Category: LGBTQ life

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Markus Kage – 5 Things I Learned Doing Gay-For-Pay Films

Markus Kage shares 5 things he learned doing gay-for-pay films
Markus Kage (screen capture)
Markus Kage sat down with YouTube vlogger Davey Davey to share 5 things he learned doing gay-for-pay adult films. Kage was pretty forthcoming about what take-aways he had as a straight-identifying man doing gay-for-pay scenes: • First was learning to have better control over fears he might experience. So now, when he tries something new, he doesn’t freak out in the moment. Kage says instead of leaning into scary-territory, he asks himself what it is that might make him uncomfortable. That way he can process the thoughts and move ahead with having fun. • “Versatility is key when it comes to sex,” says the adult performer. And by that, he means he’s learned to unwind his old mindset needing to be a dominant alpha-male all the time.
Markus Kage chats with Davey Wavey about what he learned doing gay-for-pay adult films
L-R Davey Wavey, Markus Kage
• That led to a discussion about whether tops or bottoms work harder when it comes to sex. Kage initially believed being on the bottom bunk was easier. But when it comes to getting ready to shoot a scene that might go on for hours, he acknowledged there’s definitely more ‘prep work’ involved for the receptive partner. • When he’s ‘in the moment’ of having sex, Kage looks for that ‘something’ about his partners that turns him on and makes the experience better. He also notes that being textbook ‘hot’ doesn’t always equate into being a great sex partner. • Leaning into the intimate aspect of sex, being more connected with his partners has not only made the act of sex better but helped him grow into being a better person. I know the gay-for-pay thing can rub some folks the wrong way (bisexual, whatever…), but Kage has a charming way about him in the short video. And I won’t deny he’s pretty easy on the eyes. Plus, he clearly put some thought into what he’s saying here. Hit the play button below (language NSFW) and you’ll see what I mean.

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Silvio Horta, Creator Of LGBTQ-Inclusive ‘Ugly Betty,’ Dead At 45

Ugly Betty writer/showrunner Silvio Horta (screen capture)
Silvio Horta, who created the hit ABC dramedy Ugly Betty, was found dead in his Miami hotel room on Tuesday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to a statement from his family, the 45-year-old writer/producer “had an ongoing struggle with addiction and depression” but added, “he always found a way to turn his struggle into laughter.”

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear brother and son, Silvio Horta. Through his friendships, his love and his work in TV and films, Silvio touched the lives of millions. Silvio had an ongoing struggle with addiction and depression, but through it all, he always found a way to turn his struggle into laughter. He was a kind and beautiful man. He may be gone but his light will shine on.”

Ugly Betty, which ran for four seasons from 2006 to 2010, was a smash-hit for the openly gay writer from the get-go. The series, an adaptation of the Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea, chronicled the adventures (or misadventures) of fashion industry neophyte Betty Suarez, played by America Ferrera, as she made her way up the corporate ladder of the fictitious Mode Magazine. In addition to being stylish and witty, the show was recognized for being LGBTQ-inclusive with storylines that included the coming out of Betty’s teenage nephew Justin (Mark Indelicato), the hysterical fawning of queer fashion assistant Marc St. James (launching the career of Michael Urie into a new orbit), and transgender character Alexis Meade (Rebecca Romijn). The series also gave longtime LGBTQ ally Vanessa Williams the chance to shine as the over-the-top diva, creative director Wilhelmina Slater.    The show landed with LGBTQ audiences not only for its fresh, undeniably queer slant but an empowering message of embracing our authentic selves. Over the course of its run, Ugly Betty scored three Emmy Awards including one for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, winning two – one for Ferrera and one for Best Television Series (Comedy). Numerous other honors came from organizations as diverse as the GLAAD Media Awards, the ALMA Awards, The Imagen Foundation Awards, and the NAACP Image Awards. Horta’s career breakthrough came in 1998 when he wrote the surprise horror film Urban Legend starring future Oscar winner Jared Leto (Dallas Buyer’s Club) and Alicia Witt (Dune). He also executive produced the 2001 series The Chronicle starring Octavia Spencer as well as UPN’s sci-fi series Jake 2.0 in 2003. IMDB lists his most recent credit as the made-for-TV film The Curse of the Fuentes Women in 2015. Horta’s Ugly Betty colleagues took to social media to express their condolences.

RIP Silvio Horta.

If you are thinking about suicide or are feeling alone and need someone to talk to, please contact the Trevor Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7. Additionally, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

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JustFor.Fans Announces Top Accounts For 2019

L-R Gabriel Cross, Griffin Barrows, Max Konnor (images via Instagram)
Dominic Ford, the creator of JustFor.Fans, has announced the most followed gay accounts on the popular fan site platform. “This list is incredibly diverse in porn star vs. amateur, age, race, body type,” wrote Ford on Twitter. “It is the point of a platform like JFF where everyone stands an equal chance of being successful.” “I am proud of everyone on the JFF platform, and this list is a microcosm of that diversity,” added the entrepreneur.

Ford told Out that he opted to share a Top 15 because his list is ordered by the most subscribers. But when ordered by the most profits, some from numbers 11-15 jumped up into the top ten. Those fifteen gay adult accounts garnering the most attention on the streaming platform are listed below with links to their (NSFW) Twitter accounts: 1. Griffin Barrow 2. Gabriel Cross 3. Rhyheim Shabazz 4. Rafael Alencar 5. RopeTrainKeep 6. DeepFillerNYC 7. HungerFF 8. RealMenFullBush 9. Max Konnor 10. PhatRabbitKill2 11. ItsKravemelanin 12. CadeMaddoxX 13. RoccoSteeleNYC 14. MichaelLucasNYC 15. AdamRussoXXX

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Study: Gay & Bisexual Couples Owned By Dogs Have Stronger Relationships

Yes, you could say we are ‘dog people’
A new study by pet-sitting company Rover.com found gay and bisexual couples say their relationships are stronger as a result of adopting dogs.

• 56% said having a dog meant that they spent more time together

• Those gay/bi couples also see dog ownership as a greater commitment to their other half than setting up a joint bank account

• 21% of gay and bi couples were more likely to have a “pet-nup” in place versus just 12% of straight couples

Over a third of all respondents – gay or straight – said they would not date anyone who was not a self-confessed “dog person.” True dat. There were also a few downsides noted to having a dog:

• 17% of couples said they had less sex because their dog now shares the bed with them

• A third said they leave the house separately so there’s always someone home to take care of their pup

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Poll: 92% Of Canadians ‘Comfortable’ With LGBTQ People

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raises an LGBTQ Pride flag
From Global News in Canada:

The federal government measured how “comfortable” Canadians felt with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people playing significant roles in their lives, Global News has learned, part of what the government says was a preliminary assessment to better understand the challenges faced by Canada’s LGBTQ2 community.

And the answer, so far, is encouraging: 91.8 percent of those surveyed in a mid-summer poll commissioned by the Privy Council Office said they would be “comfortable” if a next-door neighbor was gay, lesbian or bisexual and that 87.6 percent said they would be “comfortable” if a neighbor was a transgender person.

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Photos: Cyndi Lauper’s 9th Annual ‘Home For The Holidays’ Benefit Concert

Billy Porter at the 9th Annual “Home for the Holidays” event for True Colors United
Cyndi Lauper – the Grammy, Emmy and Tony-winning icon and advocate – hosted for her 9th annual Cyndi Lauper & Friends: Home for the Holidays benefit concert, presented by Marriott International and AEG, on December 10th. Along with Cyndi and her band, guests this year included modern pop icon Kesha, Grammy/Tony/Emmy-winner Billy Porter, 3x Grammy-winning artist Brandi Carlile, prolific chart-topper and staunch LGBTQ advocate Belinda Carlisle, punk icon Henry Rollins, legendary comics Carol Leifer and Lily Tomlin, and Grammy & Emmy-nominated actress/performer Margaret Cho, among many others. Cyndi also welcomed back Emmy-winner and TCU board member Carson Kressley as host.
Belinda Carlisle and Cyndi Lauper perform ‘True Colors’
“Home for the Holidays is known for always having a cool and eclectic mix of performers,” said Lauper. “I mean, c’mon. Where else are you gonna see Billy Porter and Henry Rollins on the same bill! It’s going to be such a great night.” 100% of the net proceeds from the concert will support True Colors United’s programs to prevent and end homelessness among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. In America, up to 40% of the 4.2 million youth experiencing homelessness in America are LGBTQ and, according to a recent study from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, LGBTQ young people are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ youth. Among many other initiatives, Lauper, who co-founded the organization eleven years ago, has testified and helped secure funding in Congress for a new federal program that is working to finally bring an end to youth homelessness in over 70 communities nationwide. Head over to the official website for more information.
The one and only Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper with Kesha
L-R Margaret Cho, Kesha, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Porter, Justin Tranter
Emmy and Grammy Award winner Billy Porter
(all photos courtesy of True Colors United)

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Introducing Your Boo To The Family At Christmastime

The holidays can bring you and your significant-other closer even as you cope with the stress of including them in family events. The folks at ForHims.com have come up with some helpful tips for that big moment when you introduce your boo to the family: Tell your parents about your partner:

  • Have a quick meeting with them without your partner to go over your expectations
  • Share your partner’s stories and dietary restrictions and hobbies

Set expectations for your partner

  • Tell your partner about good things about your parents’
  • Talk to your partner about your parents’ viewpoints and what topics to pay attention to

Help your partner be prepared

  • Let them know what your family’s dinner etiquette is like
  • Prepare some answers to some common questions your parents might ask

Exit strategy

  • Arrange a code word or signal with your S.O. beforehand which means, “I need to get out of here now.”
  • Have another commitment in mind that you can use as an excuse for escaping
  • Only commit to visiting for a limited period of time

Final Words: Give it Time All first-time family meetings with your S.O. can bring some anxiety. But, don’t stress out, have patience and be open to understanding different viewpoints.

(graphic via ForHims.com)

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Editors Of OUT & The Advocate Announce Exits On Same Day

The editor-in-chief of The Advocate, Zach Stafford, and Out magazine, Phillip Picardi, have announced on the same day they are leaving their respective posts.

Stafford, who is also a co-host of Buzzfeed’s AM2DM morning talk show hasn’t made a statement about his departure. Both Out and The Advocate are owned by Pride Media. And speaking of Pride Media, the company’s interim CEO, Orlando Reece, is also heading for the exit. From NBC News:

Multiple sources with close knowledge of the departures said they were all due to the same reason: finances. Pride Media, which is part of California-based Oreva Capital, has been plagued by reports of unpaid invoices by freelance journalists.

Earlier this year, the National Writers’ Union announced a suit against Pride Media on behalf of 25 freelancers who were then allegedly owed over $40,000 for work that Pride Media published, but did not pay for. This suit and other efforts used the social media hashtag #OutOwes to draw attention to the issue.

LGBTQ journalist John Paul Brammer, who pens a regular column for Out, recently tweeted he’s currently due several months of pay from the company.

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Bi MMA Fighter Wants To See More Acceptance By LGBTQ Community

Radio host & MMA fighter Jason Ellis (photo: John Tsaivis)
Openly bisexual SiriusXM radio host and MMA fighter Jason Ellis knows he’s a rough-looking dude. “I have a tough exterior,” writes Ellis in a personal essay for The Advocate. “I fight MMA. I’m a skateboarder. I’m tattooed from head to toe. But if you get to know me you know I’m a sensitive man.” “And the rejection of me being a bisexual man by other LGBTQ people hurts,” adds Ellis. In his new book, Still Awesome: The Trials and Tribulations of an Egotistical Maniac, the former pro skateboarder from Australia talks candidly about being openly bi, his adventures in Grindr land, and his personal work on putting quality over quantity when it comes to his sex life. Ellis says he doesn’t feel very welcome in the community right now. Recalling times when he’s told men he’s had sex with that he’s married to a woman, he gets responses like “it’s just a phase” and “you’ll eventually be gay.” “I’m a bisexual man and I’m married to a woman I love. I’m lucky enough to be able to have sex with men as well. I find diverse people of all genders sexy and attractive.” Ellis publicly came out as bisexual in 2016, and married his wife, Katie Gilbert, in August 2017. But he says while others might doubt the idea of bisexuality, he’s clear on who he is. “Ask my wife,” he told Outsports in a recent interview. “I’m trying to have sex with her all the time. She’s not my beard. And I love having sex with guys too.” Sometimes, he says guys call him ‘straight,’ which he finds confusing. “I’m standing next to you with my pants off. How straight could I be?” The radio host makes a point of saying that he doesn’t want his inclusion in the community to be merely sexual. “I want LGBTQ friends,” he says adding “After all, ‘B’ is the third letter listed!” The Aussie admits the heterosexual community doesn’t do much better in welcoming bisexual men: “Watch any straight porn and a bi scene between two chicks is de rigueur, but it rarely happens between the men.” Ellis told Outsports that the phone lines on his SiriusXM radio show (where he’s often talked about his sexcapades in the past) go quiet when he talks about the LGBTQ aspect of his life like going to gay sex clubs: “Nobody wants to talk about that.” That reaction led him to venture into podcasting where he’s noticed more support and a different kind of crowd that just “guys in their cars.” On the topic of bisexuality, it’s worth noting that a 2018 report from Gallup showed that the estimate of LGBT people in the U.S. increased to 4.5 percent in 2017, and a huge number of those folks are bisexual. According to the Williams Institute, studies suggest that about 50 percent of people who say they are either gay, lesbian or bisexual, identify as bisexual, making them the single largest group within the LGBTQ community.

Ellis says in writing about his sexuality, he’s looking for “pity,” but perhaps some empathy. And to raise awareness on the reality of bisexuality. “I would like to be part of the community,” he writes. “The ‘B’ was put there for a reason. And if you’re going to use it, then I ask the community to make more of an effort to find people like me and include us in the community and at your events.” “Too many of us long to be in a community that will have us,” says Ellis. “Please be a little more welcoming, show us a little encouragement, and for fuck’s sake, believe me when I tell you I am equally attracted to men and women.” Acknowledging his tatted-up appearance might look “a little different,” he offers, “I clean up nicely and work really hard to be charming.” Still Awesome, Ellis’ third autobiography (co-written with Mike Tully) is available now. You can find his previous best-selling releases here.
(photo: John Tsaivis)