Bonn (KNA) “Love wins” – that is the name of the initiative in which Catholic chaplains in parishes across Germany plan to invite people to “blessing services for lovers” on and around May 10. It was launched in Hamburg at the weekend.
The campaign’s website said the aim was to celebrate “the diversity of people’s different life plans and love stories” and to ask for God’s blessing.
Gay and lesbian couples are also invited, which is attracting public attention because the Vatican declared in mid-March that the Catholic Church had no authority to bless same-sex relationships as such unions did not correspond to the divine will. That statement has been widely criticized among church members in Germany. “I have blessed buildings and sugar beet harvesting machines,” said the Wuerzburg priest Burkhard Hose. “So why not also people who love each other?”
“I have blessed buildings and sugar beet harvesting machines,” said the Wuerzburg priest Burkhard Hose. “So why not also people who love each other?”
Hose and Bernd Moenkebuescher, a priest from the town of Hamm in North Rhine-Westphalia, started collecting signatures against Rome’s ban on blessing same-sex couples and have so far gathered some 11,000. Birgit Mock, the vice-president of the Catholic German Women’s Federation (KDFB), said: “The current discussion could lead to a historic step: a positive appreciation of responsibly lived sexuality in the Catholic Church in Germany.”
Mock and Bishop Helmut Dieser head one of four working groups of the Synodal Path reform project. The group deals with sexual morality, and the church’s approach to homosexuality is among its topics. Bishop Dieser has made clear that his office does not allow him to give a mandate to bless gay couples—but added: “In the case of requests to bless same-sex couples, pastoral ministers are bound by their conscience.” That doesn’t sound like a ban. However, the German Bishops’ Conference criticized the blessing services. “They are not suitable as an instrument of church-political manifestations or protest actions,” said the conference president, Bishop Georg Baetzing.
Baetzing is in an awkward position: the Vatican is increasingly critical of the debates in Germany but grassroots members are becoming ever more vocal in their demands for reforms. However, there is strong opposition to change at the universal church level. Australian Cardinal George Pell, for example, warned that part of the church in Germany was “resolutely heading in the wrong direction.”
After Hamburg, there will be further blessing services in about 70 locations. Why around May 10 of all days? Hose, a college chaplain, referred to the Orthodox Church which commemorates the biblical patriarch Noah on this day. God made a covenant with him after the Flood—under the sign of a rainbow. That is not far removed from the colors of the rainbow flag of the gay rights movement.
The argument is unlikely to meet with approval from the Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Hilarion of the Moscow Patriarchate praised the Vatican’s ban on blessing same-sex couples. On this point, the teachings of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches were in agreement, he said.
4 hours agoSan Antonio Spurs forward Rudy Gay logged his first start of the campaign in Sunday’s overtime loss to Philadelphia, finishing the night with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double. The veteran also had two assists and two steals with four turnovers, while shooting 7-for-17 from the field with a 2-for-6 record from downtown. San Antonio started a hectic period on Sunday, which will see the team play five times in seven games, thus head coach Gregg Popovich rested many of his regulars. Gay could see more starts during the tough stretch, and he’ll be an attractive DFS option if that’s the case.—Taavi Pailk – RotoBaller Source: ESPN
Melanie Paxson’s work has definitely garnered her a lot of attention over the years, and some of that has been right in her hometown. Paxson was born in Champaign, Illinois, and grew up in Mahomet, Illinois. When she had a role in 2013’s “Saving Mr. Banks” alongside Hollywood heavyweights such as Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, B.J. Novak, and Jason Schwartzman, Champaign’s local paper celebrated.
Paxson’s parents, Gay and Randy Moore, saw the movie on opening night and then spoke to a writer at The News-Gazette about the film. Gay Moore was particularly happy that her friends liked the movie, too. “They loved it. And I got the nicest email from a friend in Florida who thought Melanie sparkled and did really well.”
The paper also noted that Melanie Paxson attended the Hollywood premiere with her husband and her brother, Ryan Moore, who is an aspiring actor. Melanie Paxson’s mom also referenced her notable voice, telling the paper that “People who know her say when she’s appearing in a TV commercial and they’re in another room, they run in to see it because they recognize her voice.”
ESPN reports that Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympic champion and reality TV personality now running for California governor, said she opposes transgender girls competing in girls’ sports at school.
Ken Haire was devastated when his partner of 33 years, Gerry Schwarz, died in 2012. He was even more distraught when he learned he wouldn’t see a dollar of the survivor benefits built into Schwarz’s pension because CN Rail’s plan did not recognize same-sex relationships at the time of Schwarz’s retirement.
Haire has spent parts of the last nine years fighting to get CN’s pension and benefits department to overturn its decision. Now 71 years old, he’s taken that fight public.
“He would be devastated if he knew what was going on now,” Haire said of his late partner. “He was a company man. He loved CN Rail.”
Gerry Schwarz, left, and Ken Haire were in a relationship for more than 33 years. They lived together in Toronto before moving to Harbour Grace to be closer to Haire’s family. (Submitted by Ken Haire)
Schwarz worked for CN in Toronto for more than 30 years. He retired in 1991, and the couple later moved to Harbour Grace, N.L., to be closer to Haire’s family.
They built a life there, with five Pekingese show dogs and a home overlooking the water, decorated with paintings and antiques Schwarz had brought from his home country of Germany.
We realize that some former practices and decisions made in good faith in the past need to be re-examined in light of our engagement toward diversity and inclusion– CN statement
He died from heart failure on Jan. 2, 2012, at the age of 76. Schwarz had plans in place in the event he died early. It largely revolved around his CN pension.
“He felt comfortable that if anything happened to him, I would be able to continue on with a reasonably comfortable lifestyle,” Haire said. “And it didn’t happen that way.”
Company admits policy falls short on inclusion, diversity
When Haire got Schwarz’s death certificate, he reached out to CN. The company sent condolences on the loss of his common law spouse, and said it would do everything in its power to make sure his pension continued to be paid out.
But on Jan. 31, 2012, Haire got a very different letter from CN’s pension and benefits department. It informed him that the definition of spouse at the time of Schwarz’s retirement from CN was a “person of the opposite sex,” in a conjugal relationship for more than one year. Even though the terms had been updated in 1998 to include LGBT relationships, the pension plan had not made those changes retroactive.
Therefore, Haire was not entitled to anything.
“I suddenly went from being Gerry’s common law spouse, to just being a roommate,” Haire said. “I was hurt. I was more insulted by the fact that … after all those years and all the people he had worked with, that they still didn’t acknowledge the fact that Gerry and I were a couple. We were a couple in every sense of the word. It really did hurt.”
Despite not budging on Haire’s repeated requests throughout the years, CN told CBC News on Saturday that it is now reviewing how its policies have affected workers who retired before 1998.
“We realize that some former practices and decisions made in good faith in the past need to be re-examined in light of our engagement toward diversity and inclusion,” a CN spokesperson said in a statement.
The original decision forced Haire’s hand in heartbreaking financial decisions. He sold the house they’d lived in together, and had to sell most of Schwarz’s antiques and paintings. Hardest of all, Haire had to give up their dogs when he moved into an apartment.
“It would have broke his heart,” said Haire, stopping for a moment to catch the tears rolling down his cheeks.
What does the law say?
While he gave up the fight at times over the years, Haire has now dug in for one last kick at the can. He’s hired a lawyer and plans to challenge the decision in court.
He has a legitimate shot, according to one of the country’s top lawyers in LGBT rights.
“I don’t really think that CN has much of a defence, quite frankly,” said Douglas Elliott, a partner with the Toronto law firm Cambridge LLP.
Gerry Schwarz worked for CN, the Canadian railway giant, for more than 30 years. He retired in 1991. (Travis Golby/CBC)
Elliott argued one of the most prominent LGBT rights cases in the country, when he successfully unlocked Canada Pension Plan benefits for surviving spouses in same-sex relationships. The Supreme Court of Canada ordered the federal government to make the funds available retroactive to 1985, when the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms went into effect.
He believes the precedent from that case would be a behemoth for CN to overcome if it should choose to fight this in court.
Elliott also said he understands the turmoil Haire is going through right now.
“It’s a terrible economic burden, but also a terrible psychological burden, to be told by someone that your relationship doesn’t count, that your relationship was second-rate and that they’re going to try and erase that relationship or devalue it. Especially after that man devoted his life to CN Rail, it’s really reprehensible.”
Elliott called CN’s policy “bigoted,” and said it’s frustrating to still be fighting these situations in 2021.
If CN chooses to reverse course and pay out the money, Haire said he’d accept it. But he won’t act grateful.
“It would be nice to get the pension and it would be nice to keep it going until I pass away. But there’s absolutely [nothing] they could do to compensate me for the loss of my home, for the loss of everything Gerry and I worked for, or for the loss of our pets,” he said.
“They’ve made my life hell and it’s just not right.”
It is interesting timing for the San Antonio Spurs to be visiting Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz.
The fact that one of the key players in Utah’s win over Toronto on Saturday was a player not many have heard of this late into the season has a very Spurs-like feel to it. Considering Utah is coached by a former disciple of Gregg Popovich, and Dennis Lindsey came to Utah from San Antonio to become the team’s general manager, it’s not surprising there are elements of similarity.
The Jazz (46-18) will rely on other guys who seem to fit the Spurs’ mold — Joe Ingles, Royce O’Neale, Georges Niang and, heck, even international star Rudy Gobert — to continue their winning ways in light of the absence of their starting All-Star guards.
Donovan Mitchell (ankle) and Mike Conley (hamstring) will be sidelined for the first of two Jazz-Spurs games on Monday night.
Utah has been learning to live without them as they’ve dealt with annoying late-season injuries. Bojan Bogdanovic, another player you could imagine playing for Popovich, led the Jazz with 34 points in the 106-102 comeback win over the Raptors.
And while regular contributors like Ingles (15 points, nine assists), Jordan Clarkson (15 points), Gobert (13 points, 16 rebounds) and O’Neale (nine points, 10 rebounds) played well in the win for Utah, it was rookie guard Trent Forrest who made some of the key plays in the fourth quarter.
One was a block of Fred VanVleet, who scored 30 points. Another was a timely 3-pointer that gave the Jazz a five-point lead against a Toronto team that wouldn’t quit. Snyder said that felt more important than just three points.
The absence of Mitchell and Conley gave Forrest an opportunity, and he seized it.
“I think he really works defensively. He’s long. He had that one big block on VanVleet,” Utah coach Quin Snyder said. “He really — for a young guy who just got thrown into it — plays with a lot of poise.”
To stay in the race for the No. 1 overall seed — Utah is tied with Phoenix record-wise but technically is in second place due to the tiebreaker — the Jazz really need to beat San Antonio (31-32) in this Monday-Wednesday series in Salt Lake City.
It’s a good thing the Jazz had Sunday off because they had been playing on fumes, including during a back-to-back set on Friday and Saturday that featured the home win vs. Toronto after a blowout loss in Phoenix.
“This one feels good because it was a fight. Nothing was given to us — we had to go get it,” said Gobert, who was asked if the Jazz were feeling extra tired and had any energy left in the tank. “Pretty empty — but I’ll go in the gas station tomorrow.”
The Spurs arrive in Salt Lake City having lost three straight games. But two of the losses were in overtime, including Sunday’s 113-111 defeat to Philadelphia. Popovich said he liked what he saw from his players against the Sixers, especially considering four starters missed the game. Dejounte Murray (left-knee soreness) and Derrick White (ankle) have injuries, and DeMar DeRozan and former University of Utah star Jakob Poeltl rested.
In their place, Lonnie Walker IV scored 23 points, and Keldon Johnson had 19, Rudy Gay 18 and Gorgui Dieng 17.
“I am just really excited for how hard we are playing,” Popovich said. “I just hope they continue to believe in themselves because they have had kind of a tough road.”
Six of the Spurs’ next seven games are on the road.
The Jazz, who beat San Antonio 130-109 in January, have four more home games before leaving Utah again.
–Field Level Media
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Cassie Randolph seems to want no part in all of the fanfare that has surrounded her ex-boyfriend, Colton Underwood, coming out as gay. Since his announcement, Randolph has told her fans that she won’t be talking about the subject. Now, it has come out that Randolph has moved on from the relationship completely and already has a new boyfriend.
Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph attend the 2019 E! People’s Choice Awards | Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage
Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph’s relationship
Underwood and Randolph met on Underwood’s season of The Bachelor. They did not get engaged on the show, but continued dating afterward. At first, the relationship seemed to be going well, the two often posted sweet pictures of one another on Instagram. But after they suddenly broke up, some pretty scary information started coming out. Randolph had to get a restraining order against Underwood after she found a tracking device on her car and received several texts from an unknown number. She later dropped the restraining order.
Colton Underwood comes out
Last month, Underwood came out as gay on Good Morning America. Despite this, he said that he did really love Randolph.
“I loved everything about her and it’s hard for me to articulate exactly what my emotions were in going through that relationship with her was because I obviously had an internal fight going on,” Underwood said on the show. “I would just say that I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart. I’m sorry for any pain and emotional stress I caused. I wish that it wouldn’t have happened the way that it did. I wish that I had been courageous enough to fix myself before I broke anybody else.”
Randolph remained largely silent on the subject until she uploaded her next YouTube video.
“Before I get into anything, I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the kind comments and messages from you guys. I really appreciate it,” she said in the video.
“Regarding the topic in the media that brought my name up this week, just wanted to let you know that I’m not gonna be further discussing it or commenting on it for now,” she continued. “There’s a lot of layers to it and I just feel like the best thing for me at this time is to move forward and just focus on going forward.”
Despite the drama of her romantic past, Randolph has reportedly found a new boyfriend. Sources confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that she is dating singer, Brighton Reinhardt. The two have reportedly “been dating for a few months,” and are “having fun together.”
Randolph and her boyfriend were recently spotted with Randolph’s parents, her sister Michelle Randolph and boyfriend, Gregg Sulkin, at the Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach, according to photos from TMZ.
At the time of publication, reps for Randolph had not responded to requests for comment.
The entries rolled in and the finalists have been chosen. Now, the rest is up to you!
It’s the Cat Country 107.3 Hot Mom Contest!
Thanks to all who entered their moms. Our judges whittled the nominations down to these finalists.
Below their photos, you can vote for your favorite!
You may vote once per day through Thursday. The deadline to vote is Thursday at 11:59pm.
The winning Hot Mom will receive 2 tickets to see Kane Brown January 13, 2022 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and a $500 gift card to AK Nails ad Spa II in Northfield.
So, what is a HOT MOM? We leave that totally up to you and your vote!
(By the way, if you’re one of our Hot Moms and you don’t want to be in the contest, please send us an email: joe.kelly@townsquaremedia.com.)
Here at the 2021 Cat Country 107.3 Hot Mom Nominees! (Again, vote below)
Be sure to listen to the Cat Country Morning Show with Joe and Jahna, weekdays from 5:30 – 10am on Cat Country 107.3, on the Cat Country 107.3 APP and catcountry1073.com.
LOOK: The most famous actress born the same year as you
Many of the actresses in this story not only made a name for themselves through their collection of iconic performances, but also through the selfless, philanthropic nature with which many of them approached their stardom. In an age of flipping the script on societal norms, many of these actresses are using their voices and platforms to be advocates for those who are otherwise unheard.
Let’s begin by reminding everyone that Aaron Rodgers is very, very good at this. He knows the game cold, he’s quick on his feet, he does his homework, he respects the history and tradition of the position—and he wishes not merely to impress, but to be the best, for a long, long time.
As an NFL quarterback, Rodgers is considerably better. He is football’s reigning MVP, a man who, in 2020, threw for 48 touchdowns against five interceptions, and led the Green Bay Packers to the doorstep of the Super Bowl, before being undone by Tom Brady and Tampa Bay and his own team’s questionable decision to kick a late field goal instead of trying to score a touchdown and 2-point conversion to tie the game. Rodgers is 37, and still among football’s most electric athletes, someone who, at least two or three times a game, attempts a dazzling NONONOYESYESYES pass that only he, or maybe Patrick Mahomes, can pull off.
He’s an awesome circus, a Hall of Famer to be. It’s hard to argue.
But now it appears he’s done with Green Bay. Word arrived prior to last week’s opening of the NFL draft that Rodgers was fed up with his job in Wisconsin and was open to a trade. Rodgers has hinted at discontent in the past, and it sounds as if he’s irritated with the Packer front office—according to a report in Yahoo, he’s specifically miffed with general manager Brian Gutekunst, and the bad vibes extend back to at least last spring, when Green Bay picked quarterback Jordan Love in the first round without bothering to let Rodgers know.
Rodgers’s trade-me-maybe displeasure, reported first by ESPN, struck football like a thunderbolt, which was probably exactly why it was divulged. Draft Week is already the NFL’s Woodstock, but now the MVP was potentially available in a trade? As the NBA has discovered, a superstar on the block is tantalizing drama, and a protracted, headline-grabbing saga in the offseason can help a dormant sport stay relevant. Of course, it can also become exceedingly tiresome. If you’re already exhausted of reading about Rodgers, hide under a couch: his whereabouts will be NFL Story No. 1 until play resumes in September.
Where does he go? Unclear. Gutekunst, the Packer GM, has come forward and said the team is “not going to trade Aaron Rodgers,” which does little to dampen the buzz, since that’s exactly the thing you should say if you’re a general manager trying to extract maximum value. Rumors of a Rodgers wish list—San Francisco, Denver, the Raiders of Nevada—have circulated, though any fantasy of Rodgers in the Bay Area appeared to dim when the 49ers used the third pick to take the North Dakota State phenom Trey Lance.
Shouldn’t most teams inquire? A current MVP has never been on the NFL market before, so the usual hesitations—yeah, we’re really pleased with _______________ as our quarterback—don’t make a lot of sense. Rodgers is expensive (he’s amid a 4-year, $134 million deal), so a fit is financially complicated, but how many NFL teams wouldn’t immediately be a few grades better with Rodgers under center? One? Two? I would put him in the lineup for the Mets, he would probably get a couple of hits.
Conversely, it’s hard to argue that the Packers, who, of course, let Brett Favre wander to the Jets so the Rodgers Era could begin—but do not appear to be as comfortable yet with the 22-year-old Love—wouldn’t be dramatically worse. “I just can’t imagine him not being in a Green Bay Packer uniform,” said head coach Matt LaFleur, surely with visions of losing twice a year to the Lions dancing in his head.
What we have here is a good, old-fashioned superstar standoff, between a valued player who, justifiably or not, feels disrespected, and a team which has to do the delicate dance of placating a key individual while simultaneously maintaining authority. There’s always the possibility that Rodgers and the Packers could find a cooperative path forward—the Packers have mentioned trips to Rodgers’s West Coast whereabouts, trying to get on the same page—and everyone’s happily wearing cheddar styrofoam hats come summer.
But the status quo is no fun! It’s much more fun to think of Rodgers in Broncos orange, or Raider silver and black, or New Orleans black and old gold…
There is, of course, a wild card/nuclear option, already raised by the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, that, if the situation isn’t resolved, Rodgers could retire from football altogether—abandoning millions of NFL dollars and possibly changing careers…to host “Jeopardy!”
Rodgers doesn’t have that job, however. His recent two-week guest host run got a lot of buzz and praise, so it’s likely he will get some consideration, but he shouldn’t be stockpiling suits and ties just yet. On last Friday’s The Journal podcast (the Journal is also a podcast—do you listen? Start now, it’s really good) “Jeopardy!” executive producer Mike Richards heaped praise on Rodgers, but also stated his preference that the next host see “Jeopardy!” as a full-time job, which works against the idea of Rodgers hosting while continuing to play football.
“I would prefer it is someone who is dedicated to the show, completely,” Richards told the Journal’s Ryan Knutson, while acknowledging the decision will be up to a larger group.
Let’s play this through. Is there some hazard for “Jeopardy!” here? Does an iconic game show want to risk alienating football fans, and the whole of Wisconsin? Is Rodgers the best fit? (When I last wrote about this, some of you wrote to me complaining he was a bit stiff.) Haven’t a zillion fans said they really want LeVar Burton to get the job?
If nothing else, it’s an eccentric twist: an NFL player possibly walking away at the height of his powers to tell a panel of borderline geniuses they have their Roman history and Nordic geography tangled. Not since Jim Brown retired amid filming “The Dirty Dozen” has there been a comparable sports to showbiz walk-off. It would make Aaron Rodgers unlike any other quarterback to ever play the game. Of course, he’s pretty much that already, which is why this is such a thing.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
If he plays, where do you think Aaron Rodgers will be playing football in September?
As with all WorldTour races, each of the 19 teams that make up the top-flight of professional cycling receive an invite and in the case of the Giro d’Italia, all teams are contracted to race the first grand tour of the season. In addition to the WorldTeams, Alpecin-Fenix qualified as the No 1 ranked ProTeam from 2020 while race organisers RCS handed wild card entries to Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec, Bardiani-CSF-Faizane and Eolo-Kometa. UCI WorldTeams Ag2r-Citroën (Fra): François Bidard (Fra), Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra), Clément Champoussin (Fra, neo-pro), Tony Gallopin (Fra), Alexis Gougeard (Fra), Lawrence Naesen (Bel), Andrea Vendrame (Ita), Larry Warbasse (US). Astana-Premier Tech (Kaz): Samuele Battistella (Ita, neo-pro), Fabio Felline (Ita), Gorka Izagirre (Spa), Vadim Pronskiy (Kaz, neo-pro), Luis León Sánchez (Spa), Matteo Sobrero (Ita, neo-pro), Harold Tejada (Col, neo-pro), Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus). Bahrain Victorious (Brn): Pello Bilbao (Spa), Santiago Buitrago (Col, neo-pro), Damiano Caruso (Ita), Mikel Landa (Spa), Gino Mäder (Swi), Matej Mohoric (Slo), Domen Novak (Slo), Jan Tratnik (Slo). BikeExchange (Aus): Michael Hepburn (Aus), Christopher Juul-Jensen (Den), Tanel Kangert (Est), Cameron Meyer (Aus), Mikel Nieve (Spa), Nick Schultz (Aus), Callum Scotson (Aus), Simon Yates (GB). Bora-Hansgrohe (Ger): Giovanni Aleotti (Ita, neo-pro), Cesare Benedetti (Ita), Maciej Bodnar (Pol), Emanuel Buchmann (Ger), Matteo Fabbro (Ita), Felix Grosschartner (Aut), Daniel Oss (Ita), Peter Sagan (Svk). Cofidis, Solutions Crédits (Fra): Natnael Berhane (Eri), Simone Consonni (Ita), Nicolas Edet (Fra), Victor Lafay (Fra), Rémy Rochas (Fra), Fabio Sabatini (Ita), Elia Viviani (Ita), Attilio Viviani (Ita, neo-pro). Deceuninck-Quick Step (Bel): Joao Almeida (Por), Rémi Cavagna (Fra), Remco Evenepoel (Bel), Mikkel Frolich Honore (Den), Iljo Keisse (Bel), James Knox (GB), Fausto Masnada (Ita), Pieter Serry (Bel).
A summer self-care anthem, ‘Been There’ is the first of many offerings Viscose has in store for 2021.
Irish electro-pop artist Viscose (Aaron Cumiskey) has released a brand new banger, stemming from the act’s love of dance, house and LGBTQ culture.
Drawing inspiration from the likes of Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue and Dagny while colliding it with sophisticated sultry synth sounds, Viscose’s music will lead its listeners straight to the dancefloor.
As a skilled producer, Viscose has produced various successful songs for other artists; Cat (‘Slipping’), Mack Johan (‘Encore’) and Apollo Monroe (‘Soda Pop’).
2019 saw the release of singles ‘Cry, I Walk’ and ‘Lost & Found’, which caught the eye of the industry.
Since taking the last 12 months out to refine his production skills, collaborate and create magic, Viscose is set for a jam packed year full of exciting releases, visuals and projects. Viscose’s devotion to electronic dance music has shaped him into the eclectic, fashion forward visionary that he is today.
“‘Been There’ is fully written and produced by me,” Aaron Cumiskey tells Hot Press. “I started working on the song as soon as Ireland went into lockdown, the original song file was called ‘lockdown.flp’ when I made the beat and ideas of the production. I messed around with samples and through that process, ‘Been There’ was born. Afterwards, I wrote the song within 15 minutes.”
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“Due to the pandemic, the release was pushed back 10 months where in the meantime, I brought the song to producer Steve James, who has worked on tracks for Justin Bieber, Martin Garrix and Little Mix, after he added some finishing touches to the track’s production, giving it a whole new life,” Aaron adds.
The track was then released through James’ label, Butterbeats.
“Lyrically, ‘Been There’ is an anthem of self care and a tribute to accepting myself as an LGBT pop artist while blending my love for fashion and pop culture with modern house music,” Aaron continues.
“It’s a reminder to cherish and care for yourself, boundaries are okay! It’s the first of many exciting projects to come from me this year as I connect with my audience of pop lovers.”
“There’s something about expressing a certain feeling not only through words but actually through the texture and format of instrumentation. Dance music doesn’t always have to have a happy story behind it.”
“You can be criminal but you can’t be gay,” a character put the hard truth in perspective in Hum Bhi Akele, Tum Bhi Akele as he reveals how homosexuality is worse than crime in his father’s eyes. He would hardly be alone. India may have decriminalised homosexuality but the society largely finds it hard to accept it, starting from our homes.
Hum Bhi Akele, Tum Bhi Akele is the story of a gay man and a lesbian woman who are on a road trip together from Delhi to Himachal Pradesh’s Mcleodganj. The journey goes beyond physical as they find some home truths about each other and how relationships can be formed beyond the binaries of sexuality and gender. Anshuman Jha and Zareen Khan play leads in the film.
Anshuman has said in a statement, “This is my most challenging role thus far and I am grateful to Harish sir for considering me for Veer.” Echoing his thoughts, Zareen added, “Just like Veer and Mansi’s lives change after their road trip, Hum Bhi Akele, Tum Bhi Akele has been a life-changing experience for me and I do hope the film is able to relay the message that love is love – to even more people as it releases.”
The film has been directed by Harish Vyas who earlier made Angrezi Mein Kehte Hai with Sanjay Mishra, Anshuman, and Pankaj Tripathi.
The film won the Audience Choice Award at the HBO South Asian Film Festival in New York as well as the ‘Best Actor’ jury prize for Anshuman Jha at the Rajasthan International Film Festival. It was also shown at Kashish, India’s biggest LGBTQ film festival Kashish. The Harish Vyas directorial will land on Disney+ Hotstar on May 9.
The makers of Anshuman Jha, Zareen Khan’s gay romantic drama Hum Bhi Akele, Tum Bhi Akele has dropped the film’s official trailer and it showcases the journey of self-discovery of two individuals who are attracted to same-sex. The two accompany each other on a road trip of madness where they interact with each other candidly and the trailer looks promising too. Hum Bhi Akele, Tum Bhi Akele is all set to premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on May 9.
Hum Bhi Akele, Tum Bhi Akele Trailer
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Left, Paul Dien, incoming president and chair of board of directors of the It Gets Better Project, … [+] and Seth Levy, a founding member who served as president and chair since the organization’s inception in 2010.
Provided photos
“It Gets Better:” Those three words served as the centerpiece of a successful social media campaign launched in 2010, providing hope and encouragement to young LGBTQ people. In 2021, those words represent an international organization that reaches millions of people around the planet through the power of video.
The It Gets Better Project is announcing today its biggest change since its inception 11 years ago — even bigger than when it opened an account on TikTok last year: Attorney Seth Levy, a founding member of the nonprofit that tells the stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth, is stepping down as president and chair of the board of directors. It’s a position he has held since author and syndicated advice columnist Dan Savage and his partner, Terry Miller, created the It Gets Better Project as a 501(c)3.
The organization, which bills itself as the world’s largest storytelling effort to empower LGBTQ youth, has tapped 40-year-old Paul Dien as president and chair of its board of directors. Dien joined the It Gets Better Project board in 2017. In an interview prior to the announcement, Levy, 44, said he will remain on the board, and called this “a time to celebrate.”
“My crown and scepter are being taken away now,” joked Levy, who is an out gay man. “It’s a great moment to make a transition because the organization is doing so well. I found that when I’m serving in this leadership role and in other organizations, it’s so nice to be able to do something like this when times are good and there’s something really positive to hand-off.”
“This has always been a team-effort with a team that has only, I think, gotten more fabulous over time, as we brought on more people and really found our voice and our rhythm,” Levy said. “And frankly, I couldn’t be more thrilled that Paul’s the one picking up the mantle and moving us forward.”
“I am a huge fan of the organization,” Dien said in an interview prior to the announcement, revealing he joined the board of directors in the wake of the 2016 election of President Donald Trump. “I’ve always worked in social impact and marketing and entertainment, and I was like, what else can I do? I felt like there was more to do.”
In his new position at It Gets Better, Dien said he considers himself its champion. “I think this role is to dream and think about the next five years, the next 10 years, as we grow; To be an advocate for what we’re doing in terms of storytelling and sharing these amazing stories,” he added, “to amplify voices to tell young LGBTQ youth that it does get better.”
As the nonprofit shifts from a lawyer leading the brand to a senior-level marketer with experience in social impact, music, luxury brands, entertainment and fashion, it also makes an intersectional choice: Dien, who heads up strategic partnerships for Good and Upworthy and has managed his own agency in Shanghai, is both gay and Asian-American.
“I’ve definitely felt racism, as an Asian. But then simultaneously, I’ve dealt with homophobia in the Asian-American community,” said Dien. His response to haters is to be himself, no matter what. “This is who I am, and I’m unapologetic. And I think the more we can kind of amplify and talk about those issues, the better it can be.”
Levy is a partner at Nixon Peabody LLP, an international law firm, who focuses his practice on intellectual property protection, licensing, strategy, and disputes, as well as research transactions and operations, particularly in life sciences and health care. He spoke from Idaho, where he is representing an incarcerated transgender woman and fighting to make sure “she’s able to get her hormone replacement therapy, called by her proper pronouns and treated appropriately,” he said.
It Gets Better co-founder Dan Savage recently drew criticism for standing up for a fellow writer whose work has been lambasted as transphobic, claiming that wasn’t a fair characterization. In March, GLAAD added Jesse Singal to its “Accountability Project” alongside Trump, Georgia’s two former Republican senators and a Fox News contributor. Savage wasn’t having it.
The Advocate staff writer Mey Rude responded, “Savage isn’t trans, and neither is Singal, and neither man is a cis expert on trans issues or on what is or isn’t transphobic.” Rude is herself transgender, and lesbian. Both Dien and Levy had something to say about Savage’s remarks, while noting he is no longer involved in the project day to day.
“I don’t agree with what he has said, and I think it’s important to call out our privileges,” said Dien. “I think in our communities, cisgender white folks do have that privilege, and it’s okay to talk about when people are wrong or offensive to other parts of our community. And I think it’s important to have those discussions.”
“I really can’t comment on whatever Dan’s relationship with the trans community is; that’s been a complicated one for a long time,” added Levy. “All I know is that as a co-founder with them and having done a lot of work with them over the years, he’s done a lot for that community, often through this project. And so I hope at the end of the day, that’s what people start to understand, is that we’ve all really been trying to fight the same fight, even if we don’t always get along along the way.”
The project partners with organizations around the world, a role Levy has shepherded from launch, when “it really was just a couple of us in my living room,” he said. “In the earliest of days, I mean, literally, week one was that videos were being contributed by people all over the world. People were writing in, sharing their stories. Young people were reaching out, organizations were reaching out.”
The next big step Dien is excited about is expanding It Gets Better to other closeted corners of the world, such as Asia, over the next five years.
“We don’t have a huge footprint in Asia right now,” he said. “We have an affiliate in India and an affiliate in Shanghai, but there’s a lot of other other countries in Asia that need our support. We’re in over 20 countries and we have this amazing framework because we’re in so many Latin American countries now. We know every country and culture has nuances and complexities around sexuality and what it means to have LGBTQ rights. So it’s creating those safe spaces, but then also working with our affiliate programs to understand how we can help them do what they need to do.”
In vacating his role as vice president of the board of directors, Dien is making room for board member Avrielle Gallagher, a seasoned nonfiction producer and development executive specializing in creating, developing and producing premium documentary content, to rise to V.P. “She’s an amazing woman and a huge ally for the community,” said Dien.
“There’s long been a challenge of straight white men being the representatives for a lot of these organizations. And I think showing the diversity within our community is important not just for optics and the message it conveys, but because these perspectives are so important,” said Levy, who is white. “The diversity conversations we’re having in other circles in corporate America and universities, wherever it is, it’s no different in our organization. We need to hear from from the API community. We need to have representation from the Black and brown community because there are issues that are similar among us and they’re issues that are just different or that are multilayered based on the different types of diversity we each bring that are not just one thing. One of the things that Paul and I are working on is having some conversations with stakeholders and organizations to help weave these things together. Paul’s a good example of someone who exists in both worlds.”
Note: After publication, a spokesperson for It Gets Better corrected Dien’s comment about having an affiliate in Shanghai. The organization has had educational materials translated into Chinese, but as of press time there is no actual affiliate in China.
Israel will have a record three cabinet ministers from the LGBT community by late Monday when Blue and White faction chairman Eitan Ginzburg is sworn in as communications minister in the Knesset plenum.
Former Ra’anana mayor Ginzburg, who was Israel’s first openly gay mayor, will serve alongside gay ministers Itzik Shmuli, who left Labor, and Amir Ohana (Likud).
Monday morning’s cabinet meeting approved the Science and Technology portfolio for Chili Tropper (Blue and White), the Higher Education Ministry for Yoav Galant (Likud), the Water Ministry for Yuval Steinitz (Likud) and the Social Equality portfolio for Michael Biton (Blue and White).
The Communications portfolio was held by Blue and White head Benny Gantz after he fired Yoaz Hendel on December 16 when Hendel left Blue and White for New Hope. But Gantz held the ministry in a temporary capacity and the appointment expired.
Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit warned Gantz that he was holding too many portfolios as apart from being alternate prime minister and defense minister, he is minister of justice, and was acting science and technology, social equality and communications minister. The Supreme Court set a deadline of 4 p.m. on Monday for the cabinet to fill the vacancies.
The Movement for Quality Government, which petitioned the High Court on the matter, said the appointments should have been made much sooner and not moments before the court-imposed deadline. The movement said other key appointments were necessary, including that of a state prosecutor.
“In this government of national paralysis, only the court’s intervention enables the country to be run,” the group said.
