Issue 268: Liz Dawn, Matthew Rush, Abel Cedeno, Moses Sumney, Blade Runner, Will & Grace, Basquiat, Folsom, and more...


the week's
news
& pop
culture,
with a
gay
bias.


Left &
Found


Being black, a drinker, and HIV-positive is a deadly cocktail.

What it’s like to be gay and in a street gang. (Image)

If you feel threatened by people protesting racism, you may very well be a fucking racist.



Intersectional-what? Feminism's problem with jargon is that any idiot can pick it up and have a go. "There’s no Académie Française of anti-oppression terminology; nothing stops your supposed enemies from appropriating your language to use against you."

Why black gender conversations will always fail unless we center black children.

Why “fake news” is an antitrust problem. "Tech companies aren't raising prices. But they're still monopolies."

The media's role in "suicide clusters."


Why do millennials insist on living in the past?

Thirty-one LGBT leaders from world history.

Fighting for LGBT representation in our history books.

LGBT activists and allies join in opposing Trump's denunciation of athletes' protests.

Taking a knee and Trump: the new era of total protest. "Black athletes from Muhammad Ali to Tommie Smith have taken a stand before – but Donald Trump is the most powerful spur to dissent the US has ever seen. Will the wave of protests in the NFL help take him down or just fuel his culture war?"


We should have seen Trump coming. "Obama’s rise felt like a new chapter in American history," writes Ta-Nehisi Coates. "But the original sin of white supremacy was not so easily erased."


Cartoon
The global rise of nationalism and the far right.


News
America

The fatal connection between hate speech and LGBT gun suicides.

Four charged with murdering transgender teen Ally Lee Steinfeld.

18-year-old Abel Cedeno (above, left) was tormented racial and homophobic taunts of "faggot" and "spic" - until he fought back. Now 15-year-old Matthew McCree (above, right) is dead and another seriously injured.

Racist gay man will soon face trial for murder of neighbour; married gay man Stanley Vernon Majors shot Khalid Jabara last year.

A landlord caught on camera having sex with a man in his tenant’s apartment has been jailed for two years.

No, you can't sue Black Lives Matter, a judge has ruled. A Baton Rouge police officer had filed a suit against Black Lives Matter and one of its leaders, DeRay Mckesson.

Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria blasts racism and intolerance.

Trump’s global vision is a nightmare. The UN has to act. "For the sake of world peace and security, António Guterres must stand up to this narcissistic bully."

"No mention" of homophobic Trump policies at gay Republican gala.

Senator Tammy Baldwin prevents Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate LGBT rights as US foreign policy priority.

Anthony Weiner sentenced to 21 months in prison for sexting 15-year-old girl.

Harvard students greet Betsy DeVos with "white supremacist" banners.

Why Hillary Clinton was right about white women – and their husbands. "Conventional wisdom says women will show solidarity at the polls. But new research shows that for white women, having a husband trumped the sisterhood."

A majority of Americans do not believe Trump is fit to be president.

Remember this about Donald Trump. He knows the depths of American bigotry. "Though the US president is under attack over the NFL players’ protest, he has a loyal base, and understands how to fuel their prejudices."

Memo to Trump after his NFL rant: sport is, and always has been, political. "Even by his standards, the President’s rhetoric when calling for protesting footballers to be fired, was crude, and cruel. And it played to our worst instincts."

Trump attacks "nasty" Puerto Rico mayor for "poor leadership ability" after she begged for help for her people.

Trump’s response to Puerto Rico: slow, unenthusiastic and mean.

Five ways to help people in Puerto Rico.

Trump's gay nominee for ambassador to Germany called out for misogyny.

Trump administration tells court that discrimination against gay workers is legal.

Trump has already started building the border wall.

Roy Moore, outspoken racist homophobe, wins Alabama GOP senate primary over Trump-endorsed candidate Luther Strange.

Another Trump bigot is gone: homophobic health secretary Tom Price has quit in the wake of the "jetgate".


Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus, Gary Cohn, Stephen Miller, Ivanka Trump have all used private emails for official White House business.

Joe Biden’s platform for 2020: anti-populism. "By criticizing the views of both Berniecrats and Trumpites, Biden is positioning himself as the antidote to populism in all its forms and flavors."

Paul Horner, key distributor of fake news during 2016 election, is dead. He was 38.

Paul Horner: how the fake-news kingpin's life and death blurred fact and fiction. "Horner was best known for his mark on the US election – but some close to him recall a loving man they claim distributed socks to the homeless."

California's new STI cases are the highest they've ever been.

Hugh Hefner championed gay and racial equality when few others would.


How Hugh Hefner and Playboy paved the way for The Advocate.

Charleston Pride, in pictures.

Gay erotic art found in home of senior official of homophobic Christian group.

On Affirmation, the gay Mormon support group, which is celebrating its fortieth anniversary.

Rare photos from Jonestown, the deadliest cult in American history.

After decades of decline, the murder rate went up in 2016.

Larry David and death row: the amazing tale of how Curb saved one man's life. "Long Shot, the latest TV sensation, has just landed on Netflix – and it’s Curb Your Enthusiasm: the true crime documentary."


News
UK

This is 29-year-old Jason Marshall. He tortured, gagged and murdered 58-year-old Peter Fasoli after they met on dating site Badoo. He's been jailed for a minimum term of 39 years.

Gay couples are still getting civil partnerships – but more are being dissolved.

A third of 16-to-22-year-olds identify as gay or "bisexual."

The new leader of rightwing fringe party UKIP, Henry Bolton, thinks LGBT equality has gone too far.

Wingnut leaders, cut-price logo. The new Ukip looks just like Oldkip. "With a lapsed Lib Dem at the helm and a new emblem pinched from the Premier League, boldly the party limps into the future."

Like Attlee and Thatcher before him, Corbyn will completely transform Britain.

Richard Huckle the "gap year" paedophile "highly likely" to have had UK victims. "To the outside world, Richard Huckle was a regular 19 year-old from Kent. Fresh out of school, he was setting off across the world on his gap year, like thousands of other British students. No one could have predicted that this ordinary middle-class boy would become an extraordinarily evil paedophile - one of the worst in recent history."

One in nine LGBT employees have been bullied at work, new study shows.

Those who ridiculed my accent highlighted their ignorance – not mine. "Petty prejudice led to people objecting to my BBC voiceovers. I’m proud to have a London accent – and to work for a broadcaster that champions diversity."

Why does the BBC keep creating posh political monsters? "After Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage, the broadcaster is now giving Jacob Rees-Mogg the oxygen of publicity."

The chicken run: blood, sweat and deceit at a UK poultry plant. "We sent two undercover journalists to work in the supermarket supply chain and found some alarming food safety practices."

London in 1994, in pictures.

Northern Ireland
Teenage, gay and Northern Irish. "Sarah and Thomas are both gay, 17-years-old, and living in Northern Ireland. They've each had their own troubling coming out experiences but through a local LGBT group, they've become the best of friends. So do they plan to stay long-term in their country?"

Teachers called me sissy and compared me to a plague. "Campaigners call for swift action as report on LGBT pupils reveals the scale of homophobia faced by young people in the region."

Scotland
22-year-old man raped in an alley in Glasgow.

Scottish Anglican church faces sanctions over vote to allow same-sex marriage.


News
World

Germany
Vile lesbian Alice Weidel leads resurgent anti-immigrant party Alternative Fuer Deutschland.

The right is rising and social democracy is dying across Europe – but why? "The electoral success of the far-right AfD has brought Germany into line with most other European countries, so what’s behind this troubling trend?"

Italy
A tsunami of dildos washed up on a beach.

Montenegro
Two hundred people turned out for Pride in the capital Podgorica.

Egypt
Seven people have been arrested after raising a rainbow flag in support of LGBT equality at a concert.

Syria
The city fit for no-one. "On the streets of Raqqa with Syrian Democratic Forces... a city devastated by IS rule and Western-led bombardments. Civilians are trapped - with many being used as human shields."

United Arab Emirates
Human Rights Watch demands the UAE stop arbitrarily arresting LGBT people on the grounds of a law that criminalizes men “disguising” as women.

Azerbaijan
Fifty to one hundred gay men detained, beaten in repressive campaign.

Tunisia
Government pledges to drop anal tests, but not anti-gay laws.

Nigeria
University students talk about being gay on campus.

Kenya
LGBT refugees trek for protection.

Jamaica
Talking to priest and LGBT equality supporter Rev. Sean Major-Campbell.

Dominica
Hurricane Maria: the slow road to rebuilding, in pictures.

Brazil
Thousands protest legalisation of "gay cure" therapy.

India
College lists three genders: Male, female or gay.

Watch
The fishermen saving Pakistan's island dogs. "Dozens of stray dogs live on an uninhabited island off the Pakistani city of Karachi. The island has no food or fresh water but, in a country where many consider dogs unclean, a group of fishermen brings them what they need to stay alive."

Malaysia
Travel ban imposed for a gay party that doesn't exist.

Hong Kong
A British, gay expatriate has won a landmark legal challenge for LGBT spousal rights.

South Korea
Soldier prosecuted for being gay gives heartbreaking interview.

Japan
There's an election next month. Here’s why it matters.

Indonesia
Law banning all gay characters on TV to pass.

Australia
Homophobia is deeply rooted in colonial past. "The historical circumstances that shape prejudice toward LGBTI people can be summed up in one word: convictism."


Dog attacked for wearing marriage equality scarf.

Conservatives, including former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, are furious that Macklemore is performing Same Love at the NRL final...

...But that hasn't stopped the song topping the Australian charts - the proceeds of which Macklemore will be donating to the marrige equality campaign.

And a cabinet minister wants a homophobic song played to "balance" Macklemore’s Same Love. Macklemore himself has hit back at "angry, old white dudes in Australia" who oppose marriage equality.

Betting company sparks anger by "cashing in" on marriage equality vote.

"Straight Lives Matter" rally draws just thirty people, outnumbered by counter-protesters and police.

Daggy parties and love letters: neighbours unite for marriage equality. "From celebrations around letterboxes to messages in shop windows, readers share displays of support for the yes campaign."

Australian Defence Force may revoke gender-inclusivity policy.


Arena

Watch
Major league baseball crowd cheers for gay couple's engagement.

Gay college track athlete Edward Calloway's coming out story.

UFC fighter Fabricio Werdum to do community service for gay slur.

We should never hear about a gay NFL player being a media "distraction" ever again.

Trump loses it when black athletes from NFL, NBA stand up to hate and racial discrimination.


...Yet Trump supporters have turned against the NFL. "Trump’s criticisms and athletes’ protests against systemic racism seem to be having an effect."


Tom Brady: Trump's attacks on NFL players just "divisive."

We can't hear Colin Kaepernick any more. He's being drowned out by noise. "The quarterback ignited a storm by kneeling during the national anthem. He wanted to communicate a message but, sadly, many still refuse to hear it."

The protesting NFL players, not Donald Trump, are the true patriots. "The president can call for players to be disciplined if he wants, but with their superb and poignant gesture they are not the ones disrespecting the US."

The return to activism for black athletes. "NFL and NBA players are reviving a rich tradition of activism in sports."

This video is the best five minutes you will see on the NFL protests.

It’s actually very strange for sports games to begin with the national anthem.

Why did Sports Illustrated erase Colin Kaepernick?


Art +
Design

On The Future Is (Black) Femme, a new show at ATYPE, the youth hub on New York's Lower East Side.

Famous gay man’s portrait by Peter Paul Rubens, missing for four hundred years, found.

Bodybuilders Anthony McDonough and Christopher Glebatsas transformed into living Tom of Finland drawing by body painter Michael Mejia.

How Bob Mizer's Physique Pictorial pioneered modern gay erotica. (October 1999)

The haunting Paris department store installation inspired by architectural ruins.

How selfies killed the postcard. "Even the rain in Spain couldn’t persuade me and my family to send a humble card. But now a leading postcard firm is closing, let’s celebrate a lost art."

How the 1970s could vanish from Vancouver. "The Empire Landmark Hotel is the latest brutalist icon set to be demolished in a frenzy of property speculation. Is it wrong to destroy an entire decade?"


Word!

The height of the AIDS crisis, in ten books.

Explore eight of the world’s only remaining gay bookstores.

On Trop Noire Pour Etre Française (Too Black To Be French) the new book by Isabelle Boni-Claverie about the "ordinary" racism faced by black French people.

Review
Logical Family, by Armistead Maupin. How the Tales of the City author was transformed. "This long-awaited memoir recounts a conservative, virginal early adulthood followed by political and sexual awakening in San Francisco’s gay bathhouses."

Review
Visiting Hours, by Tagan Shepard. "An emotional tale filled with denial, pain, struggle, commitment, and finally, more than one kind of deep, abiding love."

Review
MacArthur Park, by Andrew Durbin. "A writer who is adept in dealing with the contemporary exchange between reader and novel, writer and craft... [a] thought-provoking novel."

Seventeen new books about LGBT families.

Cover versions: why are UK and US book jackets often so different? "The American edition of Hillary Clinton’s What Happened looks stylish and elegant; the UK one is dreadful. But the reasons that books differ so much across different markets isn’t solely down to simple sales."


On the rag: your guide to the gay weeklies.


Shouting
At Night

On Gabe Stone Shayer, the first black dancer to be accepted and graduate from prestigious Moscow dance company Bolshoi’s Ballet.

Review
Le Grand Mort. "Stephen Clark’s puzzling drama about a man planning to either seduce or murder his dinner guest comes across as both morbid and exploitative."

Review
A Clockwork Orange. "A lithe and lovely boy is 'raped' from behind with a hand down his pants — and turns to kiss his assailant. It’s a scene you might find around the corner at Industry Bar on a Friday night, hot but really quite harmless."

The Cher Show, the musical about the icon’s life and career, is coming to Broadway in 2018.

RuPaul’s Drag Race star Willam is transphobic, shocking no one. "The queer community needs to hold Willam as accountable for his behavior as it would any other bigoted entertainer."

Willam responds to angry fans after transphobic comments.

Kathy Griffin: "Trump went for me because I was an easy target."

Bianca Del Rio, meanwhile, says she wants Trump to "do us all a favour" and die. Can't argue with that.



Film
Forever

Moonlight writer Tarell Alvin McCraney to make a live action Disney musical with David Oyelowo.


Woodshock, mother!, and the troubling timidity of film discourse. "The directorial debut from the minds behind Rodarte is borderline incoherent and deliberately alienating, and that's part of why it should be seen."

On Boom For Real: The Late Teenage Years Of Jean-Michel Basquiat, the new Basquiat documentary shining a light on his pre-fame years.

Interview
Talking to Armie Hammer about Call Me By Your Name. "In Luca Guadagnino’s acclaimed coming-of-age story, Hammer plays the older lover of a 17-year-old boy. He talks about the challenges of the role – including conveying the erotic allure of a peach."

Ellen Page speaks out about homophobic joke in Juno.

Review
Man In An Orange Shirt. "Although I would have liked to have seen more of both stories, there’s no doubt that the structure of Man In An Orange Shirt provides an interesting, thought-provoking and at times moving way to look at just how different the world is for gay people in Britain now, compared to the middle of the last century."

David Bowie was director Denis Villeneuve's first pick for Blade Runner 2049 villain.

Blade Runner 2049: five things we learned from the shorts. "The three mini-prequels released before Blade Runner 2049 hitting cinemas have filled in a few holes and raised more than a few questions."

The Blade Runner 2049 writers on which version of the original movie to watch.

Review


In our troubled world, disaster movies are becoming obsolete. "Perhaps it’s time for disaster film-makers to address why our world is so messed up, rather than imagining how much worse it could be."

From Blade Runner to Rollerball: did cinema's sci-fi dystopias predict the future? "We are living in the era imagined by science-fiction films – but is reality really mirroring fiction?"

The real horror of Hitchcock - the master of horror was also a cruel clown." (September 1986)

New edits and director's cuts: are they lost gems or simply second best? "A three-hour extended cut of Superman: The Movie is being released for the first time, but can alternate versions of classics ever be more than poor relations?"

They'll be back: are reissues of familiar favourites crowding out hard-to-find classics? "Terminator 2, Dirty Dancing and The Silence of the Lambs are all set for cinema runs – but are brilliant older films in danger of permanent eclipse?"


Looking back at Ira Sachs’ pioneering gay film The Delta, which is celebrating it's twentieth anniversary.

Watch
Rift (trailer); The Ornithologist (trailer); and Body Electric (trailer).


The Box

Jussie Smollett slams Trump as "a pig, a racist, a horrible human being." Where's the lie?

Seinfeld's Julia Louis-Dreyfus announces she has breast cancer.


Will & Grace is back, and so is the debate over its place in LGBT history. "Is the series revolutionary or a relic? It depends on who you ask."

Will & Grace, despite what NBC says, isn’t the same show that ended 11 years ago. Good.

Why Debra Messing regrets appearing on Megyn Kelly Today.

Watch
Jack and John's Alexa virtual assistant has been taken over by Karen Walker.

Interview
Talking to Richard Lewis about Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Why The Comeback is Michael Patrick King’s true triumph.

The mockumentary is dead, long live the mockumentary. "The comedic subgenre used to be ubiquitous – then, it wasn't. What happened?"

Donald Glover starts filming Atlanta's second season, is casting "trashy white characters."

Five things you didn't know about Donald Glover.

Gordon Thomson, who played Dynasty’s Adam Carrington, comes out as gay.

How Viola Davis and Julius Tennon are changing the face of Hollywood. "The wife-and-husband team set up their own production company to tackle Hollywood’s persistent diversity problem."

The Deuce: Episode 3 recap. "Such camaraderie in the face of trouble can’t hold forever, and it feels like we’re seeing some real cracks in The Deuce’s third episode, The Principle is All."

Will the Menendez murders become America's next true-crime TV hit? "Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders revisits a crime that shocked the US and tries to follow in the footsteps of The People v OJ Simpson."

Eleven greatest TV show finales ever, from The Shield to Breaking Bad.

Which TV characters most deserve their own prequels?

When good TV goes bad: how Ally McBeal lost its lust for life. "We loved Ally McBeal because it wasn’t afraid to celebrate human flaws, but the death of Calista Flockhart’s one true love knocked the wind out of the show."

Out actor Russell Tovey to play gay superhero The Ray.

How Star Trek fans helped change TV forever. "The original series was nowhere near an instant hit; early Trekkies saved it from obscurity to jumpstart the beloved franchise we know today."

Star Trek: Discovery nails the important stuff in a surprisingly terrific debut.

Doctor Who: 100% official actors who played the Doctor that you've probably totally forgotten.

Doctor Who: Every episode of the reboot, ranked.

How sci-fi sitcom Timewasters subverts time-travel TV.

Watch
Here's the latest episodes of The Big Gay Hangover; and The Come Up.

Watch
Here's the trailer for promising new comedy Timewasters.

Liz Dawn, the actress best know for her role as Coronation Street's Vera Duckworth, is dead. She was 77.

Liz Dawn, obituary.

Liz Dawn: Corrie royalty who played Vera with a loud mouth and a light touch. "For more than 30 years, the star nagged, screamed and brilliantly embodied the endless frustrations and black humour of generations of northern women."

Liz Dawn: A life in pictures - and some of her Corrie best bits...


Beats, Rhymes
& Life

Moses Sumney, Frank Ocean and Dawn Richard: Black musicians on being boxed in by R&B and rap expectations.

Interview
Talking to Moses Sumney. "I've never been in love, in romantic love... That is something I have never experienced full-blown."

Interview
Talking to Moses Sumney. (February 2016)

 Interview
Talking to Moses Sumney (2016)

Review
Moses Sumney – Aromanticism. "The debut album from Moses Sumney is a soulful, cosmic embrace of aloneness. His deep blue songwriting examines the blasé cruelty that defines intimacy in our swipe-left era."

Moses Sumney – Aromanticism. "A stunning elegy to lovelessness, delicately drawing on jazz, soul and atmospheric music."

Moses Sumney – Aromanticism. "The electro-soul singer-songwriter's debut is one of the most therapeutic albums of the year."

Moses Sumney – Aromanticism. "This isn’t an ode to social regression; Sumney’s finding expressive power through his embrace of solitude. Then, he makes it resonate beyond himself."

Queer, black, and atheist, The Great Wight forge their own space in punk-rock.


Red Light District

This is desperately sad. Former Falcon legend Matthew Rush has been arrested for felony meth possession, after being evicted by boyfriend.

Wesley Woods explains why he came after Trump voter Colby Keller’s white privilege. "You cannot sit here and vote to put someone in power that is actively trying to take away rights from people and not apologize or feel bad for it. It’s easy for him to vote this way and step back and not have to worry about the repercussions of what his vote did."

Joseph Brennan gets paid to study gay porn.


Folsom St Fair, in pictures.

More Folsom St Fair, here, here and here.

File under WTF?! Family Dick says Daddy’s Little Boy: Doctor’s Visit is their most popular scene.

Liam Riley and Dean Monroe do it - in a museum!

Colt Calvin Chambers and Paul Canon do it.

Ashton Summers and Ben Masters do it.


Ghetto
Romance

If you’re a man with a certain face shape, your sex drive is higher and you’re more likely to cheat.

Twenty-seven reasons you should date an HUV-positive man right now.

Same-sex weddings, in pictures. "As photographers share their work to support marriage equality, six Australian couples share the stories of their big day."


Hell's
Kitchen



Why it’s time to start eating jellyfish. "There are too many of them in the sea, and the problem is only going to get worse. Is the solution to fry them up and eat them?"

Is popcorn really a healthy alternative to crisps and other snacks?


Tomorrow's
World

Gay dating app DaddyBear forced to apologise to HIV+ men.

Did Russia fake black activism on Facebook to sow division in the US?

The tide is starting to turn against the world’s digital giants. "Multimillion fines are just the start for Facebook and Google, as the world comes to realise how political big tech has become."

Twitter uncovers over two hundred accounts linked to Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election.

Twitter is testing a big change: Doubling the length of tweets from 140 to 280 characters...

...But brevity is the soul of Twitter. We don't need 280 characters to say that.

How seller feedback helped build eBay, Uber and AirBnB.

How QWERTY conquered keyboards.


Médecins Sans
Frontières

Why all HIV-positive people should be screened for chronic pain.

How the anal cancer epidemic in HIV-positive men can be prevented. "Gay and bi men with HIV are 100 times more likely to have anal cancer — yet, no national screening guidelines exist."


A new vaccine protects against all strains of HIV. "Johnson and Johnson announced the first ever 'global' vaccine proving to he 100 percent effective in achieving immunity against HIV."

The CDC officially admits people with HIV who are undetectable can't transmit HIV.



Has fitness gone too far? "With seven-day gym classes and unregulated instructors on Instagram, is our appetite for exercise getting dangerous?"


Planet
Earth

Earth's sixth mass extinction event under way, scientists warn.

If you drop plastic in the ocean, where does it end up? "Modelling shows that ocean currents can concentrate slow-degrading debris in certain parts of the world’s oceans, leading to so-called garbage patches."

David Attenborough on the scourge of the oceans. "His sequel to The Blue Planet will focus not only on the marvels of sea life but also the threats to it. The naturalist explains why plastic pollution, climate change and overpopulation are problems too urgent to be left to ecologists."


Zoo

Dogs who live with smokers more likely to die younger.

Forget fur – is it time to stop wearing wool? "Animal rights charity Peta is best known for its naked anti-fur stunts, but these days it is more worried about wool. Co-founder Ingrid Newkirk explains why shearing is sheer cruelty."

The week in wildlife, in pictures.


Planes, Trains
& Automobiles

Behind the scenes at london's infamous "knowledge" schools. "The amount of information aspiring black cab drivers have to remember is so huge that it's been shown to actually increase the size of certain sections of the brain."

What happens to retired Tube trains?


And
This...

This is where you can find Britain’s largest penises.


Eleven questions you’ve always wanted to ask a lesbian, but felt too scared to.

 Finally, Walter's still on his tour of... that place; Tre Melvin has a word of advice; Davey-Wavey explains the difference between gay porn and real life, and the Baddie Twinz are back!
Continued after the jump...
 
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