gay teen and boyfriend threatened with a gun: “A gay teenager and his partner in Poole has spoken about how they were verbally abused and had what looked like a gun pointed at them. According to the students, a driver and passenger in a silver Peugeot stopped to abuse them in the early morning of 26th September.”

GARRETT SCHLICHTE. When will gay men have their “dad bod” moment? “At age 25, I live in a wonderful city, I have a job that love and the best friends I could ask for. However, I’m still programmed to believe that I will have true happiness only when you can see my abs through my shirt.”

GOOGLE PIXEL. Watch Google stream the launch of its hardware event live at 12 pm ET.

BROOKLYN. Gay bar ‘This N’ That’ closes: “Thank you everyone for the memories and good times. Please continue to support our sister bars Macri Park & Metropolitan Bar. We love you Brooklyn!”

INKED. Adam Lambert now has a tattoo of Roman Emperor Hadrian’s lover Antinous on the side of his torso.

THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND. Golden Girls action figures to launch at New York Comic Con. “The brainchild of Funko, which previously released “Golden Girls” bobble heads, the new figures come in a special four-pack. There’s ditzy Rose in pink, bossy Dorothy in steely gray, oversexed Blanche in red and surly Sophia in blue.”

TEASER. Twin Peaks is on the way back. Here’s composer Angelo Badalamenti playing the famous theme in a new teaser: “The updated series will be feature music from Badalamenti, whose original music for the series won him a Grammy in 1990. Badalamenti also won a Lifetime Achievement award at the World Soundtrack Awards and received the Henry Mancini award from ASCAP.”

TOO HOT FOR TUESDAY. Krudear-Thamakorn Tippayagosai.

The post Hurricane Matthew, VP Debate, Haiti, Alex Jones, Google Pixel, Adam Lambert’s Tattoo: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.

www.towleroad.com/2016/10/google-pixel/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+towleroad%2Ffeed+%28Towleroad+Gay+News+%29

Ellen Put on a Fashion Show Striptease – WATCH

Ellen DeGeneres decided to get in on the biggest trend at Fashion Week — “see now, buy now” — by selling items from the Ellen store live to audience members.

To help showcase the Ellen store fashions, Ellen called upon handsome model Raul to serve as the real-life mannequin off of which the audience could buy things.

While Raul came out fully clothed, he didn’t exactly leave that way.

Watch what happens when Raul gets down to his undies and the audience goes wild to purchase his last article of clothing, below.

The post Ellen Put on a Fashion Show Striptease – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Ellen Put on a Fashion Show Striptease – WATCH

Ten Reasons to Join HRC’s #AsktheGays Tweet Up

Remember when Donald Trump challenged America to “ask the gays” about his anti-LGBTQ record? Join HRC tonight at 7 P.M. ET for an #AsktheGays Tweet Up. Together, we will tell Donald Trump and Mike Pence what our community really thinks about their ticket’s agenda of discrimination.

Here are 10 things to know about Mike Pence before you join the conversation:

1. Governor Pence became a national disgrace in 2015, for his “license to discriminate” bill that would have allowed businesses to deny service to LGBTQ people — and subsequently defended the bill over an outcry from the business community and a majority of Hoosier voters. In a now notorious interview with ABC last year, Pence refused to answer eight separate times when asked whether businesses should be able to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

2. Pence opposed the Supreme Court’s nationwide marriage equality ruling, saying, “Like many Hoosiers, I believe marriage is the union between one man and one woman…”

3. Voters in Indiana continue to have strongly negative feelings toward Pence. In a recent poll, only 36 percent said that Pence deserved re-election, and they gave their governor a net negative job disapproval rating. Only 40 percent approved of his job performance and 42 percent disapproved.

4. When serving in Congress, Pence voted against the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Hoosiers don’t believe in discrimination MT @thegarance: Pence opposed DADT repeal as “mainstreaming homosexuality”: t.co/MKTCJRmjcw

— Josh Barro (@jbarro) March 31, 2015

5. Trump’s running mate opposed guidance from the Department of Education that clarifies that transgender students have a right under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to access restrooms consistent with their gender identity, saying, “The federal government has no business getting involved in issues of this nature.”

6. While in Congress, Pence voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. He said that compliance with protections derived from the law could mean “the employer has to ban employees from having a Bible at the workplace for their break time, or displaying Bible verses. He continued, “We must stand for the right of every American to practice their faith according to the dictates of their conscience, whether it be in the public square or in the workplace.”

7. Pence voted against the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, calling it a “radical social agenda.”

8. Mike Pence signed a bill to that would jail same-sex couples who applied for a marriage license.

Dear Gov. Pence: if I was still in IN, I’d be in jail. Please reconsider #freedom2marry #lgbt t.co/tVcJjjwruU

— Brooks L-A (@brooksa09) July 9, 2013

9. Pence attempted to divert federal dollars from HIV prevention to conversion therapy. He claimed it was an attempt to ensure that funds “were no longer being given to organizations that celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus… and that “resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.” So-called “conversion therapy” has been rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organization for decades, but due to continuing discrimination and societal bias against LGBTQ people, some practitioners continue to conduct conversion therapy. Minors are especially vulnerable, and conversion therapy can lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide.

10. Mike Pence opposed cracking down on countries that target LGBTQ people with criminal prosecution and praised Vladimir Putin as a “stronger leader.”

www.hrc.org/blog/ten-reasons-to-join-hrcs-askthegays-tweet-up?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

For #SpiritDay Ditch the Label pulls back the curtain on bullying

www.glaad.org/blog/spiritday-ditch-label-pulls-back-curtain-bullying

Patrisse Cullors, Queer Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter, Arrested

The co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement was arrested with two other women Monday.

www.advocate.com/crime/2016/10/04/patrisse-cullors-queer-co-founder-black-lives-matter-arrested

California Passes Law Preventing Colleges From Discriminating Against LGBT Students

It would require institutions receiving Title IX exemptions to disclose their status.

www.advocate.com/pride/2016/10/04/california-passes-law-preventing-colleges-discriminating-against-lgbt-students

Yes, It IS Possible To Be Gay, Fat And Happy. Just Ask This Guy.

Is it possible to be gay, fat, and happy? According to Martijn, a magazine editor from Amsterdam, the answer is yes. But it took him a while to get there.

In a new video produced by Davey Wavey, Martijn talks about the fat shaming he’s been subjected to over the years by other gay men, and the impact it’s had on him.

Related: Author Calls Out Gay Men For “Fat-Shaming And Negative Body Talk”

“I just remember being on the gay dating websites and having lots of guys really confirm the idea that I already had; that I was undesirable,” he recalls. “One guy sent a message to me saying: ‘Look at your profile picture, then look at my profile picture again and then decide if you really think it was a good idea to send me a message.’”

Other people made a point to send him unsolicited messages telling him how “ugly” they thought he was.

“I could not equate being overweight with being happy,” he says. “Those two things just never went together in my head.”

Related: Guys Confess Their Struggles With Body Image. Anything Sound Familiar?

That is, until he found a community where he was accepted: Bears! And their admirers.

“Gradually I started dating guys that I think probably would call themselves ‘chasers’ and who really, finally gave me the feeling that I was desirable, that I wasn’t insignificant, and that I had something to offer,” he says. “Maybe two or three years ago was the first time when I looked in the mirror and actually thought: ‘You actually look kind of hot today!’”

Martijn says that have bouts of insecurity when stepping into gay bars and seeing mostly “muscled, defined or slim” guys, but he no longer feels ashamed by his own looks.

Check out the inspiring video below…

www.queerty.com/yes-possible-gay-fat-happy-just-ask-guy-20161004?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

The Trial For Suspected Gay Serial Killer Stephen Port Begins Today

A 41-year-old from Barking accused of murdering four men in London after plucking them off dating sites and dosing them with fatal amounts of GHB is going to trial today.

Stephen Port stands charged with four counts of murder over the span of 14 months and four counts of administering a poison, as Attitude reports.

Related: Police Seek Assistance In Building Case Against Alleged Gay Serial Killer

He’s also accused of six additional counts of administering a poison, seven counts of rape, and four counts of sexual assault against eight more men between 2011 and 2015

He’s pleaded not guilty to these charges.

According to prosecutors, Port’s victims included 23-year-old Anthony Patrick Walgate, whose body was found in June 2014; 22-year-old Gabriel Kovari, whose body was dumped near a cemetery in August 2014; 21-year-old Daniel Whitworth, whose body was discovered near the same cemetery as Kovari’s a month later; and 25-year-old Jack Taylor who was found murdered in September 2015.

Related: Man Charged With Drugging And Murdering Four Guys He Met On Dating App

Prosecutors claim Port met all four men online. After getting together, he offered them large amounts of GHB. GHB — which is sometimes referred to as liquid ecstasy, lollipops, or liquid E — is a narcotic sedative that often results in loss of consciousness.

At first, authorities didn’t think the murders were in related, leading many activists to sharply critique the police for failing to find a gay link to the crimes.

www.queerty.com/trial-suspected-gay-serial-killer-stephen-port-begins-today-20161004?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29