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BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE
W H E R E W O R D S F A I L , M U S I C S P E A K S

Let's cast our minds back to the autumn of 1995. 2 Unlimited had already released the last single from their third album, and were embarking on a victory lap with greatest hits collection, Hits Unlimited. The album contained three new songs, including lead single Do What's Good For Me, of which Billboard magazine wrote: "The ongoing wave of pop-NRG dance acts enjoying radio prominence owes a massive debt to this ever-hot European duo for getting the party started. Sadly, the act has yet to achieve U.S. success à la such offspring as Real McCoy, but this jumpy li'l jam could easily change that. The bassline throbs infectiously, while the interplay of male rapping and female singing pops with palpable chemistry."

Do What's Good For Me is out now.
Hits Unlimited is out now.

Left &
Found

Long read

Ordinary person, wild radical. "Seventeen years before the Stonewall Riots, Dale Jennings proclaimed to a California court that he was a homosexual. It was the first glimmer of a civil rights revolution. This is the story of an unsung, and reluctant, hero."

Pride has changed the world for LGBT+ people. Long may it continue. "Since 1972, Pride’s joyful form of protest has become a liberating force. This year we stand with persecuted Russian LGBT+ people."

It's time for people in privileged nations to help LGBT people in Asia.

This isn't a real Pride flag — it represents pedophiles. "Many on social media are urging people, especially minors, to stay away from anyone who uses this flag or references 'Minor Attracted Persons'."

After Pride comes Wrath Month — here's how to celebrate. "Now that June has passed and corporations are ignoring queer people again, let's raise some hell."

Perfectly steeped: Instagays, please stop calling yourselves "thicc".

Racism and authoritarianism go hand in hand.

Long read

Summer of rage. "White men are the minority in the United States — no wonder they get uncomfortable when their power is challenged."

Long read

"We believed we could remake ourselves any way we liked": how the 1990s shaped #MeToo. "While promising liberation and endless possibility, the culture of the decade drove us relentlessly in pursuit of perfection."

News
America

Is America worth saving? "It is time to start asking ourselves, can this country still become the dream that we hoped for, or is this divide unhealable?"

Queer Native Americans on the Fourth of July. "When colonialism has erased your heritage, patriotic holidays can feel insulting. Just ask a Two-Spirit person."

Second person pleads guilty in gruesome murder of transgender teen Ally Lee Steinfeld.

This is 19-year-old Jackson Sugrue, who has been accused of brutally beating a 50-year-old gay man he held captive for four days.

Drag kid picture used to promote fake Pride sponsored by pedophile group.

The best five states for homeless youth — and the worst.

Panic! at the Disco’s Brendon Urie is giving $1 million to help LGBT kids in schools.

Updated regulation in Delaware schools would bar students from self-identifying their gender without parental permission.

The church group angry about gay people having "raw naked sex".

How a gay evangelical learned to love himself and wear heels. "Matt LeGrande, the son of Christian missionaries, recounts his coming-to-Jesus moment of queer acceptance."

He fled homophobic violence in Ghana. Now he fears ICE will send him back.

Trump's military ban was struck down, so why are trans people having problems enlisting?

A US civility crisis: Total political war. "Interrupted dinners, driveway confrontations, threatening leaflets. Trump administration officials are increasingly facing harassment from liberals enraged by the president's words and actions."

If Trump wants civility, why does he trash political correctness? "The president’s supporters demand the right to insult others. Yet when people take a stand against this, they get upset."

Long read

The eugenicist doctor and the vast fortune behind Trump’s immigration regime.

The mystery behind Trump’s Twitter capitalisation habit, somewhat explained.

Republican Jim Jordan accused of failing to stop sex abuse of college wrestlers while coach at Ohio State.

How Republicans came to embrace anti-environmentalism.

Long read

"Nothing to worry about. The water is fine": how Flint poisoned its people. "When the people of Flint, Michigan, complained that their tap water smelled bad and made children sick, it took officials 18 months to accept there was a problem."

Long read

His brother’s keeper. "In America’s deadliest big city, the task of announcing each new murder falls to police spokesman T. J. Smith. One year ago, he confronted a killing like no other."

Long read

Can the A.C.L.U. become the N.R.A. for the Left? "The suit filed on behalf of families separated at the border was just the latest action against the administration by the civil liberties group."

Long read

How Brooklyn lost itself. "Giving and getting directions is an unsung ritual of civic life, a measure of local knowledge and belonging. But what happens when your neighborhood, your city, seem to have lost their way?"

News
UK

Britain cannot stay silent as LGBT rights are rolled back across the world. "From Poland to Egypt to Trump’s USA, independent judges are the last bulwark against governments who threaten gay rights."

Homophobic attack inside London gay bar leaves staff with fractured bones.

Cambridge University hires professor who said being gay is wrong.

Drag queen Tess Tickle calls out homophobic UK mayor Richard Smith - then he resigns.

UK set to get its first permanent LGBT homeless shelter.

Peter Tatchell invited to Downing Street by Prime Minister after decade-long ban.

Peter Tatchell calls London Pride march limit discriminatory. (Image)

Prides slam Stonewall for failing to support them, demand apology.

The truth about Stonewall – the LGBT group that won't support London Pride. "The spat between the largest LGBTQ organisation and Pride shows a courageous new era for Stonewall, under the leadership of Ruth Hunt. But there’s still room for more radical voices."

Black Pride: Why we need an event to celebrate being black and gay.

Black Pride: Queer people of colour on how to be a better ally.

Why people must use Pride in London to fight against Brexit.

Watch

Pride in London: 30,000 march as huge crowds line route. "Hundreds of thousands look on as close to 500 LGBT groups take part in annual event."

Pride in London: Lesbian activists block parade to protest against trans women...

..."Hot weather" blamed for the anti-trans group being allowed to lead the parade.

Pride in London: a sea of rainbow flags, in pictures. More images here.

Royal Mail unveils rainbow postbox in Soho to celebrate Pride in London.

Number of LGBT venues in London increases for the first time in a decade.

London clubs and racism: The West End is a hostile environment. "Allegations of discrimination are rising, including stories of black women being rejected for being ‘too dark’ or charged more than white customers."

The army of first-time protesters who are getting ready to take on Trump. "More than 50,000 are to march in London when the president visits Britain – and for many it will be their first demo."

Trump cowers away from Londoners during UK visit.

Theresa May now says she "shouldn’t have" voted against the repeal of Section 28.

Rudderless and riven by Brexit, the Tories have only one ambition left. "The party has abandoned business and the union and now cares only about keeping Jeremy Corbyn out of power."

The Tories' Islamophobia problem isn't going anywhere.

Esther McVey has to go. Her downright lies are dangerous. "The work and pensions secretary’s fabrications about universal credit are worse than the actions that led Amber Rudd to resign."

Three hundred transgender children a year choose to delay puberty.

I knew I wasn’t white. Realising I was working-class hurt more. "Growing up in an east London immigrant community, I didn’t feel different. That was forced on me by the middle-class world."

Save the Elephant: the fight to protect south London's "anti-Westfield".

London's housing crisis has turned the Stratford Centre into a homeless shelter.

London's beautiful launderettes, in pictures.

Controversial plan for Bengali housing in Brick Lane. "There are mixed feelings about a ghetto of safe houses in the East End of London." (June 1978)

News
World

Australia

New HIV cases surge 33% among Aboriginal people.

Gay couple attacked by pack of homophobes outside Queensland nightclub.

Canada

Police find more human remains in gay serial killer investigation. Toronto’s Bruce McArthur is already accused of killing eight men.

Colombia

Murder rate falls - except for violence against LGBT people, one hundred of whom were killed last year.

Costa Rica

Pride in San José, in pictures.

Denmark

The controversial plan to get rid of immigrant neighborhoods. "Denmark’s low-income immigrant children are being labeled 'ghetto' and forced to learn about 'Danish values'."

Ecuador

Court rules that the nation’s ban on same-sex marriage is illegal.

France

Marseille fights cruise liner pollution. "Shipping is estimated to account for 10% of city’s air pollution, and campaigners are targeting cruise industry in particular."

Germany

Germany used to be a champion of open borders in Europe. Not anymore.

Hong Kong

Support for same-sex marriage jumps up to 50%.

Indonesia

Anti-LGBT crackdown leads to five-fold increase in HIV.

Ireland

Priest in gay sex video scandal goes into hiding. More on that story here.

Watch

Dublin Bus video of proud dads being picked up alongside their LGBT kids and driven to Pride.

India

Kerala announces a quota for transgender students in universities.

Italy

Gay Muslim activist receives death threats after Pride kiss with Moroccan flag.

Far-right, Catholic group prays the gay away during Pompeii Pride.

Mexico

Latin American Pride in Mexico City, in pictures. More here.

Nepal

The incredible Buddha Boy. "A legend is growing in Nepal, where people say a meditating boy hasn't eaten or drunk in seven months. He barely moves, just sits under a tree, still as a stone. It's impossible, some say. Is it a miracle? A hoax? Let's find out."

Nicaragua

Tiny coffins: how the country's spiraling violence ravaged a family. "Six family members were killed, including two infants, after a home was torched allegedly by a pro-Daniel Ortega militia, in a horrific episode caused by Nicaragua’s political convulsion."

Philippines

Christian group carries "I'm sorry" signs in Philippines Pride parade.

Manila Pride turns grey, wet day into rainbow of colour. In pictures.

Majority of people oppose same-sex civil unions.

Russia

HIV prevention for gay men funded for the first time in ten years.

Gay activist Borys Zolotchenko attacked by pack of ten homophobes ahead of Pride parade.

Thailand

What it was like growing up in the Children of god cult.

Turkey

Police storm Istanbul Pride with rubber bullets and teargas, arresting dozens.

Istanbul Pride pictures taken moments before police stormed the march.

The cops banned Pride, so Istanbul’s queers got stronger than ever. "We may not have water cannons or tear gas, but we’re getting more empowered and organized every year."

Art
Skool

Matthew Morrocco's intimate queer portraits dramatise social media connections IRL.

Elska magazine exposes the guys of Los Angeles, in pictures.

Drag legend Divine celebrated in new makeover photo series.

The Elegant Senegal of the First Half of the 20th Century, an exhibition of images taken by Senegalese photographer Mama Casset in the 1950s and an unknown photographer. At Madrid's Círculo de Bellas Artes, until 26 August.

Word!

Nine best LGBT novels to look out for in 2018.

Review

Brother, by David Chariandy. "This is an exquisite Canadian novel about growing up in a poor immigrant neighbourhood of danger and futile dreams."

Review

Into? by North Morgan. "An immensely satisfying, modern tale of contemporary urban gay life with many twists and turns, not all of which are expected."

Review

Speak No Evil, by Uzodinma Iweala. "A gay student in Washington DC feels the backlash from his religious Nigerian parents in a novel that examines homophobia and racial injustice in the US."

Watch

Uzodinma Iweala talks about his novel, Speak No Evil.

Interview

Talking to Michael Arceneaux about his new book, Can’t Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, And Other Reasons I’ve Put my Faith in Beyoncé.

Discover Gay's The Word, London's only LGBT bookshop.

On The Rag, your guide to the gay weeklies. Read this week's Boyz magazine here.

Shouting
At Night

This musical featuring white people picking cotton and singing slaves songs just closed due to protests.

Theatre’s for everyone, even for smartphone peekers. "Two women in the front row at Titanic were berated for watching the England game on their phones. Stars should toughen up."

Film
Forever

Tone deaf white director Terry Gilliam lashes out at minorities: "My name is Loretta and I’m a BLT, a black lesbian in transition” because white men "get blamed for everything."

Scarlett Johansson is mad we're mad about her transface.

Why Scarlett Johansson — or any cis actor — should never play trans roles.

Jean-Claude Van Damme compares people in same-sex relationships to dogs.

33% of people are "uncomfortable" with idea of gay Disney princess.

Mo’Nique and Precious director Lee Daniels' beef heats up.

Kevin Spacey hit with three additional sexual assault claims.

Interview

Talking to Lakeith Stanfield talks about Tupac, cockroaches, and his star turn in Sorry to Bother You.

Review

Sorry To Bother You. "The disturbing and brilliant element of Sorry To Bother You is not just how absurd the film is, but how close the absurdity flirts with our current accepted reality."

The original Jaws poster is getting the limited edition version it rightfully deserves.

You can now buy a replica Barbasol can from Jurassic Park.

The
Box

The twenty-four best TV shows of 2018 so far.

Ryan Murphy (The Normal Heart, Pose, American Crime Story): "When I was first starting out in this business in the late 1990s... I was told I was too weird, I was too faggy, I was too unusual. My mannerisms and my voice were mocked by executives in note meetings."

Burmese actor Okkar Min Maung comes out as gay, shares cheeky kiss with boyfriend.

It’s not just Queer Eye – bad subtitling is a daily problem for deaf viewers. "Netflix is at least looking into complaints about shoddy captioning, but virtually all on-demand services treat us as lesser customers."

RuPaul's Drag Race's Trixie Mattel under fire for racist joke, refuses to apologise. "If you think drag queens apologize for jokes at a roast, you watch too much TV," she hit back...

...Drag queens and others react.

How RuPaul's Drag Race fakes the final.

Monét X Change’s mother had the best response to finally discovering her son’s drag career.

Why RuPaul's Drag Race alum Aja is no longer using the term "drag queen".

EastEnders: Knife crime episode of soap praised.

Thank goodness they renewed Netflix's On My Block for a second season.

What makes HBO’s Sharp Objects so good is hiding in plain sight. "This new Amy Adams vehicle might seem slow. But it’s teaching you how to watch it."

The Expanse is an excellent sci-fi space opera. But it’s fundamentally a detective show.

The Handmaid's Tale recap: season 2, episode 7. "After last week’s defiance there is hell to pay with the regime looking to gain control as flashbacks reveal the cost of rebellion and resistance."

The Handmaid's Tale reminds every follower that, eventually, they'll come for you too.

Watch

Here's a preview of West 40s, a new gay web series from Mark Sam Rosenthal and Brian Sloan; the trailer for Trayvon Martin docuseries Rest In Power; and on What Would You Do?, parents reject their drag queen son.

Beats, Rhymes
& Life

The extraordinary musical legacy of Sylvester. "Thirty years after his death, the creator of the classic Pride anthem You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) is the subject of academic symposia. Not bad for a drag queen who was ‘just trying to get on to the radio’."

Interview

Talking to Steve Grand about alcohol almost destroying him, and "closet sobers" in gay community.

Will Young is selling his Brit Awards so he can move on from a "not very happy time" in his life.

Where the dogs run: British pop's unsentimental view of the high street. "With the high street in crisis, Michael Hann surveys British pop for tributes to its quirks and characters – and finds a bleak outlook compared to its American counterpart."

Just in time for Pride, openly gay K-pop star Holland drops your new favourite anthem, I’m Not Afraid.

Watch

Arena

Teen LGBT athletes are overwhelmingly closeted, Human Rights Campaign Foundation and the University of Connecticut study finds.

Lewis Hamilton wears kilt to "make amends" for mocking dress-wearing nephew.

Mumsnet users accuse Tom Daley of "child abuse" for becoming a father.

Meat
Market

Is porn to blame for our bareback obsession?

Gay porn stars in 2018. "How the job description of porn stars is continuing to evolve in 2018." (Image)

Five career porn stars.

Let's talk about gay porn.

Trenton Ducati to roll out a “Next Steps” program for the gay adult performing community, focusing on mental health issues, and offering educational assistance for multimedia production.

Brandon Cody launches scathing attack on MEN and things may have gotten worse for the model.

Treasure Island Media launches TIMFILTH flash drives.

Watch

Celebrity Big Brother housemate Austin Armacost flaunts it for London's Pleasuredrome sauna.

Love & Hip-Hop's Milan Christopher gets a Fleshjack.

Watch an interview with BelAmi's Kevin Warhol and Jerome Exupery.

BelAmi's Hoyt Kogan, Sven Basquiat, Helmut Huxley, Jason Bacall, Nils Tatum and Santiago Arias do it.

BelAmi's Kris Evans, Kevin Warhol, Christian Lundgren, Adam Archuleta, Mario Texiera and Brian Jovovich do it.

Andre Donovan, Bama Romello and Shawn Reeve do it...

...watch an interview with Andre.

Jay Landford and Bruno Bernal do it.

Blake Mitchell and Joey Mills do it.

Introducing Dylan Hayes.

Helix model Angel Rivera, by Alejandro Palomares, in pictures

Gay porn before and after: Austin Wilde 2008 vs. 2018.

Watch

Prowler Awards 2018.

MEAT, in pictures.

Ghetto
Romance

Only 20% of gay men and lesbians would have unprotected sex with a HIV-positive person on effective treatment.

Five tips for safer hookups.

New Zealand cop proposes to boyfriend at his police graduation.

Cute guys getting married around the globe, in pictures.

Everything you need to know before your first gay sex party.

How to date a prisoner. "How prisoners stay intimate with romantic partners on the outside."

Medicine
Ball

Why penis size is a mental health issue. "An academic studying penis size and self-esteem received endless puerile messages. But for many men, it’s no joke."

Doctors botch blood pressure readings more often than you think.

Does cheap alcohol give you a worse hangover?

Boffins develop new generation of deodorants.

Planet
Earth

Japan's appetite for eel could see it share fate of bluefin tuna. "Diners eat eel for an energy boost in summer, but its popularity has depleted stocks."

We know ocean plastic is a problem. We can’t fix it until we answer these five questions.

The week in wildlife, in pictures.

The White Heat
of This Revolution

Facebook group for gay "muscle bears" tries to block Asian and African men from joining.

Facebook is under scrutiny from four federal agencies, including the SEC.

YouTube apologises on last day of Pride to LGBT creators.

Instagram apologises for taking down photo of two men kissing.

Why Twitter needs to treat misgendering trans people as hate speech.

Social media apps are "deliberately" addictive to users.

Private telegram, public strife. "The precarious future of messaging apps."

Planes, Trains
& Automobiles

Can Andy Byford save the subways? "The new president of the New York City Transit Authority wants to make the trains (and buses) run on time. It won’t be easy."

The mega mural movement: how India’s rundown railway stations have been transformed. "Many Indian stations are a microcosm of the squalor that afflicts the urban landscape. But all that is changing, in an explosion of birds, tigers and Buddhist statues."

Eurostar's London terminal unveils rainbow carpet to celebrate Pride.

Heathrow Airport unveils Pride flag made of 6,000 passengers’ kisses.

British Airways sponsors Pride. So why help to deport LGBT asylum seekers? "Virgin took a stand against forced deportations in defiance of the law. Britain’s national airline should follow suit."

Betta
Work!

The tiny union beating the gig economy giants. "A grassroots fightback is helping to win basic rights for couriers, cleaners and other workers on zero-hours contracts. And the IWGB is showing how unions can thrive again."

Thousands are losing their jobs as retailers close – why is there no outcry?

With 95% of British architects white and 75% male, a new campaign is encouraging diversity in the profession.

I Own 51% Of
This Company!

As stores close, retail workers lose out to big tech. "It’s becoming a common story across America: the opening of an Amazon ‘fulfilment center’ hastens the end of local department stores, like this Sears in Sacramento."

Watch

Dan Bell visits the tiniest mall in America; Ace's Adventures checks out the infamous Regency Mall; Sal ventures into the abandoned Landmark Mall; and Retail Archaeology ponders on Best Buy's decision to drop CDs.

Hell's
Kitchen

Forty-three dead (or dying) gay bars in the United States.

Yes! We have no bananas: Why the song may come true again.

"Bleeding" vegan burger to get UK launch in Tesco next month.

Tripe, kidneys and giblets on their way out? I wonder why.

Long read

He could’ve been a colonel. "The hamburgers at Ollie’s Trolley are among the best in the world. With all that flavor, why aren’t there Trolleys all over the South — all over the nation, even? Maybe the world wasn’t ready for a guy like Ollie Gleichenhaus."

Long read

Eating alone. "We’re eating alone more often than in any previous generation. But why should a meal on our own be uninspired? Why shouldn’t the French saying “life is too short to drink bad wine” still apply?"

Rag
Trade