HIV Equal is a national multimedia campaign and online magazine that aims to end HIV stigma and promote HIV testing by creating a social art movement that changes the way people think about HIV and which reopens the national dialogue about HIV. Join them at MachineBoston on Saturday, May 30th. You can learn more about HIV Equal by visiting their website at, hivequal.org.
Following the historic vote in Ireland on marriage equality, cultural conservatives in the US are licking their wounds and they should because the referendum in Ireland mirrors attitudes shared here in the America. According to polling from Pew Research Center, nearly 60% of American Catholics support marriage equality (up from 34% when same sex marriage was legalized in MA in 2004).
Pew Research Center also recently reported that Millennials overwhelmingly support marriage equality (nearly 70%) and that is significant because this year Millennials will surpass the Baby Boomer generation as the nation’s largest living generation with approximately 81 million born after 1981. These trends make even religious zealots realize that prayer alone is not going to turn back time (to borrow a line from a Cher song) so they are adopting new language (that can be more palatable to the public) to stem this tide of the pro equality movement.
This is why the bogus “religious freedom” argument is now talked about nonstop by conservatives (and why you’ll hear about “religious freedom” and persecution from Republican Presidential primary candidates ad nauseam). Social conservatives want to position themselves as the victim; this is a tried and true tactic from Conservatives when they lose in the court of public opinion.
Same sex marriage isn’t the first civil liberty that was opposed based on “religious beliefs” and teachings in the Bible.
The next time you hear someone claiming their ‘religious liberties’ are being trampled upon by “legalizing” gay marriage be sure you address that line of thought immediately – ignoring this gives that line of thought credibility and emboldens those who make this claim. Let’s not forget that gay marriage isn’t the first civil liberty that was opposed based on “religious beliefs” and teachings in the Bible it just happens to be the latest. Claims that everything from ending segregation to legalizing interracial marriages was against teachings in the Bible and people’s religious convictions.
I love a man who knows how to accessorize.
How nice it would be to wake up to this smiling face. It might even make someone as grumpy as me crack a smile in the morning.
Ab Soto is a queer artist who first came to my attention earlier this week in an article I read on HuffPost Gay and since watching this video I can’t get it out of my head. He clearly has a flair for eye-catching fashion and has more wardrobe changes than a Taylor Swift video. Check this out and get your cha cha on.
What can I say? I’m really shallow and I need a pick me up to deal with the fact that tomorrow is Monday.
Whoops… this is what happens when you move your blog posts around and don’t read what you wrote back when you first loaded the post. Tomorrow is Sunday.
Congratulations to Ireland. While official results have not been formally tabulated it appears the general referendum on granting full marriage equality rights for gay couples has been overwhelmingly voted by the Irish people (some estimates are saying by 70%).
“It is about removing discrimination. It is about removing inequality. It’s historic, and that’s why I’ll be voting yes,” Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny
While I’m still not an advocate for voting on minority rights, this is an historic milestone for a devoutly Catholic country, which only 20 years ago in 1995 legalized divorce. Issues of social justice matter to Catholics and not all Catholics see homosexuality as a sin. Gone are the days that we need to accept the phrase “Love the sinner; hate the sin.” While the US is a completely different society, I hope the results in Ireland send a chill down Conservatives backs here and we can put this issue to rest in our own country next month when our US Supreme Court (hopefully) rules in favor of marriage equality.
Friday night Pearl from RuPaul’s Drag Race will be making an appearance – complete with a VIP Meet & Greet from 10 – 11PM.
DJ BEGBICK will also be playing your favorite music so you can dance the night away in the Theater District. Select the link below for VIP Ticket information and details about the party at Guilt Boston.
This photo is a bit more suggestive than my usual weekly caption post but I can’t help it. Chalk it up to me being a dirty old man. Share a witty caption in the comments section for readers to enjoy. I’ll get you started with my caption.
Settle down, we have to go to work now 😦
While Gay Pride celebrations now happen virtually year round, June remains the month when most cities host their traditional LGBT festivals. What started as a political movement born out of a need to advocate for change has grown to also become a celebration of our lives, families, contributions to society and hopes for a better tomorrow for everyone in our community.
Pride celebrations are a fantastic way to bring our diverse community together and celebrate. Below are dates for some of the many US Pride celebrations this June.
June 5 – 7 Detroit and Milwaukee
June 12-14 Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
June 19 – 21 Denver, New Orleans and Providence
June 26 – 28 Chicago, Houston, NYC, San Francisco, and Seattle
I’m happy to write that I couldn’t list all of the Pride celebrations in the US because there are now so many. Feel free to give your local Pride celebration a shout out in my comments section no matter where you may be celebrating.
Happy Pride
This week’s post has a kitty just to give equal time since last week had a puppy.
Back in 2009 I first saw /met Daniel Garofali when he was still dancing as a go go boy in the Sydney gay bars along Oxford Street. Above is a photo taken from the Sydney Opera House drag show we attended that year. Not long after our visit to Australia Garofali’s good looks took him to America and Europe.
Daniel Garofali has parlayed his looks into a successful career as a male model. Enjoy this throwback video from his 2012 calendar photoshoot.
If you’d like to see Garofali before he made it big, watch these video clips of the show we took from our phones I Got The Music In Me and Hot Stuff (he appears around the 50 second mark).
Saturday night check out CONTROVERSY x TOGETHER with local DJ Begbick and NYC DJ Mike Q, an internationally known DJ & one of the most famous producers of Ballroom Vogue Beats.
Begbick and Mike Q will be joined by live performances by Phunk Phenomenon, Boston’s most acclaimed hip-hop dance crew.
*White attire suggested.
Matt Yee is coming back to Boston for one show this Friday, May 15th at Club Cafe. Doors open at 7:30 and the show starts at 8:00. Tickets are $20. You can learn more about the show and purchase your tickets if you go here.
BosGuy 