Must-See LGBTQ TV: ‘David Makes Man’ premiere and new season of ‘Mindhunter’

www.glaad.org/blog/must-see-lgbtq-tv-david-makes-man-premiere-and-new-season-mindhunter

Ireland’s first openly gay strongman attends his first Pride in Belfast

Unlike many of us, Chris “Big Bear” McNaghten can lift an adult male over his head. Like many of us, though, he’s also obsessed with RuPaul’s Drag Race. “Drag is about putting on a performance and about performing for people,” he says. “It’s the exact same way whenever I’m on stage competing.”

McNaghten attended his first Pride celebration in Belfast, Northern Ireland, this month, and his experience is one of the stories chronicled in the new BBC documentary My First Pride.

Related: Field hockey players strip down to battle homophobia in sports

It’s a historic occasion for a man who has already made history. “I’m the first openly gay strongman to come out in the UK and Ireland, possibly even Europe,” he says in the documentary.

The 30-year-old said it was difficult to come out, even when it came time to tell a coach who had become a best friend. “I was just as nervous about telling him about it as I was about my dad,” he explains. “It was a wee bit emotional. That was just a massive weight off my back.”

Once out of the closet, though, McNaghten looked forward to attending his first Pride in his home country with his fiancé, Jon, even though same-sex marriages are still illegal in Northern Island.

 

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A post shared by Chris ‘ Big bear’ McNaghten (@bearstrongmcnaghten) on Nov 14, 2018 at 4:35am PST

“Whenever we have been in London together, there’s no issue with holding hands, there’s no issues being in restaurants with each other or kissing or showing any type of affection with each other,” he observes. “But back home we have yet to do it.”

Related: Meet Connor Mertens, who kicked down barriers in college sports

As the world changes — and hopefully becomes more accepting — McNaghten wants his sexuality and his sport to exist side by side. “I want to be Ireland’s strongest man,” he says. “I don’t want to be Ireland’s strongest gay man.”

www.queerty.com/irelands-first-openly-gay-strongman-attends-first-pride-belfast-20190811?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Stage star and trainer Sam Leicht, on how sports can build a bridge to queer acceptance

Name: Sam Leicht, 24

City: New York. I’m from Appleton, Wisconsin.

Occupation: Trainer, though I think of myself as an actor. I went to school for music theatre. [Leicht also just finished a 7-month tour of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief: The Musical]

Favorite Gym:  I work at CrossFit NYC on the upper west side. When I left on tour, I was nervous about having anything that at all resembled structure. That turned into dropping into as many different CrossFit gyms across the country as I could. I would drop into as many as 3-5 different gyms per week.

Related: Trainer Joemar Buyao on how the ‘Avengers’ theme can keep you gym motivated

Favorite Work Out Song: I’m definitely about the power ladies. Ariana, Demi, Gaga, Cardi…anyone who has a great beat and takes my mind off the hurt.

Recommended Work-Out Foods: With my clients, and with myself out on the road we just started doing the 800-gram challenge. With all my fitness training, I look for something sustainable. The 800-gram challenge is just eating 800 grams by weight of fruits and vegetables every day. It’s not restrictive; there’s nothing in the diet I can’t eat as long as I get 800 grams of fruit and vegetables every day.

Best Workout Outfit: If I have a preferred outfit, I wear Bird Dog shorts a lot, and a lot of Lulu tank tops.

How do you balance staying in shape and having fun? That is always the question, isn’t it? It’s a delicate balance. Whenever I’m with my best friends, I always want to have a good time, but at the same time I look at what I do in the gym, and I look at how going out affects my sleep and what I do in the day. It’s hard to reconcile the two. My last four months on the road I was sober. I didn’t choose to do it consciously, it just happened. I try and stay on the track of doing outdoor things on the track or in the city that don’t include drinking. Then, every once in awhile, I go out and have a really good time with my friends.

What about as a vocalist and stage performer? Honestly, I see my fitness and acting goals as fueling each other. When I think of staying in shape for acting, I think it stems a lot from what I do physically. That is also a delicate balance as well. There are times where I’m working out in the gym and really feel tension in my neck, and so I have to take a step back and figure out what that is going to do for me when I sing for two hours on stage. If I’m building tension in my jaw and from my neck in the gym, that doesn’t go well.

In your essay, you note the hostile attitude towards gay people in sports, and link that to a hostility towards femininity. What is that about? Is that just sexism? It’s something I think about all the time. I remember reading an article in college saying we need to reevaluate those bullies in high school who were really rough on gay kids. We need to reevaluate it because there is a double standard of women allowed to experiment with their sexuality more freely than men. With men, especially in high school, looking in the wrong direction can be death for you, or experimenting kissing a boy is the talk of the school. It’s a double standard in society we have to evaluate because it shouldn’t be that way. I understand that I could walk into a gym and people will be nervous to interact for fear that being nice will be admitting you’re gay by association. It’s so screwed up.

For that matter, what is the obsession with masculinity among gay men about? It does seem like society has really lifted up this idea of masculinity as being the absolute goal for men. In the gay community, it seems we’ve also lifted up that idea. I don’t know what that is.

You note also that you were a track star by the time you were a sophomore, and how your team loved and accepted you. Do you think you would have been so respected, or that people would have been so welcoming if you hadn’t been as good? I don’t think I would have continued playing, honestly. It probably would have been a situation where I do track my freshman year. I think that if I hadn’t have been good, I wouldn’t have gotten equal treatment. I don’t have any proof that’s the case, but I think about some of the kids who were at my high school, and I don’t know if they should get the benefit of the doubt.

Did that acceptance help you come out? Yes. I came out the summer after my senior year of high school. By that time, it seemed incredibly safe. I had an incredibly amazing experience with my family and close friends. When I got to school for music theatre that September, all those kids were way more accepting of me than I was [of myself] at the time. My experience of seeing other gay kids at my school who were out completely deterred me from coming out. I don’t know for sure if they were super bullied; I wasn’t in the same group of friends that they were. I think the bit of it I struggled and empathized with was that they just seemed to really struggle to find friends. There was nothing about high school that was fun or easy for them. High school should be a really exciting time to form relationships.

You talk a lot about the link between religion and sports. For me, because I never played sports, and for our readers didn’t either, what is that link between the two? It definitely is something I’m still trying to figure out. There’s a weird thing in CrossFit especially where there does seem to be this mentality of “thank you God for allowing me to be this strong.” And I get that, but at the same time, you made you this strong. It’s a very interesting thing to see them give credit to religion. I won’t say that it’s not big in other sports as well. It’s easy to look at professional sports as a whole: there are more religious people than we may realize. I don’t know why that is.

What steps can both pro and recreational sporting groups take to foster more of an inclusive attitude? I think the gay community has done so much amazing work in getting gay sporting groups together. When I went to school in Cleveland, the Gay Games were [there]. It was so great: all these sports get people active. They have a community. They get people moving. It has competitive nature to it, and it doesn’t have a super high burn out rate. Going to 24 Hour Fitness and walking on a treadmill for an hour—you’re not going to want to do that for the rest of your life. You’ll get bored. The solution is that gay athletes would feel comfortable enough in a league with anyone, not a gay soccer league. I think there’s a bigger goal there: that sports can be a place for everyone, not just the most masculine.

Tip for staying in shape: I’m a big fan of CrossFit. Their mantra is that you should do functional movements in everyday life. When you focus on functional movements, you’re plotting muscle for life.

• So the first tip: doing a machine, think about if that machine mirrors any activity you do in everyday life. If it doesn’t, most likely there’s a better exercise you could be doing that has a better payoff.
• The second thing: you want your workouts to vary constantly. Our bodies are super intelligent, and after the fifth day of doing the same workout, your body has figured out the most efficient way of doing that workout, and will severely decrease the amount of energy you are expending. Finding new ways to shock the body, new workouts, different combinations reduce the chance of flat falling. Doing new things is not comfortable, but if you want to see more progress, you have to keep doing the hard stuff.
• Third, do high-intensity workouts. If you look at Barry’s Bootcamp, that’s high intensity. That’s great. Thinking about your energy expenditure on a 60-minute elliptical workout, that’s so much less than you doing eight minutes of 80% energy threshold. It pays out in dividends.

What do you keep on your nightstand? I’m big into reading before bed. I read and turn off my phone for an hour before bed, and my deep sleep goes from like 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Just seeing those stats, I can absolutely turn off my phone before bed. So I have my book. I have my phone, face down. And I have my journaling notebook.

Bonus Pics:

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[A la mo]de

A post shared by Sam Leicht (@leichtning) on Jul 18, 2019 at 6:40am PDT

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Who says you can’t hike when it’s raining?

A post shared by Sam Leicht (@leichtning) on May 15, 2019 at 3:23pm PDT

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You could say I was pretty excited to be *in* nature ? . . . ?: @itsmesbp

A post shared by Sam Leicht (@leichtning) on May 3, 2019 at 10:07am PDT

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The first thing we need to understand when writing workouts for ourselves is that routine is the enemy. If you’re someone who goes to the gym and does the same workout every time, I get it. For most of us, coming up with a gym routine is stressful enough the first time and there’s no way we’re going to risk looking stupid by trying new things. The problem with these routines though is that our bodies are super smart, and if we do the same fitness routine every time we go to the gym, we’re going to stop seeing results. In a fully equipped gym, we have a vast number of exercises we can cycle between. On the road, the best option for varying your workouts is changing the TYPE of workout you’re doing. . . Get some new ideas for workout types in the full blog post. Link in bio ??? . . ?: @anthonychatmonjr

A post shared by Sam Leicht (@leichtning) on Mar 15, 2019 at 7:49am PDT

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Keeping with the tradition of shirtless pics in v cold locations. ? Findlay, OH. We’re coming for you! . . ?: @cheeportraits

A post shared by Sam Leicht (@leichtning) on Jan 28, 2019 at 9:16am PST

www.queerty.com/stage-star-trainer-sam-leicht-sports-can-build-bridge-queer-acceptance-20190811?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Anthony Scaramucci on Trump: ‘Eventually He Turns on Everyone and Soon it Will Be You and Then the Entire Country’

Former White House Communications Director Anthony “the Mooch” Scaramucci blasted Donald Trump early on Sunday morning, saying the president would eventually turn on the country.

Tweeted Scaramucci: “For the last 3 years I have fully supported this President. Recently he has said things that divide the country in a way that is unacceptable. So I didn’t pass the 100% litmus test. Eventually he turns on everyone and soon it will be you and then the entire country.”

Scaramucci’s tweet was in response to tweets from Trump calling him “incapable of handling” his position at the White House.

Scaramucci has been critical of Trump’s racist attacks on congresswomen and called his recent trip to El Paso a “catastrophe” in MSNBC appearances.

The post Anthony Scaramucci on Trump: ‘Eventually He Turns on Everyone and Soon it Will Be You and Then the Entire Country’ appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Anthony Scaramucci on Trump: ‘Eventually He Turns on Everyone and Soon it Will Be You and Then the Entire Country’

Gay guys get real about their most ‘unexpected sex experience’

We’ve all heard and read the hookup horror stories, so now it’s time for a change of pace. In a recent thread, Reddit users revealed their “most unexpected sex experience.” Here are some of those greatest hits, edited for readability and only censored a little!

The Wedding Reception

“I met two guys at my mom and stepdad’s wedding. The reception was in a hotel. After some talking and a few drinks, we went to their room and they took turns [with] me.”

Related: Gay guy says he was catfished by someone who looked way better than his pics

The Communicator

“I had sex with a hot deaf guy once, and he did a better job communicating with me than a lot of other people I’ve had sex with. To this day, I find that experience fascinating.”

The Dare

“When I was about 20 years old, I met up with a friend that I hadn’t seen since second grade. One of my friends dared him to blow me, and I ain’t no p*ssy, so I let him. It eventually led to us having sex. I haven’t talked to him since.”

The Train Ride

“I was waiting for a train in Chicago and thought I heard a dude next to me whisper, ‘Nice bulge,’ but didn’t think anything of it because I looked over and he wasn’t looking at me. Got on the train, and the dude sits across from me started grabbing his crotch. … I got super turned on and started doing the same but was afraid others would see. He followed me off at my stop and we f*cked at my buddy’s place where I was staying.”

Related: Gay guys reveal the weirdest, wildest things they’ve done with a hookup

The Girlfriend

“Naive young me. Got talking to a guy in the pub, invite him to join me and my friends. Ends up just me and him, and he invites me back to his to smoke some weed. Yeah. sure, sounds great.

“His girlfriend is at home but she’s in another room with a female friend. We smoke and drink, and he hits me with the fact he’s bi and starts coming on heavy. I tell him I feel bad about the fact his GF is there, and he says, ‘What do you think she’s doing with her friend in the other room?’ So we got down to it on the sofa while his GF got down to it with her friend in the bedroom.”

www.queerty.com/gay-guys-get-real-unexpected-sex-experience-20190811?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Gay Instagram ‘Influencer’ Blasted After Posting Photo with ‘Beach Bro’ Aaron Schock

Jeremy Cormier, an Instagram “influencer,” was blasted by followers on Saturday after posting a photo with his “beach bro,” disgraced former GOP Congressman Aaron Schock.

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Beach Bros

A post shared by Jeremy Cormier (@jeremycormier) on Aug 9, 2019 at 9:32am PDT

Cormier was quickly slammed by followers.

Activist James Duke Mason, who was the first to call out gay men posing with Schock at Coachella earlier this year, wrote: “Jeremy, you know I love you, and you’re entitled of course to associate with whomever you choose to associate with- but this is disappointing. I don’t know who @aaronschock is in his heart, but this is a man who spent a decade actively fighting our rights and has STILL not apologized for it publicly. Think about the LGBT youth who have literally taken their lives because of anti-gay politicians like Aaron. This post really breaks my heart.”

Wrote activist and drag queen Marti Gould Cummings: “Tell him he is a horrible person who put lives in danger and set lgbtq equality back. Tell him 28 states still discriminate in employment, housing, adoptions. Tell him 14 trans women of color have been murdered this year. Tell him he can’t have his cake and eat it too. He needs to apologize for his actions in congress and spend everyday of his life working to right the wrongs of the votes he made agains lgbtq people. This is despicable.”

Wrote travel blogger Ben Schlappig: “Nothing to see here, just a disgraced anti-gay politician who refuses to acknowledge his hypocrisy and the harm he has done to our community…”

Added the Instagram sit ‘sexyfamousmen’: “When abs are more important than principles. Hope you continue to enjoy the freedoms Aaron fought so hard to deny you in the first place.”

Wrote Ryan Hensler: “This is so f**king corny and so typical of the instagay community. How do you not care he voted against our communities interest while in congress?”

Schock’s hypocrisy has been talked about much in recent months, after photographs were taken of him with a group of gay men at the Coachella Music festival, he was spotted talking up various men at a West Hollywood pool, he was photographed putting money in a go-go boy’s briefs, and after a nude, sexual video turned up on Twitter.

You may recall that Schock recently slid out of corruption charges including filing false tax returns, mail fraud, wire fraud, submitting false reports to the FEC, false statements, and theft of government funds, defrauding the government of more than $100,000.

Aside from the dropped corruption charges, Schock is known for his support of a federal amendment to ban same-sex marriage and his support of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. As well as that Downton Abbey office, and his unforgettable turquoise belt.

Mason, who took the photo of Schock at Coachella, said at the time: “Normally I wouldn’t comment on something like this, but I am just infuriated by these images of former Republican (and anti-gay) Congressman Aaron Schock partying with a group of gay men at Coachella. The fact that he would think he could show his face in public, particularly when he has NEVER renounced or apologized for his votes against gay marriage, gays in the military and against anti-discrimination laws is astounding. My intention isn’t to out him or target him personally, but simply to point out the hypocrisy. I saw him at a recent gay social event in West Hollywood and shook his hand before I even knew who he was; he should really be ashamed of himself. And the gays who associate with him without calling him out should know better. It really is a disgrace.”

An FEC filing from Schock in early June raised speculation that he was planning another run for office, but Schock has denied that is happening.

The post Gay Instagram ‘Influencer’ Blasted After Posting Photo with ‘Beach Bro’ Aaron Schock appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Gay Instagram ‘Influencer’ Blasted After Posting Photo with ‘Beach Bro’ Aaron Schock