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The Latest From Singer/Songwriter Miki Ratsula Is “second” To None

Out singer/songwriter Miki Ratsula releases their new single "second"

Out singer/songwriter Miki Ratsula releases their new single "second"
Miki Ratsula (photo: Ashley Osborn)
Out singer/songwriter Miki Ratsula releases their imminently listenable new single and music video, “second,” which explores their anxiety around getting top surgery, and their fear that their long-time girlfriend would no longer love them. The So-Cal based Finnish American artist, who identifies as non-binary, has built a loyal following by openly and honestly welcoming people into their world, using their platform to candidly document their life, from coming out to getting top surgery just a couple months ago. Miki’s girlfriend, Hope, joins them in the tender and artfully crafted music video for “second.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CPs7uGXhXbX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link “I knew I wanted the video to represent queer bodies and relationships in the most authentic way,” says Ratsula. “Before getting my top surgery, I really wish I had seen more representation of what queer bodies can look like, and that they can be loved.” That lack of representation can lead to all kinds of ruminating for young people trying to figure out who they are, and that’s reflected in the lyrics of “second.”

All I do is question my reflection I’m obsessed with second guessing But you don’t for a second

Whatever you see, I’m glad that you do I hope that one day I’ll see it too You’ve been so patient, as long as you’re waiting I think we’ll get there together I just wanna love myself so I can love you better I just wanna love myself so I can love you better

The guitar-driven mid-tempo is sonically soothing with an tender undercurrent of brimming emotion as Ratsula’s intimate vocals draw the listener in closer and closer. The video, directed by Evers Pund, plays on an innately human scale capturing moments between Ratsula and Hope touching, laughing, and living in the moment. The interplay between the couple subtly moves from indoors and shadows to eventually coming out of the dark into the light reflecting part of the artist’s journey to here. Oh, and there’s an asteroid heading for Earth, but we’ll have to see how that plays out. Check out my chat with the talented singer/songwriter about the new single, Pride Month and more after you hit play. I really liked “second” the moment I heard it. https://youtu.be/OkYhm7GXMAg The Randy Report: Congratulations on your new song “second.” What was the inspiration for the song, and the meaning behind the title? Miki Ratsula: Thank you so much! I came out as non-binary last year and right after I decided to pursue getting top surgery I wrote down the line “I just wanna love myself so I can love you better.” I had a lot of anxiety revolving around the surgery and worrying about whether it would negatively affect my relationships. I wrote the song later that year expanding on that original line, and exploring those thoughts about losing my partner, but knowing that she’d stay by side through it all. The title comes from the line “I’m obsessed with second guessing but you don’t for a second.” While I’m all in my head thinking the worst, she’s always there reminding me of how loved I am. TRR: Musically, “second” draws us in – it doesn’t hit us over the head. Did you go into the song knowing you wanted a particular sound/feel/texture? MR: As soon as the song was written I hopped straight into working on the production. I knew I wanted it to stay relatively simple so that the lyrics can be the focal point. Lyrically, the song starts in a darker place and as I sing and expand on those darker thoughts, the lyrics start to brighten up a bit. I think it represents exactly what my thought process was like. I wanted the music to also follow the emotions of the lyrics, which is why it’s complemented by relatively darker tones. But at the end of the song when you can sense the breath of fresh air I finally have, my girlfriend is actually singing along with me. We literally come together at the end of the song. https://www.instagram.com/p/COGhH4ABucj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link TRR: Regarding the end of the music video, we now know where you want to be when the world ends I guess…? 🙂 MR: We had a pretty good sense of how we wanted the music video to look, but the director we worked with, Evers Pund, came up with the genius idea to add a parallel “end of the world” storyline with the comet. For me, the end of the world in this video actually represents a new beginning to a life where I love myself and can be better person for the people I love. The comet represents the death of my self hatred. The end of the video also highlights the idea that my girlfriend is there for me for everything, even when the world is ending. TRR: You shared on Instagram last summer that the pronouns thing was still a scary thing for you. I think that’s important for people to understand it’s not as simple as just saying  he/him, she/her, they/them… MR: Yeah it was a really scary thing for me because I was so worried to be a burden to other people and to feel like I was adding more stress to people. I realized soon after though that living my truth shouldn’t be a burden to others and they shouldn’t make me feel like I am. I still face adversity with my pronouns, even in the music industry. But it’s just made it more clear on who I really want to be working with. I wish people could take a step back and realize how genuinely easy it is to respect people’s pronouns. It takes more effort to be ignorant and to make a mockery of us than to just use the correct ones. https://www.instagram.com/p/CCT7VL4B9L7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link TRR: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? MR: My therapist told me “someone else’s urgency is not your emergency”. TRR: It’s Pride Month – what does that mean to you? MR: It means representation and resilience. I’ve had too many cis straight people tell me I’m too openly queer. Pride is a time for me to push back even harder on that ideology and unapologetically share my experience and queer body. I truly just want to be the artist I needed growing up. I hope that by me sharing my truth it can help other queer people to feel valid, as younger me would’ve very much needed. You can stream/download “second” here, and you can follow Miki Ratsula on Instagram here. https://www.instagram.com/p/CPd7IV1h6pH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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News Round-Up: June 3, 2021

Initial unemployment claims dropped below 400K for the first time since pandemic began

Initial unemployment claims dropped below 400K for the first time since pandemic began Some news items you might have missed: • CNBC: The labor market continues to improve as initial jobless claims fell to 385,000 last week. The last time claims were lower was the week of March 14, 2020, with 256,000. The number spiked to nearly 3 million the following week and peaked at more than 6.1 million in early April as governments across the U.S. shut down businesses in an effort to slow the coronavirus spread. • Instinct Magazine: In honor of Pride month, the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) will stream for one week only Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City The Musical. The 2011 show will stream at Broadway On Demand’s National Theater Network. • Edge Media: A viral video about a 73-year-old man coming out and being celebrated by his neighbor has taken the internet by storm. “My dad’s neighbour just came out as gay at 73!” reads the video’s caption. “His family aren’t supportive. So Dad did this to show him he is not alone.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CPlDYz8DR0e/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • Washington Post: U.S. prosecutors this week put a price tag for the first time on damage to the U.S. Capitol from the Jan. 6 breach — $1.5 million so far — and are asking defendants to cover some of that in plea offers. Prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington are seeking to require restitution of $2,000 in each felony case and $500 in each misdemeanor case. • Delusional: Writing for the National Review, Charles Cooke reports, “Donald Trump does indeed believe quite genuinely that he — along with former senators David Perdue and Martha McSally — will be ‘reinstated’ to office this summer after “audits” of the 2020 elections in Arizona, Georgia, and a handful of other states have been completed. • Twitter: The U.S. Embassy at the Vatican is flying the rainbow flag for Pride Month and a host of Republican politicians, religious right leaders, and far right media figures are losing their minds that the government would promote tolerance.

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Dallas Man Pleads Guilty To Violent Hate Crimes Using Grindr To Target Gay Men

Photo of the gay dating app Grindr

Photo of the gay dating app Grindr
(image via Depositphotos)
Daniel Jenkins, 22, of Dallas, Texas, has pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges in connection with his involvement in a scheme targeting gay men for violent crimes using the gay dating app Grindr. Jenkins is the fourth and final defendant charged in the scheme to plead guilty. From the Justice Department:

Jenkins pleaded guilty to one hate crime count, one count of conspiracy to commit hate crimes, kidnapping, and carjacking, and one count of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

According to court documents filed in connection with his guilty plea, Jenkins admitted that he and his co-conspirators used Grindr, a social media dating platform used primarily by gay men, to lure gay men to a vacant apartment and other areas in and around Dallas for robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, and hate crimes over the course of approximately a week in December 2017.

Jenkins admitted that he and his co-conspirators held victims against their will; pointed a handgun at victims and took their personal property, including their vehicles; and traveled to local ATMs to withdraw cash from the victims’ accounts.

Jenkins further admitted that he and his co-conspirators physically injured at least one victim and taunted the victims based upon the co-conspirators’ perception of the men’s sexual orientation.

In March 2019, Michael Atkinson pleaded guilty to conspiracy and kidnapping charges in connection with this case. In December 2019, Daryl Henry and Pablo Ceniceros-Deleon pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime and other charges in connection with this case. Sentencing for these three defendants is set for June 23.

At his sentencing, scheduled for October 6, Jenkins will face up to 26 years in prison.

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COVID Cases, Hospitalizations & Deaths Plunged After 75% Of Brazilian City Vaccinated

Vials of COVID-19 vaccine

Vials of COVID-19 vaccine Brazil has experienced devastating effects from the coronavirus pandemic, including over 460,000 deaths, due in part to a lack of vaccine doses. The producer of China’s CoronaVac vaccine in Brazil, the Instituto Butantan, took on an interesting experiment involving nearly the entire population of the town of Serrano in São Paulo state. Statista reports that 95 percent of Serrano’s 45,000 inhabitants were fully vaccinated with CoronaVac between the months of February and April. When that process was completed:

• symptomatic Covid-19 cases fell 80 percent • hospitalizations declined 86 percent • deaths plunged 95 percent

Ricardo Palacios, research director at Butantan, said that 75 percent was the crucial figure in the study. Once three quarters of Serrano’s population was fully vaccinated, all three of the above metrics tumbled, suggesting 75 percent is the threshold required to contain and control the pandemic. In other words – vaccines work.

(graphic via Statista)

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Ricky Martin Covers PEOPLE’s Pride Issue ‘I Am A Man With No Secrets’

Ricky Martin

Ricky Martin gets personal in his PEOPLE Magazine cover story for its annual Pride Issue
International pop star Ricky Martin (screen capture via People)
When the world watches international pop star Ricky Martin onstage singing and shaking his bon-bon, we see a handsome, confident artist at home in his element. But in a new cover interview with PEOPLE for their 2nd annual Pride Issue, he shares that he’s actually “really insecure.” “I’m super socially awkward but today, well the difference is that I know I’m socially awkward,” explains the 49-year-old singer. “So, I don’t go anywhere that causes me anxiety. I’m at peace with performing in front of 30,000 people and feel like the king of the world. But then I walk into a small room at an intimate gathering, and someone will say, ‘Hey Rick, sing a song for us!’ and that creates such anxiety.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CPnqFp0tkci/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Martin also tells PEOPLE that early in his career he felt pressure prove himself as “a sex symbol.” Before coming out, he was dating women (publicly) and men (privately) trying to decode his own confusion wondering “Am I gay? Am I bisexual? Am I confused?”

One thing he is not confused about is that he was not ‘misleading’ anyone.’

“Sexuality is one complicated thing,” Martin shares with the celebrity magazine. “It’s not black and white. It’s filled with colors. When I was dating women, I was in love with women. It felt right, it felt beautiful.”

At the time, though, the question of his sexuality seemed to hang in the air. Still, Martin intrinsically knew he would come to terms with those questions in his own time.

But there are still moments, before coming out, that haunt him.

Martin recalls a national TV interview with Barbara Walters in 2000 when she asked the question point-blank. “You could stop these rumors,” Walters prodded. “You could say, ‘Yes I am gay or no I’m not.'”

With an almost imperceptible touch of fear in his eyes, Martin found his center and replied, “Barbara, for some reason, I just don’t feel like it.”

Martin says the moment he heard the question, “I felt violated because I was just not ready to come out. I was very afraid.” He adds, “There’s a little PTSD with that.”

Martin eventually came out ten years later in 2010. Looking back now in 2021, with four kids and a husband, Martin says he has considered the question “what would you do differently?”

“Well, maybe I would have come out in that interview,” says the “Livin’ La Vida Loca” singer. “It would’ve been great because when I came out, it just felt amazing. When it comes to my sexuality, when it comes to who I am, I want to talk about what I’m made of, about everything that I am. Because if you hide it, it’s a life-or-death situation.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBgCq5rlS8_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“There are many, many kids out there that don’t have someone to look up to,” Martin says. “All they have around them is people telling them, ‘What you’re feeling is evil.’ But, you can’t force someone to come out. But if you have an egg and you open it from the outside, only death comes out. But if the egg opens up from the inside, life comes out.”

For her part, Walters would later admit regret for urging Martin to come out and how the moment was perceived by the public.

“I pushed Ricky Martin very hard to admit if he was gay or not, and the way he refused to do it made everyone decide that he was,” Walters told the Toronto Star in 2010. “A lot of people say that destroyed his career, and when I think back on it now, I feel it was an inappropriate question.”

Read more of Jason Sheeler’s interview over at PEOPLE. Make sure to pick up this year’s Pride Issue on newsstands Friday.

You can listen to Martin’s interview with Jason Sheeler on this podcast episode of People Every Day:

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News Round-Up: June 2, 2021

Anthony Varrecchia (image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Artist and fitness professional Anthony Varrecchia (above) does the honors in heading up this Hump Day round-up all the way from Key West where he’s enjoying the mood at Island House. Follow him on Instagram here. #woof • HuffPost: On the first day of Pride Month 2021, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill barring transgender females from playing on public school teams intended for student athletes born as girls, plunging the state into the national culture war over transgender rights. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Our veteran NYC-based blogger puts the spotlight on this oh-so-adorbs veterinarian in his ‘Morning Wood’ feature. https://www.instagram.com/p/CNaW43HhWnX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • Yahoo News: Democrat Melanie Stansbury defeated her Republican opponent Mark Moores in the special election to represent New Mexico’s 1st congressional district, a House seat vacated when Deb Haaland was confirmed as President Biden’s Interior secretary. • Politico: The firm that owns the National Enquirer has agreed to pay $187,500 to the Federal Election Commission to settle complaints that it unlawfully aided Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016 by suppressing the story of an actress who said she had a sexual relationship with Trump. • The Daily Beast: Donald Trump’s blog – “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump” – was met with a collective shrug from the public, and is being shut down after just 29 days. Senior Trump aide Jason Miller says the blog has been scuttled and “will not be returning.”

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Which Are The Friskiest Cities In The US?

Two men on a date in the park
Two men on a date in the park
(image via Depositphotos)

As we emerge from the isolation of the pandemic, freshly vaccinated and eager to enjoy the warmer weather, it’s easy to see why folks might be thirsty for human touch.

Let’s face it, there are some frisky folks out there ready to mingle.

Well, the folks at Lawnstarter decided to rank the 200 largest U.S. cities from horniest to least horny based on an overall score averaged across several weighted metrics.

Among those key metrics were: Google searches for Adult Entertainment, access to live Adult Entertainment venues, access to Adult Stores and sex toy sales, sex partner potential, and ‘unprotected sexual activity’ measured by STDs per 100,000 residents.

Where does your city fall on this spicy list?

It may not come as a surprise that Paradise, Nevada, comes in at the top of the list. Paradise is actually the unincorporated town where the most well-known part of ‘Sin City,’ the Las Vegas Strip, lies.

With more sex shops and adult entertainment venues than any other place in the U.S., it’s no wonder Paradise scores the number one spot.

Coming in just behind in the number two and three spots are Orange, California, and Hollywood, Florida. Both clearly have lots of opportunities to enjoy sunshine, sand, bare skin and sweat.

Providence, Rhode Island, scores high in fourth place thanks to ranking #1 in sex toy sales. The number crunchers also note that Providence is a gay mecca, so factor that as you wish.

Top 10 Friskiest Cities: 1 Paradise, NV 2 Orange, CA 3 Hollywood, FL 4 Providence, RI 5 Atlanta, GA 6 Fort Lauderdale, FL 7 Newark, NJ 8 Dayton, OH 9 Tempe, AZ 10 Baltimore, MD

Men's legs intertwined in bed
(stock image via Matton/Gogo)

On the other end of the spectrum, 7 of the 10 least horny cities are in Texas. That includes Plano at #194, Frisco at a not-so-frisky #199, and Midland at – drumroll please – #200.

The stats peeps believe politics might have something to do with the low rankings. They point to Match.com’s recent Singles in America report which indicated 76% of singles need their partner to share their political views. Considering the Lone Star state saw its battleground politics roiling last year, maybe a lot of folks wanted to chill with Netflix alone.

Jackson, Mississippi, which came in 150th overall, garnered the dubious distinction of contracting the most STDs (stats via Innerbody). In fact, 17 of the Top 25 on that list are southern cities.

Bottom 10 Least Frisky Cities: 191 Omaha, NE 192 McKinney, TX 193 Naperville, IL 194 Plano, TX 195 Brownsville, TX 196 Laredo, TX 197 Amarillo, TX 198 Cape Coral, FL 199 Frisco, TX 200 Midland, TX

A few more stats from the survey:

• Most likely to engage in casual sex during the pandemic? Bisexuals with 65% raising their hands

• Nearly 57% of respondents say they plan to have more sex after getting vaccinated

• Almost 46% of respondents say they are comfortable hooking up today versus 15% who are not; 40% said they don’t plan to hook up

• 13.9% said they didn’t have any sex during the pandemic, 58% had only one sexual partner, and 35% overall admitted to engaging in casual sex

Click over to Lawnstarter for the complete breakdown of the survey and rankings. And remember to celebrate National Sex Day on June 9!

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Mother Shoots Her Son While Firing At 6-Month-Old Puppy

Six-month-old Bruno the Boxer

Six-month-old Bruno the Boxer
Six-month-old Bruno the Boxer (screen capture)
A mother accidentally shot her own 5-year-old son in the stomach while aiming at a 6-month-old puppy. The mother, Angelia Mia Vargas, has been charged with deadly conduct with a firearm. From ABC News affiliate KTRK in Houston:

According to neighbors, Vargas, her son, and another family member were riding bikes down the street when a dog ran out.

That dog, named Bruno, is a 6-month-old boxer puppy. Bruno’s owner did not want to appear on camera, but told us what happened.

“I came out of my house because Bruno was barking and barking. I thought my brother was coming,” said the owner, who thought Bruno’s barking was to indicate his brother was at the door. “So, I open the door just a little bit and he comes running out.”

In Ring doorbell video obtained by ABC13, you can see Bruno running out with the owner following immediately behind. The owner can be seen telling the dog to come back in the house. The dog roams out onto the street, and less than a second later, multiple shots rang out. Gunshots were then followed by extended screaming by the little boy’s parents.

Struck in the abdomen by one of three bullets fired, Vargas’s 5-year-old son was rushed to the hospital in stable condition with non-life-threatening wounds, police say. Bruno’s owner told KTRK, “She could have handled it differently. You know, she was there, her husband was there, I was there, nothing would have happened. Nothing bad like that.” If you watch the video, you can see only a few seconds elapsed from the time Bruno ran out the door to when you hear the bullets. Bruno’s owner was issued a Class C misdemeanor citation for having a loose dog. It’s worth noting that the Texas legislature recently passed a new law allowing open carry of handguns without a permit or training.

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Out Music: Wrabel ‘nothing but the love’

Wrabel releases his latest single "nothing but the love"

Wrabel releases his latest single "nothing but the love"
Wrabel (image via Instagram)
The much-anticipated debut full-length album from Wrabel, ‘these words are all for you’, will be released on September 24 via Big Gay Records/Nettwerk, ushering into the world the next chapter from one of modern music’s most celebrated, versatile, powerhouse songwriters and rising artists. The collection, 11 years in the making,  showcases the artist’s masterful writing and acclaimed straight-from-the-heart vocal performances. Whether it’s on tracks like the Billboard-applauded “good”, the beautifully orchestrated “wish you well,” the achingly reminiscent and sonically vast “london,” the hauntingly sparse “don’t pick up the phone” or the new single “nothing but the love,” ‘these words are all for you’ showcases what has made Wrabel a go-to for heart-shattering slice-of-life songwriting about finding love, losing it, and discovering oneself throughout the journey.

Dancer Layne Paradis Willis whirls and twirls in the music video for “nothing but the love” directed by Michael Thomas. “Michael Thomas was such a pleasure to work with on this video.,” says the singer about creating the video. “And Layne Willis, my goodness. I feel so lucky to have gotten to witness your incredible talent up close.” “This song is so close to my heart. The only song I wrote by myself on the record. With Michael’s direction and Layne’s emotive movement, we wanted to show that someone or something is showing me how to express myself, showing me the flow of expression. To mirror the love I am so grateful to have found.” Wrabel has announced a short, intimate run of live dates,  nothing but the piano tour, which includes a stop at NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge and an album release show at LA’s The Regent Theater this late summer/early fall. Wrabel will also perform this Sunday, June 6, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as part of the OutLoud: Raising Voices festival. Follow Wrabel on Instagram here. https://www.instagram.com/p/CPoChVKtsot/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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News Round-Up: June 1, 2021

(image via Twitter)
Some news items you might have missed: • Pink News: Grindr announced last week it is the new sponsor for French professional rugby club Biarritz Olympique (above photo). In the app’s iconic black and yellow color scheme the jerseys will be worn by the French Pro Division Two team in the 2021/22 season. • POSE: How does it feel to be represented on screen? As Pride Month kicks off, the cast of the acclaimed FX series POSE shares the importance of representation in the path toward progress.

• CNN: The Pentagon is reviewing a policy instituted last year that limits which flags can be displayed at military bases. If changes are made to the current policy it could open the door to allowing the rainbow Pride flag to be displayed. • WTOL: A video that has gone viral shows 14-year-old Tristan Torrez being attacked by a bully on the bleachers at his school. In the video, Tristan is grabbed from behind and pulled backward down the bleachers before the bully took the rainbow flag Tristan was wearing and beat him with it.

• NBC News: Dozens of constitutional experts are sending a letter telling congressional leaders they have the authority to make the nation’s capital the 51st state. They argue that there is “no constitutional barrier” to the District’s “entering the Union through a congressional proclamation” just like the 37 other states that have been admitted since the Constitution was adopted. • Sacramento: A pair of white straight ‘Karens’ (top image) demanded that a queer black woman stop kissing her girlfriend in a hotel pool because “there were children present!“ You’ll note it’s the white women using f-bombs during the encounter even though “there were children present.” According to the poster, other (straight/white) couples in the pool were showing PDA, but they only insisted that only black queer woman stop. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CPlEjOBDrAI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link