A Grim Reminder: Solitary Confinement Is Deadly for Trans Folks
The death of a transgender woman held in solitary confinement in a Florida men’s prison highlights the dire consequences of so-called protective custody.
www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/8/18/grim-reminder-solitary-confinement-deadly-trans-folks
Why Wasn’t Derrick Gordon Invited to Try Out for the NBA?
Derrick Gordon says he was not invited to try out for any NBA team over the summer because he is an out gay player.
www.advocate.com/sports/2016/8/18/why-wasnt-derrick-gordon-invited-try-out-nba
Goodbye, Gawker, and Nick Denton (Video)
www.advocate.com/media/2016/8/18/goodbye-gawker-and-nick-denton-video
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WATCH: Danell Leyva Interrupts His Gymnastic Routine To Perform Surprise Striptease
“This was not part of his Olympic routine,” barks an almost satirically stern NBC Sports announcer as Team U.S.A’s Danell Leyva strips off the top of portion of his leotard, pulling it down to his waist.
Related: PHOTOS: Gymnast Danell Leyva Shows Off His Medals And Much, Much More
After having scored silver medals in both high bar and parallel bars, Leyva decided to have a bit of impromptu fun, performing a section of his routine shirtless at the post-competition gala. (Stakes are low considering his plan to retire and pursue a career in acting.)
Related: PHOTOS: Olympians Danell Leyva, Tom Daley Tease Fans With Gold-Medal Pics
Liberated from his leotard, he performs an acrobatic succession of flips, twists, and turns to Pitball’s “Fireball.” The audience goes to pieces, and who can blame them?
Watch an excerpt of the routine below, courtesy of NBC Sports.
The fact that NBC anxiously cuts away in the middle of the routine — “What if he goes the whole hog…?!” — is annoying (and in line with their overall Olympic coverage this year), but you can watch the full routine HERE, courtesy of Yahoo Australia.
And while you’re at it, enjoy this equally involved routine from the Ukraine’s equally hot gymnast Oleg Verniaiev. Yes, he’s shirtless, too:
NCAA College Star Derrick Gordon Says NBA Didn’t Give Him A Shot Because He’s Gay
Derrick Gordon, via Outsports, YouTube.
Derrick Gordon made history in 2014 as the first openly gay male basketball player on an NCAA Division I team to play a game. He is also the first player to play in the NCAA tournament with three different teams, Western Kentucky, UMass, and Seton Hall.
But he won’t be moving on to the NBA as many expected. He did not receive a single NBA tryout, and Gordon believes that is because he came out as gay.
Related: Trailblazing Gay And Lesbian Athletes Are “Out To Win” Against Homophobia
“I wasn’t getting anywhere in terms of workouts,” Gordon told Gannett New Jersey on Tuesday. “Nobody was calling. Even after I went to the (Las Vegas) combine in July, I still didn’t get any feedback.”
Gordon stood out in his college career mostly for his tenacious defense, hustle and leadership skills. He helped lead UMass to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade. He feels if he had been just any other athlete he would have gotten at least some interest to see what he could do against players at his same level.
“I personally don’t believe it was because of my game,” Gordon said. “I think at least I could have been given a shot to work out (for an NBA team), to play against some of those other players instead of being shut out…I didn’t get a fair shot to show what I could do. It was without a doubt because of the fact that I’m gay. I was heartbroken.”
Jason Collins, who became the first openly gay NBA player when he came out in 2013 after playing in the league for years, has become a mentor to Gordon. Collins is disappointed that he wasn’t given a tryout, Gordon reported. Collins has since retired.
Related: Is NBC Sports Homophobic?
The NCAA has said that they will begin considering LGBTQ rights laws in future host cities for tournaments, and the NBA moved the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte due to the discriminatory HB2.
Gordon has now set his sights on becoming a firefighter, which he announced on Instagram.
“I’m excited. Ever since I was little, when the trucks came by and I would hear the alarms go off, it always caught my attention,” Gordon said. “I always pictured myself in the back of a truck, in the passenger’s seat, as the driver. I always thought, if I don’t play basketball, this is what I would love to do. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a dangerous job, a career as a firefighter. But it’s a great opportunity.”
Related: Ten Athletes Whose Courage To Come Out Scored Big For The Cause
Still, he wishes he had been given an opportunity to try to make an NBA team.
“Honestly, the NBA is just not ready for an openly gay player right now,” he said. “Maybe it’s going to take some time for it to get to that point. I’m going to support that person, whoever that is. Right now, in 2016, I don’t see it happening anytime soon.”
Watch a video profile on Derrick Gordon below, produced by Outsports.
Britney Spears Made Colton Haynes and His Impressive ‘Ass’ Part of Her ‘Freak Show’ – VIDEOS
Britney Spears brought actor Colton Haynes up on stage to perform as part of her Las Vegas show “Piece of Me” on Wednesday night.
Spears usually pulls an audience member onto stage to be her slave, so to speak, while she performs her song “Freak Show.” Seemingly not knowing who Haynes is, Spears brought him on stage, made him wear a harness and even walked him around on a leash.
Actor @ColtonLHaynes was the Freakshow guy tonight. #PieceOfMe pic.twitter.com/Cd4RVPC65M
— BritneyArmy (@SlaveForUBrit) August 18, 2016
— BritneyArmy (@SlaveForUBrit) August 18, 2016
At the end of the performance, Spears told Haynes, “‘That was so much fun! Thank you for coming up here and dancing with us.” She asked, “What’s your name?” She also complimented him on his dancing told the crowd, “Give it up for that ass.”
Haynes wrote about the experience dancing for the legendary Ms. Britney Spears on Twitter.
I don’t even know what just happened. I got brought up on stage to perform with @britneyspears & I hope I get a residency now!!! Lol
— Colton Haynes (@ColtonLHaynes) August 18, 2016
Britney Spears just gave a shoutout to my behind on stage…what the hell is happening. Thk u @britneyspears . I’m avail for dance hire lol
— Colton Haynes (@ColtonLHaynes) August 18, 2016
The post Britney Spears Made Colton Haynes and His Impressive ‘Ass’ Part of Her ‘Freak Show’ – VIDEOS appeared first on Towleroad.
Derrick Gordon Says ‘Without a Doubt’ He Didn’t Get a Shot at the NBA Because He’s Gay
Out gay former NCAA basketball star Derrick Gordon says that he didn’t get a chance to tryout for an NBA team after graduating because he is gay.
Gordon made history when he came out in 2014, becoming the first openly gay male basketball player in Division I history. He broke down another barrier this past spring when he competed in the NCAA Tournament for Seton Hall, becoming the first out gay player to partake in ‘March Madness.’
After unsuccessfully trying to get a tryout with an NBA team, Gordon announced he was going to become a San Francisco firefighter. And while Gordon is thrilled about his next journey, he’s less so about how he was treated by NBA teams.
Said Gordon, “I didn’t get a fair shot … because of the fact that I’m gay.”
“I wasn’t getting anywhere in terms of workouts,” Gordon told Gannett New Jersey via phone Tuesday. “Nobody was calling. Even after I went to the (Las Vegas) combine in July, I still didn’t get any feedback.”
The Las Vegas combine is geared toward scouts from overseas, but still, Gordon thought it could boost his profile. Known mostly for his defense, hustle and leadership, the 6-foot-3 guard averaged 6.8 points at the combine. His phone didn’t ring.
“I personally don’t believe it was because of my game,” Gordon said. “I think at least I could have been given a shot to work out (for an NBA team), to play against some of those other players instead of being shut out.”
While players with similar stats have often been considered by NBA teams before, Gordon was unable to gain traction. He explained, “I didn’t get a fair shot to show what I could do. It was without a doubt because of the fact that I’m gay. I was heartbroken.”
Jason Collins, who became the first player in NBA history to come out as gay, was mentoring Gordon and was reportedly “disappointed” that Gordon wasn’t considered. “It felt like a slap in the face,” Gordon said.
Contrasting his experience with the NBA to that at Seton Hall, Gordon said of his college teammates and coaches, “They didn’t care that I was gay, and that’s one of the reasons why we became successful.”
In Gordon’s eyes, the NBA has a gay problem: “Honestly, the NBA is just not ready for an openly gay player right now. Maybe it’s going to take some time for it to get to that point. I’m going to support that person, whoever that is. Right now, in 2016, I don’t see it happening anytime soon.”
The post Derrick Gordon Says ‘Without a Doubt’ He Didn’t Get a Shot at the NBA Because He’s Gay appeared first on Towleroad.
US Gymnast Danell Leyva Strips Down at Rio 2016 (and Ukraine Follows Suit) – WATCH
Two-time silver medalist and LGBT ally Danell Leyva gave gymnastics fans in Rio a bit of a treat yesterday when he stripped down in the middle of a routine.
Leyva was performing in the gymnastics gala, an event that awards no medals and is merely for fun, when he decided to give the audience something besides his stunning athleticism to look at: his bare flesh.
Team USA Men’s gymnastics had said they thought competing shirtless would bring them more attention to their sport and it seems Leyva was out to prove the point. Pausing in his parallel bar routine, he peeled away his skintight uniform, rolling it down to just below his waist. According to NBC announcers, Leyva wants to move to LA and become an actor after Rio. Consider this his screen test.
Leyva wasn’t the only one to strip down, however. Ukraine’s Oleg Verniaiev, who beat Leyva for the gold medal on the parallel bars, seemingly following Leyva’s lead, stripped down as well.
You can watch an extended video of Leyva working the parallel bars, here.
The post US Gymnast Danell Leyva Strips Down at Rio 2016 (and Ukraine Follows Suit) – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
LGBT Comedians' Olympic Tweets: Biting Medals and Loving Gymnastics
The 2016 Olympics have given LGBT comedians plenty to tweet about, cheering on heroes, pointing out gaffes, and admitting they don’t know why winners bite their medals.
www.advocate.com/comedy/2016/8/18/lgbt-comedians-twitter-react-olympics
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