Category Archives: LGBTQ+

Dazzler of the Day: Maulik Pancholy

There have aways been people who have whispered, or shouted out loud, their complaints that the LGBTQ+ community has to proclaim their identity over and over again when most people don’t even care about someone’s sexuality. Those people must live largely ignorant and unaware lives where they don’t see the hatred and homophobia still running rampant, and given a new lease on acceptability with a certain political party’s current leaders. As a gay man, I’m keenly aware that there is a resurgence in homophobia, sanctioned by the GOP Presidential candidate that trickles down to all the other GOP candidates who seem to be ok with stepping in line with a criminal. What a sad and far cry from the Republican Party of my parents. 

Case in point is our Dazzler of the Day – brilliant author, activist and actor Maulik Pancholy, whose scheduled participation at an anti-bullying event was canceled by a Pennsylvania school board due to his “lifestyle”. Don’t tell me there isn’t a problem here, and don’t tell me we don’t need Pride Month and reminders that this sort of thing keeps happening no matter how much you might want to pretend it isn’t. 

Happily, this is bringing further attention to his work and his passion for making the world better for all children.  Check out his website here for all his exciting accomplishments, including his two YA novels, ‘The Best At It’ and ‘Nikhil Out Loud’.

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Dazzler of the Day: Gaby Vincent

American soccer player Gaby Vincent earns her first Dazzler of the Day honor for her talent on the soccer field, as well as her LGBTQ+ community outreach and relations work. She is set to be a featured speaker at Athlete Ally’s Athlete Activism Summit in Louisville, Kentucky this June, as seen below:

Over the course of four days, college athletes, coaches, and administrators from across the country will convene to build community, gain knowledge, and commit to actions to help expand LGBTQI+ inclusion and allyship on their campuses.

Athlete Ally staff and event co-hosts will share how they are using education, policy reform, athlete activism, and groundbreaking research to champion LGBTQI+ inclusion in and through sport. We will hear from athletes & activists on how visibility and representation can shape collective power, and from QTBIPOC athletes & allies on intersectional activism. Attendees will cycle through breakouts on storytelling and campus advocacy. To cap off the Summit, we will lay out a blueprint for where we go from here to maximize our collective impact.

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Dazzler of the Day: Joe Phillips

The good news is that Joe Phillips finally has a few slots open for commissioned work; the bad news is that his formidable skill and talent will likely mean these slots won’t be open for long. Phillips has been celebrated on this blog before, but given the fleeting nature of people, and the precarious state of the world, I believe in celebrating our living artists while we can, and while they might be able to appreciate it. For that reason, among many others, he earns this Dazzler of the Day crowning. Costume and play are often intertwined with the life of an artist, and in addition to his phenomenal artistic work, Phillips crafts looks that are worthy of museum-installation iconography. Knowing exactly what features to accentuate, and how to achieve the unmistakable elements of a design to convey precisely a specific character, time or place is a talent that takes years to hone and perfect. It’s all part of the artistic package and the magic that Phillips conjures whenever one is in his presence. Check out further evidence of his brilliance at his website here.

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Dazzler of the Day: Colin Grafton

American pair figure skater Colin Grafton has also done some modeling, which makes his crowning as Dazzler of the Day a sure thing. He made a splash on ‘Dancing on Ice’ as well, lending some additional sparkle to his dazzle. 

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Dazzler of the Day: Daniel W. Green

As the problematic world of AI artwork swirls around us, it’s good to re-enforce the idea that I and so many others hold, which is that the artwork produced by human hands and our greatest living artists will never be successfully duplicated by any program, no matter how advanced. Human passion cannot and will not be reproduced by artificial intelligence; it will always ring hollow, because humans innately recognize and resonate with the work of another human. That brings us to this Dazzler of the Day, which goes to Daniel W. Green, an artist whose work bleeds with the fiery passion and exuberance that can only be produced by a real person invigorated and inspired by real life. Green specializes in oil paintings, many of which focus on the male form. Witness his work progress as seen in one example below (there are many, as Green is wondrously prolific). Check out more on the Dan Green Male Art page as well as his eBay page to purchase his work

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Dazzler of the Day: Anthony Nerada

Today is publication day for Anthony Nerada’s new LGBTQ+ Young Adult novel ‘Skater Boy’ and as such Nerada earns his first crowning as Dazzler of the Day. Most writers are dazzlers in their own way, and many will have their own dazzling write-up somewhere on their website. Here is Anthony’s:

Anthony Nerada became a writer after his fifth-grade teacher told him it was his destiny. Since then, he’s read too many books (if there is such a thing) and explored worlds far outside the reaches of his own. Anthony holds a BA in psychology and two diplomas (one in public relations, the other in publishing), which allow him to write the day away while simultaneously psychoanalyzing his friends. Anthony lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of the Coast Salish Peoples. Skater Boy is his debut novel.

Check out more dazzling merriment on Anthony’s website here, where you can also order his new book.

{Photographs by Jordan Doak Photography.} 

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Dazzler of the Day: R. K. Russell

I love a Dazzler of the Day who has so many accomplishments that they’ve already been encapsulated on another website, which is the case with today’s Dazzler R. K. Russell. As they used to say on ‘Reading Rainbow‘, you don’t have to take my word for it. The following is from Russell’s website here:

R. K. Russell is a former NFL football player, a social justice advocate, published poet, essayist, and artist. In August of 2019, Russell made history by becoming the first out active NFL player to identify as bisexual. A decorated defensive end who has played for the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he has sacked Hall of Famers and gone up against the fiercest competitors at the height of their game.

Since coming out, he has written about his experience as a Black queer man in sports for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, Out Magazine, and Queer Majority, among others. Russell has been advocating for the LGBTQ+ community in professional sports, spearheading multiple NFL Pride initiatives such as the NFL Pride panel and the NFL’s National Coming Out Day PSA. He has been honored by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) by GAY TIMES (U.K.) as Sportsperson of the Year, and he was selected to the prestigious OUT 100 List in 2019. His short documentary, Finding Free, was nominated for best short documentary at the 43rd Annual Sports Emmys and won awards at the 2022 Webby Awards, the 60th New York Film Festival, and the 43rd Annual Telly Awards. His new memoir, The Yards Between Us, is available everywhere books are sold. He lives in Los Angeles.

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Gay Art Then, Gay Art Now

From the magnificent artwork of J.C. Leyendecker through to the gay pastiche of Ariana Grande’s latest song and video for ‘…yes, and?’ (with references and knowing nods to Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ and Paula Abdul‘s ‘Cold Hearted’) these not-so-hallowed electronic portals have been providing gay artistic fodder at all levels of such content. It may feel like blasphemy to place Grande aside such an artist as Leyendecker, but there is room for all styles and situations here, and I have no tolerance for anyone being snobby about it. 

The world wants to put everything and everyone into their own category and label. I’m all for the obliteration of such dividers, and the elimination of the hierarchical organization of art, and the way it’s critically received and graded. Too often we deny something value if it becomes incredibly popular, as if being wildly popular somehow detracts from its worth. Stuff and nonsense, and silly at its very heart. 

Like what you like and love what you love. You do you.

And I’ll do me.

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Dazzler of the Day: Antoni Porowski

Continuing our celebration of the upcoming return of ‘Queer Eye’, Antoni Porowski earns his first Dazzler of the Day, thanks to a career spanning all forms of infotainment. Check out Antoni’s website here for a more comprehensive view of his accomplishments, and read the literature found there:

Antoni Porowski is a New York Times Bestselling author, host and executive producer of Netflix’s Easy-Bake Battle culinary competition series and the upcoming docuseries No Taste Like Home from Studio Ramsay Global for National Geographic, and star of Netflix’s award-winning hit Queer Eye. Coming up, Antoni is developing a feature film, entitled Girls and Boys, for Netflix with Black-ish creator Kenya Barris. The film is loosely based on Antoni’s real-life dating experiences as a sexually fluid man.

A self-taught cook, Antoni is a four-time Emmy nominee for his role as Queer Eye’s resident food & wine expert. The hit series has won the Emmy Award for “Outstanding Structured Reality Program” for five consecutive years, breaking the current category record for most wins.

Antoni brings his lifelong passion for food to Yummers, his pet food brand cofounded alongside Queer Eye castmate Jonathan Van Ness and pet industry veteran Rebecca Frechette Rudisch.

Born in Canada to European emigrants, Antoni is an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights everywhere, especially his family’s native Poland where he serves on the board of the Equaversity Foundation, which was established to organize international fundraising to support the LGBTQ+ community there. 

 

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Dazzler of the Day: Karamo Brown

The new season of ‘Queer Eye’ debuts on Netflix January 24, and with it the return of Karamo Brown as their “culture expert” – a coveted position indeed, and one that solidified Brown’s place on the pop-culture map (following a turn on MTV’s ‘The Real World: Philadelphia’ back when MTV mattered). Today he earns his first Dazzler of the Day crowning for those pioneering efforts, as well as an appearance in Taylor Swift‘s ‘You Need to Calm Down’ video, and his memoir ‘Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing, and Hope’. 

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Dazzler of the Day: Emerson Collins

Anyone who lists ‘Dandy’ as part of their social media profile is a Dazzler of the Day in my book. Coupled with Actor, Director and Producer, Emerson Collins checks all the requisite boxes and then some, filling out a career of Renaissance-scope accomplishments as well as he fills out the Speedos, jockstraps and underwear on his Instagram feed. His witty way with words and social media magnificence handily earns him this crowning, and his camera-ready persona and production expertise backs it all up with substance and style. Visit his website here for a more comprehensive look at his long list of accomplishments. 

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Dazzler of the Day: Michael DiMartino

Designer and owner of the charmingly sexy Pillow Top shop in Provincetown, MA, Michael DiMartino has been creating designs for the self-proclaimed ‘Queer Pop Home-O Shop’ in an effort to bring art into our everyday lives and objects. Currently the shop is offering some fantastical wrapping paper, which everyone needs right now, and the designs are delightfully queer-friendly. DiMartino earns this Dazzler of the Day thanks to inspiring whimsical designs with a sexy edge – the ideal juxtaposition for good-hearted holiday fun. Visit The Pillow Top website here for more information, and some dazzling home goods.

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Billy Porter’s Masterpiece

Billy Porter’s latest album ‘Black Mona Lisa’ is giving me some much-needed life right now, and his ferocity will need to be enough for the two of us. With its dance-vibe brilliance, and the hefty power of Porter’s own historical journey in the entertainment world, ‘Black Mona Lisa’ is a testament to his own past – informed by the halls of dance from the past five decades – with a gorgeous and defiant charge into the future. 

Check out Billy Porter’s crowning as Dazzler of the Day here, and then visit his enchanting website here

 

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Dazzler of the Day: Stewart Taylor

A Renaissance man who has moved deftly between modeling and music, Stewart Taylor is also an actor and song-writer who earns his first Dazzler of the Day feature with this post. He recently released a new song ‘Favorite Ex’ which can be heard and seen on his website here (along with much more magic).

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Dazzler of the Day: Matthew Mitcham

Australian Olympic gold-medal diver Matthew Mitcham has parlayed his sporting career into multiple career paths, spinning from acting roles to underwear model to dancer to this current crowning as Dazzler of the Day. A true Renaissance man, Mitcham thrills wherever his interests take him, including an OnlyFans account that thus far serves to titillate and stimulate without going too far – the perfect blend of coquettish tease and gratuitous please. Check out his website here for a comprehensive view of his accomplishments. 

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