Ted Kennedy Remembered as LGBT Hero

When Sen. Ted Kennedy's death was reported, the leader of the Human Rights Campaign, Joe Solmonese, said we mourned the loss of the nation's "greatest champion and strongest voice for justice, fairness, and compassion."

"There was no greater hero for advocates of LGBT equality than Sen. Ted Kennedy," Solmonese reflected. "From the early days of the AIDS epidemic to our current struggle for marriage equality, he has been our protector, our leader, our friend. He has been the core of the unfinished quest for civil rights in this country, and there is now a very painful void."

Senator Kennedy hailed from a famously influential family. Two of his brothers, President John F. Kennedy and onetime attorney-general and presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy, were tragically assassinated, in 1963 in and 1968, respectively. Years earlier he lost his oldest brother, Joe, who was killed in action during World War II.

Hate Crimes: Facebook Support for Victim Jake Raynard and Judy Shepard Fights On

Jake Raynard was the victim of a brutal attack over Labor Day weekend in his hometown of Thunder Bay, in Canada’s Ontario province. Raynard is recovering in a hospital after being beaten with a brick by a group of men. His sister, Jackii Raynard, has no doubt that "what happened that night was a hate crime. They broke the whole left side of his face. His face speaks for itself."
Raynard and two friends were confronted by an aggressive man early Saturday morning outside a bar. When they tried to walk away, Raynard and his friends were followed by a group of men shouting derogatory comments about gays.

"Really? You Don't Look Gay"

Something funny happened the other day that I wanted to share.  I was on my lunch hour, paying for takeout at a nearby deli and the always friendly cashier was making small talk with me as she usually does.  But this time, she got more up close and personal, and the conversation went something like this:

Cashier: Are you excited for the weekend?

Me: Totally!  I am so glad it's Friday.

Cashier: What are you going to do?

Me: I really don't know yet, but I think I'm just going to play it by ear. 

Cashier:  Do you have kids?

Is Pale the New Tan?

For decades, gay men have been forerunners of fashion and style, trendsetters in every field of culture and lifestyle. What gay men do, mainstream follows. We take chances, push the limits and people tucked away in quiet burghs pick up on the buzz, sometimes light years later. So now that the veil has been lifted on the apparent evils of the fake and bake, will gay men lead the charge toward making it chic to be—gasp!—pale?

They're the Total Package. Why Are They Single?

Sometimes you meet people who immediately engage you. You're taken by their energy, their good looks, their kindness. They talk to you—not at you. They ask you questions, are genuinely interested in finding out about you. You learn about them. They have a great job, have loads of friends, always are doing interesting things. But then you find out they're single, and have been for a long time.

Is Aging Harder When You're Gay?

Last week my partner and a friend both told me, almost simultaneously, that I had a few gray hairs coming in on the side of my head. Instead of realizing I often think that men with some salt-and-pepper are sexy and maybe I, too, could be sexy, my first thought was to panic and think I had to color my hair and maybe go blond ... again. Then I came to my senses and remembered getting older isn't a bad thing. It happens to everyone. But can everyone age gracefully? Is there such a thing as "gayging" gracefully?

What Is Butch?

What makes a lesbian butch?

If you had asked me this question twenty years ago, I would have immediately said a butch is an overtly masculine lesbian who dresses like a stereotypical man and acts like a stereotypical man. Period.

Now I don't know if butches have evolved, or if my opinion has evolved, but I can't define a butch so simply anymore. In fact, I'm confused as to what makes a lesbian butch these days.

Hot Guys & Hot Rods: Gays Love Their Cars

Who says gay guys don't know their way around an auto body shop? No, we're not talking about the porn fantasy where you go to pick up your ride and the hot mechanic rolls out from under the car, covered in grease, his jumpsuit open halfway down to his navel—and next thing you know you're both naked and screwing. We're talking about honest-to-goodness, everyday guys who love their cars and know a thing or two about how to fix them.

Sarah Palin Resigns

Sarah Palin resigns as Governor of Alaska:

About Last Night: Remembering Michael and Farrah

What a day. What a day. Is anyone else famous going to die? Let's hope not.

It was hard when Barbara Walters told me over my morning latte that Farrah was close to death, and when she died about an hour later I felt immense sadness. As a child growing up in the '70s, I saw Farrah everywhere. She was gorgeous. She was seductive. She was an icon. And I got to sleep with her in my bed every night—that sex kitten image in her bathing suit was on a satin pillow my dad bought me when I was about eight. Little did he know I wasn't pining away for her as he had hoped, but still loved rubbing against that pillow (can you blame me? It was satin!). She was an Angel. Not only Charlie's, but mine, too, and for so many others. Even though she somewhat disappeared from the spotlight over the next few decades, she was still that lovable Farrah. Hearing about her being diagnosed with cancer a few years ago was sad, but knowing it was there softened the blow of her ultimate death.