Anything worth doing will always have some fear attached to it. For example,
having a baby, getting married, changing careers--all of these life changes can
bring up deep fears. It helps to remember that this type of fear is good. It is
your way of questioning whether you really want the new life these changes will
bring. It is also a potent reminder that releasing and grieving the past is a
necessary part of moving into the new.
Fear has a way of throwing us off balance, making us feel uncertain and
insecure, but it is not meant to discourage us. Its purpose is to notify us
that we are at the edge of our comfort zone, poised in between the old life and
a new one. Whenever we face our fear, we overcome an inner obstacle and move
into new and life-enhancing territory, both inside and out. The more we learn
to respect and even welcome fear, the more we will be able to hear its wisdom,
wisdom that will let us know that the time has come to move forward, or not.
While comfort with fear is a contradiction in terms, we can learn to honor our
fear, recognizing its arrival, listening to its intelligence, and respecting it
as a harbinger of transformation. Indeed, it informs us that the change we are
contemplating is significant, enabling us to approach it with the proper
reverence.
You might wish to converse with your fear, plumbing its depths for a greater
understanding of the change you are making. You could do this by sitting
quietly in meditation and listening or by journaling. Writing down whatever
comes up--your worries, your sadness, your excitement, your hopes--is a great
way to learn about yourself through the vehicle of fear and to remember that
fear almost always comes alongside anything worth doing in your life.
During my previous employment I have learnt how to effectively manage compliance
activities as the Manager position was outsourced. I was responsible for
ensuring all policy and procedures were complied with applicable laws and regulations. I am heavily involved in participating
in the analysis of key policies and procedures.
During his
performance of the chart-topping single “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” Lil
Nas X locked lips with a dancer in a televised and viral declaration of Black
queer love. During the performance, Lil Nas X donned gold glitter and an
Egyptian Pharaoh outfit to pay homage to late pop icon Michael Jackson, who
wore a similar costume in his hit music video “Remember
The Time.”
The rapper’s
performance prompted sharp homophobic criticism online — even from some LGBTQ
individuals. In response, Lil Nas X blasted bigots for the double standard
against queer LGBTQ artists.
“Y’all hate
yourselves so much,” Lil Nas X tweeted
on June 28 alongside a video of a gay man decrying the rapper’s
actions. “Y’all live your lives trying your best to appease straight ppl.”
“Montero (Call
Me By Your Name),” which
features a video of the rapper traveling to Hell and giving Satan a
lap dance, has been streamed more than 20 million times since its release in March,
according to Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Songs chart.
“We are 4
months in, and people are still acting surprised that I am being gay and sexual
in performances of a song about gay and sexual sh*t,” he said.
The star
concluded, “The song is literally about gay sex… what y’all want me to do play
the piano while baking a cake?”
Since coming
out as gay in 2019, Lil Nas X has been forging his own lane as a Black LGBTQ
performer. In January, he became a New York Times bestselling author
after his
first children’s book, “C is for Country.”
Lil Nas X’s
journey to success has not been without controversy. In March, he was
embroiled in a Twitter feud with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem
after releasing a pair of sneakers known as “Satan Shoes.” Noem, an opponent of
LGBTQ rights and supporter
of anti-trans sports bills, criticized the shoe’s religious messaging on
Twitter. In a tweet, Lil Nas X ripped the conservative politician, stating, “Ur
a whole governor, and u on here tweeting about some damn shoes. do ur job!”
Now with a
passionate gay kiss in the spotlight, the star is once again shutting down the
trolls.
“Y’all are
uncomfortable with what I do because y’all are afraid [cis-heterosexual
society] will be uncomfortable with you,” he declared in a tweet. “Work on yourselves,
I love who I am and whatever I decide to do. Get there.”
Watch the
video below:
SOURCE: GAY CITY NEWS
One of the most annoying things
a guy can do on a date is being completely plugged into his phone. Grabbing
drinks or eating dinner with a guy who is endlessly scrolling through the
thirst trap that is Instagram, or texting other people the entire time is a
huge turnoff and makes for awkward conversation. Take a few seconds and unplug.
Putting the
phone down, making genuine conversation and giving uninterrupted attention to
your date will bode much better than being socially checked out. Your date will
thank us.
TALK TOO MUCH
A date is like an interview in
a couple ways. This is a time for you to check compatibility with a guy and get
to know him as well as show yourself off. While being conversational is a great
asset to have, especially on a date, it’s a double-edged sword. Talking too
much can be a turnoff as well.
Don’t give an
entire lecture about your childhood or drone on about what you are doing at
work. Keep answers casual but concise. A good rule of thumb is for every
question you get asked, build on it and ask another question. This will keep
the conversation engaging and will show you’re a great listener, plus, you
might learn a thing or two you like about your date.
DRINK TOO MUCH
Dates can be
awkward and it may be easy to have a couple glasses of wine or a few beers as a
social lubricant. Loosening up and feeling at ease is important, but so is
moderation. Don’t be the guy who blacks out on a first date. Slurring, dancing
on tables and getting sick should be left to reality TV and stay far away from
the dating world. You want your date to have a good time; don’t make things
awkward by making him take care of you.
BE AGGRESSIVE
Oftentimes,
both parties of a first date feel a little off and maybe a little cautious. You
don’t know much about the person you’re about to see and they don’t know much
about you. This interaction is essential in creating the perception the guy has
of you. One thing you don’t want to do is come off too aggressive.
Intense
grabbing or forced make out sessions never end well. No matter how great the
date has gone, you need to evaluate the vibes you’re getting and match them.
Don’t try to impress him with being extra sexy and hot – be casual and tactful.
If that leads you to making out at the end of the night, great, but don’t force
anything by being aggressive.
BRING UP YOUR
EX
There’s a
reason we saved this for last. Under no circumstance should an ex be brought up
on a first date. We repeat: DO NOT DO IT. Later in the relationship, talking
about past experiences can be beneficial to your growth as a couple, but let’s
make it through date one first. After all, it can only go two ways on a first
date; He may think you think a little too fondly of your ex, or that you have
some pent up resentment. Both are red flags and hardly a guarantee for another
date. Your ex is in your past for a reason; don’t bring him along for the ride
tonight.
Alright.
You’re getting ready for your first date with the hot guy you met a few days
ago. You’re making sure you look okay, smell great and are rehearsing things to
say. Take a couple seconds to think about some of the not-so-great things we
mentioned above and steer clear! This is your chance to impress a guy, don’t
blow it by making some minor mistakes with big consequences. Now, go enjoy!
SOURCE: ANDREW CHRISTIAN BLOG
Yara Sofia is
an agent of chaos on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars premiere.
RuPaul All
Stars 6 is back, and, no, there’s no Yvie
Oddly, despite the mass of season 11 queens and more twists and turns than a
contortionist’s routine.
Before we even
get into the “game within a game,” we’ve got to talk about a few other “twists”
in the franchise. All Stars season 6 is the first to air exclusively
on Paramount+, which means many RuPaul’s Drag
Race fans may now have three separate providers to keep up. I’ve been
watching on Logo and then VH1 on old-school cable, international editions on
WOW+ Presents and now All Stars on Paramount+. It’s like a gay
tax! During this, our month of Pride?
Furthermore,
Paramount+ is taking the Netflix/Disney+ approach and releasing episodes
at 3 a.m. Thursday mornings. It’s certainly changed the way we
watch. Drag Race is a community experience. Whether you’re
watching on Twitter or at a bar, we are gooped and gagged in real time,
together. It’s not dissimilar from televised sporting events. They wouldn’t
release the Super Bowl in the middle of the night on a weekday. Plus, it makes
the already pesky spoiler even harder to avoid. (For our recap purposes, we’re
putting these up on Fridays to give folks a chance to watch.)
RuPaul All Stars
6: It’s A Lot, But Always Something
And I haven’t
even started complaining about the overstuffed episodes, and, my favorite
refrain, “Too Many Queens!” (available now on iTunes). Ma’am, we’ve got 13
queens, two full hours, 48 runway looks and so many mediocre dance songs with
the queens repeating what they think their catchphrase was during their season.
It’s a lot!
Folks have
already snarked about the caliber of the All Stars cast, and
last night’s double feature did little to assuage concerns. The preponderance
of season 11 queens — one of the less beloved installments among the fandom —
doesn’t help either. We’ve got Scarlet Envy, Ra’Jah, A’Keria and the divisive
Silky Nutmeg Ganache. (Personally, y’all know by now I like a big girl with
attitude, but judging by comments, your mileage may vary.)
And yet? I
still had fun! By now we’ve watched queens, All Stars, international queens,
gay veterans and C-list celebrities all play some variation of the game. The
format just works. Sure, we’ll always find something to critique (otherwise
what’s the point of even being gay?), but tell me you wouldn’t be equally
invested in watching a spin-off called RuPaul’s Drag Race Worst Queens?
It’s like queer people are just … inherently interesting?
What’s more
impressive is, despite the exhausting runtime, it feels like very little
substance. Barely a gag, nary a goop. It may not be the queens’ fault. With so
many contestants to feature, the breakneck speed skipped across so many moments
so swiftly, hardly anything the queens did left a sizable impression.
Take the
premiere episode. After the queens arrive to show off their new teeth, lips and
wigs, the first mini-challenge is the reading challenge. As we learn later in
the episode Trinity K. Bonet has no relationship with any of the other girls,
and it feels like that may be more broadly the case. The reads are mostly very
basic variations on “you’re not good enough to be an All Star,” and nothing
seemed to really crack Ru up (the surest sign of a good read). We didn’t see
much from each queen, but the edit gives the impression Ginger and Pandora
excel as expected, Yara gets laughs being Yara, while Serena, Jan and Silky
struggle. Ginger Minj gets the first win of this race, but the real highlight
is guest (via video) Miss Piggy, making a long overdue Drag Race appearance.
Has anyone made her reactions into GIFs to drop into everyday group chats yet?
(This is why we need synchronous viewing!)
The main
challenge for this RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars premiere is a
variety show that’s, well, light on variety. The task is to showcase your best
talents, which for most of these All Stars is … lip syncing. It’s just, I don’t
think that’s the assignment. That’d be like entering a beauty pageant and just
“being a beauty pageant contestant” for your talent. It’s all original tracks,
and they are … fine! They are fine. The dancing is fierce, but there are Real
Housewives with better lyrics and more range.
It makes the
standouts stand out even more. Ra’Jah manages to sew a simple. chic garment in
a mere 60 seconds to the delight of the judges. (Many fans — and Michelle —
clock that this is a signature Bianca del Rio routine, but Ra’Jah’s garment has
more wow factor in less time.) Scarlet puts a fun twist on a burlesque routine
using all manner of bubbles. Even though they were lip syncs, Pandora and Yara
Sofia shine. Pandora infuses her performance with lots of campy, physical
humor, but Yara takes physical humor to a whole new place — a place of sight
and sound, but apparently no gravity. Wearing a massive chest plate filled with
what I can only assume is … Flubber? … Yara performs a Spanglish sync while
juggling these jumbo Jell-O jigglers to the absolutely delight of Ru. She’s the
clear winner.
Less
successful are Silky, whose low-energy live singing I’ve seen at lesser school
recitals, and our bottom two, Trinity and Serena ChaCha. TKB tries to recapture
the magic of her “Grandma’s Light Bill” routine, but she stumbles and never
fully recovers. Serena’s spastic lip sync feels like a huge missed opportunity,
forgoing the chance to better use props, tell more of a story or, as Ru
request, do more cha-cha!
The All
Stars format is in tact (so far). The top of All Star of the week,
Yara, will pick the lipstick of the queen she thinks she should be eliminated.
The other queens will pick their lipsticks. The winner faces off in a lip sync
battle against a former lip sync assassin. If the week’s winner is the victor,
she picks who goes home. If the assassin wins, the other queens’ pick goes.
Between Serena
and Trinity, it feels a bit like a foregone conclusion. Yara turns in a
satisfactory performance against Coco Montrese to Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.”
Coco is certainly lacking the legendary diction she displayed during the
absolutely iconic “Cold Hearted Snake” lip sync. Neither seems particular
committed to the words, and the stunts are minimal. Ru declares Coco the
winner, and Ms. Montrese reveals the gals are sending Serena home.
But wait! As
Serena packs, Ru appears on screen like a gay Jigsaw to let her know there is
still a game afoot. Does she want to play?
Onto episode
two of the RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars premiere, we begin
with the ceremonial certifying of the lipstick votes. They take out all the
lipsticks from the non-winning queens and quickly deduce they ALL voted for
Serena, which makes Trinity feel good. They unanimously have her back.
Then, Yara,
agent of chaos, chooses violence, taking out her lipstick and revealing she
would’ve eliminated Trinity. Now we’re getting started.
Brace
yourself, because we’re going right into the next challenge: the Blue Ball!
That means we’ve got a staggering THIRTY-SIX LOOKS to get through. Oh, honey,
I’m not gagging, I’m CHOKING! Someone give me the Heimlich, there’s a paillette
blocking my airway!
The categories
are Blue Betta Work (blue-collar realness), Blue Jean Baby and Blue Ball
Bonanza, custom-made from unconventional materials. A few of the girls are
traumatized from former sewing challenges — I’m looking at you, Jiggly. (May I
call you Jiggly?)
The show is a
blue blur, but Ra’Jah, Kylie Sonique Love and Eureka manage to make a good
impression on the judges and get a top spot. Ra’Jah takes the ultimate win with
her smartly tailored lewks and sickening futuristic jumpsuit made in the
werkroom.
It’s no
surprise Jiggly is less lucky. Her second sk8r ensemble looks right off the
rack at Pacific Sunwear in 2002, and her constructed garment is something
anyone with a throw blanket and a safety pin could whip up (in a minute or
less, even). The judges also find fault in A’keria’s presentation, but it’s
mild criticism and she’s clearly safe.
In a bit of a
shocker, joining Jiggly in the bottom is episode one’s winner, Yara Sofia.
Carson thinks Yara’s unconventional outfit is too busy, and the return of her
bouncing boobies felt a bit redundant.
It all comes
down to Ra’Jah and the lip sync assassin, Brooke Lynn Hytes. In the pantheon of
dancing queens, BLH has got to be somewhere toward the top of the list. Ra’jah
absolutely keeps up in a neck-and-neck lip sync that combines sex, competition,
interplay and acrobatics in the way all the best syncs do. Ru has no choice but
to call it a tie. (Although, I would have given the edge to Ra’Jah.)
That means
there’s potentially two gals going home, but both lipsticks say Jiggly. We bid
adieu to Jiggly — for now — before Ru appears again like a puppet on a tricycle
to see if Jiggly wants to play a game.
That just
leaves one enormous piece of business: rankings! Longtime readers know the deal
by now, but for any new squirrel friends, these are my own, personal,
completely subjective, armchair drag critic rankings based on this week,
previous weeks, previous seasons, perceived potential, star power, moxie and
whatever my mood may be. Disagree? Leave your rankings in the comments! And
remember: It’s only drag!
These rankings
were tough, and not because it’s such a tight race for the crown. It’s just a
struggle to see a majority of these queens in the Hall of Fame. Maybe this
season will slowly change my mind. But for now, here’s how they’re shaking out
for me.
1.
I am so here to see Ra’Jah get
some Ru-demption in the RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars premiere. The talented
queen and expert confessional quipper has more talent than attitude, despite
her reputation. Her speedy sewing skills were on full display in both episodes,
and holding her own against Brooke like that was impressive.
2.
Eureka was already one of Ru’s favorites, competing on two previous
seasons of Drag Race, reaching the finale in her second go-round.
Now, she’s got a lot more exposure and experience, thanks to her work on
HBO’s We’re Here. Her variety talent performance — which borrowed
the projection technique most recently in the zeitgeist thanks to previous
winner Sasha Velour — was too overly earnest for me, but it’s the kind of thing
I can see RuPaul eating up. Eureka is the kind of queen custom made to excel
here.
3.
Even A’Keria‘s competitors want
to be her, that’s how fierce she is. We know she can be funny, we know she can
turn it on the runway and we know she can lip sync. I thought her placement in
the bottom on episode two was misguided, but her variety lip sync was meh
enough to justify it for me.
4.
I love how Jan came in so
determined to undo her narrative of being so over-the-top extra, and she
immediately is 10x more intense. Her variety show singing escalated until she
was just fully screaming. It was impressive, but not necessarily pleasant.
Every single one of her Blue Ball outfits were incredible. Methinks she may
have gotten some fashion notes from recent Ru girl Rosé.
5.
Ginger is a pro, there’s no doubt about that. Her “Gummi Bear” lip sync
in the variety show was dumb, but it was dumb done right. She considered all
the details, from the set to the Gummi Bear belt buckle to her Gummi Bear-esque
puffs on her head. Everything was executed with precision and showmanship. For
Ginger to really shine this season, she’ll need to surprise us. It doesn’t
matter how well she does “Glamour Toad” — we know she’s got that — but if she
can give us sex or edge, it would really make a statement.
6.
Similarly, you know what you’re getting
with Pandora. It’s good! I like it! But does she have the
versatility, branding and media savvy to take the title?
7.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Scarlet her
first go round, but so far, so good. She has looked consistently great. The
bubble routine was very fun (and an incredibly refreshing change of pace), but
she had little memorable confessional presence. Maybe she’ll have more room to
shine in coming weeks.
8.
I’m glad to see Kylie Sonique Love
get a proper run at the Race. One of two trans women competing this
season, it’s great (though long overdue) to see Drag Race catch
up and highlight all the talent in the community. Kylie is already worlds ahead
of where we last saw Sonique. Let’s hope coming episodes give her more
highlight.
9.
I was all in on Yara in
episode one, but, like the judges, I fell off in episode two. Bringing the
boobs back the next time on the runway was a big mistake. Yara is still Yara.
There are flashes of brilliance in all the chaos, but it’s just a matter of
catching it at the right moment. One thing you can say about the rest of these
gals, they are CONSISTENT. That makes Yara a wild card. A little surprise can
go a long way, it’s just a matter of in which direction.
10. Silky may not be the most popular Drag
Race alum, but I was ready to root for her. The variety show
performance was a real disappointment that started uneasy and went nowhere. She
looked good at the ball, but my favorite part was the crash sound they edited
in when she put the box down on the third runway. That’s some *chef’s kiss*
foley work.
11. Trinity is another queen so many people are
rooting for. She came in with more confidence, but it dissipated on the main
stage when she stumbled. It was tough to watch. I think Blue Collar lewk should
have earned her a spot in the bottom. It was Kohl’s lady pants and a summer
camp craft Stop sign. Not good enough for All Stars!
12. I wish it weren’t true, but Jiggly was the right call
to go home in episode two, just based on challenge performance. I think she has
potential, and there’s still the lingering hope of whatever this “game within a
game” turns out to be.
13. Serena is certainly improved, but, alas, not
quite an All Star.
What did you think of the episode? Let us know in the comments. And, FYI: If you share your thoughts online using the hashtag #ParamountPlusPride, the streaming service will donate $1 to the Point Foundation, the nation’s largest LGBTQ scholarship granting organization for more than 20 years. Make an impact while spilling the tea.
SOURCE: TOWLEROAD
Pride is all around us and
there is a plethora in every neighborhood, one only needs to become still and
watch.
Because Gay Pride is coming to a close, it can be difficult to spot the prideful
things that live in our midst. Many thrive among paved streets, sidewalks,
buildings, parking lots, and high-rises. There’s pride in abundance burrowing
in the soil of the home you live in, making nests in the trees and buzzing around
the flowers that beautify our gardens. To find these creatures, we only need to
stop, look, and listen. Gay Pride s continually playing out in the streets, in
the shadowy places where cautious nocturnal mammals wait for night's mantel to
fall and the fountain of life playfully splashing and frolicking. These things
becomes a part of our beautiful, complex and exciting communities.
Pride in and out, we have a diverse ecosystem to explore. If your search is challenging,
try to look at your community with prideful eyes. Recognizing that you share
your space with a wide range of persons can make you feel like a part of the
grand circle of life and help you appreciate the importance of a healthy community
