Meet catfishing’s furry fake cousin: dogfishing

Apparently men on dating apps have been posing with adorable dogs in their profile pics to appear more handsome and loving than they actually are. And the worst part: The dogs aren’t even theirs.

When you ask them about “their” dogs, they may get evasive or even ghost you if you press too hard.

Welcome to the modern online phenomenon of “dog fishing.”

Related: This man’s lawsuit against Grindr over a catfishing nightmare could change tech forever

Catfishing, of course, refers to people who pretend to be someone they’re not in order to get you to “bite” or chase them.

Dogfishing on the other hand is more literal. In this case, dogs are the bait, and it’s easy to see why: Dogs make great icebreakers for introductory conversation, and people generally assume that pet owners might make affectionate, protective lovers. Plus, a cute dog can make an okay-looking dude seem downright adorable.

But then, when you realize the dog in their photos are just bait, it can feel like a bit of a canine-con.

But dogfishing may not actually be a bad dating strategy: Once you actually score a date with someone, they may not care if the mutt is yours. Plus, it’s not like you have to lie and say it is — you can just say you were playing with a pal’s pooch because you love animals.

Also, if you hate mugging for the camera, dogs can sometimes bring out your natural warmth and smile, making you seem more genuine and playful than if you just stood in front of your mirror and took a hundred shirtless selfies.

Just make sure you don’t actually buy or adopt a dog just for a cute profile pic. Anyone who does that without regard for the animal’s lifelong care definitely belongs in the doghouse.

www.queerty.com/meet-catfishings-furry-fakey-cousin-dogfishing-20190815?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Lil Nas X’s Historic Ride Gets a ‘TIME’ Cover Story

Lil Nas X, who came out as gay just weeks before his hit track “Old Town Road” broke records as the longest-running (19 weeks and counting) #1 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, is profiled in a new TIME magazine cover story.

Lil Nas X tells the magazine that he never planned on coming out because, he thought to himself,”I know the people who listen to this the most, and they’re not accepting of homosexuality.”

But, writes Andrew Chow, something happened during LGBTQ Pride month and he was emboldened. Said Lil Nas X: “I never would have done that if I wasn’t in a way pushed by the universe. In June, I’m seeing Pride flags everywhere and seeing couples holding hands–little stuff like that.”

The post Lil Nas X’s Historic Ride Gets a ‘TIME’ Cover Story appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Lil Nas X’s Historic Ride Gets a ‘TIME’ Cover Story

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: August 15, 2019

TODAY — HRC PRESIDENT ALPHONSO DAVID KICKS OFF TENURE WITH NATIONAL #WeAreHRC TOUR OF CRITICAL STATES: The tour will take him to Richmond, Virginia; Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio; Dallas; Los Angeles; Las Vegas; and Wilmington, Delaware, to meet with and rally HRC members, advocates, voters and pro-equality candidates ahead of the 2019 and 2020 elections. “Our work and priorities must always be informed by those who are living these issues and challenges every day, which is why I’m proud to begin my tenure by traveling the country to hear from many of the advocates and activists doing lifesaving work around the country,” HRC President Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) said. The tour is David’s first official act as the head of the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights group and will highlight his priorities, including passing the Equality Act, stopping anti-trans violence, expanding access to inclusive health care, ending the HIV and AIDS epidemic and electing pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot. More at HRC.

• Wash Post reports — HRC launching historic investment in Virginia legislative races, focusing on 27 races and mobilizing the state’s 1.2 million Equality Voters to turn out on election day. More from Washington Blade and Laura Vozzella (@LVozzella) at The Washington Post. 

TRUMP-PENCE ADMIN PROPOSAL WOULD EVISCERATE EXISTING PROTECTIONS FOR LGBTQ EMPLOYEES WORKING FOR FEDERAL CONTRACTORS: “This regulation, which directly contradicts Trump’s earlier promise, is a broad and sweeping effort to implement a license to discriminate against people on the basis of their gender identity and sexual orientation,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Everyone deserves a workplace free from discrimination. The Trump administration needs to withdraw this proposed regulation and stop these attacks on LGBTQ people.” More from HRC, Politico and The Daily Beast.

BREAKING: The Trump-Pence administration has announced a proposal that would rip massive holes in existing protections for LGBTQ employees of contractors and more. pic.twitter.com/lBKqxNOw9M

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) August 14, 2019

OHIO SEN. SHERROD BROWN AND SPOUSE, WRITER & JOURNALIST CONNIE SCHULTZ, TO SPEAK SATURDAY AT HRC CLEVELAND DINNER:  New HRC President Alphonso David will also deliver his first HRC dinner remarks. If you are a member of the press interested in covering this dinner, please contact [email protected].  

THANKFUL THURSDAY — TWO MALE PENGUINS AT BERLIN ZOO RAISING ZOO’S FIRST PENGUIN CHICK IN ALMOST 20 YEARS: Skip and Ping adopted the egg from their fellow penguin, The Orange. If the egg is fertilized, it will likely hatch next month. “I hope Ping and Skip get a little penguin baby and become the best parents you’ve ever seen,” Zoo Berlin Penguin Keeper Anja Seiferth said. More from The New York Times.

It’s a tale as old as time: boy meets boy. Boys move to Berlin. Zookeeper gives boys a penguin egg. t.co/9UKrDIqmw3

— Liam Stack (@liamstack) August 14, 2019

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE JOINS OPEN LETTER CALLING ON HHS SEC. ALEX AZAR TO RECONSIDER PLANS TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST TRANS PEOPLE: More from Peoria Public Radio.

MORNING MUST READ — CEO OF GLOBAL LEADERSHIP CONSULTING FIRM WEIGHS IN ON IMPORTANCE OF LGBTQ INCLUSION AND PENDING SCOTUS CASES: Eric Pliner of YSC Consulting writes: “Supporting LGBT employees at work isn’t just about performance and productivity; it’s also about patriotism. When our government fails to meet the full needs of its populace, business has long intervened to help.” More from Fortune.

SEPT 20 — PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES WILL APPEAR IN FORUM ON LGBTQ ISSUES: The event is hosted by One Iowa, The Gazette, and The Advocate. More from The Advocate.

ERIC BLEVINS BECOMES WORLD MASTERS DIVING CHAMP AS HIS HUSBAND CHEERS ON: More from OutSports.

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES MUST INVESTIGATE WEBSITE TARGETING LGBTQ PEOPLE WITH VIOLENCE: The website includes photos and addresses of LGBTQ people, and encourages violence and murder. More from Pink News.

READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!

Vanity Fair reports on the rise of positive trans representation in television; HRC interviews Garry Bevel, advocate for LGBTQ children in child welfare system; Gay City News reviews the upcoming LGBTQ film “End of the Century”; Forbes takes a look at Univision’s first telenovela to feature a same-sex couple as the main protagonists 

Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tipsheet-august-15-2019?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

‘A League of Their Own’ Gets the Queer Retelling ’90s Audiences Craved

Good Trouble‘s Emma Hunton speaks with The Advocate about queering the beloved story in the Unauthorized Musical Parody of A League of Their Own. 

www.advocate.com/theater/2019/8/15/league-their-own-gets-queer-retelling-90s-audiences-craved

Activists Call for Boycott of Gay San Antonio Nightclub ‘Pegasus’ After Homocon Owner Announces 2020 Challenge of Joaquin Castro (D-TX)

Activists in San Antonio are calling for a boycott of the gay nightclub Pegasus after its gay Republican owner Mauro Garza announced he’s challenging Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) for his seat in Congress.

Garza, a Trump supporter, regularly attacks the immigrant and transgender communities in social media posts, professes his love for Chick-fil-A, and celebrates homophobes like Karen Pence and Ted Cruz.

In 2018, he ran a failed campaign for the seat vacated by Lamar Smith.

SACurrent reports: “If you don’t remember Garza from the crowded 2018 TX-21 Republican primary, all you really need to know is that he cavorted about in a red MAGA-esque cap with the slogan ‘Make TX-21 Greater.’ Consistent if anything, his social media feeds are awash with Trump retweets and anti-AOC memes.”

Said the activist group, which is tweeting under the handle Protest The Peg: “We must stand together to ensure that political attacks on our community are denounced. We must work in unison to curtail monetary support of anti-LGBTQIA+ movements. Every time we spend our hard-earned dollars at Pegasus Nightclub, we are paying to support our oppression.”

The group also made note that RuPaul’s Drag Race star Kennedy Davenport performed at Pegasus recently and refused to honor the boycott:

“We understand there are many artists who rely on the entertainment industry as their source of income. We are fully aware of the limits systemic oppression can impose on us to secure employment and meet our needs. We recognize that our spaces are the safest for LGBTQIA+ talent to work. However, the LGBTQIA+ entertainment industry provides different platforms that reach large audiences. We ask that you use those platforms responsibly and refrain from contracting talent to attend or perform at Pegasus Nightclub.”

View this post on Instagram

Chic Fila is delicious!

A post shared by Mauro Garza (@mauroegarza) on Apr 26, 2019 at 2:48pm PDT

The post Activists Call for Boycott of Gay San Antonio Nightclub ‘Pegasus’ After Homocon Owner Announces 2020 Challenge of Joaquin Castro (D-TX) appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Activists Call for Boycott of Gay San Antonio Nightclub ‘Pegasus’ After Homocon Owner Announces 2020 Challenge of Joaquin Castro (D-TX)

How a Lesbian Power Couple Became Pioneers in Writing and Family Films

Suzanne Buirgy, who’s behind this fall’s hottest animated movie, Abominable, and Judy Wieder are a lesbian power couple we can’t get enough of.

www.advocate.com/exclusives/2019/8/15/how-lesbian-power-couple-became-pioneers-writing-and-family-films