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Pride & Equality Magazine sits down with me to chat about LGBTQ youth, being a "Real Estate Artist" and my eggs drying up! Also, I'm so flattered to be the special guest for their 4th Annual Vincent R. Johnson Models of Hope Dinner next month. They honor "individuals that not only the GLBT youth can look up to, but anyone the community can see as a ray of light." Great cause! Tickets just $35 or $350 for a table. Hope to see you there!
 If you missed me being honored by Instinct Magazine at their New York City Bash, don't worry. You can catch me again at the Los Angeles Celebration November 30th! I'm being feted for my anti-cyber bullying efforts for Say It 2 My Face. Come meet me and all the other Leading Men featured in this month's issue. Below are some pix from the wildly successful NYC event. Photo 1: I'm on stage with Instinct Mag's Publisher JR Pratts and Rupaul's Drag Race Manila Luzon Photo 2: My old friends from UC Berkeley came out to support me. I've always been a little activist! Photo 3: With NYC writer David Perry who interviewed me for the magazine Photo 4: Coverboy Rick Welts, CEO of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, who recently came out! RSVP to meet me in Hollywood: http://instinctmagazine.com/rsvp-la Instinct Magazine's November Issue features me and other guys who are trying to make a difference. I'm so honored and flattered to be noticed for my work as spokesperson for anti-cyberbullying campaign Say It 2 My Face. Past leading men have included Andy Cohen VP of BravoTV, Armistead Maupin of Tales in the City, & Tim Gunn of Project Runway. Instinct Mag writes: "Many of the LBGTQ advancements this past year can be directly attributed to the 20 gentlemen we honor in Instinct’s 2011 leading men issue. They shattered stereotypes, demanded action and attention and, in some cases, put their own safety at risk in the name of helping others. They are...proudly showing the world what character and virtues a true leading man embodies." Full list of the 2011 Leading Men are here. Meet us at the Leading Men Party in New York City, hosted by Rupaul's Drag RaceManila Luzon November 15, 2011. RSVP here: http://instinctmagazine.com/rsvp-ny See you all there!  Cyber bullying has gotta stop folks! As the spokesperson for this cause, here I am spreading the word on the boob tube for SayIt2MyFace Campaign, which battles this horrible behavior. The charming & handsome David Perry interviews me for Comcast TV show Ten Percent. We discuss coming out, Perez Hilton, how I was cyber bullied, why this epidemic is more damaging than just plain old bullying! Watch here. (Ignore the bald spot on my head! My fade is too tight) Bonus Clip: One of my favorite authors Armistaud Maupin was just on Ten Percent too talking about his new musical Tales of the City based on his famous book series.   Question: A fellow realtor posted a homophobic Facebook post. What to do? - Jason Feinman, Pennsylvania Answer: Drop by his open house in a rainbow flag! Read the rest of my advice column here.  Kara Swisher and I were both speakers at the Better Homes & Gardens conference earlier this year in Las Vegas. It was wonderful to see her in action again at this dot429 event. When she is not keeping Eric Schmidt, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates et al in check, she runs All Things Digital. You see, when Kara talks, people listen. Her speech last night was sooo on point! The big players in the tech world are predominantly "older white straight men". As a proud & out lesbian woman, she is a rarity, especially given her ginormous public persona. "Basically it's a sausage factory!" (Her words, not mine!). I commiserated with her afterwards that it was the same in the real estate upper echelon. As a proud & out gaysian who wears his heart (and mouth?) on his sleeve, I know for a fact I've been blackballed in some quarters. I asked her how she deals with any backlash for her brash critiques & brutal honesty about the insular tech world. DON'T BACK DOWN. Glad we're on the same page, Kara! Thanks for paving the way! Here's my video for WORKopen, a collaboration between dot429 and Saks 5th Ave, to encourage people to come out at work.   dot429 & Saks Fifth Avenue have launched workOPEN, a new campaign designed to celebrate members of the LGBTQ community who are out & proud at work. I'm happy to lend my face & my signature dose of Hermanity to this cause. I'm all about being true to yourself, not just in personal life but in professional life as well. For us working gals, our careers define us. So come out come out where ever you...work!
 Ask an Expert is a section on LogoOnline where people write in with their LGBTQ related dilemmas. I'm thrilled to share my expertise, experience and eccentric point of view about real estate on this platform. My weekly posts will alternate between written Q&A and video Q&A. I can't let these cheekbones go to waste, right?
This week's question is "How to deal with an anti-gay landlord?" Read my official answer here. I want to share a personal story that I did not include in the article. When I was at UC Berkeley, I had an apartment that had floor to ceiling windows that faced out to Frat Row. My younger sister came to visit me one weekend from high school. She was a dancer & came to help me choreograph a show I was doing for National Coming Out Day. I was in drag rehearsing my routine in front of my sister when all of a sudden she screamed & pointed out the window. As I whipped around, I heard the entire wall of glass shatter and all I saw were shards of glass cascading all around us. We fled into another room & called the police. We huddled in a corner til they arrived. Clearly it was a hate crime. (not to mention vandalism and assault!) I was in full drag on Frat Row, and some 'phobes were trying to cut me...literally! The policeman was not sympathetic whatsoever. "It was just a prank..there's nothing we can really do...blah blah" I felt ignored, ashamed, violated, unsafe (not to mention guilty for putting my little sister in danger & exposing her to the cruelty of the world outside her suburban cocoon). The only person who showed me any empathy was my landlord, who was very understanding and comforting. He said this was not my fault & that he respected me for being out and proud. That meant the world to an 18 yr old Herman. For every anti-gay landlord you encounter, there is a gay friendly landlord! There ARE people out there who care. Hermanity Fans, please indulge me in this romp down memory lane. It is not related to real estate but it is equally important. This episode is for Dan Savage's ItGetsBetterProject that battles bullying.
Wasn’t it Bill Cosby who famously said: “Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.” I concur Bill! Personally, humor, laughter, satire & glamour are my weapons of choice. And in the spirit of humor, laughter, satire & glamour, here is an fitting quote from Oscar Wilde: “It is a curious fact that people are never so trivial as when they take themselves seriously.” For all the kids (and adults) out there who get stepped on, take solace that even I, Herman, the glittering real estate personality, was a total outcast. And you know what.... I still am! Your 'otherness' will catapult you to the stars...but only if you embrace it! It is a gift. Tap into it! |
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