SML Gay Blog

Marriage Equality New York: Gay Straight Black White, Marriage is a Civil Right

2010-01-20T13:08:00.001-05:00

Crowd chanting "Gay Straight Black White, Marriage is a Civil Right" and "What do we want? Marriage Equality. When do we want it? Now."

Recorded during the NYC Lighting the Way to Equality candle light vigil organized by the Marriage Equality New York, a non-profit all-inclusive organization whose mission is to educate the public by raising awareness of the important right of all persons to enter into legally recognized gender neutral civil marriage with all the benefits and responsibilities that entails.

How I did it

This track was possible mostly because of Ableton Live's ability to wrap beats with not just sound but the video also - this allows me to properly align the crowd chant which is not really on the beat.

Both the video and the soundtrack is licensed CC-BY-SA. You can download it the 720p WMV on Vimeo, and the 148 BPM WAV file is on SoundCloud:

http://soundcloud.com/seeminglee/gay-straight-black-white-marriage-is-a-civil-right-loop

Marriage Equality New York

http://meny.us

Marriage Equality New York is an all-inclusive organization whose mission is to educate the public by raising awareness of the important right of all persons to enter into legally recognized gender neutral civil marriage with all the benefits and responsibilities that entails.

Without marriage, committed same-sex couples are denied over 1,138 federal rights and obligations including social security, hospital visitation, co-parenting rights, estate tax, and immigration, just to name a few.

Posted via email from SML Posterous

Life Celebrates Diversity / SML Photography

2009-12-30T01:39:00.005-05:00

Life.

Life celebrates diversity.
Life celebrates differences.
Life celebrates humanity.

Regardless of age, attire, or build.
Regardless of class, color, or culture.
Regardless of education, flavor, or gender.
Regardless of hair style, income level, or interest.
Regardless of life style, location, or philosophy.
Regardless of profession, physique, or race.
Regardless of religion, role, or sexual taste.

Life is equilibriumism.
Life is everything and nothing.
Life is all of us and none of us.

— See-ming Lee, 2007.07.07

+ SML Flickr Set: 2,016 photos, 4 videos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/seeminglee/sets/72157622785744864/

CC-BY-SA See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Photography / SML Universe

First Openly Gay Racehorse To Compete Sunday

2009-11-25T18:25:00.000-05:00

First Openly Gay Racehorse To Compete Sunday

via Life Celebrates Diversity

I Say A Little Prayer [video]

2009-10-18T12:34:00.006-04:00

This is *so* gay!!! Love it!

YouTube:JasonWhipple
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lp3s4ygDw0
The Full Silkwood performing "I Say A Little Prayer" from GLEE, starring Josh Cheon, Jason Whipple and Mark Louque.

via FriendFeed:idlg2009

TV Ad: Together [video]

2009-10-18T08:22:00.000-04:00

via Rochelle on FriendFeed

Jon Stewart slams FOX for ignoring the National Equality March

2009-10-16T02:51:00.000-04:00

via iTod Pouch on FriendFeed

Best gay artists on Flickr

2009-10-09T22:02:00.001-04:00

I have been on Flickr for quite a while and I have met countless inspiring gay artists on Flickr whom I follow on a daily basis. Here are a few who caught my eyes over the years:

1. flondo™

2. male ®

3. centaurpics

4. bodirkley

5. Ismael Álvarez

Do you know of anyone that I have missed? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

That's gay: No Homo [video]

2009-10-08T15:11:00.010-04:00

Discovered one day while reading tweets from @lgbtlife, this is the funniest gay video I have seen in years!

That's gay: No Homo | Infomania | Current

Are you terrified that people may think you're gay? No worries, hip hop has coined a phrase to get you out of the stickiest situations. Just throw in a "no homo" and you can say pretty much anything you want!

That's Gay is a recurring segment on the weekly television show infoMania. In each episode of That's Gay, Bryan Safi explores gay issues and stereotypes as they are portrayed by the clueless media. For more Bryan visit http://current.com/groups/thats-gay/ and Current TV.

infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, Bryan Safi and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at http://current.com/infomania/ or on Current TV. And make sure to check out our facebook profile for special features at http://infomaniafacebook.com.

Bert and Ernie / SML Ideal Husbands

2009-09-24T08:59:00.002-04:00

Bert and Ernie (Wikipedia) are two roommates on the long-running television show Sesame Street. The two appear together in numerous skits, forming a comic duo that is one of the centerpieces of the program. Originated by Frank Oz and Jim Henson, the characters are currently performed by Muppeteers Eric Jacobson and Steve Whitmire, with Oz performing Bert occasionally since 2000.

I always thought that Bert and Ernie are the perfect couple. I admire them and I cherish them. I also thought that they are the ideal husbands, and I wish that my love life is as rich and colorful as theirs.

A few years back, I met a friend who used to be an executive producer at the Children's Television Workshop, and I said: you know they are so gay... He said: They look gay because they *are* gay.

I don't know why I have never thought of putting them in a photoshoot together but tada here they are, featured in my Ideal Husbands photography project. I tried to write toy stories regarding these two love birds:

Toy Story 1

Toy Story 1

SML: Hi, I'm working on a project called Ideal Husbands and I would really like to include you guys in it.
Ernie: Yeay!
Bert: Hmm... I'm not sure, Ernie, it doesn't sound like a very good use of our time...
Ernie: But it would be so much fun.. Weee....
Bert: I'm exhausted from work. Don't you think that it would be better use of our time if we cuddle in bed instead?
Ernie: Oh come on babe, if we get photographed by SML, we would be famous! Wee..!
Bert: (reluctantly) Alright.. I guess I can sit in for a few minutes, but be quick!
SML: Thank you thank you thank you! Lots of SML Love for you!
Bert: Hurry up I don't have all day... Ernie honey, try to sit still!

Toy Story 2

Bert and Ernie with the wooden salamander during the Ideal Husbands shoot at SML Studio.

Toy Story 3: Kiss

I made an attempt to get these love birds for my kiss project but Ernie's constant open-mouth action made it tricky. I will try again later.

Toy Story 4: Life is great when you're next to me

Toy Story 5: Bert and Ernie: Getting Trashed on Pinot Noir

With a big glass of Pinot Noir in hand, Bert forgot about the pain of modeling while Ernie got trashed.

Erotocrat (NYC) had a different take:
It was reported by Burt that the euphoria caused by Ernie is unlike hand-puppet jobs received from other muppets. I even remember my first experience with Ernie, who as a young muppet, emerged from Mr. Hooper’s bodega off of Sesame Street one crispy morning. Ernie glanced at me as though I were a masked Adonis of some sort and told me in no uncertain terms, that he felt like the letter B.

Toy Story 6: When Tigger Visits

Bert is unamused when Tigger comes to play.

Bert: Tigger comes over to visit us every now and then. I think that he's cute and all but the problem is, he and Ernie would just giggle and gossip non-stop which gets really annoying sometimes.

Related SML
+ SML Flickr Sets: Bert and Ernie / SML Ideal Husbands
+ SML Flickr Sets: Ideal Husbands
+ SML Flickr Sets: Men

Flickr Censorship Standards = Gay Bashing?

2009-09-09T14:50:00.004-04:00

Cross-posted on SML Pro Blog.

Earlier this year, Flickr popped my account to "restricted" status, resulting in a 3000 to 30 daily stream views.

It took me 6 months to figure out what the hell was wrong. I didn't get a reply from the official staff despite several attempts to contact them. Eventually I got so pissed off that I did a Twitter stunt and posted a long-winded outcry on GetSatisfaction.com. That appears to help, I got a reply from the Flickr staff within one day.

Apparently, according to Flickr standards, the image below is to be treated as moderate / restricted.

Personally I do not understand why this image is moderate. Afterall, don't you see guys like this *all the time*?

Flickr replied by saying that the image needs to be moderate because the person is wearing "skin-tight" clothing. I then asked them if I took photos at the Olympics or at the beach, do I need to mark them as moderate as well, to which they reply, that "regardless of where they were taken, they need to be moderated."

In other words, according to Flickr Censorship standards, this will only appear in an R-rated movie. Meanwhile, the Yahoo Pride page during 2007 happily use my photos on their site, so WTF?!

As such the image above is flagged as moderate as well. Even though I disagree with Flickr's standards...

Anyhow, SML Flickr is now "safe" after flagging all these images to moderate to restricted status, but this standard appears questionable.

Related blogosphere
+ Now Public: flickr: Racist and Homophobic, or Scamming?
+ Thomas Hawk's Digital Connection: Someone's started a Flickr Is Fascist Blog, Accuses Flickr of Anti-Gay Censorship Policies

madonna by male®

2009-08-26T23:35:00.003-04:00

madonna by male®, originally uploaded by male ®.

Another stunning piece of art work by Martin Leon Duque aka male® on Flickr.

male by male ®

2009-08-26T23:32:00.003-04:00

male, originally uploaded by male ®.

Welcome to Gaytown (from Crackle)

2008-12-13T23:49:00.001-05:00

The first Crackle show that got my attention:

Hulu: Gaytown

Check it out:

Copyright Notice
Copyright 2008 See-ming Lee / SML Gay Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

Awesome quotes from online personals

2008-11-22T04:18:00.000-05:00

So I haven't written a new post for this blog for a while, and I actually wonder if anyone is still reading - although interestingly the analytics data suggests that there are in fact some of you who still follow this - and to those readers, old and new, I thank you.

I'd like to to start a series of blog posts today of what I am calling "Awesome quotes from Manhunt," which are lines that I thought are either interesting, witty and anything that got me re-reading again lifted up directly from Manhunt, the very popular gay cruising site. I plan to add CL and SD selections in the future should this becomes fun.

To protect the identity of the users (this is a closed-gate community afterall), their username will not be quoted here - although if you spotted your witty phrase here and you would like to be credited (or additionally linked back), I'd be happy to do that. I just won't want to offend anyone :)

Also, if you have spotted any phrase that you are fond of, feel free to send them my way... alternatively, feel free to submit your own :) so here we go:

+ I am not a size queen, but I really like to be challenged...
+ bottom, top, vers, alive -- just DO SOMETHING

... started reading some more but got sidetracked... so... (to be continued)

How to cheer in Chinese / Olympics / 加油

2008-08-24T11:57:00.002-04:00

Not necessarily gay: but they sure look like a sweet couple if they were.

The Two Chinese Characters explain the multiple meanings of the word "jiayou" 加油 and teach you how to cheer in Chinese. Learn the Official Chinese Cheer of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, complete with 'civilized hand gestures' authorized by the PRC government.

The Two Chinese Characters (2CC) are John B. Weinstein & Carsey Yee. Video produced by Jamie Ciocco.

Copyright 2008 See-ming Lee / SML Gay Blog / SML Universe.

Annual Faerie + Church Ladies for Choice Drag March 2008

2008-06-28T16:14:00.002-04:00

Some highlights from the Annual Faerie + Church Ladies for Choice Drag March 2008. Be sure to check out the entire set and related collections:

SML Flickr Sets
+ Annual Faerie + Church Ladies for Choice Drag March 2008
+ Annual Faerie + Church Ladies for Choice Drag March 2007
+ Radical Faeries Drum Ritual / Gay Pride New York 2007

SML Flickr Collections
+ Gay Pride New York 2007
+ Gay Pride New York 2008

Copyright Notice
Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee / SML Gay Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

Google Trends: Gay vs Straight

2008-01-22T23:47:00.000-05:00

www.google.com/trends?q=gay%2C+straight

Someone at work (who shall not be named so as not to be tainted with these subject matter) told me about Google Trends today as a far more addictive toy to play with than Google Sets. I tried it out and he's darn right.

Here as per my own curiosity, I noted how while there are approximately twice as much "straight" news stories than "gay" news stories, there are more than 10 times as many "gay" searches than "straight" searches.

If Kinsey is right about that 10% of the (American) population is gay, then we see that the other 90% is at least very curious.

Copyright Notice
Copyright 2008 See-ming Lee / SML Gay Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

Bar-hopping in NYC

2008-01-19T00:59:00.000-05:00

Avery took me out for dinner at Mercer Kitchen on Friday (2008-01-18). Food was yummy. It was definitely a welcoming treat at the end of the SML Appendectomy event:

Roast Chicken

Slow-baked Salmon

My weird dessert: popcorn float

Dinner

And now... hot men spotted during the bar-hop afterevent:

Mark, 31yo, went to college in DC for international affairs, seen at Therapy

Brian, 33yo. T-shirt by Kenneth Cole. Seen at Vlada

Nate (NG), 29yo, also wearing Kenneth Cole. Seen at Vlada

Then we decided to hit to Eagle NYC:

Found this hot muffin Sean Donahue on the roof. Woof!

Rafael, doorman at the Eagle

We went to Barracuda and called it a night. Found Taylor J.. Hair by Sasa at Redge. Taylor is 24yo and lives in Astoria:

And that concludes my January gay bar hopping tour. Trust that I'll be doing more of these very soon.

Cheers,
SML

Copyright Notice
Copyright 2008 See-ming Lee / SML Gay Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

All-Ivy / Seven Sisters Mixer / 2008-01-17

2008-01-17T19:41:00.000-05:00

Went to my second All-Ivy / Seven Sisters Mixer this past Thursday at People and had a ton of fun. Avery told me all about it but he couldn't come at the last minute. But I'm glad that I went anyway.

As always, I'm taking photographs of hot men found at the party for my Ideal Husbands project. Here they are:

William Sofield / Princeton Alum

Michael Lewis, Harvard '94

Derrick Smith, Dartmouth '07

Malcolm Toussaint, Harvard '96

Julian Liu, Yale '98

Dartmouth '97 Babes - name unavailable

Went to Urge and 105 Rivington afterwards with Sean Chappin (Yale '98) but somehow the next day I got up I discovered I've got some very interesting photographs of the Cock. I wonder how I got there:

And that's a wrap!

Copyright Notice
Copyright 2008 See-ming Lee / SML Gay Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

Levi's gay commercial

2008-01-16T19:29:00.000-05:00

I was watching Project Runway today and I was surprised to find a well-made gay-themed commercial during the commercial break and of course I found it on YouTube!

It is very encouraging to me as more main-stream brands embrace the gay community for advertising. It's smart for them anyhow: the majority of the gay and lesbian household profile is double-income, no kids, and are people who have the drive to achieve much more (perhaps to prove a point to their family and peers) and thus will have a significantly stronger spending power than other market segments.

Copyright Notice
Copyright 2008 See-ming Lee / SML Gay Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

"My Family Thinks I'm Gay" with Subtitles / YouTube

2008-01-14T01:45:00.001-05:00

Ideal Husband / 20071117.10D.45974 / SML Love

2007-11-18T14:05:00.000-05:00

SML Flickr Tags: Dirty Patrick

Dirty Patrick (dirtypatrick.com)

Related SML Universe
+ Meta Men
+ SML Fine Art
+ SML Genius Pool
+ SML Ideal Husbands
+ SML Love: Dirty Patrick
+ SML Men
+ SML Wiki: Dirty Patrick

Copyright Notice
Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee / SML Gay Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

Korres in Soho, NYC / 20071108.SD850IS.1038 / SML

2007-11-11T21:26:00.001-05:00

Korres in Soho, NYC / 20071108.SD850IS.1038 / SML, originally uploaded by See-ming Lee 李思明 SML.

www.korres.com

Manufacturer in Greece of hair, body and face care products with highly concentrated natural active ingredients.

SML Thank You
I would like to thank Joshua van der Broek (Flickr / LinkedIn) for recommending that I check it out.

SML Copyright Notice
© 2007 See-ming Lee (Blog / Facebook / Flickr / Google / LinkedIn / YouTube)

SML Copyright Notice

Getting Piggy on PowerPoint

2007-11-08T18:28:00.000-05:00

Awesome MTV by the folks at Pleix, a virtual community of digital artists based in Paris. Some of us are 3D artists, some others are musicians or graphic designers. This website is the perfect place to share our latest creations.

Very inspirational. Highly recommended.

Warning: parental guidance strongly advised.

YouTube: Plaid - Itsu

Copyright Notice
Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee / SML Gay Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

See-ming Lee (SML Me) / 20071101.SD850IS.0994 / SML Life

2007-11-04T18:14:00.001-05:00

See-ming Lee (SML Me) / 20071101.SD850IS.0994 / SML Life, originally uploaded by See-ming Lee 李思明 SML.

See-ming Lee = SML

Frames by Theo
Leather by The Leather Man
Photography by MOD aka Sugar Butter

Related SML Universe
+ I am SML
+ SML Life
+ SML Me
+ SML Self Portraits
+ SML Wiki: See-ming Lee

SML Copyright Notice
© 2007 See-ming Lee (Blog / Facebook / Flickr / Google / LinkedIn / YouTube)