The Bilerico Project | Daily experiments in LGBTQ

Many gay men struggle with their body image, not necessarily because they should. I'm not satisfied with how my body looks; however, not everyone should feel bad about their bodies not should they be ostracized because of how they look. I want to change my body, not to some skinny socially fabricated ideal but to something that makes me feel healthier. Falling prey to superficiality isn't healthy and shouldn't be passed off as something that's appropriate or beneficial.

When trying to define why gay men hate their bodies so much, as Orlando Soria tried, it is good to see past one's immediate surroundings and situation because generalizing about an entire group of people doesn't help the argument even if truth can be found in it. Yes, gay men tend to be vain and superficial but perpetuating that fact doesn't help any of us. Gawker points out how the previously mentioned article didn't fully grasp the argument it tried to make nor how it added to the issue, even after accounting for the piece's flippant tone. Now, having read that piece and you're either nauseated or self-conscious, here are some other news you need to know:

• The GOP's platform committee has proposed a new directive to the party's platform: to prepare for the imagined threat of Islamic ultra-conservative religious laws while ignoring another religious threat. Plus, you'll never guess who was behind this idea.
• Our education system is in shambles. We all know this and there has been little attempts to improve it; however, those few attempts at improvements have been attacked and criticized by America's party of progress, the GOP.
• In other education news, the US has started falling behind in college graduates globally and two of our economic competitors are doing the opposite. The report also points out how our lowering number of graduates contributes to many more issues like income inequality and global economic competitiveness.
• Latin American countries are full of contradictions when LGBT rights are the issue. Some countries allow for some rights while also denying other rights. Some countries progress faster than others. Here's an explanation of how one Latin American country has made some progress while also held back.
• Following Rep. Akin's statement on rape and his mis-apology, the abortion issue has appeared throughout the political scene and has prompted many to ask questions about what Republicans really think and to examine current abortion laws. However, looking at other nations' abortion laws and how ours compare, we may see some foreshadowing and similarities.
• I've never played a sport but there are and have been many LGBT people who have and have been forced to remain in the closet or have been shunned by their teams for coming out. Here's one man's story about being a closeted athlete. (Via Buzzfeed)
• Reason number one for never letting abuelita clean old paintings. She may mean well but it won't end well.

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