Books: Let Me Dream

With the gay literature market rapidly growing, authors such as Harry Lavis are inspired to release new emotion-rich novels that explore a variety of themes such as inclusion, HIV, immigration, racism and environmentalism.

Let Me Dream is certainly no exception; a cocktail of multiple genres that ultimately pulls readers into an intense love story between two men who, while at odds, refuse to give up on their growing bond.

“I have definitely used this book to force readers to confront many important and prevalent issues,” explains Lavis. “For example, one of our main characters’ ex partners is HIV positive and it gets plenty of attention in the narrative; HIV is of course a vital societal issue, so why not use literature as a vehicle to raise its profile and acceptance?

Ultimately, the book was written to address my passion for inclusion and acceptance among all people, everywhere. The many issues intertwined into the story will push readers outside their comfort zone and hopefully see them turn the last page with a refreshed view on how we can all live together, happily, no matter what we believe.”

New Report: 559 LGBTQ Elected Officials Nationwide; 22,827 More Needed for Equitable Representation

There are 559 known openly LGBTQ elected officials in the United States – and America needs to elect 22,837 more to achieve equitable representation – according to LGBTQ Victory Institute’s 2018 Out for America report released today. The report documents the severe underrepresentation of LGBTQ people in key positions of power, along with demographic data that demonstrates the need to elect more LGBTQ people of color, women, and bisexual and transgender people.

Among the report’s key findings:

• 559 known LGBTQ elected officials are currently serving in the U.S., just 0.1 percent of all elected officials nationwide*;
• 22,837 more LGBTQ elected officials must be elected to achieve equitable representation;
• Just 21.2 percent of LGBTQ elected officials are people of color; and
• Only 2.7 percent of LGBTQ elected officials are bisexual and 2.3 percent are transgender.

The report also found that transgender representation more than doubled since the last Out for America report in 2017 (from six to 13 elected officials), and that fewer LGBTQ Republicans are in office (16 instead of 19) since the last report, despite overall known LGBTQ elected officials rising by 24.8 percent.

“The severe underrepresentation of LGBTQ people in elected office – especially LGBTQ people of color and transgender and bisexual people – is one of the primary reasons we see hateful legislation and policies coming from the federal government and many state legislatures,” said Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Institute. “While the increase in out LGBTQ elected officials is worth celebrating, the enormous numbers we need to elect to secure equitable representation should be a call-to-action for our entire community.”

The Out for America report is an annual analysis of LGBTQ elected representation in government based on Victory Institute’s LGBTQ elected officials database – the largest and most comprehensive listing available. The interactive Out for America map displays all known LGBTQ elected officials and is available at outforamerica.org.

Download the full 2018 Out for America report at victoryinstitute.org/OFA2018.

* Newest estimates from Gallup find the U.S. LGBTQ population to be 4.5 percent of the general population – up from 4.1 percent one year ago. There are nearly 520,000 elected positions in the United States.

Do You Want To Reach Denver's Gay Community? Advertise With Denver's Best Gay Blog!

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.
 
Just click the Advertising page or email sales@milehighgayguy.com to get started today.

Gender F*cked: A Binary Busting Variety Hour

You are invited to Gender F*cked: A Binary Busting Variety Hour of stories, experiences, power ballads, information, and truth from the Trans* and Non-Binary identifying community. It’s a queer variety show intended to create a conversation about the realities, social injustices, hardships and joys in taking our lives into our own hands and forging a new path in our society for people to exist in all forms peacefully.

Gender F*cked will have a limited 2-night engagement at Mutiny Information Cafe at 2 S Broadway in Denver Jun. 13 at 8:00pm and Jun. 17 at 7:00p.m. This is a free benefit performance with a suggested $10 donation of which the proceeds will go to support The Trevor Project & Gender Identity Center of Colorado. Seating is limited with a small amount of pre-sale tickets. For tickets and more information, visit www.audacioustheatre.com.

Get Ready for Rage Room on Revry!

Rage Room Trailer (Full Length) from Summer Chastant on Vimeo.

He directed Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde 2, Red White & Blonde and now Charles Herman Wurmfeld has a new Rage Room TV show on Revry, coming this summer! 

Rage Room, which has been submitted for an Emmy for best short form comedy, is a hilarious show about the newest craze taking the country by storm - breaking the s*** out of things to release your anger and rage! 

Revry is the first-ever global queer streaming service that offers a curated selection of domestic and international entertainment that includes iconic, award-winning narrative and documentary films, cutting-edge series and originals along with the world's largest queer libraries of groundbreaking podcasts, music albums, and videos.

Tonight on RuPaul's Drag Race: The Final Four

Tonight on RPDR, the top four queens must write and perform a verse in a performance of RuPaul’s hit single, American, and guest on Rupaul’s podcast with Michelle Visage.

ICYMI: LAUV Performs "I Like Me Better" on Today

Twenty-three-year-old independent singer, songwriter and producer Lauv announces the culmination of his I met you when I was 18. Playlist. The collection of tracks were all written by Lauv about a significant period in his life as a student at New York University, and follow a theme of young love and self-actualization. The tracks have accumulated over 1 billion streams thus far. Click HERE to listen.

Lauv says of the playlist, “I met you when I was 18. is a collection of songs, a story. About moving to New York City when I was 18 and falling in love for the first time. A story about trying to figure out your own identity whilst being deeply intertwined with someone else’s. It’s a story that, since I released my first song “The Other” in 2015, has been told a bit out of order. In pieces, in fragments & in moments reminisced, but now here it is, in it’s entirety: I met you when I was 18. not an album, but a body of work nonetheless. I hope you enjoy.”

Recently, it was announced that Lauv will open for Ed Sheeran on his US stadium dates this fall, in conjunction with his headlining Fall 2018 world tour kicking off in September with indie-pop songstress Charlotte Lawrence set to open. The headlining run is set to kick off in Hamburg, Germany on September 15^th and will see him performing in cities across North America, England, and Europe. Please see full routing information below.

Lauv recently performed on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live and is returning to North America this summer for a series of high profile festival performances including Lollapalooza, Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, Hangout Music Festival, Firefly Music Festival and Osheaga Festival. In addition, he will be opening for Demi Lovato at her only east coast concert of the summer on the beach in Atlantic City, NJ on July 26^th.

Lauv’s single, “Chasing Fire,” out now, serves as the follow up single to his global smash hit song “I Like Me Better” which has surpassed 500 million streams, garnered platinum certifications in 7 countries, gold certifications in 3, and scanned platinum in the U.S. and is currently on the Top 40 radio chart. He has also released an acoustic version of “Chasing Fire,” along with a video filmed at legendary Abbey Road Studios. Click HERE to view.

Leadership Council: Senate Committee Advances Two Additional Judicial Extremists

Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to bring to the Senate floor nominees Allen Winsor for the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Florida and Patrick R. Wyrick for the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Oklahoma:

“The Judiciary Committee’s party-line vote to advance the nominations of Allen Winsor and Patrick Wyrick to the Senate floor is just the latest example of Republican complicity in President Trump’s efforts to pack the courts and undermine the impartiality of our justice system.

“Mr. Winsor is a young, conservative ideologue with a track record of attempting to restrict voting rights, LGBT equality, reproductive freedom, environmental protection, criminal defendants’ rights, and gun safety.

“Mr. Wyrick is another young ideological extremist who is unfit to serve on the federal bench.  He is just 37 years old and has worked closely with Scott Pruitt to diminish civil and human rights in Oklahoma, including challenging environmental protections, undermining women’s access to health care, and defending a flawed death penalty process, an anti-Muslim referendum, and an anti-workers’ compensation law. Today’s vote on Mr. Wyrick before his American Bar Association rating has come in – a rating that could be Not Qualified given the length of time it is taking for the rating to be completed – is stunning. This is yet another Senate norm that Chairman Grassley has discarded in his haste to rubber stamp President Trump’s extreme nominees.

“The troubling records of both nominees prove that they should not be confirmed, and we urge the Senate to reject their nominations. Neither of these nominees possess the neutrality and fair-mindedness necessary to serve lifetime positions on the federal bench.”

The Leadership Conference has sent letters to the Senate in opposition to Allen Winsor and Patrick Wyrick.

Killer Queen Performs Queen's Greatest Hits at Red Rocks

The English rock group Queen is an iconic sensation stacking up 18 number one albums, 18 number one singles and is one of the world’s best-selling music artists.  Their performance at 1985’s Live Aid is regarded as one of the greatest in rock history.  The music of Queen continues to inspire generations of young and old fans through their infectious rock songs played in numerous films (Revenge of The Nerds, Highlander, Wayne’s World, High Fidelity, A Knight’s Tale, Iron Man 2) and the Broadway musical We Will Rock You. 

This year marks the 43^nd anniversary of Queen’s first international hit, Bohemian Rhapsody, which gave them their first top ten hit in America and catapulted them to the world stage and rock stardom.  They also gave us two of rock’s most recognizable anthems, We Will Rock You, and We Are the Champions.

Now, here is your opportunity to relive the Queen phenomenon!  Formed back in 1993, Killer Queen has distinguished itself as the world’s foremost Queen tribute show.  Their first public concerts were at London University, following in the footsteps of the original Queen who had played their first shows there 24 years earlier.  By 1995, they secured a residency in London’s West End, the first tribute band to do so, and continued to grow both in the UK and Europe, culminating in winning the award for “Worldwide Best Tribute Band.”  During their various careers, the musicians have worked and recorded with a vast array of artists including Roger Taylor and Brian May.  Killer Queen was also selected by Sir Bob Geldof to represent Queen in a restaged tribute Live Aid concert.

Killer Queen will take you back to the ‘70s and ‘80s as they re-create the charismatic and uncannily accurate renditions of Queen through appearance, sound and energy of the original stars that defined rock music. Authentic costumes, impeccable harmonies, with lead singer Patrick Myers resurrecting Freddie Mercury both physically and vocally, all come together to give the audience the Queen “live in concert” experience.  

The Colorado Theatre Guild Presents The 13th Annual Henry Award Nominations

The Colorado Theatre Guild’s 13th Annual Henry Awards will take place Monday, July 23, 2018 at the Lone Tree Arts Center. Established in 2006, the Henry Awards honor outstanding achievements during the past season and serves as the Colorado Theatre Guild’s annual fundraising event. The awards are named for longtime local theatre producer Henry Lowenstein. Nominations are determined through a judging process conducted by more than 100 statewide peer professionals, academics/educators and other theatre lovers.

Tickets go on sale June 12, 2018 through the Lone Tree Arts Center website at www.LoneTreeArtsCenter.org or by calling the box office at 720-509-1000.

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.

Troye Sivan ft Ariana Grande - Dance To This

Today, Troye Sivan released "Dance To This" featuring Ariana Grande - a track from his forthcoming album, Bloom. 

Sivan said, "'Dance To This' is about that moment when you feel like you've been to enough house parties or events, and staying home and like, making out in the kitchen and cooking dinner sounds like a much, much better alternative."

SoundCloud Launches PRIDE Playlists

Today, SoundCloud launched its very first series of artist-curated playlists called PRIDE to celebrate Pride Month, New York Pride (June 24) and the LGBTQIA artists who got their start on SoundCloud first! The PRIDE series on the Discover page features playlists curated by hip hop act Suzi Analogue, indie pop’s Morgxn, electronic act Bright Light Bright Light and rocker Lauren Ruth Ward, who just performed at LA Pride this past weekend, and a range of genres showcasing SoundCloud’s diverse creator community.

The Leadership Conference Urges Senate to Oppose Judicial Nominee Allen Winsor

The Leadership Conference today wrote to the U.S. Senate urging the rejection of the District Court judicial nomination of Allen Winsor for the Northern District of Florida. Winsor has an extensive record of restrict voting rights, LGBT equality, reproductive freedom, environmental protection, criminal defendants’ rights, and gun safety. The full letter can be found here.

OUT in Theaters: Hot To Trot

First Run Features announces the New York theatrical premiere of Hot to Trot, a new documentary directed by Gail Freedman. The film opens at New York's Quad Cinema on August 24, 2018, to be followed by runs in select cities nationwide.

An immersive character study – and an idiosyncratic attack on bigotry – Hot to Trot gets up on the stage and goes behind the scenes to discover the captivating but little known world of same-sex competitive ballroom dance, a world where expressions of personal passion become a political statement, and where one false step can crush aspirations.

Away from their graceful turns on the dance floor, the characters’ backstories frame their struggles and conflicts in life. The film follows charismatic Ernesto Palma, a former meth addict from Costa Rica, who strives for success and love; gritty, determined Emily Coles, a diabetic who wears an insulin pump 24/7...even while performing; handsome Nikolai Shpakov, a dazzling dance champion, who came out only a few years ago and still longs for the full acceptance of his Russian family; and introspective Kieren Jameson, whose identity was forged in the strict, conservative environment of a New Zealand military household. Hot to Trot follows the dancers over a four-year period, as it watches their relationships with family, dance partners, life partners – and themselves – develop and deepen.

For these individuals, dance is a form of personal power and political engagement that simultaneously shapes their identities and helps them overcome uniquely personal challenges. They are not mere emblems of LGBTQ politics – they are living them.