The LGBTQIA-community

[nx01a]

I'm feeling Dusty Ray Bottoms (giggles) and Miz Cracker. I'll cringe whenever Eureka has to do a physically demanding challenge.

Wow, you really got it in for him; I don't see it like that at all.
Ah, thank-you for this... so people like Trixie because of stuff not on the show?

I wanted Ben to win because Ben was the best contestant. I simply don't buy that he was so emotionally torn about doing exactly what he knew he'd have to going into this reality TV show. If he didn't want or need the money and winning, he should have stayed home and let another queen have the spot. And I honestly don't buy the sweetness and light martyr routine now. It was too perfectly executed by someone who we've seen pull off multiple successful acting challenges while staying meticulously on sickly sweet brand.

I think Trixie's acting and singing and fashions on this season have been great, and she's certainly a front runner to win along with Shangela now. It was only her Rupaul impression that failed, which is funny because her Ru impressions are usually hilaRious... but not interactive.

[wonderlad]

I think Ben wanted the exposure, but didn't necessarily needed the win - and I am here for it, because I will take any Bendela I can get. One feels cheated for not having enough of her, but she has reminded everyone that she is one of the best queens this show has ever had. If you take that as her own brand of competitiveness then so be it - She wins the game without winning the season.

[Silvermoth]

Well. That all stars ending was...not good.

[nx01a]

Well. That all stars ending was...not good.

To say the least... and I wanted the winner to win but not like that. And the pity voting was so sad.

[Silvermoth]

Yeah they’ll need to change the format for the next season because clearly that doesn’t work. I like the winner but I’m not sure she was number 1

[MasterOfMagnetism]

I keep telling people that when it comes to All Stars the winner is decided before they even start the season. And I might get called a conspiracy-theorist for this but I still believe that Bendela could tell that she wasn't going to win the season anyway and that's why she left on her own terms. Bendela also recently liked a tweet where someone said she "dodged a bullet by leaving the competition".

[PaulBullion]

Sad to hear that America was cancelled.

(Meaning Marvel cancelled the book, not Trump cancelled the country.).

Especially now that a SCOTUS justice seconded my opinion that it was a good book.

And with Ice Man sadly having ended way too soon, Marvel is down two queer solo books in a short span of time.

[PaulBullion]

‘Gotham’ Actor Cory Michael Smith Comes Out

Cory Michael Smith, who plays Edward Nygma (aka The Riddler) on the Fox series Gotham, comes out as queer in a new profile in The Daily Beast of 1985, a new film he’s starring in.

[Kieran_Frost]

All Star 3 FINALE... rant...

spoilers:

What an underwhelming crowned queen, arguably the least deserving crowning in Drag Race HerStory. Now let me be clear, I don't think Trixie is a bad person to have as a crowned queen, she's living Ru's message, and is doing big things; in ten years time when no-one knows how she won, her post-show record will imply she was a good choice... BUT... on Drag Race she is utterly underwhelming. So it's maybe more accurate to say she's deserving of the crown, just not deserving based on the season. I'm seeing a lot of people compare her victory to Sasha Velour's and that bugs me. A LOT. 1) Sasha was a very strong contender throughout Season 9. She was in the Top 3 first episode, was very high for many challenges (including Snatch Game, the Roast, the Make Over), she won the Puppets and she should have won the Rainbow Ball. She had the best unicorn, was the only one praised on the ribbon performance, her cowboy killed and her rainbow flag was EPIC. Shea's dress was stunning, it was gag worthy, yes it was "over, you are overrrrr" but it had NOTHING to do with a rainbow. As Michelle said "not one colour of the rainbow. Not one." How can Bob be in the bottom 2 for using cardboard not paper for the Book Ball (when it's part of the book), but Shea won for completely ignoring the criteria??? Anyway, point is Sasha did great throughout the season, Trixie did not. So the comparison already doesn't work. 2) Sasha had two wins and no bottom 2, Trixie had two wins and TWO times in the bottom. She has the lowest score card of any other winner. The same is not true of Sasha, not even close. I believe Jinx and Bebe (before Trixie) had the lowest, with two wins and one time bottom 2. Also Trixie is the ONLY crowned queen to be in the bottom twice. 3) ignoring the fact that Sasha should have won the Rainbow Ball and then had three wins and the top score going into the finale, it doesn't matter. She went in NOT the front-runner (as did Trixie); and that is almost more exciting. And then Sasha had to lipsync. She went in the underdog, the one with the less good score, so basically the only way she could win was delivering not just a bloody good lipsync, she'd have to deliver one of the best lipsyncs of the show... AND SHE DID AND THEN SOME. She gave us (arguably) the most iconic lipsync in 11 Seasons. THAT'S how she got the crown. She just didn't just "do well", she slayyyyyed. The same is not true of Trixie. Shangela did the best in the challenge, she did the best on the final runway and Kennedy did the best in the lipsync. Trixie didn't even have the score card to fall back on; HELL Trixie didn't even get the most votes from the other queens (she got 7 points, Kennedy got 8 points)... it just... ugh! Had Trixie slayed the challenge, the runway, got the most votes and the lipsync, fine, not ideal, but fine. It would have redeemed the choice. But considering Ben's score, considering Shangela... it just wasn't good enough that Trixie didn't even steal it. She's not like Sasha, Sasha stole it fair and square, she turned it out. Trixie didn't. Nothing she did was iconic. HOW is she a crowned queen and ye not be iconic at any moment? Shangela had Mariah, that bubble on the runway, her lipsyncs. Ben had... well, everything. Trixie's best moments were the Fake Bitch, the red for filth bookworm and... I mean, that was it. And neither of them were "iconic." Trixie is brilliant at comments to the camera, humour off set, but... I just think it's a great shame the crowned queen is so underwhelming IN THE SHOW. Outside, fine. But in the show, she wasn't first, she wasn't even second, she was tied third with Bebe. In fact if we go off money won in the run up, Trixie had $0. Shangela $25,000, Bebe and Kennedy $10,000. In every possible way, Trixie did not have the win. Even Aja had $2,000 SIDE NOTE: I don't blame the "Jury of Your Q****s" because that wasn't about Shangela or Trixie, that was there to stop Bebe. It makes perfect sense. It's the only way to make sure Bebe didn't get into the final two, because every queen would give the chance to someone who didn't already have the crown.

end of spoilers

Rant over. And I think it's fair.

[Kieran_Frost]

The Sacred Band of Thebes. I read a bit about them. They were quite the badasses. This kid in my Anthropology class summed it up pretty well, "The Greeks were smart enough to know that men would fight harder on the battlefields if their boyfriends were right beside them." One day we need a feature film about them and other non-hetero badasses throughout history.

So bad ass, I'd love a film about them one day. But not "about" being gay, purely a kick ass Greek warrior film, that happens to be about the soldiers of the Sacred Band.

Since I'm studying to go into either anthropology or sociology (though I'm double majoring in both and definitely want to utilize both fields in a future career), I'm trying not to judge a culture by the standards of my own so much. Knowing and reading about pederasty as it pertains to Ancient and Greek societies definitely squicked me out, but, like you said, there was more to Ancient Greece homosexuality than just men in their late 20s and early 30s getting it on with boys in their mid-to-late teens. Teachers also neglect to mention the fact that those relations weren't strictly about sex. At the time, they were considered a Greek male citizen's induction into adulthood, through the learning of government, politics, etc.

Those teachers know exactly what they're doing by "ignoring" the other parts. In terms of not judging other cultures... yes/no. I think it's fairer to say we must view THE PAST with an understanding of the times, and yes as you say not always bring modern view to it. But just saying 'other cultures' I disagree with when it's 2018. They have Facebook, they watch Hollywood films; ignorance is no longer an excuse; and it's not a different time period.

wanted Ben to win because Ben was the best contestant. I simply don't buy that he was so emotionally torn about doing exactly what he knew he'd have to going into this reality TV show. If he didn't want or need the money and winning, he should have stayed home and let another queen have the spot.

Ben came to the competition to prove he could win, and he achieved that. When given the choice of sending away someone who just was told "you guys won" when they were so hungry for it... vs. Ben already being a winner. Why stay? I totally get it. He already won, in the sense he proved what he needed to, and knew he'd win if he stayed. The need to hear Ru say those inevitable words is immaterial to the knowledge of that victory. Why crush your friends dreams when you got what mattered?

And I honestly don't buy the sweetness and light martyr routine now. It was too perfectly executed by someone who we've seen pull off multiple successful acting challenges while staying meticulously on sickly sweet brand.

It's very in brand (which Ru is always tooting), and I totally buy it. It was executed perfectly because Ben is a superstar who does things perfectly (as proven by the season). Rewatch Season 6 and All Stars from the start, it's clear he doesn't like conflict, doesn't like upsetting others. Even when Darienne was coming for him hard, he didn't fight back. At best he retaliates in a Ben way (like a gift, that sort of mocks Darienne's meanness). He apologised to Bianca straight away after upsetting her, he really is that nice.

I think Trixie's acting and singing and fashions on this season have been great, and she's certainly a front runner to win along with Shangela now. It was only her Rupaul impression that failed, which is funny because her Ru impressions are usually hilaRious... but not interactive.

Ya'll told her it was funny, I blame ya'll!!!

I think Ben wanted the exposure, but didn't necessarily needed the win - and I am here for it, because I will take any Bendela I can get. One feels cheated for not having enough of her, but she has reminded everyone that she is one of the best queens this show has ever had. If you take that as her own brand of competitiveness then so be it - She wins the game without winning the season.

I thought I'd feel cheated but... no. I care more that my favourite looks amazing, and Ben did that. He'll always be the true winner. He'll always be the only queen with FIVE challenge wins. He'll (probably) be the only person to win two Snatch Games. He'll almost likely be the only person to eliminate himself when being the front runner. He was iconic. Julie Andrews, the Burlesque, Anaconda, Paul Lynde and the elimination itself... five iconic moments. That's more than some crowned queens ever get. Add in his Maggie Smith... he's an icon. I'm s thrilled he had a chance to remind everyone how brilliant he was, and be his kind of winner. It's so perfectly Ben. Ben dela Christ! GENIUS!

Well. That all stars ending was...not good.

Yep...

Yeah they’ll need to change the format for the next season because clearly that doesn’t work.

I think that was only for this season, to stop Bebe winning. The same way I don't think Season 10 will have a lipsync battle, that was done specifically because Season 9 had very poor lipsync showing. It was fitting for that season, but won't work for every season.

I keep telling people that when it comes to All Stars the winner is decided before they even start the season. And I might get called a conspiracy-theorist for this but I still believe that Bendela could tell that she wasn't going to win the season anyway and that's why she left on her own terms. Bendela also recently liked a tweet where someone said she "dodged a bullet by leaving the competition".

I would agree... accept the season was so tailored FOR BEN. Think about it, it really was tailored to her skill set (like All Stars 2 was for Alaska - comedy stand-up, making an advert, singer songwriting finale). Where as All Star 3 was heavy acting challenges, a campy sowing challenge, not having a stand-up comedy routine, and had Ben stayed it was obvious the role of the Queen was tailored for him to play. I think it was Ru's apology to Ben for the most shocking elimination (at the time). Just as it turned out, Ben eliminated himself.

[Kieran_Frost]

My last thought on All Stars 3... I adore the fan art that comes with it, and one of my favourite is pop artist Cheyne Gallarde (INST: ArtByCheyne). Reminds me a lot of David Aja, and is VERY comic book inspired. Here's two hilarious examples.

[wonderlad]

All Star 3 FINALE... rant...

spoilers:

What an underwhelming crowned queen, arguably the least deserving crowning in Drag Race HerStory. ... the crown.

end of spoilers

Rant over. And I think it's fair.

LOL Kieran -
seriously though your rant is legit and well thought out. That Fan ART is hilarious - thank you!
spoilers:

I am going to agree with MoM and agree that with All Stars they know who they are going to crown from the start. Ben deserved the crown - and Shangela Targaryen brought it and was NedStarked at the end. Surprisingly only Thorgy (whom she eliminated) gave her a vote. Rigger Morris bitches. This is indeed Rupauls Best Friends Race and the fans are not happy. Here's how the eliminated queens (or as Shangela would say "the White Walkers") voted : http://www.vulture.com/2018/03/rupau...ens-voted.html

end of spoilers

[Kieran_Frost]

Hallelu!

LOL Kieran -
seriously though your rant is legit and well thought out. That Fan ART is hilarious - thank you!
spoilers:

I am going to agree with MoM and agree that with All Stars they know who they are going to crown from the start. Ben deserved the crown - and Shangela Targaryen brought it and was NedStarked at the end. Surprisingly only Thorgy (whom she eliminated) gave her a vote. Rigger Morris bitches. This is indeed Rupauls Best Friends Race and the fans are not happy.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

Rewatching the episode, Shangela asks who's gonna Showgirl the pag... and it's just sad knowing how it went. I agree they'd be the White Walkers, also we DON'T KNOW how Game of Thrones ends, maybe being Daenarys isn't going to pay off? I did think of an even better way to extend the comparison. Trixie would have been like Sasha if Sasha had Peppermint take out Shea and then all she had to do was not lose to Peppermint, and Ru would crown her (because Ru was never going to crown someone who spent more time in the bottom than winning, and that applies to Kennedy too). And that's why the comparison doesn't work, Sasha took out the front-runner, Trixie didn't.

end of spoilers

But oh well... excited for Season 10, mainly because one of the queens is FIT AS F*CK! Ha!

[Silvermoth]

Ha, I love that drag queen art. It’s amazing how many similarities between drag and comic books there are

[Vegan Daddy]

This was an interesting read.

In a world before "gay" and "straight" referred to sexuality, men like Walt Whitman and John Addington Symonds created new ways to name and conceive of their erotic relationships with other men. Katz, diving into history through diaries, letters, newspapers, and poems, offers us a clearer picture than ever before of how men navigated the uncharted territory of male-male desire.