Relive “Top Gun’s” Gay Legacy On Its 30th Anniversary

Ah, Top Gun — the 1986 alpha male saga of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and Nick “Goose” Bradshaw as they intercept combatant aircrafts over the Indian Ocean.

Right?

Well, not really.

While the film may have fit appropriately into the confines of mid ’80s mainstream masculinity, the Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer bro-fest now rests squarely in the gay camp/innuendo corner. Chalk it up to shifting perceptions and a more knowledgable public when it comes to gay subtext.

Thirty years to the day since it’s release, let’s relive that hilarious (and hot) legacy:

1. The volley ball scene

The glistening shoulders, the shirtless players, the tight jean-shorts, the shirtless onlookers, the music! This could easily be the beginning of an adult film.

2. So much locker room

These guys just had so much to process with one another…naked…still glistening.

Related: The Most Realistic Gay Sex Scenes In Film

3. The overtly sexual dialogue

The Telegraph sums it up nicely:

“Giving me a hard-on!” whispers one flyboy to another while watching videos of dogfights. “Don’t tease me!” replies his buddy. “I want butts! Give me butts!” shouts an angry air traffic control officer. “You can be my wingman any time!” says Iceman in the final reel consummation of his coquettish dance with Maverick. “Bulls***, you can be mine!” comes the reply.

And then come the references.

4. Quentin Tarantino argues the film is actually about queer sexuality in the 1994 film Sleep With Me, saying, “What is Top Gun? You think it’s a story about a bunch of fighter pilots? It is a story about a man’s struggle with his own homosexuality.”

5. Bill Hader as Harvey Fierstein calls it out on SNL in 2011 (head here if video isn’t showing up):

On the film’s 25th anniversary, SNL put together a mock audition reel featuring Harvey saying:

“This is not a gay thing? But it says in the script we play volleyball in jean shorts. I say, ‘Iceman’s on my tail. He’s coming hard.’ I literally said that to a bathroom attendant last night.”

“The last line in the movie is, ‘You can ride my tail anytime’? You guys–that’s like my mantra.”

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Mr. Gay Syria Contestants Take Defiant Stand Against ISIS – PHOTOS, VIDEO

 

A group of gay Syrian refugees living in Istanbul organized a Mr. Gay Syria competition to show the world that gay Syrians are more than just victims of ISIS.

Hussein Sabat, who was crowned Mr. Gay Syria, spoke with The Daily Mail about his journey out of ISIS-controlled territory and what he hopes the competition will achieve:

‘I want to show that Syrian gays are not just bodies thrown off buildings by ISIS; we have dreams and ideas and we want to live our lives.

‘Of course we were nervous but we we’re excited – we all wanted to be Mr Gay Syria to do something empowering,’ he said. 

Of ISIS, Sabat adds, “Everyone is scared of ISIS but it doesn’t stop me from living my life. I won’t let them be a barrier and I hate them more than I’m scared.”

Sabat has already faced tragedy in his mere 24 years. His boyfriend was beheaded by ISIS three years ago, though he does not know if he was killed for being gay or for some other alleged offense:

 “I was with Zakaria for four years, but three years ago ISIS beheaded him. They sent the execution video to his family – his mother almost went crazy and I couldn’t speak for a month.”

Sabat says he dedicated his performance to his late boyfriend. More on the competition which took place earlier this year:

Each man was given three minutes to show off their performance skills in their bid for ‘Mr Gay Syria’ crown.

[Another contestant named] Wissam [above] danced in high heels, and ripped competitor William showed off his good looks with a strip tease, which was greeted with woops of approval from the audience in the central Istanbul venue.

‘I played a character speaking to his mother at her grave about the difficulties of being gay.

‘I just wore trousers and a t-shirt – the only thing that was missing was the hijab,’ he joked, comparing his costume to his near-naked competitors. […]

‘I thought it was going to be all about the looks and not just about the whole package so I didn’t want to do it.

‘But then three weeks later I saw an application form posted on Facebook. I don’t know why, but I found myself filling it in,’ he said.

The next stage saw the competitors grilled by the organisers to make sure they could handle the pressure, and the risk of becoming a target for homophobic attacks.

‘I said if this competition is about beauty then let me go because there are so many men more beautiful than me.

‘But they said no, we need someone who can talk,’ he told MailOnline.

Sabat is not out to his family. “They don’t speak English and my family is disconnected from Western websites or media, so I’m not scared they will find out this way,” he says. Once Sabat leaves home he says he feels comfortable being in his own skin.

But athough Istanbul is a far better place for LGBT people than Syria, it’s far from paradise. Sabat was recently attacked because he is gay:

Nine months ago Hussein was beaten so badly he couldn’t open his eyes for a month after a group of Syrian and Turkish thugs attacked him when he walked home from work.

‘I was talking on the phone with my boyfriend and a Syrian guy overheard me.

‘He called me a f****t, and I made the mistake of answering back.

‘I asked him, ‘do you know me?’, and he said ‘you’re Syrian and you’re putting us all to shame.’

Then he hit him in the face and in his gut before dragging him with a Turkish accomplice to a car.

‘They were going to kidnap me, it was terrifying,’ he said. ‘Even the freedom in Istanbul is not complete.’

Luckily a second car distracted the attackers and Hussein was able to make his escape.

Sadly, despite raising money to travel to Malta for the Mr. Gay World competition and getting a makeover with help from the Berlin-based organizer of Mr. Gay Syria, Mahmoud Hassino, Sabat’s visa request was denied, preventing him from competing at the Worlds.

Sabat says, “My happiness was not complete. It was a wonderful title but then I found out on my birthday that they had denied my visa.”

Of what could have been, Sabat says, “I think we would have been an inspiration to them if we had been able to go to the final in Malta, but now… I don’t know.”

Watch a video that Sabat and Hassino made to raise funds for Sabat’s travel to Malta, below.

The post Mr. Gay Syria Contestants Take Defiant Stand Against ISIS – PHOTOS, VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

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HRC Statement on Hillary Clinton’s Meeting Today With HIV and AIDS Activists

Today, following Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s meeting in New York City with 20 leading HIV and AIDS activists, the Human Rights Campaign released the following statements:

“It is essential that our next President be an outspoken champion for ending the HIV and AIDS epidemic,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Secretary Clinton’s meeting today with advocates underscores her commitment to do everything she can to help people living with and affected by HIV, and to work with us to end the epidemic and the continued stigma around HIV.”

“As a young, Black gay man, I want to underscore the importance of our elected officials truly understanding the unique challenges facing LGBT people, and today’s conversation with Secretary Clinton was a welcome opportunity,” said Noël Gordon Jr., Senior Program Specialist for HIV Prevention and Health Equality at the HRC Foundation. “When one in two Black gay men in America will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime, and where the rate of HIV among transgender women is shockingly high, we must confront the ways stigma and discrimination keep LGBT people from getting tested or treated for HIV. I believe we will have a full partner in our work if Secretary Clinton is in the White House.”

For more information on HRC Foundation’s HIV and AIDS work, please check out our resources here.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-statement-on-hillary-clintons-meeting-today-with-hiv-and-aids-activists?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

HRC’s Welcoming Schools Relaunches Website with Exclusive New Classroom Resources

Post submitted by Welcoming Schools Project Coordinator Charles Girard

HRC’s Welcoming Schools is proud to announce the relaunch of its website — now even easier to use and navigate for everyone, from teachers and educators, to parents and caregivers.

The website can still be found at:  www.welcomingschools.org

HRC’s Welcoming Schools is the nation’s most comprehensive  program dedicated to creating respectful and supportive elementary schools for all students and their families. The new website is loaded with resources to ensure that teachers and other adults who work with children have the most up-to-date language, most useful tips and best practices at their fingertips.  

Here’s what to love about our updated site:

It’s easier to navigate.

You’ll spend less time clicking and more time reading our lesson plans and deciding what books you’ll choose for your classroom, or to read with your children. It includes drop down menus for research, trainings and resources.

It works easily on smartphones, tablets and laptops.

We know that educators aren’t always near a computer when they want to access resources like our sample responses to anti-LGBTQ language in the classroom, or our other incredibly useful guides. So we’ve designed our new site to be easily viewed on tablets, smartphones, desktop computers and any other device you use to access the internet. Now you’ll be able to call up our classroom tips from virtually anywhere.

We’re offering even more essential resources.

Wondering why schools should embrace LGBTQ families? Curious if we have any lesson plans to help students understand transgender identities? Don’t worry, we have all of those answers and more.

Check out our website, share it with the teachers, parents and other educators and caregivers you know. And, please, let us know what you think.

HRC Welcoming Schools is the nation’s premier program dedicated to creating respectful and supportive elementary schools that celebrate family diversity and LGBTQ-inclusion, prevent biased-based bullying and gender stereotyping, and embrace all students. We envision a day when all schools will truly be Welcoming Schools.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrcs-welcoming-schools-relaunches-website-with-exclusive-new-classroom-reso?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

N.C. Lt. Gov. Says DOJ is Extorting State Over HB 2

Dan Forest claims the Justice Department is “holding the children of North Carolina hostage” by threatening to withold federal funding because of HB 2. 

www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/5/12/nc-lt-gov-says-doj-extorting-state-over-hb-2

LGBT-Focused Channel Here TV Expands to Amazon

The subscription-based channel continues branching from cable to the web.

www.advocate.com/television/2016/5/12/lgbt-focused-channel-here-tv-expands-amazon

Okla. Politician Sally Kern: Gays Still Worse Than Terrorists

Finally leaving the Oklahoma legislature, Kern goes out with a bang.

www.advocate.com/politicians/2016/5/12/okla-politician-sally-kern-gays-still-worse-terrorists

Olly Murs Celebrates Soccer Win With An Impressive Trophy And Nothing Else

There are two things that should be universally embraced by all — winning and nudity.

That’s not to say losing and clothes deserve any scorn, but there’s no denying the allure of their much more titillating counterparts.

When combined, the two forces act in a near-perfect union.

Related: The Most Homoerotic Moments In Soccer Set To Romantic Music, Just Because

Look no further than performer Olly Murs for proof.

The “Troublemaker” singer recently took to Twitter to celebrate his soccer team, the Coggeshall Town Football Club, winning their division championship. Naked, of course.

He posted a few other team shots as well:

Well done it Boys!!! Championssssss 2016!!! @CoggeshallTown ??? brillianttttttt buzzing!! Get in!!! pic.twitter.com/oRYKvKYIyp

— Olly Murs (@ollyofficial) May 11, 2016

And the crowd. Went. Wild.

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Massachusetts Senate Passes Transgender Rights Bill By Wide Margin

The Massachusetts state Senate on Thursday passed a transgender rights bill that provides non-discrimination protections for trans people in the area of public accommodations, the exact type of non-discrimination protections other states have been pointedly denying to their trans citizens.

Senate Bill 735 passed by a wide margin of 33 to 4 and is expected to pass the House.

Mass. Senate passes transgender rights bill 33-4.

— State House News (@statehousenews) May 12, 2016

“In Massachusetts we are civil rights pioneers by nature” – Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz in opening comments on transgender rights bill.

— State House News (@statehousenews) May 12, 2016

BuzzFeed reports:

Democrats argued the legislation advanced basic civil rights for transgender people, blocking several amendments from Republicans that would have weakened the legislation.

“It is our responsibility to advance these provisions when there is clearly evidence that transgender people can and are being discriminated against,” Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, a Democrat, told BuzzFeed News before the vote.

The bill appears poised to pass the House and reach the governor’s desk.

House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo told reporters last week that he likes the bill as passed by a joint judiciary committee, suggesting he is prepared to bring the legislation to a floor vote.

While Republican Governor Charlie Baker had initially signaled ambivalence on the bill (which led to him being booed off stage at an LGBT event), he appears more favorably disposed to the bill at present:

Lizzy Guyton, a spokesman for Baker, told BuzzFeed News in a statement that the governor “will carefully review a bill should the legislature act,” adding that he “believes no one should be discriminated against based on gender identity.” The governor also supports existing state laws banning transgender discrimination in housing and employment, Guyton added.

[Top photo via Dominic Holden / Twitter]

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NC Lt. Gov. Dan Forest: Obama Administration Using Extortion to Push ‘Radical Leftist Agenda’ – WATCH

North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest accused the Obama administration of using the legal battle over HB 2 as a political football to push its “radical leftist agenda.”

Speaking with The Daily Signal, Forest called the DOJ’s countersuit against North Carolina, a suit that could result in the loss of $2 billion in federal funds for the state, “extortion.” Forest also says the federal government is holding the children of North Carolina hostage.

As for U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s comparing HB 2 to Jim Crow laws and other forms of state-sponsored discrimination, Forest says,

“To use Jim Crow laws is pretty shameful…the color of somebody’s skin, the pigment of their skin has absolutely nothing to do, zero to do with what bathroom somebody goes into, what locker room or shower they use, what lunch counter they sit at, it has nothing to do with that. That’s why we got rid of those nefarious laws called Jim Crow laws because they were amazingly discriminatory. However, somebody’s biological sex has everything to do with which bathroom you use.”

ICYMI: Loretta Lynch Announces Federal Lawsuit Against NC, Tells Trans Americans ‘We See You’ – WATCH 

Forest went on to say that HB 2 “has absolutely nothing to do with Jim Crow laws. She knows that. But they’re pushing the envelope here to, again, push their agenda so that they can redefine what the term sex means in the Civil Rights Act.”

As for what Forest would tell transgender North Carolinians who feel discriminated against, he says, “You’re welcome here. There’s no discrimination going on in North Carolina.”

Forest also denies perpetuating the anti-trans LGBT bathroom predator myth.

Watch, below.

The post NC Lt. Gov. Dan Forest: Obama Administration Using Extortion to Push ‘Radical Leftist Agenda’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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