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HRC Submits Comments Calling for LGBT Protections in Faith-Based Regulations
On October 5, HRC submitted comments in response to the faith-based regulations that aim to strengthen religious liberty protections in federally funded programs.
HRC.org
Justin Bieber’s Dad Expresses Envy Over Son’s Nude Pics
By now you’ve seen surely the nude pics of Justin Bieber (if for some reason you haven’t, click here), and you have probably expressed an opinion. Well, so has the pop star’s pops. Jeremy Bieber is very impressed with, perhaps even envious of his 21-year-old sons penis and wants the world to know it so he used his Twitter account to spread the word.
Senor Bieber has long been a controversial figure in junior’s life. He reportedly abandoned Bieber’s mother, is accused of tossing a puppy off a balcony, allegedly kicked a woman in the face, verbally abused a fight attendant and trashed an apartment paid for by his son. Hopefully, Justin has decided against following in his father’s footsteps.
Related: Do We Really Want To See Naked Pictures Of Justin Bieber’s Dad?
Jeremy Kinser
EastEnders Casts Trans Actor to Play Trans Character in First for British Soaps
The British soap EastEnders has cast 21-year-old Riley Carter Millington, a trans man, to play Kyle, a young transgender man. The trans casting is a first for British soaps, according to The Guardian.
EastEnders executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins revealed in March the BBC1 show would be introducing a transgender character, and said he was determined the part would be played by a trans actor.
Millington’s character will debut in October and become a regular at the end of the year.
Said Millington to the BBC:
“I am excited to be joining EastEnders. I can honestly say that I have now fulfilled my two biggest dreams – to be living my life as a man and to be an actor. I cannot wait to really get stuck in with filming and I look forward to seeing what is in store for my character.”
The post EastEnders Casts Trans Actor to Play Trans Character in First for British Soaps appeared first on Towleroad.
Andy Towle
EastEnders Casts Trans Actor to Play Trans Character in First for British Soaps
Gay Geek's Guide to New York Comic Con
In addition to all the geeky mainstream awesomeness unleashed at every New York Comic Con, there’s always a great deal of LGBT-geared programming and events that take place at the Big Apple’s geekfest as well.
The annual pop-culture extravaganza lasts until Monday at the Javits Center near Manhattan’s (second) gay neighborhood, Hell’s Kitchen.
Whether you’re attending the convention or you’re just geek-curious, take a look at this year’s offerings below and mark your calendars accordingly.
Dan Parent
Friday
Dan Parent Drawing Workshop
11 a.m.-noon
Wanna draw your own Kevin Keller? Then come learn how from the man who created the groundbreaking gay Archie character.
Gay Manga, Yaoi and Yuri: LGBTQ Fantasy vs. Reality in Manga
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Do you know the difference between “gay manga” and yaoi manga? Do you want to start reading yaoi manga but you don’t even know where to begin or what to read first? Then this panel is for you as guests break down the different types of gay manga and explore whether their popularity hurts Japanese gays.
LGBT Men Speed Dating
2-4 p.m.
Aside from some cool swag and collectible comics you could also come home from Comic Con with a new man. Find love on the convention floor at this special two hour block of speed dating for men who love men (in or out of spandex).
New York TimesOUT presents Gay Geek Culture
4-5 p.m.
If your love of pop culture knows no bounds and stretches from Broadway to books to movies then you’ll feel right at home at this panel that celebrates everything gay geeks love. Actor Andy Mientus (who plays the Pied Piper on The Flash) is joined by novelist Damon Suede, Paul McGill (from Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark) and more as they talk about everything gay geeks love.
Archie Comics Forever
4:15-5:15 p.m.
You’re probably still swooning over the super cute reboot of Archie Andrews, or maybe you just wanna know what’s next for Kevin Keller and Josie and the Pussycats. Either way this panel featuring the team behind the Archie universe will answer all your questions about the future of Riverdale.
LGBTQIA in Comics and Pop Culture Meet-Up
5:15-6:15 p.m.
Here’s your chance to meet and talk with the panelists and attendees from the earlier New York TimesOUT panels in a more relaxed and intimate setting.
Teen Wolf
5:45-6:45 p.m.
Join the cast and creators as they talk all about MTV’s hairy hit and spill secrets from behind the scenes. Paws crossed they don’t keep their shirts on for long.
Cast of Firefly
Saturday
Firefly Reunion
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Calling all lovers of the Whedonverse! Joss Whedon’s much-loved cult series Firefly will host a reunion with its stars Nathan Fillion, Zoe Washburne, and Jewel Staite.
The X-Files
1:15-2:30 p.m.
The X-Files might not scream “gay geek,” but let us repeat two words: Gillian Anderson. Mulder and Scully have only gotten more badass as time goes on, and with a screening of the first episode of the new 2016 revival AND a Q&A with David Duchovny and series creator Chris Carter, this will surely be one of the hottest tickets of the weekend.
Prism Comics Presents Autobiography in Queer Comics
1:30-2:30 p.m.
Come hear LGBT artists and writers talk about their craft of turning their life (and coming-out) stories into comics and graphic novels.
LGBT Speeding Dating: Women
1:30-3:30 p.m.
Now it’s time for the ladies to find cosplay love!
Doctor Who Fan Screening
7:45-9:15 p.m.
Leave your TARDIS outside and watch the premiere of a new Doctor Who episode “Before the Flood” with a Q&A with the episode’s writer and Clark Collis from Entertainment Weekly.
Tom Mison in Sleepy Hollow
Sunday
Sleepy Hollow
4:15-5:15 p.m.
Comic con weekend may be coming to a close, but that’s no reason to lose your head! End the weekend on a high as you watch an all new episode of the Fox hit series followed by a talk with the cast and crew (including history hottie Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane).
Also, don’t forget to stop by the booth for Prism Comics/Skin Tight USA and Northwest Press and support them and LGBT comic creators by buying some great gay geek swag!
Top: Drawing by DGDrawingsxX
Christopher Rudolph
www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2015/10/09/gay-geeks-guide-new-york-comic-con
Broadway's Sierra Boggess On Bringing The 'Soundtrack Of Her Life' To The Stage
Sierra Boggess is in the midst of rehearsals for the highly anticipated Broadway musical version of “School Of Rock,” but she’s managed to find the time to squeeze in a little performance with the New York Pops at a place called Carnegie Hall.
“There are certain times in life when you’re like, ‘I have to do this,’ and this is one of those times,” Boggess, 33, told The Huffington Post in an interview. “Acoustically, Carnegie Hall is a singer’s dream. It’s just not something you get to do every day.”
Best known for roles in “The Little Mermaid,” “Phantom of the Opera” and “Les Misérables,” the singer-actress will perform with “Downton Abbey” alum Julian Ovenden at “My Favorite Things: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein.” As its title suggests, the Oct. 9 show is a celebration of the legendary composers of “Oklahoma,” “The Sound of Music,” and “Carousel,” among other shows – and Boggess couldn’t be more thrilled.
“Their music is what made me be like, ‘Oh, yes! Musical theater!’ I was very old school,” Boggess said. The show, which kicks off the Pops’ 2015-2016 season, will feature songs from “Carousel,” “The Sound of Music,” and others. Collectively, Boggess says, it will represent “the soundtrack of my life for such a long time.”
She’s quick to tout that the “transformative power of music” is a central theme in “School of Rock,” too. That musical will not only feature the tunes that made Richard Linklater’s 2003 film, which starred Jack Black, so memorable, but also new music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom Boggess has had a long professional association.
“That show goes hand-in-hand so well [with my Pops performance] because it’s just about the power of music,” Boggess, who will tackle the role of Rosalie Mullins (played by Joan Cusack in the film version), said. “It’s going to be a really joyous show, and everyone is gonna the theater every night leave just feeling really awesome about life.”
The star’s in a pretty joyous mood herself these days. Prior to beginning rehearsals for the Pops and “School of Rock,” she wrapped a well-received turn in the ensemble musical, “It Shoulda Been You,” opposite Tyne Daly, Harriet Harris and David Burtka, among others. And she couldn’t be happier about being in New York during the autumn, even if her busy rehearsal schedules leave her craving “chips and ice cream.”
“My boyfriend is in the fitness industry, so it’s just horrible,” she quipped. Still, there’s an unexpected benefit of fall, too: “I’m a redhead, so I look good in fall colors.”
“My Favorite Things: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein” plays New York’s Carnegie Hall on Oct. 9. Head here for more information.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Gay DNA scientist explains why he decided to quit project
The scientist who led the research into a genetic indicator of sexuality has told Gay Star News that he feared that he may have been contributing to work that might ultimately lead to the development of biological tests for sexual orientation.
Tuck C. Ngun is a postdoctoral scholar at the University College Los Angeles’ Center for Gender-Based Biology. He and colleagues have been studying the genetics of human sexuality through the study of male twins.
Their findings were revealed yesterday at the 2015 meeting of American Society of Human Genetics in Maryland. They included the fact that they had created a saliva test that could predict, with 67% accuracy, the sexuality of subjects in the test study.
The study has yet to have been published in a peer-reviewed journal and has been met with caution by others in the science community.
Ngun, who is gay, has himself decided to withdraw from the research. He says that part of the reason for this is the ramifications of the results. He left the project last week.
‘There are many reasons why I decided to pursue other things professionally but the implications of this type of research was a large part,’ he said in an email statement to Gay Star News.
‘Any practical outcomes (tests, screens, etc.) may be many years/decades in the future but the idea that I was contributing to that, even in a tiny way, didn’t sit right with me anymore. I want to make clear that I don’t believe in the censorship of information but on a personal level, I could not continue down this path.’
Asked if he believed that there might be pre-natal testing of sexuality at some point in the future, or tests developed that could be carried out on the DNA of adults to determine their sexuality, he said, ‘I think we are a long ways off from a pre-natal test or one that can be used on adults.
‘However, I do think they are possibilities and I hope that by talking about such things now, long before they are reality, we will know how to deal with any such tests.’
One of the critics of his research has suggested that genes cannot be the only factor of influence, as some identical twins include both homosexual and heterosexual siblings.
Addressing this particular point, Ngun said, ‘I would agree that the phenomenon of identical twins who are discordant for sexual orientation shows that genes aren’t everything. This finding has been around for a long time and is not mine.’
However, he went on to say that although identical twins can have differing sexual orientations, that wasn’t necessarily proof of nurture over nature.
‘What it doesn’t say is that sexual orientation is a choice. Identical twins can experience differences in the womb. It is unlikely that social environment – the usual alternative to genes – plays a role since sexual orientation seems to be determined very early in life.’
News of the research has met a mixed response. Many in the scientific community have said the research appears interesting but needs to be properly peer reviewed. It must also be noted that the saliva test created by Ngun and his colleagues was used on an unrepresentative sample of the public; male twins only.
Others have been more concerned about the moral aspect of the studies. Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell told the Daily Mail, ‘This research claims to be able to predict sexual orientation with “up to” 70 per cent accuracy. This doesn’t sound entirely convincing or reliable.
‘Some people fear the research might be abused by homophobic parents or regimes to test and abort fetuses that have genetic markers for homosexuality.
‘Even if the tests achieved the maximum 70 per cent detection rate, it would still leave 30 per cent undetected.
‘Any bid to exploit this research for homophobic ends is doomed to fail. Homosexuality has existed in all societies and all eras. It is part of the natural spectrum of human sexuality.’
Ngun said he was very aware of the potential moral and practical implications of his work.
Asked if he thought research into a genetic basis for sexuality might help society become more tolerant to those it viewed as ‘different’ or if he feared that it would lead to people to want to try and find a ‘cure’, Ngun said: ‘I think both of those outcomes are definite possibilities and we have to be vigilant that the work isn’t misused to find a ‘cure’.
‘The “born this way” argument has clearly been very effective but I don’t believe in the idea of moral acceptability based on biology.
‘I think we should accept people, whatever their identity, as long as they aren’t harming anyone through their actions. The transgender movement has been very good at building support using this argument and while it may be slower than “born this way” I think it is the better approach.’
The post Gay DNA scientist explains why he decided to quit project appeared first on Gay Star News.
David Hudson
www.gaystarnews.com/article/gay-dna-scientist-explains-why-he-decided-to-quit-project/
WATCH: Celebrate a Year in Coming Out with HRC
On Sunday, HRC will celebrate the 27th annual National Coming Out Day (NCOD).
HRC.org
Does Being Gender-Fluid Attract Straight Guys Like Bees To Honey?
We love the word “fluid” when it comes to gender and sexuality, and if this video from Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jason Greene (aka Freckle) is to be believed, so do the traditionally masculine “straight” guys so often pined for by gay men.
Related: The Gay Age Gap Is Real — And It’s Annoying As Hell
Of course, it’s not going to resonate with everyone, but anything that chips away at rigidity is aces in our book — isn’t that what just being gay used to be?
And while the video gives us the giggles (as we’ve come to expect from Brian), there’s something actually going on here, because we have had gender fluid friends land some truly hot, straight-perceived guys.
Nip slip…is it?
Watch below:
Dan Tracer
Suspension Bridge Snaps, Hikers Plunge in Terrifying Video: WATCH
Four hikers in New Zealand were finishing a four-day walk around Lake Waikaremoana when they plunged 8.5 meters into a river after the suspension bridge they were walking on snapped. The incident was captured on a GoPro camera one of the hikers was wearing.
A fifth hiker was close enough to the land when the bridge snapped that he was able to make it back quickly. All of the hikers survived the fall, one of them explains in an article.
He also explains that the land management was ceded a year ago to the native Tuhoe Maori tribe and that the infrastructure likely suffered as a result of the change in ownership.
Watch (not for folks with gephyrophobia):
The post Suspension Bridge Snaps, Hikers Plunge in Terrifying Video: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
Andy Towle
Suspension Bridge Snaps, Hikers Plunge in Terrifying Video: WATCH
STUDY: DNA of Identical Twins Can Reveal Who's Gay
Researchers say they’ve come up with a formula to reveal someone’s sexual orientation using DNA found in their saliva that is 67 percent accurate.
The study, presented Thursday to genetics experts meeting in Baltimore, traced the genetic changes in identical twins that when combined help determine whether someone is gay or straight. It’s the first to claim a method to detect sexuality, reported Reuters..
“To our knowledge, this is the first example of a predictive model for sexual orientation based on molecular markers,” said Tuck Ngun, a researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine of the University of California, Los Angeles, who led the study.
According to Gallup, about 3.8 percent of the adult U.S. population identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
Of course, the idea of a genetic test for sexuality raises concerns that someone might try to mess with these epigenetic modifications to change a baby’s inherent orientation. Currently, there is no way to selectively change epigenetic patterns on DNA, although the technology is being developed.
These concerns over the potential misuse of the test led the study’s lead researcher to quit the project entirely, and many scientists have expressed caution over the results, including Ngun himself.
He, too, worries the test has the potential to be used and abused. “I’m gay,” he told New Scientist, “and I’ve always wondered why I am the way I am. But once you have this information, you can’t control how it’s used or disseminated.”
From the moment a child is conceived and all through a person’s life, genetic changes occur, and they can be handed down from generation to generation. These are called epigenetic changes. The underlying code remains unaltered, but how a gene is expressed — how it works — that’s what changes.
At an American Society of Human Genetics meeting in Baltimore, Ngun stated that he studied epigenetic changes called methylation in 47 pairs of male twins. Identical twins have the same underlying DNA, but the epigenetic changes can make big differences in what happens to them later in life.
In 37 of the twin pairs, one brother was homosexual and the other wasn’t. In 10 pairs, both brothers were.
Dr. Margaret McCarthy, who studies the developing brain at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said in a statement, this is more evidence we were indeed ‘born this way:’
“Developing male fetuses produce very high quantities of testosterone during the second trimester and this directs psychosexual development along masculine lines, a component of which is preference for females as sexual partners.
“This study provides a major step forward in our understanding of how the brain can be affected by factors outside of the genome. It is also possible that the experience of being a homosexual or a heterosexual has itself impacted the epigenetic profile. But regardless of when, or even how, these epigenetic changes occur, their findings demonstrate a biological basis to partner preference.”
Other experts said Ngun may be going too far in saying he can predict someone’s sexual orientation by looking at his or her genes, given that his study group was very small.
Since the associations have not yet been tested in a completely independent study population, the results should be considered no more than suggestive, say experts. There needs to be verification before any firm conclusions can be drawn, according to Johnjoe McFadden, a molecular geneticist at the University of Surrey, UK.
Ngun is optimistic his findings may lead to bigger discoveries:
“Sexual attraction is such a fundamental part of life, but it’s not something we know a lot about at the genetic and molecular level. I hope that this research helps us understand ourselves better and why we are the way we are.”
Dawn Ennis
www.advocate.com/health/2015/10/09/study-dna-identical-twins-can-reveal-whos-gay
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