RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Tennessee’s flag was unfurled from atop North Carolina’s old Capitol on Tuesday for a movie being filmed this week at the Greek Revival-style building.
The production of the “Evolution of Nate Gibson” began shooting Monday at the building on Union Square in downtown Raleigh and will continue until Wednesday, Department of Cultural and Natural Resources spokeswoman Michele Walker said.
The Department of Administration, which oversees state government buildings, granted permission to the filmmakers to fly on Tuesday the Tennessee flag on the pole atop the building, instead of the North Carolina flag, Walker said.
The film, which features actors Marcia Gay Harden, Diane Ladd and Charlie Rowe, is “a coming-of-age story about an artist and mother of two who must find a way forward after her teenage son’s life is forever altered by a freak accident,” according to the Capitol site administrator.
The old Capitol, built in 1840, once housed offices of the governor, the Supreme Court and the House and Senate chambers. The Supreme Court and General Assembly now have their own buildings nearby. Many of the governor’s offices remain inside.
Emmy-winning actor Stanley Tucci has been the backbone of so many of your favorite films, including Easy A and The Devil Wears Prada. Without his supporting turns as the rock-solid confidant, the supportive BFF, or the empathetic father, these quintessential coming-of-age or over-the-top films wouldn’t have nearly as much warmth and humor. And the few times that he’s gotten the chance to play the leading man, such as in his latest tearjerker Supernova, only remind the industry to give him more lead roles.
Tucci has been nominated for a Tony, a Grammy, and an Oscar, giving him EGOT potential in the future. He already won three Emmys for Winchell, Monk, and Park Bench with Steve Buscemi. But frankly, it’s a crime that Tucci hasn’t won an Oscar. These nine films and TV shows starring Tucci prove he deserves more recognition from award shows. Spoilers ahead.
The Devil Wears Prada
Andy (Anne Hathaway) wouldn’t have survived as the assistant of Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) without Nigel (Tucci), the most loyal art director and confidant of them all. He knew Miranda in and out — even when she screwed him over on a new job — and took a chance on giving Andy a makeover, being the first to spot her potential at Runway.
Tucci’s only Academy Award nomination to date was for his turn in 2009’s The Lovely Bones, in which he played the serial killer who cruelly murdered the central character Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), going darker and more sinister than he ever had in his career to this point.
No offense to our actual parents, but we all want Stanley Tucci to be our dad. Emma Stone’s onscreen father in her breakout comedy is remarkably open, utterly embarrassing (in a loving dad way), a little bit gay, and perhaps the least judgmental person alive. He’s all dad jokes all the time — but you won’t be cringing over his punchlines.
Tucci excels at flamboyant films, and Burlesque fits the bill with sequins, feathers, and high notes galore. He plays Sean, the right-hand man and dearest friend of Tess Scala (Cher), who later becomes a trusty confidant for her burlesque club’s newest dancer Tess (Christina Aguilera).
As the flashy host of The Hunger Games, where literal children from the 12 districts of Panem kill each other until one victor is left standing, Caesar Flickerman should be the guy you love to hate. Instead, you hate that you love him. Tucci makes grim tragedies sound entertaining, and outdoes Ryan Seacrest when it comes to building suspense.
We’ll keep repeating it: Tucci deserves an Oscar. It’s unfair that he wasn’t even nominated for his role in Spotlight, which won Best Picture for crying out loud. As the attorney representing victims of sexual abuse in the infamous Boston Catholic Church scandal, Tucci shed light on their stories, brought truth to power, and fought for justice in a way only he could.
You can’t create something as flamboyant and fabulous as a series about Joan Crawford and Bette Davis’ iconic rivalry and not have Tucci in it. You just can’t. Luckily, Ryan Murphy knew this and cast him as Jack L. Warner, the head of Warner Bros. who had to deal with the ladies’ petty behavior as they were filming What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
The Witches is notable in Tucci’s canon because its an over-the-top Halloween film about literal witches who destroy children by turning them into mice … and he plays the normal guy for once. Marking a reunion with Devil Wears Prada co-star Hathaway, hotel manager Mr. Stringer consistently remains suspicious of the Grand High Witch’s vindictive ways.
For a straight man, Tucci is damn good at playing gay characters. In his most emotional role yet as a writer slowly succumbing to dementia, he takes a road trip, which just might be his last, with his pianist partner (Colin Firth) across England’s Lake District. The actors are beautiful as perhaps the most loving couple you’ll ever see, even as their relationship becomes all too real.
But the government has said the short consultation will be held before the legislation is published, asking the public and interested parties how best to address the problem while still “protecting the medical profession, defending freedom of speech, and upholding religious freedom”.
“I have been dreaming of performing at the Brit Awards since I was a little kid,” Years and Years’s Olly Alexander excitedly told British Vogue hours before he stepped on-stage to perform the Pet Shop Boys hit “It’s A Sin” with Elton John to open the 2021 ceremony — one of the first live music events to have happened in Britain in the last 14 months.
For many, Alexander will be recognisable as Ritchie in Russell T Davies’s recent Channel 4 show, which borrows its name from the Pet Shop Boys’s song. The series explores the catastrophic impact of the AIDS crisis in 1980s London, a time that the Brit Awards performance honours in uniting Sir Elton – a fierce advocate for AIDS-related research, who founded his namesake foundation nearly 30 years ago – with Alexander, a key figure in Britain’s contemporary queer landscape and in the music charts.
Elton John and Olly Alexander in Harris Reed at the 2021 Brit Awards.
JMEnternational
It was John who first approached Alexander to join him on-stage. “And, of course, I said yes,” Alexander quips. “To me, this is such an iconic song – period. But it really highlights the gay experience, which the TV show did in bringing to light really important aspects of our shared history, especially queer history and bringing it into the national conversation. It was really important to me that we brought that to the stage with us.” John and Alexander were joined with a slew of performers under the instruction of the Theo Adams Company. “Our concept was liberation and queer spirit and queer joy, and to bring that energy to the great British public. I think they’re going to love it.”
With John’s invitation accepted, Alexander started to think of what he should wear. He knew it would be made by a queer designer and he “really wanted the drama” that could make its mark on Brit Awards history. Harris Reed, the American-British designer, whose tagline is “fighting for the beauty of fluidity”, fit the bill perfectly. “It’s a two-piece, with a halter-style crop top and trousers that flare at the bottom,” Alexander enthusiastically says of the look, which is part Britney, part Prince. “In black lace with crystal details. It’s skin-tight, but also stretchy so I can move. I’m wearing it with creepers. I just can’t go out on stage without a creeper! And I’m wearing a very large velvet cape. I really wanted glamour and to feel really powerful in the look, and I definitely do. I feel like my most powerful gay self. I wanted something that would make me feel really strong and sexy, but that was also beautiful and fluid – that’s what Harris’s work is for me.”
Actor Joshua Bassett visits BuzzFeed News’s AM to DM in November 2019.
A day after he sparked a ton of speculation about his sexuality, Joshua Bassett has confirmed he’s still “figuring out” who he is.
It all started on Monday when Bassett, who plays Ricky Bowen in the Disney+ show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, did an interview with Clevver News in which he was asked about his admiration for Harry Styles.
Kevin Winter / Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Harry Styles at the Grammy Awards
“He’s a very classy man, and he’s very well rounded. He kind of does it all — like acting, singing, fashion — and I think that he’s just a nice guy who doesn’t say too much, but when he talks it matters,” Bassett said. “He’s just cool. Like, he’s cool. Who doesn’t think Harry Styles is cool?”
“Also, he’s hot,” Bassett added before apparently catching himself and groaning slightly.
“I guess this is also my coming-out video,” he said after a pause.
The clip went viral and was seen more than 2 million times when Pop Crave shared it on Twitter, saying Bassett had come out as “queer.”
Joshua Bassett comes out as queer in new interview where he compliments Harry Styles: “Who doesn’t think Harry Styles is cool? Also he’s hot, you know… This is also my coming out video I guess.”
The comments sparked a lot of reactions from fans, especially given the months of drama about the supposed love triangle between Bassett, his costar Olivia Rodrigo, and Sabrina Carpenter (which appeared to be the subject of shady songs from all three).
Some people wondered if Bassett had been gay and closeted during the entire saga, but others suggested he may be bisexual.
Still, others didn’t buy any of it and said Bassett was either joking or even “queerbaiting.”
On Tuesday, more than 24 hours after his original comments blew up, Bassett released a statement on Twitter.
Using a series of hearts in the color of the LGBTQ pride flag, Bassett talked about how people have tried to tell him his sexuality his entire life.
Instead, he suggested he was more concerned with love generally.
“I choose love,” he wrote.
Bassett didn’t use any labels to define his sexuality, but instead talked about the need to “love who you love shamelessly.”
“It’s OK to be figuring out who you are,” he said.
In a separate post on Instagram, Bassett repeated his words, but also sang something extra for his fans.
“I’m breaking the spell/I’m ending the cycle,” he sang. “Been going through hell, need more than survival. If I don’t work this out, I’ll probably pass it down again. The time for change is now.
A private Christian school in Missouri is telling teachers to expel any openly gay students, or risk losing their jobs.
Whitefield Academy, a K-12 school in Kansas City, Mo., has allegedly asked that teachers sign a letter supporting the decision to expel gay children.
According to The Pitch, those who refuse to sign the letter are “expected not to return” to their jobs in the fall. At least three teachers reportedly won’t be returning, after declining to sign.
Whitefield’s headmaster, Dr. Quentin Johnston, denied that the letter existed, telling The Pitch that the school asks “teachers and parents to understand and consent to the standards outlined in our Statement of Faith and core documents, which have not been altered in several years.”
The school’s Statement of Faith, provided to both staff and students, includes a series of paragraphs concerning “marriage, sexuality, and gender identity,” The Advocate reports.
Among its anti-LGBTQ statements, it rejects transgender people, arguing that God “wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female…. Rejection of one’s biological gender is a rejection of the image of God within that person.”
On same-sex marriage, the school handbook asserts that marriage “has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture.”
Whitefield’s Statement of Faith then correlates LGBTQ people with incest, bestiality, and adultery, and calls them “offensive to God.”
“We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, and attempting to change one’s biological sex or otherwise acting upon any disagreement with one’s biological sex) or advocacy of sexual immorality, is sinful and is therefore offensive to God,” it states.
In a letter sent to parents after The Pitch first reported about the ultimatum given to Whitefield’s teachers, the school again denied that it had required its staff to expel gay students or leave their jobs.
“To be clear, we have not asked our teachers to sign a statement such as described in the news story,” the letter said. “As in prior years, teachers have been asked to affirm their personal belief and agreement with our statement of faith and core documents.”
One parent, whose child attends the school, told The Pitch that the school hasn’t previously made its stance on gay students explicitly known, beyond having students attest to their faith when they enroll.
“It’s been unspoken I suppose up until now, and now they’re now they’re formalizing that in a way that makes me really uncomfortable,” the parent said. “We know the suicide rates for kids that are not in affirming families. And when I think about those same kids going to school and knowing that every adult in that school has signed a piece of paper saying they are not welcome there, it just hurts my heart to think about.”
“Sexuality today has evolved. It’s not about putting people in binary boxes like gay and straight. Sexuality is a spectrum and it’s fluid,” Phil (Joe Baken) explains to the elder Mrs. McGillicuddy (Jack Plotnick) in the new film Mailman.
It’s the premise of a musical number, “I’m Not Gay,” shared exclusively with The Advocate below, that includes, among other lines, “Name one thing in nature that is just this way or that. I can’t be gay because gay is old hat.”
Of course, the song is also representative of the generation divide over the need for labels. If love is love, do members of the LGBTQ+ community need to identify with letter(s) in this spectrum? Or is Phil just avoiding addressing the topic?
For Baken, who also wrote and directed the film, the purpose of Mailman is to have light-hearted fun about subjects like identity politics. “Y’know the kind of movie you pop in during the day when you’re home sick from school? The kind that’s a little cheesy, but is just plain fun to watch,” he said. “With Mailman, I wanted to make one of those movies! I hope people enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed creating it!”
Mailman, described as “a black comedy, a musical, and a modern coming-out story,” follows the journey of Phil, a mailman who aspires to become a writer. The death of an old woman on his route sparks an investigation that leads to some surprising internal revelations.
Executive produced by Gus Van Sant, the film also features Plotnick — a Broadway alumnus and an avid fan of Disney imagineers — in the role of Carl and Paul Vogt as Earnest. Enjoyed the above clip? Watch the whole movie below.
Please send your events, meetings, etc., to pgriffin@thedestinlog.com at least 2 weeks in advance.
Destin City Hall
All city meetings are being held at the City Hall Annex, 4100 Indian Bayou Trail, until further notice. All meetings are subject to change or cancellation. To virtually view the meeting, https://www.cityofdestin.com/. To view/stream is www.youtube.com/CityofDestin.
Harbor CRA-AC, 5:30 p.m. May 12
City Council, 6 p.m. May 17
Special Magistrate Hearing, 5:30 p.m. May 18, City Hall
Town Center CRA-AC, 5:30 p.m. May 19
Parks & Recreation, 4 p.m. May 25
Harbor Capacity Steering Committee, 5:30 p.m. May 26
Local Planning Agency, 5:30 p.m. May 27
Lionfish Restaurant Week
Emerald Coast Open’s Lionfish Restaurant Week is back from 12-10 p.m. through May 15 in Destin. Local chefs will highlight lionfish with unique dishes to bring awareness to the lionfish invasion in the Gulf of Mexico. Restaurants include La Paz, May 12; Harbor Docks, May 13; and AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar, May 15.
Wednesday Night Concert Series
Enjoy free live entertainment with Shenanigans from 7-9 p.m. May 12 on the Events Plaza stage at The Village of Baytowne Wharf.
• May 19: Chris Alvarado
• May 26: Flash Flood
• June 2: Cadillac Willy
• June 9: Biscuit Miller and The Mix
• June 16: Will Thompson Band
• June 23: Luke Langford
• June 30: Dion Jones & The Neon Tears
• July 7: Boukou Groove
• July 14: Forrest Williams Band
• July 21: Six Piece Suits
• July 28: Rust & Gold
Concerts in the Village
M80s performs at 7 p.m. May 13 at Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation’s Dugas Stage. Admission is $15/adults, $10/active-duty military, and children (12 and under) and MKAF members are free. Purchase tickets online at Eventbrite. Gates open 6 p.m.
• May 20: A Brother’s Revival, an Allman Brother Tribute
• May 27: Deana Carter
• June 3: The Tams
• June 10: Kara Grainger
• June 17: Petty Hearts, Tom Petty Tribute
• June 24: Air National Guard Band of the South
Blessing of the Fleet
Destin’s 64th Annual Blessing of the Fleet will be held May 13 at the docks behind Brotula’s Seafood House and Steamer Restaurant on the Destin harbor. The event begins at 4 p.m. with a Captains’ Worship and Prayer Service to be held under a large tent. The public is encouraged to attend. Then local clergy will process to the dock to begin blessing vessels. A community fish fry will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a suggested meal donation.
Grief Class
Beginning at 1 p.m. May 13, Destin United Methodist Church will have grief classes discussing different stages of grief and how they apply to loss. Loss which include life, relationships, health, careers and self worth. For more information and registration, contact Ken Gay at 582 2548 or email kengay.kg@ gmail.com.
Storytime at Destin Library
Cuddlers and Toddlers Storytime is live on the lawn at the Destin Library 10:30 a.m. May 13, 20, and 27 as weather permits. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on the grass while Miss Laura reads picture books and leads the group in songs, rhymes, and fingerplays. For more information, call 837-8572 or email library@cityofdestin.com.
Park Ribbon Cutting
The mayor, City Council, staff and special guests will host a ribbon cutting and grand opening of Captain Leonard Destin Park at 10 a.m. May 13.
Bubbly Baytowne
Enjoy an evening full of free champagne (21+) and shopping during Bubbly Baytowne from 5-7 p.m. May 13 at The Village of Baytowne Wharf.
Art at Destin Library
During the month of May, the expressive pastel work of artist Melody Bogle is on display at the Destin Library. Take a tour through her land and seascapes as you browse the stacks.
Sew Spring Crafts
Celebrate spring and learn a useful skill with the Sew Springs Crafts Beanstack Challenge presented by the Destin Library. Through May 23, have fun learning basic sewing stitches while creating a new spring-themed craft each week. You can earn badges by completing the challenges or by reading sewing books and logging your reading minutes. Beanstack is available as a free app for your mobile device or through the web at www.cityofdestin.beanstack.org. If you need information, contact Sandee Kelly at 837-8572 or email skelly@cityofdestin.com.
Music on Main
West Hine performs from 7-9 p.m. May 14 at “Music on Main” concert series in DeFuniak Springs. Guests are invited to enjoy a listening room experience at the historic Florida Chautauqua Theatre, 840 Baldwin Avenue. Doors open at 6 p.m. for cocktail hour. Guests can grab a bite to eat before the concert at one of the downtown restaurants or from the food truck setup in front of the theatre. Tickets purchased in advance are $15/adults and $5/children and are available at fcweb.org/musiconmain. Ticket prices increase $5 on the day of the show.
May 21: Longleaf Drive
May 28: The Wortheys
Nothin’ Funner Than Summer
Spend a day exploring exhibits before hiking to Camp Longleaf at E.O Wilson Biophilia Center’s Nothin’ Funner Than Summer from 9 am. to 2 p.m. May 15 in Freeport. Free for members-use; code in email. Adults $8 and children 3-12 $5. Pre-registration required at eowilsoncenter.org or call 835-1824. Food will be available for purchase.
College and Career Day
The Okaloosa Public Schools Foundation is sponsoring a free College and Career Day for high school students in Okaloosa County from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 15 at the Beachside Community Church on Racetrack Road in Fort Walton Beach. Visit with businesses and representatives from College Boards.
Lionfish Festival
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has announced the seventh annual Lionfish Removal and Awareness Festival is scheduled for May 15 and 16 at AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar and HarborWalk Village in Destin. Come out and celebrate the fight against invasive lionfish with the FWC and Destin–Fort Walton Beach. Activities will include fillet demonstrations; family-friendly games and activities; art, diving and conservation booths; and the world’s largest lionfish spearfishing tournament, the Emerald Coast Open. Satisfy your taste buds by visiting any of the participating locations of Lionfish Restaurant Week May 10-14 for your chance to try this delicious invasive.
Sunday Cinema
Grab a lawn chair or blanket and cozy up at 8 p.m. May 16 on the Events Plaza Lawn at Baytowne Wharf for the free movie “Coco,”:a featured film on the big screen.
May 23: Ralph Breaks the Internet
May 30: Incredibles 2
June 6: Maleficent
June 13: Croods A New Age
June 20: Secret Life of Pets 2
June 27: Moana
July 11: Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
July 18: Pete’s Dragon
July 25: Sing
Hydroflight Monday
Enjoy shows from fly-board extraordinaire Ben Merrell over the lagoon at The Village of Baytowne Wharf at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Mondays, May 17-Aug. 2.
Boomin’ Tuesday
Turn your eyes on the sky at Baytowne Wharf and watch as the sky lights up with a fireworks show over the Lagoon at 9:15 p.m. Tuesdays, May 18-Aug. 3. Also, a DJ Dance Party with DJ Mike Whitty begins at 7 p.m. in the Events Plaza.
Magical Thursday
Magic, music, and mayhem with Baytowne Wharf’s featured pirate Captain Davy takes you on an adventure with two magic shows at 7 and 8 p.m. Thursdays May 20-Aug. 5.
Community Yard Sale
The Destin Community Center will host a community yard sale May 22 from 8 a.m. to noon. For those interested in participating, there is a $15 sign-up fee for residents and $20 for non-residents. The fee will include one table and two chairs and participants are welcome to bring one additional table. Set-up will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the parking lot on the day of the event. To reserve a spot or for more information, call the community center staff at 850-654-5184.
Artful Dining
Join Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation at Vin’tij Food & Wine in Grand Boulevard at 6 p.m. May 25 for the next ArtFul Dining series of wine dinners benefiting MKAF’s arts education and community engagement initiatives throughout Northwest Florida. Vin’tij Executive Chef Iganacio Bernal will orchestrate a culinary palette to pair with the incredible wines of the Jean Charles Boisset Collection. Tickets are $195 for non-members and $175 for members and includes all food and wine.
Mattie Kelly Arts Center
Enjoy classic rock music from a local band at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center Amphitheater for Goldilocks & the Dancing Bears May 26. Doors open 6 p.m.; music begins at 7 p.m. Food trucks and beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets are $10, kids under 12 are free. Call the Box Office for tickets at 729-6000 or visit https://mattiekellyartscenter.org/.
• Highway 98 Country welcomes live country music at Hot Country Night featuring Parmalee June 12 at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center Amphitheater in Niceville. Doors open at 6 p.m. Duchess performs prior to Parmalee taking the stage. Tickets are $20.
• Jesus Christ Superstar is the 2021 Summer Musical. This year’s show will be Jesus Christ Superstar at 7:30 p.m. July 21-24 and 2 p.m. July 25 on Mainstage.
Memorial Day Weekend
Kick-off the summer season with live music, fireworks and a silent disco party at HarborWalk Village. Events include Flash Flood at 7 p.m. May 29; Cadillac Willy and fireworks at 7 p.m. May 30; and a silent disco party with DJ Chubby and DJ D Funk at 7 p.m. May 31. Parking on-site is $10. All guests are encouraged to social distance and wear masks while visiting HarborWalk Village.
Memorial Day Celebration
Kick off your summer with a free Memorial Day Celebration at The Village of Baytowne Wharf from 7-9 p.m. May 29 and 6-9 p.m. May 30. Enjoy music with Forrest Williams Band on Saturday and TBD on Sunday. Enjoy kids activities and a patriotic fireworks show on Sunday evening.
Destin Blues Fest
A Memorial Day Weekend Blues Fest that features Award Winning Ana Popovic will be held from 3:30-8:30 p.m. May 30 at Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation in Destin. Also performing are Laura Vida and Mike Zito. Purchase tickets at https://top-shelf-blues.ticketleap.com/destin-blues-fest/
Memorial Day Program
The Village of Baytowne Wharf will hold a free Memorial Day Program at 5 p.m. May 31. The Sandestin Veterans present a program in honor of veterans.
Young Frankenstein
Stage Crafters presents the Mel Brooks musical, Young Frankenstein, June 4-6 and 11-13 at the Fort Walton Beach Civic Auditorium, 109 Miracle Strip Parkway SW. For Friday and Saturday performances, doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. For Sunday matinee performances, doors open at 1:30 p.m., and the show starts at 2 p.m. General Admission tickets are $30 and can be purchased at www.StageCraftersFWB.com or at the door.
Chef Presentation
Chef Warren Caterson shares all the tips and hints you’ll need to elevate your grilling from “ho-hum” to “oh, my” at 1 p.m. June 8 at the Niceville Community Center.
Tailgates Down Concerts
The Emerald Coast Parrothead Club will host “Tailgates Down” Phriends All Around on June 12 at Mattie Kelly Cultural Arts Village, 4323 Commons Drive W in Destin. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. for tailgating and music from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The concert series benefits Fresh Start for Children & Families. Local musicians Jeff and the Camaros, Brent Burns, trop rock artist Mike Nash and nationally renowned Buffett tribute band Gary Roland and the Landsharks will play. Tickets available through Eventbrite are $25 in advance, $30 day of show at the gate.
Food Truck Fest Destin
Orange Beach Breeze brings the Food Truck Fest from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 20 at Mattie Kelly Cultural Arts Village in Destin. The fest will feature many food trucks in the Panhandle, vendors exhibiting and selling gifts, crafts, jewelry, personal care products and more. This is a family-friendly event. Entry fee is $5 with 12 and under free. Visit www.foodtruckfestdestin.com for more information.
Smoke on the Coast
Destin Commons will host 15 local non-profit organizations at the 10th annual Smoke on the Coast BBQ & Fireworks Festival from 5-10 p. m. July 3. Each non-profit organization teams up with a restaurant or BBQ aficionado. Cast your vote for $1 for your favorite BBQ team, support their mission, and enjoy a day of family fun.
Destin Woman’s Club
The Annual Fashion Show held by the Destin Woman’s Club has been cancelled this year due to the Covid virus. The Fashion Show for 2021 has been scheduled for Nov. 5. As their major fundraiser, net proceeds go toward the Club’s Family Assistance Fund designed to help local families and a local charity.
RECURRING EVENTS
Destin Community Center
All activities are at the Destin Community Center, unless noted. Call 654-5184 or email recreation@cityofdestin.comfor information and to register. Persons with disabilities who require assistance are asked to notify the center 48 hours in advance.
Pickleball: Sessions are Mondays from 12:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays from 1-2 p.m. and Fridays from 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Fee is $3/session. Racquets and balls are available, just bring your gym shoes.
Table Tennis: Play from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Paddles and balls provided. Fee is $2/resident and $3/non-resident.
Senior Programs
All activities are at the Destin Community Center, unless noted. Call 654-5184 or email recreation@cityofdestin.com for information and to register. Persons with disabilities who require assistance are asked to notify the center 48 hours in advance.
— Destin Senior Membership: Join the Destin Seniors to enjoy multiple festivities including the senior lunch bunch, potluck, casino trips, cruises, bingo, chair exercise, knitting, scrabble, and Mexican dominoes. Members must be a Destin resident.
— Senior Book Club: The Destin Senior Members meet at 10 a.m. the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the Destin Library, 150 Sibert Ave.
— Senior Drop-In Hours: The Destin Senior Center at Buck Destin Park, 724 Legion Drive, offers senior drop-in hours from 9 a.m. to noon every Tuesday and Thursday for Seniors (50 years and older) to meet and enjoy each other’s company, participate in games such as Mexican Train Dominoes, Scrabble, cards, etc.
— Senior Walking Club: The Destin Senior Members walk around the Destin Community Center’s gymnasium from 8-9 a.m. Monday-Friday. All of the miles that you walk will be added to the “team map” as we travel from one region to the next. The team’s miles are reported on the 4th Friday of each month at the Destin Senior Membership’s Potluck.
— Destin Senior Chair Exercise 50+ years: Monday and Wednesday mornings from 10-10:45 a.m. at Buck Destin Park consists of performing light exercises to help improve balance, flexibility, strength, and circulation. Free/residents.
Book Club
The Destin Library’s Novel Idea Book Club is open to adults and meets every fourth Thursday of the month at 11:30 a.m. via Microsoft Teams. Club members can submit book recommendations – primarily fiction with the occasional non-fiction title – and the club will vote on which ones to read. Membership is open to everyone; however, you will need an Okaloosa County Public Library card to check-out materials. Members will need an email address and internet access to join the discussion.
City of Destin Annual Passes
Full-time residents (within the incorporated city limits) are encouraged to submit their request for a 2021 Annual Pass at https://www.cityofdestin.com/342/Annual-Passes. For those who do not have internet access, beach parking passes are only available at City Hall. Henderson Beach State Park and Joe’s Bayou Boat Ramp passes are available at both City Hall and the Destin Community Center. For questions, call 837-4242.
Adopt-A-Street
The City of Destin’s Adopt-A-Street Program allows local families, businesses and community groups to perform a valuable community service by adopting sections of a street to keep clear of litter and debris. Groups who participate in this program will have their name listed on the City’s website and signage installed on their adopted street. For more information, call 837-6869 or email adoptastreet@cityofdestin.com.
Grand Boulevard Farmers Market
Grand Boulevard Farmers Market takes place every Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Grand Park in the heart of Grand Boulevard in South Walton. Bring your shopping bag and load up on local produce, eggs, jams and pies. Homemade soap, good olive oil, and pickled things are all there for the taking.
Rosemary Beach Farmers Market
Come browse the 30A Farmers Market in Rosemary Beach on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The local farmers market takes place on Sundays year round, and Thursdays throughout the summer months, in North Barrett Square along Scenic 30A.
The attorney representing the family of police shooting victim Isiah Brown provided updates on Brown’s health and the family’s continued push for the public release of information that could shed further light on the events leading up to the shooting that left Brown fighting for his life.
Brown family attorney David Haynes revealed that Brown has undergone four surgeries since suffering multiple gunshot wounds last month, including one on Friday, during a virtual listening session hosted by the Spotsylvania County NAACP Saturday. “He has suffered serious internal injuries,” Haynes said. “He’s been fighting infection. There are concerns regarding sepsis and other serious, medical life-threatening conditions.”
Haynes stated that surgeons found ten bullet fragments within Brown, two of which have been removed, and his nine entry and exit wounds are still being “cleaned on a regular basis.” Brown also suffered a broken leg and “serious injuries to his bowels.”
There’s no question that Mr. Brown never presented any threat of serious injury or bodily harm
Brown Family Attorney David Haynes on the Virginia Shooting
Brown’s injuries are the result of a shooting at the hands of a Spotsylvania County sheriff’s deputy last month after the deputy seemingly mistook the cordless phone Brown was using to communicate with 911 for a gun. The deputy shot Brown multiple times in the street outside his home. Brown confirmed to 911 that he wasn’t armed shortly before the deputy arrived on the scene.
Haynes also spoke about recently learned details in the case. The attorney stated that the deputy that shot Brown had only been employed by the Spotsylvania County sheriff’s office for one to two months prior to the shooting. According to the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, Haynes filed a Freedom of Information Act request last week for all bodycam and dashcam footage connected to the shooting in addition to the names, hiring dates and personnel files of both the deputy and 911 dispatcher involved in the incident.
The incident remains under investigation with the Virginia State Police and the deputy has been put on administrative leave. Haynes stated that both he and the family hope and expect criminal charges to be filed against the deputy. “There’s no question that Mr. Brown never presented any threat of serious injury or bodily harm and the deputy’s actions of unloading a flurry of bullets into Isiah Brown was grossly negligent, inappropriate and clearly preventable,” Haynes said.
Virginia State Police Capt. John Defillipi was present during the virtual forum but didn’t respond to Haynes statements.
Transgender children are under attack by political leaders across the nation, and Robert Levy has brought that to Moore County.
Last month, Levy, a Moore County Schools Board of Education member, proposed a series of new board policies, the most controversial of which insert his political views into curriculum decisions and matters of student safety and privacy.
Among these, citing safety and morality, Mr. Levy proposed banning transgender students from using bathrooms and playing on sports teams matching their gender identity. He did so although no area school raised issues involving transgender students’ bathroom or locker room use. Moreover, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association already has a restrictive policy regarding transgender athletes.
It’s worth noting that according to the association, only six transgender children compete statewide, none in the Sandhills.
Given the lack of local problems, why is Mr. Levy focused on these children? In his words, “We do have to deal with all students and one of the problems is we are sacrificing the privacy of the vast majority in order to accommodate the political will of the extreme minority.”
Two questions arise: Whose privacy is being sacrificed when there are no specific complaints at the school level; and whose “political will” is being accommodated? Certainly not that of Moore County’s transgender children; there is nothing political about what they need — they want to use the bathroom safely and enjoy school athletics.
For an explanation of Mr. Levy’s motivations, consider that his anti-transgender proposal does not stand alone.
This year so far has been a record-breaking one for similar legislation, with conservative lawmakers in 33 states proposing more than 100 bills aimed at curbing the rights and freedoms of transgender people, especially children. In Raleigh, GOP members of our General Assembly introduced two bills that discriminate against transgender children in sports and health care, and another bill would allow medical providers to refuse care to transgender individuals.
Although the school board’s policy committee did not support any of Mr. Levy’s revisions, he pushed his proposals for a vote by the full board. Then, after our General Assembly tabled its anti-transgender bills, Mr. Levy suddenly pulled his policy against transgender children from the school board agenda.
Despite this, harm has been done. Rhetoric and policy discussions of leaders have measurable and critical impacts on transgender youth. The Trevor Project — the nation’s largest LGBT youth crisis intervention and suicide prevention organization — reported a dramatic spike in calls and online chats following anti-transgender messaging.
In the week after the Texas legislature introduced an anti-trans “bathroom bill” in June 2017, contacts to the Trevor Project from transgender young people more than doubled. After President Trump’s July 2017 tweet regarding a proposed transgender military ban, such contacts almost tripled within 24 hours.
In this case, Moore County’s transgender students have been the focus of ugly discussions in news reports and social media posts. Under Mr. Levy’s proposal, they may be subjected to inspections of their “sexual body parts” and required to use bathrooms and locker rooms of a sex that they no longer resemble or claim. They are hearing another school board member, David Hensley, vow to “protect” other children from them. On social media, he has called their social and emotional health needs “ridiculous leftist issues.”
To put their lived experience in context, these are children, from elementary through high school, who already do not feel welcome at school. According to GLSEN’s 2019 School Climate Survey, 42.5 percent of LGBT students reported feeling unsafe at school because of their gender identity, and 45.2 percent of them avoided sex-segregated bathrooms because they felt unsafe or uncomfortable.
In North Carolina, 71 percent of LGBT students reported hearing negative comments about transgender students from classmates. Sadly, 35 percent reported negative remarks about students’ gender expressions from faculty.
Harassment has consequences. LGBT students who experienced high levels of harassment for their gender expression were almost three times more likely to miss school than those who experienced lower levels and were twice as likely to report they were not going to pursue secondary education (either college or trade school). Students with high levels of gender harassment had lower GPAs and were more likely to be disciplined at school.
Unsurprisingly, they had lower self-esteem and higher rates of depression. These students are suffering and struggling not because they are transgender; they are suffering because others harass them.
Conversely, outcomes for transgender children improve markedly when simple steps are taken to affirm them. A 2018 study in the Journal of Adolescent Health shows that transgender students who could use their chosen name at home, work, in school, and with peers showed a 71 percent decline in symptoms of severe depression, a 34 percent decrease in reported thoughts of suicide and a 65 percent decrease in suicidal attempts compared to peers who could not.
For our transgender young people, wanting to play on sports teams matching their gender identity or feeling safe in bathrooms are not leftist issues. If Moore County’s school board inserts itself into transgender students’ lives at all, it should do so in the same spirit that it should approach all Moore County students: to affirm them and encourage their success.
Our school board is supposed to be nonpartisan, and there is no room for political gamesmanship when kids’ lives are at stake.
Julia Latham is a Moore County resident, attorney, mother and LGBTQ advocate.
As issues surrounding healthcare and insurance continue to evolve, members of LGBTQ+ communities may begin to see improvements in a long history of under-treatment and poor treatment. LGBTQ+ Americans have faced a long struggle to get the right healthcare. This struggle intersects with issues such as the training and cultural competency of health professionals and a history of stigma and discrimination against these communities.
While that may be starting to change, there is still a long road ahead. Until there are stronger legislative protections in place and increased training for healthcare professionals, many LGBTQ+ people remain wary.
Key Takeaways
There is a long history of LGBTQ+ mistreatment when it comes to healthcare.
It wasn’t until 1987 that the American Psychiatric Association stopped classifying homosexuality as an illness.
LGBTQ+ people struggle with finding healthcare professionals who understand their specific needs.
LGBTQ+ people are more likely to put off seeing a doctor than the general population for fear of discrimination/mistreatment.
The Equality Act, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in early 2021, would put legislation in place to help protect LGBTQ+ healthcare rights; it still needs Senate approval.
LGBTQ+ Healthcare History
Examining the history of the treatment of homosexuality in healthcare illustrates the difficulties members of LGBTQ+ communities have faced in seeking care. Until quite recently homosexuality was considered a mental illness or deviant behavior. That meant that, rather than getting access to medical care, anyone who was found to be homosexual risked being either thrown in jail or into a mental asylum, to be subjected to so-called “treatment” or “rehabilitation” that could include not just psychological treatments such as painful aversion therapy, but also hormonal castration and lobotomy.
As late as 1968, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) listed homosexuality as a mental disorder in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). It wasn’t until 1973 that the designation was officially removed from the APA’s DSM. And it wasn’t until 1987 that the APA stopped using “homosexuality” as a diagnosis.
Transgender people weren’t alluded to in the DSM until 1980 when “transsexualism” first appeared there. In 1994, the APA replaced “transsexualism” with “gender identity disorder.” In the latest DSM, the APA eliminated “gender identity disorder,” replacing it with “gender dysphoria” to shift the focus to the mental and physical distress felt by many transgender people.
Even as legal rights for the LGBTQ+ community have expanded, many struggle to find healthcare providers who can competently address their specific issues and concerns. Getting insurance coverage for these issues can also be difficult. Many LGBTQ+ people still face discrimination and may not seek treatment for fear of being mistreated or denied care.
That stress raises the likelihood of depression and anxiety. The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey showed that some 40% of transgender people attempted suicide in their lifetime. That same survey found that nearly a quarter of transgender people hadn’t sought out medical care over the past year for fear of mistreatment.
As laws continue to evolve and healthcare professionals get the proper training, things are slowly starting to change. In the meantime, it’s important to address the multitude of issues facing the LGBTQ+ community right now.
LGBTQ+ Healthcare: Breaking Down Barriers
Many members of the LGBTQ+ community are hesitant to seek medical care, leaving them at greater risk of depression, anxiety, and a slew of diseases, including cancer and heart disease. One survey showed that more than half of those who identify as LGB said they’d been discriminated against, while nearly 27% of transgender respondents said they were outright denied care.
Even when they had the access to healthcare, 10% of LGBT people said they had been subjected to harsh or abusive language, while others (11%) said there were even some healthcare professionals who refused to even touch them.
These are alarming statistics, but there are organizations working to change that. HealthSherpa, a platform aimed at simplifying the Affordable Care Act enrollment process, put together a list of 20 LGBTQ+ healthcare resources to help ease the stress and anxiety of seeking proper healthcare.
Finding healthcare
Where to start? First, it’s important to find a doctor who is LGBTQ+ friendly and educated in the specific issues affecting those in LGBTQ+ communities. One of the best (and easiest) ways is through a referral from someone who has already been through the experience. The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association also offers a healthcare provider list that may be useful.
It’s important to be comfortable with whomever you choose. If it’s unclear whether the doctor you chose is well versed in treating the LGBTQ+ community, it’s something to ask when making the initial appointment. For healthcare providers, it’s equally important to be sensitive to LGBTQ+ patients’ needs and feelings, including training staff who interact with patients at every step of the process, starting with scheduling.
Here are a few things members of the LGBTQ+ community should consider:
Be ready to come out to your doctor. It’s important for your doctor to understand your gender identity and sexual orientation in order to be able to address your specific health needs and risks.
Be ready with a list of questions specific to your gender identity and sexual orientation. Everyone has different needs at different times. For example, some transgender people may want to discuss hormone therapy and surgery, while other members of the LGBTQ+ community may be more focused on sexual health or mental health issues.
Mental and physical health. The LGBTQ+ community often faces higher instances of substance abuse, depression and anxiety, and obesity than the general population. Being able to discuss these issues will allow your healthcare provider to give you the right help and advice.
Sexual and reproductive health. It’s important to be screened for HIV and STDs, alongside prostate, testicular, breast, cervical, and colon cancer if these tests apply to you. Early detection is key to successful treatment. In addition to tests, immunizations for Hepatitis A/B may be necessary as well as for HPV. These are all things that should be discussed with your healthcare provider during your appointment(s).
Insurance Protections for LGBTQ+ People
As the medical field plays catch up, what’s next for LGBTQ+ healthcare rights? Most important: passing legislation that protects the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination.
In addition to healthcare coverage, healthcare insurance is another fraught issue for the LGBTQ+ community. Gaps in coverage mean some members of the LGBTQ+ community may not have access to the care they need. Cost is another major factor, with some studies showing nearly half of LGBT people going without care because they couldn’t afford it.
Currently, only 16 states, plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. ,have laws explicitly prohibiting health insurance discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Put another way: only 42% of the LGBTQ+ population in the United States lives in states that ban health insurance discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Momentum began building for private companies to be more proactive about anti-discrimination healthcare policies in 2002 after the Human Rights Campaign Foundation launched its Corporate Equality Index (CEI)—a national survey that measures policies and benefits for the LGBTQ+ community.
In 2008, a number of health associations began issuing strongly-worded anti-discrimination statements, calling for more inclusive insurance policies. As a result, many insurance carriers and companies have started to make changes that protect the healthcare coverage rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
Today, 71% of Fortune 500 companies and more than 91% of those rated by the Corporate Equality Index offer transgender-inclusive health coverage, compared with 0 in 2002.
A 2013 survey of LGBT people living below the poverty level found one in three were uninsured and four in 10 carried medical debt. Fast forward to today: Expansion of the Affordable Care Act and federal marriage equality legislation have both played significant roles in helping secure healthcare insurance coverage for all members of the LGBTQ+ community.
When the Affordable Care Act was first passed in 2010, it included a provision that prohibited healthcare discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, disability or sex. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services took it one step further and incorporated language that expanded the definition of sex to include gender identity and further prohibited blanket prohibition of coverage for gender transition healthcare services.
Despite the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back some regulations (specifically related to nondiscrimination), the LGBTQ+ community remains protected from healthcare discrimination after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services finalized its rules in June 2020 that expanded the definition of what was protected under the nondiscrimination clause of the Affordable Care Act.
Looking Ahead: The Equality Act
And that’s where the Equality Act comes into play. This sweeping legislation would ban discrimination against someone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity across a number of areas, including education, housing, and healthcare.
The bill has passed the House of Representatives and is now in the Senate’s hands. The Equality Act stems from a 2020 ruling (6-3) by the U.S. Supreme Court that stated that firing someone for being gay or transgender was a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The proposed legislation has widespread support across the nation, with 76% of Americans saying they support laws that would protect the LGBTQ+ community from widespread discrimination. This would include healthcare, which would make a huge difference in insurance issues for LGBTQ+ people.
Turkey’s top diplomat met with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia Tuesday on his first official trip in years, as the country pushes to repair damaged ties with the kingdom that reached a low point over the 2018 killing in Istanbul of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “We discussed in an open and sincere way what can be done in our bilateral relations, the areas where we have problems, how we can resolve them,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters after his meeting with Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. “It’s not enough to condemn (the violence), the (Muslim) community is expecting us to take some steps,” Cavusoglu said.
The NHS will soon ask all donors about recent seuxal behaviours, meaning more LGBT+ people will be eligible to donate blood, plasma and platelet. (Envato Elements)
The NHS will make the questions it asks of all blood donors gender-neutral from next month, allowing more gay and bisexual men to donate blood.
The change, which will come into effect on 14 June, will allow more people from LGBT+ communities to be able to donate, the service said. Under previous NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) guidelines, male donors were asked to disclose whether they have had sex with another man.
The new Donation Safety Check form will ask all donors, regardless of gender, the same questions about their recent sexual behaviour. The NHSBT said the change will mean that eligibility to donate will be based on a more individualised assessment rather than on a risk assigned to a group or population.
Lord Bethell, the minister for blood donation, said in a statement that the change marks a “significant step forward” to making blood donation policy “fairer and more inclusive”, allowing as “many people as possible to make the life-saving decision to give blood safely”.
Under the new changes, those who have the same sexual partner for the last three months or if there is no known recent exposure to an STI or recent user of PrEP or PEP can now donate. The NHSBT said this will mean more gay and bisexual men will be eligible to become blood, plasma and platelet donors.
Donors who have had anal sex with a new partner or multiple partners in the last three months will not be able to give blood but may be eligible in the future. But individuals can donate as long as they have not had anal sex with a new partner or multiple sexual partners in the last three months.
The change follows a review by the FAIR (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk) steering group led by the NHSBT. The group also included LGBT+ organisation Stonewall and the HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust.
Nancy Kelley, chief executive of Stonewall, said the charity supports a donation system that “allows the greatest number of people to donate safely”. She added: “By linking donor eligibility to health, travel and sexual activity with an individualised assessment of risk, these changes will help ensure more people, including gay and bi men, can donate blood.”
Under previous rules, gay and bisexual men had to abstain from sex for three months before they could give blood. This deferral window was an iteration of a haunting move by lawmakers in the 1980s when the UK was in the throes of the AIDS crisis. A lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood was first introduced at this time, when little was known about how HIV and AIDS was transmitted.
The NHS will make the questions it asks of all blood donors gender-neutral from next month, allowing more gay and bisexual men to donate blood.
The change, which will come into effect on 14 June, will allow more people from LGBT+ communities to be able to donate, the service said. Under previous NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) guidelines, male donors were asked to disclose whether they have had sex with another man.
The new Donation Safety Check form will ask all donors, regardless of gender, the same questions about their recent sexual behaviour. The NHSBT said the change will mean that eligibility to donate will be based on a more individualised assessment rather than on a risk assigned to a group or population.
Lord Bethell, the minister for blood donation, said in a statement that the change marks a “significant step forward” to making blood donation policy “fairer and more inclusive”, allowing as “many people as possible to make the life-saving decision to give blood safely”.
Under the new changes, those who have the same sexual partner for the last three months or if there is no known recent exposure to an STI or recent user of PrEP or PEP can now donate. The NHSBT said this will mean more gay and bisexual men will be eligible to become blood, plasma and platelet donors.
Donors who have had anal sex with a new partner or multiple partners in the last three months will not be able to give blood but may be eligible in the future. But individuals can donate as long as they have not had anal sex with a new partner or multiple sexual partners in the last three months.
The change follows a review by the FAIR (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk) steering group led by the NHSBT. The group also included LGBT+ organisation Stonewall and the HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust.
Nancy Kelley, chief executive of Stonewall, said the charity supports a donation system that “allows the greatest number of people to donate safely”. She added: “By linking donor eligibility to health, travel and sexual activity with an individualised assessment of risk, these changes will help ensure more people, including gay and bi men, can donate blood.”
Under previous rules, gay and bisexual men had to abstain from sex for three months before they could give blood. This deferral window was an iteration of a haunting move by lawmakers in the 1980s when the UK was in the throes of the AIDS crisis. A lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood was first introduced at this time, when little was known about how HIV and AIDS was transmitted.
He added: “It’s a really fascinating journey that he goes on in the coming few months, and Dom has a lot to get to grips with. He’s not going anywhere for a little while.”
What has David Ames said about his character Dom?
As Dom recovers from his horrendous stomach injury, he is forced to wear a stoma.
But as a single man and living in the world of selfies and dating apps, David says Dom is struggling to adjust.
Dom is a fan favourite (Credit: BBC)
In a separate interview with Inside Soap, David explained: “Dom’s a guy who has always struggled with feeling unloveable, and this pushes him to the limit.
“In a world of selfies, to be able to stand there with your top off and say, ‘I live with this every day, and it saved my life’, shouldn’t be taboo.”
What else has David Ames been in?
David’s other major television role was playing Nathan in Doctor Who back in 2009. He’s also served as a voice actor in a Doctor Who video game.
In addition, he had a small role in the 2008 television movie He Kills Coppers.
Is David Ames married in real life?
David is not believed to be married. Like his character Dom, he is an openly gay man.
He was dating Mikey Kenny in 2019. But judging from his recent social media postings, he appears to be currently single.
The actor previously hit back at viewers’ complaints that there were ‘too many gay characters on Holby City’.
Dom says he is sticking around for now! (Credit: SplashNews)
Speaking to Attitude magazine, David said: “Holby has too many gay characters.
“Take out the word gay and replace it with any other minority group and see how that sentence sounds.
“Holby doesn’t have too many gay characters – it has a well balanced, proportionate representation of society. This is nothing but bigotry.”
We don’t know much else about his personal life, other than that he said he was overweight prior to finding fame.
Speaking to Pink News, he said he was almost 16 stone as a student.
He explained: “When I finished university I was some 15 and a half stone. People looked at me differently when I was bigger.
Adding of his subsequent weight loss: “It wasn’t like ‘oh I can’t be a fat gay man’, it was ‘I want to feel comfortable in my own skin and at the moment, I don’t’.”
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