I recently sat down with Patricia Schultz, author of the wildly successful book (turned into more books, calendars, travel journals, and even a Travel Channel TV show…) 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. A new edition of her famous book has just been release as a vivid and stunning pictorial journey around the globe with 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: The World as You’ve Never Seen it Before. We met for tea at the newly opened Hudson Yards on the west side of Manhattan, which has recently undergone a multi-billion dollar reinvention project. The new Hudson Yards…
Author: Keith Langston
We’ve all asked the question: How do I save money while on vacation? The standard responses we get are: “Visit somewhere where the American dollar goes far,” or “Travel during the off-season.” But let’s discuss some other ways to save money when traveling. The suggestions below might just be your ticket to having a fantastic holiday without spending a lot of money. Price match, even if it isn’t technically offered. Sites like Expedia, Orbitz, and Kayak have dramatically changed the world of travel, and they have seriously pissed off hotel chains and airlines. Nowadays, most companies offer price-matching or…
Equaldex is a user-generated “knowledge base,” as founder Dan Leveille put it during our interview. Leveille works for a marketing company by day, and his education background is in web development, but he has a passion for LGBTQ rights and wants to use his skills to help the cause, thus, Equaldex was born. When he founded the website, he had a tall order to fill. He wanted to create an easy-to-use website that informed readers of LGBTQ rights in every country across the globe. As time went on, the website generated traction and has been featured in publications like AirBnb…
Suburban Toronto has a new bus taking residents to wherever they need to go… it’s a giant pink bus, with images of famous LGBTQ Canadians on its side. Inside, the bus is filled with facts, information cards, and words of encouragement, all meant to educate people on the LGBTQ community, as well as to inspire LGBTQ riders to feel comfortable being themselves. https://twitter.com/blogTO/status/1145470835018350593 The idea for the bus began with the nonprofit LoveisLoveisLove, after famed Canadian philanthropist Kathryn E. Langley Hope gave the organization a hefty donation to make it happen. The goal was to operate the bus during Pride…
Going along with the global trend of reverting to conservatism, Indonesia, the world’s largest muslim nation, will most likely vote to amend its penal code this month. The revisions to the law will consider acts such as adultly, extramarital sex, abortion, and contraception as “social evils.” Even scarier, the law would forbid “obscene public acts” and the definition of such acts has been left intentionally vague to include whatever prosecutors would like it to. This will be especially hurtful to the LGBTQ community, whom already face extreme segregation and oppression within Indonesia. Since gay couples can’t marry, all homosexual sex…
Adam Berry is having a bit of a moment. His paranormal investigation show Kindred Spirits is one of Travel Channel’s most popular, and is currently filming its fourth season. Adam also participates in Strange Escapes with his Kindred Spirits co-star Amy Bruni, where the two, along with other paranormal professionals, guide participants through ghost hunts at some of America’s most haunted locals. And to top it all off, he’s happily married to his handsome husband, Ben Berry. Seeing as October is here, autumn is in the air, and Halloween in fast approaching, I sat down with Adam to ask him…
This year, the National LGBTQ Task Force will put on their 23rd Gala in the heart of Miami Beach at the gorgeous Fountainbleau Resort on Saturday, October 19. Seeing as this is the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, this year’s theme will be Fifty Years of FIERCE! According to the organization, “Fierce describes the activists, drag queens and kings, the leather daddies and biker babes, the gender-queer fashionistas and transgender stars. Fierce is the power in which we live our lives and the progress we’ve made in the fight for our rights to exist as we choose!” The event will begin with…
On September 24, the ACLU was presented with the Emmy for Outstanding Short Documentary for their film Trans in America: Texas Strong. The film was made in partnership with Little by Little Films, and was distributed by Conde Nast’s LGBTQ brand, Them. The film centers around 8-year-old transgender child Kai Shappley and her mother Kimberly. At a very young age Kai showed signs that she didn’t identity with her gender at birth. Her mother, Kimberly, struggled with trying to understand and comprehend what was happening. Finally, Kimberly accepted her daughter Kai and embraced her with love and affection. However, with…
Part burlesque, part musical, and part spectacle, with a pinch of Hedwig and the Angry Inch thrown in. If you’re asking what this is, it’s LatinXoxo, the new one-man show by performer Migguel Anggelo. The show premiered earlier this year at Joe’s Pub and went on to be featured in the Afterglow Festival. Now, due to popular demand, Anggelo will reprise his show for three nights only at Joe’s Pub. Preview night is October 15 and then the show will run November 6-7. The show is inspired by Anggelo’s Venezuelan background. Machismo culture is prevalent in Latin countries, so growing…
The tango, Argentina’s national dance, is seeing a resurgence in an unlikely place…the LGBTQ community. Historically, the tango is an extremely heteronormative and male-controlled dance. Traditionally, a woman could only dance the tango with a man, and the man must be the one who approaches the woman, and the man must be the lead in the dance. In the 90’s, however, a new underground movement formed within Buenos Aires, Queer Tango. Groups of LGBT people, and even tango lovers who simply didn’t want to follow the strict rules, secretly came together to dance and have fun, without the pressure of…
Russian LGBT activist, Yelena Grigoryeva, was stabbed to death this summer due to a dangerous website calling itself “SAW” based upon the popular horror franchise. For those unaware of the film, the plot centers around a deranged madman dying of cancer. He believes he can atone for his sins before death by torturing people who have done bad things. However, there is one significant difference between the film and this Russian site that the founders clearly didn’t understand. In SAW, the point was to torture the victims, while giving them the option to survive. It was about making a sacrifice…
On October 10, the Fort Lauderdale edition of the OUTshine Film Festival will return to the sunny coast of Florida. This year, the festival has 33 feature-length films and 18 shorts from 13 countries around the world. The event is being sponsored by Gilead, Broward County, and Culture Builds Florida. The festivities kick off October 10 with a screening of the comedy Adam by Rhys Ernst. The film has stirred up much controversy and praise over some of its themes, and is sure to be a hot talking point at this year’s festival. https://www.instagram.com/p/B096c97l1X0/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet After the screening, an opening…
On Thursday, the New York City Council claimed to make a tough decision: They decided to put forward legislation that would reverse the city’s ban on gay conversion therapy. What are they thinking? This is a decision based on fear, and the law must not be repealed. So why would NYC want to allow gay conversion therapy? As the New York Times puts it, “The City Council fears that if a federal lawsuit challenging the ban were to reach the Supreme Court, the panel could issue a ruling that protected the practice.” In essence, the City Council is worried about…
A same-sex couple in Maryland has filed a lawsuit against the US State Department with the help of LAMBDA Legal, Immigration Equality, and a pro bono counsel. The State Department is claiming that the couple’s child is not a US citizen. Both fathers, Roee and Adiel Kiviti, are US Citizens. According to a press release sent out earlier today by LAMBDA and Immigration Equality, Because only Adiel has a biological connection to Kessem, the State Department is disregarding Roee and Adiel’s marriage and treating Kessem as “born out of wedlock,” meaning she must have a biological relationship to a U.S.…
Trixie Mattel. Drag queen, singer, songwriter, autoharp pro, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, and star of her YouTube series UNHhhh alongside her drag partner-in-crime, Katya. With all this success, Trixie has become a world traveler. Whether she’s selling out concert halls to play music or on the road with Katya for UNHhhh Live, one thing’s for sure, she’s been everywhere. I had the privilege of catching up with Trixie at New York’s DragCon to discuss all things travel. From her favorite destinations to her must-have travel accessory, and even an inflatable urine-filled pillow…Trixie Mattel reveals it all. By…
Last week, Rio de Janeiro’s mayor Marcelo Crivella took it upon himself to become outraged at a 9-year-old Marvel comic titled Avengers: Children’s Crusade. The Bienial Do Livro book fair, a local literary event, was selling copies of the Avengers comic, and the mayor (an evangelical) suddenly demanded that LGBTQ children’s media shouldn’t be seen in public. Crivella claimed that such literature should be “packaged in black plastic and sealed.” (I’d like to also acknowledge that the characters portrayed in the series are teenagers, so calling this “children’s literature” seems a bit untrue.) The issue immediately went to a local…
Over the weekend, at the New York installation of DragCon, RuPaul had a very special announcement to make at the ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday morning: Drag Race is becoming a live spectacle and will be housed within the historic and flamboyant Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The show will feature a rotating cast of some of Drag Race’s biggest Queens, including, Aquaria, Kim Chi, Kameron Michaels, Asia O’Hara, and more. The performances begin January 2020, and pre-sale tickets go on sale tomorrow, September 10th at Drag Race Live, and a traditional pre-sale begins on Ticketmaster the following day, September,…
Mike Pence’s trip to Europe hasn’t been going quite as planned. A few days ago, Pence visited Iceland’s capital of Reykjavik and was met with an overflowing sense of diversity and inclusion—two things that Mike Pence hates most. The tech company Advania decided to “celebrate diversity that day,” and flew rainbow flags in front of their office. The headquarters for Efling trade union followed suit, as did many other organizations throughout the city. In fact, flags were even being flown in front of Hofdi House, where Ronald Reagan famously visited in the 80’s. To really top it off, Iceland’s president…
Think that nothing is dirtier than double-fisting, cock-docking, and motor-boating? Well, then you’ve clearly haven’t seen what the world’s oceans look like these days. Luckily, Pornhub has teamed up with sexual sensation LeoLulu to help solve that problem… and all you have to do is pull your pants down and sit in front of your computer. For real. In Pornhub’s The Dirtiest Porn Ever, couple Leolulu begin casually walking along a very polluted beach. Suddenly, the couple gets a little frisky…perhaps it’s the fumes from the rotting trash all around them? In any event, these two are ready to go…
Tony and Grammy winning actor and singer, Billy Porter, is set to be honored at this year’s 38th annual Black Tie Dinner. The Black Tie Dinner is one of the largest LGBT events in the country, and previous years have seen the likes of Connie Britton, Maya Angelou, Lilly Tomlin, Dustin Lance Black, and many more. The event is set to take place November 2nd in Dallas, Texas. The night’s theme is, “Be.” The Black Tie Dinner has grown tremendously over its lifetime. The first event, held back in 1982, raised $6,000 for charity. Last years event raised over $1,000,000! Throughout…
For decades, Flight 001 has been the pinnacle of what a travel store should be: useful gadgets and fun travel accessories, all with a quirk and charm that make them extra special. It’s the kind of travel store you’d image Richard Branson opening. Recently, I was able to sit down with Flight 001 co-founder Brad John on a gorgeous morning near Madison Square in Manhattan to discover the story behind such a fascinating business. Keith: Naturally, my first question is going to be, how did all of this get started? Brad: Well, me and my business partner were both business…
In case you needed a reason to visit Bermuda this summer, they just announced that they will be celebrating their first Pride Weekend on August 30-31! After a long struggle, Bermuda is now dedicated to celebrating diversity in all forms. They’re embracing the LGBTQI+ community, while also taking the racial history of the island into consideration. That’s why Bermuda has decided to create their first-ever pride logo using inspiration from what has become known as the “Philadelphia Pride Flag,” where two extra stripes of brown and black are added into the rainbow mix to highlight the struggle that LGBTQ people…
Earlier this year, photographer Manuel Rodriguez teamed up with The Phluid Project to collaborate on a special project for World Pride. Rodriguez believed it was important to showcase the vast beauty and strength within the LGBTQ community, and the dichotomy of World Pride taking place in an era when LGBTQ rights are being stripped away served as his inspiration: “This book was to tell the world, we’re here,” he said. To create this vision, he spread the word that he would be taking photos of the LGBTQ community and for everyone to send their friends, family, and colleagues his way.…
I love good luggage. I think it’s important to travel with items that are sleek, stylish, and make you feel like you’re going somewhere wonderful. However, I also understand that my luggage is going to be thrown around, dropped, rained on, snowed on, get lost in during a layover, and then mailed to my home two weeks later (long story, don’t ask.) Therefore, as much I love stylish travel bags, I’m not willing to fork out tons of money for something that is going to spend its life being abused at every turn. That’s why I always search the net…
Recently, I sat down with the “Beyoncé of Comedy”, international air hostess and ambassador for Air Italy, Pam Ann. As someone who tours the world, Pam Ann has seen it all. I figured, what better person to give me the inside scoop to some of the world’s greatest places than someone who’s been almost everywhere? Here’s what Pam had to say. By Keith Langston Keith: So, tell me, what is your favorite place in the whole world? Pam: Well, ultimately, my favorite place is coming home to Miami, where I now live. I’m probably a bit biased, but I…
Soft drink juggernaut, Coca-Cola, released a new ad campaign in Hungary titled ‘Equal Love’. The ads feature both same-sex and heterosexual couples. Naturally, the conservatives of Hungary are furious, and according to AdAge, they stated that Coca-Cola “promotes same-sex love over heterosexuality.” A Hungarian anti-abortion organization even jumped in, starting an online petition to remove the ads. Luckily, Coke isn’t backing down. The company has decided to stand by their ads, stating,“Our belief is that everyone has a right to love and that the feeling of love is the same for all.” This whole debacle began with Coca-Cola releasing the…
United Airlines has announced that it’s entering a partnership with CLEAR, the biometrics security company that lets you skip the TSA security line with the swipe of a finger. CLEAR is available at over 60 airports throughout America, including cities like Detroit, Dallas, and Phoenix. To determine how beneficial CLEAR will be to you, look into whether it’s at your home airport, or the airports that you travel to often. If you’re on the fence about buying a yearly subscription to CLEAR, which is $179, then perhaps receiving a discounted price through your airline could help sweeten the deal. Depending…
Richard Branson has gone from the air to the sea with his new venture, Virgin Voyages. Virgin’s maiden ship The Scarlet Lady will set sail from Miami to the Caribbean starting in the spring of 2020. The ship, which is an astonishing 17 stories tall, will include an outdoor yoga studio, fitness bootcamp, VIP sundeck, spa, nightclub, karaoke bar, theater, and much much more. One thing that the Scarlet Lady will have that no other cruise ship does is her very own craft beer. The still unnamed beer will be an Extra Pale Ale that mixes American and English brewing…
On Monday, July 22, gay rights activist and politician, Taiga Ishikawa, was elected to Japan’s National Parliament. Ishikawa won a seat for the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. The current ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is avidly anti-LGBTQ+, and Ishikawa is determined to challenge them with his new position. His party is trying to introduce a bill for protecting LGBTQ+ people from discrimination, as well as a marriage equality bill. According to Japanese news outlet Asahi Shimbun, after his victory, Ishikawa stated, “I would like to do my best to enact both pieces of legislation…I want…
Puerto Rico Governor, Ricardo Rosselló announced his resignation after massive protests erupted on the island’s capital of San Juan. The protests came after offensive messages surfaced between the governor and his inner circle via Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism. The messages included homophobic and sexist remarks, as well as jokes about victims of Hurricane Maria. Besides the comments, recent events have set the platform for the massive protests against the governor. Many Puerto Ricans are still suffering after the devastation of the hurricanes, and political corruption has long angered the island’s residents. Furthermore, just one day ago, Rosselló’s Chief…