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Chained To My Bully Stepbrother (AI Vertical BL Drama)

This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat.  The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...

Out To Win (Documentary)

This is a documentary that serves as an overview and examination of the lives and careers of aspiring and professional gay and lesbian athletes from all over the world. Chronicling the present, framed within a historical context of those that came before, this film highlights the experiences of athletes who have fought and struggled, both in and out of the closet, to represent the LGBT community and their true selves. This film is told through the voices of pioneers, present day heroes, tomorrow’s superstars and the people who’ve helped them succeed. 

By casting those who’ve come out in the past as “heroes” — including women’s tennis game-changers Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, NFL vet David Kopay, retired baseballer Billy Bean and ex-NBA pioneer John Amaechi — the film aims to chip away at the potentially career-ending stigma that intimidates many athletes into keeping their identities a secret. Though Sam himself isn’t interviewed in the film, his publicist Howard Bragman indicates that the announcement was Sam’s way of taking control of a situation where others were prepared to out the All-American defensive lineman if he didn’t act first.

Interesting to hear how an athlete's sexual orientation was treated in the past vs in the present. It's an amazing evolution (compare Billie Jean King's experience of being blackmailed when she was closeted to Jason Collins, who received massive amounts of support when he came out). Also interesting to hear how an athlete's sexual orientation was treated depending on the sport they played and their gender. While the interviews of these celebrated sports idols is interesting, it dodges ongoing homophobia that has been allowed to fester for so long in the world of sports. Instead of cheerleading LGBT athletes’ decision to come out, why not go on the attack and out the institutions’ worst offenders for decades of discrimination? I understand that the film is meant to inspire or make newer generation feel comfortable coming out. Overall an ok watch, but could have been better had it handled and questioned authorities rather than showing more of a "All is well" situation. Yes, it does get better and I wonder how much more tings have changed since this film came out 9 years ago. (4.5/10)

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