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New Jersey: Teen Gay Couple Ends Prom Night With A Surprise

(images via Theodore Vidal)
Theodore Vidal (L), Colin Beyers (R)

It’s prom season, and like many couples across America, teenagers Theodore Vidal and his boyfriend Colin Beyers were making the most of the end of their prom night last Friday night.

The two high schoolers, in their matching navy blue tuxes and pink bow ties, took a stroll on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, after their junior prom.

As they walked, they approached a rooftop bar where a rowdy group of quintessential “Jersey Shore bros” had been yelling at every couple who passed by to kiss.

Michael Del Moro, a producer for Good Morning America, happened to be out for ice cream with his boyfriend and family members when they noticed the rowdy “bros” and the cute couple at the same time.

Del Moro was initially worried about what might happen when the gay couple passed the group.

So was Vidal, apparently. He told the local ABC affiliate that he and Beyers readied themselves for the razzing. “It’s South Jersey. Guys pick on us for being gay a lot,” said 17-year-old high school junior. “It’s an area where you normally would get picked on and discriminated against.”

Vidal had come out when he was in 8th grade and knew well the bullying being gay can bring. He told Buzzfeed that he spent much of that year being attacked, bullied, ignored and told to “end his life.”

But, he and Del Moro were surprised when the rooftop crowd cheered, changing their chants of “Kiss her” to “Kiss him!” Vidal and Beyers hesitantly kissed one another, and rather than taunting the couple the rooftop crew went wild screaming their approval.

Vidal told ABC7, “The way it went down was amazing. It was so positive and so reinforcing that I could be myself and not get made fun of and I could be myself with who I love and not get made fun of for that.”

“A lot of people here think gay people aren’t strong or we’re more girly because we show emotion but we’ve learned it’s better to show what you are feeling and be open and who you are as long as you are pushing forward,” Beyers added.

The cute couple is now planning a summer trip to Greece together before Beyers begins his freshman year at the College of New Jersey this fall while Vidal wraps up his senior year of high school.

Del Moro later tweeted he actually knew some of the rooftop bar “bros.” They were apparently celebrating their friends’ bachelor party and loved the whole thing saying, “We are all very happy for those guys.”

Check out Del Moro’s full Twitter thread below.

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Today Is 2018’s International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia (IDAHOTB)

Around the world, millions of people in more than 130 countries will observe today as the 2018 International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB).

The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, the public and the media to the alarming situation faced by lesbian, gay, bisexuals, transgender people and all those who do not conform to majority sexual and gender norms.

Even as millions of LGBTQ people around the world are standing up for visibility and fighting for their rights, many live in fear and isolation.

In most countries, LGBTQ people continue to lack fundamental rights and protections, and are at risk of discrimination and violence. In as many as 10 countries, the act of being LGBTQ is punishable by death.

And transgender people face an epidemic of violence and murder on a daily basis, including here in the U.S.

IDAHOTB is not one centralized campaign; rather it is a moment that everyone can take advantage of to take action.

Here are some facts and figures the Human Rights Campaign is monitoring around the world:

• Marriage equality is now legal in 25 countries

• 72 countries currently criminalize same-sex relationships, and in up to 10 countries, same-sex relationships may be punishable by death

• More than 2,600 murders of transgender people were recorded between 2008 and 2017, according to data from the Trans Murder Monitoring project

• A disturbing trend is emerging across the globe as governments in Lithuania, Nigeria and Russia are silencing equality advocates and organizations with so-called “anti-propaganda” laws

The date of May 17th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

It’s worth noting that President Obama issued a statement regarding IDAHOTB each year of his administration.

Donald Trump’s White House? Not a peep – which has become standard operating procedure for the Trump/Pence administration when it comes to LGBTQs.

“While the global LGBTQ community is filled with innovative advocates advancing equality, the Trump-Pence administration has failed to stand up in support of LGBTQ people around the world — from Chechnya to Egypt and far too many other places,” said Ty Cobb, director of HRC’s global department. “This International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, it is imperative that world leaders commit to stepping up and doing more to protect the human rights of all people.”

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Podcast: Interview With Artist/Producer/InstaHunk Alex Abramov

(all images via Instagram)

Russian artist and producer Alexander Abramov lives his life out and proud on his Instagram account where over 300,000 people (including me!) follow him each day for a look at his woofy, furry goodness in action.

Alex has just released the first two volumes of a five-part series of revealing art photography books, Uncovered.

The hunky Russian has kept personal journals for more than 18 years and has drawn upon those memories to create Uncovered.

“My diary is about awareness of my homosexuality, about my experiences and explorations of the world: first feelings, first love, first sexual encounter,” says Abramov. “It’s also about human imperfection and struggle, drugs and fears, scars and past troubles.”

“On the whole, it tells of becoming the man I have wanted to be: a man who is able to inspire others to make changes for the better,” he adds.

A little background on Alex: he began his career in the media business as an assistant in a PR agency in Kazakhstan. He moved to Moscow in his early 20s where he worked as a producer of photo projects.

He also dabbled in fashion design creating collections that appeared on the runways of Russian Fashion Week.

Life eventually led to working in TV as an executive producer of a popular makeover reality series where he remained for five years before moving to the U.S.

“It’s been a long, winding road to where I am now but all of my past experiences in magazines, fashion and TV have contributed enormously to the making of this series,” says Alex. “They are all a part of the fabric of the man that I’m excited to reveal in ‘Uncovered.’”

I had the opportunity to chat with handsome Alex for my podcast, The Randy Report. Here’s a few takeaways from my chat:

Alex knows some folks just want to see him in the buff, and he’s ok with that.

“Some people wanted to see me naked,” says Alex. “Okay, people, see me naked. But only in the way I want to represent myself. I actually don’t have any issues with being naked. It was part of marketing and the story, to sell this book. Because, let’s be realistic – some part of people will buy this book because they want to know me better through my journal notes; some part of people will buy just because they want to see me naked. And I’m cool with this.”

What you see is what you get with Alex. How he appears today, how he chose the characters for Uncovered. This is all an extension of Alex.

Press materials reveal that he was somewhat sickly as a child. And at 6’2” and 130 pounds, he was skinny with health problems. Eventually, he found his way to a gym as a young adult. But not necessarily to improve his health. It was to get a man. The kind of man he liked.

“I was always attracted to, kind of like, muscle, big guys. I had lovers and I had experience when I was skinny, but it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. So, I start going the gym because I want to change my body to become more attractive to a type of guys who I really like.”

And that’s also how he chose the five characters in Uncovered. Each volume is named for the characters he portrays (Wrangler, Mercenary, Woodsman, Journeyman and Seafarer) and all represent masculine, sexual archetypes Alex has been drawn to all his life.

“It’s all about my, let’s call it, sexual fantasy,” says Abramov. “I was always into men. Like – men, men, men. You know, soldiers, cowboys, lumberjacks. It should be look like men and smell like men. It should wear clothes like men. I’m totally cool with different types in our LGBTQ community. All these different things. But my personal preference was always about men.”

If you’d like to hear Alex (and his charming Russian accent) talk about his journey to Uncovered, hit the play button below for the full podcast. We end up talking about a range of things including a bit of politics (I’m talking to a real Russian and I’m not gonna bring up “collusion???”).

In that he was born in the Republic of Kazakhstan and  lived his young adult life in Russia, Alex knows well the lack of LGBT rights in these countries.

For those reasons, he is donating 10% of proceeds of Uncovered to The Russian LGBT Networkwhich promotes equal rights and respect for human dignity, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

You can find more information about Alex’s book series Uncoveredat his official website.
Let’s close with just a few snaps from awesome Alex’s Instagram account:

👨🏻💭 [ First image like a first step ] HI guys, today I finally can introduce you to my very #personal #project titled: ‘UNCOVERED’. 1️⃣0️⃣ months in the making, 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣➕ hours of photo shoots at multiple locations 🏞🌄🌅, more then 5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ pictures taken 📸🙌🏻 by my good friend and hugely talented #photographer Dima Bocharov | @dmitrybocharov | comes 5️⃣ #artbooks 5️⃣ different #characters and only 1️⃣ story – My Story – the story of a man who wasn’t afraid #speakup, follow thru with his #vision and be #uncovered, both #body and #soul. 👨🏻👉🏻🔛 Put your profile #notifications #ON, every day I’ll post more information and images 🐻💪🏻 #photography #imnotafraid #cowboy #cowboyhat #bodyandsoul #introduction #monday #mondaymotivation #dmitrybocharov #storyofmylife #beardman #betruetoyourself #betrue #mirrormirroronthewall #eyesisthewindowofthesoul
A post shared by Alexander Abramov (@abramov_lex) on Mar 26, 2018 at 7:50am PDT
🐻💭 day 3 of our first shoot last #summer with @dmitrybocharov [ 5:30 am at Joshua Tree National Park ] 💭😌🙌🏻Me completely #naked in #boots and a #Stetson with a #rifle on my shoulders. 🧐🤪💭Now I’m trying to remember what I was even thinking about, but I can not. 😝😬 Totally sleep deprived, but yet in the #moment. 🐻🙌🏻 What I do remember it’s how I was feeling. 😈👊🏻 “#Wild” – a word which will explain to you guys my mindset that #morning. 🐺An #animal. 🐺A #hunter. Alone in the middle of nowhere amongst the #wildlife and sounds of the #desert waking up to the #newday. 🇺🇸🌅🙌🏻 The picture doesn’t show you now all #beauty around me in this #July morning in the east #Southern #California, but I #promise, the pictures in the book, will… #photography #imnotafraid #cowboy #cowboyhat #bodyandsoul #introduction #dmitrybocharov #storyofmylife #artbook #wrangler #uncovered
A post shared by Alexander Abramov (@abramov_lex) on Mar 26, 2018 at 6:08pm PDT

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News Round-Up: May 16, 2018

Some news stories you might have missed:

• InstaCouple Justin and Nick (above) seem about as excited about Hump Day as I am. But they be cuuuuuuute!

• This NFL star got a $3 million judgement in court for NOT being openly gay.

• 21-year-old Bobby Rodriguez was told by security guards that he couldn’t enter Whiskey River, a nightlife hotspot in the Texas city of Corpus Christi, unless he removed his makeup.

• In only one week, two transgender women have been found dead in Dallas, Texas.

• This queen loves his Louis Vuitton bag so much he dodged bullets and fought off an armed robber to keep his cherished accessory.

• Disney has launched new merchandise inspired by the Pride rainbow. And a portion of the proceeds go to GLSEN, a non-profit that helps make schools more LGBTQ inclusive.

• Comic guy Michael Henry got to thinking about his drinking habits, which made him think about his friends’ drinking habits, which led him to making this light-hearted (but thought-provoking) short video about substances we may or may not imbibe.

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Senate Intelligence Committee: Russia Carried Out Putin’s Plans To Interfere In 2016 Election

Donald Trump (L) Vladimir Putin (R)

After a 14-month investigation, the Senate Intelligence Committee has found no evidence to dispute the intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia, on orders from Putin, carried out an unprecedented election interference effort to help the Trump campaign and hurt the Clinton campaign in 2016.

Even Fox News is reporting the news:

Senate Intelligence Committee leaders on Wednesday backed the 2017 intelligence community report that formally accused Russia of trying to interfere in the U.S. presidential election to boost then-candidate Donald Trump.

Their statements followed a final closed-door interview on the matter with top Obama administration officials. The committee, led by Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., spoke Wednesday with former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan and former National Security Agenda Director Michael Rogers (who retired earlier this year).

“Committee staff have spent 14 months reviewing the sources, tradecraft, and analytic work, and we see no reason to dispute the conclusions,” Burr said in a statement. “There is no doubt that Russia undertook an unprecedented effort to interfere with our 2016 elections. I look forward to completing the Committee’s inquiry and issuing our findings and recommendations to the American people.”

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Trump’s 2017 Financial Disclosure Lists Stormy Reimbursement To Michael Cohen

Donald Trump

Donald Trump’s 2017 financial disclosure was released today and listed on the document is (who would have ever guessed?) a payment of more than $100,000 to his longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, issued as reimbursement for payments to a “third-party.”

Gee, could “third-party” end up being the one and only Stormy Daniels?

Didn’t Donald tell the press on Air Force One that he didn’t know anything about any payments to Ms. Daniels?

From The New York Times:

The disclosure, released by the Office of Government Ethics, did not specify the purpose of the payment. However, Mr. Cohen has paid $130,000 to an adult film actress, Stephanie Clifford, who has claimed she had an affair with Mr. Trump.

Mr. Cohen has said he made the payment to keep the actress, who goes by the stage name Stormy Daniels, from going public before the 2016 election with her story about an affair with Mr. Trump.

A footnote in the disclosure said that Mr. Cohen had requested reimbursement of the expenses incurred in 2016 and Mr. Trump had repaid it in full in 2017. It did not give an exact amount of the payment but said it was between $100,001 and $250,000.

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Coming Out At 85, This Senior Attends His First Pride

Martin

Martin waited 85 years to come out and live his authentic life.

In the short video “Live True To Yourself,” Martin teams up with 5 Gum for their #NoRegrets campaign.

“It’s not the things we do we regret. It’s the things we didn’t do.”

Speaking to the camera, Martin shares, “It’s tough to be an outsider.”

“I regret being such a sissy. So nervous. So bloody shy.

“I’ve left it until 85 years old to really, basically, come out. I’ve missed the boat in regards to finding a lovely partner. A soul mate that I could love, live with.

“If you want to set up, date a young guy – go ahead. Do it. You’ve got it. You owe it to yourself. And to him.”

Martin’s message touched teenagers and young adults who shared with him how his story inspired them to be who they truly are. They made a short film capturing important, authentic moments in their lives, like marriage proposals and coming out, for the 85-year-young Martin.

And, they took Martin to his first Pride Festival. Check out his face – pure joy.

Martin’s final piece of wisdom?

“Go to it. Be together. It’s wonderful.”

#NoRegrets

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Out Music: Years & Years “If You’re Over Me”

Out frontman for Years & Years Olly Alexander

The last music video for synth-pop trio Years & Years introduced us to an imaginary society where androids control the world and humans exist for the purpose of entertaining the androids.

The pop group returns to that dystopian world for the second video, “If You’re Over Me,” from their upcoming album Palo Santo.

The music video begins by explaining the role that humans in this futuristic society play. “The human cabarets of Palo Santo are attended by androids, all hoping to experience real emotion,” reads the text. “Human performers can find themselves dancing the same routines for weeks … months … years …”

In a glittering, sci-fi cabaret, out frontman Olly Alexander performs a choreographed, sexy three-way number while fellow band members Emre Turkmen and Mikey Goldsworthy present a magic trick. The talent show is intended to help the androids attempt to experience real emotion.

The song itself is an bouncy, electro-pop jam about getting straight with an ex-lover. “This is a song about trying to stay friends with an ex,” Alexander told NME. “Spoiler alert — it doesn’t often work. In fact, in my experience, the relationship often ends up ruined.”

“Yesterday you said I’m the one, but now you say you’re done,” Alexander sings. “Stop telling me what I need baby, if you’re over me.”

Watch “If You’re Over Me” below. You can check out the new album Palo Santo (due out July 6) at most digital download sites.

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New Trailer For Whitney Houston Documentary “Whitney”

Check out the new trailer for the upcoming documentary on pop superstar Whitney Houston – Whitney.

Synposis:

Whitney Houston broke more music industry records than any other female singer in history.

With over 200 million album sales worldwide, she was the only artist to chart seven consecutive U.S. No. 1 singles.

She also starred in several blockbuster movies before her brilliant career gave way to erratic behavior, scandals and death at age 48.

The documentary feature Whitney is an intimate, unflinching portrait of Houston and her family that probes beyond familiar tabloid headlines and sheds new light on the spellbinding trajectory of Houston’s life.

Using never-before-seen archival footage, exclusive demo recordings, rare performances, audio archives and original interviews with the people who knew her best, Oscar®-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald unravels the mystery behind “The Voice,” who thrilled millions even as she struggled to make peace with her own troubled past.

Along the way, the film touches on her relationships with Bobby Brown and Robyn Crawford.

“Robyn was her safety net. Bobby was jealous,” says an unidentified voice. “His heart was, he wanted to be on the stage. He wanted to be in the forefront, and eventually she stepped down to lift him up.”

This documentary has been approved by the Houston family estate.

An earlier, unauthorized documentary – Whitney: Can I Be Me – was roundly denounced by Houston’s family in that it touched on Whitney’s drug use and bisexuality.

Houston’s mother Cissy Houston told Oprah in a 2013 interview she would “absolutely” have been disappointed if her daughter had come out to her as gay.

Whitney premieres this Thursday at Cannes and is scheduled for a theatrical release July 6.

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Maryland Bans So-Called “Ex-Gay” Therapy For Minors

Maryland became the 12th state in the U.S. to ban health professionals from practicing so-called “ex-gay therapy” on minors after Gov. Larry Hogan signed the bill into law today.

Supporters of the ban note the therapy is widely discredited by medical and mental health associations and can lead to depression, lowered self-esteem and in some cases, suicidal thoughts.

The new law will classify the practice as unprofessional conduct.

The practice of “conversion therapy” on minors has also been banned in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, the District of Columbia, and about three dozen cities and counties.