Spanish singer Pablo Alborán comes out on Instagram

Pablo, 31, famous for his Spanish songs "Solamente Tú," "Dónde está el Amor" and "Por Fin" chose to celebrate pride month with an emotional video posted to his Instagram account.

"We need to reconsider our lives, careers, what does and doesn’t make us happy," he said in the video. "I think that we often forget about the love that unites us and makes us stronger."

"Today, I want my voice to be louder and for it to have more value and weight. I’m here to tell you that I am homosexual and it’s okay," Alborán went on. "Life goes on, everything will remain the same, but I’m going to be a little happier than I already am."

"How I Met Your Mother" and "Doogie Howser" actor Neil Patrick Harris remembers when he famously came out and the unfortunate part gossip monger Perez Hilton played in the matter.

He came out in an interview with People magazine in 2006 after months of gossip and rumours. Looking back, he says many of the rumors were started by Perez, who himself is gay.

"This was at the height of the Perez Hilton gossip blog-centric era," Harris recalls. "I had gone out of my way in interviews to be gender neutral in the way I would answer questions."

He continues, "If an interviewer would ask me where would you go on your perfect date, I would be gender-neutral intentionally so that I didn't feel like I was saying something that was not truthful."

Despite all his efforts, Perez still seemed intent on outing him.

He remembers when there was an interview in 2006 that claimed he was asked if he was gay and that his publicist had said that he was "not of that persuasion." That was the weird catalyst tipping point because that expression set Perez off - who was offended by that and then started posting about me and asking people to come forward with truths or stories. Then it became apparent that I needed to make some sort of decisive respectable move.

In an effort to get ahead of the narrative, Harris chose to go to People, telling the publication, "I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love."

On reflection, he says it ended up being "pretty much no big deal" and that it didn't seem to affect his career in any negative way.

"There were no 'God Hates F*gs' signs on my front lawn," he says. "There were no people shouting things as I walked anywhere. It was just another piece of incidental information in the non-sort of lives of celebrity people."

And while he doesn't seem to hold any grudges against him today, Harris is likely never going to forget what Perez did.

"Coming out wasn't simple for me, but I tried to represent myself well," he says. "All I was able to do is make some sort of statement that was respectful of [husband] David [Burtka], that was respectful of the query, and then to keep on trucking."

He adds, "I just think everyone needs to be proud of who they are. If you want to be super crazy, wonderfully flamboyant, wearing dresses to work and dancing in heels every day, you should. If your version of being gay in Hollywood means that you have a very personal, private life and you don't want your personal life to be a reflection of your professional life, you should."

He ends by saying "We need to practice tolerance as best as we can,".

So - just got my test. Anyone else get it yet?

California now has free and easy tests available so I did it. 

It was easy and fast - no wait time at all. I didn't have any symptoms but figured I should find out if I had been exposed as I am around in in crowds alot pre lockdown.

The thing up the nose is easy too. On a 1-10 scale of uncomfortableness it is only a 2/10.

Now I just have to wait til they email me the results in a few days. I am not worried - no point in worrying. If I have it - have had it or never had it is already is whatever it is or isn't.

Gay mobile dating apps Scruff and Jack’d are to follow the exmaple of Grindr in removing their race-based search filters.

Perry Street Software, the parent company that owns both Scruff and Jack’d, released a statement on Tuesday via Scruff’s Twitter account. The company also said it would make donations to advocacy groups Color of Change and to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute in solidarity with the ongoing protests against police brutality around the United States.

So our wonderful Prime Minister Joris Bhonson and his advisors have decided that as from the 15th of this month, the wearing of face masks will be obligatory on public transport, in an effort to diminish the spread of Covid-19.  Between now and the 15th however, we can continue to spread the  disease.

So, what gay movies have you seen, or do you own either electronically or on DVD/Blu Ray?

Here's what I have in my collection:


8: The Mormon Proposition :  (2010)  Director Reed Cowan, who is a former Mormon missionary, "planned on making a film about gay teen homelessness and suicide in Utah, but switched his focus to Mormon ideology because of how it contributes to the homophobia that causes these problems".  The film focuses on the wealth and power of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and how the Church uses the National Organization for Marriage to advocate for denial of rights to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans. It states that LDS Church leader Thomas S. Monson asked to ensure the passage of the controversial California Proposition 8. It also claims that many homeless people in Utah are LGBT teens who were abandoned by their Mormon parents.

BearCity:  Tyler, an aspiring actor in his early twenties, has just moved to New York City in an attempt to jump-start his career. Young and slender, he fits in the "twink" category, but finds himself attracted to "bears", hairy and larger-bodied men. Tyler realizes his expectations of sexual escapades are falling far short of what he would have liked, while simultaneously falling for Roger, the muscle-bear friend of his roommates Fred and Brent. Meanwhile, Roger fears judgment for being with someone from outside the community, and hesitates to introduce Tyler to his friends.

Big Eden: is a 2000 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Thomas Bezucha. Arye Gross stars as Henry Hart, a successful gay artist from New York City who returns to his rural hometown in Montana to care for his ailing grandfather. Henry is welcomed back by the townsfolk, all of whom are aware of his sexuality and are highly accepting and even supportive towards him (the film's plot and dialogue is notably devoid of homophobic content). However, during the months he stays in the town, Henry is forced to confront his unresolved feelings for his high school friend Dean Stewart, while simultaneously being oblivious to the feelings of Pike Dexter (Eric Schweig), the shy Native American owner of the town's general store.

The Boys in the Band:  is a 1970 American drama film directed by William Friedkin. The screenplay by Mart Crowley is based on his Off-Broadway play The Boys in the Band. It is among the first major American motion pictures to revolve around gay characters and is often cited as a milestone in the history of queer cinema, and is also thought to be the first mainstream American film to use the swear word cunt.

Michael, a Roman Catholic a recovering alcoholic and sporadically-employed writer, is preparing to host a birthday party for one of his friends, Harold. Another friend, Donald, a self-described underachiever who has moved from the city, arrives and helps Michael prepare. Alan, Michael's (presumably straight) former college roommate from Georgetown University, calls with an urgent need to see Michael. Michael reluctantly agrees and invites him to come over.

One by one, the guests arrive. Emory is a stereotypical flamboyant interior designer. Hank, a soon-to-be-divorced schoolteacher, and Larry, a fashion photographer, are a couple but struggling with monogamy. Bernard is an amiable black bookstore clerk. Alan calls again to inform Michael that he will not be coming after all, and the party continues in a festive manner. Unexpectedly, Alan arrives, throwing the gathering into turmoil.

"Cowboy," a hustler and Emory's "gift" to Harold, arrives. As tensions mount, Alan assaults Emory, and in the ensuing chaos, Harold finally makes his grand appearance. In the middle of the scuffle, Michael impulsively begins drinking again. As the guests become more and more intoxicated, hidden resentments begin to surface, and the party moves indoors from the patio because of a sudden downpour.


Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 American romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by Ossana and Larry McMurtry. The film stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams and depicts the complex emotional and sexual relationship between Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist in the American West from 1963 to 1983.

Handsome Harry: (2009) is the story of Harry Sweeney's journey to find forgiveness from an old Navy friend. One day Harry gets a call from an old Navy buddy, Kelley, who is on his deathbed. At first, Harry wants nothing to do with Kelley, but soon memories and guilt overcome him and he goes on a journey to confront his old friends.

First he goes to meet Kelley in a Philadelphia hospital. Kelley asks Harry to seek forgiveness from David on his behalf. Kelley dies in the hospital the next day. Harry then goes on to meet more of his Navy buddies to find the truth about what actually happened the night they assaulted David together. Somebody dropped a generator on David's hand that night, but Harry could not recollect who it was.

In time it is revealed that Harry and David were having an affair back in the Navy. Kelley found Harry and David in a sexually compromising position in the shower. In fear of repercussion, Harry turned on David. Kelley and rest of the gang including Harry got drunk and assaulted David. It was in the end revealed that Harry was the one who dropped the generator on David, maiming him for life.


The Laramie Project:  is a 2002 drama film written and directed by Moisés Kaufman and starring Nestor Carbonell, Christina Ricci, Dylan Baker, Terry Kinney, and Lou Ann Wright. Based on the play of the same name, the film tells the story of the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming. It premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and was first broadcast on HBO in March 2002.

Latter Days:  (2003) Aaron Davis (Steve Sandvoss), a young Mormon, arrives in Los Angeles with three fellow missionaries to evangelize. The group's promiscuous gay neighbor, Christian (Wes Ramsey), makes a bet he can seduce and sleep with one of them, and his flirtatious ways help Aaron realize he is actually gay. Returning home to small-town Idaho in shame, Aaron is sent to a faith-based center to be cured of his homosexuality -- while Christian, who's fallen in love with him, desperately tries to find him.

Longtime Companion:  (1990)  During the 1980s, a group of gay men and their straight female friend confront the spread of AIDS. Personal trainer Willy (Campbell Scott) watches the epidemic grow, advocating for awareness. Willy's friend John (Dermot Mulroney) is the first to be infected, but soon it becomes clear that a pandemic is underway in the gay community. Willy, boyfriend Fuzzy (Stephen Caffrey) and his adopted sister, Lisa (Mary-Louise Parker), look on as their friends and loved ones succumb to the disease.

Milk:  (2008)  In 1972, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) and his then-lover Scott Smith leave New York for San Francisco, with Milk determined to accomplish something meaningful in his life. Settling in the Castro District, he opens a camera shop and helps transform the area into a mecca for gays and lesbians. In 1977 he becomes the nation's first openly gay man elected to a notable public office when he wins a seat on the Board of Supervisors. The following year, Dan White (Josh Brolin) kills Milk in cold blood.

Out  of The Past:  (1998)  In 1995, Kelli Peterson started a gay and straight club at her Salt Lake City high school. The story of her ensuing battle with school authorities in interspersed with looks back at the diary of Michael Wigglesworth, a 17th-century Puritan cleric, at the 30-year love affair of Sarah Orne Jewett and Annie Adams Fields, at Henry Gerber's attempt after World War I to establish a gay-rights organization, at Bayard Rustin's role in the civil rights movement, and at Barbara Gittings' taking on of the American Psychiatric Association's position that homosexuality is illness. One person comments, "To create a place for ourselves in the present, we have to find ourselves in the past."

Out In The Dark:  (2012)  The film is set in Israel, and State of Palestine where State of Palestine student Nimer Mashrawi (Nicholas Jacob) is heading to Tel Aviv to meet his friend Mustafa N'amnais (Loai Nofi) at a gay bar. While at the bar, he meets a local Israeli lawyer named Roy Scheffer (Michael Aloni). The couple fall in love, though Nimer struggles with the reality of their relationship. Later in the story, Palestinian society rejects Nimer because of his sexual orientation, whereas initially Israeli society rejects him due to his nationality. The situation is made worse for Nimer when he realises his brother Nabil Mashrawi (Jamil Khoury) is hiding a weapon stockpile for his militant friends.

Prom Queen:  (2004)  In Inniston, Marc Hall (Aaron Ashmore) is popular and his sexuality relatively well-accepted by his classmates and later his parents. But when he decides to take his boyfriend to the prom as his date, he finds he has stepped over the line straight into the fight of his young life and sends ripples though Canada's media. From just an ordinary teenager, he becomes an icon for LGBT rights across the nation when he discovers he is battling discrimination to date whoever he wants within the spotlight of the nation's media cast center on his struggle.

Shelter:  (2007)  Living in the oceanfront working-class community of San Pedro, Zach (Trevor Wright) is a young man in his early twenties who has been forced into the role of emotional anchor for his dysfunctional family; his mother his dead, his father is too ill to work, his sister Jeannie is too busy partying to look after her five-year-old son Cody, and Zach is the only one with the wherewithal to hold down a job and keep the rent paid. He's sacrificed his dream of attending CalArts in order to help Jeannie raise Cody. Between cooking at a diner and looking after Cody, Zach has little in the way of spare time, but as often as he can he heads to the beach to indulge his passion for surfing. While hanging out with his surfing buddy Gabe, Zach meets Gabe's brother, the struggling homosexual writer Shaun (Brad Rowe), who has taken a break from Tinseltown while rebounding from a dysfunctional relationship. Shaun goes surfing with Zach one day, and the two discover they're powerfully attracted to one another, and a flirtation turns into a love affair.

Small Town Gay Bar:  (2006)  The lives of gays in the Deep South are explored in this documentary, which looks at two bars in rural Mississippi that cater to a homosexual clientele. "Rumors" is in all other ways a modest neighborhood hangout; "Crossroads" is an anything-goes establishment. Interviews with regular patrons portray both bars as islands of acceptance in an ocean of prejudice, exemplified by the derision of customers at nearby straight bars and the cutting homophobia of anti-gay preacher Fred Phelps.

Sordid Lives:  (2000)  The bizarre death of Peggy Ingraham, the matriarch of a working-class Texas family, sets off fireworks within her dysfunctional family. Her determinedly proper daughter Latrelle is in denial over the fact that her son Ty, an actor trying to make it in Hollywood, is gay, and is relieved that her only brother, a gay drag queen and dedicated Tammy Wynette impersonator, has been confined to a mental institution for 23 years simply because he is gay. Latrelle's brassy sister LaVonda, however, thinks her brother should be released from the institution and has a perfect right to attend their mother's funeral. Meanwhile, Ty, who has strived hard to accept his homosexuality, realizes that there is no way he can return home for his grandmother's funeral without coming out to his mother.

Stonewall Uprising:  (2010)  Stonewall Uprising begins with a general overview of societal attitudes toward homosexuality in 1960s America.  Archival footage from locally produced television programs, public service films warning of the "dangers" of homosexuality and "CBS Reports: The Homosexuals", and interviews with Stonewall participants and observers present both a national perspective and a personal one.    The film then shifts to the days immediately preceding the riot and the specific conditions in New York City, including a raid on the Stonewall Inn that had happened days before the raid that triggered the riot, to explain why conditions were ripe for some action to happen. Archive film from the riots, dramatic re-enactments and eyewitness testimony are presented, along with animation of the streets surrounding the Stonewall Inn showing how rioters were able to evade and outflank responding police.   It concludes with an examination of the aftermath of the rioting, including the energizing of the gay community as a political force and the establishment of Christopher Street Liberation Day, the genesis of gay pride parades in the United States.

TransAmerica:  (2005)  One week before her vaginoplasty, a trans woman named Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne (Felicity Huffman) receives an unexpected phone call from a young man named Toby Wilkins (Kevin Zegers), a 17-year-old jailed in New York City. He asks for Stanley Schupak (Bree's deadname), claiming to be Stanley's son.  Bree was previously unaware she had a son; she now wants to break with her past and renounce him. However, Bree's therapist (Elizabeth Peña) refuses permission for her operation if she does not face up to her past ties before facing her new future.  Bree flies from Los Angeles to New York City to bail Toby out of jail. Toby is a foul-mouthed runaway plus small-time drug user and male "hustler". His mother committed suicide when he was a child after which he was raised by his stepfather, whom he says he does not want to see.

Were The World Mine:  (2008)  Timothy (Tanner Cohen) is an openly gay student at a private boys' school. Although now in his senior year, he is still persecuted by the aggressive rugby team, on whose captain, Jonathon (Nathaniel David Becker), he has a crush. Timothy lives with his mother, Donna (Judy McLane), who is struggling with her son's sexuality and with getting a job, and his father who is not a part of his life.   Timothy is cast as Puck in the senior production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. While reviewing his lines, he discovers the recipe for creating the flower love-in-idleness. Timothy uses the flower to have the homophobic town take a "walk in his shoes". The entire town is thrown into chaos as previously heterosexual community members fall in love with their same-sex friends, bosses, and co-workers: whomever they first saw after being sprayed by the flower. The school drama teacher, Ms. Tebbit (Wendy Robie), guides Timothy towards the question of whether his actions have caused more harm than good.

The trailer for the 'Love, Simon' spin-off series 'Love, Victor' has been released.

The series continues in the setting of Creekwood High (Simon's old school) where new pupil Victor discovers the troubles of high school life and battles with his own sexuality. He starts to write letters to Simon for advice with details of what he is going through and views about coming out of the closet.

The video also gives you a sneak peak of some of the other characters - Victor's friends Benji, Felix, Mia; his mum and dad - Armando and Isabel who have their own releationship problems; Bram - Simon's bf who also offers advice.



The show arrives on Hulu on June 19th.

English Opera are hoping to make some productions available on line, but as one commentator remarked, since the performers have to "socially distance" just how will Rodolfo know that Mimi's tiny hand is frozen???

Well, since we are in 2020, he would obviously use a thermal imaging camera.

Thinking about this, maybe between us we could write a whole new "La Boheme" for the COVID-19 era so that Mimi would be working in a garment factory in Bangladesh and Rodolfo working for an NGO writing reports on the factory conditions.

Any other suggestions welcome.