Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1994, but so far there has been no rehabilitation or compensation.
Gay convicted under Germany’s anti-homosexuality laws may be pardoned – with the Bundestag (parliament) voting next week.
In May Heiko Maas, Germany’s Minister of Justice, announced he would push for the rehabilitation of gay men sanctioned under the Nazi’s paragraph §175.

Originally established during the German Empire, Hitler’s regime toughened the law to persecute gay men; the law’s Nazi version was kept until its mitigation in 1969 and finally abolished in 1994.

From fighting acne decades past puberty to scoffing at the first signs of wrinkles, it’s hard to win the good-skin game. But before cursing your genes, ask yourself whether your skincare routine and lifestyle habits are up to par. And by that we don’t mean clocking hours in front of the mirror or stealing your girlfriend’s fancy facial products. There’s no need for five-step peels or expensive serums, says Howard Sobel, MD, a New York City-based dermatologist. Layering on too many products can actually irritate skin. The key is washing and moisturizing every day and following a few other maintenance basics, he says. Check out Sobel’s do’s and don’ts for a fresher looking face.

1. Do Think about wrinkles early

Even if you’re still getting ID-ed at the bar, adding a retinol cream to your daily routine in your 20s will help stave off fine lines and wrinkles down the road. Plus, retinol boosts cell growth and collagen production, which improves the tone of even non-wrinkled skin.
Since the wrinkle-fighting ingredient makes skin more sensitive to the sun, use it at night. Simplify your routine by picking a product that combines retinol with a moisturizer, suggests Sobel.

2. Do Lather Up

A splash of cold water does more than wake you up. A good cleanse helps slough away dead skin cells that stick together and make your face look dull. Use a wash with glycolic acid, both in the morning and before bed, advises Sobel. For a deeper clean that also stimulates the growth of new skin cells, wash with an exfoliating scrub once or twice a week. Just don’t overdo it—cut back if skin starts to get red or irritated.

3. Don't Forger Moisturizer

Lotion should be an automatic step two after cleansing. Apply moisturizer when skin is still slightly damp to help seal in moisture, suggests Sobel. Most face lotions are oil-based, which work well for guys with normal skin—and they’re a must for dry or flaky skin. If you have oily skin or are prone to breakouts, look for a water-based product.

4. Do Stay Hydrated

Lotion is only half of the hydration equation—skin needs moisture from the inside out, too, says Sobel, who suggests drinking six to eight glasses of H2O a day. Also keep tabs on how much alcohol and caffeine you’re gulping down. Both can make you dehydrated, but drinking coffee or booze along with food and water can help counter the dehydrating effects.

You are perfect as you are. No need to disguise yourself, to lie about your identity. Be yourself in the best gay friendly destinations in Europe. For a romantic city trip, or with friends or even a break in a sunny destination, discover our selection of some of the best gay friendly destinations in Europe 2016.

1. Paris - France:

In Paris, the gay community has its neighborhood! The largest concentration of trendy establishments is located in the famous Marais district like Banana Café around the Saint-Paul metro station.

Pope Francis said Sunday that Christians owe apologies to gays and others who have been offended or exploited by the church, remarks that some Catholics hailed as a breakthrough in the church's tone toward homosexuality.
"I repeat what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that they must not be discriminated against, that they must be respected and accompanied pastorally," Francis said at a press conference aboard the papal plane returning from Armenia.
"The Church must ask forgiveness for not behaving many times - when I say the Church, I mean Christians! The Church is holy, we are sinners!"

As he often does during unscripted moments - particularly papal news conferences - the Pope spoke expansively, saying the church should seek forgiveness for a number of historical slights committed in its name.

1. Fewer men are going out to gay events

Again, blame the apps. I only have anecdotal evidence, but I know many guys, myself included, who kind of want to go out, but not actually, but still want to hook up, etc. What do we end up doing? Hopping on Grindr or Tinder or Scruff. It’s like if you can order D to the door, why go out to a restaurant?

2. You’re torn between “having fun” and finding love

There seems to be a “grass is always greener” phenomenon, especially when we're in our twenties. Friends and family members often trivialize our relationships, telling us to just “have fun and explore” because we’re “so young.” But when we're dating someone, we often feel like we’re missing out on other relationships and experiences.


3. Hookup culture is contagious

Even though we all claim to be looking for love, we can never seem to meet someone else who is. Hookup culture is rampant, and everyone wants to do things with no strings attached (NSA). But sometimes, we want strings. Why is that such a bad thing?

4. Guys are less likely to approach in person

You can blame the apps for this one. Is it only me or guys are getting shyer and shyer? With hookup apps, we’re losing social skills (or at least many of us are). When meeting people in person was the only way actually to interact with a cute guy, we took risks. We knew out-right, in-person rejection was just a thing that happens. With apps, we don’t feel as hurt or rejected because it’s not in person. Because of this, many of us are too timid to talk to guys IRL.

5. You live in a small town (and there are literally no options)

That’s a tough one. While you can live in a small city and be openly gay and love it, many gay men feel smothered. Here are some tips for surviving being gay in a small town.

6. You’re not sure whether you’re jealous of him or want to date him

Honest to god, when a guy looks at me intently, I have no idea if he’s flirting with me, judging me, or sizing me up. The male-on-male gaze is, and will forever be elusive to decipher. Does he want to be me or be inside me?

US-Gun control advocates lobbying Congress in the wake of the Orlando shootings learned a long time ago: Build momentum first in the states.
Abortion rights proponents hoping to overturn restrictions on clinics and doctors at the Supreme Court learned the value of telling personal stories.
Immigration rights activists still fighting to get undocumented parents the protections already achieved for their children learned how to influence public opinion.

All three groups have taken a page from one of the most successful campaigns in history: the gay rights movement's effort to win same-sex marriage, consummated at the Supreme Court a year ago.

Having sex has never been easier for gay and bisexual men than it is in 2017. With apps like Grindr and Tinder, you can have dick delivered to your door quicker than a large Domino’s pizza. While this can, of course, be fun and liberating, it’s sidetracked many queer men from pursuing more real and fulfilling relationships. Please don’t get me wrong - I absolutely love casual hookups and am one of the few queer men who actually enjoys Grindr. I’ve not only had great sexual encounters but have made some lifelong friends through the app. I do, however, think it’s very easy to get into the “Hit it and quit it” mentality with apps like Grindr and Scruff, causing us to accidentally pass by someone with whom we could have had a real emotional connection.

Still, love is far from dead; you just need to know how to go about searching for it. So if you are a hopeless romantic, looking for that one person to spend your life with, you need to change your approach to finding men. Here are some tidbits of advice to help you find the perfect men.

1. Don’t hide your feelings.

They’ll either come out in a way you don’t want them to, or, simply put, you’ll be unhappy. You may even begin to resent him. Say what you need to say. Let out all your emotions.

2. Don’t force him into a relationship if he’s not there or not the relationship type.

Some wild stallions can’t be tamed. That’s Ok. Ultimatums seldom work for the better. If he’s not in a place to date seriously, don’t try to push him into it. He needs to get there organically. 

3. Be willing to compromise.

That said, there is such a thing as being too picky, and that might mean you’re not actually ready to be in a relationship. Compromises, even sacrifices, will need to be made. Just make sure you don’t compromise on the things that you find most important.

US - The Pentagon is set to lift the regulation prohibiting transgender people from serving in the U.S. military on July 1, according to a report in USA Today.
The Washington Post and USA Today both quote anonymous senior officials as saying the Defense Department will end the ban in the coming weeks following a nearly year-long review initiated by Defense Secretary Ashton Carter in July 2015.

Eric Pahon, a Pentagon spokesperson, said the timing of lifting the ban isn’t necessarily July 1, but an announcement is expected soon.

Stressed Out?

Does life seem overwhelming to you in spite of your best efforts to organize yourself? Modern life is stressful. The world is busier and busier and there appears to be no end in site.

Living the Gay Life as a frequently unacceptable and often invisible minority

creates even more stress and worry. Stress becomes overwhelming when you let your mind concoct fearful stories of how things are going to fall apart and then convince yourself these doomsday scenarios will come true. This run away thinking can cause you to mess up your relationships, your health, your career and your friendships.

Growing up, Gay Teens often become “Perfect” in order to fit in at School and Socially

It’s hard to be perfect in a very imperfect world. So taking this learned behavior into your adult life creates unrealistic expectations, impossible goals and constant disappointment, which leads to disliking yourself and sometimes downright hating yourself.

Unmanaged Stress Leads to Anxiety Disorders or Depression

…Such as panic attacks and physical health issues as well as depression. In an interview Dr. Doris Taylor of the Center for Cardiovascular Repair at the University of Minnesota has shown that stress shortens our life-span by reducing our ability to produce replacement cells.

You can learn to Manage your Life without excess Stress

- The first step is to is to learn to manage the run away thinking that stresses you out
- Once you learn not to stress yourself out under pressure, it is easier to make good decisions.
- The benefits of learning to manage stress include better health, happier relationships, feeling fulfilled in your life and a greater sense of well-being.

Stress Management Skills Include

- Mindfulness Meditation Training and

- Modern Cognitive Psychotherapy Principles

The ancient art of meditation and mindfulness training combined with the modern knowledge of psychotherapy provides an effective way to successfully work with difficult emotions such as fear, anger, jealousy and reduce our stress levels. The same University of Minnesota study mentioned above found that people who meditate 15 minutes per day have significant increases in regenerative stem-cells in their blood-stream, the very cells necessary to promote healing and prevent premature aging.

Using my knowledge as both a meditation instructor and psychotherapist I will teach you techniques and provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to manage your life more effectively allowing you to achieve your dreams.

Tips to Lower Stress:

Everyone feels stressed out sometimes, but if you don't keep your stress level in check, it could become overwhelming.

Studies have shown the benefits of lowering stress , and that high levels of worry and stress can negatively impact your health. In 2010, researchers at the University of Rochester School of Medicine found that people with higher job stress also had a higher body mass index (BMI) than employees with less stressful positions.

A 2006 study from Tel Aviv University in Israel showed that workers who experienced high stress levels were 1.8 times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. And another 2006 study from the University of California at San Francisco showed that stress-triggered hormones could worsen or even cause skin disorders such as psoriasis and eczema.

Feeling stressed out over your stress levels yet? Here are 11 tips to help you live a little less stressed.

1. Hug it out

Oxytocin, which is also known as the "cuddle hormone," is involved in social bonding, but can also help to lower stress levels. Produced in the brain's hypothalamus, oxytocin is then transferred to the pituitary gland, which releases the hormone into the bloodstream.

Several animal studies have shown that the hormone relieves stress and anxiety in social settings. In a 2007 study, researchers separated prairie voles, which are Midwestern rodents, from their siblings. The isolated prairie voles exhibited signs of anxiety, stress and depression, but these symptoms abated after they were injected with oxytocin. 

The body naturally produces oxytocin during sex, childbirth and breastfeeding. But the "love hormone" can also be released during simple physical contact, such as a friendly hug. Even playing with your dog can boost oxytocin levels, according to a 2009 study published in the journal Hormones and Behavior.

2. Get a massage

Getting a massage not only helps you relax and ease muscle tension, it may also impact your hormone levels in a positive way, according to a 2010 study.

Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found that after receiving a 45-minute massage, participants had decreased levels of cortisol , a stress hormone, and vasopressin, a hormone believed to play a role in aggressive behavior.

3. Don't vent

Complaining about what's stressing you out may seem like a good idea, but a study published in July showed that unloading about your problems to a friend may not always be helpful.

The study, which was conducted by researchers from the University of Kent in England, found that when people with traits of perfectionism faced daily setbacks, venting made them feel worse . These study participants felt less satisfied with their circumstances than before they talked to a friend about what was stressing them out.

"Venting is not an effective strategy for anyone trying to cope with daily stress, whether they have perfectionistic tendencies or not," social psychologist Brad J. Bushman, who teaches at Ohio State University and has researched aggression and coping, told MyHealthNewsDaily. "Research clearly shows that venting increases rather than decreases stress."

Instead, try one or all of the three strategies the study found to help people cope with setbacks; acceptance, humor and positive reframing, which means looking for something good in an otherwise stressful situation.

A new Gallup survey estimates that 123,000 same-sex marriages have taken place across the U.S. in the year since the Supreme Court ruling that legalized such unions nationwide

New York-A new Gallup survey estimates that 123,000 same-sex marriages have taken place across the U.S. in the year since the Supreme Court ruling that legalized such unions nationwide.

Gallup says the proportion of gay and lesbian cohabiting couples who are married has increased from 38 percent to 49 percent during the year.

Decades ago, an early morning raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York sparked violent protests among gay patrons who fought back after police burst in and tried to arrest them for daring to drink and dance with members of the same sex.
Nearly 50 years later, officers armed with assault rifles stand guard outside the historic bar, protecting patrons after a gunman in Florida staged a massacre at a gay nightclub and spread fear of more attacks.
The irony isn't lost on the gay community that used to see police as the oppressor and counts the 1969 Stonewall Inn raid as the start of the gay rights movement.
"Once upon a time they hit us with nightsticks, and now they're our protectors," said Gil Horowitz, 80, a retired research psychologist in New York who took part in the riots at Stonewall.

At gay pride parades this weekend, that evolution will be on display in cities like Denver, where the first parade in 1975 was in response to police raids on gay bars and arrests of gay men. On Sunday, police will march in solidarity and will have a robust presence among the crowd of 300,000 plus people.

One of the biggest mistakes guys make is being blind to the fact that “the man” you are has a bigger impact on your success with women/gay men than anything else. It’s not pickup lines or fancy clothes or losing a few pounds. Who you really are - on the inside - plays a bigger role in your dating life than any of those superficial fixes.
Check out these 10 tips on ways to become a better man - the kind of man women are naturally attracted to.

1. Stop idealizing women/gay men

A very common mistake men make when interacting with women/gay is to put on a pair of glasses that helps them say: “I will endure anything she says, I’ll overlook any flaw, if it means I can get one step closer to having sex with her.” When you’re interacting with a woman, stop idealizing her/him. Stop putting a halo around her head.
Why? Because if you idealize her/him and fail to recognize all the cues about how she/he really is, you’re going to get yourself in a heap of trouble. You’ll be in love with someone who is deeply flawed and you missed it because you lied to yourself. Stop idealizing. When you meet a woman/gay that seems perfect, hear the warning in your head that says “Stop Idealizing!” It can make a huge difference in how fulfilling your life is.

For more great tips on becoming the men you were born to be, attracting women and taking things to a "physical" level smoothly, be sure to sign up for my free Dating Secrets Newsletter. It’s jam-packed with dozens and dozens of specific strategies you can start using tonight to get more dates.

2. Make your territory yours

One great factory feature we humans come with is the idea of being territorial. It means you have a certain physical space that is your area, and you don’t like others intruding. In modern times, this territorial nature doesn’t get to express itself in healthy ways. Here’s one solution: Figure out how you can make the space you live in your territory -- how you can make it uniquely yours -- so that when you get pressure from the outside and need a place to chill, you have a place that you want to go to. As soon as you walk in the door, you can already feel yourself relaxing and feeling “at home.”

But protect your territory. If someone comes in and does anything unacceptable to you, say: “Stop for a sec; I think it’s better if you go right now. I don’t like it when that kind of thing happens inside my space. Why don’t you go right now and we’ll pick this up another time.” Make your territory yours. Own it. Women will respect you for it too.

Less than two weeks ago, the new issue of Attitude went to press. It would be its editor’s last edition – Matthew Todd, who has worked for the gay magazine since 1996, told his staff in January he felt it was time to move on. And his final issue would be a joyous, thunderous one that would get attention around the world; its cover star would be Prince William, the first time a royal would appear on the front of a gay magazine. In it, he would say “no one should be bullied for their sexuality”, and recognition of homophobic bullying by such a famous figure would, hoped Todd, put the issue firmly into the spotlight.

Four days later, a man shot 49 people dead at a LGBT bar in Florida, and wounded many more. Todd’s face seems to drain of colour at the mention of it. We sit in the offices of Attitude – it has a small circulation but it punches well above its weight in terms of influence – where Todd has been editor since 2008.

We’re Scared To Love Ourselves.

Love is a drug that produces different kinds of highs, and there are many types of love. There’s a love for family, a love for your work, a love of music and art, and then there’s love for another person. All of them trigger different characteristics, which can make you feel valuable.
Why are some gay men scared of love? It’s something many of us claim we want. Our news feeds overflow with pictures of same-sex couples holding hands, and friends always comment, “Relationship goals.” We dream of it, yet when opportunity arises we push it away because we feel like it’s too big, too good or too magical to handle.

Love Makes Us Feel Out Of Control.

It’s kind of like being on a roller coaster and not knowing what to expect. It lifts, drags, and swings us around and all we can do is surrender. But for many queer men, surrendering means we don’t have a choice except to lose ourselves. And, that could be too costly.
To love is to be raw. You take a gamble - you might get hurt, you might be devastated, you might open your heart to someone only to have them rip it apart. But at the end of the day, loving someone forces you to surrender and to give up overthinking.

Thinking Is A Scary Concept.

Thinking causes use to judge ourselves and each other, and we judge everything except emotional strength. We assess appearances, talents, titles, and finances. We evaluate masculinity and personality, but it’s hard to look at someone - completely vulnerable, honest and painfully genuine - and say, “he’s sexy.”

Because sex is everything to us. If the world thinks we’re sexy, everything else doesn’t seem to matter. In an environment where love is a result of sex, we shape our value based on sex appeal rather than emotional strength.

A List of the Top Five Most Common Killers for Older Men:
There's good news for men in their quest for longevity. Though women still live longer in most countries of the world, the mortality gap, or difference in life expectancy, is closing. In North America, a man can expect to live to between 75 and 78 years of age, depending where he lives. For women, life expectancy hovers between about 80 and 83 years of age.
Though you can't control your gender, you can take steps to prevent some of the major causes of death of older men. Here they are, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in order of prevalence:

1. Cancer

Lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers are the most deadly forms of the disease in men. Though a family history of cancer may increase your chances of getting it, there are steps you can take to minimize your risk.


What you can do to prevent it:

- Limit alcohol use to 1 -2 drinks per day; high consumption has been linked to higher incidence of colon and lung cancer, for example.
- Don't smoke, and avoid secondhand smoke from others who do.
- Eat a healthy diet, including fruits, vegetables, fiber, and fish, while reducing fats and meat.
- Be physically active.
- Avoid air pollution where possible and exposure to chemicals at work and at home.
- Wear sunscreen and have any skin changes, like moles, checked by your doctor.
- Be aware of screening tests for early detection of colorectal and prostate cancers if you are over 50.

2. Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease, in which arteries serving the heart become narrow and hardened, is the leading cause of heart attacks. A man's risk of heart disease rises significantly after the age of 45.

What you can do to prevent it:

- Monitor cholesterol levels and keep them within a healthy range.
- Maintain a healthy weight.

- Avoid smoking. Tobacco use is associated with a higher risk of heart disease.

- Get regular aerobic exercise that boosts your heart rate, ideally 30 minutes, 5 times a week.

- Eat heart-healthy foods, like the ones associated with a Mediterranean-style diet: fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, and other foods that are high in fiber, and low in saturated and trans fats.

It’s no secret among friends and acquaintances that I’ve often dated men younger than me, sometimes, so much younger (20s, 30s) that I could easily be my adult counterpart’s parent.
The usual response I get from gay men my own age to this is positive; they understand the attraction from my point of view, and many have been in similar situations. Female friends can be, well, less understanding, and in my experience, it doesn’t matter if they’re gay or straight women – they often just don’t understand it (but what do you talk about???)

The short answer to that is, of course, we talk about everything. But wait, what about the younger man? It’s easy to see why an older person would be attracted to younger, in fact, our entire society is based on youth worship! But what about the younger guy? What, in heaven’s name, does he see in the older fellow?

Here’s ten reasons, totally anecdotal, taken from my own life or from what I’ve observed over the years:

1. Experience: 

From the bedroom to the boardroom, older guys usually, though not always, have a better sense of what’s going on. And will be happy to share it with someone younger/not in the know.

2. Kinks

OK, back to sex and not only that, but an entire way of looking at things. Lots of younger guys find they like things on a more, um, wild side. Older men are more likely to have worked through whatever issues – homophobic, shame-based, whatever – surround some kinky activities, and again, are happy to share experience and knowledge with someone younger.

3. Mature physicality

I’m constantly amazed that there’s so many younger men who are physically interested in a more mature body, whether it be for the hair, the salt & pepper color, a belly, those distinguishing lines in the face - whatever it may be, there are younger guys who specifically look for those traits.

When you are 50 age. You will thinking a lot about this next chapter of your life, as if, You divided it into thirds, well, the first two thirds are kind of over (not much we can do about that!) and there remains the last third – which, if you're lucky enough to be like a few of my relatives, living to 90 or beyond is perhaps possible.
So what to do with whatever amount of life is ahead, how to use it, especially the gifts given? We was brought up to believe and actually still do believe we should make the most of our capabilities, our talents.

We do think that as gay men we put an extreme value on physicality and sexual attractiveness, and I’m certainly not immune to that. For many years, we equated much of my self-worth with how attractive it was we appeared to other men, i.e., if they wanted me, then we must have been worth something.

And it was true - sadly, perhaps, though it just speaks to our American culture and the gay American culture specifically -once I started working out at gyms when I was 28, a lot more invitations for intimacy came my way. So, while I always said I loved fitness because it made me healthier, the better reason is I loved it cause it got me laid.

And so, at a couple of weeks away from 50, those invitations have largely slowed down – not to an absolute dead gridlock stop, but let’s say they’re more on par with that slow roll to a sobriety checkpoint on a weekend night.

If you are fortunate enough to be really pretty, this gradual loss of looks is probably much harder. Added to that, for so many of us, at least of my boomer generation and likely many younger people, were fed lies as to our native self-worth as young, in the closet gays. Were you bullied? I was certainly called names; I didn’t regard that as bullying until recently, because it mostly never involved any physical violence - but there are other kinds of violence. Did you try to be the best little boy in the world? I did, that translated into being a perfectionist later in life. So if your self-worth is all tied up in the gym and how you look, and what happens when that starts to fade? What happens when the marketplace of jobs also decides you are too old, which often happens concurrently? What then, this double whammy?

Salt Lake City-Utah Lt. Governor Spencer Cox addressed a vigil held Monday night to honor the victims and survivors of the mass shooting in Orlando. Here is a transcript of his remarks: Ladies and Gentlemen.
Thank you for being here tonight on this very solemn and somber occasion. I begin with an admission and an apology. First, I recognize fully that I am a balding, youngish, middle-aged straight, white, male, Republican, politician... with all of the expectations and privileges that come with those labels. I am probably not who you expected to hear from today.

I’m here because, yesterday morning, 49 Americans were brutally murdered. And it made me sad. And it made me angry. And it made me confused. I’m here because those 49 people were gay. I’m here because it shouldn’t matter. But I’m here because it does. I am not here to tell you that I know exactly what you are going through.

The friend who, aside from being totally hot, knows you like the back of his/her hand, offering sage insightful advice and is always there to help you pick up the pieces after a dating disaster.
While cultivating a friendship should happen organically, there are a few ways to identify and nurture a close relationship with someone who will hopefully become your new gay bestie.

1. Understand that all gay people aren’t the same. 

Before you embark upon this epic search, consider the fact that just because a guy or gal is gay, it doesn’t mean he or she fits nicely into a certain stereotype. Just like straight people, you're going to find manly men who are gay and soft, feminine girls who prefer the ladies as well, and individuals who love or detest fashion, finance or fishing, or whatever else it is you're hoping they're keen on.
Even if you believe you must have that flamboyant gay man to be your gay best friend, consider first the person inside-what you are looking for is a soul mate friend, not a decorative accessory.

- Nobody likes a condescending person who thinks that anyone who knows them should feel grateful. If this is your underlying motivation, any friendship you form will be doomed to fail.

- Whatever you're looking for in your gay best friend, your relationship must be a mutually beneficial one. While you might be seeking fashion or relationship advice, witty conversation and self-esteem boosting or any other sources of support, your gay best friend is also looking for your support and advice. Be prepared to love, spoil and defend your gay best friend.

2. Take your time in finding your gay best friend and look for someone who “gets you”. 

Treat your search as you would do for any friend-seeking mission by being open-minded, available to talk, non-judgmental and thoughtful. Moreover, bear in mind that, as with any friendship, you cannot force a relationship. Trying to tie down someone as your gay best friend by being overbearing and pushy will result in someone getting hurt and someone feeling used. Your friendship must be gradual, organic and a good click between the two of you.

- A best friend doesn’t judge you when you are down and knows exactly what to do to pick you up. In turn, you don't judge either and you are prepared to pitch in when your gay best friend's life is down.

- Your gay best friend should be someone who gets your sense of humor or understands your love of animals, for example.

- You’ll get each other’s jokes and want to share secrets because you know you can trust the other person. Trust is very important in any relationship, so be sure to develop this from the outset.

Gay men of a certain age know more than guys in their twenties-that’s a fact. They’ve been there, done it, got the t-shirt, and rarely want to repeat the same mistakes. For young guys still trying to figure it out, dating a men with more wisdom and experience is like finding a unicorn. We all want to find a unicorn.
The most fruitful relationships or flings I’ve had in my life were with men that had a good ten years plus on me. They benefited my life in ways I can’t explain, and vice versa. Age gaps in relationships are super common in the gay community, as they should be. For those men-younger or older-who try to stay within their own range, I say it’s time to open yourselves up a little more.

1. He knows himself.

He’s gone through a battle of the twenties, lessons of the thirties, and peace and tranquility of the forties. He knows what lies behind the bush because he’s been there, done it.
He knows his boundaries and actually pays attention to them rather than ignoring it because he knows the dangers of doing so. This kind of attitude will flourish any relationship while inspiring you to find your own self. He is wise, mature and a better lover.

2. He doesn’t sweat the small things.

Why should he? He’s learned that the more you dwell on tiny things the more likely it is to explode into something more destructive. He’s seen the aftermath of placing energy where it needn’t be, and chances are he doesn’t ever want to repeat the same mistakes.

3. He’s found his purpose and wants you to, too.

People who know their purpose in life live with meaning. Every breath, every second is meant to fulfill that purpose, and part of that purpose is to bring his lover up to his level. He wants you to find purpose too, and he’ll always be there to lift your spirits when you feel lost-which will be often.

As more and more people are starting to take action to improve their health, it’s helpful to have a few standards to which to compare yourself in order to see how you’re doing.
One error many males make is mistaking their “health” to be how they appear on the outside. While a high level of muscle mass definitely does represent a high fitness level, health encompasses much more than that.
In order to feel and function your best, you also need to focus on the body as a whole. The following signs are good guidelines to use to determine where you stand and if there are any areas upon which you need to improve.
Familiarize yourself with the following and periodically self-check to monitor your progress.

1. You are able to wake up without an alarm at approximately the same time daily

Staying well rested is very critical to good health, as not only does lack of sleep cause you to feel mentally fatigued during the day, but is a sign you may be at risk of having a stroke, obesity or heart disease. 


If you’re well rested, your internal rhythm should be functioning effectively, and you should easily be able to wake up naturally without an alarm at around the same time each morning. 

If you can’t remember the last time you woke up without a buzzer ringing in your ear, it may be time to consider calling it a night a few hours earlier. Remember that making up for sleep on the weekends is not an effective strategy to overcome sleep deprivation.

2. You’re within 10 pounds of your ideal body weight

Your body weight is the next health standard that you must assess if you want to check your overall health level. A great idea is having your BMI assessed, as this is the medical standard that places you either in the underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese categories. Additionally, you should also have a body-fat test taken. 

These two together can be much more telling than the BMI alone, which can place more muscular individuals in the overweight category. A healthy male under 40 should have 8-19% body fat and those over 41 should be in the 11-22% range.

3. After a cardio session, your heart rate returns to normal within 5 minutes

Our next quick and easy assessment of your health is to time how long it takes for your heart rate to return back down to normal after completing a cardiovascular session.

The sooner it springs back down, the better shape you’re in. Ideally, it should return to resting in five minutes or less.

4. Your urine is the color of a manila folder

While it may be the last thing you want to do, checking the color of your urine after you use the washroom is a great way to tell if you’re hydrated. If your urine is a deep yellow color, you’re not taking in enough clear fluids.

Additionally, if you notice any change in odor or any spots of blood in the urine, this is definitely reason enough to seek out a physician.

Like most gay men, you’ve been to your fair share of clubs, bars, circuit parties and live events looking for Mr. Right, or at least Mr. Right Now.
Then you discovered the convenience of online dating, where your next day was just a few clicks away and there was an endless supply of hot guys who all seemed very interested in meeting you. However, you know by now that many of those men interested in meeting you were either looking to string you along without having the follow-through to show up for a first date, or worse they just wanted a sugar daddy and were hoping to cast you in that role for as long as you were willing to play along.

So, in an age where LGBT individuals are finally gaining equality in political life, what can you do to gain some equality in your dating life as well?

1. You’ll Catch Better Fish With Better Hooks

The first thing to keep in mind is that your prospective next date only knows what you tell them about you. That doesn’t mean you should lie about yourself, but it does mean there are some facts you probably want to omit if you are serious about finding an equal as your next match.

“The biggest thing to remember is that everyone reads your dating profile and the messages you send carefully, so what you include in them has a lot to do with who responds to you” said Tucker L. of AllMale.com, a leading dating site for gay men over forty.

“If you have managed to make millions of dollars during your career, that’s great and we are happy for you, but you wouldn’t walk up to a stranger at a cocktail party and say ‘Hi, I make millions of dollars’ unless you wanted to become a sugar daddy.
You can mention what you do as a career, and things of that nature but throwing out dollar signs and words like ‘very successful’ is just begging for every street urchin and hustler to hit-you-up when they are looking for a free meal ticket.” Talk about who you are, not what you are, if you want to meet better men.

UK-An unprecedented number of people have gathered in Old Compton Street, Soho, to remember the victims of the Orlando massacre.
Thousands of people lined the streets and sang songs to remember the victims of the attack on Pulse, a gay nightclub in the Floridian city.
Soho is the historic heart of London’s gay scene and has also suffered attacks at the hands of homophobic extremists.

Mourners also gathered in major cities across the country, including Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester.
Old Compton Street fell silent at 7pm as a sign of respect for the partygoers killed on Sunday morning. Flags bearing messages of hope fluttered in the wind and a number of the fists were raised defiantly in the air during the two-minute silence.

There are certain qualities we all look for in a man whether we realize it or not. Some are harder to spot than others, but let’s face it, most of us are looking for the same things, right?
But the best qualities aren’t seen by a naked eye. They’re hidden inside our hearts. We know what they are, but more often than not we find them hard to articulate. We can definitely try though. Here are some of the best:

1. Not Talking Himself Too Seriously

There’s an epidemic running rampant in the gay community, and it’s called pretentiousness. So many gay guys take themselves too seriously and it needs to stop.
The second you pretend you’re better than everyone else is the moment we unconsciously stop taking you seriously. If you want to impress people, show them you’re not perfect - that’s more relatable. Be goofy every once in a while!

2. Emotional Availability.

Making ourselves emotionally available is one of the hardest things you can do. You have to let go of the past and trust your present state of mind - you need to trust your fear, which makes no sense, right? But hear me out.

Meeting a men who is emotionally available is like finding the perfect puppy. Everyone wants to be loved, but that one puppy who sees you  like actually sees you - and isn’t asking for food or water (just you) typically takes your attention away from the rest of the litter.

A men who reveals himself without any hidden agenda or secrets is a man you know is after your heart - not your bank account. He’s strong enough in himself to lay his spirit open for possibilities rather than keeping it locked in a cage.

3. Understanding Limits

A men who knows his limits is a man who knows himself. We try for so long to expand our limits, but there are certain things - moral or otherwise - you cannot change about yourself, and that’s fine! If he has enough self-appreciation to respect his limits, he’ll have more than enough to respect yours if ever he crosses them.

4. Non-Conformity

Being exactly like everyone else is never a quality gay guys want, yet most of us think we do. Gay guys especially have been trained to not rock the boat. When I was in high school, being out and proud wasn’t an option. So to conform meant to “belong.” This way of thinking sticks with us way into adulthood.

But things are different now. We no longer need to hide from the world. We can be ourselves without shame, but for many of us it’s too late because we missed those years of figuring it out. Trust me, it’s never too late to know thyself. You don’t need to talk, walk, think, or look like everyone else. Don’t fit in. You were born to stand out.