The Advocate Art Department

President Obama, changing minds and hearts in a state where only...

gaycreative — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:10:27 -0700

President Obama, changing minds and hearts in a state where only 27% favor marriage equality. Watch the speech here: http://bit.ly/ObamaMorehouse

New Photos From Our Shoot With Jesse Tyler Ferguson

gaycreative — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:40:00 -0700

This summer’s Pride coverboy is Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson. You can read the cover story and see the first set of images on Advocate.com. Above, are two outtakes from the shoot, photographed by M. Sharkey in New York City. After the jump, see a behind-the-scenes GIF of Jesse’s mean encounter with his collection of bowties and an industrial fan. —Scott McPherson

Behind the Scenes Clip of Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Advocate Cover Shoot from The Advocate.

(Photos: M. Sharkey)

Queen Maxima of Netherlands is the country’s newly crowned...

lucasgrindley — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:45:00 -0700

Queen Maxima of Netherlands is the country’s newly crowned royal, and she received a rainbow-coded map of Europe during a visit on Thursday to the two-day International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) Conference in The Hague. The map shows how European countries are progressing on equal rights for LGBT people. (GETTY IMAGES) The map comes from the ILGA Europe. See a larger view.

In a 30-37 vote, the Minnesota State Senate approved a marriage...

gaycreative — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:42:00 -0700

In a 30-37 vote, the Minnesota State Senate approved a marriage equality bill today. The governor is expected to sign the legislation on Tuesday. In addition to Washington D.C., this brings the total number of states with marriage equality to 12! —Scott McPherson

Funny Or Die’s new video featuring Zach Galifianakis, James Franco, The Lonely Island and...

gaycreative — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:24:48 -0700

Funny Or Die’s new video featuring Zach Galifianakis, James Franco, The Lonely Island and Spring Breakers is a quite an eyeful. Since it has a “marriage equality twist,” here’s a summary of each set of nuptials in GIF form. Cheers!

— Boo

Delaware became the 11th state to join the forces of marriage...

gaycreative — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:14:00 -0700

Delaware became the 11th state to join the forces of marriage equality on Tuesday. With this momentous week for the equal rights movement, we decided to begin a Marriage Equality Census, keeping an estimated count of the number of self-identified LGBT citizens that can legally get married in their home state. See the number in the graphic above.

Here’s how we got to this grand number: We pulled 2012 U.S. Census Bureau data of the population for each state that has full marriage equality (not civil unions). Then we combined it with information gathered by a 2012 Gallup poll in conjunction with the Williams Institute at UCLA, which identified the percent of self-identified LGBT people in each of those states. See the table below for the numbers.

Which state will be next? —Scott McPherson

Liza with a “Z” is the latest star icon to don...

gaycreative — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:58:00 -0700

Liza with a “Z” is the latest ~~star~~ icon to don masking tape and pose for the NOH8 campaign. The photo was released Monday by the organization, jazz hands included. The campaign has featured countless celebrities and politicians standing up for marriage equality in what was first created in 2008 as a response to the passing of Prop 8, which is currently being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. More information on the case, Hollingsworth v. Perry on Advocate.com. —Scott McPherson

What is black and white and read for filth? We have no words for...

gaycreative — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:43:00 -0700

What is black and white and read for filth? We have no words for RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 5 ~~Winner~~ 4th place contestant Detox and her head-to-toe black and white look she wore to the filming of RuPaul’s Drag Race Reunited! on Wednesday in Los Angeles.The image you see of Detox above has not been altered in any way beyond the cutout. It’s a full color image. We just couldn’t resist making this GIF, if only to put her makeup job to the test! See her on the red carpet in the original photo here. —Scott McPherson

'Disappear Here' Teaser Goes Inside the Hollywood Closet

gaycreative — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:12:00 -0700

Iconoclastic Features released the teaser trailer for their independent feature Disappear Here last week. The thriller stars out actor and activist James Duke Mason, grandson of the late Academy-Award Nominated James Mason and a 2010 Advocate Forty Under 40 honoree. While tackling the timely issue of the “Hollywood closet,” Mason plays a young and successful closeted actor who is blackmailed after a video surfaces (they always do!) of him and his boyfriend, and he finds himself in the middle of a political conspiracy. While initially funded via Kickstarter.com, the feature is currently in production and due out next year. Check out the teaser trailer after the jump!

Sometimes You Just Feel Like Bursting Into Song, Right? Watch...

lucasgrindley — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:14:00 -0700

Sometimes You Just Feel Like Bursting Into Song, Right?

Watch what happens in the video below (at about the 1 minute mark) after lawmakers in New Zealand passed a marriage equality bill this week. Then for photos of the joy that spread throughout the streets, check out this gallery. The video was found via Slate, which says that song you hear is called “Pokarekare Ana,” a Maori love song.

Adam Lambert Headlines Miami Beach Pride (VIDEO)

gaycreative — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:56:00 -0700

Out artist Adam Lambert spent the weekend under the Miami sun during the 5th Annual Miami Beach Gay Pride celebration. On Saturday he attended a press conference where he was awarded the key to the city of Miami Beach and Sunday he headlined the big Pride event in South Beach’s Lummus Park. Scantily-clad male dancers performed alongside Glambert, who sang songs from his album Trespassing, which debuted last spring at number one (and making him the first openly gay artist to do so.) After the jump, check out a video of Lambert performing the album’s title-track “Trespassing” and “Naked Love.” You can also read The Advocate’s November 2011 cover story, “Reinventing Adam Lambert” here.

Facing Our OppressorsWilfred de Bruijn, a Dutch man living in...

lucasgrindley — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:05:00 -0700

Facing Our Oppressors
Wilfred de Bruijn, a Dutch man living in France for 10 years, was the victim of a brutal attack in Paris while he was “walking arm in arm” with his boyfriend. Here his face is bloated, seeped in blood, his bruised right eye shut tight, his tooth broken. His is one of the latest cases of homophobia in France, where LGBT activists say reports of verbal and physical assaults have surged as lawmakers consider a bill legalizing same-sex marriage.

COVER SHOOT: Behind-the-Scenes with Tegan & Sara

gaycreative — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:24:00 -0700

We go behind-the-scenes of our April/May cover shoot, with photos and videos featuring music artists Tegan & Sara. The duo was photographed by David Needleman (Who also shot our April 2012 cover with Ricky Martin) at The OUT NYC in Midtown Manhattan. Read the cover story here, then check out the rest of the photos and videos after the jump.

(BTS Stills & Video by Vladimir Weinstein & Matt Monath)

From Left: Advocate’s Editor-in-Chief Matthew Breen, Sara and Tegan Quinn, and photographer David Needleman.

The World Is Not OverLawmakers in Arizona are still pressing for...

lucasgrindley — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:47:00 -0700

The World Is Not Over
Lawmakers in Arizona are still pressing for a law that protects any business requiring trans customers to use a bathroom corresponding with the sex they were assigned at birth. And that gave Allyson Robinson an idea. She is the trans woman who taking on the military as executive director for OutServe-SLDN. While passing through Phoenix, she used a women’s restroom and left behind a message to Arizonans. See a photo she shared of the image above. It’s attached to a bathroom stall.

TIME Magazine: Gay Marriage Already Won

gaycreative — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:06:00 -0700

TIME magazine released the April 8, 2013 issue today in two editions. One cover featuring a gay couple, and the other a lesbian couple, locking lips. The portraits are by photographer Peter Hapak, and outtakes of the couples, including additional duos that didn’t make the cover, can be seen here. The kissing men are real-life couple, film and television set designer Eric LaBonté & his domestic partner Russell Hart, a hair salon owner. Living in Los Angeles, the two have been together for 7 years and engaged since 2010. Says LaBonté (right):

“My parents have been married for 45 years and I always knew that was something that I wanted. I want our children to say, ‘My daddies are married.’ We wanted to feel like a complete package.”

See the second cover, which features Sarah and Kristen Ellis-Henderson of Sea Cliff, N.Y., after the jump.

Says Kristen (left):

“Sarah and I got married shortly after equality passed in New York State. It’s difficult to put into words what it felt like to validate our relationship that way in front of our family, friends, and neighbors. I often get choked up with emotion when trying to talk about it. Exhilarating. Justifying. Romantic. Amazing. None of those words individually captures it. Since becoming mothers, our tireless efforts for equality are more for our children than ourselves. We think of our kids on the playground with every other child they are growing up with - most have married parents. And now our children do too.”

—Scott McPherson

Olympian Ji Wallace Visits The Advocate & HIV Plus Offices

gaycreative — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:49:00 -0700

From Left: HIVPlusMag.com Editor Michelle Garcia, Associate Art Director Boo Jarchow, Managing Editor Neal Broverman, Creative Director Scott McPherson, Olympian and HIV Plus Cover Boy Ji Wallace, HIV Plus Editor-in-Chief Diane Anderson-Minshall, Ji’s partner Shaun Baldwin, Copy Editor Trudy Ring, and Editorial Director Matthew Breen.

Olympian silver-medalist Ji Wallace and his partner Shaun stopped by The Advocate & HIV Plus offices on Friday in Los Angeles. They were in town from Sydney competing in the L.A. Marathon, after raising $4,000 for APLA. Ji made headlines last year when he disclosed publicly that he was HIV-positive after seeing a Piers Morgan interview with Olympian Greg Louganis, whom he had the chance to meet with while in Los Angeles. Ji signed copies of the issue, which HIV Plus plans to auction off for charity in the coming weeks.

The Advocate is with Edie. The Art Department made this...

gaycreative — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:28:44 -0700

The Advocate is with Edie. The Art Department made this supportive graphic today, in hopes to bring attention to the DOMA case U.S. v. Windsor, where oral arguments begin on Wednesday. Show your support for marriage equality and share this with your network of friends. Check back to Advocate.com for in-depth coverage, as Advocate contributor Kerry Eleveld sits in on two very important cases at the U.S. Supreme Court this week.

Not ‘Too Gay’ For The CoverMichael Douglas as...

lucasgrindley — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 08:58:00 -0800

Not ‘Too Gay’ For The Cover
Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as his younger lover appear on the cover of the new Entertainment Weekly. This is the HBO movie that Director Steven Soderbergh said major movie distributors passed over because it was considered “too gay” for the big screen. “Nobody would make it. We went to everybody in town. They said it was too gay,” Soderbergh told The New York Post in January while promoting Behind the Candelabra.

Poet Shane Koyczan, along with a team of motion graphic artists,...

gaycreative — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:52:13 -0800

Poet Shane Koyczan, along with a team of motion graphic artists, created the above video as part of the To This Day Project. a project based on a spoken word poem of the same name written by Koyczan to further explore the profound and lasting impact that bullying can have on an individual.

Fluorescent New Campaign Teaches the ABCs of HIV

gaycreative — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:11:00 -0800

The Stigma Project completed it’s Winter 2013 campaign, titled Know HIV this week. The colorful array of educational graphics were shared daily for the last month on the organization’s Facebook page, as well as a number of other social media outlets. The intent is to provide easy to digest memes that would hopefully teach the public something they may not have known about HIV/AIDS, then share with their friends to educate them. Each graphic proclaims the clever slogan “KNOW HIV = NO HIV” in the caption field.

In a day when HIV is a manageable disease, the stigma associated with the virus has become a catalyst for new infections. Fear, apathy, ignorance, and lack of education cause people to not get tested, and in turn pass the virus onto others much more easily due to a high viral load (see the letter V) while putting their own health at risk.

After the jump, we present a preview of the campaign with the letters A-F. You can see the entire alphabet (and yes there’s even an X,Y, and Z) at www.thestigmaproject.org or on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thestigmaproject.