SOUTHERN WITH A GAY TWIST
03.25.16 V7-06
Happy vs Unhappy
Here’s To Latrice Royal
+sister act
masc by: Johann arm Doblinski
Big Wig VIII
April 2, 2016 • 8 PM
Ballroom Dance Clubs of Atlanta King Plow Arts Center All proceeds benefit:
TICKETS:
$30 ($35 at the door) VIP $50 ($55 at the door) Buy tickets online at: VoicesOfNote.org
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Contents
FENUXE
03.25.2016
MAN
bout town
masc by: Johann arm Doblinski
PG 28
07
CALENDAR: 8 GREAT THINGS TO DO
08
OUT & ABOUT PHOTOS
20
HERE’S TO LATRICE ROYAL
22
SISTER ACT
24
DEPRESSION: UNHAPPY VS HAPPY
28
MASC
36
HEY GIRL HEY
38
GAY NEWS AT A GLANCE Scan the QR Code with your smart phone to like us on
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COVER BY Johann Arm Doblinski
Edgerton Foundation New Play Award recipient
From Charles Randolph-Wright, director of Motown the Musical A neW A mericAn muSicAl
“We’re all born for a purpose. This musical celebrates the journey of finding it.” —Six-time Grammy Award winner BeBe Winans
April 13–May 15
Tickets as low as $20 @ 404.733.5000
alliancetheatre.org/bornforthis // Groups 404.733.4690
WANT YOUR EVENT FEATURED? SEND IT TO US AT INFO@FENUXE.COM
Friday, March 25 Ready to grow your business opportunities? Then join The Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC) as they host their Fourth Friday networking mixer from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Gallery 874. 874 Joseph E Lowery Blvd NW, Atlanta GA 30318
MAR 27
FUN
THE ARMORETTES’S PRESENT: DRAG RACES 2016 Sunday, March 27 Join the infamous Drag Queens of the South for the largest Easter party in Atlanta as they conduct Atlanta’s Annual Easter Drag Races and return back to their home at Burkhart’s Pub! Games and fun start at 2pm!
MUSIC
ART AIDS AMERICA Saturday, March 26 Sex, Politics, religion, loss, and beauty – all of the topics that you can’t talk about over dinner but at the museum they are open for discussion in “Art AIDS America,” an exhibition that reveals for the first time how the AIDS crisis forever changed American art. Its stop at Kennesaw State University’s Zuckerman Museum of Art is the only Southern stop on its national tour, through May 22, zuckerman.kennesaw.edu
EPIC MUSIC
DEEP SOUTH
Saturday, March 26 Musicians from 8 states will join Atlanta Freedom Bands for an “epic” concert of music from the cinema. The program includes music from a number of Oscarwinning composers and film scores. It also includes music from movies filmed right here in Atlanta, or “Y’allywood!” The first Southeastern Regional LGBT Band event, 8 – 10 p.m., Crowne Plaza Atlanta Midtown, 590 W Peachtree St NW, Atlanta.
Saturday, March 12 Join DJ Vicki Powell and Honcho for hottest monthly queer dance/ cruise party 4th Saturdays at The Atlanta Eagle. No gimmicks. No Themes. Just heat. www.atlantaeagle.com
FILM CHARITY
THEATER
KINKY BOOTS COMES TO THE FOX! Tuesday, March 29 The Tony Award-winning musical “Kinky Boots” finally comes to the ATL, debuting tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Fox Theatre and running through April 2, www.foxtheatre.org
FUN MAR 26
MAR 26
ART
APR 1 05.03.15
MAR 26
AGLCC FOURTH FRIDAYS
MAR 29
MAR 25
NETWORK
FUNNY APR 2
CALENDAR
ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL
WAIT WAIT DON’T TELL ME!
Friday, April 1 The Atlanta Film Festival, the city’s second largest film festival, opens today and runs through April 10 , with several LGBT films as part of their Pink Peach series. While they are playing at many venues across town, we love when they host films at gay-owned & operated Plaza Theater on Ponce. www. atlantafilmfestival.com
Saturday, April 2 The Variety Playhouse welcomes the comedic brilliance of Paula Poundstone. 32 years ago Poundstone climbed on a Greyhound bus and traveled across the country -- stopping in at open mic nights at comedy clubs as she went. Now, she’s one of the country’s foremost humorists. Tickets are $35 in advance. FENUXE.COM : 7
OUT & ABOUT
08: March 25, 2016
PHOTOS
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PHOTOS
GLAAD SUNDAY FUNDAY @ THE INDEPENDANT PHOTOS BY: SHER PRUITT
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OUT & ABOUT
12: March 25, 2016
PHOTOS
COUNTRY NIGHT @ THE HERETIC PHOTOS BY: SHER PRUITT
Come View our Decorated Model
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* Available only when you close on a to-be-built home in the Towns at Druid Hills community in the Atlanta division being marketed under Ryland Homes pursuant to a contract you sign on or between March 15, 2016 and April 30, 2016. Seller provided “Use How You Choose” credits may be applied to closing costs, design center options, lot premiums, finished basement and other structural options. Upgrades and options available solely through Seller’s Design Center. Availability of items may vary by community. Offer does not have any cash value. ** Available only when you close on a home in the Towns at Druid Hills community in the Atlanta division being marketed under Ryland Homes pursuant to a contract you sign on or between March 15, 2016 and April 30, 2016. Receipt of closing cost credit is contingent upon buyer closing a loan with our affiliated lender, CalAtlantic Mortgage, and closing through a CalAtlantic Homes preferred closing attorney, and is subject to limits. The combined value of seller incentives, credits and other seller contributions may exceed lender limits established for the loan program for which buyer qualifies. Buyer should ask his or her lender about the impact of such limits. Prices, plans, and terms are effective on the date of publication and subject to change without notice. Depictions of homes or other features are artist conceptions. Hardscape, landscape, and other items shown may be decorator suggestions that are not included in the purchase price and availability may vary. CalAtlantic Mortgage, Inc.®, NMLS ID #203897, Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee Number 24225, 8660 E Hartford Drive Suite 200a, Scottsdale, AZ 85255 and branch location 1000 Mansell Exchange West, Suite 210, Alpharetta, GA 30022 License #68278. © 2016 CalAtlantic Group, Inc. RA2065
FENUXE.COM : 19
OUT & ABOUT
14: March 25, 2016
PHOTOS
ST. PADDY’S DAY @ ATLANTA EAGLE PHOTOS BY: SHER PRUITT
Atlanta’s own Terry Burrell brings the wit of amazing performer Ethel Waters to life in this one woman play with music.
Terry Burrell in the Walnut Street Theatre production of Ethel.
Ticketass as low
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March 25–April 17
Tickets @ 404.733.500
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By and starring Terry Burrell Directed by Kenneth Roberson
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* Available only when you close on a to-be-built home in the Towns at Breton Ridge community in the Atlanta division being marketed under Ryland Homes pursuant to a contract you sign on or between March 15, 2016 and April 30, 2016. Seller provided “Use How You Choose” credits may be applied to closing costs, design center options, lot premiums, finished basement and other structural options. Upgrades and options available solely through Seller’s Design Center. Availability of items may vary by community. ** Available only when you close on a home in the Towns at Breton Ridge community in the Atlanta division being marketed under Ryland Homes pursuant to a contract you sign on or between March 15, 2016 and April 30, 2016. Receipt of closing cost credit is contingent upon buyer closing a loan with our affiliated lender, CalAtlantic Mortgage, and closing through a CalAtlantic Homes preferred closing attorney, and is subject to limits. The combined value of seller incentives, credits and other seller contributions may exceed lender limits established for the loan program for which buyer qualifies. Buyer should ask his or her lender about the impact of such limits. Prices, plans, and terms are effective on the date of publication and subject to change without notice. Depictions of homes or other features are artist conceptions. Hardscape, landscape, and other items shown may be decorator suggestions that are not included in the purchase price and availability may vary. CalAtlantic Mortgage, Inc.®, NMLS ID #203897, Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee Number 24225, 8660 E Hartford Drive Suite 200a, Scottsdale, AZ 85255 and branch location 1000 Mansell Exchange West, Suite 210, Alpharetta, GA 30022 License #68278. © 2016 CalAtlantic Group, Inc. RA2065
FENUXE.COM : 15
OUT & ABOUT
16: March 25, 2016
PHOTOS
PARTY IT UP @ BURKHART’S PHOTOS BY: SHER PRUITT
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OUT & ABOUT
18: March 25, 2016
PHOTOS
HSL JERSEY PARTY @ THE HERETIC PHOTOS BY: SHER PRUITT
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MUSIC
BY SHANE GALLAGHER
Here’s To Latrice Royale
The Larger Than Life Drag Race Star Infuses Jazz with Pizazz
Latrice Royale’s “Here’s To Life” is available on Amazon now. For more information, visit LatriceRoyale.com
Latrice Royale brings the energy and rawness of the roaring twenties back to the modern age with her debut album, “Here’s To Life.” In it, she shares her stories of growing up gay in the gang-infested streets of Compton, California. She also reflects on time spent behind bars; and her transformation into the grand dame drag fans know and love. “It’s really the soundtrack to my life,” she says. “The good, the bad, and the emotionally-wrecked ugly.”
all, the tough streets of Compton weren’t entirely wasteful. They taught her to pay attention, be aware and to not be stupid. They also gave Royale the fight and conviction to get the hell out and make something of herself. She also ruminates on her original arrest, when she was pulled over for expired tags with no license or insurance. In her pocket were a tiny bit of marijuana and a Klonopin pill that, to this day, she swears she was holding for a friend.
“I have always loved Ella Fitzgerald,” she continues from her Florida home. “I have lip-synched to quite a bit of their music. Della Reese, Shirley Horn and Shirley Bassey are also favorites and had a lot to do with the shaping of this project.”
They landed her in the slammer. “They called me ‘Big Chocolate’,” she remembers. “My size helped. The other prisoners didn’t mess with me. They knew who I was on the outside and gagged at my splits.” As fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race will attest, Latrice Royale’s epic splits are always a showstopper.
In “Here’s To Life,” Latrice Royale isn’t trying to match the greatness of her jazz idols. She often jokes how her deep baritone voice sounds like Barry White in drag. “I’m not trying to sing like a woman,” she explains. “My goal is to be authentic to myself, my voice, and my experience.” The album’s title track was written by Artie Butler and originally recorded by Shirley Horn (Barbra Streisand later recorded a version). “The song really sums up my attitude on life,” says Royale. “Though it recounts struggles, it is celebratory at its core. I want to share some of the lessons I’ve learned in a heartfelt, optimistic way.” The album reflects on her youth, growing up in a violently homophobic environment, and how the experience shaped her into the extravagant queen she is today. After
“The worst part of prison life was losing my mother,” she continues. “It was the most alone I ever felt.” She sings about the tragic loss in “I Need You Now,” a gospel song by Smokie Norful. “It was the hardest song to record. It really speaks to how alone I felt at that moment, grieving in isolation.” Another of her favorite singles from the album is “I Am What I Am” from the musical La Cage aux Folles. “I’ve lived enough to justify being able to sing it and mean it, you know? So it’s fun and meaningful at the same time.” Along with her accompanist Christopher, the studio musicians, and her producer Mimi Imfurst (who also starred on RuPaul’s Drag Race), Latrice tailor-made an arrangement
specifically for her style and aesthetic. Latrice Royale began performing drag in the nineties. In 2012, on a whim, she tried out for Season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She was chosen to compete on the show and rose to the top four, alongside Sharon Needles, Chad Michaels, and Phi Phi O’Hara. When Royale was cut from the competition, Entertainment Weekly called the elimination “shocking.” Latrice Royale was later voted “Miss Congeniality” by show fans. She has since appeared on TV’s Fashion Rocks alongside Jennifer Hudson, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars and RuPaul’s Drag U, and in the documentary film, Gays in Prison. “I’m so excited to release my first album,” says Latrice Royale. “My hope is that fans will put this record on in the background with a glass of wine and a nice meal with a candle and a lover. It’s very casual listening that runs the gamut from the whore house to the church house, so everybody should be able to find something they enjoy.”
OP ED MUSIC
Sister Act
“Binary: (adj.) consisting of, indicating, or involving two.”
BY: WILL BAKER Courtney Act’s new music single and video pays homage to the current gender and sexuality revolution being heralded by today’s young generation. Written by Act and Sam Sparro, “Kaleidoscope” was recently named the official theme of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras 2016. In its video, Act appears as a girl strolling along the iconic Bondi to Bronte coastline in Sydney Australia. There, she meets eyes with a skater girl. A summer romance ensues, involving skateboarding, swimming and vegan sorbet. At face value, the video depicts two girls falling in love.
But knowing that Act is also Shane Jenek, the story seems less conventional. “I love creating stories that push limits,” says Courtney Act. “Having identified as a gay man most of my adult life, the last few years I have realized that both my sexuality and gender are fluid. This has been so liberating for me because I never fit into the binary of man/women or gay/straight.” “I feel more comfortable existing in the grey area and I encourage anyone who feels like the status quo doesn’t represent them to join me,” she continues. “You may
feel broken or separate but when you look through a kaleidoscope, suddenly all of those broken bits and pieces create a beautiful image.” The digital release features an acoustic version of the track and three remixes from Aussie DJ Tanner Derby, UK DJ Jodie Harsh and US DJ Dirty Pop. Courtney Act’s “Kaleidoscope” is available now. For more information, visit http:// courtneyact.com.
INTERVIEW HEALTH MIND + BODY
BY: JOSHUAH NEAL
health includes our emotional, psychological, and social wellM ental being. It affects how we think, feel and act as we cope with life. It
Depression: Unhappy vs Happy 24: March 25, 2016
also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness and should not be ignored, ashamed of, or neglected. I have experience first-hand the effects of depression and was diagnosed with a mental disorder. As of today, I continue to cope with the issue by living a happy life to the fullest, taking my medications, talking with my therapist and most importantly surrounding myself around a positive support team. Although a mental illness has its challenges I am now self-aware of my strength and purpose in life. I truly believe and have faith that God has a purpose for me. Part of my purpose is to be able to help others become self-aware of their mental & physicals abilities by contributing my knowledge and experience in publication, articles and blogs. I am honored and blessed that Fenuxe Magazine has allowed me to use my use my purpose in all their future publications. This particular article I want to focus on Mental Fitness and Depression. What makes you “unhappy” and what makes you “happy”? What is Mental Fitness? It is the state of mind which are you able to use your feelings and emotional abilities to the fullest. For some, this is easy to accomplish but for others it can be a mind blowing challenge. There are numerous circumstances that can affect the way our emotions and feelings. Let’s think about physical fitness for real quick. Whenever you see someone with nice legs, nice arms, and muscles protruding you can assume that they take pride in their body and are physically fit. More than likely you are right. That person might go to the gym a few times a week and has a good diet in order to maintain that the physique. Now let’s return back to mental fitness. How often do you see someone smiling, laughing, enjoying life, having
circumstances occur for no reason at all. However, the big questions is Do you love yourself? Really think about this for a minute. Do you honestly love yourself? Understand that your feelings or emotions do not define who you are but they do play a major role in being mentally fit. Think about the felling “unhappy”. The opposite is happy, may seem very elementary but very important. We have all had the feeling of being unhappy. It is not a good feeling so our goal should be obtaining happiness.
positive words and conversations, and genuinely enjoying their environment and the people around them? How mentally fit do you think they are? More than likely that particular person is definitely on the right track of practicing mental fitness and using their emotional abilities to the fullest. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) 1 out of 10 Americans suffers from major depression and 80% of those neglect to get any sort of treatment. The number is higher for mild depression. Women, Gay Men and Minorities make up a large number. Depression is the leading cause of disability and second leading cause of life lost according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). If you are suffering from mental fitness or have a mental illness then maybe it’s time for you to take a deep inventory of yourself. Ask yourself the following: •Am I depressed/in a bad mood most of the time? •Am I negative about life, negative conversations? •Do I spend more time focusing on others instead of myself? •Do I believe in faith or spiritual fitness? •Do I love myself and others? A few symptoms of depression and negative moods are feelings of being unhappy, unmotivated, sad, bad, hopeless, helpless, guilty, dark, bored and empty. Also, think about your surroundings. Are your surroundings negative? Are your conversations, words and thoughts negative? Are you spending most of your time focusing on others instead of yourself? Do you believe in God or a higher spirit/being than yourself? A good sign of depression & mental illness is when these feelings and
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) 20% of people who are unhappy and depressed develop psychotic symptoms. 500,000 American attempt suicide each year and the number of those who succeed is30,000- is more than the number that die in motor vehicle accidents annually.
If you fall you get right back up because you failures are there to make you stronger. If you truly believe in yourself you can be happy and live the life you love.
Causes and risk factors of different depressions are as follows: •Death of a loved one •Obesity •Partner Break-up or divorce •Loss of job •Chronic illness •Sex/Sexuality Issues •Alcohol and Drug Abuse It is ok to be in an unhappy mood but don’t stay it that mood. Certain uncomfortable trials and situations are bound to happen, and if your objective is to genuinely be happy then try some of these coping skills: •First acknowledge the mood or circumstance and feel it to the upmost. •Think about the good in each of the situations. What were some good moments with that loved one, partner or ex? •Take deep breaths, meditate, take a yoga or dance class •Talk to someone, therapist or
your doctor •Get out the house and feel Mother Nature work or Volunteer •Write a letter to yourself and talk about your strengths and talents. What are you good at? •Be kind to yourself, celebrate life •Have Faith, believe in God or a higher being •Get away from negativity and surround yourself around positive people •Take your medication, help those in your same situations and in need •As far as sexuality, its 2016! Love yourself don’t compare yourself to others. •Self-help, research on your own and learn more about any of the particular situations There are many other coping skills out there. Simply put: If feeling UNHAPPY is not the best feeling for you and you truly want to be HAPPY right now, then STOP & BE STILL. Do not make another move until you ask yourself will my next move, feeling or emotion make me feel better? Will it lead me to the happiness that I truly deserve & want? Do I need to get help? If so, then you start your move. Have those positive feelings and emotions that are going to lead you to being mentally fit to the fullest again. I know from first-hand experience what it’s like to be unhappy and suffer from depression. My goal is to help anyone that suffers from depression or other mental disorders. Trust me, I know how it feels. I know it can be sometime be hard. If you fall you get right back up because you failures are there to make you stronger. If you truly believe in yourself you can be happy and live the life you love. Yours truly, Joshuah Neal
Mental & Behavioral Coach GM/Partner Anytime Fitness-Midtown
joshuahdneal@gmail.com
24/7 Crisis Support Call 775-784-8090 Text “ANSWER” to 839863
MUSIC
BY MARK DAWSON
Mimi Lights The Fire
Visit www.mimiimfurst.com.
Imfurst’s new album, The Fire, is Mimi a pop-rock album about the tenacity
of the human spirit to carry on despite the obstacles life throws our way. It literally bursts with emotion, with songs running the gamut from straight up, in-your-face, loud punk to acoustic ballads, drawing inspiration from bands like Green Day, Soundgarden and the rock musical Hedwig and The Angry Inch. “It’s an album for anyone who has been through hell and back,” explains Mimi Imfurst. “I’ve been tested by the universe so many times in my life and I refuse to back down.” She describes being on RuPaul’s Drag Race as both amazing and difficult at the same time. “I am so lucky for the many blessings it gave me but it literally deconstructed my world. I was forced to confront many dark corners of my life.” Including being kicked out of her home as a teen after being assaulted by a school employee and out-ed as gay to her family. “One never truly gets over the experience of having to beg for food, a place to stay, a shower, clean clothes. I remember longing for someone with an ear willing to listen and a heart to understand what I was going through.
“Being homeless and LGBTQ was the very first fire I had to walk though,” she says. Mimi found some comfort in listening to the soundtrack of the off-Broadway musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, about a fictional rock band fronted by a genderqueer singer. It gave her hope that maybe she, too, might one day find her own voice and place in the world. Mimi’s version of “Wicked Little Town” from the show is included on The Fire as a tribute to her years on the street. She hopes it – and the nine other songs on the album - will inspire listeners to stand up stay strong and let their inner fires burn bright. “No one can see you shine in the dark,” she says. Mimi Imfurst’s path to fame began OffBroadway, where she has starred in several productions, including Boylesque, My Big Gay Italian Wedding, and Thank You for Being a Friend, a parody of The Golden Girls that she was staring in when she was cast on RuPaul’s Drag Race. She rose to international prominence on the third season of the popular competition show and later returned for RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. Since then, Mimi Imfurst has appeared on
Big Ang, Celebrity Apprentice, The Howard Stern Show and Nurse Jackie (directed by Hedwig creator John Cameron Mitchell). She was featured in the web series Queens of Drag: NYC, alongside Bianca Del Rio, Lady Bunny and Sherry Vine. In addition, Mimi Imfurst regularly performs as a standup comedian and has opened for Kathy Griffin and Mo’Nique. Mimi’s burning passion and drive carries through into The Fire and in many of the album’s tracks including ‘So What’, a song she wrote about her unapologetic nature. “I’m often misunderstood and I don’t care. I’m gonna be me. I’m gonna do what I do and do it well. What other people think is on them. I hope all my fellow outsiders will work to be themselves, no matter what.” Visit www.mimiimfurst.com.
FASHION
waters edge BY CHRIS KIUIKSON
masc by: Johann arm Doblinski
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Hey Girl Hey!
Holler Poodles!
Love and lashes,
Mary Edith Pitts Mary Edith Pitts
PS. If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please email me at maryedith99@gmail.com or on twitter @maryedithpitts
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Gay News At A Glance NATHAN DEAL USES CITES JESUS TO REJECT ANTILGBT ‘RELIGIOUS FREEDOM’ BILL As in other states with Republicanled legislatures, a so-called “religious freedom bill” has now passed here in Georgia. The measure permits unjust discrimination against gays and lesbians. Conservative Christians call it necessary since they don’t agree with same-sex marriage. Yet Gov. Nathan Deal, himself a Republican, has signaled he’s not eager to sign such legislation -- citing his own Christian faith.
Talking to reporters earlier this month, Deal noted he’s a Baptist, just like many of those pushing for passage of HB 757. And he said that, “We do not have a belief, in my way of looking at religion, that says that we have to discriminate against anybody. I think what the New Testament teaches us,” the governor added, “is that Jesus reached out to those who were considered outcasts.” Our community -- in the sense that our ‘lifestyles’ don’t conform with the views of some people in some religions -- would be the “outcasts” in this case. Deal said he does not feel threatened by a man who wants to marry a man, or a woman who wants to wed a woman. And he certainly doesn’t believe Georgia’s government needs to safeguard those who on, religious
THE NFL STANDS AGAINST THE ‘RELIGIOUS’ FREEDOM BILL The National Football League is warning Georgia it could lose the Super Bowl if a ‘religious liberty’ bill is made law. On the desk of Gov. Nathan Deal is Georgia’s House Bill 757. According to the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT civil rights organization in the US, if signed the bill ‘could undermine local nondiscrimination ordinances that protect LGBT people, permit hospitals to refuse to provide medically necessary care, or allow a taxpayer-funded service provider to discriminate by denying a job because of the applicant’s religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity.’ On March 18, the NFL issued a statement opposing the legislation. ‘NFL policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard,’ NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. ‘Whether the laws and regulations of a state 36: March 25, 2016
grounds, treat such people differently than others. “I don’t think that we have to have anything that allows discrimination in our state in order to protect people of faith,” he said. Deal’s strong message, and particularly its Christian rationale, set him apart from many other politicians, particularly conservatives who’ve argued that such measures are necessary on the heels of last year’s Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage But his rationale didn’t stop legislators from pushing HB 757 forward.In fact, both the Senate and House handily passed a revised version of the legislation Wednesday, March 16. Let’s hope Governor Deal can do the right thing & use his power of VETO!
and local community are consistent with these policies would be one of many factors NFL owners may use to evaluate potential Super Bowl host sites.’ The Super Bowl is the biggest game of the season, crowning the league’s champion. Atlanta’s American football team, the Falcons, will have a new stadium in 2017. The city hoped to host the Super Bowl in 2019 or 2020. The NFL isn’t the only corporate voice against the ‘Religious Freedom Restoration Act’ (RFRA), as the measure is officially called. Companies such as Apple, Dell, Dow Chemical Company, Hilton, Intel, Microsoft, Twitter, and Virgin have expressed their opposition. ‘The growing outrage from the business community makes clear that this legislative assault by Georgia lawmakers on LGBT people is unacceptable, bad for business, and must be stopped,’ HRC President Chad Griffin said. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed noted he ‘can’t express the amount of damage that is being done to Atlanta and Georgia’s reputation as the business center and cultural center of the Southeast.’ Govenor Nathan Deal has until 3 May to sign the proposal. As of now, it’s unclear what he will do.
MARLON BRANDO AND JAMES DEAN WERE IN A SECRET S&M GAY RELATIONSHIP? New book claims they were ‘master and slave’ and had fulfilling kinky sex life Apparently back in the day, these two Hollywood heartthrobs would leather up and engage in kinky sadomasochistic sex with Brando as the dominant master and Dean as the submissive slave. Apparently, as this is according to a new book James Dean: Tomorrow Never Comes. Authors interviewed Stanley Haggart, a ‘friend’ of Dean, who claims Brando would play mind
games with the ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ star, who was seven years younger. Brando would force him to make him watch as he had sex with strangers and force him to wait outside the apartment in the hope for some S&M fun. This would have happened around when Dean was 21 to 24 and Brando was 28 to 31, so the early 1950s. ‘ I got the impression that Jimmy was engaged in a catand-mouse affair with Brando, with Brando being the cat, of course,’ Haggart said, according to Queerty. ‘Brando seemed to be toying with Jimmy for his own amusement. I think Brando was sadistically using Jimmy, who followed him around like a lovesick puppy with his tongue wagging.’ But while this might sound too juicy to be true, that’s probably because it is. The book is from the same authors, Danforth Prince and Darwin Porter, who have written numerous books from Peter O’Toole to Steve McQueen and appeared to have made up sordid, salacious tales
GAY PORN STAR XANDER SCOTT, DEAD AT 30
a serious car accident where he was ejected while his car flipped in the air. His heart stopped a few times and was in a coma for two days. After seven facial plastic surgeries later, he recovered. A year later, his brother Ely died.
His mom has confirmed he died from a drug overdose
On the performer’s Facebook page, many friends and fans have posted memories and messages of condolences. Our hearts and prayers go out to his friends and family.
Gay porn star Xander Scott has passed away at the age of 30 years old. Writing on his Facebook, where he had a profile under his real name Michael Cohen, his mom Shari appeared to confirm he had died of a drug overdose in February. He had performed for Randy Blue and other porn studios prior to his death. Following his porn career, he spent eight months traveling around Malaysia, India and Thailand. In 2012, he got into
about dead Hollywood actors’ sex lives who can’t sue them for it. But saying that, there were multiple rumors about both men’s sexuality. As a 20-yearold, Dean lived with a 35-yearold gay man when he first moved to Los Angeles. Dean is also understood to have idolized Brando, having studied
ADAM LAMBERT RELEASES DRAMATIC NEW SINGLE Adam Lambert may not have won American Idol back into 2009 but he’s still managed to become one of the biggest stars to ever emerge out of the TV show. Lambert, 34, returns to the show tonight for the first live performance of his dramatic new single “Welcome to the Show.” ‘I wanted to surprise my fans with a new, uplifting anthem for the spring,’ said Lambert. ‘I asked Max Martin for help and he paired me up with two great writers and producers; Ali Payami, who worked with me on Ghost Town, and Swedish
similar techniques at the Actors Studio. Later in life, before his death in 2004, Brando opened up about his experiences. ‘Like a large number of men, I, too, have had homosexual experiences and I am not ashamed,’ he said. ‘I have never paid much attention to what people think about me.’
star Laleh who is also a featured vocalist on the track. I feel this song will give people strength to be exactly who they are.’ Lambert came out publicly as a gay man immediately after his runner-up finish on the show in a Rolling Stone cover story. He has since released three albums, become the fist openly gay male singer to have an album debut at number one, been nominated for a Grammy and has toured extensively with the surviving members of the band Queen.
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