Perhaps A Step Too Far? (NSFW)

This cute guy is Abel Azcona, a Spanish queer performance artist, who doesn't like Donald J Trump, president of the U.S.A., at all!

Recently Abel decide to show his dislike for the president in what has to be an extremely painful manner, by tattooing the words of the president’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again”, in a circle around his anus.

The tattooing of the phrase occurred in the Defibrillator Gallery in Chicago. Azcona told The Huffington Post that he considers the statement to be "a queer, political act".

If you are sure you can handle it, click Read more for a picture from the performance and the result.

The Second Pride Festival 2016

Some people have already asked me, if there will be a Second Pride Festival this year. I have been very happy to reassure them that there will indeed be one this year also.

Invitations to Sponsors and Vendors have already been sent out through the Second Pride Festival group, so to keep yourself informed it is an excellent idea to rejoin that group now (I know some of you have the extremely bad habit of leaving the group after the elections to rejoin again just before the festival. What, with 42 groups you don't have one to spare, huh?)

This is the information of the upcoming event that I have assembled from note cards in the group and information on the SP website.

As many of you perhaps remember the SP board has been struggling throughout the year by being understaffed already from the beginning. The fact that board members have jumped ship after being elected has severely aggravated the problem. So let's all do what we can to help the board out.

Here we go!

Sponsor and Vendor Packages can be purchased here: Second Pride sim - Sponsor & Vendor Packages (SLurl).

Sponsor packages can be purchased from the Sponsor Board across from the landing point. Below is a brief description of the sponsor packages.

Patron Sponsor 100,000L

• Community Directory listing on Second Pride sim and website     
• Column ad with your logo on the website for the 2016-17 year
• Main page banner on website for the 2016-17 year
• ALL In world advertising on Main Sim Signage around Festival area, signage on shopping sim
• Main Stage Event with DJ of your choice or provided if needed
• Main stage sponsorship

Diamond Sponsor 20,000L 

• Community Directory listing on Second Pride sim and website     
• In World advertising Main Sim Signage around Festival area
• Column ad with your logo on the website for the 2016-17 year
• Main page banner on website for the 2016-17 year
• Main Stage Event with DJ of your choice or provided if needed

Ruby Sponsor 10,000 L

• Community Directory listing on Second Pride sim and website         
• Secondary advertising on website during festival
• Secondary Prime Time Stage Event with DJ of your choice or provided if needed

Emerald Sponsor 2,500L

• Community Directory listing on Second Pride sim and website 
• Secondary Non-Prime Time Stage Event with DJ of your choice or provided if needed
• In world directory listing

To Purchase a Vendor Shop package, follow the signage at the landing point to the South Sim model. Pick a shop you would like and simply pay the Vendor Shop Seller to reserve your shop. (full size shops can be viewed to the east of the landing point). Your Vendor Shop will be available for set up starting June 11th. Below is a brief description of the Vendor Packages

Platinum Vendor 25,000L

• Prims 300, 400 Sq M .(Interior Dimensions 20 X 20 X 8)
• Community Directory listing on Second Pride sim and website         
• In world directory listing on YOUR shopping sim    
• In world advertising on YOUR shopping Sim
• In World advertising on Main Sim.    
• Column advertising on website throughout the 2014-2015 year
• Banner ad on the Second Pride Website throughout the 2014-15 year
• Main Stage Event with DJ of your choice or provided if needed
• Secondary Stage Event with DJ of your choice or provided if needed

Gold Vendor 15,000L

• Prims 200, 256 Sq M (Interior Dimensions 16 X 16 X 8)
• Community Directory listing on Second Pride sim and website        
• In world directory listing on YOUR shopping sim    
• In world advertising on YOUR shopping sim    
• Column advertising on website during festival    
• Secondary Stage Event with DJ of your choice or provided if needed

Silver Vendor  5,000L

• Prims 100, 144 Sq M (Interior Dimensions 12 X 12 X 8) 
• Community Directory listing on Second Pride sim and website     
• In world directory listing on YOUR shopping sim

Promo Vendor 2,500L

• Prims 30, 64 Sq M (Interior dimensions 8 X 8 X 8)
• Community Directory listing on Second Pride sim and website     

Requirements for stores

• While not required,  we ask that you consider offering at least one free item at your store  that is of good quality. "Pride special giveaways" helps attract customers, increase traffic in your store, and helps assure that everyone has fun!
• Please do not rez objects outside your allocated store space. This keeps the walkways free.
• Do not use heavy scripted objects or rezzers. This is a requirement as many people will be on the sim and less lag is better than lots of lag. Do not use scripts that shout or emote in local chat. We reserve the right to ask you to remove scripts if they interfere with other vendors.
• This is a moderate Sim. Second Pride is open and welcoming to the entire community. Please use common sense in your store design. Do not use obscene language or offensive images such as  images of sex with minors . Second Pride reserves the right to remove materials that may be in violation of SL Terms of Service.
• You must stay within your allocated prim count.

Vendor opportunities

Vendor opportunities can help encourage customers to shop and increase traffic to your store. We encourage all vendors to participate in one or more of the following: 

• Fundraiser Item- Create a fund raiser item that fits the theme of the festival with 100% of the proceeds going to Second Pride. This item will be in a special vendor provided for you and featured in an article in Prism magazine generating more buzz for your store and giving you a way to offer something unique at the event. 
• Freebie Item- Leave a free gift in a special object at your store. This object will be provided for you to put your free gift inside. It will be advertised in PRISM to look for this object in the stores to collect free gifts.

For both Sponsor and Vendor Packages

Advertising Specifications

If your package includes any inworld or website advertising, please create your ads/logos with the specifications below.  Send your ads with FULL PERMISSIONS to the avatar named Second Pride. If you have any questions, contact Lledge Eames or Viktor Sandman in world.

The following are in pixels with a minimum of 100dpi and should be sent as .jpg:

Logo for column ad for website: 512w x 512h and 1024w x 1024h

Banner ad for website: 900w x 400h

Inworld advertising: 512w x 512h and 1024w x 1024h

Events

If your package includes a main stage or secondary stage event, please contact the Second Pride Events Director in world - Viktor Sandman as quickly as possible. Event times and slots are assigned on a first come - first served basis.

Information

For more information about the 2016 Second Pride Festival, please visit http://second-pride.com

Those with Event packages; our Events Director will be contacting you to arrange your event details.

If at any point you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact one of us.

LLedge Eames, Chairman Second Pride

Viktor Sandman, Secretary Second Pride

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Performer Registration Begins: May 28, 2016, 07:00 SLT.

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By the way, concerning performers and DJ's, I hope that we this year can go back to the tradition that all tips during this event are directed towards Second Pride. But that is just my own not so humble opinion.

"Think Different" - A Movie by Ms SaveMe Oh

The Oval Studio Performs "Glee"

My old friends Othon Weiland and Garth Raleigh have kindly provided me with a press release of their upcoming production of "Glee".

"Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that aired on the Fox network in the United States from May 19, 2009, to March 20, 2015. It focuses on the fictitious William McKinley High School glee club, New Directions, which competes on the show choir competition circuit while its disparate members deal with social issues, especially regarding sexuality and race, relationships, and learning to become an effective team."

The audience can dance or be seated while they watch the show in the Art Deco styled Oval Studio (SLurl).

Show dates are Saturday June 27th and Sunday June 28th, both performances start at 1PM SLT.

Second Pride - June 19th Through 28th

Come be a part of the largest most diverse LGBT Festival on the grid!

Second Pride needs your help and participation to make this years 10th anniversary the best Pride ever!

Interested in performing at this year's Second Pride Festival? Just follow the link below and submit your application today! Festival Performer Information & Application

Interested in being a Sponsor or a Vendor? Sponsor & Vendor Packages. Hurry, hurry - there are still some packages free!

Get involved! Meet new people! Meet up with old friends! Show your Pride!

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Although I already know that Second Pride's claim to this being the organization's 10th anniversary is challenged by some, I choose to accept it. (Nota bene, in my response to a comment by my dear friend Garth Raleigh, I - after having reviewed what  Second Pride actually says - correct myself as to the organization claiming anything of the sort.)

In my mind Second Pride - and any other LGBT organization on the grid, that can show any connection between their existing organization and the ad hoc committees celebrating Pride in the early days of SecondLife, can make the same claim.

SaveMe Oh Release Party Today @ Josef K's

The famous - or perhaps infamous - SecondLife performance artist Ms. SaveMe Oh today celebrates the release of her eBook in three languages!

We are all invited! Apmel promises no bans today, but let's wait and see how that goes...

Read more about this event, which starts at 1 PM today, in my friend Apmel Goosson's blog post My Avatar's Name Is Apmel: SaveMe Oh Release Party Today @ Josef K's.

In his post Apmel supplies you with a SLurl to the party and links to iTunes store where you can purchase the Spanish, Swedish and English editions - or why not all three? - of the eBook.

Badass Performance Art

A 26 y.o. Russian-born performance artist, Mischa Badasyan, has announced his latest project, which is named "Save the date".

In this art project the Mischa will attempt to have sex with a different man every day for a year, starting in September. According to what the artist has told Arts.Mic, the goal of the project is to "explore the link between loneliness and casual sex", believe it or not.

To facilitate finding the 365 men he needs Mischa, who currently resides in Berlin, Germany, has downloaded the meet-up apps Grindr and Scruff, but also intends to use more traditional ways to pick up guys.

If you should wish to assist Mischa in his project and schedule a session, you can contact Mischa via email erde88@gmail.com or through F*c*book Mischa Badasyan on F*c*book

"Art is not a crime" the graffiti says. The picture is from
another of Mischa's performance projects named "Adbusters"

Now here is a challenge for our SecondLife performance artist SaveMe Oh to tackle. What on earth can she come up with to outdo this badass (Yes, this is a play on Mischa's extremely suitable surname) performance , I wonder... 

Challenging the Venerable Ms. Oh

As I was busy cleaning up a part of Southern Charm yesterday in preparation for Mirco Dinzeo moving in, my client the scary Ms. SaveMe Oh snuck up on me and almost made me soil myself.

For those who do not know Ms. Oh, or do not know off her, she is an extraordinary performance artist, machinima maker and general nuisance in SecondLife who has gained a reputation for getting banned and ejected all over the grid by meddlesome busybodies who do not appreciate her outspoken manners and her attempts at "invigorating" exhibitions, concerts and events that fail to meet her high standards by taking over with one of her own ad hoc performances. For some reason the two of us have, however, always gotten along famously and she has honored me by appointing me as her legal counsel.

At first we said nothing at all, as SaveMe first walked around me in circles pretending not to notice me and then tried to hide from me while I was busy keeping an eye on her activities. Finally I broke the silence and bid her welcome back to Southern Charm (She had been there the evening before for a concert by Ultraviolet Alter in a sim-covering and colorful installation by Betty Tureaud).

She was telling me about her trials and tribulations in the narrow minded art world of SecondLife and that she was now contemplating making one last dramatic manifestation by hanging herself in one of my - according to her - far too many trees.

I was moved by her story and after having begged her to find somewhere else for "the final performance" I sent her a hug-request, which she - after several questions, much hesitation and me calling her out as a coward - finally accepted.

During our encounter my Tomais had snuck in unnoticed and was sitting and watching us from the gazebo. When I saw my lovely husband I ran up to him and happily greeted him with a hug too.

Tomais and I had a busy day scheduled so we said our goodbyes to SaveMe and left her to her own devices at the skating area. She seemed quite happy and was entertaining herself with a light show.

(You can read SaveMe Oh's own account of our encounter on SaveMe Oh's Weblog: Hiding At My Lawyers (url).)

Meanwhile, at The Red Square in Moscow...

Pyotr Pavlensky, a Russian performance artist, today stripped naked and nailed his scrotum to a Red Square cobblestone. The performance is called "Freeze".

The artist sitting naked outside Lenin's Mausoleum in
Moscow, Russia, before police covered him with a blanket.

The Saint Petersburg-based artist said in a statement posted on the Grani.ru website that he was trying to draw attention to Russian society's development into a 'police state'.

Update 11/12/13: The video is taken down by YouTube with a peculiar statement of reasons.

Pyotr now faces up to 15 days of administrative arrest for disorderly conduct.