Ambitious British architects are raising funds to build Minas Tirith

One does not simply make a fictional city come alive without the necessary funds.

That’s why a British team of architects and structural engineers have set themselves an ambitious goal: raise £1.85 billion (€2.6 billion, $2.88 billion) to make their dream of building one of literature’s most iconic strongholds come true – Minas Tirith, City of the Kings.

Passionate about the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, the team want to ‘challenge the common perception of community and architecture’, according to their indiegogo site, and create ‘not only the most remarkable tourist attraction on the planet, but also a wonderfully unique place to live and work.’

The perks available range from being immortalized in a Monument to naming a street to owning a luxury four bedroom penthouse.

Of the requested money, most will be used for building costs: an estimated £15 million (€21.09 million, $23.37million) will be paid for land, £188 million (€26.43 million, $ 29.3 million) for labor and the lion’s share – 1.4 billion (€1.96 billion, $2.18 billion) – will pay for material; any excess money will finance the city’s public services.

Once finished, the five-tiered Minas Tirith replica will be a fully functioning city; a mix of residential and commercial properties is set to ensure a high quality of life while also allowing for sustainable growth.

The price of residential properties depends on their location and the standard to which they’re furnished – quality will vary from two to four stars and apartment sizes can be anything from one to four bedrooms.

If everything goes to plan, the team has their sights set on two possible, still undisclosed, locations in southern England and are aiming for building to commence by the end of 2016, to be completed in 2023.

The post Ambitious British architects are raising funds to build Minas Tirith appeared first on Gay Star News.

Stefanie Gerdes

www.gaystarnews.com/article/ambitious-british-architects-are-raising-funds-to-build-minas-tirith/

Amber Monroe and the Continuing Crisis of Anti-Transgender Violence

Amber Monroe was only 20 years old when she was fatally shot in Detroit this past Saturday morning.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/amber-monroe-and-the-continuing-crisis-of-anti-transgender-violence?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Top 5 Over-the-Top Gay Honeymoon Getaways

The world’s highest hotel: The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong

Get hitched at City Hall, and save your hard-earned queer money for the honeymoon. Here are ManAboutWorld’s top five over-the-top gay honeymoon getaways for same-sex newlyweds. From active to Zen and three other styles in between, one of these gay-friendly honeymoon getaways should fit the bill.

But what about the actual bill? These are all “luxury” but if you choose the right time of year to go, you will find pretty attractive rates for an experience you’ll never forget. And for heaven’s sake, if you’re putting a ring on it, it’s worth busting the budget a little. Maximize those airline-reward miles (ManAboutWorld tells you how) for your flights and you may actually have the trip of a lifetime without a credit card bill that lasts that long.

YOUR GAY HONEYMOON GETAWAYS

ACTIVE: Grand Hibernian Train Journey, Ireland
Belmond (formerly known as Orient Express) is the quintessential master of bespoke train journeys. This brand offers a new one in Ireland launching summer 2016. This will give you and your husband to be the time to plan the daddy of all honeymoons in the wold’s most gay-welcoming destination which recently passed a law by referendum in a resounding victory for LGBT rights. Forget what you think of train travel based on your last trip on Amtrak. This train is beyond sumptuous. The photo below, courtesy of Belmond, is an actual cabin. You’ll get to explore the countryside, castles and more.

This is a train cabin

BAREFOOT CHIC: Zeavola Resort, Krabi, Thailand
On the Northern Laem Tong beach in Koh Phi Phi is the romantic and barefoot-chic Zeavola Resort, a posh but relaxed getaway of 53 free-standing bungalows built from Teakwood to resemble a traditional Thai village. Arrive from Phuket on the resort’s speedboat, you’ll be met with cool towels and a welcome drink by the gracious and casual staff who will escort you to your Garden Suite, a spacious unit set in a lush jungle garden, or the breathtaking pool villa up on the hillside overlooking the turquoise Andaman Sea — either ideal for a private honeymoon. The personalized service is impeccable, with staff on standby to tend to your every whim.

CULTURED: NJV Athens Plaza, a Preferred Pride Hotel, Athens
This gem of a hotel is in the center of Athens, one of the most cultured cities in Europe. Athens is often

Traditional Greek soldiers

considered a stopping off point to the islands, which of course are gorgeous. But spend at least three honeymoon days and nights in this city and soak up this ancient, cultured destination. Spend a half day exploring the Acropolis and the new Acropolis Musuem, which is simply stunning. Have a drink at the very cool TAF (the art foundation) cafe and soak up some contemporary culture. The financial crisis in Greece is lamentable but there’s no doubt it’s translated into bargains for travelers and the locals need the hard currency so everyone wins.

TOP OF THE WORLD: The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong is famous for its fabulous vistas, and the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong brings an extraordinary new one to the horizon. This is the world’s highest hotel, with eye-popping views from guest rooms that start on the 103rd floor of Kowloon’s International Commerce Center (ICC) building, along with the stylish accommodations, extravagant amenities and gracious service one expects of the city’s very top hotels. Soak in the views but also soak in the luxurious bathroom: with separate bathtubs and walk-in showers, his-and-his dual sinks, Asprey toiletries, and no shortage of fluffy white towels and bath robes. The shower features both a rainforest and hand-held shower. See the photo at the top of this article. Yep, that’s how high you’ll be.

ZEN: Six Senses, Con Dao, Vietnam
An hour flight from Ho Chi Minh City, the sublime Con Dao islands are hidden at the edge of the world, a perfect spot for a no-stress honeymoon. It’s one of the world’s most remote yet accessible five-star resorts. Guest Experience Makers cater to your every desire. The can also organize romantic excursions and day-trips. We love the private open-air terraces with their outdoor showers allowing for private nude sunbathing. Their restaurant serves freshly-caught seafood. Try pre-dawn yoga to soak in the natural beauty of Con Dao as the light brightens the surroundings or sleep in and try the couples massage in the Thai therapy room.

This weekly travel column is brought to you by ManAboutWorld, an immersive digital gay travel magazine for iOS and Android devices from Ed Salvato, Billy Kolber, Kenny Porpora, and nearly 75 Global Correspondents. For more recommendations from ManAboutWorld’s global gay experts, download our App. There are FREE guides and a 10-issue-per-year subscription-based magazine.

Photos: Top: Courtesy Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong; above right: Athens soldiers courtesy C./Flickr; Below: Six Senses, Con Dao

Six Senses, Con Dao, Vietnam

The post Top 5 Over-the-Top Gay Honeymoon Getaways appeared first on Towleroad.

Ed Salvato

Top 5 Over-the-Top Gay Honeymoon Getaways

Stabber who killed teen at Jerusalem Pride admitted to psychiatric ward

An extremist rabbi who killed a teen and injured five others at Jerusalem Pride is in a psychiatric ward in order to assess whether he is fit to stand trial.

Yishai Shlissel stabbed six marchers with a kitchen knife at Jerusalem Pride on 30 July. One of the victims, 16-year-old Shira Banki, died in hospital three days later.

He was released from prison three weeks before the attack, after having spent 10 years in prison for a previous knife attack at the 2005 Pride.

Channel 10 reports Shlissel had experienced a psychotic episode in 2009, had undergone extensive treatment in a special facility and was forced to take medication.

Before the parade, he was described as a ‘danger’ after he had written about his intentions two weeks before. Despite this, he was not summoned to report to police before or during the march.

Since the killing, it has raised questions of the failure of the police and how the city can better protect the LGBTI community.

Some have also come forward to praise Shlissel, such as the extremist group Faithful Judaism. The group have put up posters applauding the stabbings as an ‘act of self sacrifice’.

‘May all of the people of God be zealous as you,’ one reads, while expressing hope that similar attacks be carried out in the future.

Another, titled Blessed are you Rabbi Yishai, quotes a verse from the Old Testament: ‘Whoever spills the blood of the wicked is as if he brought a sacrifice.’

The post Stabber who killed teen at Jerusalem Pride admitted to psychiatric ward appeared first on Gay Star News.

Joe Morgan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/stabber-who-killed-teen-at-jerusalem-pride-admitted-to-psychiatric-ward/

DVD: “Match,” “Alto,” “I Am Chris Farley,” & More!

Patrick Stewart rocks starring as a bisexual dance teacher in this week’s Match, which leads a tight week in home entertainment. Late comedian Chris Farley gets feted in a documentary, and American Idol‘s Diana DeGarmo plays lesbian in Sapphic romcom Alto (above).

Scroll down for more details and trailers!

Match

($24.99 DVD; IFC Films)

Patrick Stewart turns in a bravura performance as Tobias, a flamboyant queer Julliard dance instructor who is confronted with the possibility that he may have fathered a child during his freewheeling, sexual youth. Matthew Lillard and Carla Gugino co-star — as a young couple visiting New York to interview Tobias about his past — in writer/director Stephen Belber’s adaptation of his own play, but Stewart truly rules the screen here.

I Am Chris Farley

(VOD)

SNL legend Chris Farley’s all-too-brief career and life is recounted in this documentary featuring plenty of rare footage of his Second City days — where he created his insane motivational speaker character and “in a van down by the river” schtick — and interviews with Mike Myers, Molly Shannon, Christina Applegate and many others. While this definitely qualifies as a hagiography, with overuse of triumphant music throughout and redundant descriptive commentary about the clips we see, there are some brilliant bits of footage and Myers in particular supplies great anecdotes. You are missed, Chris.

Alto

($19.95 DVD; Cinema Libre)

In writer/director Mikki del Monico’s lesbian romcom, American Idol‘s Diane DeGarmo plays Frankie, a rocker engaged to a nice Italian guy who, after discovering what could be the body of a mob hit in her rental car’ss trunk, has a meet cute with a mafia don’s daughter, Nicolette. Wuh-oh! Mobsters and lesbian romance, oh my! Annabella Sciorra and Orange Is The New Black‘s Lin Tucci are amongst the co-stars, while DeGarmo and all-girl band Antigone Rising provide music as well. Extras include bloopers, deleted scenes, and behind the scenes featurette. Fun fact: one of film’s few openly transgender directors, del Monico came out to his family as male during the film’s production.

ALSO OUT:

Unfriended

Hot Pursuit

Lawrence Ferber

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Op-ed: The Stonewall I Remember Wasn't Just White

This lesbian minister remembers the famous uprising and says it had as much to do with race as with sexual orientation.

read more

Irene Monroe

www.advocate.com/commentary/2015/08/11/op-ed-stonewall-i-remember-wasnt-just-white

The stress of fertility treatment for same-sex couples and singles

There is sometimes a misguided assumption that assisted conception will be easier for some types of families than others.

Sadly it’s not the case – every family reacts differently. It would make the process of donor conception so much easier if there was one model to follow on how to deal with the stress.

For our same sex couples, sometimes there can be an assumption they should cope better because they just need sperm, or eggs and a surrogate, and hey presto, it’s family time.

This can be a reality for some, but there is usually a planning and acceptance process prior to embracing donor conception.

Sometimes it’s a sense of feeling unfulfilled and then something clicks, giving that extra capacity for nurturing that suggests you’re ready to become a parent. 

For single women or single men choosing to use donated sperm or donated eggs and surrogacy as a pathway to parenthood, we acknowledge that they have taken the decision to become a parent without settling for the wrong relationship. 

And it’s not always plain sailing for heterosexual couples either. For anyone trying to conceive with donor eggs, sperm or embryos within a heterosexual relationship, there might be a known cause of infertility causing stress.

There may also be an acknowledged loss of fantasy around how they’d hoped to conceive.

How to deal with the effects of assisted fertility treatment

If you’ve had previous treatment or if you are planning a first cycle, it’s often not until treatmemt starts that the enormity of the potential change in your life becomes a reality. 

And, as we know, each cycle brings its own unique stresses. Family is much safer as a fantasy, something that might happen in the future, a bit surreal and woolly.

But when treatment starts, the reality hits. Success or failure will surely follow and that panic can feel overwhelming, more so to the people who have planned the most.

For anyone trying to support someone they love, care for and/or respect there can be a desire to get it right, to make sure they feel OK.

Supporting a woman during fertility treatment can sometimes be impossible. 

Being reassured that everything will be fine causes frustration, as no one has a crystal ball. It doesn’t matter if it’s a friend, partner, spouse or lover – don’t try too hard to support each other!

Be available, offer hugs but don’t be too hard on yourself or each other if things get difficult. 

Here at the London Women’s Clinic we have many different support initiatives to help you before, during and following treatment. Speak to our Patient Co-ordinators to find out more about how we can help you with counselling and our support group.

Visit the London Women’s Clinic website for more information, email [email protected] or call +44 (0) 20 7563 4309

The post The stress of fertility treatment for same-sex couples and singles appeared first on Gay Star News.

Mel Spencer

www.gaystarnews.com/article/the-stress-of-fertility-treatment-for-same-sex-couples-and-singles/

Jared Leto’s Lawyers Do NOT Want You Talking About His Third Leg

It’s been almost exactly one year since Alexis Arquette got us all thinking about Jared Leto’s little Lenny, and word on the street is that it’s not so little.

“It’s not only massive; it’s like a Praetorian Guard’s helmet,” she said at the time.

Then there was the whole “grabbing it on stage” thing, giving the internet this glorious image:

Well now all of a sudden it seems that Leto and his legal team are taking umbrage with gossip surrounding the star.

Users on the website Lipstick Alley got into some finger pointing, not only fanning the flames of Leto’s large manhood, but also suggesting he has a penchant for rough sex.

Leto’s legal team sent a rather nasty cease and desist.

Here’s the rather cheeky response from Lipstick Alley’s lawyer:

Having reviewed the posts that you have identified, I conclude that you do not have any non-frivolous defamation against any of the posters.

Some of the posts of which you object do not appear to me to be defamatory. Two of the posts simply mention claims found elsewhere in the Internet that your client has a large penis. It is hard to see how those statements would hurt your client’s reputation, even if they are false. It is, as I understand it, the accusation of having asmall penis that is understood to be an insult.

Other posts about Leto’s allegedly rough and inconsiderate behavior during alleged sexual encounters with fans, and about the age of one of the fans, might well have been defamatory when originally posted, assuming that they are false. I recognize that your letter claims that the statements are false. I assume that you do not have personal knowledge about the size of Leto’s penis or about whether he is rough with sexual partners, and you do not cite any evidence supporting your claim of falsity.

Moreover, none of the posters on Lipstick Alley claims to have personal knowledge about Leto’s conduct during sex with his fans (or about the size of his penis); some simply express their views about what they have read elsewhere, and some have reposted comments from other web sites that purport to reflect first-person descriptions of activities in which the original writers claim to have been involved. Your demand letter mentions that at least one of the linked-to posts has been deleted from the original site, and you seem to suggest that the removal of various posts in response to demand letters from your client supports your assertion that the posts are false. But at most, it only shows that the individuals whom your client threatened decided that the issue was not worth litigating. Lipstick Alley, however, stands up for the First Amendment right of its users to comment on celebrities, and to make those comments anonymously, unless their statements have been proved false and defamatory. It does not remove posts simply because a wealthy actor is able to hire a law firm to send threatening letters.

Who doesn’t have a #penisgate these days?

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/YX5kSHPY5fc/jared-letos-lawyers-do-not-want-you-talking-about-his-third-leg-20150811

PHOTOS: Antwerp Pride

Antwerp-Pride-2-x400.jpg

Advocate.com Editors

www.advocate.com/pride/2015/08/11/photos-antwerp-pride

Miley Cyrus: I feel like a boy trapped in a girl’s body

Miley Cyrus has said she feels like a boy trapped in a girl’s body.

The 22-year-old singer opens up about her gender identity in the September issue of Marie Claire, which hits newsstands on 18 August.

‘I feel like a 15-year-old boy trapped in the body of a 22-year-old girl,’ she said about her body image.

Cyrus is currently dating Victoria’s Secret model Stella Maxwell and launched a charity for homeless LGBTI youth in May.

Asked why she created the Happy Hippie Foundation, she responded, ‘A lot of us are born into some shit, you know what I mean?’

‘Lately, I’ve been talking a lot about my being gender-fluid and gender-neutral. And some people snarl at that. They want to judge me,’ she continued.

‘People need more conventional role models, I guess. But I just don’t care to be that person.’

The post Miley Cyrus: I feel like a boy trapped in a girl’s body appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/miley-cyrus-i-feel-like-a-boy-trapped-in-a-girls-body/