LGBTQ news and entertainment
Via Think Progress:
According to Professor David Blight of Yale University, the first Memorial Day took place on May 1, 1865 in Charleston, SC, after a group of African-Americans, mostly former slaves, gave 257 Union soldiers a proper burial.
The black community in Charleston then consecrated the new cemetery with “an unforgettable parade of 10,000 people,” led by 3,000 black school children.
It was initially called “Decoration Day.”
Travis Wall (via Instagram)
During a recent broadcast of the popular Kyle and Jackie O radio show in Australia, a conversation about numbers of sex partners left one of the hosts speechless. Continue reading “What’s ‘A Lot’ Of Sex Partners For A 30-Year-Old Gay Man?”
Ryan Worley of the world famous Chippendales (via Instagram)
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| (Ignacio Pérez Rey) |
Let’s start this weekend edition of InstaHunk Round-Up with Ignacio Pérez Rey (above), who is giving you Elia Beach fierceness over in Mykonos, Greece.
It’s the first weekend in June (Pride Month) which makes this a holiday weekend in my book! Here’s some eye-candy to enjoy this gorgeous Saturday. Let’s kick off with Petr Hollesch, who’s Czech like me, hanging out in his backyard like me, gay like me… and that might be where our similarities end 🙂 Happy Pride, folks!
And how about the cutest gay couples on Instagram finally meeting? Justin and Nick meet PJ and Thomas. Awww… 🙂
Whether you have your own questions as you prepare to come out to your kids, or you aren’t sure how to explain to nieces and nephews why their uncle has a boyfriend, or why their friend has two mommies, author Sudi (Rick) Karatas’ new book Rainbow Relatives can help. With an entertaining approach to educating yourself and your peers about the issues and topics surrounding the LGBTQ community, Rainbow Relatives will help in prepping for the answers to kids’ questions and help adults raise kids to be open-minded and accepting adults. This is the book that will help you approach those vitally important conversations and predict what you can expect from them. The idea for the book came from a real-life phone call between Karatas and his sister. He asked if his niece and nephew knew that their uncle was gay. Her response? “I’m not sure; I think so. I don’t know how to talk to them about it, I wish there was a book on that…” Ding ding ding! Karatas shares a variety of stories, such as that of a Mormon woman’s transition from fighting against gay rights to becoming a crusader for them. Also included are the voices of filmmakers, actors, musicians, mental health professionals, and more. Through Rainbow Relatives, Karatas helps parents support, advocate for, and educate their children, relatives, and family friends. Check out author Sudi (Rick) Karatas and Rainbow Relatives below:
From CNN – President Donald J. Trump touts the economy and the military at the annual White House Easter egg roll. Just so inappropriate. And then there’s, “This incredible house, or building or whatever you want to call it….” We call it The White House. The look on the Easter Bunny’s face is priceless. Watch below.
As I shared earlier this week, Bruno the wonder dog passed away on Tuesday.
We’re doing as well as can be expected. The energy, the quiet – so totally unfamiliar.
I feel like I’ve lived the past 15 years in technicolor and now I’ve been switched to black and white mode.
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| Bruno the wonder dog |
But the good news is technology is my friend. And even before we had smart phones with a camera in each of our pockets, we had digital cameras.
I came across the video below that I’d made back in late June of 2002 when Bruno first came into my life in New York City.
OMG, that personality was evident from day one.
I’m doing ok, folks. I’m adjusting, taking lots of deep breaths.
And I’m celebrating The Brun.
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| Bruno the wonder dog |
With heavy hearts, Michael and I want to share that Bruno the wonder dog passed away yesterday afternoon. In the 24 hours since his crossing the rainbow bridge, we’ve quietly begun to process this seismic shift in our lives. Bruno was “the” alpha in the house. Every moment was about his enormous, funny, charming and confident personality. I’ve said for years that Bruno was my best friend, and I mean that. He loved me; he made me feel special; we shared a connection that cannot be parsed. It was it’s own unique relationship. The phrase “indomitable spirit” was surely crafted with The Brun in mind. Few dogs spend their 15 years smiling and filling a house with so much love as Bruno did even in the face of so many adversities. At the age of 5, he ruptured a disc in his back and was completely paralyzed unable to walk at all. After two back surgeries, months of Michael and I and Bruno doing physical therapy in the bath tub; a determined look fixed in his always expressive eyes; and eventually moving to water therapy in the pool, incredibly he regained about 70% of his back legs. Related: Happy 15th Birthday, Bruno The Wonder Dog There was surgery to repair an issue with his bladder. There was the scratched cornea which led to the cone of shame which he hated. But weeks of the cone and five different eye drops multiple times a day, he healed again. The past year he’s been coping with the onset of Cushings Disease, an autoimmune condition. None of this fazed The Brun. Truly, he was Bruno the wonder dog. Without too many details, Monday night he passed out in front of us in obvious distress. After minutes of mouth to mouth resuscitation he came back. He was shaken, but we stayed up with him thinking he would, like everything else, shake it off. He spent the night sitting up afraid to lie down. His breathing was measured but at least he was breathing. After about 7 hours of watching him through the night we took him to his vet. During the drive to the vet’s office, he had another “attack” and almost passed out in the car again. The doctors were able to ascertain he had developed serious heart disease which kept him from getting enough oxygen in his lungs. We were told with treatment and drugs he could get somewhat better, but it was likely he would have more attacks, and a very rough road ahead for him – and he would never be 100% again in terms of breathing. We’d never seen fear in Bruno’s eyes. Bruno was a champion; the quarterback under pressure who never blinked. He could see us but it was clear his focus was on breathing. We knew that his last months couldn’t be this. This was not how Bruno lived his life. We’re thankful we had the information to make that terrible decision that no one ever wants to make. He was calm; he knew we were there in his last minutes. We share this as so many people knew Bruno, and so many had come to know him via The Randy Report. We know he will always be a part of us, that our memories are forever. Right now it’s just the void, the sense of someone missing, the lights are dimmer, everything seems to be less colorful. Life feels less. But he has crossed the rainbow bridge and he’s running so fast again, jumping impossibly high, outracing the big dogs and playing with his family Sabrina, Bandit and Olivia (and so many new friends). We’ll be fine. Tyler and Bear (Bruno’s pups) are still here at the age of 14 and clearly sense the change. They’re being very sensitive to us. We felt we needed to share this out of respect for the huge impact that Bruno made in our lives. We weren’t looking for another family member when Bruno came to us, but we were found. And everything was better because of him.
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| Bruno’s headshot when he was a puppy |
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| This is us. |
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| Michael and puppy Bruno at the dog park in NYC He loved running with the big dogs. |
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| Michael and Bruno having a chat |
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| This is every morning at 6AM beginning work on The Randy Report. I learned to type with my elbow down so he could be comfortable. I never minded… |
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| Reminding me who’s in charge |
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| The first time he saw his puppies |
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| Loving being a daddy… |
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| ChippenDog |
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| Bruno’s first Christmas |
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| He always picked his spot first… |
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| Brun slept with his paw on my leg. He always wanted to know where I was. |
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| Michael, Bruno and little Olivia sleeping in LA |
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| One of those many, many vet visits |
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| Bruno loved pool time. And yes, like father like son… |