Gay Blogs
LGBT people in Myanmar and their allies held a series of events across the country last night to for the first time celebrate gay pride, including a concert and discussion attended by about 400 people in Yangon (also called Rangoon).
Though Myanmar, also called Burma, has become more liberal since the military regime's fall, same-sex relationships are still a crime, the BBC reports, which means most LGBT people weren't comfortable holding a full-blown gay pride parade.
Burma is a conservative, mainly Buddhist country where many gay men and women feel they cannot come out.
As such organisers decided against hosting a street parade, which is a traditional feature of gay pride events around the world.
Instead, around 400 people attended an evening of music and talks held in the ballroom of a hotel in Rangoon.
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"In the past we didn't dare do this. We've been preparing to hold this event for a long time… and today, finally it happened," gay make-up artist Min-Min told the AFP news agency.
The event was timed to coincide with today's International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
Former rugby player Ben Cohen stepped up work with his StandUp Foundation dedicated to stopping bullying the world over.
At an event this week, Cohen discussed how proud he is of his work with international partners Microsoft and Nike, as well as Wicked the Musical, to ending the abusive pandemic.
"Over the past 12 months, it's been amazing; it's been amazing journey," he said. Cohen also recently posted a picture of him and Prince Harry, who clearly supports Cohen's work.
Watch the news report, AFTER THE JUMP...
As part of the television industry's upfront presentations to advertisers, CW today unveiled footage from its forthcoming show, Arrow, about the DC Comics hero the Green Arrow.
Even if you aren't a fan of comics or even plan on watching the show, the video gives us a much-needed look at former Hung actor Stephen Amell's lustworthy body. Also, fun fact: Amell was on the first season of gay gothic soap Dante's Cove.
Give it a view, AFTER THE JUMP…
Are we living the dream or the nightmare?
Performer and cabaret artist Alp Haydar asks if there's an epidemic of hate in our society. To celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia/Biphobia and Transphobia Polari Magazine is publishing a series of stories from its writers about homophobic, transphobic and biphobic incidents.
"In a city that Boris Johnson claims prides itself on it’s open-mindedness, anti-gay hate incidents have risen by 28 percent in the last four years and continue to do so."
Have you coped with the fact that the Battleship movie is real? I'm beginning that difficult work by looking at the bright side: Hopefully this will draw moviegoers' attention to finer board game...
It's there in that look of recognition.
Clayton Littlewood writes about the moment that his secret came out at school. To celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia/Biphobia and Transphobia Polari Magazine is publishing a series of stories from its writers about homophobic, transphobic and biphobic incidents.
"The genie was out the bottle and within minutes it was flying round the school. Literally. Everyone running in different directions, spreading the word. And by lunchtime the whole school knew. Dinner ladies too."
The movie star is ready to sizzle in the summer's hotly anticipated male stripper movie, 'Magic Mike.' But don't forget his funny side.
With the broadcast networks done shoring up their fall schedule, let’s take a look at what genre fans (and the gays) have to look forward to:
While the global conspiracy themed series have fared poorly over the last few years, it’s not stopped the networks from trying them again and again. The problem for most of them is the ability to maintain the quality of the pilot. Expensive series like this sometimes suffer when the week-to-week production kicks in as well as the cost cutting. Still, NBC will give it try again, and hope everyone does not remember THE EVENT from 2010.
From the fertile imaginations of J.J. Abrams comes REVOLUTION. Our entire way of life depends on electricity. So what would happen if it just stopped working? Well, one day, like a switch turned off, the world is suddenly thrust back into the dark ages. Planes fall from the sky, hospitals shut down, and communication is impossible. And without any modern technology, who can tell us why? Now, 15 years later, life is back to what it once was long before the industrial revolution: families living in quiet cul-de-sacs, and when the sun goes down lanterns and candles are lit. Life is slower and sweeter. Or is it? On the fringes of small farming communities, danger lurks. And a young woman’s life is dramatically changed when a local militia arrives and kills her father, who mysteriously – and unbeknownst to her – had something to do with the blackout. This brutal encounter sets her and two unlikely companions off on a daring coming-of-age journey to find answers about the past in the hopes of reclaiming the future. The pilot was helmed by Iron Man director Jon Favreau and stars Billy Burke (“The Twilight Saga”), Tracy Spiridakos (“Being Human”), Anna Lise Phillips (“Terra Nova”), Zak Orth (“Romeo + Juliet“), Graham Rogers (“Memphis Beat”), J.D. Pardo (“A Cinderella Story”), Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”), David Lyons (“The Cape”), Maria Howell (“The Blind Side”), Tim Guinee (“Iron Man”) and Andrea Roth (“Rescue Me”). It gets the coveted Monday 10pm slot, but as a serialized show, it will need to retain its pilot audience if NBC hopes of making a dent in CBS’ HAWAII FIVE-O ratings.
DO NO HARM is NBC’s next attempt at creating a DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE like series, coming on the heels of Christian Slater’s failed 2008 attempt, MY OWN WORST ENEMY. Dr. Jason Cole (Steven Pasquale, “Rescue Me”) is a highly respected neurosurgeon who has it all – a lucrative career, confident charm, the gift of compassion. But he also has a deep, dark secret. One morning when he wakes up disoriented in a wrecked hotel room amidst several near-naked women he’s never seen before, he knows one thing: it’s happening again. Every night at the same hour, something inside Jason changes, leaving him almost unrecognizable – seductive, devious, borderline sociopathic. This new man is his dangerous alternate personality who goes by the name of ‘Ian Price.’ For years he’s battled Ian, keeping him in check with a powerful experimental sedative. But now his – their – body has developed a resistance to the serum, setting Ian free once again. And to make matters worse, after being suppressed for so long, Ian’s hell-bent on taking revenge on his oppressor. The series is given the 10pm Sunday slot, but it have to deal with ABC, which will be offering some genre shows of its own.
Waiting in the wings are two shows from Bryan Fuller (WONDERFALLS, DEAD LIKE ME, PUSHING DAISIES). HANNIBAL is a 13 episode series is based on the multi-volume novels by Thomas Harris and will focus on the budding relationship between FBI criminal profiler Will Graham and his mentor Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a forensic psychiatrist destined to become Graham’s most cunning enemy. Also from Fuller and director Bryan Singer is MOCKINGBIRD LANE, a reboot of THE MUNSTERS, which is designed to explore the origins of the Munster family. Stylishly, the series will be darker and edgier, while still retaining plenty of humor, much like Fuller’s PUSHING DAISIES. This series, however, may be held until summer 2013.
GRIMM returns for season two, and will retain its Friday slot where it did fairly well.
In an attempt, maybe, to emulate ABC’s successful MODERN FAMILY, The Peacock Network will also air THE NEW NORMAL, a single-camera sitcom from AMERICAN HORROR STORY creator Ryan Murphy. The series stars Andrew Rannells, (“Girls,” “The Book of Mormon”) and Justin Bartha,(“The Hangover”) as a Beverly Hills gay “power couple” who have it all, except a child. Then they encounter Midwestern waitress and single mother (Georgia King, “One Day”), who was looking to escape her dead-end life and small-minded grandmother, so she decides to change everything and move to L.A. with her precocious 8-year-old daughter. Desperate and broke, she agrees to become the guys’ surrogate and quite possibly the girl of their dreams. Ellen Barkin plays her grandmother.
For the first time in my memory, FOX will offer up no new genre series. FRINGE will return to Friday for its 13-episode 5th and final season, followed by the second season of TOUCH. After being burned on two expensive, high-profile science fiction themed series, ALCATRAZ and TERRA NOVA, that went nowhere –both creatively and ratings wise- they’re being cautious now. GLEE, the networks only show with gay, main characters, returns for a fourth season, but will be moved to the very competitive Thursday 9pm slot. It’s a bold move that will either work, or finally kill the series, which has never been able to achieve the popularity (or creativity) it did in season one. But considering its lead-in the fall will be the X FACTOR results show, it could see resurgence in ratings that they lost this past season.
Hungry for queer drama? Well, if you happen down to New York‘s West Village this summer, definitely check out the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity at Culture Project running May 30-June 24. The festival offers more than 30 productions, including several productions with strong LGBT issues, and benefits a number of worthy causes to boot.
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Chasing the Homophobic Down.
Paul Baker writes about not letting homophobic abuse go unchallenged. To celebrate IDAHO 2012 Polari Magazine is publishing a series of stories from its writers about homophobic, transphobic and biphobic incidents.
"Acting on instinct, I chased him down the street and gave him a mouthful, right outside Waterstones. Nice old ladies stopped and watched in shock."
Bruce Weber shoots Diego Boneta for Vman (Summer 2012) and doesn't skimp on the shirtlessness. One more after the jump...
People en Espanol (Junio 2012) serves up its "Mas Bellos", and I serve up a subset of that list—the hottest menz on the list...
Out artist Ricky Martin is featured inside (pictured) and takes the cover, which also features a gaggle of beautiful women...
Keep reading for more...
Carlos Ponce
Eugenio Siller
I'm absolutely gutted reading of Donna Summer's surprise passing at the way-too-young age of 63. The undisputed Queen of Disco actually sang mainstream pop, gospel and plenty of rock, too. Her voice was amazing, and her hits are indelible—"Love to Love You Baby", "Last Dance", "MacArthur Park", "Heaven Knows", "Hot Stuff", "Bad Girls", "Dim All the Lights", "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)", "On the Radio", "Love is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)", "She Works Hard for the Money", "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt"...the list goes on.
I remember watching Thank God It's Friday as a kid and being mesmerized by this secret world I would never grow up quickly enough to enter (the golden age of disco was so brief!), became addicted to "I Feel Love" thanks to Bronski Beat's cover and then was fully behind her "This Time" comeback when I was in college.
Her reputation was severely tarnished by the popular belief that she had proselytized to gay fans that God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve at the height of AIDS hysteria, but Summer always denied the worst of the remarks, saying she felt she'd been imprisoned by them for 20 years, issuing an apology and sending a letter to ACT-UP to assert that she didn't smugly think AIDS was God's revenge.
(Were any of you ever at an '80s Donna concert and heard her say this stuff? It's shocking that no bootlegged audio has ever surfaced. I've never even read any eye-/earwitness accounts outside of reports that it happened.)
I just had a 40-minute conversation about her greatness as a musican and how underrated she is (was)—she was nominated for inclusion in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame multiple times, never making the cut. Disco was apparently a horsepill for the rock powers that be to swallow.
I understand from a fan of hers that she was working on a family project, a song with a nephew about her late sister.
Much more than some other recent musical deaths (Michael Jackson excluded, that was earth-shaking), this one feels like the end of an era to me, an era I really did not want to end.
Donna Summer was only 10 years older than Madonna, my own favorite, younger than Debbie Harry, and very likely close in age to some of your own favorite icons...cherish your idols while you have them, be happy if they're productive and if they're happy, because nothing lasts forever.
Donna's #1 dance hit from 2010, "To Paris With Love":