Category Archives: Shopping Charge It!
Magnus Hastings WHY DRAG Book
WHAT A GORGEOUS BOOK! And for a coffee table art book, its very affordable at about $35! Why Drag?
224 pages of the biggest and most diverse queens across America and beyond, all answering the question, Why drag?
Everyone loves to gag over photographs of their favorite queens, and chances are, some of the photographs have been taken by talented drag queen photographer, Magnus Hastings. His popular Facebook page, Dragged Around the World, archives some of his best work.
This celebrated artist has been photographing drag queens for the past 10 years- and his artwork showcasing queens is taking the world by storm! LAST YEAR, Hastings’ first photo exhibition in New York, Why Drag?, ran during Pride, at the OUT HOTEL. The best part about this unique exhibition is that each queen he photographs explains why it is that they do drag (but you’ll have to the exhibit to see that!) – Now, you can get the book!
Magnus Hastings came up through the London Gay scene and quickly gained recognition as one of the forerunners of his type of the pop art photography. playing with campy ideas when it was not fashionable to do so and embracing drag queens as a subject and study. He says, a “child of drag,” prone to putting on his sister’s clothes and dancing around his childhood home. But he didn’t truly discover the drag world until much later, long after he himself had stopped dressing across gender lines.
He completely revamped the Gaydar franchise in 2009 and has been published worldwide in magazines such as Glamour (uk), GQ (uk), Cosmopolitan (Italy),People (usa) , US weekly (use), Attitude (uk) ,AXM (uk), Bent (uk), QX international (uk), Blue (australia), Boyz (uk), Nois (spain) to name a few.
In 2003, on a visit to Sydney, Hastings walked into the Arq nightclub and saw the drag queen Vanity Faire lip-syncing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz in a flawless Dorothy outfit. The experience changed his life.
“I started shooting drag because it’s my home and my world and it feels like my family,” Hastings said.
Watching that performance connected Hastings to a part of himself that he’d abandoned due to social pressures as a child but that he still longed to explore.
With Vanity’s guidance, Hastings began photographing the city’s vibrant drag scene and developing a polished, dynamic style of portraiture reflecting his subjects’ creativity and humor.
As he traveled the world, he continued capturing local queens with a focus on those who best represented the art’s diversity and daring, from the bearded to the “fishy,” or ultrafeminine.
His images attracted a larger audience when he started posting his photos to his Facebook group, “Dragged Around the World.”
Magnus now lives in Los Angeles with his Jack Russell named George and is heavily involved in photographing the drag scene.
‘Why Drag?‘ with photographs by Magnus Hastings and a foreword by Boy George, was published in May by Chronicle Books. BUY THE BOOK!
Why Drag?
Manny Pacquiao Banned from Mall
WE DON’T WANT YOUR KIND HERE!
Boxer Manny Pacquiao has been banned from Los Angeles’ The Grove following his most recent anti-gay comments. And it’s not the first time he’s been declared “not welcome” by the shopping mecca because of his hateful remarks.
That’s pretty cool, that HUGE COMPANIES are standing up for us!!
“These are statements of hatred,” Grove owner Rick Caruso tells us … “A lot of people from the gay community come to The Grove and they have a right not to feel uncomfortable.”
“Manny Pacquiao is no longer welcome.”
IN OTHER SIMILAR NEWS….
SUPERBOWL –
Georgia’s ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill could put the state’s future hosting the Super Bowl in jeopardy following a statement from the NFL.
The bill has been passed by the state’s general assembly and awaits Governor Nathan Deal’s signature. But Deal’s decision could come at a significant cost to the state’s football future.
The Atlanta Falcons’ owner was quick to respond with the following statement:
“One of my bedrock values is ‘Include Everyone’ and it’s a principle we embrace and strive to live each and every day with my family and our associates, a vast majority of which live and work in Georgia. I strongly believe a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Georgia is critical to our citizens and the millions of visitors coming to enjoy all that our great state has to offer. House Bill 757 undermines these principles and would have long-lasting negative impact on our state and the people of Georgia.”
These are major actions, in support of gay rights! YAY!
BOOMF Gay Marshmellows
Boomf is a magical treat. It’s a scrumptious, squishy marshmallow – with your face on it! Free delivery worldwide.
James Middleton, the 27-year-old younger brother of Her Royal Highness Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, has a business venture that hopes to make coming out as gay a little easier and a little sweeter.
Middleton’s company Boomf allows customers to put personalized images on marshmallows. ($25 + FREE Shipping). One of the uses of customized marshmallows? According to Boomf, to tell your friends and loved ones that you’re gay. – In the promotional video for his business Boomf, James Middleton says his sweets are the perfect way to break the news to friends and family with the slogan: ‘These pre-designed messages make that nerve-racking announcement a whole lot sweeter.’ WATCH NOW.
The Daily Mail refers to Middleton as Catherine’s “bachelor brother” and says he “raised eyebrows” with his latest ad campaign for his company. Just whose eyebrows exactly were raised though?
Boomf took to its blog to talk about their marketing towards a gay audience, writing, “Boomf is all about the big messages in life. We felt we were missing a way to say ‘straight is great, but gay is the way’, so Boomf! There it is! These pre-designed messages make that nerve-wracking announcement a whole lot sweeter.” The company also links to its other “homo-fabulous” designs.
Stop LGBTQ Discrimination
GREAT! We have Marriage Equality…….now how about LGBT Employment Discrimination? I can marry my partner, but then my boss can fire me if wants to (in most states).
IN A NEW video of real people talking about civil rights progress that’s helped them – and then the big reveal at the end hits you like a gut punch: it’s 2015, and it’s still legal to fire and discriminate against people simply because they’re LGBT.
The newest provocative spot from FCKH8.com (“Potty-Mouthed Princesses”) spotlights that despite progress in so many other areas, laws across the country continue to deny gay people basic anti-discrimination protections on the job.
In the video, available here https://youtu.be/tdVSxmh6YTA , people from various walks of life – women, blacks, disabled people – each identify major civil rights milestones in America. Each speaker represents a year when others like them were finally offered legal protection from discrimination in the U.S. – from African Americans becoming citizens in 1866, to people with disabilities getting access to public places through the Americans with Disabilities ACT in 1990. Each is wearing a T-shirt printed with the year they gained a fundamental right.
When the two gay men holding hands who are the video’s final subject are revealed, their T-shirts display question marks. “It’s 2015, and there is still no federal law protecting LGBT people against discrimination. What’s our year?” they plead.
“In an era when it feels like progress is so rapid, including the Supreme Court ruling that was so important, we knew people would be shocked to discover there’s still this huge national inequality,” video producer Mike Kon said. “It sounds unbelievable and disappointing: you can get married on Saturday, but then you can still be legally fired for being LGBT when back at work on Monday.”
In addition to raising awareness of the issue through its viral video, FCKH8.com is encouraging people to get involved in the conversation on social media and support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), legislation proposed in the United States Congress that would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by employers. The social-change T-shirt company also encourages people to “speak out and stand out” for the cause with shirts that make provocative, change-motivated statements.
Reacting to the recent untested Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) ruling that found that anti-LGBT job discrimination was already illegal under existing protections based on sex, FCKH8.com activists are pushing for more definitive on-the-job protections. “Congress need stop to step up to the plate and protect LGBT Americans from discrimination and finally pass explicit and clear job protections with ENDA” Kon said.
Gay Day of the Dead Art
Gay Day of the Dead: the art of José Antonio Madrazo
By Sebastián Sáenz
@sebastiaenz
History, traditions and folk culture have inspired artists for centuries in order to show the world their unique perspective. Human beings have developed a special need to express feelings, thoughts and facts though all kinds of materials such as clay, marble, wood, oil, installations, words and even their own body, but José Antonio Madrazo is a particular case. His original proposal shows one of the most popular Mexican celebrations with an unexpected twist: an LGBT version of The Day of the Dead.
Most of us are tired of bringing back home after any trip the same souvenirs: the cheap post card, the t-shirt that will lose all colors after the second wash, and the tacky fridge magnet. That is why José Antonio, located in the breathtakingly beautiful and LGBT friendly San Miguel de Allende (one of the most popular little towns of Mexico), got inspired by this important date in order to celebrate diverse love with his art crafts. The career of this artist started in the early 90s, he has worked with different forms of design, and his current proposal projects his identity, sensitivity, creative voice, humor and Mexican Culture, such as the Day of the Dead.
Mexico’s Day of the Dead is a very ancient tradition that mixes Pre-Colonial, Colonial and folk elements of the Mexican culture. The day of the Dead is an annual celebration to remember the life of the loved ones that are no longer with us. Mexicans build altars with flowers, candles, photographs and objects attached to the person that passed away. They also have hot chocolate, candy skulls and Bread of Dead, a sweet pastry with bone-shaped bread sticks on top. Some people dress as Catrinas, the quintessential character of this party: the grim reaper represented as a feminine skelleton, dressed in a colorful gown with flowers and even a huge hat with bright feathers. Some Mexicans even actually go to graveyards and spend the night of November 1st and 2nd in a huge celebration with music, food and laughter; their on way to make fun of Death, and to enjoy life.
No wonder why José Antonio, along with his team of artisans, have been so inspired. All of his pieces are one of a kind, manicured and can be custom made in order to satisfy every customer’s wishes. He mixes clay figurines with traditional crafting techniques, metal, vintage photographs, images of papers, magazines and board games, and even historic heroes and religious icons. Some of his contemporary, funny, pretty and affordable pieces can even portray same sex figures and jokes.
The world usually relates Mexico to lucha libre, Taco Bell, telenovelas and, in worst cases, Dora the Explorer. Of course these are stereotypes, and even though some of them are based on actual facts, it is well known that a whole country cannot be associated with just a few generalizations. Mexico is a country that offers so much more than what the world sees on news or in a five star resort in Cancun. It is rich in gastronomy, history, infrastructure, technology, science, academia, natural resources, art and cultural and social progress. Maybe its biggest artist is Frida Kahlo, however, there are obviously new artists such as José Antonio, with innovative, interesting, intricate and beautiful work that the world has to know and appreciate.
Michael Snell and Derrick Sorles, partners for 16 years, started collecting Day of Dead art in 2013. They found one of Jose Antiono’s gay themed nichos in 2014 and contacted him about making even more gay themed nichos exclusively for them and began importing them to the US. Gay Day of the Dead Art. Now with the passage of marriage equality growing at leaps and bounds, they hope to serve a whole new market of LGBT collectors.
Translation –
La mayor parte de nosotros estamos hartos de regresar a casa de cualquier viaje con los mismos souvenirs: la tarjeta postal barata, la playera que perderá sus colores después de lavarla dos veces y el imán de mal gusto para el refrigerador. Es por eso que José Antonio, ubicado en el maravillosamente bello y LGBT amigable San Miguel de Allende (uno de los pueblitos más populares de México), se inspiró en esta importante fecha para celebrar el amor diverso en sus artesanías. La carrera de este artista comenzó a principios de los 90s, ha trabajado con diferentes formas de diseño, y su propuesta actual refleja su identidad, sensibilidad, voz creativa, humor y cultura mexicana; como en el caso del Día de Muertos.
Esta fiesta anual es una antigua tradición que mezcla elementos prehispánicos, coloniales y folclóricos de la cultura mexicana. El día de muertos ayuda a recordar a la gente amada que ya no se encuentra presente. Los mexicanos crean altares con flores, velas, fotografías y objetos que los difuntos apreciaban. También toman chocolate caliente, calaveras de dulce y Pan de Muerto, pan dulce cubierto con palos de pan que semejan huesos. Algunas personas se visten como Catrinas, el personaje de esta celebración por excelencia: representa a la muerte como un esqueleto femenino, ataviado con un colorido vestido con flores e incluso un gran sombrero con brillantes plumas. Algunos mexicanos incluso visitan cementerios y pasan las noches del 1 y 2 de noviembre en una gran verbena con música, comida y risas; su manera única de burlarse de la muerte y de disfrutar la vida.
Es evidente por qué José Antonio, junto con su equipo de artesanos, se han inspirado tanto. Todas sus piezas son únicas, delicadamente construidas, y pueden personalizarse para satisfacer cada deseo de sus clientes. Combina figuras de arcilla y metal con técnicas artesanales típicas, viejas fotografías, imágenes de periódicos, revistas y juegos de mesa, y hasta personajes históricos e íconos religiosos. Y claro, algunas de sus piezas contemporáneas, divertidas, bonitas y accesibles pueden mostrar figuras del mismo sexo y chistes.
Gay Days Anaheim @ Disneyland
About 12 weeks away!
It’ll be here before you know it!
GAY DAYS ANAHEIM @ Disneyland!
This is one of our favorite parties – and favorite cities!
Gay Days Anaheim 2015
October 2 – 4
The schedule is awesome this year and you can pick and choose which parties and events you wish to attend. Coco Peru will be back this year and the fabulous WILLAM from Ru Pauls drag race fame. The parties run Friday thru Sunday but I encourage you stay a few more days. There is SO MUCH to see and do in Anaheim and Orange county. CHECK OUT THESE PAST ARTICLES! Shopping, dining, fresh air, art galleries and ocean waves. The historic Packing District showcases culinary offerings and events in a communal gathering space in the heart of downtown Anaheim, and celebrates their one year anniversary next month. You could spend an entire day here.
Discounted Park Tickets Available Now! Click here
Check out the Schedule of Gay Days Anaheim events HERE
Introducing the Gay Days Anaheim Concierge! Click for more information
If you’re not already on the Private Email List, sign up now!
Pinnacle Pride Rainbow Sherbet
Another delicious winner from Pinnacle vodka!
The only vodka with over 40 playful flavors!
Celebrate LGBTQ PRIDE and the strides that the community has made over the decades (especially the last few years) with a quick, tasty cocktail everyone can enjoy. Perfect for gay pride month! Perfect for a house party punch!
Check out Pinnacle® Pride Punch recipe video here.
Distilled five times for smoothness, this vodka leaves no doubt as to why it’s considered a classic.
Whether in a shot, a simple mixed drink, or a finely crafted cocktail, the original Pinnacle® vodka gives you nothing but the best.
@pinnaclevodka on Instgram
Converse Gay Pride Sneaker
Another Gay Tennis Shoe! First it was Adidas – now it’s Converse that steps out with a pride-related shoe line. (Converse is owned by Nike).
The Converse Pride Collection is honored to join the LGBT movement. Any crusade that hits the streets as loud and passionate as this one definitely needs sneakers to fit the occasion. We happily abide. The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Pride hi-tops are adorned with stylish patterns and every color of the rainbow. Each color represents a special meaning to the community. Each step we take brings us closer to universal tolerance and equality.
Adidas Gay pride Shoe
WOW – this is pretty cool! Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Gay Pride!
Inspired by the unjust treatment of the gay and lesbian community in the 1960’s, adidas shows support for the community at-large with an admirable new release.
Outsole Independence Hall in Philadelphia on July 4, 1965 was the first ever LGBT picket.
The same year, adidas named its flagship tennis shoe the “Robert Haillet” after the French tennis pro. That shoe, of course, went on to become the Stan Smith following Haillet’s retirement from the game. It’s now the best selling adidas sneaker of all-time.
Crafted in a bold paint splatter aesthetic, a rainbow undertone is noted through the pack in honor of those affected years ago, and those still struggling for acceptance today. The inspired adidas “Pride” Pack drops on June 6 at select Three Stripes retailers.
I could not find the price yet…lets hope there are lot less than Kanye’s Yeezy’s which are $350!
This Book is GAY
There is a long running joke that after “coming out”, we should get a membership card and an instruction manual! This is that manual!
James Dawson’s THIS BOOK IS GAY, provides a straightforward and witty breakdown of all things LGBT.
As a former health teacher and acclaimed young adult author, James Dawson gives an honest, humorous, and informative guide to topics including coming out, hooking up, dating, bullying and homo/transphobia, politics, religious views, and more. It includes real stories from people across gender and sexual spectrums, the smashing of myths and prejudices, and hilarious illustrations by Spike Gerrell, allowing readers to learn what it’s like growing up LGBT.
This book encourages people to realize their best self in whichever way they identify (or don’t) and whomever they love. As a comical and informative instruction manual, James Dawson tells it like it is so that the readers may go out and experience for themselves.
Whether you have recently come out or have been out – I think this book can offer something for everyone. There is great section about the bible. And how to come back at people and argue things they try to refer to to from the bible and Leviticus!
For about $10 this is a very useful book! BUY IT! This Book is Gay
After being published in Great Britain, This Book is Gay was named one of Guardian’s Best Books of the Year.
Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies EVER
So I agreed to sample some cookies I had never heard of; GIMMEE JIMMYS.
A huge 2# tin arrived last night at 5pm. Visions of Chocolate Chip and decadent brownies danced in my head!
I opened the tin! and there they were! NOT.
Instead, I saw Oatmeal Raisin cookies (probably my least favorite cookie on Earth!) and pretty Chocolate Rugelach. (Rugelach, other spellings: rugelakh, rugulach, rugalach, ruggalach, rogelach, rugalah, rugulah, rugala, is a Jewish pastry of Ashkenazic origin. Traditional rugelach are made in the form of a crescent by rolling a triangle of dough around a filling.)
So I grabbed a rugelach first, since it had chocolate in it. DELICIOUS. Soft, fresh, perfect balance in flavors.
So I thought what the heck, let me try one of these oatmeal raisin cookies. I took a small bit at first….it was sweet and chewy, and pretty darn good. I took a second bigger bite. Wow! I told my partner, who also does not like oatmeal raisin to try one. He did. AND WOW WOW! He agreed, this was one of the BEST COOKIES we had ever had. Over the next 3 hours, I hate to admit, we finished off ALL of the oatmeal raisin cookies and half of the regelach, at which point I demanded we freeze the rest, so that we would stop eating the entire tin.
Come to find out, in 1983, Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies opened its doors, making spectacular home baked cookies available to the public in simple cookie tins. The founder, Jimmy Libman, was a dedicated businessman, deaf from birth, but never handicapped by the physical obstacles he faced. Jimmy delivered a great product, and word of his great-tasting cookies soon spread through his loyal and satisfied customers.
A few years ago, Jimmy stepped back from the center of the arena and left the responsibility of producing Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies in the hands of a small team of successors. Today, it is the mission of the talented team to make sure that Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies no longer remain a secret. “We share our love of cookies, cakes and all things delicious with tens of thousands of sweet-toothed customers, and enjoy bringing the experience of freshly-baked, carefully sourced, expertly crafted baked goods to cookie lovers worldwide.
We are very excited to offer our cookies and fresh baked gourmet Kosher desserts to you!”
Baked Fresh All Day, Every Day.
- Spotless Kitchen
- Freshest All Natural Selected Ingredients
- No Artificial Anything
- Kosher Certified
- Delivered Daily To Fine Restaurants
- Shipped Fresh Daily Around The World
For about $25-$45 the fresh baked cookies are great for birthday gifts, corporate gifts, student care packs, fund raising and corporate premium gifts programs. (FREE Shipping).
Come and enjoy our just-baked cookies, cakes and desserts. Order online or by phone 1-844-446-6332 for scrumptious baked goods shipped daily with our guarantee of safe, fresh delivery. We’ve been pleasing kids and adults, customers and friends since 1983.
You are going to LOVE this product! Gimmee Jimmys
on Facebook too!
(Possibly Important :
- Q. Is Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies Nut-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy Free, Kosher?
- A. Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies and Treats are made in a non-nut free facility (There are nuts in our facility). That being said, if the items do not list nuts on the flavor, then we have not expressly added nuts to the ingredients. We unfortunatly are not currently gluten free. All of our Cookies are Dairy-Free Parve, the same goes for any items which do not expressly list Dairy in the title. All of our items are Kosher, Parve, and when listed as Dairy, “Cholov Yisrael”. We are certified by the OK kashrus agency. )
Abercrombie Fitch Fire Male Models
WHY?
Abercrombie Fitch is firing all their Male Models!
The brand will no longer promote sexual marketing and they will make the stores BRIGHTER!
Whose brilliant idea was this?
The trademark hotties are going the way of the dinosaur, as the retailer announced the brand will discontinue the use of “sexualized marketing” at all of its locations by the end of July.
No longer will shirtless men greet you at the door of Abercrombie & Fitch. The retailer is scaling back the sexiness at all A&F and Hollister locations and decreasing its powerful trademark aroma.
WTF?
I’D Bottom For Hillary
Leave it to some clever and witty queens to come up with this!
The website explains, “We are small but powerful group that encourages Hillary Clinton to run for President in 2016. We recognize the unbelievable force that is Hillary Clinton. So much so, that we admit that we would willingly bottom for her.
It does not matter if you usually bottom, or if you usually top but can’t resist the Clinton. She is a bad ass bitch. She is the head bitch in charge. She is the Ma’damnnnnn President.
Ideally we would be bottoming for her as we were voting for her.
We will display our love for Hillary but informing the world of our desire to bottom for her. Buy a shirt, have no shame, and vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016.”
Get the details at FUSION.
BottomForHillary.com
“With bottoming, there’s a lot that goes into it,” Ryan said in a phone interview late Sunday. “A lot of homosexuals understand the concept. Bottoming for someone takes a lot of trust and understanding.”
Lisa Vanderpump and Proposition Love Jewelry
Proposition Love, a fine jewelry company that caters to LGBT couples will be featured on episode #18 of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” Tuesday, March 17th on at 9pm EDT/PDT.
Newly ordained minister and “housewife” Lisa Vanderpump officiates her first-ever wedding ceremony in the garden of her new restaurant/lounge PUMP in West Hollywood with Bravo camera’s capturing every exciting moment of partners Magno Salva and Dominic Pierson’s memorable moment.
As the national LGBT marriage debate goes before the U.S. Supreme Court for a final decision this June, Proposition Love designed and donated rings and had the honor of presenting them to the couple on their wedding day. Sam Street and Jonathan Tack, founders of Proposition Love Jewelry, collaborated with Lisa Vanderpump to create the wedding rings for the first ceremony she was to officiate.
“Today I had the honour of officiating my first wedding at PUMP, beautiful couple entitled to equal rights. An emotional exquisite day! #LGBT” – Lisa Vanderpump @LisaVanderpump
Vanderpump worked with Street and Tack for weeks on the design of the rings, an interlocking motif crafted in white gold, symbolizing the love between newlyweds Dominic and Magno and the joining of their lives together.
Street commented “It was such an honor to design rings for Dominic and Magno’s special day as well as attending their beautiful ceremony. Lisa Vanderpump was the icing on the “wedding” cake. She is such a great advocate for our community.”
Prior to the wave of marriage equality sweeping the country, Street and Tack were married in California in 2008, as they couldn’t marry in their home state of New York. They are one of the 18,000 couples married during the short window of time before Prop 8 went into effect ending marriage equality in California.
Added Tack, “It’s encouraging to see support for marriage equality spreading nationwide and now finally before the Supreme Court; unlike when we were married six years ago in San Francisco’s City Hall.”
In preparation for the Supreme Court ruling, Proposition Love Jewelry created a video celebrating LOVE is LOVE with newlyweds Dominic and Magno, along with models Murray Swanby and Noah Wright and directed by Brad Hammer. The video can be viewed at: PropositionLove.com.
Twerking 101 by Andrew Christian NSFW
SEXY Pablo Hernandez teaches Andrew Christian Twerk 101 to some fellow models in a new video put out by the company. NSFW
The class is small enough for each student to receive individualized attention. The students: Cheddy O, Rocky Santos, Steven Andrade, and Jonny Manzanares. We won’t tell you which guy’s back end does which twerk, or who gets an A+.
BEZAR Cool Art and Design Stuff
Bezar connects people who design special things
with people who desire special things.
After a year of soul-searching, Fab cofounder and former creative director Bradford Shellhammer is back in the flash sales game with his forthcoming startup Bezar, an online short-term sales hub for designers who are hand picked by Shellhamm.
Sound familiar? Shellhammer admits that the site, when it launches this spring, will work a lot like the original Fab.
Although he’s not calling Bezar a flash sales site, but rather a collection of pop-up shops, “because it’s a little different from flash,” Shellhammer said. “This is not excess inventory.
What sets Bezar apart from Fab, Shellhammer says, is partnerships with more established brands, which will use the platform to sell designer collaborations and new collections.
The initiative has also collected an interesting crew of advisers and angel investors, including Whoopi Goldberg and the design guru Yves Behar. Shellhammer will act as CEO, a more operations-oriented role than he had at Fab; his founding team includes former private equity investor Justin Chen as CFO and former Fab employees Matt Baer (also of Quirky) and PieterJan Mattan as COO and creative director, respectively.
Check it out! JOIN NOW
Saks Fifth Avenue Transgender Discrimination
I could see WALMART doing this….but Saks Fifth Avenue???
Leyth O. Jamal, a transgender woman living in Texas, has filed a federal lawsuit against her former employer, Saks Fifth Avenue, alleging that she was exposed to a hostile working environment at the luxury department store’s Houston-area location, reports local news station KPRC.
In a statement from her attorney, Jamal describes being harassed and belittled by coworkers, being forced to use the men’s restroom, withstanding intentional and repeated use of male pronouns by her coworkers, and ultimately being fired. Following this alleged mistreatment, she filed a claim of workplace discrimination with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency that enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Amendment of 1964, including protecting workers from sex-based discrimination. Full story at ADVOCATE.
Attorneys for the company also blatantly misgendered Jamal in court documents and alleged the retailer isn’t bound by its own nondiscrimination policy, which covers transgender workers.
BuzzFeed reports:
“Saks’ arguments are hugely concerning to us,” the director of HRC’s Workplace Equality Program, Deena Fidas, said in a statement provided to BuzzFeed News. “In its court filings, Saks attempts to secure a motion to dismiss Ms. Jamal’s allegations by simultaneously calling into question the validity of its own non-discrimination policy and the larger, crucial protections afforded by Title VII.”
Regarding its Corporate Equality Index, an effort to alert consumers to pro-LGBT or anti-LGBT policies of companies, Fidas added: “The policies our CEI advances are not window dressings for any company to prop up or disregard in the face of individual allegations of misconduct. Saks is publicly undercutting the applicability of its own policies reported in the CEI and we must suspend Saks’ CEI score until further notice.”
A huge backlash AGAINST SAKS has already started.
Tom Ford Penis Cross Necklace
Oh what a lovely cross – I mean penis!
Yes – Tom Ford is selling Penis necklaces! Handmade Penis Pendant Necklace 64 cm Chain Length Cross 29X19mm Vintage Gold Plated Brass Galvanization Made In Italy.
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has taken issue with a Ford-designed piece of jewelry called the “penis pendant necklace.” The $790 piece, which is available in gold and silver, looks exactly like the name suggests and comes in sizes small, medium and large.
The controversial Catholic League considers the piece offensive, however, because the pendant appears to be in the shape of a cross.
“When we learned of this item, I said to the staff that I bet this guy Tom Ford is a homosexual,” Bill Donahue, the Catholic League’s president and CEO, is quoted as saying in a press release. “I was right. He even thinks he’s married.” (Ford is married to journalist Richard Buckley.)
The 53-year-old fashion star debuted the necklace at his spring-summer 2015 show in London over the summer. At the time, Esquire noted the possibility that the penis cross may be an allusion to the phallus-shaped fascinus charms worn by ancient Romans.
Fifty Ways to Eat Cock
For the cook in your life!
Curious about cock?
You’re not the only one. Once revered for his virility and strength, the rooster has taken a back seat to the hen in more recent years. With healthy chicken recipes like Risotto Cock Balls and Cock-o’s, 50 Ways to Eat Cock is a fun and inventive chicken cookbook that takes a revealing look at the folklore, history, culinary culture and nutritional benefits of this well-endowed ingredient.
With tongue-in-cheek descriptions, these playful cock recipes are bulging with everything from the quintessential to the quick-and-easy to the downright quirky. You’ll learn how to tame this tough bird meat into succulent and finger-licking gourmet meals.
Starbucks Big Gay Pride Flag in Seattle
At the Starbucks headquarters in Seattle this week, an enormous 800 square foot LGBT Pride flag was raised in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Seattle Pride.
Starbucks hold a ranking of 90 of 100 points with HRC. Their only short coming is
Does not offers equal health coverage for transgender individuals without exclusion for medically necessary care.
Photographer Nate Gowdy was on hand and shared these images with Towleroad of the clock tower and flag, as well as CEO Howard Schultz, who observed the flag raising with employees.
Seattle Pride Communications Director Adam McRoberts applauded the gesture in a press release:
“We are thrillled that Starbucks is showing their support for the LGBT community in this very big, very public way. The flag flying over their headquarters will welcome thousands of visitors coming to seattle to celebrate Pride this week and is a testament to the support Starbucks has shown the LGBT community over the years.”
J Prince Studio Rock Star Looks and Designs
HOT! One of Chicago’s top interior designer and event planners, Ramsey Jay Prince has set up a permanent shop, J PRINCE STUDIO, on North Broadway in Chicago, and has something for everyone.
But with the power in the internet and his sexy male models and clothes, orders are now coming in from around the country!
Has has shorts and tanktops, swimwear and sportswear – but its SEQUINS making everybody sparkle!
Sequined Hoods and Shorts are currently his top items. Fabrics are limited and always changing!
Check out whats online and call more for info, colors and sizes that are available right now!!
J Prince Studio
3744 N Broadway
Chicago IL 60613
312.547.0958 office
Store Hours
Tuesday – Saturday : 11am – 7pm
Sunday and Monday by appointment only
Real.Soaps from Gay Business Owners in Chicago
You may want to eat these soaps… But Don’t!
For real though, these soaps smells divine. They are like a big comforting hug! Lots of oils and creative concoctions. Like the Tom Collins Scrub! Yes, based on the cocktail!
“We are two guys from Chicago who make amazing soaps and bath products! It all started when we decided to look at the ingredients of our commercial soaps & cleaning products. After some research we decided to rid our home of them and make our own. We learned that all you REALLY need to clean almost anything is some combination of soap and water. Logically, we began to make our own soaps, and it turns out, we are pretty good at it. Our friends started asking us to buy our REAL soaps to replace their commercial “soaps,” so we set up a shop on etsy and now you can too.
We use the traditional cold-process method to produce small-batch, handmade artisan soaps. To us, REAL means natural. We don’t use any dyes, preservatives, or artificial ingredients. Each bar is hand cut and cared for to bring you a personal, REAL experience.
If you want to try our REAL. soaps, you can order some here in our ETSY shop”
Like us on Facebook facebook.com/real.soaps
Follow us on Twitter, Pinterest, & Instagram! @realsoaps
