193 Reason to Have Pride: Part Two

 Because
WE HEIGHTEN THE REALITY
Our people spice up many a nonscripted TV program. Project Runway has made it work for eight seasons and counting because of silver-fox mentor Tim Gunn and a bevy of fabulous gay contestants like season 4 winner Christian Siriano, who put “hot mess” in the national vocabulary, and Mondo Guerra, whose splashy, inventive designs really should have made him last year’s champ. Top Chef Just Desserts’ first-season winner was the supercompetitive Yigit Pura. The Amazing Race has been more so thanks to gay participants such as likable father-son pair Mel and Mike White, BFFs Oswald Mendez and Danny Jimenez, and gay Christian brothers Sam and Dan McMillen. Josh Flagg (pictured) and Madison Hildebrand make Million Dollar Listing an even hotter property. And in Orange County’s Fernanda Rocha, we have a Real Housewife who’s a real lesbian.

 Because
DROPPING THE F BOMB CAN RAISE CONSCIOUSNESS
Forget what your mama told you. Dropping f bombs can be socially rewarding. FCKH8, which started as an expletive-laced stance for marriage equality, has become a powerful voice against hatred, selling T-shirts and calendars of hot straight men to raise $300,000 in its first six months for worthwhile beneficiaries like the Trevor Project, the American Foundation for Equal Rights, Equality California, the Courage Campaign, and Lambda Legal.

Because
KIDS IN FLORIDA WHO NEED FAMILIES CAN FINALLY BE ADOPTED BY GAY COUPLES
For 33 years Florida was home to the most draconian gay adoption ban in the country. When an appeals court decision struck down the law last fall, the state decided not to challenge the ruling. Still, some state lawmakers may have other ideas, so we must remain vigilant.

Because
MASCULINITY IS NOT BLACK AND WHITE
Aside from being one of the most revered fashion designers in the world, Marc Jacobs routinely upends gender stereotypes with his own image, pairing muscles and facial hair with skirts and heels.

 Because
OUR ROLE MODELS ROCK
And we thought Adam Lambert’s guyliner was progressive. Kim Petras is a 17-year-old post-op trans young woman, who starting transitioning at 12. Petras is also an emerging pop star in her native Germany, amassing fans for her bubbly dance music, gorgeous looks, and keen style. Is the world ready for a transgender teen pop star? It hardly matters, because Petra’s not waiting until it is.