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Jake Owen:Country Singer And LGBTQ Ally ... Believe

Of all the singers, in all the genres, in all the world, country singer Jake Owen released a cover of Cher’s 10998 hit “Believe” and dedicated it to the LGBTQ community—see a snippet of the song HERE, it's actually pretty good ... though it doesn't hurt much that Jake Owen is hot...

And naturally, because there are a lot of bigots and homophobes who listen to country music, when he received a negative anti-LGBTQ comment about the song, Jake said on Instagram:

“I believe #loveislove

Some of my closest friends and coworkers, are part of the #lgbt community and I couldn’t be more happy for the progress they have made. I’m inspired by people loving people no matter who you are. I BELIEVE the world needs more love. No matter where it comes from.

So with that said, I googled “gayest” songs of all time and the boys and I decided to put our country spin on Cher’s “Believe.” Hope you dig. I plan on releasing all of these backstage random songs we’ve created very very soon. Stay tuned friends, and most importantly, love everyone. 🌈”

And then another so-called fan responded:

“Suddenly I feel sick that I have tickets to your show here on Thursday night.”

And Jake wrote in response:

“I’m sorry you feel sick that you have tickets to my show Thursday night. Maybe it would do you good to come out, smile, laugh, sing along with a bunch of strangers that are all going through what we call “life.” I definitely didn’t delete your comment or anyone’s comment from this feed. It’s really only you and a few other ignorant people that make yourself look silly. If you make it out to my show, come give me a hug. You need one. If you decide not to come, trust me … we will all be okay. We like to share our shows with people that are kind, and loving.”

Thanks Jake, for being an ally, and for standing up to those who hate.

Stories of Pride: I Didn't Say It ...

Pete Buttigieg, Democratic candidate for president, saying that being gay is just one part of who he is:

“I am proud of who I am. I’m certainly very proud of my marriage and my husband. We don’t shy away from that. It’s also not the only thing that defines me. I’m here to be a president for everyone. Talking about my experience is an important part of that. But it’s especially important because it can help me relate to people who have a different experience than what I went through. All these things fit together.I think some people have an image of what a gay person or an LGBTQ activist is supposed to look like. And I think if you’ve met one gay person, you’ve met one gay person. We have different styles and different approaches. But what I try to do is just be who I am … I don’t know who else to be.”

My thoughts exactly.

I don’t call myself a ‘gay man’ but a ‘man who is gay,’ because I am more than just my sexual orientation, and when we limit ourselves to one thing, that’s all we’ll ever be.

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Anderson Cooper, speaking of his mother, fashion icon Gloria Vanderbilt, who passed away this week:

“The last few weeks, every time I’d kiss her good-bye, I’d say ‘I love you mom.’ She would look at me and say, ‘I love you too. You know that.’ And she was right. I did know that. I knew it from the moment I was born and I’ll know it for the rest of my life. And in the end, what greater gift can a mother give to her son? Gloria Vanderbilt was an extraordinary woman who loved life and lived it on her own terms. She spent a lot of time alone in her head during her life, but when the end came she was not alone. She was surrounded by beauty and by family and by friends….What an extraordinary life. What an extraordinary mom. What an incredible woman.”

“I’ll know it for the rest of my life.”

What a gift from mother to son, and back again.

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Ricky Martin, in a letter to Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló, asking him to axe an anti-LGBTQ “religious freedom” bill:

“As a member of the LGBTT  [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite, Transsexual] community, I join the constituency that affirms that there has never been a willingness among our LGBTT people to allow for the validation or legalization of discrimination against us. House Bill 2069, filed at the request of Governor Ricardo Rosselló and promoted by Representative Charbonier, achieve nothing more than opening the doors to hatred towards anyone who doesn’t share the same ideology, who simply belong to the LGBTT community, or who don’t  have the same color skin, amidst many other discriminatory measures. Authentic religious freedom calls for respecting everyone equally. As a defender of human rights and a member of the LGBTT community, I am vehemently opposed to the proposed measure imposed upon us under the guise of religious freedom, which degrades us as a society and projects us to the world as a backwards country, unwilling to honor the basic constitutional right of individuality. This movement is not representative of the Puerto Rico that we all love, defend and hold so dear. We call on the Senate, the House and Governor Ricardo Rosselló to reject this effort, which is an open door to hatred and discrimination.”

And a letter works. After receiving Martin’s letter Governor Rosselló asked lawmakers to shelve the bill.

There is power in our voices.

The march goes on …

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Halsey, performing in a t-shirt paying tribute to Melania and Chris, the lesbian couple attacked on a London bus last week, blasting the so-called ‘Straight Pride’ movement:

“The sad reality is, after the Pride parades are over and after the bars close their Pride nights, when the glitter is being swept out of the streets, a lot of people get on those trains and they get on those buses and they try to wash the rainbows off their bodies. They peel the stickers off their clothes, because when Pride is over, it’s not safe to be gay anymore, because they are worried that someone is going to viciously assault them or viciously attack them. So, when the people around the world ask the question, ‘Why isn’t there a ‘Straight Pride’ parade?’ The answer because if there was one, you wouldn’t have to get on the bus and be terrified of getting f**king beaten or killed afterwards. That’s why there’s not a ‘Straight Pride’ parade. Because every f**king day on public transport is a ‘Straight Pride’ parade.”

Truth.

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Tyler Blackburn, Pretty Little Liars and Roswell, New Mexico actor, who came out as bisexual earlier this year, revealing he’s dating “an amazing guy” in an interview with Playboy:

“As I got older, I realized good sex is when you really have something between the two of you. It’s not just a body. The more I’ve realized that, the more able I am to be settled in my sexuality. I’m freer in my sexuality now. I’m very sexual; it’s a beautiful aspect of life. Once I decided to date men, I was like, Please just let me be gay and be okay with that, because it would be a lot fucking easier. At times, bisexuality feels like a big gray zone. I’ve had to check myself and say, I know how I felt when I was in love with women and when I slept with women. That was true and real. Don’t discredit that, because you’re feeding into what other people think about bisexuality.”

Sometimes we—and I’m also guilty of this—joke and downplay people who identify as bisexual. But if we cannot accept our own, how  can we ask anyone to accept them, or us, either.

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Judith Light, receiving the Isabelle Stevenson Award at the Tony Awards earlier this month:

“The HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ communities are inspirations and demonstrations of how to be and live in the world; courageous, honorable, and uplifting. They inspire me and it is my privilege to be of service to them. I am humbled by this recognition from my theater family, whom I so respect, honor, and love.”

We can do all we want for ourselves; speak up, act up. But it helps to have an ally like Judith Light who has stood with us, marched with us, spoken with us, and for us, for decades.

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Stories of Pride: It's Not Just A Hug

Scott Dittman’s friend, Denna, told him she was headed off to Pittsburgh Pride with the LGBTQ support organization called Free Mom hg, and he decided to tag along. But first, he bought a t-shirt thatsaid:

“Free dad hugs.”

And he went along and wandered through the celebration; a celebration where some in the crowd, might have had fathers and mothers who disowned them for being LGBTQ. Dittman had no idea how much his shirt, and a hug, would mean to those who saw him, and to him. He posted his story to Facebook:

“I know that she saw me from across the street. I wasn’t paying attention. By the time she got to me, she had tears in her eyes. She stood in front of me and looked up at me, with a look of sadness and helplessness that I’ll never forget. She hugged me with everything she had. And I hugged her back. She held on for so long, melting into me, and thanked me endlessly. And I can’t stop thinking about her.

What she must be going thru with her family … the ones who are supposed to be there for her no matter what. Who does she go to when she needs advice on love, money or just life? Who does she share old memories with that only her parents would have been there for? What are her holidays like? How often does she hope for that phone call, with unconditional love on the other end?

I don’t know her story. But it doesn’t feel like a huge leap to assume she’s lost those who should love her the most and forever.”

The second person he hugged broke down in tears as well.

“He was kicked out at 19 when his parents found out. They haven’t spoken to him since. He cried on my shoulder. Sobbed. Squeezed me with everything he had. I felt a tiny bit of that pain that he carries with him every minute of every day. He was abandoned because of who he loves.

You could tell they hadn’t had something as simple as a hug from their dad in a long time. That broke my heart. It was an honor to be involved in that, but it was terrible at the same time.”

He concluded his Facebook post with these words:

“Imagine that, parents. Imagine that your child feels SO LOST FROM YOU that they sink into the arms of a complete stranger and sob endlessly just because that stranger is wearing a shirt offering hugs from a dad. Think of the depths of their pain. Try to imagine how deep those cuts must be.

Please don’t be the parent of a child that has to shoulder that burden. I met WAY too many of them, of all ages, today.”

Since sharing his story, Dittman says he’s been contacted by over 1,500 people. Obviously, many have been rejected by their parents for being LGBTQ, but he also heard from parents, who’d rejected their own children, but read his post and wanted to thank him for doing what they hadn’t done with their own children.

2019, and parents are still turning their backs on their children for being who they are, and yet a stranger has more empathy, sympathy, love and compassion.

The march really does go on …

LGBTQ Nation

Stories of Pride: Pickup Truck Pride

There are just 590 people in Hulbert, Oklahoma so you don’t expect it to be a place for LGBTQ Pride celebrations, but this year, thanks to one man it is.

One straight man.

Cody Barlow is showing his support for LGBTQ Americans  by putting a rainbow, and this message, on the back of his truck:

"Not all country boys are bigots — Happy Pride month.”

And on Facebook, in a post that’s been shared 50,000, Cody talks about how he bought “rolls of brightly colored duct tape and ran them across my tailgate in the design of the pride flag, and added some mailbox letters”:

“This is important to me, not only because I have family and friends that are LGBTQ+, but also because countless people have dealt with hatred and judgement simply for who they are, and/or who they love, for far too long. Obviously doing this isn’t going to change the minds of those who are intolerant, but hopefully it can help drown out the hatred with love.

I live in a rural area in Oklahoma, surrounded by small towns in every direction, and I’m sure this is not a very welcome message around here, but this is going to be displayed on my truck for the entire month of June in support of pride month.

I don’t think it is necessary to say, but for all intents and purposes I am a straight man that grew up here in Oklahoma. I love taking my truck mudding, going fishing, swimming at the lake, floating the river, and several other “country” activities.

It doesn’t matter what negativity I receive for supporting this. I hope that this can help even the slightest bit to encourage and support at least one person that needs it.

I hope everyone finds their inner strength to finally live life loud and proud without regard for the negativity of ignorant people.”

Oklahoma; freakin’ Oklahoma, or as I like to call it, because a lot of what comes out of their state government in LGBTQ bigotry, Oklahomo,

But now it’s a state where one young man in a small town, driving a pickup truck, has told the world that there isn’t just bigotry and hatred and intolerance in Oklahoma, there’s love and understanding.

Thanks for being an ally, Cody, especially a smalltown Oklahoma ally.

The march goes on … one pickup at a time.

LGBTQ Nation

In The Netherlands Men Are Holding Hands In Solidarity For Gay Bashed Couple

The Netherlands has long been very progressive in regards to LGBT rights—it was the country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage back in 2001—but, sadly, that doesn’t mean it’s free from homophobia and Hate Crimes.

Recently, a married same-sex couple, Jasper Vernes-Sewratan and Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes, were attacked by a group of thugs while returning home from a night out. The attacker’s yelled homophobic slurs at the couple because the two men were holding hands, and then the thugs beat both men so badly that they were hospitalized.

Luckily, the thugs have been arrested but this isn’t about that, it’s about what happened in The Netherlands following the attack ... Politicians in the country are showing solidarity to Jasper Vernes-Sewratan and Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes by holding hands in public.

Lodewijk Asscher, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Labor Party posted this photo to Twitter:

And then, Alexander Pechtold, leader of the Democrats 66 party, joined in, posting a photo to Twitter in which he is holding hands with party member Wouter Koolmees, and captioned it: “Stop violence against gay people. #allemannenhandinhand”

And the movement traveled across the sea to New York, where the staff of the Dutch mission at the United Nations posted their support of the couple to social media:

Even police in The Netherlands got involved:

This is how change is made, when even those who are not personally affected by the violence take a stand against hate.

Plus, it’s kinda hot seeing all these Dutch men holding hands so, yeah, it’s a win-win.

Pink News UK