Logo TV Releases New Landmark "Gay Men in America" Study Results

Following a historic Supreme Court decision in favor of marriage equality and as support for LGBT people continues to grow nationwide, younger gay men are increasingly longing for a stronger sense of community, according to a landmark new study by Logo, the leading entertainment brand inspired by the LGBT community.  The finding is among the many revelations in “Gay Men in America: Community at a Crossroads,” the first in a series of studies that Logo is commissioning on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans.

“As Logo celebrates its tenth anniversary, we wanted to talk to our audience and find out how these greater forces are shaping both their connection to the community and individual identities,” said Chris McCarthy, General Manager of VH1 and Logo. “As we look at gay men, we find that many of them are enjoying the acceptance won by the struggles of the past, but also longing for the galvanizing effect those struggles had on the gay community.”

According to the study, gay men are searching for a stronger sense of community, pointing toward an emerging era of cultural reclamation following previous eras of assimilation (1990s/2000s) and marginalization (pre-1980s/1980s).

• 61 percent of gay men in their 20s and 30s agree, “in the past, the gay community was more united than it is today.”
• 85 percent of gay men ages 18-49 agree, “even as gay people become more accepted, we should have places that are just for us” and that, “it’s sad to see gay neighborhoods and bars disappear.”

At the same time, gay men – particularly young gay men – are embracing their sexual orientation as core to their identity more than ever.

• 55 percent of gay men in their 20s view being gay as extremely or very important to their identity, marking a double-digit increase versus gay men in their 40s (40 percent).
• An overwhelming 95 percent of gay men agree that, “younger gay men are embracing their gay identity more so today than in the past.”

Reviving the Gay Community

Looking to the future, the study found an overwhelming call for consensus from the inside, with 92 percent of gay men hoping the community becomes more accepting of each other, and 91 percent describing a need for more open dialogue among gay men. Moreover, 87 percent wish the gay community “was as united during the rest of the year as we are during Pride.”

Among gay men in their 20s, 56 percent agree that “being gay feels like part of a brotherhood” and 64 percent “often feel an instant bond with other gay men – even if we just met.” This younger community is already laying the groundwork for new ways to connect with each other online, through social media and in-person with 78 percent in their 20s saying, “online gay communities/groups/forums help me feel connected to the broader community,” and 76 percent agreeing that “social media has helped expand my circle of gay friends.” Nearly 3 in 4 gay men (70 percent) in their 20s also say they participate in organized groups/activities.

Reclaiming Gay Identity

Overall, 2 in 3 gay men (67 percent) agree “my life is more interesting because I’m gay,” and 3 in 4 (75 percent) agree that being gay “has had a positive effect on my life.”

Yet as gay people, couples and issues are more accepted than ever before, many gay men are looking to reclaim points of differentiation. For example, 77 percent agree, “I like sharing cool aspects of gay culture with my straight friends.” However, almost 9 in 10 (88 percent) agree, “gay people shouldn’t have to conform to straight people’s norms and values.”

The study also found that while gay men are excited about the newfound freedoms and opportunities that are available to them today, many also feel subject to a new set of cultural pressures and expectations. 

For example, 6 in 10 gay men in their 20s say “now that gay marriage is legal in so many places, my family expects me to get married and have children one day.”  However, many are still striving to preserve the community’s historically counter-cultural spirit, with 67 percent agreeing that “being gay means you have the freedom to do things differently.”

In addition, 88 percent of gay men agree, “the gay community should be recognized for the contributions we have made to mainstream culture.” However, the majority would like to carve out their own societal niche with 62 percent agreeing, “there are some aspects of gay life we should not share with straight people.”

Redefining What It Means to Be Gay

While at one time coming out was perhaps the most defining moment in a gay man’s life, 65 percent of gay men in their 20s and 30s today are focused on life after coming out saying, “today the big struggle is figuring out what kind of gay man I want to be.”

Yet, even with an unprecedented level of positive gay representation in media, popular television shows, music and the political landscape, a vast majority of gay men (86 percent) still wish there were “more gay role models and mentors they could look up to.”

In addition, the journey of self-discovery is proving difficult with 6 in 10 agreeing, “it’s harder for younger gay men to take advice from older gay men because the world is so different today,” and 95 percent stating, “there is no handbook for how to be gay.”

Subsequently, it’s no surprise to see 8 in 10 (79 percent) agree that “younger gay men are creating new rules around what it means to be gay,” and inventing a new “gay guidebook” in the process.

Suicide Prevention Month brings attention to a public health crisis

September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness of mental health and resources for those who are at risk for suicide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that over 41,000 lives were lost to suicide in 2013. Suicide disproportionally affects men, who are about 4 times more likely to take their own lives than women.

Many experts consider suicide to be 100% preventable. The problem isn’t treatment; it is creating an environment where people feel comfortable seeking treatment, especially men. According to a new poll recently released by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, only 64% of men would tell someone if they were considering suicide compared to 70% of women.

“Men are taught from a very young age that if it hurts they should suck it up and that big boys don’t cry. The problem with this is that they carry that mentality from benign conditions such as bruises and scrapes to more serious ones like heart issues and thoughts of suicide,” said Brandon Leonard, Director of Strategic Initiatives for Men’s Health Network. “Suicide prevention is going to start with us creating a culture where men feel more comfortable seeking and accepting help.”

There are several resources available for men who want to learn more about mental health anonymously:

• A detailed guide specifically for men dealing with depression, stress, and anxiety can be found at
http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/library/ownersmanual.pdf

• Men and women can also asses their risk by using free online screenings provided by Mental Health America:
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mental-health-screening-tools

• Men looking for more information about a variety of health conditions can visit the Men’s Health Resource Center.
 
• Individuals at immediate risk can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
1-800-273-8255

HRC President Chad Griffin Calls on Drug Manufacturer to Roll Back Unconscionable 5000 percent Price Hike On Life-Saving Treatment

Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Chad Griffin yesterday issued an open letter to Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli, calling on him to rescind his outrageous 5000 percent price increase for Daraprim, a drug used to treat people with compromised immune systems, including those living with HIV.

In his letter, which can be read in full here, Griffin, head of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, excoriates Turing for price gouging, and asserts that HRC will “pursue every avenue” to hold the company and Shkreli to account.

“Your greed in raising the single-pill price from less than $15 to more than $750 is unconscionable,” Griffin writes. “It immediately puts at risk scores of medically vulnerable people, including those living with HIV, and women who are pregnant. Medical organizations have estimated that this predatory move could increase the average cost per year for an adult patient reliant on the drug to more than $630,000.”

“Your action is an appallingly egregious example of deep, damaging problems in our nation’s drug pricing system--a problem we will continue to urge our nation’s elected officials to tackle with vigor and care. Instead of taking advantage of our system to turn a profit, I call on you to restore fair pricing for Daraprim.”

A full version of the letter can be read here.

Stonewall Fitness: By, For, and About Denver’s Gay Community!

David Smith, the owner of Stonewall Fitness, holds a degree in exercise science from Metropolitan State University of Denver, several fitness certifications including ACSM Personal Trainer and Group Fitness.

Smith specializes in exercise, nutrition and wellness programs for the GLBT community and leads a variety of different programs, including group fitness classes, personal training, athletic conditioning programs, educational seminars and workshops.

His passion lies in promoting the physical, mental and social benefits of exercise and healthy diet to the community by breaking down the barriers often associated with a healthy lifestyle to make it accessible for everybody.

LGBTQ Advocates Join National Voter Registration Day

The National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund is joining voting rights advocates across the country in encouraging all eligible voters to register to vote ahead of the upcoming elections this fall and next year.

“LGBTQ voters cannot afford to stay home on any election. Next year’s presidential election will not only set the nation’s course for the next decade but it will also have lasting results for decades to come. If the country elects an anti-equality President, the Supreme Court could see a wave of new appointees that would derail major advances to fairness and equality for LGBTQ people and our allies. We cannot let the significant progress we have made be rolled back due to lack of participation in our nation’s electoral process. That is why we’re joining voting rights advocates in urging all eligible voters to register to vote and to exercise their vote during each and every election,” said Rea Carey, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund Executive Director.

The National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund has been working to ensure that all eligible voters are not denied the right to vote by pushing Congress to pass the Voting Rights Restoration Act.To register to vote, please visit: vote.usa.gov.

Hillary Rodham Clinton To Address Human Rights Campaign

Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, announced that former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will speak to the organization on the morning of Saturday, October 3rd. Approximately 800 grassroots leaders from across the country – including the HRC Board of Directors, HRC Board of Governors, HRC staff, and volunteer leaders and supporters from the organization’s over 1.5 million members and supporters in all 50 states – will hear from Secretary Clinton ahead of the organization’s National Dinner.

“Secretary Clinton is a tremendous advocate for equality and has been a tireless champion for the advancement of LGBT rights as human rights around the globe,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “A visionary leader fighting for an America where everyone is treated with equal respect and dignity, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, we’re thrilled Secretary Clinton will join us to discuss the challenges ahead in the fight for full federal equality.”

Secretary Clinton has a long history of supporting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans throughout her career. From her record on important legislation and key votes in the U.S. Senate, to her championing the rights of LGBT people abroad and making progress for State Department employees as Secretary, to her support for the Equality Act and other important LGBT issues during her current presidential campaign, she has demonstrated true leadership on LGBT equality.

HRC has not endorsed any candidate for the 2016 presidential election.

Deadline is approaching to submit entries for "Art of the State"

The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities is proud to present Art of the State 2016, a juried exhibition of Colorado. As a follow-up to the 2013 award-winning exhibition, Art of the State 2016 will highlight the quality, depth and diversity of Colorado artists. All three of the Arvada Center’s galleries, over 10,000 sq. ft. will be dedicated to this exhibition. Art of the State 2016 will continue the Arvada Center’s long support of Colorado artists. This exhibition will be juried by Gwen Chanzit, (Modern Art Curator, Denver Art Museum), Michael Chavez, (Public Art Program Manager, Denver Arts & Venues) and Collin Parson, (Exhibition Manager and Curator, Arvada Center).

Deadline for Entries: Midnight, October 12, 2015

Email Notification: November 6, 2015

Entry Fee: $35 for up to three pieces

Questions: galleries@arvadacenter.org

On the Red Carpet with Transparent

After the 67^th Primetime Emmy Awards, YouTube LGBT content creator Raymond Braun caught up with the cast and crew of Transparent, the winner of five Emmy Awards, live on the red carpet at Amazon’s Emmy celebration.  Watch below as Raymond talks with the cast and creators of Transparent, including Emmy winners Jeffrey Tambor (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series) and Bradley Whitford (Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series), as well as Judith Light and Amy Landecker.

OP-ED: September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month - Should You Get Screened?

Bernie Wooden’s story is hardly unique. The PSA used to be given to men fairy routinely. And men around the country—and the world—believe they’re alive today because their doctor noticed a sudden increase in their PSA levels. But in 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a recommendation against doing PSA screening for prostate cancer, saying that the harms of the test outweigh the benefits. That recommendation ignited a huge—and not always civil—debate among people who work in men’s health.

Some supported the USPSTF recommendation, saying that prostate cancer typically grows very slowly and men are more likely to die with prostate cancer then from it, the PSA test leads to overdiagnosis, and an abnormal PSA test could drive a man to pursue unnecessary treatment or surgical procedures. Side effects, many of which are permanent, include urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, and bowel dysfunction.

Proponents of the PSA test point out that prostate cancer is the most common non-skin-cancer in men, and that while some prostate cancers are slow developing, others are extremely aggressive. They also note that only healthcare professionals can order surgery or other treatments and that not having PSA measurements removes an important data point that could help men and their providers assess the patient’s risk, evaluate all of their options. In some cases, including Berne Wooden’s, that treatment plan might include medical procedures such as radiation and surgery. For others, the best approach is to simply “watch and wait,” also called “Active Surveillance.” In either case, the decision is made by the patient, his family, and his doctor.

Proponents of the PSA test point out that prostate cancer is the most common non-skin-cancer in men, and that while some prostate cancers are slow developing, others are extremely aggressive. They also note that only healthcare professionals can order surgery or other treatments and that not having PSA measurements removes an important data point that could help men and their providers assess the patient’s risk, evaluate all of their options. In some cases, including Berne Wooden’s, that treatment plan might include medical procedures such as radiation and surgery. For others, the best approach is to simply “watch and wait,” also called “Active Surveillance.” In either case, the decision is made by the patient, his family, and his doctor.

When evaluating the risks vs. rewards of a particular health screening, experts often look at the number of patients who would have to be screened in order to save one life. For prostate cancer, that number used to be very high. However, thanks to more accurate diagnosis techniques and looking at the impact of screening at longer timepoints, the ratio of screenings to lives saved is now in the same range for prostate cancer as it is for breast cancer. And while the Task Force recommended fewer mammograms for women, they didn’t go as far as recommending that they not be done at all.

The big question is whether getting a PSA test will help men live longer. According to the USPSTF, “the precise, long-term effect of PSA screening on prostate cancer–specific mortality remains uncertain.” Dr. Steven R. Patierno, a professor at the Duke University Medical Center and Deputy Director of the Duke Cancer Institute, agrees that more research is needed, but he disagrees with the recommendation against using the PSA screening at all.

New studies are already showing that, as a result of the USPSTF’s recommendations, fewer men are being screened for PSA, and there is significant confusion among Primary Care Physicians about whether or not to recommend screening to their age-appropriate patients. Using other tools, doctors are still able to diagnose prostate cancer. The biggest concern is that, instead of catching the disease before it becomes symptomatic, they may now start seeing patients for the first time in a later state of the disease or who have already developed severe symptoms. “If they wait until they have blood in their urine before they come in,” says Patierno, “at that point, treatment options are more limited.

There’s no question in Bernie Wooden’s mind that he would have been one of those men. He had none of the traditional symptoms of prostate problems: He wasn’t getting up multiple times at night to urinate; he didn’t have blood in his urine; he wasn’t overly tired or thirsty; he didn’t have erectile difficulties. In fact, he felt just fine. Without those regular PSA tests, his cancer might not have been detected until it was too late.

So What’s a Man to Do?

One problem with the Task Force’s recommendation is that it didn’t adequately take into account high risk individuals, including African American men as a whole and any man who had a close relative (father or brother) who died of prostate cancer.

For Patierno, the big issue with the PSA isn’t overscreening or overdiagnosis. “It’s what you do with the information once you have a suspicious finding.” His own recommendations are generally in line with those published in 2015 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).

Men who are in a high-risk group (African American, family history of prostate cancer, or confirmed BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation) or who are interested in screening should get a PSA test and digital rectal exam at age 40. Those will be a baseline for future tests. If the PSA is 1 or greater, the patient should receive annual follow-ups. If the PSA is less than 1, the patient should have a follow-up screening at age 45.

All men 50 and over should have PSA screening, with the frequency guided by PSA levels. Increasing evidence indicates that if the PSA level is less than 1, the chance of dying from prostate cancer is negligible. But if it’s between 1 and 3, the risk is much higher. Those men should get “active surveillance,” which means regular PSAs (usually no more than once every six months) to track whether or how quickly the disease is advancing. The only way to do that is if you have a baseline test. Increasingly, Active Surveillance protocols include more sophisticated imaging methods of detecting prostate cancer and distinguishing aggressive from indolent prostate cancer.

As a diagnostic tool, PSA testing is most effective for men 55-69. Older men (over age 75) or those with a life expectancy of less than 10 years should probably discontinue PSA screening.

If the results of the PSA concern the healthcare provider, it’s time for a heart-to-heart to determine the best course of action. The first step will undoubtedly be to confirm the PSA results with a digital rectal exam (DRE), MRI, ultrasound, or, in some cases, a biopsy.

As far as treatment, in many cases, it starts with active surveillance. Beyond that, “we’re getting more and more sophisticated in our ability to identify whom to treat, whom not to treat, and what treatments to choose,” says Patierno.

For more information on PSA screening, prostate cancer, and treatment options, visit www.prostatehealthguide.com and Men’s Health Network at www.menshealthnetwork.org.

Op/Ed: How Fox News Turns Transgender People Into Villains

By Rachel Percelay

After watching a year of Fox News trans coverage, Media Matters' Rachel Percelay has identified five key steps Fox News has taken to marginalize the transgender community:

Step One: Use Scare Tactics To Distract From Real Discrimination

Step Two: Ignore Experts, Invent Your Own

Step Three: Exclude Transgender People From Coverage

Step Four: Claim "They Deserve To Be Mistreated"

Step Five: Normalize Mocking Transgender People

America's transgender community experiences some of the highest rates of discrimination, violence, and poverty in the country. So how has Fox News managed to portray this marginalized and vulnerable community as threatening, greedy, and deserving of mistreatment?

Despite the progress that's been made in the fight for transgender equality and visibility, transgender people continue to face astronomical rates of harassment and discrimination at work, in school, in public places, and even from law enforcement. Trans people are often refused medical care, fired from their jobs, denied housing, and even evicted from their homes because of their gender identity.

Trans people are also often targeted by physical violence. Just last month, Tamara Dominquez became the 17th documented trans woman of color to be murdered in 2015. This year's unprecedented streak of homicides of transgender women has gotten the attention of major national news outlets, including The New York Times and Time magazine. On ABC's Good Morning America, transgender actress Laverne Cox declared a "state of emergency" in the transgender community.

But over the past few years, Fox News has cast the transgender community as one of its favorite villians, peddling bogus horror stories, touting fake medical "experts," and actively mocking trans people to suggest that they deserve to be mistreated. 

Step One: Use Scare Tactics To Distract From Real Discrimination

The primary way Fox News has demonized the trans community is by depicting the fight for trans equality as dangerous, threatening, and unnecessary. Whether it be local non-discrimination ordinances or trans-inclusive school policies, Fox News uses scare tactics to attack even basic protections for trans people while ignoring or downplaying the reality of anti-trans discrimination.

The network's favorite horror story about transgender equality is the myth that sexual predators will exploit non-discrimination protections to sneak into women's bathrooms. The myth has been thoroughly debunked, but Fox repeatedly peddles the talking point when covering gender identity protections -- going as far as promoting entirely fabricated stories about transgender predators.

But Fox's fearmongering goes beyond lying about legal protections for trans people -- the network has attacked transgender television characters (kids will experiment with homosexuality!), school lessons on gender diversity (we're falling behind in math and science!), and even the decision by Macy's department store to welcome transgender customers (a threat to religious freedom!). All the while, Fox personalities insist that these protections aren't necessary because discrimination and bullying against trans people "is not a big problem."

These scare tactics aren't just silly, they're strategic -- aimed at pulling the public's focus away from the very real discrimination experienced by transgender people. One study found that 70 percent of transgender people had been denied access to, verbally harassed, or physically assaulted in public restrooms. Similarly, another study found that 78 percent of transgender or gender non-conforming kids grades K-12 have experienced harassment at school, with 15 percent experiencing such severe harassment in K-12 or higher education that they dropped out.

The same reason explains why Fox has yet to mention the unprecedented number of murders of trans women of color this year. Acknowledging evidence of actual discrimination and violence against trans people would make the network's bogus horror stories seem ridiculous by comparison. 

Step Two: Ignore Experts, Invent Your Own

Professional medical organizations agree that transgender people are real, normal, and deserve respect. To get around this consensus, Fox enlists its own set of junk scientists who spout fringe, anti-trans "expert" opinions about trans people.

The network's favorite anti-trans pop psychologist is Dr. Keith Ablow, a member of Fox's "Medical A-Team" who frequently commentates on the network's trans focused segments. Ablow has opined that "there's no such thing as being transgender," and declared he'd prescribe a transgender child "anti-psychotic" medication. In 2011, he asserted that Chaz Bono was suffering a "psychotic delusion" and cautioned parents that simply watching Bono perform as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars could turn their children transgender.

Ablow's "expert" medical opinion is wildly out of step with mainstream medical organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association and American Psychological Association, both of which recognize the importance of supporting transgender people and providing them with adequate health care.

When not relying on the wildly inaccurate statements of pseudoscientists like Ablow, Fox personalities dispense their own misguided ideas about transgender people. Bill O'Reilly has used his perch to dispense bigoted and dangerous advice for parents raising transgender children, saying he wouldn't allow or support his own child transitioning, and that parents who do so are "crazy" and might be "guilty of child abuse." 

Step Three: Exclude Transgender People From Coverage

Actually allowing a transgender person to talk about their experiences on-air would undermine Fox's ability to demonize the transgender community as threatening and extreme. That's likely why transgender people almost never appear on Fox's airwaves.

While Fox regularly invites representatives from anti-LGBT hate groups to criticize basic efforts to protect transgender people, a recent Media Matters study found that the network failed to host even a single transgender person as a guest in the 27 segments it did on about transgender-related issues over the course of nine months.

Fox excludes transgender people from their trans coverage so that the network can continue its dehumanizing, inaccurate treatment of them without acknowledging the damage it causes. Dehumanizing an entire group of people using scare tactics and mockery only works if those people are denied a chance to defend themselves and tell their stories. 

Step Four: "They Deserve To Be Mistreated"

Blaming transgender people for the discrimination and violence they face is one of the most destructive ways society marginalizes trans people. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey described this tactic as an explanation for the systematic discrimination against transgender people in its 2011 report (emphasis added):

Instead of recognizing that the moral failure lies in society's unwillingness to embrace different gender identities and expressions, society blames transgender and gender nonconforming people for bringing the discrimination and violence on themselves.

Fox routinely tells stories about transgender people through the lens of criminality -- focusing on transgender prisoners and lawbreakers to suggest that trans people don't actually deserve dignity or equal treatment. Fox, for example, incessantly mocked and misgendered Chelsea Manning, who is serving 35 years in prison for leaking classified military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks. Fox personalities scoffed at the idea of providing Manning with transgender health care in prison, describing it as "special treatment." Anchor Gregg Jarret defended his decision to misgender Manning by boasting, "I don't do what Bradley Manning wants me to do."

Fox has also repeatedly used the story of Michelle Kosilek, a transgender inmate in Virginia who is serving a life sentence for murdering her wife, to mock the idea of providing medical care for transgender inmates. Bill O'Reilly has defended denying Kosilek gender-affirming health care on the grounds that "you're a murderer in this prison, you get back to your cell and shut up":



Fox also tracks down and highlights stories about transgender immigrants to disparage the transgender community. A Fox & Friends "Entitlement Nation" segment on hormone therapy for detained immigrants called the treatment "outrageous," and proposed that the best way to treat undocumented trans immigrants would be to give them "a pair of Joe Arpaio's pink boxers as we send them back to their country." 

Step Five: Normalize Mocking Transgender People

Whether it's playing Aerosmith's "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)," laughing at a transgender prisoner's appearance, joking about "the one part" of Chaz Bono's body "that hasn't been operated on," mocking transgender health insurance coverage, or calling Chelsea Manning "Bradleen," Fox News routinely engages in transphobic name calling and mockery in front of millions of viewers.

Experts have criticized Fox for its treatment of the transgender community, warning that it could contribute to transphobic violence and discrimination. Yet Fox continues to make derogatory and dehumanizing comments about transgender people that add nothing to the news, but go far towards legitimizing anti-trans discrimination. When Fox makes flippant jokes at trans people's expense, it assures audiences that transphobia is acceptable -- both on and off the network.

Fox's dehumanizing treatment of the transgender community is emblematic of the network's broader victimization complex. While Fox works to cast transgender people as a threat to taxpayers and bathroom-goers, the network simultaneously labels Christians, Christmas, religious freedom, and white men as under attack. That victim complex has long been Fox's MO, but when it makes transgender people the enemy, it becomes a systematic effort by cable news' most influential network to ostracize and dehumanize one of the country's most at-risk populations.

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!"

Good Chemistry – Denver’s Gay-Friendly Dispensary

Good Chemistry, Denver’s gay-friendly dispensary, is guided by four core principles:

SCIENCE – Good Chemistry believes that Cannabis has significant therapeutic benefits and work to support and expand its study.

ACCESS - Good Chemistry believes that many barriers exist which fundamentally restrict access to safe reliable medical grade cannabis and search for meaningful ways to remove them.

DIGNITY - Good Chemistry believes in the fundamental and inalienable right of a person to choose their medical treatment. Recognizing that often patients who take cannabis are subjected to unfair treatment under the law, Good Chemistry is committed to defending and protecting the rights of their patients.

COMPASSION - Good Chemistry recognizes that medical cannabis is a potent and effective medicine for many patients who cannot afford it and is dedicated to providing for those in need.

HIV & PrEP: Denver Brings It Up

Let's talk. No, let's really talk. About HIV. While we have come far, gay and bisexual men continue to bear the greatest burden of this disease in Colorado. Nearly four of out of every five individuals newly diagnosed with HIV identifies as a gay or bisexual man. We still have more work to do to get that number to zero. Let's work together to change the future of HIV/AIDS by talking about testing, PrEP and staying in care.

Since talking about HIV in the heat of the moment can be a buzz kill, why not bring it up before you get it up? By bringing it up, everyone wins.

LGBT media company Multimedia Platforms acquires Frontiers Media

The purchase now gives Multimedia Platforms an expansive reach within the LGBT markets of New York, California and Florida, spanning five brands currently publishing 3 million print copies a year. The combined companies will create America’s largest LGBT media company and will give advertisers unprecedented access to a demographic representing $884 billion in buying power in the U.S. alone.

California-based Frontiers Media is active in digital, mobile, streaming video, print and outdoor signage, and is best known as the publisher of the gay lifestyle magazine Frontiers, which has received praise and awards since its re-launch in 2014. The company also brings a lively events business to the table with its active role in Style Fashion Week in Los Angeles, the LGBT film festival Outfest, Gay Days Anaheim at Disneyland, and its annual same-sex wedding expo.

Multimedia Platforms now owns the Florida Agenda, Frontiers Media, FunMaps, Guy magazine and Next magazine. Collectively, the five brands represent 7.5 million readers and 4 million unique online visitors annually, in America’s top three LGBT markets and 40-plus cities across North America. The brands will maintain their individual identities and websites. Frontiers will expand to the East Coast, becoming America’s national gay lifestyle brand, and Next will bring its mix of nightlife and pop-culture to California.

Coming Out for Animals

Social justice movements are about extending the circle of compassion. In this new short film from the multimedia nonprofit Our Hen House – whose mission is to change the world for animals – a great group of passionate activists from the LGBT world talk about how they personally connected the dots and came out for the animals, too. 

“Coming out for Animals” highlights personal stories of connections between gay rights and animal rights, all told while enjoying delicious vegan grub. In the video, you’ll also spot Our Hen House founders Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan, the dynamic couple behind the popular Our Hen House podcast.