When Should You Tell Your Girlfriend You’re Gay?

The latest installment of Go-Go Boy Interrupted is here.

Related: This Go-Go Boy Doesn’t Want To Stop Dancing For You

This week, Danny tries to get back his old job dancing for Willam after he was fired for puking on stage. While groveling, he bumps into his ex-girlfriend, Ashley. The two reminiscence about that awkward time they had sex for “a few minutes” before Danny came out to her mid-coitus.

Related: When Is A Man Too Old To Be A Go-Go Boy?

We’ve all been there, right?

Check out the episode…

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Nick Jonas Admits He’d Be ‘Lying’ If He Said He’s Never Had Gay Sex

It’s a brave new era in which actors and entertainers bravely come outish; sticking a toe out of the closet for kicks and easy publicity.

James Franco has boldly admitted he’s “a little gay.” (Or “a little annoying,” depending on your publication.) Musician Olly Murs gets more specific and says he’s “20 percent gay.” And now, Nick Jonas has come forward to coyly confide to Britain’s The Sun that he “technically” can’t say he’s never hooked up with a man.

Related: Nick Jonas Doesn’t Deny Hooking Up With Guys; Hope Is Alive.

“Technically,” that’s what he didn’t not not say:

The star’s sexuality has been a hot topic after he revealed he had filmed a gay sex scene for his role in Kingdom, the US martial arts drama series.

But he assured me his only sexual experience with a man was in front of the cameras. He said:

“On Kingdom I have a sex scene with a guy. It is always this thing have I, has Nick? No. But it’s my lips, it’s my hands, it’s my body, even if I’m playing a character. So technically I have done that, so I wouldn’t say I haven’t, because that would be lying. But as me, Nick, I am very open about who I am and that I have nothing to prove. I know what I am, I’ve been honest about that.”

While we’re having a hard time getting past the Yoda-esque mantra “It is always this have I, has Nick?,” we’re also making ourselves dizzy trying to parse out his steamy slew of double negatives into a straightforward and cohesive statement.

Correct us if we’re wrong, but it appears that “technically” he can’t say he’s never gotten sexy with men–because he’s had sex scenes with men, and touched those men with his real hands.

Does this mean actors should now be held accountable for the acts of their characters? This opens up a frightening new world for actors.

After all, if we apply this logic to, say, character actor Robert Englund, he’s responsible for the death of hundreds:

Fairuza Balk possesses frightening occult powers and should be hanged or drowned or whatever:

Neil Patrick Harris is dead.

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Transgender Man Beaten to Death in Vermont Homeless Shelter: VIDEO

A transgender man has died of injuries including head trauma, facial fractures and broken ribs following a reported attack in a Vermont homeless shelter.

Despite a positive initial prognosis, Amos Beede (38) of Milton, Vermont died Sunday at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

There have been a large number of recent violent assaults on transgender people in the U.S. In January, 23-year-old Monica Loera was murdered in Texas. In February, a 25-year-old man pleaded guilty to the fatal beating of trans woman Islan Nettles.

WHAT A HATEFUL WORLD WE LIVE IN: Amos Beede, 38, of Milton was pronounced dead Sunday at the University of… t.co/MuBDvzYyZY

— TransValid (@TransValid) May 29, 2016

The National Center for Transgender Equality has noted that homelessness is a critical issue for transgender people:

“One in five transgender individuals have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. Family rejection and discrimination and violence have contributed to a large number of transgender and other LGBQ-identified youth who are homeless in the United States – an estimated 20-40% of the more than 1.6 million homeless youth.”

RELATED: Slaughter Of Young Black Trans Women Intensifies, With 5 Murders Reported In 1 Week

According to ABC, police said the possibility of a hate crime in relation to the murder of Beede is under consideration.

Watch a report on Beede’s murder below.

(Top image via Twitter)

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England’s NHS Again Refuses to Back PrEP

England’s National Health Service (NHS) has again refused to adopt PrEP to help prevent the transmission of HIV.

NHS England had originally promised to make PrEP available but then backed down because of a bureaucratic tug of war about who would fun the roll out of the medication.

In a statement issued Tuesday, NHS England said, 

In light of representations from stakeholder groups NHS England agreed to reconsider the decision. This took place on 31 May 2016 at the Specialised Services Commissioning Committee. In summary, the Committee:

–considered and accepted NHS England’s external legal advice that it does not have the legal power to commission PrEP;

–remains committed to working with other commissioners to explore the possible provision of prep. This includes working in partnership with Public Health England to run a number of early implementer test sites, backed with up to £2m investment over the next two years, to research how PrEP could be commissioned in the most clinically and cost effective way.

Matthew Hodson, CEO of GMFA UK (the gay men’s health charity), denounced NHS’ inaction.

Shocked disappointed & saddened by @NHSEngland #PrEP decision. We could #endHIV & we should. t.co/1vt0qKEjJy pic.twitter.com/7AO3GSAQFD

— Matthew Hodson (@Matthew_Hodson) May 31, 2016

Heading to a meeting now with other #HIV orgs to discuss response to @NHSEngland‘s shocking decision not to move forward with #PrEP access.

— Matthew Hodson (@Matthew_Hodson) May 31, 2016

The UK’s National AIDS Trust also blasted the NHS’ announcement, saying in a statement, 

PrEP is an HIV prevention drug, proven to be effective in stopping HIV transmission in almost every case if taken properly. The decision by NHS England not even to consider commissioning PrEP came after 18 months of hard work from an NHS working group (comprising clinicians and experts from across the HIV sector) which demonstrated the need, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of PrEP.

The post England’s NHS Again Refuses to Back PrEP appeared first on Towleroad.

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NEW MUSIC: ABC, Beth Orton, Minor Victories

This week in New Music: ABC (above) recapture the glory days with The Lexicon of Love II, Beth Orton returns to her electronic roots on Kidsticks and Minor Victories is a supergroup of sorts who have never actually met each other.

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ABC – The Lexicon of Love II

Thirty-four years later, 80s geniuses ABC finally grace us with a follow up to The Lexicon of Love, cleverly titled Lexicon of Love II.

A scary prospect for long-term fans, a potential oddity for people in their 40s and 50s who remember “The Look of Love,” “When Smokey Sings” and “All of My Heart” with gleeful nostalgia, The Lexicon of Love II is actually a treat to behold.

Songs like “The Flames of Desire,” “Ten Below Zero” and “Viva Love” sound quite frankly like the last 37 years never happened. Martin Fry himself has himself admitted that he is looking back “unapologetically” to the likes of “Poison Arrow” et al.

In fairness why wouldn’t you? This isn’t Meatloaf trying to recapture the magic with Bat Out of Hell II. This is the magic distilled to perfection. “Brighter Than the Sun” is a dud. Who cares? The rest is a joy.

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Beth Orton – Kidsticks

After 20 years as a performer firmly placed – or possibly stuck, in her own mind, given her latest album Kidsticks – Beth Orton seems to be going for a full-on reinvention.

Co-produced with a member of Fuck Buttons of all people, Kidsticks isn’t too much of a stretch for Orton given her early work with the likes of Chemical Brothers. However, as a follow-up to 2012’s Sugaring Season it might come as an unexpected – and pleasant – surprise.

A highlight of the album is “Falling.” Like much of the rest of the album you might be reminded of Everything But the Girl’s semi-reinvention close to the end of their career, complete with more grown up concerns.

Not quite the reinvention seen on Anohni’s Hopelessness, Kidsticks is nevertheless a departure that suggests Orton is, at 45, loosening up.

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Minor Victories – Minor Victories

Minor Victories is made up of members of Mogwai, Editors and Slowdive.

Often derided back in the distant pre-Internet days, collaborations between people who never actually met is still in concept a touch iffy. “We didn’t record in the same room, or at the same time. To be honest we probably didn’t start off with the same vision,” admit Minor Victories.

Not a supergroup then but a sort-of group, the album also includes contributions from the likes of James Graham from Twilight Sad and Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon. As with the different visions of the main culprits here, you can also hear the distinct voices of the contributors. Kozelek particularly is in fine Kozelek mode. As if this was an outtake from his recent collaboration with Jesu, he tells us in the close-to-romantic “For You Always”: “We met once in Los Angeles just around the time of the Columbine murders and Mojave 3 were playing on Sunset Boulevard at Tower Records.”

For a band that apparently didn’t even know each other when they recorded the album, this is remarkable work.

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Meet Ben Ryan, The Nearly Naked AIDS Activist Who Can Dance

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When Benjamin “Ben” Ryan began taking dance classes ten years ago, the personal venture was a complete whim. After all, he was in his late twenties at the time – ancient for a beginning dancer – and by his own admission, was “just awful” for the first few years of classes. And nothing about his vocation as a writer specializing in the science of HIV suggested that Gene Kelly was trapped inside.

Cue the victorious final production number of your favorite musical. Not only did Ben get better – a whole lot better – he was cast in the spectacular HIV fundraiser Broadway Bares seven years ago and each year since, hoofing alongside actual Broadway dancers. Performers can also raise money through the event’s “Stripathon” page, through which Ben has raised more than $80,000 for beneficiary Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (you can visit Ben’s stripathon page here and add to that impressive tally).

Oh, and Ben Ryan has done all of this while wearing very, very little on stage.

When the curtain rises for “On Demand,” the newest Broadway Bares show to be performed in New York City on June 19th, Ben will be back, appearing for a third time in the opening number. With its generous blend of almost-and-sometimes-totally-naked men and women, celebrity cameos, and risqué burlesque, the show is sure to add significant funds to the $14 million the event has raised to date for people living with HIV and other health initiatives. For Ben, it’s all an unlikely dream come true.

“For the last 15 years,” Ben said, “I’ve written about the HIV epidemic as a reporter.” He currently covers science as editor-at-large for POZ Magazine, and getting his facts straight is incredibly important to him — especially when every detail of each new HIV or PrEP study is parsed and debated online. “The way I make sure my back is covered is I fact check like crazy,” he said. “Even one word can change the meaning of something. If I do get something wrong, I’m really upset. I’m a perfectionist.”

Those same qualities have served him well as a late-blooming dancer. When he started out, “I was at the rock bottom of my dance class with a bunch of kids,” Ben said. “Even my teacher made fun of me. Until she didn’t.” He still finds it hard to believe he now shares the stage every year with Broadway professionals.

But what must the scene be like backstage, with all that naked flesh running around? “Most of the guys in the show are really friendly,” Ben said coyly. (For more visual information on the scene backstage, check out Ben’s own photography page for images of all the action behind the curtain. You’re welcome.)

Ben has nothing but love for special guest performers like Laverne Cox and Judith Light. “The whole room exploded at rehearsal last year when they announced that Laverne would perform,” he said. “She was such a darling, always hanging out with everyone. And Judith will just wander around backstage with this amazing grin on her face. She gives a speech at the end of the show that always gives me goosebumps.”

Star power is great, but nothing beats a volunteer like Ben who knows how to raise money. “Ben is not content to take the stage in bare-bottomed pride,” said Tom Viola, the highly regarded director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. “He raised $17,346 just last year and was named Mr. Stripathon.” Tom also credits Ben with helping to craft HIV prevention and treatment messages that are shared with the entire company each year, “so everyone associated with the production understands how to take care of themselves and each other.”

Amidst all the revealing fun, Ben knows Broadway Bares isn’t simply being titillating for its own sake. “Ultimately, the show is a celebration of the body,” he said. “We harken back to a time when we were afraid to touch each other, so to celebrate our sexuality is a profound thing. That, as opposed to HIV stigma and anxiety about sex and transmitting disease.”

Ben also admits that the show is a nice escape from his more cerebral work in HIV science. “It’s so much fun to be silly and outrageous,” he said. “I wanted to be involved in an event that I thought was the most exciting thing in New York City. And I am!”

(Ben’s fund raising page for Broadway Bares is here.)

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PHOTOS: The Beauty And Uniqueness Of Every Day Men Captured In Powerful Nude Series

“My aim is not to look for beautiful men to shoot, but to shoot the beauty and even more important the uniqueness in the men I work with,” photographer Robert Siegelman tells Queerty. “The men need not be beautiful in any conventional way, but I would like the pictures to have a beauty and, even more important, to have meaning.”

Related: PHOTOS: Sexy Body-Positive Series Challenges Perceptions Of Male Beauty

Siegelman, who lives and works in Boston, has shown his work in museums and galleries around the world, including at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York, The Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago and “untitled mail id” at the Angus-Hughes Gallery in London.

Related: PHOTOS: The Softer Side Of BDSM

“My work can certainly be provocative, and I like that,” he explains. “It is also quite intimate, and sometimes explicitly sexual. I want to be able to touch people on various levels, and hope that my work may play a part in how we look at sex and sexuality.”

Scroll down for a taste of Siegelman’s portraits, and see more of his work on his Tumblr page…

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Somebody Sprayed ‘Die Fags’ Inside a Hamburger Mary’s Restaurant in Chicago

The Chicago outpost of the popular LGBT-friendly restaurant chain Hamburger Mary’s was hit by a hate crime over the weekend. Someone spray-painted “Die Fags” on the inside of the bathroom door, NBC Chicago reports:

“My first reaction when I saw it was actually annoyed,” said owner Ashley Wright. “Literally a split second later it was just sort of this gut wrenching feeling.”

The LGBT-friendly North Side restaurant, described as an “open-air bar and grille for open-minded people,” is one of 14 restaurants nationwide and one of two in Chicago. It was recently featured on an episode of CBS’ Undercover Boss.

“This was someone who came into my house, my establishment and spray painted a hateful message to me and my customers and staff,” Wright said.

The owner has since painted over the graffiti with rainbow colors and the word “Love” and notified police of the incident.

Good news: the suspect was captured on surveillance video and police are investigating.

Watch the report:

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