• InstaStud Ace Cee (above) “Ain’t got no sweat left to shed.”
• A survey from the University of Oregon of 27,000 students shows that LGBT students are likely to be subject to twice as much “verbal, physical, psychological, and sexual violence” as their peers.
• According to EW, television network ABC is exploring ideas to keep the cast of Roseanne employed, perhaps in a new series – sans Roseanne, of course. #MeetTheBonners?
• A Republican lawmaker says porn is to blame for the increase in school shootings. #Huh?
• “Totally-not-gay” former Congressman Aaron Schock lost his request in appeals court that criminal indictments be dismissed. The 36-year-old is facing 22 counts of corruption.
Jesse Diamond, a personal trainer based in San Diego, California, is the first transgender man to be featured in a Pride campaign for underwear designer Andrew Christian.
In an interview with Gay Star News, Diamond says joining the Andrew Christian crew is a dream come true. It’s his first modeling gig and he’s clearly ecstatic about the opportunity.
‘When I started working out about five years ago, my dream was basically to become Marky Mark. I wanted to be an underwear model, a buff guy, and I’ve been buying Andrew Christians for years. So it was definitely like a dream come true for me.”
Diamond shares that he began transitioning four years ago (he began presenting as male at the age of 3) and was able to ‘pass’ pretty quickly. He adds that he’s aware some trans folks aren’t so fortunate.
One of the biggest difficulties for the 27-year-old during transitioning has been to find clients for his personal training business.
“Most of the other people I’ve worked with have been trans people,” says Diamond. “Cis males don’t seem to want to work with me because of my stature. I’m too small. And then women don’t want to work with me because I’m too muscular.”
Diamond is featured in Christian’s annual Proud campaign which promotes the brand during Pride season.
Christian told Gay Star News he’s thrilled to have Diamond join his team.
“Andrew Christian was one of the first, out, loud and proud LGBTQ companies, we are so happy that we now have Jesse as part of our team,” said Christian.
Noting the current political landscape for the LGBTQ community, Christian says,”It is extremely important that we all stick together and support each other in every way possible especially being inclusive and celebrating the amazing diversity in our community.”
The famed underwear designer added, “We also have several other shoots scheduled with trans models that we are very excited about.”
Will & Grace star Sean Hayes filled in for Ellen DeGeneres today as guest-host for her talk show.
Explaining her absence, Hayes shared, “She tripped and fell and is trapped under the weight of her own wallet.” He then admitted, “I really don’t know where she is. I assume Home Depot – that’s where all the lesbians go…?”
Along the way, Hayes reminded the audience that, although he hasn’t hosted a ‘talk show’ before, he does have some experience to draw upon.
“I do know my way around a television stage – I’m on a little show called Will & Grace,” said the sitcom veteran.
“And before that, I was on another show – called Will & Grace.”
“I’ve also been on Broadway. Maybe you’ve heard of the award-winning musical, Hamilton? (Applause) I saw that, too.”
Hayes assured the ELLEN audience that he’s “not going to change” anything in the show, except for that dancing thing.
“I don’t have anything prepared,” says Hayes. “And these shoes aren’t even good for dancing.”
Roseanne Barr took to Twitter today (I thought she quit Twitter…???) to explain that her online meltdown yesterday that resulted in her #1 sitcom on ABC being cancelled was really due to the sleep medication Ambien.
“It was 2 in the morning and I was ambien-tweeting-it was memorial day too-i went 2 far & do not want it defended-it was egregious Indefensible,” she wrote. “I made a mistake I wish I hadn’t but… don’t defend it please. ty.”
The tweet, like many others on her account, has since been deleted.
CNN anchor John Berman wasn’t buying it:
I have only taken Ambien once…but I don’t remember one of the side-effects being racism.
People of all races, religions and nationalities work at Sanofi every day to improve the lives of people around the world. While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication.
And you wondered where out actor Colton Haynes was during the whole Love, Simon movie?
He was right there!
Well, and then he wasn’t.
It seems Colton shot a scene with young protagonist Simon (played by Nick Robinson) in his character’s first visit to a gay bar egged on by his straight friend Nick Eisner (played by Jorge Lendeborg Jr.). The scene would have occurred after Simon is outed in the film.
But, in the end, it didn’t really further the plot, so the segment was cut.
But we’ve got it here!
How many young gays had a similar experience their first time “out?”
When Becky McCabe dropped to one knee to propose to longtime girlfriend, Jessa Gillaspie screamed and had to take a step back.
Not because she didn’t want to say “yes” but because Jesse had planned to propose as well that very same evening!
They basically proposed to each other at the same time!
The cell phone video of the dual proposals has gone viral with tons of folks (including Good Morning America) picking up the charming story.
The happy couple wants the whole world to know how much they love each other and they appreciate the outpouring of support.
Watch the moment below.
Sweet video shows woman proposing to her girlfriend – and then the girlfriend pulls out the ring she was going to propose to HER with! HOW CUTE! pic.twitter.com/F1ImuGbytj
Jordan Bruno, Mr. Gay World 2018 (photo: Fred LeMarche)
Australian author and chef Jordan Bruno has been crowned Mr. Gay World 2018.
This marks the first time an Aussie has taken the coveted title since the competition began ten years ago.
According to the official website, the aim of the global contest is to “inspire and empower gay men to come together in a public performance that would show the world that being gay encompasses a broad spectrum.”
Over an intense four days, contestants compete in several categories including a sports challenge, a photo shoot competition, a runway fashion show and a swim suit competition.
Bruno won six out of 12 competition categories including personal interview, social responsibility, best in formal wear, online vote, photogenic and face of 2018.
“I was overwhelmed and it’s really an honor. For Australia, it gives us visibility and recognition, but it also gives us permission to help the world now. With the title behind me, I’m able to shine a light on different LGBTI issues across the world,” said Bruno.
The handsome 26-year-old says he wants to use his title to help bring the LGBTQ community together by addressing issues like femme shaming, body issues, lesbian discrimination at pride events and more.
New Zealand’s Ricky Devine-White and India’s Samarpan Maiti won second and third place respectively.
Bruno says he became close to his competitors over the course of the contest telling Attitude Magazine, “The fact [is] that you are in a competition and you’re also like a family at the same time, which is quite interesting because you are competing against each other but also each other’s best friend as well.”
“I’ll keep in touch with all of these guys, they are now part of the family when we travel to their countries,” he added.
Check out more pics of the woofy Mr. Jordan Bruno below.
Another day, another Twitter rant from Donald Trump.
On today’s menu: the Trumpster returns to an old favorite – “I wish I’d never hired Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.”
Ah yes, it’s an oldie but goodie.
Trump spun off several missives about Sessions’ recusal in the Russian interference investigation quoting outgoing Congressman Trey Gowdy:
“I don’t think so, I think what the President is doing is expressing frustration that Attorney General Sessions should have shared these reasons for recusal before he took the job, not afterward. If I were the President and I picked someone to be the country’s chief law enforcement officer, and they told me later, ‘oh by the way I’m not going to be able to participate in the most important case in the office, I would be frustrated too and that’s how I read that – Senator Sessions, why didn’t you tell me before I picked you……There are lots of really good lawyers in the country, he could have picked somebody else!” And I wish I did!
Rep.Trey Gowdy, “I don’t think so, I think what the President is doing is expressing frustration that Attorney General Sessions should have shared these reasons for recusal before he took the job, not afterward. If I were the President and I picked someone to be the country’s….
….chief law enforcement officer, and they told me later, ‘oh by the way I’m not going to be able to participate in the most important case in the office, I would be frustrated too…and that’s how I read that – Senator Sessions, why didn’t you tell me before I picked you…..
This is all probably related to a new report in The New York Times that shows Sessions traveled to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in March of 2017 thinking he was going to discuss his boss’ proposed travel ban.
Instead, Trump reportedly asked Sessions to reverse his decision to recuse himself on the Russian investigation so that the president would have a “loyalist” in the mix. Sessions declined.
By the way, Trump might be quoting Rep. Trey Gowdy here, but he’s ignoring Gowdy’s support for the FBI’s use of an informant in the ongoing Russian probe.
Outgoing Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), the House Oversight Committee Chairman and Trump supporter, said in an interview on Fox that the FBI was justified in using a secret informant to assist in the Russia investigation. Gowdy, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, attended a classified Justice Department briefing last week over the FBI’s use of the confidential source, identified as Stefan A. Halper.
“President Trump himself in the Comey memos said if anyone connected with my campaign was working with Russia, I want you to investigate it, and it sounds to me like that is exactly what the FBI did,” Gowdy told host Martha MacCallum. “I think when the president finds out what happened, he is going to be not just fine, he is going to be glad that we have an FBI that took seriously what they heard.”
Some news items you might have missed this holiday weekend:
• InstaHunk Ace Cee (above) shares wisdom for the day: “Save water, shower together…”
• Check out the Australian hunk who just won Mr. Gay World 2018. Jordan Bruno hopes to use his title to address issues within the LGBTQ community like femme shaming, body issues, and lesbian discrimination at pride festivals.
• New York Police Department officers are in hot water over posing with a male stripper in just a G-string and boots.
• Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, considered the most vulnerable of Dem senators up for re-election this fall, leads his GOP opponent by 12 points in a new poll.
• A gay high school valedictorian, barred from giving his graduation speech because he used the phrase “the young people will win,” gave his speech anyway via a bullhorn. His school officials claimed the phrase, coined by the high school students in Parkland, Florida, was “too confrontational.”
• With Pride Month just days away, learn how the word “gay” shifted in meaning from “happy” to “homosexual from the folks at Origin of Everything:
ABC has pulled the plug on the revival “Roseanne.”
The move comes after series star Roseanne Barr made a comment on Twitter Tuesday morning referring to former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett as looking like the offspring of the “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.” Jarrett, an African-American, was born in Iran to American parents.
“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement.
Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger voiced his support for the cancellation, tweeting “There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing.”
Barr deleted her tweet about Jarrett not long after posting it. She followed it up with an apology which read, “I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste. I am now leaving Twitter.”
Out lesbian Wanda Sykes resigned her position as a consulting producer before ABC could cancel the show:
Also, out Roseanne star Sara Gilbert spoke out against the ugly rant:
Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least.
This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us, as we’ve created a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love— one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member.
"Some things apparently, are more important than money … and that is very heartening." @VanJones68 reacts to ABC canceling Roseanne, adding "I'm ashamed to say this, I thought she was probably going to get away with it." https://t.co/00WENTPtXp— Brooke Baldwin (@BrookeBCNN) May 29, 2018
