Noah Parrell

Wolfgang Tilmans, by Thomas Dozol

Erik, by LeBeau Foto

Photo by Ryan Edward Scott

Syntagma Square in Athens; protesting vist of German Prime Minister Angela Merkel on October 9, 2012

Merkel protest in Athens

Bogota, Colombia

Valparaiso, Chile

Thomas Carlyle, self-portrait

Angeles National Forest, California

Thomas Carlyle, self-portrait

Photo by Matt Hopkins

Photo by Abajapa

Jonathan and Kevin (twins), by Ferreira de Sampaio

Staffan Badrum, by Jonas Norén

"Portrait of Simon and Me, Summer 2014," photo by Paul Specht

Mänttä, Finland

Photo styled by Noah Parrell

Photo by Michael Bidner

All self-portraits by mypeaceofmind8.tumblr.com

Luces de Bengala, self-portrait

Playa "Las viusdas," Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, 2014

Rey B., by Mikel Marton

"The Camp," by Danthedanimal

Photo by Billy Ntousas

Marcus and Evan, by Ron Amato

Photo by Matt Hopkins

Photo by Apollo Delios

Ron and Joey, by Ron Amato

Photo by Ron Amato

Photo by Dirtroadrussell

Photo by SILV Modeling

Barceloneta Beach, Barcelona, June 2010

Juan Carlos, by Jean Baptiste Huong

Photo by Abajapa

Shawn, by Ron Amato

Raoni and Andrew, by Jean Baptiste Huong

Photo by Michael Bidner

Photo by Matt Hopkins

Photo by Dirtroadrussell

The United States Senate was the marquee venue in the November 2014 election. Out go the Democrats and in come the Republicans. The nation probably will suffer at least another two years of gridlocked government. And maybe the impeachment of President Obama (which of course will not result in his removal; enough Democrats are left to stop that nonsense).

But what happened on November 4 goes far beyond the Republican takeover of the Senate in Washington. Democratic legislative candidates, from Maine to Alaska, lost. State by state, the defeat was overwhelming. Come January, the Democrats will have full control of state government in only seven states.

Seven.

That has enormous implications for the LGBT community in areas from marriage to anti-discrimination law to helping people with AIDS or HIV. But first, take a look at the statistics:

The number of Republican governors rose to 31, just three shy of the all-time high of 34 in the 1920s.
In legislative elections, a net of 291 Democratic seats went Republican. Come January, three out of four state lawmakers in the country will be Republicans.
There will be more Republicans making statewide policy than at any time since the 1920s. They will hold 69 of the 99 state legislative chambers (Nebraska's legislature is unicameral).

The Democrats will have as much legislative power as they did in the 1860s, according to the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures.

For a full rundown on the catastrophe, check out Marc Thiessen's opinion column on Monday's Washington Post.

What does having Republican control over state government mean for us?

Marriage Equality. If the United States Supreme Court rejects the idea that marriage equality is a constitutional right, look for states to end same-sex marriages wherever they can. Exit polls from the November 4 election showed that voters overall favor same-sex marriage 49 percent to 48 percent—roughly even. But among Republican voters only, support for marriage equality drops to 27 percent and opposition grows to 71 percent. It's hard to imagine a Republican legislator rejecting his constituents' opinions, especially when those opinions are so strong. If you live in a state where same-sex marriages were performed entirely on the say-so of a federal judge, be aware that absent a favorable Supreme Court ruling, you may become "un-married" some day.

Anti-gay Discrimination. One year ago, the Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The House of Representatives refused to consider it. The bill automatically dies at the end of December, and it's not likely to be a priority for the new Republican-led Senate. LGBT groups have been trying to enact ENDA-like laws incrementally, state by state. That process now will be slowed because of the election results. In some states, there is some irony to that. In my home state of Pennsylvania, a gay man can marry a man one day and be fired from his job the next day. Will Pennsylvania pass its own ENDA? Maybe. If the newly strengthened Republican legislature consents. Good luck with that. Twenty-nine states have no laws explicitly banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.

HIV/AIDS. Look for Republicans to continue their tax-cutting mania even at the expense of public health. Watch for cuts in HIV prevention programs. People with low incomes often depend on state-funded medical treatment. Watch for cuts there. Also watch for legislatures to enact harsher penalties for people with HIV who have sex with others.

Youth Support. A few states fund programs that provide assistance to kids who are kicked out of their homes because they are gay. Some states also proactively try to keep gay kids from committing suicide or taking drugs. Don't expect a lot of sympathy from incoming Republican legislators. A lot of them see these programs as too expensive and, well, too gay. Just 18 states have laws that explicitly address harassment or bullying of students based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Hate Crimes. Most states have laws for stronger punishment in cases where a a crime is committed against a victim based on a specific characteristic, such as race, ethnicity or religion. Sixteen states have no law to cover sexual orientation or gender identity. These states include Republican-controlled Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio and Michigan.

Parenting. Each state has its own laws governing adoption by same-sex couples. These laws vary widely. In general, 18 states make no explicit provision for same-sex couples to adopt a child. These states include Texas, Virginia and Georgia. Eight states, including Ohio and Wisconsin, have major obstacles to adoption by same-sex couples.

Hospital Visitation Rights. What happens if your partner is hospitalized? Federal law since 2011 require written policies regarding visitation rights. Most states now allow partner visitation. Sixteen states (including Florida, Texas, Georgia and Ohio) do not. Will they honor the federal requirement? It's been three years.

State legislatures and governors play an important, even crucial, role in determining the quality of life for members of the LGBT community. Generally speaking, Democrats are sympathetic to LGBT issues even if they don't always speak out or vote our way. Republicans are less reliable. Some don't regard us as a priority. Some don't care. Some are viscerally opposed to us.

Gordon Klingenschmitt, new right-wing darling

(By now you've probably heard about Gordon Klingenschmitt, the Internet preacher who has been elected as a state representative in Colorado. He fears that the "demonic spirit" of homosexuals is trying to "force Christians to participate in their sodomy." State Senator Donna Campbell has introduced legislation in Texas to allow businesses to fire LGBT employees and turn away LGBT customers in the interest of protecting "the religious rights of business owners.")

So there you have it. The kooks are emboldened. The challenges we face suddenly are much greater.

But it gets worse. The Republicans are finally in position to skew the playing field for the 2016 presidential election.

Ensuring a Republican president in 2016

The 2012 presidential vote in Ohio
by congressional district

Right now, all states (except Maine and Nebraska) rely on a century-old practice of awarding electoral votes for president based on the statewide popular vote. Republicans are talking about rewriting the rules to award electoral votes on the basis of the vote in individual congressional districts (which they gerrymandered in their favor after the 2010 census).

Consider what might happen in Ohio a pivotal state in any presidential election. In 2012, all of Ohio’s 18 electoral votes went to President Obama because he carried the statewide popular vote. Under the "loser wins" plan advocated by the Republicans, Mitt Romney would have received 12 of Ohio's 18 votes even though the state as a whole preferred President Obama by 166,000 votes.

Emory University political science professor Alan Abramowitz calculated that if the Republican method were used nationwide, Romney would have taken 276 electoral votes (and with them the presidency) even though President Obama had a 5 million vote advantage in the popular vote.

Adopting the Republican plan would make it impossible for a Democrat to be elected president in 2016.

With victories in the 2014 elections, the Republicans finally have the strength to carry out their plans. Their strategists have identified Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nevada as the first targets.

Yesterday Michigan Representative Pete Lund, a Republican, said he will introduce legislation in the lame-duck session that he claims would make elections fairer. His plan, which is as convoluted as it is cynical, would have had the effect of awarding a majority of Michigan's 16 electoral votes to Romney in 2012 even though President Obama trounced Romney in the balloting statewide.

The Republicans not only have Congress; they want a lock on the presidency. And since the president nominates justices to the Supreme Court, they will gain the assurance that Republican-made laws are never overturned.

A point of personal privilege

If you wondered about my recent absence from this blog, I should let you know that I was working as hard as physically possible to elect a friend, a Democrat, to the state Senate in Pennsylvania. His was an open seat, one of four competitive races for the Senate. Had he and the other four Democrats won, Pennsylvania would have had a Democratic-led state Senate.

We lost all five races. My guy's campaign staff thought he was gaining ground as the election neared. Instead he lost by 20 percentage points. Voter turnout statewide was low—around 50 percent. Democrats and independents had the poorest turnout rates.

On Tuesday the Senate Republican caucus chose its 2015-16 leaders. The senators kicked out their current majority leader—too moderate, you see—and replaced him with one who was even more conservative. This sort of thing is happening across the country.

The only saving grace on November 4 is that the voters kicked out our incompetent Republican governor. We now will have gridlock—a Democratic governor and a Republican legislature—to look forward to. It's the same story that President Obama faces with congressional Republicans. Gridlock is the best we can hope for in Pennsylvania. Any pro-LGBT legislation will be kept on the books, thanks to the veto pen of our new Democratic governor. But we don't expect the Legislature to pass any progressive legislation.

But not every state is as fortunate as Pennsylvania, if you can call us lucky. Most states suddenly find themselves with no bulwark against extremism.

So this is the point I would like to leave with you:

If you didn't vote in the November 4 election, shame on you. You did the LGBT community a great disservice.

If you did vote, but voted Republican, then double shame. No, triple shame.

In either case, you are about to get the screwing of your lifetime, and it's not the kind you will enjoy.

"Drown," by Brian Oldham

Photo by Tom Bianchi

Serge Le Hidalgo

Jon B., September 2014, by Jude Ribisi Photography

Photo by Matt Hopkins

Photo by Mike Zanette

Born in Mexico and now living and working in Berlin, photographer Manuel Moncayo captures the daily life of men, nature and the sky. Here are a few beautiful examples of his photographic diary depicting the changing season.

Raoni, September 24, 2014; by Manuel Moncayo

"Hide," October 4, 2014; by Manuel Moncayo

Gunnar, October 13, 2014; by Manuel Moncayo

Gunnar, October 15, 2014; by Manuel Moncayo

Photo by Manuel Moncayo

R&P, October 20, 2014; by Manuel Moncayo

Gunnar, October 21, 2014; by Manuel Moncayo

Edgar, October 31, 2014; by Manuel Moncayo

Edgar, November 1, 2014; by Manuel Moncayo

Edgar, November 3, 2014; by Manuel Moncayo

Viladecans, May 2014

Marcus and Evan, by Ron Amato

Photo by Jean Baptiste Huong

Paris 2003, by Fedya Ili

Photo by Jean Baptiste Huong

Long hair, beards, nonconformity, ease of expression. These were characteristics of the hippie movement—if you can call it as such—of the 1960s. Back then, in crew-cut America, hippies were seen as radical, an object of attention on sidewalks and plazas and public spaces. Some passersby shrugged and went on their way. Others treated them as unwelcome. Richard Nixon's Silent Majority adopted the term "hippie" as a pejorative.

Today, people young and not-so-young are tattooed and wearing rings in places other than ears. Anyone can adopt their own hair style or hair color. Few people, other than the old and cranky, seem to be bothered by it.

As for long hair and scruffy beards, they are seen on everyday TV reality shows. The television tells of the lives of Alaska frontiersmen or Louisiana bayou loggers, long-haired, bearded and scruffy looking. Middle America tunes into these shows; they don't see those men as loathsome. The country is moving toward a live-and-let-live attitude. Maybe not fast enough but we're getting there. Slowly, surely. So the gentlemen depicted here, whose fathers and grandfathers perhaps saw hippies as disgraceful, aren't out of place today. Not at all. Actually, they're hot.