Gay Related Stud Stories of 2011

"No Fats, Femmes, or..."
The Ugly Side of Online Dating
This is a recent post, and if it's within the top 15 most-visited stories of the year you know we struck a nerve with readers.

While Gay.net is the editorial site to online dating site Gay.com, we thought it was appropriate to address the mean-spirited dialgoue happening on every dating and cruising destination. From thinly veiled racism to body Nazis seeking perfection, we hoped to bring up situations our readers have faced in the past. The idea was to open a conversation, and to hopefully get some guys to consider the impact their actions and words may have on others.

There's no way of knowing what the outcome of this story will be, but it clearly demonstrates that you guys come to Gay.net because there's a place to discuss and debate the issues that directly impact gay readers.

“Hotel Room Portraits” by Richard Renaldi
This one honestly surprised us. It focused on New York-based photographer Richard Renaldi (right), who has produced collections focusing on elderly gays and lesbians, the trans community and HIV infection long-term survivors, and more. He began his “Hotel Room Portraits” series with partner Seth Boyd (left) back in the late ‘90s. Initially, the photos were a documentation of simple and almost mundane moments in the life of a traveling gay couple. Today, after adding images for more than a decade, the collection also beautifully documents the normalcy in the lives of gay couples who wake up to the same person each morning. We presented a collection of those photos in this post.

Sure, these guys are sexy, but they can't possbily fit every reader's idea of "hot." Was your attraction to this post because it was real men in a real relationship living their real lives? You tell us.

14 Couples Who Inspire
Our first of two big Valentine's Day stories, this one focused on successful LGBT couples in the media. Who made the list? Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi, Jonathan Adler & Simon Doonan, George Takei & Brad Altman, Wanda Sykes & Alex Sykes, Richard Buckley & Tom Ford, Rufus Wainwright & Jörn Weisbrodt, Jane Lynch & Dr. Lara Embry, Scott Gill & John Barrowman, David Burtka & Neil Patrick Harris, Jane Wagner & Lily Tomlin, Elton John & David Furnish, Terry Miller & Dan Savage, Cynthia Nixon & Christine Marinoni, and of course Bert & Ernie.

13 Gayest Halloween Movies Ever
You guys love your lists, especially when it comes topop culture topics (you'll see what we mean when you look down at the other popular posts of 2011). For this batch we wanted to move beyond the obvious films that straight people love, and skip the standards like Rocky Horror and Death Becomes Her. Instead we went for the obscure, the fun, the quirky, and the gayest of them all. And with titles like 1962's What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, the stop-motion Rankin-Bass movie Mad Monster Party? from 1967, the camptastic Elvira, Mistress of the Dark from 1988 and the Abercrombie & Fitch-style 2006 fantasy/horror flick The Covenant, we think we covered all our bases.

25 Vintage Photos of Gay & Lesbian Couples
Just when we think you guys will only click on photos of sexy shirtless men, you surprise us with this high-impact post.

This was our second post in honor of Valentine's Day, and this time we presented 25 of our favorite vintage gay photos. It was a simple slide show, showing sweet, tender, loving moments from a time before Stonewall. You guys flipped for it, and it's still getting traffic to this day.

We're definitely digging around for more of these great images for 2012.

2011 Golden Iris Nominees:
Fashion Model of the Year
Eye Candy is our most popular editorial hub on Gay.net, and it's no surprise: the section regularly offers up a tasty bite of hot shank for you to enjoy. The Golden Iris awards are our "best of" Eye Candy, and when it came to readers voting for their favorites, you guys definitely had your opinions. There was statuesqueRob Evans, rugged David Gandy, androgynousAndrej Pejic, sophisticated Zhao Lei and dreamy River Viiperi— all of whom had their Twitter and Facebook followers come in and vote as well, making this a real event.

Who won? Reader results are in December 22nd in theGolden Iris section.

The Gayest TV Characters Ever
The list was long but, well, it seems you guys like things that are long.

From as far back as Richard Chamberlain’s Dr. Kildareof the 1960s, fussy Felix Unger of The Odd Couple in the '70s, to semi-insulting portrayals of Jodie Dallas (Billy Crystal) on Soap, all the way to Queer As Folk, True Blood, and beyond, we took you on a trip through the greatest gay characters ever on TV. Sure, some were missing—there was just too many to cover—but you guys were more than happy to add your picks to the comments.

How will we adapt that in 2012? We shall see...

10 Sluttiest Cities in The USA
With a word like "sluttiest" in the title, is it any surprise you guys clicked through to see where your city rated?

This article actually focused on cities with the most people online looking for casual hookups. It was short, so to save you some time here's what TheStir.com discovered.

The 10th most popular city was Houston, Texas, followed by San Diego, California in 9th place; 8. Denver, Colorado; 7. San Bernardino, California; 6. Dallas, Texas; 5. San Francisco, California; 4. Miami, Florida; 3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; 2. Seattle, Washington. And the sluttiest of them all? Portland, Oregon.

Perhaps people are just bored in those cities. Who can say?

Being on Top (or Bottom) of the World
Gay men love sex—talking about it, reading about it, and doing it. And when it comes to sex articles, discussions of being a top or bottom are clearly the most popular. We've covered tips on how to do it and a guide for first timers, but this story covered a lot of the outstanding emotional issues many gay men face when dealing with anal sex. From guilt and shame to hidden misogyny, the belief that being a bottom makes you "less" of a man and more like a woman, this article stirred incredible conversation and debate.

Like hooking up with a hot trick, we know we'll be revisiting this bedroom soon.

I, Daddy: Growing Older in the Gay Community
Topics that focus on gay male identity and image—working out, body hair versus shaving, cruising behaviors, etc.—always draw big numbers, but few articles inspired as much conversation as this one on aging.

It makes sense. We're a culture that thrives on youth and beauty. Nearly all the images used on Gay.net even reflect that sensibility, and if we don't use those kinds of sexy photos you guys don't click as often. This article brought that conversation to the forefront and stirred wonderful conversations, both on the hotness of older men as well as how to age gracefully amidst a culture that doesn't seem to embrace it. We're definitely looking for ways to bring the topic back in 2012.

Caught on Film: Our 11 Favorite Sex Scandals
You love celebrities. You love nudity. Combine the two and you've got a popular post that is still getting comments to this day. From Vanessa Williams and Madonna's classic Penthouse covers to Tommy Lee and Colin Farrell's now-notorious monster schlongs, we refreshed your memories with a dash of wit. No, we couldn't show the actual nude pictures because this is a family-friendly site, but you certainly enjoyed the article and sent it to friends. Perhaps it was because we'd created such an exhaustive list.

I mean, we still get people coming in off searches forReal World Las Vegas pictures of Dustin Zito's porn stills, and we even offered Austin Powers' Verne Troyer's nude film. How many other sites can say that?

Mason Wyler’s Raw Shoot Causes Controversy
Here's something that won't shock you: Gay.net readers love porn. Whenever we write about a porn star our traffic spikes to high-heaven, but when you add in barebacking to the equation it goes off the charts.

Wyler looks like the boy next door, he says he likes rough sex, and he's been public about being HIV-positive, saying in an article that he only has himself to blame and, “I take responsibility for my own actions.” The word “responsibility” became the focal point surrounding Wyler when he announced he would be appearing in two bareback scenes with Owen Hawk and Brandon Hawk — porn stars, and boyfriends, who are also HIV-positive. You guys weighed in about everything: porn and porn stars, safe sex, the adult industry's responsibility toward it, and much more. Arguments ensued and it was very clear that gay men are divided on all of those topics.

The Sexperiment: Straight Men - Gay Action
There are many stories of gay men hooking up with self-identified straight guys. Are these guys really gay? Bi? Living in denial?

Our most popular sex-based story interviewed a number of gays who have had encounters with heterosexual men. We also interviewed sexperts on their theories for why this happens—and with increasing frequency. It caused a huge debate among readers, with many of you offering up your own accounts and counter-arguments on the subject.

While we'll probably never have a definitive answer as to why these dudes will occassionally dabble with a gay, we do know it happens and with some frequency.

The 20 Gayest Cartoon Characters Ever
We realized we had a huge pop culture audience with this post— the second most poplular of them all. From Yellow Dancer in Robotech and Cobra Commander inG.I. Joe, to The Transformers' Starscream and Bugs Bunny in drag, it seems as though our childhoods were all filled with incredibly gay animated characters. Indeed, you guys thought of so many other possible candidates for this list that we're considering a revisit in 2012.

What’s America’s Gayest City?
Anyone who thought New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco were the queerest places in the U.S. was in for a shock. The Advocate’s yearly article got a ton of mainstream press, and many people didn't agree with the results; but, honestly, that' s part of the point to this story. The Advocate called their calculation method a “completely unscientific — but still strangely accurate — statistical equation.” How'd they do it? The news mag's research team “took a number of signifiers of gay-friendliness”—including elected openly gay officials, gay-friendly religious congregations, and number of Gay.com profiles — for each city, assigned points for each signifier, added them, and divided the scores by the city’s population to arrive at the per capita homosexuality. 

Minneapolis was voted "Gayest City," with Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and Orlando trailing not far behind.

Tebow Wont Help Out on “It Gets Better” Project Against Teen Gay Suicide

 Despite petition signed by more than 8,000, Denver Broncos say their star quarterback won't be participating in campaign to prevent gay teen suicide

http://www.gaystarnews.com 

BY GREG HERNANDEZ

A Facebook campaign succeeded in getting NBC to let Betty White host Saturday Night Live but a similar online effort isn't convincing Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos to participate in the It Gets Better project aimed at preventing suicide among LGBT youth.

As of today, more than 8,000 people have signed aChange.org petition asking the Broncos to follow in the footsteps of such pro football and baseball franchises as the Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants.

'These teams have spoken out against bullying and hatred in our society,' the petition states. 'The Giants became the first professional sports team to make a video for the campaign and numerous other teams have stepped-up to help inform LGBT youth that it gets better and help avert suicide.'

Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth tells Huffngton Post the team has other efforts it is involved in.

'The Denver Broncos are committed to tolerance, acceptance and respect for all in the community,' said Smyth. 'The National Football League is currently working with USA Network on its 'Characters Unite' campaign combating prejudice and intolerance, and our organization is in full support of that movement to help raise awareness for this very important cause.'

Bronco's quarterback Tebow is the NFL's latest superstar and last year, was featured in an ad for Focus on the Family which is well-known for its anti-gay views.

Columnist Dan Savage started It Gets Better with his partner in 2010 after a rash of well-publicized suicides by teenagers who said they were being bullied for being gay or perceived to be gay.

Among the high-profile people who have participated: President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and such celebrities as Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, Adam Lambert and Lady GaGa.

The It Gets Better project has developed into a charitable organization that also benefits the The Trevor Project, and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

Bradley Manning } Gender Identity Disorder

By Lou Chibbaro Jr.   washingtonblade.com


Manning (24)1987

Information has come to light that Pfc. Bradley Manning may have struggled with his gender identity. (File photo)

Attorneys representing Pfc. Bradley Manning, a 24-year-old Army private previously identified as gay, startled observers at a pre-court martial hearing on Saturday by saying allegations that Manning leaked classified U.S. intelligence information could be linked to a personal struggle over his gender identity.

Revelations that Manning created a Facebook page under the name Breanna Manning, that he dressed in women’s clothes, and he told an Army supervisor that he was suffering from gender identity disorder surfaced on the second day of a military proceeding known as an Article 32 hearing at Fort Meade, Md.

An Army witness testified at the hearing that investigators learned that Manning kept a collection of articles about gender identity disorder in his personal living quarters.

Authorities have accused Manning of orchestrating the largest intelligence leak in U.S. history while he worked as an Army intelligence analyst in Iraq. He was arrested in May 2010 on 22 counts of violating military codes pertaining to intelligence. He faces a possible sentence of death or life in prison if convicted on all charges.

Among other things, he’s accused of turning over more than 250,000 classified Pentagon and State Department documents through attached email files to the organization WikiLeaks, which published most of the documents on its website.

News that Manning reportedly was experiencing gender identity disorder comes at a time when the American Psychiatric Association is in the process of eliminating that term from its diagnostic manual and replacing it with the term gender dysphoria.

Jack Drescher, an out gay psychiatrist and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at New York Medical College, is a member of an APA working group that has recommended replacing the term disorder with gender “dysphoria.”

Drescher said both terms refer to a transgender person’s self-identification with a gender other than what he or she was born with biologically. He said the change, which transgender activists and their supporters in the APA feel would end unnecessary stigmatization caused by the term disorder, is expected to be put in place in 2013.

According to Reuters News Service, Manning’s attorney, David Coombs, and Manning’s brigade chief, Captain Steven Lim, told the Dec. 17 Article 32 hearing that Manning informed an Army intelligence supervisor by email in April 2010 that he was suffering from gender identity disorder.

Lim testified at the hearing that Manning disclosed in his email that the disorder was “affecting his life, work and ability to think,” Reuters reported. Lim also testified that Manning’s email included a photo of Manning dressed as a woman.

Coombs stated at the hearing that Manning’s self disclosure that he was struggling over his gender identity was a sign that he was emotionally unstable and may not have been in a position to handle highly classified documents, Reuters reported.

The news service said Lim testified at the hearing that the supervisor who received the email did not report the information to her superiors until after Manning was arrested a month later for allegedly leaking the classified documents.

Observers of the case have speculated that Manning’s defense may be laying the groundwork for a less severe sentence if Manning is convicted in a court martial. Observers say the defense may argue that Manning showed warning signs of instability that should have prompted his supervisors to revoke his high-level security clearance and cut off his access to classified information before the alleged wrongdoing took place.

In addition to the gender identity issues, information surfaced at the hearing that Manning got into trouble earlier for allegedly assaulting a female supervisor. In a separate incident he reportedly flew into a rage and overturned a table, sending a computer “crashing to the ground,” Reuters reported.

In yet another incident, an Army intelligence officer testified at the hearing that she saw Manning “curled up on the floor with his arms around his knees,” according to Reuters.

Manning, who is from Maryland, has been seen at gay community events in Washington, D.C. in 2009. On the publicly viewable section of his Facebook profile he listed several outside web pages as being among his favorites, including that of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay organization; the website of Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.); and the Washington Blade’s website.

Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said she is concerned that revelations about Manning’s gender identity could be incorrectly interpreted as the cause for his alleged wrong-doing.

“It’s totally unrelated,” she said. “I don’t know him and all I know about this is what I’ve read in the papers. But whether he’s trans or not has absolutely nothing to do with whether he committed treason or whatever he’s accusing of doing.”

Drescher said he also serves on a World Health Organization committee that will consider recommendations to remove gender identity as a mental health diagnosis, and making it a medical diagnosis. He said the medical classification recommendation would be considered by WHO, a United Nations body, for inclusion in its International Classification of Diseases, or ICD, an internationally recognized reference manual for all diagnoses of diseases.

According to Drescher, such a change would not be decided until 2015, when the current version of the ICD is scheduled to be revised.

He said many transgender advocates familiar with medical issues agree that a medical diagnosis for transgender persons is needed to clear the way for medical insurance coverage of ongoing hormone treatment and gender reassignment surgery.

Why Is Dexter Turning to Incest on TV?

 

The most shocking revelation in Sunday's season finale of "Dexter" (spoiler alert!) came when Deb Morgan admitted that she harbored romantic feelings for her adopted brother, Dexter.Photo: Randy Tepper/Showtim

Dexter's controversial season finale Sunday night was a stunner. (Warning: Spoilers lie ahead.) And the night's biggest jaw-dropper didn't come when, after six seasons, vigilante serial killer Dexter Morgan's murderous double life was finally discovered by his sister, Deb. Instead, it was Deb's squirm-inducing revelation that she harbors romantic feelings for Dexter, her adopted brother. That makes Dexter the fourth cable series to unveil a divisive incest storyline this year, following HBO's trio of Bored to Death, Game of Thrones, and, most recently, Boardwalk Empire. It's a "troubling trend" that's been building for years on shows like Nip/Tuck, Lost, and the aptly namedBrothers and Sisters, says Jace Lacob at The Daily Beast, but is just now reaching critical mass. For better or worse, does that mean the taboo is broken?

Of course it's a taboo. That's why it's intriguing: Incest is still very much a taboo subject, says Tracy Clark-Flory at Salon. And it's also still horrifying. Shows like Dexter and Game of Thrones aren't breaking the taboo by depicting incest, they are reinforcing it "by playing on our supreme squeamishness toward the idea." It's telling, too, that these shows are still quite popular in spite of their portrayals of incest. "We are at once drawn to it and repulsed by it."
"Why is incest all over prime time?"

Incest may be the ideal cable TV storyline: Of course the most boundary-pushing shows on the most progressive cable networks, like HBO and Showtime, would tackle incest, says Jaime Weinman at Maclean's. "It's a taboo subject, and taboo subjects" are what producers on those networks are "always on the lookout for." These cable shows are free from the constraints of advertisers, who would ordinarily pull their ad dollars from networks that portray such topics. "Plus, as the bar gets raised for sociopathic or problematic behavior on TV, an incest story is one of the few things remaining that can be instantly shocking."
"Incest plots replace hoarder plots"

But on Dexter, it doesn't work at all: Taboo or not, the incest storyline on Dexter fails, says Jamie Peck at Crushable. The relationship between adopted siblings Dexter and Deb Morgan was "the single most important relationship on the show," and the reveal that Deb has sexual feelings for him threatens to "totally ruin that bond for fans who've become invested in it." Plus, the incest plot comes "completely out of left field." It comes off as random, disrespects the characters, and takes away from the moment that "the series had been building up to since it began.” 

  Theweek.com

Marc Jacobs Dating Brazilian Porn Star Harry Louis

 

 

Photo courtesy of Twitte

Hm, so maybe this speculation has all been for naughty. 

BY OUT.COM EDITORS

Has the designer found himself a NSFW lover?

This just in: the Internet is a-buzz with the story that designer Marc Jacobs is dating Brazilian porn star Harry Louis. The news broke on the website GPS Brasilia, in a post from last week. Adding fire to the rumor is atweet from Louis featuring a picture of the couple, and the caption, "What a great weekend thanks to the sweetest guy on earth, Marc Jacobs , see you soon in Paris baby... X." Upon further inspection, Louis's Twitter feed is filled with references to visiting an unnamed lover in Paris. Jacobs spends half his time in the City of Light for his work with the French label Louis Vuitton. Hmmm. At this point, everything is hearsay, but it certainly wouldn't be Jacobs's first relationship with someone working in the sex industry—he spent four years dating call-boy Jason Preston a few years back. We say good for Marc. He works hard and if he enjoys the company of Mr. Louis for the times when he's playing hard, he's a mighty lucky fellow. For those wondering what Jacobs sees in Louis, click (warning, NSFW!) here. 

UDDATE: Queerty reached out to porn impressario Michael Lucas—whom Harry Louis has worked for and with—and Lucas says that Harry Louis has been in a relationship with Fernando Kairon (yet another porn star) for many years. Says Lucas: "Harry Louis himself indicated on several occasions that he is not interested in being separated from his boyfriend for even a moment. When we invited Harry to be in one of our last shoots in Ibiza in the end of November, he sent us an email specifying that he will not travel to be filmed there without his boyfriend, even if it just means having a day apart. He said, “We are one and nothing can separate us."

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Cairo } Women Come Out In Force After Police Violence Against Them

Women protest in Cairo after the police brutality. Photo: Reuters

Thousands of woman marched through downtown Cairo on Tuesday evening to call for the end of military rule in an extraordinary expression of anger over images of soldiers beating, stripping and kicking a female demonstrator on the pavement of Tahrir Square.

"Drag me, strip me, my brothers' blood will cover me!" they chanted. "Where is the field marshal?" they demanded, referring to Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of the military council holding onto power here. "The girls of Egypt are here."

The event may have been the biggest women's demonstration in Egypt's history, and the most significant since a 1919 march led by pioneering Egyptian feminist Huda Shaarawi to protest British rule.

A protester holds a picture of one of the victims of the police brutality. Photo: AP    smh.com.au/

The women's chants were evidently heard at military headquarters as well. On Tuesday evening, the ruling military council offered an abrupt apology.

"The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces expresses its utmost sorrow for the great women of Egypt, for the violations that took place during the recent events," the council said in a statement. "It stresses its great appreciation for the women of Egypt and for their right to protest and to actively, positively participate in political life on the path of democratic transition."

Although no one in the military has been publicly investigated or charged in connection with any misconduct, the statement asserted that the council had already taken "all the legal actions to hold whoever is responsible accountable."

Just two hours before the women massed, a coalition of liberal and human rights groups unveiled a plan to try to break the state media's grip on public opinion by holding screenings around the country of video capturing recent military abuses.

In the most famous of those, a half dozen soldiers beating a woman with batons rip away her abaya to reveal her blue bra before one plants his boot on her chest.

When a core of activists called for a Tuesday march to protest the military's treatment of women few could have expected the magnitude of the response.

By 4 in the afternoon, thousands had gathered in Tahrir Square.

"I am here because of our girls who were stripped in the street," said Sohir Mahmoud, 50, a housewife who said she was demonstrating for the first time. "Men are not going to cover your flesh so we will," she told a younger woman. "We have to come down and call for our rights nobody is going to call for our rights for us."