¿ARE SIX PACK ABS WORTH IT?

From magazines to movies, great abs are everywhere, and like most other males on the planet I’ve wanted to know exactly how to get a six-pack for as long as I could remember. I had gotten close on previous half-hearted attempts, but never quite there. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought the six-pack was reserved for Olympic athletes, A-list movie stars, and the guys from 300.

Like any goal, the answer will vary broadly depending on your own personal goals and ambitions. So is it worth it? 

EXCLUSIVE: GAY MAN BLINDED IN ONE EYE AFTER ROBBERY OUTSIDE GAY CLUB IN LONDON

A gay man is facing a lifetime of blindness in one eye after an attack and robbery outside a gay club in London.

Lewis Davis, a 37-year-old marketing assistant for luxury beauty brands, was out with two friends celebrating after Pride in London on Saturday night (8 July).

Arriving into Soho at 8.30pm, the three friends realized the main gay area was too busy to go out. And when they had gone to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, the queue was too long.

So the three friends decided to go to Fire, a gay club in Vauxhall, South London, early.

All Davis can remember is dancing, saying goodbye to a female friend, and then nothing else. His memory is nearly completely gone from that night.

The next day he woke up in St Thomas Hospital in Waterloo, wrapped in bandages.

‘I’m devastated,’ he told Gay Star News from his hospital bed.

‘We don’t know anything about what happened. All I know is I went clubbing and I woke up with no vision in my eye.’

Some personal items, like his phone and wallet, were missing. When he woke up, doctors were asking him for the phone number of a member of his family.

‘I was a bit shell-shocked,’ he said. ‘No one had been contacted. I managed to give my mum’s telephone number. She then rushed to hospital.

‘I was then in surgery for four hours while they tried to fix my eye…I don’t really remember that at all.’

Attack victim: ‘I may never see out of that eye again.’

While the doctors did what they could, Davis was told his left eye had suffered irreparable lifelong damage. It is likely he will never be able to see out of that eye again.

‘You don’t expect to hear that ever,’ Davis added, who has his 38th birthday next week. ‘I’m just trying to get used to it. I’m a strong character and very optimistic.

‘I just don’t believe I’m never going to see out of that eye again.’

There was a silver lining. As Davis’ eyes are still connected to each other, they can look the same way. Cosmetic surgery will reduce as much of the damage as possible.

Fire is providing police with their CCTV footage to help catch Davis’ attacker. A friend of Davis told GSN that officers have said it is likely he was hit with a blunt instrument. It is apparent he was kicked in the head.

Police are also reportedly looking into the possibility Davis’ drink was spiked.

‘My life is changed forever…[but] I feel blessed,’ Davis said, resolutely. ‘A lot of people have come to visit me, more than I’m technically allowed. It was almost a party here last night.

‘A friend has also set up a Go Fund Me page.’

He added: ‘I just wish I knew more about what happened to me. I’m very confused right now.’

Police investigating

Julie Lyons, the investigating London Metropolitan Police officer, said they are making inquiries. They cannot even guarantee whether it was an assault or it was a fall.

Detective Constable Julies Lyons, of Lambeth CID, said: ‘We are desperate to find out how this man received this terrible injury. We have made enquiries at the nightclub and we believe the injuries did not happen there.

‘The victim has suffered a terrible trauma to one of his eyes and and I would appeal to anyone who who might be able assist to call police. At this time we have not be able to find out how and where he was hurt, or even how he got to hospital, and your call may be vital in helping us understand what happened.’

Officers would like to speak with anyone who saw the victim. 

Davis was wearing black jeans, a black t-shirt with flowers on the sleeve, and a black hat. He was carrying a navy blue bowling-style bag.

Any witnesses, or anyone with any information, is asked to call officers at Lambeth via 101 or contact via Twitter @MetCC.

To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers.

SOURCE: GAY STAR NEWS

I, BLACK ATHEIST

I, Black Atheist, proclaim that G-d does not exist to me and never has. You read that right, and I make no apologies to those who may be offended. The idea of a 'higher power" causes me just as much cognitive dissonance as a believer who might be reading my words regarding what they believe in. I do not live to disavow or disprove the existence of G-d, I simply do not care to attack one's beliefs and I, Black Atheist demand that you not question my existence or my humanity. I most definitely see religion and deity as separate, and in my view religion is a means of social control and domination for those who are in control of governments and other institutions that are used to govern the masses.

The truth is that I have to be harder and more expressive because of a myth that persists within the Atheist and Black communities. The myth is that Black Atheists represent a small, but growing segment of American atheist movement. The truth is that Blacks, we hide our status as Atheist, we attend churches, mosques, synagogues, and other various places of worship. We are often exposed to the constant barrage of G-d talk on in all mediums of daily life, on a level that anything other than being Christian is bad.

"We are forced fed to believe in God even if some of us know in our hearts that Christianity is not what we truly believe in." - Ashton P. Woods

Society at large is problematic when it comes to religious privilege of various kinds. Therefore, a closet exists, a closet where Black Atheists dwell until they have the capacity and strength to stand their ground. I, Black Atheist will continue to speak out for those very reasons, until the closet is destroyed, until we get to a place where we don't have worry about someone flexing their religious privilege. Where responding with chastisement about how THEIR G-d is the real deal and that we need to accept said G-d for our very survival will be frowned upon. When the time comes, we will no longer stand for being forced into a prayer circle or saying grace at a dinner. Mark my words, a time will come when religious privilege will cease to exist.

Atheism - is the rejection of belief in the existence of deities.In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities.Most inclusively, atheism is the absence of belief that any deities exist. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which, in its most general form, is the belief that at least one deity exists.

We hide to avoid the questions of morality, we hide to avoid answering the questions about whether or not we have a moral compass. Yes, being an Atheist does bring bring about a line of questioning where folks like to challenge one on his or her morality. Do we know right from wrong? Yes, we do. we don't need some figure to guide us down a path of righteousness. Let me be clear, I, Black Atheist know my know right from wrong. Doing the right thing should not come with the idea or promise of reward from some non existent being for good deeds. We are not fully comfortable with being an Atheist as a collective within the diaspora of Blackness.We are not comfortable as a collective for the reasons listed above, But I, Black Atheist am comfortable enough to do what needs to get done and say what needs to be said. I, Black Atheist am still Black and I still experience the plight that comes with the birthright of Black skin in a racist society. I, Black Atheist will speak out because WE EXIST.

SOURCE: POZ MAGAZINE

TODAY IS NUDE DAY!

¿HEY 'TOPS' DO YOU AVOID BOTTOMING BECAUSE...?

It hurts? 

You tense up?

Not enough practice?

Never enough lube?

Lack or patience from the person that is topping you?

BEYOND PRIDE MONTH: MAKE RAINBOW CROSSWALKS PERMANENT

A little over a month ago, I started a campaign to get Atlanta to commit to permanent rainbow and/or transgender pride–colored crosswalks at the intersection of 10th and Piedmont, a location many consider to be the epicenter of the city’s LGBTQ community.

My petition, which was hosted on Care2, received over 20,000 signatures, including that of Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell, who signed it publicly. It culminated in a huge success: Mayor Kasim Reed announced his commitment to make the rainbow crosswalks permanent June 12, the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre.

But many have questioned why colors painted on asphalt are so important, and if this is really an expedient use of our city’s time, effort, and resources.

To determine the answer, we need only listen to the vast array of LGBTQ stories around us, past and present.

Recently, former New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Ryan O’Callaghan came out as gay. He told reporters that prior to coming out, he had planned to commit suicide.

Then there’s Leelah Alcorn, a transgender girl from Ohio. Her 2014 death gained international attention after her suicide note revealed her parents had pulled her out of school, revoked her access to social media, and sent her to Christian-based conversion therapy instead of allowing her to transition.

Then there are the stories you may not have heard about: Laura Vermont, an 18-year-old trans woman savagely beaten and killed by Brazilian military police in 2015. Chay Reed, a 28-year-old trans woman shot to death in Miami this year. Jaquarrius Holland (Brown), an 18-year-old trans woman shot in the head in Monroe, La., February 19. Mesha Caldwell, 41, a makeup artist and trans woman found shot multiple times on a road in Mississippi January 4.

Do I really need to go on?

I want to live to see the day when stories like this are no longer part of the LGBTQ experience. But LGBTQ people still suffer under our society’s taboos, the voices that hush them, the hands that push them away from being who they truly are.

It’s not just about some colors on a street. Pride crosswalks are a simple, but affirming recognition of the existence of the LGBTQ community — a community that throughout American history has been largely ignored, disenfranchised, or regarded as taboo.

In some states, it is still illegal to educate young people on the history of LGBTQ civil rights. Most Americans do not fully grasp the history of culturally significant events like the Stonewall riots.

Will rainbow-colored crosswalks fix this? No. But recently the tide has begun to turn. In Washington, D.C., last week, a separate Care2 petition was successful in securing the very first transgender pride crosswalk in the country, albeit temporary.

Gestures like this normalize the LGBTQ community, reaffirming that we are not to be ignored, but we are to be celebrated, seen, heard, and loved.

I hope rainbow crosswalks will open the door to broader conversations about issues facing the LGBTQ community at home in Atlanta and elsewhere.

About a year ago, shortly after the Pulse shootings, I went down to 10th and Piedmont for a candlelight vigil. It is a night I don’t think I will ever forget. Among myself and my friends were our peers, our allies; uniting to show their sympathy for people they had never even met.

That event solidifies why these crosswalks are so important to me. LGBTQ pride is about the similarities we all share. We all want to be recognized, accepted, and loved. These crosswalks are a way to help us remember that our society is only as strong as what we choose to honor.

SARAH ROSE is an Atlanta-based musician and is the LGBTQ issues aAdvocate at Care2, the world’s largest social network for good. Care2 boasts over 40 million members standing toether, starting petitions, and sharing stories that inspire action.

SOURCE: THE ADVOCATE

TOP/BOTTOMS: ¿CAN WE OWN OUR SISSYNESS?

Every single gay male has heard the following naive question: which one of you is “the woman” and which is “the man”?

It’s a question only posed by straight people who are absolutely flummoxed about the nature of gay sex. Flummoxed! Of course the proper retort is, “We’re both boys!” That’s the whole point of gay boning, all. But the thirst to understand which boy is putting his P in an A and which boy has opened his A for P is really about making gay sex legible, and legible in a heterosexual context.

We have a term for this, too, it turns out: top or bottom. Then there are the versatile people of the world who like to flip-fuck or who are perfectly at home and talented in either position.

In some way having a label makes gay sex easier because everyone knows what to do. But the problem is that tops are almost always seen as more manly, virile, and aggressive, whereas bottoms are usually linked to effeminacy because we think they have a subservient position. Just don’t tell the power bottoms that.

People are obsessed with knowing who is the top and who is the bottom because gay sex is not necessarily legible in the same manner as straight sex. How many times have you been dating a new guy and you voluntarily told your BFF, “He’s a TOTAL TOP” or “He’s a great bottom,” or how many times have your friends asked you what was going on in the bedroom between you and a new love interest?

Hey, there are plenty of folks out there who don’t like bottoming and even some who don’t like to top. Why? Because gay sex is only legible to straight people in terms of the heterosexual matrix, and if someone’s son is fucking a dude/is a top, well then that’s way preferable than if he was getting plowed by D’s all day long.

This attitude is wholly cultural and deeply rooted in how we think about gender. Like, men are supposed to be men and this turns the top/bottom thing into misogynistic shit around male dominance. 

So again I ask, can we own our sissyness?