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Lil Nas X Gay Cover of New. York TimesThis Sunday, copies of the New York Times Magazine, included in the Sunday edition and typically landing with a thud for 350,000 or so Tri-state subscriber homes including many who think of themselves as both upstanding and small “c” conservative. They may wonder who that is on the cover, and if they know it’s Lil Nas X gay trolling they may wonder how those Medusa-looking braids fit under a tight cowboy hat, or why he gave up the promising Roblox kids career. And they may say to themselves how did he get here? And why swap the ever-gayer country wardrobe for this “feminized” purple jumpsuit, but using many other not-so-polite words to say it. But they will not find an ounce fo anything tentative, or any indications that any shit will be taken about any of it. And they may ask themselves, “how did he get here?” And they may read about his astonishing journey; his accomplishments without a single real stumble, not a single unforced error, not a single criticism or call out that can be said to have hit its mark in an astonishing ascendency over just a few years few years. The elements are all in the photoshoot, as Maiysha Kai wrote for The Root: Lil Nas X Gay Moment Winning Hitmaker Lil Nas X has had no shortage of headlines in the last few months. From grinding the Devil to death in the music video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” to tactfully covering a wardrobe malfunction during “Saturday Night Live” to delivering the first male same-sex kiss ever broadcast on the BET Awards, the young rapper has kept his name on the tips of tongues with his own personal brand of Black queer expression. All of these happenings speak to Lil Nas X’s growing comfort with his own expression since coming out as gay two years ago just as much as they communicate a comforting message of acceptance to the queer members of his audience. It’s a far cry from the life circumstances that served as a prelude to his international stardom: having his Nicki Minaj-stanning internet presence scrubbed, his mother’s struggle with addiction and the death of his grandmother, with whom he was extremely close. “I have this feeling like: You know what? This is mine. This is for me, and I commit myself to it,” Lil Nas X said.In a New York Times Magazine cover story, Lil Nas X opens up about how that tragic series of events pushed him to believe that his life was at an end before “Old Town Road” was even a single note. But delving into music helped pull him out of his mindset, giving him a realm under his control that ended up being the perfect antidote to his tribulation. “I have this feeling like: You know what? This is mine. This is for me, and I commit myself to it,” Lil Nas X said. That commitment grew when he dropped out of the University of West Georgia during his freshman year, ready to dedicate himself to music in a way he hadn’t previously done to anything else in his life. “Old Town Road” would launch the emerging queer figure to superstardom in short time, thanks in part to Lil Nas X’s own efforts to meme-ify to the track, a practice that capitalized on his early days as member of the Nicki Minaj superfan squad the Barbz, and it latching onto a country trap trend that made it spread like wildfire on Tik Tok. The controversy surrounding the song’s removal from Billboard’s Top Country charts didn’t hurt either. The result was a hit that reigned atop the Billboard charts for nearly five months, which Lil Nas X braggadociously refers to in his latest hit “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” More hits followed, and more are expected once his first full-length album “Montero” drops later this year, but the most earnest way his newfound presence manifested was when he came out in June 2019, smack in the middle of “Old Town Road’s” time at number one. Nas’s project, though, is to move past the mainstream and publicly acceptable practice of queerness, which is often so divorced from actual sexual pleasure that it can feel neutered,” –Jazmine Hughes, New York Times MagazineThough he was already out to members of his family, performing at a Pride event during the U.K.’s Glastonberry Festival proved to be the final catalyst for him to share his identity with the world. “People were waving their pride flags, and it was just so much excitement; I was like, Oh, my God, this is it,” Lil Nas X told Jazmine Hughes of New York Times Magazine. Hughes wastes no time with the former New York Times stylistics that meant reporters had to distance themselves –even as part of the story– with the third person “a reporter” stuff. And so her interactions with Nas X explain and distinguish what is new and a generation’s identity and what is new and uniquely Lil Nas X — not just when it comes to gender and sexuality , but politics and what “success” looks like too. Lil Nas X Gay And he hasn’t looked back since, continually pushing the depiction of gay pop stardom, Black queer expression and continuing the diversification of mainstream hip-hop. Even more so, he wants to push those norms even further. “Nas’s project, though, is to move past the mainstream and publicly acceptable practice of queerness, which is often so divorced from actual sexual pleasure that it can feel neutered,” writes the New York Times’ Jazmine Hughes. “It’s one thing to accept a gay person, as many do, by ignoring what we do behind closed doors. But it’s quite another to embrace gay people as sexual beings, who can also enact an identity – just as straight people so proudly, publicly and lucratively do – in part through sex itself,” she added. It’s a message best summarized by one of many tweets Lil Nas X sent out following his BET Awards performance: “you’re right i am insecure about my sexuality. I still have a long way to go. I’ve never denied that. when you’re conditioned by society to hate yourself your entire life it takes a lot of unlearning. which is exactly why I do what I do.” Lil Nas X Gay: Previously on Towleroad The Lil Nas X Gay Coronation Covers NY Times Magazine; Crowned With ‘Elaborately braided Black Boy Joy’; Welcome Generation Z Brian Bell July 9, 2021 Read More Visage, Shears, Jessie J, Coldplay, Todrick Hall’s ‘D This Big’; Troye Sivan, Divine Throwback, Biden Pride and Lil Nas X is ‘Smalltown Boy’: Gay Music Watch Part 3 Michael Goff July 5, 2021 Read More BET Praises Lil Nas X’s First Gay Kiss At BET Awards. Rapper Flames Critics, Celebrates 2 Years Out; ‘I Love Who I Am and Whatever I Decide To Do’ Brian Bell July 1, 2021 Read More ‘I Will Never Trust Pants Again;’ Lil Nas X Humorously Details ‘SNL’ Wardrobe Malfunction Brian Bell May 25, 2021 Read More Lil Nas X Gay Expectations: Disdainful of ‘sense of responsibility’. It’s not my job to be a good role model Towleroad May 11, 2021 Read More Stranger Things 4; Lil Nas X; Rainbow Capitalism; Apex Legends; Will Smith’s Dad Bod; Arm Wrestling; Edith Surreal; Adele; EFFY: HOT LINKS Brian Bell May 6, 2021 Read More Screengrab of photo from Shikeith for The New York Times Towleroad Editor Michael Goff contributed to this post. View the full article

Mexico soccer fans will have to watch their squad’s World Cup qualification effort from home later this year thanks to their continued use of a homophobic chant during games. The ‘puto’ chant has been used regularly as a derisive chant toward opposing teams at Mexican national team games for a number of years. The term is a known homophobic slur. The ruling means that Mexico’s first two World Cup qualifiers against Jamaica (Sept. 2) and Canada (Oct. 7) will be played in empty stadiums. It also prompted Mexican Football Federation president Yon De Luisa to again demand fans quit using the homophobic chant that had become a staple of sporting events and lucha libre shows across the nation. “The ‘puto’ chant is discriminatory and is moving us away from FIFA competitions. To those who think it’s fun to yell it out, I have news for you. It’s not,” De Luisa said. “There are a million ways to show interest toward your team without discriminating. So we should focus on the positive ways. This is something that we are not proud of. This is not the image that we want to show from our fans and from our society to the rest of the world.” International soccer governing body FIFA announced the decision in June at the recommendation of its Disciplinary Committee after a years-long push to eradicate the homophobic chant from Mexican national team matches. The chant popped up again as recently as March 2021, the same month North American soccer governing body CONCACAF launched an anti-discrimination initiative. Fans showered the field with hate speech during Mexico’s Olympic Qualification matches against the U.S. and the Dominican Republic. In accordance with FIFA’s own Disciplinary Code, referees paused those matches in response to the chant’s use and issued verbal warnings to fans in attendance that further consequences would come if the chant persisted. Amended in 2019, FIFA’s Disciplinary Code advises on-field officials to pause games and issue a warning to crowds using hate speech during matches. If the conduct doesn’t stop, officials have the power to abandon the match. The use of the chant also exposed venues hosting Mexican national team games to legal threat associated with the homophobic barbs. Four LGBTQ fans who attended the CONCACAF Gold Cup final between Mexico and the U.S. at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2019 filed suit against the stadium’s owner, the Chicago Park District, on Tuesday. The suit alleges that the Chicago Park District violated the group’s civil rights under the Illinois Human Rights Act by doing nothing to stop Mexican fans from chanting the homophobic slur. While FIFA’s ruling stands as the strongest yet in its attempts to curtail the use of hate speech at games, it remains to be seen if it will influence fans to abandon the chant. De Luisa hopes the chant’s demise comes sooner than later. “That is no longer a debate. If it is discriminatory, we should avoid it.” Mexico Soccer: Previously on Towleroad Homophobic Chant Nets Mexico Soccer Fans Ban From World Cup Qualifiers; LGBTQ Fans Sue Soldier Field Over Chants Brian Bell July 8, 2021 Read More Pro Soccer Star Junior Flemmings Suspended, Fined for Homophobic Slur That Prompted San Diego Team to Walk Off Field in Support of Gay Player Andy Towle October 8, 2020 Read More U.S. Soccer Team ‘San Diego Loyal’ Walks Off Field, Forfeits Match in Protest After Gay Player Called Homophobic Slur By Opponent: WATCH Andy Towle October 1, 2020 Read More Alleged Premier League ‘Gay Footballer’ Hopes He’ll Soon Be Able to Come Out, But You’d Be Right to Be Skeptical Andy Towle July 11, 2020 Read More Pro Football Player Christion Jones Released After Homophobic Tweet: ‘Man Ain’t Supposed to Be with a Man…’ Andy Towle June 30, 2020 Read More Former Pro Footballer Thomas Beattie Comes Out as Gay Towleroad June 23, 2020 Read More Photo courtesy of Santiago Llobet/Creative Commons View the full article

Tammy Fay Bakker became Tammy Faye Messner after the divorceThe Eyes of Tammy Faye was once the title of a popular 2000 documentary and now it’s the title of a biopic about the rise and fall of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, with the emphasis being on the more sympathetic Tammy (who is no longer with us, having died of cancer in the Aughts). For you youngsters out there they were VERY famous in the 1980s with their scandal and downfall happening in 1989. The movie is directed by Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, Hello My Name is Doris) and gives plum roles to Oscar nominees Andrew Garfield and Jessica Chastain as the famous fallen couple. Will it be great, terrible, a mix of both simultaneously or (most dangerously) blandly mediocre? Will it be up for all the Oscars or none of them? Let’s give this the full Yes No Maybe So treatment [This post contains video, click to play] YES • Opening with Cherry Jones accusatory “what did you do?” instills immediate faith. • At the very least the costumes, makeup, and production design are going to provide opportunity after opportunity to make this a hugely fun watch. • The shift in tone from broad comedy to personal drama at the one minute mark, with the music abruptly ending. Tammy’s eyes opening (in her most recognizable look) and the “we’re not doing anything wrong, though”… “is that a question?” exchange works just superbly well. If a good portion of the movie nimbly or even impactfully jumps this line well, it could well be special. • “Can we talk about Satan, later Jim?” LOLZ and also 100% relatable if you’ve ever dealth with an overly dramatic or victim-mentality partner. • That shot of Andrew Garfield as Jimmy walking out in shame with a team around him — it looks so instantly and perfectly familiar. Those of you who are old enough to remember this scandal probably had the same reaction. • Mitchell Travers (Hustlers, Eighth Grade, In the Heights) on costumes ! Will he become a major costume designer? We’re hoping so after that Oscar worthy (but ignored) work on Hustlers. NO Tammy Faye Bakker• Okay this shot is so over the top. Banish the canted angle! • The makeup is fun but has the potential to be very SNL sketch too and it’s hard to know from these clips whether or not it will escape this trap. Especially at the end with “This is who I am” it looks like they’ve reshaped Jessica’s perfect face in the cheeks and jaw area. Could be distracting even if she’s great. Linda Dowds, who has won three Emmys (True Detective, The Kennedys, Grey Gardens) and Stephanie Ingram, both whom have worked with Jessica Chastain multiple times, are the Makeup and Hair department heads. Hmmm. Maybe this should be in the next section. Justin Raleigh (American Horror Story) and Brian Wade (who worked on Vice) are on the prosthetics. MAYBE SO • That clip above is the only reference we get to Jimmy’s homosexual scandals. How will the movie handle this? The real life story on this is complicated with Jim denying he had ever had sex with a man (and also being accused of raping a woman) but multiple men claiming they’d had sex with him. In real life Tammy Faye was a strangely fence crossing in the culture wars, popular with the often homophobic factions of society (Evangelical Christians) but also popular with the gays, not just because of her drag queen look but that she was charitable during the AIDS crisis and also refused to denounce homosexuality the way most of her ilk did. • The conversation about politics with Jerry Falwell. Will the movie recognize Tammy Faye’s naivete about the same or actually share it? Tammy Fay Bakker• It’s a small thing but my favourite beat in Jessica’s performance (in this admittedly tiny sample) is the way she sounds like she’s on the edge of crying and laughing simultaneously when talking to the AIDS patient. Lovely mix and just right from my vague memories of the televangelist. • Jessica’s voice work sounds very broad especially when playing young Tammy … but then Tammy Faye was a very broad lady, a full caricature you could easily argue. The trick for Jessica will be playing the caricature and the character simultaneously. It’s a tough assignment. If she nails it we could be talking Oscar! Well, even if she doesn’t we could be talking Oscar since the Academy worships celebrity playing celebrity performances. • Speaking of… is this finally Cherry Jones opportunity for some movie awards attention as her mother? The Eyes of Tammy Faye opens in theaters on September 17th. Are you a Yes, a No, or a Maybe So on this one? Tammy Faye Bakker Previously on Towleroad ‘Luca’ Star Jack Dylan Grazer Silences His Own ‘Bruno,’ Comes Out as Bisexual July 8, 2021 Read More Race to Replace Brazil President Puts Focus on ‘Proud’ Former Bolsonaro Supporter; Eduardo Leite Comes Out as ‘Governor Who is Gay;’ ‘I Have Nothing to Hide’ July 7, 2021 Read More Is Tyler Posey Queer? Can He Sing? ‘Teen Wolf’ Star Says, ‘I’ve been with everybody;’ Just Out, Tyler Posey Song ‘Happy’: LISTEN Now July 7, 2021 Read More 80s Singer Tiffany Writing Tell-All Memoir; May Be Alone Now in Thinking Julia Roberts Should Play Her in A Biopic July 6, 2021 Read More 100 Detained at Turkey Pride; Housing and Job Discrimination; Highest Trans Murder Rate All Part of Turkey’s Rank 49th, 2nd to Last, in Europe ‘Rainbow Index’ July 6, 2021 Read More Britney Spears Manager Resigns; Attorney Expected To Follow On Word That Singer is Retiring July 6, 2021 Read More Visage, Shears, Jessie J, Coldplay, Todrick Hall’s ‘D This Big’; Troye Sivan, Divine Throwback, Biden Pride and Lil Nas X is ‘Smalltown Boy’: Gay Music Watch Part 3 July 5, 2021 Read More Elton, Demi, Trixie, Gay YouTubers Made Don’t-Miss Moments; Miley Covers Abba, Madonna, Cher. But, YouTube’s Dan is Magic WATCH July 4, 2021 Read More This Post first appeared on The Film Experience View the full article

Jack Dylan GrazerLess than a month after Pixar’s latest hit film “Luca” lit up Disney+, one of its stars, Jack Dylan Grazer, delivered another cause for celebration when they came out publicly as bisexual over the weekend. The teenage actor delivered his truth during a fan Q&A on an Instagram Live broadcast. Likely spurred by fans and critics likening “Luca” to an LGBTQ-coded coming-of-age story, a fan asked Grazer if they were gay during the session. Grazer simply replied, “I’m bi.” They followed that by delivering his “Luca” character’s, Alberto Scorfano, catchphrase “Silencio, Bruno!” The Huffington Post reported that fans also noticed that Grazer changed their pronouns to he/they on their Instagram page following the announcement, though the bio on Grazer’s page currently doesn’t list their pronouns. Luca: Previously on Towleroad ‘Luca’ Star Jack Dylan Grazer Silences His Own ‘Bruno,’ Comes Out as Bisexual Brian Bell July 8, 2021 Read More Dove Cameron: Surprised by Reactions To Coming Out. ‘I thought people wouldn’t believe me if I came out as queer’ Towleroad May 30, 2021 Read More High School Musical Star Chooses ‘Love’ in Heartwarming Post After Coming Out Video; ‘Love Who You Love Shamelessly’ Brian Bell May 11, 2021 Read More Stranger Things 4; Lil Nas X; Rainbow Capitalism; Apex Legends; Will Smith’s Dad Bod; Arm Wrestling; Edith Surreal; Adele; EFFY: HOT LINKS Brian Bell May 6, 2021 Read More Oscars 2021 Quick Guide: What To Watch and Where To Stream Nominees Before The Show Sunday Night Nathaniel Rogers April 21, 2021 Read More Lucas Grabeel Says He’d Want a Gay Actor to Play His ‘High School Musical’ Role if it Were Made Today: WATCH Andy Towle July 6, 2020 Read More Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Creative Commons View the full article

Brazil President Candidate Eduardo LeiteBrazilian governor and 2022 Brazil president hopeful Eduardo Leite came out as gay on Thursday, stating he had “nothing to hide” as he prepares to challenge staunchly anti-LGBTQ president Jair Bolsonaro. “I have never spoken about a subject related to my personal life, but during this moment of low integrity in Brazil, I have nothing to hide. I am gay,” Leite told Brazilian journalist Pedro Bial during a live TV interview on TV Globo. “I am a governor who is gay, not a gay governor, as former President Barack Obama in the U.S. was a president who was Black, not a Black president. And I am proud of that.” The “governor who is gay” responded to messages of support after coming out on Twitter, saying, “The countless messages of care and support I’m receiving make me absolutely convinced: love will conquer hate!” Leite, who currently serves as governor of Rio Grande do Sul, has been a vocal critic of Bolsonaro despite initially supporting him during his 2018 presidential bid. According to Reuters, Bolsonaro’s mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic, not his anti-LGBTQ positions, spurred Leite’s heightened criticism of the Brazilian president. Jean Wyllys, Brazil’s first out gay member of Congress, criticized Leite for previously supporting Bolsonaro as he attacked the community to which he belongs. “This chap had many opportunities to defend the LGBT community and he didn’t,” Wyllys told The Guardian. “He was a Bolsonarista until yesterday – and he’s probably still one today, because at no point has he retracted his support for Bolsonaro. So I don’t celebrate this. I’m not part of this team of people who are commemorating this chap coming out of the closet as if it was some great accomplishment for Brazil’s LGBT community.” A potential gay challenger to Brazil’s top seat in Leite could cast Bolsonaro’s hateful attitude toward the nation’s LGBTQ community back into the spotlight. Since taking office, Bolsonaro has criticized the Brazilian Supreme Court for criminalizing homophobia, worked to erase initiatives directed at LGBTQ Brazilians from multiple government departments and stated his desire that Brazil not become a “gay tourism paradise.” Bolsonaro also famously said that if he had a gay son he would be “incapable of loving a homosexual son” and the he would rather his son die in an accident than be gay. The self-described homophobe weighed in on Leite’s coming out, saying, “I have nothing against his private life, but he cannot impose his lifestyle on others.” Leite will participate in the social democratic party PSDB primaries in November, seeking the party’s presidential nomination. Brazil President Gay: Previously on Towleroad Race to Replace Brazil President Puts Focus on ‘Proud’ Former Bolsonaro Supporter; Eduardo Leite Comes Out as ‘Governor Who is Gay;’ ‘I Have Nothing to Hide’ Brian Bell July 7, 2021 Read More Rio Shuts Down Gay Circuit Party Over Violation of COVID Rules: ‘Now Go Home Queens, and Quarantine’ — WATCH Andy Towle December 30, 2020 Read More Brazil’s Bolsonaro: ‘We Have to Stop Being a Country of Sissies’ About COVID, ‘Everyone is Going to Die One Day’ — WATCH Andy Towle November 11, 2020 Read More Brazil’s Supreme Court Overturns All Restrictions on Gay Men Donating Blood, Ending Any Waiting Time Andy Towle May 10, 2020 Read More Glenn Greenwald Responds After Brazilian Government Charges Him with Cybercrimes Andy Towle January 22, 2020 Read More Brazil’s Supreme Court Sides with Netflix, Allows ‘Gay Jesus’ Film John Wright January 10, 2020 Read More Photo courtesy of Pedro França/Agência Senado/Creative Commons View the full article