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REVIEW: The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs

REVIEW: The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs

Set in 3,000 acres in an area of breathtaking natural beauty, The Broadmoor is America’s oldest five star hotel. Founded by Coloradian magnate Spencer Penrose, the hotel’s been hosting presidents, royalty and Hollywood A-listers since 1918.

There isn’t a whim you can’t indulge here. If you’re the active type, (we’ll assume you are – no one goes to Colorado for a nice lie-down), you can pass your time riding, boating, golfing, fishing or hiking – all without leaving the grounds.

There’s an all-American bowling alley in the hotel, serving an excellent line in ‘adult’ milkshakes. If you’re worried about your strike rate, bowl first, booze second. As you’d expect from this class of joint, there’s also a full gym and three swimming pools, including a heated lap pool for serious lengths.

Broadmoor Main, the oldest part of the hotel, is decorated in an early-20th century, European style. The newer Broadmoor West has recently been remodeled in more contemporary, but equally luxurious style.

Eastmoor SuiteMed

The TVs built into the bathroom mirrors are a special treat – who doesn’t want to watch Golden Girls in the shower? If you’re an art lover, take a guided tour: the hotel boasts one of the largest collections of American art in the USA.

The cuisine, too, is top notch. So committed to fine dining is the hotel, that it sent the chefs at its Italian restaurant Ristorante del Lago to Italy to learn with the masters there. Should you fancy a taste of home, there’s an English pub in the grounds serving fish and chips and English ale. (We’d stick to the Colorado brews – they’re fantastic.)

As far as famous guests go, take your pick. From Joan Crawford to Joan Rivers, Princess Anne to Prince Harry, the great and good from all walks of life have (temporarily) called The Broadmoor home.

Venture out of the grounds to take in more of Colorado Springs’ heart-stopping scenery. It’s a short journey to both the Garden of the Gods National Natural Landmark and park, and Red Rocks, a natural amphitheatre providing near-perfect acoustics, which regularly hosts megastars.

You can also visit Manitou Springs, a town not unlike London’s Portobello Road Market, full of charming bars and thrift stores. It’s here you can take the Manitou Railway, America’s highest cog railway. It’ll whisk you up to a height of 4.3km where you can get awe-inspiring views from up the world-famous Pike’s Peak.

One final note: bear in mind this hotel is marketed as ‘family-friendly’, so you might find yourself surrounded by rugrats if you decide to lurk in the communal areas during the day. But if kids tend to drive you a little crazy, by the time you get back from a day sporting or exploring, they’ll all be in bed, allowing you to enjoy The Broadmoor’s impeccable offerings in the company of adults only.

www.broadmoor.com, www.colorado.com

Words: Andrew Gonsalves

The post REVIEW: The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs appeared first on Gay Star News.

Jamie Tabberer

www.gaystarnews.com/article/review-the-broadmoor-colorado-springs/

DVD: “Chocolate City,” “Seashore,” “Stand,” “Wasp,” & More!

DVD: “Chocolate City,” “Seashore,” “Stand,” “Wasp,” & More!

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Hot male strippers, Brazilian teens getting close (Seashore, above), gay Russians in a pickle and a gay couple on a vacay gone wrong make up this very queer (and homoerotic) week in home entertainment.

Read on!

 

Chocolate City

($29.99 DVD; Paramount)

A hot college student (Robert Ri’chard) begins moonlighting as a male stripper on the DL from his family in this indie, black Magic Mike. While predictable enough, the big show scenes feature some amazing choreography and super hot bodies, including Tyson Beckford’s. Extras include a blooper reel.

 

Seashore

($24.95 DVD; Wolfe)

In this artful and atmospheric Brazilian import, a trip to the seaside provides an opportunity for a pair of teenage friends, openly gay Tomaz and possibly not-too-straight Martin, to truly get close. Spoiler alert: they do indeed. Like, really close. You have permission to fast forward.

 

Stand

($24.99 DVD; TLA)

In this topical drama set in Russia, a gay couple witness what could be a brutal gay bashing. However, the pair is unsure what to do about it, since the country’s fiery homophobia and government stance could actually put them in hot water if they get too nosy. They eventually decide to investigate what was happening… and so goes this slow burn, tense drama.

 

Wasp

($24.99 DVD; Breaking Glass Pictures)

In this three character chamber drama, a British gay couple’s vacation in Provence, France, is disrupted when a female friend, recently dumped by her boyfriend, tags along. Things don’t go too well, though, as one of the guys and the girl begin to feel jealousy… and something more potentially threatening. Extras include a commentary and cast interviews.

 

ALSO OUT:

 

IMG_6885Insurgent

 

Child 44

 

A Little Chaos

 

Every Secret Thing

 

How To Get Away With Murder: Season One

Lawrence Ferber

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/REAedpCrXOk/dvd-chocolate-city-seashore-stand-wasp-more-20150804

Anti-gay football analyst sues Fox Sports for religious discrimination

Anti-gay football analyst sues Fox Sports for religious discrimination

A former college football commentator Monday (3 August) filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against Fox Sports who he claims fired him over his anti-gay views.

Craig James by was hired by Fox Sports Southwest in August 2013, only to be fired days later. He is seeking at least $100,000 in damages and a jury trial to hear his claims of breach of contract and discrimination.

‘Fox Sports fired Craig James because of his religious beliefs about marriage and his expression of those beliefs during a debate when James ran in the Texas Republican primary for United States Senator,’ the suit reads.

During that debate, the former New England Patriots running back said LGBTI people chose to be gay and would ‘have to answer to the Lord for their actions.’

‘We should not give benefits to those civil unions,’ he added.

Fox Networks Group said James’ ‘allegations are baseless and we will vigorously defend ourselves against them.’

‘Craig James is a polarizing figure in the college sports community and the decision not to use him in our college football coverage was based on the perception that he abused a previous on-air position to further a personal agenda,’ Scott Grogin, the group’s senior vice president of communications, said in a statement to the Dallas Morning News.

‘The decision had nothing to do with Mr James’ religious beliefs and we did not discriminate against Mr James in any way.’

The post Anti-gay football analyst sues Fox Sports for religious discrimination appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/anti-gay-football-analyst-sues-fox-sports-for-religious-discrimination/

OITNB’s Lea DeLaria: Butch lesbians are the pariahs of the LGBTI community

OITNB’s Lea DeLaria: Butch lesbians are the pariahs of the LGBTI community

Orange Is the New Black star Lea DeLaria has said ‘nelly fags and butch lesbians’ are the pariahs of the LGBTI community.

DeLaria plays Boo in Netflix series and told the Television Critics Association last week that her character’s storyline read like something out of her childhood diary.

‘Butches have a shared life experience, and you saw all of it in Boo’s backstory,’ she said. ‘Being forced to wear a dress by your parents… I would hide under my bed just terrified.’

DeLaria said the only difference between her life and Boo’s was that her parents had listened to her. ‘Unfortunately, the story that they showed, Boo’s story, is all too common. Way too common,’ she lamented.

The actress continued, ‘My own community ostracizes me and thinks of nelly fags and butch lesbians as sort of the pariahs of the community.’

But DeLaria credited the show changing the people’s attitudes toward LGBTI people.

‘A large part of what we’ve done of the politics of the LGBT community has been about gaining our rights, fighting for our rights, achieving our rights,’ she said.

‘And recently it’s been turned a little bit more towards winning the hearts and minds of people. I feel very strongly that Orange Is the New Black has been very important in that part of what’s happened to us in that community – that’s an amazing turn of events.’

The post OITNB’s Lea DeLaria: Butch lesbians are the pariahs of the LGBTI community appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/oitnbs-lea-delaria-butch-lesbians-are-the-pariahs-of-the-lgbti-community/

Couples apply for first same-sex marriage licenses in Philippines

Couples apply for first same-sex marriage licenses in Philippines

Two gay couples in the Philippines applied for marriage licenses Monday (3 August) in a first for the Catholic-majoirty country.

Maria Arlyn Ibanez, Crescencio Agbayani and their partners tried to register their relationships at a registry office in Quezon City. But officials said marriage was between a man and a woman and would not accept their applications.

Although the outcome was expected, Agbayani, founding pastor of the gay-friendly Christian Church Inc, said the rejection was still ‘painful.’

‘We were denied but we will not stop,’ he wrote on his personal Facebook page.

‘We will seek help from our Supreme Court.’

Ibanez said she will still wed her partner in a symbolic ceremony later this month.

The Philippine Marriage Equality Network had encouraged gay couples across the country to apply for marry licenses on Monday. Filings were also simultaneously made in the cities of Baguio, Davao and Silang.

Philippines law defines marriage as a ‘special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman,’ and any legislation to change it would likely be blocked by lawmakers allied to the church.

 

The post Couples apply for first same-sex marriage licenses in Philippines appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/couples-apply-for-first-same-sex-marriage-licenses-in-philippines/

First male couple to marry at West Point attacked in NYC, assailant leaves covered in own blood

First male couple to marry at West Point attacked in NYC, assailant leaves covered in own blood

The first male couple to be married at West Point Military Academy were attacked Sunday (2 August) in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood.

Larry Lennox-Choate III, a 2009 West Point graduate, wrote in a Facebook post that he and his husband were in a bodega when a man began screaming anti-gay obscenities at them then ‘sucker punched’ Daniel Lennox-Choate, a 2007 West Point grad.

‘It’s hard to believe that in 2015 we would have to deal with anti-gay hate crimes in soho of all places,’ he wrote. ‘First off- we’re ok. Aside from one fat lip and a sore punching arm, we are fine. The guy who screamed anti-gay obscenities at us in a bodega before sucker-punching Danny? He left covered in his own blood with his tail between his legs after I handled the situation and tossed him in the street like the coward loser he is.’

He added: ‘The hate crimes division of the NYPD is on the case and we have full faith a positive outcome will follow. We refuse to be victims and are thankful we can defend ourselves, but are saddened by the fact that idiots like this guy might not pick two guys who went through Plebe Boxing next time.’

The post First male couple to marry at West Point attacked in NYC, assailant leaves covered in own blood appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/first-male-couple-to-marry-at-west-point-attacked-in-nyc-assailant-leaves-covered-in-own-blood/