Utah Pride Gets Frisky in Mormon Country

www.advocate.com/pride/2016/6/06/utah-pride-gets-frisky-mormon-country

While Camping, This Guy Hooked Up With His Friend. Now? Radio Silence.

It happens all the time — well, in porn films. And on Reddit.

User HKML000 shares a tale of considerable woe; a tawdry anecdote that involves gay sex, a camping trip, and then — because life is hard — a gale of static followed by radio silence.

Related: Straight Guy Wishes He Were Gay So People Wouldn’t Be Put Off By His Queerness

The story so far: this self-professed “straight-acting” gay guy is part of a Boy Scouts group that regularly takes weekend camping trips, and he and his pal Cory took several of those jaunts together.

Think long poles, tent flaps, and vain remorse once the campfire sputtered out and died…

Take it away, HKML000:

Cory and I were sharing a tent. Obviously, as guys do, we ended up talking about girls. He was bragging about everything he had already done because he was a year older and I (obviously lying) told him I had done some things too…

Me being a gay guy, [I] got a boner. And then the weirdest but most exhilarating thing happened to me: I’ll save you the gory details, but we did some oral stuff and used our hands a lot. This set-up may seem unnecessary but I’m stating it to show you that he came on to me. I’m sure I gave him no reason to believe that he owed it to me or that I was coming on to him. Anyway we did this for the first night and then one final time in the evening when we were “taking a nap”.

Now this is where I get confused. After we did it for the second time, he just completely changes and shuts down. He acts as if I don’t exist but when he had to take notice of me he treated me like a child…. When It came time to go home we had to car share but the whole journey back he didn’t speak to me, not once, whereas when we were first driving down he had been talking to me the whole time.

Bummer. And it gets bummier.

In the end, this young man stopped going to his Scouts group:

I had had enough of being spoken about behind my back (And by the end I was openly being called “Gay” and “Gayboy” in a derogatory way) and I was afraid that I was slowly falling in love with someone who hated me for something I had thought we both enjoyed.

Now, an entire year has gone by, and judging by the reams of purple prose he’s written on Reddit, he’s clearly not over the emotionally unavailable candy-sadist he once called a friend:

In a way the entire experience has helped me metamorphosize into who I was really supposed to be, but even a year later I still have the doubt in my mind. Why does he now dislike me? We have messaged each other since but when we have they have been fleeting conversations with him refusing to talk about it and pretending as if it never happened. He pretends as if we are fine but I can tell he is still wary of me.

Related: Given The Chance, Would You Hook Up With A Married Heterosexual Guy?

He’s asking readers what exactly he did in order to earn his ex-friend’s wrath –“Did I do something wrong?” — and he’s wondering if he can do anything to patch things up and restore the relationship.

Readers have been to offer their two cents.

“The problem might be that he feels guilty about what happened,” responds one Misstress of the Obvious, “and rather than addressing the source of that guilt, he has decided to repress it and cut you out because you’re a reminder of what happened.”

“He hates himself,” says another. “This has nothing to do with you and is his lesson to figure out.”

Related: Straight Man Deeply Concerned Over Number Of Gay Men Hitting On Him, Fears He “Repels” Women

A third reader posits a different theory: “Experimenting with you has ultimately led him to the conclusion that he’s straight and now he doesn’t know what to think and how to feel about the things you did…”

So — short of waiting another year and then building a fire out of his ex-friend’s property like a good Boy Scout — what should he do?

Sound off in the comments below.

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/3-BXemLugWU/camping-guy-hooked-friend-now-radio-silence-20160606

Model Nick Bateman Shares An Unparralled View Of His Posterior

Nate Bateman. Never heard of him? Well, get ready, because he’s about to become a household name. At least a gay household name.

Related: Top Ten Celebrity Nude Shares Of Summer

The 29-year-old Canadian model/actor/lover of animals treated his impressive 5 million Instagram followers to a picture of his bare bum over the weekend. Fans responded by liking it more than 250,000 times and leaving over 25,000 comments.

Now, without any further ado, here is Mr. Bateman’s bum…

Scroll down for a few more pictures of Mr. Bateman…

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/mdf432m8I-E/model-nick-bateman-shares-unparralled-view-posterior-20160606

Meanwhile, In Westeros: ‘Game Of Thrones’ 06×07 [RECAP] – SPOILERS

 

Last night’s episode of Game of Thrones revealed a few plans in place and set into motion the coming conflicts that will define this season. While it did provide one memorable return of a character long suspected lost, the lasting impact of  “The Broken Man” will be how it set up our characters on their respective roads.

With battles brewing in Riverrun, King’s Landing and Winterfell, season six won’t likely go out without a sizable bodycount.

Find out who’s in the line of fire in our SPOILER-filled recap below!

Meanwhile, In Greener Pastures …

OK, so I’m not sure exactly where the good Reverend Ian McShane is hanging out, but his character, Septon Ray, is setting up shop with a few followers and a simple life. Nothing fancy, just chopping wood, building towers and, oh yeah, hanging out with the Hound!

Remember the Hound? He’s the guy with the face that looks like undercooked burger meat, because his brother, the Mountain (you may have heard of him, he’s now lumbering around not-quite-dead-anymore with Cersei), pushed his face into a fire. He hung out with Arya for a while, he got his butt kicked by Brienne of Tarth and he was left for dead. Turns out, Ian McShane stumbled across his nearly-dead body and nursed him back to health. Now, he’s doing the reformed-sinner routine, hauling giant logs around and aggressively chopping wood.

It might be easy to lump Ian McShane in with the High Sparrow in King’s Landing (we’ll get to him later). McShane, while a preacher, isn’t so preachy. He also used to be a violent man, and now, even though he’s turned his life to the gods, he admits that he’s not necessarily sure he knows more about the gods than anyone else. He’s not religious, he’s more, like, spiritual, you know?

One day, the Hound, Ian McShane and his friends are hanging out when a few of the Brotherhood Without Banners show up demanding food and weapons. Ian McShane politely invites them to stay for supper, but that’s not going to satisfy them, clearly. “Sleep tight!” they warn, not ominously at all.

Ian McShane doesn’t seem too worried about it. He’s not going to fight, despite the Hound’s concern. Despite Ian McShane’s efforts, the Hound is still harboring a lot of bitterness over getting beaten by Brienne and abandoned by Arya. He’s channeling all his frustration into a lot wood chopping. Really intense wood chopping.

That’s what he’s busy doing when the Brotherhood Without Banners return, slaughter all of the Hound’s new friends and string up Ian McShane all nasty like.

The Hound grabs his wood-chopping axe, looks dead into camera and says “Here we go again!” Alright, maybe that last part didn’t happen, but he is definitely trading wood-chopping for body-chopping now.

Meanwhile, In the North …

Jon Snow and Sansa are on a whirlwind tour to win hearts and minds and, let’s be honest, soliders. First, they need to get the Wildlings united on their side. Even though Jon Snow risked everything and was murdered for helping the Wildlings, now they’re being a little wishy-washy with their allegiances. They resist the urge to jump into Jon’s battle with the Boltons at first, but a rousing speech by Tormund seems to do the trick. Once Wun-Wun the giant pledges allegiance to “Snow,” the others follow.

Next, Sansa, Jon and Davos head to Bear Island to get the support of the House Mormont. Bear Island is ruled now by Lady Mormont, a young girl that could easily still be counted among the key demographics for Bratz dolls. She’s not one to be underestimated, however. At first resistant to Jon Snow and Sansa’s flattery and appeals, the tiny #girlboss heeds Davos’ warning that the North needs to be united if they’re going to survive the coming war with the dead. The shrewd young Lady of Bear Island pledges her fighting men, all 62 of them.

That’s a start, and it’s more than Sansa and Jon get from Lord Glover, Master of Deepwood Motte. Backing Robb Stark turned out not so great for the Glovers. The Ironborn attacked their castle, threw Glover’s wife and children in prison and generally trashed the place. The Glovers took their castle back with the help of the Boltons, feeling a little abandoned by the Starks. Plus, they’re not going to fight alongside those icky Wildings.

OK, so it’s not quite the successful recruitment drive Sansa and Jon were hoping for. Even though their little rush week turned out fewer pledges to House Stark than they had hoped, Davos advises they need to strike before another snowstorm comes blowing in. He knows how much the snow slowed Stannis down. Jon agrees, but Sansa’s not too pleased with how Davos seems to have more sway with Jon than she does.

She sneaks off and writes a letter to someone, but we don’t see to whom. Could it be she’s reconsidering Littlefinger’s offer for assistance? He does have all those convenient Knights of the Vale.

Meanwhile, In Riverrun …

The Frey boys are being all kinds of dummies trying to get the castle back from Catelyn Stark’s uncle, the Blackfish. They trot out the Blackfish’s nephew, Edmure, and threaten to hang him, but the Blackfish is unmoved. So then they threaten to slit his throat, but Blackfish calls their bluff again. Knowing full well Edmure is their best bargaining chip, the brothers Frey don’t follow through with either attack.

That’s when Jaime shows up with his men (and Bronn!) and declares listen up fives, a ten is speaking. He slaps about the Freys and takes over the siege. His first order of business is to have Edmure cleaned up and fed. Then he wants the Freys to set up a proper perimeter, and for Bronn to set up a sexy little meeting between the Kingslayer and the Blackfish.

The Blackfish assures Jaime that he has no plans to surrender the castle willingly. And if the Lannisters hope to starve them out, they’ll have to wait two years for the Tully forces to go through all their provisions. The only way they’re getting that castle back is if they make it over the walls and force them out, so good luck with that!

There is a wildcard on the way. How will Brienne’s impending arrival affect this standoff?

Meanwhile, En Route To Meereen …

The Greyjoy siblings make a tiny pitstop at a brothel on their way to strike a deal with Daenerys. Yara’s getting her jollies with one of the working girls, but poor Theon lacks the equipment to really enjoy himself.

Yara pauses her pawing to give Theon a little pep talk. Basically, she says, in the understatement of the century, he’s had a rough couple of years, but now he either needs to get his groove back or kill himself. Theon chugs some ale, and it starts to look like he might eat, pray, love his way back to some semblance of normal.

Meanwhile, In King’s Landing …

Margaery may have renounced the trappings of court life, but she sure snatched her crown back fast, didn’t she? The High Sparrow walks in on the Queen praying and has a totally appropriate and very cool conversation with the Queen about if she’s getting any. Now, I get it, producing an heir to the King is important to the Sparrow and the kind of thing people talk about openly in a monarchy. But it was still gross. She tries to explain that she’s just not in the mood to bang Tommen, and he assures her that you don’t need to have desire to get through it, just patience. I’m sure anyone that’s faced a disappointing Grindr hookup could agree. The High Sparrow also warns Marg that she should get her granny, Lady Olenna, to atone before she finds herself in some trouble.

This triggers Margaery to meet with Lady Olenna and tell her it’s time to head home to Highgarden. At first, Lady Olenna protests that she’s not leaving Margaery and Loras. Under the watchful eye of the septa that follows Margaery around, the young Queen pleads with her grammy and secretly slips her a doodle of a flower — the sigil of the House Tyrell. It’s official: Margaery has a plan, and her whole conversion is just for show. That’s not a big shocker. The real question now is does the High Sparrow realize it, and is he one step ahead of the clever queen?

Lady Olenna is wrapping up her affairs before leaving King’s Landing when her best frenemy Cersei shows up to ask her to stay as her only remaining ally. Instead, Olenna unleashes a torrent of reads that would not only shutdown the library, it would burn the building down. My favorite was when she pondered aloud “I wonder if you are the worst person I’ve ever met.” The only joy Olenna finds in all of this is seeing Cersei fail so hard. Ooh, sick burn.

Meanwhile, In Braavos …

Arya is just strutting around the streets in broad daylight, tossing around sacks of coins like there’s not a league of assassins with the power to look like anyone definitely out to kill her. She books a boat back to Westeros for dawn, and then has a nice little sit out in the open overlooking the water. How quaint!

A kindly old lady approaches and gives Arya a good stabbing all in the tummy before revealing herself to be the Waif in disguies. (Duh.) Arya flings herself into the water and makes an escape. We last see her wandering the streets of Braavos, wet and bleeding, afraid of every face she sees, which is probably as wary as she should have been in the first place. You don’t have to be a psychic to know you in danger, gurl!

What did you think of last night’s episode of Game of Thrones?

The post Meanwhile, In Westeros: ‘Game Of Thrones’ 06×07 [RECAP] – SPOILERS appeared first on Towleroad.

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Being Gay, Black, and HIV-Positive: ‘I Don’t Live With HIV. HIV Lives With Me’ – WATCH

Choreographer Robert Brooks didn’t grow up in a home where it was OK to be gay.

“I would throw you off the highest mountain if you were gay,” he remembers his father telling him. Because of the homophobia he experienced from his family, Brooks didn’t come out to them as a teenager even though he realized he was attracted to other men. And things got more complicated for Brooks when he became HIV-positive.

Brooks recently spoke with NBC News about how growing up gay in an intolerant world and being HIV-positive for the past 9 years have impacted his life. Brooks says that being gay, black, and HIV-positive often meant he felt as if he was “at the bottom of the barrel.” But he has fought against such negativity. “Before I was sad,” he says. But that’s not where he is anymore. He adds, “I don’t wear HIV on my face, but I let people know upfront: I don’t live with HIV. HIV lives with me.”

Today, Brooks teaches dance to public school kids and hopes he can also teach them to love and accept others–and themselves.

Watch his story, below.

The post Being Gay, Black, and HIV-Positive: ‘I Don’t Live With HIV. HIV Lives With Me’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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This Teen YouTuber Just Came Out in the Most NBD Way Possible – WATCH

Teen YouTube phenom Alexis G. Zall came out on Sunday in a completely casual yet utterly endearing way.

Zall has become known over the past few years for creating videos on her birthday in which she shares a tip for every year she’s been alive (e.g. “15 tips for 15 years”). The videos highlight things she has learned in the past year and bits of wisdom she would have imparted to her younger self.

In her latest video, “18 Tips for 18 Years” (she turns 18 today), Zall described the past year as the most “emotional, up and down painful year that I have experienced so far on planet earth.” Yet the growing pains have led to a better life for Zall. She says, “I feel the most comfortable with myself as a human being that I have ever felt.” And that may have something to do with coming to terms with her sexuality.

In tip number 8, Zall says, “I’m about to get gay”, then adds, “It is totally okay to be a girl who likes girls, or a boy who likes boys. And me personally, I am a girl who likes girls.” She then jokes to herself, “Did that b*tch just come out?”

A friend of hers can be heard off-camera asking, “Did you do it?” He then joins her for a dance celebration which leads to this adorable moment shared by the two.

Afterwards, Zall says, “That’s nice. Oh, I like it.” She adds, “I mean for me personally, I wouldn’t necessarily ever rule out dating guys. But I definitely like girls. And it’s totally okay to just be that.”

Zall’s video is notable in that, unlike other YouTubers whom we have seen come out over the years, Zall sort of buries the lead. As one reddit-er put it, “Zall doesn’t make a click-baity title and thumbnail for it like some YouTubers, she just quietly and casually mentions it, then moves on, not mentioning it again until the outtake in the end of the video.”

As of this posting, the video has been viewed over 114,000 times since being uploaded on Sunday. Zall currently has over 1 million subscribers.

Watch, below.

The post This Teen YouTuber Just Came Out in the Most NBD Way Possible – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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An ACLU Attorney’s Ugly Transformation Into An Anti-Transgender Pundit

Maya Dillard Smith claims she has questions about transgender issues, but it’s unclear what answers she’ll accept.

The post An ACLU Attorney’s Ugly Transformation Into An Anti-Transgender Pundit appeared first on ThinkProgress.

thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/06/06/3784981/aclu-georgia-resignation-transgender/

#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: June 6, 2016

U.S. REPS WHO’VE SERVED OVERSEAS IN THE MILITARY BLAST HB2: In a letter sent last week, eight Democratic Representatives who served in the Iraq, Vietnam and Korean wars blasted Governor McCrory for signing into law HB2, which among its egregious provisions, has eliminated local non-discrimination protections for veterans in places like Greensboro and Orange County. They write, “By signing HB2 into law you legalized discrimination against North Carolinians who put their lives on the line in service to our country… As fellow veterans, we believe this law and your actions are unconscionable. We urge you to support the immediate repeal of HB2.”

·  Cyndi Lauper meets with LGBTQ youth… Over the weekend, award-winning singer and long-time LGBTQ equality advocate Cyndi Lauper met with LGBTQ youth at the LGBT Center of Raleigh to learn more about their lives and experiences. Profits from Lauper’s Saturday concert went to efforts to repeal the law.

·  Selena Gomez, Death Cab for Cutie and Chvches have joined the growing list of artists and entertainers “putting their money where their heart is” in North Carolina by donating concert proceeds to LGBTQ rights groups. Gomez has also assured that there will be gender neutral bathrooms at her concert venue.

·  Broadway voices: On June 13, big stars in the Broadway community will be holding a benefit concert aimed at fighting HB2. Performers include “Hamilton” singer-actress Ariana Debose, Melvin Tunstall of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” and Lindsay Northen from “Wicked.” Transgender model and activist Geena Rocero is set to host the event.

HILLARY CLINTON ON THE FIGHT FOR A MORE EQUAL AMERICA: In case you missed it, check out Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s LGBTQ Pride Month op-ed. In the piece, Clinton celebrates how much we’ve accomplished as a nation, but reminds us of the stakes in this election, as Republican nominee Donald Trump threatens to undo marriage equality and sign the discriminatory First Amendment Defense Act into law. Proving again why she’s the champion we need in the White House, Clinton highlights the need for the Equality Act, and shares the story of Jodie Patterson — the mother of a transgender boy who’s praying for a future where her son, Penel, will have the same opportunities as all other kids. Clinton writes, “Kids like Penel are why all of us do what we do. They are why we fight for an America where every child is supported and loved for who they are, and nothing stands in the way of what they can become.”

“OUR MAGNETIC FIVE-YEAR-OLD IS NOT A THREAT TO ANYONE”: In a moving piece in The Washington Post, parents Ron Ford Jr. and Vanessa Ford share their remarkable story of love, kindness and acceptance of their five-year-old transgender daughter, Ellie. The Fords know first-hand that the national conversation surrounding the transgender community “isn’t truly about bathrooms,” but about discrimination. They write, “We must refuse to give in to fear and misunderstanding. We must embrace transgender children and adults with love, not discrimination, and empathy, not hatred.”

ANTI-TRANS RESOLUTION STALLS IN NEBRASKA: On Friday, the Nebraska Board of Education failed to advance a proposed resolution that would declare the Department of Justice’s recent guidance on transgender students “federal overreach.” After 15 speakers on both sides of the issue testified before a packed room, the board deadlocked 3-3 on the resolution. The Omaha World-Herald also reports that Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson is contemplating whether to join 12 other state officials in a suit filed against the federal government, calling for the rescission of protections for transgender Americans.

·  Hate on to the Hill… Rep. Ralph Abraham (R – LA) has introduced a bill that would amend the Education Amendments of 1972 to “clarify” that the term sex in  Title IX is referring to “biological sex”. The legislation now before the Education and Workforce committee would allow schools to bar transgender students from using restrooms that correspond with their gender identity. More from KOLO8.

STRIKE THREE FOR MISSISSIPPI: On Friday, a third lawsuit was filed against Mississippi’s discriminatory HB 1523 law. The suit alleges that the law violates the separation of church and state by favoring, “certain narrow religious beliefs that condemn same-sex couples who get married, condemn unmarried people who have sexual relations and condemn transgender people.” Despite the impending legal battles, Governor Bryant continues to defend the outrageous law that goes into effect July 1. More from The Associated Press.

ANOTHER BAN LIFTED: Northern Ireland has become the latest state to end its lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. The new policy, which goes into effect in September, still falls short as it will require a year-long abstinence for potential gay and bisexual male donors — a similar move to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s policy change last December. More from The Advocate.

HISTORIC PRO-TRANS MOVE IN INDIA: In a historic move, India’s Odisha region has become the first in the country to offer social welfare benefits — such as pensions and housing — to the transgender community. Niten Chandra, principal secretary of Odisha’s Department of Social Security told Reuters that the decision came after consulting with transgender Indians who she says “are in a very bad condition because of social exclusion. For example, they very often do not get employment easily.”

RABBIS STAND WITH TRANS COMMUNITY: The Rabbinical Assembly, a group of Conservative Jewish rabbis, have adopted a resolution supporting the rights of transgender and gender non-conforming people. Approved last week, the resolution expresses “the full welcome, acceptance, and inclusion of people of all gender identities in Jewish life and general society.” More from The Huffington Post.

READING RAINBOW

Slate explains how summer jobs programs greatly benefit LGBTQ youth… U.S. News and World Report examines how gyms and personal trainers can become more LGBTQ-friendly beyond bathroom policies… Mashable shares the release of Australia’s first gay wedding magazine… BuzzFeed mourns the loss of Britain’s only LGBTQ domestic abuse charity… MSNBC documents how Minneapolis became the first city in the country to pass trans protections… The Anniston Star editorial board grills Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore… Slate highlights the pro-LGBTQ legacy of outgoing Solicitor General Don Verrilli… The Dallas Morning News spotlights a Texas student’s effort to start a Gay Straight Alliance in her high school… Texas Public Radio introduces us to Ann Elder, a Texas mother speaking out in support of her transgender son, Benjamin… and in an op-ed for The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennsylvania State Rep. Dan Frankel calls for the passage of the Pennsylvania Fairness Act.

Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to A.M. Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tip-sheet-june-6-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Trans and queer performance group Fresh Meat Productions celebrates 15 years

www.glaad.org/blog/trans-and-queer-performance-group-fresh-meat-productions-celebrates-15-years

Calif. NRA Group Wants LGBT Voters to Say No to Gun Control

The NRA released a new ad targeting LGBT voters in hope they will not support anti-gun legislation proposed by California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

www.advocate.com/election/2016/6/06/calif-nra-group-wants-lgbt-voters-say-no-gun-control