Meet the Candidates: Minnesota's Angie Craig

In the second part of an election series, we profile lesbian Angie Craig, who is battling a race-baiting shockjock for control of Minnesota’s second Congressional district.

www.advocate.com/election/2016/11/01/meet-candidates-minnesotas-angie-craig

Maniac Who Put Hydrochloric Acid In Lube Dispenser Gets No Jail Time

Last August, Hengky Irawan snuck into Aarows, a gay sauna in Sydney, with a liter of acid, a funnel, and a knife. He then proceeded to fill up a lube dispenser with hydrochloric acid, a highly corrosive substance that can cause severe burns to skin, eyes, and the mucous membrane.

Luckily, the lube dispenser was equipped with a sensor that alerted staff it had been tampered with, so nobody was injured. Irawan was arrested and charged with administering poison with the intent to cause injury, distress or pain and malicious damage.

Related: Maniac Fills Lube Dispenser At Sydney Sex Club With Hydrochloric Acid

This week, 62-year-old Irawan appeared in the Parramatta Local Court, where his lawyer submitted letters from a general practitioner and a psychologist, both alleging that he suffered from mental illness and that the act was an “irrational, uncharacteristic episode.” His lawyer then asked his client be spared any jail time.

But prosecutor Nathan Blatch wasn’t so keen on that idea, telling the court it was a “textbook example of motivation for hatred of people.”

“[He] knows it to be a place where sexual intercourse takes place,” Blatch argued.

Irawan’s responded by saying his client didn’t hate gay people. Rather, he was upset because he felt excluded by them during a previous visit to the sauna.

Related: Guards Get Naked And Go Undercover To Prevent Gay Sex In Saunas

After listening to both sides of the argument, Magistrate Beverley Schurr sentenced Irawan to two years of good behavior bond, which is basically the Australian equivalent to probation.

In explaining the lenient sentence, Schurr said there was no evidence Irawan’s actions actually hurt anyone (though she admitted they could have) then said she sympathized with his feeling excluded by other sauna goers.

“It was directed towards patrons at the nightclub because he felt aggrieved about being kicked out earlier in the year,” she said. “Not about their sexual orientation … angry about being excluded himself.”

She then recommended Irawan accept any treatment by his doctor.

Case closed.

Related: “Shocking” ABC Documentary Reveals The “Secrets” Of A Gay Sauna

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Tom Ford Sours on Consumerism: Material Things Won’t Make You Happy

Fashion designer-turned-movie-director Tom Ford, whose second feature film Nocturnal Animals premieres this month, told the Radio Times that his perspective on the consumer world that he “certainly helped create” has completely changed since becoming a father.

Says Ford, who has spent years peddling high-end fashion to the society elite, via the Daily Mail:

“Contemporary culture tells you that it is possible to achieve happiness, and it’s not. You can have happy moments, happy days, but you’re also going to have things that are devastating in your life, whether you’re rich or poor. Everyone today is on anti-depressants. It sounds weird coming from me, a fashion designer, but we all have expectations of life that can’t actually be achieved.”

He adds:

“The things that make me happy are the people in my life. Your parents tell you the best things in life are free and you go, ‘Yeah, yeah, the best things are a new apartment and a shiny new car.’”

Does he plan on giving up his career in fashion to spend more time with his four-year-old son and his husband Richard Buckley? That is unclear.

The post Tom Ford Sours on Consumerism: Material Things Won’t Make You Happy appeared first on Towleroad.

Tom Ford Sours on Consumerism: Material Things Won’t Make You Happy

'I Did the Shooting': Pulse Gunman's 911 Calls Released

In 911 calls, 29-year-old Omar Mateen claimed that the attack was retribution for air strikes in the Middle East.

www.advocate.com/crime/2016/11/01/i-did-shooting-pulse-gunmans-911-calls-released

Zayn Malik Battled An Eating Disorder And Anxiety While In One Direction

In his new autobiography Zayn (out today), pop star Zayn Malik writes candidly about a slew of personal problems he faced while in the band One Direction.

“I have come to terms with since leaving the band… that I was suffering from an eating disorder,” he writes.

It got quite serious, although at the time I didn’t recognize it for what it was.”

“Food was something I could control, so I did.”

“I had lost so much weight I had become ill. The workload and the pace of life on the road put together with the pressures and strains of everything going on within the band had badly affected my eating habits.”

Related: Zayn Malik (Alleged) Nude Pic Leaks, Aaron Schock’s Hot Bod Proves He’s Gay, Michael Sam Is Engaged

As The Sun reports, Malik also suffered from severe bouts of anxiety:

On the morning of the 2016 Capital Radio Summertime Ball, an anxiety attack hit me like a f***ing freight train. I felt sick. I couldn’t breathe.

“The idea of it totally freaked me out and I was paralyzed with anxiety.

“This overwhelming fear just kicked in out of nowhere, bringing with it a s***storm of self-doubt.

“When my management team came over to see what was wrong, I was on total psychological lockdown. I would make a move to walk out of the house, to get into a car that would then drive me to Wembley, but I could only manage a few paces before I hit an imaginary wall. It stopped me in my tracks, and I would have to sit down again.”

h/t: Attitude

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Man Who Put Corrosive Acid in Lube Dispenser at Gay Sex Club Avoids Jail

In August, Hengky Irawan,  a 62-year-old man, was arrested at Aarows gay sex club in Sydney after filling a lube dispenser with hydrochloric acid, which has a corrosive effect on human tissue and can scar and damage lungs, eyes, skin, and organs irreversibly.

The man was arrested after his tampering with the dispenser set off an alarm and police were summoned.

Today, a judge let him off the hook with a two-year “good behavior bond” and expressed sympathy with the perpetrator over his psychological state,, saying that she agreed it wasn’t a hate crime but that his motivation was inspired by being thrown out of the club at an earlier date.

Irawan’s lawyer had argued that “[The incident was] not a hate crime … this can only be explained in reference to his mental health … [Irawan was] in the midst of a major depressive episode.”

The prosecutor called Irawan’s actions a “textbook example of motivation for hatred of people,” adding that “{Irawan] knows it to be a place where sexual intercourse takes place.”

Said Magistrate Beverly Schurr:

“It was directed towards patrons at the nightclub because he felt aggrieved about being kicked out earlier in the year. [Irawan’s actions were] not about their sexual orientation … [He was] angry about being excluded himself.”

The post Man Who Put Corrosive Acid in Lube Dispenser at Gay Sex Club Avoids Jail appeared first on Towleroad.

Man Who Put Corrosive Acid in Lube Dispenser at Gay Sex Club Avoids Jail

11 Tips For Traveling With A Buddy Without Driving Each Other Nuts

Traveling with a companion (romantic or not) can make the trip a lot more fun, but after spending a lot of time together, sometimes your friend’s little quirks can cause your patience can wear a little thin (and vice versa of course but let’s not go there). How on earth can anyone take so long to get ready? Why does he have to chat with every stranger we happen across?

How do you spend so much time together without getting on each others’ nerves?

We put together top travel tips for sharing the road with a friend, so you remain friends after the trip is over (or at least not end the trip early).

1. Make plans together after you’ve made plans for yourself

Although your enthusiasm for going to see the celebrity statues at Madame Tussauds is understandable, not everyone wants to look at a wax statue of Britney Spears. But this is your vacation, and you should get to do what you want! Before the trip begins, make a general list of things you want to do, and share your ideas with each other to see which activities would be good for both of you. Then each day you can find time to go your own way, and then come back and tell each other about your adventures over dinner and drinks.

2. Perform aggressive personal maintenance

Clip your fingernails and toenails before you go on a trip in which you have to share a bathroom. Pluck any errant nose hairs before you go on a trip and have to share a bathroom. Manscape well before you have to share a bathroom. And above all else, pluck any hairs off the soap after you shower, because no one wants to encounter errant strands when sharing a bathroom. Fun fact: Aloft hotels have liquid soap and shampoo dispensers in the showers. No more scary bar soap.

3. Employ technology smartly

Hotel rooms can become really small really fast, so use technology at your disposal. Certain Aloft hotels, for instance, have Apple TV boxes in the rooms, so when you need to have some down time, find a movie to watch and relax your brains for a while. Or just like when you are at home, you will turn on a movie and immediately fall asleep. By the end, you’ll be relaxed and refreshed and ready to go out and find your next adventure.

4. Share and share alike

Pick a buddy your size, and you’ll double wardrobe and cut way back on luggage. This is the secret to many happy friendships among gay men: shopping in each other’s closets. One of you will always pack more shorts and tank tops, and the other will always pack more long-sleeved shirts and sweaters. One of you will end up having packed too many pants, and one of you will have forgotten to pack travel sized toothpaste, but together you will have everything.

5. Pack ear plugs

You snore. At some point, everyone does. And waking up grouchy and resentful after being kept awake by someone’s snoring all night is never a good way to start the day. Practice sleeping with ear plugs before your trip so you become accustomed to the sensation. Once you get used to them, you may never sleep without them again. And P.S.: If you are a big snorer, get some Breathe Right nose strips. They are not sexy, but they work!

6. Pay your own way

Everybody has that friend who goes out to dinner with you, orders three top-shelf cocktails and the most expensive steak, and then shrugs when the check his the table and says “You want to just split it?” Is that friend you? Let’s hope not. Travelers on a budget choose what to order based on price, and it is embarrassing to be expected to drop an extra $20 for dinner because someone is too lazy to figure out how much they owe. To protect yourself from this, always carry cash, and then you can plunk down your share. And if you can’t figure out the tax and tip, use the calculator on your phone. It may come off as rude the first time you do it, but just do it fast, and move on to having fun elsewhere.

7. Discuss room temperatures in great detail

Does your friend sleep just in underwear with one leg out of the covers? And do you sleep under the weight of two blankets while spooning with a pillow to keep warm? You traveling compatibility is questionable. Pick sleeping arrangements based on who wants to be near or away from whatever climate controlling device in use at the time. If it is summer, and you don’t like too much air conditioning, you do not get the bed by the air conditioner.

8. Everybody poops

If you know your buddy drops the kids off at the pool in the morning, be a friend and decide each morning is the time you want to go on a walk. Some people like to relax and have self time when they are performing biological functions. And then you can go downstairs and poop in the lobby bathroom and be done with it.

9. Cleanliness is relative

photo by raisonettes

If you are a neat-freak, do not travel with friends who keep more clothes on the floor than they do in their drawers. And if you are sloppy, don’t travel with someone whose home looks ripped from the meticulous pages of a Pottery Barn catalog. You both have lifestyles, and expecting each other to adapt to your habits is unfair and unrealistic. Your friend will not change any easier than you will change. It is a great lesson in life: accept people for who the are.

10. Don’t complain

You both decided to take a bus from Cancun to the pyramids of Tulum, but the bus broke down and you are stuck in the middle of nowhere? Your buddy is there with you, on the side of the road, his precious vacation time being wasted just like yours. Complaining isn’t telling him anything he doesn’t already know. If things aren’t going the way you want, offer a suggestion for making it better. Or better yet, calm down. Everyone likes being around happy people, so find adventure in everything that happens and be happy you are doing it together.

11. Just Get Away

Feeling cooped up despite all this planning? Head down to the bar. Aloft Hotels have vibrant bar scenes with seasonal cocktails. Also, check out the live, complementary, concert series. Artists have included The Lumineers, Ed Sheeran, Green River Ordinance, and Better Than Ezra.

For a complete and up-to-date list of all performances, visit LiveAtAloftHotels.com and join the conversation @AloftHotels using#AloftLive. When booking your next hotel stay to discover 100+ Aloft Hotels around the world.

Book now at alofthotels.com…

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Boy Who Wore Hillary Clinton Costume for Halloween Attacked by Trump Trolls and Homophobes

An 8-year-old  Brooklyn boy who dressed as Hillary Clinton for Halloween (predictably) became the target of Trump trolls and homophobes after his mom posted a photo of the brilliant costume on social media.

Our 8 year-old son is with you @hillaryclinton today and everyday. #halloween2016 #notawig #imwithher #heswithher #wholefamswithher @HFA pic.twitter.com/EtGrkvoJiZ

— DGR (@DebbersGar) October 30, 2016

His mom explained how the costume came about: “The Backstory: Our 5 yo daughter had no costume. We said: How about HRC? Daughter: Nope. Son: Well someone’s gotta be Hillary!”

The Backstory: Our 5 yo daughter had no costume. We said: How about HRC? Daughter: Nope. Son: Well someone’s gotta be Hillary! @HFA #Proud t.co/LYzayVSlkq

— DGR (@DebbersGar) October 31, 2016

There were plenty of cheers (as there should be!)

@DebbersGar @HillaryClinton @HFA That is some genuinely marvelous parenting! Feeling excellent about the future for a whole lotta reasons.

— Kat Kinsman (@kittenwithawhip) October 31, 2016

@DebbersGar @HillaryClinton that hair. So amazing. So perfect.

— Timmmmmmmm (@Timmmmmmmm) October 30, 2016

@DebbersGar @HillaryClinton @HFA I don’t think there’s a better costume this year, doing great work parent(s)!

— El Franchíse (@dannyboi965) November 1, 2016

But of course the Trump trolls and the homophobes came out in force:

@socialcain @DylanPowers5 @bree_mayy this would be a much better Hillary than the one pictured above. pic.twitter.com/5TYQFa1YBg

— Fire Debord NOW 5-3 (@LcPanther41) October 31, 2016

@timsimms You are missing the point! His lesbian mommies are PUSHING him to be gay & feminine! @DebbersGar @HillaryClinton @HFA

— Mary Whittier (@marylovefreedom) October 31, 2016

@franz_soapbar @DebbersGar @HFA
He’d have better chances with a single mom. He’s being feminized just so they can impress other lgbt freaks

— Snatch Grabber🤸🏼 (@Botnet_of_Peace) October 31, 2016

@franz_soapbar @Botnet_of_Peace @DebbersGar @HFA this shit is child abuse shit is fucking disturbing

— Fotdoppler 🐍 (@Fotdoppler5) October 31, 2016

@TravisBickle96 @DebbersGar man-hating #lesbians forcing their agenda on adopted kids #perverts #sick #pedophiles leave the kids out of it

— Patient Zero (@PatientZero1984) October 31, 2016

The post Boy Who Wore Hillary Clinton Costume for Halloween Attacked by Trump Trolls and Homophobes appeared first on Towleroad.

Boy Who Wore Hillary Clinton Costume for Halloween Attacked by Trump Trolls and Homophobes