Friday, June 17, 2016

Loft Lighting: Alexandre by Paul Sixta

From: Favorite Hunks & Other Things
It was pose, or more specifically, Posturing, that first drew me to the work of filmmaker and photographer Paul Sixta. It was this theme, that again had me contacting Paul about featuring more of his work.
I was instantly drawn to the image below. I love Paul's shot of Rotterdam dancer Alexandre. I love the pose, I love the positioning, I love how Paul captured the loft lighting, not cascading over Alexandre, but pointing and focusing our view towards him. Most of all, I loved Alexandre's smile. His unique body position, along with his natural, and totally adorable smile, create a fun, sexy and playful image.

Playful isn't an adjective usually used when describing images of the nude male form, but it fits this shoot beautifully. Paul's work with Alexandre is part of his Men At Home project, a series of images featuring models just at home, but interacting with their home environment. I love the imaginative and playful feel to the images. When we're young, we physically interact more intensely with our home and surroundings.


We jump on beds, we roll on floors, we grab, touch and pull ourselves across and up towards ceilings, corners and spaces in our homes. We run and jump and throw our bodies against walls, floors and sides of furniture. When we get older, we're more careful. We slow down and are more timid in our interactions. We rarely get on the floor, or reach for the ceilings. We protect our belongings, our furniture and are careful not to bend, scratch or ruin spaces and surfaces. Paul's images take me back to a time when anything, a floor, a wall, a window were not about cleaning, protecting or 'taking care of', but were for fun and instruments of play. You can see more of Paul's Men At Home series on his website HERE:



Favorite Soap Hunk of the Day: June 17, 2008

Jay Kenneth Johnson
From: Favorite Hunks & Other Things
 Hottie Jay Kenneth Johnson is best known to TV viewers for his role on Days Of Our Lives. I don't watch soaps, but Jay first attracted my attention for a recurring role on Scrubs. Jay has also been a regular on North Shore and has appeared on CSI Miami and CSI  New York, Hack, Charmed and many other TV shows. Great look and also a great dramatic and comic talent.




























FBI Investigating “Massive Shooting” Threat At Houston Pride

The investigation is still ongoing.
From: NewNowNext
Houston police are working with federal investigators to assess the threat of a “massive shooting” at the gay pride parade scheduled to take place downtown this Saturday, June 25.

“There will be a massive shooting at the pride parade in Houston, Texas,” the tweet read. At press time, Twitter had since deleted the tweet and banned the account that posted it.


 According to the Houston Chronicle, police were tipped off to the threat almost immediately after it was posted by the anonymous Twitter user “crehgdu123” early Monday morning.


Houston’s acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo, who attended a vigil Wednesday for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, told ABC 13 that concerned members of the LGBT community expressed their fear over the threat to her at the event.

“We’re getting additional types of concerning types of tweets and threats,” she said, noting that the department treats all threats seriously. “Some of it is valid. Some of it is not. But again, even if you don’t think it’s valid send it to us. We need to see it.”

Houston Police Department spokesman John Cannon added: “We’re trying to figure out who it is. We’re looking into it just like we’d look into any other threat made to someone’s life.”

The threat comes amid a slew of others targeting various LGBT events around the country this month in the wake of the tragic massacre in Orlando.

On Wednesday, the Atlanta Police Department confirmed it was investigating a gay man named Brett Edgerton for similar threats he made against Atlanta-area gay bars on Twitter.

“TEN or Blake’s could be the next Orlando,” he tweeted. “You think I am the type to be the next ‘shooter’? Keep hating me then…”

Caucus

From: Favorite Hunks & Other Things
 At the beginning of The Lead with Jake Tapper, Tapper does a sort of 'vanity open' standing in front of his desk. Tapper outlines his main stories, then struts back to the desk as the opening credits role. Lately, I have been enjoying when CNN's Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto fills in for Tapper. I always thought Sciutto was good looking, but he is one delicious tall drink of water doing the Tapper's signature strut! 




 Tall, but not that tall!



Teacher Tells Parent Orlando Terror Attack Justifies School’s Anti-Gay Dress Code

“Being gay isn’t a crime but publicly forcing your opinion upon others...will always be offensive to others."
From: NewNowNext
Late last month, we reported on the story of Ali Chaney, an openly gay 13-year-old Texas student who faced disciplinary action after wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “Some People Are Gay. Get Over It.” to school. Now, a teacher in a neighboring school district has sent Chaney’s mother a letter to say that the horrific attacks in Orlando justify the school’s decision to reprimand her daughter.

On Monday, Ali’s mother, Cassie Watson, allegedly received the letter via a Facebook message. Among other things, the letter suggested that the attacks on gay nightclub Pulse prove that the school district’s decision to enforce a strict anti-LGBT dress code is in the best interest of its LGBT students.

“In light of the Orlando incident wear (sic) all gay people were openly slaughtered, I wonder if you’d still let your daughter wear the t-shirt to school that caused public controversy and may have subjected her to possible harm by others?” the letter began.

“Being gay isn’t a crime but publicly forcing your opinion upon others, and to do it through your child at school, will always be offensive to others,” it concluded.


According to local news station KCEN-TV, the teacher works at a local elementary school. The station reports that while district administrators have been made aware of the letter, it’s unclear whether or not they are investigating the matter.

“I would hate to ruin somebody’s career over a simple message,” Watson told KCEN. “But, if this is how she truly feels, and there is a possibility that she could be teaching our young kids these lessons, then I absolutely believe that she may need to find a new profession.”

On Tuesday, the teacher sent KCEN-TV a statement saying that her Facebook had been hacked and that she wasn’t the one who sent the letter.

“My FB account was hacked yesterday and I was not responsible for the message sent to the lady causing her to believe that her child would be harmed,” the statement began. It went on to allege that it took her “several attempts to delete the account” and that she has lived her life “protecting the rights of others and being an advocate for ALL children.” She stated that she was “saddened that a hacker [could] cause such negativity” and asked the station to extend her “sincerest apology” to Watson and her daughter.

Watson responded by saying she didn’t believe the message was the work of a hacker.

Ian McKellen Goes Husband Shopping In Shanghai’s Famous “Marriage Market”

Looks like the "Lord of the Rings" star is on the lookout for a new bae.
From: NewNowNext
 Openly gay actor Ian McKellen was spotted this past week advertising for a husband in Shanghai’s infamous People’s Square marriage market.

The market is a well-known spot for Chinese parents looking to marry off their children. The parents will gather in the square and hold up informational placards about their kids in hopes of making a suitable match with someone in the park.

Sir Ian McKellen appears to have tried his luck at finding a husband of his own when he sat in the park last weekend with a placard that read: “Ian. 5’11”. 77 Years. Cambridge University. House in London. Still Active.”


 A Chinese man, Kevin Shen, says he walked right by the award-winning actor without realizing it was him.



“He’s in Shanghai this weekend and I walked right past him without realizing that! Look at the hand written sign in a space that is extremely traditional,” Shen writes. Shen praised him for taking a stab at a tired traditional practice, calling it “humorous with a bit of cultural clash,” adding that it was “nice how he did it.”

McKellen had been in China promoting a celebration of Shakespeare’s greatest works that occurred at the Shanghai International Film Festival last week. Throughout his travels in the country, the actor took photographs of himself in various locales holding up signs with famous Shakespeare quotations.

Epic Vogue Battle Breaks Out At London Vigil For Orlando Victims

We will not be held down!
From: NewNowNext
Members of London’s LGBT community refused to stop living their best, gayest lives at a vigil for the victims of the massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando Sunday.

As we reported Monday, thousands crowded the streets in front of the famous Admiral Duncan pub in the SoHo gayborhood to pay homage to the victims, 49 of whom were tragically killed alongside 53 who were wounded.

Those in attendance observed a moment of silence, cheered as 49 colored balloons (to represent the 49 dead) were released into the air, heard a moving performance by London’s Gay Men’s Chorus, and then, some even vogued.

Broadly UK editor Zing Tsjeng was on the scene when the impromptu battle broke out and, judging by the reaction on people’s faces nearby, it couldn’t have happened at a better moment.

“Now a full on vogue battle has broken out in the middle of Old Compton St.,” Tsjeng wrote. “London, I love you #SohoVigil”




“Drag Race” Stars Hit New York For Night Of 1,000 Queens

NYC Pride is gonna get TUCKED!
From: NewNowNext
 We’re heading into Pride Week in New York City, and the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race are ready to bring some much-needed joy to our lives.

On Sunday, June 26, it’s Night of a 1,000 Queens at Stage 48, where Drag Race royals Courtney Act, Derrick Barry, Kennedy Davenport, Naomi Smalls, Raja, Shangela, Trixie Mattel and Willam are joined by RPDR All Stars 2 cast members Alyssa Edwards, Detox and Roxxxy Andrews. Plus: Lady Bunny is spinning tracks in the booth.




Could this be the biggest drag show ever? If you go by sheer number of wigs, probably!

The show caps off a weekend of Pride parties from Voss Events, including Bathhouse, a ’70s-themed dance party; and Bruta Pride, a 360-degree nightlife experience from the masterminds behind Fuerza Bruta.

Get tickets at the Voss Events website.

Target Bathroom Bomber Was Just Trying To Get High

Maybe it wasn't a hate crime?
From: NewNowNext
 The explosion that rocked a Target store bathroom in Evanston may not have been a hate crime after all.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Heidi E. Schmidt, the woman who is being accused of the explosion, was actually just trying to get a chemical high in the women’s bathroom stall. She was not making a statement about the retail chain’s recent decision to allow employees and customers to use the bathroom of their gender identity.


“There is no factual evidence that was uncovered during this investigation that points toward this incident being related to any policies of the Target store or a hate crime,” the police stated in a press release on the investigation. “It was just speculation,” said Evanston police Commander Joe Dugan. “There’s nothing that leads to that at all.”

A plastic bottle believed to be the source of the explosion was found in the bathroom, in addition to “items that are commonly combined in a method to produce a chemical high, but during the mixture process can become volatile and explode,” according to the press release.

No one was harmed in the explosion and damage to the bathroom was minimal.

Schmidt was charged with aggravated arson and unlawful possession of an explosive or incendiary device and is being held in jail on $250,000 bail.

President Obama Visits Orlando: “Our Hearts Are Broken, Too”

"These could be our families. In fact, they are our family, they're part of the American family."
From: NewNowNext
 President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden took a brief, but meaningful, trip to Orlando yesterday to grieve with and comfort the families and survivors affected by this past weekend’s horrific attacks at Pulse nightclub.

The events of the visit unfolded largely in private as the President and Vice President wanted to keep their focus on those most impacted by the tragedy, not on politicking. When the duo first arrived Thursday afternoon, they were greeted at the airport by Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who presented the President with a black shirt emblazoned with a rainbow-colored heart and the phrase #OrlandoUnited.


 President Obama and Vice President Biden then visited with the victims’ families and survivors of the attack. They met with the group at large before meeting with each individual family to offer their condolences and learn about their connection to the tragedy.

“He wanted to make sure he knew my son, who my son was,” said Gertrude Merced, who lost her son in the shooting. “He felt our pain. Being a dad, he could understand what it would be like if something happened to one of his children. He didn’t just shake our hands and say, ‘I’m sorry,’ but he made the effort to hug each and every one of us.”

After meeting with the families, the duo met with the owners of Pulse before visiting a makeshift memorial, upon which they laid 49 white roses.


At the end of the visit, Mr. Obama delivered a short speech in which he addressed and honored the grief of the survivors and family members that he’d met, extending empathy while also displaying a clear frustration with the political machine’s inability to enact effective gun reform.

“These could be our families,” his speech began. “In fact, they are our family, they’re part of the American family. Today, Vice President and I told them on behalf of the American people that our hearts are broken, too, and that we stand with you.”

“Today, once again, as has been true too many times before, I held and hugged grieving family members and friends, and they asked: Why does this keep happening?” Mr. Obama continued. “They pleaded that we do more to stop such killings.”

“Their grief is beyond description. They don’t care about politics. Neither do I. This debate needs to change—it’s outgrown the old political stalemates.”

He went on to say that he was glad to see senators coming together to discuss gun control, adding that he truly hoped that “senators [would] rise to the moment and do the right thing…to help end the plague of violence these weapons of war inflict on so many young lives.”

“We will not be able to stop every tragedy,” he concluded. “We can’t wipe away hatred and evil from every heart in this world, but we can stop some tragedies, we can save some lives.”

This marks the tenth city scarred by a mass shooting that Mr. Obama has visited during his presidency, including four in the last year alone.

Government Bans Instanbul Pride, Citing Security Concerns

Some 100,000 people attended Istanbul Pride in 2014.
From: NewNowNext
 Government officials have banned Instanbul Pride, set for June 26, citing concern for safety and public order.

It does not appear the order is connected to the mass shooting in Orlando, though, as Pride was banned in the city last year, as well. The announcement from the Istanbul governor’s office comes after nationalists declared they would not allow “degenerates” to march in the streets.


 “Dear state officials, do not make us deal with these. Either you do what is needed or we will do it,” Kursat Mican of the fundamentalist Great Union Party, told reporters.

With the order in place, anyone taking part in a procession risks  arrest.


 Instanbul Pride was first held in 2003 and grew into the largest LGBT celebration in the Muslim world, with some 100,000 people attending in 2014.


 But in 2015, the parade was banned just hours before the event, with police forces using water cannons and tear gas on participants.


 On Facebook, organizers claim the ban is a “flagrant violation of the constitution and the law” and blamed the government for failing to protect their rights.

Unlike other predominantly Muslim countries, homosexuality is legal in Turkey, though gays and lesbians routinely face prejudice and harassment.








Christina Aguilera’s New Song Is A Moving Ballad To Benefit Orlando

Melissa Etheridge and a handful of Broadway's most star-studded players have also announced new singles in tribute to Orlando.
From: NewNowNext
Christina Aguilera released an emotional new ballad titled “Change” this week, and announced in a statement on her website that proceeds from the sale will benefit victims of the massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando on Sunday.

“The horrific tragedy that occurred in Orlando continues to weigh heavily on my mind,” the singer wrote. “I am sending so much love and so many prayers to the victims and their families. Like so many, I want to help be part of the change this world needs to make it a beautiful inclusive place where humanity can love each other freely and passionately.”

Aguilera co-wrote the song along with Flo Reutter and Fancy Hagood. Together with Big Machine Music and BMG Platinum Songs US, all announced that 100% of the proceeds from digital iTunes sales for the next three months will be donated to the National Compassion Fund to benefit victims and families.


The song’s lyrics are powerful; a plea to humanity to come together and form a more accepting world: 
“Waiting for a change to set us free 
Waiting for the day when you can be you and I can be me 
 Waiting for hope to come around 
Waiting for the day when hate is lost and love is found 
Waiting for a change,” 
she sings.

Wrote Aguilera:

“We live in a time of diversity, in a time of endless possibilities, in a time where expression of oneself is something to be celebrated. And I am left wondering how people filled with so much love could be taken by so much hate.
Though there is such heavy sadness I believe that there is much more love in the world than we know. We need to learn to love again, we need to learn that one person does make a difference; we need to keep love in our hearts.
We all have the choice to spread love, encourage individuality and make a difference to others – we are all in this together, as one, united in love.”

In a tweet earlier this week, the star called upon fans to donate to a GoFundMe campaign set up to benefit the families and partners of victims.

“Calling all #Fighters to continue spreading love to the #Orlando victims & their families,” she wrote, attaching a link to the donate page.

On Wednesday, Melissa Etheridge also announced a new single to benefit the Orlando victims, called “Pulse.”

“I’m dealing with it the way I deal, which is, I wrote a song,” the singer told Rolling Stone. “I just sat here, and I just started writing a song… That’s how I first started to cope because, as a singer songwriter, I feel very… I’ve done this before. I feel called to speak; to do what musicians do.”

Joining the momentum, some of Broadway’s biggest stars and celebrity players announced they would come together to record a cover of Jackie DeShannon’s 1965 hit “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” which will be available to download Monday.

The list includes Sara Bareilles, Matthew Broderick, Fran Drescher, Gloria Estefan, Sutton Foster, Whoopi Goldberg, Sean Hayes, Heather Headley, Audra McDonald, Idina Menzel, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rosie O’Donnell, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, and Chita Rivera, to name a few.

Amelia Gapin Becomes First Trans Woman On Cover Of “Women’s Running” Magazine

"I wanted to be able to show other trans people what’s possible and that they can be their true selves."
From: NewNowNext
 After being named a finalist last fall, Amelia Gapin has become the first trans woman to grace the cover of Women’s Running magazine, in the magazine’s July issue.


 “You know, I grew up through the ’90s and there was never any positive representation,” Gapin, 33, told USA Today. “I just remember growing up thinking, ’I guess there’s nobody else like me. I’m the only person who feels the way that I do.’ It was really, really alienating because I didn’t know you could actually transition and live those things you felt and be the person you knew you were.”












Gapin, a software programmer for Tumblr, is also the co-founder of MyTransHealth, a site connecting users with trans-friendly physicians and healthcare professional. She was actually hesitant to enter the competition for the cover.

“I’ve always hated the idea of being treated like I’m special,” she said when she made the finals. “I don’t want to be on the cover of a magazine simply because I was born with the wrong junk and being trans is all the rage in the media these days. I have no desire to play into the voyeurism of trans lives by cis (not trans) people.”


Ultimately, though, she decided “I wanted to be able to show other trans people what’s possible and that they can be their true selves.”

“What we really wanted to underline is every body, every person, every woman is welcome into the Women’s Running community,” says Women’s Running editor-in-chief Jessica Sebor.

“And we just thought Amelia’s openness and embracing of her own identity was something that underlined that mission.”