Must-See LGBT TV 6/5-11: 'I Am Jazz' and 'UnReal' season premieres!

www.glaad.org/blog/must-see-lgbt-tv-65-11-i-am-jazz-and-unreal-season-premieres

Hillary Clinton Celebrates the Progress of LGBT Rights

Senator Clinton celebrated how far LGBT rights have come in the U.S. in an op-ed for CNN.

www.advocate.com/election/2016/6/05/hillary-clinton-celebrates-progress-lgbt-rights

Gay Iconography: Keeping The ‘Faith’ in George Michael

George Michael may be known for his string of successful singles, 80 million records sold worldwide or his two Grammy Awards, but those aren’t his only accomplishments. He also kickstarted legions of little gay hearts by shaking his bum on TV screens across the world.

Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in North London, Michael met his best friend and future collaborator Andrew Ridgeley as a young boy. They hit it big as pop duo Wham! in the early ‘80s before Michael rocketed to superstardom and sex symbol status as a solo artist. Although Michael didn’t come out during the height of his career, a 1998 arrest for public cruising forced him to reveal his sexuality.

He explained why he was hesitant to come out in an interview with The Independent:

“So firstly, understand how much I love my family and that AIDS was the predominant feature of being gay in the 1980s and early 90s as far as any parent was concerned… My mother was still alive and every single day would have been a nightmare for her thinking what I might have been subjected to, “ he said. “I’d been out to a lot of people since 19. I wish to God it had happened then. I don’t think I would have the same career – my ego might not have been satisfied in some areas – but I think I would have been a happier man.”

Michael would have other run-ins with the law in the following years for public sex and his struggles with drugs. These setbacks aside, as an out gay man, he is still responsible for some of the most beloved pop songs of all time.

Check out the videos for some of our favorites below.

You can’t think of Wham! without thinking of “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” The infectious 1984 hit (the band’s first No. 1 in the U.S. and the U.K.). The video famously features the band clad in “Choose Life” t-shirts, with Michael sporting some sweet yellow gloves.

Michael embraced an edgier image once going solo, including the first single from his solo album, “I Want Your Sex.” The salacious song and video struggled with censorship, but still reached No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. One of the most enduring images from the video is when Michael writes “explore” and “monogamy” on a woman’s body in lipstick. He would later share his own feelings about monogamy with GQ Magazine: “”Some gay men manage monogamy forever, and I envy them because it’s a great thing. But when you first meet someone, that chemical flows through your body and says ‘f*ck, f*ck, f*ck!’ it’s wondrous. If you can keep hold of that, great.”

Just as iconic as Wham’s “Choose Life” shirts is Michael’s denim-clad butt doing his best Elvis-esque hip shaking in the video for “Faith.” The title track from his first solo album was the top-selling single in the U.S. in 1988. The song was reintroduced to a new generation in the worst way possible when nu metal band Limp Bizkit covered the song in the late ‘90s.

As Michael matured, so did his music. Even though Faith was a critical and commercial success, Michael named his follow-up Listen Without Prejudice in an effort to further establish himself as a serious artist. In addition to maturing lyrically and sonically, Michael continued to push the visual medium. He didn’t even appear in his video for “Freedom! ’90.” Instead, the reigning queens of the ‘90s Supermodel Era — including Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz and Linda Evangelista — lip-synced the song.

In 1998, George Michael was arrested for engaging in a sex act in a Beverly Hills public restroom. The incident forced Michael out of the closet, but rather than be complicit in the sex shaming that typically follows when a public figure is caught in a similar situation, Michael used it as inspiration for his song “Outside.” He would be caught cruising again in Hampstead Heath. “There can’t be shame in a situation unless the person is ashamed and I’m certainly not that,” he told a UK radio show in 2006. “I don’t want people to think my life is troubled when it’s not. I think I should be able to be what I am to young gay people, a man who’s managed to succeed in the industry for 25 years.”

What’s your favorite George Michael track?

The post Gay Iconography: Keeping The ‘Faith’ in George Michael appeared first on Towleroad.

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Hey, Kids, Watch Your Favorite YouTube Stars Glam It Up As They Sing About PrEP

Looks like PrEP is going to continue to be a major component of gay culture, judging by a new campaign called “HIV BEATS.” A variety of YouTubers have teamed up to produce some lively videos about avoiding HIV and taking Truvada.

The campaign is the work of various organizations, from #endHIV to Greater Than AIDS to YouTube itself. Gilead, which owns Truvada, paid for production, though they say there was no input into the content of the videos.

And, hey, the videos are actually pretty fun.

There’s “15 Ways You Cannot Get HIV” with Todrick Hall…

Bob the Drag Queen chimes in with a song about taking PrEP…

Davey Wavey’s there, too, naturally, highlighting his commitment to health and the ongoing transition from twink to dad…

Zachary Drucker she has some comments about condoms and pharmaceuticals and whatnot…

And then there’s Catrific, who would like to inform you about antiretrovirals and HIV tests…

It’s all fairly fun and delightful and upbeat–a handy reminder that we can all chip in to put an end to AIDS. The videos do not mention that condoms and PrEP can’t protect you against herpes or pubic lice or e. coli and other STIs, but good luck getting a grant for YouTube celebrities to sing about that.

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Nyle DiMarco, Elephant, Frank Ocean, Hillary Clinton, Richard Simmons, Lady Gaga, Calvin Harris: NEWS

2016 ELECTION. Hillary Clinton wins Virgin Islands caucuses: “Clinton’s win does little to pad her delegate lead over Bernie Sanders, as the state offers only 7 pledged delegates. But the victory is a small boost to her pivot toward taking on presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. Clinton is comfortably ahead of Sanders in the delegate count but is facing negative pushback for not being able to put Sanders away.”

HANGING. Calvin Harris and Frank Ocean: “Calvin was hanging with Frank Ocean at the new Soho House in Malibu … it’s interesting because there’s a buzz Frank is dropping a new album after a 4-year hiatus.  Unclear if Calvin’s producing or otherwise involved.”

SAN DIEGO. Four arrested for Burlington, Vermont beating death of transgender man in homeless shelter. “The four suspects, whom Burlington police identified publicly Thursday afternoon, were wanted on suspicion of second-degree murder in the May 22 assault on Amos Beede, 38, of Milton. Beede died at the hospital about a week after the attack at a homeless camp near the Pine Street Barge Canal.”

HOSPITALIZED. Richard Simmons checked into Cedars-Sinai hospital for “bizarre behavior.” “Sources tell us, Simmons was acting in an unusually strange manner just before midnight when someone at his Hollywood Hills home became sufficiently alarmed to call 911. Paramedics rushed to the home and evaluated Richard, determining he should go to a hospital for evaluation. We’re told Simmons agreed to be taken to the hospital and he was transported to Cedars Sinai. We do not know if Simmons is still hospitalized. “ And released…

NORTH CAROLINA. Pat McCrory continues to dig in his heels on HB 2: “Gov. Pat McCrory said he will continue to fight for a ‘respect for privacy’ in the face of a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit over the state’s controversial ‘bathroom bill.’”

GREECE. European Union court asked to block gay Syrian’s deportation: “Karl Kopp, European affairs director for German-based group Pro Asyl, said the request to the Strasbourg-based court was tabled late on Thursday. ‘This is the first case under the EU-Turkey deal reaching the ECHR,’ he told AFP. Greek state news agency ANA said the 46-year-old man had previously worked in the oil industry and lived between Turkey and Nigeria. In March, he fled to Greece after a visit by the ISIS ’emissaries’ who told him to return to Syria, Kopp said.’”

NAIROBI. The secret life of gay Ugandan refugees. “Kato, 28, says life used to be better in Uganda. “Kampala is the center of fun in East Africa,” he says, speaking of his hometown. ‘We had out places. Places that were gay-friendly.’ He says the owner of one popular club would regularly pay off the police so they wouldn’t raid the place. But in Nairobi, the refugees don’t go clubbing. Instead, they cobbled together enough money to buy a DVD player and a small TV. ‘It’s better than going out to dance and getting arrested,’ Kato says.”

ZIMBABWE. Elephant seeks help at safari lodge after being injured: “Ben, an injured bull elephant – thought to be 30-years-old – gave staffers at the Bumi Hills Safari Lodge in Kariba, Zimbabwe the surprise of their lives when he appeared to ask for help. From the start it was clear to manager Nick Milne that something wasn’t right, as the animal had a significant limp and appeared to be wounded…When the vet arrived Ben was tranquillised and it was then a large wound in his shoulder was discovered, along with two bullet holes in his ear — injuries thought to be from a poacher’s bullet sustained in a separate incident.”

NEW RECORDS. Tony Bennett says he has another record with Lady Gaga coming out in August: “Multiple sources are claiming that Tony Bennett confirmed a follow-up to his 2014 album with Lady Gaga at a show in Idaho last night. He apparently stated that they have a new record which will be released this August to coincide with his 90th birthday – Lady Gaga’s idea, apparently…Of course the chief concern among Little Monsters is how this will impact on LG5 – Lady Gaga’s forthcoming fifth pop record.”

VACAY. Nyle DiMarco is taking a much-deserved break in Cabo.

DEFEATED. YouTube’s famous hydraulic press finally met its match.

SUNDAY WORSHIP. Tiger Muscle.

The post Nyle DiMarco, Elephant, Frank Ocean, Hillary Clinton, Richard Simmons, Lady Gaga, Calvin Harris: NEWS appeared first on Towleroad.

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