Why you need to come out to your doctor

Temptation Tuesday, handsome, hunk, shirtless, absBack in 2011 I wrote a post Many LGBT patients feel alienated by their health providers.  It was based on a Boston Globe article that reported many LGBT patients did not feel like they could have honest conversations with their doctors. For many who are Out and live in cities like Boston this may seem strange. We benefit from living in a progressive city and have access to places like Fenway Health, but for many who are not Out or do not have access to a LGBT clinic, this is a real problem.

US News & World Report wrote an interesting article, How to Come Out to Your Doctor as an LGBT Patientexplaining why it is important: the type of preventative care you should receive – esp if you are sexually active; questions you may want to ask your doctor; and most importantly for those who are not out to their health care providers – how to start the conversation.

Hola Puerto Rico

gay travel, lgbt travel, travelSergio and I are heading to San Juan for a few days in the sun.  While Boston may not have been hit as hard as DC, Philadelphia and NYC we did get way more than the 3″ of snow predicted and we are looking forward to trading our coats and gloves for flip flops and swimsuits.

Sergio and I have been visiting Puerto Rico for several years and it never disappoints.  I’m sure I’ll be snapping photos and posting them on my Twitter and Instagram accounts. Below are a few photos of some of the men who added to the natural beauty that surrounded us on past trips.

handsome, hunk, San Juanhandsome, hunkhandsome, hunk

8th Annual Chocolate Festival

Back Bay Chocolate Walking TourIf you love chocolate then you need to get yourself to Harvard Square this weekend. Arrive on the early side for The Chocolate Festival’s free tasting on Saturday, 1-2PM on Brattle Plaza (in front of Crema Café at 27 Brattle Street) for chocolate treats from many of Harvard Square’s finest purveyors including Ben & Jerry’s, Cabot Candy, Crema Café, J.P. Licks and Toscano to name a few.

More details about this fun, free event is available here.

Mancandy post

handsome, hunk, underwear, hairy, furryWhat can I say? Work has me busier than a one legged man in an a$$ kicking competition.  I’m traveling right now and behind in my posts so I’ve opted for this, which I initially had designated for a future Furry Friday. Enjoy.

Calling all artists: Boston wants you to live here

ShakespeareLast week Boston Mayor Marty Walsh in his state of the city speech said he was going to fund three arts-related programs that would have a combined budget of $1 million.  The programs are intended to do the following: 1-provide direct grants to individual artists; 2-help expand the city’s fledgling artist-in-residence program; and 3-establish an artist resource desk at City Hall, to help local artists.

To help support local artists $400,000 in direct artist grants will be available to artists living in Boston. According to The Boston Globe, the Walsh administration has yet to work out the details, but the funds will be unrestricted and likely available to individual artists.

You can read more about this in The Boston Globe’s January 20th article, City’s new trio of arts programs will share $1 million.

Caption this photo

sports, soccer, humor

Each Wednesday morning I post a photograph and ask readers to offer a funny caption.  I’ll get you started with a possible caption that hopefully inspires you to share a few of your own in the comments section below.

Mad that his team lost, Jon prepped for the post-game handshake

Leslie-Lohman Museum presents: Medium of Desire

LGBT Art, Gay ArtAre you heading to New York City in the coming weeks or months? You may want to check out the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in SoHo. 

Their current exhibit is Photography is the Medium of Desire: An International Anthology of Photography and Video. The exhibit opened last month and runs through March 16, 2016.  For more information about the Leslie-Lohman Museum and their current exhibit visit their website www.leslielohman.org.

20th Annual LGBT travel survey results

Sydney Opera House - Sydney, AustraliaThis past November I wrote about and encouraged you to take the 20th Annual LGBT travel survey by Community Marketing & Insights (CMI) Inc. Nearly 4,000 LGBT respondents shared their thoughts and a few weeks ago CMI published their findings.  Below are some of the findings that caught my eye.

Where the boys are: New York is again the most popular LGBT destination across all categories, followed by Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Chicago, which are tightly grouped in 2nd place.  For the first time Rehoboth Beach, DE and Nashville, TN entered the survey’s top-20 destinations.

Hotel brands: Marriott was named as the top hotel brand recognized for their LGBT outreach efforts and W Hotels was named the as the top boutique brand.

The sharing economy: 21% of lesbians and 17% of gay men booked lodging through shared economy websites (think AirBNB, MisterBNB, etc…)  The shared economy websites as CMI refers to them were used most often because they were more affordable but LGBT travelers also cited the ability to stay in specific neighborhoods as a contributing reason.

If you would like to read the full report, CMI asks that you register to receive a free copy, which you can do here.

Temptation Tuesday

handsome, hunkFor those of you who like the micro gogo, yellow Speedo look.
And to all of you lean enough to make the look appealing.

Past Temptation Tuesday Posts

Image

Cell phone humor

humor

IMAGINARY COUPLES by Olivier Ciappa

photographyFirst reported in The Advocate back in June 2013, Gay Voices on Huffington Post recently wrote an article about this bold photography project that brings celebrities together to pose as same-sex couples and families to combat homophobia and provide positive images of recognizable figures engaging in queer relationships.

The series, called “IMAGINARY COUPLES,” is the brainchild of French artist and photographer Olivier Ciappa and has been displayed in galleries and cities around the world from Paris to Lima. “IMAGINARY COUPLES” is tentatively scheduled to hit the United States this summer, possibly in Los Angeles.

RuPaul to host: Gay for Play

Gay for Play with RuPaul on Logo TVLast week Logo announced that RuPaul will host Gay For Play Game Show, described as a star-studded trivia game show that will premiere alongside the eighth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Details about the show aren’t currently available, but I know I’ll be putting it on my DVR, and I’m betting a few of you may be inclined to do the same.

What to do this week: January 25-31

Gay BostonWhat to do this week: January 25th – 31st

Geek Trivia is guaranteed fun and has lots of prizes (trivia starts at 8pm) hosted every Tuesday at Club Cafe in Boston

Stump Trivia lets you impress your friends with all the trivia you know from 5PM – 10PM every Wednesday at Cathedral Station in Boston

Karaoke Kween is a lot of fun and if you’re good you may nab the $75 cash prize at the end of the night – hosted every Wednesday at Club Cafe in Boston

ICA Boston every Thursday from 4PM – 9PM admission is free to the public. Visit the museum’s exhibits at no cost on Thursday, January 28 in Boston

FOXY 7 year anniversary party has brought DJ James Cerne back home for this night at The Alley on Friday, January 29 in Boston

8th Annual Chocolate Festival hosts their free chocolate tasting from 1-2PM on Saturday, January 30 in Harvard Square

EGO Saturdays with DJ Richie LaDue and your host Katya  on Saturday, January 30 in Providence

Back 2 Basics Tea Dance never has a cover and always has great music from 70s 80s & 90s, starting at 5PM no cover every Sunday at Club Cafe in Boston

I’ve started posting a weekly listing of upcoming activities.  Send me information about your upcoming programs and events in my blog’s comment section or message me the details on Facebook.

Winter fashion tip: Seven ways to tie your scarf

For those who live in Boston and other cold climates, the scarf is a perfect winter accessory. While there are many ways to tie a scarf, below are some popular techniques seen in menswear today. Infographic below comes from tie-a-tie.net.

winter fashionDo you like posts like this? Check out Tie-A-Tie.net.

Teen’s coming out ad in Houston newpaper gets national attention

HERO, Houston ObserverPerhaps you missed this story, making the rounds last week about Joan and Drake Wilson. Joan Wilson who lives in Washington state was so outraged by the discriminatory HERO vote in Houston late last year, she took out a $200 advertisement in Houston’s daily newspaper to celebrate her son’s decision to come out as gay. You can read the full story in Towleroad here.

What was the HERO vote in Houston all about? Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) was a public referendum, anti-discrimination ordinance that Houston voted down.  The campaign against HERO became quite nasty and a crusade of sorts for conservatives who made outrageous claims about men taking over women’s bathrooms.