This Guy Just Pretended To Be Target On Facebook To Teach Trolls An Awesome Lesson

Now THIS is how you troll effectively.

When Target announced last week that it would be taking a gender-neutral approach to signage in its stores by no longer designating items as being for “boys” or “girls” in certain departments, like toys and bedding, people — predictably — freaked out.

As so often happens when a corporation makes a controversial decision these days, the retailer’s Facebook page became a place for people to unleash their anger about the decision. 

Mike Melgaard decided to take matters into his own hands and posed as a customer service rep for Target by making a fake Facebook account called “Ask ForHelp,” which featured the company’s unmistakable logo. He then used the account to expertly — and hilariously — troll the outraged Facebook users freaking out on Target’s page.

“I remember how easy it was as a child to be socially influenced by my peers and the adults around me. Kids are little scientists,” Melgaard told The Huffington Post. “They hyper-analyze everything in a way that most adults have long forgotten to do. Do you know how detrimental it is to a little child’s development if he or she is too afraid to explore other interests all because society says, ‘That’s a boy subject’ or ‘That’s a girl thing?’ Why put that kind of stress on a child?”

HuffPost chatted with Melgaard about his motivations for impersonating Target on its Facebook page, being a “pot-stirrer” and the overwhelming response he has gotten in this new form of digital activism.

 I just see opportunities all of the time to say things and jab at controversial topics. It’s definitely in my nature to be a “pot-stirrer” and I usually can mix humor in with any situation I encounter. I saw Sunday night on my Facebook account that Target was moving away from gender-based labels in both the toy and children’s bedding sections. Immediately, I knew there would be your typical outraged Americans spouting emotional reactions on their Facebook page. After taking a look, I was literally laughing out loud at my computer. A few more minutes in and it struck me how hilarious it would be to portray myself as a parody customer service rep. So, I did just that and the rest was history. Honestly, it was like striking comedy gold.  Every one of these people gave me the ammunition I needed for a great response.

 You know, at first this was just for fun. Something for my friends and I to laugh at. That being said, it seems as if I got really lucky and opened up some kind of gem here. Even when first seeing Target’s headline, I assumed that this was maybe a movement for transgender people (which I would’ve equally supported). Of course, I did my due diligence and found out what this was really about and it had nothing to do with the topic. So, I guess in a way, I used humor to open up awareness over a subject which I wholeheartedly agree with. Am I a digital activist? I don’t know, I just think I’m “Mike” and I do what I do. If people want to call me a digital activist, that’s cool with me.  *Insert smiley face* 

I just want to say thank you to everyone for all of this support. Sure, it’s just a “15 minutes of fame” kind of thing, but I really hope to make this into something much more. I love the community that spawned out of this one little trolling instance. Sometimes I get a little scared that our world is going to take a turn for the worst. Seeing people react the way they did off of this subject really leaves me with a newfound hope to keep us all on a good path. I would want nothing more than to be a part of that.

Finally, though Melgaard’s fake Target account was shut down less than a day after he created it, the company offered this cheeky, not-so-subtly supportive response to his work in a Facebook post of its own on Thursday:

Want to see more from Melgaard? Follow him on Facebook.

Also on HuffPost:

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Melbourne rallies for marriage equality

Thousands participated in a rally in Melbourne today to increase pressure on the government for marriage equality.

Protestors stood outside the state library and listened to speeches from politicians and activists, including leader of the opposition Bill Shorten.

Shorten said: ‘They [right-wing liberals] are holding Australia back.

‘It should not be the case that people are treated as second class citizens merely because of who they love.’

He said he disagreed with holding a conscience vote, as it would merely ‘tell us what we know’ – the country is already in favor of marriage equality.

‘That will be a $150 million taxpayer-funded opinion poll to tell us what we know, we want marriage equality now,’ he said.

In July, Shorten said his Labour party would pass a marriage equality bill before 100 days of their government.

A Galaxy 2009-2012 poll found 64% of people in the country were in favor of marriage equality – three-quarters said they thought some amendment of the current laws regarding marriage was ‘inevitable’.

The group of about 2500 people according to Nine News then went to a mass wedding (although of course the marriages are not recognized by the Australian government).

The rally was organized by Equal Love, an Australian marriage equality campaign group.

The post Melbourne rallies for marriage equality appeared first on Gay Star News.

Jack Flanagan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/melbourne-rallies-for-marriage-equality/

Oh My Gaga! Seven TV Shows You Don’t Want To Miss This Fall

There is still a ways to go before we start thinking about autumn and all the things that are associated it — fall foliage, wearing sweaters…the return of Pumpkin Spice Latte. One thing we can get excited about right now though is the upcoming fall TV season. We’ve compiled a list of new shows, along with some returning favorites that are worth tuning into. From the “Chanels” to Stefani Germanotta, who some of you might know better as Lady Gaga, there will be plenty to choose from, so set your DVRs accordingly.

Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris (NBC, September 15)

Emmy and Tony award winner Neil Patrick Harris has become quite a multi-talented entertainer and after several turns hosting some of the biggest award shows (Emmys, Tonys and Oscars), he steps in as the master of ceremonies in this live one-hour weekly show where anything can happen. Expect stunts, comedy skits, performances, audience giveaways and hidden camera pranks. Best Time Ever is based on the U.K. hit Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.

Scream Queens (FOX, September 22)

The creators of Glee and American Horror Story are unleashing some hellishly good fun in their new series, which focuses on a string of murders that take place in a college campus and involve the sorority Kappa Kappa Tau. Co-creator Ryan Murphy has called the show “Halloween meets Heathers,” only this time the Heathers have been replaced by the Chanels. The show features an impressive all-star cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Roberts, Lea Michele, Keke Palmer, Abigail Breslin, Niecy Nash, Nasim Pedrad, Diego Boneta, Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas. However, don’t get too attached to anybody. Murphy has already disclosed that only four of the 25 characters will survive this first season.

Empire (FOX, September 23)

We were on the edge of our seats during the first season of this Lee Daniels and Danny Strong primetime drama that has been described as a modern-day Dynasty set in the world of the hip-hop music industry. Gay men who tuned in fell in love with Cookie Lyon (portrayed flawlessly by Taraji P. Henson), the street smart matriarch who is never at a loss for words, and her son Jamal (Jussie Smollett), the gay singer-songwriter whose homophobic father also happens to be the head of his music label. Get ready for more queer storylines during the second season as Jamal continues to navigate the music industry as an openly gay artist, as well as a guest starring turn from Marisa Tomei in the recurring role of a new character who is described as “a lover of hip-hop, social trends, high-end fashion and beautiful women.” Oh, and did we mention Mariah Carey will also be appearing on the show?

How To Get Away With Murder (ABC, September 24)

The show that gave us murder, jaw-dropping intrigue, one of the hottest man-on-man sex scenes to ever air on primetime network television, and Viola Davis’s character, Annalise, snatching the wig off her head before asking her husband, “Why is your penis on a dead girl’s phone?” returns for a second season in September. The first season’s cliffhanger set the stage for a new whodunit mystery, and viewers can also expect an HIV storyline courtesy of Connor Walsh’s (played by Jack Falahee) boyfriend Oliver. Hopefully, there will also be more gay sex scenes like the one previously mentioned. Watch the clip below if you need to refresh your memory.

Couples Therapy (VH1, October 7)

The series that examines the complex world of celebrity couples is back for a sixth season. (Spoiler alert: Most of the relationships featured in this show are dramatically dysfunctional and make our own disastrous dating lives seem mundane.) This time around Dr. Jenn Berman will counsel Janice Dickinson, Mob Wives’ Big Ang, Creed frontman Scott Stapp, and rapper Joe Budden along with their significant others. However, all eyes will be on trans model, actress and former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Carmen Carrera and her husband Adrian Torres.

American Horror Story: Hotel (FX, October 7)

Even though we’re still in mourning over Jessica Lange’s departure from the series, there’s plenty to get excited over. The show’s creator Ryan Murphy has promised a scary and sexy season that will be set in Downtown Los Angeles and also boast one of the most star-studded casts we’ve seen on TV in a while. Among the guests checking into AHS: Hotel are Cheyenne Jackson, Matt Bomer, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Naomi Campbell, Chloe Sevigny, Sarah Paulson and Lady Gaga.

Angel From Hell (CBS, November)

Jane Lynch has ditched the Glee tracksuit and traded it in for a pair of wings. In this new half-hour sitcom, Lynch stars as Amy, a guardian angel who doesn’t know the meaning of boundaries or how to sugarcoat the truth. Based on the promo clip for the show, we’re guessing this is what Sue Sylvester would have been like if she had a sense of humor, smiled a bit more and actually liked people.

Jeremy Kinser

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/9ePVaMwMNG8/oh-my-gaga-seven-tv-shows-you-dont-want-to-miss-this-fall-20150815

Trans Bodybuilder Aydian Dowling Is Now a Top 5 Men’s Health Cover Finalist for “Ultimate Guy” Issue

Aydian Dowling, the trans bodybuilder and model who earlier this year rocketed to the top of the leaderboard for Men’s Health‘s “Ultimate Guy Search,” is now a top 5 cover finalist for the magazine’s November issue.

“From the very beginning of our Search for the Ultimate Men’s Health Guy, the men on this list have impressed us with their personal stories of strength, perseverance, and success,” wrote the magazine in an article announcing the top 5. “They’ve outlasted the competition, proving not only their mental and physical chops, but their dedication to giving back to others, too.”

Dowling has been busy in NYC this week meeting the Men’s Health team and the other four finalists. He took part in a photoshoot for the contest and even got to meet Kennith Cole, who asked him “What legacy do you want to leave behind?”

These guys right here are all caring, strong, and determined individuals who overcame obstacles to be where and who they are today. I have been inspired over and over again after talking with each of them these last two days. I wasn’t the biggest guy there- hell I was probably the smallest! But that didn’t matter because all our hearts are the same size and I’m even more proud to be apart of @menshealthmag and the #mhguycontest because of the love and acceptance I was granted from contestants to the Mens Health Team, these last two days. #humbled #nofilterforgreatness #aydiandowling #ftm #samesizehearts #showcompassion #acceptance #loveyourselfsootherswillloveyou #trans #sizedoesntmatter #integritydoes

A photo posted by Aydian Dowling (@alionsfear) on Aug 14, 2015 at 6:35am PDT

Good luck Ayden!

The post Trans Bodybuilder Aydian Dowling Is Now a Top 5 Men’s Health Cover Finalist for “Ultimate Guy” Issue appeared first on Towleroad.

Kyler Geoffroy

Trans Bodybuilder Aydian Dowling Is Now a Top 5 Men’s Health Cover Finalist for “Ultimate Guy” Issue

Does It Make Sense To Get Upset Over A Movie Like “Stonewall” That Hasn’t Even Been Released Yet?

Social media has been in a tizzy ever since the first trailer for the film Stonewall was released last week. Based on the two-and-a-half minute preview, many people feel the film doesn’t depict enough trans people or people of color, and have accused filmmakers of “whitewashing” the entire gay rights movement. Some have gone so far as to launch personal attacks at director Roland Emmerich on Twitter.

As a result of the fervor, nearly 20,000 people have signed an online petition vowing to boycott the film when it’s released in September, prompting Emmerich to issue a statement asking them to please wait and see the film before passing judgment. The film’s co-writer Jon Rabin Baitz released a similar statement. As did actor Jeremy Irvine, who plays the film’s fictional lead character.

What do you think? Does boycotting a movie about based on its two-and-a-half minute trailer make sense? Or should people wait and see it before getting upset? Sound off in the comments section below.

Graham Gremore

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Artist Spotlight: Salem Beiruti

beiruti_lead01x400.jpg

Christopher Harrity

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/art/artist-spotlight/2015/08/15/artist-spotlight-salem-beiruti

Hawaii gay father sues Department of Education over bullying in school

A gay father of two has filed a lawsuit naming the Department of Education, state schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi, Deputy Superintendent Stephen Schatz and others as defendants for  failing to protect his sons from bullying because of his sexual orientation.

Joshua Alameda Franklin filed the lawsuit on Aug 7 after posting a YouTube video in April this year to raise awareness of the bullying his 9 and 10-year-old sons had to endure every day at school.

‘Both children have been subjected to ongoing pervasive, egregious and overwhelming student-on-student harassment as well as several incidents of teacher-on-student harassment directly resulting from the action and inaction of Department of Education officials,’ the lawsuit filed in in Hilo’s Third Circuit Court reads.

The father says he has repeatedly asked school administrators to intervene but they have done nothing to address the situation in which the children are said to have been called ‘gay’, ‘retarded’ and ‘fag’ by fellow students at Hilo Union Elementary, Waiakeawaena Elementary and other schools.

Franklin said he had witnessed one of his sons being insulted and a teacher, standing right next to them, doing nothing.

In the video, both boys said they were also physically assaulted.

The older boy, Alae, recounted in the video how he was attacked after replying ‘Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with that’ when asked whether his father was gay.

‘You know, this altercation had happened, and (Alea) tells me that he doesn’t want to go to school any more,’ he said.

‘He’s scared no one’s paying attention. “They’re not going to help me. The teachers aren’t listening to me.” I thought about it for a little while, and I was like, you know what? The only way they ever do anything is if I post it on Facebook. So I’m going to post it so that the community knows.’

DOE spokeswoman Donalyn Dela Cruz has responded saying the department is ‘committed to providing a safe and enjoyable learning atmosphere for students, families and educators,’ according to West Hawaii Today.

‘We work to reduce all inappropriate and improper student behavior by emphasizing a culture of respect, responsibility and resiliency, using a framework of prevention, response and follow-up. We work with communities to promote understanding, and investigate incidents to ensure student safety.’

She added that the DOE does not differentiate acts of bullying depending on whether they target students for sexual orientation, racial background, and other reasons. Instead, ‘for all inappropriate and improper behaviors, faculty and staff are trained in the context of zero-tolerance,’ she wrote.

Franklin, who had filed the suit himself and has since quit his car salesman job to home school his two sons, has started a fundraising campaign on Gofundme.

The post Hawaii gay father sues Department of Education over bullying in school appeared first on Gay Star News.

Sylvia Tan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/hawaii-gay-father-sues-department-of-education-over-bullying-in-school/

First Openly Gay NFL Player Michael Sam To 'Step Away' From Football

By Eric M. Johnson

Aug 14 (Reuters) – Michael Sam, who last year became the first openly gay player drafted by a National Football League team, said on Friday he was stepping away from football, citing concerns over his mental health.

The Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes, with whom he signed a contract in May, said on its team website that Sam had left the team for personal reasons and as a result had been placed on the team’s suspended list.

“The last 12 months have been very difficult for me, to the point where I became concerned with my mental health,” Sam wrote on Twitter. “Because of this I am going to step away from the game at this time.”

“Thank you all for your understanding and support,” he added.

Sam also thanked the Alouettes, and said he hoped to be back on the field soon. The defensive lineman was suspended by the Alouettes in June after he left the team’s training camp for unexplained personal reasons.

The National Football League’s St. Louis Rams selected Sam in the seventh round of the 2014 draft but waived him in the final round of cuts. He was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys but they released him from their practice squad in October.

Sam was the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at the University of Missouri before graduating in December 2013.

The following February, before the NFL Draft, he announced he was gay.

ESPN reported that Sam agreed to a two-year deal with the Alouettes this summer. It also reported that he sat out the team’s first five games and that he failed to record a tackle during his team debut on August 7.

Sam’s supporters have said that his sexuality is irrelevant to his performance and have dismissed suggestions that an openly gay player would be a distraction for a professional football team. (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Will Dunham and Ken Wills)

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Watch: Hidden camera shows straight couples defending gay adoptive parents against harasser

The situation is a setup staged by ABC’s What Would You Do?, a popular TV series which puts actors in real life scenarios to catch the reactions of bystanders when someone nearby is being harassed, or mistreated.

In this What Would You Do? episode filmed in Plainfield, New Jersey, a woman who disapproves of gay couples adopting children is seen and heard warning the expectant mother that she should not let her child be adopted by the gay couple who were also present.

In one scene, the woman suggests to the gay couple to get a pet instead.

Watch straight men and straight couples sitting at the next table speak up against the woman and offer words of support to the gay couple.

The post Watch: Hidden camera shows straight couples defending gay adoptive parents against harasser appeared first on Gay Star News.

Sylvia Tan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/watch-hidden-camera-shows-straight-couples-defending-gay-adoptive-parents-against-harasser/

How Do You Define Coming Out? (Video)

Advocate entertainment editor Jase Peeples and Pride associate editor Yezmin Villarreal debate the impact of Kristen Stewart’s recent comments about her sexuality.

read more

Yezmin Villarreal and Jase Peeples

www.advocate.com/commentary/coming-out/2015/08/14/how-do-you-define-coming-out-video