Starring the designer himself, Andrew Christian, the one minute and a half video also features, Topher DiMaggio, Rocky Santos, Steven Andrade, Murray Swanby, Cheddy Oakafor, Jonny Manzanares, Pablo Hernandez.
The bevvy of beauts are seen twerking and wearing a variety of the designer’s undies. AC makes an appearance at the end as a strapping Santa Claus.
In his first book, Blind: A Memoir, he chronicles the two years immediately following his assault. He narrates the recondite world of the blind, where microwaves, watches, and computers talk, and guide dogs guard as well as lead.
Why was it important for you to tell your story?
When I became blind, I realised that everything I knew about blindness was inaccurate. Many of my erroneous assumptions about blindness had been created by Hollywood and novels and I wanted to put something out that properly portrayed what it’s like to lose your sight in the twenty-first century.
What do you hope people will learn from reading the book?
I hope people learn that disability doesn’t mean the end of someone’s life. Most importantly, I hope readers become more open to befriending a person with a disability.
How do your disabilities impact your life as a gay man?
Blindness makes it tough to flirt with guys in public. It also takes me a bit longer to warm up to a crowd of guys in a bar.
And there’s no app for that?
Although there are apps that can describe colours, decode money, and allow me to text a message, there are no apps that make dating easier.
Does Oslo (Belo’s service dog) ever guide you to Mr. Right?
Absolutely, Oslo has brought some great guys into my life! Whether he sat me next to them on the bus or in a bar, he seems to know my type. Oslo is very important to me and I only date guys who like dogs.
Can you go anywhere with Oslo?
International travel is very challenging as some countries still do not permit me to enter with Oslo. Once, in New York City, I had a cab driver refuse to allow me in the car with him. I have also been denied service at restaurants and coffee shops.
Is that your biggest pet peeve?
It’s one of them. Another one is I think people with disabilities are often de-eroticised and romanticised. We are often seen as saints, inspirational figures, and not as regular people. We are never portrayed as beautiful, sexy, or funny. Disabled people, first and foremost, are people. We crave the same things everyone else does no matter how we get around.
Being gay and disabled, do you find yourself fighting two fronts – the gay agenda and the disabilities agenda?
As a Hispanic, I actually find myself fighting three fronts! I was the keynote speaker at University of San Francisco for National Disability Awareness Month. I spoke to students about the dos and don’ts of speaking to a person with a disability. At Yale, I was the keynote speaker for Hispanic Heritage Month. I talked to students about my journey of becoming a writer and how my Latino culture helped that happen.
How did you become a spokesperson for Guide Dogs For the Blind?
Oslo has brought some great guys into my life! Whether he sat me next to them on the bus or in a bar, he
seems to know my type. Oslo is very important to me and I only date guys who like dogs. The organisation asked me if they could feature my story in their documentary. I have since spoken at many of their fundraising events and represented the organisation on TV, radio, and print media in both English and Spanish.
You’re also featured on the cover of their 2015 calendar!
(Laughing) Isn’t that remarkable? It’s also proof there is a silver lining to everything! I would never have been the cover of a calendar had I not lost my sight!
Hilarious! But in all seriousness, if you could regain your sight, would you?
I meet a lot of people, at signings and on the street, who tell me that they are praying I get my vision back. I always tell them to pray for my health instead. Sometimes people wish or pray that the disabled would become able-bodied again. Yet, this is often not possible. Currently, there are no medical procedures that would help me regain my sight and that’s ok. I am happy with who I am.
Interview by Shane Gallagher
This interview first appeared in issue 6 of TheGayUK.
Lydia Cawson, said that she was told by a staff member at the Canteen eatery at the Southbank’s Royal Festival Hall, to move away from her partner whom she was consoling at the time.
The couple had met at the restaurant during a break and Ms. Cawson was consoling her partner after a stressful week at work – with an arm around her shoulder and a ‘peck on the cheek’.
Allegedly the couple were approached by a member of staff and asked to move away from each other.
She told London Live ‘I didn’t notice any adverse reaction in the restaurant, myself. Then the lady came over to us and said “can you stop what you’re doing please, this is a family restaurant”.’
Her partner then asked the member of staff, ‘Is it a family restaurant or is it a homophobic restaurant?’
Ms. Cawson also added, The first thing is that we were really shocked by this challenge.
We didn’t feel like we were overly affectionate. Yes, it was an intimate moment, but consoling her and just a simple loving reaction.
The second comment was that it was a family restaurant and it made me feel; ‘why does that matter? Is it because children are present – not that there were any children present at that time – anyway, why should it matter if it is a family restaurant?’
Taking to Twitter, Canteen owners tweeted, ‘Everyone is welcome at Canteen, gay / straight/old/ young regardless of sexuality. We are horrified at the thought of being labelled anti gay – half of our team are gay. At Canteen, we pride ourselves on being a modern, equal opportunities, open and accessible business. We want everyone to feel welcome in our restaurants.’
It was the viral video that gay men everywhere collectively had been waiting for, the one where Tom Daley, champion Olympian would come out to the world.
At the time he mentioned that he had met someone who he was really happy with, and the media (not us, we might add), went into speculation about who it might be.
It wasn’t long however, until award winning Dustin Lance Black, who wrote the screen play for MILK, was named as the man who had stolen Tom’s heart.
In this endearing picture, Dustin and Tom are seen sitting together at a family bar-b-que, looking relaxed and happy.
Dustin wrote, ‘Happy 1 year @tomdaley1994! Here’s a family BBQ throw back to the good times before we could share! #bangs’
The flight from Boston to Los Angeles made an emergency landing on Monday morning, in Nebraska after an American passenger, named as Doug Adams, was caught masturbating according to police reports, which were acquired by NBC.
Adams was reportedly wearing a hospital bracelet and after an argument with a fellow passenger, he attempted to leave the aircraft.
Another passenger Sam Slater, who filmed the incident said after returning from the toilet the unruly passenger had an argument with a woman next to him. He then said that Adams asked a flight attendant to move the woman away from him.
‘He at that point was fidgeting and began to remove the plastic covering from the emergency exit door and tried to pull open the door.
‘Fortunately there were a couple of Boston police officers on the flight that were there at that point to help as well.’
A decade after AIDs began its stranglehold, decimating communities, a coalition of 12 artists gathered to devise a plan to raise awareness for Visual Aids, a New York arts organisation which raises awareness of HIV.
The 12 people consisted of photographers, painters, filmmakers and costume designers. After a short collaboration they came up with the striking, but simple idea of the red ribbon, inspired by the yellow ribbons tied on trees at the time, to denote support for US military fighting in the Gulf war.
Pink and rainbow colours were rejected because of their association with the LGBT community, and the designers were keen to show that HIV went beyond gay people and could potentially affect everyone.
The red ribbon logo became recognisable across the globe.
‘In one of the worst moments we ever faced we rose above it. We took care of each other. It was extraordinary and beautiful.’ Interview with the director and star How to Survive A Plague.
The ribbon is worn to signify awareness and support for people living with HIV.
According to WorldAIDsDay.org, ‘When the artists sat down to work on this project, their aim was to get people talking about HIV. This was during a time where HIV was highly stigmatised and people living with HIV were suffering behind closed doors, some too scared to even tell their loved ones they were living with the virus. The artists wanted to create a visual expression of compassion for people living with, and affected by, HIV.’
In the very beginning the artists made the ribbons themselves and distributed them around New York. ‘Within weeks of the red ribbon idea being born, world-famous actors starting wearing the red ribbon to high-profile award ceremonies such as the Oscars and talking about why it was important. The media also cottoned on, and within a short space of time the red ribbon symbol became universally recognised.’ Explains the website.
Every year more than 25,000 extra people die in England over the winter period and many of these deaths are, experts say, preventable.
Today (1 December 2014) the Met Office has said that by later this week we will get our first taste of cooler weather and temperatures are expected to fall to about what we’d expect for this time of year.
The winter planning period started on November 1 2014 when PHE and the Met Office began its cold weather alert system, a programme which enables the agencies to make public warnings when particularly chilly weather is forecast. The Met Office’s winter season begins today.
Mark Wilson, a meteorologist Met Office, said, ‘With today being the start of winter, this week looks likely to see temperatures falling closer to the early December average. This means that by day, temperatures will be around 7 to 10 Celsius, with some nights seeing temperatures fall close to freezing, particularly in more rural areas. As we look ahead to the rest of December, a return to the unseasonably mild conditions of recent times is not currently expected.’
Dr Angie Bone, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at Public Health England, said, ‘Cold weather can lead to serious health problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, and can make chest diseases worse.
So before the really cold weather arrives this winter think now how the cold may have an effect on your friends and family. The impact of cold weather is felt most by older people, the very young and those who have pre-existing health conditions, if you know someone in one of these groups, and most of us do, have a look at the cold weather plan or the Keep Warm Keep Well leaflet for practical guidance on what to do to.
Much of our advice on protecting health indoors is common sense. People should eat warm food and drink hot drinks, heat homes to at least 18C and move about to keep warm. But it’s worth repeating this as some people find these things difficult to do without help. We’re also urging everyone to think of someone they know who may be affected by the cold, an elderly relative, friend or neighbour, someone not in the best of health or with very young children, to take the time to think about what you can do to help protect their health this winter.’
Professor Keith Willett, NHS England’s clinical director for acute care, said, ‘As a doctor who has spent some 30 years working in A&E, every winter, doctors and nurses see a big increase in the number of people, particularly older and frail people, who are admitted to hospital because of respiratory or other chronic conditions usually worsened by immobility, the cold and viral illnesses.’
People often don’t seek advice for wheezes, coughs and sneezes because they don’t think it’s serious enough. Our advice is visit your pharmacist if you’re feeling under the weather, no problem is too small and they are a highly trained and trusted source of health advice.
Follow #winterready (for message alert levels 0 and 1) and #weatheraware (alert levels 2 to 4) on Twitter for winter health advice.
Top tips keep yourself healthy and your home warm this winter:
have the flu vaccine if you’re eligible
heat your home to at least 18C to minimise the risk to health, if heating the whole house is a problem heat the living room during the day and your bedroom just before you go to sleep
wear a few layers of thin clothing rather than one thick layer, and when you need to go outside wear shoes with slip resistant, good grip soles
have all gas, solid fuel and oil burning appliances (i.e. boilers, heaters, cookers) serviced by a registered engineer
undertake energy efficiency improvements to your home or encourage your landlord to do so
look out for older friends and neighbours, those with existing health conditions or young children
protect water pipes from freezing by insulating them
information about heating benefits you may be eligible for
Courtney Act on being an international queer vegan, Jodie Marsh, Coco Peru, Judy Shepard and much more… PLUS: Gaying it up in Malmo, Five foods to wipe years off your face, My gay friends left me for blind, Janoskians, news, reviews, lifestyle and advice. Come out with this issue and see where you stand within our national survey. Happily it seems most of us were happy we came out receiving positive reactions from friends and family. Did you?