Tag: coming out

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News Round-Up: April 16, 2021

Some news items you might have missed: • Instagram: Not everyone is celebrating ‘Bachelor’ star Colton Underwood getting a Netflix series that will follow his new life as an openly gay man after coming out this week. When Attitude Magazine posted the news (above), pop star Adam Lambert chimed in, “No one is feeling this Netflix.” And out former rugby star Keegan Hirst wrote, “Monetising coming out. Oh dear. Not a good look.” • Kenneth-in-the-212: Check out Kenneth’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in LGBTQ publications like this week’s GRAB Magazine featuring singer/songwriter Dodie.

(image via GRAB Magazine)
• PBS: A new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll found two-thirds of Americans (66%) oppose laws that would limit transgender rights. That opposition includes majorities of every political ideology from liberal to conservative and every age group. • CBC: A gym in Quebec City has become one of the largest recorded COVID-19 super-spreading events in Canada as 224 cases have been traced directly to the gym as well as another 356 related cases. The gym owner, a pandemic denier, shared social media posts that questioned the effectiveness of masks and minimized the dangers of COVID-19.

• Instinct Magazine: A straight man began sharing pics of his enormous penis on Twitter during the pandemic, and now says he identifies as bisexual following all the attention he garnered from gay followers. “I think if I met the right one, and got to know and like and trust him, I might find the courage to… explore.” • NBC News: A new bill in the Texas Senate aims to redefine child abuse to include parents who consent to hormone therapy and puberty blockers for their transgender children. The legislation would make such acts a felony. • Pink News: A student was caught on video tearing down a Pride flag that hung along a stairwell at Ridgeline High School in Cache County, Utah, on Tuesday. It had been placed by officials to celebrate the school’s Gay Straight Alliance during diversity week, alongside flags from various countries.

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Gus Kenworthy Will Be Colton Underwood’s ‘Gay Guide’ On Netflix Series

Gus Kenworthy will serve as a 'gay guide' to newly-out Colton Underwood on new Netflix reality series
Gus Kenworthy will serve as a 'gay guide' to newly-out Colton Underwood on new Netflix reality series
L-R Colton Underwood, Gus Kenworthy (via screen cap, Instagram)

Former Bachelor star Colton Underwood, who came out as gay during an interview on Good Morning America Wednesday morning, is getting his own Netflix reality show.

The unscripted series, according to Variety, will focus on Underwood learning to navigate living his life as an out gay man.

While Netflix shared no details about the multi-episode series, an insider says out Olympic medalist Gus Kenworthy will participate as a ‘gay guide’ of sorts as Underwood explores being a part of the LGBTQ community.

In that Underwood is a former NFL football player, and Kenworthy is a decorated free-style skier, it’s easy to imagine some discussion will be had on coming to grips with being gay while competing in such hyper-masculine sports.

No word on when the series will debut but the Netflix insider says the project is currently shooting.

Reality TV seems to be in Underwood’s blood as he’s been a big part of ‘Bachelor Nation’ for the past few years having taken part in The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, and then eventually being cast as The Bachelor.

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

In his interview with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts, you could hear the nerves in Underwood’s voice as he shared he’s “run from myself for a long time” and “hated myself for a long time” before coming to the words, “I’m gay.”

“I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing all of that,” he added. “The next step in all of this was sort of letting people know.”

The 29-year-old also offered advice to anyone struggling with coming out saying, “When the time’s right and you’re ready, do it on your own time.”

Many on social media offered their support to Underwood including out celebs Andy Cohen, Billy Eichner, and Dan Levy.

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Colton Underwood Of ‘The Bachelor’ Comes Out In Emotional Interview

Colton Underwood of 'The Bachelor' comes out as gay

Colton Underwood of 'The Bachelor' comes out as gay Former ‘Bachelor’ star Colton Underwood came out as gay in an interview with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts this morning. Underwood, who was a former pro football player prior to his time on ‘The Bachelor,’ said the past year of pandemic quarantine led to face some truths about himself. From GMA:

“I’ve ran from myself for a long time. I’ve hated myself for a long time,” Underwood told Roberts in a pre-taped chat. “And I’m gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know.”

“I’m still nervous, but yeah,” he continued. “It’s been a journey for sure.”

Underwood said he finally got to a place where he could be honest with himself after 2020, the year that turned everyone’s lives upside down, and made people “look at themselves in the mirror and figure out who they are and what they’ve been running from or what they’ve been putting off in their lives.”

When Roberts, who is also openly gay, said she could “see the joy” and “see the relief” in Underwood, he said he was “emotional in, like such a good, happy, positive way,” and is “the happiest and healthiest” he’s ever been.

The nervousness in Underwood’s voice is palpable as he gets to the words “I’m gay.” Having gone through my own coming out process years ago, I immediately felt that rush of nerves and emotion that happens for people in that moment. And then I tried to imagine being someone known by millions and handling such a personal life episode in such a public forum. Bachelor Nation, as the fandom of the franchise is called, first met Underwood when he was a contestant during the 14th season of “The Bachelorette” in 2018. He reappeared on the 4th season of “Bachelor in Paradise,” and was then the lead of season 23 of ‘The Bachelor’ were he was famously nicknamed the ‘Virgin Bachelor.’ “I fully was a virgin before that, and I could never give anybody a good enough answer about why I was a virgin,” says Underwood about  his “Virgin Bachelor” status during his time on the show. “The truth is I was the ‘Virgin Bachelor’ because I was gay, and I didn’t know how to handle it.”

Colton Underwood sits down with GMA's Robin Roberts
Colton Underwood sits down with GMA’s Robin Roberts
Since his time on the show, Underwood continued to give interviews saying ‘The Bachelor’ helped him realize that he was not gay after many in his life had questioned if he were gay since he was a football player and a virgin. Last year, he released his book The First Time: Finding Myself and Looking for Love on Reality TV where he shared having questioned his sexuality through his teen years, after relentless bullying from teammates. In the book,  he remembers searching online “Am I gay?” as far back as elementary school. Today, it seems Colton Underwood has moved past those personal demons. “I’m still the same Colton everybody met on TV. I’m still the same Colton to my friends and my family, I just happen to be able to share with people now all of me,” he tells Roberts. “And I am proud of that, you know? I am proud to be gay.”  

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Review: MOFFIE Scores Amid Testosterone, Tension & Toxic Masculinity

Kai Luke Brummer in 'Moffie'
Kai Luke Brummer in 'Moffie'
Kai Luke Brummer in ‘Moffie’ (images via official website)

Set in South Africa in the early 1980s, Moffie follows Nicholas (Kai Luke Brummer), who dutifully leaves home to serve a mandatory stretch of military service as required of all white men over 16-year-old at the time.

The title of the film comes from the Afrikaans derogatory term for gay men.

Nicholas is shipped off to boot camp where life is brutal, bleak, and harsh. As he and his fellow grunts prepare to defend the Apartheid regime from a conflict at the Angolian border, Nicholas contends with survival in an environment that reeks of toxic racism, homophobia and machismo.

All while quietly coming to terms with his burgeoning homosexuality.

Kai Luke Brummer in 'Moffie'
Kai Luke Brummer in ‘Moffie’

As we’ve seen in previous military movies, the new recruits’ basic training is humiliating and violent on both physical and psychological levels.

Drill Sergeant Brand (Hilton Pelser) takes the hyper-masculine environment to levels reminiscent of R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket.

The direction by Oliver Hermanus is taut and sensitive as he artfully plays elements of the film against each other.

During a barracks game of ‘spin the bottle’ where those chosen by fate must fight for the entertainment of the other soldiers, Hermanus offers a classical fugue as sonic soundscape in contrast with the bare-knuckle brawling.

A scene from 'Moffie'
A scene from ‘Moffie’

Throughout the film, Hermanus deftly balances scenes of war and brutal machismo with momentary touches of intimacy and humanity. The screenplay (by Hermanus and Jack Sidey) displays an economy of dialogue allowing the actors to express achingly tender moments of sensitivity.

In one episode where the soldiers are forced to dig (and then sleep) in trenches during a nighttime downpour, Nicholas’s fellow grunt Dylan Stassen (Ryan de Villiers) convinces him to huddle together under a blanket to keep warm. While the moment leads to a mere brush of Stassen’s hand on Nicholas’s face, the sexual tension is palpable.

Brummer is especially impressive in his first major screen role offering a compelling and continually nuanced performance.

Matthew Vey and Kai Luke Brummer in ‘Moffie’

Additionally, the riveting score by Braam du Toit and gorgeous cinematography by Jamie Ramsay become almost full-fledged characters in the film’s storytelling.

I’ll warn readers that the beginning of the film can be difficult to watch as Hermanus sets the tone and emotional scale of harsh journey ahead. Ultimately, the film – built on testosterone, tension, and trauma – resolves with a surprisingly delicate touch.

The BAFTA nominated film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 and was released in South Africa two weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic closed cinemas there.

Moffie is available in select theaters and digital streaming sites in the U.S. today.

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News Round-Up: April 5, 2021

Lil Nas X hits #1 again with "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)"

Lil Nas X hits #1 again with "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)"
Lil Nas X (screen capture)
Some news items you might have missed: • Billboard: Lil Nas X’s latest single, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. This marks his second Hot 100 #1 after his breakthrough smash “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, reigned for a record 19 weeks in 2019. • The Advocate: Kate Winslet is speaking out against the “judgment, discrimination, and homophobia” in Hollywood that is preventing actors from coming out. The Ammonite star said she knew “at least four actors” that are staying in the closet due to fears that being out would hurt their careers. • Gr8erDays: Today would have been the 113th birthday of gay icon Bette Davis, plus a host of other top-shelf stars catalogued by pop culture guru Matt Rettenmund. https://www.instagram.com/p/CNQoKUMhlO5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • Instinct Magazine: A staffer in Australia’s Parliament was fired last week after after sex tapes recorded within its halls involving him were leaked to the press by his former boyfriend. • Washington Post: A record 4 million Americans were vaccinated against COVID-19 on Saturday. An average of 3.1 million shots were administered each day over the past seven days, and nearly 1 in 4 adults are now fully vaccinated. • Twitter: United Airlines weighed in today on the topic of Georgia’s new voter suppression law: “Legislation that infringes on the right to vote of fellow Americans is wrong.” p.s. Republicans got mad…

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Out Music: kate gill “ken&barbie”

Screen capture from 'ken&barbie'

Screen capture from 'ken&barbie' kate gill is a 20-year-old singer-songwriter hailing from Queensland, Australia. She garnered a following on TikTok of over half a million followers from singing acoustic covers of pop songs including “A.M.” by One Direction, “The One That Got Away” by Katy Perry, and “Love Story” by Taylor Swift. kate was inspired to write “ken&barbie” after hearing the story of how her best friend came out and struggled with his sexuality growing up. The original TikTok of kate singing the track has over 4M views to date and almost 30k original videos made. You’ll note in the music video (over 123,000 views to date) the lyrics relating to the parents’ admonishments have a dull, grey background. But when kate sings the boy doesn’t have to explain himself, color returns to the screen.

Just a few remarks from the over-500 comments made on the YouTube page:

“This hurts so deeply because it’s so accurate I can’t”

“I’m bisexual and I am currently in love with a boy. But my parents are religious people and my dad is a pastor. It’s just hard knowing that they are homophobic. This song is literally breaking me apart, but I somehow find comfort in it. Thank you”

“I am straight and I have a lot of friends who are Bi. To be honest, this song hurts me. I can’t imagine the struggles they had to face ALONE because they had no one to actually listen and understand them. Y’all, chin up :(( You can do this!!”

“I’m subconsciously obsessed with this song”

“’17 years old feeling like a stranger at home’ damn that get me”

“I relate to this so much that it hurts, for about 9 years my mother has pushed being straight on me (I’ve not came out yet) she would always say that she wouldn’t hate us if we were gay but, she would be disappointed and cry asking what she did wrong. I work myself up to coming out to her and she ends up saying something weird about gay people and makes me take the decision back.”

Hit the play button and take a listen. You can download/stream “ken&barbie” here. Cover art for kate gill's "ken&barbie"

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News Round-Up: March 30, 2021

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks to reporters (screen capture)
Some news items you might have missed: • New York Times: GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida (above) is being investigated by the Justice Department over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him. Investigators are examining whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws. Gaetz told Axios today that he has been “generous as a partner.” • Kenneth-in-the-212: The ‘Morning Wood’ series on KIT212 is always worth the click. Eye-candy is good for the soul 🙂 • American Greatness: The right wing site calls out Donald Trump’s post-election fund raising which continues to rake in huge piles of cash, but very little of that money has gone toward the causes for which donors believe they are giving. • Instagram: BMX pro Corey Walsh has become one of the few professional bikers to come out as gay. In a touching post, he shared how he’s struggled for years with his sexuality. p.s. his family and friends have apparently been awesome.  https://www.instagram.com/p/CNAkMW2hw0a/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • CNN: Major Biden, the first rescue dog to live in the White House, has had another small ‘nipping’ incident while out on the White House South Lawn. #PoorDoggie • BroadwayWorld: The Drama League has announced the 2021 Nominees for The 87th Annual Drama League Awards. This year the organization has established five unique categories to honor the extraordinary achievements of artists across the nation who created digital and socially-distanced theatrical productions during this challenging year of suspension for live arts. • Logo: Emmy-winning actor and activist Billy Porter has returned for the third year in a row to deliver Logo’s 2021 LGBTQ State of the Union, a rousing speech assessing the status of LGBTQ acceptance and equality in the United States. Needless to say, a lot has changed in the past year. Between the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and the nation’s new presidential administration, Porter had plenty of ground to cover.

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News Round-Up: March 24, 2021

Megan Thee Stallion and Adam Levine in 'Beautiful Mistakes'

Megan Thee Stallion and Adam Levine in 'Beautiful Mistakes'
Megan Thee Stallion and Adam Levine in ‘Beautiful Mistakes’
Some news items you might have missed: • Instinct Magazine: Paul Bettany, who plays the android Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Avengers films, recently told Conan O’Brien that during the making of 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, director Joss Whedon became a bit obsessed with the scene of the Vision being born naked and sporting full-on peen. • New Music: SoCal’s iconic donut shop, Randy’s Donuts, has teamed up with Maroon 5 to create a limited-edition donut box and custom donut, in conjunction with the band’s new video for hit single, “Beautiful Mistakes” and its numerous odes to donuts. Directed by Sophie Muller, the “Beautiful Mistakes”music video takes viewers on an archetypal LA drive, which turns it into a surreal fantasy with a colorful world of flying cars, donuts and a dreamlike narrative. #YouHadMeAtRandy

• Williams Institute: As Republicans push back on Democrats intentions to make Washington, D.C. a state, it’s worth noting that the District has the largest per capita LGBTQ population in the country and 47% of the residents are Black. Also, D.C. has a larger population than Vermont or Wyoming. • Stonewall Gazette: In a recent interview, actor Ronen Rubinstein (9-1-1: Lone Star) recently shared that he identifies as ‘part of the LGBTQ community.’ Rubinstein plays out character TK Strand on the hit TV series. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMkcOuaDjSD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • Data For Progress: Voters across the ideological spectrum overwhelmingly support an 8-year pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who pass a background check – 69% support versus 25% oppose. • NPR: The co-founder and former CEO of Parler has sued the conservative social media platform over his firing this year. John Matze claims Parler’s leadership took away his 40% stake in the company in an “arrogant theft,” intimidated and bullied him in an ouster he says was illegal and left him owed millions of dollars. • Variety: A holiday-themed romantic comedy centered on gay men is coming to Netflix. Single All The Way will star Michael Urie, Philemon Chambers and Luke MacFarlane. Synopsis: Desperate to avoid his family’s judgment about his perpetual single status, Peter (Urie) convinces his best friend Nick (Chambers) to join him for the holidays and pretend that they’re now in a relationship. But when Peter’s mother sets him up on a blind date with her handsome trainer James (MacFarlane), the plan goes awry.

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Podcast: Captain America, Japan & Marriage Equality, The LGBTQ Tribe Takes The Call

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s podcast: • Japan takes a baby step towards marriage equality • A transgender student won a large settlement in his discrimination lawsuit against a school district in Minnesota • A pharmacist came to the aid of LGBTQ seniors in Brooklyn • New polling shows strong support for the Equality Act • Marvel Comics has announced a gay Captain America on the way • And the LGBTQ tribe answers the call – link to Twitter thread here. All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report podcast

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Podcast: Country Star TJ Osborne Comes Out, Pete Buttigieg & More

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this episode of The Randy Report podcast: • Country music star TJ Osborne comes out as gay • Pete Buttigieg becomes first openly gay White House Cabinet member approved by the Senate • President Biden issues memorandum promoting/protecting LGBTQ rights abroad • Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says passing The Equality Act is a “priority” • A white Florida man shoots and kills his Black lover but only gets one year in prison • Out singer/songwriter John Duff drops his latest pop bop, “Do It” All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report You can subscribe/listen to The Randy Report on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud and wherever you find your favorite podcasts. If you enjoy catching up on LGBTQ news in a quick podcast, please consider sharing with your friends or on social media 🙂