The Advocate Recognizes HRC’s All God’s Children Campaign
The first-of-its-kind public education made the publication’s list of “Religious People Who Give Us Hope for Religion.”
HRC.org
Category Archives: NEWS
All That X-Rated Smut Is Killing Off Marriage, According To The FRC
All That X-Rated Smut Is Killing Off Marriage, According To The FRC
The Family Research Council just won’t quit. Having clearly lost the battle to convince Americans that being gay is just about the worst thing you can “choose” to do, they’ve widened their scope in an attempt to shake their proverbial finger at the rest of a society they see as crumbling relentlessly around them.
Marriage — that sacred bond between a man and a woman, has been on the decline lately. Why? Well, according to them, it’s all that porn everyone is watching! They call it “common-sensical” that the more x-rated smut is freely available on the interwebs, the more damaged the institution of marriage becomes.
What they’re actually doing is taking the results from a study by a German think tank and using them to prop up their distorted view of reality. The Washington Post looked at the same study and had this to say:
“There are many reasons for the trend. One of the most provocative is the rise of wealth inequality. Andrew J. Cherlin made this point in a recent op-ed in the New York Times: Historically, low and stable inequality has coincided with periods of higher marriage rates among all socioeconomic groups. Marriage can be a expensive institution, especially without two sustainable sources of income. It’s likely of little coincidence that the United States is particularly unequal today, and its poor are particularly less likely to marry than the rich.”
They went on to point out several flaws in the study, one of which being that it examines data collected from 2000-2004, so, data that are a decade old.
Also, the researchers themselves note that their “findings fall short of being conclusive.”
But far be it for the FRC to use real-world logic when deciding which damaging thing to assert next.
[h/t The New Civil Rights Movement]
Dan Tracer
Under the Covers, 2014
Under the Covers, 2014
A year-end look at who graced the covers of the nation’s top publications.
Dawn Ennis
www.advocate.com/politics/media/2014/12/25/under-covers-2014
Leather Daddy Gingerbread Men Tutorial Released On YouTube
Leather Daddy Gingerbread Men Tutorial Released On YouTube
Do you love making gingerbread men but are tired of those ho-hum traditional styles of decorating? Then why not turn those edible men into — what else — leather daddies for your family this year?
This step-by-step tutorial uploaded to YouTube details how you can turn your favorite holiday cookie into a full-fledged leather daddy. The video comes from professional chef Sara Whittlesey and includes instructions on how to achieve that perfect icing jockstrap, harness and ball gag this Christmas.
Grandma will love it!
Best of 2014: Project One America
Best of 2014: Project One America
In 2014, HRC launched Project One America, a first of its kind comprehensive, multi-year to dramatically expand LGBT equality in the South through permanent s in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas.
HRC.org
www.hrc.org/blog/entry/best-of-2014-project-one-america?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
ICYMI: Some Of Our Best Stories Of 2014
ICYMI: Some Of Our Best Stories Of 2014
Check out our timeline of solid stories throughout 2014
Michelle Garcia
www.advocate.com/politics/media/2014/12/25/icymi-some-our-best-stories-2014
Twinks, Daddies, And Jocks: The Straight Equivalents To Gay Terms
Twinks, Daddies, And Jocks: The Straight Equivalents To Gay Terms
What is the hetero equivalent to a leather daddy?
Is there such thing as a straight twink?
And what’s the difference between a pocket gay and a short guy, anyway?
If these questions have ever kept you up at night, as they have us (at least to write this post), then you may find the following list of terms helpful.
Scroll down for definitions of various types of gay men and their non-gay counterparts.
Twink vs. Emo
Twink
Not a boy, not yet a man, a twink is a youthful homosexual male, usually between the ages of 18-22, who is smooth-bodied and a slight, puerile build. He wears tight-fitting clothes from H&M, works at the mall, and is, of course, a bottom.
Emo
An emo is an overly sensitive straight male, usually between the ages of 18-22, who sports a lip ring, an androgynous haircut, and usually dresses in all black as an outward reflection of his internal angst. He wears tight-fitting clothes from Hot Topic, works at the mall, and is likely a virgin.
Gym Bunny vs. Jock
Gym Bunny
A gym bunny is a gay guy who spends an obsessive amount of time working out not for health purposes, but because he likes to flaunt his ripped body when he goes clubbing. His wardrobe contains no less than 20 different muscle shirts and he can often be seen snapping selfies in the mirror between reps, which he then posts to his Instagram page.
Jock
A jock is a straight guy who likes to work out, play sports, and call other guys “bro.” Like a gym bunny, his wardrobe contains no less than 20 different muscle shirts and he can often be seen snapping selfies in the mirror between reps, which he then sends to his girlfriend because he doesn’t know about Instagram quite yet.
Pocket Gay vs. Short Guy
Pocket Gay
Petite and small in stature, a pocket gay is a travel-sized homosexual who stands under 5’7, even in shoes, and is often highly sought after the moment he steps into a gay bar.
Short guy
Petite and small in stature, a short guy stands under 5’7, even in shoes, and is overlooked or assumed to be gay when he steps into a straight bar.
Bitchy Queen vs. Hipster
Bitchy Queen
A bitchy queen is a stereotypically flamboyant gay guy who lacks any semblance of self-awareness and is difficult be around for more than five minutes unless you, too, are a bitchy queen (the cat fights are fabulous). He is loud, squeals phrases like “Omigawd!” and “Gurl, that’s fierce!”, wears designer everything (jeans, shoes, sunglasses, underwear), loves EDM, and drinks Stoli cosmos with a raised pinkie and lots of attitude.
Hipster
At first glance, the hipster may seem like the antithesis of a bitchy queen, but he is actually very similar. He may not sport the designer clothes (labels are way too mainstream for him), but he is equally lacking in self-awareness and is not easy to be around for more than five minutes. Instead of EDM, he listens to Lana Del Rey on his suitcase record player be bought for $250 at Urban Outfitters. And instead of Stoli cosmos, he drinks PBR.
Self-hating Gay vs. Curmudgeon
Self-hating gay
Self-hating gays can often be seen scowling at dinner parties, grumbling about how much the world sucks, and blaming everyone else for their misery. Their sole mission in life is to drag everyone else down into the mud along with them. And when that doesn’t work, they just get more drunk and bitch about how they don’t give a shit if gay marriage is made legal because it’s not like they want to get married anyway, before slinging their albatross over the chip on their shoulder and making the lonely trek home.
Curmudgeon
A surly straight guy who likes to pout and still hasn’t gotten over that girlfriend who jilted him two years ago.
Leather Daddy vs. Sugar Daddy
Leather Daddy
A leather daddy is an older gay gentleman, usually between 35-55, who likes to dominate his younger male lovers (at least until he is revealed to be a raging bottom). His bedroom closet has no shortage of whips, crops, chains, and paddles. He’s kinky. He’s rough. He’s hot. He’ll do you hard, and when he’s done he’ll wrap up in his big, bulging arms and cuddle you like a little baby.
Sugar Daddy
A sugar daddy is an older heterosexual man, usually between 50-70 years of age, who drives an expensive car, thinks ill-fitting Ralph Lauren and Tommy Bahama outfits are fashionable, and likes to wine and dine his 20-something girlfriends, showering them with lavish gifts and jewelry in exchange for sex.
Related stories:
Ten Forgotten Gay Slang Words That Deserve To Be Resurrected
A Handy Glossary Of Gay Terms For The Well-Meaning Hetty
Watch What Happens When Straight Male Friends See Each Other Naked For The First Time
Graham Gremore is a columnist and contributor for Queerty and Life of the Law. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Graham Gremore
Year in Review: 2014
Year in Review: 2014
This year, the Boy Scouts admitted gay youths, Michael Sam was drafted, Sochi became an international rallying cry, we won a bunch of marriage victories (and Eurovision!), and our rights in Russia, Uganda, and Arizona hung precariously in the balance.
Matthew Breen
The Mystery Of What Chris Pine Tastes Like Has Been Solved
The Mystery Of What Chris Pine Tastes Like Has Been Solved
Get ready to have all of your illusions about Hollywood’s A List shattered, courtesy of Anna Kendricks and Andy Cohen. When Kendricks appeared on Watch What Happens Live this week to promote her turn as Cinderella in the lavish film musical Into the Woods, Cohen grilled her about a couple of her costars, Meryl Streep and Chris Pine.
With more acting awards than any human in history, one might think mighty Meryl is a bit chilly and intimidating. Not so, says Anna, who describes the multi-Oscar winner as a “bro” who just wants to chill with a beer and talk about the MTV Movie Awards.
The ever-curious Cohen asks what Pine, who stars as Kendrick’s Price Charming, tastes like. We guessed “heaven” but “cinnamon in a meadow,” is the correct answer so we were close. Andy also pressures Anna to describe Pine’s butt which she says is “taught and covered in blue velvet.” The actress also reveals insider info about costars Johnny Depp and Emily Blunt, who is “the kind of gal who loves a fart joke.”
Watch Anna being awesome below.
Jeremy Kinser
FDA Continues Blood Libel of Gay Men
FDA Continues Blood Libel of Gay Men
The new FDA rules on blood donations by gay men continue to perpetuate falsehoods. Euronews may call it “a major victory for gay civil rights” but it is NO such thing. Previously, any gay man who ever had sex with another man, no matter how “safe” the sex, was deemed too risky to donate blood. Now they are banned only if they had sex within the last year. These regulations were put into place during the height of the HIV/AIDS hysteria and represent precisely the kind of legislative overkill that happens when idiots pass rules or laws while panicking about something. Panics are the worst time to legislate, because people always get facts wrong.
Originally, the media and bureaucrats tried to label this disease “Gay Related Immune Deficiency Syndrome” or GRIDS but it soon became apparent that it wasn’t “gay-related” at all. Certainly, they noticed very quickly that the disease had spread within the Haitian community in the United States and among IV drug users-predominantly straight groups. Then it became apparent, when you broaden the picture to include the rest of the world, that gays are a minority of those with HIV.
Regulations were written with scant actual knowledge when people were fearful and certain groups were doing their level best to stoke the flames of fear and misinformation.
This is a disease with certain means of transmission that don’t discriminate. Sex is a factor, gay or straight, it’s a factor, but consider how the Red Cross lists risks for HIV. They claim you are at risk of HIV if you “are a male who has had sexual contact with another male, even once, since 1977.” Of course, they will now change that to say “any time in the last year.” So, that hand job from 1978 is no longer a threat–but, it never was.
It is a fact that MORE people worldwide have contracted HIV through heterosexual intercourse than any other mode of transmission, but it is not listed as a risk, while all gay sex, including absolutely safe practices, are deemed “unsafe.”
That isn’t science! That isn’t medicine! That’s panic politics at its worst.
Another major factor in this country has been the spread of HIV though sharing needles for IV drug use. Of course, one reason needles are shared is because may be difficult to obtain, thanks to that other paragon of panic politics: The War on Drugs. Bureaucrats and politicians aren’t talking about how their own hyperbolic hysteria contributed to the spread of HIV.
The reason is simple: Policies passed in panic, no matter how counterproductive or destructive, are sacred and never repealed. To undo the panic legislation is to admit politicians use fear to secure office for themselves and cater to panics. A panic, no matter how absurd, is just another political opportunity, one that can be used to further ones career. Politicians don’t like to admit that if you scare the shit out of the public, you can pass anything you want.
So they pass bad legislation or regulations, which fester in the body politic for generations to come. Even after the fear has abated, even after the hysteria is dead and forgotten, or widely disputed, laws and regulations maliciously linger on for generations to come. The political elite never admits errors. Better thousands or millions suffer than the illusion of political competency is exposed as a fraud.
The “Satanic Panics” of the 80s created laws on sex offenders that are doing far more harm than good. That grossly exaggerated panic regarding child abductions now has parents being threatened with arrest for allowing children to play in a public park without an adult to guard them from imaginary monsters. The HIV panic created regulations on blood donations do more harm than good. At best, politicians will tinker around the edges, but the detrimental effect of fear politics are still with us–and no doubt will be for some time to come.
For more than four decades, science has shown these regulations to be unwarranted and counterproductive, but even now the most the political process is willing to make them only slightly less harmful. This should be a warning to those who, in a moment of crisis or fear, yell, “There ought to be a law.” If anything, legislation during crisis should be banned. It’s bound to be ill considered, badly drafted, and often more destructive than the problem it was meant to solve–a problem that is often grossly exaggerated to begin with.
