Wentworth Miller Opens Up About His Life Post-Coming Out

Former Prison Break actor Wentworth Miller has opened up in an interview with Details about his life post-coming out. After seemingly taking a break from the public eye, Miller took time to pen the screenplay for Stoker using the pseudonym "Ted Foulke."

“That wasn't about protecting my identity -- I just wanted the scripts to sink or swim on their own.” Miller explained to Movieline in 2010. “I thought seeing my name on the cover might create static of some kind, maybe positive, maybe negative, but it just wasn't something I wanted to factor into the equation.”

Since Stoker’s release, Miller’s kept a relatively low-profile life focusing on his personal life and getting involved the ManKind Project, a modern manifestation of the mythopoetic men’s movement. The group, which is often thought to be a large group awareness training organization, played a large role in helping Miller deal with his life-long struggle with depression.

“It's a circle of men I sit in with every week that's a safe sounding board for whatever's up for me: good, bad, ugly, really ugly.” He said of the group. “With sadness, particularly with men, that conversation is unfamiliar.”

As the release for the actor’s latest film The Loft looms nearer and the actor prepares for his latest role as the The Flash's Captain Cold, he remains confident that his revelation about his sexuality won’t impede his ability to appeal the large fanbase that had previously known him to be a straight man.

“Attraction is fluid, and I think our imaginations are strong enough to hold a container for all of this complexity, even if we know on a subconscious level something's not what it appears to be.”

Watch the trailer for Wentworth Miller's upcoming film The Loft AFTER THE JUMP...

Gay Males Choose Ellen Degeneres As Favorite Celebrity Product Endorser In New Survey

A new survey conducted by brand expert Jeetendr Sehdev found that gay men between the ages of 18 and 54 favor celebrity endorsers who are smart, female, and mature, all qualities possessed by Ellen DeGeneres, who topped the list. Her Cover Girl ads in particular were chosen as the demographic's favorite of the past year.

Around 3,000 participants were polled for the survey, and while Ellen was far and away the top-rated celebrity, other contenders included Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey, Sandra Bullock and, rather surprisingly, Johnny Depp.

Variety reports:

Advertisers are increasingly eager to attract this consumer demographic. In 2013, Witeck Communications and Harris Interactive estimated that LGBT adults are armed with buying power of about $800 billion and would soon exceed 16 million in number.

Widespread popularity is one attribute that doesn’t seem to be a major factor for this demo’s approval, as Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Hillary Clinton, Brad Pitt and Channing Tatum were identified as this group’s least admired celebrities.

The survey entailed asking gay males to name the three celebrities they most and least admired. Results were then assigned an index number and converted to a 100-pt scale, helping illustrate how these chosen celebs stack up against each other.

Respondents were also asked about their admiration for openly gay celebs. The top five were Degeneres, Jane Lynch, Rosie O'Donnell, Tim Gunn, and Cynthia Nixon while the lowest scores went to Ricky Martin, Portia De Rossi, Adam Lambert, Zachary Quinto, and Lance Bass. 

Head over to Variety for more statistical breakdowns and infographics.

British Dance Council Considering Same-Sex Partner Competition Ban

The British Dance Council (BDC) will on Monday consider a proposal that would define a dance partnership as between “one man and one lady,” reports The Guardian.

The proposal is based on an argument that a two-man partnership has an unfair advantage over a mixed-sex pairing due to additional strength and stamina.

If the proposal is passed, John Church and his partner Alex Lewall will be banned from defending their UK Closed Championship, over-35 pre-championship title at the next championships later this month. The pair, who are both gay but not in a relationship, have been dancing together for four years.

Speaking to The Guardian, Church said:  

"It's a totally regressive step and as far as we are concerned it would be the end of our dancing careers. We don't want to be trailblazers, we aren't asking for special treatment, we just want to dance and to be judged solely on our dancing – not what sex we are."

If voted in, the new rule will state:

"This council recognises a partnership to be one man and one lady in all adult amateur and professional competitions and championships unless otherwise stated."

According to BDC president Bryan Allen, the change in the rules will not result in a ban on same-sex couples but mean there would be a category which was only open to mixed couples.

However, in dismissing the proposed rule change, Church said “dancing isn't about power, it's about technique, positioning, poise, presentation – physical strength doesn't come into it.”

A petition against the rule change, currently with almost 2,000 signatures, is available at Change.org.

Back in 2009, there was some controvery when a same-sex couple auditioned for So You Think You Can Dance.

Denver Baker Appeals Colorado Civil Rights Commission's Finding That He Discriminated Against Gay Couple

Denver baker Jack Phillips has appealed an order from the Colorado Civil Rights Commission (CCRC) requiring him to prepare wedding cakes for same-sex couples, reports ABC News.

In May, the CCRC rejected Phillips’ appeal of a judge’s earlier ruling that he “unlawfully discriminated against a gay couple by refusing to sell them a wedding cake” in 2012.

Phillips has said that making the cake would violate the Christian principles by which he runs his business.

Phillips' attorneys say that the decision violates the baker’s First Amendment rights.

Earlier this month we reported that a bakery in Northern Ireland could face legal action from The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland for refusing to take an order for a cake with the slogan “support gay marriage.”

Watch a Fox News report on the Phillips case, AFTER THE JUMP...

 

Georgian Soprano Tamar Iveri Plans Benefit Concert To Apologize To Gay People

Georgian soprano Tamar Iveri announced yesterday that she intends to hold a benefit concert in Tbilisi dedicated to sexual minorities, reports Classical Lite.

Last month, Iveri was released from her contract with Opera Australia after posting anti-gay comments on Facebook in which she referred to gay people as “faecal masses.”  The homophobic post was framed as a letter to the Georgian president regarding the violence which occurred at a gay march in Georgia in 2012.

Iveri said that the planned concert, which is "dedicated to the victims of all kinds of violence," is to apologize to LGBT people.

The concert will take place in Tbilisi on October 11, which is National Coming Out Day. All money raised at the event will be used to assist victims of violence.

Describing Iveri’s views as “unconscionable”, Opera Australia has since replaced her with Armenian soprano Lianna Haroutounian. 

Gay Director Xavier Dolan Releases Trailer For Prize-Winning 'Mommy': Video

At only 25, French-Canadian director Xavier Dolan has a whopping 5 films under his belt, not to mention various awards and accolades. For example, his newest work, Mommy was awarded the Cannes festival's Jury Prize this year. Dolan is also known for his previous works, which include I Killed My Mother, Heartbeats, and Laurence Anyways.

Check out the international trailer for Mommy, which was just released Thursday. The film stars Anne Dorval, who is a regular in Dolan's films.

Watch AFTER THE JUMP...