Free Music Friday: Whiiiite x Drake - Energy

Looking to start you weekend with some energy? Born of the bass-driven L.A. beat scene, elusive producer/DJ Whiiite lends some dark magic to Drake’s meanest, knuckliest single off his 2015 mixtape “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. (NSFW)” With his latest flip, Whiiite turns Drake’s angry ode to Wi-Fi codes, Ubers and one-night stands into a powerhouse electronic ballad with grinding synths, a gratifying hook, and a sweat-drenched festival ready vibe.

Whiiite says that he "Heard the original of this while on a run in Santa Monica, and starting hearing sounds and builds to flip it into a more club friendly meaner version."

Earmilk, who premiered the track today, delivered praise for the single: “Definitely catering to the pending festival season with this one, we'd be super surprised if the festivals weren't playing this constantly. It's addicting, catchy, and includes Drake, so obviously everyone is going to love everything about this remix.”

The Gay Vegans: Grocery Shopping at Safeway

By Dan Hanley

I have been reading news and posts about where people shop (and where they don't want to shop!) and have always wanted to write about where we shop.

Why?

Every week I get emails from folks who are newly vegan. Believe it or not the grocery store is a whole new world when newly vegan, and I often get asked where we shop.

We live in the west suburbs of Denver and have many choices. For the last nine years my main place to shop has been Safeway.

It's a chain, pretty big in Colorado. For those of who shop only at all-vegan markets, you'll want to skip this one.

There are many reasons why I love my local Safeway. There are always items on sale (I love their 10 for $10 specials) and even when items aren't on sale most of what I buy fits into our food budget. They have a great organics section and over the years have progressed into selling more and more vegan items.

They carry national vegan products like Gardein and Daiya and Immaculate Baking. And in some Safeways (not ours yet) the in-store bakeries are making vegan cake. Mmmm.They also have an amazing assortment of breads that don't cost $6.00 a loaf!

I also am often surprised by finding vegan products there that I haven't heard of before.

When I look at all of the places we shop (Safeway, Whole Foods, King Soopers and Vitamin Cottage) I always end up back at Safeway and happy. And so is our budget.

If you have a Safeway in your area check it out. If you live in the Denver area ours is the one at 38th and Wadsworth.

Happy grocery shopping.

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

Gay Help Wanted: Sales Reps for MileHighGayGuy

Award-winning MileHighGayGuy.com is seeking advertising sales reps. The position requires someone who is self-motivated, detail-oriented and who, preferably, is familiar with the GLBT community. This is a contract position and pay will be commission-based.

To apply, email resume to Drew Wilson at Drew@milehighgayguy.com.

Nice to See StevieB: The Second Date

By StevieB

I am getting amazingly talented at first dates. A second date; however, is seeming to be an elusive near impossible act for me to obtain. That is to say, that I can take a guy out to dinner, act like a gentleman, talk for hours, and at the end of the date really feel a connection. Yet, even with plans made; date number two simply never comes to pass.

Last week I sat at a coffee shop and made a great connection with an amazingly hot and funny guy. Both were the youngest of a huge Mormon family, both had Texas roots, both of us were seeking what, I thought, were clear and honest ideas. In a strange twist we ended up playing together and were very compatible. Then came the discussion of the elusive date number two... He instigated the endeavor. As I have decided to let the other party involved set the tone for this act. He set the date and time. I was to pick him up at this house.... I showed up at the arranged time and place.... Nothing.
Just me on a strange doorstep, ringing a doorbell. A text was then sent to me stating that he couldn't go out. Date two ended before it started with me texting my BFF, Mike declaring I hated boys.

Another recent turn in my dating life was when my excitement crescendo[ed] upon making plans at the end of date one, to spend date two seeing an IMAX movie. No one ever has ever wanted to go see IMAX movie with me before. So I got all excited. An actual real-life boy wanted to sit with me in 3-D glasses and watch the discovery of Space Junk or Amazonian Trees. In 3-D IMAX coolness. I felt just like when I was five and anticipated getting stuffed Ernie and Bert dolls for Christmas. Christmas found me without Ernie, or Bert. The thought of my second date drought didn't even enter my head. After all we definite plans. I sent a text to confirm, only to receive a text hours later that they found something better to do. When asking the boy where my adult version of Ernie and Bert Christmas presents were, I was told not to be "a dick about it." Funny, that is what my Mom said on Christmas morning.

I present this strange phenomenon to you not as a problem. Just the opposite really. A humorous observation on dating life. I am un-second-dateble. Some day, I will get that obscure date number two... some day.

This post originally appeared on Steven Bennet's website Nice to See StevieB. Republished with permission.

Reach Denver's Gay Community, Advertise With Denver's Best Gay Blog - MileHighGayGuy

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"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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BeTested.co: Grab A Friend and Get Tested!

We will change the future of HIV/AIDS in Denver and throughout Colorado. It's no longer a dream. We will change the future of HIV/AIDS. There is not a cure or vaccine yet, but remarkable advances have transformed HIV from being a deadly infection to a manageable, chronic disease. The future of HIV/AIDS is in our hands.

What you can do - Test, Talk, PrEP, PEP, Treatment, End Stigma.

Boston hosts LGBT-inclusive St. Patrick's parade

Two gay groups, Boston Pride and OutVets, marched in the annual Boston St. Patrick's Day parade on Sunday for the first time in its 114-year history, ending a two-decade ban against participation by LGBT groups. The groups joined Mayor Marty Walsh, who became the first Boston mayor to participate in the parade in 20 years since gay groups were banned in 1995. 

"With this year's parade, Boston is putting years of controversy behind us," the mayor said in a statement.

Peruvian civil unions legislation falls short

A bill that seeks to legalize civil unions in Peru failed to advance out of a congressional committee last week. The committee blocked a similar bill from advancing in 2011. 

"We might have lost the battle, but we will win the war," said Carlos Bruce, the country's first openly gay lawmaker.

Swiss Parliament votes for LGBT legal protections

The Swiss Parliament last week passed legislation aimed at protecting the country's LGBT community from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. 

The bill seeks to amend a nondiscrimination law that protected citizens on the basis of race and religion. A subcommittee in the parliament's lower house recently approved marriage equality legislation.

Ala. advances bill to let officials, clergy opt out of same-sex marriages

Judges and ministers in Alabama would be allowed to decline marriage-officiating requests from same-sex couples under a bill passed by the state House last week. A number of Democratic state lawmakers characterized the bill as discriminatory and unnecessary. 

"We are wasting time and wasting taxpayers' money," said Rep. Merika Coleman-Evans, a Democrat.

Play Mile High's LGBT Kickball & Flip Cup Fridays!

Get active and meet new people this spring with LGBT Kickball (and Flip Cup) with Play Mile High. Join them for their Friday night Kickball and Flip Cup league!

Click here to find out more or sign up as a team, small group or free agent. Use the code 'MHGG' to save $10 when you register.

Niko Javan - Pornicopia

Musically 'Pornicopia' starts off as a a modern day disco thumper with an organic groove and live guitars before it breaks into a bumpin' trap cut complete with sub bass and synth tears. Vocals come courtesy of Voila Snow, who turns in a classic subdued performance akin to a French Lykki Li.

The accompanying animation is a work of trippy genius as we're treated to a pornographic display of tongue-in-cheek humour that sees bodily parts replaced with highly appropriate and amusing fruit selections. It's like watching virtual reality sex show inside a gambling machine as the three melon jackpot comes up.

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!"

Denver Botanic Gardens Named Most Visited North American Public Garden

Denver Botanic Gardens was the most visited public garden in North America with 1,411,116 visitors in 2014. The major increase in attendance is attributed in large part to the hugely successful Chihuly exhibition that attracted visitors from around the globe, but the addition of two new structures (the Science Pyramid and the outdoor Hive Garden Bistro) as well as the opening of the Ellipse garden contributed as significant draws. The popular Summer Concert Series, Blossoms of Light, Trail of Lights, Pumpkin Festival, Corn Maze and Plant Sales also spurred attendance. 

In addition to the attendance record, the Gardens is also included in the North American Garden Tourism Conference’s ‘Top 10 North American Gardens Worth Traveling For’ 2015 Awards. The Garden Tourism Awards are presented to gardens that have distinguished themselves in the development and promotion of the garden experience as a tourism attraction. Now presented annually, the inaugural Garden Tourism Awards were bestowed at the 2011 North American Garden Tourism Conference in Toronto, Canada. 

Full recipient list (in alphabetical order):
1. The Butchart Gardens. Brentwood Bay, B.C.
2. Chanticleer Garden. Wayne, PA
3. Denver Botanic Gardens. Denver, CO
4. Desert Botanical Garden. Phoenix, AZ
5. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Miami, FL
6. Huntington Botanical Gardens. San Marino, CA
7. Jardín Botánico de Culiacan. Culiacan, MX
8. Longwood Gardens. Kennett Square, PA
9. Montréal Botanical Garden. Montréal, QC
10. Vallarta Botanical Gardens. Puerto Vallarta, MX

Presbyterian Church (USA), America's Largest Presbyterian Denomination, Votes to Approve Marriage Equality

Yesterday, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) commended the Presbyterian Church (USA) for its vote Tuesday to embrace marriage equality in the church's constitution.

“The Presbyterian Church has sent a powerful message: that loving, committed couples are all equal,” said Jay Brown, HRC Director of Foundation Program Strategies. “LGBT Presbyterians and their families are finding true acceptance in their faith community. We commend the church’s General Assembly and its 171 presbyteries for their commitment to the Christian values of inclusivity and love. No one should ever have to choose between who they are, whom they love and what they believe.”

The church’s constitution will now read that the definition of marriage is “two people, traditionally a man and a woman,” but ministers will not be required to perform same-sex marriages. This action follows the church’s vote in 2011 to ordain LGBT people as as pastors, elders and deacons. The Presbyterian Church (USA) is the largest Presbyterian denomination, with 1.8 million members, and now joins dozens of faith communities - including the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, Reform Judaism and others - in accepting marriage equality.