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In her song "The Man", Taylor Swift discusses how her public image and music career would be different if she was a man.

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The Race and Gender Pay Gap in "Good Trouble"

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The Race and Gender Pay Gap in "Good Trouble"

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While trying to expose the gender pay gap at the tech company she works for, Mariana discovers a race pay gap as well. Her predominately white female co-workers are hesitant about including this issue in their fight.

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Good Trouble Season 1, Episode 11 | Sneak Peek: Race Pay Gap At Speckulate | Freeform

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"Giving Myself a Beard" by Jenna Marbles

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"Giving Myself a Beard" by Jenna Marbles

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In this video, Jenna Marbles glues a lace-front beard to her face. She refers to the beard as "she" and states that a "beard does not equal he".

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"Good Morning America" host Laura Spencer laughed at the news that Prince George is studying ballet. She later apologized as 300 dancers stood outside the studio.

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As TV host Lara Spencer apologized on "Good Morning America" for her comments about Prince George practicing ballet, hundreds of dancers were lined up just outside the show's studios, holding a massive open-air dance class in a show of solidarity.

Last week, Spencer laughed while reporting on Prince George's school schedule on GMA. The little prince will not only take basic subjects like math, science and history, she said, he will also take part in "poetry and ballet, among other things."

"Oh, he looks so happy about the ballet class," Spencer said on the show. "Prince William said Prince George absolutely loves ballet ... I have news for you, Prince William, we'll see how long that lasts."

Spencer immediately received backlash for a comment that seemed dismissive of male dancers, and she was even accused of bullying. She took to Instagram on Friday to write an apology, admitting her comments were "insensitive."

"From ballet to anything one wants to explore in life, I say GO FOR IT. I fully believe we should all be free to pursue our passions. Go climb your mountain-and love every minute of it," Spencer's post read.

The host then addressed the comments on air during GMA on Monday, apologizing again for making fun of 6-year-old Prince George's affinity for dance.

.@LaraSpencer apologizes for her comments about boys and dance and sits down with 3 celebrated ballet dancers: "It has been a true education for me." pic.twitter.com/bYJUvVGaXK
- Good Morning America (@GMA) August 26, 2019

"I screwed up. I did. The comment I made about dance was insensitive. It was stupid and I am deeply sorry," Spencer said on air. "I have spoken with several members of the dance community over the past few days. I have listened. I have learned about the bravery it takes for a young boy to pursue a career in dance."

In addition to her statement, Spencer also sat down with several famous male dancers to talk about boys getting involved - and accepted - in dance.

The taped segment featured Travis Wall, Fabrice Calmels and Robbie Fairchild. Wall, a choreographer on "So You Think You Can Dance," reflected on the impact of the show.

"How many boys have started to dance because of that show makes me so proud to represent that show," Wall said. The dancer also said in his own Instagram stories that Spencer personally called him to apologize, according to ET.

Spencer told the three dancers that she learned a lesson: words hurt. She said she was sorry again and the group unanimously accepted her apology.

As the segment aired, Wall and hundreds of other dancers were just below the GMA studio in Times Square, holding a dance class. Some held up signs proclaiming "Boys dance too!" and "I wish I'd started at 6!!!"

"So You Think You Can Dance" all-star Alex Wong was one of the many dancers in the crowd. He was also one of many people who posted about the Times Square dance class, tagging Wall, Fairchild and fellow dancers Sam Quinn and Charlie Williams in his video. In his caption, he said 300 dancers showed up.

Wong's video went viral on social media, and he told CBS News via Instagram message that the massive class was "in response to Lara Spencer."

Charlie Williams posted a video of his own on Instagram, which shows the hundreds of young dancers practicing ballet and many people holding up supportive signs.

"Response wasn't optional," Williams wrote in the caption. "Thank you to everyone who came out and danced with us this morning. Thank you to everyone who supported us with messages of encouragement and reposting. Thank you to the ones who printed signs, lent me bullhorns and speakers, brainstormed, helped us plan, checked my spelling, got scared, answered my call, said yes, said no, texted back, traveled long distances, took photos, filmed videos, watched our bags, smiled, and acknowledged. My heart swells when I think of how we pulled this off. Wow."

Response wasn't optional. Thank you to everyone who came out and danced with us this morning. Thank you to everyone who supported us with messages of encouragement and reposting. Thank you to the ones who printed signs, lent me bullhorns and speakers, brainstormed, helped us plan, checked my spelling, got scared, answered my call, said yes, said no, texted back, traveled long distances, took photos, filmed videos, watched our bags, smiled, and acknowledged. My heart swells when I think of how we pulled this off. Wow. ❤️❤️❤️ #boysdancetoo #dance #community #grateful 🎥: @mrmattrodin

A post shared by Charlie Williams (@iamcharliewilliams) on

While GMA co-anchors did acknowledge the dancers were outside, it is unclear if those at the show were aware of the event in advance.

In his own Instagram post about the event, Fairchild credited Williams and Quinn with putting the class together. He also mentioned the conversation with Spencer.

"I believe we steered this painful moment into a great conversation celebrating dance and defending boys who are bullied for doing it," he wrote. "Lara was heartfelt, teary and incredibly remorseful. She owned up and apologized for her remarks and I forgive her and thank her for doing all she could to right her wrong."

Most of the dancers who posted about the event used the same powerful hashtag: #BoysDanceToo. The conversation started with a 6-year-old British royal - and ended up touching boys who dance everywhere.

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300 dancers show up in Times Square as Lara Spencer apologizes for Prince George ballet comment

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As TV host Lara Spencer apologized on "Good Morning America" for her comments about Prince George practicing ballet, hundreds of dancers were lined up just outside the show's studios, holding a massive open-air dance class in a show of solidarity. Last week, Spencer laughed while reporting on Prince George's school schedule on GMA.

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This post enforces that some alcoholic drinks, such as Smirnoff Ice, are feminine.

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Join why be moody when you can eat the booty

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Spirit Halloween presents two very different versions of military costumes based on the gender of the wearer.

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John Oliver discusses how sex and race affect the quality of medical care that people receive.

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Bias In Medicine: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

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In this SNL sketch, women address how the fear of sexual assault has made their lives like hell.

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Rihanna's fashion show for her lingerie line featured models of every shape, size, and color, including two pregnant women.

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Leave it to Rihanna to close out New York Fashion Week on a very high note: On Wednesday evening, the multi-hyphenate threw a Savage x Fenty lingerie spectacular with a gorgeously diverse cast of women, which included two Hadids and two scantily clad pregnant ladies.

This being the brand's first runway show, the energy was palpable from the moment guests walked into the hothouse jungle set that was created in a Brooklyn Navy Yard warehouse. Lush greenery, botanical domes, spherical cages, giant succulents and a glowing pond provided the backdrop to the collection. It almost felt like you were walking into a life-size terrarium populated by powerful women.

The sound of chirping birds signaled the start of the show, as dancers slowly trickled out in Savage X Fenty's more casual, streetwear-inspired lineup of neutral-toned cotton briefs and bralettes with pronounced logo bands. Then, as bright light filled the room, the choreography quickened, dancers leapt and pranced as more women emerged dressed in a mix of animal-printed and neon-colored intimates: There were hip-bone baring bodysuits, mesh teddies, fishnet jumpsuits, leopard lace undies, cupless satin corsets and furry day-glo boudoir slides.

The soundtrack dictated the mood. An upbeat song sent the models into a flurry of laughter and cued a girlish range of sheer undergarments and heart-shaped nipple pasties, while a more somber tune set the stage for silky, army green pajamas. Rihanna was able to create something for everyone; no easy feat, but something that the singer does very well.

Supermodels like Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid and Joan Smalls all walked, but the presentation did not champion a woefully narrow definition of beauty, as some other large lingerie spectacles are wont to do. Models came in all shapes, sizes and ethnicities; they had different hair colors, skin colors, body markings, curves and commanded the room with their own unique swagger.

Paloma Elsesser proudly showed off her body in a skimpy bustier, and Duckie Thot did the same in a royal blue transparent tulle getup. Raisa Flowers, Leomie Anderson, Carissa Pinkston, Jazzelle Zanaughtti and Indira Scot were also present in minimal garb, looking phenomenal with the help of Fenty Beauty.

The casting, which was done by Piergiorgio Del Moro, was a reminder that fashion is for all, but it was also a true celebration of womanhood and its magnificent ability to carry life. A pregnant Slick Woods and another expecting model rubbed their bellies as they pretty much bared it all: Slick wore a string thong and pasties while the other model sported a mesh negligee with orchids pinned to it.

Rihanna, clad in a clingy brown dress and tiny cat eye sunglasses, closed out the 30-minute performance with a brisk walk down the runway, saluting her fans as Elvis's "Love Me Tender" played. The musician wrapped up NYFW in true Bad Gal manner, leaving us with the sweet taste of female empowerment.

The Savage x Fenty Fall 2018 collection is available online here and at a pop-up shop in New York City with Mall of America to follow. The affordable (prices range from $13-$115) line is available in seven "nude" shades and goes up to a 44DD cup size and 3X in undies and sleepwear.

See every look from Savage x Fenty's Fall 2018 presentation in the gallery below.
Stay current on the latest trends, news and people shaping the fashion industry. Sign up for our daily newsletter.

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Rihanna Brought Savage X Fenty to Life With a Diverse Celebration of Womanhood

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Leave it to Rihanna to close out New York Fashion Week on a very high note: On Wednesday evening, the multi-hyphenate threw a Savage x Fenty lingerie spectacular with a gorgeously diverse cast of women, which included two Hadids and two scantily clad pregnant ladies.

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Many clinics have lost federal funding after not complying with Trump's administration's rule that bans Title X recipients from referring patients to abortion services. This loss of funding primarily affects low-income women of color.

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Nearly 900 clinics have lost funding from a federal family-planning program since a Trump administration rule banned recipients from referring patients to abortion services, according to a new report.

Power to Decide, an unplanned pregnancy-prevention organization, estimated 876 clinics nationwide lost Title X funding after recipients refused to comply with the rule.

The loss of funding could prevent low-income women from getting affordable reproductive health care, the organization said, including cancer screenings and STD testing. Some women have gone without health services because of resulting higher costs, the report said.

Created nearly 50 years ago, Title X serves patients who are poor or don't have health insurance by distributing $260 million in family planning grants annually. The program, which covers screenings and annual exams, does not fund abortions.
'Gag rule'?:Planned Parenthood rejects Title X funding over abortion rule
Five states now lack Title X clinics, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation and Power to Decide. Program recipients in Maine, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington all withdrew, saying the Trump administration rule would restrict patients' ability to get an abortion and abortion counseling.

Planned Parenthood, which served 40% of all Title X patients before rejecting the funding in August, was the sole grantee in Utah. Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, previously told USA TODAY that Utah patients may see longer wait times or need to drive hundreds of miles for services.

"It will simply be impossible for other health centers to fill the gap," Johnson said.

In an effort to fill the void, the Office of Population Affairs gave $33.6 million in supplemental funding to remaining Title X participants. A Kaiser Family Foundation report found the supplemental funding has not made up for the losses in 14 states, however.

Paloma Zuleta, director of media relations at Power to Decide, told NBC that clinic changes will especially affect low-income women of color.

"If clinics can no longer open early anymore or they can no longer keep late hours because their funding is so different or if they have to lay people off, it's a deterrent for women to be able to access the health care that they need," Zuleta said.
Contributing: Nicquel Terry Ellis, USA TODAY
Planned Parenthood sued the Trump administration in March to block the rule that prohibits it from providing abortion referrals to Title X patients. The American Medical Association was also a plaintiff in the lawsuit. While three district courts sided with Planned Parenthood, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the rule to take effect. The cases are ongoing.

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Nearly 900 clinics have lost federal funding after Trump administration abortion rule, report says

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Nearly 900 clinics have lost funding from a federal family-planning program since a Trump administration rule banned recipients from referring patients to abortion services, according to a new report. Power to Decide, an unplanned pregnancy-prevention organization, estimated 876 clinics nationwide lost Title X funding after recipients refused to comply with the rule.

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Eugene Lee Yang discusses how his race, religion, gender expression, family structure, and sexual orientation his affected his life and his decision to come out.

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Kurtis Conner discusses memes realted to the "I'm not like most girls" phenomenon and the causes of this trend.

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The "I'm Not Like Most Girls" Phenomenon

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Lil' Nas X's hit "Old Town Road" has brought attention to the lack of African American voices in Country and other music genres.

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Lil Nas X performs at Summer Jam 2019 at MetLife Stadium on June 2 in East Rutherford, N.J. (Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)

The song of the summer for 2019 has unquestionably been Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road," featuring 1990s country icon, Billy Ray Cyrus. As of June 10, the country-hip hop crossover hit has topped Billboard's "Hot 100" chart for 10 weeks. It will probably soon eclipse Drake's "In My Feelings," the most recent 10-week top hit, released in the summer of 2018, and is creeping steadily closer to the record of 16 weeks, held by Luis Fonsi's "Despacito" and Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's "One Sweet Day."

Unlike those other top songs, though, "Old Town Road" first appeared on Billboard's country charts, an origin that not only makes it rare but also controversial. Since the song was first released in December, its popularity has been accompanied by confusion and outrage - not because its sound isn't country but because its singer is black. "Old Town Road" is a case study of the ways in which sound, culture and politics overlap in our understanding of musical genre - especially a genre such as country, where inclusion is aggressively policed by fans, critics and institutions alike, and where the politics of inclusion hinges on race.

Songs that cross over from the country charts seldom spend this kind of time in the rarefied air of the Hot 100. Although there have been a handful of artists who have made it close to the Billboard summit - LeAnn Rimes, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum and others - none have seen Lil Nas X's level of success. Neither, however, have any of the song's country predecessors courted the same kind of controversy.

Listen on Post Reports: How black people have been largely excluded from country music

In March, Billboard chose to pull Lil Nas X's song from its country charts - where it had reached No. 19, and would have inevitably reached No. 1 - ostensibly for failing to embrace "enough elements of today's country music," while keeping it on the R&B/Hip Hop charts. More recently, many white country fans have taken to Twitter to voice their anger over Lil Nas X's recent sponsorship deal with Wrangler jeans, a brand that has been connected with cowboy and rodeo culture since the 1940s.

Clearly, for the self-deputized gatekeepers of the country genre, Lil Nas X and his song don't belong.

And this matters in terms of building a career in country music. The genre has more entrenched gatekeepers than many other musical styles: Country radio success is crucially important for artists, and the format has come under fire in recent years for its narrow playlists, including an aversion to playing songs by women. When country music's gatekeepers - whether Billboard, country radio stations or white listeners - talk about genre, they tend to try to focus the conversation on musical sound. There is a sense that the sound of the music is neutral, objective terrain. Music has certain "elements" or it doesn't; songs belong or they don't.

But such discussions are almost inevitably shorthand for much deeper, more politically fraught issues. Music is never safe, neutral or objective. And as musical genres go, country has an especially complicated history, especially with respect to race.

For a genre that has historically been primarily associated with white artists and audiences, country music has always drawn heavily on African American musical influences, especially the blues. As a musical and poetic form and a performance aesthetic (the "man and guitar" style, for instance), the blues has been the common denominator for nearly every country figure, from Jimmie Rodgers to Eric Church.

In terms of instrumentation, too, country and its adjacent genres, especially bluegrass, have leaned heavily on sounds derived from African and African American music. The banjo, for instance, finds its likely progenitors among a set of West African string instruments: the akonting, the ubaw-akwala, the xalam and the ngoni. If these instruments themselves did not cross the Middle Passage, knowledge of instrument design and performance style certainly did. Musically, then, country music has always been entangled with black culture.

But from very early on in the history of the country genre, artists, audiences and other key stakeholders, Billboard among them, worked to elide or erase that entanglement. When Billboard first started tracking country music hits in 1939, it did so on a chart called "Hillbilly Hits" that was specifically mindful of sales to white audiences, either those in rural parts of the United States or those who had migrated to larger, urban centers. The blues, meanwhile, was lumped in with all other African American recorded production, ranging from jazz to comedy, under the now-infamous signifier "race records." However much in common Rodgers and his blues contemporaries may have had musically, on the charts they were separated based on race.

These same racialized categories endure today on the Billboard charts, albeit with sanitized nomenclature. When the organization finally did away with the "race records" category in 1949, it inaugurated the "rhythm and blues" genre to replace it. Although rhythm and blues isn't as messy as "race records" either musically or politically, it nevertheless includes an impossibly huge breadth of music.

In recent years, a number of black artists have objected forcefully to the restrictive character of the R&B/Hip Hop chart, decrying the persistent notion that, despite no longer officially being designated "race records," the updated chart works in a pretty similar way. In effect, the vast majority of African American artists end up on the R&B/Hip Hop chart, while white artists can be placed there or anywhere else. The white rapper Post Malone, for instance, occupies both No. 3 and No. 4 spots on the R&B/Hip Hop chart, but there isn't a single nonwhite artist among the top 50 on the country charts.

Simply put, whatever their music may sound like, white artists have infinitely more latitude when crossing genres than artists of color.

Even before Cyrus had anything to do with it, "Old Town Road" could easily qualify as a country rap or country trap tune, both well-established subgenres under the country designation. In fact, it's worth observing that Lil Nas X doesn't rap at all on the track. While the fact that it is sample-based and features trap-style drums situates it within the hip-hop genre musically, the melody, lyrical content and acoustic instrument sounds, especially the banjo, are all strong signifiers of country.

More to the point: There has been comparatively little controversy over the incorporation of rap into the genre if it comes via white artists, including stars Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line (both of whom have spoken out in support of Lil Nas X). Aldean's hit, "Dirt Road Anthem," peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard country charts back in 2010, despite its rapped verses. And yet Billboard pulled "Old Town Road," a song with similar themes, after only a few weeks. And a hip-hop infused style has propelled artists such as Sam Hunt to country superstardom.

Why is a white artist permitted to stay on the country charts with a rap-based single, while a black artist is removed for "not [embracing] enough elements of today's country music"? The answer seems clear: It has little to do with the sound of the music, and everything to do with the race of the performer. When institutions and fans alike purport to be protecting the genre's musical qualities, they are also circling the wagons around whiteness.

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Perspective | Lil Nas X and the continued segregation of country music

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The song of the summer for 2019 has unquestionably been Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road," featuring 1990s country icon, Billy Ray Cyrus. As of June 10, the country-hip hop crossover hit has topped Billboard's "Hot 100" chart for 10 weeks.

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As the perception of gay people has changed, new stereotypes have arisen, many of which are not harmless.

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As a gay man, there's nothing I love more than not being able to drive, pounding down city streets at breakneck speed, slurping on an iced coffee and blasting the music of Carly Rae Jepsen (who, lest we forget, threw the first brick at Stonewall).

If you've spent any time on the internet in the last few years, you've probably encountered these stereotypes - the latest additions to the pantheon of time-honoured classics like "gay men enjoy fashion, speaking with a lisp and paedophilia".

Although these memes are essentially frivolous, they do play an important role in how we see ourselves, particularly given how scarcely we are represented elsewhere. This is why I have taken it upon myself to tell you why your favourite jokes - the ones you thought were just a spot of harmless banter - are actually deeply problematic. The fun stops now.

Gay Men Can't Drive

When I was 17, when most of my peers were learning to drive, I was too busy taking mephedrone and playing synth in a band with my female best friend - which is, however you look at it, pretty gay. I always knew I was going to live in a city when I was older, so learning to drive seemed like a waste of time. Never would I have to do anything so prosaic as ferrying my children to school or driving to my job in an out-of-town business park: I was destined for gayer things.

The migration of gay people from small towns to big cities, where driving often isn't necessary, is pretty well documented, which makes this stereotype plausible. Although my upbringing was provincial in comparison to London, in the context of central Scotland I was practically a city slicker. However, Sean - a gay man who claims to be able to drive (a freak, an oddball... surely at least bisexual?) - suggests that my attitude is derived from townie privilege.

"Gays are supposed to escape from home - it's part of our whole narrative - and if you live in the sticks, that means escaping in the car. Not that I went cruising or anything, I just drove around listening to Kelly Clarkson with my gals, but it was still an escape from the trappings of heterosexual domesticity. And one I needed a full license for."

As well as this stereotype being related to urbanity, it's perhaps gendered. In order to get the perspective of someone smarter than myself, I spoke to Pak Chiu, a queer academic who specialises in fashion psychology. I asked Pak whether driving has been coded as a masculine skill.

"It makes me think of Top Gear, which is all about cars, engines and power," he says. "I don't like it, because it represents these old school masculine traits. It's interesting that we've created this stereotype about ourselves... if it's about rejecting a masculine skill, then that could be quite empowering."

Gay Men Walk Quickly

Thankfully there is one mode of transport at which we excel. I'm inclined to believe that all of the stereotypes which apply to me personally are true, or at least gesture towards a larger truth. The ones that don't, on the other hand, are fatuous nonsense. This one does: whenever I'm out walking with someone else, they end up sweating, out of breath and begging me to slow down - a homophobic request which I flatly refuse. Sorry, gran!

The stereotype relates, again, to the idea of gay men as being urban. But does it suggest anxiety or confidence? Like lots of gay men, I grew up in a homophobic town where I often felt extremely visible; the hostile looks were sometimes imaginary, but others all too real. Now, one of the things I like most about living in a city is the sense of anonymity it affords. It's not uncommon to hear people complaining of feeling invisible in London; for me, this has always been a relief. But even residual feelings of hyper-visibility might lead gay men to feel discomfort in public spaces... and walk quickly?

I spoke to Carl Bonner-Thompson, a human geographer at the University of Oxford, and asked him whether he thought this stereotype was a reflection of anxiety. "The idea of casually strolling through a city and taking it all in is a masculine privilege," Carl tells me. "Cities aren't always safe for some people, and particular areas at particular times present danger, so maybe that's where the idea comes from."

When I suggest to Carl that the stereotype could equally suggest confidence, he says: "Yes, it's the idea that gay men are just good at being in cities: they are efficient, getting their iced coffee and working hard. And walking quickly through a city is an urban skill."

Gay Men Love Carly Rae Jepsen

Listen, I hate myself for being gay no more than a reasonable amount: I like Robyn, I've been to Heaven twice, and whenever "Piece of Me" comes on at a party I insert my own name into the line, "Oh my god, that Britney's shameless!" - which is a real treat for everyone present. And yet... I do not understand the appeal of Carly Rae Jepsen.

Since the release of her 2015 album Emotion, the Canadian singer has become, if not quite a fully-fledged icon, then certainly a meme. But I'm sick of biting my tongue: I don't get why gay men bang on about her so much and I don't understand what, if anything, is queer about her music. It's true that she once refused to perform at a Boy Scout jamboree in protest of their ban of gay Scouts and Scout leaders, which is worthy of respect, but is being a good ally enough to make you a gay icon if you don't have the tunes to back it up?

"I can't speak on behalf of all gays," one Carly Rae Jepsen-loving friend tells me, "but the appeal for me is the nod to 1980s sweet-but-melancholy synth pop. It taps into a nostalgia that is prevalent among queer people."

I'm yet to be convinced: if I want nostalgic melancholy from my female recording artists, I'll stick to Lana, Lykke or Lorde, thank you very much!

Gay Men Love Iced Coffee

This stereotype fascinates me the most because, on the surface, it's so banal. As a gay man with an only moderate iced coffee intake, I also find it annoying: it makes me want to chase a power-walking gay down the street and smack the iced coffee from their smug, sophisticated hands. Why does it irritate me so much to be be told I enjoy a frozen beverage when I don't (particularly)? Why do I crave recognition from these meme-merchants? I tell Carl how baffled I am by this stereotype and ask what he thinks.

"All food is gendered, and coffee is in a big way," he says. "Iced coffee is seen as a less masculine drink, which is also to do with the way it's actually consumed - you sip it through a straw, which is seen as feminine." Having worked in hospitality for years, I can confirm this is true: the number of times I've offered a straight male customer a straw and been asked, "Do I look like a poof, mate?" is... considerable. But does Carl think this stereotype also relates to the idea of gay men as urban?

"An iced coffee really feels like an urban drink," he tells me. "It isn't something you make at home. You associate it with having purchased it from a coffee shop, which again lends itself to the idea of the urban explorer."

The stereotype also suggests some degree of affluence. Although "coffee is middle class" is an absurd statement, being able to buy takeaway coffee so regularly it forms part of your identity does indicate at least some level of disposable income. "Yes," Carl says, "it's another stereotype of white gay men that we all have lots of money and good jobs."

Sadly, I myself am a walking rejoinder to this fallacy.

As one final damning critique of the iced coffee stereotype, one bottom friend tells me, "I refuse to accept that a drink which makes you shit yourself can be considered part of gay culture."

Gays Can't Sit Properly

Only after I've visited your dad.

Tops Are Masculine, Bottoms Are Feminine

Is this a new stereotype? No. Has it seen a resurgence through internet humour? Yes. Do I find it annoying despite it being a dynamic I end up perpetuating in each of my own relationships? I assert my right to remain silent, your honour!

Most of the jokes based on this stereotype could be ripped-off from a 1990s stand-up set about men being from Mars and women from Venus, but gay. They risk taking the most old-fashioned tropes of heterosexual relationships and making them normative for queer men. Tops are portrayed as cold, distant and reluctant to commit; sometimes they're hapless like husbands in car insurance adverts. Bottoms, meanwhile, are depicted as savvier but needy and over-emotional: in other words, they embody stereotypes traditionally, and misogynistically, associated with straight women. Given the extent to which masculinity is still venerated in the gay community, I also wonder whether the idea that there's a surfeit of tops out there who act exactly like straight men might be wishful thinking.

The stereotype obviously isn't true (there are plenty of fem tops and masc bottoms), but does its popularity suggest we might want it to be? I ask Pak whether he thinks this gender binary is something we should be looking to leave behind. "For me, as a psychologist, it's all about people's wellbeing," he says. "It can be hard to feel as though you have to make a political statement all the time. Sometimes it's OK to say to yourself, 'It's fine if I'm looking for a masculine or feminine partner because it offers me something.' Besides, it's a hard thing to change."

Carl agrees that the stereotype isn't necessarily harmful, and suggests that the way it has been embraced could even be empowering - a form of reclamation similar to the use of the word "queer", which obviously began as a homophobic term. "You need to look at who's making these jokes and who's consuming them," he says. "If it's people who are feminine or bottoms themselves, and they find it funny to laugh along with them, then that's not necessarily having a negative impact."

*

Considering these stereotypes as a whole, the most cheering thing they have in common is the comfort they suggest with the idea of being perceived as feminine. After all, "gay men are feminine" is only an offensive stereotype if you consider femininity to be a bad thing.

But if gay men are characterised as urban, affluent and able-bodied (and, perhaps, by extension, white and cisgendered), we have to acknowledge how many people are excluded from the image presented. Although it's true that many gay men live in cities, this lifestyle isn't accessible to everyone. It's a far harder transition to make if you don't leave home to attend university, for instance. As annoying as it might be to have a stereotype applied to you accurately, feeling left out can be just as grating, perhaps even alienating.

Finally, I would ask that the next time you're coming up with a light-hearted joke, please first ensure that it's directly applicable to me - the one true representative of all gay men.
@fudwedding

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As a gay man, there's nothing I love more than not being able to drive, pounding down city streets at breakneck speed, slurping on an iced coffee and blasting the music of Carly Rae Jepsen (who, lest we forget, threw the first brick at Stonewall).

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Off-White is selling a pair of painted-splattered jeans for $710. The jeans are described as "construction-inspired" and having a "well-worn look".

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Paint-splatter jeans | Off-White | MATCHESFASHION US

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You will always be charged in either GBP (£), Euro (€),USD ($), AUD ($) or HKD ($) depending on your selected purchase currency. Your Local currency is for display purposes only and is calculated based on exchange rates that are updated daily. Change your settings

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Out memorializes trans women of color who have lost their lives to violence in 2019.

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The Trans Obituaries Project: Honoring the Trans Women of Color Lost in 2019

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This year, we've lost far too many souls to violence. As their deaths were shared with the world, their humanity was lost - reducing them to tragic statistics, empty platitudes, and talking points. We felt it important to elevate the group who is most impacted by the epidemic: transgender women of color.

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Selena Gomez speaks out against the unequal pay that Latinas receive.

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Today is #LatinaEqualPay Day—marking how far into 2019 Latinas had to work to be paid what the average white man made in 2018 alone. That’s almost a full year of more work. Please join me to fight...

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NDSU LGBTQ Programs raises awareness about different forms of oppression and that they are connected.

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Soraya Chemaly discusses the how women's anger is negatively viewed in society.

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The power of women's anger | Soraya Chemaly

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The Netflix original series Las Chicas del Cable (Cable Girls) explores the lives of a group of women in 1920s and 30s Madrid. The show tackles issues the women face in work, politics, marriage, family life, sexuality, and gender identity.

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Cable Girls aka Las chicas del cable Season 4 Official Netflix HD trailer