ABOVE: He was a link to Hollywood's history, and a long-surviving physique legend.
Dying to be accepted? (Image via Instagram)
THE INTERCEPT: A few days back, news broke of the tragic death of 35-year-old gay influencer Jeff Thomas. I didn't pay close attention to who he was, but comes word he was the kept boy — for lack of a better phrase — of the odious Peter Thiel. But as The Intercept points out, Thomas had given interviews confirming he was liberal and had tried (apparently not very successfully) to persuade Thiel to extract himself from right-wing politics.
The Intercept's piece on Thomas and Thiel illuminates an ill-fated relationship, and contains reporting that Thiel, who is nominally married (to a man; he's out), throws no-holds-barred gay-sex parties, and on at least one occasion personally recruited a collegiate attendee. It paints a picture of rich guys using social media like a sex menu, and of Thomas as a cock-eyed optimist who thought he could change the mind of — of all people — Peter Thiel, one of the most soulless, diehard righties in politics today.
Thomas's death is being investigated as a suicide. He plunged this death from a Miami apartment building. Conveniently, (right-leaning) 'bloids have been filling in the blanks for Thiel ever since, theorizing Thomas could've died while taking a selfie.
Kudos to The Intercept for even touching a Thiel-related story after he drove Gawker from existence for daring to out him.
Tigerrr ... (Image via Gastohn Barrios for Modus Vivendi)
MV: Modus Vivendi's Tiger Swimwear line is making a splash. (If you're a first-time buy, use BC15 for 15% off; I get no $ from it.)
Prokop's doing right by LGBTQ people in speaking up. (Image via Luke Prokop)
CBS SPORTS: Luke Prokop, an out gay prospect of the NHL's Predators, has opened up about his disappointment in hockey teams shying away from embracing Pride Night expressions of solidarity. Prokop is the first out player under contract with the NHL.
NBC NEWS: Uganda's new anti-LGBTQ laws are breathtakingly brutal.
KGW8: Darcelle XV aka Walter W. Cole Sr., famed Portland, Oregon, drag performer, has died at 92. A family statement read:
The family of Darcelle XV along with her cast and crew are heartbroken to announce that our beloved Darcelle (Walter W. Cole, Sr.) has died at age 92 from natural causes. We ask for privacy and patience as everyone processes and grieves in their own way and at their own pace.
PEOPLE: So upsetting. Kayleigh Scott, who used her transition story in a widely viewed United Airlines ad, posted goodbyes on her social media pages and took her own life.
She wrote:
As I take my final breaths and exit this living earth, I would like to apologize to everyone I let down. I am so sorry I could not be better. To those that I love, I am sorry I could not be stronger. To those that gave me their everything, I am sorry my effort was not reciprocated. Please understand that me leaving is not a reflection on you, but the result of my own inability to turn myself for the better ... I will see you all again on the other side.
Kayleigh's ad was unusually revealing and frank, and included images of herself prior to transitioning:
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