Syttende Gay came in to existence in 2006 as an event combining Seattle’s Nordic GLBT community and the annual celebration of Syttende Mai, Syttende Gay. This event celebrates five years, both in the spirit of cultural and GLBT diversity and in the past five years has evolved into an internationally  promoted event with the help of local Ballard Blogs, International Blogs – My So Called Gay Life, Out Travel Magazine and Orbitz Travel.

Syttende Gay is one of the many events under the auspices of Kwanchai.  Last year was our best turnout ever! Let’s break this record! Especially to protect the newly voted in Marriage Equality for the State of Washington, as we will be raising funds to protect this new law, considering it could be put to a statewide vote this November. Door and Raffle tickets will help by providing partial funds to this cause.

This years optional theme is Russ which is a yearly grad tradition in Norway durning the 17th of May. A Mardi-Gras like celebration with a youthful vibe, Russ wear is red or blue bib overalls with sewn flags and zany accessories
worn in addition.

$7.00 VIP PASS Includes:

Exclusive access to upper VIP level with a panoramic view of the parade. 10% off Nordic inspired food and cocktails.

Serving the customary drink Aquavit!

Dj RXMX returns with his smooth beat-mix for your entertainment.

Please visit www.kwanchai.net for further details and look for “Syttende Mai”  under the “Events” page or call 206.262.1022. Invitation also found on Facebook.

Up on cloud number 1, I found Ethan Bourne another member of Boy Banned that beat David at the finish line.

(if you haven’t seen all 10 sexy men in the clouds of 2011 click here).

Ethan has the abs to die for, I want to poke them and he loves to show them to fans. Another thing Ethan loves dogs, that is a big plus in my book.

Ethan is from Manchester and loves a cup of tea from Manchester, according to him nothing tastes like a cup of tea from Manchester.

Ethan Bourne - Facebook

So Ethan, congratulation and don’t tease David to much….

Happy New year everyone !

Photo By Wing-Chi Poon [CC-BY-SA-2.5], via Wikimedia Commons

This article is in collaboration with our Irish friends in GayQube.com.

Up on cloud number 10, and it’s real Irish boy, who can resist Irish charm ? Not me. So Niall Horan from One Direction is home sweet home kind of guy, celebrated Christmas with family.

On cloud number 9, I found Chad Allan, known from Doctor Quinn and Donald Strachey Mysteries.  Mr Allen is openly gay and plays a lots of gay characters in movies and series.

On cloud number 8, there I found Eric Saade sitting alone. Eric is a down to earth kind of guy from Sweden. Sung the song Popular in Eurosong 2011 on behalf of Sweden. Who can resist the smile from this guy ? Not me.

On cloud number 7, I found Zac Efron known from Charlie St. Cloud. I feel that I don’t need to explain why Zac is on this list. Right ?

On cloud number 6, Joe McElderry known from X-factor with a number one single and two top three albums. Has the best smile ever, who can resist that ?

On cloud number 5, Aussie Matthew Mitcham openly Gay diver, soon to be seen in London 2012 Olympic Games. No one can say no to Aussie charm.

On cloud number 4, I found Ariel Aparicio singing Christmas songs. Ariel is openly gay recording artist, married with kids. A good roll model for all the gays.

On cloud number 3, I found Jason Dottley best known from the TV series Sordid Lives. But he is Top 20 Billboard recording artist as well. Best bum ever.

On cloud number 2, this was a very close race David Purdue, so if you play your cards right in 2012, we can meet on cloud number 1 for 2012. David is a member of the boyband called Boy Banned. He is known to be busy all the time, talk fast… and I love that he is down to earth kind of guy.

And what I found on cloud number 1, I will share with you later today….

Photo By Wing-Chi Poon [CC-BY-SA-2.5], via Wikimedia Commons

This article is in collaboration with our Irish friends in GayQube.com.

From all of us to all of you !

“With each passing year National Coming Out Day takes on increased importance,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “As we celebrate major victories like marriage equality in New York and the repeal of the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, it is important to remember that the more we as LGBT people tell our stories and engage others, the more victories we will achieve”

To celebrate NCOD 2011, HRC will be on the Spelman College campus later today for Speak Out for Equality!, an inter-college event celebrating NCOD and featuring top Atlanta area businesses, community-based nonprofits, and LGBT and allied students. In addition to the Speak Out for Equality! event, HRC’s NCOD campaign again engages participants through a Facebook application that offered users a number of options to show their support for LGBT equality in the days leading up to October 11. In an effort to involve even more supporters, the 2011 campaign offers multiple actions and opportunities to show support for equality including: donating their facebook and twitter profile status to share messages of equality, taking a quiz to learn more about LGBT equality, and even getting a discount on our Musicians for Equality Ke$ha “We R who we R” t-shirt.

Resources:

Facebook application: https://apps.facebook.com/hrc-ncod/
Coming Out Day history, information and resources: www.hrc.org/ncod

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Although known for her distinctive style and sassy lyrics, Ke$ha’s smash hit “We R Who We R” has become an anthem in its own right. Resonating closely with the ideals of “Coming Out for Equality” is the song’s empowering message about self-expression and unique identity. “Much like a zebra doesn’t change its stripes, we hope people of all walks of life, LGBT and straight allies, celebrate themselves and their unique contribution to the fight for equality,” said HRC president Joe Solmonese.

As part of the Musicians for Equality series, the unisex T-shirt features a purple zebra, an empowering color which symbolizes ‘spirit’ on the rainbow flag, a symbol for LGBT Pride and the inspiring words, “We R Who We R” along with HRC’s equality logo and Ke$ha’s signature on the front. The Musicians for Equality series is a collaborative project from the Human Rights Campaign which celebrates musical artists’ contributions to the fight for LGBT equality and universal acceptance. From straight allies offering messages of hope to openly LGBT artists sharing their personal experiences, each musician has made a commitment to achieving equal rights for all. Energized by collaborations with designers Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Kenneth Cole, Calvin Klein, Perry Ellis, Christian Siriano, Heatherette, Alex & Chloe, Nike and American Apparel, HRC is proud to offer musical voices to the growing chorus of LGBT rights supporters.

100% of the proceeds from this t-shirt will support HRC’s commitment to LGBT equality. The t-shirts will be sold at HRC Stores in Provincetown, MA; San Francisco, CA; Washington, D.C.; and shop.hrc.org. They are constructed of 100% cotton and retails for $35. Only 1,000 T-shirts will be produced.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Whether by chance or design, the former Massachusetts governor confronted a series of questions about his views on those topics at a town-hall style meeting with voters in Hopkinton Monday night, Los Angeles Times reports.

Speakers at the event include House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, GOP presidential candidates Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. Other participants include Senator Jeff Sessions , Senator Roy Blunt, Laura Ingraham and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the Family Research Council (FRC) as a hate group because of their “propagation of known falsehoods — claims about [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities — and repeated.”

“This is a clarion call for equality supporters and a sign of just how much influence groups like the Family Research Council hold over anti-LGBT lawmakers,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “The Speaker of the House took the stage at the Values Voter Summit this morning and touted the amount of tax-payer dollars being spent on the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act. This is a reminder that we have real challenges ahead of us – from repealing DOMA once and for all to making our workplaces safer and more equitable with the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.”

“The government belongs to transgender people as much as it belongs to anyone else,” said Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, author of the bill. “California’s records belong to Californians. It’s as simple as that.”

The Vital Statistics Modernization Act brings California law that governs changes to birth certificates, and other identification documents in line with standards set by the United States Department of State for gender changes on passports, alleviating the confusion, anxiety and even danger transgender people often face when seeking changes to identity documents. The law simplifies the current process transgender people must follow to obtain a new birth certificate to reflect their gender, requiring only that transgender individuals receive medical certification from an attending physician that the that they have undergone “clinically appropriate treatment.”

“The Vital Statistics Modernization Act eliminates outdated and onerous barriers that transgender people face when trying to update their IDs,” said Masen Davis, Executive Director of the Transgender Law Center. “Having identity documents that match who we truly are is critical to our ability to work, travel, and thrive. We applaud Governor Brown and our lawmakers for prioritizing the health and safety of transgender Californians”

“Transgender people, like all Californians, deserve to live with dignity and respect,” said Roland Palencia, Executive Director for Equality California. “Something as simple as government recognition of their authentic gender identity is essential to ensuring transgender Californians can pursue their lives without harassment and fear. We applaud Assemblymember Lowenthal and Governor Brown for their leadership and for making California a more fair and equal state for all Californians.”

The Transgender Law Center is at the heart of a movement of transgender people, their families and allies who recognize that our struggles for equality and authentic self-expression are all connected and related.www.transgenderlawcenter.org

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights advocacy organization in California. Over the past decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for LGBT individuals to a state with some of the most comprehensive civil rights protections in the nation. Equality California has passed more than 80 pieces of legislation and continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org