Millions to 'go purple' for Spirit Day in united stand against bullying, 10/16

GLAAD, the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy organization, has launched the countdown to Spirit Day, the largest and most visible anti-bullying campaign in the world that supports LGBT youth.

Spirit Day, which will take place on October 16, inspires millions to wear purple or ‘go purple’ online in a united stand against bullying and to show their support for LGBT youth. Each year, Spirit Day draws the participation of celebrities, corporations, media outlets, sports leagues, schools, faith institutions, national landmarks, and individuals. Spirit Day is made possible by the generous support of its national partners PepsiCo and Wells Fargo, as well as official partner Comcast-NBCUniversal, and supporting partner American Eagle Outfitters.  

“As we continue to make historic gains for equality in this country, LGBT youth are still facing startlingly disproportionate rates of bullying at school,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “By wearing purple for Spirit Day on October 16, we can send a powerful message to young people everywhere that it’s okay to be who you are. Bullying simply won’t be tolerated.”

“Spirit Day celebrates the values of respect and inclusion, which are among PepsiCo’s guiding principles,” said Patrick McLaughlin, Senior Vice President of Human Resources for PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America Division. “Our sponsorship of Spirit Day and partnership with GLAAD reflects these shared values.”

“Our communities are stronger when all students can learn without fear of being bullied at school, and wearing purple on Spirit Day is just one of the ways we can all help raise awareness and build visibility for this important issue,” said John Lake, LGBT Segment Leader for Wells Fargo & Company. “At Wells Fargo, we believe in making significant commitments that have a real impact, and as a strong, longtime supporter of LGBT anti-bullying efforts and of GLAAD, we are committed to sending a message of solidarity and acceptance to LGBT youth.”

To mark the countdown to Spirit Day and the back-to-school season, GLAAD today also launched critical anti-bullying bullying resources for educators, parents, and students. GLAAD’s ARK (Anti-bullying Resource Kit) provides tools and information for teachers that help keep bullying out of the classroom, and help both teachers and parents support LGBT young people. Also launched today, GLAAD’s Spirit Day Kit helps people of all ages bring Spirit Day to their community, including schools and local media outlets. 

Millions wear purple on Spirit Day as a sign of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and to speak out against bullying. Spirit Day was started in 2010 as a response to the young people who had taken their own lives. With GLAAD’s help, Spirit Day has since garnered widespread support from celebrities, TV news and entertainment programs, corporations, organizations, schools, local communities, and even national landmarks. Spirit Day coincides with GLSEN’s Ally Week, as well as National Bullying Prevention Month.

According to GLSEN's 2011 National School Climate Survey, 63.5% of LGBT students reported feeling unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation, 43.9% because of their gender expression. GLSEN also reported that 81.9% of LGBT students report being verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation, and 27.1% because of their gender expression.

Previous Spirit Day participants include The White House, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Cher, Shaquille O'Neal, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The View, The Talk, The Tonight Show, the NBA, the NFL, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, the Las Vegas Strip, and more.

Crested Butte is Bud Light’s Whatever, USA

After considering numerous towns across the country for the culmination of its Whatever, USA campaign, Bud Light chose Crested Butte as the ideal place to bring the winners of its video contest (along with one guest each) and a host of entertainers, VIPs and support crew for a weekend of spontaneous fun and memorable experiences in this southwest Colorado mountain town. And no town does an event better than Crested Butte.

More than 150,000 people submitted videos in hopes of being picked to take part in the Sept. 5 – 7 Whatever, USA event. “Crested Butte was selected to host Whatever, USA, for its breathtaking natural beauty and colorful cast of characters that make up the town,” Bud Light said in a statement about the weekend.

“Crested Butte absolutely knows how to do fun,” says the real mayor of Crested Butte, Aaron Huckstep, known to most as Huck. “Not only is our town known for its scenic beauty and colorful downtown, we are a year-round destination that has an incredible number of opportunities for outdoor recreation, festivals, cultural events and sporting competitions that can’t be found elsewhere else like Flauschink, Vinotok, Chainless World Championships, Alley Loop and the Al Johnson Memorial Uphill/Downhill Telemark Ski Race.”

Pamela Loughman, executive director of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association, says, “You won’t find another community that is as over-the-top charming and authentic as Crested Butte. The valley’s rich mining and ranching heritage has uniquely combined with a ski town vibe. There is an independent but friendly spirit here that allows people to express their opinion, even if it doesn’t match up with their neighbor’s.”

While the Bud Light event is not open to the public, there is still plenty for visitors to do in Crested Butte and nearby Mt. Crested Butte, Almont, Gunnison, Gothic, Tin Cup and more this weekend.

“We have hundreds of miles of trails for outdoor recreation, many shops and restaurants that are open to the public, and a whole valley to enjoy,” emphasizes Loughman. “We also want to invite those who have become aware about Crested Butte through the Whatever USA campaign to come check out the Gunnison Valley in the near future. The fall foliage season is about to start and the ‘gold rush’ runs through early or mid-October.”

50 Free Fall Activities To Do in Denver

Experience the best of Denver this fall without spending a dime! Check 50 free festivals, attractions and activities that will keep you busy all season long.

Advertise With Denver’s Best Gay Blog – MileHighGayGuy

Do you want to advertise to Denver’s gay community? Of course you do, it’s the 7th largest in the United States! And the best way to reach them is with MileHighGayGuy – Colorado’s Best Gay Blog.

"Bearracuda has placed ads on MileHighGayGuy.com for all of our Denver events and they've provided a huge exposure to our party! Between that and the shout-outs we get from MileHighGayGuy, we've seen our numbers grow and grow. Highly recommended!!" - Matt Mikesell, founder of Bearracuda.

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The Gay Vegans: An Angry Vegan?

By Dan Hanley
 
I have written hundreds of blog posts. I always try to focus on the positive, on what we all can do to make the world a better place for all living beings, and that we all have more in common than not.

My motto is: kindness rules.

This post might not come across that way. The main point I want to get across is that any person fighting for a cause becomes a direct representative of that cause. Their actions and behaviors can have a positive or negative affect on the cause.

How fortunate am I to have a place that sells vegan milkshakes within walking distance of my office?!?!

Once in a while, on my way back to the office from an appointment or a special trip to just get out of the office and take a deep breathe, I swing by WaterCourse Foods to enjoy a delicious milkshake.

Several weeks ago I was sitting in the front waiting for my milkshake when a group of three folks walked in wearing animal rights t-shirts. The one that caught my attention was the gentleman wearing a t-shirt that had the words "F%%K MEAT" on it. Keep in mind that I'm not using the entire word, although the entire word was on the t-shirt.

National Teleprinting – The Official Printer of MileHighGayGuy

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With outstanding customer service, superior print quality and fast turnarounds, no job is too large or too small for National Teleprinting's offset and digital and large format printing capabilities. Servicing Colorado's printing needs since 1985.

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Steve Gunn - Way Out Weather

"Way Out Weather," the title track off the new Steve Gunn album, "is a sun-dappled, easy highway song, the gleam of guitar pressing against the tarriness of Gunn's voice," as described by The Guardian. Shot on bike while on a 1000K trek through Mongolia in 2007, KT Auleta's video for "Way Out Weather" is an excellent visual accompaniment.

4 Top Fitness Tips from Instinct Cover Model and Celebrity Trainer, Ty Vincent

Whether heading to a beachfront resort or a cabin in the mountains, keeping fit while traveling can be a seemingly impossible task. To help, Ty Vincent, LGBT owner of LA's CrossFit Sunset and this month's Instinct magazine cover model, has come up with some expert advice to help travelers navigate the pitfalls of indulgent meals, unstructured schedules or lack of an accessible gym equipment. Here are a few tips:

1. You can bring it with you. Be sure to toss a jump rope and some ankle/wrist weights into your suitcase. They are great, easily transportable tools that can be used almost anywhere that can enhance a workout, even when options are somewhat limited.

2. Fitting in fitness. While away from home, it is important to work fitness time into your schedule - even if it's only half an hour a day. The goal here isn't really to break new ground, it's maintenance of the hard work you've put in the rest of the year. A great trick is to set a cell phone calendar reminder for each day traveling.

3. Do-it-yourself workouts. Double-unders, air squats, burpees and sit-ups are just a few great exercises that work multiple parts of your body and require little to no equipment, meaning they can be done anywhere from a nearby park or the hotel gym. 

4.Snack attack. Food is definitely one of the great joys of the traveling, but traversing the town without overdoing it can be difficult. "The key here is portion control. I recommend taking what my mom would call a 'no thank you helping' of anything rich," offers Ty. "Imagine the small scoop of a dish your relative made that you hated as a kid, but your mom made you take anyway out of politeness. That's a 'no thank you helping.''"

HRC Statement on the Departure of LGBT Ally, Associate Attorney General Tony West

Today, Attorney General Eric Holder announced the planned departure of Associate Attorney General Tony West. Attorney General Holder said, “Over the years, Tony’s efforts have made a tremendous and lasting difference in the lives of millions of people across the country. I have been honored to count him as a colleague – and privileged to work alongside him.” Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Legal Director Sarah Warbelow issued the following statement:

“The Obama Administration, under the leadership of Attorney General Eric Holder, has worked tirelessly to protect the rights of LGBT Americans, and Tony West has been key to many of those decisions. The American people will continue to benefit well into the future from the leadership exhibited by Tony West. HRC wishes him all of the best in his next endeavors.”

As the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, West played an integral role in the Administration’s decision not to defend Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act.

West was also instrumental in securing reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, the first federal non-discrimination law that included the LGBT community. His advocacy and leadership on behalf of all Americans continued as Associate Attorney General, the third ranking official in the Department of Justice.

Actor Jack Falahee's Gay Character Knows "How to Get Away With Murder" in Shonda Rhimes' New Show

TV maven Shonda Rhimes is known for including gay characters in her series. 

This week Xfinity LGBT sat down with the charming Jack Falahee, who stars as a gay law student who isn’t afraid to use his sexuality to get what he wants in Rhimes’ latest series, How to Get Away With Murder, to get a peek at what makes Connor tick, just how out the character really is and what it’s been like working with acclaimed actress Viola Davis.

Are You Gay With Something To Say? Bloggers Wanted For Denver's Best Gay Blog!

Are you a new or experienced writer or blogger? Do you want to be? Or maybe you're just some gay guy with something to say? Well, what better forum for you than MileHighGayGuy?

MileHighGayGuy is looking for regular and guest bloggers to write about local news and events, do music and movie reviews, or write opinion or feature pieces from a gay perspective.

These are unpaid positions but offer the opportunity to be published in Colorado's Best Gay Blog (2010, 2011, 2012 OUTstanding Awards, Denver 2012 #WebAwards), expand your audience and gain valuable experience. There's also swag available in the form of free movie and concert tickets, music, books and other cool stuff.

If interested, shoot an email over to Drew Wilson at drew@milehighgayguy.com. And if you've got column or story ideas to pitch, this is the place to do it.

Advertise to Denver's Gay Community With Denver's Best Gay Blog - MileHighGayGuy

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Tell Secretary Kerry: We need a senior official on LGBT human rights at the State Department

As we move closer toward equality in the United States, over 2.7 billion people live in a world where it is criminal to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). Act now to ensure that the U.S. remains a strong leader in the global fight for LGBT rights.

Add your name to this letter to tell Secretary of State John Kerry we need to appoint a senior official to put the spotlight on LGBT issues internationally. Let's show the world that hate is not an American value.

Stonewall Fitness: Gay Games 9: Ready to #GOALLOUT! (Part 1)

By David Smith

This past week I had the upmost pleasure of competing at Gay Games 9 in Cleveland, OH. The Gay Games is the largest multi-sport event held outside of the Olympic Games drawing in thousands of athletes, volunteers, participants and spectators from around the world for a week of friendly competition and performance. What sets the Gay Games apart is the emphasis on inclusion and participation. You don’t have to be gay to participate. Many people from all sexual orientations, gender identities, races, countries, ages and backgrounds all come out to participate. For the competition, for the challenge, for parties, for the hospitality even just to have a week to be able to openly celebrate who you are and whom you love without the fear, abuse, discrimination or hate that is so often seen in countries from around the world.

4 years ago I competed in my first Gay Games, 2010 in Cologne, Germany and I consider that experience as one of the most profound, life changing experiences of my life. Having only gotten back into swimming for 2 years I suddenly thrust myself from small, local swim meets to the world stage. Never even been out of the country and suddenly I found myself in a new culture, new city and surrounding by all these amazing athletes taking part of such a big event. Coming off of that experience I had already begun looking forward to the 2014 Gay Games in Cleveland, in the past 4 years I have continued to grow and evolve as an individual, athlete and professional. However it still hadn’t quite hit me just how fast the 2014 Gay Games were coming but I knew that I wanted to make it big and truly be apart of it as much as I could. Having high expectations the games and myself following Cologne, I took every opportunity I could to share my experience and my story. I chose with the Gay Games themselves to inspire and encourage other people sign up and participate on their own levels. I even started a business as my vehicle to help bring people together in the LGBT community with exercise, athletes and fitness in the spirit of the games.

2010 Gay Games in Cologne, Germany

When I returned from Germany I had 6 medals in my hand from swimming. I had many fast swims and personal bests however my age group was not very competitive and so several of my medals were simply won by default. However leading up to Cleveland I aged up and knew my new age group would be much more competitive. I swum an LGBT swim meet in 2013 in Seattle, not having trained hard for that meet I had a solid reminder of just how competitive it can be, placing off the podium in all but one of my events and I left Seattle with a sense of disappointment in myself. I wondered just where all that motivation I had in Germany had gone? Of course this was not acceptable to me so I decided that come Cleveland I would be ready and know in myself that no matter what happened, I would come home feeling proud and accomplished in myself.

At that moment I really begun to train hard, pushing my limits each and every day to levels higher than I have ever pushed before. People were calling me crazy and couldn’t understand how or why I would put myself through so much abuse! However I knew what I had to do and that if I truly wanted to accomplish my goals at Gay Games and get even closer to my goal of competing at the Olympic Games than I would have to really step it up.


As the Gay Games drew closer I really stepped up my efforts to promote the games as well, knowing that my experience in Germany as a Gay Games virgin awaited so many people who are on the verge of greatness. In Cleveland I realized that the Gay Games are a thing, I mean a real thing. I didn’t think too much of that in Germany but seeing several Gay Games virgin, many whom I helped encouraged to come, seeing their faces and listening to their experiences. I knew in my heart that we truly are apart of something great.
2014 USMS Spring Nationals I stepped up my competition season in the spring and really wanted to get as many races possible in as I could in preparation. Runs, Duathlons, Triathlons and Swim Meets were the defining moments of April, May and June and I had gotten my first taste of serious competition when I found myself with a sponsor (Thanks Josh Hunt at Trelora) for the USMS Spring Nationals in Santa Clara, California! The opportunity for nationals like that fell into my lap pretty quick and unfortunately I hadn’t had time to really adapt my training schedule for it. I was not able to taper for the meet very well but I still went in ready to push some limits. The swim meet was huge and brought in thousands of swimmers from all over the country! It was truly an amazing experience to take part in however I was not fully prepared for it and ended up leaving disappointed in myself again knowing I could have swum stronger and faster than I did.

The summer leading up to the Games I really stepped up my training, to the point of neglect in other parts of my life, particularly my social life because I did not want to leave Cleveland with the same feelings as when I left Seattle or Santa Clara. I wanted this Gay Games to be even bigger for me than the 2010 Games and so I pushed myself so hard to be ready for it. I set my goals high and my expectations even higher, I wasn’t coming to Cleveland to disappoint. So many people and friends really gave me a lot of support. From helping me pay for the trip, sponsoring me, helping me buy equipment, supporting Stonewall Fitness or even just being there when I needed someone to vent too I certainly didn’t want to let anybody down, or most importantly let myself down.

Pet Portraits By Maurice Becnel

Immortalize your furry friends with a pet portrait by Maurice Becnel. Clients admire Becnel's ability to capture the essence of a pet's personality in his work.

Says Becnel, "Painting animal portraits, for me, is more fun than it is work. I began painting them several years ago. The first one I did was for a friend on her birthday. Because it was a gift it never dawned on me that other people would commission me to do more. Word got out and before I knew it more and more of the emails I was receiving from my website were going to the dogs! And cats!"