EA introduces new gender options in 'The Sims'

www.glaad.org/blog/ea-introduces-new-gender-options-sims

GLAAD calls on FIFA & US Soccer to stop homophobic chants

www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-calls-fifa-us-soccer-stop-homophobic-chants

Not Even Eric Fanning Thought a Gay Man Would Get His Job

The new Army Secretary gets why his appointment is historic, and even he’s surprised.

www.advocate.com/military/2016/6/02/not-even-eric-fanning-thought-gay-man-would-get-his-job

Dear Media: Ronan Farrow Models How to Cover Trans People

It’s simple: When covering transgender people, include transgender people.

www.advocate.com/media/2016/6/02/dear-media-ronan-farrow-models-how-cover-trans-people

Official: Prince 'Died of Opioid Overdose' (Video)

www.advocate.com/music/2016/6/02/official-prince-died-opioid-overdose-video

Report: Prince’s Official Cause Of Death Has Been Revealed

Well, it’s official. Prince died of an opioid overdose, according to law enforcement.

An anonymous source close to the investigation surrounding the 57-year-old singer’s sudden death in April confirmed to the AP this morning that it was a result of an overdose of prescription painkillers. Though the specific drug was not revealed, many are already speculating it was Percocet.

Related: Prince, Iconic Entertainer And Provocateur, Has Died (Report)

Six days before his death, Prince O.D.’d on Percocet while aboard a plane, forcing the pilot to perform an emergency landing in Moline, IL, where he had to get a “save” shot from a local hospital.

So far, two doctors have been investigated in connection to the singer’s death. Dr. Michael Schulenberg had visited Paisley Park the morning of Prince’s passing, and Dr. Howard Kornfeld’s son was also there with opioids used to treat addiction. Schulenberg’s attorney maintains the doctor did not give Prince any meds that morning.

Related: Report: Prince Overdosed On Percocet Days Before His Death

The source who leaked Prince’s official cause of death was not authorized to speak to the media. Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson and his Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud, who have been leading the investigation, have yet to issue an official statement.

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‘Mostly Straight’ Male Sex Worker Opens Up About Being Gay-For-Pay And Much, Much More

A “mostly straight” male sex worker holds nothing back while discussing his professional life in a riveting new interview with Metro.

“I gave it a try and found I was well suited to it,” Oz, an Australian man living in London, says. “I’d been with a man, just to experiment, before I started doing this, so I guess I am a little bisexual, but I’d say I’m closer to the straight end of the spectrum.”

Related: Don’t Get It Twisted, These Male Sex Workers Love Their Jobs And Make Serious Dough

Oz was first introduced to the line of work by his ex-girlfriend.

“She was from a family who were rich, but very strict,” he explains. “She got into this kind of work so she could have her freedom, and it seemed pretty easy to me, a way to make money and not have to work in an office.”

That was seven years ago. Since then his job had taken him all around the world.

“I’ve been to Dubai, New York, Hong Kong, Sweden, Singapore. And plenty of other European countries,” he says.

Though he identifies as “mostly straight,” the vast majority of Oz’s customers are men.

“My clients are mainly male, though occasionally I see single women,” he explains. “I have plenty of regulars that I’ve built up over the years here in London. But I do travel internationally, too.”

“Sometimes clients pay my air fare and expenses to visit them abroad,” he continues. “I have a regular in Dubai, that pays for my flights and hotels in a luxury resort. He’ll be busy through the day so I’ll have time to myself and I’m able to charge things to the room like massages or spa treatments for myself.”

Many of his clients also identify as “mostly straight” and are married to women.

“I see a lot of men who are married or in a relationship with a woman,” he says. “I expect we see a lot of bisexuals because gay guys can meet up with each other and they don’t need the discretion.”

Relate: Male Sex Workers Reveal The Truth About Their Lives And Clients

And many of them want him to act out fantasies that their wives and girlfriends won’t do at home.

“I’ve got a ball-busting regular who likes being kicked in the groin,” he says. “Spanking is [also] very common here, especially with ex-public school boys–they seem to have a bit of a kink for that and being tied up.”

Of course, being an escort has its risks. Since the laws surrounding sex work are fuzzy, Oz says it’s on him to vet his clients before meeting them and to look out for his safety.

“I sort of figured it out as I went along in the beginning,” he says. “Thankfully I didn’t make any big mistakes … I basically just have to judge how they sound. If they’re coming to my place I only give them the building address, not the flat number so I can check through the glass, make sure there’s only one person out there.”

He continues: “I watch out for my security if I’m heading to a client’s apartment I’ll tell somebody where I am headed and what time to expect me back and to tell the police if I disappear – that sort of thing.”

Though he’s not ashamed of what he does, Oz hasn’t told those closest to him about how he makes his living.

“My family don’t know and neither do the friends I had before starting to do this,” he says. “I’ve told my family I have a very boring office job. I tried to make it sound as dull as possible so they don’t ask too many questions.”

He adds, “I don’t really have any regrets, though it’s not something I want to do forever.”

Related: PHOTOS: An Intimate Glimpse At The Gay Male Escorts Of Amsterdam

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Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Says He’ll ‘Consider’ Meeting With Parents of Transgender Kids

Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he’ll “consider” meeting with transgender children and their families in response to an invitation from parents earlier this week.

At a press conference Tuesday, Patrick encouraged Texas school districts to ignore the Obama administration’s directive requiring public schools to allow trans students to use restrooms based on their gender identity. Patrick has also said he’s willing to forego $10 billion in federal education funding to avoid complying with the directive, and he’s seeking an opinion from anti-LGBT Attorney General Ken Paxton about whether the Fort Worth school district’s new pro-trans guidelines violate state law.

In response to Patrick’s announcement, Equality Texas staged a press conference featuring the parents of trans kids, who said the lieutenant governor is endangering their children’s lives and invited him to meet with them.

“I was not aware they wanted to meet until they asked for a meeting, and we had a full schedule as we always do when we come to Austin … so we did not have time to meet today, and we will be happy to consider the meeting,” Patrick told Time Warner Cable News on Tuesday night.

Patrick proceeded to downplay the parents’ concerns because only six of them attended the Equality Texas press conference. He also stated that he isn’t open to the possibility of changing his mind.

“We don’t know the real statistic, but about three-tenths of 1 percent is the belief, of the population is transgender,” Patrick said. “We announced this press conference Friday, so they had four days to gather a lot of people. Six people came, and I’m not sure what they protested, but our point is, we don’t want teenage boys showering with teenage girls.”

Patrick, who’s staged three press conferences on the subject in recent weeks, went on to ironically proclaim: “We’re spending way too much time on this issue.”

On Wednesday, Equality Texas CEO Chuck Smith appeared on Time Warner Cable News to respond to Patrick, calling the lieutenant governor “a bully.”

“Our message is that the lieutenant governor doesn’t speak for all parents in this state, and that the actions he’s now taking, while perhaps appropriate for a shock jock radio announcer, are embarrassing for a lieutenant governor,” Smith said. “There are parents of transgender children in this state, whose kids deserve a safe education just like everyone else, and the lieutenant governor is using those kids as pawns in a political game that at the end of the day probably has little to do with bathrooms, and much more to do with the lieutenant governor trying to advance his own personal political agenda.”

The post Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Says He’ll ‘Consider’ Meeting With Parents of Transgender Kids appeared first on Towleroad.

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President Obama: Let’s Create Environment of ‘Dignity and Kindness’ for Transgender Kids – WATCH

During a PBS town hall, President Obama made a strong show of support for transgender rights and debunked the idea that he is forcing the issue onto the country.

President Obama was asked by a person in the town hall in Elkhart, Indiana, “With all the pressing issues that you have before you right now, why is the issue of which bathroom a person uses such an issue?”

President Obama responded,

“Somehow people think I made it an issue, I didn’t make it an issue. What happened and what continues to happen is you have transgender kids in schools. And they get bullied. And they get ostracized. And it’s tough for them.”

PREVIOUSLY – Here is the Obama Administration’s Sweeping Transgender Guidance for Schools: READ IT

As The Washington Blade notes, President Obama also said that he decided to weigh in on transgender students’ rights because schools around the country were seeking guidance from the federal government:

“I just wanted to emphasize to you, though, it’s not like I woke up one day and I said you know what we really need to do is let’s start working on high school bathrooms,” Obama said. “I was thinking about ISIL. And I was thinking about, you know, the economy and I’m thinking about jobs. But one of the things that, as president, you learn is that you don’t choose the issues all the time. The issues come to you. And then you have to make your best judgment about what you think is right, and I’ve expressed what I think is the best judgment that is consistent with our traditions and our laws.”

President Obama also said that the “Golden Rule” should play a key role in how we view transgender issues:

“My answer is that we should deal with this issue the same way we’d want it dealt with if it was our child. And that is to try to create an environment of some dignity and kindness for these kids. And that’s sort of the bottom line.”

“I have to say what’s in my heart, but I also have to look at what’s in the law, my best interpretation of what our laws and our obligations are, is that we should try to accommodate these kids so they are not in a vulnerable situation.”

Addressing objections to transgender rights based on religion, President Obama said,

“Now, I understand that people, you know, for religious beliefs or just general discomfort might disagree. And I’m not the one who’s making a big issue of it. But if the school districts around the country ask me, ‘What do you think we should do?,’ then what we’re going to do is tell them let’s find a way to accommodate them in a way that makes sure that these kids are not, you know, excluded and ostracized.”

“I have profound respect for everybody’s religious beliefs on this.”

Watch video of Obama’s town hall, below.

The post President Obama: Let’s Create Environment of ‘Dignity and Kindness’ for Transgender Kids – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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