This month marks the beginning of a new era for San Fransisco International Airport. The airport’s Terminal 1 has reopened after a $2.4 billion renovation as Harvey Milk Terminal 1. A giant banner now welcomes travelers as they approach the airport. The terminal, which is currently home to Jet Blue and Southwest, is destined to become the ultimate destination at SFO. The aim for the terminal was efficiency and relaxation. It was designed with high ceilings, retro furnishings, abundant sources of natural light, and even a yoga room! On top of the state-of-the-art facilities, the terminal has a permanent Harvey…
Author: Keith Langston
Mounir Baatour, a lawyer in the Northern African country of Tunisia, has declared that he’s running for president. This makes Baatour the first openly gay man to run for office in the nation’s history. Making this event even more historic and courageous is the fact that homosexuality is still outlawed in the country, with the punishment for sodomy being up to three years in prison. Currently, Baatour is the head of the opposition Liberal Party and he helped co-found a group called Shams, which became the first legally recognized LGBT group in the Arab world. Upon declaring his decision to…
I was lucky enough to snag a seat on Virgin Atlantic’s Pride Flight, which flew from London Heathrow into New York City to herald in the start of WorldPride. The flight was, put simply, completely insane. I’m talking conga lines through the aisles, Britney blasting on the speakers, and the plane being completely depleted of its alcohol supply. It was a flight that will surely go down in history. Here are 8 things that made it epic! THE FUN BEGAN AT THE AIRPORT The festivities began the second you walked up to the doors of Heathrow’s T3. A giant…
We’ve all heard the story of those pivotal events that took place at a New York City gay bar in the summer of 1969. What you might not know is the surprising events that took place after the notorious Stonewall Riots. As you can imagine, shortly after the riots the Stonewall was closed. A mafia-owned bar that was home to an uprising against cops wasn’t bound to last long. Flash forward fifty years to the present day. I’m standing in Christopher Park with three members from the National Parks Conservation Association. It’s pouring rain and I’m completely soaked because I…
Back in 2016, the then 27-year-old architect, Alfie Arcuri, had a life-changing experience: He was selected to audition for Australia’s version of the popular reality series The Voice. Before he knew it, he was crowned the winner, had a record label, a hit album, and a future as a musician. Recently, I was lucky enough to sit down with this handsome and charming Aussie and ask him some questions about his life. With his cat (whom he adopted from Delta Goodrem) perched in his lap, and his dog asleep on the couch beside him, Alfie opened up about his life, his…
In yet another blow to the LGBTQ community from the Trump administration, according to the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC News, and more, the US State Department will not allow US Embassies around the world to fly the pride flag during June. Multiple embassies requested permission, to which the State Department responded that flags could not be flown “on public-facing flagpoles,” according to the NYT article, but could still be flown in other places, such as inside… Sadly, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. The Trump administration has been avidly hateful of the LGBTQ community. Our current…
Canadian nonprofit Rainbow Railroad has a mission: To help save LGBTQ people who are trapped in hostile nations. Earlier this year Brunei reversed its death penalty for gay sex, but still remains very dangerous for the LGBTQ community. And Brunei isn’t the only country with harsh anti-gay laws. According to CBS, same-sex relations are illegal in 70 countries, with 7 of those mandating the death penalty as punishment. Rainbow Railroad aims to provide a way for LGBTQ people to escape these dangerous areas so they can live the free, safe, and happy life they deserve. Rainbow Railroad executive director Kimahli…
The amazing gay travel organization, Oscar Wilde Tours, is putting on a new and fascinating tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. “Unhung Heroes” will explore why so much artwork has men that are not the biggest down there. The tour will explore why this is and ask various questions: Was it artistic licensing? Was it considered hot? Or, perhaps men back then were just not as large in the pants as they are today? After the in-depth journey through the Met’s “Unhung Heroes,” the tour will then explore artwork in the other direction. Art that features…
On Monday, a new ad campaign from Cathay Pacific titled “Move Beyond” was meant to showcase the airline’s dedication and commitment to its customers. Part of this campaign includes diversity. Cathay Pacific, being one of Asia’s earliest global carriers, knows the importance of diversity as it has been flying passengers of all genders, races, and sexualities for decades. The new ad (image featured above) was swiftly banned from appearing on Hong Kong’s various forms of mass transit for being “immoral, and offending the generally accepted standards of public decency and the social or cultural standards of the society,” said a…
Key West has long been hailed as one of America’s most beautiful locations, as well as one of this country’s most gay-friendly cities. So it should come as no surprise that Key West holds one of the best pride festivals of the year! This year, Key West Pride is being held from June 5-9 and includes special guests such as the legendary and hilarious Bruce Vilanch, and recording artists Debby Holiday. With beautiful palm trees, the hot Florida summer, and then even hotter Pride patrons, this is a festival not to be missed. The official kick-off is Wednesday, June 5th.…
Today, in a groundbreaking ruling, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize gay marriage! The country of almost 24 million people celebrated as the ruling was announced. President Tsai Ing-wen tweeted after the vote. “We took a big step towards true equality, and made Taiwan a better country.” and #LoveWon is currently trending on Twitter. It’s great to see that a country in Asia has stepped forward in this landmark decision. Now that Taiwan has legalized same-sex marriage, the doors for other countries in the region to do the same have been blown wide open. If you’re planning on…
The second edition of KibbutZurich – the Jewish Arts Festival – will take place from May 18 -26 2019 in Zurich! You can expect a diverse program of more than 16 events. The six-day cultural festival (with a special pre-festival party) offers a wide range of events in dance, music, workshops, lectures, culinary expeditions and much more. Here is a primer of the must-visit events of this year’s festival! MAY 18 Tel Aviv Eurovision Dance Party Labor Bar, Schiffbaustrasse 3, 8005 Zürich photo courtesy of KibbutZurichIn A special pre-festival event, the grand finale of Eurovision will be broadcast live…
This year marks the 5th anniversary of Wes Anderson’s modern classic The Grand Budapest Hotel, which showcases the peculiar and curious life of a quirky European hotel. The Grand Budapest in the film has a striking resemblance to real life The Corinthia Budapest (Anderson visited the hotel to view its archival images when planning his film). The hotel’s Hollywood connection is what served as the inspiration for the Corinthia to create its “Grand Hotel Experience.” The Corinthia will transport guests back to the hotel’s magical heyday in the 1930’s…. Just like the film, which was set in Hungary’s glamorous 30’s, the Corinthia…
From April 26 to 28, the Lexus Culinary Classic will return to the historic Cavallo Point resort in San Francisco. The weekend is going to be filled with great food, wine, and excursions! Now in its fifth year, the event has an exciting lineup of guest chefs and culinary experts. Throughout the weekend guests will be treated to a schedule of exclusive events with highlights including a welcome dinner and reception, multiple cooking demonstrations, uniquely prepared meals, a class on wine blending, and the grande finale, the Lexus Grand Tasting, where some of America’s finest wineries will come together for a…
NYC Pride announced today that tickets are on sale for the opening ceremony of this summer’s epic WordPride. The opening ceremony will be held on Wednesday, June 26, 2019, from 7-10 P.M. NYC Pride says the ceremony will be formatted as a benefit concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Proceeds from the ticket sales to this historic concert event will support the Ali Forney Center, Immigration Equality, and SAGE. The event is set to be a star-studded who’s-who of New York. EGOT-winning actress, Whoopi Goldberg, is primed to host the event. Goldberg stated, “I’ve been a longtime advocate of the…
Airbnb is holding a contest where you can spend the night inside the famous Parisian museum, The Louvre. Yep, you heard that correctly. The Louvre. So, what does this night of magic and wonder entail? You might want to sit down for this one, because it’s nuts… Your night will begin with an aperitif served right in front of the Mona Lisa Drink with the Mona Lisa (Photo ©Julian Abrams courtesy of Airbnb) Following your drinks, you’ll be served a delicious meal in a pop-up dining room with the Venus of Milo. Your dinner will be inspired by Venus herself,…
Today, the Human Rights Campaign, along with other human rights groups released statements condemning Brunei for their move to implement laws that would allow for the imprisonment, torture, and stoning of LGBTQ people. HRC responded to this alarming report that Brunei is set to implement barbaric punishments targeting LGBTQ people. According to the report, the second and third phases of a new Penal Code are both expected to be implemented on April 3, which could result in LGBTQ people being whipped, tortured or stoned to death for consensual same-sex relations. “We are facing a dangerous crisis as Brunei is close to implementing laws…
United Airlines made history by becoming the first airline in the US to offer non-binary booking options for its passengers. According to the airline, customers now have the ability to identify themselves as M(male), F(female), U(undisclosed) or X(unspecified), corresponding with what is indicated on their passports or identification. This is huge news because United is the one the world’s largest airlines. United is the 3rd largest by revenue and fleet size, and 4th largest in the number of passengers it carries. What that means is that if United can show that accommodating non-binary passengers proves to help business, it could…