Posts made by gaynight

Since this site use bitcion to sighup, it this means i cannot use my bonus to exchange invite any more?

after I watch gray's anatomy

Homosexual Heritage in Art History

https://suite.io/mary-rayme/4672282

How important a role have homosexuals played in the history of art? Quite a bit. This article is meant to be a celebration of gay heritage.
Mary RaymeSep 13, 2010
Andy Warhol, Henry Geldzahler and David Hockney
Andy Warhol, Henry Geldzahler and David Hockney (? Zeldman.com)
Since the time of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo, gay people in art history have been shaping our culture in the arts. Gay people have had some influence over all industries but perhaps it is in the business of art that gay heritage is most prominent.
Are There More Gays in Art?

While it is a stereotype that there are more gay people working in the arts industries statistically we know that gays exist in all industries. Perhaps what is closer to the truth is that gays are more tolerated in the creative workplace than in other professional circles.

Gay Musicians

So, for example, we know of homosexual musicians and composers such as Elton John, Adam Lambert, Clay Aiken, Janis Ian, Freddy Mercury, The Indigo Girls, Liberace, Little Richard, Johnny Mathis, kd lang, Ricky Martin, Boy George, Bob Mould, Pete Townsend, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, John Cage, Benjamin Britten, Melissa Etheridge, Stephen Sondheim, George Gershwin, Tracy Chapman, and George Michael.

Gay Writers

Gay writers and poets include the likes of Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Allan Ginsberg, W. H Auden, Edward Albee, James Baldwin, Augusten Burroughs, Christopher Isherwood, Armistead Maupin, David Sedaris, Noel Coward, Bret Easton Ellis, E. M. Forster, Patricia Highsmith, Federico Garcia Lorca, Jean Genet, Christopher Isherwood, Yukio Mishima, Chuck Palahniuk, Marcel Proust, Frank O’Hara, and Tennessee Williams.

Gay Actors

Homosexuals in acting include Robert Reed, David Hyde Pierce, Rock Hudson, Sir John Gielgud, Harvey Fierstein, George Takei, Roddy McDowall, Charles Nelson Reilly, Anthony Perkins, Montgomery Clift, Meredith Baxter, Neil Patrick Harris, Tab Hunter, Nathan Lane, and Ellen DeGeneres. This list doesn’t include gay directors or other homosexual creative workers in the movie making and theater world.

Gay Visual Artists

Gay visual artists include Francis Bacon, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Paul Cadmus, Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley, Robert Mapplethorpe, Duane Michals, Maurice Sendak, Herb Ritts, Gilbert and George, and Chip Kidd.

Gay Curators et al.

Gay curators, gallery owners, patrons, art historians, art collectors, and critics are also influential in the art industry and includes such notables as Anthony Blunt, Johann Joachim Winckelmann, Henry Geldzahler, George Melly, Sam Wagstaff, and J.K. Huysmans. Then there are all of the closeted homosexuals and bisexuals who have contributed to art history in incalculable ways and numbers.

Side note: We really don’t hear too much about gay accountants, lawyers, engineers, generals, or corporate CEOs in the popular media, but statistically they are out there. There is a National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals formed to dispel homophobia in the laboratory. The University of Michigan has a Student Alliance of Gay Engineers (SAGE) formed in 2008. There are also sites on the internet where you can find a gay certified public accountant, and one can also search for gay lawyers.

Potential evolutionary role for same-sex attraction
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204144551.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+sciencedaily+(ScienceDaily:+Latest+Science+News)

Date:
February 4, 2010
Source:
Association for Psychological Science
Summary:
Male homosexuality doesn't make complete sense from an evolutionary point of view. One possible explanation is what evolutionary psychologists call the "kin selection hypothesis." What that means is that homosexuality may convey an indirect benefit by enhancing the survival prospects of close relatives.
Male homosexuality doesn't make complete sense from an evolutionary point of view. It appears that the trait is heritable, but because homosexual men are much less likely to produce offspring than heterosexual men, shouldn't the genes for this trait have been extinguished long ago? What value could this sexual orientation have, that it has persisted for eons even without any discernible reproductive advantage?

One possible explanation is what evolutionary psychologists call the "kin selection hypothesis." What that means is that homosexuality may convey an indirect benefit by enhancing the survival prospects of close relatives. Specifically, the theory holds that homosexual men might enhance their own genetic prospects by being "helpers in the nest." By acting altruistically toward nieces and nephews, homosexual men would perpetuate the family genes, including some of their own.

Two evolutionary psychologists, Paul Vasey and Doug VanderLaan of the University of Lethbridge, Canada tested this idea for the past several years on the Pacific island of Samoa. They chose Samoa because males who prefer men as sexual partners are widely recognized and accepted there as a distinct gender category – called fa'afafine -- neither man nor woman. The fa'afafine tend to be effeminate, and exclusively attracted to adult men as sexual partners. This clear demarcation makes it easier to identify a sample for study.

Past research has shown that the fa'afafine are much more altruistically inclined toward their nieces and nephews than either Samoan women or heterosexual men. They are willing to babysit a lot, tutor their nieces and nephews in art and music, and help out financially -- paying for medical care and education and so forth. In a new study, the scientists set out to unravel the psychology of the fa'afafine, to see if their altruism is targeted specifically at kin rather than kids in general.

They recruited a large sample of fa'afafine, and comparable samples of women and heterosexual men. They gave them all a series of questionnaires, measuring their willingness to help their nieces and nephews in various ways -- caretaking, gifts, teaching -- and also their willingness to do these things for other, unrelated kids. The findings, reported on-line this week in the journal Psychological Science, lend strong support to the kin selection idea. Compared to Samoan women and heterosexual men, the fa'afafine showed a much weaker link between their avuncular -- or uncle like -- behavior and their altruism toward kids generally. This cognitive dissociation, the scientists argue, allows the fa'afafine to allocate their resources more efficiently and precisely to their kin -- and thus enhance their own evolutionary prospects.

To compensate for being childless, each fa'afafine would have to somehow support the survival of two additional nieces or nephews who would otherwise not have existed. "If kin selection is the sole mechanism by which genes for male same-sex sexual attraction are maintained over time," the fa'afafine must be "super uncles" to earn their evolutionary keep, explains Vasey. Consequently, Vasey suggests "that the fa'afafine's avuncularity probably contributes to the evolutionary survival of genes for male same-sex sexual attraction, but is unlikely to entirely offset the costs of not reproducing."

Do these findings have any meaning outside of Samoa? Yes and no. Samoan culture is very different from most Western cultures. Samoan culture is very localized, and centered on tight-knit extended families, whereas Western societies tend to be highly individualistic and homophobic. Families are also much more geographically dispersed in Western cultures, diminishing the role that bachelor uncles can play in the extended family, even if they choose to. But in this sense, the researchers say, Samoa's communitarian culture may be more -- not less -- representative of the environment in which male same-sex sexuality evolved eons ago. In that sense, it's not the bachelor uncle who is poorly adapted to the world, but rather the modern Western world that has evolved into an unwelcoming place.

Story Source:

The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

meetballs

BBC - Culture - Is Hollywood really gay friendly?
Tom Brook

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140409-is-hollywood-really-gay-friendly
Can Hollywood be seen as a beacon of enlightenment when it comes to gay matters? The Oscars was recently hosted for the second time by Ellen DeGeneres, an openly gay woman. LGBT characters routinely appear in movies and an increasing number of actors are coming out of the closet. Next weekend America’s gay media advocacy organisation − GLAAD − will be holding its 25th Annual Media Awards in Los Angeles bestowing its seal of approval on individuals and productions for the many images they have provided of the LGBT community.
Most would agree that at first sight, screen depictions of gay people, and the narratives in which they feature, are more positive than ever, especially on US television.
“Twenty-five years ago I don’t think we would have seen the kind of representation we’re seeing today,” says GLAAD’s national spokesperson, actor Omar Sharif Jr, grandson of the acting legend. “We’re not all the way there yet, but we’ve made huge gains, and that’s something to be celebrated.”
But look closely, especially when it comes to mainstream Hollywood, and you’ll find the landscape isn’t that gay-friendly after all. Despite big names in American sport, music and broadcasting coming out of the closet, no major A-list Hollywood star has yet declared themselves to be gay.
That isn’t to say that all Hollywood actors have been quiet. Zachary Quinto, known to millions for playing Spock in the recent Star Trek movies, came out in 2011 − and Jodie Foster, in a speech at the Golden Globes last year, acknowledged: “I already did my coming out about a 1000 years ago.” On Valentine’s Day this year, at a LGBT event sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, actress Ellen Page declared she was gay adding: “I am tired of lying by omission.”
But so far no megastar of the stature that could carry a big Hollywood blockbuster or franchise has come forward to state that he− or she is gay.
“I can’t imagine why. I think it’s their own demons at this point, I really do. It’s silly,” says top Hollywood PR man Howard Bragman, who’s made a name for himself as a publicist who helps guide stars who want to come out.
Price to pay?
Not so long ago, when discrimination was more extreme, those actors who did come out would have suffered the penalty of lost work.  There is still the view that a gay actor well known for playing the heterosexual romantic lead might no longer be able to find work in those roles if he revealed he was gay.
Casting director Tammara Billik, a board member of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, believes it could present female fans with a difficult challenge: “I think there is still that hurdle to climb over, envisioning their heartthrob on screen kissing a woman…and can they separate that from their heartthrob in his personal life kissing a man?” she says.
But Billik believes there will be change. She is of the opinion that there are several A-list stars working in Hollywood today who are gay − but in the closet.
She says: “There are probably three or four leading guys out there that are A-listers that are gay in my guess. I think it’s going to take that one person who people don’t think is gay to come out. I think once that A-lister comes out more will follow.”
But there are no guarantees that the studios would embrace a newly proclaimed, openly gay megastar and slot them into a high-profile role. Hollywood is extremely risk-averse − trying to maximize its revenues by reaching the biggest possible audience − and executives may take the view that casting a gay star would alienate moviegoers especially in conservative markets overseas.
For some in the LGBT community, having a major star come out is seen as vital because of the impact it could have on isolated gay teens who may be struggling with their sexual identity. Tammara Billick says: “If a big A-list star came out he would show teenage girls and boys it’s ok to be gay, and not to be afraid and that would be an amazing statement to make.” It can of course be countered that a star, however big, who has hidden in the closet for many years may not be such a positive role model after all.
Knowledge is power
But publicist Howard Bragman, who’s gay himself, agrees that having a star coming out can be a very effective way to break down anti-gay prejudice and ignorance.“I’ve seen the research,” he says, “and I know the single biggest factor that people judge and change their minds about LGBT issues are if they know someone who is gay − and when a star comes out they do know someone who is gay. It changes their level of understanding. That’s why I’ve helped so many people come out.”
Last year GLAAD published its Studio Responsibility Index, which tracked the content of the films released by Hollywood’s six largest film studios in 2012. Out of 101 films released, only 14 of them had a character identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual and sometimes they were on screen for little more than just a few seconds. None of the films had a transgender character.
US television is radically different with whole TV shows built around gay characters. So why is there a discrepancy when it comes to mainstream cinema?
Some gay media activists put the blame on studio executives whose views they claim are behind the times.
“I think these are long entrenched ideas that they’re just having a hard time shaking,” says Matt Kane, GLAAD’s Associate Director of Entertainment Media. He hopes the film studios can learn from the TV industry. “It’s ticket sales in films and it’s ratings in television − and we’ve certainly seen that a huge number of the most highly-rated shows on television are extremely inclusive of LGBT characters and story lines.”
Omar Sharif Jr also thinks Hollywood’s concerns over not wanting to alienate foreign markets could be holding back the representation of gays in studio movies. “A lot of LGBT characters would be censored by the government censors,” he says, “so I think the studios are keeping that in mind. But that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.”
The big six studios are hardly paragons of innovation, originality and inspiration. But generally speaking they are thought of as being politically liberal and progressive. That’s why the degree to which they’ve excluded LGBT characters from their films has struck some media watchdogs as startling. “What we found by and large is that we are largely invisible in Hollywood film,” says Matt Kane at GLAAD. There are many in the LGBT community who are determined to see that change. With so many gains in the battle to win marriage equality there’s a sense of optimism among gay media advocates that the Hollywood studios will soon realise they’re behind the times − and that to retain and develop audiences around the world they need more inclusive storytelling.

Airbnb host sues guests for filming hardcore gay porn in her house
BY HEATHER DOCKRAY
2015-11-25 20:18:38 UTC
Rent your house out on Airbnb, and you don’t know what kind of guests you’ll get. A majority of the time, the situation is totally safe, but every once in a while you’ll come home to some surprises.

Like enema kits. And semen. And "various sexual devices."

Rent your house out on Airbnb, and you don’t know what kind of guests you’ll get. A majority of the time, the situation is totally safe, but every once in a while you’ll come home to some surprises.

Like enema kits. And semen. And "various sexual devices."

On Aug. 16, 2015, Airbnb host Kristina Knapic claims she came home to find that her historical house had been used to film a gay porn. Knapic had rented out her Ojai, California, house to guests for five days. Upon returning, Knapic allegedly found some not-so-subtle evidence:

“Plaintiff entered the Acacia was filthy (enema kits were found throughout the house – on the floors, in the beds, in nightstand drawer and in the trash; various sexual devices were found in the beds and in the trash; the hot tub water was brownish in color; and the linens were stained brown,” legal documents, obtained by The Smoking Gun, read.

Knapic is now suing Lucas entertainment, who made the porn, for property damage, as well as breach of contract and “emotional damage.” The claim totals $30,000.

In a statement to The New York Daily News, Lucas conceded that they had filmed a porn at the mansion, but had left the house in good shape.

“We were told and we have it in writing that the mansion was in perfect condition,” Lucas said.

The allegations, he argued, were “absolutely, 100 percent, every word” false.

Do You Have Gay DNA?
A new scientific study has found that 30 to 40 percent of a man's homosexuality is a result of genetics, while the rest is due to ‘environmental factors.’
TIM TEEMAN
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/15/do-you-have-gay-dna.html

Genes are involved in determining sexual orientation, a new scientific study has found. Michael Bailey, a psychologist at Northwestern University in Illinois, and his colleagues discovered that at least two chromosomes have an effect on whether a man was gay or straight.

Bailey disclosed the results of tests of 409 gay brothers and their family members at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Chicago. Genetic factors, the researchers claimed, account for between 30 and 40 percent of a person's homosexuality.

Bailey told The London Times, “Sexual orientation has nothing to do with choice. Our findings suggest there may be genes at play and we found evidence for two sets that affect whether a man is gay or straight.”

However, Bailey's research does not support the existence of a sole "gay gene." He said sexuality was also formed, to a significant degree, by environmental factors. "Don't confuse 'environmental' with 'socially acquired'," he said. "Environment means anything that is not in our DNA at birth, and that includes a lot of stuff that is not social."

Dr. Alan Sanders, associate professor of psychiatry at Northwestern University, who led the study, told The Telegraph, “We don’t think genetics is the whole story. It’s not. We have a gene that contributes to homosexuality, but you could say it is linked to heterosexuality. It is the variation.”

Bailey and his colleagues' study echoed the findings of a 1993 study by the geneticist Dean Hamer, which suggest that the genes influencing homosexuality in men may be associated with the Xq28 marker on the X chromosome. Bailey's study separately identified a second genetic region, on Chromosome 8, which also appeared to predict whether a man would be homosexual. To date, no similar genes have been discovered which influence female homosexuality.

The latest study also bears out the results of a study of almost 4,000 same-gender twin pairs in 2008 by researchers from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, and the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, which found a combination of genetics and environmental factors, "which are specific to an individual, and may include biological processes such as different hormone exposure in the womb," were key factors in determining homosexuality.

At the time, Dr. Qazi Rahman, the study's co-author, said the study "puts cold water on any concerns that we are looking for a single 'gay gene' or a single environmental variable which could be used to 'select out' homosexuality–the factors which influence sexual orientation are complex. And we are not simply talking about homosexuality here--heterosexual behavior is also influenced by a mixture of genetic and environmental factors."

The countries where gay men are the happiest
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/05/27/the-countries-where-gay-men-are-the-happiest/
List
By Ana Swanson May 27, 2015  Follow @anaswanson
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are still officially considered criminals in roughly one-third of countries worldwide, and homosexuality is punishable by death in seven countries. But other places, such as northern Europe, are very accepting of homosexuality.

Unsurprisingly, a new survey shows that gay men are happiest in those welcoming locations. Planet Romeo, an Amsterdam-based dating and community site, collaborated with the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany to carry out an online survey of 115,000 gay men around the world. They combined rankings on public opinion, public behavior and life satisfaction – how gay men feel about society’s view on homosexuality, how gay men feel they are treated by other people, and how satisfied gay men are with their own lives, respectively – into one worldwide ranking on gay happiness.

Iceland tops their list as the country where gay men are the happiest, followed by Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Uruguay, Canada, Israel, Netherlands, Switzerland and Luxembourg. The United States ranks 26th in the list. The 10 worst countries by this ranking are Kazakhstan, Ghana, Cameroon, Iran, Nigeria, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. The map above shows that ranking, with the highest ranked countries appearing in green and the lowest ranked countries in red.

Screen Shot 2015-05-20 at 5.29.12 PM
In the top 20 countries, 37 percent of respondents were currently in a committed relationship with another man, while 3 percent were in a relationship with a woman. In the 20 worst countries, only 22 percent were in a committed relationship with a man, and 5 percent were in a relationship with a woman.

Screen Shot 2015-05-20 at 5.28.28 PM
Those in the 20 worst countries were also a lot more likely to say their parents were were not accepting of their sexual orientation. Fifty six percent of respondents in the 20 worst countries said this, compared with 20 percent in the 20 best countries.

Though many societies are growing more accepting of homosexuality, gay men in some countries report that things have gotten worse in the past few years. Uganda, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, Nigeria and Ethiopia top this list, though Russia, Turkey and Hungary have also seen a negative trend in the index.

Here is the complete country list:

Ana Swanson is a reporter for Wonkblog specializing in business, economics, data visualization and China. She also works on Know More, Wonkblog's social media channel.

To be honest, I really don't like this new design ATM. It is too fancy.

A Bank Transforms Its ATMS Into GAYTMS In Honor Of Gay Pride
http://www.fastcocreate.com/3026968/a-bank-transforms-its-atms-into-gaytms-in-honor-of-gay-pride
ANZ, a long-time sponsor of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, celebrates the event and the LGBTI community by turning its cash-dispensing machines into bold symbols of diversity, inclusion, and respect.

CHRISTINE CHAMPAGNE 02.27.14 8:59 AM
There are plain old ATMs, and then there are gorgeous GAYTMs covered in rhinestones, sequins, and leather—at least in Sydney. ANZ (shorthand for the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited) commissioned artists to glam up ATMs located in its central Sydney bank branches in celebration of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. ANZ has been a sponsor of the event for eight years and became the festival’s inaugural principal partner this year.

"We wanted to do something special to celebrate ANZ’s becoming principal partner of the Sydney Mardi Gras and to show our support for diversity and the LGBTI community. ATMs are a key touch point between us and our customers, so we’ve transformed the experience of getting cash out into something fun and in the spirit of the Mardi Gras festival," says Carolyn Bendall, head of Australian marketing for ANZ.

The creative idea was developed by ANZ's lead advertising agency Whybin/TBWA Melbourne, and the agency brought in The Glue Society to create the GAYTMs. "We decided early in the piece that the GAYTMs had to be as fabulous as the Mardi Gras itself, both in design and execution," Bendall says.

The design of the GAYTMs—a total of 10 were bejeweled by hand in rhinestones, sequins, leather, denim, and other materials—was inspired by LGBTI culture, and each one is a work of art that tells a unique story. While the "Hello Sailor" GAYTM celebrates the Australian Defence Force allowing its members to march in the Mardi Gras parade in uniform for the first time last year, the "Pride" GAYTM represents the rainbow, a symbol of diversity.

The construction of the GAYTMs took approximately 2,500 hours. "The artists created a mold designed to fit each ATM that they then used to fabricate an acrylic shell. All of the rhinestones, fur and other materials were affixed to this shell, which was then fitted onto each ATM," Bendall explains.

A notable factoid: More than 620,000 rhinestones were affixed to the machines.

The installation process began on February 21, and all of the GAYTMs were up and running by the morning of February 23. They all print out rainbow-colored receipts, and the screens on select machines share messages like "Cash out and proud" and "Happy Mardi Gras!"

The GAYTMs will remain in place in their current locations until March 5, and ANZ is currently working on a plan to relocate them to permanent locations. People love the machines, according to Bendall, who says ANZ’s Twitter handle @ANZ_AU was trending in Sydney on February 22, and the public continues to use hashtag #GAYTM to share messages of support on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

ANZ is donating ATM operator fees collected from non-ANZ cardholders who use the GAYTMs to Twenty10, a nonprofit organization that supports people dealing with gender and sexuality issues as well as their families and friends.
  (THE ORIGINAL)
As for why ANZ is so supportive of the LGBTI community, Bendall says, "ANZ’s Pride Network promotes diversity, inclusion, and respect for the bank’s staff and customers worldwide. This association is about encouraging an environment where everyone feels comfortable being themselves at work. We want the best people to work at our organization, and given how many people identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex, we want to make sure that everyone feels welcome at ANZ regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity."

Study Finds Most Gay Male Sex Workers Not Crazy, Drug Addicts, or Gay
KATE HAKALA•@EXPLIKATEME• JAN. 17, 2014

In Prague's booming sex tourism industry, what type of man becomes a prostitute?

As the sixth most visited city in Europe, you may be familiar with Prague's iconic baroque, gothic, and neo-classical architecture, but if you're in the know, you won't be surprised that the city is one of the most popular destinations for sex tourism. As of 2002, the Czech Statistical Bureau estimated the sex trade to be worth $217 million a year. Because prostitution (though not organized brothels or pimping), became legal for workers over 18 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, neighboring countries like Austria, Germany, and a large majority (80 percent of clients) of international travelers have encouraged the business to boom. Some estimates claim there are 10,000 to 25,000 prostitutes in the country. Of those thousands, 5 percent are male. Groundbreaking documentary films like Not Angels But Angels and Body Without a Soul have given us a narrative insight into the real lives of male sex workers in the Czech Republic, but never has a film or study asked what types of men become online escorts while others end up working the streets and clubs, until now.

The Journal of Sex Research has just released a unique study comparing the childhoods, satisfaction, and habits of male sex workers advertising online and escorts working in specialty clubs. Anonymous surveys were completed by 40 male escorts and sex workers over a period of months in 2011. The results are both surprising and stereotype shattering. The study found that there were no significant correlations between between the age of the sex workers and the number of clients they got, no relationship between age and monthly incomes, and relatively no differences in job satisfaction between online escorts and club workers.

Are all male sex workers just gay-for-pay? Not when they're listed on GayRomeo.com. The study found Internet escorts are predominantly homosexual, whereas absolutely no bar and club workers in the study identified as homosexual. That means, for many of the straight sex workers, their first encounter with a male client was also their first encounter with a male sex partner.

Those not working the champagne room also have bigger wallets. To advertise yourself online is to have booty leverage. Internet escorts charge on average 22 percent more a night than their barside counterparts and generally get about three more clients a month. For the average Internet escort, they can turn out about $439 per night, whereas club workers make a more modest $340 a night. Though, money is only half of the driving force for online escorts to begin sex work, with 20 percent claiming they began to take clients purely for the sex. 90 percent of bar and club sex workers, on the other hand, reported that desperate financial situations, where they would have ended up homeless, lead to their decision to start streetwalking.

Interestingly, researchers also examined the home lives of Prague's sex workers. The common mythology is that to turn to a life a prostitution, a person must have been a victim of abuse, emerging from a morally desolate existence —never in your wildest dream would you picture two loving parents supporting their well fed child on meat and veggies behind a white picket fence and having him grow up to be an escort. But of those that participated, only two bar sex workers had a history of child abuse, while no online escorts had such childhood trauma. In fact, almost half of online escorts reported a perfectly normal, happy, school-going childhood.

With only 15 percent of online escorts being satisfied with their work (60 percent want to get out as soon as they can), and 30 percent of club workers reporting satisfaction, the male sex worker industry in Prague is far from idyllic. The lead motivating factor for continued sex work, at least in the groups studied, was decidedly financial. As in other countries, there's still risk of client abuse (15 percent of online escorts and 20 percent of club workers have been beaten on the job), there's still ample drug abuse, and common homelessness. This study is most important in that it humanizes and neutralizes the stark caricatures we have of our sex workers. These aren't on the whole broken people from broken homes scrounging for their next fix, these are fairly normal individuals desperate to keep a roof over their heads who are open with their sexuality. But even in the decriminalized streets of Prague, the safest and most lucrative place to be a sex worker is still in the hidden, anonymous confines of the Internet.

Tables via Journal of Sex Research.

Image via.

Here Are the Meds a Straight Guy Needs To Take In Order To Perform in Gay Porn
Rich Juzwiak
CLICK THE ADDRESS TO SEE THE VIDEOS
http://gawker.com/here-are-the-meds-a-straight-guy-needs-to-take-in-order-1747341012?trending_test_three_c&utm_expid=66866090-68.NesmD4FSTbKroxp5qEjtVQ.3&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fgawker.com%2Fhere-are-the-meds-a-straight-guy-needs-to-take-in-order-1747341012%3Ftrending_test_three_c

Luke (aka Vadim Black) and Ben (aka Sean Cody’s Sean) (links NSFW) are two straight-identified guys who make their living by doing gay porn. They were both profiled on last night’s True Life: I’m a Gay for Pay Porn Star. They were both extremely firm on their heterosexual orientation (no doubt because their line of work calls it to be questioned regularly, certainly from the outside, but probably internally as well). My takeaway is that these guys are really straight, or they’re by now very gifted at mimicking the kind of ennui that comes from performing sexual acts one wouldn’t otherwise have interest in for money.

In the clip above, Luke (who has expressed anti-gay sentiment on Twitter) goes through the various substances he takes to perform in porn (even as a bottom). He ticks off pills that have “poisonous ingredients” and “a substance that, like, makes your healthy cells die, or whatever.” He also inhales poppers (“or whatever”), which “gets you really horny.”

If Luke seems unhappy, Ben is just marginally more upbeat. “When I’m having sex with a guy, it could be anything,” he says. “From vegetables to fruit to car tailpipes. Whatever you’re into. Fucking a guy is like fucking a watermelon.”

Ben calls performing in porn “actually a really, really difficult, stressful process.” “It sucks,” he adds. “I don’t really enjoy that at all.” He points out that it’s better than working for minimum wage, but it’s far from being a consequence-free career path. Though Ben’s wife is aware of his work (and thinks it’s hot), Luke kept his career from his girlfriend for as long as he could, which added to his stress.

In the highlights reel below, keep an eye out for a cameo from Sean Cody’s “Forrest,” who performed with Ben in a scene. He seems to have a lot less existential dread than Ben and Luke, but maybe they just caught him on a good day.

is there any good android tv box I can buy? is 2gb RAM necessary?

Difference Between Apple iOS and Android

(1) Apple iOS is a proprietary operating system whereas Android is Google developed open source operating system.

(2) The latest version of iOS is 4.2.1 and Android is 3.0 (Honeycomb) as at today.(Jan 2011)

(3) Both Apple iOS and Android supports Multitasking.

(4) Android has one more short range communication technology NFC on top of Bluetooth.

(5) Apple iOS supports internet Tethering via Bluetooth whereas Android supports with Hotspot via Wi-Fi

(6) Address book share via MMS vcf is perfectly stores in Android with exactly same label of contacts whereas apple iOS doesn’t not support the perfect lebel.

(7) Google Native clients for Gmail,Youtube ,Google Talk,Maps and Search are perfectly designed in Android and Apple uses Apple Mail client to get emails which will not fully support for Gmail features.

(8) Android supports Social Network contact Sync whereas Apple iOS is not.

(9) Skype video calling is supported by Apple and Android.

(10) Viber VoIP Application is only available for Apple iOS at the moment but official site says android in roadmap.

(11) GTalk video is supported by Android whereas Apple iOS does not support.

(12) Both as user friendly and easy to use.

(13) Since Android could be installed on any hardware, so if you want to change the phone or tablet to other vendor will not make much difference is usage whereas Apple iOS runs on Apple devices only.

(14) Patches and bug fixes will be released by Apple only in Apple iOS whereas in Android there are lots of customised versions from 3rd party developers with immediate fixes.

(15) Android can be customised by Vendors or 3rd Party users but whereas Apple iOS is only developed and fixes by Apple. Downgrade is not possible in Apple iOS officially.

maybe a low version of utorrent. (v 2.2.1)

if you have a android device Ttorrent is the best.

Closeted Military Man Reveals The Secrets Of His Double Life
http://www.queerty.com/closeted-military-man-reveals-the-secrets-of-his-double-life-20160203

We may live in a time when gays and lesbians are allowed to serve openly in the military, but that certainly doesn’t mean coming out is everyone’s choice.

For one gay former special ops soldier and current overseas contractor, living a double life has been a more attractive choice than unifying his work/personal identities.

And while he maintains the separation is right for him (and who are we to say he’s wrong?), that much compartmentalizing can’t always be easy.

Below, he answers questions from curious minds online:

When/how did you realize you were gay? Does your family know?

I always new I was different. Through high school, a lot of people thought I was shy, boring or introverted and what not but in reality I just wasn’t interested in girls. I had a high school girlfriend, but that was because that’s just what you did in high school. After we graduated, we got married because that’s what everyone else was doing. Shockingly, it didn’t last! My first experience wasn’t until my early 20’s. It was a very confusing time for me, because I felt like I “shouldn’t” like guys. I dealt with a lot of different emotions and there was definitely an internal struggle that didn’t subside until I was able to come to terms and accept who and how I was. Even then though, I never wanted to be defined by my sexuality, so I never “came out.” I always wanted my reputation to be: “yeah, he is a solid dude..” Not “yeah, he is a solid dude…..for a queer/homo/gay/swish/etc” All that being said, living a double life and keeping secrets isn’t healthy, psychology or emotionally, but that’s just the price I felt and feel like I have to pay. It’s a trade off that I think is worth it. My father passed away a number of years ago, but my mother and siblings know. They have come to accept it, but I don’t rub their noses in it.

Are you proud of what you do or do you simply view it as a job?

Yes, I took a lot of pride in what I did and still do. Part of it is being a professional and wanting to do a good job. Part of it is that I believed in the mission. A large part of it is that I loved the guys I served with. They were and are my brothers.

How do u control your face to not betray your emotions?

For example, when you see a hot dude you might bite your lip for a second, then be like ‘Oh shit I hope no one caught me’?

I’ve always been good at compartmentalizing things. When I’m “at work” or “out with the guys” I just keep it locked down and stay in character, so to speak. The reason for that has always been my desire to be associated with being a professional and keeping my private life private.

Also, I’ve never been attracted to a guy I’ve served with, who I consider my brothers. Being attracted to one of them would be similar to being attracted to a sibling, if that makes sense.

Do the guys you date ever try and pressure you to come out?

No, I haven’t been in many LTR’s. Mostly brief flings during vacation or it’s been casual and/or discreet.

How do you go about picking up dudes discretely?

Back in the day, it was harder. Now, with online dating, it’s pretty easy. If I could get away or was on vacation, go to a bar or club.

Is you preference Twinks, Bears or it doesn’t matter?

Not into Bears, other than that it’s really about the connection. It may be conceited, but if someone isn’t in to me, I lose interest quickly.

Are you, or have you ever been in a LTR while keeping it a secret?

Yes and it is exhausting, but necessary.

I wanna a six pack. Tips?

Your body comp is 80% nutrition, so get that dialed in and you should be good to go. Stay in a caloric deficit. I’d recommend Paleo and Crossfit, but I’m biased. There are a ton of physique competitors that post composition prep diets and workouts and they will all work.

Deep Inside The Social Media Operations Of A Gay Escort Service
http://www.buzzfeed.com/benjaminj4/deep-inside-the-social-media-operations-of-a-gay-e#.ifO0Q9KYz
These days, even escort services need a good social media presence.

posted on Jan. 15, 2013, at 6:25 a.m.
Benjamin Jackson
“I zone out when I’m home. I just don’t think about it.”
Dave* has just begun telling me about a typical day at the office. Dave doesn’t usually tell people right away what he does for a living. That’s because he works as the director of online marketing for, as he first described it to me, “a pimp.”
Dave’s employer is not, strictly speaking, a pimp. Instead of dealing directly with the trade, the company runs what is, on the surface, an online social network for gay men, shielding itself behind a legal loophole that allows it to profit from the sex trade while maintaining plausible deniability.
His parents don’t know the exact details of his work, either. When people ask, “I’m a consultant for some companies in New York” is his standard cover. He and his coworkers use fake names at work, and he treads lightly when discussing the details of his job. “I try to have a first conversation to see what kind of people I’m dealing with so I can tell them what I do.”
Most people “don’t believe that it exists,” Dave said. Some immediately assume that he works as an escort himself; others find it fascinating, and pepper him with questions. No one seems to know the first thing about how these online escort services operate within the law.
Welcome to the world of rent boys.
How prostitution works online
Because online escort listing services are not technically escort agencies, they have no responsibility for the escorts. Clients communicate the exact details of their transactions via phone numbers or email addresses included with each listing. Dave told me that his employer has never experienced any friction with the law.
It is, in essence, a dating site. Imagine OkCupid, but with pictures of scantily clad men everywhere (ok, that’s not much different), and explicit descriptions of likes/dislikes, fetishes, preferred position, and condom policy. Working hours are clearly laid out, and rates are provided for weekend stays, overnights, dates, and home visits. Body descriptions include additional attributes of interest, such as body hair, build, foreskin (“cut” or “uncut”), and “cock size.”
The market is crowded with competing sites: A Google search for “gay escort” turns up results for RentMen.com, HourBoy.com, Rentboy.com, Men4RentNow.com, and dozens of similar networks.
Dave’s company has less than 30 employees. Escort listings form the core of the business model. Users can purchase advertising space with a credit card, but also with other forms of payment, like money orders, which don’t require a real name. Escorts can place the ads themselves, or through an agency.
Dave characterizes his work as “mostly social media and search marketing.” He looks for “stuff that [clients] are going to either talk about, or relate to in a way. Because that’s one of the elements of the web site — some people go there just for the pictures.”
The first thing Dave does upon arriving at work is open Tumblr, and to search for “straight up, hard-core gay porn,” as he put it. Dave spends up to 10 hours a day doing this, reposting the most click-worthy material to the company’s small but loyal following on various social media sites. (He declined to specify exactly which ones.)
Dave’s job is complicated by the fact that he’s straight. He told me he’s tried to expand the company’s horizons beyond its current social presence, but that his boss feels because Dave is not gay, he doesn’t have the perspective to know the best ways to reach the site’s audience.
“I don’t know Google+ because I never tried.”
Why Tumblr? It’s the best place to get fresh material. While the site’s community guidelines request that accounts with adult-oriented content be flagged as NSFW by the owner, it does not specifically prohibit pornography.
The service does, however prohibit uploading explicit videos to its own servers. Tumblr’s guidelines state, “We’re not in the business of profiting from adult-oriented videos and hosting this stuff is fucking expensive.” The site allows external hosts, however, and the guidelines recommend the porn hub xHamster for hosting anything unsuitable for direct upload to Tumblr.

A search for posts on Tumblr tagged with “escorts” turns up a smattering of actual escort listings along with more PG-13 content.
Tumblr is far from the only place where adult material can be found though, and escorts operate on most major social networks. Twitter, Craigslist Personals, and Facebook all turn up results for escort services when searching for “escorts”. Even Instagram hasn’t escaped the sex trade; this search on Statigram (warning: NSFW) has mostly adult-oriented content from accounts with names like miamiescorts and your_secret_desires.
What about Google+? “I don’t know Google+ because I never tried,” Dave explained, chuckling.
“If you post just a butt crack, your whole Facebook page can get taken down.”
Of all the networks Dave posts to, Facebook is the least accepting of lubricious content, and the site’s draconian enforcement policies mean that he treads carefully on Mark Zuckerberg’s lawn. “If you post just a butt crack, your whole Facebook page can get taken down.”
The site used to advertise with Google Adwords until the search giant changed its terms of service to specifically prohibit escort services. Massage is fair game, but “any mention of sexual content, you’re out.” In response, some escort listing services have launched massage sites specifically targeting gay men.
The one large outlet that doesn’t present an attractive target for distributing gay porn? Pinterest. According to Dave, the site’s terms of service, which specifically prohibit “any information or content we deem to be hateful, violent, harmful, abusive, racially or ethnically offensive… profane, or otherwise objectionable,” meant that his employer never even considered posting their material there. And while there are some pics of topless men on Pinterest, it’s mostly just photos of partially clothed mainstream celebreties like Daniel Craig or Ryan Gosling, not the gay pornstars which make up the majority of the site’s pageviews.
And what turns up when searching for “escorts” on Pinterest? Photos of escort cards. The site was the only one out of all the social networks examined that didn’t have any links to actual escort services in the results.

Searching for “escorts” on Pinterest leads to absolutely nothing that could possibly generate any kind of sexual arousal.
To catch an escort
Soliciting a male escort comes with its own set of complications. There has been a rash of users who put up fake pictures, book a hotel, then wait in the bathroom for the client to appear before knocking him out and robbing him. Dave told me these crimes go largely unreported: “Shit. I just got a hooker, got beat up by the hooker and got robbed by the hooker. What do I do? I’m a victim, but at the same time, I’m committing a crime.”
Clients have no way of communicating with each other through the site. Still, many connect through Daddy’s Reviews, a review site — registered to the blithely named WinkWinkNodNod, LLC and based in a strip mall in Renton, WA — where users post painstakingly detailed accounts of their appointments with different escorts. When a client travels to an unfamiliar city, the easiest way to find an escort is to visit the site’s message board and request assistance in code: “Do you know the 411 on Patrick Bateman?”
Arrangements vary; there isn’t always a guarantee of sex. Some escorts specialize in “muscle worship,” posing and flexing for clients. Others go on dates with the understanding that if things go well, the night will end with a blowjob. Dave has also seen a recent surge of escort listings in India. Quite a few of the listings I found in my own search for similar listings were for straight men, specifying the user’s sexual preference with descriptions like “for females both married and unmarried”, and “i am intelligent. god made me only for female.”
Lots of escorts offer services as a team. Couples can be heterosexual, which is the only way a woman will get past the unwritten “penis rule” (transgender escorts are welcome, as are transexuals and cross-dressers). These couples mainly go after married couples and elderly men, who can turn out to be cash cows.
Craigslist killed the gay pimp
Most of the gay men Dave knows have worked as an escort at some point in their lives. “It was always the first job they got in New York,” he explained. Newcomers with scant resources often resort to informal prostitution in bars, and the profession offers an easy, consistent source of income.
Offline male escort agents have been largely phased out by the disruptive influence of online sex listings, which began in the early 2000s. “Prior to that, it was really hard for [escorts] to live off the little ad on the back of Village Voice,” Dave explained.
These days, Dave said, “It’s really easy. You put up an ad, people call you up — why would you need a middleman?”
In cases where administrative assistance is required, pimps have largely been supplanted by online agencies and sugar daddies. The former manage multiple escorts, taking a cut of the fees. The latter usually retain one escort for themselves and occasionally pay for listings to supplement his expenses. While the agencies are in it for the money, Dave said, “[the sugar daddy] is more selfish — he only wants the product for himself.”

The top 20 U.S. cities by number of listings on Rentboy.com, according to the site’s search filters.
Rentboy.com (warning: NSFW) — which achieved notoriety after a scandal involving George Rekers, a member of the Christian right and vocal anti-gay activist — lists close to 2,000 escorts in the United States, and over 1,000 in China, according to data collected from the search filters. After New York, the biggest markets are in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.
Clients can join for free to get “enhanced browsing” with advanced filters, though this appears to be less useful outside of major cities due to sparsity of listings. A user searching Rentboy.com in Manhattan can choose from around 400 escorts; Brooklyn, on the other hand, has only 17, while the Bronx and Queens have 7 and 12, respectively.
Tragically, if the listings are to be believed, there is only one lonely escort servicing the entire borough of Staten Island. His offer states simply, “Partnership with my younger BROTHER available upon request.”
But while male escort networks have disrupted both the print classifieds and offline pimps, they have thus far escaped disruption by even newer entrants. Grindr, which leverages geolocation technology to facilitate casual encounters between gay men, has not hurt business; Dave says it’s “mainly for cruising.” Escort sites, on the other hand, caters to those with deep pockets and very specific tastes.
“Shit. I just got a hooker, got beat up by the hooker and got robbed by the hooker. What do I do? I’m a victim, but at the same time, I’m committing a crime.”

At “The Hookies,” escorts compete for awards like “Best Top,” “Best Boyfriend Fantasy,” and “Best Daddy.”
“If they have the body for it, they’re gonna try porn.”
Porn serves two purposes for the male escort. First, it works as free advertising. The majority of the porn is legally produced and widely distributed, and the site’s clientele is “very much aware of their pornstars… they walk around Chelsea and people take pictures They wanna talk to them, get to know them. Because there’s this element of ‘Hmm, I might get to have sex with this guy, if I play my cards right.’”
But it also pays better, with a “one-on-one” shoot for a relatively unknown actor going for $1,000-$1,500, a princely sum in comparison to a typical escort’s $120-$300 base rate. Other types of shoots carry standard markup fees. With a threesome, for example, “If both guys are tackling one guy, he’s gonna get more money.” This extra fee amounts to around $500-$700, but as Dave noted, “This is for one guy in the front, one in the back, not for two guys in the back.”
Porn stars and escorts compete each year in the International Male Escort Awards (more commonly referred to as “The Hookies”), sponsored by Rentboy.com. The ceremony includes awards for “Best Top,” “Best Boyfriend Fantasy,” “Best Daddy,” and “Best Transsexual,” among others. Nominees are drawn from regional events, where “Mr. London,” “Mr. San Francisco,” and others are elected by the crowd.
The hardest job on the internet
Dave has developed a sixth sense for what will fly with the site’s fan base on Tumblr. Animated GIFs are by far the most popular, followed by video. These generate thousands of notes, while photos rarely break four digits. When they do, it’s generally “a guy who’s well-endowed, in shape… Not like a selfie. Professional work, that’s what they like.”
As for subject matter: “twinks” (attractive, boyish-looking, young gay men) or transexuals work best. “If there’s like 3 or 4 [twinks] in the video, that’s the one you want.”
“The best part of my job is when I leave.”
According to Dave, animated GIFs are “the ones I hate the most.” This is mainly because they often begin fairly innocuously — “I try to avert my eyes every time I see something that I deem ‘too much,’” Dave explained — but upon loading can quickly progress to something far more intense before he’s able to look away. “I thought it was a myth, but I actually saw a mangina on the site… I thought it was bad Photoshop at first, but there was a link to a video,” which showed the man playing with a dildo. “I’m seeing this really hairy, buffed-up guy that sports a functional vagina.”
As a joke, Dave once printed out an online “male escort manual” to give out at a Christmas party when people asked what he did for a living. One of the men he met at the party would not stop talking about how it was the most fantastic thing he had ever seen. A few months later, while optimizing some code on the web site, he opened a profile and found himself staring deep into the man’s sphincter.
Dave is looking to get out of the sex trade and find a less salacious line of work, but so far it hasn’t been easy. In the meantime, I asked him about the highlight of his day. “The best part of my job is when I leave.”
Dave’s name has been changed in order to avoid any repercussions with his employer

Big Hands? Big Feet? What Actually Determines a Man's Penis Size
https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/big-hands-big-feet-what-actually-determines-a-mans-penis-size
by Gabby Bess  FEB 11, 2016 4:20 AM

PHOTO BY RENE DE HAAN VIA STOCKSY
We asked a penis expert and he explained that "there's a lot of things that can go wrong."

"Why are women so obsessed with the size of a man's cock—wanting ones 6 inches and over and kicking others aside when they really should be concentrating on the emotional connection and love being shared, putting the size of the man's cock right out of her mind [sic]?," an archetypically frustrated man once asked the Guardian's agony aunt, as many have done before and since. Whether they worry that their penis is too large or too small, throughout the years, perhaps for centuries, pseudonymous men have inquired into the importance of this particular physical characteristic and sought advice for the anxiety this line of questioning brings.

While it's generally agreed upon that there is no "average" penis size, there are objective extremes. In 2014, an unnamed UK man somewhat infamously recounted his struggle growing up with a micro-penis to New York magazine. His two-inch genitalia, he said, was not only superficially "embarrassing," but prevented him from engaging in various standard sex acts and even masturbation. The following year, a Mexican man disturbed the world with his 18.9 inch, two-pound dick, which he said was so bulky it lost him jobs and kept him from being able to "kneel in church and pray." And just yesterday, a 31-year-old virgin with a "big one" (exact size unspecified) wrote to the Mirror's "Dear Coleen" column with a cry for help.

"My problem is a big one. It's most men's dream to have a big penis, but for me it's a nightmare," he said. "The closest a woman gets is putting a hand on it and once an escort lady refunded my money and left. Please help. It's making me very unhappy."

Photo by Martí Sans via Stocksy

According to the Kinsey Institute, the average erect penis length is five to six-and-a-half inches, but many fall outside that range. And at a certain point in either direction, as witnessed by the 31-year-old virgin, human genitalia can get out of hand. What accounts for this seemingly self-defeating variation in size?

In general, humans have relatively large penises compared to other primates; evolutionary anthropologists suggest that this might have evolved through sexual selection. "Before clothing, the nonretractable human penis would have been conspicuous to potential mates," says researcher Brian Mautz. Mautz conducted a study in 2012 that suggests penis size influences attractiveness and sexual selection. "This observation has generated suggestions that human penis size partly evolved because of female choice. Female mate choice could have driven the evolution of larger penises in humans."

There's a lot of different things that can go wrong.
But in terms of the individual, just like other phenotypical traits, penis size is in part hereditary, Dr. Curtis Brown tells me over the phone. Brown specializes in FTM and MTF genital reconstructive surgery, but he also works with men who just want bigger appendages. He has had some patients who have abnormally large or small penises that present a physical problem, though "this happens less than five percent of the time."

"If you picture a bell curve [of penis size], you've got the 95 percent that are normal, and then you have 2.5 percent that are way too big and 2.5 percent that are way too small," Brown explains. "The variation is definitely genetic. Hormones can also influence penis size. If there's fetal exposure to estrogen, that can have abnormal effects on the phallus—it could feminize the phallus. There's a lot of different things that can go wrong."

But ultimately, most men have nothing to worry about; size variation is typical (and, for the record, has nothing to do with race, researchers have found). "We get a lot of requests for [penis enhancements]," Brown says. "Usually from patients who are 'normal', but they're not happy with their size for one reason or another. Usually it's psychological. Maybe they had a girlfriend who told them they had an ugly penis, or they just always thought it's inadequate. It's all in their heads."

Dear Coleen offers up the same explanation to the chaste 31-year-old who thinks he's cursed with an abnormally huge dick. "Maybe," she wrote to the sullenly hung virgin, "you're not letting anyone get closer than putting a hand on it because you're the one who's scared."