Former NFL Lineman Ryan O’Callaghan Comes Out as Gay: WATCH

Ryan O’Callaghan, who played five seasons in the NFL for the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, came out of the closet today in an interview with Outsports’ Cyd Zeigler.

In the lengthy interview, O’Callaghan, who says he’s very happy now, talks of his plans to kill himself after football because of his loneliness in the closet, a loneliness that led him to drug abuse.

Said O’Callaghan: “I was abusing painkillers, no question. It helped with the pain of the injuries, and with the pain of being gay. I just didn’t worry about being gay when I took the Vicodin. I just didn’t worry.”

He added: “As long as there are people killing themselves because they are gay, there is a reason for people like me to share my story and try to help. People need to understand that we are everywhere. We’re your sons, your daughters, your teammates, your neighbors. And honestly, even some of your husbands and wives. You just don’t know it yet…It’s not always easy being honest, but I can tell you it’s much easier and more enjoyable being yourself and not living a lie.”

Watch an interview with Zeigler accompanying the print article:

The post Former NFL Lineman Ryan O’Callaghan Comes Out as Gay: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Former NFL Lineman Ryan O’Callaghan Comes Out as Gay: WATCH

Reading the Far Right: Blaming Liberals for Violence

Certain elements of the right wasted no time in blaming all liberals for last week’s shooting at a congressional baseball practice.

www.advocate.com/media/2017/6/20/reading-far-right-blaming-liberals-violence

The fervidly antigay “March For Marriage” took place on June 17. Guess how many people turned up.
They may have included cow skulls and tumbleweeds in their final headcount.

www.queerty.com/fervidly-antigay-march-marriage-took-place-june-17-guess-many-people-turned-20170620?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Neil Patrick Harris, Michael Flynn, Wheel of Fortune, Tim Cook, Billie Lourd, Hanson: HOT LINKS

MICHAEL FLYNN. Former national security adviser “does not appear” to have disclosed trip to Middle East during renewal of security clearance: “In a Monday letter addressed to multiple parties, including the Flynn Intel Group, Democratic Reps. Eliot Engel (N.Y.) and Elijah Cummings (Md.) ask for documents related to Flynn’s work with Russia and Saudi Arabia. Engel and Cummings in the letter say that Flynn, who was fired after he misled Vice President Pence about his conversations with Russian officials, failed to report one trip to the Middle East and “omitted significant details” about a second trip.”

BIJAN KIAN. Flynn business partner now under investigation: “Investigators are also looking at whether payments from foreign clients to Flynn and his company, the now-inactive Flynn Intel Group, were lawful, according to two separate sources with knowledge of the broad inquiry into Flynn’s business activities. That includes payments by three Russian companies and a Netherlands-based company, Inovo, controlled by Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin, they said.”

CHLAMYDIA OF THE EAR. Hanson comes for Justin Bieber.

LOVE IS MAGIC. Neil Patrick Harris’s t-shirt supports the Elton John AIDS Foundation for Pride month!

TIM COOK. Apple CEO urged Trump to show compassion on immigration at White House meeting.

ISTANBUL. Ultranationalist group threatens to block LGBT March.

BILLIE LOURD. How my mom, Carrie Fisher, died of drug addiction: “My mom battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life. She ultimately died of it.  She was purposefully open in all of her work about the social stigmas surrounding these diseases. She talked about the shame that torments people and their families confronted by these diseases. I know my Mom, she’d want her death to encourage people to be open about their struggles. Seek help, fight for government funding for mental health programs. Shame and those social stigmas are the enemies of progress to solutions and ultimately a cure. Love you Momby.”

RECORDING AGAIN. Sam Smith is in the studio in London.

MARTYN HETT. The public is invited to the Manchester bombing victim’s funeral: “The funeral of Martyn Hett will take place at the end of this month and his family have invited ‘anyone who would like to celebrate his life’.”

BLADE RUNNER 2049. The promotion has begun for Ryan Gosling.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE. Game show under fire for featuring background photo with “slaves”. “A person with knowledge of the situation told EW the image was taken from footage shot on location in 2005 for a New Orleans episode of Wheel. It was filmed at the Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana, and the women in the image were working as tour guides.”

Someone please tell me why @WheelofFortune has slaves in their “Southern Charm Week” images? pic.twitter.com/IPCFo9wh1b

— Joshua Itiola (@joshitiola) June 16, 2017

TOO HOT TUESDAY. Sachin Bhatt.

The post Neil Patrick Harris, Michael Flynn, Wheel of Fortune, Tim Cook, Billie Lourd, Hanson: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.

Neil Patrick Harris, Michael Flynn, Wheel of Fortune, Tim Cook, Billie Lourd, Hanson: HOT LINKS

Now is the Time to Stop the Repeal of the Affordable Care Act

According to the Huffington Post, “Senate Republicans are closer than ever to repealing Obamacare.” Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to repeal it by the end of the month – and he’s closing in on the 50 votes needed to get it done! If he can get Senators Murkowski, Flake, Gardner, Cassidy, Collins, Heller, Capito and/or Portman to vote yes, it could pass. Trump will then sign the repeal and LGBTQ healthcare will be forever changed.

HRC is fighting back against this effort to throw millions of LGBTQ Americans off their health insurance, but we need you to join us in convincing your senator to oppose this effort. We really need to move quickly here – text “SAVE ACA” to 30644 to be connected to your senator’s office and tell them to reject this repeal bill.

The bill has been crafted behind closed doors without hearings, debates or public drafts. They’ve even refused to release the text – keeping it from senators like Tammy Baldwin who fear it will drastically hurt the health and wellbeing of the LGBTQ community. Here’s what we do know about the repeal effort that passed the House:

• It would result in at least 14 million Americans losing insurance by 2018 and 23 million being uninsured by 2026 – including skyrocketing the uninsured rate of kids by 50 percent.
• It would allow companies to once again deny health insurance to someone living with a pre-existing condition including people living with HIV.
• It would dramatically alter Medicaid, causing millions of women, children, the disabled and people living with HIV to lose health coverage.
• It would threaten the funding of Planned Parenthood and their clinics, which often serve as the only quality-affordable LGBTQ friendly health provider in communities.

Will you join HRC as we call on Senators to reject this dangerous attempt to undermine healthcare access and preserve the incredible gains the LGBTQ community has made under the Affordable Care Act? All you need to do is text “SAVE ACA” to 30644 and we’ll get you connected.

www.hrc.org/blog/now-is-the-time-to-stop-the-repeal-of-the-affordable-care-act?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Models Isis King, Laith Ashley, Arisce Wanzer Go Bold and Celebrate Pride Month

www.glaad.org/blog/models-isis-king-laith-ashley-arisce-wanzer-go-bold-and-celebrate-pride-month

The Most Captivating Films of Frameline

From queer British history to repressed Brooklyn sexuality to Whitney’s tortured life, the San Francisco LGBT film festival covers it all.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2017/6/20/most-captivating-films-frameline

Steve Grand strips down for San Francisco’s Broadway Bares. Curious?
This might pique your interest.

www.queerty.com/steve-grand-strips-san-franciscos-broadway-bares-curious-20170620?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29