The Complete Roster Of 2015 Grammy Performers
Just about everyone on the planet with musical talent will perform at the Grammys on Sunday. Here’s a rundown those scheduled to appear. This post will be updated as more names are added.

Katy Perry
She’s only one week out from her Super Bowl halftime show, but Perry will take over the Grammys stage to sing “By the Grace of God,” off her nominated album, “Prism.” She’s up for two awards, Best Pop Duo/ Group Performance for “Dark Horse” and Best Pop Vocal Album. Left Shark is not scheduled to appear.

Rihanna, Paul McCartney and Kanye West
They’ll perform “FourFiveSeconds,” their collaborative track due out on Rihanna’s new album sometime this year. Rihanna’s up for Best Rap/ Sung Collaboration for “The Monster” with Eminem. West is also set to “deliver a never-before-seen solo performance” during the show. That will be cool.

Chris Martin and Beck
Coldplay’s front man will team up with Beck to perform something from “Morning Phase,” which is nominated for Album of the Year and Best Rock Album. Beck’s “Blue Moon” is nominated for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song. Coldplay is also up for three categories: Best Pop Duo/ Group Performance for “A Sky Full of Stars,” Best Pop Vocal Album for “Ghost Stories” and Best Music Film for “Ghost Stories.”

Lang Lang
Pianist Lang Lang is set to “add his musicality to one of the year’s most infectious songs.” At last year’s ceremony, he accompanied Metallica to play “One,” so he could join anyone from AC/DC to Ariana Grande.

Herbie Hancock, John Mayer, Questlove and Ed Sheeran
Who knows what this supergroup will perform on Sunday? But Sheeran’s the only nominee of the bunch. “X” is up for Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year, while “I See Fire” is nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media.

Brandy Clark and Dwight Yoakam
Newcomer Brandy Clark has become a country darling this year and her debut album, “12 Stories,” is nominated for Best Country Album. She’s up for Best New Artist as well. By pairing her with veteran star Dwight Yoakam, the Grammys are setting her up for country superstardom.

Mary J. Blige and Sam Smith
The two will perform a duet and are rumored to sing “Stay With Me,” Smith’s smash hit nominated for Record of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and Song of the Year. Smith’s expected to have a breakout night, since he’s also up for Best New Artist, Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for “In The Lonely Hour.” Blige is also up for Best Dance Recording for “F For You” with Disclosure.

Juanes
Everybody loves Juanes, right?! He’s going to perform a new song called “Juntos,” made for the Disney movie “McFarland, USA.” Juanes is also up for Best Latin Pop Album for “Loco De Amor (Crazy About Love).”

Sia
Sia confirmed that she would perform at this year’s Grammys — her first time doing so — during an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Based on her elusive sets on “Saturday Night Live,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and even “Ellen,” she’s expected to be one of the most interesting shows of the night. Sia’s nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video for “Chandelier.”

AC/DC
AC/DC is set to take the stage, but is not expected to perform with drummer, Phil Rudd, who was recently charged with “threatening to kill.” Rolling Stone reports that former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade may play with the group instead.

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
The year’s most unexpected duo will bring their schtick to the Grammys stage and will reportedly sing the title track from their album of duets, “Cheek to Cheek,” which is nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

Eric Church
Country star Eric Church is up for six awards, including Best Country Song and Best Country Album. He’s gonna play some sweet country music.

Common, John Legend and (maybe) Beyoncé
Common and John Legend will sing their Oscar-nominated song “Glory” from “Selma,” and in an interview with Us Weekly, Common spilled the beans that Beyoncé will join them. “A segue into our song ‘Glory,’ as a tribute to ‘Selma,’ being done by the great Beyoncé,” he told the magazine. “That’s one of the greatest talents you can have, helping us segue into it.”

Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande’s second studio album, “My Everything,” is up for Best Pop Vocal Album. She’s slated to perform, but it’s unclear which of her bangers she’ll sing.

Pharrell Williams
He will not sing “Happy” and that’s all that matters.

Hozier and Annie Lennox
First-time nominee Hozier’s smash single “Take Me To Church” is up for Song of the Year, and he’ll take the stage with Grammy veteran Annie Lennox, whose album “Nostalgia” is up for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

Jessie J and Tom Jones
Jessie J’s “Bang Bang,” featuring Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj, was practically forced into your brain this year, and — shocker! — it’s up for a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/ Group Performance. The music industry is still trying to make Jessie J a thing, so she’ll sing with legend Tom Jones. (They performed together back when Jessie J was a coach on “The Voice U.K.”)

Miranda Lambert
Country queen Miranda Lambert is nominated for four awards, including Best Country Song and Best Country Album, and she’ll take the stage to show, once again, that she’s cooler than husband Blake Shelton.

Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani
“The Voice” judges will team up. Should be fun.

Usher
Usher will perform! He probably won’t sing “Climax”! Bummer!

Madonna
This will be her fifth Grammy performance, and there’s no doubt that she’ll promote her new album “Rebel Heart,” due out March 6.

Check out the full list of Grammy nominees.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/06/2015-grammy-performers_n_6616008.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

HRC Mourns Death of Taja DeJesus

Taja Gabrielle DeJesus, a transgender woman living in San Francisco who volunteered at a shelter for transgender people, was brutally murdered on Sunday morning.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/hrc-mourns-death-of-taja-dejesus?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Madonna Kicks Everyone’s Ass In Her New Music Video

OK, we take back every negative thing we’ve ever said about Madonna in recent years.

We’ll admit, we were underwhelmed by her last two albums. Neither felt very inspired or innovative for the woman who was supposed to be the reigning Queen of Pop.

But the music monarch just released her latest music video to the song “Living For Love” and one thing is very, very clear: The queen is back. With a vengeance. And, no, she doesn’t need anyone’s help in reclaiming her throne.

Unlike the lead singles off her last two albums (“Four Minutes” featuring Justin Timberlake, and “Gimme All Your Luvin’” featuring Nicki Minaj and MIA), “Living For Love” features just Madonna doing what she does best: kicking ass and taking names. Literally.

Our Lady M harkens back to her days as a Spanish matador, dressed in a scarlet red bullfighting uniform and beating the shit out of her hot male dancers wearing Maleficent-inspired horns on their heads.

Seriously, there’s nothing we don’t love about this video. The music. The lyrics. The dancing. The costumes. It’s pure pop perfection.

Check out the fierceness below. And get ready, boys, because we have a feeling this is only the beginning of a long-awaited Madonna renaissance.

Related stories:

A Look Back At Madonna’s Greatest Live TV Performances

Something To Remember: The 12 Most Underrated Madonna Songs Of All Time

Happy Birthday, Madonna! 56 Reasons Why We Love The Queen Of Pop In GIFs

Graham Gremore

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News: World's Oldest Cat, Norman Reedus, Nebraska, Jabba the Hutt

Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2015/02/news-4.html

WATCH: Rachel Maddow Gets Punchy Over Owls and Bears

The out MSNBC anchor seemed to be enjoying herself on Thursday night.

read more

Lucas Grindley

www.advocate.com/politics/media/2015/02/06/watch-rachel-maddow-gets-punchy-over-owls-and-bears

The New Gay Flake: He'd Rather Text Than Meet
There’s a new flake in town, and he’s popping up everywhere — bars, parties and social events. But, mostly, he’s on the dating and hookup apps. He’s the cute guy that flirts like crazy, but never quite commits to seeing you in person.

Like most people, I’m running in to this new flake way everywhere I go. He doesn’t just respond to your texts; he actually initiates them (a sure sign from normal guys that they’re into you). He tells you how hot he thinks you are, and sends loads of pics and goes crazy over yours.

But meet? Good luck.

Let’s give this New Gay Flake a nickname: The Typist. Because he’d rather type out vowels and consonants into cyberspace than talk and laugh in real space.

The Typist never, EVER suggests meeting, even after he tells you how much he wants you. It will always be you who makes the suggestion to meet and his replies will fall into three general categories:

1. He’ll ignore your suggestion. He’ll keep texting as if you never asked him to coffee, drinks or dinner. At first, you think maybe your text didn’t go through. You check and, yep, sure enough, there it is — right below his text telling you how he can’t wait to see you. You ask him out again, and again he ignores the question. Is it possible that AT&T renders certain texts in invisible ink? Because he’s sure looking right through them.

2. He’ll come up with a reasonable-sounding excuse. His car is in the shop. He’s in the middle of moving. He’s studying. He’s exhausted. Work’s got his hair on fire. But don’t worry, he’ll tell you. Relax, because he really wants to see you.

3. He’ll go vague. You ask him to hang out. “I’d love to!” he says. But he can’t. Insert sad emoji here. He’ll talk about how much fun it would be to get together but tonight just won’t work. “How about tomorrow?” you type, completely understanding that people have tight schedules. “Well, tomorrow won’t work either, you see, because INSERT EXCUSE HERE.” And when you press him, he reaches for vagueness: “Why don’t we play it by ear?”

You shake your smartphone up and down and left and right because you could have SWORN he just spent the last 30 minutes telling you how hot you are and that he can’t wait to get together.

Oh, well, just call him. Texting lacks context, after all. It’s easy to misinterpret his replies. Ring. Ring. Ring. Voicemail. You leave a message because, hey, he’s probably dying to talk to you, but he can’t just now. INSERT PLAUSIBLE EXCUSE HERE.

Good news: He responds! Bad news: With a text. Hope, and a certain body part, springs eternal, so it doesn’t fully sink in that anybody who answers a voicemail with a text is somebody that doesn’t want to talk to you.

You can’t quite figure out what’s going on because he acts like he’s in love with you. He responds to your texts instantly. He flirts. He compliments. He likes you, he really likes you!

So, why’s he harder to pin down than a food allergy?

Because he’s the Typist. And he’d rather text than meet. While the Typist is at home in any setting — he could be a real guy you’ve physically met at a party — he clearly prefers squatting on the dating and hookup apps. It’s THERE that he does his best work. Because it’s there that the fog of anonymity allows him to text with impunity and flirt without penalty.

It’s now been several weeks since the Typist started texting, and your thwarted ambitions give birth to twins: Rage and helplessness. It’s like talking to Comcast or Time Warner Cable. You threaten to shut the account, but you won’t, because you don’t really have other options.

Finally, you tell the Typist that you’re going to stop texting if you don’t meet. Surprisingly, he agrees. You set the time and place. Your chest puffs up in pride. See? You just need to be more assertive.

But he cancels at the last moment. Insert Excuse Here. Or he doesn’t show up. Insert Excuse Here. You send Apple or Android an email begging for a “Flake Block” feature for your phone.

But they don’t. And a few days later you get a text from the Typist:“Hey, handsome, how’s it going?”

www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-alvear/dawn-of-the-new-gay-flake_b_6563650.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Op-ed: It’s Time for Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore to Go

In an op-ed for The Huffington Post, HRC President Chad Griffin pushed for Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore to go.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/op-ed-its-time-for-alabama-chief-justice-roy-moore-to-go?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Texas School Responds To Gay Teen’s Viral Video, Reveals Systematic Child Abuse

Earlier this week we posted a video from a gay Texas teen in which he shares his emotional story of being asked by his high school principal to go back into the closet or face expulsion.

In the video, 17-year-old Austin Wallis intentionally does not name the school, but it was only a matter of time until someone connected the dots.

The Texas Observer did just that, tracking him to Houston’s Lutheran High North. They reached out to the school for a comment, and Dallas Lusk, head of school at LHN, sent the Observer a statement from Wayne Kramer, executive director of the Lutheran Education Association of Houston. The association covers three schools, including LHN, which has an enrollment of 162.

Here’s what it says:

“Lutheran High North welcomes all students and their families to the LHN community. We profess and proclaim our Christian beliefs with the foundations and authority taught in the Bible, all within the teachings of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. We respectfully require students to adhere to these accepted values and moral beliefs. Sometimes, as in this case, students have to make choices and decide whether their beliefs align with our community and we respect their choices. We also respect student privacy and do not comment on any individual student or their actions.”

So according to the school, being gay would fall under an unaccepted value and/or moral belief. This is the kind of religious garbage that convinces kids that something is wrong with them, and that it’s their fault if they choose not to “denounce” being gay, as if that were a thing people could do.

In the email the Observer received, Lusk also wrote that students are banned from promoting “anything sinful,” and pointed to a “morals clause” in the student handbook.

It reads:

“Lutheran High North reserves the right, within its sole discretion, to refuse admission of an applicant and/or to discontinue enrollment of a current student participating in, promoting, supporting or condoning: pornography, sexual immorality, homosexual activity or bisexual activity; or displaying an inability or resistance to support the qualities and characteristics required of a Biblically based and Christ-like lifestyle.”

Since when was psychologically damaging kids “Christ-like?”

Parents, if your child attends a school with a “morals clause” directly targeting LGBT students, please consider alternative means of education. The world isn’t slowing down for you, so catch up.

Dan Tracer

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Gay Men's Health Crisis to Honor Larry Kramer with Lifetime Achievement Award Bearing His Name

Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2015/02/gay-mens-health-crisis-to-honor-larry-kramer-with-lifetime-achievement-award-bearing-his-name-.html