Billy Porter, Sufjan Stevens, Internal Trump Polls, 5B, Melania T, Teachrock, Wilson Cruz, Tan France: HOT LINKS

DOUBLE DIGIT LOSSES. Internal Trump polls leak, show Trump losing to Biden by double digits in battleground states.

ALAN DERSHOWITZ. I’d support Biden over Trump in 2020: “If Bernie Sanders is nominated, that would present a real dilemma for me. I don’t think under any circumstances I could vote for a man who went to England and campaigned for a bigot and anti-Semite like Jeremy Corbin. I don’t think I could do it, I couldn’t pull that lever.”

THE NEW JACKIE O. Melania T?

TEACHROCK. Teachrock, the standards-aligned, arts integration curriculum that uses the history of popular music and culture to help teachers engage students, has released a collection of lessons that complement the CNN Soundtracks “Out Loud and Proud” episode.

JIFGA VS JONAH. Jewish anti-gay group forbidden from operating under different name: “What they do hurts people, so we are extremely pleased at this court’s ruling and hope that it will finally put a stop to the fraud that they have perpetrated for more than a decade.”

NICHOLAS SPARKS. Emails show author objecting to pro-gay “agenda”. ‘The emails, published Thursday by the Daily Beast and filed as exhibits in federal lawsuit in North Carolina, show Sparks complaining in 2013 about “an agenda that strives to make homosexuality open and accepted.” The emails are part a case between Sparks and former headmaster Saul Hillel Benjamin, who alleges that Sparks defamed him. Benjamin headed the college-prep K-12 school for a few months before being forced out.’

ALABAMA. Florence fire department quickly removes rainbow crosswalk painted on street by local residents: “If it was this group or any other group taking action to paint our streets without permission, we are just not going to do it,” said Mayor Steve Holt. “I’m happy to talk to them about any perception of miscommunication on their part. We didn’t have any perception on our part that it was miscommunication the permit was denied.”

TEASER OF THE DAY. 5B, a documentary opening this weekend about the first AIDS ward in the nation, at San Francisco General Hospital.  

FAKE VIRAL THEME PARK RIDE OF THE DAY. This is not a real ride.

PHOTOS. Jussie Smollett driving to pick up brothers for “run-through” of staged attack.

ON THE RAG. This week on the gay magazines.

THE FRENCH TUCK. Tan France explains the key to wearing a T-shirt.

WHAT WOULD IT BE? Adam Lambert asked about the possibility of Bohemian Rhapsody sequel.

LOVE YOURSELF. Sufjan Stevens quotes RuPaul and scripture in new essay: “And so this is our duty at every moment. To love without compromise and without equivocation. To give it our all, to the end, until we have nothing left to give. The message here isn’t very deep. So why does it feel so impossible? We are called to do one simple thing called love. We need to try harder. Do the work. My song is love. My prayer is peace. My head is full of questions but my heart is full of love!”

PRIDE SINGLE OF THE DAY. “Love Yourself” by Billy Porter.

NEW TUNE OF THE DAY. Kaskade and Meghan Trainor “With You”.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY. Elton John and Taron Egerton “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again”.

FRIDAY PRIDE. Wilson Cruz.

View this post on Instagram

I was going to keep this one off the feed and just keep it in the story. Got shy about it for some reason. Then I thought, meh, it’s #Pride and also, when I’m 90, I’m going to appreciate I was able and willing to put the work in to get myself there. Here’s hoping. In the meantime, this present moment is lovely and I’m grateful for it. #BrownBoyInBerlin #berlin #viktoriapark

A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73) on Jun 13, 2019 at 10:20pm PDT

The post Billy Porter, Sufjan Stevens, Internal Trump Polls, 5B, Melania T, Teachrock, Wilson Cruz, Tan France: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Billy Porter, Sufjan Stevens, Internal Trump Polls, 5B, Melania T, Teachrock, Wilson Cruz, Tan France: HOT LINKS

An Open Letter to Bisexual People This Pride Month

Pride can be a hard time for those who fall within the bisexual, pansexual, queer and sexually fluid community.

Studies show that bi people make up nearly 50% of the LGBTQ community, but too often it can feel like we’re all alone, walking a line between being “too queer” or “not queer enough.”

Bisexual people often face skepticism, harmful stereotypes and can be ignored and excluded from LGBTQ spaces. Bi people are often invisible to each other — all things that can make going to your first Pride feel incredibly daunting.

As a bisexual person, this Pride Month, I want you to know that your experiences are valid and that you are queer enough.

People frequently make assumptions about our identities based on the gender of our past or current partners, and we often find ourselves having to come out over and over again to correct those assumptions. Pride can sometimes feel like the center of all this erasure and invisibility.

Wherever you are in your journey with bisexuality is exactly where you’re supposed to be — and Pride is a celebration of your identity, too.

I attended my first Pride when I was 22. It was just weeks after I had come out as bisexual to my family, and I was planning to celebrate with other queer and bisexual friends, who then couldn’t make it because of bad weather.

My father knew I was disappointed and asked if he could borrow one of my HRC T-shirts and go with me to the festival. We ended up having an incredible time, and he’s one of my biggest champions to this day.

Part of empowering ourselves as bisexual people this Pride Month starts by building a community around us of people who accept us exactly as we are — whether it’s friends, family or a chosen community.

Whether you’re wearing a bisexual or pansexual flag as a cape, Pride is a celebration for you, too. Bisexual people come from all backgrounds, racial and ethnic groups, faith communities, socioeconomic levels and gender identities. Together, our visibility helps us find each other.

After all, Brenda Howard, the “mother of Pride,” credited for organizing the 1970 Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day Parade on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots, was actually bisexual. With iconic bisexual figures like Howard and others, the bisexual community has and continues to make signifcant contributions to LGBTQ history.

Bring your visibility and find HRC at a Pride near you by visiting hrc.org/Pride.

www.hrc.org/blog/an-open-letter-to-bisexual-people-this-pride-month?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Fans Celebrate on Twitter After Taylor Swift Shouts Out GLAAD and LGBTQ People in New Pride-Themed Anthem ‘You Need to Calm Down’

www.glaad.org/blog/fans-celebrate-twitter-after-taylor-swift-shouts-out-glaad-and-lgbtq-people-new-pride-themed

Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly on Bound’s Landmark Lesbian Sex Scenes

The actresses reminisce about how it was easy to “objectify” one another and how the ratings board forced the Wachowskis to deromanticize the film’s big sex scene. 

www.advocate.com/film/2019/6/14/gina-gershon-and-jennifer-tilly-bounds-landmark-lesbian-sex-scenes

Madonna credits gay record exec who found her sexually undesirable for launching her career

Related: B*tch, I’m Loca: 14 of Madonna’s most bizarre, most batsh*t crazy songs ever recorded

www.queerty.com/madonna-credits-gay-record-exec-found-sexually-undesirable-launching-career-20190614?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

First Democratic 2020 Primary Debate Schedules Released: See Which Candidates Will Face Each Other

The Democratic National Committee has released the schedule for the first primary debates, to take place on two consecutive nights, June 26-27. The debates will be broadcast on NBC News.

NIGHT ONE: New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren; Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney; Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard; Former Housing and Urban Development secretary Julián Castro; Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio; Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

NIGHT TWO: California Sen. Kamala Harris; Former Vice President Joe Biden; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg; New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand; Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet; Author and speaker Marianne Williamson; California Rep. Eric Swalwell; Entrepreneur Andrew Yang; Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.

The post First Democratic 2020 Primary Debate Schedules Released: See Which Candidates Will Face Each Other appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

First Democratic 2020 Primary Debate Schedules Released: See Which Candidates Will Face Each Other

21 Iconic Photos to Lure You to Fire Island by Alex Geana

www.advocate.com/books/2019/6/14/21-iconic-photos-lure-you-fire-island-alex-geana

B*tch, I’m Loca: 14 of Madonna’s most bizarre, most batsh*t crazy songs ever recorded

Madonna released her fourteenth studio album Madame X today and it’s being praised by critics and fans alike as a bold, albeit bizarre, return to form by the Queen of Pop.

The album immediately shot to #1 on iTunes upon its release.

Slant calls it “eccentric” and “exhilaratingly batsh*t” and says it “sounds like the work of an artist reawakened.”

The Guardian labels it Madonna’s “most bizarre album ever” and says its “most memorable songs are definitely its strangest.”

And NME describes it as “bold, bizarre, and unlike anything Madonna has ever done before.”

In the spirit of Madonna being totally weird (and totally awesome!) on her fourteenth album, we’ve done a roundup of 14 of the weirdest, wackiest songs from her entire catalogue.

Most of these songs are rare b-sides and bonus tracks, with a few deep tracks and unreleased songs thrown in for fun.

Happy listening!

Supernatural

The b-side to Madonna’s 1989 single “Cherish” was recently included in the 30th Anniversary edition of Like A Prayer. It’s a spooky song about Madonna being seduced in the middle of the night by a ghost with an outrageously large “super-duper naturally big thing.” Need we say more?

Animal

Why this unreleased track from 2008’s Hard Candy recording sessions wasn’t included on the final album and “Spanish Lesson” was is anyone’s guess. The chorus reads like a Scruff profile before Scruff profiles were even a thing: “If you want, I’ll treat you like an animal/If you want, I’ll feed you like an animal/If you want, I’ll hunt you like an animal/If you want, I’ll treat you like an animal.” Woof!

Cyberraga

The bonus track on the Japanese and Australian editions of Madonna’s 2000 album Music, this Sanskrit dance song was a follow up to Madonna’s other Sanskrit song “Shanti/Ashtangi,” which appeared on her Ray Of Light, and is one of those rare instances where the sequel is actually better than the original.

Up Down Suite

The b-side to Madonna’s 1993 single “Rain,” this is actually a remix of another Madonna b-side, “Goodbye To Innocence.” “There are some who believe that I owe them something,” she croons, defiantly. “But they’re wrong, I owe nothing to no one but myself.” Never before have truer words been spoken.

Autotune Baby

This mildly off-putting bonus track from the International Super Deluxe edition of 2015’s Rebel Heart samples the auto-tuned cries of an infant over a hip hop beat as Madonna compares herself to a baby waiting in her crib for her lover to come home and “rock me, rock me now.”

Queen’s English

Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza and Luis Camacho Xtravaganza were originally recruited by Madonna for her “Vogue” music video and later tagged along for her  Blonde Ambition Tour. Returning the favor, she appeared as a featured artist on their single “Queen’s English,” a musical lesson in ’90s queer slang. “Queens that read are the best,” she purrs. “And they can also get a job and werk.” Werk!

Ring My Bell

Not to be confused with Anita Ward’s 1979 hit with the same title, this bop was only included as a bonus track on the Japanese edition and Target Special Edition of 2008’s Hard Candy. In it, Madonna encourages her lover to “lose your attitude” and “ring my bell” before flipping the script and telling the guy “you can’t!” There are also some curious references to members of her family (her daddy, her mama, her sisters, and her brothers) also wanting to ring her bell, and for her to ring their bells, prompting the listener to wonder just what the hell sort of bell she’s talking about.

Now I’m Following You (Pt. 2)

The eleventh track from Madonna’s 1990 soundtrack album I’m Breathless is part remix part duet with actor Warren Beatty and it’s totally bizarro. The tune opens with the sound of a record scratching before a ’90s dance beat kicks in. Later, it incorporates various Madonna and Dick Tracy voice clips, ending with her saying “Dick” pitch-shifted into notes that fit song’s melody.

History

Less bizarre and more just fun, the b-side to 2006’s single “Jump” is a cheesy but inspiring dance floor anthem about everyone coming together and making the world a better place that quotes Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Fun fact: An alternate version of the song leaked online in 2007 featuring completely different vocals, lyrics, and a new structure that’s equally as good.)

Let Down Your Guard

The b-side to Madonna’s 1994 single “Secret” is about, as the title implies, getting one’s paramour to let down their guard and have a little uninhibited fun between the sheets. The song’s beat and vocals are probably a bit too jarring for the casual Madonna listener, but for us stans it’s an interesting addition to her ’90s catalogue.

Impressive Instant

This club banger from 2000’s Music takes listeners on a space odyssey through the cosmos and beyond. Backed by laser noises and synthesizers, Madonna sings nonsensical lyrics (“I like to singy, singy, singy, like a bird on the wingy, wingy, wingy”) in a distorted voice. It was included in her Drowned World Tour, where it received an equally weird performance.

The Beast Within

Madonna literally takes listeners to church in the b-side to her 1990 single “Justify My Love.” This sultry remix includes passages from the Book of Revelation seductively read over a trip hop beat that somehow manages to be both sexy and biblical at the same time.

B-Day Song

A bonus track from 2012’s MDNA, Madonna is joined by rapper M.I.A. as the two sing about the joys of celebrating one’s birthday… without consuming any drugs or alcohol. The head-scratching bop has a sort of ’60’s girl group vibe and contains the lyrical gem, “My type of party there’s no hangover/We get high and we still stay sober.”

Super Pop

Originally recorded for 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, this one finds Madonna imagining all the things she might have been had she not been a singer, including a lion, a lemon drop martini, and the President of the United States of America. The song was scrapped from the album (we can’t imagine why!) but was later sent to members of Madonna’s official fan club as a digital download.

Related: You can dance: Madonna’s Spanish-language songs ranked

www.queerty.com/btch-im-loca-14-madonnas-bizarre-batsht-crazy-songs-ever-recorded-20190614?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29