Bottom Line 048: Sterling Banned For Life!

The guys talk about cuddling, sex, the NBA, and more!

You can watch the video above, or listen to the podcast below. 

Also, subscribe on iTunes if you're #TeamiPhone

Bottom Line 048: Sterling Banned For Life! by Edugaytion

Sexy Ash Uses "Ruin Childhood"... It's Super Effective!

Just because we need a break sometimes, and eye candy is a good thing...

Photos by Johnathan Gibbs.
2014年4月26日

Gay Dating Do's & Don'ts!

After spending three years lip-syncing for my life at Syracuse University, I was itching to GTFO and to seek refuge immediately! Naturally, I was drawn towards New York City: the land of riches and spoils.  How could I not be? There was: great food, unique resources, a palpable sense of community, and [wait for it] a barrage of hot men for the choosin’! Being the corn-fed midwestern boy that I am, I was looking for a change of pace, a new challenge, and an entirely new scene.  I was 1000% done with the arctic tundra known as Syracuse, NY.  Totally over it.  With a new city in the midst, I was ready to explore.  Sure there were the landmarks, the mundane touristy things, and those cool places you’ve seen in the movies, but I was notably excited about testing out New York City’s dating scene.  Living in a “gay Mecca” would have its benefits, right? Surely finding a date would be easy a pie… right? ABSOLUTELY NOT.  In fact, my experience has been the opposite.  While it has been easier to identify potential prospects, and just as easy to access GLBT communities and resources, many of the hurdles one may experience in navigating the dating scene still exist here.  And, as tempting as it is to share the myriad of “Flavor of Love- like” stories I have, I have chosen to reflect upon my experiences and share this list of dating “do’s and dont's": 

1. It’s okay to be excited about meeting a new person! This is a natural feeling! Be engaged.  Show interest…  Nevertheless, it is NOT okay to spam he or she with text messages, FB chats, E-Mail, or tweets. I’m pretty sure this counts as harassment and is a crime punishable in most counties.
2. If someone does text you, have the common courtesy to respond.  Even if it is a “Sorry, I’m not interested.”  It should not take 5 days to do so! Contrarily, don’t spaz if it takes more than 5 or 10 mins for someone to respond to you and your Scandal gifs.
3. Before choosing to engage someone romantically, it’s an excellent idea to have a modicum of understanding as to who you are, what you want, and where you want to go.  And, within that, be honest and upfront! There’s nothing more infuriating than getting to date 4 or 5 and learning that Tyrone is just “looking for friends.” *insert vociferous side-eye here*
4. If you and your partner decided to be sexually intimate, be responsible! While condoms are hella cheap, Gonorrhea (while curable) is not…  Even if you have Obamacare.
5. Be open to new things! Give your date a chance! Sure we all have our preferences, but understand that your “knight in shining armor” may not be a 6’9, Dominican Man, who was featured in “300.”  You could, potentially, lose out on a lifetime of happiness because you can’t cope with the fact that your date has black hair and enjoys musicals.
6. It is NEVER a good idea to show up to your first encounter drunk.  Put down the 4-Loco.
7. OH! And, since we’re here- hygiene, hygiene, hygiene! No one wants to do anything with anyone smelling like smegma and boiled eggs. Take the time to take care of yourself! Brush your teeth, wash your body, and clip those damn nails!
8. It may help if you had something to talk about other than Beyoncé, death drops, and bible study.  You see what happened to Laganja Estranja…
9. Don’t let fear hold you back! 90% of those "what-ifs" floating around in your head are never going to happen.  Take a deep breath and move forward!
10. Have Fun! Dating is supposed to be a good time.  Loosen up and enjoy the experience.  No one likes a Cersei Lannister in public…

Bottom Line: B Scott vs BET and RuPaul vs Trans Community

Episode 47! The guys talk about B Scott's case against BET, and RuPaul vs the Trans community.

TMZ reported on B. Scott losing his case against discrimination involving BET. And make sure to check out our piece about RuPaul and the Evolution of Language.

Or listen here:

RuPaul and the Evolution of Language

While Logo TV has released statements in the wake of the Transgendered Community's backlash regarding Drag Race's use of the slur "Shemale." The show's drag clad host, is anything but pleased. Shortly after members of the trans community took to the internet to express disapproval in the show's use of terminology, Logo released the following statement:

We wanted to thank the community for sharing their concerns around a recent segment and the use of the term 'she-mail' on Drag Race.
Logo has pulled the episode from all of our platforms and that challenge will not appear again.
Furthermore, we are removing the 'You've got she-mail' intro from new episodes of the series.
We did not intend to cause any offense, but in retrospect we realize that it was insensitive. We sincerely apologize.

RuPaul, of RuPaul's Drag Race has taken to twitter, however, to vent frustrations:

In a tweet, RuPaul references Orwell's Animal Farm:

Orwell's book ANIMAL FARM: The pigs were never really interested in revolution, they secretly just wanted Farmer John's lifestyle.

For those of you that missed the shade,

A Trans Host?!

     I’m quite sure many people that have seen anime have seen, or at least heard of Ouran High School Host Club. For those of you that haven’t, or haven’t noticed the beauty it presents, I’m going to break it down for you right now.

     Yes it’s a typical slice-of-life anime. Yes it’s probably aimed toward a younger audience. I’m not going to summarize it here, there are many websites for that. But what you might not have noticed, on your first binge of watching, are the statements this show makes regarding trans* individuals.

     The anime stars a boyish character by the name of Haruhi Fujioka, who in the beginning of the show, looks like this (see below right). Her appearance follows that of a typical teenage boy. “When first introduced in the anime, she sports a nerdy, boyish look that differs greatly from her middle-school appearance. When  gum gets stuck in her hair just before school begins, she cuts it short and being unable to afford the expensive Ouran uniform, she wears shapeless, baggy clothing.” (Ouran Wikia) 

      She is a student at Ouran academy, traditionally

Do Gays have an Advantage in the Locker Room?

It's a question that came into my mind the other day after an awkward incident in the gym locker room in which a pretty hot guy and I made prolonged eye contact. Where do we draw the line between subtly catching someone's attention, and sexual harassment with the eyes? With the many recent stories of gay athletes coming out in recent months, locker room debate has spawned all over, and some heterosexuals (mainly males) are really pushing the line of respect when it comes to not just their fellow gay athletes, but the LGBT community in general. I'd like to take a look at two main ideas in this post. First, I'd like to explore the question, Do Gays have an Advantage in the Locker Room? Second, I'd like to explore why it is that some heterosexual males are uncomfortable with "having to share" locker room space with homosexuals.

Do Gays have an Advantage in the Locker Room?

The gym that I attend is right down the street from my apartment, in the neighborhood of Bedstuy, Brooklyn. This area, as far as I know, is not known as a "Gayborhood." As a matter of fact, I have blogged, before, about the couple of incidences I have had at that gym regarding homophobic speech and behavior. And while there may be many gyms in the NYC area that are smack-dab in the middle

All We Need Is Love...and Graham Crackers

     
 Last month Honey Maid released a commercial entitled “This Is Wholesome” that featured two gay men and their son. I loved the commercial, but there are a lot of people that didn't. One Million Moms is one such organization. OMM is an organization that is against the LGBT community as well as things that aren't completely PG, and stores have any innuendos in their marketing. OMM campaigned for Care.com to stop sponsoring the Disney channel when “Good Luck Charlie” featured a lesbian couple on one of their final episodes.

One Million Moms chimed in after the new Honey Maid ad was released and claimed that the ad “attempts to normalize sin.” They even go as far as to accuse Honey Maid of “pushing the gay agenda.” They are also boycotting Nabisco as a whole and are encouraging others to do so. Honey Maid received a lot of hate mail, but they received ten times as many supportive letters, messages, and tweets. Last week, Honey Maid had two artists come in and create art from printouts of the negative comments and surrounded that with printouts of the positive messages they received. Honey Maid turned so much hate and negativity into a lovely, positive message instead of responding with hate as One Million Moms did. If they are all really parents and their kids have snacks that come out of Nabisco, these kids might get mad at their parents because they can't have their favorite snacks anymore.

       Kids don't understand why we hate, they don't care which company supports what causes, they just want to eat their Teddy Grahams and watch cartoons. It's sad to see OMM continue to fight and not get anywhere while they could go about their day, not buy these products and opt out of pushing their beliefs onto the public. In my eyes, Honey Maid responded so perfectly with their positive use of negative messages that I wouldn't take OMM and their threats to boycott or their hate mail seriously.

        When I was growing up,

Third Street Sinners and Saints

So, this is going to be an article that’s a bit of an extension to my last one, which you can find right here. Instead of looking at LGBT themes through the Grand Theft Auto lens, I’ll instead look at them through the more liberal lens of Saints Row.

Saints Row is a game that is very similar to GTA but one major difference is how much the game doesn't take itself seriously. It's a much goofier take on the "gang drama" genre; a genre almost exclusively covered by the GTA series.

I'm already liking this game better...

Within the world of Saints Row, the dialogue that does includes any kind of derogatory language or slurs based on sexuality--gender or skin color for that matter as well--are not as harsh. Saints Row is very much a parody, and though it may be expected that there will be such language, it is made in a more colloquial or humorous way. It is not as gritty or violent as in GTA. The dialogue also (at least in SR3) contained a very unique tidbit—whenever NPCs  refer to the protagonist, they always say “You heard the boss” or something like that. It was never something that was gender specific.

I mean really, how much more liberal can it be?

Furthermore within Saints Row 4, Volition added in the options to have same-sex romances within

Chick Fil A to Expand into NYC and Surrounding Buroughs

You will certainly remember that Chick Fil A was at the center of a great controversy in June 2012 when the company's COO Dan Cathy made statements regarding the company's stance on same-sex marriage, which later lead to reports of Chick Fil A's charitable donations. The controversy came to a head when former Arkansas Governor and Fox News contributor Mike Huckabee created "Chick Fil A Appreciation Day" which drew thousands out in support of the company's declaration against same-sex marriage.

It was awful. People all over social media glorified this blatant hate movement under the premise of supporting the company for their Christian beliefs. Arguments ensued, debates were had, friends were removed, and some people were even blocked. A movement (unsuccessful) was even started to remove the one and only Chick Fil A in NYC (NYU campus). After Chick Fil A reported record numbers on August 1, 2012, and the war had died down, little else was heard of Chick Fil A. Until now.

According to the Gothamist and USA Today, the widely known "Chick Fil A" fast food restaurant will be making an attempt at the NYC market some time this year, but

Being Unique is Not a Crime

     
 A little over a week ago, eight year-old Sunnie Kahle was expelled from Timberlake Christian School in Lynchburg, Virginia. I thought it was odd for an eight year-old to be expelled from school in the first place, but Sunnie wasn't expelled for beating up another kid or cursing at a teacher. She was expelled for having short hair and being too masculine. She was told that she needed to understand that “God made her female.” Her grandparents received a letter from the school informing them that Sunnie’s appearance wasn't feminine enough and didn't meet the school’s biblical standards. Her grandparents promptly enrolled her in public school. The letter also said, "We believe that unless Sunnie as well as her family clearly understand that God has made her female and her dress and behavior need to follow suit with her God-ordained identity, that TCS is not the best place for her future education.”

        The school’s argument is, in my opinion, ridiculous. I attended Catholic school until

United We Stand...

In our gay lives we, more often than not, strive for solidarity. We stand up for causes that affect our day to day lives. We beat back oppression and wave our rainbow flags proudly as one entity. Or rather, we should do that. Sometimes, the idea is less of a reality and more of a fantasy.  As an avid Gaymer I sometimes look for that same solidarity among Gaymers in my MMORPG and MMO experiences. At times I find it and at times NOT.

Final Fantasy ARR ...Many Free Companies have begun to mention LGBT info in their  recruiting shouts.

Do Gaymers seek each other out in game? Do we bond and make the same waves we do in real life? currently I'm avidly and faithfully playing Final Fantasy XIV; A Realm Reborn. I am a part of an amazing Free Company (The Black Dragon's Den on Hyperion). The mostly gay Free Company  accepts all players but was born from a group of MMORPG players who have social media ties.

Tom Daley Proves There's No Such Thing as Bisexuals?

This morning when I rose, my news feeds and various social media timelines were full of Tom Daley stories. In case you missed it, Tom Daley, the Olympic diver who, some months ago, announced that he was bisexual and "still fancied the ladies" announced that he is now fully gay and not bisexual.

Many in the gay community have held onto the belief that bisexuality does not exist. These people believe that bisexuality is only a stepping stone for gays in denial of who they are. These people believe that, with time and understanding, these "bisexuals" will become comfortable enough to "admit" that they are, in fact, gay. It is their mantra that "There is no such thing as a true 'bisexual'."

Today; All of this, is at the expense of actual bisexuals. When we look at the very acronym for our community, I believe that

Fred Phelps: Rest in Peace?

         On March 19^th, 2014 Fred Phelps, founder of the Westboro Baptist Church passed away at the age of 84.  Westboro Baptist is widely known for their protests at military funerals, Lady Gaga concerts, and in my opinion, anything that will have their “GOD HATES FAGS” signs broadcasted on television screens across the country. 

            When I heard about his passing on the news the morning after, the first thing that popped in my head was “How should I feel about this?” The house of worship he’d built was seen as a house of hate for the people that didn’t see eye to eye with the Phelps family. On the other end of the spectrum, people looked up to him for his words and actions. I ignored most of what I saw of them in the news, until I saw that they were picketing the funerals of the people who died in the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook. I knew that they blamed everything from dead soldiers to