Trevor Lifeline: (866) 488-7386
In 2010, outraged by so many gay and lesbian youth committing suicide, Dan Savage created the It Gets Better Project. Now the Trevor Project, the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth has now launched the Talk To Me campaign.
In July, Lisa DeCanio from BostonInno asked the question in her column Why is Making Friends in Boston so Hard? A few weeks later I found myself in Cambridge sitting across from Daniel Heller and Ashley Lucas from The Welcoming Committee (TWC).
Not familiar with TWC? Its affiliated with Guerrilla Queer Bar (GQB), a group that achieved notoriety for taking over bars the first Friday of each month not typically considered gay or gay-friendly. GQB nights in Boston routinely brings 500+ 20 and 30-somethings. Later this week GQB will be hosting their next take over. Interested? Check out TWC FB page for more information. The success of that group has now expanded to include The Welcoming Committee (TWC).
Recognizing it can be hard to connect with people and gay and lesbian men and women may feel uncomfortable venturing out on their own to certain venues, TWC started planning social events that take a page out of the Guerrilla Queer Bar playbook; planning social events away from the bars and in locations not typically considered “gay”.
This group has hopes their “take over” model will go viral. To encourage the Boston LGBT community to connect and explore other places in the city, they have launched what I believe is the first mobile app of its kind. NOTE: At the time this post was published the App was not available. It is awaiting approval by Apple and is expected very soon.
Curious to learn more about TWC? Visit them online at, http://thewelcomingcommittee.com.
Do you live in or have friends in Australia? This is a great video to share with them and to post on your facebook page. The video explains why legalizing marriage is important and repudiates the same tired, homophobic arguments we hear in the United States.
Join the campaign for marriage equality in Australia www.ido.org.au
Thank you to Brenton for posting this on his blog Aussielicious.
It is Labor Day in the United States, and I’m going to sleep in. No matter where you live or call home, I hope you have a wonderful day.
To celebrate Ray Ban’s 75th anniversary they launched the “Never Hide” ad campaign. The campaign has scores of images of people from all over with the catchy slogan to promote their brand.
However, it was this bold image of two gay men walking through a bustling street from a bygone era, that gave me pause. It made me realize how much I take for granted. I can never adequately repay the men and women who were brave enough to step out of the closet before me. The scorn and sacrifice they endured I can only imagine. It was their bravery that made society a safer, better place for me. Its a debt that I will never be able to pay back but I’ll start by saying, thank you.
Attitude Magazine is a UK-based online magazine I enjoy perusing. Actually, earlier this year I featured the cover of their Naked Issue.
Later this fall they will be hosting their first-ever Attitude Awards in London. Leading up to the big event, Attitude is encouraging readers to vote for their Hottest Man of the Year by choosing their favorite cover.
So who will you be voting for? You have to admit if politicians looked like this, getting the youth vote out in the US would be a cinch.
So I’m shallow. You are too if you keep staring.
Last summer I wrote This is him and while visiting Ptown this past weekend a reader I met mentioned how much they enjoyed the story so I thought I’d re-post.
Dan Savage poignant “It Gets Better Campaign” came about because of a grim reality regarding how marginalized gay and lesbian kids feel and the bullying that further isolates them. This past weekend, I was reminded of the happier side of Dan Savage’s campaign – the part that addresses “The Better”…
There is a young man (18 years old to be exact) who lives in my complex. At first glance he looks like a tough city kid. His Boston accent, stocky build which mimics his gigantic father and cigarette permanently hanging from his lips makes him look anything like his friendly, easy-going personality. This kid (let’s call him Adam), comes from a solid blue collar, take no crap kind of family. We’ve been neighbors for a few years now and while I don’t know his whole story, I do know that he’s gay.
As far as I was aware, he was closeted (maybe he still is). However, the other day he told me with quite a bit of pride that his boyfriend was coming to visit him. I was happy for him and told him so, but it wasn’t until I saw him later this weekend that I realized how happy. On Sunday afternoon as my partner and I were driving through the courtyard we looked up and saw Adam with a friend. When Adam recognized us he lit up and started shouting as loud as he could pointing to the other young man. “This is Him!” I think he must have said it 2-3 more times at the top of his lungs. He was so excited and proud. And seeing this young, tough-kid from Boston all excited to be with his boyfriend and be shouting it for all the world to hear made me think you know what Dan Savage is right, it does get better. And if you’re lucky like Adam – you don’t have to wait that long to realize it.
San Francisco’s dragapella beauty shop quartet just posted this humorous ditty on YouTube and I couldn’t help but share it.
The Kinsey Sicks are currently touring. Sadly, they will not be in Boston this fall but you may see the full calendar of tour dates here.
A blog I’ve discovered online is the Winger Jock blog, which first got my attention with the recent post, 100 Years of Gay Couples, it posted last week.
The post includes 19 other pictures of gay couples spanning the last century and as Pierre from Winger Jock Blog says, “Yes, we have been around forever.“
Mark the date in your calendars and plan on coming out to dbar where proceeds raised will go to support and help the Boston Living Center.
2012 appears to be the year US businesses decided to weigh in on the issue of same sex marriage. There have been a few organizations (notably Chick-Fil-A) that have indicated their opposition to same-sex marriage, but most that have spoken on this issue have come out in favor of same-sex marriage.
The ever growing list of marquee companies putting their reputation on the line and risking the ire of those who disagree with supporting LGBT rights is a testament to how far this conversation has come and how accepting the American public is becoming.
Earlier this week Towleroad reported that REI has joined the list of companies publicly backing same sex marriage. Washington United for Marriage said CEO and President Sally Jewell strongly endorsed marriage equality in a letter to employees earlier this month. Read Jewell’s heartfelt blog post to REI employees here.
Thank you Sally Jewell for your support
I can ask any of my girlfriends and they will be able to recite when and where they had their first kiss. For some it was all they hoped (or perhaps their memory is just kind) and for some it was terrible and results in groans or giggles thinking back to that moment.
First Gay Kiss
However, for most gay men and women, there are two first kisses. That first kiss with the member of the opposite sex and then your first kiss with a person of the same sex. While I was perusing YouTube earlier this week, I saw a lot of videos of guys talking about their “first gay kiss” and it got me to thinking…
Do you remember your first kiss with a person of the same sex? Was it all you hoped for? Was it a complete disaster? Do tell.
What can I say? I’m all tapped out. If you want original content get the Times. Plus, he’s so damn handsome.
BosGuy 