CrossFit Cancels "Pride Workout" For God; Netflix Binge Watch: "Sensitive Skin" With Kim Cattrall; Colton Haynes Naked and Covered With Paint

CrossFit Cancels "Pride Workout" For God

Although I'm not a huge fan of the concept of CrossFit myself, I have a family member who owns a CrossFit affiliation (You're not allowed to buy a CrossFit "franchise." They call it an "Affiliation")  and I thought this article was interesting. I do cardio every morning, and I work out with weights in the evening, and the mindset that goes along with CrossFit was never for me.

With that said, an Indiana CrossFit canceled a Pride Workout for this reason:

“Our underlying goal for the staff and members at CrossFit Infiltrate and our other gyms CrossFit White river and University Ave CrossFit is total health and well-being for the individual and community. Total health involves the body, the emotions, relationships, and the spirit. At the foundational detractor from health, as we believe God sets the parameters for, is pride. We believe that true health forever can only be found within humility, not pride. Humility is seeing oneself as they truly are, and as God truly defines them to be. As a business we will choose to deploy our resources towards those efforts and causes that line up with our own values and beliefs.

“Of course we will continue treat anyone and everyone with the same respect and provide the same service at CrossFit Infiltrate to anyone that wishes to take part.”

I guess they really don't know what "Pride" is all about. Or, maybe this is part of the mindset. I honestly don't know. I do know what he said sounds like a load of crap to me.

You can read the rest here. And there are quite a few comments with this one.


Netflix Binge Watch: Sensitive Skin With Kim Cattrall

We started watching Sensitive Skin on Netflix, with Kim Cattrall, by accident. And it's been one of the best shows we've seen on TV so far this year. I don't know why it hasn't been trending all over Twitter and other social media with the streaming crowd, but it should be.

From IMDb

Davina (Kim Cattrall) and Al (Don McKellar) try to revamp their lives as they struggle with the uncertainties of middle age.

That's just a basic blurb, and it really doesn't do the show justice. It will make you laugh and cry, it will make you question certain things in your own life, and it will make you think about the future. And most important, I loved all the characters and I cared about them. Because if you don't care about the characters, the story line isn't going to stand on its own.  

You can read more at the link above. I don't want to give out any spoilers because there are a few surprises that you don't expect. In that sense, Sensitive Skin views like a good novel reads.

And here's even more from the New York Times...  

Viewers who only know co-producer Kim Cattrall as the flamboyant Samantha Jones on “Sex and the City” may be pleasantly surprised to see her master the far subtler starring role of Davina Jackson, a woman caught between the comfort of a 30-year marriage and an intensifying urge to start over.

Colton Haynes Naked And Covered In Paint

Don't judge. It's not easy for a gay guy to get attention in Hollywood. And I'm not being sarcastic. I love Colton Haynes, and I love his honesty and what he's done for gay men. 

Colton Haynes is slowly but surely moving on from his split with Jeff Leatham… by getting naked and covered in paint.

Here's more. The comments are not too kind. But like I said, it's not easy for openly gay men in Hollywood in the most literal sense, and you do the best you can with what you have. I think the photos are very good, and very artistic. You should check them out. 

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A PG Rated Gay Romance

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Altered Parts: Limited Edition

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In Their Prime by Ryan Field

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Amazon: Amish Indiscretion

HBO Boycott, TV Show Hung, and Male Full Frontal Nudity; Kate Spade's Suicide Note To Daughter; Long Term HIV Survivors and Longevity

HBO Boycott, TV Show HUNG, and Male Full Frontal Nudity

I've been posting about the lack of male full frontal nudity in all films and TV for a long time, and I know I'm not the only one who wonders about the double standard. So here's an interesting tongue in cheek piece on the topic.

In a new video, the women raise some totally valid points, starting with the countless number of HBO shows featuring naked women in brothels compared with the very few instances of men in their birthday suits.

“You had a show called Hung about a guy with a big d*ck,” one of them points out, “And we never got to see it!!”

I've asked the same question about Hung here on this blog, too. What were they thinking? If you title a TV show, Hung, there should at least be something to see.

There's more at this link. 


Kate Spade's Suicide Note To Daughter

This is about the saddest thing I've read in a long time. May she RIP.

Officials also revealed that the Kansas City, Missouri-native left behind a note. In the note, Spade told her 13-year-old Frances that she should not blame herself for her suicide, police sources told Page Six.

According to law enforcement officials, the note read, "Bea - I have always loved you. This is not your fault. Ask Daddy!"

You can read the rest here. There are more details.

Long Term HIV Survivors and Longevity

June 5th marks Long Term HIV Survivors Day, and there's a new video out for the occasion. 

Much has been written by long-term survivors, of course, but rarely do we get to watch a diverse collection reveal their lives to us. The sum effect of their voices is something altogether moving. We’re watching lived history, the kind of archive you might find about the survivors of a world war.

If you've never seen anyone in the final stages of AIDS fighting for their lives, you might want to watch this to grasp the full magnitude. I have seen people in the final stages of AIDS, and I've also seen a few come back to live fairly normal lives with HIV. And living with HIV for the long term is something that's not addressed often enough. This kind of thing also helps stop the shame that often is associated with HIV from people who don't know any better...and never took the time to learn the facts. 

The interviews in the video are from a summit that was hosted by The Reunion Project in Palm Springs, CA. 

Here's more.  

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A PG Rated Gay Romance

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Altered Parts: Limited Edition

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In Their Prime by Ryan Field

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Amazon: Amish Indiscretion

SCOTUS Rules On Anti-Gay Bakers Who Discriminate; Happy Smiling Bigots Rejoice Over SCOTUS Ruling; New Dolly Parton Netflix Series

SCOTUS Rules On Anti-Gay Bakers Who Discriminate


Today SCOTUS ruled in favor of the Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple several years ago. It's been an ongoing case that never seems to end, I've seen more than my share of conservatives "splaining" why it's okay for a business owner to discriminate against people, and I've seen more than my share of arguing over it.

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the court's decision against the same-sex couple, Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins, departing from his long history of opinions in favor of gay rights dating back a generation. Included among them was the court's 2015 decision legalizing gay marriage nationwide.

Keep in mind this ruling only pertains to this one case. It's not going to allow all Christians the ability to discriminate against all LGBTI people. It's not the worst thing in the world in a general sense, but it's not the best thing either. And it's still discrimination no matter which way you want to spin it around. I have also seen my fair share of spins.  

You can read more about the ruling, here. 

Happy Smiling Bigots Rejoice Over SCOTUS Ruling

In an article related to the one above, there certainly were a few happy bigots in the USA today. Fun and games were had by all anti-gay good Christians after the anti-gay baker ruling was announced.

Outside the Supreme Court building, antigay Christians/religious freedom fighters cheered cries of victory and praised God as the verdict was announced.

You can read this one, here. They continued their joyous celebration of bigotry with even more festivities on Twitter. There are photos and screen shots of tweets. 

New Dolly Parton Netflix Series

This sounds like something that will definitely be worthwhile binge watching. 

“As a songwriter, I have always enjoyed telling stories through my music,” Parton said in a statement. “I am thrilled to be bringing some of my favorite songs to life with Netflix. We hope our show will inspire and entertain families and folks of all generations, and I want to thank the good folks at Netflix and Warner Bros. TV for their incredible support.”

Here's the rest.  There's a video with Parton talking about gay people, tolerance, and acceptance.

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A PG Rated Gay Romance

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Altered Parts: Limited Edition

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In Their Prime by Ryan Field

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Amazon: Amish Indiscretion

Olly Alexander and Marijuana Butt Lube; Hanging Out In Your Underwear; Bryan Colangelo: The Mainstream Learns About Fake Twitter Accounts and Sock Puppets

Olly Alexander and Marijuana Butt Lube

This is about as dumb as the title sounds, but it's funny, too. Olly Alexander gave an interview with Out, and this is part of what he said.

 What’s great about being gay is that you can celebrate all types of sexualities, because we understand that being queer means you might also be gender nonconforming or bi or whatever. For straight people it’s just, ‘I sleep with the opposite sex.’ 

Here's more, with comments. Apparently, not everyone in the comments is familiar with Olly Alexander or his viewpoint on sexuality. 

Hanging Out In Your Underwear

Underwear is a big thing lately.

Here's a series of Instagram photos of guys in shorts and underwear that are actually quite good. It's SFW, too. 

If you don’t follow @Queerty on Instagram, you’re only getting half the story. Here’s a taste of what’s bubbling over on our feed.

Here's more, and you can also find out how you can be featured, and win a free trip to Brooklyn. It sounds confusing, and the title of the article doesn't match the text, but if you click the link you'll see what I mean. 


Bryan Colangelo: The Mainstream Learns About Fake Twitter Accounts and Sockpuppets

I've been following the story of Bryan Colangelo since it was first reported, and the most interesting thing to me is how the mainstream is reacting.  They seem so stunned. In short, for anyone familiar with the Internet and how social media works, Colangelo...or members of his family...has been allegedly using sockpuppets. 

Whether the tweets are coming from Colangelo himself, his son, his wife, or even his dad, this is wrong. It’s hard to imagine anything more disgusting, weak and gutless than someone tweeting their opinions every day about Philadelphia sports teams from an anonymous Twitter account. I mean, who does that? 

I'm not commenting on Colangelo, but I do find it interesting that the mainstream is just starting to learn about these things after all these years. Where have these people been? Do they really believe all Amazon and Yelp reviews are real?

You can read the rest of this article, here. My posts (totally unrelated to Colangelo) here on this blog about sockpuppets and Internet gaming date way back. Here are a few of them from around 2012. 

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Amazon

A PG Rated Gay Romance

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Altered Parts: Limited Edition

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In Their Prime by Ryan Field

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Smashwords 

Amazon: Amish Indiscretion

Sex Club Charges Different Admission Fees For Tops and Bottoms; More Aaron Schock; Queer Eye's AJ Marries

Sex Club Charges Different Admission Fees For Tops and Bottoms

This is a new one for me.

ANONYMOUS is a sex party for guys in Brooklyn. After the smashing success of its first event over the Black Party weekend last month, the party is returning for a second outing on June 2.

Organizers are charging $65 entry for bottoms…. but just $25 for tops.

The bottoms are not too happy about this. But there is an explanation as to why the club is doing this that I'm not getting into here on the blog. The short version is they want to attract more tops than bottoms.

 Good luck with THAT. 

You can read that, here. One guy in the comments thinks tops are so rare to find they should be allowed in free. 

More Aaron Schock

I still don't know why Aaron Schock is so important to this gay press, but I'm linking to it anyway in case I'm missing something.

The one-time GOP golden boy has been fighting to get indictments on 22 criminal corruption charges against him thrown out. The charges include filing false tax returns, mail fraud, wire fraud, submitting false reports to the FEC, false statements, and theft of government funds.

But it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time soon. This week, a three-judge panel of a federal appeals court rejected his latest attempt at the case dismissed.

Here's the rest. There are over 20 "Just Sayin" comments that say nothing at all. 

Queer Eye's AJ Marries

Even though I'm openly gay, I know about as much about Queer Eye as I do about Aaron Schock, but I guess there's a following somewhere for this kind of thing so that's why I'm linking to it.  

AJ Brown, whose life was transformed in the fourth episode of Queer Eye, has married his long-term boyfriend – and it’s too adorable.

Here you go. There are photos. I hope they're happy for many years to come. 

Amazon: Amish Indiscretion

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A PG Rated Gay Romance

Here's the Amazon link

Altered Parts: Limited Edition

And here's the Amazon link. 

In Their Prime by Ryan Field

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Trump and Pride Month; Preacher Wants Gays Executed Humanely; MNEK's New Gay Anthem

Trump Ignores Pride Month

I'm mainly linking to this one so you can check out the comments at the end of this article. I think they show how divided people are these days.

While the Democrats issued a public statement to celebrate LGBTQ pride month, the Trump administration pointedly ignored the community in favor of other proclamations – like National Ocean Month.

Here's the link. If you do a search you can find many other articles like this. But as I said, it's the reader comments and the division that made me link to this in the first place. Frankly, I didn't expect Trump to do or say anything for Pride Month. It's not shock to me. 

Here's one comment. 

The reason we have a month to celebrate who we are. A month to celebrate how proud we are of who we are. Is because people are still murdered for it. People are still belittled for it. Isolated, institutionalized, and shunned for it. It's not a cry for attention. It's a battle cry its us rising above the oppression and saying fuck off. We love ourselves even if they hate us. I hope it makes sense now.

Preacher Wants Gays Executed Humanely

Here's another reason why we still need a Pride Month. 

A Christian preacher has claimed he wants gay people killed, but only if it is done as ‘humanely’ as possible.

Matt Powell, a 22-year-old religious activist, has said he believes we should follow the Bible on dealing with the LGBTI community.

He thinks homosexuality is ‘disgusting’ and the government should ‘execute’ them.

You can finish reading this one, here. There's a very disturbing video by this bible thumper. 

MNEK's New Gay Anthem

In spite of the wing nut bible thumpers, in spite of the people who refuse to bake gay wedding cakes, and in spite of the fact that the president couldn't care less about Pride Month, we're still going strong. And I think that's a good thing. Being kicked all the time has always been the element that gave us the most strength to keep fighting for the same rights everyone else has always had. 

Kick off Pride month with a brand new song you’ll be bopping to all summer. MNEK released his new song today, Colour, and it’s the upbeat anthem that’s perfect to celebrate this community.

You can check this out, here. 

Amazon: Amish Indiscretion

Smashwords

Amazon

A PG Rated Gay Romance

Here's the Amazon link

Altered Parts: Limited Edition

And here's the Amazon link. 

In Their Prime by Ryan Field

Amazon

Smashwords