Author: Randy Slovacek

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Madonna Announces WorldPride NYC 2019 Appearance

NYC Pride, organizers of WorldPride NYC 2019/Stonewall 50, announced today that Madonna will make an appearance, and is expected to perform a few songs, at Pride Island on Sunday, June 30, 2019.

NYC Pride, organizers of WorldPride NYC 2019/Stonewall 50, announced today that Madonna will make an appearance, and is expected to perform a few songs, at Pride Island on Sunday, June 30, 2019.

Madonna was the first to announce the news through a video aired during the Monday June 3, 2019 broadcast of NBC’s The Today Show.

“I hear you,” said Madonna in the video, while draped in one of her Madame X Rainbow Flags, “I will be on Pride Island, where I was born.”

Madonna will debut, “Dark Ballet” on June 7 from her highly anticipated 14th studio album Madame X. The album will be released globally on June 14 from Live Nation, Interscope Records and Maverick. Exclusive album pre-order bundles with limited edition merchandise are now available direct at Madonna.com.

Madonna has partnered with The Trevor Project and for the entire month of Pride, all of Madonna’s proceeds from the exclusive Madame X Pride collection of a limited-edition Pride Rainbow Vinyl, flag and digital download will be donated to the organization.

More than 4.5 million people are expected to visit New York City during WorldPride, events of which started on Saturday, June 1 and runs throughout LGBTQIA+ Pride Month across the 5 boroughs of New York City.

For more information about WorldPride NYC 2019 | Stonewall 50 and its official roster of events, visit http://worldpride.org/.

(via press release)

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Today Is National Cancer Survivor Day

Observed every year on the first Sunday of June, National Cancer Survivors Day® is an annual celebration of life that is held in hundreds of communities nationwide, and around the world.

Why do I know this? Because I am a cancer survivor.

On April 7, 2009, I was diagnosed with Stage One non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

I know I was lucky. Six rounds of chemo and a really crappy summer, and I was declared cancer-free. Whoo-hoo!

A few rounds of chemo and I was a hairless wonder.
This is me with my portable chemo pump I nicknamed Bumpy.

Today’s celebration is for those who have survived, those recently diagnosed, and gathering support for families, and an outreach to the community.

On National Cancer Survivors Day®, thousands gather across the globe to honor cancer survivors and to show the world that life after a cancer diagnosis can be fruitful, rewarding, and even inspiring.

It is a day for everyone – whether you’re a cancer survivor, a family member, friend, or medical professional.

This day is an opportunity for all people living with a history of cancer – including America’s more than 15.5 million cancer survivors – to connect with each other, celebrate milestones, and recognize those who have supported them along the way.

It is also a day to draw attention to the ongoing challenges of cancer survivorship in order to promote more resources, research, and survivor-friendly legislation to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.

And by the way…

The nonprofit National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation provides free guidance, education, and networking to hundreds of hospitals, support groups, and other cancer-related organizations that host NCSD events in their communities.

Through National Cancer Survivors Day®, the Foundation works to improve the quality of life of cancer survivors by raising awareness of the ongoing challenges of cancer survivorship.

#fuckcancer

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InstaHunk Round-Up: Weekend Edition

(via Instagram)

Checking out my favorite InstaHunks this weekend. First up, Spanish fitness model Fran Dullon is loving early summer in Madrid (above). Chippendales hunk Ryan Worley says we can call him ‘kid face,’ but he’s all grown up in this photo:

 

A post shared by Ryan Worley (@ryguy220) on May 31, 2019 at 10:36am PDT

Olympic hottie Gus Kenworthy is looking for a big, fat, juicy…donation. Click here to donate to his goal of raising $1 million at this year’s AIDS/LifeCycle.

 

A post shared by gus kenworthy (@guskenworthy) on May 31, 2019 at 8:11pm PDT

Joel Green is celebrating his birthday in his birthday suit:

Mitch Fit is giving you beard and beach goals for real:

Graphic artist Silverjow shares his “Hunks of the week:”

 

A post shared by Silverjow’s art (@silverjow) on Jun 1, 2019 at 2:46am PDT

Samurbi wants folks to caption this beefy bear moment:

 

A post shared by Jorge (@samurbi) on May 31, 2019 at 2:47pm PDT

And Olympian Brittany Bowe is celebrating Pride Month with her new rainbow kicks:

 

A post shared by B R I T T A N Y 💫 B O W E (@brittanybowe) on Jun 2, 2019 at 7:46am PDT

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Pride Music: Starley “Love Is Love”

Today’s Pride Music comes from Australian artist Starley, whose deeply personal single “Love is Love” was released in June 2018.

“Love is Love” was the follow-up to Starley’s global smash hit “Call on Me” which went 4x Platinum in Australia, #1 in Sweden and the Top 10 in more than 30 countries.

Along the way, all that fan love added up to more than 1 billion streams globally.

Using an earthy mix of rhythms and a sound that feels authentic and personal, the singer from ‘down under’ finds the center of her music. And in doing so, connects with the singer.

Even the approach to artwork for her music is has to have a true connection.

“The cover for ‘Love is Love’ is not to be about me,” said Starley. “Although, this song is my personal story, it’s a song for everyone, so I felt like a heart was the perfect way to go.”

“I feel like there should be a flag that represents love in all forms – interracial, interfaith, gay, straight, bisexual, trans, and so on,” she adds.

“Until that exists, I’ve chosen to use the colours of the bisexual flag because they relate to my personal journey,” says the Aussie singer regarding the inspiration behind her single artwork.

And while I have your attention, check out Starley’s debut single, “Call On Me” below.

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Rotten Tomatoes Ranks Top LGBT Films Of All Time

Rotten Tomatoes, the movie ranking website, has compiled its list of the Best 200 LGBTQ-themed films of all time.

Rotten Tomatoes, the movie ranking website, has compiled its list of the Best 200 LGBTQ-themed films of all time.

All of these films stand on the shoulders of other LGBT films that have come before. Our list of the 200 Best LGBT Movies of All Time – expanded from our original list of 150 movies, released last year – stretches back almost 90 years to the pioneering German film, Mädchen in Uniform, which was subsequently banned by the Nazis, and crosses multiple continents, cultures, and genres.

There are broad American comedies (The Birdcage), artful Korean crime dramas (The Handmaiden), groundbreaking indies (Tangerine), and landmark documentaries (Paris Is Burning). In this thorough update and expansion of the list, we added films from the last year in cinema that qualified (from 2018’s We the Animals and The Miseducation of Cameron Post to this year’s The Heiresses and Giant Little Ones and more) and worked to include more stories from outside of the U.S.

To be considered for the list, a movie had to prominently feature gay, lesbian, trans, or queer characters; concern itself centrally with LGBT themes; present its LGBT characters in a fair and realistic light; and/or be seen as a touchpoint in the evolution of queer cinema.

And it had to be Fresh. The final list was culled from a longlist of hundreds, after which the films were ranked according to the Adjusted Tomatometer, which acts as a kind of inflation adjustment, taking into consideration the Tomatometer score, as well as the number of reviews a film received relative to the average number of reviews for films released that same year.

It’s a pretty comprehensive list to be sure. Some folks are surprised at the ranking of certain films versus others, but I think it’s a great list.

Just a few of my favorites here are (in no particular order): Torch Song Trilogy, The Sum of Us, Cabaret, Trick, The Birdcage, Philadelphia, The Hours, The Color Purple, Beach Rats, Boy Erased, The Way He Looks, Rocketman, Longtime Companion, Brokeback Mountain, Victor Victoria, The Kids Are Alright, God’s Country, Call Me By Your Name, Moonlight and Love, Simon.

Click here to check out the list over at Rotten Tomatoes.

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Schiff: The GOP Has Become ‘A Cult Of Trump’s Personality’

House Democrats continue to wrestle within their own party regarding the idea of beginning impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.

This was front and center today as House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that he’s ‘just not convinced, not yet,’ that it’s the best thing for the country right now.

“In terms of the impeachment process, it’s not mandated by the Constitution. We can avail ourselves of this when the president demonstrates acts that are high crimes or misdemeanors. It is certainly true that much of his conduct qualifies for that, but at the same time we have to recognize the reality that one party, the Republican Party, has turned itself into a cult of the president’s personality and is not likely to act consistent with its constitutional obligations. And we have to figure out in that context, is this the right thing for the country, and I’m just not convinced, not yet, that that’s the case.”

Several freshman rank and file Democrats are ready to dive into impeachment proceedings, but as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said earlier this week, even if articles of impeachment pass in the Democratic-controlled House, the GOP-led Senate (which acts as the judge and jury over such allegations) will never find Trump guilty.

That would then make Trump a martyr to his followers and could embolden them even more in the 2020 election.

Plus, were he to be found ‘not guilty’ by the Senate, that verdict could dissuade any charges being brought against Trump in the private sector once he’s out of office.

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Joe Biden: Passing The Equality Act Will Be Top Priority As President

Speaking at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner in Columbus, Ohio, former Vice President Joe Biden promised to make LGBTQ equality a priority.

Speaking at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner in Columbus, Ohio, former Vice President Joe Biden promised to make LGBTQ equality a priority.

In a wide-ranging speech, the 2020 presidential candidate called out the Trump administration as a “disaster for human rights,” pointing out many of its ongoing attacks on the rights and protections of LGBTQ Americans.

Biden also denounced current vice current Vice President Mike Pence for using religious freedom as a license to discriminate against LGBTQ folks.

“Just like with racial justice and women’s rights, we are seeing pushback against all the progress we’ve made toward equality,” said Biden as he discussed protections for transgender Americans. “It’s wrong and it is immoral what they’re doing.”

Biden announced during the half hour speech that signing the Equality Act would be his top legislative priority. “It will be the first thing I ask to be done,” Biden said.

In a lighthearted moment, Biden recalled announcing his support for marriage equality in 2012 before President Obama had done so.

Biden remembered many political pundits thinking, “I had just committed this gigantic blunder.” He also shared that he’d told the president if asked about same-sex marriage, “I was not going to be quiet.”

It’s a great speech – well worth the watching.

In advance of his HRC speech, Biden tweeted out his support for Pride Month:

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Pride Music: Billy Porter “Edelweiss”

When Tony Award winner & Pose star Billy Porter released his take on the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic, “Edelweiss,” he shared in the social media post:

The Edelweiss flower blooms in the cold and snow and reminds us that we can and must flourish in the darkest of times.

Billy chose to release the track as the lead single from his new album, Billy Porter Presents: The Soul of Richard Rodgers, as the last presidential election has just occurred – and he was concerned.

Of course, now, we can see Billy was wise to be worried.

The recording was on my mind today as I was thinking about the beginning of Pride Month.

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Taylor Swift Urges Federal Government To Pass Equality Act

International pop star Taylor Swift shared a message of support for the LGBTQ community to her 200 million social media followers just minutes into the first day of Pride Month 2019.
Taylor Swift (image via Instagram)

International pop star Taylor Swift shared a message of support for the LGBTQ community to her 200 million social media followers just minutes into the first day of Pride Month 2019.

Not only does Taylor wish us all a Happy Pride Month, but she’s launched a petition on Change.org demanding the federal government enact The Equality Act.

Here’s the text of her petition:

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! While we have so much to celebrate, we also have a great distance to go before everyone in this country is truly treated equally. In excellent recent news, the House has passed the Equality Act, which would protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in their places of work, homes, schools, and other public accommodations. The next step is that the bill will go before the Senate.

While there’s no information yet as to when the Equality Act will go before the Senate for a vote, we do know this: Politicians need votes to stay in office. Votes come from the people. Pressure from massive amounts of people is a major way to push politicians towards positive change. That’s why I’ve created this petition to urge the Senate to support the Equality Act.

Our country’s lack of protection for its own citizens ensures that LGBTQ people must live in fear that their lives could be turned upside down by an employer or landlord who is homophobic or transphobic. The fact that, legally, some people are completely at the mercy of the hatred and bigotry of others is disgusting and unacceptable.

Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally.

I love that Taylor is using her social media powers for good, and hope you will, too.

Please make sure you head to the petition (over 68,000 signatures at this time) and sign it as well.

You know I did 🙂

🌈HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!!🌈 While we have so much to celebrate, we also have a great distance to go before everyone in this country is truly treated equally. In excellent recent news, the House has passed the Equality Act, which would protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in their places of work, homes, schools, and other public accommodations. The next step is that the bill will go before the Senate. I’ve decided to kick off Pride Month by writing a letter to one of my senators to explain how strongly I feel that the Equality Act should be passed. I urge you to write to your senators too. I’ll be looking for your letters by searching the hashtag #lettertomysenator. While there’s no information yet as to when the Equality Act will go before the Senate for a vote, we do know this: Politicians need votes to stay in office. Votes come from the people. Pressure from massive amounts of people is a major way to push politicians towards positive change. That’s why I’ve created a petition at change.org to urge the Senate to support the Equality Act. Our country’s lack of protection for its own citizens ensures that LGBTQ people must live in fear that their lives could be turned upside down by an employer or landlord who is homophobic or transphobic. The fact that, legally, some people are completely at the mercy of the hatred and bigotry of others is disgusting and unacceptable. Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally. 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈 Click the link in my bio to sign the petition for Senate support of the Equality Act.
A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on May 31, 2019 at 9:05pm PDT

The Grammy Award winner also shared her letter to her state’s senator, Sen. Lamar Alexander, asking for his support for The Equality Act.

Along the way, she also brings up Tennessee’s recent anti-LGBTQ ‘Slate of Hate’ bills in the state legislature, and rejects Donald Trump’s position on The Equality Act.