Daily Archives: February 4, 2015
From 'Intellectual Homosexual' to 'Cootie Catcher'
From 'Intellectual Homosexual' to 'Cootie Catcher'
A new solo show chronicles a young gay man’s struggle to say sex-positive and HIV-negative.
Brandon Voss
www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/theater/2015/02/04/intellectual-homosexual-cootie-catcher
The First 'Magic Mike XXL' Trailer Is Here (You're Welcome)
The First 'Magic Mike XXL' Trailer Is Here (You're Welcome)
You’re welcome. Warner Bros. released the first trailer for “Magic Mike XXL” on Wednesday. Let’s get back to the grind.
Channing Tatum returns for the highly anticipated sequel, which shows Magic Mike building furniture and dancing, his two passions. Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Glover, Amber Heard, Jada Pinkett Smith, Andie MacDowell and Michael Strahan all co-star. Gregory Jacobs directs.
“Magic Mike XXL” finds the remaining Kings of Tampa ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them. On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.
Tatum teased the trailer on Tuesday, when he posted the film’s first poster. “Magic Mike XXL” is due out July 1.
Look, but you can’t touch…until tomorrow. Tune in to @theellenshow! #MagicMikeXXL
A photo posted by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) on Feb 3, 2015 at 12:03pm PST
Is Gay Sex Considered 'Intercourse'? Florida Supreme Court Will Decide
Is Gay Sex Considered 'Intercourse'? Florida Supreme Court Will Decide
The Florida Supreme Court will decide the definition of sexual intercourse as it applies to state law and whether that definition includes homosexual sex acts.
As Reuters reports, the court’s involvement in the matter stems from a case in which a Key West man, Gary Debaun, was charged in 2011 with lying to a man about his HIV status before engaging in sexual activity. Debaun was acquitted of those charges by a county circuit judge because state law defines sexual intercourse as taking place between a man and a woman. Florida law requires HIV positive individuals to inform their partners of their status before engaging in sexual intercourse. The state has argued that the law was meant to apply to both heterosexual and homosexual sex.
“The Florida Legislature and this court have always identified penile-vaginal union as ‘sexual intercourse’ and distinguished it from all other sexual contact,” assistant public defender Brian Lee Ellison, representing Debaun, said in his brief to the high court.
“The plain meaning of the term is therefore clear and unambiguous,” he added, stating that, according to Florida law sexual intercourse “does not refer to homosexual acts or oral sex.”
Assistant Attorney General Joanne Diez wrote in her brief that “the lack of a definition of ‘sexual intercourse’ … did not render the statute ambiguous or unclear.”
After hearing arguments, the seven justices [on the state supreme court] usually take months to issue rulings.
The court has dealt with sexual definitions before, in 1971 striking down an 1868 statute that criminalized “the abominable and detestable crime against nature with either mankind or with beast” in the case of two gay man who faced up to 20 years in jail.
Sean Mandell
www.towleroad.com/2015/02/is-gay-sex-considered-intercourse-florida-supreme-court-will-decide.html
6 Great LGBT Movies Streaming on Netflix! – Geeking OUT
6 Great LGBT Movies Streaming on Netflix! – Geeking OUT
That dastardly Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow the other day, meaning its time to snuggle up on the couch with these 6 great LGBT movies and forget that there are 6 more weeks of winter! Stranger.
Unplugged
Op-ed: Hey, Mary Cheney, Here's Why Drag and Blackface are Different
Op-ed: Hey, Mary Cheney, Here's Why Drag and Blackface are Different
The next time someone asks what the difference is between blackface and drag, here’s what you can tell them.
Matt Baume
LGBT and suicide
LGBT and suicide
In this episode I talk to you guys about a vote in the usa and suicide and self harm.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aErhhIIKzPw&feature=youtube_gdata
PHOTOS: A Wedding Fantasy in Tel Aviv
PHOTOS: A Wedding Fantasy in Tel Aviv
Nir Slakman’s photos show what could be a reality if Israel had marriage equality.
Advocate.com Editors
www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2015/02/04/photos-wedding-fantasy-tel-aviv
Five Things You Don’t Know About The First Man Cured Of HIV
Five Things You Don’t Know About The First Man Cured Of HIV
Timothy Ray Brown is the first and only person in the world to be cured of HIV. There are some fascinating parts to his story you may not know, but first, here’s a little background.
In 2007, Timothy was a gravely ill leukemia patient living in Berlin (after his cure he was famously known as “the Berlin patient” before he came forward in 2011 and identified himself). Timothy was also HIV-positive, but at the time his HIV was the least of his worries.
When Timothy needed a stem cell transplant to treat his leukemia, doctors located a donor who had a rare gene mutation known as CCR5, which makes human cells immune to HIV. And that is the most scientific sentence you will read on Queerty all week.
By sheer good luck, doctors found a stem cell donor for Timothy who had the CCR5 mutation. The result of the stem cell transplant? Timothy’s immune system was replaced with a brand new immune system minus the HIV, and to this day he remains the only person to be cured.
“The HIV is gone and it is gone for good,” Timothy, who today lives in Palm Springs, told Queerty. “And I am also cancer free. Two cures. I am really fortunate and blessed.”
His cure is now part of the scientific record, but there are more interesting tidbits to learn about this courageous gay man who risked it all and found himself making history in the process.
Here are five things about Timothy Ray Brown that you may not know:
1. Timothy still identifies as part of the HIV community.
He may be the only person on earth who can say, “I used to have HIV,” but his heart is still very much connected to those living with the virus. He doesn’t care to engage in the sometimes nasty sexual politics between guys who are HIV-positive and those who are negative.
“Remember, I was HIV-positive twice as long as I have been cured,” Timothy said. “I still consider myself part of the HIV community. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
In fact, this November Timothy is embarking on the HIV Cruise Retreat (“the Poz Cruise”) to sail the Mexican Riviera with hundreds of people living with HIV and their allies. Between days at the beach and excursions in tropical cities, Timothy will share his story during a special presentation and discuss the latest in HIV cure research.
2. Timothy initially didn’t want the leukemia treatment that eventually cured his HIV.
“I said no to the transplant,” Timothy said, “thinking that it would not be necessary were the leukemia to remain in remission (which it was at the time). I did not need to be a guinea pig and risk my life receiving a transplant that might kill me.” When his leukemia returned, Timothy had no choice but to go through with it.
Neither Timothy nor his doctors had any idea that the stem cell transplant using a donor with the CCR5 mutation might lead to an historic breakthrough. It was a shot in the dark that miraculously hit the target.
3. The treatment Timothy received nearly killed him. Twice.
Folks, don’t try this at home. Timothy’s HIV cure happened in extreme and dangerous circumstances. Timothy endured chemotherapy, the stem cell transplant, and got pneumonia and sepsis infections in the process. His recovery from the stem cell transplant was exhausting and life-threatening.
The physician responsible for Timothy’s cure, Dr. Gero Huetter, eventually admitted he had given his patient only a 5 percent chance of survival. “Whatever,” says the good-humored Timothy now. “Math wasn’t my favorite subject anyway.”
4. There is a little bit of Timothy in vials all over the world.
In laboratories around the globe, millions of drops of Timothy’s blood, DNA and tissue samples are being studied.
“I love to give researchers and scientists a hard time about how they know me intimately,” Timothy said. “If only they knew how many pokes, prodding, surgeries and pain I have endured, perhaps they would at least buy me dinner. But it’s all worth it in the spirit of finding a cure for AIDS.”
5. Helping to find a cure that works for everyone has become Timothy’s mission in life.
Imagine winning the lottery and then using your fortune to help other people. That is the mindset that has driven Timothy since he was cured.
In 2013, Timothy co-founded the Cure for AIDS Coalition with Dave Purdy, and has used his notoriety to keep the search for a cure at the forefront of HIV research. “I know in my heart and soul that I will not be the only one cured of AIDS,” Timothy said. “We are committed to helping end this dreaded disease once and for all.”
While being the first person to be cured of HIV assures this gracious gay man a place in history, it is really what Timothy has done since then that makes him a genuine hero.
Mark
