INSIDE
JUNE 2014 ISSUE #1
ZEKE
THOMAS
MORE THAN A SON
Just Head
Daily Fluids
The Big 30
The Bi Life
Beat It Up Summer Mix To Represent, Inspire, Support & Empower a global LGBT community
CONTENT July 2014 ISSUE #1
PART II 18. FLUID BI DESIGN Umiius interviews Christopher Neal, founder of FluidBiDesign, a community based organzation empowering bisexuals.
21. Da Conversation
PART I 02. This is Me From the Editor
06. Inspiration
The first installment
PART III
22. Beat it Up Summer Beats Playlist
24. I Love your frosting
32. Tech & Cloth Check out the best tech and style
Poem by Poet of Watch
accessories.
07. Zeke Thomas
25. The F Word
34. Just Head
Zeke Thomas gives us a look into his
Spring collection from Derek Smith’s
The
life. We get to see the man beyond
Line, The CHASE
Just Head, gives you the 411 on
the son of Isiah Thomas.
11. Da Community
the
most founders
interesting life
article,
lessons
and
experiences.
Da community is a section that high-
09. Shifting Perspective
lights people in service and compa-
Poem submitted by Travis Madisson
nies in support of empowering the LGBT community.
Magazine Team Editor: Elijah Li e. Elijah.Li@shuomii.com Creative Director: Omar Jeffries e. Omar@shuomii.com
A Special Thanks to
Twitter.com/Umiius
Genesse Bristol Stephen Cucci Christopher Lee Travis Madison Christopher Neal DJ Zeke Thomas Poets on Watch Friends & Family Who helped make this possible!!!
Fb.me/Umiius
Content Curator: Travis Madisson e. Travis.Madisson@shuomii.com
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THIS ME
THIS ISSUE OF UMIIUS MAGAZINE IS ME EDITION
This me
COVERING OUR TRUTH, OUR
UMIIUS MAGAZINE
June 2014
The Editor
EXPERIENCE, OUR PASSIONS WITH FLAWS & ALL. IT’S OUR TRUTH FEATURING ARTICLES
WRITTEN
BY
COMMUNITY MEMBERS. IT IS OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES THAT WE ARE GIVING YOU ACEES TO. IT IS OUR PASSIONS THAT FUEL OUR NEVERENDING CREATIVE TALENT.
FLAWS &
ALL
Perhaps because so many of us have
I myself was just recently adopted
faced rejection from our family and also
into my own selected family. I was
society, that those of us in the community
reminded how important family was
seek to recreate these support networks.
when I had anxiety about selecting the
These “selected families” can feel just as
magazine theme. In a conversation with
close if not better than a group of people
my family “twin” the current theme was
related by blood.
spoken serendipitously into existence,
Families like these, can spring up for
as we were having a converstation about
numerous amount reasons, but once they
relationships. It sat so well, being that it to
are formed are indespensible. They keep
give an unadultered look into who we are.
us in check, support us through the bad times and celebrate the good times.
Umiius Magazine presents “This is Me”
THIS ME
This issue of Umiius Magazine is the “This is Me” edution. It covers our truth, our purpose, our passions flaws and all.
5
Featured In this issue of Umiius is the story DJ Zeke Thomas, son of NBA’s Isiah Thomas, as he navigates the music industry as a gay man. Neal,
You’ll meet Christopher
Founder
promoting
of
as
FluidBiDesign,
understanding
on
This issue of Umiius has been coined
sexual fluidity through his own
the “This is Me” issue. We chose this
story of being “Bisexual”. We then
particular theme because we wanted
venture to California, where you get
to create something that spoke our
to meet Derek Smith, owner of the
truth, our passions with flaws and all.
Chase fashion line. You get to meet
In a world where in some countries
a few people from the community
being “Gay” is on the brink of being
as well as organizations that have
punishable by death, Umiius wanted
taken on issues in the community
to create an issue showing who we
in interesting ways. There is also
are as a community. By doing this
inspiring messages and tantilizing
we wanted to show that we aren’t
poems sprinkled across a few pages
that different from everyone else and
and much more.
should not be debased or attacked
This is the Launch Edidtion of
because we do not follow the hetereo
Umiius Magazine and we hope you
-normative standards.
enjoy what we have put together for
Coming out
HistoriCaL LgBt
Kin4Life
miNoriTies who Are mAkiNg A diFFereNce
ANd FiNdiNg Your owN TruTh “Live OUT LOUD”
including janet mock
Wade davis sporTs, love & comiNg ouT
Featured above is the cover of the original sample issue of Umiius magazine. Umiius still includes some of the original sections like “Inspirational LGBT” , covering people in the community doing great things.
you. Editor in Chief Umiius Magazine
reviews because of its styled apperance and great articles.
Full of
Fresh New content!
The hoidays shouldn’t be want
Pg 35
Holiday Fitness
Pg 24
November’s Inspiration
Pg 12
The Spirit of Giving
An Interesting Look into the thoughts of the Founder
Pg 35
#ExpressY ourse Just Headlf
Robinson) Bruce Nugent was an author and contributor to the literary magazine: Fire!!.
The original idea for Umiius Magazine
Fire magazine started during the Harlem
started after matriculating through a few
Renaissance. The authors of this magazine
institutions and recognizing a lack of
used Fire!! to facilitate the exploration of
diversified representation at events and
issues that were taboo in Black community
media on campus. It was just a thought
like homosexuality, bisexuality, interracial
until I had the opporunity to view Brother
relationships, promiscuity, prostitution,
to Brother (2004), directed by Rodney
and color prejudice.
Evan. Brother to Brother’s plot follows the life
Standing
of Perry (Anthony Mackie), an African
predecessors, Umiius magazine, mission
American
disowned
is to Represent, Inspire, Support and
by his family for being gay, and his
Empower a global LGBT community
interact ions with Bruce Nugent (Rodger
through its work.
student
recently
on
the
shoulders
of
its
JUNE 2014
issue of Umiius , which received rave
UMIIUS MAGAZINE
Featured is a sample of a previous sample
UMIIUS MAGAZINE
June 2014
6 THIS ME
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THIS ME 07
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THIS ME
ZEKE THOMAS, SON OF FORMER IS TAKING THE MUSIC WORLD BY STORM. PERFECTING
HIS
CRAFT SINCE THE AGE OF 13, ZEKE HAS HAD AMAZING GIGS LIKE DJING THE NBA ALLSTAR GAME. AS AN OUT RECORDING ARTIST & PRODUCER WITH A
Cool fact
KNICKS COACH ISIAH THOMAS,
RECENTLY SIGNED LESBIAN, PO JOHNSON, ZEKE IS BREAKING
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JUNE 2014
Zeke Thomas
THROUGH BARRIERS.
ZEKE
SAT DOWN WITH UMIIUS TO SHARE HIS STORY.
Most interviews of you tie in closely to your relations to your father….Umiius wants to know a little more about you? Well Dj Zeke Thomas is a DJ a music producer. I also do some television work fore FUSE. I have a lot of fun DJing, I really love producing, I really love creating music and writing music. Music has always been a passion of mine. I’ve been DJ’ing since I was 13 years old. . I got my first start at WTLC radio station in Indianapolis and when my family moved to NY I got a job at Hot 97. At hot 97 I rose to the level of Assistant program director and it was quite an experience to learn from overall. I learned a lot in the programming department but, also from the jocks, Angie Martinez, Fat Man Scoop and they taught me everything that I know today. They taught me a lot about the business and actually sparked my interest in wanting to pursue a career in music. Currently I am signed to Tommy Boy records, where I have had the opportunity to release two singles, Regret and my newest single, which is Monster with Po Johnson. Regret has a very social conscious message to it. I like to have messages in anything that I do. I lost a friend to a drug overdose over a normal regular night of partying. With this Monster record with Po, we wanted to make sure that everybody felt that they could be included as apart of anything they wanted to do “release your inner Monster”, that you could be whatever you wanted to be.
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What are your personal aspirations? I want to grow the Label as big as I can get it and I want to keep producing. I feel in life you really learn to channel what your good at and passionate about. I try not to overextend myself as I did when I was younger. I felt that I could do everything and anything. But, you really have to strive at being the best at what you are doing in order to truly make it. Then, hopefully once you’ve made a living or made a life and are happy with yourself. After that then you know you can try some new things, maybe you act or produce a clothing line. But right now I am focusing on my music.
Is the music industry as you imagined it? How so? What’s interesting about the music industry is that the generation coming in now, my generation, is definitely clashing with the older generation. The clash is between two major components of music, one being technology and the other being sound. The battle to me is won by the younger generation in terms of technology and lost by us in terms of sound. The older generation in the industry knows sound. The music that is being promoted is not something that the older generations would have tolerated and we are tolerating it. The use of the N word and that sort of thing is something that we as a younger generation should not stand for. The older generation is definitely correct and we should listen up.
Who has influenced you the most in music? Who would you like to work with? My influences growing up were Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson. I also loved Queen, Prince and I loved the music my parents played. I even loved Michael Jackson during the 90’s. I just loved the real sound back then. When Hip-Hop came into play I would listen to Tupac and Biggie, Chuck D. Then you definitely saw the switch in Hip-Hop from having messages to them from a “Money, Cash, Hoe’s” phase when J came into play.
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What are your fears? My biggest fear is failure…. My father has always told me to strive to be the best person you can be and if you are not the best person you can be then you are failing. It is not about the money or the success it is about really being the best person you can be and continuing on my family’s legacy. I feel that everyone should want to continue on a legacy for their parents, grandparents so on and so forth to better themselves and their situation.
Technology is something that we definitely need and embrace, the older generation needs to come to terms with that. [The use of the computers,] When the synthesizer first came out people were saying that it is not authentic and not an authentic sound. Now we cant live without the synthesized sound. Technology is something that you have to always have embrace and continue to realize things are better. The technique turntable has not been updated since 1973. To say that there the CDJ are playing on CD’s is not better or playing from a computer is not better is just wrong. We can have the argument on its authenticity of that but to say that it is not easier or a better sounding sound is just wrong. The use of the N word is definitely something that our music is becoming, too Misogynistic and we are allowing it to influence an entire generation of kids who think that this okay and that’s both black and white.
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Why do you feel people can relate to your music? The kind of music I make has a classic house feel to is as well hip-hop with some urban element. I have a record coming up with Chuck D and I have him singing over a dance beat. The upcoming song is another message song called “blackness and I’m really excited about that. My music is always going to make people dance and also carry a certain message.
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THIS ME
......Now it’s just N**** music [excuse my French]. Those influences have definitely shaped my form and now the people that influence me are my piers; Tiesto , Zed, Hardwell; Producers like Brian Michael Cox, Timbaland, Baby face. I would want to work with MJ. I say that not because I feel that he was the best. Who wouldn’t want to work with him? I want to work with him because he was a perfectionist. For example he would record a song in the booth and would stay in the booth and would do 23-30 takes of the same song, singing it all the way through. That is just remarkable. He would not put it out until he the song was exactly right.
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What led you o the point to where you could say “ I want to be a DJ” ? That moment where I said I wanted to be a DJ was when I saw 2 cousins, Blake and DJ Vincent Adams, DJ. From an early age I used to just watch Vincent DJ and I just loved watching him. I loved the skills that I developed over time. I loved DJing because it almost felt like being a puppet master of dance…. The way you get to make people dance to different sounds is just fun. When you came out to your parents, how did that change your life? When I came I out I was finally able to be truly myself. My parents said that they always knew, so it wasn’t a big surprise to them. I feel that everyone goes through a growth period where they are finding themselves, whether they are gay, straight or whatever. Everyone goes through this This is whom I am period and need people to accept them for who they are. Going through that period which normally doesn’t happen overnight and happens over a few years. I can finally say at the age of 26, that This is who I am. Have you encountered any homophobia in the business? I had people tell me that I couldn’t be an out DJ, Djing in a straight club. I would tell people that that’s stupid and doesn’t make sense. Now whats very interesting is that the majority of these venues, if they have a gay GM or gay individuals working at the venue they are very welcoming. As a new out professional are you working on any projects that influences others to better themselves ? I am performing at the Life beat event this week and
it is so exciting. Not only is the concept with the great up & coming artist like A$AP Ferg but you get to know your HIV status. What crazy is that 1000 people every month between the ages of 13-24 are diagnosed with HIV. I remember growing up a seeing the HIV commercial and the quit smoking ads. It seems to me that these messages have gone deaf to the generation under us. That needs to be addressed and it’s a great thing that Life beat saying know your status and you get admission at the HIV testing stations. Its not a gay event its not a straight event its about everyone. Know your status and know where you stand. How did your family react when you told them that you were going into the music field? My mom hated when I said I wanted to be a Dj, she didn’t necessarily hate that I wanted to be a Dj, but more so the nightlife and late shifts associated with it. My dad on the hand gave me a lot of leeway. My mom would be worried as to what my life would become. In addition to the radio, then there was the Dj’ing in nightclubs. There were of course late hours as well as the temptation of alcohol. It definitely taught me a lot of life lessons. There was definitely some resistance until they just saw the love that I had for the craft and the love I had for the music. Now they have a “Keep working at it” and a “Let’s rock it” attitude. There was definitely no pressure on me to be an athlete, especially with my dad being a hall of fame basketball Player. He was the best of the best in his basketball career and now I want to be the best of the best in want I do. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years of your career? I will be putting out more music. I see the record label booming and Tommy Boy entertainment is booming as well and we are rocking it. Touring around the world. What advice do you have for people in the community starting off in music careers? There is one main piece of advice I have for people interested in starting off their music careers. No matter how many times someone tells you no, there will be someone that tell you yes. Do not be afraid to go to the agency or record label and play your record and listen to their feedback. Even if they say no, their feedback is valid.
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THE COMMUNITY WHEN IS COMES TOGETHER ,FOR ANYTHING, IS AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE. THIS EDITION OF THE COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS TWO ORGANZATIONS WITH GREAT SOCIAL IMPACT,
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THE YOU BELONG INITIATE AND THE GAY FACE PROJECT.
012
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YOU BELONG INITIATIVE
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By Wade Davis & Darnell Moore The LGBT community can be everywhere and nowhere at once. In certain constructs there still exist stigmas about inclusion. One of the most visible constructs is the world of sports. There are professional/pre-professional sports players that identify as LGBT, but a large number of them remain in “the closet� afraid the public will not accept them. The world has been so focused on the professional players coming out and left very little support to preprofessionals that quit while ahead due to personal fears and lack of support. As a stand for this imbalance former NFL player Wade Davis and LGBT rights activist Darnell Moore teamed up to create a sports camp aimed at empowering LGBT and straight-ally youth called You Belong. You Belong initiative is a camp that provides LGBTQA youth, ages 14 to 24, with opportunities for sports instruction and leadership development. The
YOU Belong: LGBTQA Youth Sports and Leadership Initiative, a series of three-day clinics, travels across the country to create a safe space where LGBTQ youth and straight allies can become well-rounded athletes, leaders, and human beings.
Their
initial
summer
camp
programmes
debutted last year in the windy city of Chicago and will be featured this Summer in New York with new partnerships from sports gear companies and the NFL.
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THIS ME
THE GAY FACE PROJECT
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By Ashley Kolodner LGBT Rights have come along way, especially during the Obama Administration. There is still a long way to go but, I think that its goign to take great efforts to show the world that we are people too. People that breath, bleed, love. We picked Gay Face because its mission is an instrument of change. “GayFace” is a current collection of works by New York City photographer and artist Ashley Kolodner (pictured above). Gay rights, as human rights, have long been thrown aside by American society. Sexuality cannot be defined as black and white for all. There are many LGBTQ people who do not identify with just one label. Queer culture is most often portrayed as radical, quirky, offbeat, even unserious or detrimental to social and familiar norms. The goal of this project is to break barriers that LGBTQ people have lived under. The purpose is to give them the voice they deserve and the power to
speak their truth. This collection of works is done to portray the innovative, personal, and participatory face of the gay movement and American culture at large and in the home. Each subject is photographed with their eyes closed, then eyes open. The images are meant to be seen side by side. Closing their eyes gives the viewer a sense of the subjects’ vulnerability. The eyes open allows the subject to look the viewer directly in the eye. Once the photographs have been taken, each subject participates in a short interview, stating their name and their label of choice.
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On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized
cannot foresee
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ment, so blinded by desire, that they
APRIL
by the charms of pleasure of the mo-
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THIS ME
THE LEZ FACTOR
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June 2014
By Milly DuBouchet Over the centuries we humans can do amazing things and then some. However, there is one things over the centuries that we have yet perfected, dating. For other species this social interaction of courtship is almost completely run instinct. For the LGBT community the act of courting, dating and connecting is much more of an awkward social experience due to a continual list of reasons. Not too long ago Milly DuBouchet (featured top right pg 17) realized that realized that more and more women in the LGBT were unhappy with their love lives. As a solution, the Lez Factor was born. LEZ Factor is a teaching, consulting and social event planning company geared towards lesbian, bisexual, and bi-curious women.
They offer seminars, individual and group coaching sessions, and special events for women who desire to attract quality women and form meaningful romantic connections. Through comprehensive concepts, women can learn the fundamentals of attraction, effective communication strategies, and even learn how to interpret and leverage body language.
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THIS ME
INVITE YOURSELF TO BE
FLUID BI DESIGN The age old question “Does the B actually exist in LGBT?”, is something that is given as much attention as the search for bigfoot. To Bisexuals [Fluid], they exist, live, breathe and love. To everyone else, bisexuals are mythical creatures, that haven’t decided to be straight or gay. So Umiius Magazine went on a hunt to set the story straight. We met Christopher Neal, a Fluid male and founder of the community based organization FluidBiDesign, to expand our understanding. What is your earliest childhood memory? My earliest childhood memory... Is a little fire truck that I had , I am 48 now , so this was a fire truck made out of steel that I was pedaling down the driveway and my father was standing in the driveway next to his Jaguar.
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Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid. Not being physically responsible for my upkeep. My childhood is a memory that is colored by my insecurities that I had at the time. I used to have bad allergies and exima, so my head would be wrapped in bandages and mom would wrap my hands so I wouldn’t scratch myself. I was really sensitive kid, emotionally sensitive, physicalally sensitive, so my childhood was not like “yay”. It was childhood. One of the things I remember was finding my fathers porn collection. Not to say I was not happy it just was not a “yay” moment. How was living with your parents ? My mother and father were divorced when I was 13 yeaers old. So that was what the psychiatrist called a break from belonging period. So that was a time I thought my world was goign to turn upside down. I remember my father being at dinner and he would sweat alot, like I do, he was sweating over a plate of greens. I remember him taking us to school in the mornings, I would see him in the evening and then he would go to the studio all night. My father and my mother were two very different people. My mother was a SUnday church going woman and my father was an agnostc, so I grew up with these very differnt views on religion. My mother was a creative person, an artist, she sang classical music and sang in one of the very few black
choral groups. She was very active in the music world and my father was very active in the art world. My father was living his life more as an artist, in comparisson to my mother who was a CPA for General Motors. How was your experience as a young kid? Well I think anyone who grows up with a sense that something with them is not normal. Like everyone else you spend alot of time trying to be apart of the group or fit in. I did a lot that in High School , I was the president of the spirit club. The flipside of that popularity is often the need for validation or acknowldegement of yourself. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be an architect. I also used to continually draw cars, so I wanted to either be an automotive designer or an architect. Can you recap your first kiss? It was with this girl named Trina Black who lived down the street. I would hang out with her all the time, her house was about five house down. Every night we would get closer and closer and I would never kiss her because I was afraid to do it. So she kissed me and I could feel my lips shaking and trembling. How was your current dating experience when you were young? I had the same rejection experiences as anyone else. I do not consider myself as having really dated, I consider myself as having crushes on girls that were not interested in me or not as interested in me as I was into
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CHRISTOPHER NEAL
Originally from Detroit, living in Brooklyn NY, J Christopher Neal (Chris) is a visual artist, educator, and the founder of an upstart
organization
committed
to
the
FluidBiDesign, psychological,
physical, and emotional health and wellbeing of all men, but specifically men of color who conceive of their identities -inclusive of their sexuality
When did you know you liked guys ? I think that story changes the more you become extremely comfortable in yourself. I would say that my of my two best friends in highschool, that one of them was a crush but I did not recognize as
one. I was very aware of how attractive I thought he was, even in comparisson to me. I was very conscious of him and I belive a lot of it was comparitive because of my own personal insecurities. I never said anything about it up until this day. I think some of my early attractions to men even before I started messing around with them came from this admiration for them. I had swallowed this own notion of my own lack so I looked at other guys wishing I could be like them. Almost like your typical nerd wanting to be like the jock. In terms of actually acting on it. I used to go get porn magazines from the local party store. At
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them. I used to love thick girls with nice big features. When I was growing up, back then everyone wanted to have a light skinned girl with long hair and light eyes. The girl you took to the party was that girl. I did not have the courage to like what I really like because my father said that I liked fat girls and I took some offense to that.
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but not limited to- as “fluid�.
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THIS ME
some point when I was a teenager, I was more interested in Huster magazine vs Playboy. I liked Hustler because it featured guys and girls in softcore porn positions. I had realized that I liked seeing them togther. At that point I had realized I was attracted to guys. How was it coming out to your parents? I came out because I wanted to normalize my behavior. When this all stared, I knew alot of guys out there that did not have relationships with their families and could not go home. After they came out their family would not talk to them because they identified as gay. I did not want to be one of those guys stuck out there if something happened to me, if I caught HIV or got freaked out I wanted to be able to come home. I decided to only tell my mother and took her out to dinner. At dinner I had told her I was experimenting with my sexuality and had been messing around with guys. We talked about it and what she did was ask me to be careful. She asked me to be careful because she had known a few friends that were found dead in their apartment with no forced entry. This was also around 1987 around the time HIV/AIDS were in full swing. From that point on she didn’t ask anymor about it.
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When did you identify yourself as sexually fluid? When I graduated from college and went to graduate school in DC, I made a decision to be openly bisexual. It was because I had always had a girlfriend ( not a beard) but I was always flirtatious with dudes. DC was very wild back then where guys would bluntly aprroach you. These girlfriends knew when I was at Howard that I was bisexual and did not have any problems with it. Some gay/straight people would say your just confused and haven’t settled what would you say? For me who I indentified was, was as Christopher Neal. People did say a few things here and there. However I would never called myself anything, I liked who I liked. If I was at a party that one of my gay friends was throwing that had lesbians present, I would talk to them too. I came there as the bisexual dude and I was clear about that.
Do your children know about yout? I currently have two children that do not know about me. I do intend to tell my son who is currently 23 years old who is interested in starting his acting career. It is going to be an interesting conversation because after I come out as bisexual I have to come out as polyamourous.
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Da Conversation
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1. Deadmau5 - ‘Seeya’ 2. Nicki Minaj - ‘Pills N Potions’ 3. Jess Glynne - ‘Right Here 4. Nero - ‘Satisfy’ 5. Trey Songz - ‘Change your Mind’ 6. Oliver Heldens X Becky Hill - ‘Geckho (Overdrive)’ 7. Po Johnson ft. Zeke Thomas ‘Monsters (Be Brave)’ 8. Tiesto - ‘Wasted’ 9. Usher - ‘Good Kisser’ 10. Bakermat - ‘One Day 11. Fly Young Red - ‘ Throw that Boy Pussy’ 12. Gorgon City - ‘Here For You’ 13. Kove - ‘Melisma’ 14. Major Lazer Feat. Sean Paul - ‘Come On To Me’ 15. London Grammar - ‘Hey Now (Arty Remix)’ 16. Tinashe - ‘2 On’ 17. Avicii - ‘Lay Me Down’ (Avicii By Avicii) 18. Chris Malinchak Feat. Mikky Ekko - ‘Stranger’ 19. Jeremih Feat. YG - ‘Don’t Tell Em’ 20. R3hab Ft. Eva Simons - ‘ Unstoppable’ 21. Timbaland Ft. Rachel Assil - ‘Whoever we are’ 22. Kelly Rowland - ‘The Game’ 23. Santigold - ‘Kicking Down Doors’ 24. Solomon - ‘Saturday Night’
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The Playlist THIS ME 23
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Now you got me starting to lick my fingers, sticky from the cream/ How did you know that I like to lick the icing from the bottom of the bowl/ Hot and dipping from my blender blades after it’s been whipped Mmmm.... / I love the taste of your frosting on my buds/ Gladly lapping all I can like a kid loving cake/ the sweetness might be too much for us, let alone the strokes from our tongues meeting on purpose/ You lean in and share/Me/Holding your wrist gently/
I Love g n i t s o r F r u o Y By:Poet on Watch
May I? May I lick you there? Can you take it?
My tongue/ She strokes between your index and middle finger/ We giggled like Catholic school girls/Your gaze stayed locked onto my essence while I tasted the pleasantness you are serving / It’s simple and nurturing/we pushed each other again... You are greedy and yes It is all for you Wiping the icing onto the tip of my nose/ Sicking one finger in the bowl/the other in my mouth/ I look down to see your toes curling in your sandals that excites me/then we felt the wind from the kitchen door swing/my mind starts to wonder/ y’all are doing a wonderful job cleaning that bowl so please pretend I’m not in the room Spirit just entered with an ‘O God’ release as I deep throat your thumb/you gasped and grant me inspiration to continue this delectable feast/ looking deep into my eyes, they said to you/
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I need someone to hold me, unflinching with purpose. The clanking of pots and pans did not break our devouring of each other/ funny/ I can’t control myself/I don’t want to/ Your moans encourage more of what we both desire/ Unwrapping you with just my mouth... You will be amazed at what happens when I don’t use my hands as I open the petals to your heart
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LABELS, LABELS EVERYWHERE!!.
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OUR COMMUNITY IS AN
INTEGRAL PART OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY. THE LABELS THAT WE LOVE, STARTED SOMEWHERE A LONG TIME AGO WITH . THE F WORD SPOTLIGHTS SOMEONE ONE OF US WITH THE ASPIRATION TO BE KNOWN. IN THIS ISSUE OF THE F WORD WE ARE HIGHLIGTING THE CLOTHING LINE OF DEREK SMITH, THE CHASE. DEREK WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE FASHION MECCA, NEW YORK, IN BALWDIN LONG ISLAND. HE IS A LOVER OF STYLE, NOT FASHION. DEREK’S LINE, THE CHASE,
HE FEELS WE ARE ALWAYS CHASING SOMETHING. WHETER IT BE FAME, MONEY, LOVE, ACCEPTANCE. HIS CLOTHES ARE CHIC WITH A VERY EVIDENT MIX OF MASCULINE & FEMININE.
Nataliya Gotsiy modeling for Cynthia Rowley, Spring 2007 New York Fashion Week
UMIIUS MAGAZINE
AFFORDABLE PRICE. HIS LINE IS CALLED “THE CHASE”, BECAUSE
JUNE 2014
MISSION IS TO BRING SUPER “DOPE” CLOTHING TO GUYS AT AN
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The Chase LA represents style and spontaneity while pushing the envelope to inspire change. The Chase is a unique design from the creator, Derek Smith, featuring
From the Fashion Designer Derek Chase
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June 2014
uniquly styled shirts for any occasion.
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Chelsea Maroon Shirt $39.00
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Lightning Net Shirt 39.00
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if you could save 28% on car insurance … * why wouldn’t you?
*National average annual savings based on data from customers who reported savings by switching to Esurance between 12/1/11 and 4/30/12. © 2012 Esurance Insurance Services, Inc. All rights reserved. CA License #0G87829
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JUNE 2014
See how much you could save at 1-800-537-6115.
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Tech & CLOTH TECH & CLOTH, IS OUR TECH SECTION & THEMED FASHION STATEMENT SECTION WHERE WE DIG UP THE BEST OF THE BEST PRODUCTS. THIS EDITION COVERS MUST HAVES FOR THE SUMMER.
Jambox is a must have for the summer. Add a touch of music to any occasion with a small speaker that packs a punch.
- www.jawbone.com -
What is summer without a nice pair of sunglasses to give you that sophisticated look while protecting those pretty
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June 2014
eyes. Rayban’s WAYFARER FLAT METAL does the job. - www.ray-ban.com -
What’s the summer without a good boat shoe. Timberland has one in every color. - shop.timberland.com -
Every man & woman needs a weekender bag for a runaway weekend liaisons or, if you must, business trips - http://www.thefryecompany.com/ -
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02 01
03 06 05
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01. NEW! Beats Solo 2 Headphones Beatsbydre.com
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02. Parrot Bebop Drone Parrot.com 03. LEICA M digital camera us.leica-camera.com/ 04. Zuli Bluetooth Home Automation zuli.io/
07. LG G3 SMARTPHONE LG.com 08. Motorola MOTO 360 moto360.motorola.com 09. IGrill Mini BT Meat thermometer Idevicesinc.com 10. IGrill Mini BT Meat thermometer Idevicesinc.com
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06. Earth cooled Eng.ecool.dk
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05. Amazon FIRE TV amazon.com/FireTV
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This is Just Head IF IT WERE JUST HEAD, IT WOULD BE SIMPLE. JUST HEAD IS A COLUMN I STARTED AS A WAY TO LOOK INTO MY THOUGHTS ANDS VIEWS OF THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. ITS ABOUT TO GET WET AND JUICY.
Where do I begin.......
21st birthday. However, approaching this birthday feels entirely different
As we enter into the month of
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APRIL 2014
June
some reason.
summer begins marking
the beginning of chisled shirtless
If I were to attribute the anxiety to
homosapian
the
one particular thing, I would say it
street. June also marks the the half-
parading
down
is the fact that I’m approaching that
year point until my birthday ( 122
next milestone as a single gay man,
days to be exact). It’s not just any
who has never had a relationship. It
particular birthday its the big Three
is not like there is anything wrong
Zero, or better yet the Gay50.
with me when I was younger I had succumbed to National opinion that
Being candidly honest, as I approach
being gay meant you were less than.
the Gay50, I’m having a pre-Gay50, meltdown of sorts. I had never had a
Feeling Less than manisfested in
problem with my first two milestones
how I related to men thinking that I
birthdays. I just loved my 18th and
was only good as a sexual object and
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not worthy of a relationship. Getting
could just wait out. To make matters
their arms. Whose to say he will come
out of that mentality was a feat within
worse, my parents are dropping
running anyway. With the invention of
itself but I attribute my transformation
the hint that they want grand kids
instant gratification Location Based
to
and don’t care how I they come into
apps finding and/or sustaining an
existence. I do wants kids but kids are
actual conversation with.
life
changing
experience
at
Momentum Education.
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a big responsibility and I would prefer Now I am ready..... but, a lot of
to get married first. So lets start with
gentleman that I would consider my
step number one. The man!! Stay Tuned for more!!!
ready for relationships. They have
The truth of the matter is that I am
years of experience dating more
afraid that I will wind up being alone
than I do and have been hurt and
and time is running out. Not to say
claim emotionally unavailable . Great
that being alone is a bad thing, It is
Timing.. Right...
just that I have already gone through
Elijah Li
APRIL 2014
type that I am interested in are not
Thats is for this stint of Just Head.
With the flock of eglibles claiming
mean that whatever man comes
emotionally unavailable, I thought I
running with a ring that I will jump into
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those motions. It does not necessarilly
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June 2014
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Shifting Perspective By:Travis Madison
We stopped in the middle of things Afraid we might get caught dreaming. Our hands would idle too long. Slide irresistibly into our special places. Make us feel too good to be true. Then drop us like that thing you didn’t mean to touch.
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June 2014
We longed for stars. When we finally thought we had them. They imploded. Leaving our skin. Leather like. But we kept searching. Getting close to the sun. Ignoring Icarus and his tragedy. Wanting our own drama Allowing our bodies to wallow in the weight of our fragile dreams. We’re dreaming if we think any of it matters. The future is like cataracts. Slowly eating at the way we see.
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JUNE 2014
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