PHOTOS: The Race for Pride in Phnom Penh

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Brexit? Forget it! These London Pride Proposals Will Restore Your Faith In Everything

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What Do You Do When Your Boyfriend Won’t Stop Hanging Out With His Ex?

How many times have you been irked by your boyfriend texting, calling or hanging out his ex when you’re not around?

Well, one man has had enough. So he’s seeking help from his local advice columnist, Amy.

“Dear Amy,” his letter begins. “I am gay and have been dating a great guy for a year and a half. We have a hefty age difference–he is 45; I am 33.”

We’re not sure we’d call 12 years “a hefty age difference,” but everything is relative, right?

“It is an amazing relationship,” the man continues, “except for one thing. He was in a 24-year relationship that was ending when we met. His ex is 60 years old.”

Related: Closeted Father Of Two Desperate For Advice, Internet Answers

So what’s the problem? Well, the man explains, “They stay in touch and reside in the same city.”

The man goes on to say that he and his boyfriend recently took their relationship to the next level by moving in together. But this pesky ex-boyfriend is becoming a real issue.

“The problem is that he consistently tells me of events he wants to attend out of state, which this ex will also be attending,” he says. “Recently, he mentioned he would be traveling to attend a gay pride event, and would be staying with a mutual friend. His ex would also be there.”

He continues, “I am always uncomfortable with this, and instantly go on the defensive. It ends up pushing me far away because I speculate about them. It affects our trust.”

He explains that they rarely ever get into arguments, “except when this recurring theme emerges every few months.”

“I can’t control how I feel, and he seems reluctant to stay away from these events, even though he knows how much it bothers me,” he says. “Is it wrong for me to ask him to not do these things, or to at least include me in the events, rather than feel as if I have been shoved into the back closet, while his ex still lingers around in his life?”

The letter is signed, simply, “Wondering.”

Related: Gay Son Seeks Advice: “My Father Keeps Hitting On Guys My Age”

Thankfully, Amy has just the answer.

“Dear Wondering,” she responds. “When it comes to the relationship with exes, the burden is on the common partner (your guy) to create healthy boundaries and reassure the newer partner (you) that all is well.”

Word.

“One way to do this would be to include you in events where the ex will be present,” she says. “If you two are partners, you should include each other openly in social events, and introduce each other to your friends and family members.”

Amy explains that getting to know his boyfriend’s ex better will help him to accept their close friendship, which is very likely just that: a friendship.

“It’s a delicate balance,” she concludes. “You should not use your feelings to hurt or manipulate your partner, but he should be respectful of a very natural sensitivity on your part.”

What do you think? Does this guy’s boyfriend need to make a better effort at building a relationship between the two men in his life? What advice would you give? Sound off in the comments section below…

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Winter Is Here: ‘Game Of Thrones’ 06×10 [RECAP] – SPOILERS

We’re still reeling from last night’s explosive season six finale of Game of Thrones. There are only two seasons remaining, and “The Winds of Winter” masterfully set the course for the series’ end in one of Game of Thrones’ finest episodes ever.

Yes, even coming off the epic “Battle of the Bastards,” last night’s episode shined. We had huge, shocking ends to simmering storylines. We had gruesome deaths. We had allegiances and alliances form that will reshape Westeros. It’s not only notable for all the satisfying plot developments, though. Last night also featured some of the greatest performances we’ve seen (particularly from Lena Headey’s Cersei), and the music expertly sustained tension throughout the super-sized episode’s brilliant first 25 minutes.

I can hardly contain myself from discussing SPOILERS, so, if you’ve already seen last night’s Game of Thrones, let’s dish.

Meanwhile, At The Twins …

Walder Frey is having one of those disgusting dinner parties he’s so famous for. So raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways!

Jaime is less amused with Frey celebrating how the Lannisters bailed out the Frey’s once again. He has no problem reminding Walder that they are not the same, they are not two wild and crazy king-slaying guys. The Freys need the Lannisters, not the other way around.

While they’re both still measuring their manhoods (and, as in my fantasies, Jaime is winning — by a lot), a young servant girl is taking special notice of Jaime. She’s pretty, but she’s kind of a butter face, as in, “but her face is not actually her face, it’s probably someone else’s face.”

Later, when the party’s over, Old Walder is sitting alone eating a meat pie in the big empty hall. The servant girl comes back around for refills, and Walder wonders where his sons are at. They’re already here, the servant replies. Hmm … ok.

Assuming they’re just busying themselves elsewhere on the grounds, (perhaps trimming their lady-garden, as Walder suggests in much less delicate terms), Walder again asks why they aren’t here, in this room, specifically. And, again, the servant assures Walder that they are in fact here, right here. Weird, right?

That’s when it becomes clear that the call is coming from inside the pies or whatever! That’s right, the sons have been killed, thrown into a Magic Bullet, pureed and baked into the pie Walder is currently eating. Walder peels back the flaky crust to reveal a definite piece of person. That’s disgusting! And worse, it’s not even paleo!

Before Walder can even process the fact he just ate his own flesh and blood (and carbs!), the servant girl rips off her face to reveal — surprise! — it’s Arya! She must’ve taken an Acela bullet train straight from Braavos to Riverrun, but here she is! With that, she let’s Walder know her true identity and rubs it in his gross, old face that the last thing he’ll ever see is a Stark smiling down on him dying before slashing his throat.

Meanwhile, In King’s Landing …

Cue up your Law and Order doink-doink sound, because it’s time for the trials of Ser Loras and Cersei. We see all the major players in King’s Landing getting ready in probably the most ominous dressing montage in history. The High Sparrow, his little Sparrows and the Tyrells are all in the Septum for the trial, while Cersei is just chilling in the Red Keep. King Tommen gets all dressed up with nowhere to go, as the Mountain keeps him in his room. Uh-oh.

In the Septum, Ser Loras confesses to being a beautiful, Renly-loving homosexual and then pledges his life to the Seven Gods, renouncing his title, swearing off worldly desires, deactivating his Grindr account, etc. The Sparrows carve his seven-pointed star prison tattoo into his forehead, and it seems like he’s finally free from that torturous prison.

Now, onto Cersei. Cersei? Is there a Cersei in the house? No? The High Sparrow sends his men out to fetch the Queen Mother, but they get a little distracted along the way. One of Varys’ little birds lures Lancel under the Septum and then surprises him with a little stabby-stabby, dropping Lancel to the ground. If only that’s as bad it got for dear cousin Lancel.

No, no. Turns out he’s in a room just full of wildfire. Barrels and barrels of the stuff. At the other end of the room, candles are burning down in a pool of the green stuff. Uh-oh, indeed.

Elsewhere in King’s Landing, Grand Maester Pycelle finishes up a little howdy-do with a prostitute and is called to the king by another of Varys’ birds. Pycelle hustles along, but the bird leads him not to Tommen, but to Qyburn, and another flock of little birds come a stabby-stabbying.

Folks in the Septum are getting restless, especially Margaery. Easily one of the cleverest people in King’s Landing, she realizes that, wait a minute, Cersei’s not here, Tommen’s not here, something is wrong, very wrong. She breaks her charade for the High Sparrow to beg him to delay the trial and get everyone the hell out of there, you big dummy! Unfortunately, the High Sparrow isn’t ready to admit defeat, so he has his men keep everyone inside.

That’s about when the wildfire explodes, incinerating Lancel, the Sparrows, Margaery, Loras, Daddy Tyrell, Uncle Kevan, a bunch of spectators and townspeople in the streets. Cersei watches the Septum burn with a wicked grin. But she’s only begun to seek her revenger.

She’s got Septa Unella tied up to a table. You remember her? She’s the one that beat and starved Cersei and then rang the bell and shouted “Shame!” during Cersei’s humiliating walk of atonement. The tables are turned now, as Cersei waterboards her using red wine. Cersei is in full villainess mode, telling Unella how it feels good to punish her, it feels good to kill her enemies, it feels good to bone Jaime (we bet), and even confessing it all to Unella sort of feels good, too. Unella is ready for Cersei to kill her, but the Queen has something far worse in mind. Here’s the Zombie Mountain, and we don’t even want to imagine what he’ll do to Unella now.

Tommen, a king we all knew was not long for this world, learns of the Septum explosion and the death of his wife. He cooly takes off his crown, walks over to the window and leaps to his own death. Did not see that coming! It’s a tragically beautiful callback to the first season when Jaime pushed Bran out of the window and a fitting consequence to Cersei’s scheme.

She can barely even muster any more tears for her dead children, telling them to burn Tommen’s body. Then, she takes her seat on the Iron Throne just in time for Jaime to return and witness the ascension of the Mad Queen. The two share glances, and something comes across Jaime’s face. Was it disappointment? Confusion? Lust? Or was it the realization that, oh sh*t, I have to kill this one too, don’t I?

Meanwhile, In Winterfell …

Siblings are getting along much better, and with a lot less incest. Winter is officially here. Jon and Sansa agree they need to trust each other more, but that trust is going to be tested a lot sooner than either of them think.

Little Sansa has a little chat with Littlefinger. All this time it seems we thought Littlefinger knew a lot of secrets, but it turns out he just knows a lot about The Secret. He’s been doing some visioning, manifesting what he wants, picturing himself on the Iron Throne with Sansa by his side. Sansa wisely shuts him down, and let’s Baelish know that she’s well aware that no matter where he says his allegiances lie, he’s out for himself. Too true. He leaves her with one last little poisonous thought: It should be her running Winterfell, not her bastard brother.

Jon does seem to have a lot on his plate already. Presently he needs to mediate a little tiff between two of his key advisors, Davos and Melisandre. Davos demands the Red Witch confess to what she did to the Princess Shireen, which she does. Davos wants her dead, but Jon sort of owes her a solid for bringing him back to life, so he banishes her from the North and promises to hang her if she comes back. Davos says he’ll kill her himself if she returns. (Boys, boys, this won’t be an issue. Arya’s going to get to her before either of you will.)

Later, the Starks rally together all the houses of the North for a big old conference. It seems folks still aren’t 100 percent on board with unifying under the Stark banner, until little Lyanna Mormont gives an impassioned speech that simultaneously shames the houses that didn’t fight the Battle of the Bastards while making the case for Jon Snow to be the new King of the North. Everyone agrees! Yay, Jon Snow!

Amidst all the cheering, Littlefinger shoots Sansa a really hard to read look, which she returns, and, I don’t know you guys, but I smell trouble.

Meanwhile, North of the Wall …

Benjen drops off his passengers, Meera and Bran, just outside the Wall. He’s like, this is your stop, please rate me five stars on Uber, I cannot take you any further. Dead men like him can’t cross the wall because, like the Three-Eyed Raven’s cave, it’s got a spell on it so all the zombies go ‘splodey when they try to cross the threshold.

Uncle Coldhands goes galloping away while Bran logs on to world wide weirwoods for one of his flashback journeys. We’re back at the Tower of Joy, and this time we’re going inside.

Finally, everyone’s suspicions were confirmed. I think. Ned finds his sister Lyanna in bed bleeding out. She tells him “if Robert finds out, he’ll kill him, you know he will” then she whispers something, then she tells him “Promise me, Ned … “ Then someone hands Ned a baby, and the screen fades from the baby’s brown eyes to an adult Jon Snow.

So, here’s the thing: It’s long been speculated that Jon Snow is not Ned’s bastard, but actually the son of Lyanna and PRESUMABLY Rhaegar Targaryen. Rhaegar, it is believed, kidnapped and raped Lyanna, and WE THINK got her pregnant with Jon Snow. If this is all accurate, Jon Snow would be half-Stark, half-Targaryen. He would also be Daenerys’ nephew, and he would have a pretty decent claim for the Iron Throne. (Or whatever’s left of it after Cersei’s done with it.)

Meanwhile, In Oldtown …

Sam, Gilly and baby Sam arrive at Maester University’s registrar’s office to get Sam all enrolled. Of course, their registration system needs a bit of a reboot. Their records still show that the Night’s Watch already has a maester, and Jon Snow isn’t the Lord Commander, Jeor Mormont is. Ho boy, do we have some catching up to do!

While the clerk goes to check in with his supervisor, Sam gets his run of the grand library. What a marvelous place to read up on dragonglass or sing a song or how there must be more than this provincial life!

Meanwhile, In Dorne …

I know what you’re thinking: Ugh, Dorne? I know, I know, Dorne is usually the worst. Turns out all Dorne needed was a little Lady Olenna to spice things up. Still the mourning the loss of her entire family, the Queen of Thorns has no time for the Sand Snakes’ hissing. “You look like an angry little boy, don’t tell me what I need,” she snaps at one of them, before going down the line, reading each Snake like she’s competing in her own RuPaul’s Drag Race mini-challenge.

Ellaria’s got a better prize than a one-of-a-kind trip courtesy of Al and Chuck travel, though. She offers Olenna a chance to get vengeance on Cersei for barbecuing her whole family. Out comes Varys, and suddenly it’s clear his recruitment drive has picked up sufficient steam.

Meanwhile, In Meereen …

Dany sits Daario down and explains, it’s not you, it’s me, and it’s time we break-up. I’ll keep the dragons, you keep Slaver’s Bay, which, by the way, we’re calling Bay of Dragons now, much more “on-brand.” Here’s the thing, Daario, you cute and all, but Dany might have to marry some basic Westeros bro to lock down this whole ruling the Seven Kingdoms thing.

That bit of personal business aside, Dany sits down with Tyrion. He’s not great for post-break-up talks. There are no pints of Ben & Jerry’s, no Julia Roberts movies, not even a bottle of tequila. What he can offer though is a very heartfelt declaration that he don’t know much, but he knows he loves you he doesn’t believe in much, but he believes in her. She believes in him too. That’s why she fashioned him this Hand of the King/Queen brooch. Hooray! I loved Tyrion when he was in this role for Joffrey, so imagine how badass he’ll be now!

The season ends with a bit of a preview of all that badassery in action. It’s Dany’s fleet heading to Westeros. We’ve got the Dothraki, the Unsullied, the DRAGONS, and ships from the Iron Islands, Highgarden and Dorne. There hasn’t been a female foursome as exciting as Dany, Yara, Ellaria and Olenna since Christina Aguilera, Mya, Lil’ Kim and P!nk did “Lady Marmalade.” (Yes, that is my second P!nk reference.)

Of course, Dany’s fleet will likely need to overcome Euron’s army before they make it to King’s Landing. Then she’ll need to conquer Cersei’s queendom, if Cersei doesn’t burn Westeros to the ground first. But then what? Will she fight for Jon Snow’s territory in the North? Or is that the possible marriage the show hinted at? Will Sansa have reclaimed Winterfell for herself by the time Dany makes it that far north? Plus, we’ve got Brienne, the Hound, Arya and maybe even still the Blackfish running around Riverrun. And let’s not forget about the icy army of undead.

Tell us your theories and thoughts on last night’s episode in the comments.

The post Winter Is Here: ‘Game Of Thrones’ 06×10 [RECAP] – SPOILERS appeared first on Towleroad.

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Mike Huckabee Paid $25,000 Fine for Playing ‘Eye of the Tiger’ at Kim Davis Rally – VIDEO

Mike Huckabee paid $25,000 in a settlement with the band Survivor for his illicit use of the song “Eye of the Tiger” at a rally he held to celebrate the release of anti-gay county clerk Kim Davis.

You’ll recall that bizarre event transpired just outside of the courthouse where Davis was jailed for failing to abide by the Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.

Survivor sued Huckabee in November of last year. 

CNN Money reports: 

[Huckabee] recently agreed to a confidential settlement with Rude Music. That company is owned by the Survivor guitarist who cowrote the song, Frankie Sullivan.

They settled out of court, and it came to light when Huckabee listed the $25,000 cost as a campaign expense on federal election records. A payment to Rude Music is listed as a “legal settlement” for “copyright infringement.”

Huckabee paid half of it in May and listed the $12,500 payment as an “itemized disbursement.” He listed the other half as “debts and obligations.” Both appear on a June 20 filing.

Huckabee tried to get around the lawsuit brought against him by claiming the rally for Davis was a “religious assembly… signifying joy and praise at the release of Mrs. Davis.” The only problem was that Huckabee claimed the rally as a presidential campaign expense.

PREVIOUSLY – Survivor Frontman: We Did Not Grant Kim Davis Rights to ‘Eye of the Tiger’

Huckabee has asked that he be allowed to set up a legal defense fund but the FEC says Huckabee has to pay the fine himself.

via GIPHY

Watch a report from CNN with Survivor founding member Jim Peterik, below.

 

The post Mike Huckabee Paid $25,000 Fine for Playing ‘Eye of the Tiger’ at Kim Davis Rally – VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

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WH Officials, NYC Mayor de Blasio Celebrate Stonewall Inn Being Named a National Monument – WATCH LIVE

Happening now, officials from the Obama administration as well as elected representatives from New York have gathered outside the Stonewall Inn to celebrate the iconic landmark being deemed a national monument by President Obama.

Via NBC News:

White House Senior Advisor to the President Valarie Jarrett, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, and National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis participate in a ceremony commemorating the designation of the Stonewall Inn as a national monument.

PREVIOUSLY: President Obama Announces Designation of the ‘Stonewall National Monument’ in NYC

Watch, below.

The post WH Officials, NYC Mayor de Blasio Celebrate Stonewall Inn Being Named a National Monument – WATCH LIVE appeared first on Towleroad.

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June 26: An Important Anniversary in the Fight for LGBTQ Equality

This post originally appeared on the American Constitution Society (ACS) blog.

Post submitted by Paul M. Smith, Partner at Jenner & Block and Member of the ACS Board of Directors

As we celebrate the June 26 anniversary of the huge victory for marriage equality a year ago in Obergefell, it is good to recall that this date in June also saw two other key victories for LGBT equality – Lawrence v. Texas in 2003 and United States v. Windsor in 2013.  The June 26 I will always remember most vividly was the decision day of the Lawrence case in the Supreme Court.  I had had the great good fortune to have argued the case three months earlier and was present when Justice Kennedy announced the decision 13 years ago.

To understand why Lawrence was so important, you need to understand two things – the problems it solved and the foundation it provided for future progress.  As to the former, what Lawrence did was overrule Bowers v. Hardwick, the 1986 Supreme Court case holding, by a vote of 5-4, that there was nothing unconstitutional about making same-sex sodomy a criminal offense. The sodomy laws were a very effective mechanism for keeping lesbians, gays and bisexuals in the closet and in a kind of second-class citizenship status. They meant that to be out and open about a same-sex relationship was to be admitting a crime. And while they were only rarely enforced directly against persons who engaged in private, adult, consensual sexual conduct, they were very often used to do things like deny people public employment or take away custody of their children.

At the time of Bowers, about half the states still had such laws on the books, and Bowers of course left those laws in place. But it did more: it erected a barrier to progress toward LGBT equality because it made it nearly impossible to argue for any sort of federal constitutional protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The story of how a small group of committed activists planned for and ultimately achieved the overruling of Bowers is a template for how to run a civil rights movement. The litigation side of the movement (Lambda Legal, ACLU, NCLR and GLAD) met regularly, forming what was known as the Ad Hoc Sodomy Law Task Force. They adopted a strategy of going state to state and seeking the repeal of sodomy laws or their invalidation under state constitutions by state courts (a strategy that was repeated when it came time to demand marriage equality). The theory was that when the right time came, the Supreme Court would be much more likely to change course on sodomy laws if they were perceived as relics that had been rejected by most of the states. This effort was remarkably effective. By 2003, there were only 13 states left with sodomy laws in effect.

In the meantime, huge cultural changes were taking place. The AIDS crisis galvanized a popular movement and made the gay community much more visible. Media portrayals of LGBT characters were becoming more sympathetic. The legal profession was changing its attitudes dramatically. And the Supreme Court encouraged all of these changes with its 1996 decision in Romer v. Evans invalidating Colorado’s odious Amendment 2 that barred any form of legal protection for LGBT people.

Then came the right case at the right time – a prosecution by Texas of two men (John Lawrence and Tyrone Garner) for violation in private of the Texas Homosexual Conduct Law. When the courts of Texas upheld their convictions in 2002, the stage was set for asking the Supreme Court to revisit Bowers. Fortunately, the Court proved ready to address the issue again, and then to eliminate Bowers. Justice Kennedy’s majority opinion made clear that Bowers was wrong when it was decided, remained wrong, and should no longer remain the law of the land.

So a huge barrier to progress was washed away. But as I noted at the outset, there is another important aspect of Lawrence – the foundation it laid for further progress. Partly because of the way Lambda Legal approached and argued the case, Justice Kennedy’s Lawrence opinion was much less about sex than it was about same-sex relationships. The Court recognized that these relationships are both common and just as important as long-term different-sex relationships, whether marital or otherwise. It also held that the choice of a life partner, whether of the same sex or not, is a matter for individuals to control. The state has no basis for adopting and imposing a moral judgment opposing the formation of same-sex relationships by gay men and lesbians.

As Justice Scalia recognized in the nasty dissent he read from the bench that morning of June 26, 2003, once you make those two moves – recognizing the value of same-sex relationships and denying the state the power to block them based on its contrary moral intuitions – you have undercut any rationale for denying marriage equality to same-sex couples. And while it was a long hard slog from 2003 to 2015, Scalia was right. The arguments for defenders of laws barring same-sex couples from marrying always sounded hollow once they were deprived of morality as a basis for this discrimination. Eventually, that hollowness became clearer and clearer to more and more people, and the momentum toward marriage equality could not be stopped.

So there I was in court again on June 26, 2015, hearing Justice Kennedy announce one more victory for LGBT equality in Obergefell. It was quite a remarkable day. But contrary to how things are perceived by a lot of people, the victory did not come quickly. It was the product of decades of hard work by lots of dedicated lawyers who planned carefully and refused to give up.

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