Sam Smith, Coldplay, Adele, Others to Re-Record 'Do They Know It's Christmas' for Ebola Relief

Brian Sloan

www.towleroad.com/2014/11/bandaid.html

PHOTOS: Hong Kong Pride Sparks Rainbow 'Umbrella Revolution'

Hong Kong Pride attendees added umbrellas to the standard mix of rainbow flags, clothing, and face paint as a nod of support for pro-democracy demonstrators.

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Christopher Harrity

www.advocate.com/pride/2014/11/11/photos-hong-kong-pride-sparks-rainbow-umbrella-revolution

You Got It All Wrong, Melissa Etheridge
Shame on Melissa Etheridge for using her privilege and public platform to blame herself for her breast cancer and, by extension, blame all lesbian and bisexual women for our disproportionate burden of the disease. Cancer is a disease caused by the uncontrolled growth of rogue cells. Period. Of course, there are some things, like genetics and tobacco use, that increase the likelihood of occurrence. But Etheridge didn’t cause her own breast cancer, and she didn’t make it disappear once she “got [her] body back into balance.” She had a genetic mutation that made her more susceptible, she used to be a chain smoker, and, considering that not everyone in those categories gets cancer, she was also unlucky. Then she had surgery (a lumpectomy) and five rounds of chemotherapy and radiation to get rid of her cancer. She was not cured by simply fixing her diet any more than she caused her cancer by eating poorly.

In a recent article in AARP: The Magazine, Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow also used their soapbox to call cancer a “gift.” Really? As the founder and executive director of the National LGBT Cancer Network, I tend to think of the disease as terrifying, time-consuming, disfiguring, expensive and isolating. Having just mourned the death of my fourth dear friend to cancer, I think of the disease as more of a thief than a benefactor. Last night I had dinner with a friend, a transgender man who is facing down the end of his life and wanted to talk to me about hospice. Melissa Etheridge tramples my grief and my work by thanking cancer for waking her up to her poor diet and stress level.

Cancer excessively punishes LGBT people. And as a group, lesbians have the densest cluster of risk factors for breast cancer. Moreover, because of multiple barriers to accessing health care, including previous discrimination and lower rates of health-insurance coverage, we fall behind in our cancer screenings, like mammograms. Once diagnosed with cancer, many lesbians face additional challenges that our heterosexual sisters are spared, like invisibility, healthcare providers’ rejection of our families of choice and lack of information about cancer’s impact on lesbian sexuality, fertility and relationships.

What do we need from the people who get airtime, ink and blog space? We need plenty, and Melissa Etheridge blew the chance to help us, instead offering self-indulgent and incorrect information. We need encouragement to take better care of our bodies, yes, but that has to go beyond diet to also include cancer screenings. She could have suggested that we harness the power of our friendship networks and go in packs for mammograms, offering each other support and encouragement during the scary procedure. Instead of feeding individualized victim blaming, I wish she’d spoken out about the social determinants of our health, specifically how discrimination directly impacts LGBT bodies. We are not just a product of our personal habits. We are a community of people who need those with a voice to work for change for all of us.

www.huffingtonpost.com/liz-margolies-lcsw/you-got-it-all-wrong-melissa-etheridge_b_6141218.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Florence Henderson says if Brady Bunch were made today, gay stories would have been told

TV icon tells GSN: ‘After all, their father was gay’

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gregh

www.gaystarnews.com/article/florence-henderson-says-if-brady-bunch-were-made-today-gay-stories-would-have-been-told11111

Ryan Seacrest Convinces Nick Jonas To Manscape By Playing Ball With His Crotch

“I made it through [Nick Jonas’] crotch,” says Ryan Seacrest. “Come again?” says us.

“It’s crotch ball,” says Ryan Seacrest. “Come again?” says us.

You know, crotch ball. The game where the guest (in this case Nick Jonas) straps a hoop to his crotch and Ryan Seacrest tries to throw a ball through it. If he makes it, Nick is off scot-free, but if he misses, he has to complete a dare.

It’s like what we’d do at a sleepover when we were twelve if we were somehow lamer than we already were back then. Which would have been hard to pull off, and that’s saying something.

The first two balls make it in, but the third one misses and Nick has to — drum roll — shave his chest. You know, because he just said he doesn’t do that.

It ends up being a less-than-satisfying shave. A technicality, really.

Still, Ryan Seacrest really loves fueling those gay rumors.

“Nick Jonas shaving his chest. I thought this was just something I dream about. I like it smooth, bro,” says Ryan Seacrest. “Come again?” says us.

Watch the whole stunt here:

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/c0Rh-lgHB7s/ryan-seacrest-convinces-nick-jonas-to-manscape-by-playing-ball-with-his-crotch-20141111

European Space Probe To Make Historic Landing On Comet Tomorrow: VIDEO

Brian Sloan

www.towleroad.com/2014/11/european-space-probe-to-make-historic-landing-on-comet-tomorrow-video-2.html

WATCH: 8-Year-Old Trans Boy's Epic Coming-Out Rap Goes Viral

Young Alex gives voice to how awesome coming out as trans can be for kids when adults support them.

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Mitch Kellaway

www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/11/11/watch-8-year-old-trans-boys-epic-coming-out-rap-goes-viral

Man Declares He's Been 'Delivered' From Homosexuality At Christian Event In St. Louis (VIDEO)
Video footage of a young man reportedly claiming to have been “delivered” from homosexuality at the Church of God in Christ’s 107th Holy Convocation in St. Louis, Missouri is making the blogosphere rounds.

The man, who has not been identified in media reports but is reportedly 21 years old, tells the crowd, “I’m not gay no more. I am delivered! I don’t like mens no more. I said I like women. Women women women women!”

In the clip, he goes on to note, “I would not date a man! I would not carry a purse! I would not put on make-up! I will, I will love a women.”

Immediately following the speech, the pastor rewarded the man with $100, noting, “God said he’s going to bless you because of your commitment. Just to prove it, He just told me to give you $100.”

A note on the YouTube clip, which appears to be hosted by someone affiliated with the church, states, “A young man received deliverance from the spirit of homosexuality during the Saturday night altar call after Supt. Earl Carter preached the fire down from heaven.” The video has already been viewed over 290,000 times by Tuesday afternoon.

The Huffington Post reached out to a spokesperson for Church of God in Christ’s 107th Holy Convocation for a comment about what transpired during the service but did not immediately receive a response.

Prayer is one of many controversial “cures” for homosexuality that have been touted over the centuries. In September, a man claimed that a teacher at his church forced him to have oral and anal sex in an effort to treat his homosexuality. Another man, Raymond Bell, a pastor of the Cowboy Church of Virginia, made headlines with claims that sessions involving the stroking of horses could help “cure” certain “addictions” like homosexuality. For more ridiculous gay “cures,” check out the slideshow below.

H/T Towleroad

www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/11/man-delivered-homosexuality-_n_6140690.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

GSN catches up with movie icon Tab Hunter

Closeted during his days starring in Damn Yankees and other films, Hunter came out publicly as gay in 2005

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gregh

www.gaystarnews.com/article/gsn-catches-movie-icon-tab-hunter111114

The Curious Case Of The Miami Drag Queen, The Flamboyant Sports Star And The Communist Dictator

Page Six has taken the already Kafkaesque story of Dennis Rodman and his perceived geopolitical influence and added a Miami drag queen cherry on top. There’s intrigue, redemption, high stakes and even higher eyebrows. Seriously, what’s not to love?

If this doesn’t get made into a movie at some point, it should at the very least be a sketch on SNL. Wood Harrelson is hosting this weekend. Galaxia, just sayin’.

Our story begins in February 2013, when Rodman made his first of what would become regular visits to North Korea. The whole thing was captured by Vice, and it is seriously worth a watch. In 30 minutes you’ll walk away with an improved understanding of North Korea, and you’ll witness the birth of one of the truly bizarre relationships of all-time: Dennis Rodman and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un. Words can’t describe.

Flash forward to April 2013. Dennis’ new bestie Kim sentences Korean-American Evangelical Missionary Kenneth Bae to a 15 year prison sentence for “planning to overthrow the North Korean government, including setting up bases in China for the purpose of toppling the North Korean government.” Or in other words, things Bae wasn’t doing.

Rodman promised he’d go to North Korea to rescue Bae. It was a promise he could not deliver on.

Or could he?

Cut to present day. Bae has finally been released from prison, and not only is Rodman trying to soak up the credit, but his friend and Miami drag queen Elaine Lancaster is nudging her way into the spotlight, apparently as his foreign policy advisor.

She explained to Page Six that she met with Rodman over lunch before his second trip to North Korea:

“I told Dennis, ‘Don’t let these trips be in vain,’ and asked him if he knew about the gulags and the detention camps. He said no, so I explained it to him. I said, ‘try to do what you can, but don’t get yourself killed.’ It looks as if it may have paid off for a few imprisoned Americans.”

Kudos to Lancaster for apparently schooling Rodman on gulags and detention camps (he’s been going over there for almost two years and he’s just now getting this info?), except Bae’s release lines up with President Obama sending U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to North Korea to broker Bae’s and another American’s release.

But hey, details. Right?

In Rodman’s words:

“No doubt, our trips helped influence Kenneth Bae’s release and I’m happy he is coming home safely.”

Sigh.

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/YtijEwWqWjc/the-curious-case-of-the-miami-drag-queen-the-flamboyant-sports-star-and-the-communist-dictator-20141111