+
upworthy
More

Watch this candidate for Maryland governor try to 'piss off' Trump by kissing his husband.

Most politicians end their campaign ads with a shot of their family. Richard Madaleno is no exception.

Madaleno, who is running to be the Democratic candidate for governor of Maryland, devoted his latest ad, "Take That," to how he'd "infuriate" Donald Trump. During the short clip, he rattles off a series of accomplishments, such as standing up for Planned Parenthood, banning assault weapons, and supporting public schools.

The video cuts to a shot of Madaleno and his husband and two children in the closing seconds. He says, "And what's the number one way I can piss off Donald Trump and the Republicans?" before leaning in and kissing his husband.


[rebelmouse-image 19534715 dam="1" original_size="500x252" caption="GIF from Richard Madaleno/YouTube." expand=1]GIF from Richard Madaleno/YouTube.

The LGBTQ Victory Fund called the ad "historic" for featuring a same-sex kiss. And sure, probably.

"At a time when the White House and other anti-LGBTQ politicians are attempting to erase our visibility and rollback our rights, Rich Madaleno is boldly stating he’s proud of his family and will fight for all Marylanders if elected," Annise Parker, president & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, said.

"Not long ago, out LGBTQ people were unable to run for statewide offices such as governor, but voters now recognize there is an authenticity to LGBTQ leaders rarely found in today’s politicians. Rich is on-track to win the Democratic primary because of that authenticity, his deep roots in the state, and his 15 years of legislative experience. And it is great to see him share his love for Mark and the kids with voters too — especially in a political ad airing during the president’s favorite television show."

The ad, as Parker hinted, ran in Maryland and the District of Columbia during "Fox & Friends." This really was some top-level trolling. It is worth noting that the number of Republicans who support same-sex marriage is on the rise. There's still a long way to go, however. Pew Research found that in 2017 that 40% of Republicans approve of same-sex marriage, compared to 73% of Democrats.

More LGBTQ representation in government would definitely be an improvement.

Parker, the former mayor of Houston and an out lesbian, raises a really great point about the lack of LGBTQ representation. The Victory Institute (the research arm of the Victory Fund) released a report in Dec. 2017 highlighting just how underrepresented LGBTQ people are in government, noting that they were only aware of 448 LGBTQ elected officials serving in the U.S., just 0.1% of the total. In order to achieve equitable representation, they estimate a need for 21,307 more LGBTQ officials.

Annise Parker speaks during a Family Equality Council event in 2015. Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Family Equality Council.

"Nothing about us without us" and "No taxation without representation" are common themes throughout history touching on people who are underrepresented in an organization or government or who are simply denied a voice entirely. It's hard for LGBTQ people's concerns to be heard without proportionate representation — the same goes for other underrepresented groups, such as people of color. While nobody is suggesting we find a way to elect another 20,000 LGBTQ people immediately, it certainly couldn't hurt to have a few more in positions of power.

It would really be nice to live in a world where two husbands kissing doesn't immediately conjure shock value.

A quick look at comments on the original video shows that there are still people extremely uncomfortable with the idea that LGBTQ people exist. Unfortunately for them, we absolutely do exist. Straight politicians kiss their spouses so often that we hardly notice it (unless it gets awkward, and yeah, sometimes it gets awkward).

Perhaps the confrontational nature ("Take that!") of the kiss in Madaleno's ad makes an important point of defiance to an administration that's been anything but friendly to LGBTQ people since taking power. Let's just hope it doesn't always have to be that way.

You can watch Madaleno's full ad below.

True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

Keep ReadingShow less
Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Van Gogh’s Starry Night.



Van Gough never got to enjoy his own historic success as an artist (even though we've been able to imagine what that moment might have looked like). But it turns out that those of us who have appreciated his work have been missing out on some critical details for more than 100 years.

I'm not easily impressed, OK?

I know Van Gogh was a genius. If the point of this were "Van Gogh was a mad genius," I would not be sharing this with you.
Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Mom shows why painters tape is her 'weird' thing she'll never travel without

For parents with young kids looking to have a little less travel stress this holiday season—this one's for you.

@nicholaknox/Instagram

A mom shows all the ways painters tape can be useful while traveling

Traveling can be stressful for anyone, but it’s particularly challenging for parents with really young kids. The sitting still for long periods of time, the changes in schedule, the abundance of stimuli, the unexpected stomach bugs, the suddenly running out of diaper wipes…all the things that make trips triggering for toddlers and therefore chaotic for mom and dad.

And while there might not be a way to completely avoid every travel-induced aggravation (it’s all part of the journey!) there are definitely tips and tricks and tools to make it a bit smoother of a process.

For one mom, a peaceful trip always begins with a roll of painter’s tape.
Keep ReadingShow less
via Pexels

Millennials are now old enough to seriously reflect on life.

It seems like only yesterday a millennial was a college kid that baby boomers chided for being entitled and Gen Xers thought were way too sincere and needed to learn how to take a joke. Today, the oldest millennials, those born around 1980, have hit their 40s and have lived long enough to have some serious regrets.

They also have enough experience to take some pride in decisions that, in hindsight, were the right moves.

The good news is that at 40 there is still plenty of time to learn from our successes and failures to set ourselves up for a great second half of life. These lessons are also valuable to the Gen Zers coming up who can avoid the pitfalls of the older generation.

A Reddit user who has since deleted their profile asked millennials nearing 40 “what were your biggest mistakes at this point in life?” and they received more than 2,200 responses. The biggest regrets these millennials have are being flippant about their health and not saving enough money when they were younger.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pets

Dog mom has the most random phone conversation that adorably captures her dog's attention

This nonsensical conversation has the puppy ready for tacos...now!

Dog mom's random conversation has dog on edge of his seat

Dogs are constantly listening even if we don't know it. Their little ears perk up anytime they hear something suspicious or tilt their heads trying to understand what's being said. Some dog owners avoid saying words like "walk," "ride" or "treat" in front of their dogs because they know it will get the dogs overly excited.

One dog mom decided to test her luck by holding a fake phone conversation while her dog was nearby and it was shared to social media by HrtWarming. The conversation was about as nonsensical as it could get because no one else was on the other end of the phone.

"Yeah, did you get the treats? Well, he specifically wanted peanut butter. Yeah. Peanut butter treats. Yeah because we're going to go for a ride later," She says. "I think we're going to go for a ride and go to daycare. Camp. Yeah."

At this point the dog is pretty invested in the conversation as he keeps tilting his head from side to side but as the random conversation goes on, he gets more excited.

Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Baby still in diapers is blowing people away with his musical ability at the piano

Young Gavrill seems to intuitively understand music, and the best part is that he does it with such joy.

Gavrill Scherbenko appears to be a musical prodigy.

Mozart blew people away with his composing abilities at age 5. Franz Liszt played piano professionally for the aristocracy when he was 9. Yo-Yo Ma played cello for President John F. Kennedy at age 7.

Musical prodigies have fascinated people for centuries with their mastery of music at unexpected ages. Most of us have the same questions: How and at what age were their abilities discovered? Is it nature or nurture or a combination of both? Can prodigies be created on purpose, or is it something no one can predict or control?

While each musical prodigy has their own unique story, one family is giving the world some early glimpses of what an innate sense for music looks like in a baby who's still in diapers.

Keep ReadingShow less

Is it always best to be honest with friends?

A big parenting trend over the past few decades is people giving their children names that help them stand out instead of fit in. Social scientists say that a big reason for the change in America is the rise of individualism.

“As American culture has become more individualistic, parents have favored giving children names that help them stand out—and that means more unique names and fewer common names,” Jean Twenge, a San Diego State University psychology professor, told the BBC.

However, being an individualist comes with some risks. One can be an iconoclastic trendsetter or seen as desperate, inauthentic and cringeworthy.

Keep ReadingShow less