WATCH: Richard Blanco Urges U.S. and Cuba to 'Heal Together' at Embassy Reopening
The gay inaugural poet, who is Cuban-American, read a moving poem at the historic occasion in Havana.
Daniel Reynolds
Daily Archives: August 17, 2015
14 Beautiful Photos Celebrating Puerto Rico First-Ever Mass Gay Wedding
14 Beautiful Photos Celebrating Puerto Rico First-Ever Mass Gay Wedding
Love was certainly in the air in Puerto Rico Sunday.
More than 60 same-sex couples gathered in Puerto Rico’s capital yesterday to exchange vows at the commonwealth’s first-ever mass gay wedding, reports the Associated Press. Though many of the newlyweds are Puerto Rican, others from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Venezuela participated in what is being hailed by many as a “historic event.”
Given that Puerto Rico is subject to U.S. federal law, same-sex marriages were prohibited until recently. However, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision requiring every state to recognize same-sex marriages in June, Puerto Rico’s governor signed an executive order allowing same-sex marriages and the recognition of such unions on the island. Officials also now allow same-sex couples to adopt children together.
Though there was some opposition to the festivities — Roman Catholic bishop of Arecibo, Monsignor Daniel Fernandez Torres, criticized the ceremony, saying same-sex marriages are “contrary to natural law” — the event received a great deal of support, both locally and worldwide. Ricky Martin, who was in Australia at the time, joined the festivities in spirit, tweeting,“’This day is not only special. This day is huge.’ Love for everyone in Puerto Rico. “
The couples were married before leaders of different religious denominations at the Paseo La Princesa in Old San Juan, where friends, family and LGBT activists and supporters cheered them on. One such group was LGBT Puerto Rico, a community dedicated to protecting equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and transsexual people on the island and beyond. The organization captured and shared some of the sweetest moments from the event on Instagram. Take a look at some of their photos below:
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REVIEW: Handel’s Saul – directed by Barry Kosky
REVIEW: Handel’s Saul – directed by Barry Kosky
Attending a performance as part of the Glyndebourne Festival is more than just a night out at the opera. It is an event.
Glyndebourne is recognized internationally as one of the great opera houses of the world – the festival was founded by John Christie in 1934 and each year presents a program of six operas in its modern 1,200-seat opera house.
Named after the house and gardens in East Sussex in which the opera house has been built, the easiest way to get to a Glyndebourne performance is by train from London to the small village of Lewes. The festival then provides coaches to transport everyone to the estate.
You can tell the experienced Glyndebournians – arriving well before the performance starts, they come equipped with a picnic and make a beeline to secure the prime picnic positions. There are several restaurants on site also, so even if you aren’t quite organized enough to throw together a picnic you won’t starve.
This was my first experience of Glyndebourne in all its glory – I was excited to be seeing a production of Handel’s Saul, directed by Australian opera specialist Barry Kosky.
Kosky is renowned for his theatrical and over-the-top productions and he brings all of that flair to the dramatic masterpiece of Saul.
Handel composed this work in 1738 and it was first performed in London in 1739. It presents an interpretation of the biblical stories of the King of Israel, his son Jonathan, and David – the giant-killer.
Kosky’s production is visually stunning – a striking use of colour (and absence of it) against a black background, an eerie dreamscape transporting the action to a vaguely Elizabethan period. The sloping stage presents some challenges for the performers, but brings the action close to the audience. There’s also an irreverent humor throughout the production which is impossible to resist.
The story of Jonathan and David is often pointed to as one of the most homoerotic relationships within the biblical stories. Kosky embraces and celebrates this deep connection between the two men.
The cast is strong – Christopher Purves is commanding as Saul the mad king; Lucy Crowe is engaging as the wilful daughter Merab; Sophie Bevan brings out the girlish enthusiasm of Michal; and Benjamin Hulett as the High Priest delivers a jester-like insanity to proceedings. I would have liked a bit more from Paul Appleby as Jonathan – excellent singing but not quite with the same level of character commitment as the rest of the cast. However it’s Iestyn Davies as David who commands attention – the English-born countertenor has extraordinary range and a rich, warm tone that is beautifully haunting to listen to.
There are some incredible moments in this production, one of the obvious stand-outs is the dead march – the funeral of Saul and his son Jonathan – it packs an emotional punch that is breathtaking.
The Glyndebourne Festival is a unique way to experience opera. Kosky’s interpretation of Saul is an opera that sets the standard for how good opera can be.
Saul is being performed as part of the Glyndebourne Festival until 29 August 2015.
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Gareth Johnson
www.gaystarnews.com/article/review-handels-saul-directed-by-barry-kosky/
New Campaign Aims to Stop Bullying on Day One
Will You Accept Dolce & Gabbana’s Late Apology For Denouncing Gay Adoption?
Will You Accept Dolce & Gabbana’s Late Apology For Denouncing Gay Adoption?
“I’ve done some soul-searching. I’ve talked to Stefano a lot about this. I’ve realized that my words were inappropriate, and I apologize. They are just kids. You don’t need labels, baby labels.
I think everybody chooses for themselves. I don’t know everything about IVF, but I love it when people are happy. It’s like medicine. Science has been put on the table to help people.”
— Domenico Dolce doing some major backpedaling five months after ruffling feathers by saying they “oppose” gay adoptions, IVF
Apology accepted?
Dan Tracer
RuPaul Runner Up Courtney Act Wants Your ‘Body Parts’ In Sexy New Music Video: WATCH
RuPaul Runner Up Courtney Act Wants Your ‘Body Parts’ In Sexy New Music Video: WATCH
RuPaul’s Drag Race season six runner up Courtney Act is out with a sinfully delicious new single that sounds like the love child of Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” and Kylie Minogue’s “Sexercise.”
“Body Parts” is the latest single from Act’s first EP Kaleidoscope, which was released back in July.
Act, who is no stranger to catchy-as-hell tracks (remember last year’s “Mean Gays”?), had this to say about her new song:
“I wrote with Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters) and Sam Sparro about gender and sex. It’s about having relations with straight-identifying men when your body parts don’t match those of a biological female…The video is really sexy and made me want to touch myself when I watched it. I’ve worked with The Squared Division many times over the years. I was so excited and honored to create this video with them. Its so slick and sexy.”
Slick and sexy indeed.
[h/t Paper]
The post RuPaul Runner Up Courtney Act Wants Your ‘Body Parts’ In Sexy New Music Video: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
Kyler Geoffroy
RuPaul Runner Up Courtney Act Wants Your ‘Body Parts’ In Sexy New Music Video: WATCH
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H&M-Owned Label Uses Transgender Models In Newest Fall Ad Campaign
H&M-Owned Label Uses Transgender Models In Newest Fall Ad Campaign
The newest advertisement from H&M-owned & Other Stories proves trans people are beautiful, too.
Raffy Ermac
A Legendary Drag Festival Just Sailed Around Manhattan — And It Was Everything
A Legendary Drag Festival Just Sailed Around Manhattan — And It Was Everything
In the narrative of drag history and queer performance, the legacy of Wigstock is major.
The legendary once annual New York City festival started as a new practice in exploring queer community culture and performance and ultimately grew into a force that gained international accolade and resulted a feature length-film.
Wigstock, organized by drag icon Lady Bunny and Scott Lifshutz, ran for over 20 years in the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s, attracting over 30,000 drag enthusiasts at its height.
When Bunny and Lifshutz announced the end of the festival in the early 2000s, many of us assumed that we would never have the chance to see most of these beloved performers together again. That all changed when the pair announced the “Wigstock Tea Sea Cruise” earlier this year — essentially recreating the spirit of Wigstock on a boat as it sailed around Manhattan’s harbor.
The Aug. 16 event brought out performers and drag entuasiasts from all along the queer spectrum and across generational lines, with those in attendance including Michael Musto, Linda Simpson, Sister Dimension, House of Bushwig, Flotilla Debarge, Sugar Pie Coco, Cazwell and Sweetie — just to name a few.
Check out some photos from the event below courtesy of Santiago Felipe.
We can’t wait for the next one, Bunny!
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Amelie Mauresmo, coach of tennis star Andy Murray, becomes a mom for the first time
Amelie Mauresmo, coach of tennis star Andy Murray, becomes a mom for the first time
French tennis star Amelie Mauresmo is now a mother.
The 36-year-old coach of Andy Murray gave birth to her first child, a boy, on Sunday (16 August) before Murray went on to win the final of the Montreal Masters over world number one Novak Djokovic.
‘Amelie is back home after giving birth to a baby boy this morning,’ Murray told the press after his three-set win. ‘I’m not sure she will have stayed up to watch this as she will have been too tired. But this one is for you, Amelie.’
Since teaming with Mauresmo, Murray has climbed back from outside the top 10 to number two in the world and won four titles so far this year.
‘I need to thank my team for that and especially Amelie,’ he said.
Mauresmo, 36, came out publicly as a lesbian early in her tennis career which reached its peak in 2006 when she won both Wimbledon and the Australian Open. She also had a stretch of nearly 10 months as the number one player in the world.
Mauresmo was also the Olympic silver medalist at the 2004 Games in Athens and in 2005, she won the WTA Tour Championships. In all, she won 25 singles titles on the WTA Tour before retiring as a player in 2009.
The Frenchwoman has had a successful coaching career so far. Before working with Murray, she helped coached Marion Bartoli to the Wimbledon singles crown in 2013.
Mauresmo was inducted in to the International Tennis Hall of Fame at a ceremony earlier this summer but was unable to attend because of the advanced state of her pregnancy.
The post Amelie Mauresmo, coach of tennis star Andy Murray, becomes a mom for the first time appeared first on Gay Star News.
Greg Hernandez
