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Anyone Up For A ‘Dry January’ Challenge?

A study from the University of Sussex conducted a study, published in Health Psychology, set out to see just how effective one month without alcohol can be.
Could you go a month without alcohol?

Ok, folks.

Thanksgiving – done. Christmas – done. New Years Eve – done.

The holiday season is officially done, and with it all those holiday parties and gatherings that can lead to a lot of drinking.

As folks head into January with thoughts of New Year’s resolutions in order to improve our lives, cutting out/down alcohol intake tops a lot of lists.

I think the first tweet I saw today read, “I’ve made it all the way through 2019 so far without a hangover.”

Many participate in observing ‘Dry January,’ a month-long break from imbibing.

No wine???

A study from the University of Sussex conducted a study, published in Health Psychology, set out to see just how effective one month without alcohol can be.

The Dry January study involved 850 participants. Researchers interviewed them at the end of one month, and again six months later.

The results?

After one month:

• 82% felt a sense of achievement

• 79% noted they’d saved money

• 62% reported they had more energy

• 62% said they slept better

• 49% shared they had experienced weight loss

At the six month mark, 72% said they had maintained reduced levels of drinking.

In fact, 4% reported they’d continued to abstain from alcohol over the six month period.

And the folks who didn’t make it all the way through January completely alcohol-free still reported positive benefits.

“Even if participants took part but didn’t successfully complete the 31 days, it generally led to a significant decrease across all the measures of alcohol intake,” said Richard de Visser, an expert on health-related behavior, said in a statement.

What do you think, folks? Can you tackle a Dry January?

If addressing alcohol isn’t your issue, what kind of New Year’s resolutions do you take on?

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High School Bully Apologizes To His Victim Years Later

Egyptian/Canadian model and body positive activist Mina Gerges shared with his Twitter followers a surprise apology he received from his high school bully.
Mina Gerges (image via Instagram)

Egyptian/Canadian model and body positive activist Mina Gerges shared with his Twitter followers a surprise apology he received from his high school bully.

The screen capture of the message read, “Hey man, I just want to apologize for any f*cked up things I said to you or about you in high school. It weighs on me. I hope all is well. Cheers.”

Gerges followed up saying he asked the former bully why he was thinking on his actions eight years later.

“He said he felt really bad about it for a while, should’ve been kinder instead, and wished he’d done it sooner,” wrote Gerges. “We love growth!”

Gerges, who has a following of over 110K on Instagram, stepped into the public spotlight in 2015 thanks to his ‘budget conscious’ recreations of celebrity looks. His looks were featured on a host of media outlets including Buzzfeed, Teen Vogue, Paper and more.

A post shared by Mina Gerges (@itsminagerges) on Dec 24, 2014 at 6:42pm PST

With the spotlight, though, came haters who bullied him for his weight, which led to an eating disorder.

Eventually, the trolls inspired Gerges to become an ambassador for body positivity and unrealistic standards of beauty in advertising.

“My goal is to redefine what it means for men to feel beautiful and be considered attractive,” he told Paper. “I want to show that men who look like me can learn to love ourselves even if we don’t look like conventional representations of men.”

From moving past bullies and online trolls to inspiring folks with a message of body positivity. Mina Gerges, I love YOUR kind of growth!

A few years ago, my first serious boyfriend from my 20s emailed me apologizing for the way he treated me. It had been a somewhat tumultuous relationship.

“You didn’t deserve that,” he wrote.

While I felt I’d resolved any issues with the relationship and moved on, I was surprised the message left me a bit breathless.

I didn’t know it until I read the message how much power an apology – years later – could hold.

It was very appreciated.

Readers, have you ever received an apology from the past? If so, did it help heal some old wounds or no? Let me know in the comments below.

(h/t Gay Star News)

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Trump Tweets Happy New Year To His ‘Haters & Fake Media’

Donald Trump expressed his Happy New Year wishes to his Twitter followers, including "THE HATERS AND THE FAKE MEDIA!"
Donald Trump

Donald Trump expressed his Happy New Year wishes to his Twitter followers, including “THE HATERS AND THE FAKE MEDIA!”

Reviving his pet phrase, ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome, the Donald typed the tweet in screaming ALL CAPS!

The Trumpster has often called out his ‘enemies’ in past New Years’ tweets.

#WhatEverHappenedToClass?

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Ricky Martin & Husband Announce Birth Of Their New Daughter

Ricky Martin & Jwan Yosef announce birth of their new daughter, Lucia
Ricky Martin & Jwan Yosef announce birth of their new daughter, Lucia

Pop superstar Ricky Martin and husband Jwan Yosef have announced the birth of their baby daughter, Lucia Martin-Yosef.

Martin already has two sons, Valentino and Matteo, who are about 10-years-old.

Martin and Yosef, who married in January of 2018, both shared identical posts on their respective Instagrams.

“We are beyond happy to announce that we have become parents to a beautiful and healthy baby girl, Lucia Martin-Yosef,” wrote Martin. “It has been a special time for us and we cant wait to see where this stellar baby will take us. Both her beautiful brothers and me and Jwan have fallen in love with Lucia.”

A post shared by Ricky (@ricky_martin) on Dec 31, 2018 at 2:31pm PST

Congratulations to the happy couple, and Happy New Year!

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Madonna’s Midnight Surprise At The Stonewall Inn

Madonna surprised the crowd last night with a midnight appearance at the iconic Stonewall Inn in New York City.
Madonna prepares to surprise the NYE crowd at the iconic Stonewall Inn in NYC

Madonna surprised the crowd last night with a midnight appearance at the iconic Stonewall Inn in New York City.

Madge was recently named a ‘Stonewall Ambassador’ by Pride Live to help bring awareness to this year’s 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising on June 28, 2019. In honor of the anniversary, World Pride is being held in New York City this year.

Appearing onstage in an appropriate melange of leather, chains and glitter, the Queen of Pop noted, “This is the smallest stage I’ve ever been on.”

She then went on to address the diverse crowd about the memory and revolution of Stonewall (via Boy Culture):

“I see you! I stand here, proudly, at the place where Pride began, the legendary Stonewall Inn, and the birth of a new year.

“We come together tonight to celebrate 50 years of revolution. Fifty years of freedom-fighting. Fifty years of blood, sweat and tears — can I get an amen?! Fifty years of sacrifice. Fifty years of standing up to discrimination, hatred and — worst of all — indifference.

“And it all started here, at Stonewall. Let us never forget the Stonewall Riots and those who bravely stood up and said, Enough. Enough brutality, enough violence inflicted on this community, enough stigmatism, enough oppression, enough pain and suffering.

“We must never forget where we came from.”

Madonna then launched into an acoustic version of her mega-hit “Like A Prayer.” That was followed by a duet of the Elvis classic, “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” with her son, David, on guitar.

(h/t Boy Culture)

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Podcast: The Best Of LGBTQ Music, Movies & Pop Culture

What? You thought I wasn’t going to count down and recap the year that was 2018?

Fat chance.

Here’s my take on the best that the year had to offer in terms of LGBTQ music, movies, television and pop culture moments, as well as the stories that resonated most with my readers.

Please kick back, pour a cocktail, and take a little journey on the way back machine as I review 2018 in terms of the LGBTQ community.

And, as always, I would muchly appreciate it if you would share The Randy Report podcast with your friends.

So, here we go. Let me know in the comments what you thought I might have missed.

See you all in 2019! Thanks to all of you for visiting The Randy Report. It totally wouldn’t be any fun without you here.

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News Round-Up: December 31, 2018

Said goodbye to 2018 with some dance time…

Some news items you might have missed:

• It’s the last dance for 2018! Hope you all get your Auld Lang Syne on!

• Former NSYNC boy-bander Lance Bass says he and hubby Michael Turchin are hoping to become parents in 2019.

• House Democrats say they won’t seat homophobic North Carolina Republican Mark Harris in the new Congress in light of possible election fraud allegations until a full investigation is completed.

• If you’re an Instagrammer, click here to get your #2018BestNine. Here’s mine and I’d pretty much agree. Tons of fun with hot hubby Michael, some Rome, some Mexico, some time alone. And meeting the luminous Angela Bassett was the fan-boy moment of the year 😉

• In an interview with The LA Times, outgoing White House Chief of Staff John Kelly says inside the West Wing, Donald Trump’s infamous ‘wall’ will not be a ‘wall.’ The idea of a solid concrete wall went out the window over a year ago, according to Kelly.

• For the first time ever, Nickelodeon’s ‘Double Dare’ featured a family with two dads.

• The US stock market has officially logged its worse year since 2008 when the Great Recession began. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ends the year down 5.6%, and the S&P 500 lost 6.2%. #SoMuchWinning

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Adam Rippon’s New Year’s Resolution: “Give Off More BDE”

Out Olympian Adam Rippon says his New Year's resolution is to give off more BDE (big Dick Energy)
Adam Rippon

As 2018 heads off into the sunset, looming on the horizon are those New Years resolutions we all make in an attempt to better ourselves in the next 365 days.

Get back to the gym, drink less, work harder, be a better person – all worthy aspirations.

But out Olympian (and self-proclaimed ‘America’s Sweetheart’) Adam Rippon has other ideas.

Rippon tweeted over the weekend that one of his New Years resolutions is to “give off more BDE.”

Ah yes, BDE or “Big Dick Energy.”

BDE became a social media ‘thing’ in the aftermath of CNN personality Anthony Bourdain’s passing when Toronto-based screenwriter & freelance journalist Grant Kyrell tweeted the phrase in honor of the deceased Bourdain.

Over 7K ‘likes’ and hundreds of retweets led to the phrase becoming uber-popular.

So popular, in fact, that Kyrell later lamented to The Guardian that he made nothing from coining the buzz phrase.

Next thing you know, folks were talking about SNL’s Pete Davidson’s BDE after then-fiancé Ariana Grande spilled the news in a tweet (since deleted) about the size of his massive junk.

Writing for The Cut, Allison P. Davis describes BDE as “a quiet confidence and ease with oneself that comes from knowing you have an enormous penis and you know what to do with it.”

“It’s not cockiness, it’s not a power trip — it’s the opposite: a healthy, satisfied, low-key way you feel yourself,” she adds.

Davis also notes that BDE does not necessarily require a large wang. “What we’re talking about is really more of an aura, a vibe,” writes Davis.

For instance, hottie Chris Evans tops list after list of men with BDE as do Will & Grace alum Bobby Cannavale and movie star Idris Elba.

And it’s worth noting you don’t even have be a guy to swing some BDE. Rihanna has it, as does Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett.

Let’s face it – BDE rocks.

And it’s the total antithesis of toxic masculinity, which we totally don’t need any more of in the world.

You know – guys like Donald Trump who project what they think is ‘strong’ or ‘masculine’ when they’re just trying to pretend they have BDE.

But they don’t.

We definitely see Adam owning his BDE. Especially when he’s on the ice doing what he does so well.

Even though Adam’s retired from competitive skating, he’s still sharing those hard-earned skills with his fans. Check out this clip Adam posted on his Instagram filmed in conjunction with On Ice Perspectives.

Skating to Lady Gaga’s “Shallow,” Adam shows how he already wears his BDE effortlessly.

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LGBTQs In Brazil Rush To Marry Fearing New Anti-Gay President

Even though same-sex marriage has been legal in Brazil since 2013, LGBTQ couples are hurrying their wedding plans before right-wing politician Jair Bolsonaro is sworn into office as the country’s new president.

Bolsonaro, often referred to as the “Donald Trump of the Tropics,” has been virulently anti-LGBTQ his entire career and campaigned on a promise to defend “the true meaning of matrimony as a union between man and woman.”

Bolsonaro’s campaign already seems to have begun to influence public opinion and actions.

Comparing 2017 to 2016, anti-LGBTQ murders are up 30% (387 in 2017 vs. 327 in 2016) according to local LGBTQ advocacy group Grupo Gay de Bahia.

And openly lesbian city councillor Marielle Franco of Rio de Janeiro was murdered in March of this year.

All of this and Bolsonaro’s impending presidency has led to a 66% spike in same-sex weddings in November according to The New York Times.

In Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo, 57 same-sex weddings were celebrated during the first ten days of December compared to 113 in all of December 2017.

Aline Foguel set a date for her wedding to her girlfriend Carolina Zannata right after Bolsonaro’s landslide victory. She, like many in the LGBTQ community, worries that the new far-right president’s ascension will give permission to homophobes to openly air their hateful, divisive rhetoric, possibly leading to violence.

“People now have this open homophobic discourse that they were too embarrassed to say before,” Ms. Foguel told the Times. “I’m so afraid of reliving a past that I thought we had already conquered. I’ve had panic attacks.”

The Brazilian Bar Association’s head of sexual diversity, Maria Berenice Dias, urged same-sex couples “who want to get married to hurry up and formalize their union before the end of the year.”

And it’s not just marriage equality Brazilian LGBTQs are concerned about.

Noah Beltramini, a transgender man, not only rushed to marry but also to officially change his name and gender identification after a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year allowed.

“It wasn’t something I was worried about before,” said Beltramini. “But with Bolsonaro I feel completely vulnerable.”

(h/t The New York Times)

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Democrats Plan To Pass Homeland Security Funding Bill First (But Trump Won’t Like It)

Donald Trump

According to The Washington Post, Democrats plan to pass a stopgap spending bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security through February 8.

The Homeland Security bill will match the one passed by the Republican-controlled Senate before Christmas which includes $1.3 billion for border fencing and other security measures.

Six other funding bills are also in the pipeline to fund closed portions of the federal government through September 30.

It looks like Donald Trump got the memo. The Trumpster launched into another Twitter rant on the subject this morning.

He keeps saying Democrats should get back to Washington, but technically Paul Ryan is still the Speaker of the House.

Just saying…

By the way, that part about being “in the Oval Office?” Looks like it was another lie. White House reporter Brian Karem noted that there’s no Marine standing guard outside the Oval Office which is normal protocol when the president is in the West Wing.