Showing posts with label images. Show all posts
Showing posts with label images. Show all posts

Friday, 3 April 2015

Public display of affection of gay people

I don't think there is any difference in love between homosexual  and heterosexual people, there is no homo-love and hetero-love, just love. There is an ingrained belief in the society that gay people love differently. In Western countries, Public display of affection (PDA) between hetero-couples is very common but not so in the orthodox streets of India. It will definitely turn heads if a man and a woman kiss in public or hug in front of a crowd in India. Indian men won't even sit close to a women in transport buses and so did Indian women. But the situation is different when it comes to their own sex. Men can hug or hold hands in India without the ire of onlookers unlike a hetero-couple. Women also act very close in their group which will easily confuse a Western audience. That is the only relief for gay people in India. They can easily disguise their love in the garb of prevalent homo-social environment. Kerala men are definitely more homo-social (Ah, I wish it was more homosexual) than anywhere in India. They hold hands, hug each other, pat shoulders, laugh together, a fairly good amount of bodily intimacy exists which can even extend to sleeping together and bathing together (Well, there are many situations for sexual tension!!!). Not all such intimacy are gay but some definitely are. Moral policing is on the rise in Kerala. Some extremist groups are rallying against love displays in public saying that it is against Indian culture. They cannot even tolerate hetero-sexual bonding let alone homo-sexual affection. Here are some photographs of gay men and women in public setting in this era of moral policing.














Source
http://justsomething.co/all-love-is-equal-gay-couples-series-braden-summers/

Saturday, 3 January 2015

Celebrity coming outs in 2014 - a welcome change.

I always love the "coming out" of celebrities. That gives more visibility to the gay community and gives more confidence to the gay youth. So thought of compiling the famous personalities who "came out" in 2014. Check them out.

Sam Smith: the man with that gorgeous voice and hits like "stay with me" and "I am not the only one"  in his kitty. Worthy addition to the community.


Sports is one area where you won't find much candidates belonging to gay community. There may be enough gay men among sport stars, but no body comes out. Oops, this year we had many. Derrick Gordon (basketball player), Tom Luchsinger (Olympic hopeful, swimmer), Liam Davis, (pro soccer), Matt Llano (professional long distance runner), Thomas Hitzlsperger (pro soccer) Well done!


Well, the biggest sport star was Ian Thorpe, Olympic swimmer. Ah, I just love him!!

Then came some from business and politics -  Edgars Rinkēvičs, Latvia's foreign minister. Not bad at all.  Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, came out with a very relevant coming out commentary. Loved it.
http://www.technologytell.com/apple/files/2014/07/Apple-CEO-receives-praise-for-iOS-vision.jpg 
He said, “While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now,” Cook wrote in an essay for Bloomberg BusinessWeek. “So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me."
Others from show business...Lee Ryan (boy band member of the band Blue), Vicky Beeching (singer-songwriter), Andreja Pejic (Model), Patricia Yurena (Miss Spain 2008 and 2013), Ellen Page (Actress, X-Men: Days of Future Past)

Ellen page
Courtesy: Advocate.com
For more please read the detailed report in Advocate.com

Sunday, 3 August 2014

Pink Dreams - the magnificient works of gay artist Jim Ferringer

The allegorical and alluring digital photographs of openly gay artist, Jim Ferringer, celebrate male body and male nudity. Some may label the works as pornography, but they are a far cry from pornography, rather come close to the magnificent paintings of Renaissance masters.   

He states in his blog, "I am fascinated and in love with light. It’s what draws me to the art of photography and what I strive to capture in my imagery. To me the art of manipulated photographs is the ability to see and paint with light and combined images. Through the manipulation of images and the overlaying of textures, most of my work ends up looking like paintings. I am captivated by the beauty of men, all men, and have embarked on a journey to explore that in my current imagery. These manipulated photos explore the world of the beauty of the male body and soul. My work is a reflection of my thoughts as I make sense of the world around me. They are my notes as I navigate through. They are part of a process of a releasing of my sense of self and finding what is beyond my limited thoughts. To me, there is something about the beauty of the human figure which stimulates contemplation of life’s deepest mysteries and stories".

I have included some of his works in this post. Some time later, I will post the excerpts of an e-mail interview with him. He was very open minded and gave frank answers to my questions related to the struggles of being gay, male nudity and his art. It was really wonderful to connect with him and I cherish the opportunity to cross paths with such a genuine soul.




a fine balance
boy in venice

Listen to what Ferringer has to say about how he creates such dreamy montages,

“I would describe my work as manipulated figurative photography. All work is created with a Nikon D60 and an iMac with Photoshop CS6. My goal is a contemporary photograph with a reference to painting, history and environment. Light, shadow and color all build stories around the male figure. I try to bring to my photography some of the qualities that Carravagio, Jacques-Louis David, Anthony van Dyck and others brought to their paintings. It is important that my art have a sense of history and mystery”. 

an indulgence of 100 days

Andrei
 Adam
black shaman

For more details and to see his amazing opuses, visit the below mentioned links,

http://dreamsandothermysteries.blogspot.com/
http://naked-man-project.com/joomla/en/featured/guest-artist/jim-ferringer-american-artist


Please bear in mind that some photographs show explicit male nudity. 

Sunday, 27 July 2014

Queer Pride - Kerala - India - July 26, 2014 - a welcome change

It is a criminal offense to be gay in India. Even then, a gay pride rally happened in Kerala, the southern most and a quite orthodox state of India. So things are changing, bit by bit. This time, the pride was definitely better as there was sizable participation from our heterosexual counterparts which is commendable because those straight people who participated in the pride will be labelled gay and most probably get bullied later. Still, they showed the courage to come out for the help of their friends, to voice for the rights of their friends. Special kudos for those brave hearts. Previously I had reservations about the pride rallies which often turn  very loud  and slap straight at the face of society, now I think, such rallies are needed, because society will not take notice. 

Some snaps below....To see more go to this Kerala Queer community in Facebook named Queerala


Love to see the kid, at least he learns tolerance.

 Photo: Our youngest pride supporter!
5th Kerala Queer Pride March, 26th July.
#KeralaLGBT, #Queerala #KeralaQueerPride2014

 

 

 Photo: And the rainbow flag is in Kochi !!! yay!!!
5th Kerala Queer Pride March, 26th July.
#KeralaLGBT, #Queerala #KeralaQueerPride2014

 Photo: Bikers are all set !!! 
5th Kerala Queer Pride March, 26th July.
#KeralaLGBT, #Queerala #KeralaQueerPride2014

 All images from Queerala 

Celebrate tolerance and diversity. Make the world a better place for everyone.

Wednesday, 11 June 2014

Some thought provoking Short Stories and Images from Nicholas D’Amario

I had some time today, was browsing internet on art, painting and the likes. In the mean time, I stumbled upon a website, not that appealing and some what bland (compared to the usual standards) and my first impression was to bounce back. But I stayed and lucky me, most of the posts were just outstanding, if not stunning views. 

The website was owned by a guy called Nicholas D’Amario. He has presented his digital artworks and some designer jewelry too, but what is worth are his short stories. Presenting two stories I liked most, well, I doubt whether they can be called stories, never mind, they are thought provoking.

1.  Affixed


  " I wish I could have replied to the man in kind as he attempted to pull what was thought to be a simple mask from off my face. Nothing drove him but shear unblinking interest to see from whence my muffled reverberating voice truly emitted from, for he believed no voice could possibly issue forth from unmoving lips; and as the man approached with hands raised towards me I backed away swiftly in retreat. Still again he advanced without pause, my obvious gesture of avoidance dissuading him not.

      With a terrifying thoughtless expression of curiosity on his face, the man tucked the fingers of each his hands under my chin and exerted only a small amount of force making my head and neck unwillingly follow. Again, harder this time he jerked back with his arms peeling away a slight and sudden dark opening.

      It took him more then a moment to notice the thick black oil which began flowing down onto my neck, his hands, and the ground below us as he continued to pry away beneath the cold steel which made up my visage. With fierce determination he pulled, his grip slipping on the smooth now oily metallic surface of what he still believed was but a mask to hide the truth behind. Higher and higher it rose as without acceptance, rather un-surrendering intensity, the man continued tearing, not understanding that the face he saw was the only face I had". (
Nicholas D’Amario, sketchy-stories.)

I liked the ending, isn't this story beautifully painful?



 "I sleep in wonder of this lost and forgotten place where few have come and fewer still remember. None search for its sanctuary and no path tempt any to find it. This clearing of unremembered dreams exists for no one, and here at the heart of its surrounding and consuming forest without depth, I try to remember why I came. 

      It was once testament to meaning and memory and something deeper then both, but now all has faded, blending with the eternal backdrop of the trees beyond. Despite the calm that is induced by its soundless beauty and the urge it brings to simply overlook all things past, my purpose here I now recall… Is to remember.

      There should be something more to this place, I realize in unjust worry. Something which the depthless forest all about has choked off and buried within its horrible splendor. The golden leaves and vibrant rays of sunlight that break through lofty branches seem to exist only to cover what all have forgotten, and if only I could bring to mind the vast grandeur this hiding place of now dying dreams once inspired, then maybe those ever consuming trees would not be here at all".
(Nicholas D’Amario, sketchy-stories.)

 There are more stories in his website. All are this post-modern type short stories which are worth checking out. So read all, it will take only few minutes, but will give fodder for thought.

 His artworks are also petty good, check out them too,

Seeking the empty dreamers
False Mother

For more, Check out his deviant art profile as well.

Sunday, 8 June 2014

Androgynous - way to being genderfluid

Androgynous look is becoming vogue, many celebrities endorsing the androgynous look like Adam Lambert, Boy George, the late pop icon Michael Jackson to name a few and  models like Andrej Pejic, Tilda Swinton are considered hot properties in both male and female modelling ramp shows. So, is it bad to be gender fluid? One day you dress like a man and the next day you go out in your smashing and flamboyant female avatar. Well, you need to endure the heavy frowning of our society, you need to think beyond your thick social conditioning to enjoy such a drag and quite sure that those will be labelled as "freak shows". Photographer Leland Bobbe, created some wonderful photographs in his series " Half-Drag" he dismantles the social conditioning and explores the gender neutral stance to a new level. 

As mentioned in his website "His  series, Half-Drag offers a unique perspective on the drag queens behind the make up, while providing provocative social commentary on gender identity, normative ideas about gender roles, and the traditional male/ female paradigm". "Not surprisingly, Half-Drag has gone viral, appearing on over thousands of blogs, websites and online magazines in over 30 countries including Vogue Italia, Huffington Post, ABC News, The Sundance Channel, AOL and MSN".

Enjoy/Frown/Wow upon, but not at all easy to try this in public spaces.

 
 
  http://www.acurator.com/blog/Leland_Bobbe_pusse_152.jpg
Image credits: Google, Tumblr

Orlando - I feel hopeless!!!!