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Photography: Alexander Abramov’s New Art Book Series “Uncovered”

I’ve featured woofy Russian artist Alexander Abramov many times on The Randy Report via his must-see Instagram account.

Now, Abramov has a five-part series of art books, featuring photography by Dmitry Bocharovwhich, which chronicle his journey as an adult gay man in the world today.

From his official website:

Alexander Abramov bares all in Uncovered, his coming of age story about a man who isn’t afraid to speak his truth, follow through with his vision and be exposed, both body and soul.

The five part series of art books tells the story of Alexander Abramov. The Russian artist and producer portrays different characters in unique worlds full of action and emotion.

Through images and notes from his personal diary, Alexander explains to the world who he really is.

“I started keeping journals 18 years ago. My diary is about awareness of my homosexuality, about my experiences and explorations of the world: first feelings, first love, first sexual encounter… It is 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 makes changes for the better.”

10% of proceeds will go to The Russian LGBT Organization.

Abramov will be attending a book signing event in Palm Springs, April 28th at 12pm at the Papa Pool Party hosted at the Renaissance Hotel.

Pre-orders are now available through Abramov’s official website here.

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Navy & Marine Corps Leaders: No Problems With Transgender Soldiers

Donald Trump says he “consulted” with his military experts and generals about transgender military service members.

Well, here’s what the folks in charge really have to say.

From the Associated Press:

The top military leaders of the Navy and Marine Corps tell senators that so far, they’ve seen no discipline, morale or unit readiness problems with transgender troops now serving openly.

Gen. Robert Neller is Marine Corps commandant. Neller says that some of his commanders have said there are no problems at all. He says others say they’re spending “a lot of time” with transgender individuals as they work through medical requirements involving the transition from birth gender to preferred gender.

The Pentagon in 2016 lifted the ban on transgender troops serving openly in the military. President Donald Trump has pushed for a ban, but that directive is being challenged in numerous court cases.

Additionally, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft told lawmakers he is committed to allowing transgender members to continue to serve until he is compelled to do otherwise.

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Liberty Counsel Rep Declares Public School Sex Education “Satanic”

Mary McAlister of the anti-gay Liberty Counsel says public sex education is "satanic"

Without even the limited sex education in public schools, where would young Americans learn the basics about human sexuality and sexual health?

From their parents? #NotGonnaHappen

Which makes a recent appearance by Mary McAlister of the virulently anti-LGBTQ Liberty Counsel even more dangerous as she declared sex education in schools to be “satanic.”

From Right-Wing Watch:

Mary McAlister, who is senior litigation counsel for the anti-LGBTQ organization Liberty Counsel, appeared on Cliff Kincaid’s “USA Survival” program yesterday, where she declared that sex ed programs in public schools are satanic.

McAlister and Kincaid were discussing the upcoming “Sex Ed Sit Out” effort being organized by Religious Right activist Elizabeth Johnston, who is better known as the “Activist Mommy,” which encourages parents to remove their children from school to protest what she sees as “graphic, gender-bending sex education.”

“It’s evil,” McAlister replied. “It’s absolutely evil. God has made us all in his image, he has set out for us rules for living that enable us to live rich and full and healthy lives and all of this that is going on now is directly aimed at tearing all of that down. Well, we know who does that. That’s the Enemy, that’s Satan and his minions.”

Watch the exchange below.

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HRC Reveals “The Real Mike Pence” And His Anti-LGBTQ Policies

As Donald Trump holds court on a daily basis in the nation’s political spotlight, the chant of impeachment has been heard in some corners.

But the reality of a Trump impeachment means an almost certain President Mike Pence.

As the Human Rights Campaign points out, a Pence presidency would present clear danger to the LGBTQ community.

HRC president Chad Griffin said in a statement:

“Mike Pence has made a career out of attacking the rights and equal dignity of LGBTQ people, women and other marginalized communities.

“Now as vice president, he poses one of the greatest threats to equality in the history of our movement.

“With the world distracted by Donald Trump’s scandal-ridden White House, Mike Pence’s nefarious agenda has been allowed to fly under the radar for too long. He has become not only the most powerful vice president in American history, but also the least scrutinized.”

The HRC has compiled a new report on Pence’s woeful history on LGBTQ rights and policies, and assembled the information in a new microsite to shine a spotlight on Pence’s inside-the-White House efforts to continue his decades-long crusade by leading the Trump/Pence administration’s attacks on LGBTQ people, including those who bravely serve our nation in the military.

• Support for the practice of so-called “conversion therapy”

• Support for legalized discrimination against LGBTQ people

• Blocking hate crime legislation and funding for HIV and AIDS prevention

• Efforts to undermine access to health and reproductive care essential to LGBTQ people

Watch the new video below from the HRC which summarizes Pence’s poisonous positions on LGBTQ policies.

And visit the HRC’s new site for more info on “The Real Mike Pence.”

(via press release)

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New York Attorney General Looks To Bypass Presidential Pardons

NY Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman (speaking)
Photo: MTA / Patrick Cashin (Flickr)

With talk of Donald Trump possibly considering granting pardons to former associates currently under Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s microscope, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman is asking his state’s governor and legislature to allow criminal charges against those who have received a presidential pardon.

From The New York Times:

Under the plan, Mr. Schneiderman, a Democrat, seeks to exempt New York’s double jeopardy law from cases involving presidential pardons, according to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. The current law and the concept of double jeopardy in general mean that a person cannot be tried for the same crime twice.

Right now, New York state law prevents people from being prosecuted more than once for crimes related to the same act, even if the original prosecution was in federal court. There are already a number of exceptions to the law, and the letter says that Mr. Schneiderman is proposing to add a new one that could be used if federal pardons are issued.

While Mr. Schneiderman’s jurisdiction does not encompass many of the areas being investigated by Mr. Mueller, a president has no authority to commute sentences or pardon offenses at the state level. That leaves convictions obtained by the state attorney general’s office or any other local prosecutor outside the president’s ability to intervene. The proposal would be structured so that it would not affect people who sought clemency after long jail sentences, an aide to Mr. Schneiderman said.

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Out Music: Rosendale “Divine”

Indie singer/songwriter Rosendale recently dropped his latest pop single, “Divine,” which celebrates LGBT love and equality.

Rosendale says the message of the video (featuring hip hop & contemporary choreography danced by two same-sex couples) is that “love, regardless of what form it takes, should always persist in the face of criticism and prejudice.”

According to Rosendale, the choreography (which is terrific) represents the struggles and joys of being in an LGBT relationship as well as the shame that society places on LGBTs.

The lyrics of “Divine” reference aspects of organized religion along the way:

Let every pastor speak
Let every preacher preach
You’ll be my church
And I’ll be your divine

You can follow Rosendale on Facebook here and check out his YouTube channel here where he’s racked up over 8 million views; official website here.

Take a listen below.

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New Campaign Raises Awareness Of Discrimination Against LGBT Americans

Hubby Michael and I getting married in Palm Springs, CA

On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled marriage equality to be the law of the land.

But while the rights and privileges of marriage were made available to LGBTs across the nation on that day, the sad fact remains that in 31 states it’s legal to marry the person you love on Saturday and be fired for being gay on Monday.

In an America where most folks support equal treatment, many people erroneously believe LGBT people are protected by federal law against such practices.

At this writing, only 19 states in the U.S. and D.C. fully protect against discrimination in housing, employment, and public places like stores or restaurants based on a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity.

Michael and I are fortunate to live in Nevada which is one of the 19 states in that select group of states. As a married couple, we do have full protections regarding public accommodations and employment. But others are not so lucky.

The LGBT Acceptance campaign raises awareness about discrimination against LGBT Americans.

Head over to BeyondIDo.org where you’ll find a state by state examination of protects or lack thereof for LGBT families; personal accounts of discrimination; and social media outreach campaign.

In the video below, Jami and Krista encountered LGBT discrimination head-on when a doctor refused to treat their new baby because the child had two moms.

(h/t TheOUTfront)

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UK Man Receives Life Sentence For Deliberately Infecting Men With HIV

Daryll Rowe of Brighton has been sentenced to life in prison for deliberately infecting men with HIV virus
Daryll Rowe (image via Sussex Police)

Daryll Rowe, a 27-year-old man from Brighton, has become the first person in the UK to be convicted of infecting people with the HIV virus on purpose.

From The Guardian:

After being diagnosed in April 2015 in his home city of Edinburgh, Rowe met men through the gay dating app Grindr. He had sex with eight of them in Brighton, in East Sussex, between October that year and February 2016, before fleeing to north-east England, where he targeted two more men.

His six-week trial heard that he refused treatment and ignored advice from doctors. He insisted on having unprotected sex with the men he met, claiming that he was “clean”. When they refused, he tampered with condoms, tricking them into thinking that he was practising safe sex.

Afterwards, Rowe became aggressive, and taunted some of his victims in text messages. He told one: “I have HIV. Lol. Whoops!” He repeatedly lied to authorities and would use aliases with the people he targeted.

Sentencing him on Wednesday, the judge told him: “Many of those men were young men in their 20s at the time they had the misfortune to meet you. Given the facts of this case and your permissive, predatory behaviour, I cannot see when you would no longer be a danger to gay men. In my judgment, the offences, taken together, are so serious that a life sentence is justified.”

One of his victims, whose parents had died of AIDS, said he did everything to avoid being infected. He told the court, “Daryll Rowe decided to take that right away from me. A part of me died that day when I was diagnosed. The old me is no longer. The new me is constantly sad, thinking about how my life changed. I have been devastated by Rowe’s actions, but I want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

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Buzzfeed Does Deep Dive Into Young Men Being Lured Into “Sex For Rent” Agreements


 Buzzfeed reporter Patrick Strudwick has done a deep dive into “sex for rent” arrangements which target young gay men looking to exchange sexual favors for a roof over their head.

Strudwick investigated a Facebook group called “Gay Houseboy’s and those who hire them” which seems to be a clearinghouse for communications between landlords and young men in desperate straits willing to do what they have to for housing.

The group describes itself thusly:

This group is for gay men seeking gay boys to work for them as houseboys, and for gay houseboys seeking employment. No Nude pics, no “hookup” posts, no spam!

From Buzzfeed:

“Looking for a white male 18-25 to come and join our household for a live in position,” reads one post on the Facebook group. “General duties will include cleaning, walking dog, shopping, cooking and general house projects… This position would ideally include sex and lots of affection from our boy.”

Another is simply a photograph of a young naked man, with his penis exposed, standing by a Christmas tree with the words: “ISO [in search of] True HouseBoy 18-25 White Slim Clean.”

“Live in the heart of Hollywood” is the promise in a further post, from a landlord seeking a “houseboy/personal assistant”. The landlord boasts, “My company deals with a lot of high profile clientele”, asks that respondents send photographs, and specifies, “Prefer young (but legal age) and very uninhibited types. Boy-next-door but with a wild side.”

Others insist on respondents replying with “face and body photos”, or have strict age limits, seek houseboys “with benefits”, or are suggestive of controlling dynamics. “Married couple here 40 and 46 seeking our forever boy for total and complete ownership,” says one.

Buzzfeed reached out to several of the advertisers undercover. One explained why he posted his ad: “I just want to stop having to go online all the time for sex.”

In speaking with several of the young men who had become involved in these arrangements, Strudwick reports many found themselves “raped, beaten, drugged, infected with HIV and treated as domestic slaves.”

When approached by BuzzFeed to respond to issues relating to this group, Facebook initially replied promising that a representative would comment but Buzzfeed reports no response ever materialized.