1. It turns out the antihero of critically acclaimed Dallas Buyers Club, played by Matthew McConaughey, may have been openly bisexual, although it's not portrayed in the movie that way. Craig Borten, the film's original screenwriter, has said that Ron Woodroof was "as racist and homophobic as they come." But in a story in Slate, it appears that the man "was not a homophobe ... according to those who knew him, but rather openly bisexual." Dr. Steven Pounders, who was Woodroof's primary care physician stated: "I never witnessed any homophobia in the time I knew him from 1988 through his death in 1992... He fit right in the gay environment without problems." Was Woodroof straight? "Brenda, his ex-wife, stated that he was bisexual."
2. Germany's former foreign minister went on the record saying Chancellor Angela Merkel needed to "decide" on marriage equality. Guido Westerwelle, who is in a civil partnership, told German mag Stern that it was time for Merkel to "decide" on what direction she would take on the issue of equal marriage for the country's citizens, adding "the progress made during our term in government" would be completed in the German Chancellor's third term, "namely the complete legal equality of same-sex partnerships and marriage."
3. Falcon Studios announced that an upcoming adult film will feature "digitally removed condoms." One of the leading studios of condom advocacy in the gay porn industry, Falcon's latest title, California Dreamin 1, has actors having sex with condoms but the finished product makes it appear that they are barebacking. Director Tony Dimarco calls his new film "a throwback to the classic, pre-condom Falcon poolside movies from the '70s and '80s," but many think it will confuse the idea of "safe" for viewers.
4. More than 1,000 people rallied in Tel Aviv to protest recent anti-LGBT violence. During a "Taking Back the Night" rally organized by Israel's transgender advocacy group Gila, people carried banners with slogans such as: "Nobody decides whether I'm a man or woman!" and "We can't live with transphobia in the streets!" There have been angry reactions after leading Israeli media organizations reported the attack as a "prank," while police refused to register it as a "hate crime." A mob also recently attacked and beat several gay men in Tel Aviv while police again refused to register the incident as a "hate crime."
5. Vladimir Putin has gay friends. The Russian president contends that he can't be homophobic because he has gay friends and would like to meet Elton John. No, seriously.
6. Great Caesar produced a new music video for 'Don't Ask Me Why,' the band's pro-equality anthem. The Brooklyn-based six-piece, brass-fueled chamber-rock band debuted a powerful new music video and short film--crowdfunded by more than 600 contributors to the the band's Kickstarter campaign--on Martin Luther King Day to celebrate and remember the legacy of the civil rights leader. Watch it below:
