Last week, I shared a list of the 10 best gay beaches in the world, which included sparkly shores from Fire Island to Tel Aviv to Cape Town, South Africa. Hopefully that helps make your 2013 summer-travel planning a little easier, but with beach plans comes an even bigger question: What are you going to be shaking your man biscuits in while frolicking around on that gay-populated sand?
The one source of solace after yesterday’s tragic happenings in Boston is the unwavering show of support and aid that came from those not immediately affected by the bomb — from racers and bystanders to nurses and EMT personnel. READ MORE
On her Facebook page last night, Beyoncé reiterated her support for gay marriage by uploading the red equals sign image you’ve seen on most of your friends’ walls, but she also snapped a photo of this great note she scribbled, along with the hashtag “#WeWillUniteForMarriageEquality.” Queen Bey seems fired up about the whole thing. I love it.
How about we go into the weekend with a little eye candy? G Philly editorial assistant Alexander Kacala sent me these sneak peek pics from yesterday’s photo sesh with our newest Stripped model, JT Goodson. The aspiring model/actor/dancer, who performs with local dance troupe Vicious Delicious, will appear in the summer issue of G Philly — due out at the end of May. Enjoy! READ MORE
G Philly’s LGBTQ party at the Philadelphia Flower Show was a fab affair. Nearly 300 people came out to mingle, enjoy some bevs and nibbles, and take a twirl around the U.K.-themed Flower Show downstairs. Like I said last night, though, the climax was Martha Graham Cracker. Having just performed for hundreds of parents and children at Christ Church Neighborhood House earlier in the day (see a video of that performance here), she seemed to have an extra dose of sparkle as she sang and flirted with her gays at the Convention Center.
She performed four songs — two Elton John numbers, one by Roberta Flack and she closed with “Rainbow Connection” by “that little green man.” Throughout the performance, the deliciously leggy queen worked entire room — serenading unsuspecting audience members, addressing people in the main exhibit space Evita-style from the balcony where the stage was located, and she did a hilarious bit on the down escalator that ended in a tumble that may or may not have been an accident. Either way, she pulled it off like a charm and gave us one hell of a memorable performance. You can see a video of her grand finale above.
But when Martha wasn’t dazzling on stage, some of our more sartorially minded guests kept our eyes entertained in ensembles that ran the gamut from dapper and whimsical to downright sexy. Since the party doubled as somewhat of a preview for the upcoming release of G Philly‘s Spring Style issue, I decided to focus my lens on the best-dressed in the crowd — those who rocked attire with a little extra zhoosh. See who made the list after the jump. READ MORE
HughE Dillon poses with the award he had no idea he was receiving. His surprise face was adorable/priceless.
There was a fantastic turnout to last night’s Philly DoGooder Awards — especially from the LGBTQ community. Tons of pretty gay faces comprised the well-dressed, happily tipsy crowd in the University of the Arts’ Hamilton Hall. Unfortunately, though, none of the LGBTQ non-profits took home awards, but gay Philly on-the-scene photog HughE Dillon was shocked when Mayor Nutter presented him with a surprise Innovator in Community Building award. You should have seen the look on his face. Actually, you can in the photos after the jump.
Guest of honor Mondo Guerra opening the festivities with a speech.
Over 200 gays, lesbians, straight allies, drag queens and all-around fashionistas showed up to last night’s fab Dining Out for Life fundraiser, Fashion in Action, at the Palomar Hotel. The guest of honor, Mondo Guerra, was in the house with an entourage of supermodels — two male, three female — and an armful of cute T-shirts (see photo below) he designed especially for the event. Decked in a fitted red suit, the reality show star kicked off the soiree with an almost tear-jerking speech about how his revelation on Project Runway that he had HIV led to his involvement with Dining Out for Life, and how important it is for him to see it succeed. After that, he made himself readily available to revelers, signing tees and posing for pics. I took a bunch of photos of him and some of the other evening’s attendees. You can see them all after the jump, and check out HughE Dillon’s much-better-quality shots on the Philly Post. READ MORE
To balance the stampede of straight men and lesbians running to the newsstands to pick up Sports Illustrated‘s 2013 swimsuit issue, Outsports has put together its own babes-in-tight-things issue for gay men and, well, straight women. Their collection of photos includes “real athletes” who play “sports where one competes wearing only a swimsuit or something tight.”
Copyright rules limit me from posting any of Outsports’ selections, which include lean-and-mean swimmers Matt Targett and Eamon Sullivan, and buff mixed martial artist Georges St-Pierre, so I dug up the above image from Philly mag’s database of generic “safe” pics. I have no idea who he is, but woof!
Tabu's Larry Emeigh (far left) and Freddy Shelley (far right) all pumped up at Cupid's Undie Run.
On Friday, I told you that Tabu Lounge and Sports Bar would be participating in this weekend’s Cupid’s Undie Run, and Philly mag photog HughE Dillon was there to capture them (above) in their chilly sprint for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Tabu was the event’s fifth-highest-earning charity, pulling in $4,096 for the cause. For more photos of the guys at Tabu, head to team captain Freddy Shelley’s Instagram page, @fredricjoss. You can see more of Dillon’s photos over on the Philly Post.
The end of don’t ask, don’t tell (DADT) was a major moment in gay history, but an exhibit that opens this weekend in Germantown shows how its effects will be felt for many years to come.
“Gays in the Military: How America Thanked Me,” is New York documentary photographer Vincent Cianni’s attempt to compile an oral and visual history of gay men and women who served in the military from World War II to present. His interviews and portrait sessions with more than 70 service people tell stories of “lost careers and decimated lives” due to the harassment and discrimination of homosexuals that existed freely in American military camps across the globe. The photographs, all black and white, are straight-forward portrait compositions of service members and vets that represent all branches and ranks in the military from a variety of economic and racial backgrounds Some of the faces, like in the photo above, are obstructed — an impactful reminder about how the military’s harboring of homophobia has instilled a sense of shame in even our must decorated LGBTQ military heroes.
The exhibition gets grand opening treatment Sat., Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. at iMPeRFeCT Gallery (5601 Greene St.). It will be on display through March 2. The exhibit’s curator, Rocio Cabello provided more images from the gallery. You can see them after the jump. READ MORE
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