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Colton Haynes & The Photo He Spent Years Trying To ‘Erase’ From Internet

Colton Haynes

Colton Haynes
Colton Haynes (image via Depositphotos)
Actor Colton Haynes (Teen Wolf, Arrow) took to social media Thursday night to share a photo he spent years trying to erase from the internet. The image was used on the cover of the March 2006 issue of XY, a magazine aimed at young LGBTQ readers. Haynes shares that he was a teenager and working as a model when the homoerotic photo was taken. In his Instagram post, Haynes says for many years he was “incredibly ashamed” of the photo and worried that it would affect his career. The 32-year-old says looking at the photo made him sad as it reminded of him of a time “before I was placed with voice & movement coaches to straighten me up for the cameras…before I learned to see my queerness as a liability.” Haynes shares candidly he feels “jealous” of the boy he sees in the image: “so open, so free.” And he now realizes he “had to be taught that it wasn’t ok to be who he was.” “Being gay is worth celebrating,” Haynes adds. “I wish I’d figured that out sooner, but I’m so glad I know it now. To everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community, I hope you celebrate yourselves this month & always, exactly as you are.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CQPHK6bnogJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link The post has received over 570,000 likes on Instagram with several of Haynes’s famous friends chiming in with their support. Actress Keke Palmer wrote, “Thank you for sharing your art. How beautiful you were then and now. I thank you for posting this and hate what you went through but so glad it’s made you a vessel to cast out the darkness with truth and light!!” Michelle Visage (RuPaul’s Drag Race) replied “LOUD AND PROUD BABY” Charlie Carver (Boys in the Band) sent some heart emoji love and Food Network host Jonathan Bennett responded, “This is so powerful. I feel you Buddy. Love who you were then and love who you are now.” Fortunately, Haynes is now much more comfortable in his own skin. His Instagram feed shows he recently did a photoshoot for GQ Thailand that looks pretty Pride-ful. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQGn0btn7Sr/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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Trump Supporter Charged In Defacing Pride Memorial

Alexander Jerich

Alexander Jerich (mug shot)
Incidents like this really beg the question “What were they thinking???” Alexander Jerich, 20, turned himself in to the police Thursday afternoon after cellphone video went viral showing him purposely defacing the LGBTQ Pride rainbow walk in Delray Beach earlier this week. CBS12 News reports Jerich was charged with criminal mischief over $1,000, reckless driving, and evidence of prejudice (felony enhancement). Under a new law (Section 806.135, Florida Statutes “Destroying or demolishing a memorial or historic property”), this would be considered a 2nd degree felony. Jerich could face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty.

Nicholas Coppola is a member of the Palm Beach County LGBTQ Community Center in Lake Worth Beach, and one of the leaders behind this rainbow artwork that was years in the making. “There are many things that indicate this is a hate crime targeted against the community,” Coppola said. “I hate to say I was saddened, but not surprised. There’s a part of me that expected it. Unfortunately, we deal with this every day.” The city had just unveiled the new intersection on Saturday. The artwork was dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando five years ago.

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Biden Signs Bill Making Juneteenth A National Holiday

President Joe Biden signs a bill making Juneteenth a national holiday (image via POTUS)
I couldn’t possibly leave my desk without acknowledging this amazing moment in history at Juneteenth is now officially recognized as a national holiday. For years, people have acknowledged June 19 as the day the last remaining slaves in Texas were notified they’d been freed in 1865 – two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The holiday is the first to be established by Congress since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was signed into law in 1983.

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News Round-Up: June 17, 2021

(image via Groupon)
Some news items you might have missed: • Groupon: I just learned the folks at the ‘deal of the day’ website highlight LGBTQ-owned businesses (above). “Our out and proud merchant partners inspire us every day in all of the myriad ways they uplift and support their communities.” Click here for more of Groupon’s Pride-ful ways. • The Advocate: A larger number of teenagers are identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual in the U.S. Surveys by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that between 2015 and 2019 those who identified as “non-heterosexual” grew from 8.3 percent to 11.7 percent in 15-to-17-year-olds. • Edge Media: Results from Planet Fitness’ fifth annual survey reveals 69% of men with dad bods say they are confident and comfortable with their physique. That said, half of all men with dad bods (50%) feel judged by others for their bodies — a number that’s jumped 10% since just last year alone. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQNCpjIr91N/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • New York Times: The U.S. government spent more than $18 billion last year funding drugmakers to make a Covid vaccine. Now it’s pouring more than $3 billion on a neglected area of research: developing pills to fight the virus early in the course of infection, potentially saving many lives in the years to come. • Andrew Christian: The venerable men’s designer shares his Top 5 Most Extravagant Pride Parades in the World. • NBC Out: Online advice columnist John Paul Brammer shares his amazing journey as a gay Latino in rural Oklahoma. Brammer weaves his experiences with letters from readers in his book, Hola Papi: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons.

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Pride Month: Boy Butter Ad Spot To Air On UFC Fight Night

Facundo Rodriguez for Boy Butter

For several years now, TV audiences in cities across the country have seen the sexy ad spots for personal lubricant Boy Butter during episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Now, Boy Butter is set to launch the first LGBTQ Pride campaign to air on sports networks. Continue reading “Pride Month: Boy Butter Ad Spot To Air On UFC Fight Night”

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Affordable Care Act Survives (Again!) At Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court (2021)

The U.S. Supreme Court (2021)
The U.S. Supreme Court (2021)
For the third time now, the Affordable Care Act has survived a legal challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court. Despite relentless attacks from Republicans and previous cases in 2012 and 2015, the law has only gained in popularity with Americans. Today’s ruling didn’t address the central question of whether the law could stand without the individual mandate which was removed from the law in 2017. Instead, the high court sidestepped the issue ruling the plaintiffs had no standing to bring the case. From the New York Times:

The margin of victory was wider than in the earlier cases, with six members of the court joining Justice Stephen G. Breyer’s modest and technical majority opinion, one that said only that the 18 Republican-led states and two individuals who brought the case had not suffered the sort of direct injury that gave them standing to sue.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who had cast the decisive vote to save the law in 2012, was in the majority. So was Justice Clarence Thomas, who had dissented in the earlier decisions.

“Whatever the act’s dubious history in this court,” Justice Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion, “we must assess the current suit on its own terms. And, here, there is a fundamental problem with the arguments advanced by the plaintiffs in attacking the act — they have not identified any unlawful action that has injured them. Today’s result is thus not the consequence of the court once again rescuing the act, but rather of us adjudicating the particular claims the plaintiffs chose to bring.”

Striking down the Affordable Care Act would have added nearly 21 million people to the list of uninsured in the country. Among those are folks who are now eligible for Medicaid, young adults who can stay on their parents’ plans until 26, and Americans with pre-existing conditions.

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Star-Studded Streaming Event ‘Night of A Thousand Judys’ Set For June 24

Guest post by Lawrence Pfeil Jr. What better way to start Pride Weekend 2021 than with a galaxy of stars paying tribute to the iconic, Judy Garland?  Even better you don’t have to be in Hollywood, Kansas or in Oz to do it! You can enjoy the event from the comfort of your own home when the ninth annual “Night of A Thousand Judys” – the Pride concert to benefit The Ali Forney Center  written and hosted by Justin Sayre – will be presented as a streaming online event on Thursday, June 24 at 8:00 PM Eastern.

“A rambunctious, uproarious, unpredictable all-star concert” — The Wall Street Journal

 “Night of a Thousand Judys” will honor the iconic Judy Garland with tributes and songs from her legendary career as movie star, recording artist and stage performer. The virtual event is written and hosted by Justin Sayre, featuring Tracy Stark as music director. Performers will include Alan Cumming (Cabaret, “The Good Wife”), Vivian Reed (two-time Tony nominee), Sam Harris (The Life, Grease), Mary Testa (three-time Tony nominee), Karen Mason (Netflix’s “Halston,” Sunset Boulevard), Nathan Lee Graham (Zoolander, CW’s “Katy Keene”) Jose Llana (The King & I, Here Lies Love), Margo Seibert (Rocky, Octet), Jane Monheit (two-time Grammy-nominated vocalist), Grace McLean (The Great Comet of 1812, Alice by Heart), Kevin Smith Kirkwood (Kinky Boots, The Wiz), Nadia Quinn (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Robber Bridegroom), Duchess Trio (“Vocal Group of the Year” – Jazz Journalists Association), and Gabrielle Stravelli (award-winning vocalist), with others to be added. The Ali Forney Center is the nation’s largest agency dedicated to helping LGBTQ homeless youth. Watch the concert – which will be broadcast live and then available online for a month after the show – and donate to the cause at ThousandJudys.com “We’re all getting back to normal, but maybe we can make a new normal,” says Sayre. “A normal where LGBTQIA kids don’t experience homelessness at such a larger rate than most.” “Maybe our new normal can be better, for these kids. Maybe we can insist that it is,” Sayre added. “We all had to stay at home this year to be safe. We all deserve a home where they can be safe. That’s what the work, that’s the new normal that the Ali Forney Center is fighting for. We’re all honored to help them creating this new normal.” The Ali Forney Center is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive agency dedicated to LGBTQ homeless youths—assisting nearly 1,400 youths per year through a 24-hour Drop-In Center which provides over 65,000 meals annually, medical and mental health services through an on-site clinic, and a scattered site housing program. AFC’s goal is to provide them with the support and services they need to escape the streets and begin to live healthy and independent lives. Support the lifesaving work of the Ali Forney Center by donating HERE Night of a Thousand Judys – Written and Hosted by Justin Sayre, musical direction by Tracy Stark, produced by Dan Fortune and Adam J. Rosen. Lawrence Pfeil, Jr., is a freelance writer/playwright who has written for media outlets including The Randy Report, the New York Blade, and Edge Publications. You can follow him at TheOUTfront.com.

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House Republicans Block Bill To Help LGBTQ Small Businesses

(screen capture via C-SPAN)
A statement from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office:

House Republicans are using Pride Month to attack LGBTQ-owned small businesses. Republicans lined up on Tuesday to prevent Congressman Richie Torres’ LGBTQ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act from passing on suspension.

The bill would help ensure that financial institutions are providing LGBTQ-owned small businesses equal access to credit.

177 Republicans voted against the measure – meaning that 85 percent of House Republicans present voted against the bill. Passing this uncontroversial bill to help small businesses stay afloat during a pandemic should be a no-brainer.

Sadly, no attack is too low for this House Republican Conference, not even attacking LGBTQ-owned small businesses during Pride Month.

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COVID Deaths In U.S. Surpass 600,000

According to Johns Hopkins University more than 600,000 people have died in the U.S. from the coronavirus. That’s nearly 1 out of every 550 Americans. From MSNBC:

It was exactly one year ago today when then-Vice President Mike Pence, in his capacity as the head of the White House’s coronavirus taskforce, wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal on the federal response to the pandemic. The message was simple: Thanks to Donald Trump, Pence argued, “we are winning the fight against the invisible enemy.”

The Indiana Republican proceeded to take a tragic-in-hindsight victory lap, dismissing “grim predictions of a second wave,” while insisting that the White House’s approach was “a success.” Pence even boasted at the time that “deaths are down to fewer than 750 a day.”

It came on the heels of Donald Trump assuring the public that he expected the overall U.S. death toll from the pandemic to “probably” be around 60,000.

In mid-April 2020, Trump’s benchmark for success was an overall domestic death toll below 240,000.