On Monday, July 22, gay rights activist and politician, Taiga Ishikawa, was elected to Japan’s National Parliament. Ishikawa won a seat for the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. The current ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is avidly anti-LGBTQ+, and Ishikawa is determined to challenge them with his new position. His party is trying to introduce a bill for protecting LGBTQ+ people from discrimination, as well as a marriage equality bill. According to Japanese news outlet Asahi Shimbun, after his victory, Ishikawa stated, “I would like to do my best to enact both pieces of legislation…I want…
Author: Keith Langston
Puerto Rico Governor, Ricardo Rosselló announced his resignation after massive protests erupted on the island’s capital of San Juan. The protests came after offensive messages surfaced between the governor and his inner circle via Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism. The messages included homophobic and sexist remarks, as well as jokes about victims of Hurricane Maria. Besides the comments, recent events have set the platform for the massive protests against the governor. Many Puerto Ricans are still suffering after the devastation of the hurricanes, and political corruption has long angered the island’s residents. Furthermore, just one day ago, Rosselló’s Chief…
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…
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…
For decades, Flight 001 has been the pinnacle of what a travel store should be: useful gadgets and fun travel accessories, all with a quirk and charm that make them extra special. It’s the kind of travel store you’d image Richard Branson opening. Recently, I was able to sit down with Flight 001 co-founder Brad John on a gorgeous morning near Madison Square in Manhattan to discover the story behind such a fascinating business. Keith: Naturally, my first question is going to be, how did all of this get started? Brad: Well, me and my business partner were both business…
Tony and Grammy winning actor and singer, Billy Porter, is set to be honored at this year’s 38th annual Black Tie Dinner. The Black Tie Dinner is one of the largest LGBT events in the country, and previous years have seen the likes of Connie Britton, Maya Angelou, Lilly Tomlin, Dustin Lance Black, and many more. The event is set to take place November 2nd in Dallas, Texas. The night’s theme is, “Be.” The Black Tie Dinner has grown tremendously over its lifetime. The first event, held back in 1982, raised $6,000 for charity. Last years event raised over $1,000,000! Throughout…
What does flight insurance cover? In general, it covers canceling a flight due to things like illness, a death in the family, job loss, severe weather problems, an extreme accident that makes you unable to fly, and so on…but in general, we’re talking about illness. That’s the most common reason you’d need to cancel a flight. Let me explain what happened to me: Back in early May, I booked a flight home for June. By the time June rolled along, it would be around 4 months since I was sick last, so I purchased flight insurance just in case, because…
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced today that Twitter will be banning all political ads, globally. In true twitter form, the announcement came via tweet. In it, Dorsey stated: https://twitter.com/jack/status/1189634360472829952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1189634360472829952&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2019%2F10%2F30%2Ftechnology%2Ftwitter-political-ads-ban.html For anyone out there wondering why this is, here is a great example. Political ads can come in various forms. Political ads can be harmless, such as this ad by Elizabeth Warren: But political ads can also be extremely divisive, offensive, hurtful, and untrue. Here’s an advertisement that has recently popped up on a popular movie website. Many say that allowing ads like this to be spread around the country, simply…
Claudia Lopez was recently elected the mayor of Bogota, Colombia, making her the first female and first LGBTQ mayor in the city’s history. Lopez ran on a platform promising to combat political corruption and promoting civil rights for everyone. Upon hearing the news of her election, Lopez said, “This is the day of the woman, we knew that only by uniting could we win. We did that. We united, we won, and we made history!” Lopez received over 1 million votes, beating her opponent by 2.7 percentage points, electing her as one of the most important political figures in Colombia.…
A new campaign, “Deutschland fliegt nicht” translated to ‘Germany Doesn’t Fly’ is aiming to curb carbon emissions by encouraging Germans to rethink their domestic and short-haul flights. The first goal is to try get as many people as possible not to fly during the week of February 10 -16, 2020. According to the group, “The nationwide campaign ‘Germany doesn’t fly’ is much more than a normal protest. Simply not flying is more effective than waiting for bans, regulations and laws.” The goal is to get Germany (and the rest of the world) to recognize and understand the immense amount of…
I recently sat down with Patricia Schultz, author of the wildly successful book (turned into more books, calendars, travel journals, and even a Travel Channel TV show…) 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. A new edition of her famous book has just been release as a vivid and stunning pictorial journey around the globe with 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: The World as You’ve Never Seen it Before. We met for tea at the newly opened Hudson Yards on the west side of Manhattan, which has recently undergone a multi-billion dollar reinvention project. The new Hudson Yards…
We’ve all asked the question: How do I save money while on vacation? The standard responses we get are: “Visit somewhere where the American dollar goes far,” or “Travel during the off-season.” But let’s discuss some other ways to save money when traveling. The suggestions below might just be your ticket to having a fantastic holiday without spending a lot of money. Price match, even if it isn’t technically offered. Sites like Expedia, Orbitz, and Kayak have dramatically changed the world of travel, and they have seriously pissed off hotel chains and airlines. Nowadays, most companies offer price-matching or…
Equaldex is a user-generated “knowledge base,” as founder Dan Leveille put it during our interview. Leveille works for a marketing company by day, and his education background is in web development, but he has a passion for LGBTQ rights and wants to use his skills to help the cause, thus, Equaldex was born. When he founded the website, he had a tall order to fill. He wanted to create an easy-to-use website that informed readers of LGBTQ rights in every country across the globe. As time went on, the website generated traction and has been featured in publications like AirBnb…
Suburban Toronto has a new bus taking residents to wherever they need to go… it’s a giant pink bus, with images of famous LGBTQ Canadians on its side. Inside, the bus is filled with facts, information cards, and words of encouragement, all meant to educate people on the LGBTQ community, as well as to inspire LGBTQ riders to feel comfortable being themselves. https://twitter.com/blogTO/status/1145470835018350593 The idea for the bus began with the nonprofit LoveisLoveisLove, after famed Canadian philanthropist Kathryn E. Langley Hope gave the organization a hefty donation to make it happen. The goal was to operate the bus during Pride…
Going along with the global trend of reverting to conservatism, Indonesia, the world’s largest muslim nation, will most likely vote to amend its penal code this month. The revisions to the law will consider acts such as adultly, extramarital sex, abortion, and contraception as “social evils.” Even scarier, the law would forbid “obscene public acts” and the definition of such acts has been left intentionally vague to include whatever prosecutors would like it to. This will be especially hurtful to the LGBTQ community, whom already face extreme segregation and oppression within Indonesia. Since gay couples can’t marry, all homosexual sex…
Adam Berry is having a bit of a moment. His paranormal investigation show Kindred Spirits is one of Travel Channel’s most popular, and is currently filming its fourth season. Adam also participates in Strange Escapes with his Kindred Spirits co-star Amy Bruni, where the two, along with other paranormal professionals, guide participants through ghost hunts at some of America’s most haunted locals. And to top it all off, he’s happily married to his handsome husband, Ben Berry. Seeing as October is here, autumn is in the air, and Halloween in fast approaching, I sat down with Adam to ask him…
This year, the National LGBTQ Task Force will put on their 23rd Gala in the heart of Miami Beach at the gorgeous Fountainbleau Resort on Saturday, October 19. Seeing as this is the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, this year’s theme will be Fifty Years of FIERCE! According to the organization, “Fierce describes the activists, drag queens and kings, the leather daddies and biker babes, the gender-queer fashionistas and transgender stars. Fierce is the power in which we live our lives and the progress we’ve made in the fight for our rights to exist as we choose!” The event will begin with…
On September 24, the ACLU was presented with the Emmy for Outstanding Short Documentary for their film Trans in America: Texas Strong. The film was made in partnership with Little by Little Films, and was distributed by Conde Nast’s LGBTQ brand, Them. The film centers around 8-year-old transgender child Kai Shappley and her mother Kimberly. At a very young age Kai showed signs that she didn’t identity with her gender at birth. Her mother, Kimberly, struggled with trying to understand and comprehend what was happening. Finally, Kimberly accepted her daughter Kai and embraced her with love and affection. However, with…
Russian LGBT activist, Yelena Grigoryeva, was stabbed to death this summer due to a dangerous website calling itself “SAW” based upon the popular horror franchise. For those unaware of the film, the plot centers around a deranged madman dying of cancer. He believes he can atone for his sins before death by torturing people who have done bad things. However, there is one significant difference between the film and this Russian site that the founders clearly didn’t understand. In SAW, the point was to torture the victims, while giving them the option to survive. It was about making a sacrifice…
On October 10, the Fort Lauderdale edition of the OUTshine Film Festival will return to the sunny coast of Florida. This year, the festival has 33 feature-length films and 18 shorts from 13 countries around the world. The event is being sponsored by Gilead, Broward County, and Culture Builds Florida. The festivities kick off October 10 with a screening of the comedy Adam by Rhys Ernst. The film has stirred up much controversy and praise over some of its themes, and is sure to be a hot talking point at this year’s festival. https://www.instagram.com/p/B096c97l1X0/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet After the screening, an opening…
On Thursday, the New York City Council claimed to make a tough decision: They decided to put forward legislation that would reverse the city’s ban on gay conversion therapy. What are they thinking? This is a decision based on fear, and the law must not be repealed. So why would NYC want to allow gay conversion therapy? As the New York Times puts it, “The City Council fears that if a federal lawsuit challenging the ban were to reach the Supreme Court, the panel could issue a ruling that protected the practice.” In essence, the City Council is worried about…
Mike Pence’s trip to Europe hasn’t been going quite as planned. A few days ago, Pence visited Iceland’s capital of Reykjavik and was met with an overflowing sense of diversity and inclusion—two things that Mike Pence hates most. The tech company Advania decided to “celebrate diversity that day,” and flew rainbow flags in front of their office. The headquarters for Efling trade union followed suit, as did many other organizations throughout the city. In fact, flags were even being flown in front of Hofdi House, where Ronald Reagan famously visited in the 80’s. To really top it off, Iceland’s president…
Think that nothing is dirtier than double-fisting, cock-docking, and motor-boating? Well, then you’ve clearly haven’t seen what the world’s oceans look like these days. Luckily, Pornhub has teamed up with sexual sensation LeoLulu to help solve that problem… and all you have to do is pull your pants down and sit in front of your computer. For real. In Pornhub’s The Dirtiest Porn Ever, couple Leolulu begin casually walking along a very polluted beach. Suddenly, the couple gets a little frisky…perhaps it’s the fumes from the rotting trash all around them? In any event, these two are ready to go…