HRC Celebrates 27th Annual National Coming Out Day
Each year, we celebrate the brave individuals- whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or allied- who decided to live openly and authentically.
HRC.org
Category Archives: NEWS
Shape Up: Bring Your Sexy Back, Back
Shape Up: Bring Your Sexy Back, Back
Whether you sit at a desk for several hours a day, or are on your feet for work, chances are you have a stiff thoracic spine. This leads to your neck protruding forward, and your lower back taking on too much stress. The overall effect is detrimental to your whole body, and further down the line it can create many serious problems — not to mention, hunched shoulders just aren’t sexy.
Here are five awesome exercises that will improve thoracic spine mobility.
Foam Roller/T-spine Smash Extension
This is a mobility exercise. It allows you to access deeper layers of muscle tissue, and breaks up adhesions in the fascia (muscle covering).
Lie on your back. Place a foam roller at the base of your ribcage.
Cross your arms over your chest and lay your neck and lower back on the floor.
Roll up and down focusing on just the middle of your back. When you find a tender spot, hold for 20 seconds and breathe into the stretch. You want to avoid tensing the muscles further, and breath is a great tool to aid that.
Work your way up your spine to the base of the neck – you want to work the areas around the problem spot as well. You can play with the height of your hips and roll up and down, and rock side to side. Do this for two to four minutes every day.
Thread the needle
• Come to a tabletop position on your hands and knees.
• Stack your elbows and shoulders over your wrists, and your hips over your knees.
• Lift your right arm out to the side and then ‘thread’ it all the way under your left, so that your left shoulder is stacked over your right. Keep your core strong. Again, use your breathing. Lengthen on your inhales, and on your exhales, gently move a little bit deeper. Hold for three long breaths and then switch sides.
Wall angels (or sand angels…we are in LA after all)
• Stand with your back against a wall and lower yourself down as if sitting in a chair.
• Bend your elbows at 90-degree angles, hands toward the sky.
• Keeping the angle in your arms, move your hands up and down against the wall. Make sure your back is pressed into the wall, and your belly button pressed into your spine. Soften your shoulders away from your ears. Do this 10-15 times.
Rabbit pose
This is generally used in yoga.
• Begin sitting on your knees.
• Grab your feet with fingers facing in, thumbs on the outside.
• Engage your core. Drop your chin to your chest and slowly lower down so that the crown of your head touches the floor or mat. Avoid putting weight in your head.
• Begin to lift your hips off of the floor while continuing to pull on your feet. Hold for 3-4 slow breaths, and then drop your hips, release your hands, and slowly roll up.
Camel pose
Also a pose used in yoga.
• Stand on your knees and bring them hips-width distance apart.
• Engage your legs and your core, draw your tailbone down, and push your hips forward.
• Stack your hips over your knees and start to gaze up and then back.
• Open your chest to the sky while keeping your core engaged. Hold for a few breaths and then slowly come up. This is a deeper stretch and should be done after a proper warm up.
There you have it! Thoracic spine exercises for every ability and fitness level. Regular practice will have you all feeling loose and sexy again in no time, no matter how tense and tight you are.
For more information or to book a class, visit www.phoenixeffectla.com.
The Phoenix Effect, a functional group fitness studio that gets you in shape fast, is offered exclusively at 7264 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA.
Jeremy Kinser
feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/t5asKiTtNEQ/shape-up-bring-your-sexy-back-back-20151011
WATCH: SportsCenter Reminds Us Why Coming Out Still Matters
WATCH: SportsCenter Reminds Us Why Coming Out Still Matters
Back in August, ESPN’s flagship program, SportsCenter, aired a touching story about a 12-year-old lacrosse player who found inspiration to rise above bullying and depression by connecting with a groundbreaking athlete who’s coming-out story was featured on ESPN 10 years earlier.
Now, the young man who found courage in his predecessor’s story has become an inspirational figure himself, SportsCenter‘s SCFeatured reveals in a special follow-up story airing today.
When 12-year-old Braeden Lange was being bullied by classmates after coming out to his friends and family this spring, he was so distraught he considered suicide. Desperate to help, his father started scouring the internet for resources, and stumbled an ESPN profile of out former Dartmouth College lacrosse goalie Andrew Goldstein, the first openly gay male athlete to play in any American professional sport league.
A simple email from Lange’s father to Goldstein, now a doctor and medical researcher in Los Angeles, sparked the conversation that eventually created Philadelphia’s first Courage Game, a lacrosse contest intended to encourage and support gay youth while promoting equality. That’s the story SCFeatured told in August.
In the special update to Lange’s story airing on National Coming Out Day, the young man finds out what life is like on the other side of the inspiration-generator.
“I’ve gotten messages from random people, either asking for help or telling me how inspiring I am,” Lange says of the response to his August profile.
Amid a flurry of social media messages, the Lange family has also received postcards and phone calls from people around the country grateful for the courageous example set by the 12-year-old.
“Right after I came out, I never thought that any of this would be possible, and I never thought I would be such an inspiration like this,” Lange says. “But it makes me feel so good knowing that my dream of inspiring people has actually come true.”
Hear from Lange and his father below, and get the full story on today’s episodes of SportsCenter, starting at 7 a.m. Eastern.
www.advocate.com/sports/2015/10/11/watch-sportscenter-reminds-us-why-coming-out-still-matters
Adorable video shows a day in the life of two gay dads
Adorable video shows a day in the life of two gay dads
The simple pleasures of family life have been captured in a beautiful new video.
The ‘day in the life film’, created by Gays With Kids, a network offering support for gay dads and men considering fatherhood, showcases the average Sunday routine for a New York family, Corey, Rocco and their son Forge.
Capturing the everyday joys of family life, the two-minute video highlights the family’s touching morning routine, a fun-filled trip to Nonna and Grandpa’s house, and tender snuggles with dads and dogs as the day draws to a close.
Brian Rosenberg, CEO of Gays With Kids, told Gay Star News: ‘We want to show the world that although gay dad families may look a little different, they behave much the same way any other family does.
‘A typical day in our lives is no different than a typical day in the lives of most families.
‘As this video shows, our days are filled with endless amounts of love, nurturing and affection for our children.’
Brian explained since posting the video, the Gays With Kids team have received hundreds of messages of love and support, with many gay men saying they now feel inspired to become parents themselves.
Stars of the video, Cory and Rocco said they were astounded by the support they have received from strangers around the world.
‘We chose to take part in this video to showcase how normal our lives are, the joys of being parents and how accepting our family has grown to become,’ they said, in an email to GSN.
‘We hope people will notice the simple joys that come from family. We are so grateful for every minute we have together.’
Watch the video below:
The post Adorable video shows a day in the life of two gay dads appeared first on Gay Star News.
Mel Spencer
www.gaystarnews.com/article/adorable-video-shows-a-day-in-the-life-of-two-gay-dads/
REVIEW: Sea Circus – Seminyak, Bali
REVIEW: Sea Circus – Seminyak, Bali
Sea Circus is the perfect laid-back vacation-vibe cafe.
In the heart of the bustling Seminyak district of Bali, the cuisine draws its inspiration from Mexico – tacos, tortillas, quesadillas are all on the menu and perfect for the warm tropical weather of Indonesia’s holiday island.
I had tacos – two pork and one chicken – and a watermelon juice.
To be honest, I’ve had better tacos in other parts of the world, but if you feel like a change from the spices of Indonesian cooking and you’re looking for a change of flavor, then Sea Circus is a good option.
The post REVIEW: Sea Circus – Seminyak, Bali appeared first on Gay Star News.
Gareth Johnson
www.gaystarnews.com/article/review-sea-circus-seminyak-bali/
REVIEW: Merahputih – Seminyak, Bali
REVIEW: Merahputih – Seminyak, Bali
If you’re staying in the Seminyak area of Bali, you really are spoilt for choice when it comes to restaurants.
One of the best that we found during our recent visit was definitely Merahputih.
An unimposing entrance from the busy street, reveals an enormous cathedral-like interior.
Service was friendly and professional, but it was the food that was clearly the star of the show.
We were a large group of twelve, and had agreed on a set menu when we booked.
The style here is Indonesian classics with a contemporary flair. Our dishes included:
- Cured tuna
- Rendang lamb in steamed buns
- Sweet potato and corn fritters
- Fried chicken
- Surabayan Duck
- Slow roast pork
- Reef Bream
- Gado Gado
My favorites were probably the duck and the lamb, but it was all delicious. Even the Gado Gado (the classic Indonesian salad that is right up there on my list of least interesting dishes in the world) was good.
We chatted a little with the owner – a young guy from England. He seemed a bit hassled and stressed, running a large restaurant in Bali can’t be an easy job.
Definitely worth adding to your itinerary when planning your next trip to Bali.
The post REVIEW: Merahputih – Seminyak, Bali appeared first on Gay Star News.
Gareth Johnson
www.gaystarnews.com/article/review-merahputih-seminyak-bali/
Taiwanese LGBT activists unfurl giant 100kg rainbow flag in support of same-sex marriage bill
Taiwanese LGBT activists unfurl giant 100kg rainbow flag in support of same-sex marriage bill
Hundreds of LGBT rights supporters in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan unfurled a giant rainbow flag to mark Taiwan’s National Day on Saturday.
The 100kg, 60-meter by 30-meter rainbow flag, was unfurled in a field in front of the Tainan City Hall.
The display is a highlight of the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights group’s 28-day tour around Taiwan to drum up support for the same-sex marriage bill which cleared its first reading in the Legislative Yuan in 2013.
Organizers also called on LGBTs to ‘govern the country,’ Focus Taiwan reported.
Head of the alliance Hsu Hsiu-wen (許秀雯) called on LGBTs in Taiwan to vote and weigh in on the legislative elections next year.
Hsu, who is lawyer and legislator-at-large candidate for the political alliance between Taiwan’s Green Party and Social Democratic Party, said, ‘I am a lesbian. I love my same-sex partner and we have promised to accompany and take care of each other. However, we cannot legally marry in this country – the island that I deeply love.’
She added while she helps her heterosexual clients fight for their rights in divorce cases, she is unable to give her own partner better legal protection.
She further called on gay and lesbian voters to support her and other openly gay legislative candidates next year.
The ‘marriage equality bill’ cleared its first reading in the Legislative Yuan in 2013 and was reviewed for the first time in the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee last December. However the bill has been shelved, largely due to opposition from conservative Christian groups.
The massive flag is a gift from Taiwanese pop diva A-mei, a staunch supporter of same-sex marriage and LGBT rights.
The same flag is unfurled during the singer’s ‘Utopia’ concerts whenever she sang her hit song ‘Cai Hong’ (Rainbow) in support of the LGBT community.
The post Taiwanese LGBT activists unfurl giant 100kg rainbow flag in support of same-sex marriage bill appeared first on Gay Star News.
Sylvia Tan
French Couple Explains Grindr Slang For Your Next Hook-Up in Paris: WATCH
French Couple Explains Grindr Slang For Your Next Hook-Up in Paris: WATCH
French vlogger couple Arthus and Nicola created a useful Grindr slang video primer for those looking to meet a Frenchman on their next visit to France, explaining their culture’s particular way of communicating sexual preferences and habits.
Although much of French Grindr slang is similar to the way Americans on Grindr communicate, some French slang such as someone who describes themselves as “50/50,” or “TBM,” take on a whole new meaning in French.
Watch as the couple walks you through the necessary terms to know, if you’re looking to hookup with a Frenchman, below:
The post French Couple Explains Grindr Slang For Your Next Hook-Up in Paris: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
Anthony Costello
French Couple Explains Grindr Slang For Your Next Hook-Up in Paris: WATCH
Out US Denmark ambassador marries partner
Out US Denmark ambassador marries partner
Today, 10 October, the gay US ambassador to Denmark married his partner at Copenhagen City Hall. According to Yahoo News, envoy Rufus Gifford has been in the Scandinavian country since 2013, appearing with Stephen DeVincent at functions.
DeVincent is a a 56-year-old veterinarian. Gifford, a 41-year-old Boston native, posted the following on Twitter. In 1989, Denmark officially recognized LGBTI relationships.
Married! In the land that created fairy tales, we just started our own… Feeling such happiness and gratitude. pic.twitter.com/fpAASAlXKw
— Rufus Gifford (@rufusgifford) October 10, 2015
The post Out US Denmark ambassador marries partner appeared first on Gay Star News.
James Withers
www.gaystarnews.com/article/out-us-denmark-ambassador-marries-partner/
Coming Out as LGBT in Africa
Coming Out as LGBT in Africa
Living in a traditionally homophobic or transphobic society can make it increasingly difficult for LGBT individuals to come out to their family, friends and community.
HRC.org
www.hrc.org/blog/entry/coming-out-as-lgbt-in-africa?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
