My Gay Friend

Shield Around My Heart

My Gay Friend — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:18:10 +0000

I could build a shield around my heart… but then no one would know me. I could turn everyone away that doesn’t show up already prepared …but then I would remain alone. I could give up because I don’t feel I am strong enough… but then I could never grow stronger. So I will do none of these. Instead I will bleed with love and leave no stone unturned for this is the beauty of being Human.

Sometimes I just wondered if you were even my real dad. The way you drank and the temper you had. I loved you and always wanted some kind of relationship with you. I know that you were much more than you showed most people. I still looked up to you but I never bragged about my dad the Alcoholic. Now it hasn’t been easy for me to make it to the middle of my life. Here I sit typing.. only 10 years younger than you were when you died. I know the man you were because I can’t stop the same man that is inside of me from coming out. I know you were very smart and a very good mechanic. That is why you always fixed everyone of your friends cars. They also looked up to you for advice. Yes in your world your friends respected you deeply and always loved you, The rest of us we tried.

We tried to love you through the cussing and the drinking and the messiness. We always wanted you to come to the family Thanksgivings and Christmas even though you chose not to because you wanted to be drinking instead. Its all real I know it happened that way but what I don’t know is your side of the story. I know you loved me. I remember you teaching me to fish and water ski. I remember watching you and learning how to work on my own car from that. All of these memories are a part of me that won’t change. I love you even though you’re gone I just wish you were still around living a full and healthy life with the rest of us. And now in a way I do feel afraid and like I missed out on something. Afraid to be myself. Afraid to let people in. Afraid that people don’t really like me. I don’t really want to live that way. That part I want to let go of. I’m not going to worry or be afraid I am going to be myself and let people learn to love me and I will try my best to accept them also because everyone isn’t strong enough to share everything they ever went through and I never know what lies behind anyone’s beautiful smile. I just have to learn to look and not judge. Love can be the judge we just have to extend it.

Experiences are what build our power. If we grow with the experience so does the power of that knowledge. To be Empowered is to learn from your experiences and apply the knowledge that you have gained accordingly. I believe in Empowerment.

Read what I write and see what I’ve thought. See how I’ve pushed and see how I’ve fought. Look into my heart and into my soul see how I feel and feel what I know. Deeper and Deeper try not to lose sight of all of the strength and the love in your life. Looking up towards the clouds or staring down at the ground in one’…s heart there’s a spot where they can always be found. This is our foundation and everyone has one.

Peace,
Brandon

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Get Live News Updates on Derrick Martin

My Gay Friend — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:49:20 +0000

Follow the news about Derrick Martin with this live feed. Bookmark this page to keep up hourly.

Kareem McKenzie unsure of what his football future holds – The Star-Ledger – NJ.com

The Star-Ledger – NJ.com

Kareem McKenzie unsure of what his football future holds
The Star-Ledger – NJ.com
Other former Giants did make the trip. Rocky Bernard, Derrick Martin, Devin Thomas and Jon Goff were all in attendance. Bernard and Martin remain free agents, while Thomas signed with the Bears and Goff is now a member of the Redskins.
Former Giants get Super Bowl ringsNew York Post (blog)

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Sorrow in Englewood over Derrick Rose injury – Chicago Tribune

SB Nation Chicago

Sorrow in Englewood over Derrick Rose injury
Chicago Tribune
Rose's torn anterior cruciate ligament tore heartstrings on the South Side, Steven Martin said Sunday as he watched pickup basketball at Murray Park on West 73rd Street, a few blocks from Rose's boyhood home. Rose is a role model, and his journey from …
In Rose's old neighborhood, dreams of NBA title take a painful tumbleBradenton Herald
Chicago Bulls Notebook: Derrick Rose's Torn ACL Kills Hopes And DreamsSB Nation Chicago
[VIDEO] Derrick Rose Injury: Torn ACL Will Keep Bulls Guard out for the SeasonInternational Business Times
Philadelphia Inquirer -Post-Tribune
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Archbishop Murphy, Sumner reach 2A semifinals | Baseball Roundup – The Seattle Times

Archbishop Murphy, Sumner reach 2A semifinals | Baseball Roundup
The Seattle Times
The Wildcats are headed to the Class 2A state semifinals for only the third time after beating Interlake 6-0 and Burlington-Edison 4-2 on Saturday at Joe Martin Stadium. Fifth-ranked Archbishop Murphy (24-2) will face East Valley of Yakima at 4 pm …

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Phoenix Coyotes’ Shane Doan, Derrick Morris avoid suspensions, Martin Hanzal … – Tucson Citizen

Phoenix Coyotes' Shane Doan, Derrick Morris avoid suspensions, Martin Hanzal …
Tucson Citizen
16, 2012, under Arizona Republic News Coyotes center Martin Hanzal has been suspended one game for boarding Kings captain Dustin Brown during Game 2 on Tuesday. Hanzal will miss Game 3, which is Thursday at the Staples Center.

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Missing memories – Detroit Free Press

Missing memories
Detroit Free Press
Wrongdoing: Star freshman guard Derrick Rose had a fraudulent SAT score when someone else took the test for him in Detroit, instead of his hometown of Chicago. His brother also was found to have received significant free travel with the team.

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We support Derrick Martin taking his boyfriend to the prom

My Gay Friend — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:12:21 +0000

Cochran, GA — The parents of 18-year-old Derrick Martin, the Georgia student who fought to bring his boyfriend to the prom, have kicked him out of the house, the Macon, Georgia-based website macon.com reported.

Martin requested approval to bring his same-sex date to the April 17 prom dance in January. Bleckley County High School requires approval in advance for bringing a prom date that is not a student enrolled in the county.

The school’s decision to allow Martin to bring his boyfriend to the prom and the ensuing media attention resulted in Martin’s ouster from his house. He is reportedly staying with a friend.

Support for the teen has swelled since the story broke. The Facebook page “We support Derrick Martin taking his boyfriend to the prom” has attracted 1,525 members since yesterday. And offers ranging from renting Martin and his boyfriend a limo to buying the pair dinner on prom night have also flooded in.

“I appreciate it,” Martin said. “I was speechless that they said they would buy me dinner or buy me a tux in case someone messed mine up.”

Martin’s story comes on the heels of a Fulton, Mississippi high school decision to cancel its annual prom dance rather than allow an openly lesbian student to bring her girlfriend.

With the help of the ACLU, 18-year-old Constance McMillen is suing the school board. But while a federal judge has sided with the teen, he has also refused to force the school to hold its annual prom. The case is expected to go to trial.

Bleckley County High School principal Michelle Masters said there is no school policy that prohibits a student from bringing a same-sex date to the annual dance.

Follow the news about Derrick Martin

Kareem McKenzie unsure of what his football future holds – The Star-Ledger – NJ.com

The Star-Ledger – NJ.com

Sorrow in Englewood over Derrick Rose injury – Chicago Tribune

SB Nation Chicago

Archbishop Murphy, Sumner reach 2A semifinals | Baseball Roundup – The Seattle Times

Phoenix Coyotes’ Shane Doan, Derrick Morris avoid suspensions, Martin Hanzal … – Tucson Citizen

Missing memories – Detroit Free Press

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Brandon’s Column–Deep Thoughts

My Gay Friend — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:28:46 +0000

These are paragraphs that I took from my journal and put together. They kind of express how I feel about a lot of different things in a more emotional/philosophical way. I hope you can relate to them.

We are all parents in a way. We all have an inner child. Mine knows all of my dreams and best intentions. He has seen how hard I have tried and he knows how much I deserve to be loved. He’s playful and smiles a lot. He believes in others and has a genuine desire to make the world a better place.

Being involved in other people’s lives takes effort. We have to learn to trust others and forgive the emotional collisions. We are all like little children at heart. Emotions are part of spirit and they do not evolve so rapidly. Being hurt is not the end of the world. Learning to grow and evolve is the key to a life with passion, energy and drive.

Trust doesn’t come in an envelope. After someone has been hurt they build walls to protect themselves. Trust comes in time with communication and fair treatment. If you can gain someone’s trust then you have access to their heart. This is why we all Live behind thick Walls.

If our motives are pure and we give all that we have then we have done the best that we can for that moment. Each situation involves others and no one is perfect. In time we will all understand what is happening.

Healing isn’t easy. When we see things through pain and fear we can hurt others trying to get out of that. It’s too late to change the past. I pray that my friends can be strong and that they have a genuine love for me so that I might not lose them all as I struggle to become more whole.

Most of the time if you leave something alone it will do just fine. At other times there is the need to cultivate it. The difference is that you nurture it and tend to its needs in order to increase its health and promote better growth. Humans are …cultivators and we can cultivate love if we are willing to nurture each other

Sometimes you have to show other people what’s at the heart of your pain in order to heal. Once you have exposed yourself the people that love you can help you understand. With understanding comes growth. Again, this is the beauty of being Human and our spirits grow this way.

The best gift of love is how it enables us to evolve. Insecurities and doubt can not stand against growth. I’m only human and so often am trapped by my only point of view. Quietly and gently I find myself stretching and developing into a new being. Daily I strive and sometimes it hurts but I will never give up.

Sometimes we just have to know we will be ok! No matter what the outcome of this day I will still be here just as I was when it began! If so then I have to carry on and be all that I can be and do the best I can with what I have!

When you love people you want them to be ok! I feel that way for my family, my friends, and myself! I pray for my cousin and her family hoping they will be ok! The road to healing can take a lifetime but it will never start if we don’t pick up the torch and march towards a healthier form of love!

There are more possibilities than even our imaginations can invision. Its important to try impossible things. Keep your heart just and your love passionate. We are all dancing and spinning through life making it as we go.

Peace–
Brandon

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Why Is It So Hard To Find Sophisticated Plus Size Dresses?

My Gay Friend — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:26:18 +0000

Why is it so hard for plus size women to find stylish, well-fitting clothes, that aren’t over the top with pattern and design? Meet my new favorite store!

IGIGI is the premiere brand of contemporary collections designed to fulfill the lifestyle of the beautiful, voluptuous, and confident woman. Named after an ancient goddess embodying vitality, charm, and intelligence, IGIGI strives to provide women of curves with smart, stylish and sophisticated collections that accentuate and celebrate their bodies.

At My Gay Friend, we believe everybody is beautiful just the way they are.

GIGI designs dresses for real women of all shapes and sizes. They employ innovative techniques that create a great fit for the individual shape leading to a visually appeasing appearance. They provide the tools through the ShapeStylist section to educate our customers about their individual body shape and tricks of the trade to dress it for the ultimate flattery. They recommend shopping by your shape to achieve the best fit.

“A woman truly feels beautiful when she recognizes that she is exquisite the way she already is: a wonderful, unique, and exceptional individual.”

IGIGI strives to provide women of curves with smart, stylish and sophisticated collections that accentuate and celebrate their bodies. Their collections reflect the latest trends in fashion.

Is there someone you know that does not see or feel his or her own beauty? A family member? A friend? A colleague? You?

At My Gay Friend, we have a concern. We are concerned that there are people in the world that do not know or feel how beautiful they are. We are concerned that there are people stuck in the narrow, stifling stereotypical view of beauty. We are concerned that even though someone sees themselves as beautiful it can be taken away so easily with a wrinkle or a few “extra pounds”.

Because of this we are committed to breaking down the barriers that inhibit people from realizing their own beauty and to be a catalyst for this in the world. We aim to transform the way beauty is defined. The way beauty is seen. The way beauty is felt.

Everybody is beautiful just the way they are.

What would the world look like if that statement were true?

XOXO Veronica

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Check out the latest news on plus size fashion!

New Look's gorgeous plus size clothing shows size doesn't matter
MarketWatch (press release)
New Look, a pioneer of cutting edge fashion, leads the way on the high street having included their Inspire range, a collection of plus size clothing that has been available for an established amount of time. Their Inspire range is a complete extension …

and more »

Plus-Size Women's Clothing Stores in the US Industry Market Research Report …
PR Web (press release)
Changes in consumer spending power and healthy habits are the primary drivers for the Plus-Size Women's Clothing Stores industry. The recession had a powerful effect on most consumer-facing industries, with industry revenue falling 0.1% in 2008 and …

and more »

Visit PLUS Model Magazine, The Premiere Magazine For Plus Size Fashion
Daily Venus Diva
PLUS Model Magazine, the premiere virtual magazine celebrating the plus size fashion, beauty, arts and plus size modeling industries, inspires YOU to thrive in your curves, crave contemporary fashion and design your life on your own terms, …

LifeGoesStrong

Break This Fashion Rule: Prints for Plus Sizes
LifeGoesStrong
Another way to pull off a print on a plus size body part is to choose a color scheme that is closely related instead of high contrast. For example, a blue and green print is more harmonic than a purple and white print. Finally, the best way to wear any …

New Look's gorgeous plus size clothing shows size doesn't matter
EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)
New Look, a pioneer of cutting edge fashion, leads the way on the high street having included their Inspire range, a collection of plus size clothing that has been available for an established amount of time. Their Inspire range is a complete extension …

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Hunk of the Month: Matt LeBlanc

My Gay Friend — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:27:52 +0000

Hello, Daddy!

Comedic actor Matt LeBlanc will be playing himself on a new Showtime series called “Episodes.” It looks like a hilarious satire in the vein of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”–in one scene LeBlanc must audition to play himself on a new TV series, against a room full of actors who are trying to perfect LeBlanc’s famous line from “Friends,” “How you doin’?” So funny! But what has really caught people off guard (us included): Matt LeBlanc is now a silver fox.

One blogger says this makes him feel really old. But let’s not forget that LeBlanc is 42. Many 42-year-old men have some grey hair, if not a head full of it, by that age unless they dye it. Perhaps we’re not used to seeing a celebrity with his natural hair color. Or maybe the fact that we still watch LeBlanc’s character, Joey Tribbiani, on 16-year-old “Friends” repeats makes us associate the actor with still being in his 20s.

With Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston still looking so young and fantastic in the public eye, does a little grey hair dramatically age LeBlanc? What do think of his new look? Do you think guys should dye their hair to maintain a more youthful appearance, or do you like how they look au naturel?

Free Fashion Tips: Plus Size Fashion

My Gay Friend — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:14:18 +0000

Here are some fashion tips for plus sized women. You will not find the recommendation to wear black apparel because it’s so slimming, or to wear neutrals because they help you “blend in.”

1. Wear clothes that you love. If you feel pretty or elegant or sexy or classy in an plus size skirt, dress or other outfit, that’s the way people will see you. Spend a little more if you have to, but find clothes and designers that work for you.

2. Wear brightly colored outfits to feel cheerful. Let your self shine through and only wear black if you happen to like the way you look in black. For example, EVERY woman should own a pair of the classic black plus size pants that go with everything. Just pair them with a bright shirt or blouse on top. Use your own good sense when mixing and matching.

3. If you have them, flaunt them. Some plus size tops, tanks and shirts were made to show off beautiful shoulders, or a nice bust. Don’t hide in cowl-necks or tunics if you have the option of a nice V-neck or an off-the-shoulder top.

4. Pretty curvy legs are pretty curvy legs. Buy the best-looking hose in natural colors, strappy shoes or sexy boots and show the real estate between ankle and knee–the prettiest parts of the leg. A great aline skirt is wonderful way to show off nice legs as well.

5. Work on increasing your happiness and body images. It doesn’t matter what you wear if you’re happy, and the most fabulous clothes in the world can’t cover up an unhappy face (remember Princess Diana in the unhappily-married-ever-after years?)

6. Exercise for your health, not for your derriere. Not for your mother, your boyfriend, the fashion industry, or your ideas of what you “should” look like. Focus on feel-good exercise like dancing, wandering through the woods, playing in the water. Stop tormenting yourself with the Stairmaster, and go outside to play.

7. Friendship is one of the primary components of a happy life. It’s also one of the hardest things to maintain once we’re grown up. Find friends, nurture relationships by hanging out together, make time for each other, and you’ll enrich your life immeasurably.

For more information on plus size clothing fashions, styling tips and flattering clothes that look great on your body check out www.Plus-Size-Clothing.org

Check out the latest news on plus size fashion!

New Look's gorgeous plus size clothing shows size doesn't matter
MarketWatch (press release)
New Look, a pioneer of cutting edge fashion, leads the way on the high street having included their Inspire range, a collection of plus size clothing that has been available for an established amount of time. Their Inspire range is a complete extension …

and more »

Plus-Size Women's Clothing Stores in the US Industry Market Research Report …
PR Web (press release)
Changes in consumer spending power and healthy habits are the primary drivers for the Plus-Size Women's Clothing Stores industry. The recession had a powerful effect on most consumer-facing industries, with industry revenue falling 0.1% in 2008 and …

and more »

Visit PLUS Model Magazine, The Premiere Magazine For Plus Size Fashion
Daily Venus Diva
PLUS Model Magazine, the premiere virtual magazine celebrating the plus size fashion, beauty, arts and plus size modeling industries, inspires YOU to thrive in your curves, crave contemporary fashion and design your life on your own terms, …

LifeGoesStrong

Break This Fashion Rule: Prints for Plus Sizes
LifeGoesStrong
Another way to pull off a print on a plus size body part is to choose a color scheme that is closely related instead of high contrast. For example, a blue and green print is more harmonic than a purple and white print. Finally, the best way to wear any …

New Look's gorgeous plus size clothing shows size doesn't matter
EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)
New Look, a pioneer of cutting edge fashion, leads the way on the high street having included their Inspire range, a collection of plus size clothing that has been available for an established amount of time. Their Inspire range is a complete extension …

Free Beauty Tips: Makeup

My Gay Friend — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:04:45 +0000

Makeup is the all-consuming topic for many women. Men run it a close second, but most women enjoy discussing makeup, various formulas they’ve found, what works, and most important, what doesn’t work. Women of all shapes and sizes are vitally concerned with finding good tips that will enable them to look their best. Plus size women are no exception. They may also have unique issues that mean their makeup application is even more critical.

It is probably a good idea to start out with a few no-nos for makeup on plus size women. Garish colors are out for any woman, but particularly plus size women. Anything that looks bad on an average size woman will be magnified on a plus size woman. Stark blush that attempts to create a hollowed-cheek look is also a bad, bad idea. It just draws attention to the fuller part of the face. Women should always strive for foundation that matches their skin, but this is crucial for plus size women. A telltale line at the jaw that is a dramatically different color from the skin on the neck makes the woman look as though she is wearing a mask.

Makeup for plus size women should do what all makeup attempts to do: accentuate the positive and camouflage the negative. With this axiom in mind, a plus size woman can put together a great look.

Since most plus size women have rounded faces, this is usually a good place to start when thinking about makeup. To re-emphasize the point, a plus size woman should choose a foundation that matches her skin as closely as possible. She should also think about a more matte finish, rather than a dewey one. Not paste-like, but more matte. This is because a plus size woman’s rounded cheeks tend to catch the light, and she will look as though she is perspiring or has oily skin if she goes with a more dewey finish. This is unattractive and tends to negatively emphasize the roundness of the face.

Blush should compliment her skin and hair. It should also never be applied so that it looks artificial. Regardless of what the fashion magazines say, a darker blush below the “apples” in the cheeks does not create a slimmer face. It looks like dark blush applied in the wrong place. Take it from a woman who has tried that trick. It doesn’t work. Blush should be applied to the apples of the cheeks. Smile and apply the blush to the fullest part of the cheeks.

Many plus size women want to play up their eyes and this is rarely a bad idea. However, stark colors are again, not advisable. Neither is the very heavy application of eyeshadow and liner. The trick is to emphasize the eyes, to draw the attention to them, not to imitate a raccoon. Eyeshadow should be in a color that compliments the woman’s outfit. A lighter eyeshadow should go right under the brow line. This will also tend to emphasize the eye area attractively.

Eyeliner can be applied to the upper and lower lids, but be careful. Don’t apply it all the way across the eye. Start in the middle and go to the outer corner of the eye. This will open the eye up and emphasize their color. Brown-black, charcoal brown and smoky blue are appropriate colors for almost any eye or hair color. A woman can also go just a little way beyond the outside of the eye on the lower lid, to create a slightly exotic look. If the woman can actually tell that’s what she has done, though, she has brought the line out too far. It should be barely visible, but it will create a great look.

Lipstick pulls together a woman’s whole look, regardless of size. She should think about a color that looks good, depending on the occasion. She should also be cautious of very trendy colors, such as lilac or other “fashion” colors. One example occurring to this author is of a plus size woman who wore a bluish-lilac lipstick over a neutral lipliner. The result was corpselike lips–unattractive in the extreme. Lips that are too neutral are also unattractive. They give a woman a plain, mousy appearance. A plus size woman should want color in her lips, since they will also draw the eye away from the roundness of her face. Every woman, plus size or not, should also have a great red lipstick in her makeup case. Red lipstick is the one essential cosmetic every woman should own.

Perhaps the most important makeup tip for a plus size woman is to cast out fear. She should never be afraid of having smoky eyes and sultry lips. She should not be afraid of being sexy. If her makeup is sexy, she will feel better about herself, and this will show up in her behavior. She will be sexier to those around her. And what, after all, is makeup about, if not to make us look and feel better about ourselves?

Daniel Radcliffe: “I’m not gay”

My Gay Friend — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:14:56 +0000

He’s faced dementors, Lucius Malfoy and Lord Voldemort himself, so why should Harry Potter’s alter ego, Daniel Radcliffe, worry about a stupid little rumor about his sexual orientation? “If people want to say that, they can,” he tells MTV about a rumor he is gay. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

“I’m not, I’m straight,” says Radcliffe, who awed fans when he stripped down to the essence of his nakedness at the age of 17 to star in Peter Shaffer’s Equus, which concerns a young man who has a religio-erotic relationship with horses. (Anything wrong with that?)

Radcliffe is amused by the level of discourse over his sexual orientation. “My favorite thing I saw was a guy on the Internet that said, ‘Of course he’s gay. He’s got a gay face,’ which I thought was kind of an odd thing to say anyway,” Radcliffe said, laughing. “A gay face? That’s a very worrying thing, like they have sat at home [with] pictures of me next to other famous gay [folks].”

Major kudos to the terrific Daniel Radcliffe for stepping up and speaking out against homophobia by a taping a public service announcement for gay suicide prevention.

“I have always hated anybody who is not tolerant of gay men or lesbians or bisexuals,” the Harry Potter star says. “Now I am in the very fortunate position where I can actually help or do something about it.”

“I grew up knowing a lot of gay men and it was never something that I even thought twice about – that some men were gay and some weren’t. And then I went to school and (for) the first time … I came across homophobia. … I had never encountered it before. It shocked me.”

Daniel also spoke of the importance of public figures advocating for equal rights: “I think it’s important for somebody from a big, commercial movie series like Harry Potter and particularly because I am not gay or bisexual or transgendered. … The fact that I am straight makes not a difference, but it shows that straight people are incredibly interested and care a lot about this as well.”

Daniel taped the PSA on Friday then took a tour of the New York Call Center for the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization for gay and questioning youth. Here is some video of Daniel talking about the PSA:

The Trevor Project was founded in 1998 by three filmmakers whose film, Trevor, a comedy/drama about a gay teenager who attempts suicide, received the 1994 Academy Award® for Best Short Film (Live Action).

Since its founding, The Trevor Helpline has received hundreds of thousands of calls from LGBTQ youth across the country. In the past year alone, call volume to The Trevor Helpline has increased more than 300 percent.

“I am very pleased to begin my support of The Trevor Project, which saves lives every day through its critical work,” Daniel said in a statement. “It’s extremely distressing to consider that in 2009 suicide is a top three killer of young people, and it’s truly devastating to learn that LGBTQ youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. I deeply hope my support can raise the organization’s visibility so even more despondent youth become aware of The Trevor Helpline’s highly trained counselors and Trevor’s many other resources. It’s vitally important that young people understand they are not alone and, perhaps even more important, that their young lives have real value.”

Why can’t more people be as wise and evolved as this young man? He makes the world a better place and will help countless lives.

Oprah’s Closet: “A dream for any plus-size girl”

My Gay Friend — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:27:42 +0000

By Kendra Gilbert on March 2nd, 2010
www.twirlit.com

Let the bidding wars begin! March 1 was the first official day of Oprah’s Ebay auction and the bids on some of the items are already astronomical. In many cases, shoes and handbags are going for more than what the items originally cost when they were new. The daytime talk show host recently cleaned out her closet (one of them anyway) and came up with 150 items to auction off to raise money for her leadership academy for girls in South Africa.

The moderate collection of items is certainly no skin off Oprah’s back. Although, she did profess anxiety at having to choose the 150 items to give away. C’mon Oprah, if you need more than one closet to house all your clothes, shoes and purses, you probably aren’t even aware of half the things in those closets. Oh, and you’re a billionaire. Regardless, she came up with several things for the auction, from designer shoes and handbags to entire outfits she’s worn on episodes of her show. And, after only one day of bidding, some of the items are already up to thousands of dollars. Like this Louis Vuitton bag. Or this gorgeous Carolina Herrera dress she wore on her show.

What’s great about this auction is that it’s a dream for any plus-size girl with big feet! And bravo to Oprah for not being afraid to expose her dress size (which ranges from 12 to 16) or her shoe size (she’s an 11) to the world. There are going to be a lot of really well-dressed curvy ladies roaming the world once the auction closes in 9 days. That’s right, only 9 more days to get your bids in!

Judging by this first day, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls is going to have a lot to celebrate in the near future.

Check out the latest news on plus size fashion!

New Look’s gorgeous plus size clothing shows size doesn’t matter – MarketWatch (press release)

New Look's gorgeous plus size clothing shows size doesn't matter
MarketWatch (press release)
New Look, a pioneer of cutting edge fashion, leads the way on the high street having included their Inspire range, a collection of plus size clothing that has been available for an established amount of time. Their Inspire range is a complete extension …

and more »

Plus-Size Women’s Clothing Stores in the US Industry Market Research Report … – PR Web (press release)

Plus-Size Women's Clothing Stores in the US Industry Market Research Report …
PR Web (press release)
Changes in consumer spending power and healthy habits are the primary drivers for the Plus-Size Women's Clothing Stores industry. The recession had a powerful effect on most consumer-facing industries, with industry revenue falling 0.1% in 2008 and …

and more »

Visit PLUS Model Magazine, The Premiere Magazine For Plus Size Fashion – Daily Venus Diva

Visit PLUS Model Magazine, The Premiere Magazine For Plus Size Fashion
Daily Venus Diva
PLUS Model Magazine, the premiere virtual magazine celebrating the plus size fashion, beauty, arts and plus size modeling industries, inspires YOU to thrive in your curves, crave contemporary fashion and design your life on your own terms, …