Daily Archives: July 21, 2015
Perez Hilton On the Gawker Scandal: 'Aspire Higher'
Perez Hilton On the Gawker Scandal: 'Aspire Higher'
Once the king of outing celebs, gay blogger Perez Hilton tells The Advocate he agrees that Gawker needed to pull its recent story outing a media executive.
Perez Hilton
www.advocate.com/commentary/2015/07/21/perez-hilton-gawker-scandal-aspire-higher
27 Women On The Vulnerabilities That Don't Define Them
27 Women On The Vulnerabilities That Don't Define Them
“I am not my bulimia.”
“I am not my panic attacks.”
“I am not my sexual assault.”
These are just a few of the deepest, darkest thoughts that people have revealed to photographer Steve Rosenfield in his photo series “What I Be.”
Over the past five years, Rosenfield has asked 2,5000 people to share some of their most “intimate insecurities” with each participant finishing the sentence: “I am not my ___ .” Participants share insecurities that stem from a range of personal issues, qualities and experiences that include mental illness, sexuality, body image, sexual abuse, gender identity and skin color.
“By stating ‘I am not my ___,’ [participants] are claiming that they do in fact struggle with these issues, but it does not define who they are as a person,” Rosenfield wrote on his website. “They are not denying their insecurity, they are owning it.”
The result of people owning their insecurities is undeniably powerful.
Although the project includes people of all genders, the gender that’s most highly represented is women. The women featured share experiences of body image, sexual assault, eating disorders and countless other intimate anxieties.
“I am not my skin.”
Eighty percent of the 2,500 participants are women Rosenfield told The Huffington Post. “I definitely think that women are more accepted in society to share their feelings and vulnerabilities where as for men, we are taught to ‘be tough’ or ‘suck it up,'” he said. “One of the biggest insecurities a man has is sharing his insecurity.”
“What I’m out to accomplish with the project, is to show we are all struggling with something,” he said. “Doesn’t matter if we are male or female, famous or not, we all have insecurities and vulnerabilities.”
Rosenfield created the project in 2010 and has been photographing people of all ethnicities, genders and ages across the U.S. He visits colleges, music festivals, yoga studios and more, looking for people to photograph. As the project has grown, more and more people have reached out to Rosenfield to get involved.
“We all have a story to tell and we all want to share it without being judged,” Rosenfield said. “I want to show as many people as possible that it’s OK to be us and comfortable in our own skin.”
Take a look at 26 women owning their deepest, darkest insecurities, by sharing them.
Head over to Rosenfield’s website to see more of his work.
Also on The Huffington Post:
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Paris’s 18th arrondissement is all effortless elegance and Belle Époque charm
Paris’s 18th arrondissement is all effortless elegance and Belle Époque charm
In 2001, Amélie Poulain, title character of French hit film Amélie, took cinema screens and the world by storm with her quirky life in the Parisian district of Montmartre.
The film painted Montmartre, and the whole city, as a classic picture of the French capital: stunningly beautiful, yet charming and quirky at the same time.
Part of the 18th arrondissement, on the northern border of central Paris, the area didn’t become popular through the film – it only helped disperse tourists to more destinations.
Sitting on the highest point of the city, Sacré-Cœur Basilica can be widely seen; in summer, despite a growing number of pickpockets, tourists and locals alike flock up the stairs – some to bask in the sun while enjoying the view over the sprawling metropolis, others to satisfy their curiosity for the city’s history.
The view from Sacré-Cœur is more than worth the long climb up the stairs.
The Belle Époque has left its mark on the area, not just in the form of cabaret and other entertainment: Haussmann’s restoration of Paris, changing the city as a whole and giving it its distinct look, was still ongoing, and artists and intellectuals moved their lives to Montmartre.
Probably the world’s most famous cabaret: Moulin Rouge, at the heart of the Pigalle quarter.
With its number of tourist attractions, including the red-light district of Pigalle – home to the popular Moulin Rouge and the Place Pigalle, known for its adult shows – the area is always bustling with life.
But stray off the beaten track and discover an arrondissement full of hidden gems – like Clos Montmartre, the small vineyard on Rue Saint-Vincent yielding about 500 liters a year – and Parisian elegance.
An unexpected sight: at the heart of Montmartre rises a small vineyard.
Follow the winding roads further to the east and you’ll encounter the Goutte d’Or and its large North African community; with its name translating as drop of gold, the district’s gem is the popular, and mostly tourist-free, open-air marché Dejean.
Throughout the arrondissement, cozy cafés and boutiques line the street, the multicultural influence always obvious; surprisingly, only a few of them are heavily frquented by tourists.
Living in the 18th arrondissement doesn’t come cheap – a studio flat clocks in at a minimum of €215,000 (£150,247, $233,799), with three bedroom apartments easily breaking the €455,000 (£317,964, $ 494,785) mark; building and development are also heavily restricted.
No matter where you are, the Metro station is never more than 500 meters away.
Transport links are, as per usual in Paris, more than just good: true to the thought behind it, no point is further than 500 meters away from a metro station, with Anvers, Pigalle, Blanche, Abbesses, Lamarck-Caulaincourt and Jules Joffrin offering links to the whole of Paris.
An electric bus, the Montmatrobus, runs every 10 – 12 minutes from Place Pigalle to the Place Jules Jofferin and the arrondissement’s City Hall, via Place du Tertre and even going up to Sacré-Cœur.
The post Paris’s 18th arrondissement is all effortless elegance and Belle Époque charm appeared first on Gay Star News.
Stefanie Gerdes
Ian McKellen Asked A Straight Friend To Draw A Diagram To Help Him Play A Love Scene With A Woman
Ian McKellen Asked A Straight Friend To Draw A Diagram To Help Him Play A Love Scene With A Woman
I thought I wouldn’t be very good at it because I hadn’t had any experience of it. Yes, I was — it was a bother to me. I also used to say to myself — not often, but I did — I can’t let people know I’m gay, otherwise they won’t be able to accept me as being straight in the play or the movie. Well, it’s not true. It doesn’t worry – I don’t care about any actor’s private life. I don’t — their sexuality is of interest, but the point is, is the character they’re playing convincing? Do I believe them? So I think it was just an excuse. And I didn’t want to cut myself off from the possibility of playing Macbeth or King Lear or many of the — Uncle Vanya — parts that are resolutely straight. And that would be, for me, cutting off my nose to spite my face.
However, the first job I took as an actor after having come out was to play as resolute a heterosexual as I could find. And that was a disgraced British politician called John Profumo, who, in the movie Scandal, his story is told about how he lied to Parliament about having had an affair with a prostitute, which he inadvertently shared with a Russian spy. So that wouldn’t do for a cabinet minister.
All right, I played this part on film. And my first job was to appear to be having sex with Joanne Whalley-Kilmer in the marital bed. Well, this would’ve been a joyful scene for any straight actor to play. She’s extremely beautiful and a lovely person, and I didn’t know what to do with her. So I went to a friend, Edward Petherbridge, the actor, who knows about these things. And I said, Edward, I’ve got to do this love scene. Can you explain to me — can you draw me a little diagram? So he did. He gave me some stick figures…Showed me what was possible. So I’m now an expert on the missionary position, and everything went well.”
— Sir Ian McKellen speaking with NPR about concerns he had playing straight love scenes when he was still a closeted actor
Jeremy Kinser
WATCH: Neil deGrasse Tyson Covers 16 Billion Years Of Universal Evolution In 8 Minutes
WATCH: Neil deGrasse Tyson Covers 16 Billion Years Of Universal Evolution In 8 Minutes
American astrophysicist and cosmologist Neil deGrasse Tyson wrote and narrated a YouTube piece for Minute Physics called A Brief History of Everything, with the scientist explaining and condensing the epic 16 billion year history of the universe into a succinct eight minute video.
While the basic concept of the Big Bang is commonly known, Tyson delves further into detail regarding the composition of our universe and the forces that made it along with interesting tidbits on how our universe could’ve resulted in a universe filled only with light without the forces of gravity and elemental properties forming what we know today.
Watch Tyson condense 16 billion years into just eight minutes, below:
The post WATCH: Neil deGrasse Tyson Covers 16 Billion Years Of Universal Evolution In 8 Minutes appeared first on Towleroad.
Anthony Costello
WATCH: Neil deGrasse Tyson Covers 16 Billion Years Of Universal Evolution In 8 Minutes
Open Trans Military Service — the Final Barrier to Full Inclusion Falls
Open Trans Military Service — the Final Barrier to Full Inclusion Falls
The next time a trans person is rejected for employment, she needs to quote Sue Fulton, the first openly lesbian chair of the U.S. Military Academy Board of Visitors:
We have trans Marines defending our country. What’s your excuse?
Last Monday, July 13, the Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter, announced that the Pentagon’s regulations banning open trans military service are outdated, and ordered a six month review which will end with the inclusion of trans servicemembers alongside their gay, lesbian and bisexual compatriots. The six month review gives the Pentagon time to handle the medical, administrative and legal issues that will revise the regulations to apply fairly to trans persons. When the review is complete, the last impediment to a group of Americans willing to enlist or be commissioned in the armed forces will be gone, and the current 15,500 servicemembers serving in the closet will be able to come out.
As the Secretary said:
We have transgender soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines — real, patriotic Americans — who I know are being hurt by an outdated, confusing, inconsistent approach that’s contrary to our value of service and individual merit. The Defense Department’s current regulations regarding transgender service members are outdated and are causing uncertainty that distracts commanders from our core missions.
Brynn Tannehill, Advocacy Director of SPARTA (Service Members, Partners, Allies, for Respect and Tolerance for All), said:
This is an important step towards transgender service members being treated equally with other members of the armed forces. It brings the DoD closer to where the rest of the federal government is on the issue. I’m looking forward to finishing my career in the reserves, and doing so with dignity and honor.
The review group announced by the Secretary will be led by Brad Carson, the acting undersecretary for personnel and readiness, and friend of the trans military community. Six months may seem like a long time, but the new regulations need to deal with implementing name and gender changes, as well as dealing with all the medical considerations related to transition and post-transition medical issues. As The New York Times noted in its editorial praising the decision,
None of this should be hard to carry out. Several of America’s closest allies have seamlessly integrated openly transgender troops in their militaries. Any doubts about their ability to serve should have been put to rest by the exemplary records of those who have begun transitioning publicly in recent months. Their powerful stories commanded the attention of senior leaders at the Pentagon.
So how did this come about, four years after gay men and lesbians began serving openly following the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell? Some people had no idea that trans persons weren’t included in the repeal, and other trans persons were infuriated that they weren’t. Some trans persons wanted nothing to do with trans servicemembers, such as Dean Spade of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project. Others were more concerned with the bread and butter issues that affect their civilian lives.
Looking back, I need to remind people that many trans persons stood with our gay brothers and sisters to obtain open service for them when we knew we could not yet be included. There were many, including Allyson Robinson and Brynn Tannehill, but the person I recall making the biggest impact was Autumn Sandeen, who joined five gay servicemembers in chaining themselves to the White House gates during the GetEqual protest in 2010, and who has continued her advocacy to this day.
Those efforts led to the development of friendships and powerful relationships, and laid the groundwork for the trans effort three years later. But the issue which was fundamental to open trans military service was the declassification of being trans as a mental illness. The image of Corporal Klinger hovered over the Pentagon, until that fundamental change occurred in the DSM 5 revision of December 2012. That effort was thanks to the decade-long leadership of Kelley Winters and others. No longer could anyone outside the Pentagon, nor anyone within, make a serious argument that the 15,500 trans persons serving in the military were mentally ill and, therefore, unqualified.
That number – 15,500 – was derived from research led by the Palm Center, led by Aaron Belkin, in association with the Williams Institute. The Palm Center, with the support of a major donation contributed by Colonel Jennifer Pritzker after her transition, published a nonpartisan report, the “Report of the Planning Commission on Transgender Military Service,” to help the United States join its 18 allied nations in providing full inclusion. The report was led by two co-chairs: Major General Gale S. Pollock, former Acting Army Surgeon General, and Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, a long-time trans legal advocate. Other committee members included trans advocates Paula Neira, a former Navy Lieutenant. and Kylar Broadus, of the National LGBTQ Task Force.
This blueprint served as a guide for the Pentagon, and the team led by SPARTA pushed forward. I feel it’s important to emphasize that this effort was primarily a trans effort, comprised of a small group of dedicated military and former military professionals who ran this like a military campaign, with the assistance of staunch cis allies, both gay and straight. Foremost among them was Sue Fulton, board chair of SPARTA, the first lesbian chair of the U.S. Military Academy Board of Visitors, and founding board member of both Outserve and KnightsOut. One couldn’t ask for a better friend and ally than Sue Fulton, and her leadership was indispensable.
The team working inside the Pentagon was led by Allyson Robinson, SPARTA’s Director of Policy, who, as the nation’s first trans executive director of a national LGBT organization, had served as Executive Director of Outserve-SLDN. She was joined by Brynn Tannehill as Director of Advocacy, legal experts Paula Neira and Bridget Wilson, and media expert Fiona Dawson who produced the remarkable transmilitary video documentary project, Transgender, At War and In Love, with servicemembers Logan Ireland and Laila Villanueva and which eventually appeared in The New York Times. Landon Wilson was profiled on CBS News after being discharged from the Navy for being trans. Army Captain Jacob Eleazer and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld of the AMA Board of Trustees worked the medical angles post-DSM revision. Mara Keisling of the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), along with Houston’s Lou Weaver, provided logistical support in bringing trans military personnel together, no small thing since the NCTE’s membership was traditionally opposed to supporting the military. Even HRC contributed, by working the Congressional Armed Services Committees to prevent any meddling from the Republican-controlled body across the Potomac.
I don’t want to leave out the many within the Pentagon, including the JAG Corps, who assisted this effort, but prefer to remain anonymous.
The lessons for me in this successful effort are that trans persons are quite capable of taking care of themselves, and when given the right tools, sufficient financial support and a network of supportive allies, are capable of mounting a mission to bring about real equality. A more general lesson is that there are times, as was evident with the slew of marriage lawsuits brought all over the country, when targeted, determined efforts run by small teams are more productive than dependence on the older model of large, well-funded, general service advocacy organizations. Being relatively independent of membership or donor money allows a freedom of action which is oftentimes necessary to get the job done.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
ISIS are giving children ‘dolls’ to behead at training camps
ISIS are giving children ‘dolls’ to behead at training camps
ISIS are giving children ‘dolls’ to behead at training camps, according to reports.
A 14-year-old boy, renamed Yahya by his captors, has come forward after fleeing to speak about the practices carried out by Islamic extremists in northern Iraq.
Abducted by the extremists and forced into radicalism, he says he was shown videos of beheadings and told what types of ‘infidels’ they would have to kill.
These include anyone they consider ‘dirty’, such as Westerners, members of religious minorities, members of Syrian and Iraqi government and its military, as well as LGBTI people. They have called gay people the ‘worst of creatures’.
Yahya said, like more than 120 boys in his camp, they were each given a doll and a sword and told to cut of its head.
‘Then they taught me how to hold the sword, and they told me how to hit. They told me it was the head of the infidels,’ the boy told AP after escaping the training camp.
The training camps are a part of ISIS’ plan to build a new generation of extremist killers, recruiting teens and children using toys, threats and brainwashing.
Yahya has said his little brother, their mother and hundreds of Yazidis were captured when ISIS seized the Iraqi town of Sulagh. Captured, he was taken to a Farouq training camp for boys aged 8 to 15 and given Arabic names to replace their Kurdish ones.
He then spent nearly five months there, training eight to 10 hours a day, including exercises, weapon drills and Quranic studies. If they failed to carry it out, they would be beaten or killed.
Thankfully, Yahya and his family were able to flee to the Iraqi city of Dohuk, where Kurdish people are still free from the control of ISIS.
Last week, an ISIS video showed a boy beheading a Syrian soldier. And last month, a video showed 25 children shooting 25 Syrian soldiers in the head.
The post ISIS are giving children ‘dolls’ to behead at training camps appeared first on Gay Star News.
Joe Morgan
www.gaystarnews.com/article/isis-are-giving-children-dolls-to-behead-at-training-camps/
Following Heated Discussion, Right-Wing Reporter Ben Shapiro Has Filed A Lawsuit Against Transgender Reporter Zoey Tur
Following Heated Discussion, Right-Wing Reporter Ben Shapiro Has Filed A Lawsuit Against Transgender Reporter Zoey Tur
Snippy Breitbart Editor-at-Large Ben Shapiro has filed assault charges against Zoey Tur, the transgender reporter he deliberately provoked by asking, “What are your genetics, sir?”
Tur responded by cooly placing her hand on the back of Shapiro’s neck, icily advising, “You cut that out right now, or you’ll go home in an ambulance.”
Related: Breitbart Says The “Gay Rainbow Flag” Was Responsible For The Chattanooga Terror Attack
“That seems mildly inappropriate for a political discussion,” Shapiro sniffed, clearly rattled.
“You just called me sir.”
“It’s not rude to call someone who is biologically a male is a male.”
“You’re consumed with hatred,” Tur later tells Shapiro. ” You’re a little man. It’s okay… He can be what he wants. Little boy.”
“I come from a basic biological reality,” Shapiro argues. “It’s not a moral thing. If someone wants to mutilate their body, that’s their choice. Cutting off your testicles is mutilation.”
The altercation took place during a panel discussion about Caitlyn Jenner’s recent Arthur Ashe Courage Award on Dr. Drew on Call. In his police report — which Shapiro filed with the Los Angeles Police Department on Sunday morning — he claims Tur continued threatening him after their appearance, a claim which she’s denied. Although, there was this :
We second that.
The whole segment is worth taking a look at, although we should warn you that Shapiro is hyperdelically annoying. You run the risk of ramming your head through the computer screen.
h/t: Gay Star News
Derek de Koff
Homophobic Professor Protests Rainbow Flag On Facebook: ‘It’s The Queers They Should Be Hanging’ – WATCH
Homophobic Professor Protests Rainbow Flag On Facebook: ‘It’s The Queers They Should Be Hanging’ – WATCH
A professor at St. Lawrence College in Ontario, Canada, has come under fire for a virulent anti-gay post on Facebook.
Rick Coupland posted a story about the city of St. Petersburg, Florida raising a rainbow flag for its Pride festival, adding a comment that read, “It’s the queers they should be hanging, not the flag…”
A former student screenshot the post and reported the professor to school authorities, as The Huffington Post reports. Coupland then posted a follow up saying, “I have to go off Facebook for awhile. I’ve been called into work and told to bring a representative re: my comments on FB. Please pray for me and my job…”
Kelly Wiley, SLC’s director of marketing and communications, confirmed that the school is investigating but would not comment on the specific complaint, the Whig-Standard reported.
“We have several policies that apply to the conduct of our employees,” she told the newspaper.
“This includes the fact that we adhere to the Ontario Human Rights Code, we also have harassment policies, a policy around outside activities of college employees, and our collective agreement.”
Coupland was expected to meet with the college on Monday and Tuesday. He said it was “too early” to comment when reached by Metro on Thursday.
Watch a news report on the incident below:
[Image via Twitter]
The post Homophobic Professor Protests Rainbow Flag On Facebook: ‘It’s The Queers They Should Be Hanging’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
Sean Mandell
