Jaguars Associate Strength Coach Kev Maxen Com Out As Gay In A First For U.S.-Based Pro Leagu | HuffPost Sports

Contents:

• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
• THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023
• CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS ULD REMOVE NEXT YEAR
• THUNR WAIVE RUDY GAY
• SAMANTHA ALLENUPDATED MAY 05, 2017 12:35PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAY 05, 2017 12:15PM EDT TWO YEARS AGO, I WATCHED THE FIRST EPISO OF SENSE8.THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I EVER SAW A LOVE THAT LOOKS LIKE ME ONSCREEN. ONE OF THE EIGHT PSYCHILLY-LKED STRANGERS THE WACHOWSKI-LED NETFLIX SCIENCE FICTN SERI IS A YOUNG TRANSGENR WOMAN NAMED NOMI (JAMIE CLAYTON) WHOSE CISGENR PARTNER AMANA (FREEMA AGYEMAN) IS SMART, PLAYFUL, AND FIERCELY PROTECTIVE.FOR ME AND MY OWN CISGENR PARTNER, WATCHG NOMI AND AMANA HOLDG HANDS AS THEY WALKED THROUGH THE PARK WAS LIKE LOOKG A VERY FLATTERG MIRROR. I FELT NOT JT REPRENTED BUT SEEN BY A TELEVISN SHOW A WAY I HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. I TOLD ACTRS JAMIE CLAYTON AS MUCH LAST WEEK DURG A NVERSATN ABOUT SENSE8’S SEND SEASON, WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE FRIDAY, MAY 5. CLAYTON DIDN’T KNOW BACK 2015 JT HOW MOVG “NOMANA”—AS THE FANS LL THEM—WOULD BE FOR VIEWERS LIKE ME. “I HAD NEVER SEEN A UPLE LIKE THIS [ON TV] BEFORE SO I KNEW THAT WE WERE DOG SOMETHG SPECIAL,” SHE TOLD ME. “WHAT I DIDN’T REALIZE, THOUGH, IS HOW EPLY WOULD RONATE. WHAT YOU JT SAID TO ME—THAT MOVED ME. I FEEL WHAT YOU’RE SAYG, WHICH I DIDN’T REALIZE WAS GOG TO HAPPEN.”BUT ’S ONLY FTG THAT A SHOW ABOUT THE POWER OF EMPATHY WOULD FOSTER SUCH STANT NNECTNS. NOR IS SURPRISG THAT A SERI -CREATED BY THE WACHOWSKI SISTERS, BOTH OF WHOM ARE TRANSGENR THEMSELV—AND RATED WH THE 2016 GLAAD AWARD FOR OUTSTANDG DRAMA—WOULD NTUE TO BE THE BT SHOW WH LGBT THEM ON TV.IN S SEND SEASON, THE EIGHT STRANGERS—KNOWN AS “SENSAT”—HAVE SEVERAL MONTHS OF TELEPATHIC TIMACY UNR THEIR BELTS. THEY N FEEL EACH OTHER’S FEELGS, PSYCHILLY “VIS” EACH OTHER’S HOM ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE OM NAIROBI TO ICELAND, AND EVEN BRIEFLY HAB EACH OTHER’S BODI.TOGETHER, THEY ARE WARDG OFF A SHADOWY VILLA NAMED WHISPERS AND NNG OM A GROUP LLED THE BLOGIC PRERVATN ORGANIZATN THAT WANTS TO PTURE THE WHOLE “CLTER” OF SENSAT FOR SOME NEFAR PURPOSE.TO BE HONT, I STILL HAVE A HARD TIME FOLLOWG THE PLOT. BUT LIKE MANY QUEER FANS, I FELL LOVE WH THE SHOW BEE HAS TWO OF THE BT LGBT CHARACTERS ON TELEVISN: NOMI AND LO (MIGUEL ÁNGEL SILVTRE), A GAY TELENOVELA STAR LIVG MEXI CY WHO ME OUT OF THE CLOSET AT THE END OF THE FIRST SEASON TO SAVE HIS RELATNSHIP WH HIS BOYIEND HERNANDO (ALFONSO HERRERA) AND HIS “BEARD” DANIELA (ERENDIRA IBARRA).IN SEASON TWO, LO MT PE WH THE NSEQUENC OF BEG OUT ON HIS ONCE PROMISG ACTN MOVIE REER. HE HAS TO MOVE OUT OF HIS APARTMENT BUILDG WHERE HATEFUL BIGOTS HAVE SPRAY-PATED ANTI-GAY SLURS ON THE WALLS AND NAVIGATE HIS LITE AGENT-ACTOR RELATNSHIP. BUT EVEN AS HE STGGL TO FD WORK, LO FDS EEDOM BEG OUT.“I THK THE MOST BETIFUL THG IS THAT LO’S MD STARTS TO BE SYNC WH HIS SIRE, AND THAT’S WHEN WE GET TO SEE THE BT OM HIM,” SILVTRE TOLD ME. “THE BT OF A HUMAN BEG IS WHEN THERE’S NO VLENCE BETWEEN WHO YOU WANT TO BE AND WHO YOU REALLY ARE.”IT’S A STARK NTRAST OM LAST SEASON WHICH FOUND A STILL-CLOSETED LO ON THE BRK OF SUICI AS HE NTEMPLATED A MURAL THE DIEGO RIVERA MM. IN THAT STANDOUT SCENE, NOMI PSYCHILLY “VISED” HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME. LO TOLD HER ABOUT HIS FIRST KISS WH HERNANDO THAT MM AND NOMI OPENED UP TO HIM KD ABOUT BEG BULLIED AS A CHILD BEFORE TRANSN.“THE REAL VLENCE—THE VLENCE THAT I REALIZE WAS UNFIVABLE—IS THE VLENCE THAT WE DO TO OURSELV WHEN WE’RE TOO AAID TO BE WHO WE REALLY ARE,” NOMI ADVISED HIM.THE PAIR OF CHARACTERS—ONE CISGENR GAY MAN AND ONE TRANSGENR LBIAN—HELD HANDS ACROSS TWO UNTRI, LOCKED EY, AND CRIED. SLATE RIGHTLY LLED A “DISPLAY OF RAW HEARTBREAK AND QUEER SOLIDARY” AND “THE SHOW’S BT QUEER SCENE BY FAR.”SEASON TWO LIVERS EVEN MORE OF THE POWERFUL QUEER MOMENTS VOLVG NOMI, AMANA, LO, DANIELA, AND HERNANDO.WHOUT SPOILG WHICH OF THEM HAPPEN TO WHICH CHARACTER AND WHY, THEY CLU: SCEN SHOT AT THE FIVE-LN STRONG LGBT PRI CELEBRATN SãO PLO, BRAZIL; A QUEER RECREATN OF THE INIC BEACH LOVEMAKG SCENE FROM HERE TO ETERNY; A WEDDG WHICH A CHARACTER’S QUEERNS OPENS UP OLD FAIAL RIFTS; AND A LIGHTFUL MEO APPEARANCE BY MARC JABS. ACROSS ALL OF THEM, SENSE8 S SCIENCE FICTN PREMISE TO LERALIZE THE POWER OF LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE.I SUGGTED TO CLAYTON THAT THE WORLD WOULD BE A KR PLACE FOR LGBT PEOPLE AND OTHER MARGALIZED GROUPS IF EVERYONE ULD BE SUPERNATURAL “SENSAT” WHO FEEL EACH OTHER’S EMOTNS FIRSTHAND AND “VIS” EACH OTHER’S LIV. SHE POLELY RRECTED MY REASONG.“I DON’T THK THAT WE NEED TO ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCG TO HAVE EMPATHY,” CLAYTON TOLD ME. ‘WHAT I THK PEOPLE ARE MISSG THE REAL WORLD IS THE ABILY TO LOOK AT WHAT SOMEONE ELSE IS GOG THROUGH AND RELATE TO SOMETHG THAT’S HAPPENED YOUR LIFE TO FD EMPATHY WH YOURSELF.”SHE NTUED: “I THK THAT ’S PEOPLE’S UNWILLGNS TO WANT TO RELATE, ’S [THEIR] UNWILLGNS TO WANT TO FEEL, ’S THEIR UNWILLGNS TO WANT TO LOOK AT SOMEONE ELSE AND SEE THEMSELV REFLECTED THAT PERSON BEE ’S UNFAIAR.”SENSE8 SELF HAS SET AN EXAMPLE BY BUILDG REAL-LIFE EMPATHY AMONG A GLOBAL ST OF ACTORS, ALL OF WHOM BRG VASTLY DIFFERG LIFE EXPERIENC TO THEIR ROL.SILVTRE, WHO HAILS OM SPA, THKS ABOUT THE NTRAST BETWEEN THE ANTI-LGBT VLENCE OF THE FRAN YEARS AND THE UNTRY’S CURRENT ATMOSPHERE OF ACCEPTANCE AS HE PORTRAYS LO’S STGGLE MEXI. (THE ACTOR ALSO DRAWS SPIRATN OM THE LOR PLAY BLOOD WEDDG AND S MSAGE—AS HE BETIFULLY PARAPHRASED TO ME—THAT “WHEN LOVE AND SIRE GET TO YOUR GUT, NOBODY N TAKE AWAY.”)BUT AS A STRAIGHT CISGENR MAN, SILVTRE HAS LEARNED MUCH OM THE WACHOWSKIS AND OM HIS -STAR CLAYTON, WHO IS ALSO TRANSGENR.“I N SEE HOW HAPPY JAMIE IS AND I SAID, ‘SISTER, JAMIE, HOW N YOU BE THAT HAPPY?’” SILVTRE RELLED. “AND SHE TOLD ME, ‘BEE I AM SO HAPPY WH WHO I AM, MIGUEL, AND I FALLY GOT TO LIVE THIS.’”THAT EARNT NNECTN BETWEEN THE ST IS ON FULL DISPLAY DURG THE SãO PLO LGBT PRI CELEBRATN SCENE, LANDG ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE NEW SEASON AND FEATURG ALL OF THE “SENSAT.”IN ONT OF LNS OF ACTUAL PARTYGOERS, A LIBERATED LO SHOUTS, “I AM A GAY MAN!” A SHORT SPEECH, KISSG HERNANDO JT AS THE SUN BREAKS THROUGH THE CLOUDS. “EVEN THE SUN ME OUT THAT DAY,” SILVTRE JOKED.THE SCENE FEELS REAL PART BEE THE CROWD REACTNS ARE THENTIC. SILVTRE TOLD ME THAT LANA WACHOWSKI STCTED HIM TO LIVER THE SPEECH ON THE PARA FLOAT WHEN THE MERAS WERE HIDN OM THE CROWD.“PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW FOR SURE IF WAS ME OR IF WAS LO, IF WE WERE SHOOTG OR NOT, BUT I GOT TO LIVER SUCH BETIFUL L THAT LANA WROTE FOR ME,” HE SAID. “IT WAS SO BETIFUL TO SEE THE REACTN OF THE PEOPLE AND HOW GENERO THEY WERE. WHAT YOU GUYS ARE GOG TO GET TO SEE [ THE FISHED EPISO] IS THE FIRST TAKE.”AFTER THE SPEECH, LANA REPORTEDLY GATHERED ALL OF THE “SENSATE” ACTORS TOGETHER AND TOLD THEM, AS SILVTRE RELLED: “HAVE FUN. CELEBRATE YOUR EEDOM. CELEBRATE WHO YOU ARE NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE. TODAY IS A DAY OF CELEBRATN. I’M GOG TO BE TAKG IMAG; YOU JT HAVE TO HAVE FUN.”IN THE SHIMMERG SCENE THAT FOLLOWS, SENSE8 OFFERS A VISN OF A WORLD WHICH WE ARE NO LONGER BE “SO SRED OF DIFFERENCE,” AS CLAYTON PHRASED . IN A PULSG MONTAGE OF CREDIBLE ON-LOTN PARTY FOOTAGE, WE SEE NOT JT NOMI BUT CLAYTON, NOT JT LO BUT SILVTRE, NOT JT CHARACTERS BUT PEOPLE, ALL DANCG AND LGHG AND CROWD-SURFG.“THAT WAS AN CREDIBLE EXPERIENCE MIXG REALY AND FICTN,” SILVTRE RELLED.INED, FOR MANY LGBT VIEWERS LIKE MYSELF, SENSE8 RENRS THAT BORR BETWEEN FICTN AND REALY BETIFULLY BLURRY. SAMANTHA ALLEN
• 8 GAY DR, NEWPORT NEWS, VA 23606
• 8 GAY LYNN DR, POQUOSON, VA 23662
• DISNEY'S 8 'FIRST OPENLY GAY' CHARACTERS, RANKED (BY HOW EMBARRASSED DISNEY SHOULD FEEL)
• AM I GAY?
• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH COACH COM OUT AS GAY IN A FIRST FOR U.S.-BASED PRO LEAGU

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

In a sea of nned cktails, Gay Water wants to stand out.

In other words, where Bud Light has buckled unr prsure as bigotry grows agast the LGBTQ+ muny, Gay Water’s creator Spencer Hodson wants his new boozy brand to be the anthis of that. “The key issue that Bud Light tapped to was the fact that they didn’t unrstand their re dience and know enough about them,” Hodson, a gay man, told CNN about the ntroversy that began when the Anhser-Bch beer brand sent fluencer Dylan Mulvaney a n of beer. Gay Water, however, is out and proud.

THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023

The nned cktail is named after a lloquialism given to the popular mixed drk (vodka and soda) orred at bars by the gay muny.

“Puttg a product wh the word gay the tle is reprentatn self,” which he hop reclaims the word om the negativy ’s sometim associated wh. He thought of creatg Gay Water about a year ago while on a vatn wh his iend that had got a job wh the beverage dtry. The two chatted about the limed amount of gay people wh , and wh Hodson burnt out om his tradnal day job tech, started the nned cktail.

Hodson built up a strong social media followg on TikTok and Instagram durg Covid-19 and is g some of the money om that (as well as om iends and fay) to help fund Gay Water. “Gay is an umbrella term and the ia behd the brand is to be as clive as possible, which means we want alli, we want straight people to be part of this muny we’re buildg.”.

CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS ULD REMOVE NEXT YEAR

For now, Gay Water is sold largely onle (wh a few retailers) and four sugar-ee flavors — watermelon, lime, peach and grapeu — at lnch. Gay Water might not have the ep pockets pared to s petors, like Whe Claw, but “even at small sle, pani of many siz are havg succs makg spir-based seltzers and premixed cktails,” Bryan Roth, an analyst for Feel Goods Company and edor of the alhol beverage newsletter, Sightl+, told CNN.

“There’s lots of space the spir-based seltzer tegory which Gay Water n play, pecially if the brand n offer a cultural or emotnal nnectn that will feel more excg than the prospect of another peapple-flavored vodka seltzer om natnal or ternatnal rporatns,” Roth said. Of urse, other drks e the word “gay,” too, cludg Gay Beer and So Gay Rosé, Hodson noted, which are also tryg to reach the queer muny and offer them an alternative the straight-domated space. Michael Sam beme the first openly gay player to be drafted when the then-St.

When to gay cisg, gone are the days of discreet "Friends of Dorothy" meetups.

THUNR WAIVE RUDY GAY

The term – a phemism that dat back to the 1950s – was once ed to dite gay social events on daily cise le programs, whout explicly llg out members of the muny on board. As travel on the high seas ntu to bounce back om the COVID-19 panmic, gay and lbian travelers should nsir settg sail on a fun-filled cise vatn as their next planng a cise, vatners should first nsir what their ial sailg looks like. Some cise operators (thk: Atlantis Events and La Demence) are known for their electrifyg, all-night parti, which may be perfect for gay groups of iends.

Cisers should also thk about whether they'd like to travel aboard a gay-iendly mastream le, such as Celebry Cis or Virg Voyag, or opt for an all-gay, full-ship charter wh a third-party vatn pany. Of VACAYA's all-gay charters, he says, "For one magil week, our muny gets to be the majory and live life out loud the blissful utopia VACAYA creat on a gay cise.

SAMANTHA ALLENUPDATED MAY 05, 2017 12:35PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAY 05, 2017 12:15PM EDT TWO YEARS AGO, I WATCHED THE FIRST EPISO OF SENSE8.THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I EVER SAW A LOVE THAT LOOKS LIKE ME ONSCREEN. ONE OF THE EIGHT PSYCHILLY-LKED STRANGERS THE WACHOWSKI-LED NETFLIX SCIENCE FICTN SERI IS A YOUNG TRANSGENR WOMAN NAMED NOMI (JAMIE CLAYTON) WHOSE CISGENR PARTNER AMANA (FREEMA AGYEMAN) IS SMART, PLAYFUL, AND FIERCELY PROTECTIVE.FOR ME AND MY OWN CISGENR PARTNER, WATCHG NOMI AND AMANA HOLDG HANDS AS THEY WALKED THROUGH THE PARK WAS LIKE LOOKG A VERY FLATTERG MIRROR. I FELT NOT JT REPRENTED BUT SEEN BY A TELEVISN SHOW A WAY I HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. I TOLD ACTRS JAMIE CLAYTON AS MUCH LAST WEEK DURG A NVERSATN ABOUT SENSE8’S SEND SEASON, WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE FRIDAY, MAY 5. CLAYTON DIDN’T KNOW BACK 2015 JT HOW MOVG “NOMANA”—AS THE FANS LL THEM—WOULD BE FOR VIEWERS LIKE ME. “I HAD NEVER SEEN A UPLE LIKE THIS [ON TV] BEFORE SO I KNEW THAT WE WERE DOG SOMETHG SPECIAL,” SHE TOLD ME. “WHAT I DIDN’T REALIZE, THOUGH, IS HOW EPLY WOULD RONATE. WHAT YOU JT SAID TO ME—THAT MOVED ME. I FEEL WHAT YOU’RE SAYG, WHICH I DIDN’T REALIZE WAS GOG TO HAPPEN.”BUT ’S ONLY FTG THAT A SHOW ABOUT THE POWER OF EMPATHY WOULD FOSTER SUCH STANT NNECTNS. NOR IS SURPRISG THAT A SERI -CREATED BY THE WACHOWSKI SISTERS, BOTH OF WHOM ARE TRANSGENR THEMSELV—AND RATED WH THE 2016 GLAAD AWARD FOR OUTSTANDG DRAMA—WOULD NTUE TO BE THE BT SHOW WH LGBT THEM ON TV.IN S SEND SEASON, THE EIGHT STRANGERS—KNOWN AS “SENSAT”—HAVE SEVERAL MONTHS OF TELEPATHIC TIMACY UNR THEIR BELTS. THEY N FEEL EACH OTHER’S FEELGS, PSYCHILLY “VIS” EACH OTHER’S HOM ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE OM NAIROBI TO ICELAND, AND EVEN BRIEFLY HAB EACH OTHER’S BODI.TOGETHER, THEY ARE WARDG OFF A SHADOWY VILLA NAMED WHISPERS AND NNG OM A GROUP LLED THE BLOGIC PRERVATN ORGANIZATN THAT WANTS TO PTURE THE WHOLE “CLTER” OF SENSAT FOR SOME NEFAR PURPOSE.TO BE HONT, I STILL HAVE A HARD TIME FOLLOWG THE PLOT. BUT LIKE MANY QUEER FANS, I FELL LOVE WH THE SHOW BEE HAS TWO OF THE BT LGBT CHARACTERS ON TELEVISN: NOMI AND LO (MIGUEL ÁNGEL SILVTRE), A GAY TELENOVELA STAR LIVG MEXI CY WHO ME OUT OF THE CLOSET AT THE END OF THE FIRST SEASON TO SAVE HIS RELATNSHIP WH HIS BOYIEND HERNANDO (ALFONSO HERRERA) AND HIS “BEARD” DANIELA (ERENDIRA IBARRA).IN SEASON TWO, LO MT PE WH THE NSEQUENC OF BEG OUT ON HIS ONCE PROMISG ACTN MOVIE REER. HE HAS TO MOVE OUT OF HIS APARTMENT BUILDG WHERE HATEFUL BIGOTS HAVE SPRAY-PATED ANTI-GAY SLURS ON THE WALLS AND NAVIGATE HIS LITE AGENT-ACTOR RELATNSHIP. BUT EVEN AS HE STGGL TO FD WORK, LO FDS EEDOM BEG OUT.“I THK THE MOST BETIFUL THG IS THAT LO’S MD STARTS TO BE SYNC WH HIS SIRE, AND THAT’S WHEN WE GET TO SEE THE BT OM HIM,” SILVTRE TOLD ME. “THE BT OF A HUMAN BEG IS WHEN THERE’S NO VLENCE BETWEEN WHO YOU WANT TO BE AND WHO YOU REALLY ARE.”IT’S A STARK NTRAST OM LAST SEASON WHICH FOUND A STILL-CLOSETED LO ON THE BRK OF SUICI AS HE NTEMPLATED A MURAL THE DIEGO RIVERA MM. IN THAT STANDOUT SCENE, NOMI PSYCHILLY “VISED” HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME. LO TOLD HER ABOUT HIS FIRST KISS WH HERNANDO THAT MM AND NOMI OPENED UP TO HIM KD ABOUT BEG BULLIED AS A CHILD BEFORE TRANSN.“THE REAL VLENCE—THE VLENCE THAT I REALIZE WAS UNFIVABLE—IS THE VLENCE THAT WE DO TO OURSELV WHEN WE’RE TOO AAID TO BE WHO WE REALLY ARE,” NOMI ADVISED HIM.THE PAIR OF CHARACTERS—ONE CISGENR GAY MAN AND ONE TRANSGENR LBIAN—HELD HANDS ACROSS TWO UNTRI, LOCKED EY, AND CRIED. SLATE RIGHTLY LLED A “DISPLAY OF RAW HEARTBREAK AND QUEER SOLIDARY” AND “THE SHOW’S BT QUEER SCENE BY FAR.”SEASON TWO LIVERS EVEN MORE OF THE POWERFUL QUEER MOMENTS VOLVG NOMI, AMANA, LO, DANIELA, AND HERNANDO.WHOUT SPOILG WHICH OF THEM HAPPEN TO WHICH CHARACTER AND WHY, THEY CLU: SCEN SHOT AT THE FIVE-LN STRONG LGBT PRI CELEBRATN SãO PLO, BRAZIL; A QUEER RECREATN OF THE INIC BEACH LOVEMAKG SCENE FROM HERE TO ETERNY; A WEDDG WHICH A CHARACTER’S QUEERNS OPENS UP OLD FAIAL RIFTS; AND A LIGHTFUL MEO APPEARANCE BY MARC JABS. ACROSS ALL OF THEM, SENSE8 S SCIENCE FICTN PREMISE TO LERALIZE THE POWER OF LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE.I SUGGTED TO CLAYTON THAT THE WORLD WOULD BE A KR PLACE FOR LGBT PEOPLE AND OTHER MARGALIZED GROUPS IF EVERYONE ULD BE SUPERNATURAL “SENSAT” WHO FEEL EACH OTHER’S EMOTNS FIRSTHAND AND “VIS” EACH OTHER’S LIV. SHE POLELY RRECTED MY REASONG.“I DON’T THK THAT WE NEED TO ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCG TO HAVE EMPATHY,” CLAYTON TOLD ME. ‘WHAT I THK PEOPLE ARE MISSG THE REAL WORLD IS THE ABILY TO LOOK AT WHAT SOMEONE ELSE IS GOG THROUGH AND RELATE TO SOMETHG THAT’S HAPPENED YOUR LIFE TO FD EMPATHY WH YOURSELF.”SHE NTUED: “I THK THAT ’S PEOPLE’S UNWILLGNS TO WANT TO RELATE, ’S [THEIR] UNWILLGNS TO WANT TO FEEL, ’S THEIR UNWILLGNS TO WANT TO LOOK AT SOMEONE ELSE AND SEE THEMSELV REFLECTED THAT PERSON BEE ’S UNFAIAR.”SENSE8 SELF HAS SET AN EXAMPLE BY BUILDG REAL-LIFE EMPATHY AMONG A GLOBAL ST OF ACTORS, ALL OF WHOM BRG VASTLY DIFFERG LIFE EXPERIENC TO THEIR ROL.SILVTRE, WHO HAILS OM SPA, THKS ABOUT THE NTRAST BETWEEN THE ANTI-LGBT VLENCE OF THE FRAN YEARS AND THE UNTRY’S CURRENT ATMOSPHERE OF ACCEPTANCE AS HE PORTRAYS LO’S STGGLE MEXI. (THE ACTOR ALSO DRAWS SPIRATN OM THE LOR PLAY BLOOD WEDDG AND S MSAGE—AS HE BETIFULLY PARAPHRASED TO ME—THAT “WHEN LOVE AND SIRE GET TO YOUR GUT, NOBODY N TAKE AWAY.”)BUT AS A STRAIGHT CISGENR MAN, SILVTRE HAS LEARNED MUCH OM THE WACHOWSKIS AND OM HIS -STAR CLAYTON, WHO IS ALSO TRANSGENR.“I N SEE HOW HAPPY JAMIE IS AND I SAID, ‘SISTER, JAMIE, HOW N YOU BE THAT HAPPY?’” SILVTRE RELLED. “AND SHE TOLD ME, ‘BEE I AM SO HAPPY WH WHO I AM, MIGUEL, AND I FALLY GOT TO LIVE THIS.’”THAT EARNT NNECTN BETWEEN THE ST IS ON FULL DISPLAY DURG THE SãO PLO LGBT PRI CELEBRATN SCENE, LANDG ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE NEW SEASON AND FEATURG ALL OF THE “SENSAT.”IN ONT OF LNS OF ACTUAL PARTYGOERS, A LIBERATED LO SHOUTS, “I AM A GAY MAN!” A SHORT SPEECH, KISSG HERNANDO JT AS THE SUN BREAKS THROUGH THE CLOUDS. “EVEN THE SUN ME OUT THAT DAY,” SILVTRE JOKED.THE SCENE FEELS REAL PART BEE THE CROWD REACTNS ARE THENTIC. SILVTRE TOLD ME THAT LANA WACHOWSKI STCTED HIM TO LIVER THE SPEECH ON THE PARA FLOAT WHEN THE MERAS WERE HIDN OM THE CROWD.“PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW FOR SURE IF WAS ME OR IF WAS LO, IF WE WERE SHOOTG OR NOT, BUT I GOT TO LIVER SUCH BETIFUL L THAT LANA WROTE FOR ME,” HE SAID. “IT WAS SO BETIFUL TO SEE THE REACTN OF THE PEOPLE AND HOW GENERO THEY WERE. WHAT YOU GUYS ARE GOG TO GET TO SEE [ THE FISHED EPISO] IS THE FIRST TAKE.”AFTER THE SPEECH, LANA REPORTEDLY GATHERED ALL OF THE “SENSATE” ACTORS TOGETHER AND TOLD THEM, AS SILVTRE RELLED: “HAVE FUN. CELEBRATE YOUR EEDOM. CELEBRATE WHO YOU ARE NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE. TODAY IS A DAY OF CELEBRATN. I’M GOG TO BE TAKG IMAG; YOU JT HAVE TO HAVE FUN.”IN THE SHIMMERG SCENE THAT FOLLOWS, SENSE8 OFFERS A VISN OF A WORLD WHICH WE ARE NO LONGER BE “SO SRED OF DIFFERENCE,” AS CLAYTON PHRASED . IN A PULSG MONTAGE OF CREDIBLE ON-LOTN PARTY FOOTAGE, WE SEE NOT JT NOMI BUT CLAYTON, NOT JT LO BUT SILVTRE, NOT JT CHARACTERS BUT PEOPLE, ALL DANCG AND LGHG AND CROWD-SURFG.“THAT WAS AN CREDIBLE EXPERIENCE MIXG REALY AND FICTN,” SILVTRE RELLED.INED, FOR MANY LGBT VIEWERS LIKE MYSELF, SENSE8 RENRS THAT BORR BETWEEN FICTN AND REALY BETIFULLY BLURRY. SAMANTHA ALLEN

"The all-gay cis were liberatg, empowerg, and fun, but limed to a small spectm of people.

8 GAY DR, NEWPORT NEWS, VA 23606

This le gets the stamp of approval om prev LGBTQ cisers, who praise the ships' genr-ntral bathrooms, onboard shows wh rint drag queens and diverse Voyag offers gay-specific sailgs through travel pani like Atlantis Events, but s more mastream erari still offer a welg, clive atmosphere that attracts LGBTQ cisers year-round. Atlantis EventsThe world's largt gay and lbian travel brand, Atlantis Events was found 1991 and wel more than 20, 000 travelers annually on LGBTQ vatns.

8 GAY LYNN DR, POQUOSON, VA 23662

For s all-gay cis, Atlantis charters megaships om popular l like Royal Caribbean Internatnal and Norwegian Cise Le, so cisers will have a fully immersive board, travelers n enjoy all the perks the megaships have to offer (thk: pools, hot tubs, sports urts and plenty of dg choic), pl special events like drag performanc, motivatnal speakers, LGBTQ movi on mand each b and high-energy circu parti across the ship. "As an LGBTQ ciser, you're lookg for a ship wh lots of entertament, cludg dance parti and events, " says Mars Martez, founr of Men Who Bnch, a Black gay liftyle blog.

"One of the bt cise [l] for gay cisg is Atlantis, sce you'll be able to meet hundreds of attractive men and party all day and night on the ship. " Atlantis hosts primarily gay men; women make up about 5% to 10% of bookgs, acrdg to the Atlantis webse.

Cisers will also enjoy performanc by drag queens, gay Broadway stars and more, pl more typil river cise perks like sightseeg and lavish meals.

DISNEY'S 8 'FIRST OPENLY GAY' CHARACTERS, RANKED (BY HOW EMBARRASSED DISNEY SHOULD FEEL)

Celebry Cis(Courty of Celebry Cis)Celebry Cis sets the scene for an excellent vatn for gay travelers, om s extravagant annual Pri parti to s daily LGBTQ programmg throughout the year. After night one, there are other social events for gay cisers to party and hang out together. Although all erari are gay-iendly, nsir bookg a Pri Party at Sea sailg (which tak place each June) for an extra special experience.

Private travel pani like VACAYA also charter Celebry ships for all-gay voyag throughout the (Getty Imag)Specifilly marketed toward lbians and LGBTQ women, Olivia has hosted more than 350, 000 travelers by land and sea over almost five s. The popular cise le equently partners wh Atlantis Events to offer all-gay voyag throughout the year, but even the standard sailgs earn praise. Iterari typilly feature LGBTQ meetups at the begng of each cise for gay travelers to meet likemd passengers.

AM I GAY?

Outsi of the sailg experience, Royal Caribbean has also publicly mted to support the LGBTQ muny throughout the year, and was the first cise le to earn the tle "Gay Traveler Approved" om GayTravel 2023, nsir a Royal Caribbean voyage that sails to gay-iendly statns. "Puerto Vallarta, Mexi, [is] full of gay bars, clubs and gay beach, " says Martez. ]The Cise Wh La Demence(Courty of The Cise wh La Demence)Acrdg to past cisers, if you're lookg for one of the bt party scen on the open seas, nsir an all-gay cise wh La Demence.

Powered by a popular gay nightclub Bssels wh the same name, La Demence – French for "the madns" – primarily ters to a European crowd. Prev cisers had high praise for the erari – which exclively vis gay-iendly lotns – as well as the uy cktails, themed nights (stum strongly enuraged), glamouro entertament, and unique events like drag bgo and high heel Demence sails every summer to statns like Rome; Athens and Mykonos, Greece; Kotor, Montenegro; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and more.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH COACH COM OUT AS GAY IN A FIRST FOR U.S.-BASED PRO LEAGU

California still has an anti-gay marriage law on the books. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a subsequent legislative attempt to legalize gay marriage.

Supreme Court legalized gay marriage natnally two years later.

-based profsnal league to e out as gay.