Observing Transgender Day of Visibility in South Carolina
How did you spend Transgender Day of Visibility?
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Category Archives: NEWS
Rihanna Latest Celeb To Blast New ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill, Premieres New Single
Rihanna Latest Celeb To Blast New ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill, Premieres New Single
Rihanna finally debuted her unreleased track “American Oxygen” last night during her headlining set at the March Madness Music Fest. The song has been played in advertisement slots throughout the entirety of the NCAA Mens’ Final Four campaign. However, it was Rihanna’s backlash towards Indiana’s “religious freedom” bill that garnered most of the headlines. Despite Rihanna Latest Celeb To Blast …
www.inquisitr.com/1984078/rihanna-blast-new-religious-freedom-bill/
A Blind Man's Take on Beauty in the Gay Community
A Blind Man's Take on Beauty in the Gay Community
Seven years have passed since I lost my sight, and I’m now doing things that seemed impossible when I was newly blind. I live alone in Oakland, California, rely on my guide dog, Oslo, for mobility, and work as a writer full-time. I also go out on dates and have been engaged twice. But while I have learned to do everything the blind way, I always find myself teaching others how to interact with me — something I’ve become better at with time. And, one of the main themes I battle with, especially in the gay community, is the importance of beauty.
For instance, I met Jacob at a bar. His jokes and comical punch lines had won me over. Our dates always ended with my stomach hurting and my eyes tearing from so much laughter. We had taken a two-week break while I retired my first guide dog, Madge, and completed the two-week training with my second dog, Oslo. Jacob had stopped by my place to meet my new set of eyes.
“He’s adorable!” Jacob cheered. “You two look great together.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder and told Jacob I thought we looked good too, feeling his arm tense up.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, hearing him sit up and walk on the linoleum floor.
He drew a big breath. “I sometimes wish you could see me,” he shared. “I wish you knew what I look like.”
“I do know what you look like,” I replied. “I’ve touched your face plenty of times.”
“It’s not the same. I’m really average looking Belo, and people always give me a knowing look when we are out,” Jacob sighed.
It wasn’t the first time insecurities around his appearance came up, but it was the first time he mentioned others.
“Knowing look?” I inquired, my voice dry. “What do you mean?”
“The look that says ‘if you could see, you wouldn’t be with me.'”
I felt my throat tighten. Even though I live in a pitch-dark world, I still lived in a seeing universe ruled by laws of physical beauty. And no matter what I would say, I could not give him the validation he sought. Not wanting to argue, I changed the conversation and suggested we grab dinner in San Francisco.
The drive over the Bay Bridge did us well. We were laughing and cracking jokes the entire ride. It was an unusually warm San Francisco evening and we opted to eat on the patio of a Castro Street bistro to give Oslo more leg room. Like his predecessor, Oslo kept receiving compliments for his great looks by people passing by. One guy even asked to photograph my eighty pound black lab. The stranger handed me his card and said, “I’m Steve and I’m an amateur photographer. I would love to shoot your pup next weekend.”
Thinking nothing of the gesture, I took the man’s card and agreed to call him soon.
“You know that was a ploy to pick up on you,” Jacob hissed, munching on ice. “He looked at me and then gave you a look. You just couldn’t see it.”
“Oh come on!” I shouted, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. “That’s not true.”
Jacob remained quiet the rest of the evening and seven days went by before I heard back from him. I was sitting at my desk, working on an article when his email came in. As the screen reader read his note in the phonics voice, I grew restless. His words were simple. The message said he couldn’t date me anymore because I needed someone more like me.
“More like me?” I mumbled. “What does that mean?”
I began to reflect on insecurities. In losing my sight, I was forced to face all of my worries at once, helping me learn how to deal with them. And while dating a guy who wasn’t hot may have been an initial concern, it no longer bothered me. I did a quick web search for “ugly laws,” hoping to find an inspirational article. But, instead, I found the contrary. My search yielded “The Ugly Laws of the United States,” which were enforced from the 1860s to the 1970s. During this time, several American cities had regulations that fined anyone with a physical disability that was considered too hideous, if they were seen in public. As I continued to read, I felt lucky not to have been around in that time.
Then something clicked in my head. “The Ugly Laws” haven’t been abolished. They are still around and even more prevalent in the gay community. These are the same rules that make many gay men join a gym and seek the latest fashions. Although I enjoy nice things, it felt good to have my blindness keep me free from “The Ugly Laws.”
Belo Cipriani is a freelance journalist, the award-winning author of Blind: A Memoir and Midday Dreams, and a spokesperson for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Learn more at www.BeloCipriani.com. You are also invited to connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.
Tom Felton Teases Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy Are Now Officially An Item: PHOTO
Tom Felton Teases Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy Are Now Officially An Item: PHOTO
Looks like we now know how Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy reconciled their difference in between the final chapter and epilogue of Deathly Hallows.
Wrote Felton (who played Malfoy in the films) on Instagram:
May as well just say it. We’re together now x #drarry
How magical.
More Draco-Harry slash, AFTER THE JUMP…
Kyler Geoffroy
Bobby Jindal talks religious freedom bills on 'Meet the Press': Watch the video
Bobby Jindal talks religious freedom bills on 'Meet the Press': Watch the video
Gov. Bobby Jindal spoke about religious freedom bills that have update the LGBT community — including one that was recently filed in Louisiana — during his appearance on “Meet the Press” Sunday morning (April 5).
www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/04/bobby_jindal_religious_freedom.html
ASSEMBLAGE: Meet Queer Hip-Hop Artist And Sports Icon Will Sheridan
ASSEMBLAGE: Meet Queer Hip-Hop Artist And Sports Icon Will Sheridan
“ASSEMBLAGE“ is an inquiry into the different ways artists utilize performance and technology to explore and express different notions of identity. An effort to push forward marginalized artists with a focus on people of color, non-western nationalities and those along the queer/trans spectrum, “ASSEMBLAGE” provides a platform for analysis of how art and performance intersect with the lives of these individuals who are visibly and openly existing in the digital age. This is the third installment.
Will Sheridan is a groundbreaking hip-hop artist and performer whose work is heavily informed by both his time in the sports world and global work as an activist.
Sheridan was the second former Division I basketball player to come out of the closet at the age of 26 in an interview on ESPN.com following his retirement from the sports world. He is also well-known for the non-profit he founded with his ex-partner, Ruiru Rising, that funds and supports orphans and impoverished youth aging out of government assistance in Kenya.
Over the last five years, Sheridan has expanded his journey into the realm of hip-hop and queer performance, navigating many nuanced layers of identity as a queer person of color, artist, musician, activist and sports icon.
“I was tired of artists telling the same story that everyone is telling in this whole circle of hip-hop and underground rap,” Sheridan told The Huffington Post.
Sheridan’s work as a queer artist found its roots in a frustration with the kinds of bodies, stories and identities receiving visibility and recognition within the hip-hop realm. His first album, “GIANT,” straddled the art and hip-hop worlds, aiming to provide a point of entry for the spectrum of queer identity to hold a footing at the intersection of these two communities.
“‘GIANT’ is an acronym for ‘Going In And Never Timid,” Sheridan explained. “You’re big enough to be who you are — you’re a giant too. It’s an all-inclusive brand and storyline… As far as my identity, I’m 6 feet 8 inches, 240 pounds, I am literally GIANT myself. But if I can empower other people to become comfortable with who they are and what they do and encourage them to be a better version of themselves — then that, itself, really is GIANT.”
The dynamic nature of Sheridan’s music and brand, at its heart, is grounded in empowering those who experience it and instilling passion for queers to reach their full potential. From his early days playing college basketball in front of 80,000 people to late nights performing in packed New York City clubs, Sheridan has become become a fully-realized and driven performer who is serious about the impact he, as a visible, queer “GIANT,” has on those around him.
When Sheridan came out on ESPN long before Michael Sam kissed his boyfriend live on air, he made a statement about queerness in a way that had largely never happened before within the historically heteronormative sports world. He told The Huffington Post that he chose to come out in such a visible way in an attempt to share his story and break down assumptions surrounding the way queer identity intersects with the sports world.
“I think of my time playing sports as a form performance as well,” Sheridan continued. “As far as the opportunity to come out on ESPN… there was this kind of radical queerness about it in a way, because I didn’t even know really what I was doing — I was just being normal… How noticeable and visible I am now kind of stems from that, and that’s interesting because even in queer sports or the gay community now I’m still a radical. They challenge me to cut my hair and cut my beard and look more conservative. But really, I’m an artist in a sports world. I’m part of this spectrum and I don’t think there’s anyone else like that.”
Perhaps the most compelling component to Sheridan’s work is the activist framework through which so much of his career has operated and how his time in Kenya has influenced his identity as both a sports icon and artist. Sheridan’s nonprofit Ruiru Rising is a response to the needs of young Kenyans who are afforded minimal life opportunities and age out of the system at only 16. The organization provides not only safe housing for these teens, but access to secondary education in order to develop a trade and enhance their quality of life.
“We stay in the orphanage, we live with the kids, we visit the kids, we visit their schools, we talk to their professors and that’s just a part of me,” Sherdian said. “They’ve influenced me so much. When I walk around Kenya these kids scream, “Giant! Giant!” but they don’t even know that they’re calling me by my performer name and that I’m a queer radical hip hop artist. But they know that I’m doing good in the world and that I’m there because I want to support them… everything from my haircut to who I am as an artist now is influenced by Kenyan culture and the Ruiru tribe.”
In this way, Sheridan’s identity as a performer is largely shaped and understood through his work as a global activist. While the hyper-political nature of his work isn’t necessarily blatant, his work typically contains elements of social commentary — whether it relates to navigating the world as a queer person of color or global social injustice.
“I think that I’ve learned to have a lot of fun with my music and sneak in substance,” Sheridan explained. “My activism and my message is also in my story. I’m progressive enough and political enough that I am a political statement every time that I walk down the street or get on the train.”
Sheridan is currently working on his next album “#GIANT II: Journey” and is engaged in a Kickstarter campaign to fund the project. Through this new endeavor he hopes to elevate culturally relevant conversations surrounding identity politics and queer identity.
“My album will have some material on it about the current situations with race, sexuality and where we are as a people,” Sheridan told The Huffington Post. “I belong to so many communities — I’m black, I’m queer, I’m a sports person, I’m a hip hop artist, I work in fashion. I’m a part of all these communities and my message represents all of that… finding that identity and performing it has really given me a voice.”
Want to see more from Sheridan? Head here to check out the artist’s Soundcloud or here to visit his Kickstarter campaign. Missed the first two features in “ASSEMBLAGE?” Head here to learn about queer musician NEOCAMP or here for trans South Asian trans performance artist duo Dark Matter.
PHOTOS: Skinny, Fat, Or Somewhere In Between, Sexy Comes In Every Shape And Size
PHOTOS: Skinny, Fat, Or Somewhere In Between, Sexy Comes In Every Shape And Size
Summer (a.k.a. swimsuit season) is fast approaching, which means it’s time to start laying off the potato chips and hitting Zumba class again. If you want to fit back into your old speedo, that is.
Losing weight sucks. We’ll be the first to admit it. It requires hard work, discipline, and lots and lots of patience, and even then it can be literally impossible to shed those last 10 pounds. (Yes, literally! Science says!)
While maintaining a healthy body weight is definitely important, so is loving yourself just the way you are. If, try as you might, you still can’t fit into your old speedo this summer, don’t sweat it. Buy a bigger size and hit the beach anyway, you sexy stud. Because, girlfriend, you. Are. Beautiful.
Scroll down for photos of guys of all shapes who prove that sexy comes in every size…
Photo source: piscesaries3
Photo source: adoradordepelos
Photo source: Blueneonz
Photo source: chubbyaddiction
Photo source: CoreyWest
Photo source: Wolfboys
Photo source: mydickhardforever
Photo source: fuckyeahbrownboys
Photo source: subcyst
Photo source: Wolfboys
Photo source: peepshowcreepshow
Photo source: Huskyboing
Photo source: dirtyguystogo
Photo source: Young Beer Bellies
Photo source: Everyday Bear
Photo source: fotonackt
Photo source: Wolfboys
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Graham Gremore
Bill Maher Compares Zayn Malik to Boston Marathon Bomber: VIDEO
Bill Maher Compares Zayn Malik to Boston Marathon Bomber: VIDEO
Real Time host Bill Maher brought some racial profiling into his comedy routine on Friday night in a gag that drew gasps from his audience and wrath from One Direction fans.
After expressing faux sadness that Zayn Malik had left 1D, Maher asked, “Just tell me two things, Zayn. Which one in the band were you, and where were you during the Boston Marathon?”
Malik’s fans responded with a hefty dose of anger and a #RespectForZayn hashtag.
Watch, AFTER THE JUMP…
Andy Towle
Measuring the risks for LGBT travelers
Measuring the risks for LGBT travelers
While a high proportion of gays and lesbians embrace travel, they may face grave risks while on the road — not only prejudice and hostility, but in many countries a danger of being arrested as criminals.
seattletimes.com/html/travel/2026036742_gaytravelerstravelwisexml.html?syndication=rss
Five LGBT Love Stories That Will Remind You Why Love Can’t Wait
Five LGBT Love Stories That Will Remind You Why Love Can’t Wait
As we wind down to April 28, HRC put together five LGBT love stories to remind you why love can’t wait.
HRC.org
