Curious straight guy attempts sex with a man – realises you definitely can't choose to be gay
Receives an eye-opening experience
joem
Category Archives: NEWS
Diverse Group of Celebrities Sign The People’s Brief
Diverse Group of Celebrities Sign The People’s Brief
Since the launch of The People’s Brief, a diverse group of prominent celebrities, athletes, entertainers and politicians have stood up in support of nationwide marriage equality.
HRC.org
This 5-Person Town Just Adopted An LGBT Non-Discrimination Ordinance Because, Well, Why Not?
This 5-Person Town Just Adopted An LGBT Non-Discrimination Ordinance Because, Well, Why Not?
Welcome to Thurmond, West Virginia. Once a booming railroad town with a population of 700, today it is home to a total of five–yes, five–people.
The town had its hey day in the roaring 1920s, boasting two hotels, two banks, and a number of other commercial buildings. Over the decades, the population gradually dwindled. And in 1984, Thurmond was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
But don’t think that this historic small town is stuck in the past.
This week, all five of Thurwond’s residents voted unanimously to adopt a new town ordinance that extends discrimination prohibitions on employment, housing and public accommodations to LGBT individuals.
West Virgina’s current non-discrimination measure doesn’t offer any protections to LGBT people.
Tighe Bullock, a member of Thurmond’s council, told The Huffington Post that some residents (he didn’t name any names) questioned whether or not a ban on employment discrimination was really necessary, considering that the town doesn’t have any employers, but they ultimately decided to enact the ordinance for symbolic purposes.
“If the smallest city can pass it and come together unanimously and be of one mind about something, then I don’t think it’s too hard that other people can come together and provide protections that should be provided on a statewide level,” Bullock said. “This bill is about not being able to fire people based on their gender and sexual orientation. And I think almost everyone should be able to agree on something like that.”
Andrew Schneider, executive director of the advocacy group Fairness West Virginia, agrees. He told The Huffington Post that Thurmond’s new ordinance, as well as similar protections adopted in other communities across the state, shows there is “movement afoot” in creating a statewide measure, which he believes could have a positive impact on West Virginia’s economy as it would encourage businesses with diverse employees to relocate to the Mountain State.
“Passing this ordinance is living up to that ideal that all West Virginians are free and we’re free from discrimination,” Bullock said. “We’re free from fear of being fired for our gender or our sexual orientation.”
Graham Gremore
Nerd Out With CNN's Quiz Show: Presidents Edition – VIDEO
Nerd Out With CNN's Quiz Show: Presidents Edition – VIDEO
CNN debuted its new “Quiz Show” on Monday night with a special Presidents Edition in honor of President’s Day. The show, hosted by silver fox Anderson Cooper, saw three teams of two CNN anchors face off against each other for prize money to go to the charities of their choice. The contenders? Jake Tapper and Alisyn Camerota, Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon, & Erin Burnett and John Berman.
The show had its fair share of funny and awkward moments. After Lemon buzzed in randomly, Cooper retorted, “You can’t ring in Don, there wasn’t even a question there.” Anderson then quipped that trying to get the anchors to focus on the task at hand was like “herding cats.”
There was even some shade to be had. Responding to a question about which famous singer had not sung at a Presidential Inauguration, Jon Berman responded Beyoncé, which Cooper noted was incorrect (Queen Bey performed at President Obama’s 2012 inauguration). Not so said, Berman–“She lip synced.”
Twitter, meanwhile, had its fair share of fun at the anchors’ expense. Jake Tapper won nerd points across all platforms.
Watching #CNNQuizShow. Gap between brightest and dimmest CNN anchors is painful. Not mentioning any names here! (but @jaketapper rules)
— Jim Meigs (@jamesbmeigs) February 17, 2015
It’s clearly a death match between @JohnBerman and @jaketapper Think Berman should get bonus points for Beyoncé answer #CNNQuizShow
— Laurie Goldberg (@LaurieGoldberg) February 17, 2015
Don’t tell @JohnBerman that Thomas Jefferson’s Vice President shot first. #Burrther #CNNQuizShow
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 13, 2015
Watch the show in its entirety, AFTER THE JUMP…
Sean Mandell
Is This the First Time Grindr Led to Nuptials?
Is This the First Time Grindr Led to Nuptials?
Konrad Juengling (left) and Robert Peterson found love in a hopeless place.
Aaron Drake
'Witness Uganda' Composers Support Students Impacted By Homophobia With 'Invisible Thread' Video
'Witness Uganda' Composers Support Students Impacted By Homophobia With 'Invisible Thread' Video
The creators of the Broadway-bound new musical “Witness Uganda” are the stars of a poignant music video that aims to support Ugandan students who may be affected by their country’s notorious anti-gay laws.
“Invisible Thread” recalls “Witness Uganda” composers Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews’ experiences as aid workers in Africa and is featured in the musical. The video clip for the song, which is directed by Broadway actor Andrew Keenan-Bolger, takes a different approach, showing the real-life couple going about their daily lives in New York.
The aim of the video, Gould and Matthews said in a statement, is to celebrate “people all over the world who are fighting for their right to love whom they choose” while raising funds for the educational advocacy group Uganda Project.
“We believe that education is the greatest deterrent to intolerance and hatred,” they added. “With your help, we can send four of our students through their final semester of college and help them to become the next generation of enlightened leaders in Uganda.”
At the time this story was first published, the composers had raised over $5,000 for UgandaProject, with an ultimate goal of $10,000. Head here to check out the fundraising efforts.
Keenan-Bolger, who is also the co-creator of the theater-centric web series, “Submissions Only,” told The Huffington Post in an email that he felt the message of the clip resonated with him personally “as a millennial and especially an artist.”
“As a gay man I’m drawn to, and feel a responsibility to tell, stories that depict our community in an honest way,” Keenan-Bolger, currently starring in “Tuck Everlasting” at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff, said. “We came up with the idea of showing a long distance relationship told through the simple and banal tasks that remind and connect you with the person you love.”
He then added, “I chose images that alone might not mean much but when viewed next to each other in split screen could be powerful and poetic.”
For more on Gould and Matthews’ fundraising efforts, head here. Check out The Huffington Post’s take on “Witness Uganda” here.
Peter Tatchell responds to attacks after signing the 'free speech' letter
Peter Tatchell responds to attacks after signing the 'free speech' letter
Tatchell was among 130 who opposed the ‘no platforming’ of feminist speakers, some of whom have offensive views on trans people. Trans activists were not happy with Tatchell for appearing to support these people
joem
www.gaystarnews.com/article/peter-tatchell-responds-attacks-after-signing-free-speech-letter180215
HRC Arkansas to Governor Asa Hutchinson: Veto SB202 Now
HRC Arkansas to Governor Asa Hutchinson: Veto SB202 Now
Anti-LGBT Senate Bill 202 undermines local control by denying municipal government’s ability to pass civil rights protections for people in their cities.
HRC.org
Goldie Hawn Reveals Why ‘The First Wives Club’ Sequel Didn’t Get Made
Goldie Hawn Reveals Why ‘The First Wives Club’ Sequel Didn’t Get Made
We were all women of a certain age, and everyone took a cut in salary to do it so the studio could make what it needed. We all took a smaller back end than usual and a much smaller front end. And we ended up doing incredibly well. The movie was hugely successful. It made a lot of money. We were on the cover of Time magazine. But two years later, when the studio came back with a sequel, they wanted to offer us exactly the same deal. We went back to ground zero. Had three men come in there, they would have upped their salaries without even thinking about it. But the fear of women’s movies is embedded in the culture.”
— Goldie Hawn, who hasn’t starred in a film since 2002, speaking with Harvard Business Review on how the entertainment industry has changed since her hey day
Jeremy Kinser
Gay Catholic Group: Vatican Welcomed Us With Open Arms for First Time
Gay Catholic Group: Vatican Welcomed Us With Open Arms for First Time
Sister Jeannine Gramick (pictured) of the American gay Catholic group New Ways Ministry tells Reuters that when she brought her group of 50 gay Catholics to an audience with the Pope on Wednesday, they were not shunned as they had been before, but given prime seats with all the other groups.
Reuters describes it as ‘VIP treatment’.
They told Reuters in an interview afterwards that when the group came to Rome on Catholic pilgrimages during the papacies of Francis’s predecessors John Paul and Benedict, “they just ignored us.”
This time, a US bishop and a top Vatican official backed their request and they sat in a front section with dignitaries and special Catholic groups. As the pope passed, they sang “All Are Welcome,” a hymn symbolising their desire for a more inclusive Church.
A list of participants released by the Vatican listed “a group of lay people accompanied by a sister” but did not mention that they were a gay rights organization.
Gramick sees the move as a sign of movement within the Church.
While Pope Francis gave signs early on in his papacy that the Church would be more open to gay people, asking “who am I to judge?” at an audience with reporters, there have been no official signals from the Vatican that any policies are changing.
In fact, Francis recently endorsed Slovakia’s referendum to ban gay marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples, and has warned of “insidious attacks” against the family, in Manila, saying gay marriage threatens to make family “disposable.”
Andy Towle
www.towleroad.com/2015/02/gay-catholic-group-vatican-welcomed-us-with-open-arms-for-first-time.html
