LISTEN: Satan's Behind Marriage Equality, Says Former NFL Star
Craig James wonders if sports teams’ endorsement of equal marriage rights will silence players with opposing views.
Trudy Ring
Category Archives: NEWS
Still Alice co-director Richard Glatzer dies – husband pays tribute to 'my best friend and my life'
Still Alice co-director Richard Glatzer dies – husband pays tribute to 'my best friend and my life'
Suffering from ALS, he took a turn for worse just before Julianne Moore won Oscar for performance in their film
gregh
Man Pleads Guilty To Blackmailing Two Married Men He Hooked Up With In A Park
Man Pleads Guilty To Blackmailing Two Married Men He Hooked Up With In A Park
A man just received seven years in the slammer after pleading guilty of blackmailing two men he had anonymous sex with at a park in Worcester, England.
24-year-old Lee Taylor’s (pictured) strategy was simple: He’d hideout in the men’s bathroom at Gheluvelt Park. Another man would enter the facility. The two would have sex. Afterwards, Taylor would threaten either to reveal the men’s secrets to their families or accuse them of rape unless they forked over £100 ($150 U.S.).
According to court documents, the first incident occurred on November 12 of last year. Taylor met a married man in Gheluvelt Park. They did the nasty. Then Taylor requested a ride home.
“As they drove off, Taylor asked his victim for money for what had happened or he would make sure his family and his employer would know,” prosecutor Patrick Sullivan told the court.
The man managed to get out of paying Taylor by tricking him. He drove a random house and told the 24-year-old that it was his home. As they headed up the front walkway, the victim lied and said he had forgotten his keys. Then he jumped back into the vehicle and drove off.
A similar incident happened on November 20. Taylor hooked up with a guy in Gheluvelt Park then asked for a ride home. In the car, he demanded £100 in exchange for keeping quiet. The victim drove to an ATM and paid him the cash.
This week, Taylor pleaded guilty to two charges of blackmail.
Taylor’s lawyer, Jason Aris, said his client was homeless and didn’t have a job, so extorting money from innocent victims was his own means for survival. He promised he was sorry and that it wouldn’t happen again. The only problem? This has happened before.
Taylor just finished serving four-and-a-half years in jail for the exact same crime. He was released less than a week before committing the same offenses again.
A judge sentenced him to seven more years behind bars, telling the young man, “There needs to be a deterrent not just for you but for others.”
The judge also issued a restraining order against Taylor, banning him from entering Gheluvelt Park indefinitely.
Related stories:
Man Who Falsely Accused Four Gay Guys Of Raping Him Is Headed Off To Prison
Why The Hell Did This Gay Activist Fake His Own Kidnapping?
Victim Of “Hate Crime” Is Apparent Hoaxster, Injured Self By Falling Face-First Onto Pavement
Graham Gremore
NEWS: Marco McMillian, Blinding Syphilis, Montana Men, Egypt
NEWS: Marco McMillian, Blinding Syphilis, Montana Men, Egypt
Irish parishioners walk out on priest criticizing footballer for voicing support for same-sex marriage.
Trial underway in slaying of gay Clarksdale, Mississippi mayoral candidate Marco McMillian. The defendant, Lawrence Reed, doesn’t dispute that he killed McMillian but is claiming a ‘gay panic’ defense: “On the recording, Reed told the [state] trooper where he left McMillian’s body, and said he killed McMillian because, as [Trooper] Williams on Monday recounted Reed saying, “the guy tried to rape me.”
Public health officials on the West Coast are on the lookout for cases of ocular syphilis which could lead to blinding. There have been more than a dozen cases between San Francisco and Seattle with two potential cases in Los Angeles. Two patients in Seattle went blind.
Montana men in love.
Taylor Swift has reportedly insured her legs for $40 million.
Insurgent actor Theo James meanwhile has another part of his body insured.
NYT’s Frank Bruni on Hillary Clinton and the email controversy: “This latest Clinton controversy is not the work or fault of Republican enemies or a ruthless, unappeasable press corps. It’s her doing. She made a choice when she stepped into the secretary of state’s job that was bound to be second-guessed if it ever came to light, as everything eventually does. And when it did, she was silent about it for a week, letting suspicions fester.”
Ashton Kutcher is on a crusade to get changing stations in more men’s restrooms.
Was anyone else unaware this picture of John Barrowman existed?
Ferguson Police Chief resigns.
DC Police appoints transgender officer head of the department’s Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit. Sgt. Jessica Hawkins will be the first transgender person to hold that post.
Will Chris Pine be the next iteration of The Green Lantern?
First Look: Charlie Hunnam as King Arthur in medieval period piece directed by Guy Ritchie.
A new study shows that allowing transgender young people to fully identify with their gender decreases their chances of developing depression and anxiety.
HRC is trying to make LGBT rights front and center at an economic summit in Egypt: “The American LGBT rights group Human Rights Campaign has sent letters to 12 speakers scheduled for the Egypt Economic Development Conference who are representatives of American or multinational corporations, highlighting the recent arrests of LGBT people in the North African nation and urging them to use their summit discussions to engage participants in “important conversations about how a diverse and inclusive society could better attract investment to Egypt and the long-term benefits of such an approach.”
Sean Mandell
San Diego Man Pleads Guilty to Spreading HIV
San Diego Man Pleads Guilty to Spreading HIV
The 30-year-old lied to his partner about his status, prosecutors say.
Neal Broverman
www.advocate.com/health/hiv-aids/2015/03/11/san-diego-man-pleads-guilty-spreading-hiv
Dear Madonna: Gays and African Americans Are Women, Too
Dear Madonna: Gays and African Americans Are Women, Too
There’s a seat reserved for Madonna next to Patricia Arquette.
Madge may be the high priestess of pop and an arbiter of pop culture, but the songstress proved no expert in intersectional feminism in an interview with Out Magazine about her new album, Rebel Heart.
In the story published on Tuesday, Madge opined on the state of women’s rights and other social movements. “Gay rights are way more advanced than women’s rights. People are a lot more open-minded to the gay community than they are to women, period,” she told Christopher Glazek. “It’s moved along for the gay community, for the African-American community, but women are still just trading on their ass. To me, the last great frontier is women,” she added.
The last great frontier could be women — our rights over our bodies, safety and income are under assault around the world and across the United States. Except that LGBTQ people, people of color and women aren’t three disparate groups.
Madonna’s comments are practically lock-step with Arquette’s backstage Oscars call-to-action, where she asked “gay people, and all the people of color that we’ve all fought for to fight for us now.” Arquette’s speech was a paradigm of the failings of mainstream feminism boiled down into a single sentence: White woman feminist takes credit for entire movement, erases other identities and entitles herself to the support of the LGBTQ community and people of color.
So, here’s a quick lesson for Madonna, Patricia and others struggling to understand how these identities interact with each other:
1. Gay people are women, too. We often call ourselves “lesbians” or “bisexuals” or just “LGBTQ.”
2. Women are also people of color. Sometimes referred to as WOC for short.
3. Now, let me really blow your mind: There are LGBTQ WOC.
Madonna has long been an ardent supporter of the queer community, at times, a cultural appropriator. Her work has made sex-positivity and feminism accessible to a mainstream audience. She is a trailblazer. But, in the wake of events in Ferguson and Staten Island that have brought national attention to the systematic policing and government sanctioned violence against people of color, bills in state legislatures that are seeking to legalize LGBTQ discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs and the climbing number of murdered transgender women in 2015, comparing how things have “moved along” for one identity over another is willfully ignorant. For those of us who count membership to multiple groups, these challenges to our freedom and equality are amplified and complicated by our intersectional identities.
Dear Abby to mom of teen son who kissed another boy: 'Let him figure this out for himself'
Dear Abby to mom of teen son who kissed another boy: 'Let him figure this out for himself'
The boy her son kissed now has a girlfriend and the mom is confused about everything
gregh
Jared Leto Was A Male Stripper When He Was 16: VIDEO
Jared Leto Was A Male Stripper When He Was 16: VIDEO
Last week we told you about Jared Leto’s new eyebrow-less, platinum-hair-dyed look.
However, this was not the first time the Oscar-winning actor went blonde. In fact, Entertainment Tonight found an old video of a 26-year-old platinum-haired Leto talking with ET back in 1998 about his films Urban Legend and Fight Club. While sharing different odd jobs he had throughout the years, Leto revealed that one of them involved shedding his clothes: “I’ve done all kinds of things,” Leto said “I was a male stripper at one point – that was when I was 16 though so I shouldn’t talk about that.”
Watch Leto’s revelation, AFTER THE JUMP…
Sean Mandell
www.towleroad.com/2015/03/jared-leto-was-a-male-stripper-when-he-was-16-video.html
Oklahoma Advances Bill to End Government Role in Marriage
Martha Wash And Tony Moran Get Free On A New Collaboration
Martha Wash And Tony Moran Get Free On A New Collaboration
What do you get when you put the soulful and legendary voice of Martha Wash together with the award-winning remixer and songwriter Tony Moran: A hit! Over the years the duo has made music together that not only found a place on dance floors across the world, but also on the charts. Last year their collaboration “I’m Not Coming Down” reached #2 on the Billboard Dance Club Charts. Now their back with a new anthem called “Free People.”
“In a time where people Photoshop their faces because they worry about if their too thin or too fat or too ugly or too dark, you should just care about the way you want to look for yourself. You have the power,” Moran says about the song he wrote and produced.
For years Wash has personified the message in “Free People.” From her early days with Sylvester with singing partner Izora Armstead to hits like “Just Us” as Two Tons O’ Fun and then later as The Weather Girls with “It’s Raining Men,” Wash has never let preconceived notions on image stand in her way. She set the music industry on fire in 1991 when she sang the lead vocals on C&C Music Factory’s #1 hit, “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” but failed to receive credit because her size was deemed unmarketable. She won a lawsuit, and by speaking up for herself, it is now mandatory for artists to receive rightful credits on albums and music videos.
“Free People,” which is already climbing up the charts, is a continuation of both Wash’s and Moran’s positive outlook on life. Over the years I’ve talked with Wash many times. When I begin asking her questions she starts giggling and says, “Lord, don’t you have enough info?” The fact is no matter how many times you speak to Wash, you always leave feeling inspired and free.
Tony, on your Facebook page recently you said of Martha Wash: “She is still undisputed.” What do you like about working with Martha?
Tony Moran: I’ve worked with a lot of artists over the years of all different calibers. She’s been able to find something that defines herself to generations older and younger. I know every time I cut a record with her, something good is going to come out of it.
Martha, what is it about Tony that you love?
Martha Wash: He’s worked with the best over the years and made hits for them. He’s been able to do that year after year. We just go in the studio and talk about what needs to be done and basically do it. We’re comfortable enough with each other that we can read each other and figure out where a song needs to go.
Tony: People are constantly being introduced to her voice. We are basically underdogs working together. It’s not like we have Clive Davis’ staff with us. We’re looking to put out good music in a time where music is in such a state of purgatory with streaming and mashups. The one thing you can really hold on to is an artist’s performance, and Martha has always been there to make herself available.
“Free People” is about being comfortable with yourself. Martha, Tony mentioned how new generations are always discovering your music. What would you like new and old fans to know about you? Who is Martha Wash?
Martha: Just little ol’ me. I’ve been around for a minute. I just like all types of music. Music has been the big mainstay for me as a person and an artist. As a child I could only listen to gospel music. Then as I got to be a teenager, I started listening to the radio, and I learned to appreciate all types of music–rock music, Motown and R&B. I’ve been an artist who doesn’t want to be put into one particular box. Although people know me for doing dance music, I’m always trying to move ahead of that and go into different types of music like my last album “Something Good.” It was pop and rock and people were really surprised I did that, but that was the direction I wanted to go in. I wanted to get out of dance music for a little bit to show people that I did other types of music.
And now you’re back with dance music! What keeps drawing you back in?
Tony: What pulls her back is that I know her address, and I’m there waiting outside wearing a street blanket with new material!
Martha: I’ll do a little bit of that [dance music], but the focus is still on other genres of music or something totally out of the box.
The gay community has consistently supported you, no matter what style you’re singing. Why do you think they have always been there for you?
Martha: I think it really goes all the way back to working with Sylvester and then Two Tons O’ Fun. It’s been good for over 30 years. They have been supportive of Two Tons O’ Fun, The Weather Girls and then the solo career. I’ve always appreciated that.
One of your hit songs is “Carry On.” Over the years how have you managed to do just that during some of the down times?
Martha: Oh, a lot of faith and a lot of prayer! There have been times when I thought of giving up. Then I think, “Okay, so you’re gonna quit; now what are you going to do?” I never came up with an answer, so here I am!
Do you ever get tired of singing “It’s Raining Men?”
Martha: Oh no! No! It’s a song that everybody is waiting to hear. I can do a whole show, but if I don’t sing that song, people get upset!
What is next for you, Martha?
Martha: Probably do some more pop and rock. I have a new song coming out with Evelyn Champagne King and Linda Clifford—The First Ladies of Disco. We recorded a song called “Show Some Love,” and it’s all about positivity. We have to show love to everybody. This world is really kind of crazy. We’ve gotten off the track of being nice to one and other and loving people. You have to show positivity to everybody regardless of who or what they are.
You’ve both always been able to convey that message.
Martha: I try, and you have to love yourself as well. Sometimes when you show kindness to someone else, it makes you feel better about yourself.
Tony: That’s my nature, too. Live and let live. I get so much satisfaction watching other people learning and doing their thing.
“Free People” is available now on iTunes. For more information on Martha Wash visit: www.marthawash.com. For more on Tony Moran visit: www.tonymoran.com
