Sherry Vine Takes on Katy Perry's 'Dark Horse': VIDEO

NYC's Sherry Vine is back with another pop cover. This time she hits up Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" in her typically raunchy, work-unfriendly fashion.

Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP...

Channing Tatum: Jonah Hill is Not a Homophobe - VIDEO

Jonah Hill continued his gay slur apology tour on Extra, and this time Channing Tatum, his 21 Jump Street co-star, was there to have his back.

Said Tatum: "I'll jump in and just say that I think most of the time when people have to go on and sort of apologize for something it might not come off all that well because it's not actually like what they mean. I can honestly say that is not who he is. It came off well and he did it well because he really means it, that wasn’t who he was that day."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Transgender Woman Murdered In Baltimore, Few Details Known

A transgender woman known as Kandy, but whom the police identified as Ricky Carlos Hall, was found murdered in a field in Northeast Baltimore this week.

She was found at 6:30 am on June 3rd in the 1400 block of Fillmore Street. Details of the murder have not yet been released by the police. 

From The Baltimore Sun:

Acting Capt. Eric Kowalczyk, a police spokesman, said he took part in a conference call with leaders of the LGBT community on Wednesday evening to discuss what police know about the case — which apparently isn't much.

"We need the public's help trying to find out who is responsible for this," he said. "We don't know how the homicide occurred yet. We're waiting for the medical examiner to do the autopsy."

Jacqueline Robarge, whose organization Power Inside works with at-risk women, said there is a pattern of violence targeting vulnerable women. She said the lack of information about the case was troubling.

"Whatever information can be shared, to help people on the street understand how to keep themselves safe or contribute to a perpetrator being caught, I think that would be important," she said. "Just saying that someone was found is not sufficient if they have other details about a possible m.o."

The police were also criticized for initially referring to Kandy as a man, but the article notes that the police have been stepping up efforts to engage with the LGBT community. For more on the case and efforts to improve relations between police and the LGBT community in Baltimore, check out the full article. 

Baltimore is no stranger to anti-transgender violence. In 2011 Tyra Trent was found asphyxiated in a basement, without any identification on her. She had experienced violence and great stigmatization in the years before her murder. Also in 2011, transgender woman Chrissy Lee Polis was brutally beaten inside a McDonald's, while being filmed by an employee. 

(Photo from examiner.com.)

Gay Iconography: All Hail the Queen Frontman, Freddie Mercury

Make no mistake: Freddie Mercury is one of the most important fixtures in music history. As the frontman of legendary rock band Queen, Mercury’s voice is recognizable across unforgettable anthems like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Somebody To Love,” “We Will Rock You,” “We Are the Champions,” and many, many, many more.

Since forming in the early 1970s, Queen has become one of the best-selling musical acts in history, with some estimates as high as 300 million records sold worldwide. The scope of Queen’s popularity made Mercury’s death from bronchopneumonia one of the most high-profile AIDS-related losses and brought increased mainstream attention to HIV/AIDS.

His vocal abilities and genre-spanning songwriting alone are worth celebrating, but his impact as one of the most beloved LGBT performers of all time is still felt today.

Rock out to some of our favorite Queen clips, AFTER THE JUMP ...

 

Among Queen’s 18 number one albums, 18 number one singles and 10 number one DVDs, one of the most defining is, of course, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The six minute-plus opus has no chorus and was, at the time, the most expensive single ever made. Its promotional video, above, is often credited with ushering in the music video age. “Rhapsody” enjoyed a resurgence in popularity following its inclusion in the Wayne’s World film in 1992.

 

In the early ‘70s, Mercury was romantically involved with a woman named Mary Austin. They ended their romantic relationship when he revealed to her that he’d had an affair with a male music executive. However, the two remained close friends the remainder of Mercury’s life. He wrote “Love Of My Life,” above, about her. In an interview, he once said, “The only friend I've got is Mary and I don't want anybody else … We believe in each other, that's enough for me."

 

Folks still struggle to place a label on Mercury (gay, bisexual, “flamboyant,” “theatrical,” “camp”) or agree if he was or wasn’t open about his sexuality. He famously said in 1974, “I am as gay as a daffodil,” but often distanced himself publicly from his male romantic partners (like Jim Hutton) and the LGBT movement. He was famously averse to interviews, but he wasn’t afraid to introduce elements of queer culture into his art. Take for example the band’s name (“I was certainly aware of gay connotations, but that was just one facet of it,” he said) and their dragged-out video for “I Want To Break Free,” above.

 

Not only was Mercury known for being an incredible singer and songwriter, but he was a legendary performer. One of the band’s most well-known concerts was their set at Live Aid in 1985. Mercury commanded the stage in front of 72,000 people inside Wembley Stadium (and nearly two billion watching around the world). Watch him get the whole crowd clapping along to “Radio Ga Ga,” above, but their whole set is worth watching in its entirety.

 

Mercury acknowledged that he had AIDS via press release on Nov. 23, 1991, 24 hours before his death from bronchopneumonia. The remaining members of Queen organized the Mercury Phoenix Trust, which held the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness in 1992. The concert featured many incredible guest performers, including Liza Minnelli, Elizabeth Taylor, Elton John, George Michael and a powerful performance of “Under Pressure” by David Bowie and Annie Lennox, above. The concert was broadcast to an estimated 1 billion viewers around the world.

What are your favorite Mercury memories?

Honey Maid Celebrates Pride: Equality is Wholesome

From the folks who brought you the "wholesome" gay family and the more brilliant follow-up to the hate mail they received comes this tweet in honor of LGBT Pride.

What makes a family, family, will always be the same. Share this to show your support for all families. #LGBTPride http://t.co/ewzuzYTvAo

— Honey Maid (@HoneyMaidSnacks) June 5, 2014

 

(via jmg)

Parents Celebrate Pride with Their Transgender Sons in San Francisco: VIDEO

Oprah's OWN network caught up with the parents of transgender men Ty and Landon at the San Francisco pride parade to discuss their  transition and growth.

"I remember standing there [at the parade] and I just started crying to see the families and the kids. And I was like "wow!" maybe one day my family will come to this," said Ty, recalling his first experience years ago at Pride. 

Well Ty's mom was there this year celebrating with him. Ty and Kim spoke with journalist Lisa Ling, host of Our America, about their journey. 

"You've always known who you are and who you wanted to be," said Kim to Ty. "And just in the last three years, the man that you have become, that's why I've quit my job and gone back to school. You have inspired me so much."

Check out the full Our America segment, AFTER THE JUMP...