Let the Games Begin

by Brian Patrick, CompeteNetwork.com

Let the Sochi games begin? The real Sochi games began long before the start of the Olympic Torch Relay leading to the Opening Ceremony on February 7th. Considered by many to be a fiasco, it seems it could be a portent of things to come.

En route, the Olympic flame went out more than once and in one case was relit by a security guard with his Zippo lighter. One of the carriers even set himself on fire. Sadly, international politics have eclipsed the very reason for holding the Olympic Games – using sports to promote peaceful and friendly interaction among competing countries.

Read more: Let the Games Begin

Cazwell and Manila Luzon Unite on New Club Track: HELEN KELLER

“Helen Keller”, the latest dance floor anthem from indie hip hopper Cazwell, was intended to be a trendy moombahton track (the genre that fuses electro with reggaeton and a bit of house).

But when Cazwell revisited “Helen Keller” at the close of 2013 with a more hypnotic, four-on-the-floor pulse, he decided this version was the frontrunner for his long-awaited album, Hard 2 B Fresh. (watch the video here)

Read more: Cazwell and Manila Luzon Unite on New Club Track: HELEN KELLER

Things that Are ALWAYS Illegal: Sexual Assault Behind Bars

By Chase Strangio, ACLU

Imagine you are taken from your community and family and sent to an institutional environment where everything is separated by sex.

Once you get there the officers in charge of your every moment tell you that you are not the sex you have always known yourself to be but instead are the opposite sex and will be considered that sex for all purposes.

Read more: Things that Are ALWAYS Illegal: Sexual Assault Behind Bars

Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles Remembers Friends of Russian LGBT Family in Tribute Video

As Sochi, Russia prepares for the 2014 games, and as the international community remains divided about recently-passed anti-gay laws in that country, members of Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) continue to stand in solidarity with their Russian friends as they searched their archives and pieced together a video dedication to the LGBT Community.

In October of 1999, GMCLA traveled to Moscow to perform at Tchaikovsky Hall with famed Russian pop star Alla Pugachova. Nearly 2,000 LGBT persons and their allies filled the concert hall to stand together in harmony as one of the largest ever gatherings of LGBTs in the country.

Read more: Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles Remembers Friends of Russian LGBT Family in Tribute Video