Gay Short Film ‘A Song For Your Mixtape’ Will Break Your Heart – WATCH

A young gay man arrives at a party full of kids he’s known since he was little. But they’re all strangers now. He feels he doesn’t belong. He’s only there for one reason, one person. The guy he loves; the guy who left him.

That’s the premise behind A Song For Your Mixtape, a new short film from creators Zachary Kemper and Brandon Zuck.

Written and directed by Zuck from a story by Kemper (and starring Kemper), the film tackles a heavy subject—LGBT suicide—with a deft touch. The film is woven together by Kemper’s Holden Caulfield-esque narration, which tracks him as he arrives at the aforementioned party and then escapes to the roof where he meets a strange young woman, Blair (Warehouse 13’s Allison Scagliotti). Talking with Blair, Kemper starts to reveal what happened between him and his boy.

The creators spoke with Milk about the film: 

“This is a world your mind goes through at one point or another,” Zuck explained. “The degree to which you go through it is different, but I think that everyone who grew up gay can kind of relate to having dark thoughts and hard times.” For Kemper, the film that began as a story written for himself touches on something bigger than himself or Zuck.

“It’s a scary subject. I think it’s really important, but then, on the other hand, when it is talked about and when someone does do something like write a story or stand up for themselves, people are drawn to it and maybe even see it in a new light,” Kemper explained. “People don’t realize that depression is the second leading cause of disability in the world—especially for kids. Millions of teenagers are going through this and if millions of us are going through it, why is there a stigma?”

The short was created with support from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the GLBT National Help Center.

A Song For Your Mixtape also stars David Brockton.

Watch the film, below.

The post Gay Short Film ‘A Song For Your Mixtape’ Will Break Your Heart – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

feeds.towleroad.com/~r/towleroad/feed/~3/4lmGCWuVEaM/

Lesbian Mayor Installs 'Harvey Milk Boulevard' Sign in SLC

“I am where I am because of people like Harvey,” says the out mayor, after installing the street sign on Friday.

www.advocate.com/politics/2016/5/14/lesbian-mayor-installs-harvey-milk-boulevard-sign-slc

Fox's Megyn Kelly Challenges Texas Lt. Gov. Over Transphobic Statements

The Fox News host took the Lt. Gov. to task over disparaging comments he made about the Obama administration’s new guidelines that assure transgender students are protected under Title IX.

www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/5/14/foxs-megyn-kelly-challenges-texas-lt-gov-over-transphobic-statements

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Can’t Explain What Transgender Means, Has a Total Meltdown: WATCH

Appearing on All In With Chris Hayes on Friday, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick dodged questions from Hayes about transgender rights.

Patrick failed to answer even the most basic questions posed by Hayes. Said Hayes, “I wondered if we could just start it with some basic clarity on the terminology here. What does the term transgender mean to you.” Rather than answer that question, Patrick preferred to go on a long-winded explanation of how he “got in the middle on this.”

Hayes pressed again, “I just want to start making sure everyone understands each other…When you’re transgender, what does that mean to you, Lt. Governor?”

After a rambling run down on Title IX in which he refuted the DOJ’s argument that Title IX’s protections against sex-based discrimination apply to transgender Americans (an argument backed up by federal court rulings), Patrick finally got to Hayes’ question, and proved he couldn’t answer it. “I can’t give you the definition for every transgender person,” Patrick said.

Later in the interview, when questioned about what he had learned from transgender students, parents and teachers about transgender rights, Patrick deflected again.

One question that Patrick would answer had to with whether he believed transgender people really exist. Asked Hayes, “Do you think that this is a genuine phenomenon or that this is essentially a fabricated issue?” Patrick responded, “I don’t think its a fabricated issue at all.”

Hayes then asked Patrick, “What percentage of complaints, in the state of Texas or Ft. Worth, come from students and parents due to this specific issue that you have devoted so much time too? What percentage?”

And that set Patrick off: “Chris, I feel you’re kind of hostile to the issue. I’m just trying to have a conversation here. You don’t kind of have to take me on.”

Watch as Patrick loses it, below.

The post Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Can’t Explain What Transgender Means, Has a Total Meltdown: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

feeds.towleroad.com/~r/towleroad/feed/~3/A5bdnzkcCVc/

Kit Harrington Explains Why He Scratches His Balls Every Time He Sees an Ambulance: WATCH

Kit Harrington was on The Tonight Show last night and, it being Friday the 13th, Jimmy Fallon asked Harrington if he has any superstitions. Harrington told Fallon that he has many, and one of them is that he has to scratch his balls every time he sees an ambulance.

In case that leaves you scratching something else (your head), Harrington had an endearing explanation for why he does that. “Apparently it’s good luck for the person inside and I thought, you know, that was a nice thing,” he said. “It’s an Italian tradition, apparently.”

Fallon quickly disabused him of that notion. “It is not an Italian tradition at all. Someone lied to you!” Fallon said.

Watch and see what Kit does with his little finger when Fallon brings out a toy ambulance, below.

The post Kit Harrington Explains Why He Scratches His Balls Every Time He Sees an Ambulance: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

feeds.towleroad.com/~r/towleroad/feed/~3/sr2AVlqEp0M/

Ellen Made a Cameo in ‘Lemonade’ (and Called Becky with the Good Hair) – WATCH

No matter how much you’ve been ‘shipping Beyoncé’s visual album, Lemonade, chances are you missed one very underreported cameo: Ellen DeGeneres.

On Friday, the funny lady shared a new spoof of Lemonade, particularly the song/video “Hold Up”, in which Beyoncé goes on a car-attacking spree spurred by a certain someone’s infidelity. In it, Ellen finds herself in one of the cars that’s in Bey’s path. She also makes a call to a certain Becky, who has been doing amazing things with her lately.

Watch all the way until the end for a surprise cameo, below.

The post Ellen Made a Cameo in ‘Lemonade’ (and Called Becky with the Good Hair) – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

feeds.towleroad.com/~r/towleroad/feed/~3/0ZyLhps2L3s/

About That Fake Caitlyn Jenner Detransitioning Story

I Am Cait‘s Jennifer Finney Boylan on transitions, Caitlyn Jenner, and love.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2016/5/14/about-fake-caitlyn-jenner-detransitioning-story