Innehållsförteckning för October / November 2014 från The Advocate

THE BACKLASH IS A TRIED-AND-TRUE trope in American culture. Actors Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and One Direction boy-bander Zayn Malik (the cute one), all experienced a backlash for their expressed views on the crisis in Gaza. There are the “coal rollers” who enact their backlash to the green movement (and Prius owners and Obama, generally) by outfitting mini-monster trucks with extra gas-guzzling chimneys to belch out clouds of inky smoke. Someone more invested than I in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe could explain the potential effects of a Michael Bay backlash on the film’s blockbuster prospects. Democrats hope to fill campaign coffers in a backlash to the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision. And Susan Boyle, Lana Del Rey, and Vampire Weekend are all musical acts that have experienced…

1 Prostitution isn’t only the world’s oldest profession; it’s one of the earliest legal professions. In ancient Greece, male prostitutes were legally protected so long as they registered and paid taxes. 2 Prostitution is one of the U.S.’s oldest traded commodities. John Smith, a leader of the Jamestown colony, noted that during the colony’s first spring in 1607, English sailors would trade provisions 3 The percentage of people arrested in America for selling sex who are men: 4 And in France: 5 Number of justices on Canada’s Supreme Court who voted to strike down laws prohibiting prostitution in December 2013: 9. Number who voted to keep laws: 0. 6 As of 2009, sex work is legal in 50 countries (from a selected group of 100). Sex work is legal with…

I’ve been at MasterCard 20 years and it’s amazing to me how far we’ve come on LGBT rights in such a short time. Our company has shown a commitment to diversity and inclusion over the years—way before it was the “fashionable” thing to do. And, it’s not just on this issue. Our employees live in all corners of the world and bring with them unique perspectives and backgrounds that strengthen our business. Our culture of inclusion empowers employees who use their diverse thought, experience and background to advance innovation and MasterCard’s contributions to society. Globally, we have eight Business Resource Groups with more than 4,000 members who are all drawn together by common interests. BRGs provide employees the chance to spread cultural awareness, develop leadership skills and network with colleagues.…

David Walton stars as rakishly charming man-child Will Freeman in NBC’s About a Boy—based on the Nick Hornby novel that was made into a Hugh Grant movie—which returns October 14 for a second season. More charming but less childish, the 35-year-old sitcom vet tells us about the boys who can’t take their eyes off of him. Let’s get this right out of the way: Did you meet Cher on the set of Burlesque? No. I was about 30 yards from her, but I felt her glow. She’s probably the most famous woman I’ve ever seen, although I think I saw Madonna in a restaurant once. You played Mark, a gay wedding DJ and Stanley Tucci’s love interest. Yeah, I was supposed to be this fit, younger dude, but Tucci’s totally…

Joe Pompeo is a senior reporter at Capital, a New York-based magazine and website where he covers the media industry. He was previously a reporter at Yahoo News, Business Insider, and The New York Observer. While conducting interviews for “The Disrupters” (p. 62) he observed that “hearing these sources talk about why gay people seem to thrive in digital media, it was almost like they were completing one another’s sentences.” Kerry Eleveld, a Berkeley-based freelance writer and politics columnist for The Advocate (“Clinton’s New Challenge,” p. 17) is completing work on a book about how the LGBT rights movement produced a political tipping point during the presidency of Barack Obama. “I’m amazed at how different the landscape of LGBT issues is from 2008 to 2016. It’s a whole new world…

Disco is dead. Long live Sylvester! The trailblazing queer pioneer—who rocketed up the charts in the ’70s and ’80s with hits like “Do Ya Wanna Funk”—is now receiving an exuberant musical retelling of his life, Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical, off-Broadway this fall. It’s all thanks to Anthony Wayne, a Broadway actor in his early 30s who only recently discovered the music. “I saw a TV show about his life story in 2010,” says Wayne, who is taking a leave of absence from his ensemble role in Broadway’s Pippin to perform as Sylvester. “I was inspired by his drive to be who he was regardless of what he went through.” Although he’s singing the hits—such as “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” and “Dance (Disco Heat)”—it’s not simply an…

Some years ago, furniture makers Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams took an advertising cue from a very unlikely source: antigay evangelical pastor Jerry Falwell. Gold has said that his once-ambivalent attitude about including gay couples and families in the company’s ads changed “when I realized Jerry Falwell and others are collecting money and advertising their agenda, and I thought, Why shouldn’t I promote my own agenda with my business? If people don’t like it and aren’t fair-minded, then they don’t need to buy my furniture.” past quarter century a lesson in following their instincts. Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, based in rural North Carolina, is celebrating a silver anniversary with a new book, Who We Are, that looks at its history through 25 mantras (“We are forward in thinking and…

This summer Burger King premiered the “Proud Whopper” in celebration of Pride, and the project was publicized nationwide in press releases, in videos on Burger King’s YouTube page, and in interviews in mainstream media with the company’s marketing executives. Proceeds of that burger’s sales were donated to an LGBT college scholarship fund. Pretty cool, right? Alas, the burger was available only at one location in San Francisco, the promotion ran only until July 3 (the press release The Advocate received was dated July 2), and while the company has supported LGBT events in some cities before, it appears to lack any substantial commitment to LGBT equality. It still maintains a low HRC Corporate Equality Index rating of 55 (out of 100), does not offer trans-inclusive health care benefits to its…

HP fosters a positive, productive work environment, one based on pride, trust, and mutual respect, where exceptional people can flourish. Our Human Rights and Labor Policy commits us to the fair treatment of all employees, and HP’s Open Door Policy promotes open communication, allowing each person’s voice to be heard. There’s power in our differences, and strength in bringing together men and women of different nations, cultures, ethnic groups, sexual orientations, generations, backgrounds, and skills. Throughout the world, we are putting our differences to work to connect everyone to the power of technology in the marketplace, workplace, and community. By doing this, we create solutions that reflect the ever-changing fabric of the global community in which we live. We are also proud to be pioneers in the quest for LGBT…

Laverne Cox arrived at our meeting point, a hotel restaurant in midtown Manhattan, a few minutes behind schedule. She was rolling a small suitcase behind her. Her next appointment, where she’d go directly from our meeting, was for her Time magazine cover shoot, though she couldn’t say as much at the time. She sat down in the booth and explained that she prefers to bring a few items of her own clothing to photo shoots. Just in case. She’s busy and in demand, and being prepared is a running theme in her life. She’s tall and attractive and that day was dressed in a short, fitted green dress. Cox’s voice is distinct, with a wide range, and as actors do she commands it consciously, but in regular conversation it conveys…

What is STRIBILD? STRIBILD is a prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before. It combines 4 medicines into 1 pill to be taken once a day with food. STRIBILD is a complete single-tablet regimen and should not be used with other HIV-1 medicines. STRIBILD does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. To control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses you must keep taking STRIBILD. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to reduce the risk of passing HIV-1 to others. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them. STRIBILD can cause serious side effects: • Build-up of…

Let’s face it. Talking about money isn’t easy. Every legislative action that affects domestic partnerships has the potential to impact your financial situation and investment goals. The good news? You don’t have to be an expert to have a thoughtful approach to building wealth and achieving your longterm financial goals. As the changing laws become increasingly complex, LGBT investors see the merits of working with financial professionals specifically trained to understand the unique needs of LGBT couples. More than one year after a Supreme Court decision and subsequent court decisions on same-sex marriage, LGBT investors still struggle to understand changing laws and are concerned about the financial and legal implications involved, according to a recent Wells Fargo survey. A majority of LGBT investors surveyed (83%) do not fully understand how…

Drag entertainers are everywhere nowadays, but that doesn’t mean the art of doing drag is any easier to pull off. Au contraire! The stakes are higher, and so are the standards, as the public carefully assesses drag stars for their style, wit, and creative imagination. In the age of RuPaul’s Drag Race, you have to earn those drop earrings, while tucking for a higher purpose that makes you more than a quick visual gag. The shock value is still important—subversion has always been a big part of drag—but it’s harder to nab it, since drag is on TV, at bachelorette-filled chain restaurants, on a Starbucks commercial, and all over the media these days like a Pucci poncho. No longer do drag queens have to lower their voices and make “I’m…