Why Every Man Should Dress in Drag at Least Once
I never really had the desire to dress up as a woman. For years I had a hard time understanding why some gay men were so obsessed with drag.
Photo courtesy David Bonner
This Halloween I was in drag for the second year in a row. A friend initially prompted me to do it, and I loved it so much the first time that I decided to do it again.
Something happens when you put on a dress, a wig, and some makeup. Your personality transforms. You just can’t help it.
It was a hoot, but it also served as a teaching moment. I think every man — gay, straight, or in between — could benefit from a day in drag. And here’s why:
More Empathy Toward Women
Growing up in a house with a mother and two sisters, I watched as they applied makeup every day, not thinking much of it. I didn’t realize what was really happening. They were painting on a face every single day. On Halloween I found out just how long a process this is. And don’t get me started on the heels. After just a few hours in low heels, my dogs were barking. I can’t imagine spending an entire day in stilettos. It’s torturous!
Feeling Pretty Feels Good
Some men are used to hearing terms like “handsome,” but being told you are pretty is pretty awesome. I received a lot of compliments among the West Hollywood crowd, but I was touched when half a dozen women throughout the night looked me in the eye and told me I was truly beautiful. How’s that for a self-esteem booster?
Feeling Like a Star
Dozens of people from all walks of life wanted to pose with me for a picture. There were so many flashbulbs it felt like the paparazzi were there. It was as though I were on a red carpet. This was great for the ego and gave me a tiny taste of celebrity.
Photo courtesy David Bonner
Feeling Free
Dressing up in character allows us to switch identities and loosens up the inhibitions. It allows us to say things we might not otherwise utter in our more reserved lives. It allows us to be bold and approach people we might otherwise find intimidating. Though we’re in character, dormant parts of our personalities start to emerge, and I believe that’s a good thing.
Flaws Are Forgiven
When you dress in drag, people like the campiness of it. They admire the boldness it takes to get into character, and I find they forgive your flaws. If you have a little extra fat around the waistline, it doesn’t matter. If your arms are hairy, they expect it. If your makeup isn’t perfect, they embrace the effort it took to slap it on. In a world where we are so critical of others, it’s nice to get a pass. And when men put on dresses for Halloween, they’re given that pass.
I won’t be competing in RuPaul’s Drag Race anytime soon, but I am looking forward to picking out a dress for next year. I’ll be smarter too and wear flats!
Newlywed David Burtka to star in wedding themed Broadway musical directed by David Hyde Pierce
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gregh
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Opponents are working hard to make Colorado a red state, but voting for a pro-equality HRC endorsed candidate will make all the difference.
HRC.org
www.hrc.org/blog/entry/vote-for-a-blue-colorado?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
Taylor Swift Gets Schooled On The Real New York By This Gorgeous Drag Queen
Taylor Swift’s album 1989 may own the sales charts, but the serial dater’s latest single, “Welcome to New York,” has earned the ire of many. Swift’s look at Manhattan through rose-colored glasses as been described as “bullshit” by the Village Voice and called “the worst ode to NYC ever” by Salon. The pop starlet has tried to make amends for the shallow lyrics by donating all proceeds from the sale of the single to New York City’s public schools. Nice gesture. Still, there’s one lady is not having it. Miss Levonia Jenkins does not suffer fools.
Watch Jenkins force Swift to take a walk on the mean streets below.
Jeremy Kinser
Adore Delano's 'Address is Hollywood' – VIDEO
Adore Delano, of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame, has debuted her sixth video, “My Address is Hollywood”, chronicling life in the iconic city known for big dreams and even bigger personalities.
Watch and listen as Delano takes you on a tour of the dirty pretty world that is Hollywood circa 2014, AFTER THE JUMP…
And in case you missed them, watch Delano’s previous videos “I Look F–kin’ Cool”, “Party”, “I Adore U”, and, of course, DTF.
Sean Mandell
www.towleroad.com/2014/11/adore-delanos-address-is-hollywood-video.html
2014 10 06 16 04 LGBT and the Job Search
Michael Sam Gets 'Kinky' With Billy Porter
The first openly gay NFL player took his boyfriend to see Broadway’s Kinky Boots.
Brandon Voss
www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/theater/2014/11/04/michael-sam-gets-kinky-billy-porter
An Open Letter to the Supreme Court of India
Dear Supreme Court of India,
Last week, I came across two front-page headlines — one in the part of the world where I live now and one where I come from. In the first headline, the CEO of the world’s largest company, Tim Cook of Apple, came out as gay. While the act was applauded widely, Apple’s stock barely moved that day. In other words, it was business as usual.
In the second headline, a 32-year-old employee of India’s third-largest IT services organization, Infosys, was arrested in Bangalore, the technology capital of India. The “Bangalore techie”, as newspapers started calling him, was arrested under Section 377, a law that criminalizes sexual activities “against the order of nature.” In other words, a law that makes being gay illegal.
Now, there’s more to this story, of course. This man was arrested because his wife caught him cheating on her with other men, using hidden cameras she had installed. She did this when she became suspicious that her husband might be gay because he would sleep in a different room and avoid any physical contact with her. In a cliché worthy of a mainstream Bollywood drama (which someone will make in 2030 to commercial success, I am sure), this was an arranged marriage. Should he have gotten himself into this marriage and the ensuing mess? Of course not! Should he have cheated on and lied to the unsuspecting (until she wasn’t) wife? No, no, nooo! He wasn’t arrested for either of these lapses, though. He was arrested and charged under the anti-gay law.
Dear Supreme Court, humor me for a few minutes and allow me to walk you through a bit of math here. I am resorting to math mostly because in December 2013, when you upheld Section 377 (after the country’s second highest court had struck it down), you said that a “minuscule fraction” of India’s population constitutes lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals.
I am no demographic expert, but coming of age in a post-Google world, I have done my fair share of Googling and have realized that we do not yet have a consensus on how many gay people there are in any given population. What we do have a consensus on is that sexual orientation trumps national, race and ethnic boundaries. Just like a dislike for middle seats on airplanes and a craving for the newest iPad.
So, you could do what I did — use keyword combinations such as “percentage of gay people in the world” or “demographics of sexual orientation” on Google and you will find estimates that range from 3 percent to about 20 percent, the latter being a figure published in the Smithsonian magazine in 2013 from surveys conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Kinsey, in 1948, pegged the number at around 10 percent, but that was in the prehistoric era.
To be conservative, let’s be ultra-conservative. Let’s go with the lower end of this range. Heck, lets go with the LOWEST end and say that 3 percent of people in India are L, G, B or T. That’s a whopping 36 million people. No, it can’t be, I hear you say. In fact, I am double-checking my math myself now. That’s more than the population of Kerala. It’s almost the population of Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, combined!
Where are these people?
I suspect that the newspaper headline from last week may have somewhat of an answer. Is it possible that most of them are in sham marriages like the “Bangalore techie” with unsuspecting spouses, likely lacking sexual and emotional intimacy? Is it possible that this incident has lifted the curtain a bit to provide a peek into the lives of men and women who are forced to live these double lives?
There is only a “minuscule fraction” of the actual LGBT population that is out of the closet, partly because of Section 377. Wouldn’t you hide something about you that made you a criminal and a social outcast?
I know you can’t do much about the social outcast bit. But you can help with the criminal bit, which may have a ripple effect on the society also. (“Hey, the Supreme Court doesn’t think you are a criminal anymore. Maybe you should have equal rights too? Hmm…”) Wait, isn’t that one of the primary roles of an independent judiciary in a democracy — to make sure that the majority does not “vote away” the rights of the minority?
I think the big question is this: When, in a decade or two from now, people look back at which side of history you stood on, and for how long, will you have a good enough answer?
Dear Supreme Court,
The world is changing.
Don’t take my word on this. Google it.
On your new iPad.
Made by a company run by a gay man.
Who could be arrested if he came to India.
Rosie O'Donnell blasts Fox News for trying to 'incite hate'
The View co-host also accuses conservative network of not always being factually correct
gregh
www.gaystarnews.com/article/rosie-odonnell-blasts-fox-news-trying-incite-hate041114
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