Kele Okereke, the openly gay frontman of Brit rock band Bloc Party covers The Advocate’s pride double issue this summer. After the jump, see an exclusive unreleased image, as well as a couple behind the scenes shots from his cover shoot with David Needleman in New York City.
Newsweek hopped on the colorful cover bandwagon on Sunday with the above image of Barack Obama dubbed as “The First Gay President.” Accompanying the bold headline is the President with a rainbow-colored halo. This comes only days after he announced his support for marriage equality in an ABC news interview.
The Little Memes That Could
Since President Obama came out in support of marriage equality on Wednesday, the internet has been aflutter with “yay”s and “nay”s. Some being more creative and comical than others. Click above to view our slideshow roundup of our favorite memes since the historic interview with the President.
The New Yorker released next week’s cover, titled “Spectrum of Light” on Friday, which depicts the White House with a new rainbow paint job. This comes days after President Obama announced his support for marriage equality in the U.S. The long-time New Yorker Illustrator, Bob Staake, says:
“I am honored to be doing this cover. It’s a celebratory moment for our country, and that’s what I tried to capture. (I don’t especially like those rainbow colors, but they are what they are—I had to use them.) I wanted to celebrate the bravery of the President’s statement—a statement long overdue—but all the more appreciated in this political year. We are on the right side of history.”
Today marks what would have been artist Keith Haring’s 54th birthday. (He died at a young age due to an AIDS-related illness in 1991). To celebrate, Google, the world’s most visited website, updated it’s logo for the day. It features drawings similar to those of Haring’s, whose distinct style led him to become one of the most notable artists of his generation. Happy Birthday, Keith!
The boys that brought you “Sh*t WeHo Queens Say” launched a new video last week to the tune of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.” The video features West Hollywood nightlife promoter Woody Woodbeck and drag queen Rhea Litre with their plethora of shirtless gogos and bartenders. See the video, after the jump!
Superheroes Can’t Be Gay (Or Can They?)
Norwegian TV program Kollektivet (The collective) aired this hilarious satirical music video on Friday, featuring two closeted superheroes fighting their deepest inner urges while making fun of the fact that most superheroes fit the mold of a strong heterosexual male or female. View the video above!
Long gone are the days of bullying and being subjected to fat jokes for Perez Hilton. Today, in reaction to speculation that he lost weight via surgery, Hilton released an upbeat lip-synch video of him dancing around in his underwear to the Kat Graham song “Put Your Graffiti On Me.” On his website he states:
It’s been hard work! VERY HARD work! Over a long period of time! We have done it the slow and painful way! Naturally! We’ve really reprogrammed our brain and changed our whole life! We truly are happier than ever! We just wanna dance! So that’s what we did.
Watch the video, after the jump!
Italian sunglasses manufacturer Ray-Ban released the above advertisement, set roughly in the 1940s, featuring two men confidently walking down the street holding hands. This of course would have been highly controversial in the earlier half of the 20th century so passers-by gaze in horror. The ad is part of Ray-Ban’s “Never Hide” campaign that was described in 2007 as:
“Having the courage to express your true self, your thoughts and your personality genuinely, to stay faithful to the values of authenticity and uniqueness have, in fact, made up the DNA of the Ray-Ban brand since its beginning in 1937 to today. And it is these qualities that characterize true leaders.”
The British are debating whether to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, and the first of the television commercials in the fight has just been released. Be forewarned: it tugs at your heart.
Like a commercial aired in Australia that went viral online, this one emphasizes that marriage equality is about love and commitment, not about securing a laundry list of benefits. Research in the United States about messaging shows that mainstream Americans are more likely to relate to a message about an equal right to express your love.
The ad’s creators from the Coalition for Equal Marriage ask that you “please share this with friends and people you love” and are circulating a petition along with it.
We won’t give away the storyline of the United Kingdom’s commercial. But you really have to watch.
