107 Shots at Sidetrack’s Frisky, Sexy Market Days Celebration
www.advocate.com/photography/2019/8/15/107-shots-sidetracks-frisky-sexy-market-days-celebration
Daily Archives: August 15, 2019
Equinox tries to fix its PR nightmare, but is it enough?
Equinox tries to fix its PR nightmare, but is it enough?
It’s safe to say Equinox is in full damage control mode.
In the wake of a PR disaster after investor Stephen Ross hosted a fundraiser for Donald Trump (and subsequently raised $12 million to reelect the president), Equinox chairman Harvey Spevak released a memo to gym members, and the national press following the story closely, touting a new initiative to donate $1 million to five charities.
Spevak addressed the controversy, writing:
“Many of you have asked for clarification on Stephen Ross’s investment in Equinox. Mr. Ross is not the majority investor in Equinox. He is one of the investors including myself. He does not run the company. I do. I am the Executive Chairman of Equinox and have led the vision and strategic direction of the company since I joined in 1999. Our focus has always been about building a community centered on our values, not politics.”
Related: Memers come for Equinox and its Trump-supporting owner
Celebrities and activists have called on members to drop ties with Equinox and sister gym SoulCycle, as well as a number of other interconnected lifestyle brands, over Ross’s involvement in politics.
For his part, Ross said in a statement to The Washington Post that he plans to counter Trump on policies he disagrees with. He called himself “an outspoken champion of racial equality, inclusion, diversity, public education and environmental sustainability.”
Of course, it’s hard to take him seriously as a champion of these causes when the Trump administration fails so miserably on each item.
Related: Gay Twitter responds to the Equinox Fitness/Trump fundraiser debacle
Spevak’s memo went on to introduce a new charity initiative:
“While I don’t have all the answers, what we have heard from many of you is that you would like Equinox to immediately help amplify your voice in support of causes we as a community have always held close. As a next step, Equinox will make a $1 million donation to benefit the five charities mentioned above. From August 17 through August 31, every check-in will be an opportunity for our members and employees to select how our donation will be allocated among the causes.”
“We will continue to listen to your thoughts and ideas,” he concluded, “and while we have a lot of work to do, I am confident that together we will come out a stronger community.”
When the story first popped up in headlines last week, many criticized the company’s initial response as insufficient:
Will this new charity donation be enough to neutralize the negative brand association?
Billy Porter, Billy Eichner, Zack Bornstein, Chrissy Teigen, Jonathan Van Ness and Brittani Nichols are among Equinox’s high profile now-former members who have publicly supported the boycott.
‘Pose’ Beats the Heat with a Light, Tight Summer Getaway Episode [RECAP]
‘Pose’ Beats the Heat with a Light, Tight Summer Getaway Episode [RECAP]
One thing we should never take for granted with a show as singularly spectacular and loaded with vital representation as Pose is its ability to intersperse small moments of joy and triumph. Last night’s episode, “Life’s a Beach,” was the perfect sort of complement to a summer where “roséwave” has replaced the usual bops and bangers with something lighter, sunnier.
The framework felt like your typical summer getaway episode that’s been done for ages in television. (Remember when Saved By the Bell worked at the beach club or when the Tanner clan would visit Disney on Full House?) It’s a chance to get characters out of their typical element and see how they allow themselves to grow and expand in a new setting.
Plus, let’s not forget the beach fashions, darling.
This being Pose, of course they’ve put a unique spin on classic. The summer lewks alone are worth the watch, but, more importantly, it provided a new lens to examine how these tropes look through the prism of the trans woman of color experience.
And, I know, sometimes discussing Pose feels like a sophomore sociology class at one of those liberal colleges in the woods of New Hampshire where no one get grades. However, so much of what Pose provides is done with such care and purpose (especially on an episode written by Janet Mock and Our Lady J), it warrants immediate and careful study.
The framework of the episode is built around an impromptu beach getaway. Blanca, now an empty-nester after last week’s powerful episode, gets a call about her salon burning down. Of course it did. It’s suggested that Frederica is behind the arson, which shouldn’t be surprising after she reveals she recently took out a large insurance policy on the space.
Devastated emotionally as well as financially, she could use the pick me up. Conveniently, one of Elektra’s clients has a beach house, but would rather pay her to lock him up in a sort of hybrid sensory-depravation/pup-play setup. Never one to pass up an opportunity to indulge in the finer things, Elektra convinces him to take their routine on the road: She’ll keep him contained (and cared for) in the garage, while she and the girls live it up.
Everything that follows feels familiar and revolutionary at once. Getting ready to depart, Blanca reveals she’s self-conscious in a swimsuit, because she feels she doesn’t pass as well as the other girls. They go to the beach, but Angel reveals she never learned how to swim due to lack of access and the history of racial discrimination at public pools. Those are just two small examples of how Pose explores the intersection of these identities in ways big and often small, resulting in some of the most fully lived-in representations of queer people.
At the beach, Blanca gets swept up in the tide and needs to be rescued by the lifeguard. And, boy, is he sexy as hell. A little mouth-to-mouth later, and Blanca is back living her full Baywatch fantasy.
Later in the evening, the ladies don their fineries and hit the bougie restaurant. They’re getting lit on Long Island Iced Teas, cutting loose, living it up on Elektra’s client’s dime. Blanca excuses herself and runs into lifeguard hunk.
Meanwhile, the other ladies are approached by a neighboring (white) woman giving strong “speak to the manager” vibes. Not only is she mad they’re being loud, she also clocks them as trans. She picked the wrong girls to mess with, though, and Elektra unleashes a series of reads so hot she had to pause midway to take a sip of water. It’s one of Elektra’s absolute top moments in the show’s history.
When Blanca arrives at the table, she tells the girls the lifeguard wants to take her for a walk on the beach. Of course, Elektra panics. Especially after what happened to Candy, they can never be too safe. Elektra hands her a switchblade, Angel forks over some brass knuckles and Lulu gives her a taser. There’s a touch of comedy here, but, like much of last night’s episode, there’s an awful lot of truth, too.
Their worries wind up being unfounded. The lifeguard, Adrian, is sweet and gentlemanly. Blanca tells the girls that he knew she was trans, and it wasn’t an issue. It’s a side of Blanca we haven’t seen yet, and I’m so eager to see her care for herself the way she’s served as a caretaker to so many others. When she arrives home, she has a message waiting from Adrian wanting to see her again.
Mj Rodriquez is dependably superb in every scene, of course. She recently made history as the first trans actress to win an Imagen Award, and she could not be more deserving. However, last night’s episode belonged to Elektra. Before they departed the house, Elektra schools her client about privilege, particularly how he is able to pay for isolation when there are people like them who want nothing more than to be embraced by society as their full, authentic selves.
On the ride back, all the girls are singing along to the radio. Elektra glances in the rearview mirror and has a vision of Candy singing along with them. I had noticed she didn’t have a moment with Candy’s spirit at the funeral a few weeks ago, and Elektra alluded to not having a moment with the casket at the services. It was nice to see that addressed so beautifully. This episode got to show us the best of Dominique Jackson, and I think she really nailed every single scene.
It wasn’t too crazy of a departure tonally, but overall this episode was a confident, cohesive change of pace. I’m excited to see what awaits in next week’s finale.
What did you think of last night’s episode?
The post ‘Pose’ Beats the Heat with a Light, Tight Summer Getaway Episode [RECAP] appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
‘Pose’ Beats the Heat with a Light, Tight Summer Getaway Episode [RECAP]
HRC Demands Justice for Tracy Single, A Black Trans Woman Killed in Houston
HRC Demands Justice for Tracy Single, A Black Trans Woman Killed in Houston
According to multiple reports, Tracy Single, a Black transgender woman, was killed in Houston — the 15th trans woman of color and 16th transgender person that we know of to die by violent means this year.
Though Single, 22, was found dead at a gas station on July 30, it took nearly two weeks for law enforcement, with the help of local LGBTQ activists, to identify her.
Police are looking for witnesses, and anyone with information is encouraged to call the Houston Police Department Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.
“Rest in power and peace Tracy,” wrote Monica Roberts, a Houston-based transgender advocate. “You were taken away from us way too soon.”
On Wednesday and Thursday nights, Houston city officials honored Single by lighting the City Hall building and bridges over U.S. Route 59 in the colors of the transgender flag.
In November of 2018, ahead of Transgender Day of Remembrance, HRC Foundation released “A National Epidemic: Fatal Anti-Transgender Violence in America in 2018,” a heartbreaking report honoring the trans people killed and detailing the contributing and motivating factors that lead to this tragic violence.
These victims are not numbers – they were people with hopes and dreams, love and laughter.
There are currently very few explicit legal protections for transgender or gender-expansive people. Despite marginal gains in state and local policies that support and affirm transgender people, recent years have been marked by anti-LGBTQ attacks at all levels of government.
We must demand better from our elected officials and reject harmful anti-transgender legislation appearing at the local, state and federal levels because it is clear that fatal violence disproportionately affects transgender women of color. The intersections of racism, transphobia, sexism, biphobia and homophobia conspire to deprive them of necessities to live and thrive.
HRC will continue to hold the Trump administration and all elected officials who fuel the flames of hate accountable at the ballot box.
This epidemic of violence that disproportionately targets transgender people of color — particularly Black transgender women — must cease.
For more information about HRC’s transgender justice work, visit hrc.org/Transgender. For more information about how to support Texas’ trans community, check out the Transgender Education Network of Texas.
Brooke Lynn Hytes in Toronto
Brooke Lynn Hytes in Toronto
Arizona Elected Official Thinks Gay Men Die at 42
Arizona Elected Official Thinks Gay Men Die at 42
“Alcoholism is harmful, too, but we don’t see groups promoting alcoholism.”
www.advocate.com/politics/2019/8/15/arizona-elected-official-thinks-gay-men-die-42
Andy Dick’s attacker says comedian “grabbed [my] genitals” and winked prior to assault
Andy Dick’s attacker says comedian “grabbed [my] genitals” and winked prior to assault
Bisexual comedian Andy Dick was assaulted in New Orleans over the weekend. His attacker, David Hale, has admitted to the crime, but, he says, there’s more to the story than what was originally reported.
The assault happened last Saturday after Dick had finished a show at One Eyed Jack’s in the French Quarter. He was standing outside waiting for an Uber at around 2 a.m. when 46-year-old Hale approached him.
“Andy was standing in front of the club when the guy cold cocked him while he was talking to someone,” Dick’s booking agent, Robert Couvillion, explained earlier this week. “Andy’s head fell into the wall, then fell into the motorcycle, then cracked on the cement.”
Hale, who had attended Dick’s show earlier that night, was arrested. He admitted to the assault, but he tells police he only did it after the comedian “grabbed Hale’s genitals” and winked at him, which caused him to lose control.
The blow left the 53-year-old comedian unconscious for about 15 minutes. An ambulance took him to a local hospital, where he was treated in the ICU for head injuries.
Meanwhile, Hale was was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center for second degree battery and simple battery on Monday.
New Orleans police say they now intend to investigate whether Dick may have also committed a crime. If Hale’s accusations prove to be true, Dick’s behavior could fit Louisiana’s definition of sexual battery, which is a felony that carries up to 10 years in prison.
Last year, Dick was charged with sexual battery when he allegedly groped a woman on the street. He pleaded no contest to lewd conduct and battery as part of a deal with prosecutors that allowed him to avoid any jail time.
And in 2017, he was dropped from the film Raising Buchanan amid accusations of sexual misconduct on set, which included groping people’s genitals, kissing and licking them without permission, and making sexual propositions to at least four members of the production.
A representative for Dick denies the comedian did anything wrong in New Orleans last Saturday and says Hale’s version of events has changed repeatedly.
“Hale doesn’t have a straight story,” the rep said. “He’s told several different stories.”
Related: Andy Dick violently attacked after show, “We thought he was dead”
U.S. Park Police Targeting Gay Men in D.C. Sex Stings ‘Reminiscent of the Stonewall Days’
U.S. Park Police Targeting Gay Men in D.C. Sex Stings ‘Reminiscent of the Stonewall Days’
In a pattern “reminiscent of the Stonewall days,” gay men are being targeted by federal undercover officers posing as consensual partners in public sex stings in D.C.’s Meridian Hill Park.
The Washington Blade reports: ‘Sgt. Eduardo Delgado, a Park Police public information officer, told the Washington Blade the 26 arrests made in the park since Aug. 7, 2018 involve charges of one or a combination of Disorderly Conduct, Lewd Acts, Unlawful Entry, and Simple Assault (Sexual). He said he couldn’t immediately determine if the arrests were made by plain clothes or uniformed officers, but said the arrests were prompted by complaints from the public about “lewd acts” in the park.’
D.C. defense attorney John Albanes told the Blade that discussion has been ongoing on a D.C. Superior Court trial lawyers association listserv (private online forum) about the pattern of arrests, which involve plainclothes undercover officers who “entice men in Meridian Hill Park for purportedly consensual sexual activity and then proceed to arrest their targets for a crime.”
Said Albanes: “I find this pattern extremely disturbing and reminiscent of the Stonewall days when gay men were often the target of police discrimination. The tactics used in these cases just fly in the face of proper police work and should be exposed. The officers are posing as willing participants in a consensual encounter between adults. The target is deceived into thinking that what he is about to do is wanted. This raises serious doubts about whether the government can prove criminal intent.”
The Blade adds: “Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park, has been known for at least 50 years as a cruising spot for mostly African-American gay men. In past years, men who go to the park to seek other men for sexual encounters have told the Washington Post and the Washington City Paper that the cruising often takes place late at night in secluded areas of the park covered by shrubs, bushes and trees. Similar to other cruising locations in the city, the men interviewed by the Post and City Paper have said they sometimes invited the person they met at the park to their homes or another private location and did not engage in sex in the park.”
The post U.S. Park Police Targeting Gay Men in D.C. Sex Stings ‘Reminiscent of the Stonewall Days’ appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
U.S. Park Police Targeting Gay Men in D.C. Sex Stings ‘Reminiscent of the Stonewall Days’
HRC Launches Largest-Ever Investment in Virginia to Elect Pro-Equality Majorities in Richmond
HRC Launches Largest-Ever Investment in Virginia to Elect Pro-Equality Majorities in Richmond
HRC announced endorsements for 27 pro-equality candidates across Virginia.
In one of his first moves since taking the helm at the organization, HRC President Alphonso David made clear his commitment to electing new leadership to the House of Delegates and establishing pro-equality majorities in the Virginia legislature. HRC’s six-figure, 27-candidate investment marks the most endorsements and money invested in Virginia’s state legislative elections in HRC’s history. HRC’s endorsements also underscore our commitment to diversity; 7/9 Senate endorsements and 11/18 House endorsements are women; and 3/9 Senate endorsements and 7/18 House endorsements are people of color.
“HRC is proud to endorse these pro-equality champions who will be our partners in achieving long-overdue non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ Virginians,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Virginia is at a turning point: voters are fed up with politicians who insist on playing politics with the lives of LGBTQ people. Virginians deserve leaders who will fight for them and bring people together, not pit us against each other. In the coming months, HRC will work tirelessly to turn out the 1.2 million Equality Voters in Virginia and elect new leadership in Richmond that will put the needs of Virginians ahead of the needs of special interests.”
The endorsements will mark the largest field, digital and direct mail program HRC has ever developed in the state of Virginia. From Northern Virginia to Hampton Roads, HRC field organizers will be deployed to mobilize 1.2 million Equality Voters across the state. In 2018, HRC used sophisticated analytics to identify and mobilize 57 million “Equality Voters” nationwide who prioritize LGBTQ-inclusive policies including marriage equality, equitable family law, and laws that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. HRC will be targeting these voters in the 27 districts where HRC has made an endorsement.
In 2019, despite support from a bi-partisan majority of delegates, Virginia Speaker of the House Kirk Cox, Majority Caucus Chairman Tim Hugo and other Republican leaders in the House of Delegates, refused to bring commonsense LGBTQ non-discrimination protections up for a vote in committee. The two bills, HB 2677 and HB 2067, would add crucial, commonsense nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ Virginians in housing and public employment, respectively. Similar bills have passed the Virginia Senate several years in a row, including this year, with bipartisan support.
“We as Virginians believe in treating others as they themselves want to be treated,” said Equality Virginia Deputy Director Vee Lamneck. “For the past six years, the Republican-controlled State Senate has passed legislation to protect LGBT people from discrimination. But despite strong support from within his own Republican caucus, House Speaker Kirk Cox has repeatedly killed a number of bills that would have ensured LGBT people were treated fairly and equitably under our laws including common-sense, bipartisan bills that would have provided nondiscrimination protections for LGBT Virginians. Virginia can’t afford to allow discrimination to continue in our commonwealth. We need new leadership that will truly represent Virginia’s values.”
According to recent polling, both measures have overwhelming support amongst Virginians, including a majority of Virginia Republicans. Over the past several elections, HRC has successfully elected pro-equality champions at every level of Virginia’s state government and will continue to engage in this important work in the weeks and months leading up to this November’s election.
HRC Endorsed Candidates
Virginia State Senate:
- Del. Cheryl Turpin (SD-07)
- Missy Cotter Smasal (SD-08)
- Sen. Jennifer McClellan (SD-09)
- Ghazala Hashmi (SD-10)
- Amanda Pohl (SD-11)
- Del. Debra Rodman (SD-12)
- Del. John Bell (SD-13)
- Amy Laufer (SD-17)
- Sen. Adam Ebbin (SD-30)
Virginia House of Delegates:
- Del. Wendy Gooditis (HD-10)
- Del. Danica Roem (HD-13)
- Joshua Cole (HD-28)
- Del. Elizabeth Guzman (HD-31)
Watch Press Conference
| Paid for by Human Rights Campaign PAC (www.hrc.org). Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. |
WATCH: Michael Bennet First 2020 Candidate to Support Expanding Equal Rights Amendment to Include All Marginalized Communities
WATCH: Michael Bennet First 2020 Candidate to Support Expanding Equal Rights Amendment to Include All Marginalized Communities
Senator Bennet: “I feel good about [expanding the Equal Rights Amendment]. I believe that pluralism and diversity are the fundamental strengths of America.”
ICYMI: The New York Times spotlights GLAAD’s work on expanding the ERA
NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today praised U.S. Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Michael Bennet (D-CO) for endorsing a constitutional amendment that would expand the proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to include explicit protections for other marginalized communities in the United States, including women, LGBTQ Americans, people of color, and people with disabilities. Speaking with BuzzFeed’s AM to DM, Senator Bennet is the first 2020 presidential candidate to support the effort by the ERA Coalition and GLAAD.
“Even after years of hard-fought progress, marginalized communities are not guaranteed comprehensive and full equality under the U.S. Constitution, and we thank Senator Michael Bennet for his leadership and support for an expanded ERA,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “Bold, inclusive ideas will help put a stop to attacks on communities like LGBTQ Americans, and GLAAD urges the rest of the 2020 presidential field to support an effort that would enshrine full equality to all Americans.”
Earlier this year, GLAAD announced Covering 2020: An Amendment for Constitutional Equality, a tip sheet for the media to highlight the idea to expand the proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to include explicit protections for other marginalized communities – including people of color, the disabled, and LGBTQ Americans. GLAAD’s role in this effort was profiled by The New York Times this June as the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn Riots and the birth of the modern-day LGBTQ movement.
The new Amendment for Constitutional Equality comes as support for the LGBTQ community has waned under the Trump Administration. GLAAD has previously called out President Trump and his administration for issuing more than 122 attacks against LGBTQ Americans, in policy and rhetoric, since taking office in 2017 – with the most recent attack occurring just yesterday. The full list can be found by visiting GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Project at www.glaad.org/trump.
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August 15, 2019
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