WATCH: Will Young's 'Brave Man' is Trans, Naked and Unafraid

British singer-songwriter Will Young just released a powerful video for his new song, “Brave Man,” which follows a young man facing the cruel world as naked as the day he was born. Except when he was born, the young man baring himself to strangers in the video wasn’t assigned male. 

Through the video, Young, an out gay man, sought to give visibility to transgender men, while also acknowledging that many trans folks are frustrated by people constantly telling them they are “brave” for being themselves. While the artist’s understanding of the transgender experience as simply being born in the “wrong body” may be rather rudimentary, his intentions seem earnest and well-meaning. 

As Young explained in an emotional post on Facebook:

It seems extremely brave to be a man in a woman’s body and then decide to do something about this. As I thought more about it, I realised that there is often coverage of what it is to be a woman in a man’s body, but never to my knowledge the documenting of the opposite (almost a perverted kind of patriarchy). […]

I know that transgender people do not like being called brave. It is something that is innate. Not a choice, but a given. Being a gay man I feel the same. I wasn’t ‘brave’ to come out it was simply what I had to do. […]

In this video we see a man determined to be himself in the face of all adversity from inside and outside. It isn’t brave but, my god, it shows true grit and strength. What a wonderful thing. This video isn’t about selling records or my personal benefit. This video is about taking a moment in time to explore a section of society who stand up for themselves. To tell a story and offer a window through music into someone’s life.

Check out the video for “Brave Man” below:

Les Fabian Brathwaite

www.advocate.com/music/2015/10/21/watch-will-youngs-brave-man-trans-naked-and-unafraid

From Go-Go Boy to Men's Physique Competitor: Steven Rodriguez Shares Secrets of His Strategy

Go-go boy, male fitness model and men’s physique competitor Steven Rodriguez. Photo by Mark Edward Studio

How does a male go-go dancer make the transition from the beat-infused bars of New York’s nightclubs to the muscle-lined stages of men’s physique competitions? For 29-year-old Steven Rodriguez, it’s a natural part of a plan to perfect his body. Born and raised in New York City, Rodriguez started dancing at nightclubs in his early twenties. And whether you call him a go-go boy (although he’s obviously a man) or a male stripper (although he technically doesn’t strip), he’s become a popular sight on the Big Apple’s gay nightlife scene (although he’s straight). Rodriguez’s impressive muscular form has also helped him get some gigs as a male fitness model. And now he’s added a new title to his resume: In October, he won fourth place in the Men’s Physique category in the NPC Brooklyn Grand Prix, a bodybuilding competition.

During a photo shoot I worked on with him for a male model blog called modelJOCK.com, Rodriguez shared the secrets of his success as a dancer and model, and how he’s making his entrance into the world of physique competition.

When did you start working out, and how did you get started as a go-go boy?
I started dancing about seven years ago. Before I started dancing, I started working out when I was about 19 years old with some buddies of mine. It was a nice hobby, and I started liking how I was looking and I got a little more serious about it, and I was like “why don’t I try making some money out of it?” since I was working so hard at it.

You’ve worked with a number of photographers in New York City. How did that start?
Modeling, I’ve been on and off with it. I started getting more serious about it recently cause I’ve been working out a lot harder and my body’s been changing.

And now you’re doing physique competitions too. Why did you decide to start this new activity?
I just want to take my physique to the next level. This is the most challenging thing that I’ve done in my life. It’s pure dieting, exercise, cardio, weight training. Doing this competition and getting involved in the fitness community is very positive. I’d been to shows before and everybody is very supportive of one other; it’s like a whole big family, very supportive and I like that.

Are there similarities between go-go dancing and fitness competitions?
There are some similarities, but I’d say in nightlife there is a lot of negative energy, a lot of shady people that you meet. But there are also a lot of good people. I’ve met very good people like my fellow dancers, some promoters that I’m really cool with. I’ve gotten some photography work, modeling work; I’ve gotten a lot of extra gigs out of it. So it does help, but you’ve just got to be careful who you associate yourself with, whereas with bodybuilding and men’s physique i haven’t run into any negative energy. Everybody’s very supportive, it’s like a whole big family.

Does having a background as a male dancer have a negative effect on your prospects in the world of physique competitions?
For me personally, no, because I don’t really care what people think. There’s no other way to say it. I just do what I want to do with my life, I do what makes me feel good, what makes me happy. I do have people who’ve stopped supporting me and that’s OK, but I do have those who still support me and still follow me and I appreciate everybody’s support.

What do you like best about being a go-go boy?
The best part I would say is you can just go anywhere and basically you don’t have to pay for anything. People just know you and will be like, “come to my party!” and they’ll give you free drinks — well, I don’t really drink — but they give you free drinks, they let you enter for free and treat you like you’re a celebrity. It really feels good.

There must be some negatives too, right?
Some people can get a little over the top and rude. Even when you’re not dancing they will ask questions like, “are you dancing? What are you doing after this?” It’s just a little creepy. You don’t want to be bothered when you’re just hanging out sometimes. But there are some good people who will be like, “hey, I saw you dancing,” they’ll give you a compliment like “amazing job you, have a great body!” and they will ask you for [fitness] tips. Stuff like that makes you feel good.

Speaking of fitness tips, You showed some of your home-made meals and diet tips in a recent live interview on Periscope. how do you stay in shape?
Every day I get up early, do some cardio and cook. Once I started cooking and making my own meals, I started noticing a big difference in my body. I’d say nutrition and getting rest is the most important thing. Working out is about 20, 25 percent of the work. Eating is the most important. Right now I’m eating less fat, more proteins, carbs, veggies — less salt, less sugar. I’ll have a cheat meal like a cheeseburger or pizza once a week, but that’s about it. I only drink water and protein shakes.

You compete in physique but not bodybuilding. In another live Periscope interview, you did some posing and flexing to show the difference between the two. So how is physique competition different from bodybuilding?
With physique, it’s more about having a tiny waist, having nice broad shoulders, nice lats as well, make your “V” taper to make your waist look even smaller. Physique is more about how lean you are versus how big you are compared to bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is more about size, vascularity, fullness. Plus in bodybuilding, they also judge your legs. In physique, they don’t; you wear swim trunks so they’re mostly looking at your upper body. The posing, as well, is different.

Bodybuilding is more like flexing, like front double biceps. Men’s physique is more like you’re standing but not trying to flex too hard — showing the definition, looking at your abs, your waist, how small it is, keep your head up. I’m still working on it. It’s not hard; you’re not on stage for very long, like a few seconds, but it’s the most important thing about the competition. You can look amazing but if you don’t know how to pose and show off your body then you’re not going to place.

What’s your best body part?
I’ve been doing a lot of work. I like my abs, it’s just my waist — it’s hard for me to get it smaller because I naturally have this muscle. I really like my shoulders and my lats. I’m still working on them but they’ve come a long way. And my back has a lot of definition. I’ve been working mostly on my back, shoulders, still working on my waist, my abs. Having broad shoulders and a wide back is good because it makes your waist look smaller. They call that the V taper. So for guys like me who don’t actually have a small waist, if you make the [shoulders] wider it helps to compensate for the waist. Plus, it looks good.

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Open Question: Who Is Your Favourite Actor (LGBT)?
I think my top 5 are

Robert De Niro
Al Pacino
Anthony Hopkins
Dustin Hoffman
Sean Connery

People are wowed by an actor’s good looks but me being lesbian means that i just focus on talent

Though Sean Connery is the most attractive man ever, especially in the James Bond films

Robert De Niro is the greatest actor ever, was excellent as Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part 2

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20151021095717AApbzAW

Excelsior, Gay Bar in Brooklyn, Reopens
The go-to gay bar in Park Slope has reopened a little to the south, in a bigger space.

HRC Celebrates Another Successful Chefs for Equality

Last night, HRC celebrated our fourth annual Chefs for Equality event in Washington, D.C.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/hrc-celebrates-another-successful-chefs-for-equality?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Darryl Stephens Explains Why It’s Difficult For Black Gay Actors To Break Through To The Mainstream

— Darryl Stephens, who starred in the popular queer-themed series Noah’s Arc and is considered one of the most handsome men in Hollywood, in an interview with Los Angeles Times

Jeremy Kinser

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/i0SOnJDXd1I/darryl-stephens-explains-why-its-difficult-for-black-gay-actors-to-break-through-to-the-mainstream-20151021

Should Gay Cousins Be Allowed to Marry?

Should gay cousins be allowed to marry?

Independent Irish Senator David Norris told the Seanad’s upper house that “yes,” they should, during a debate over the marriage equality bill on Wednesday evening.

The bill, which has passed the Dáil and today passed its second stage in the Seanad, will undergo more debate at a committee stage tomorrow before it goes to President Michael Higgins to be signed into law.

Norris, a gay man, predicted he would be “pilloried” by the “grotesque Irish media” for his remarks, The Journal reports.

Said Norris to the Seanad:

“It wouldn’t take a feather out of me if two cousin married each other, what’s the problem with that. Really?”

In a poll on the Irish Times website 35% agreed with Norris and 65% disagreed, at the time of this posting.

He added, cheering the change in attitudes regarding same-sex marriage: “When I started off [in politics] it was a world of hatred, contempt and silence. Gay people were regarded as sources of sin, crime and disease… Everything was clouded completely with silence. … I was extraordinarily moved by the many, many young people, both gay and straight, who came home from abroad to vote. I have heard so many moving stories of young people all over Ireland who have been given the courage for the first time to face the reality of their sexuality, come out, declare themselves and live their lives.”

Readers may recall that Norris ran a campaign for the Irish presidency in 2011. He bowed out after the disclosure of letters to Israeli authorities asking for clemency for a former partner.

The post Should Gay Cousins Be Allowed to Marry? appeared first on Towleroad.

Andy Towle

Should Gay Cousins Be Allowed to Marry?

STUDY: LGBT Inmates More Likely To Be Sexually Abused, In Solitary

A report by a prisoners rights group, billed as the largest study of America’s LGBTQIA prison population to date, uncovers some startling statistics and shows LGBT inmates face particularly harsh conditions behind bars.

Prison abolitionist group Black and Pink surveyed 1,118 inmates, 950 of whom identified as LGBT and two-spirit, and found that inmates who identified as such were four times more likely to be sexually assaulted in prison than other inmates.

“I’ve been sexually assaulted about 5 times in 25 years. It’s to the point now that I just go on and sell my body for these gang members because the prison staff won’t put me in safekeeping around other homosexuals,” wrote one of 130 inmates who shared detailed stories with the activist group. Another inmate who shared his story said he tried to report his rape and was told by a commanding officer that “faggots can’t get raped.”

According to the survey, at least 81 percent of respondents reported having to pay a fee to see a doctor and almost half found these fees to be a barrier to seeking medical care. Additionally, 70 percent reported having sex in in prison, though condoms are most often not available, and seven percent of respondents reported being HIV-positive.

The survey found 85 percent of respondents had spent time in solitary confinement, noting that most were placed there for their own safety, and not for an infraction, although some requested isolation due to increased risk of violence. “People did not want to live with someone who has HIV, so I was put in solitary confinement because of this,” wrote one respondent.

“I was placed in solitary after being raped… only released after it drove me to a suicide attempt,” wrote another. Half of those surveyed have spent more than two years in isolation, and the report found transgender and two-spirit prisoners, along with cisgender gay men, were most likely to be put in solitary confinement involuntarily.

Along with dismal data, the report asked prisoners for suggestions regarding what could be done to help. “The most important way to empower prisoners is by giving them a voice, a ‘soap box’ to communicate from,” wrote one inmate.

“Tell people the real truth: prisons don’t deter crime, programs and mentoring do,” wrote another.

Read the full report here.

Elizabeth Daley

www.advocate.com/crime/2015/10/21/study-lgbtq-inmates-more-likely-be-sexually-abused-solitary

The Internet Is In Disbelief Over This Handsome Father-Son Duo

When 20-year-old Correll Stanfield traveled from Baltimore to Atlanta to visit his dad, something so right happened that it felt almost wrong: they took what’s arguably the most thirst-worthy photo of 2015. Stanfield shared the picture on Twitter with the caption: “Pops, he looks more like my brother, this man 46 years old.”

…And the world wasn’t ready.

Stanfield’s photo of him (left) and his youthful-looking father (right) caught the attention of many on social media, gaining more than 16,000 retweets as of Oct. 21, and 21,000 favorites. The photo was also posted on a Twitter account called “Fine Ass Black Men,” because obviously.

“Well, it’s definitely a confidence boost, not that I need one, but it’s cool,” Stanfield told BuzzFeed. “I think it’s a blessing that me and my dad’s physical stature has an overwhelming effect on some women.”

An overwhelming effect, indeed. Here’s what people are saying:

Stanfield is single but his dad is married, which undoubtedly comes as unfortunate news for countless people. However, Stanfield told BuzzFeed that his father is a pastor and he hopes that the attention the two received will “bring more women closer to God.”

No matter your religious belief, however, it’s hard not to appreciate these two divine creations:

Amen.

Also on HuffPost:

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Open Question: LIBERAL'S ISLAM IS NOT ISLAM
LIBERAL'S ISLAM IS FAKE OF ISLAM
LIBERAL'S ISLAM SUPPORT LGBT
ISLAM DIDN'T SUPPORT LGBT?

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20151021085001AAt7JKQ