Tag: documentary

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News Round-Up: May 3, 2022

In light of the leaked draft of a Supreme Court ruling prepped to overturn Roe v. Wade, many predict LGBTQ rights are next on the Republican chopping block Some news items you might have missed: • The Advocate: Last fall, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas opened the Supreme Court’s term by calling for the overturning of its 2015 ruling that established marriage equality nationwide. Now we hear another case about personal privacy/private life is about to be overturned. Continue reading “News Round-Up: May 3, 2022”

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Podcast: TJ Osborne At The CMAs, New Documentary ‘Mayor Pete’ & More

The Randy Report podcast

In this week’s podcast: • TJ Osborne at the CMAs this year made history  kissing his boyfriend on live TV as Brothers Osborne won the Vocal Duo of the Year honors. • A new study from the Human Rights Campaign shows LGBTQ people are much more likely to get vaccinated than the general population. Continue reading “Podcast: TJ Osborne At The CMAs, New Documentary ‘Mayor Pete’ & More”

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What To Watch: ‘Through The Windows’ On Revry

A still from the terrific documentary "Through the Windows"

I highly recommend the terrific documentary, Through The Windows, currently streaming on the LGBTQ+ streaming platform Revry. The film tells the story of San Francisco’s Twin Peaks Tavern, the bar that changed the face of the gay community in the 70’s by opening its windows, and the men who dared to be seen. Continue reading “What To Watch: ‘Through The Windows’ On Revry”

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Free Screening Of HIV Doc ‘5B’ Hosted By Billy Porter

Join Billy Porter for a free viewing of the acclaimed documentary 5B followed by a chat with

Join Billy Porter for a free viewing of the acclaimed documentary '5B' followed by a chat with health experts about the effects and parallels of the AIDS and COVID pandemics
Tony/Emmy/Grammy Award winner Billy Porter
On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the first AIDS diagnosis, the world remains caught in the grips of another frightening health epidemic – COVID. Today, June 24, from 6:00-8:30PM EST, activist and actor Billy Porter – who just recently shared his own HIV diagnosis with the world – will join Michael Sneed, Johnson & Johnson’s EVP of Global Cultural Affairs (which in addition to helping the world fight COVID, is currently working on a HIV vaccine) for a free special screening of the award-winning documentary 5B.  The acclaimed documentary chronicles the stories of the heroic nurses who risked their lives to found the World’s first AIDS Ward. Following the screening, Porter will chat with 5B nurse Alison Moëd Paolercio, and author Rebecca Love RN to discuss the disproportionate toll that epidemics and pandemics take on at-risk communities, the parallels between the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 crises, and the role of nurses in driving healthcare change. People can register here for the webinar. Not able to join the event? Visit 5Bfilm.com to find out where to stream the movie and, after the event, view the archived fireside chat at https://nursing.jnj.com/5B-fireside-chat-with-billy-porter. Here’s the official trailer for 5B:

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Demi Lovato’s New Docu-Series ‘Dancing With The Devil’

Actress and pop star Demi Lovato
Actress and pop star Demi Lovato
Actress and pop star Demi Lovato (screen capture)

Actress and recording artist Demi Lovato premiered the trailer for her upcoming YouTube Originals documentary series, Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil, on Wednesday.

The four-part series takes a deep dive into not only the circumstances that led up to her nearly fatal drug overdose in 2018, but the effects it had on Lovato’s life after being hospitalized.

In a voiceover, Lovato explains she’s had “so much to say over the past two years wanting to set the record straight about what it was that happened.”

Friends and family taking part in the docu-series express their surprise that Lovato really wants to go there.

One friend exclaims, “I can’t believe y’all are doing this.”

Another: “Are we talking about heroin? Are we doing that?”

Elton John
Elton John in ‘Dancing with the Devil’

International pop-star Elton John, who knows a few things about fame and addiction, appears in the preview telling the audience, “When you’re young and you’re famous – my god it’s tough.”

In a candid disclosure, the 28-year-old reveals she had three strokes and a heart attack in the hospital.

“I was left with brain damage, and I still deal with the effects of that today,” she told reporters during a Television Critics Association panel on Wednesday. “I don’t drive a car because I have blind spots on my vision.”

“And I also for a long time had a really hard time reading,” she adds. “It was a big deal when I was able to read out of a book, which was like two months later because my vision was so blurry.”

Lovato, who came out as sexually fluid in 2018, shares that hosting The Ellen DeGeneres Show last year “was the catalyst for my need and desire to express myself and my story to the fullest extent.” “I knew that one appearance on a television show wasn’t going to cut it, I was not going to be able to share my whole story in one interview whether it was with a magazine or whatever it is,” continued Lovato. “That’s why I wanted to turn it into a documentary.”

Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato in ‘Dancing with the Devil’ (screen capture)

Speaking to PEOPLE Magazine, the singer acknowledged that despite the difficult aftermath of the overdose being a painful journey, looking back today she “wouldn’t change a thing.”

“I get sad when I think of the pain that I had to endure to overcome what I have, but I don’t regret anything.”

“I’m so proud of the person I am today,” she added. “And I’m so proud that people get to see it in this documentary and I couldn’t be more grateful that I had someone by my side.”

The pop star has released two previous documentary films. Demi Lovato: Stay Strong in 2012 after her first stint in rehab, and Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated in 2017 which chronicled her struggles with bi-polar disorder and continuing addiction. Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil premieres March 23 on YouTube.

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Documentary: How Straight Couple Became Biggest Distributors Of Gay Porn In US

Karen and Barry Mason (screen capture)
For more than 35 years, the Circus of Books bookstore was a place where Los Angeles LGBTQ people could socialize and celebrate themselves without judgment. Not just ‘a book store,’ the retail venue was a gay porn emporium run by a straight, mainstream Jewish couple – Barry and Karen Mason – whose three children attended religious schools and were unaware for a long time about the nature of their parents’ business. Executive produced by Ryan Murphy for Netflix, Circus of Books is now a new documentary set to drop on April 22. The project is the debut film from Rachel Mason, one of the children of the owners. In the newly-released trailer, which alternates between interview soundbites and clips from vintage gay porn, one of the Mason children shares, “We were just kept completely in the dark.” “If anyone asked what our parents did, the official answer was ‘We own a book store,’” added another. “In the 1980s, we were probably the biggest distributors of hard-core gay films in the United States, but I never felt free to let anybody know what we did,” says Karen in the trailer.
(screen capture)
The conflict was due to the family’s attendance at a “stuffy, conservative synagogue” and having a business that sold gay porn and sex paraphernalia to the LGBTQ community. According to press materials, the Masons didn’t set out to be gay activists, just “everyday entrepreneurs.” But then came the AIDS crisis and the Masons found they were losing employees to the epidemic. Phoning the parents of those employees, they realized how marginalized so many LGBTQ people were as many responded to the news with “I never want to see them again.” And so, the Masons became accidental activists recognizing the humanity in their customers. One former patron shares to the camera, “Circus of Books was my first glimpse into the fact that I wasn’t alone as a gay person.” Another: “This book store, it kept me out of harm’s way.” “I think what we did was small, human kindnesses in a very small way,” says Karen Mason in an interview clip. Check out the trailer below, and mark your calendar for the April 22 release of Circus of Books on Netflix.

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Documentary Explores Impact Of International Male On Men’s Fashions & Masculinity

(Image via Facebook)
The upcoming documentary, All Man: The International Male Story, takes you beyond the glossy pages of the iconic, men’s mail-order fashion catalog, exposing its impact on fashion, sexuality and masculinity in America. From the official synopsis:

More than outrageous fashions, hunky models, and scandalous undies, ALL MAN is a journey across three decades of the International Male catalog’s lasting impact on fashion, masculinity, and gay rights.

With revenues at its peak of $120 million and circulation of over 3 million, the catalog successfully appealed to both gay and straight audiences.

For gay men, the images of sensually dressed men were a gateway into a fantasy world providing an escape from the AIDS crisis and widespread homophobia.

For straight men and their female admirers, the catalog gave permission to take fashion risks and enjoy a more carefree expression of sexuality without threatening their masculinity and sexual appeal.

ALL MAN: The International Male Story is designed as a tribute to the catalog’s unique aesthetic and cultural relevance. The film mixes exclusive never-seen-before photographs and videos, interviews with super fans and celebrities, and creative re-enactments of the infamous photoshoots, and more!

The cast includes Carson Kressley, Jake Shears, Brian Buzzini, David Knight, Steve Lyon, and Robert Goold. Speaking to NewNowNext, the film’s directors Jesse Finley Reed and Bryan Darling share that International Male helped give men permission “to look at each other and themselves in a way where sexuality is open and the body is something to be celebrated and looked at.” As Carson Kressley says in the teaser video below, “International Male really capitalized on putting masculine guys in some pretty ‘not’ masculine outfits. The very start of the metrosexual movement – where you can wear clothes just to have fun.” I can remember when the IM catalogs were practically seen as gay porn hiding as a fashion catalog. I also remember when the clothes featured by International Male eventually went so over the top they became something of a joke making their way into primetime TV sitcoms like Seinfeld (above). You can find more information about the upcoming film at the project’s website here. Watch the teaser video below.