‘American Idol’ contestant M.K. Nobilette

BY JASON HUGHES
Huffington Post Gay Voices

“American Idol” has had gay contestants in the past, but none of them have come out publicly until their time on the show was done. This week, though, MK Nobilette made “Idol” history by being the first contestant to be openly gay on the show.

“I’m very obviously gay,” she told the judges. “And there are always going to be people in America and everywhere else who are definitely going to hate. But I think in the last two years there have been a lot of things that have definitely changed that, and have really made it a positive thing.”

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post ‘American Idol’ features first openly lesbian contestant first appeared on Lesbian.com.

As we recognize and celebrate Black History Month, it is important to take a moment to remember and honor the contributions of LGBT black figures who have shone throughout the course of our nation’s history.

These black LGBT icons, while often invisible or erased from the dominant queer narrative, have been at the heart of our struggle for rights and inclusion.

See the full list at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Black History Month: Remembering 24 African-American LGBT icons first appeared on Lesbian.com.

A full week has passed since Coca Cola’s multi-cultural ad graced the airwaves during Super Bowl XLVIII yet social media remains abuzz regarding the controversial commercial. If you were in a coma, abducted by aliens, engaged in some wacky game that required you to wear a blindfold all week or otherwise haven’t had the pleasure, I’ll pause while you give it a quick look see.

I know, I know. It’s pretty shocking stuff, huh? You’re likely fuming right now, resisting the urge to toss your laptop, smart phone or tablet off a balcony as punishment for having subjected your eyes and ears to the images and sounds of various non-white people (née non-Americans as asserted by the Twitter-verse) singing our “national anthem” (as @sheyennemyers refereed to it) in “the terrorist’s language” (thanks for that @tylerwyckoff24). And weren’t there a couple of gay guys in there, too? I’ll take another break whilst you recover.

But seriously, folks…

The most shocking aspect of this soda ad-induced firestorm is the immediacy and extraordinary idiocy of the bigoted response. If ever you need a reminder that we still have miles and miles to travel on the road to true equality in this country just Google “Coca Cola Super Bowl America the Beautiful ad.” Sadly this country remains teeming with a brand of ignorance that has people up in arms about a soft drink ad featuring diversity. (Never mind the fact that collectively we’re being slowly poisoned as we swig mass quantities of the featured carbonated chemical concoction.)

Frankly, when hubbubs like this flare up I find myself a wee bit embarrassed for my country. I’m as red, white and blue as the next person, but I cringe when events like this shine a spotlight on our ignorance. And, yes, I say “our” because just as a sports team is only as good as its worst player, a country is only as progressive as its most enlightened citizen. And judging from the Twitter-verse last Sunday evening we still have some folks penned up in the darkest recesses imaginable.

This week I found myself thinking that we’ve actually regressed in the last several decades, for it wasn’t that long ago that I was in fifth grade music class learning the lyrics to another song popularized in a multi-cultural Coca Cola ad. I’d not seen the commercial in eons, but thanks to YouTube it wasn’t hard to find.

The year was 1971 and that hilltop sing-along was so popular back in the day that the full-length version by the New Seekers climbed to number 7 on the Billboard Top 100 charts.

So, it’s no secret that Coca Cola has always wanted to teach the world to sing, people. But who could have possibly imagined the uproar 40+ years later when they actually managed to do just that?

Inspired by the nostalgia of the 1971 Coca Cola commercial, I suggest we all get behind a new campaign: “Tolerance – it’s the Real Thing.”

The post Response to Coca Cola ad is less than refreshing first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The year’s most coveted status symbol is a GBF — a gay best friend. Director Darren Stein’s new movie, “G.B.F.,” is a hilarious and thoughtful send-up of high school and the cultural crutch of categorizing people. The film is a quotable goldmine thanks to a steady supply of one-liners. It makes the casting of Megan Mullally, of Will & Grace fame, all the more perfect.

“I have a thing for labels — Chanel, Versace and gay,” explains the quintessential, high-school queen bee.

Read more at TheSeattleLesbian.com

The Seattle Lesbian online magazine reaches more than 188,000 readers per week globally.

The post Megan Mullally talks about her new film ‘G.B.F’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.

ABC Family’s ‘The Fosters’

BY HEATHER HOGAN
AfterEllen

The end of every year is heavy with Best! and Worst! lists, which is silly and fun but ultimately it just means Stuff The Writer Really Liked or Loathed. Now that we’re in the swing of another year of new television, I thought we’d take a minute to think in more specific terms about LGBT visibility and ask: What are the most important shows on TV right now? You know, the ones that are still changing the minds of the people who don’t believe in marriage equality and showing the way to religious parents who reject their gay childrens’ sexualities and pushing pop culture (which pushes political legislation) firmly toward the correct side of history. Below are 14 shows we think are actually changing the world.

Check out the 14 most important LGBT shows at After Ellen.com

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team.

The post LGBT television: The 14 most important shows today first appeared on Lesbian.com.

That’s So Gay! A Game of LGBTQ Discovery, a new trivia game, is available in time for the holidays. Featuring more than 2,400 questions of LGBTQ history and current events, the game can be played by two or more people and is ideal for parties and social events.

The phrase “That’s so gay!” has been used mostly in a negative context for decades. Some people use it as a way to attack or vilify the community, and others use it in fun, not realizing the damage it can do. As with the reclaiming of negative words and phrases such as “queer,” this game seeks to turn “That’s so gay!” into a positive opportunity to educate LGBTQs and allies, and even those people who use the phrase as an attack.

Read more at TheSeattleLesbian.com

The Seattle Lesbian online magazine reaches more than 188,000 readers per week globally.

The post That’s So Gay!: New trivia game tests LGBT knowledge first appeared on Lesbian.com.

We heart Tegan and Sara posing for NOH8.

BY HEATHER HOGAN
AfterEllen

Happy belated (American) Thanksgiving readers! As we gorge ourselves on turkey and dressing and mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese and green bean casserole and pecan pie, we thought we’d take a look back at this year in lesbian/bi pop culture and remember the things that fill us with gratitude. So, guzzle that wine and join us as we countdown 50 reasons we’re thankful to be gay ladies in 2013. From lesbian-themed novels to Orange is the New Black, Tegan and Sara to The Fosters, the list is long. Dig in!

Read more at AfterEllen.com

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team

The post 50 reasons to be grateful you’re a gay lady in 2013 first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Ikea has removed a feature about a lesbian couple from its magazine in Russia due to the nation’s anti-gay “homosexual propaganda” law, and now some are accusing the company of cowardice.

According to BuzzFeed, the Swedish furniture company yanked the story — which was on British lesbians Clara and Kirsty, who live in a tiny London loft with their son and who are the women behind the blog My Two Mums — from the December issue of the Ikea Family Live magazine. The company says it pulled the feature because of possible legal ramifications.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Ikea pulls ad featuring lesbian couple first appeared on Lesbian.com.

YouTube star HartBeat in her viral “Watermelon” video

BY VALERIE ANNE
AfterEllen

Now, I’m sure you’ve all heard of Hannah Hart, lesbian leading lady of “My Drunk Kitchen.” She was actually one of the first YouTube personalities I followed, and since I first started watching, her channel has grown and become wildly popular on the internet machine. And I KNOW you know AfterEllen contributor Dana Piccoli, who wrote/sang the fabulous “Ballad of Rosewood.” But do you know Bria & Chrissy, HartBeat and Rose Ellen Dix?

Who are some of your favorite ladies of YouTube? Please tell me I’m not the only one who gets sucked into The YouTube Vortex on the regular.

Read more at AfterEllen.com

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team

The post Round-up: Top lesbian YouTube personalities first appeared on Lesbian.com.

As of July you will be able to send love letters and Christmas cards with k.d. lang stamps on them. No pictures of the stamps have been released just yet, so it’s hard to know what era k.d. we’ll get, but I’d be fine with several different versions over the years. “Constant Craving” k.d., Vanity Fair k.d., Vancouver Olympics k.d. As I don’t live in Canada, I’m not even sure if I can use Canadian stamps, but I’ll buy them anyway.

Read more at After Ellen.com

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team.

The post New Canadian stamp to feature k.d. lang first appeared on Lesbian.com.