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Daily Archives: June 2, 2017
Pastor accused of beating gay man for two hours says she’s innocent because he never asked her to stop
Gay Man Found Murdered In Washington, D.C. Area Apartment
Gay Man Found Murdered In Washington, D.C. Area Apartment
A 26-year-old gay man was found stabbed to death in his Maryland apartment on Tuesday.
According to a police statement, patrol officers arrived at Matthew Mickens-Murrey’s apartment on Newton Street in Hyattsville on Tuesday afternoon in response to a call asking that they check on his welfare.
Mickens-Murrey was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two of Murrey’s friends, Allen James and Terrence Ford, told the Washington Blade that he he had been planning to attend events associated with Washington, D.C.’s Black Pride celebration over the Memorial Day weekend.
RELATED: Gay Murder Victim’s Family Rejects Suspect’s Self Defense Claim He Masturbated in Front of Her
Ford said he thinks Murrey was last seen at D.C. gay bar Nellie’s on the evening of May 28th. On prior occasions he and Murrey would go to D.C. gay bars Fireplace, Cobalt and Bachelor’s Mill.
James said Murrey was a “kind hearted, no-nonsense guy” who worked as a security guard in D.C.
A police spokesperson said there is currently no evidence to suggest the murder was a hate crime.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Prince George’s County Police Homicide Unit at 301-772-4925. A cash reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and indictment in the case.
(Image via Facebook)
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Halsey and Lauren Jauregui’s “Strangers” deserves its own love letter
Halsey and Lauren Jauregui’s “Strangers” deserves its own love letter
iTunes
Dear Halsey,
I was nervous reading about your new song with Lauren Jauregui on Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, Strangers, being promoted as a “love song for the LGBTQ community.” I thought this type of inclusion would mean what it usually does in the media: one line or verse barely addressing same-gender attraction.
Too often, queer girls like us are (intentionally) duped into thinking our love and experiences will be represented in mainstream entertainment. Studios and labels will allude to possible inclusion and artists will use vague language and references in order to bring in LGBTQ-identified audiences. (See: queerbaiting.)
Still, as your fan (and a GLAAD employee) I knew I had to listen. I thought, at least it is sung by two out & proud bisexual women… I’ll know they are singing about an experience I can relate to.
Immediately, I was hooked, because Strangers sounds as if it belongs on my favorite, go-to Spotify playlist, “Crying on the Dancefloor.” But Strangers isn’t just meant for house remixes, played in clubs for bumbling millennials and their incessant dancefloor jumping. Listeners won’t be able to miss how this hit single, by two of pop’s biggest up-and-comers, is about queer love, queer sex, and queer intimacy.
Literally no one could miss how queer this song is. After the catchy, synth-fueled intro, you sing your opening verse:
“She doesn’t kiss me on the mouth anymore.
‘Cause it’s more intimate, than she thinks we should get
She doesn’t look me in the eyes anymore
Too scared of what she’ll see, somebody holding me.”
Okay…so I was wrong. Not queerbait. Very queer. Honestly, you could have sung the first verse on repeat for the whole song and I would have kept listening. I connected with your lyrics right away.
Better still, Strangers continues on to detail your and Lauren’s experiences–conflicting, beautiful, and complicated–with your ex-girlfriends. (See: relatable.) From the very beginning, you assert your queer prowess and unapologetically share your story of queer love gone lost, gone good, gone sad. (See: very relatable.)
The fact that you chose Strangers to be a single and promoted it before the release of Hopeless Fountain Kingdom further signals your allegiance to representing queer love and working to share your story to all people regardless of identity.
It’s not just pop music – but it is pop music, and that’s what makes this album so groundbreaking. Kids across the world are going to dance and sing-scream the words that tell the story of you. And through you they will sing the story of so many of us whose stories are rarely told.
Halsey: we’re not lovers, we’re just strangers – but I had to tell you how much this song and album mean to me.
xo – Clare
June 2, 2017
Issues:
Tags:
www.glaad.org/blog/halsey-and-lauren-jaureguis-strangers-deserves-its-own-love-letter
Ivanka Trump wishes everyone a “joyful” Pride and the entire Internet is like ‘Girl, bye!’
Ivanka Trump wishes everyone a “joyful” Pride and the entire Internet is like ‘Girl, bye!’
In case there were any lingering uncertainties about how the vast majority of LGBTQ people feel about Ivanka Trump, those doubts can now be laid to rest.
Nicholas Galitzine Finds Breakout Role in Gay-Themed ‘Handsome Devil’ – INTERVIEW
Nicholas Galitzine Finds Breakout Role in Gay-Themed ‘Handsome Devil’ – INTERVIEW
Nicholas Galitzine as star athlete Conor in “Handsome Devil”
The third time is the charm. Just three years and three films into his acting career, Nicholas Galitzine has what looks like a breakout role. The Irish dramedy HANDSOME DEVIL centers around the unlikely friendship of a new student Ned (Fionn O’Shea) and the star athlete Conor (Galitzine) at a rugby-mad boarding school. Their friendship is encouraged by their teacher Mr Sherry (played by the gay Irish actor Andrew Scott of Pride and Sherlock fame) but the rugby team isn’t wild about it. Conor is a wonderful showcase for Galitzine’s talent, and in more ways than one. The role also allows the actor to use what he calls “my separate passion,” his music.
Screen International named Galitzine one of their “Stars of Tomorrow” in 2015 as part of their annual feature promoting the UK’s most promising actors. Their prediction is looking sound. “I’ve been very lucky so far,” he admits with genuine graciousness. He’s eager to test his range and thrilled to be working with and learning from great actors like Andrew Scott. Our interview follows…
Fionn O’Shea and Nicholas Galatzine as unlikely friends in HANDSOME DEVIL
Handsome Devil is really good. One of the key themes is finding your own voice. Andrew Scott has that great line “You spend your whole life being somebody else, who’s gonna be you?” Do you relate to that search to discover who you really are?
NICHOLAS GALITZINE: It’s a universal theme that a lot of young people identify with. It’s really difficult to stay away from all of those voices and similarities in the mainstream. You grow up kind of wanting to be like someone else and you try and recreate that. It leads to you being an inauthentic person in some ways. It’s not just if you’re a musician or an artist, It’s an issue of identity and being true to yourself. I think everyone is part of a school clique in high school or wherever — maybe you get roped into a way of thinking.
In the film there’s something kind of tragic about this weird vicious cycle of machismo that all these boys buy into. They don’t really know why they do it. Hopefully Handsome Devil will shed a light on that and help young people realize it’s more than okay to be different. It’s actually pretty fucking cool.
The film hasn’t really been advertising itself as a gay film, so I was surprised when I saw it as a festival last year. Have you learned a lot about LGBT issues and discussed it a lot at Q&As by this point?
It’s a huge theme in the film so people ask about it a lot. Just before we filmed this the referendum came out in Ireland that they were going to give gay people the right to marry. That was a huge thing in that country. It is really lovely to see how passionate members of the gay community are and how much this means to them . We had a mother at the last screening. She was saying ‘I have a gay daughter and this really touched me in a big way because it’s all about being true to who you are.’ I hope that there are other other gay and LGBTQ teens who see this and feel compelled to speak out and be true to themselves.
I come from a very multicultural background. Being a Londoner you kind of grow up with every type of person around you so you’re more comfortable with anything. But maybe people from other communities…
There’s a large music element to Handsome Devil and you sing and play guitar beautifully [See his Instagram account]. Does that mean you’re popular on set, people making you pick up the guitar between setups?
GALITZINE: [Laughter] There’s a little bit of that, a little bit of jamming that we did on set. And a little bit of rugby playing as well! I was going to be a rugby player as a career. But every time I picked up a ball I had the producers shouting at me because I was going to get injured in some way or another. But it’s actually funny because we were supposed to do this shot [with a high speed camera tractor]. We did this rehearsal and I knew this move wasn’t going to work. They almost ended up breaking my legs. The producers won’t be happy with me telling that story but it’s funny looking back on it now because they wouldn’t let me even touch a ball but they’d almost run me over. The irony is oh so sweet.
What kind of roles would you really love to play next?
I really just want to play multi-faceted characters. There’s a darkness inside me that makes me want to play a psychopath or something like that. Tom Hardy did it so well in Bronson, playing an unhinged character. It’s kind of getting past the way people might look at my face to convince on the character side.
About that face. Obviously you’re leading man attractive. Do you think you’ve lost jobs because you’re too pretty?
I don’t view myself in that way but I notice it’s the way I’m perceived. The second film I did [High Strung] was down to an aesthetic that was appealing to teenager girls.
Nicholas Galatzine in HIGH STRUNG (2016)
I think a lot of actors go through this: You look a certain way — the genes that your mum and your dad gave you — and there’s a character which you know you could bring 100%, the audition has gone really well, but at the end of the day it comes down to aesthetics. Some times they want someone with a different shaped nose or whatever. They have a very specific image in mind.
That’s something you have to take with a pinch of salt as an actor and just keep on throwing yourself into the mix time and time again. If you keep throwing stuff against the wall, one day it’s going to stick. That’s been my philosophy so far.
HANDSOME DEVIL Is now playing in New York and Los Angeles and is also available On Demand.
The post Nicholas Galitzine Finds Breakout Role in Gay-Themed ‘Handsome Devil’ – INTERVIEW appeared first on Towleroad.
Nicholas Galitzine Finds Breakout Role in Gay-Themed ‘Handsome Devil’ – INTERVIEW
President Trump begins LGBTQ Pride Month with silence
President Trump begins LGBTQ Pride Month with silence
President prioritizes “Great Outdoors Month,” “National Ocean Month,” and “National Homeownership Month” ahead of LGBTQ Americans
Ivanka Trump blasted by LGBTQ community for tweets acknowledging LGBTQ Pride Month
NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, spoke out against President Trump today for his failure to issue a presidential proclamation honoring June as LGBTQ Pride Month. Instead, the Trump Administration prioritized issuing proclamations on June 1 around “Great Outdoors Month,” “National Ocean Month,” and “National Homeownership Month.” This silence halts an eight-year precedent set by President Barack Obama in honoring the achievements of LGBTQ Americans and showing support for the community via proclamations and other Pride Month events.
Ivanka Trump sent two tweets on the evening of June 1 wishing “everyone a joyful Pride” and saying she was “proud to support my LGBTQ friends and the LGBTQ Americans who have made immense contributions to our society and economy.” These tweets which were met with an outcry from LGBTQ writers, influencers, and leaders including GLAAD and Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO.
“Every June, leaders from all walks of life recognize Pride month and stand together in support of LGBTQ people, however President Trump chose to start this Pride month with deafening silence,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “Even if Ivanka Trump tries to save face with LGBTQ Americans, President Trump’s negligence at the start of Pride month provided another example that this administration is no friend to the community. While the Trump Administration tries to systematically erase LGBTQ people and families from the fabric of this nation, LGBTQ Americans and allies must do what we know best this Pride month – stay visible and march for acceptance.”
Tweet by Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD
Since Day One of his presidency, Donald Trump has approved policy that systematically erases LGBTQ Americans from the fabric of this nation. From removing any mention of “LGBTQ” on government websites to rescinding guidance that protection the rights of transgender students at their schools, the Trump Administration has made a point to halt full acceptance for LGBTQ Americans.
This is in stark contrast to President Barack Obama and the previous administration. Aside from issuing a president proclamation for LGBTQ Pride Month each year in office, the Obama Administration advocated for and ushered in a new era of LGBTQ acceptance in this nation, including the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, and the a nationwide victory for marriage equality.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: President Obama vs. President Trump on LGBTQ Acceptance
President Obama’s LGBTQ Pride Month Proclamations
2016 – Presidential Proclamation — LGBT Pride Month, 2016
2015 – Presidential Proclamation– LGBT Pride Month, 2015
2014 – Presidential Proclamation — Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2014
2013 – Presidential Proclamation — Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2013
2012 – Presidential Proclamation: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2012
2011 – Presidential Proclamation–Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month
2010 – Presidential Proclamation–Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month
2009 – Presidential Proclamation – LGBT Pride Month
President Trump’s LGBTQ Record
— 5.23.17 – The Trump Administration reveals their budget which includes proposed slashes to programs and departments critical to the LGBTQ community, including Medicaid, Planned Parenthood, and the Center for Disease Control’s HIV and AIDS programs.
— 5.22.17 – The Trump Administration grants White House press credentials to a “reporter” from Infowars, a conspiracy outlet that regularly peddles dangerous, offensive and anti-LGBTQ content.
— 5.8.17 – Department of Agriculture issues new so-called “religious freedom” policy statement, a move praised by the anti-LGBTQ Family Research Council.
— 5.4.17 – President Trump signs a “religious liberty” executive order. Although this EO does not target LGBTQ Americans, it is the first step in what could be a more broader permission slip for discrimination against the overall LGBTQ community.
— 4.14.17 – The Trump Administration files to dismiss a lawsuit accusing North Carolina of discriminating against the LGBTQ community in response to HB2, despite the similarities of the HB142 replacement.
— 4.10.17: A ProPublica investigation reveals the Trump Administration appointed James Renne, a key staffer involved in the Bush-era anti-LGBTQ purge of gay government employees, to a senior role at the Department of Agriculture.
— 3.28.17: The Trump Administration cancels plans to add the LGBTQ community to its upcoming 2020 U.S. Census, a survey conducted every decade by the federal government to help collect data about living Americans and the United States of America.
— 3.28.17: Under his proposed budget for the U.S. Congress, The Trump Administration offered to cut HIV and AIDS research funding under the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
— 3.24.17: President Trump appointed anti-LGBTQ activist and former Heritage Foundation employee Roger Severino to lead the Health and Human Services Civil Rights Office, putting the LGBTQ community at risk of losing access to critical and affordable health care.
— 3.20.17: Trump Administration erases the LGBTQ community from The National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants and the Annual Program Performance Report for Centers for Independent Living, key surveys that are used to help provide care to American seniors – including disability, transportation, and caregiver support needs.
— 2.22.17 – With help of Attorney General Sessions, President Trump rescinded Title IX protections for transgender students in our nation’s schools.
— 2.02.17: ABC News reports that after previously committing to protecting LGBTQ Americans from discrimination, President Trump and his administration had drafted a “License to Discriminate” executive order which would usher in across-the-board discrimination against the LGBTQ community.
— 1.27.17: President Donald Trump issued an executive order to indefinitely ban Syrian refugees from entering the United States. This ban includes LGBTQ refugees fleeing the nation in fear of discrimination.
— 1.20.17: Minutes after Donald Trump was sworn into office, any mention of the LGBTQ community were erased from White House, Department of State, and Department of Labor websites.
President Obama’s LGBTQ Record
— 10.29.09 — Obama Signed Matthew Shepard Act: “When a gay Wyoming college student was slain in 1998, congressional Democrats pledged to broaden the definition of federal hate crimes by the end of that year to include attacks based on sexual orientation. The effort instead turned into a decade-long proxy war between liberal groups that want to expand gay rights and conservative groups that do not. But Wednesday, President Obama signed the bill and then hosted a White House reception for gay activists and the parents of the slain student, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard.” [Washington Post]
— 10:30.09 – Obama Lifted Ban on HIV-positive people entering the U.S.: “President Obama on Friday announced the end of a 22-year ban on travel to the United States by people who had tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS, fulfilling a promise he made to gay advocates and acting to eliminate a restriction he said was “rooted in fear rather than fact.” [New York Times]
— 7.22.11 – Obama Ended ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Policy: “President Obama formally certified on Friday that the American military is ready for the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy as Pentagon officials said that nearly two million service members had been trained in preparation for gay men and women serving openly in their ranks.” [New York Times]
— 05.06.15 — Obama Called for an End to So-Called “Conversion Therapy”: “A 17-year-old transgender youth, Leelah Alcorn, stunned her friends and a vast Internet audience in December when she threw herself in front of a tractor-trailer after writing in an online suicide note that religious therapists had tried to convert her back to being a boy. In response, President Obama is calling for an end to such therapies aimed at “repairing” gay, lesbian and transgender youth. His decision on the issue is the latest example of his continuing embrace of gay rights. [New York Times]
— 07.30.15 – Obama White House Undated National HIV/AIDS Strategy: “The White House on Thursday released an updated version of its National HIV/AIDS Strategy that includes a comprehensive plan for reducing the number of new HIV infections between 2015 and 2020 by at least 25 percent.” [Washington Blade]
— 11.27.15 – Obama’s Healthcare Reform Prohibited Discrimination Against LGBTQ People: “The health law has provisions such as preventive services and non-discrimination protection for the LGBT population.” [Orlando Sentinel]
— 06.24.16 – Obama Named Stonewall a National Monument: “President Barack Obama announced Friday he was designating the area around the Stonewall Inn in New York City as the country’s first national monument to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights.” [CNN]
Throughout His Administration:
— Obama Brought LGBTQ Staffers into his Administration: “And Fanning’s nomination punctuates the fact that members of the LGBT community have also made similar advances under Obama: There are now hundreds of openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender appointees in the executive branch, compared with a handful in past administrations.” [Washington Post]
— Obama Advocated for Transgender Rights: “There have been cascading court victories over the years, too, along with little touches from the Obama administration: the hiring of the first openly transgender White House staffer; a gender-neutral bathroom in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building; Vice President Biden calling the current fight the “civil rights issue of our time” in 2012; Obama saying the word “transgender” for the first time in a State of the Union address.” [Daily Beast]
###
June 2, 2017
Issues:
Tags:
www.glaad.org/blog/president-trump-begins-lgbtq-pride-month-silence
Sir Ian McKellen leads #Chechnya100 protest outside the Russian Embassy in London
Sir Ian McKellen leads #Chechnya100 protest outside the Russian Embassy in London
#Chechnya100 protest outside the Russian Embassy in London”>
Actor legend Ian McKellen joined a small protest outside the Russian Embassy in London today (2 June 2017).
The ‘We Exist’ protest was organized by Stonewall and Amnesty International. It gathered to demand that Russian authorities carry out a full and thorough investigation into the persecution of gay men in Chechnya.
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Sharnia Argentina Mobile Phone Case Collection
Sharnia Argentina Mobile Phone Case Collection
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Michael Urie Will Keep You Laughing About Russia in ‘The Government Inspector’ Off-Broadway: REVIEW
Michael Urie Will Keep You Laughing About Russia in ‘The Government Inspector’ Off-Broadway: REVIEW
The last time we saw Michael Urie off-Broadway, he was trapped in Barbra Streisand’s basement. (How innocent we were then!) Now, like the dignity of most White House advisors, he’s in Russia — where his boozy lothario is mistaken for the title character in The Government Inspector, which opened off-Broadway last night at the Duke Theatre.
Like many alternately hilarious and terrifying works of art, Nikolai Gogol’s 1836 satire, adapted here by Jeffrey Hatcher, has assumed a new kind of relevance. As Hatcher writes in his program note for the Red Bull Theater production, it’s easy to see why without too much winking at modern audiences. Which is a relief. Because scary as it is to see over-the-top caricatures of corrupt officials mirror IRL D.C., it’s damn fun to escape over a century into the past to provincial Russia, throw your head back, and laugh it out.
When we first meet Urie’s Hlestakov, he’s got a gun to his head — but he can’t stop fixing his hair in the mirror long enough to pull the trigger. He’s a lowly civil employee and man of pleasure just passing through — the suicide attempt is due to running up his tab at the local inn; his servant Ossip (Arnie Burton, excellent in nimble double roles) assures us it’s a daily occurrence. When the mayor mistakes him for a higher-up come to inspect the town, Hlestakov readily accepts the bribes thrown his way and an invitation to stay at the mayor’s house.
Once Hlestakov grows hip to the windfall of his mistaken identity, he milks it to his every advantage. Urie delivers his signature charm attack on a bumbling gaggle of local officials, and it’s just the balm this summer theatre season calls for. As promotional materials featuring a wide-eyed and open-mouthed Urie suggest, this is the production’s main draw, and certainly one of its biggest strengths. The actor’s fluid way with physical gags and innate goofiness are perfectly suited to the part and a delight to watch.
In the ensuing love triangle between the mayor’s wife, Anna, played by a scene-stealing Mary Testa, and their daughter Marya (Talene Monahon), Urie’s spritely sexual energy also keeps the story more funny and less creepy than it might otherwise be.
Director Jesse Berger’s production unfolds on a two-tier comic-strip set (by Alexis Distler), which visualizes the upstairs-downstairs dynamics between the classes. It’s a clever use of the small space, and the compact design’s slightly claustrophobic feel is likely intentional. We may be in the sprawl of the countryside, but there’s still no escape.
Amidst all the slapstick antics, stuffing of pockets, and flagrant acts of wooing, one scene cuts too close not to incite a shiver of recognition. Angry peasants besieging the mayor’s house eventually burst in and plead with Hlestakov (whom they have no idea is a greedy, lecherous fraud) to save them from their crooked mayor. Their lives are being run into the ground and they’re desperate for help.
The man they peg their hopes on smiles and takes their money, promising help he has no intention of delivering. It’s a good thing Urie keeps us laughing; sometimes it’s the only thing left to do.
Recent theatre features…
A Queer Conman Disrupts Social Boundaries in Tame Revival of ‘Six Degrees of Separation’ – REVIEW
‘Anastasia’ the Musical Might Just Make a Princess Out of You Yet: REVIEW
Broadway’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ Musical Is Safe for Diabetics: REVIEW
Bette Midler Is Back on Broadway in ‘Hello, Dolly!’ and You Probably Can’t Handle It: REVIEW
Cynthia Nixon and Laura Linney Tear It Up in Handsome Revival of ‘The Little Foxes’: REVIEW
A Kiss Between Women Ignites Scandal in Stunning New Play ‘Indecent’: REVIEW
Follow Naveen Kumar on Twitter: @Mr_NaveenKumar (photos: carol rosegg)
The post Michael Urie Will Keep You Laughing About Russia in ‘The Government Inspector’ Off-Broadway: REVIEW appeared first on Towleroad.
Michael Urie Will Keep You Laughing About Russia in ‘The Government Inspector’ Off-Broadway: REVIEW
