CBU July E-Magazine 2013 by John Roach

CHICAGO BROTHERS UNITED July E-‐Magazine

PRIDE

44th ANNUAL

CHICAGO PRIDE WEEK Parade June 30, 2013

The parade kicks oﬀ at noon. on Sunday, June 30, 2013, at Montrose Avenue and Broadway in Uptown and ends near the intersecAon of Diversey Parkway and Sheridan Road in Lincoln Park. Pride Month in June is the culminaAon of Chicago's vibrant LGBT community. The energy in the city peaks on Pride Weekend, which falls on the last weekend of June each year in commemoraAon of the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.

CHICAGO PRIDE PARADE ROUTE

NFL Players AssociaNon to join Wade Davis in Chicago Pride Parade

Chicago, IL — Former NFL player and acAvist Wade Davis will be joined by The ReAred Professional Football Players of Chicago -‐ NFL Players AssociaAon when he marches in Chicago's Gay Pride Parade this Sunday. Davis, who played for the Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins and SeaUle Seahawks, will serve as Grand Marshal for this year's 44th annual parade. "The NFL Players AssociaAon Former Players Chapter of Chicago is delighted to support Wade in his crusade to bring more awareness and rally support for the LGBTQ community and parAcularly, to those who parAcipate in sports," said Marques Sullivan, President of the NFL Players AssociaAon Former Players Chapter of Chicago. Davis now serves as a naAonally recognized speaker, acAvist, writer and educator, sharing his story as a closeted gay professional athlete. A[er reArement, Davis opened up about his sexuality and now seeks to shed posiAve light for LGBTQ individuals, especially within sports. Recently, Davis launched the YOU Belong IniAaAve, a series of 4-‐day comprehensive sports instrucAon and leadership development clinics for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/quesAoning) youth and straight allies that will be oﬀered throughout the US quarterly within various sports with the iniAal camp being hosted in the city of Chicago this year, July 25th through the 28th at the Center on Halsted. "Sports help insAll character traits such as self-‐respect, discipline, accountability, and responsibility in people, especially at an early age," said Sullivan. "ParAcipaAon in sports shouldn't be denied to anyone, no maUer the individual's sexual preference, race, gender or religion." The Chicago Pride Parade is set to begin at noon on Sunday, June 30, rouAng from Broadway and Montrose to Diversey and Cannon Drive. The parade, which will have over 200 entries and is expected to draw over 850,000 people, is the culminaAon of June Pride Month in Chicago.

I AM ABOUT THAT LIFE MIXTAPE Volume 1 Featuring:

Planet Asia, Gensu Dean, Vic Mensa, Add-‐2, Alex Wiley, and Naledge Mixed by: Boi Jeanius

The-Dream's Top 10 'Play' on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Andrew Zaeh The Dream

Atlanta singer-‐songwriter The-‐Dream returns to the upper Aer of Top R&B/Hip-‐Hop Albums as "IV Play" opens at No. 2 with 23,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. His previous release, the mixtape-‐turned-‐album "Terius Nash 1977," peaked at No. 29 on January 5, ending his streak of consecuAve top 10s at three. His debut set "Love/Hate" debuted and peaked at No. 5 with 59,000 in 2007 followed by the No. 1-‐opening Love VS Money with 151,000 copies in 2009 and "Love King" (No. 3) with 58,000 in 2010. Though "IV Play" has yet to produce a charAng single, the album’s Atle track lies just below the threshold of Hot R&B/Hip-‐Hop Songs.

On that chart, The-‐Dream has posted six top 10s out of 17 chart appearances as an arNst, though his true success has come from behind the boards. As a writer and/or producer, The-‐Dream has posted 20 top 10 hits on the list including four chart-‐toppers: J. Holiday’s “Bed” (No. 1 for five weeks, 2007), Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” (12 weeks, 2008), Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It,” featuring T-‐ Pain (14 weeks, 2009), and Beyonce’s “Love On Top” (7 weeks, 2012). The-‐Dream conNnues to generate buzz for the album through "not safe for work" online video promos videos as clips starring a lingerie-‐clad model dancing provocaNvely to “High Art,” featuring Jay-‐Z, “P*ssy,” featuring Big Sean and Pusha T, and “Turnt,” featuring Beyonce and 2 Chainz, are currently proliferaNng the blogosphere. Meanwhile, recent RCA signee Kid Ink debuts his "Almost Home" EP at No. 5 on Top R&B/Hip-‐Hop Albums with 15,000 copies. His first chart appearance was last year’s independently-‐released set "Up & Away" which opened at No. 3 on the list with 20,000 copies. The lead single off of the current set, “Bad Ass,” featuring Meek Mill and Wale, debuted and peaked at No. 27 on Hot R&B/Hip-‐Hop Songs in March and has sold 120,000 downloads to date. As for the rest of the top five on the albums chart this week: JusNn Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" returns to No. 1 (up one slot) with 31,000 (down 26%), Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "The Heist" is steady at No. 3 with 22,000 (down 10%) and French Montana's "Excuse My French" falls from No. 1 to No. 4 with 18,000 (down 68%). On Hot R&B/Hip-‐Hop Songs, 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa's "We Own It (Fast & Furious)" speeds into the top 10, rising 19-‐4 in only its second week on the chart. The song's rise is powered by a huge sales increase, as it sold 208,000 downloads last week (up 138%), making it the No. 1 R&B/Hip-‐Hop Digital Song of the week.

The rest of the top 10 on Hot R&B/ Hip-‐Hop Songs is fairly staNc, as the top three Ntles are all holdovers from last week: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Can't Hold Us" (featuring Ray Dalton), Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" (featuring T.I. + Pharrell) and Macklemore & Lewis' "Thrio Shop" (featuring Wanz) are steady at Nos. 1-‐3, respecNvely. Mariah Carey's "#BeauNful," featuring Miguel, is pushed backwards 4-‐5 -‐-‐ though it conNnues to gain in points. The same thing happens to J. Cole's "Power Trip," featuring Miguel, which is displaced 5-‐6. Drake's "Started From the Boqom" slips 6-‐7, Emeli Sande's "Next to Me" falls 7-‐8 and Wale's "Bad," featuring Tiara Thomas, rises 11-‐9. Timberlake's "Suit & Tie," featuring Jay-‐Z, closes out the top 10, falling two rungs to No. 10. By Rauly Ramirez

A daily dose of old school & contemporary R&B HITS with Me! Catching you up on the very latest in everything! No subject is off limits.... Daily 12-‐2PM CST on SAM SYLK RADIO [FREE APP FOR ANDROID & iPHONE] [ALSO AVAILABLE VIA TuneIn Radio & ShoutCast Radio]

Conservatoire graduate and former music Sing to the Moon CD Birmingham instructor Laura Mvula appeared in November 2012 with

Laura Mvula

She, a four-‐song EP led by its Atle track. An elaborate and upli[ing number -‐-‐ part lullaby, part empowerment anthem -‐-‐ "She" was unlike anything on the U.K. charts. It le[ an impression immediate and deep enough to land her a nominaAon for the BBC's Sound of 2013 poll. Sing to the Moon, her full-‐length debut, features "She" and builds upon that song's theatrical sound. It's rooted in decades-‐old forms of gospel, jazz, R&B, and, most deeply, orchestral pop. Almost all of the material is as serious and as refined as it is majesAc, with vocal showcases and hushed-‐belted-‐hushed-‐belted dynamics galore. Taking in all the floaAng brass and dri[ing strings can be strenuous, but the tempo and mood perk up on the chiming romp "Green Garden," where Mvula drops the histrionics, loosens up, and projects pure joy: "Pupng my bag down, taking my shoes off/Walk in the carpet of green velvet." "That's Alright," another wholly spirited number, opens with liUle more than tumbling drums and melodic hums as Mvula beams, "I will never be what you want, and that's all right/'Cause my skin ain't light, and my body ain't Aght." The song then bursts with horns as the singer asserts, "Tell me, who made you the center of the universe?" and "What 'cha gonna do when I fly over you?" Although it's more admirable than it is enjoyable, Sing to the Moon marks the arrival of a unique and major talent -‐-‐ one with a commanding voice seemingly from another dimension -‐-‐ who should be worth watching for many years to come. ~ Andy Kellman A nominee for the 2013 BRITs CriAcs' Choice Award and included in the coveted BBC Sound of 2013 longlist, this is Laura Mvula's debut album. Described as "The voice of 2013" by The Evening Standard, the classically trained, singer-‐songwriter's music fuses orchestral soul with velvety harmonies and emoAonal vocals giving nods to Nina Simone, George Gershwin and Bj”rk amongst others. A graduate from the Birmingham Conservatoire with a degree in composiAon, Laura is a unique collison of her Caribbean background and formal music. Laura's debut single "She", produced by Steve Brown (Rumer) and mixed by Tom Elmhirst (Adele) is a track so lyrically poeAc that it took on a life of it's own. Laura started wriAng songs on her laptop while working as a supply teacher in a Birmingham secondary school. Clash magazine say, "BeauAful in voice and soul, li[ your eyes skyward and watch this girl soar". Recording informaAon: 212 Studios London; LA Sound London.

Black Music Month: 15 Songs That Have Made An Impact On Black Culture

There's no doubt that music is a form of self-‐expression. And many arAsts not only use the recording booth as a hit-‐making plauorm, but also as a medium to impact social change and connect with their fans across the globe. In celebraAon of Black Music Month we decided to highlight a few songs that have made an impact on Black culture throughout history. From James Brown’s 1968 classic, “I’m Black and I’m Proud” and Queen LaAfah’s tribute to sisters, to Kanye West praising Jesus, each song’s message has gone on to resonate with legions of listeners. 1.  2.  3.  4.  5.  6.  7.  8.

James Brown – "I’m Black and I’m Proud” Sam Cooke -‐ "A Change Is Gonna Come” Michael Jackson -‐ "Heal The World” N.W.A. -‐ "F**k the Police” TLC -‐ "Waterfalls” Salt-‐n-‐Pepa -‐ "Let's Talk about Sex” Kanye West -‐ "Jesus Walks” Chaka Khan -‐ "I'm Every Woman”

9.  10.  11.  12.  13.  14.  15.

Billie Holiday -‐ "Strange Fruit” Bob Marley -‐ "RedempAon Song" Various ArAsts -‐ "We Are The World" Aretha Franklin -‐ "Respect" Public Enemy -‐ "Fight the Power" Marvin Gaye -‐ "What's Going On" Queen LaAfah -‐ "U.N.I.T.Y."

South Shore Boys Annual Summer Jam

Time ﬂies when you are having fun! Another year has gone by. It's Ame for the South Shore Boys Annual Summer Jam! Edmund and I hope you will join us again this year. The Jackson Park Yacht Club is welcoming us back. We will be on the lower deck again. DJ Craig Lo[us (Chicago) will be spinning up a storm for us; Ronnie Wier is cooking the food and Edmund and the fellas are working up the drinks. There will be an open bar! So, for $25, come on out and have some fun under the stars alongside the harbor! Bring some friends! Thank you.

What Will The Supreme Court’s Decisions Mean For Blacks?

On June 12, 1963, civil rights acAvist Medgar Evers was gunned in the driveway of his Mississippi home. Evers fought to secure Blacks’ full access to voAng, educaAon, and equality. A year later three young civil rights workers were lynched for registering voters during the famed Freedom Summer. Together the murders of Medgar Evers, Andrew Goodman, James Cheney, and Mickey Schwerner fueled the Civil Rights Movement’s commitment to securing key legislaAon that affirmed African-‐American ciAzenship. Fast forward fi[y years and the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has issued a quartet of decisions that may erode many of those gains. The Court’s rulings on affirmaAve acAon, voAng rights, and marriage equality mean that your elderly grandmother in Texas will need to obtain a state-‐issued ID to vote. Your cousin in Virginia may have a tougher Ame gepng into college and your friend Jill who married in MassachuseUs will no longer have to pay a federal inheritance tax if her partner Anne passes away. These four decisions affirm the importance of Federalism for determining the meaning of ciAzenship. States have the right to create their own unique set of laws and policies that define your ability to vote, learn, and love. In short, democracy varies based on where you live. Monday’s ruling on affirmaAve acAon does not directly address whether race can be considered as one of a set of factors in reaching admission decisions. By kicking it back to the states the Court affirmed that colleges and universiAes have a much higher burden to prove that such programs are necessary. This subjecAve standard creates the possibility that these programs may sAll be overturned at the state level. The ruling comes as African-‐American enrollment at state universiAes is declining as a result of increasing tuiAon rates and declining scholarship programs targeAng students of color. SCOTUS also guqed the most significant piece of legislaNon in modern poliAcal history, the VoAng Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). In striking down the pre-‐clearance formula (SecAon 4) the Court effecAvely aborted the SecAon 5 requirement that certain jurisdicAons gain federal approval before changing voAng procedures. The move does not mean that Blacks will lose the right to vote. The VRA was enacted to protect access to the ballot guaranteed by the Fi[eenth Amendment. Over Ame its protecAons have expanded to prohibit discriminaAon based on race, ethnicity, and language. 36 states are affected by the provisions of the VRA accounAng for over half of the 435 seats allocated for Congress. Without an affirmaAve right to vote states are free to adopt electoral plans that may comprise access.

Texas has already authorized a controversial set of plans previously blocked by the Department of JusAce. Similar plans are pending in Georgia, Arizona, South Dakota, South Carolina, and Alabama in spite of strong evidence that voter ID laws disproporAonately disenfranchise the elderly, the poor, and people of color. We won’t return to the days of basing your vote on whether you know how many bubbles are in a bar or soap. More subtle techniques will emerge such as redistricAng schemes that make it more difficult to elect Black candidates and limits on the number of polling places in highly populated urban areas. The Court’s punt on California’s Prop 8 ban on same sex marriage and dismissal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act means that couples who live in one of the 12 states that recognize same sex marriage will now be enAtled to the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples. The ruling does not require recogniAon in the 36 states that ban same sex marriage. According to a 2012 Gallup Reportx. African Americans make up the largest percentage of racial/ethnic groups within LGBTQ communiAes. Todays’ decisions will directly impact their ability to marry, raise children, and be protected from workplace discriminaAon. CollecAvely the Court’s rulings assert a somewhat schizophrenic view of discriminaAon in the US but they should not be interpreted as privileging the plight of one group over another. As high school students fight to choose their dates for prom, Mississippi abolishes slavery 148 years a[er the rest of the country, and Trayvon MarAn’s parents sit in a Florida courtroom defending the memory of their slain son, the potenAal impact of these decisions makes it even more imperaAve that community organizaAons, insAtuAons, and everyday ciAzens fully engage the poliAcal process beyond elecAons. Dr. Khalilah L. Brown-‐Dean is an Associate Professor of Poli8cal Science at Quinnipiac University where she writes about American Poli8cs, poli8cal psychology, and punishment. Find her online @KBDPHD and kbdphd.blogspot.com. Follow us: @EbonyMag on TwiUer | EbonyMag on Facebook

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CELEBRATE PRIDE SAFELY DON’T DRINK & DRIVE

Official: Kanye West's 'Yeezus' Sells 327,000; Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart It's official: Kanye West's new album "Yeezus" debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 327,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's the biggest week for a rap album since Drake's "Take Care" arrived with 631,000 at No. 1 in November of 2011. The latest sales week ended at the close of business on Sunday, June 23. "Yeezus" marks West's sixth No. 1 album and sixth straight chart-‐topper. Only his debut album, "The College Dropout," missed the top slot. It bowed and peaked at No. 2. His tally of six leaders includes his 2011 collaboraAve album with Jay-‐Z, "Watch the Throne." West's sixth No. 1 album Aes him for the second-‐most No. 1s among rap acts in history. His sum is equal to Eminem and Nas. Only West's "Watch the Throne" partner, Jay-‐Z, has more No. 1s: 12. The full top 10 of the new Billboard 200 will be revealed on Wednesday, June 26. With 327,000 sold, "Yeezus" also earns the third-‐largest sales week this year. Ahead of it are the debuts of JusAn Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" (968,000) and Da[ Punk's "Random Access Memories" (339,000). However, "Yeezus" also tallies West's lowest sales debut yet. All of his previous efforts have bowed with a debut north of 400,000. UnAl now, his smallest solo start was logged by "The College Dropout," with 441,000. On the Friday before its release (June 14), industry sources had forecast "Yeezus" to sell perhaps 500,000 in its first week. Those projecAons were scaled back the day a[er it went on sale (June 18) to 360,000 to 380,000. By last Friday (June 21), the "Yeezus" forecast fell to 330,000 to 340,000.

By Tomika Anderson for BlackEnterprise.com

Which Abs Workout RouNne is Right for You? A trio of strategies to make your midsecAon a work of six-‐pack art. SculpAng the kind of washboard waistline every guy desires doesn't require you to always follow the same road every other guy took to get there. It's hard to stay commiUed enough to see results if you're not in tune with a program from the start. That's why having a few ab rouAnes to choose from can help you determine the best approach for you. Check out these strategies, then choose your favorite abs workout rouAne from our Abdominal Trifecta. STRATEGY #1: THE GYM So you prefer holding your workouts amongst iron and steel, do you? Then you probably already know there's no need to worry about becoming too bulky by bringing weights into your ab rouAne. "The abdominal muscles aren't designed for size; they are designed for funcAon," says Fred McDaniel, master trainer and co-‐founder of the Human Performance Center in Santa Fe, N.M. That means no maUer how hard you try, your stomach muscles may get stronger, Aghter and ﬁrmer, but using weights will never inﬂate them.

Which Abs Workout RouNne is Right for You?

Weights, especially cables, let you work your muscles through a variety of angles by lessening your reliance on whichever single angle gravity allows you. SAcking with the same body-‐resistance exercises, such as crunches and knee raises, can be counterproducAve, especially as you get in beUer shape. "The leaner you become, the less resistance your muscles get from your decreasing body weight, leaving you with less results in the long run," says McDaniel. Adding weights can prevent this from happening, so your midsecAon won't suffer from your sleeker appearance. As for injuries, "the risks involved using weighted abdominal movements are no different than those that come into play using weights for any other muscle group," says McDaniel. "Going slow, maintaining proper form, and always choosing a weight your muscles can handle are the smartest way to lower your odds and improve your results.” You'll need a few pieces of equipment (a high-‐cable pulley, a chin-‐up bar and a light dumbbell), but nothing you wouldn't find in any standard health club. Check out the Hard Core Abs Workout RouAne. STRATEGY #2: IN-‐HOME Working out at home may feel limiAng to some, but for others, it offers the greatest amount of freedom. Being away from prying eyes can allow you to try abdominal exercises you might otherwise feel too self-‐ conscious to do in public-‐movements that may look silly, but are guaranteed to put your abdominal muscles through paces most basic ab moves can never touch. This at-‐home rouAne is derived from Pilates, a series of floor exercises that force you to hold specific posiAons which develop strength, flexibility, posture and coordinaAon. But as esoteric as these movements may seem, "they're actually more rooted to the real-‐life use of your abdominal muscles than your average exercise," says Ed Morand, A.C.E., N.A.S.M., Pilates instructor at the New York Sports Clubs/Town Sports InternaAonal in New York City. Every Pilates move requires a set of Aght, strong abs simply to hold yourself in the starAng posiAon. The conAnual tension on your abs keeps your midsecAon muscles working overAme to maintain your posture, which lets you reap even more six-‐pack success from every exercise on offer here. Morand offers three posiAons for developing abs of steel without needing anything but a mat, a few minutes to spare, and the dedicaAon of a pit bull.

Which Abs Workout RouNne is Right for You? STRATEGY #3: HOME OR GYM PHYSIOBALL Maybe it's because you only see women using one, or because it looks like something Toys-‐R-‐Us puts on sale around ChristmasAme. Or maybe it's simply because it sounds like something made by men who enjoy yodeling and find Eucalyptus bearable. Whatever your explanaAon is for being afraid to use a Swiss ball, you're not alone. Seasoned exercisers share your fears, but for an enArely different reason: Nothing puts your midsecAon through greater, shape-‐shi[ing torture. Exercising your abdominal muscles with a Swiss ball is one of the best ways a guy can jump-‐start his rouAne, for what may seem unique to you is actually quite familiar to your muscles. A Swiss ball mimics movements your abdominal muscles typically do throughout the day. "The abdominal wall's greatest job isn't to curl you off the floor; it's to constantly support and stabilize your body in an upright, balanced posiAon all day long," says Jeff Bell, C.S.C.S., N.A.S.M., A.C.S.M., co-‐owner of Spectrum Wellness, New York City. Merely posiAoning yourself on the ball forces all your muscles (especially your abs) to naturally contract before you even start a movement. "Doing crunches on top of a ball also lets you bend back through a greater range of moAon to work more muscle fibers along a safe, supported surface," says Bell. "Trying to arch your lower back on a flat surface to achieve the same effect will only compromise the spine instead of strengthen your abdominals." Check out this insanely effecAve Swiss Ball Pike abs move.

G R E A T M U S I C

Top Scientists Get to the Bottom of Gay Male Sex Role Preferences "Tops," "Boqoms," "VersaNles" and others in the study of gay male self-‐idenNty By Jesse Bering

It’s my impression that many straight people believe that there are two types of gay men in this world: those who like to give, and those who like to receive. No, I’m not referring to the relaAve generosity or gi[-‐ giving habits of homosexuals. Not exactly, anyway. Rather, the disAncAon concerns gay men’s sexual role preferences when it comes to the act of anal intercourse. But like most aspects of human sexuality , it’s not quite that simple. I’m very much aware that some readers may think that this type of arAcle does not belong on this website. But the great thing about good science is that it’s amoral, objecAve and doesn’t cater to the court of public opinion. Data don’t cringe; people do. Whether we’re talking about a penis in a vagina or one in an anus, it’s human behavior all the same. The ubiquity of homosexual behavior alone makes it fascinaAng. What’s more, the study of self-‐labels in gay men has considerable applied value, such as its possible predicAve capacity in tracking risky sexual behaviors and safe sex pracAces. People who derive more pleasure (or perhaps suﬀer less anxiety or discomfort) from acAng as the inserAve partner are referred to colloquially as “tops,” whereas those who have a clear preference for serving as the recepAve partner are commonly known as “boUoms.” There are plenty of other descripAve slang terms for this gay male dichotomy as well, some repeatable (“pitchers vs. catchers,” “acAve vs. passive,” “dominant vs. submissive”) and others not—well, not for ScienAﬁc American , anyway.

Top Scientists Get to the Bottom of Gay Male Sex Role Preferences In fact, survey studies have found that many gay men actually self-‐idenAfy as “versaAle,” which means that they have no strong preference for either the inserAve or the recepAve role. For a small minority, the disAncAon doesn’t even apply, since some gay men lack any interest in anal sex and instead prefer different sexual acAviAes. SAll other men refuse to self-‐label as tops, boUoms, versaAles or even “gay” at all, despite their having frequent anal sex with gay men. These are the so-‐called “Men Who Have Sex With Men” (or MSM) who are o[en in heterosexual relaAons as well. Several years ago, a team of scienAsts led by Trevor Hart at the Centers for Disease Control and PrevenAon in Atlanta studied a group of of 205 gay male parAcipants. Among the group’s major findings—reported in a 2003 issue of The Journal of Sex Research —were these: (1) Self-‐labels are meaningfully correlated with actual sexual behaviors. That is to say, based on self-‐reports of their recent sexual histories, those who idenAfy as tops are indeed more likely to act as the inserAve partner, boUoms are more likely be the recepAve partner, and versaAles occupy an intermediate status in sex behavior. (2) Compared to boUoms, tops are more frequently engaged in (or at least they acknowledge being aUracted to) other inserAve sexual behaviors. For example, tops also tend to be the more frequent inserAve partner during oral intercourse. In fact, this finding of the generalizability of top/boUom self-‐labels to other types of sexual pracAces was also uncovered in a correlaAonal study by David Moskowitz, Gerulf Reiger and Michael Roloff. In a 2008 issue of Sexual and RelaAonship Therapy, these scienAsts reported that tops were more likely to be the inserAve partner in everything from sex-‐toy play to verbal abuse to urinaAon play.

Top Scientists Get to the Bottom of Gay Male Sex Role Preferences (3) Tops were more likely than both boUoms and versaAles to reject a gay self-‐idenAty and to have had sex with a woman in the past three months. They also manifested higher internalized homophobia—essenAally the degree of self-‐loathing linked to their homosexual desires. (4) VersaAles seem to enjoy beUer psychological health. Hart and his coauthors speculate that this may be due to their greater sexual sensaAon seeking, lower erotophobia (fear of sex), and greater comfort with a variety of roles and acAviAes. One of Hart and his colleagues’ primary aims with this correlaAonal study was to determine if self-‐labels in gay men might shed light on the epidemic spread of the AIDS virus. In fact, self-‐labels failed to correlate with unprotected intercourse and thus couldn’t be used as a reliable predictor of condom use. Yet the authors make an excellent—potenAally lifesaving—point: Although self-‐labels were not associated with unprotected intercourse, tops, who engaged in a greater propor9on of inser9ve anal sex than other groups, were also less likely to iden9fy as gay. Non-‐gay-‐ iden9fied MSW [again, “Men Who Have Sex With Men”] may have less contact with HIV preven9on messages and may be less likely to be reached by HIV-‐preven9on programs than are gay-‐iden9fied men. Tops may be less likely to be recruited in venues frequented by gay men, and their greater internalized homophobia may result in greater denial of ever engaging in sex with other men. Tops also may be more likely to transmit HIV to women because of their greater likelihood of being behaviorally bisexual. Beyond these important health implicaAons of the top/boUom/versaAle self-‐labels are a variety of other personality, social and physical correlates. For example, in the arAcle by Moskowitz, Reiger and Roloff, the authors note that prospecAve gay male couples might want to weigh this issue of sex role preferences seriously before commipng to anything longterm. From a sexual point of view, there are obvious logisAcal problems of two tops or two boUoms being in a monogamous relaAonship. But since these sexual role preferences tend to reflect other behavioral traits (such as tops being more aggressive and asserAve than boUoms), “such relaAonships also might be more likely to encounter conflict quicker than relaAonships between complementary self-‐labels.”

Top Scientists Get to the Bottom of Gay Male Sex Role Preferences Beyond these important health implicaAons of the top/boUom/versaAle self-‐labels are a variety of other personality, social and physical correlates. For example, in the arAcle by Moskowitz, Reiger and Roloff, the authors note that prospecAve gay male couples might want to weigh this issue of sex role preferences seriously before commipng to anything long-‐ term. From a sexual point of view, there are obvious logisAcal problems of two tops or two boUoms being in a monogamous relaAonship. But since these sexual role preferences tend to reflect other behavioral traits (such as tops being more aggressive and asserAve than boUoms), “such relaAonships also might be more likely to encounter conflict quicker than relaAonships between complementary self-‐ labels.” Another intriguing study was reported in a 2003 issue of the Archives of Sexual Behavior by anthropologist Mathew McIntyre. McIntyre had 44 gay male members of Harvard University’s gay and lesbian alumni group mail him clear photocopies of their right hand along with a completed quesAonnaire on their occupaAons, sexual roles, and other measures of interest. This procedure allowed him to invesAgate possible correlaAons between such variables with the well-‐known “2D:4D effect." This effect refers to the finding that the greater* the difference in length between the second and fourth digits of the human hand— parAcularly the right hand—the greater the presence of prenatal androgens during fetal development leading to subsequent “masculinizing” characterisAcs. Somewhat curiously, McIntyre discovered a small but staAsAcally significant negaAve correlaAon between 2D:4D and sexual self-‐label. That is to say, at least in this small sample of gay Harvard alumni, those with the more masculinized 2D: 4D profile were in fact more likely to report being on the receiving end of anal intercourse and to demonstrate more “feminine” aptudes in general.

Top Scientists Get to the Bottom of Gay Male Sex Role Preferences

Many quesAons about gay self-‐labels and their relaAon to development, social behavior, genes and neurological substrates remain to be answered—indeed, they remain to be asked. Further complexity is suggested by the fact that many gay men go one step further and use secondary self-‐labels, such as “service top” and “power boUom” (a pairing in which the top is actually submissive to the boUom). For the right scienAst, there’s a life’s work just waiAng to be had. *Editors' note (9/17/09): The arAcle originally stated in error that the shorter the difference in length between the second and fourth digits of the human hand—parAcularly the right hand—the greater the presence of prenatal androgens during fetal development. In this column presented by Scien9fic American Mind magazine, research psychologist Jesse Bering of Queen's University Belfast ponders some of the more obscure aspects of everyday human behavior. Ever wonder why yawning is contagious, why we point with our index fingers instead of our thumbs or whether being breasSed as an infant influences your sexual preferences as an adult? Get a closer look at the latest data as “Bering in Mind” tackles these and other quirky ques9ons about human nature. Sign up for the RSS feed or friend Dr. Bering on Facebook and never miss an installment again. ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S) Jesse Bering is director of the Ins9tute of Cogni9on and Culture at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, where he studies how the evolved human mind plays a part in various aspects of social behavior. His new book, Under God's Skin, is forthcoming from W. W. Norton in spring 2010.

Background singers -‐-‐-‐, Judith Hill and Lisa Fischer perform "Leon on Me," in the documentary "Twenty Feet From Stardom.”

”20 Feet From Stardom.” Backup singers take center stage in new documentary film Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger appear in the new film "Twenty Feet from Stardom," but only to shine the spotlight on the unsung backup singers who make them sound even beUer. Opening in New York and Los Angeles on Friday and expanding across the United States in coming weeks, the music documentary features the lives and careers of singers who have harmonized with the likes of Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones, Elton John and many more. The film features singers who sang on hit tracks beginning in the 1960s, like Merry Clayton and Darlene Love, right up to today, such as Judith Hill, a recent contestant on television singing show "The Voice." Springsteen, Jagger and others talk about their work with the backup singers as their tracks play in the background, but the film focuses on the backup singers. The film shows them singing in a studio, whether harmonizing or taking the lead, and talking about their experiences.

”20 Feet From Stardom.” American director Morgan Neville said he made the film because he became intrigued by their stories and found that even within the music community very liUle was known about them. "It's not the last word, it's the first word," Neville said in an interview. "I didn't want it to feel like an anthology, I wanted it to feel like a narraAve." Most of the backup singers are African-‐American women who began singing in church at a young age. While some were content with supporAng roles, others aspired to solo stardom. "I always knew I wanted to be a singer, it was just, how we gonna do this?" said Clayton. In the film, Clayton recounts being summoned at 2 a.m. to record with some unidenAfied English band in Los Angeles. She arrived at the studio in pajamas and hair curlers to learn that the band was the Rolling Stones and they were asking her to sing on "Gimme Shelter" -‐ which became one of the band's signature Atles and may be best-‐remembered today for her powerful vocals. Despite her success as a backup singer for many stars ranging from Ray Charles to Neil Young to Lynyrd Skinner, on "Sweet Home Alabama," she never gained tracAon with a series of albums as an independent singer.

Darlene Love joined the Blossoms, a leading session group that, beginning in the late 1950s, had performed background vocals for such ar9sts as Sam Cooke, Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra and Dionne Warwick. Love also recorded for Phil Spector -‐ and found her voice being released under other groups' names, such as The Crystals' 1962 hit, "He's a Rebel."

”20 Feet From Stardom.” Other singers, such as Darlene Love, were thwarted by contract and management troubles. She resorted to cleaning houses to earn a living. The ﬁlm explores why each singer didn't make it solo, from their own perspecAves and asking others in the industry. Among the reasons are simple bad luck, a lack of ambiAon or ego, and, perhaps, limited room at the very top for black female singers. "Something that we kind of say in the ﬁlm is that there were only so many slots for African-‐ American singers at the Ame," Neville said about the 1970s. Neville said that the landscape for backup singers has changed, but not necessarily for the beUer. With increased technology and current tastes AlAng toward more electronic sounds there is less demand for backup singers. Popular music, he added, also puts more emphasis on spectacle than on singing. At 29, former "Voice" contestant Judith Hill is struggling to launch a solo career a[er singing backup for Elton John and Stevie Wonder. She said that the popular TV show has opened some doors for her and she is hopeful that she can achieve her dream. "When you're a background singer, there's a springboard at the beginning, but it easily becomes quicksand if that's not what you want to do," she said. Aher a career break, Love returned to music, as both a solo ar9st and a backup singer for U2 and Cher. She also acted in the "Lethal Weapon" movies, and on stage in "Hairspray." In 2011 Love was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Leh: Singer Darlene Love, featured in the documentary "Twenty Feet From Stardom."

The Best New Dress Shoes Under $200

One day we'll all have the cash for bench-‐made English brogues or buUery handsewn Italian lace-‐ ups. But unAl that day comes, step out in these wildly affordable variaAons. How you frame your shoes is just as important as the shoes themselves. A $20 cuff at your tailor makes it even affordable.

Cole Haan, $198 Right on the Dots Those liUle "pebble-‐grain" indentaAons are the sort of high-‐end detailing that marks —scratch that: used to mark —a pair of $1,000 wingAps.

Aldo, $110 What, These Old Things? You can give your dress shoes a paAna with miles and blisters. Or buy them like high-‐rolling Italians do—with a burnished ﬁnish.

Hush Puppies, $125 Look Like Brunellos, Feel Like Sneakers These could be the work of Brunello Cucinelli, but they're priced more like Payless and are as comfy as orthopedics.

Zara, $129 A Trend You Can Aﬀord to Try In case you don't follow style blogs, double-‐monkstrap shoes make your feet talk. And what they say is, "I am a man of extraordinary style." If you feel apprehensive about invesAng in power soles like that, you don't need to be anymore. This price tag makes tesAng the waters less risky. Way less risky.

Johnston & Murphy, $135 More Bang for Less Bucks Designer Mark McNairy ushered in the era of bucks in any color; now any color is available at any price. Look sharp—and sAll make rent.

Founded October 23, 2003

NYPS Announces Living Legends Honorees

NaNonal Youth Pride Services is proud to announce the 7th class of honorees for its Living Legends Black History Award. This award was created by NYPS and LiUle Black Pearl 7 years ago when 100 black straight and gay youth gathered to honored people of color who worked to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Since then, NYPS has held the event as its annual Gala ever since, acknowledging people who were living who have played an important role in paving the way for the generaAon of black LGBT youth we serve today. Because this is our 10th Year Anniversary, we have combined the Living Legends Gala with our 10 Year Anniversary Gala that will be held in October 2013. In keeping with tradiAon, we will honor people from Chicago, but for the ﬁrst Ame we will also honor a naAonal person to showcase our move from a local organizaAon to a naAonal one. Our 2013 Living Legends Class is: PoliNcal: Michael O’Conner Ball Community: Mario Balenciaga Youth/Young Adult: David Robertson Transgender AcNvism: Kokumo OrganizaNon: Pow Wow Media: Rod McCullom Faith: Trinity United Church of Christ Economic/Community Development: John Roach NaNonal: Wade Davis, Jr. In addiAon to the new class, we look to invite all previous Living Legends winners to join us on stage in October for a once in a lifeAme photo opportunity.

Play Therapy, Individual, Family and Couple Counseling, Mindfulness, CogniAve-‐Behavioral and Trauma-‐focused approaches and methods.

www.accordingtosykes.com | john@accordingtosykes.com 1525 East 53rd Street -‐ Suite 911, Chicago, IL | 773) 746-‐2317

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL is the real story of the one-‐of-‐a-‐kind sound that hit the airwaves in 1959 and changed our culture forever. This exhilaraNng show charts Motown founder Berry Gordy's incredible journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and so many more. Featuring all the classics you love, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL tells the story behind the hits as Diana, Smokey, Berry and the whole Motown family ﬁght against the odds to create the soundtrack that changed America. Motown shaqered barriers, shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat. Now, it ﬁnally comes to the Broadway stage in the world premiere of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL.

Adidas’s New Shoes Are Spring-Loaded To Propel Runners Forward CAN THEY DO THE SAME FOR THE COMPANY?

It wasn’t unAl James Carnes saw a rough sketch of a strange running shoe-‐-‐the sole doUed

with rounded, angled blades-‐-‐that he thought the concept would actually work. “We’re taking a rigid and sAﬀ material and making it look so[ and elegant,” says Carnes, the head of global design for Adidas. “That’s hard. This was something we always wanted but didn’t think we could get.” It took a few years, but that drawing is now a shoe. Yesterday, Adidas launched the Springblade, which goes on sale August 1. At $180, it’s the company’s most expensive running shoe. It’s also one of its most high-‐tech footware products. The 16 blades, strips of high-‐tech polymer that resemble the outstretched legs of a cheetah in full stride, are designed to work like individual springs. When they bounce back, unlike the soles of other shoes claiming similar properAes, Carnes says, they propel a runner forward. Adidas is hoping that the disAncAve blades become not only a staple of its running shoes but a stylish silhoueUe for everyday models as well.

The company could certainly use a hit running shoe. In May, Adidas ranked fourth in the crowded category, with 7.4% market share (down from 8.2% last year), compared to Nike’s esAmated 43%. PenetraAng that dominance remains a challenge, but recent advances in computer-‐assisted design and plasAcs are allowing Adidas and others to introduce new designs and technology, improving their chances of gepng noAced and winning converts. Earlier this year, we explored Reebok’s approach, a polarizing design called the ATV 19+. Its oversized nodules were inspired by the knobby wheels on an all-‐terrain vehicle and built for oﬀ-‐road running, a new category Reebok hopes to build. Engineers at Adidas have been working on shoes that exploit a runner’s energy at least since the early 1990s, Carnes says. To that end, they’re obsessed with race cars-‐-‐Formula 1, since Adidas is based in Germany (the U.S. headquarters is in Portland). “This project comes out of looking at what happens to the energy a race car uses when it has to go around a corner,” Carnes says. “Some of our brainy engineers started to think about how to harness the energy you push into a shoe when you land and not only re-‐use it but give it a speciﬁc direcAon.”

Meanwhile, Carnes wrestled with how to make the radical new look more appealing. How to tell the technical story through design. “We wanted to communicate this idea of propulsion and convey that your foot is ﬂoaAng above the ground,” he says. So his team rounded the edges of the blades, giving them a so[er appearance, and capped them with colorful Aps, a playful touch. And because the rest of the spring is an almost translucent material, the shoe oﬀers a hint of hovering above the ground. In short, Carnes celebrated the blades. “Like with any good new thing, there’s an emoAonal reacAon,” he says. “That should be something familiar and a liUle bit provocaAve.”

G R E A T M U S I C

Run DMC Reunion: Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels Denies Rumors

Great news for Run DMC fans! The iconic hip hop group is officially back together. Well sort of. Since taking the stage during last year’s first annual “Made in America” fesNval, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Reverend Joseph "Run" Simmons have decided to perform at a few select shows in honor of the late Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell’s legacy and foundaNon. However, as DMC recently explained during an interview with Access Atlanta, fans shouldn’t expect a tradiNonal reunion from the duo. “We’re not back together as a group, we just have some good offers to do some shows,” McDaniels revealed. “But at the same Nme we get to showcase (Jam Master) Jay’s children and bring awareness to the JMJ FoundaNon, which his wife created to keep music programs in school.” “We’re going to sNck to doing big shows, but we’re not doing an album, no world tour. We can’t really be Run without Jay, but we can show up for certain shows. As for his experience performing without Mizell commanding the turntables, the 49-‐year-‐ old describe it as “weird.” “It’s really weird and different. But when it comes to doing the songs, when we did the first show in Philly last year, my friend asked what it was like and I said, it’s funny, I couldn’t describe it,” he said. “But it was like riding a bike. Everybody else was singing along, so if I forget the lyrics, I just look at crowd.”

HOUSE MUSIC PICNIC

Join us for the 7TH ANNUAL PRIDEINDEX.COM™ ESTEEM AWARDS Saturday July 6 from 2:00PM – 6:00PM at Sidetrack 3349 N. Halsted. We will honor several individuals and organizaAons from Chicago and across the country such as Tim’m West, Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler, Kenyon Farrow, the Center on Halsted, Jane M. Saks, GMAD (NYC), The Anna DeShawn Show, ﬁlmmaker Coquie Hughes, Wade Davis of the Hetrick-‐MarAn insAtute, ElixHER.com, Alex Sewell and many more. Visit www.TheEsteemAwards.com

Inferno Canada -‐ July 4-‐7, 2013 -‐ Montreal, Quebec The Enchanted Forest. The latest internaNonal event from Inferno

Inferno CA Men | July 4-‐7, 2013 | Montreal, Quebec | infernoCAmen.com

Prepare yourself for The Enchanted Forest as we take you to Montreal for the latest internaNonal adventure of the Inferno brand, Inferno Canada. The city promises to enNce with all the old French sexiness and modern ruggedness for which it is legendary. From club hopping the most famous strip clubs in the Americas to cruising along the water's edge, the fun doesn?t stop for ﬁve days and four nights of the hoqest bodies, sexiest clubs, and the some of the most popular djscos on the scene. From our choice host hotel accommodaNons to a tour-‐de-‐force program, Inferno conNnues to deliver by pleasing your paleqe with a mouthful of hot French-‐American cuisine. Come play with the woodland creatures of The Enchanted Forest. This event promises to be one that you won‘t soon, if ever, forget! Resort -‐ MontrÈal Marrioq Ch‚teau Champlain Inferno Canada welcomes you to the Montreal Marrioq Chateau Champlain. Nestled in the heart of downtown Montreal, our host hotel is central to everything including Old Montreal, premier shopping, public transportaNon, and the gay Village. Once checked-‐in, enjoy an array of amenNes such as the indoor pool with spa, the health club, the delicious cuisine of the hotel restaurant or just relax in your room taking in the view of the city while uNlizing your free wi-‐ﬁ, premium TV, premium bedding, and premium minibars.