KAOS: July 2018

Left &
Found

How courts are advancing LGBT equality, from the Americas to the Far East.

How I was forced to flee Jamaica, fearing for my life. "Former university law lecturer Maurice Tomlinson encountered very different attitudes from his students in Jamaica and Canada."

Survey confirms what we already know: Latinx folks are the queerest. (Image)

Dad’s Army: it was wonderful but we must now move on. "The adventures of the Home Guard at Walmington-on-Sea gave us great comedy but the English fixation on the war is damagingly out of date today."

Opinion is valued more than fact in this digital era. "Rather than bringing an era of more responsible journalism, the net has led to a more brutal one."

We must reclaim black radicalism.

A siege. A bomb. 48 dogs. And the black commune that would not surrender. "Forty years ago, Philadelphia erupted in one of the most dramatic shoot-outs of the black liberation struggle. Ed Pilkington tells the surreal story of the Move 9 – and what happened to them next."

The Black Panthers still in prison After 46 years, will they ever be set free? "Over two years, Ed Pilkington has interviewed eight people imprisoned since the 1970s black liberation struggle that rocked the US. As they near 50 years inside, will America’s black radicals ever be freed?"

Born in a cell: the extraordinary tale of the black liberation orphan. "Mike Africa Jr has spent 40 years of his life with both parents behind bars. Then one day in June, his life changed."

Watch

White America is quietly self-segregating. "Everyone wants diversity. But not everyone wants it on their street."

White threat in a browning America. "How demographic change is fracturing our politics."

The creep of fascism. "How far-right rhetoric is becoming the new normal."

Sorry, you can’t be working class and socialist in the new authentocracy. "From Dennis Skinner in the UK to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the US, class authenticity has been hijacked by ‘aspirational’ rightwing ideology."

Research says there are ways to reduce racial bias. Calling people racist isn’t one of them.

American white people really hate being called “white people”.

Polite white people are (still) useless.

Twelve types of white people I’d like to call the cops on.

News
America

Is a serial killer targeting black trans women in Florida?

Four male models accuse photographer Rick Day of sexual assault.

Gay couple forced to separate on Alaska Airlines flight so straight couple could sit together.

LGBT people less likely to have a job or access to health insurance than their heterosexual peers, study finds.

Gay man suspected of planning LA Pride attack sentenced to seven years. 22-year-old James Wesley Howell "was found hours before the event in a car loaded with assault rifles, a bucket of chemicals, and ammunition."

Prosecutors will not charge Ed Buck for young gay escort's death. "26-year-old Gemmel Moore was found dead in Buck's apartment, but the LA County DA cited lack of evidence."

Gay fathers stabbed by adoptive son at LA home.

39-year-old transgender woman Diamond Stephens shot to death in Meridian, Mississippi.

Hundreds attend the funeral for 10-year-old bisexual boy Anthony Avalos, whose parents beat him to death for announcing he "liked boys".

Police officer accused of raping man in custody says it was consensual.

Why Trump's Putin fixation is an LGBT problem.

Trump plans to eject HIV-positive service members from the military.

The real reason Trump said he would protect LGBT people.

Trump supporter called in the FBI because he can't get laid on Grindr.

Gay Republican group endorses candidate who supports anti-LGBT "freedom to discriminate" law.

How Jeff Sessions' new Religious Liberty Task Force is weaponising discrimination.

This warped gay right-winger thinks Fox News is too pro-LGBT.

What liberals (still) get wrong about Trump's support. "After each outrage, progressives believe supporters will drain away. On the contrary: he is giving them what they want."

Can liberals please work out how to win back the working class?

Trump’s enduring political strength with white women, explained.

Trump is actually a very unpopular president. "Yes, his base likes him, but his overall numbers are terrible."

Donald Trump, "worst politician ever", on path to re-election. "Political analyst says Trump could ‘blunder into re-election’ unless Democrats target working class disaffection."

Homophobic preacher gets six figure payment after city obstructs Pride protest.

Parents of closeted son find out he's gay in the worst way.

Man describes suspect in fatal shooting as "buff" and "sexy".

Long read

Nightmare on Elm Drive. "Did Lyle and Erik Menendez murder their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion and then make taped confessions? In the October 1990 issue, Dominick Dunne talks to the mystery witness who says she heard everything, and uncovers the secrets that turned the Menendezes’ American dream into a fatal nightmare." (October 1990)

Canada

Canadians prepared to boycott Chick-fil-A's first Toronto location. "American fast food chain Chick-fil-A has come under fire in the past for its Christian, anti-LGBTI stances."

News
UK

What it’s like to be a gay child in the care system. Brett Service was placed in care aged thirteen months. This is his story.

There are only two gay under-21s in the entire UK prison system. "Ex-prisoner says life in British prisons are 'cut-throat', 'hostile' and 'terrifying' if you're gay."

14-year-old drag queen banned by school to appear at London’s leading drag bar. "Lewis Bailey wanted to perform at school talent show in drag but headmaster forbid it; he’s now to appear at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern."

Watch

UK charity reveals plans to fund PrEP for those who can't afford to buy it privately.

Iconic Manchester gay bar The Molly House goes up for sale.

Metropolitan police commissioner brands middle-class cocaine users hypocrites. "Cressida Dick criticises people with progressive politics whose drug use fuels violence."

Hungama: the club celebrating London's LGBT South Asians.

By slashing youth services, the Tories have betrayed a generation.

Cruel Britannia: how banter became a humiliation game.

Northern Ireland

Juice1038, the country's first LGBT radio station.

News
World

China in Africa: win-win development, or a new colonialism?

Australia

How Australia's first gay imam is saving lives.

Syphilis: how the deadly disease has spread in Australia.

"It’s not safe for us": South Sudanese-Australians weather "African gangs" storm.

Instead of 'African gangs', let's discuss the complex causes of youth crime. "Dog whistle politics are great at playing on people’s fears and anxieties but not so good at solving any problems."

Court finds man who vandalised George Michael mural guilty. Ben Gittany carried out the attack after posting on the Facebook page Christian Lives Matter.

Prison guards keep getting caught having sex with inmates.

Barbados

Barbados Pride, in pictures.

East Timor

Dili Pride, in pictures.

Ethiopia

The sudden end of the Ethiopia-Eritrea war, explained.

France

President Emmanuel Macron claims sacked bodyguard Alexandre Benalla was not his lover.

Germany

Berlin's Christopher Street Day, in pictures.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s fight to save its neon shimmer, in pictures.

India

The couple fighting to legalise gay sex.

Israel

First ever Jewish-Arab Pride held in Israeli city of Lod.

Two hundred leading rabbis brand gays "perverts".

Italy

Gay teen savagely beaten up in Turin amid general indifference.

Waiter fired for serving homophobic receipt leaves restaurant facing death threats.

Long read

An unsolved murder at Italy’s most notorious tower block. "Earlier this year, the remains of a teenage girl were found near Hotel House, a crumbling building largely occupied by recent immigrants, which many Italians regard as a den of drugs and violence. Did prejudice hamper the search for justice?"

Japan

Japanese politician Mio Sugita: Stopping LGBT suicides is low priority.

Dying alone in japan: the industry devoted to what’s left behind. "As the country’s population ages and shrinks, there’s increasing demand for services that clean out and dispose of the property of the dead."

Kenya

Stigma and struggles: living with disability in Kenya, in pictures.

Netherlands

Pride of Amsterdam: city's oldest gay bar celebrates survival. "The orgies have gone, but bingo night still draws the crowds: how the Spijker bar has defied the decline of the city’s gay scene."

Pakistan

Thousands of trans people turned away from voting in elections.

Russia

My terrifying deep dive into one of Russia's largest hacking forums. "I spent three weeks studying FreeHacks, one of the dark web’s biggest platform for hackers. From passports to credit cards, nothing is safe."

Serbia

An airline employee harassed a gay man for years - yet got promoted.

South Africa

Woman recounts being raped by her father and uncle for being a lesbian.

Thailand

Government wants to "quickly" pass same-sex civil union law.

Venezuela

Life's a struggle as Venezuela inflation heads for one million per cent.

Vietnam

The new bridge getting a helping hand.

Art
Skool

The Violators, the art show in Brooklyn celebrating queer art banned from social media.

The Instagram account uncovering the vibrant queer culture of the rural south.

Skylar Fein's installation Remember the Upstairs Lounge features in Changing Course: Reflections on New Orleans Histories exhibit. Until 16th September.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art hosts nude painting of Tom Daley.

Watch

Why do LGBT people love anime?

How stock art illustrates LGBT lives.

The world's most striking pedestrian bridges.

Watch

Word!

Watch

Taylor Saracen reveals how (and why) she wrote her new book about gay porn star Blake Mitchell.

Review

History of Violence, by Édouard Louis. "If there’s anything wrong with History of Violence, it’s only that it ends too soon. But that may be only the pressure of wanting to follow up a successful first novel with a second one before too much time goes by."

Behemoth, bully, thief: how the English language is taking over the planet. "No language in history has dominated the world quite like English does today. Is there any point in resisting?"

Ten quick things about What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker, an upcoming memoir in essays from Damon Young.

Wuthering Heights is a masterpiece of literary genius that is incredibly unpleasant to read.

Panashe Chigumadzi: the best books about Zimbabwe.

Watch

Tsundoku: the art of buying books and never reading them.

Once a city of powerful journalism, New York loses out as cuts bite. "With the Daily News tabloid slashing half its editorial staff, the plight of the Big Apple’s newspapers mirrors the national picture."

On The Rag, your guide to the gay weeklies.

Shouting
At Night

White actors singing slave songs? It’s right that this play was cancelled. "Robert Lepage seems unable to see that western art cannot be ‘intercultural’ without including historically marginalised people."

Watch

Film
Skool

Does internalised shame keep gay actors from gay parts?

Keiynan Lonsdale (Love, Simon) vacations with male model Zak Frio in Joshua Tree.

Sorry to Bother You, black Americans and the power and peril of code-switching. "Switching from African American vernacular to a ‘white voice’ isn’t just about comedy – often, it’s the only way to get by."

Faye Dunaway in all her "Mommie" glory as the star of Gucci's new film. "The Hollywood legend plays a Beverly Hills mother in Gucci's latest masterpiece, directed by Petra Collins."

Carrie on forever – should Star Wars' Leia be allowed to die? "The death of Carrie Fisher didn’t end her role in the space saga and she’ll be back in Episode IX. But now may be the time for her to ‘drown in moonlight’."

Women can be killers, not adulterers: Hollywood's heroine problem. "After two decades of film producers fretting over her taboo-breaking book Layover, novelist Lisa Zeidner asks if Hollywood is finally ready for a bed-hopping woman."

Watch

Mercury Prize-nominated musician Loyle Carner reveals four compelling films that have inspired him and his work.

The
Box

Why Pose is the best representation of black gay love since Moonlight.

Dyllón Burnside of Pose raise money for GLSEN with a concert.

Actor Derek Chadwick comes out as gay.

Josh Mair, a contestant on UK dating show Love Island, addresses rumours he's gay.

Pamela Anderson thinks masturbating too much can turn you asexual.

Don’t scoff at Love Island. It’s British society laid bare.

Dad's Army at fifty: the secret history of comedy's finest half-hour. "The leads hated the script and the BBC was terrified of offending veterans. But Dad’s Army became a TV phenomenon. We reveal how the Walmington warriors seized victory."

Watch

Beats, Rhymes
& Life

George Michael "left nothing" to boyfriend Fadi Fawaz in his will.

R. Kelly releases bizarre new 19-minute song, I Admit It. (Spoiler: he doesn't.)

How music has responded to a decade of economic inequality. "Popular music has always delivered social critique. But it’s struggled to grapple with the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis."

Amsterdam's Inclusive Milkshake Festival, in pictures.

Review

Gaika - Basic Volume. "A terrifically impressive and populist debut that can speak to anyone trying to deal with our fractious world."

How social media changed the one-hit wonder. "The format has fallen to the wayside in the past few years. But should we be mourning its demise or celebrating?"

Arena

Should we hold athletes responsible for anti-gay teenage tweets five years ago?

Interview

Talking to Tom Daley. "From being objectified at 14 to coming out five years later, the diver has lived his life in public. Still only 24, he talks about his marriage to Lance Black, fatherhood – and why he’s speaking out about gay rights around the world."

Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte broke doping rules. It happens far more than you think.

Meat
Market

Gay porn star and convicted murderer David Meza (above), and Sketchy Sex owner Mike Gilbert, feature on CNBC’s Deadly Rich.

Bruno Bernal hits back at criticism of use of n-word. He wrote on Instagram, "Worse thing in life! Barbers that don’t fuck shup [sic] up talking with this n**** accent."

Seth Santoro thanks Chi Chi LaRue for help with sobriety: “If it weren’t for Chi Chi, I might be another dead porn star.”

Twin models Michael and Zach Zakar allege sexual assault by photographer Rick Day.

Interview

Talking to Viktor Rom.

Watch
Cameron Parks and Josh Brady do it.

Jovonnie and Johnny V do it.

Diego Lauzen, Wagner Vittoria, Rico Marlon, Viktor Rom, Louis Ricaute and Konrad Cummings do it.

Ricky Verez, Devin Franco and Hans Berlin do it.

Beau, Elian and Dane do it.

BelAmi's Andrei Karenin, Zac DeHaan, Pip Caulfield, Jim Durden, Marc Ruffalo, Bobby Noiret and Jesse Tobey do it.

Behind the scenes with BelAmi boys, Cade Maddox, Francois Sagat, and more.

Thirst traps.

Circuit Festival Miami, in pictures.

Third Annual SPLASH, in pictures.

Watch

Watch

Ghetto
Romance

How to last longer in bed, according to male porn stars.

Are jockstraps the new hanky code?

Gay men over forty-five far more likely to be single - and these are the reasons why.

A personal guide to moving on from a break-up.

Gay "bottoms" are more likely to have older brothers.

Watch

BDSM and aftercare: how to support the tops and doms in your life.

Seven things a bottom should never say to a top.

Why are we so fascinated with butts?

Summer penis is real, and it's spectacular.

Why some guys like jerking off together.

Medicine
Ball

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the US has warned not to "wash and re-use condoms".

Tom of Finland release a line of condoms.

Milan Christopher gets PrEP’d AF!

People are injecting their scrotums with saline to get huge balls. "A scrotal inflation is a temporary body modification that results from saline – and in some cases air – being used to fill the scrotum."

How I survived cancer in prison.

These nine behaviours could cut your dementia risk by 35 percent.

When is peeing too often the sign of a problem?

This is the effect working out has on your bones.

Americans are eating way more fat. But it’s not butter.

Watch

Planet
Earth

Why there’s a ring of natural disasters around the Pacific.

As California burns, many fear the future of extreme fire has arrived.

This is how bad alcohol is for the planet.

Petrichor: why does rain smell so good?

Zoo

Why millennials are so obsessed with dogs.

The week in wildlife, in pictures.

The White
Heat of This Revolution

This is the Amazon everyone should have feared — and it has nothing to do with its retail business. "The fast, profitable growth of the online commerce giant’s cloud computing and ad businesses should scare rivals."

When a stranger decides to destroy your life. "Monika Glennon had one brief exchange with a complete stranger in a Facebook comment section. That stranger destroyed her life."

Facebook’s user growth has hit a wall.

Inside Indonesia's fake Twitter account factories.

Wikipedia biases.

Planes, Trains
& Automobiles

Welcome to the quiet skies. "Did you scan the boarding area from afar? Have a cold, penetrating stare? Sleep on the plane? Use the bathroom? Talk to others? This is just some of the information that federal air marshals collect on thousands of regular US citizens under a secret, domestic surveillance program."

Betta
Work!

Almost 80% of US workers live from paycheck to paycheck. Here's why. "America doesn’t have a jobs crisis. It has a ‘good jobs’ crisis – where too much employment is insecure, and poorly paid."

I Own 51% Of
This Company!

McDonalds appears to throw shade at Chik-fil-A with inclusive sign.

Watch

Ace's Adventures tours the Northridge Mall in Milwaukee Wisconsin; Retail Archaeology ventures into the Sears Fixture Dungeon at Metrocenter Mall; Faded Commerce visits Newmarket North; and Company Man delves into the decline of General Electric...

Hell's
Kitchen