LGBTQ news and entertainment
Shawn Ashmore, the actor who plays the X-Men’s “Iceman” in the film series, tweeted his congrats to his comic book counterpart on being openly gay:
Congrats Bobby! 🙂 https://t.co/yiWcZTq1h4
— Shawn R Ashmore (@ShawnRAshmore) April 21, 2015
@HuffingtonPost Well that complicates things for the film version. Your thoughts @ShawnRAshmore?
— Michael Schaeffer (@MIKESCHAEFF) April 22, 2015
Life is complicated… https://t.co/x4AYpL8Q2q
— Shawn R Ashmore (@ShawnRAshmore) April 22, 2015
Leaked pages from All-New X-Men #40 before its official release on Wednesday show a new storyline development when Jean Grey outs a young Bobby Drake:
The comic series centers around the five young original X-Men (Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman and Jean Grey) who time travel to the present day and fight alongside new members of the team.
In the leaked pages, Iceman, who fans have long-speculated to be gay, is outed by pyshic Jean Grey.
The redhead calls him aside and asks him why he told a female professor she is ‘hot’ when he is gay.
The icy mutant denies it, but she reminds him that she can read his mind.
He wonders how he can be gay when is older self is straight, but Jean assures him that he’s ‘full gay.’
Iceman then asks if she thinks their teammate Angel is gay.
When she says no, Ice Man responds, ‘He’s too pretty anyhow.’
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| Photo by Erik Hall |
Sports writer Erik Hall does a great job chronicling Colorado State track star Andrew Goodman’s coming out journey over at Outsports.
Weaving in and out of the years long coming out process was the impact that coming out actually had on Goodman’s sport.
Via Outsports:
The morning of his final college cross country race, Andrew Goodman arranged his spikes and running bib to take a picture. He wrote earlier in the week a two-word phrase on the outside arch of his black and yellow shoes using a rainbow of color markers. His competitors would see the phrase as they chased him, but the phrase was intended for him.
#BeTrue
Goodman, a Colorado State distance runner, posted the photo on social media before competing at the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships in November. Until that morning, Goodman always separated being gay and an athlete.
” ‘You didn’t run well because you’re a gay boy and you like boys, so you’re not as tough.’ That sort of mentality is one of things that I hesitated about for the longest (time) and kept me from it,” Goodman says. “You don’t want to be viewed in a different light.”
Using the phrase Nike adopted for its LGBT inspired clothing line, the 22-year-old embraced being different.
Really excellent read. Congrats to both Hall and Goodman for sharing this personal trek. Read the entire essay on Outsports.
TMZ Sports is reporting that they have spoken to a “bisexual NFL player” who’s “offended” because out NFL-er Michael Sam said other gay men in the league are less courageous because they don’t want to come out.
The player — who didn’t want to be identified by name — has played in the league for several seasons and says he’s open about his sexuality with close friends.
But when the player read Sam’s recent comments about gay men in the league — he was offended.
Specifically, the player was upset when Sam said … “I respect the players that did reach out to me and had the courage to tell me that they were also gay, but they do not have the same courage as I do to come out before I even played a down in the NFL.”
The player’s response — “As a bisexual man, I just feel like Michael Sam does not speak for all gay men.”
“He has his own opinion … but DON’T say that we don’t have the courage to come out. It’s totally wrong. Just speak for yourself. No one else.”
I think it goes without saying that if you’re accused of not having the courage to come out, and then you don’t while giving a news outlet an interview, you’ve basically proven Michael Sam right.
The unnamed player added that “the NFL isn’t ready for people to be open about it. Or the General Managers for that matter.”
Mr. Anonymous also threw out a final swipe at Sam, saying that he had his chance, but, “I just don’t think he performed well.”
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| Mike Pucillo |
Mike Pucillo, three-time All-American and 2008 NCAA Wrestling champ, recently made the liberating decision to come out.
First telling his best friend, and then his parents, Piccolo says he struggled with his sexuality for years. He says he spent his high school years hoping he wasn’t gay.
Just a bit of his story from TheOpenMat.com:
“I’ve always known, I guess,” said Pucillo, who came out to his parents and a close circle of friends a little more than a year ago. “You try to not think that’s what it really is, so I just tried to say it was nothing. Then you start to realize it’s not really nothing.”
“It may have taken me 26 years to realize that maybe I can play a bigger role in somebody else’s life and help somebody else’s life like Robbie Rogers or (Goldstein did).”
“If I can do that for one person, it’s worth it for everybody out there to know my story. … I know there’s going to be people that don’t like it. To those people, I would say, ‘I’ve spent 26 years being uncomfortable. It’s not my problem anymore.
“The only reason why I feel it’s important to tell my story is I know there are a lot of other people out there that are like me who are in high school or about to go into college, whether it’s wrestling or football or baseball or basketball or not in any sport, who are struggling with it,” he said. “The more stories they hear about it, the easier it is for them.”
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| Soon-to-be-former Congressman Aaron Schock |
“I don’t know a lot of straight guys who go to the gym and parade around with their shirts off. Generally gay men do that to attract other men.”
– Barney Frank speaking to the rumors regarding the sexuality of soon-to-be-former Congressman Aaron Schock
Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) joined yesterday’s “Meet the Press” with Chuck Todd to discuss his new memoir, “Frank.”
During the appearance, Frank said things have gotten better for gays because we “stopped hiding:”
“Well, I tell you, our reality as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender people beat the prejudice. I mean, the central mechanism is that we stopped hiding. And it turns out we weren’t what the stereotype was. But clearly, there was a point when the notion that I could get married to Jim while I was still in Congress would’ve been the most bizarre possibility.
“I remember the time I got married, someone said, “Well, would it be controversial if you got married while you were still in Congress?” And the answer was, yes it was. A lot of my colleagues were mad that they didn’t get invited. So our reality is that. On the other side, I think the fundamental issue, and it does go back to a Clinton campaign statement, “It’s the economy, stupid.””
Ellen shares this backstage clip with Empire star Jussie Smollett:
“It was really important to me to make sure that it got across that there is no closet.”
“There’s never been a closet. That I’ve been in. I don’t own a closet, I got a dresser, but I don’t have a closet, but I have a home and that is my responsibility to protect that home.
“So that’s why I choose not to talk bout my personal life. But there is, without a doubt, no closet that I’ve ever been in, and I just wanted to make that clear, but it was most important for me to make that clear to you on your show at this time in the world. And that’s where I’m at.”
The backstage sit-down followed his appearance on the show where he briefly alluded to his personal life when asked a question about his Empire character “Jamal Lyons'” coming out.
Interesting that he didn’t just say “I’m gay. No worries.” Language is important, and usually thoughtfully considered in these cases. It seems like he specifically avoided the words.
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| Michael Sam accepts the Upstander Award at the HRC Time To THRIVE Conference |
At the 2015 Time To THRIVE Conference in Portland, Oregon, out professional football player Michael Sam received the Upstander Award for his inspiration to LGBT youth around the world.
The conference promotes inclusion and well-being for LGBT youth.
Excerpts from his inspiring speech:
On growing up poor, with no family support emotionally:
“I grew up poor, I grew up afraid, I grew up alone. There was 8 members of my family. Out of 8 only 5 are still living. Two are currently in prison, the other two are working class Americans. I grew up afraid because the people I was supposed to love supposed to have my back, supposed to tell me that it’s ok I’m here for you – I didn’t have that. I grew up alone. The people who were supposed to be there for me weren’t. I looked to football and sports to be my sanctuary.”
On having no regrets on coming out before the NFL draft:
“I didn’t want to be ashamed of myself when I come home and I see Vito and look him in the face and lie to myself – and I was like ‘Vito I’m gay to you but only in closed doors but I’m not gay to the world’. I manned up and a couple days ago we celebrated my first anniversary of me being comfortable with who I am and I’m proud of myself. I have no regrets.”
Watch the full speech below.
Twitter-land is apparently agog today over a short six second Vine that would appear to show One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson “coming out” as he enters an elevator at his hotel this weekend in Australia.
Via Vocativ:
A single, barely audible Vine video has fuelled rumors that Louis Tomlinson of One Direction is gay, and sparked an enormous frenzy of Twitter speculation. In less than 10 hours, fans posted over 285,000 tweets with the new hashtag #ImGayItsPrettyUnfortunate.
Last night a One Direction fan, who calls herself Amber Almighty, posted a Vine video of band member Louis Tomlinson. The shaky audio from this video is nearly impossible to understand. However, Amber claims the singer said “I’m gay, it’s pretty unfortunate,” (which she later slowed down and changed to “I’m gay, it’s pretty important.”) Even though Tomlinson quoshed similar rumors in the past, insisting he is straight, once more Twitter has erupted in delirium over the singer’s sexuality.
Coincidentally, Tomlinson recently changed his Twitter picture to an anonymous egg and supposedly unfollowed One Direction’s management, fueling rumors that his “coming out” caused conflict with the band’s management. Fans on Twitter replied passionately, promising their support and denouncing anyone threatening to “leave the fandom” if Tomlinson’s homosexuality was confirmed.
Here’s the original Vine, followed by another version a user says they “slowed down” to hear more clearly.
At the end of the day, does anyone really care?
Straight or gay, just be yourself, Louis.