A View from TEDx Sonoma County

A View from TEDx Sonoma County

meChristopher posted a photo:

A View from TEDx Sonoma County

Along with hundreds of San Francisco Bay Area locals, I heard stories and perspectives from unique people and speakers at TEDx Sonoma County. Moving back to this area just last year, this was my first time to attend this local event. Speakers shared stories from what seemed like the whole gamut of topics – all connected by perspectives – how we see the world, experience it, understand it and so on. So much good information and sharing. I was especially moved by the stories from Mary Carouba, Luanne Nightingale and Matt Nightingale. The latter two ended the event, and truly spoke to me. They spoke about embracing their lives with love, authenticity, and gratitude – even when faced with difficult truths. Their story is also very personal. Sharing it was brave and amazing. Luanne and Matt, thank you. What a great way to spend a Saturday.

via Instagram chrstphrswn.co/2f5K6Dw

A View from TEDx Sonoma County

Because Love Matters, by Krystal

Because Love Matters, by Krystal
64781_mediumThree times classical music pianist winner (Dallas), Former 1996 Prom Queen Winner, Teen Pageant Best Dress Winner, Teen Pageant Best Talent Award, Teen academic awards, Published Testimonial Story in GO TELL IT! By Debby Efurd, Gospel Community choir singer and God Lover. I volunteered at the NOH8 photo shoot in Dallas, Texas to assist all who came from different

www.noh8campaign.com/article/because-love-matters-by-krystal

On All Saints' Day, Tuesday, November 1, 2016, members of The Table gathered in Frontier Park, Erie PA for a memorial for victims of the Orlando Pulse mass shooting.

On All Saints' Day, Tuesday, November 1, 2016, members of The Table gathered in Frontier Park, Erie PA for a memorial for victims of the Orlando Pulse mass shooting.

Michael Mahler posted a photo:

On All Saints' Day, Tuesday, November 1, 2016, members of The Table gathered in Frontier Park, Erie PA for a memorial for  victims of the Orlando Pulse mass shooting.

On All Saints’ Day, Tuesday, November 1, 2016, members of The Table gathered in Frontier Park, Erie PA for a memorial for victims of the Orlando Pulse mass shooting.

On All Saints' Day, Tuesday, November 1, 2016, members of The Table gathered in Frontier Park, Erie PA for a memorial for  victims of the Orlando Pulse mass shooting.

Massive Final Weekend Election 2016 Update: Lots of Links

Massive Final Weekend Election 2016 Update: Lots of Links

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With just two full days to go before most voters head to the polls on November 8, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are on a whirlwind schedule, polls are allegedly tightening, last minute videos are airing, judges are issuing orders on voter intimidation, and early voting predictions are contributing to a mania this country has never before seen in an election.

Here is an update on what is currently going on. Please feel free to civilly vent your thoughts about what you’re seeing and what you believe is happening in the comments.

THE STORY OF US. Don’t miss this ‘final argument’ from Hillary Clinton.

nevadaEARLY VOTING. Latino surge seen to benefit Clinton: “Hispanic voters in key states surged to cast their ballots in the final days of early voting this weekend, a demonstration of political power that lifted Hillary Clinton’s presidential hopes and threatened to block off Donald J. Trump’s path to the White House…This long, unpredictable and often downright bizarre election was, in other words, ending along the lines it had been contested all along: with Americans sharply divided along demographic lines between the two candidates. But Democrats continued to hold the upper hand, thanks in part to the changing nature of the electorate in the most crucial states: Florida and a cluster of states in the South and West.”

TIGHTENING POLLS. Or is it the opposite? “Some Democrats believe that the polls may actually be skewed against Clinton, arguing that Trump’s rhetoric is sending Hispanics to the polls in record numbers in states like Nevada, Florida and North Carolina – all of which are must-win states for Trump.”

FIVETHIRTYEIGHT. Here’s their current odds.

Nate Silver, New York Times blogger and statisticianNATE SILVER. Doesn’t know what the hell is going on: “In some ways, our fundamental hypothesis about this campaign is that uncertainty is high, with both a narrow Trump win and a more robust Clinton win — in the mid-to-high single digits — remaining entirely plausible outcomes. The polls-plus model, which gives Trump a 36 percent chance, is basically the same one that gave Mitt Romney just a 9 percentchance on the eve of the 2012 election, so it isn’t inherently so cautious. But the still-high number of voters not committed to either Trump or Clinton — about 13 percent of the electorate says it’s undecided or will vote for a third-party candidate, as compared with just 3 percent in the final 2012 polling average — contributes substantially to uncertainty. So does the unusually broad swing-state map, with the outcome in at least a dozen states still in some doubt.”

SEXISM. How much is it hurting Clinton?

ELECTORAL MAP. John King compares Clinton’s position to that of Obama four years ago.

 

REAL CLEAR POLITICS. Here’s their current electoral map.

Trump Clinton debateFINAL WEEKEND. Where the candidates are spending it: “A Trump campaign aide told NBC News that a Michigan or Pennsylvania victory is the Republican nominee’s best path forward. Trump will likely campaign in left-leaning Michigan on Sunday, and two campaign aides said focusing on that state will give him flexibility to lose New Hampshire and Nevada…Clinton, meanwhile, is leaning on the likes of Katy Perry, who will perform at her rally in Philadelphia, and Bon Jovi, who will take the stage with her running mate, Tim Kaine, in St. Petersburg, Florida. It’s the second day the Democratic nominee has turned to celebrity supporters for an assist: Jay Z and Beyonce performed at a rally Friday in Cleveland.”

LAST MINUTE. Michigan, Virginia: “Hillary Clinton will campaign in Michigan on Monday, one day before the presidential election, as polls show her once-comfortable lead in the state eroding and as Republican Donald Trump eyes it as a potential way to come from behind in the hunt for electoral votes.That announcement from the Clinton campaign came as Trump also rejiggered his itinerary, making plans for last-minute stops in Virginia, where Clinton has led but Republicans are catching up.”

MONDAY. Clinton will hold midnight rally in Raleigh.

CLEVELAND. Beyoncé and Jay-Z come out for Clinton in Ohio. “Less than 100 years ago, women did not have the right to vote. Look how far we’ve come from having no voice to being on the brink of making history, again, by electing the first woman president.”

LANGUAGE. Trump comes for Jay Z. “He used every word in the book,” Trump said. “I won’t even use the initials because I’ll get in trouble, they’ll get me in trouble. He used every word in the book last night.”

FLORIDA. Clinton rally sees downpour in Pembroke Pines: “The last weekend of early voting, which ends at 7 p.m. Sunday, traditionally brings multitudes of Democrats to the polls. Clinton’s appearance was timed to push supporters to cast their ballots, the bad weather could keep some of them home. Clinton’s Saturday was her third Broward County appearance in six days.”

ROAR. Hillary Clinton uses Katy Perry hit in battleground state ad that will air through election day. “The ad will run Saturday through Election Day in 11 states identified as battlegrounds: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.”

Melania TrumpMELANIA. Trump’s wife worked illegally in U.S., it has been confirmed: “Mrs. Trump, who received a green card in March 2001 and became a U.S. citizen in 2006, has always maintained that she arrived in the country legally and never violated the terms of her immigration status. During the presidential campaign, she has cited her story to defend her husband’s hard line on immigration.”

TRUMP AFFAIR. National Enquirer paid $150K for Playboy Playmate’s story of affair with Trump, but never published it: “Karen McDougal, Playboy’s 1998 playmate of the year, claims to have had an affair with Trump from 2006 to 2007, while he was married to his current wife, Melania Trump, according to the report. American Media Inc., which owns The National Enquirer, confirmed the payment, but said it was for a column.”

CLOSING MESSAGE. Trump released a new ad on Friday called ‘Donald Trump’s Argument for America’. Here it is, if you can stomach it:

TRUMP’S WEEKLY ADDRESS. Called ‘Closing the history book on the Clintons’.

VOTER INTIMIDATION

ohioOHIO. A federal judge has issued an order seeking to prevent Trump and his supporters from intimidating voters: “U.S. District Judge James Gwin in Cleveland ruled Friday that anyone who engages in intimidation or harassment inside or near polling places, regardless of political alliance, would face contempt of court charges. Gwin’s decision to grant a temporary restraining order follows a complaint filed by the Ohio Democratic Party against Trump’s campaign and Republican political operative Roger Stone.”

virginiaVIRGINIA. Trump supporter totes gun outside of polling place: “Authorities in the nation’s richest county are apparently OK with that. Erika Cotti encountered the man when she went to vote at the county’s registrar’s office, she told The Huffington Post. ‘I had my 9-year-old son with me. I felt intimidated,’ Cotti said. ‘And I had to explain to my 9-year-old why a man with a 357 magnum is standing outside the polling station.’ Cotti said the man offered her a Republican sample ballot, which she declined.”

New Jersey Same-sex unionsNEW JERSEY. Democrats lose battle for injunction forbidding voter intimidation: “There’s no evidence the Republican National Committee is engaged in efforts to intimidate voters in violation of a 1982 court order barring such activities, a federal judge ruled in rejecting a request by Democrats for sanctions. U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday denied the DNC request, ruling that the RNC hadn’t violated the order. The RNC has long denied that its ballot-security measures intimidate voters or suppress the vote.”

The post Massive Final Weekend Election 2016 Update: Lots of Links appeared first on Towleroad.


Massive Final Weekend Election 2016 Update: Lots of Links

On Thursday, October 27, Identity, Edinboro University's LGBTQIA student group, held the annual Halloqueen Ball at the Franklin G Pogue Student Union Center.

On Thursday, October 27, Identity, Edinboro University's LGBTQIA student group, held the annual Halloqueen Ball at the Franklin G Pogue Student Union Center.

Michael Mahler posted a photo:

On Thursday, October 27, Identity, Edinboro University's LGBTQIA student group, held the annual Halloqueen Ball at the Franklin G Pogue Student Union Center.

On Thursday, October 27, Identity, Edinboro University’s LGBTQIA student group, held the annual Halloqueen Ball at the Franklin G Pogue Student Union Center.

On Thursday, October 27, Identity, Edinboro University's LGBTQIA student group, held the annual Halloqueen Ball at the Franklin G Pogue Student Union Center.

Does Not Being On PrEP Make A Guy Less Desirable?

Does Not Being On PrEP Make A Guy Less Desirable?

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To PrEP Or Not To PrEP? That is the question plaguing Brian Moylan at Vice.

“Last summer, I picked up a gentleman on Fire Island,” he writes in a new op-ed titled Not Being on PrEP Is Making It Harder for Me to Get Laid. “We retired back to his place for a makeout sesh and found ourselves naked, with him straddling me, when out of the blue he sat right down on my dick without a condom.”

 

When Moylan said he wasn’t OK with that, the man assured him it was fine because he was on PrEP. Moylan, however, felt otherwise.

“I told my summer lover that I don’t have anal sex without condoms,” he writes. “If it wasn’t going to be bare, he wasn’t interested.”

Related: Five Sexy Gay Men On HIV PrEP Explain Why They Are Taking The Pill

An estimated 80,000 people currently take PrEP, with the number steadily growing since the drug first became available back in 2012. At the same time, Moylan says, condom use among HIV-negative young gay men appears to be on the decline. He points to a July 2016 study published by the Centers for Disease Control, which found 28.7 of men reporting having bareback sex in 2005, compared to 40.5 percent in 2014.

Moylan says what happened on Fire Island wasn’t the first (and likely won’t be the last) time this issue has come up for him.

“I’ve had several similar experiences over the past couple years when talking to guys on hookup apps like Grindr or Scruff: I’ll be on the verge of an invite to someone’s house until they ask me my HIV status. ‘Neg and only play safe,’ I always reply. It’s sometimes met with either stony silence or the abyss of being blocked by them on the app forever.”

Related: If You Favor HIV Filters On Dating Apps, You’re Living In Ignorance, Blogger Says

While PrEP may protect a person against HIV, Moylan says his concern has to do with all the other STDs being passed around out there.

A 2015 study released by the DCDC found the total combined cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis had reached their highest level in history, and that gay and bisexual men made up the majority of new gonorrhea and syphilis cases.

“The bottom line is that there are more ways to define ‘safe’ than ever before,” he concludes, “but with some tolerance, respect, and a bit of communication that involves something other than well-placed grunts, we should all be able to get laid while staying both happy and healthy.”

What do you think? Does not being on PrEP make a man less desirable? Share your thoughts in the comments below…

 

www.queerty.com/not-prep-make-guy-less-desirable-20161105?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

There’s A Gay-Themed Superhero Comic Called “Night Twink”

There’s A Gay-Themed Superhero Comic Called “Night Twink”

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Perhaps we do need another hero. Perhaps we need Night Twink.

Related: 37 Unintentionally Gay Moments In Comic Book History

Clad in what looks like a custom-made, strategically shorn PVC catsuit, he flits, flirts, and flies through the metropolis, fighting baddies in singular style.

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Created by self-described “hobbyist comic creator”” Shane Rivett, the first issue opens with our hero saving a handsome blonde who “looks like he just stepped off a Bel Ami porn shoot” from a would-be gay basher. Get him, Night Twink. Get him good.

Related: 13 Homoerotic Superhero Costumes

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Night Twink, you’re our hero. But watch your back.

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Yes, it’s true: There’s a little Night Twink in all of us.

He’s that promiscuous.

You can explore the world of Night Twink here.

www.queerty.com/theres-gay-themed-superhero-comic-called-night-twink-20161105?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Ease Your Election Dread with This Brand New Club Track from Robyn: LISTEN

Ease Your Election Dread with This Brand New Club Track from Robyn: LISTEN

trust me robyn

Robyn is back.

The Swedish pop singer-songwriter has returned and announced a forthcoming EP called Trust Me in which she collaborates with fellow Swede Mr. Tophat.

Instagram Photo

 

Their first release is the title track for the EP, “Trust Me”, a building, grinding 10-minute club track that sparkles with Robyn’s intermittent vocals. It also features ABBA drummer Per Lindvall and David Lindvall on bass.

PREVIOUSLY: Robyn and La Bagatelle Magique’s New Music Video ‘Love Is Free’ is a Psychedelic Romp – WATCH

Listen:

The post Ease Your Election Dread with This Brand New Club Track from Robyn: LISTEN appeared first on Towleroad.


Ease Your Election Dread with This Brand New Club Track from Robyn: LISTEN