Nights Will Never Be The Same With Gay Men Moving OnLine

 

Where Is Everybody?           

By Steve Weinstein  

 

A recent poster in New York's gayborhoods tells the tale: "MORE GRINDR=FEWER GAY BARS." This brief cri de coeur—spread, appropriately enough, via social media and on blogs like Joe. My. God.—cited hookup sites and rapidly proliferating mobile apps like Grindr for killing New York's gay nightlife.

 It's hard to believe that a mere 10 years ago, up to 2,000 men were dancing into Sunday morning at the Roxy; in the '80s, 3,000 members were packing the Saint for 18-hour marathons. Today, the city's only dedicated gay dance club, XL, has an official capacity of 750, which along with a few smaller dancefloors in bars like the Ritz and Splash, is the only game in town. Meanwhile, Manhunt, the granddaddy of hookup sites, boasts 200,000 active users in the city. With more than 400,000 local log-ins a week, New York makes up 10 percent of Manhunt's user base. 

Even John Blair, the veteran promoter behind Hell's Kitchen's XL, admits, "Even if you could build a club like the Saint, you couldn't get that many people. Back then, that's all their social life was. People don't need to go to bars to hook up."

On those rare occasions where they actually meet someone face to face, guys wait until they're home to seal the deal. "It's not part of the culture where, if you meet someone, it's even socially acceptable," notes Stephen Pevner, who, as head of the Saint At Large, produces one of the city's few remaining major big-room dance events, the annual Black Party. "They say, 'I'll see you on Manhunt.'" Hey, why go out at all when you can order in?

The reasons for what everyone agrees is a noticeable contraction in club life go way beyond the digital revolution into even more fundamental changes. Younger gay men might be more concerned about meeting Mr. Right to marry and start families than the perpetual search for Mr. Right Now. Even the ones still on the prowl have less expendable income after paying for a rabbit warren of a room in a shared apartment in a funky neighborhood far away from Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, or the East Village. Who wants to be cooked at 4 a.m. while anticipating a long wait for a subway train and a longer walk from the station?

Besides, gay men don't define themselves by the clubs they frequent anymore. Nor do they have to. In the years after Stonewall, clubs like the Firehouse and 12 West represented safe spaces in a hostile world where we could flirt, make out, and hook up (usually on site). With gay men coming out earlier and being comfortable hanging out with straight friends, even Blair and his partner in life and work, Beto Sutter, disagree about whether an unspoken, discriminatory door policy still works. "At the Roxy, people complained about too many girls," Sutter says, adding, "eight girls for every guy! Now they want diversity on Saturday night."

Jake Resnicow, promoter of one of the few new franchise events in town, Matinee, which began onIbiza, agrees: "Matinee has demonstrated that the boys appreciate a mixed crowd."

Blair, however, maintains that "the gay community wants to be around people like themselves. "If you have too many straights, there are complaints, a lot of complaints. If anything, gay men are segregating themselves into smaller groups." The bears have their club nights, like Joe Fiore's Rockbear and Blowoff, held periodically at the High Line in West Chelsea; the skinny young guys (a/k/a/ the twinks), the single-named HK bars (Barracuda, Therapy, Industry, et al.); the musclemen, the semi-regular Alegria parties. Even older gay men have their own dances, such as Sunday Teas at XL.

"Time was, the bears, like other subcommunities, didn't want to keep to themselves," Fiore says. "Currently, bears definitely prefer bear events. They don't want to be singled out as fat, hairy guys."

Smaller, more specialized events are also a result of the effects of Manhattan's skyrocketing real estate and high-end apartment buildings on the island's fringes. Today, there's only one dedicated big room, Pacha, by the Hudson River. The turnkey for a giant space like Chinatown's Capitale starts in the $50,000 range—prohibitive for a promoter who still has to set up a sound-and-light system. That's why Rica Sena, whose Alegria parties still pack in the hottest men, looks to the few remaining dedicated dance spaces. And it's getting more and more difficult. It's significant that successful start-up parties like Matinee look to smaller (but still respectably sized) venues like District 36. "It's incredibly challenging to find a big room home in New York," Resnicow says.

And that space had better not be geographically undesirable. Guys "won't go above 57th Street or below Canal Street," promoter Josh Woods says. "People here aren't adventurists compared to Rio or Berlin." Woods, one of the most successful younger promoters in town, keeps his regular events in smaller spaces like Hudson Terrace. "Real estate interests have closed big clubs for sure," Woods says. "So it tends to be a bottle service."

For many, "bottle service" represents everything gone wrong with New York's gay-club culture. "You were picked because you looked great," says Christina Visca, a longtime fixture behind the velvet ropes at legendary clubs like Sound Factory and Palladium, "not because you could buy a bottle of Gray Goose for $250. Bottle service has ruined clubs; you're a VIP if you order expensive alcohol.”

When Blair instituted VIP tables at XL, he was roundly criticized. But it's the only way to make a gay dance club work these days, he insists. "Bottle service would never have worked back then, but we're multipurpose because we have to be. And it's sold out every Friday and Saturday."

That leaves promoters like Sena continually haggling with club owners who would much rather devote their weekend nights to free-spending straight crowds than to gay men, notorious for refilling their one purchased water bottle. True, the drug of choice for many younger gay men is alcohol; but juice isn't conducive to an extended dance experience.

 "It's not a weekly experience for anybody," Pevner says with a sigh. "It's not part of the culture. The big parties nowadays are like Broadway—they're half-tourists.”
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You Want to Stay Young Like Tom Cruise? } Bird Poop

Tom Cruise has bird poo facials. 
The 49-year-old actor is reportedly a fan of the expensive treatment - which involves mixing nightingale excrement with rice bran and water and applying as a face mask - and is thrilled with the "fantastic" boost his complexion has had since he began the procedures.

A source close to the actor - who is married to Katie Holmes - said: "Tom doesn't go in for Botox or surgery but he does pay close attention to all the new and popular natural treatments.

"He recently started experimenting with the nightingale poo facial. It was recommended by a Hollywood pal and the results have been fantastic."

Tom is said to be "proud" to have turned to the treatment - of which Victoria Beckham is rumoured to be a fan - instead of turning to cosmetic surgery as he gets older.

The source added to Now magazine: "Tom doesn't see splashing out on the facials as him being vain or weird - in fact, he points out there are much wackier fads out there. And he's proud of himself for avoiding the temptations of plastic surgery."

Minn.Vikings Punter Chris Kluwe Speaking of Gays{that family is family’}

  

Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe wants everyone to know that he believes everyone has the right to marry who they love - including his wife's brother who wants to wed his partner in Calif0rnia.

'I’ve always believed that people are inherently the same and should have the same rights and equal protection under the law,' tells Outsports.com.  'It really doesn’t matter what you do with who or whom as long as you’re not infringing on someone else’s rights. Everyone should be free to live their own life however it makes them happy.'

Kluwe, 30, has been a member of The Vikings for eight years and is using his celebrity in the state to speak out against a November ballot initiative in Minnesota that would change the state constitution to define marriage only between a man and a woman.

He has so far done three radio ads for Minnesotans for Equality, the organization leading the fight to defeat the initiative.

'I don’t think a lot of people realize that family is family,' he says. 'It doesn’t matter who you are; the people you grow up with, that’s your family. If you find out your kid is gay, are you going to love him any less? Because if you do, then you’re probably not doing parenting for the right reasons.'

Kluwe says he would still be involved in the marriage equality fight even if he didn't have a brother-in-law who is gay.

'One of the things my parents brought me up with is that you should have equality for everyone,' he says. 'I would like to think I have a pretty strong sense of justice and right and wrong. [The proposed marriage amendment] is just blatant discrimination and that’s not right, that’s wrong.’

BY GREG HERNANDEz  gaystarnews.com

The Gay Community is Asking for Condemnation on The Head Shooting of Two Girls

 

Mary Kristene Chapa (left) and Mollie Judith Olgin. (Courtesy photo)

 Gay rights groups are calling for a thorough police investigation into a shooting at a park in Portland that left Mollie Olgin, 19, dead and her girlfriend, Mary Kristene Chapa, 18, injured.

Portland police, meanwhile, say they don't know the motive for the shooting Friday night in Violet Andrews Park about seven miles north of Corpus Christi that killed Mollie Olgin, 19, and wounded Mary Kristene Chapa, 18,

The two were found Saturday morning lying on the ground in a grassy area of Violet Andrews Park in Portland, about seven miles north of Corpus Christi.

A large caliber shell casing was found nearby.

They were evidently shot late Friday night.

Two witnesses reported hearing either fireworks or gunfire just before midnight Friday.

Chapa, who was shot in the head, was in stable condition late today(Wednesday).

Gay and lesbian advocacy groups the Human Rights Campaign and Equality Texas condemned the shootings and urged a thorough investigation but Police Chief Randy Wright said there's no evidence that the attack was motivated by the women’s relationship.

Police have not identified any suspects or announced any arrests.

Vigils for the girls are scheduled for Wednesday evening in San Francisco and Friday in Washington, D.C. and in Portland.

Travolta Showing He can Still Kiss His Wife in Public and Show What Kind of Man He is

It was a good thing John Travolta was getting smooched by wife Kelly Preston on the "Savages" red carpet Monday night, because the actor hasn't been getting much kindness in the rest of his public life.

From all the photos I’ve seen it looks like Travolta is trying to make an effort in saying, hey I’m married and I can kiss a woman, How can I be gay? MNo question that is got to be worried about the lawsuit from a fellow pilot and best friend.  This is not masseur or rent boy.  This man is makes the case very serious. There is no question, that as thing proceed to trial it would be in Travolta’s best interest to settled and and try to pay the guy off. But you he is not getting any younger and he is at The age that he can come out and say he is bisexual or something. The only thing is that is not known how much his wife’s believes the rumors.  He has been a family man and probably doesn’t want to break that up more than he probably fears the label.  He is not a young starving actor looking for work anymore.  He has made. He also has his homophobic Mormon church.

 Travolta is got three lawsuits up to this point on his hands. It is very possible that none of the lawsuits will give birth to a trial, but you know that life is like a box of chocolates, you never know which masseur or boyfriend will come out of the box.
adamfoxie*

For The First Time The Clementi Parents Speak Up About Rhabi’s Leniency

The parents of Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide after he was targeted for being gay, spoke for the first time since his roommate Dharun Ravi was convicted of hate crimes against their son. 

Jane and Joe Clementi said they believed Ravi's actions contributed to Tyler's death and that his sentence was too lenient. The devoutly Christian couple had also become more tolerant of homosexuality. 

Tyler Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers University in New Jersey, threw himself off the George Washington bridge after discovering that his roommate was spying on him with a webcam two years ago. 

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Learning to accept: Jane and Joe Clementi said they have changed their opinion of homosexuality after their son Tyler committed suicide after being bullied at Rutgers University, New Jersey

Mrs Clementi spoke of her anguish over the fact Tyler told a friend that his mother had rejected him after he told her he was gay. She did not know that he had interpreted her response in this way. 

The family, including his two older brothers have started a charity called the Tyler Clementi Foundation to stop cyber-bullying and promote acceptance.

Mr Clementi told NBC's Rock Center: 'Sin needs to be taken out of homosexuality. Our children need to understand – and adults need to understand – that they're not broken.'

 

 

In September 2010, Tyler had asked his roommate Ravi if he could have their shared dorm to himself that evening. 

Ravi, then 20, set up a friend's computer to view a few seconds of live streaming video from his own dorm-room webcam and saw Tyler and another man kissing.

Tragic: Tyler Clementi committed suicide in September 2010, days after Ravi used a webcam to see live streaming video of Clementi and another man kissing

He told others about it in person, in texts, instant messages and tweets - and alerted others again two days later that Clementi, 18, wanted the room to himself again. That time, the camera did not operate.

A night later, Clementi committed suicide. His story has been held up since then as a prime example of what can go wrong when young gays are bullied, though Ravi was not charged with the death.

However his parents believe that Ravi's actions may have contributed to their son's suicide and that the sensitive teen couldn't cope with the idea that his college friends were laughing behind his back. 

Leaving jail: A bearded Dharun Ravi, right, convicted of a hate crime for using a webcam to spy on his roommate's gay tryst, leaves Middlesex County jail after completing 20 days of his 30-day sentence. His lawyer, Steven Altman, left, picked him up around 8:30 am

Ravi was convicted on March of 15 criminal charges, including bias intimidation, invasion of privacy and tampering with a witness. 

A judge sentenced him to 30 days in jail - far less than the 10-year prison sentence he could have given him. He served only 20 days.

The Clementis said that the short sentence sent the wrong message, showing to others that there was no consequences to bullying.

Chuck Norris: 'Boy Scouts Of America Should Stay True To Anti-Gay Stance'

  Conservative martial arts icon Chuck Norris has criticised gay rights campaigners for trying to overturn a "century-old policy" banning homosexual members from taking part in the Boy Scouts of America youth organization.

On his article he uses provocative questions-not statements:

 *******
The group's long-standing rules have come under scrutiny in recent months after lesbian Ohio mum Jennifer Tyrrell was ousted as an adult leader of her son's Bridgeport troop in April (12) after bosses decided her sexual orientation "did not meet the high standards" set forth by the group. Her child, Cruz, was subsequently asked to leave the organisation as well.

 Tyrrell's treatment has infuriated the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (Lgbt) community and activists, including famous faces Julianne Moore, Ricky Martin and Star Trek legend George Takei, have been calling for Boy Scouts officials to modernise its policies.

Top organisation leader James Turley recently vowed to "seek a change" to the discriminatory rules, but staunch Republican supporter Norris questions Turley's motives and insists the Boy Scouts should remain true to its "core values and beliefs" because its members "epitomise the best of America".

In an article posted on AmmoLand.com, Norris claims Turley is simply trying to gain favour with U.S. President Barack Obama by aligning the Boy Scouts with the politician's liberal stance on gay rights.

He writes, "Is Turley working on his own initiative, or has the White House prodded him with perks and favors?

"...I personally have known a host of Boy Scouts, Eagle Scouts and Bsa leaders. These individuals epitomize the best of America. Indeed, the Bsa is as integral a part of American life and culture as hot dogs, baseball and Grandma's apple pie."

Mother Says Her son Was Kick Out of School ‘Cause He’s Gay

In this particular case since I don’t have access to the witness's,  I have chosen to go with a neutral description of the case and incidents. I am using a blog court house news  which blogs about court cases.  The parents of the gay boy have obtained a lawyer and the are in the process of suing the school.. If the case is as described by mom (who happens to be a teacher herself) Then I hope that they sue the pants off that school. Here is the story as described by the blogger: 

A teacher claims in court that her Christian school suspended her son for the "sin" of being gay, then subjected her to "scathing condemnation and blame" for supporting him rather than demanding that he "renounce his sin" - a situation so fraught that it led to her firing.
     Sharon Wright sued Covenant Christian Academy in Federal Court. The K-12 school is the only named defendant, though Wright identifies several top administrators in her 30-page complaint.
     Wright claims she had taught full time at the defendant school since 2002, enrolled her two sons there, and was teaching fifth grade when the situation blew up. She says the school refused to renew her contract after she asked for accommodations for her adjustment disorder, anxiety and depression, brought on by harassment from the school's board members, administrators and faculty.
     Wright says one of her sons, then a high school senior, announced his sexual orientation on a social media blog on Oct. 12, 2009.
     When school administrators learned of this, she says, they "took steps to immediately suspend him from school."
     The complaint continues: "In this regard, Mr. [headmaster Joseph] Sanelli instructed plaintiff and her husband that their son should not report to school the next day until the matter could be fully discussed.
     "Shortly after plaintiff's son's declaration, plaintiff and her husband met with
     Mr. Sanelli, Ms. [grammar school principal Gloria] Stucky, and defendant's Upper School Principal, Robyn Burlew.
     "At said meeting, plaintiff was informed that her son was to be permanently suspended from school and would not be permitted to return until he "renounced his sin.'"
     School Board member Rich Raynor followed this up by telling her: "'your son is broken, and it's your job to fix him,'" the complaint states.
     And, Wright says, Raynor's wife told her "that this was a 'battle for [your son's] soul' and opined that he 'may have been abused as a child.'"
     Wright says in the complaint that the Academy "embraces historic Christianity as represented in the tradition of the Protestant Reformation" and "views homosexuality as a sin."
     Wright says she and her husband advised the school and its leaders that "after consultation with various psychiatric, psychological and pediatric professionals they had come to the conclusion that their son's sexual orientation was already determined, that it would be potentially harmful to try to 'reprogram' him, that they had decided their best course of action was to support him and love him for who he is, and that they could not agree that homosexuality is a sin."
     She says she and her husband "expressed that they disagreed with CCA's doctrinal position on homosexual behavior, criticized said position, and would not force their son to renounce his sexual orientation as a sin."
     According to the complaint, principal Burlew told Wright "that she (Ms. Burlew) would 'go out on a limb' to recommend that plaintiff's son be permitted to return to school at defendant CCA."
     "Ms. Burlew stated that, in her opinion, 'everyone struggles with sin' and that the plaintiff's son is no different." (Parentheses in complaint.)
     On Oct. 15, three days after her son disclosed his sexual orientation online, the headmaster Sanelli sent White a letter that stated her "support of her son 'in no way affects the employment of Sharon here at CCA or the enrollment of [her son]. We support Sharon and consider her a valuable member of the faculty,'" according to the complaint.
     After more discussions and emails, the defendant decided that while White's employment and her younger son's enrollment would not be affected, her eldest son would not be permitted to attend the Academy as an "in school student" and a proctor, textbooks and assignments would be provided to fulfill his academic and graduation requirements, the mom says.
     According to the complaint, "at no time" was White instructed that "she must renounce her son's sexual orientation as a sin in order to retain her employment status with defendant."
     But throughout the rest of the school year, White says, the school organization "proffered unsolicited opinions" concerning her son's orientation, including the board member's and his wife's comments above.
     What claims that the constant criticism and blame gave her adjustment disorder, anxiety and depression. She requested medical leave of absence to treat her disability in January 2010, and says she was encouraged to take a "year to heal," which she calls an attempt to "impose upon plaintiff an involuntary sabbatical for the 2010-2011 academic year."
     White says she informed the school in a letter of May 10, 2010, that she was capable of continuing to teach with the option of taking necessary intermittent medical leaves of absence. But when she requested reasonable accommodation, including intermittent medical leaves of absence, White says, she was denied a contract for the next school year.
     She says the school told her she was not offered a contract because her May 10 letter allegedly attacked the school's position on homosexual behavior, and called those who held such positions "bigots."
     White says this "ostensible basis" for her firing "is wholly without basis in facts and [is] a pretense for intentional discrimination and retaliation."
     "In fact, nowhere in her May 10, 2010 letter does plaintiff use the word 'bigot' to describe her feelings toward those at CCA with whom plaintiff disagreed with respect to defendant's doctrinal position on homosexual behavior," the complaint states.
     "Moreover, days before plaintiff's May 10, 2010 letter defendant, by and through its agent, Ms. Stucky, recommended that plaintiff not be offered a full-time position for the 2010-2011 academic year, as more fully described above."
     White seeks an injunction, back pay, benefits, reinstatement or front pay, and punitive damages for disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, ADA violations, and violations of the Pennsylvania Human Rights Act and Human Relations Act.
     She is represented by Solomon Krevsky, with Clark & Krevsky, of Lemoyne, Pa. 
 By ERIN MCAULEY

The Boycott on Coffee(Starbucks)That Back Fired!

  

How an Anti-Gay Group Made Coffee Lovers of Us All

by DOMINIC HOLDEN

 After confronting Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz at last week's annual Starbucks shareholders' meeting, a furious National Organization for Marriage (NOM) announced an international boycott against the coffee company because "purchasing a cup of Starbucks equals support for gay marriage."

But so far, "We're not seeing any impact," says Starbucks spokesman Zack Hutson. If anything, NOM's attack has endeared Starbucks to the public and sends a message to Fortune 500 companies that defending gay rights is safe political ground.

 The clash began during the question-and-answer period at the shareholder meeting, which was held at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, when NOM's Jonathan Baker scorned the company's "controversial" position to uphold marriage equality on the fall ballot in Washington State. "I would assure you that the senior team of Starbucks discussed this, and it was, to be candid with you, not something that was a difficult decision for us," Schultz said to a burst of applause from the stock-holding crowd. "We made that decision in our view through the lens of humanity and being the kind of company that embraces diversity.” When pressed by another NOM spokesman whether it is "prudent to risk the economic interest" of the company to support gay marriage, Schultz remained unfazed. He explained that Starbucks employs 200,000 people—with the obvious subtext that the number includes lots of gay people.

NOM, of course, was outraged. Within hours, the group launched a "Dump Starbucks" campaign—which featured more than a dozen blog posts, the promise of ads around the world, and an online petition atwww.dumpstarbucks.com.

One problem, though.

Not only is Starbucks unaffected, but as of March 27, NOM had reported barely 22,000 signatures on its petition. That's a drop in the coffee cup compared to marriage-equality advocates. Just one of several groups who began counter-organizing,www.sumofus.org, collected names for a "thank you card to Starbucks for standing up for gay rights." That petition, as of March 27, had a staggering 281,000 signatures—more than 10 times NOM's.

Those trying to uphold marriage equality are, well, chugging coffee.

"There has been an incredible Facebook campaign of photos of people drinking coffee at Starbucks," says Equal Rights Washington's Josh Friedes. "In some ways, NOM did our work for us. They are highlighting the fact that major corporations based in Washington State are supporting marriage equality and that an out-of-state, anti-gay organization is spearheading the movement to derail it."

Also, Friedes noted: "NOM for years has been so feared for having been so strategic. Now for the first time they appear to be flailing because the proposed boycott of Starbucks was incredibly poorly conceived."

NOM didn't respond to a request for comment. 


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