Showing posts with label Gay Themed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gay Themed. Show all posts
Apr 12, 2024
Feb 10, 2024
Brazilian Actor Amaury Lorenzo Comes Out
Brazilian soap opera star Amaury Lorenzo has come out publicly as part of the LGBTQ+ community in a new interview alongside gay co-star Diego Martins.
Lorenzo is best known for his role in popular telenovela Terra e Paixão, playing the closeted queer cowboy Ramiro, who must grapple with internalised homophobia after falling for out and proud Kelvin (Martins).
As the stakes for their forbidden onscreen romance grow ever higher, the actors have fast become become Brazilian telenovela royalty, with an avid fanbase obsessed with their good looks and the entire LGBTQ+ community rooting for their romance on and offscreen.
,Lorenzo was asked if he identified as part of the community, to which he responded: “Of course I do!”
“I consider myself an LGBTQIA+ man,” he continued. “It may be that soon I will marry another man, cis or trans, a woman, cis or trans… I know that the public is curious to know about my sexuality. I have no problem with that. The only issue is when the subject comes above my work as an actor.”
Despite his reservations to discuss the topic further, he explained why speaking up for the LGBTQ+ community was so important, given the concerning state of LGBTQ+ rights across the globe
“I’m a theater teacher and I had three students murdered for being LGBTQIA+”, he shared.
“One was killed by his father. I welcomed a friend into my home who was beaten for being with another man on the street. I’ve had former students expelled by evangelical parents for being gay. How can I not be in this fight?”
In August, the Brazilian High Court ruled that homophobic hate speech is a crime equivalent to racism in a major win for LGBTQ+ activist groups.
According to Lorenzo, he will be joining a local Pride parade, joking: “They invited me to be the king, but I can swap with Diego and be the queen.”
His co-star Martins, who came out as gay earlier in life, told the publication his sexuality “was never an issue at home” as he had many lesbian and gay relatives.
Outside Terra e Paixão, Martins has gained notoriety as a drag queen and famously won season one of Queen Stars, where 20 queens battle it out to win a spot in the country’s newest drag trio.
Later in the interview, Lorenzo opened up about the prejudice he faced growing up for dancing classical ballet. During one hateful incident he was called the F-slur before being shot with a pellet gun.
Homophobia is also something Martins has faced during his life, especially within the arts industry. As he added: “I have always feared suffering prejudice and losing work because of who I am.
“Anyone who puts their face forward and says ‘I’m gay’ runs the risk of not being accepted, no matter how talented they are. But I had no other choice, and I didn’t want to. I prioritise who I am and my freedom.” -Pink News
Jan 27, 2024
Mar 11, 2023
Nov 13, 2021
May 19, 2019
Knife + Heart Shows How to Survive Third-Rate Gay Porn in 1979 Paris
By Daniel Reynolds
It's not always easy to direct gay porn — particularly when the performers and crew members are being killed.
Archibald (Nicolas Maury) does his best, however, in this exclusive clip from Knife + Heart.
Directed by Yann Gonzalez, Knife + Heart is set in 1979 Paris, where a gay porn producer, Anne (Vanessa Paradis) — heartbroken by a split from her girlfriend (Kate Moran) — sets out to make a superior adult film with the help of Archibald. Unfortunately, a string of murders with a sex toy interferes with these plans.
According to Gonzalez, the film is meant to conjure the erotic but not the obscene in its portrayal of this place and time.
"It’s first and foremost the portrait of a woman and it just so happens she produces porn films," Gonzalez said. "We kept all the imagery and the substance and had great fun with that but without showing the coarsest of images because to top it off, that’s not what I retain from porn films of the period."
"I wanted to come back to a sort of innocence and naïveté that you saw in the first porn films," Gonzalez added. "It was before AIDS came on the scene and there was an obvious enjoyment in playing together and taking pleasure together and some films even mixed heterosexual and homosexual sex scenes."
Knife + Heart, evoking auteurs like Brian De Palma, is shot on 35mm and is playing at Landmark's Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles this weekend. Gonzalez, Moran, composer Anthony Gonzalez, and cowriter Cristiano Mangione will be present at the Friday screening for a special appearance.
Watch the trailer below.
-Advocate
Young, Gifted, and Black: Dancer Thomas Davis and His HIV Catharsis
When the gifted dancer and choreographer Thomas Davis was diagnosed with HIV six years ago, he didn't quite know what that meant.
"My ignorance was kind of a blessing in disguise," the 26-year-old Colorado native said, "because I didn't know enough about HIV to even really be super scared about it." He was told that it was a virus that attacks the immune system, and what he had to do to combat the condition." I was like, 'All right, well OK. Just tell me what to do,'" and he started treatment.
Then he went home and did a little investigating. Davis explained, "It wasn't really until I started looking and researching and going on Google -- like a good millennial does! -- that I saw, like, 'Oh, this is actually kind of a serious thing! And this is really affecting other black guys.'" He learned more about the stigma surrounding HIV and the fact that so many people in the community don't talk about HIV.
Davis was in his final semester at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in Los Angeles at the time. "I wanted to find other people that were going through what I was going through because I just didn’t know…I didn’t have anybody to look to,” Davis explained. He disclosed his status to a few people close to him and was pleasantly surprised by their response.
After graduation, he stayed in Los Angeles and started to focus on working as a dancer and choreographer, as well as starting to get involved with HIV advocacy.
"I felt like I had to do something," Davis said, "so I chose to make a video that told a little bit about my life. It was a way of me disclosing. Before I shared it [publicly], I shared it with my family, and they were nothing but supportive." He realized that having the support of family and friends is precious, especially when so many who are living with HIV don't have that kind of encouragement.
He thought, "’If I don't speak out about my experience and try to speak out for those that can't, it's just wasted.' So I got out there! I shared this video on social media." He got a great response from this initial video, which lead to him being approached by the Human Rights Campaign to be a youth ambassador. He also participated in the organization's HIV 360° Fellowship in 2016 and 2017.
"When we were in the [HIV 360°] Fellowship, we were encouraged to create, to have a project or some kind of initiative that would mobilize our community in the fight against HIV." He realized that since he's not a social worker or someone in public health, the best thing to do would be to use what he has: his talents as a dancer.
"I was sitting and really going through it, figuring out, 'OK, who are my people?' My people are artists. My people are millennials. They're people of color. As I was talking with a few of my friends that I've created work with before, I got the idea to do a dance film." Davis had made short dance videos in the past that were shared on social media and were well received, so he expanded on that work to make a larger body.
He explained, "I started to look up different news stories and everything from the ‘80s and from the ‘90s." He went to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website to investigate the HIV timeline from its initial reporting in 1981 through now. "I was looking at different stories and highlights. As a creative, you know, I just kept on getting these ideas for dances that I wanted to do."
The project became an hour-long film, The Catharsis Project, which dynamically uses dance pieces intercut with media footage to create an emotional timeline of AIDS in the U.S., from the first cases in the news through the current state of people living healthfully with the virus. With a company of multi-ethnic young dancers, the film takes the viewer on a powerful journey, educating about not only the hard facts of the evolution of HIV/AIDS in America, but also the heartbreaking emotions accompanying those facts.
There is so much about The Catharsis Project that is special. Taking dry archival news footage and contrapuntally splicing in expressive dance works makes the story compassionate and deeply personal. Each dancer brings their unique physical voice to the work, expressing their humanity via their bodies and faces.
Most of the choreography is Davis's, and he knows how to find the truth of each moment, making us recognize ourselves in the performance. The audience is drawn in completely by the first piece, which shows us the fear and panic of those early days of the plague, and the realities and magnitude of the overwhelming number of deaths.
Maybe the most beautiful dance is called "The Caregivers or That's Us." This piece shows how some people were not afraid of casual contact with those dying of advanced AIDS, and literally and figuratively carried people with AIDS on their backs. And the final piece, "Rapture," gorgeously shows how a person living with HIV today can be whole and healthy, and even joyous. It ends the film with hope, showing the reality that HIV today is not a death sentence. This is an important film and a powerful way to connect with and educate an audience that may not know about the realities of HIV.
The first screening of The Catharsis Project was on World AIDS Day 2016, and it's had several more viewings across the country. "We've had screenings in Los Angeles. We've had one in Orlando, one in Houston, one in D.C., and then we will be having one in February in Oakland," Davis said.
Since the launch of the film, The Catharsis Project has moved from just the title of the film to now Being an organization. "It's not just doing stuff with this particular film," Davis said, "it's constantly creating new material with an ensemble of dancers, to continue going out into the community and sharing stories that are shared with me or other members of my team."
They've also developed a group called "The C.R.E.W." (The Creative Remedy and Education Workshops) that's funded by AIDS United. “It's specifically a group that is for millennials of color that are living with HIV." The C.R.E.W. has a four-week residency coming up in Oakland in February with the Oakland LGBT Center. "It's going to be a week of arts and healing," Davis explained. "We're doing dancing, creative writing, music, meditation, yoga. We're involving the house and ballroom community. And you know we're closing out with a big performance."
For someone who started out not knowing that much about HIV, Thomas Davis has become a force in HIV advocacy, using his creativity and talents to educate and inspire. "Really," he said, "just keeping the momentum moving forward."
Selected clips from The Catharsis Project are currently available on YouTube. You can also find the entire film streaming on Amazon Prime and Bawn TV.
Charles Sanchez is an openly gay, openly poz writer/director/actor living in New York City. He has written for WritingRaw.com and HuffPost's Queer Voices. As a performer, musical director, and director, he has worked in venues ranging from Lincoln Center and off-Broadway to dinner theater in Arkansas. His award-winning musical comedy web series, Merce, is about an HIV-positive guy living in New York who isn't sad, sick or dying. –The Body
Mar 17, 2019
Only An Authentic Life Is Worth Singing About
Brandon Stansell will croon his way into your heart with “Slow Down.”
By Curtis M. Wong
By Curtis M. Wong
Brandon Stansell may not be country music’s first openly gay performer, but his new video still feels like a subversive act in a genre so rooted in Americana.
Released Oct. 3, “Slow Down” sees the handsome singer-songwriter joining a male love interest for a drive through a desert in a battered pick-up truck. The pair share an awkward embrace by a campfire before joining hands in the daylight.
In the song, which Stansell co-wrote with Los Angeles-based producer Mylen, the 29-year-old advises a prospective lover to proceed with caution. “I’m thinking we could slow down, take all the time you need on me,” he croons. “Baby, slow down/’Cause you and I together, we don’t have to be in a rush to fall in love.”
Stansell, who originally hails from Tennessee, told The Huffington Post that the song is “about holding on to those initial feelings of attraction without overcomplicating them.”
“So many times, people get wrapped up making sure that everything makes sense that they forget to enjoy the person that is right in front of them,” he said, noting that the tune was partly inspired by a recent dating experience. “My goal is to share my experiences and life in an authentic way. I just happen to be gay, so that aspect of my life naturally is reflected in my art,” he said.
The song, which is also the title track of Stansell’s new, three-song EP, features backing vocals from country artist Ty Herndon, who came out as gay in 2014. The significance of Herndon’s presence on the album isn’t lost on Stansell, who called the “What Matters Most” singer a personal inspiration.
“In so many ways, he paved the way for artists like myself,” he told HuffPost. “So having him sing on the record was not only an honor for me, but also my way of saying thank you and acknowledging him for being the leader in this world I am stepping into.” For his part, Herndon echoed that praise. “I’m so happy to be a part of this talented man’s journey,” he said.
Naming Years & Years, Dolly Parton and Tracy Chapman as artistic influences, Stansell described his sound as “California country,” and said his music is just as reflective of his current home in Los Angeles as it is by his Nashville roots. While the roster of openly gay country artists continues to grow, the singer hopes his work is an “honest reflection” of his life that all listeners can identify with.
“I write songs about love, loss, hope and heartbreak ― human feelings I think everyone can relate to,” he said. “So it’s not an issue of being relatable, it’s an issue of being genuine and present.” -Huffington Post
Mar 3, 2019
Nov 25, 2018
Cher Is Talking About Her Gay Fans
Pop Superstar Cher is making the rounds in the wake of her latest album, Dancing Queen, a compilation of ABBA covers. In one interview with PrideSource, the singer has spoken about her “pact” with her gay fans.
She feels that her gay audience started back in the 1970s when she starred in the Sonny & Cher Show with her ex-husband, Sonny Bono, but still doesn’t know how it started.
“I don’t know how that happens. I mean, how does it happen? I have no idea! It’s just like, we made a pact and we’re a group and that’s it,” said Cher.
“Yeah, there was a change, there was definitely a change,” she added. “And I think it was when I was not with Sonny anymore, and then somehow it all started to click. But I always had gay friends.
“I actually almost got arrested at a party with my best friend at school. He was gay but he couldn’t let anybody know, and he wanted me to go with him to a party and the party got raided. And we jumped out the bathroom window! It was high. We had to go over the bathtub into the window and jump out,” said Cher.
She was similarly unsure of a moment that really allowed her to stand up and be an ally to the LGBTQ community.
“I really don’t know if there was a moment. I’m not sure there was a moment; I’m not sure what it was,” said Cher. “I just feel that, probably, there was a moment where guys thought I was just one of you. It’s like, there’s a moment where you’re either part of the group and you’re absorbed into the group and people love you as part of the group, or they don’t even know you’re alive, you know? Gay men are very loyal.”
She spoke, too, of makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin, and his influence.
“Look, I have a friend Kevyn Aucoin – he’s dead now – but he told me when he was young, he was growing up in some place in Louisiana and said how horrible it was to have to hide and be frightened, and he said he loved listening to Cher records,” she said. “I think that’s a dead giveaway! Haha! If you want to hide being gay, do not buy Cher records!”
“And I had another friend who had a Cher poster on his wall,” she added. “I don’t remember where he came from – some small town too – and his dad ripped it off the wall and he bought another one, put it inside his closet and said it was a way to really be who he was in spite of who his dad wanted him to be.”
She also spoke lovingly about the loyalty of her gay following, sharing a moment when she felt very few were on her side.
“I remember when I was doing Come Back to the Five and Dime (A play Cher performed in during 1976) and we had standing room only before we got reviewed, and after we got reviewed nobody came except the community — the community, and little grey-haired old women who came to matinees. We managed to stay open until we could build back up the following.”
She added, about the community, “they just don’t leave you, they stay with you; that’s one thing that always keeps you going.” -LGBTQ Nation
Sep 23, 2018
May 27, 2018
Mar 18, 2018
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