Gay Iconography: Keeping The ‘Faith’ in George Michael

George Michael may be known for his string of successful singles, 80 million records sold worldwide or his two Grammy Awards, but those aren’t his only accomplishments. He also kickstarted legions of little gay hearts by shaking his bum on TV screens across the world.

Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in North London, Michael met his best friend and future collaborator Andrew Ridgeley as a young boy. They hit it big as pop duo Wham! in the early ‘80s before Michael rocketed to superstardom and sex symbol status as a solo artist. Although Michael didn’t come out during the height of his career, a 1998 arrest for public cruising forced him to reveal his sexuality.

He explained why he was hesitant to come out in an interview with The Independent:

“So firstly, understand how much I love my family and that AIDS was the predominant feature of being gay in the 1980s and early 90s as far as any parent was concerned… My mother was still alive and every single day would have been a nightmare for her thinking what I might have been subjected to, “ he said. “I’d been out to a lot of people since 19. I wish to God it had happened then. I don’t think I would have the same career – my ego might not have been satisfied in some areas – but I think I would have been a happier man.”

Michael would have other run-ins with the law in the following years for public sex and his struggles with drugs. These setbacks aside, as an out gay man, he is still responsible for some of the most beloved pop songs of all time.

Check out the videos for some of our favorites below.

You can’t think of Wham! without thinking of “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” The infectious 1984 hit (the band’s first No. 1 in the U.S. and the U.K.). The video famously features the band clad in “Choose Life” t-shirts, with Michael sporting some sweet yellow gloves.

Michael embraced an edgier image once going solo, including the first single from his solo album, “I Want Your Sex.” The salacious song and video struggled with censorship, but still reached No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. One of the most enduring images from the video is when Michael writes “explore” and “monogamy” on a woman’s body in lipstick. He would later share his own feelings about monogamy with GQ Magazine: “”Some gay men manage monogamy forever, and I envy them because it’s a great thing. But when you first meet someone, that chemical flows through your body and says ‘f*ck, f*ck, f*ck!’ it’s wondrous. If you can keep hold of that, great.”

Just as iconic as Wham’s “Choose Life” shirts is Michael’s denim-clad butt doing his best Elvis-esque hip shaking in the video for “Faith.” The title track from his first solo album was the top-selling single in the U.S. in 1988. The song was reintroduced to a new generation in the worst way possible when nu metal band Limp Bizkit covered the song in the late ‘90s.

As Michael matured, so did his music. Even though Faith was a critical and commercial success, Michael named his follow-up Listen Without Prejudice in an effort to further establish himself as a serious artist. In addition to maturing lyrically and sonically, Michael continued to push the visual medium. He didn’t even appear in his video for “Freedom! ’90.” Instead, the reigning queens of the ‘90s Supermodel Era — including Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz and Linda Evangelista — lip-synced the song.

In 1998, George Michael was arrested for engaging in a sex act in a Beverly Hills public restroom. The incident forced Michael out of the closet, but rather than be complicit in the sex shaming that typically follows when a public figure is caught in a similar situation, Michael used it as inspiration for his song “Outside.” He would be caught cruising again in Hampstead Heath. “There can’t be shame in a situation unless the person is ashamed and I’m certainly not that,” he told a UK radio show in 2006. “I don’t want people to think my life is troubled when it’s not. I think I should be able to be what I am to young gay people, a man who’s managed to succeed in the industry for 25 years.”

What’s your favorite George Michael track?

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Hey, Kids, Watch Your Favorite YouTube Stars Glam It Up As They Sing About PrEP

Looks like PrEP is going to continue to be a major component of gay culture, judging by a new campaign called “HIV BEATS.” A variety of YouTubers have teamed up to produce some lively videos about avoiding HIV and taking Truvada.

The campaign is the work of various organizations, from #endHIV to Greater Than AIDS to YouTube itself. Gilead, which owns Truvada, paid for production, though they say there was no input into the content of the videos.

And, hey, the videos are actually pretty fun.

There’s “15 Ways You Cannot Get HIV” with Todrick Hall…

Bob the Drag Queen chimes in with a song about taking PrEP…

Davey Wavey’s there, too, naturally, highlighting his commitment to health and the ongoing transition from twink to dad…

Zachary Drucker she has some comments about condoms and pharmaceuticals and whatnot…

And then there’s Catrific, who would like to inform you about antiretrovirals and HIV tests…

It’s all fairly fun and delightful and upbeat–a handy reminder that we can all chip in to put an end to AIDS. The videos do not mention that condoms and PrEP can’t protect you against herpes or pubic lice or e. coli and other STIs, but good luck getting a grant for YouTube celebrities to sing about that.

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Nyle DiMarco, Elephant, Frank Ocean, Hillary Clinton, Richard Simmons, Lady Gaga, Calvin Harris: NEWS

2016 ELECTION. Hillary Clinton wins Virgin Islands caucuses: “Clinton’s win does little to pad her delegate lead over Bernie Sanders, as the state offers only 7 pledged delegates. But the victory is a small boost to her pivot toward taking on presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. Clinton is comfortably ahead of Sanders in the delegate count but is facing negative pushback for not being able to put Sanders away.”

HANGING. Calvin Harris and Frank Ocean: “Calvin was hanging with Frank Ocean at the new Soho House in Malibu … it’s interesting because there’s a buzz Frank is dropping a new album after a 4-year hiatus.  Unclear if Calvin’s producing or otherwise involved.”

SAN DIEGO. Four arrested for Burlington, Vermont beating death of transgender man in homeless shelter. “The four suspects, whom Burlington police identified publicly Thursday afternoon, were wanted on suspicion of second-degree murder in the May 22 assault on Amos Beede, 38, of Milton. Beede died at the hospital about a week after the attack at a homeless camp near the Pine Street Barge Canal.”

HOSPITALIZED. Richard Simmons checked into Cedars-Sinai hospital for “bizarre behavior.” “Sources tell us, Simmons was acting in an unusually strange manner just before midnight when someone at his Hollywood Hills home became sufficiently alarmed to call 911. Paramedics rushed to the home and evaluated Richard, determining he should go to a hospital for evaluation. We’re told Simmons agreed to be taken to the hospital and he was transported to Cedars Sinai. We do not know if Simmons is still hospitalized. “ And released…

NORTH CAROLINA. Pat McCrory continues to dig in his heels on HB 2: “Gov. Pat McCrory said he will continue to fight for a ‘respect for privacy’ in the face of a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit over the state’s controversial ‘bathroom bill.’”

GREECE. European Union court asked to block gay Syrian’s deportation: “Karl Kopp, European affairs director for German-based group Pro Asyl, said the request to the Strasbourg-based court was tabled late on Thursday. ‘This is the first case under the EU-Turkey deal reaching the ECHR,’ he told AFP. Greek state news agency ANA said the 46-year-old man had previously worked in the oil industry and lived between Turkey and Nigeria. In March, he fled to Greece after a visit by the ISIS ’emissaries’ who told him to return to Syria, Kopp said.’”

NAIROBI. The secret life of gay Ugandan refugees. “Kato, 28, says life used to be better in Uganda. “Kampala is the center of fun in East Africa,” he says, speaking of his hometown. ‘We had out places. Places that were gay-friendly.’ He says the owner of one popular club would regularly pay off the police so they wouldn’t raid the place. But in Nairobi, the refugees don’t go clubbing. Instead, they cobbled together enough money to buy a DVD player and a small TV. ‘It’s better than going out to dance and getting arrested,’ Kato says.”

ZIMBABWE. Elephant seeks help at safari lodge after being injured: “Ben, an injured bull elephant – thought to be 30-years-old – gave staffers at the Bumi Hills Safari Lodge in Kariba, Zimbabwe the surprise of their lives when he appeared to ask for help. From the start it was clear to manager Nick Milne that something wasn’t right, as the animal had a significant limp and appeared to be wounded…When the vet arrived Ben was tranquillised and it was then a large wound in his shoulder was discovered, along with two bullet holes in his ear — injuries thought to be from a poacher’s bullet sustained in a separate incident.”

NEW RECORDS. Tony Bennett says he has another record with Lady Gaga coming out in August: “Multiple sources are claiming that Tony Bennett confirmed a follow-up to his 2014 album with Lady Gaga at a show in Idaho last night. He apparently stated that they have a new record which will be released this August to coincide with his 90th birthday – Lady Gaga’s idea, apparently…Of course the chief concern among Little Monsters is how this will impact on LG5 – Lady Gaga’s forthcoming fifth pop record.”

VACAY. Nyle DiMarco is taking a much-deserved break in Cabo.

DEFEATED. YouTube’s famous hydraulic press finally met its match.

SUNDAY WORSHIP. Tiger Muscle.

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Oregon's Kate Brown Dealing With Oil Spill (Video)

www.advocate.com/politics/2016/6/05/oregons-kate-brown-dealing-oil-spill-video

Kesha Moons Body-Shamer, and Everyone Else (Video)

www.advocate.com/music/2016/6/05/kesha-moons-body-shamer-and-everyone-else-video

The Gay-Straight Binary Is Eroding. That’s Good For Everyone.

By Peter Tatchell, director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation
According to a YouGov poll in Britain, almost a quarter of the population (23%) do not describe themselves as totally heterosexual. The figure rises to nearly half of 18- to 24-year-olds (49%).

Although You Gov’s poll was confined to the UK, similar research in the US and Western Europe shows the same trend: more and more people don’t define themselves as strictly straight.

It seems that as homophobia, biphobia and transphobia decline in Western societies, people are increasingly willing to explore and experiment – and have relations with people of the same sex.

This is not, of course, a global trend. LGBT people remain persecuted in most parts of the world, and in about 20 countries this persecution is intensifying. In these nations, heterosexuality and cis gender are overwhelmingly dominant and state policy. The practice and acceptance of sexual and gender diversity is decades away.

In the West, however, we are steadily progressing towards a post-homophobic society.

If this Western trend continues, and if it is eventually replicated in other nations too, how will this transition to understanding and acceptance affect the expression of human sexuality?

What would happen if societies evolved into a state of sexual enlightenment, where the differences between hetero and homo no longer mattered? How might this affect the future of same-sex desire and identity?

We already know, thanks to a host of sex surveys stretching back half a century, that even in narrow-minded, homophobic cultures, many people are born with a sexuality that is, to varying degrees, capable of both heterosexual and homosexual attraction: witness how same-sex relations often flourish among ostensibly heterosexual people in single-sex institutions like boarding schools, prisons and the armed forces.

Sociological sex research by Dr Alfred Kinsey in the USA during the 1940s was the first major statistical evidence that gay and straight are not watertight, irreconcilable sexual orientations. He found that sexuality is, in fact, a continuum of desires and behaviours, ranging from exclusive heterosexuality to exclusive homosexuality. A substantial proportion of the population is to varying degrees bisexual: sharing an amalgam of same-sex and opposite-sex erotic and emotional feelings. These feelings may or may not be consciously recognised or physically expressed.

In Sexual Behaviour In The Human Male (1948), Kinsey recorded that 13 per cent of the men he surveyed were either mostly or exclusively homosexual for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55. Twenty-five per cent had more than incidental gay reactions or experiences, amounting to clear and continuing same-sex desires. Altogether, 37 per cent of the men Kinsey questioned had experienced sex with other males to the point of orgasm, and half – yes half – had experienced mental attraction or erotic arousal towards other men (sometimes transient and without being actioned).

Kinsey’s research has since been criticised as self-selective, out-of-date and unrepresentative.

The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles II (2003) found that around 9% percent of UK men and women have had a sexual experience with a person of the same sex; although the survey authors admit this is probably an underestimate because many people are still reluctant to reveal their homosexual past or present.

The possibility that individuals could share a capacity for both hetero and homo feelings is an idea supported by the anthropologists Clellan Ford and Frank Beach.

In Patterns of Sexual Behaviour (1965), they noted that certain forms of homosexuality were considered normal and acceptable in 49 (nearly two-thirds) of 76 tribal societies surveyed from the 1920s to the 1950s. They also recorded that in some aboriginal cultures, such as the Keraki and Sambia peoples of Papua New Guinea, all young men entered into a same-sex relationship with an unmarried male warrior, sometimes lasting several years, as part of their rites of passage into manhood. Once completed, they ceased all same-sex contact and assumed sexual desires for women, leading to marriage and children. If sexual orientation was totally biologically pre-programmed, these men would have never been able to switch to homosexuality and then to heterosexuality with such apparent ease.

This led Ford and Beach to deduce that homosexuality is fundamental to the human species, and its practice is substantially influenced by social mores and cultural expectations.

The evidence from these two research disciplines – sociology and anthropology – is that the incidence of heterosexuality and homosexuality is not fixed and universal, and that the two sexual orientations are not mutually exclusive. There is a good deal of fluidity and overlap ie bisexuality.

There is now solid scientific data that our sexuality is significantly affected by biological predispositions, such as genes and hormones in the womb, as documented in the book Born Gay (2005). However, other causal factors appear to include childhood experiences, social expectations, peer pressure and moral values. They channel erotic impulses in certain directions and not others. An individual’s sexual orientation is thus influenced culturally, as well as biologically.

We know that even in intensely homophobic societies, like Nazi Germany and fundamentalist Iran, a sizeable proportion of the population experience both same-sex and opposite-sex arousal. This evidence comes from research that records consciously recognised desires. At the level of unconscious feelings – where passions are often repressed, displaced, sublimated, projected and transferred – it seems probable that very few people are 100 percent straight or gay. Most are a mixture, even if they never physically express both sides of the sexual equation.

Related: Young People Can’t Wait To Have Gay Sex

This picture of human sexuality is much more complex, diverse and blurred than the traditional simplistic binary image of hetero and homo, so loved by straight moralists and – equally significantly – by many lesbians and gay men.

If sexual orientation has a culturally-influenced element of indeterminacy and flexibility, then the present forms of homosexuality and heterosexuality are unlikely to remain the same in perpetuity. As culture changes, so will expressions of sexuality.

In a future non-homophobic society, we can expect a rise in bisexuality. More people are likely to have gay sex as inhibitions diminish and experimentation becomes the norm. But simultaneously, less people will identify as gay or lesbian. This is because the absence of homophobia will make the need to assert and affirm gayness redundant. While there will still be some people who are, for varying reasons, totally straight or gay, bisexuality will become the new normal.

Lesbian and gay identity is largely the product of anti-gay repression. It is a self-defence mechanism against homophobia. Faced with persecution for having same-sex relations, the right to have those relationships had to be defended – hence the emergence of gay identity and the gay rights movement.

But if one sexuality is not privileged over another, defining oneself as gay – or straight – will cease to be necessary and have little social relevance or significance. In other words: the need to maintain sexuality differences, boundaries and identities disappears with the demise of straight supremacism and homophobia.

Homosexuality as a separate, exclusive sexual orientation and identity will begin to fade – and so will its mirror opposite, heterosexuality – as we evolve into a sexually enlightened and accepting post-homophobic society. The majority of people will be open to bisexuality – the possibility of both opposite-sex and same-sex desires and relationships. They won’t feel the need to label themselves or others as gay or straight because, in a non-homophobic culture, no one will care who we love or sleep with. As an almost 100% gay man, I am happy and comfortable to say: The future is bisexual!

Peter Tatchell is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, a human rights organization

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What It’s Like To Be Gay And Asexual In A Sex-Crazed World?

For 25-year-old Josh Coty, being part of the one percent is not all it’s cracked up to be. At least, when it comes to being part of that one percent… You know, the percentage of the population that identifies as asexual, or “someone who does not experience sexual attraction,” as defined by the Asexual Visibility and Education Network.

Related: Exactly What Percentage Of The World’s Population Is Asexual?

For Josh, who identifies as “gay and asexual,” life can be a bit complicated. When he’s not creating comedy YouTube videos or cuddling with his cat, the Buffalo, NY-based resident can be found going on (sometimes bad) dates, working in the beauty industry and figuring out how to navigate as asexual in an often sex-crazed world.

We recently interviewed Josh about his life, dating and what he has to say to all those people who question asexuality…

QUEERTY: You identify as gay and asexual. What does that mean exactly?

COTY: I suppose people would say I am “asexual homoromantic” but I don’t necessarily feel like that label fits me. I’m gay–I like guys, just like anybody else who is gay, but not necessarily in a sexual way. I have an aesthetic attraction (who doesn’t like a nice butt?), sensual attraction, and a romantic attraction to men. If I have a strong emotional bond I may form a form of sexual attraction as well.  Asexuality exists on a spectrum.

How do people usually react when you tell them you’re gay and asexual?

People tell me that I don’t know what I’m talking about, that it’s impossible, or they don’t know what asexuality is, and all they can remember is [learning about asexuality] in middle school science class. I feel like the latter believe I’m some sort of plant, and that I can reproduce asexually. Which honestly, would be really cool, but it’s not the case. Or I’m told that I’m lying. I actually get that a lot. 

How has your asexuality affected your relationships?

It definitely impacts them quite a bit. I do have sexual relationships with my partners because I want to make them happy, it’s just not enjoyable to me and I’d honestly rather be eating a cheeseburger. I always give my partners a full disclosure about my sexuality before I start dating [them], but I don’t think the majority of people understand what it means. In the beginning, it is a lot easier to have a sexual relationship with my partners, or when things are going well, but when the emotional connection fades, it really impacts my willingness to do anything sexual. 

A lot of people view sex as a way of being intimate or feeling close to the person they love. How do you achieve intimacy with a partner if not through sex?

Physical touch is a big thing for me. Like, I do have a sensual attraction because I’m not some kind of unfeeling monster. I like kissing, cuddling, holding hands, et cetera and just generally being close with someone both physically and emotionally. It’s just not sexual for me; it’s more sensual than anything. Some people define intimacy as something purely physical, but it goes deeper than that for me.

Do you ever feel pressure to be sexual?

Every day! If you’ve ever gone on a date with a gay male, you most likely know that they’re craving one thing and it’s definitely not on my menu (all out of sausage guys, sorry). It’s frustrating to feel like in order to even get a date, I have to pretend that I’m someone I’m not, or play down my asexuality. You tell a gay guy you’re not really into sex and he looks at you like you just said Beyoncé was an untalented hack.

Have you had any particularly good or bad experiences when it came to living your identity?

I did have one guy I dated and when I told him about it he just said “Hey, that’s cool man! I totally respect that.” and it was never an issue. He would always ask for consent before doing anything sexual, and in general it was just very refreshing. On the other end of things, I’ve had exes tell me that I’m lying about my asexuality because I’ve had sex before. Even after explaining that it’s not a medical condition (all my organs work perfectly, thank you) and it’s just my sexuality, they still don’t get it. You could have sex with a woman if you wanted to, but you don’t because you don’t enjoy it, just like I don’t have sex in general because I don’t enjoy it.

What is the biggest misconception about people who are asexual?

The biggest misconception about people who are asexual is that it’s a choice or that it is an excuse. I’ve been told that people who are asexual are just ugly or they aren’t able to “get any” and that’s not the case. I’ve been told I’m broken or have a medical condition. I’ve had my hormones checked, my thyroid checked, and I’ve even seen a urologist and everything is perfectly normal. I’ve gotten a lot of backlash from the LGBTQ community saying that I don’t belong and shouldn’t identify with it, which is absurd for a multitude of reasons.

Were those medical tests a result of people saying you were broken or had a medical condition?

Yeah, it definitely was. Especially because I wanted to be normal and have a healthy relationship, I wanted to fix whatever was “wrong” with me. I hate doctors with a passion and don’t even like to talk to them about mundane issues let alone sexual ones. It took me awhile to find the right doctor. After everything had been said and done, it was a relief but also a disappointment. I accept myself and embrace myself for who I am, but still wish to be “normal” sometimes. I’m an absolute control freak so not being able to fix a “problem” was something I had to come to accept about myself.

Some people in the LGBTQ community say that asexual people are simply “afraid of sex” or “just haven’t had great sex yet.” How would you respond to people who say that?

I find it extremely sad that the people in the LGBTQ community say things like that because it’s the exact same thing they hear from people that oppose their own sexuality. “You just haven’t met the right guy yet, you’re not really a lesbian,” “Being gay is a choice,” or “It’s a mental condition.” What is the difference between that and saying, “Being asexual is a choice you’ve made,” “Your hormones must be off or something happened to you when you were a kid,” and “You haven’t found the right sexual partner yet?” Absolutely nothing. People who behave that way are imposing the exact kind of negative and close-minded behavior they face and vehemently oppose onto another group, simply because they don’t understand. It’s a hard concept for a lot of people to understand because they experience sexual attraction everyday, and they can’t imagine not feeling it, or not feeling it as often as the average person. 

Related: Ten Sexual Orientations Besides Gay, Straight Or Bi To Round Out Your Sexicon

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Governor Bryant’s Anti-Gay Cake Order Was Just Approved: WATCH

You’ll probably be shocked at what happened when Governor Bryant went to the bakery to place an order for an extremely anti-gay cake. But even more shocking is what the governor requested as the cake’s decoration.

RELATED: Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant: Christians Willing To Be Crucified to Support Anti-LGBT Law – WATCH

Watch:

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Former Strategist and Extremist Ally Roger Stone Clears Up Those Pesky Donald Trump Gay Rumors

Roger Stone, the former chief political advisor, longtime friend and conservative extremist ally of Donald Trump who heads a Trump SuperPAC, appeared in an on-the-street gab with fellow right-wing extremist conspiracy theorist, 9/11 truther, and InfoWars radio host Alex Jones.

Stone claims that a forthcoming “hit piece” from the Washington Post plans to smear Trump with gay rumors and allegations he used cocaine.

Says Stone in the interview: “I was personally approached by the Washington Post, they asked me to speak to a reporter on a background basis about what I might know about Trump….Did I ever attend parties where Donald Trump used cocaine? Folks, Donald Trump has never used drugs in his life. The man doesn’t even take aspirin….Did he have girlfriends on the side, today or previously? The answer is no. Yes, during the time he was unmarried, he was a ladies man. He did date many beautiful models, but the answer is no….

Added Stone: “Lastly, she wanted to know what about the reports that Donald Trump is gay. Folks, there is no report Donald Trump is gay. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but he is a red-blooded American male and he is most definitely heterosexual.”

Watch:

Media Matters  wrote a recent reminder about Stone’s background:

Stone is not a typical political adviser, and when the press treats him as one they miss out on a key election story: the extremism of Trump’s supporters. Stone’s decades-long history of dirty tricks includes playing a role in Watergate that later caused him to be fired from a job in the Senate. He has a record of racist andmisogynistic rhetoric that caused MSNBC and CNN to ban him from their networks. Stone also regularly callsfor public figures to be executed.

Stone’s history of extremism is particularly relevant for readers when he is quoted discussing the Clintons. Stone has alleged that the Clintons are “plausibly responsible” for the deaths of roughly 40 people, including John F. Kennedy Jr. He has also claimed that Bill Clinton is not Chelsea Clinton’s real father. In 2008, he ran ananti-Hillary Clinton group that went by the acronym “C.U.N.T.”

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