Monthly Archives: April 2018



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NEWS

Matt Wilkas is a Gay New Yorker Searching for Answers to an Empty Life in Natti Vogel’s ‘Brown Rice’ – WATCH

Matt Wilkas is a Gay New Yorker Searching for Answers to an Empty Life in Natti Vogel’s ‘Brown Rice’ – WATCH
natti vogel

Body image, mental health, drug use, toxic masculinity, narcissistic social media thirst, beauty standards, casual sex hook-ups, and alienation are explored in the video for “Brown Rice”, the new single from Natti Vogel which stars Matt Wilkas as a gay New Yorker searching for personal answers to the emptiness in his life.

Watch the wk-unfriendly video above.

You’ll recognize Wilkas from his new web series Matt & Dan, and also because he made international headlines by kissing boyfriend Gus Kenworthy at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Vogel spoke about the video with Billboard: “I just began to feel how much untapped emotional and psychic intensity there is behind body transformation. I’m coming from a place of having been a fat kid and our executive producer is coming from a place of having been a top male model. And yet a bunch of very different bodies seem to relate to this song, from my healthy fat friends to my thin friends who openly struggle with eating disorders. It makes me feel like I did something right.”

The title of the song came from a story about Ryan Reynolds’ training regimen on an entertainment site. Apparently Reynolds told the site he ate brown rice but only before 8 pm at night.

The clip, directed by Eamon Foley, also features Vogel at the piano, adult film actor Tegan Zayne, and dancers Amos Oliver III, Marquis Floyd, and Sebastian Abarbanell.

Vogel’s EP Serving Body is out now on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, and other services.

The post Matt Wilkas is a Gay New Yorker Searching for Answers to an Empty Life in Natti Vogel’s ‘Brown Rice’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.


Matt Wilkas is a Gay New Yorker Searching for Answers to an Empty Life in Natti Vogel’s ‘Brown Rice’ – WATCH

MISC

HIV Data Protection and Breach at Competitor

HIV Data Protection and Breach at Competitor

Hornet is a gay social network that was created to better the lives of our community. Our company values guided us as we built a product for our LGBTQ community that can improve lives and keep people protected. It should be a fundamental expectation that a company built to serve LGBTQ people would aim to advance our safety and security, not to simply profit off of us or our data.

We go above and beyond what is expected of a traditional company because we are part of the LGBTQ community. We understand the challenge of cultivating a sexuality and gender identity. We have lived through 37 years of the HIV epidemic. People living with HIV have a fundamental right to privacy and that does not end when they use an online platform. One of our guiding principles is finding innovative ways to use technology to combat stigma and discrimination not use technology and data to do harm to people living with HIV.

Hornet values, unequivocally, the trust that our users place in our platform. We never share the sensitive information that our users disclose in their profiles, nor do we use any other identifying information about our users. We invented the Know Your Status (KYS) feature in 2011 to allow users to openly communicate about HIV status and stimulate a conversation around sexual health. This program, participated in by millions of users, is essential to reducing stigma and providing critical prevention and treatment information.  

“Building a product for the gay community, should mean working to improve the lives of our community members and keeping our community protected. It should be a fundamental expectation that a company built to serve LGBTQ people would aim to advance our safety and security, not to simply profit off of us,” said Hornet co-founder and president, Sean Howell.  

The recent accusations leveled against a gay hook-up app are all the more interesting now that the company in question is no longer owned by members of the LGBTQ community, rather it is now owned and largely operated by KunLun based in China, an ostensibly heterosexual gaming company. That feels far removed from the specific needs of our community.

“As someone who has living with HIV for over 20 years I know how critical privacy is and I am appalled that any company would violate this basic trust, particularly a company that claims to serve the LGBTQ community.  My experience with HIV informs all the work I do at Hornet and the needs of people living with HIV are always front of mind.” Alex Garner, Senior Health Innovation Strategist, Hornet.

We respect the privacy and security of ours users and are committed to creating a space for people of all HIV statuses. The online space we create is a community. It is not a resource for third party profiteering. We cultivate an dynamic online community that is supportive and affirming so that people can grow and thrive. Our users put their trust in us, not just around building good technology, but also around doing the right thing and living by a set of values that reflect the community.

love.hornet.com/blog/2018/4/2/hiv-data-protection-and-breach-at-competitor

MISC

GLAAD fact checks inaccurate claims surrounding president Trump’s transgender military ban

GLAAD fact checks inaccurate claims surrounding president Trump’s transgender military ban

NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today recognized International Fact-Checking Day by fact-checking some of the most common inaccuracies surrounding coverage of President Trump’s transgender military ban, which is opposed by the majority of Americans.

Just over a week ago on March 23rd, the Trump Administration doubled-down and issued a new implementation policy in an attempt to move forward with the transgender military banafter four federal courts and two appeals courts declared it likely to be unconstitutional and blocked the original language from going into effect while the courts have time to hear and rule on the cases. 

Here’s a breakdown of some of the misinformation surrounding the Trump Administration’s March 23rd implementation policy:

FALSE CLAIM: The Trump Administration walked backed President Trump’s plan to ban all transgender service members from openly serving in any capacity within the United States armed forces with the implementation policy made public on March 23rd, 2018.

FACT: The March 23rd implementation policy has the same intent and ramifications as before by stating that transgender people are required to serve in accordance to the gender they were assigned at birth and can only enlist if they have not taken any step to transition. In other words, you cannot be openly transgender and serve in the U.S. Military. 

Prior to the transgender-inclusive policy the Trump Administration is seeking to undo, transgender Americans did both desire to serve and served in silence within the U.S. military, however, they were not allowed to enter or remain in service if they wished to live their lives true to their gender identities. This is exactly what this policy will reinstate. The March 23rdimplementation policy is the same ban that announced in via Twitter on July 26, 2017.

FALSE CLAIM: The March 23rd implementation policy is somehow more forgiving to currently enlisted transgender service members because there is an exception in place for those already in the military.

FACT: There is a small exception for transgender people in the military if they are out and diagnosed with gender dysphoria, two things that are otherwise labeled as disqualifying factors in the implementation policy. However, what punishment or discrimination they will face for being transgender remains unknown.

This implementation policy is built on the assumption that their mere existence is somehow a threat to military readiness and unit cohesion. Regardless of the fact that these assumptions are not backed up by evidence, they can be used to deny service members who qualify for this small exemption from promotions and deployment or lead to discharge under other pretenses. In addition, as noted by the New York Times, the implementation policy is unclear as to if those who fit this criteria would be required to serve in accordance to the gender they were assigned at birth in order to remain in the military.

Further, if the policy goes into effect, any service member who comes out or seeks medically necessary transgender healthcare after it goes into place would not fall under this exception. This is by no means any less discriminatory and should be seen as the same direct attack on highly skilled and qualified U.S. military personnel who just happen to be transgender. 

FALSE CLAIM: There is legitimate and justified concern that open transgender military service would affect military readiness and cohesion.

FACT: The American Medical Association has directly stated that “there is no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals from service in the US military,” and the American Psychological Association issued a statement in response to the implementation policy which said there is “no scientific evidence has shown that allowing transgender people to serve in the armed forces has an adverse impact on readiness or unit cohesion.”

It is vital not to legitimize “research” from partisan anti-LGBTQ groups like Family Research Council and Heritage Foundation that has been fully debunked by thorough and bipartisan studies on open transgender service such as those by the New England Journal of Medicine and RAND Corporation and the medical expertise major medical organizations including the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and  American Psychiatric Association, among others.

 
April 2, 2018
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www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-fact-checks-inaccurate-claims-surrounding-president-trumps-transgender-military-ban

NEWS

Hundreds of Russian Bots Rush to Defend FOX News Pundit Laura Ingraham

Hundreds of Russian Bots Rush to Defend FOX News Pundit Laura Ingraham

About a dozen companies have pulled their advertising from Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show, but hundreds of Russian bots have come to her aid. The hashtag #istandwithlaura was the top trending hashtag for Twitter accounts linked to Russian influence campaigns, according to Hamilton 68, Business Insider reported. Hamilton 68 is a dashboard hosted by Alliance for…

The post Hundreds of Russian Bots Rush to Defend FOX News Pundit Laura Ingraham appeared first on Towleroad.



www.towleroad.com/2018/04/russian-bots-laura-ingraham/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+towleroad%2Ffeed+%28Towleroad+Gay+News+%29

NEWS

Trump Defends Sinclair, Attacks Amazon and Justice Department in New Tweets

Trump Defends Sinclair, Attacks Amazon and Justice Department in New Tweets

Donald Trump continued his Monday morning Twitter rant with fresh attacks on his own Department of Justice and Amazon. He also defended Sinclair Broadcast Company, the subject of a video that went viral over the weekend which John Oliver highlighted in his Sunday night show.

Tweeted Trump: “So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased. Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.”

So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased. Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2018

Continuing his attacks on Amazon, Trump added: “Only fools, or worse, are saying that our money losing Post Office makes money with Amazon. THEY LOSE A FORTUNE, and this will be changed. Also, our fully tax paying retailers are closing stores all over the country…not a level playing field!”

Only fools, or worse, are saying that our money losing Post Office makes money with Amazon. THEY LOSE A FORTUNE, and this will be changed. Also, our fully tax paying retailers are closing stores all over the country…not a level playing field!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2018

And he attacked the Department of Justice and FBI: “So sad that the Department of “Justice” and the FBI are slow walking, or even not giving, the unredacted documents requested by Congress. An embarrassment to our country!”

So sad that the Department of “Justice” and the FBI are slow walking, or even not giving, the unredacted documents requested by Congress. An embarrassment to our country!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2018

The post Trump Defends Sinclair, Attacks Amazon and Justice Department in New Tweets appeared first on Towleroad.


Trump Defends Sinclair, Attacks Amazon and Justice Department in New Tweets

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