The road to hell is paved with good intentions. That’s the takeaway openly gay wrestler Dave Marshall got after he announced he was using his OnlyFans platform for good.
 
“After some thought, I did start it up with part [of the] proceeds going to Beyond Blue–a suicide prevention charity,” the 29-year-old explained to GayStarNews last month.

In an Instagram post, Marshall added:

The reason the money I raise from my OnlyFans goes towards Beyond Blue is seeing everyday how big depression and anxiety has become in society and almost overlooked.

[It’s my] first time saying this but my father took his life last year.

Older men have a “Harden the fuck up” mentality they were brought up with.

Stats on LGBT in this area are quite scary too so I hope I can in some way, give back to my community. Positivity is everything. 

Marshall raised more than AU$5,000 for Beyond Blue.

But when the organization got wind of the whole thing, it reached out to him to say, “Thanks, but no thanks!”

GayStarNews now reports that the charity contacted Marshall in an email after his story went viral to say it can’t accept his donation because the funds come from activities such as “gambling, alcohol and pornography.”

It also said he used Beyond Blue’s name to “promote the sale of products” that he offers “in the field of pornography” and that it requires all fundraising activities be registered with the organization.

The charity then requested Marshall remove all mention of it from his social media profiles and personal website, and requested “future consumers of your products are not given the impression their purchase is in any way supporting Beyond Blue.”

Marshall admits he was a little miffed by the whole thing at first, but he didn’t let it get to him for long.
“To me, money is money,” he tells GayStarNews. “It came from the heart.”

“At the end of the day, it was a personal donation of my money but I don’t want to be quiet about what I’m doing. So it wasn’t the charity for me.”

He says he’s since found another charity that focuses on mental health to give the money to.
Black Dog Institute is a non-profit based in Sydney that focuses on diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder.

“They are another of the bigger ones in Australia,” Marshall says. “As my father was one of the main factors in the choice of charity, it’s quite fitting.”

This time, Marshall did his homework and called the charity ahead of time to confirm they would accept his money.

When Black Dog Institute said it was more than happy to take the donation, Marshall decided to double it, giving a total of AU$10,000.
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“It’s a cause that I am proud the help,” he says. “Now more than ever, I’m even more proud of the organization for accepting me and my donations.”

Halloween is considered one of the best holidays in New Orleans. For the LGBT Community, it’s about sharing its love of showmanship, and culture.

​Halloween New Orleans for 35 years has been one of the most successful events in New Orleans. The sole mission of HNO is to raise money for Project Lazarus an organization that provides health care, support services, and housing for those living with HIV/AIDS (both men and women). HNO has raised approximately $4.5 million for Project Lazarus, 100% of all donations go directly to Project Lazarus, and is one of the few donation/volunteer events left in the United States.

HNO weekend is something to experience, after attending last year’s event at the House of Blues I was amazed at the transition. There are few events that impress me, however, I can’t stress how this one truly did. You come to realize that behind the scenes there is a lot of work put into this event. Each year they select a different theme, and according to Dustin Woehrmann, President of the HNO Board “the planning and execution of the Halloween event is planned right down to the smallest detail.” Furthermore “It’s about having fun, but also raising money for Project Lazarus, which is getting harder to do each year. We must reach a younger crowd and that can be difficult.” 

​But make no mistake HNO works hard to raise what money they can, last year they raised approximately $30,000 for Project Lazarus. For the board, it’s not just about raising money, but a desire to foster a supportive community here in New Orleans. HNO will also host mini-events during the year to keep the group engaged.

Most people know that I’m not a fan of large LGBT parties. It’s been my experience that most turn into another boring circuit party, with stuck up half-dressed men, loud music, overpriced drinks and me wondering what the hell I'm doing here. However, for some reason, the HNO Halloween Party was different for me, maybe because I was there to take pictures, but I was impressed with the creative costumes and the effects were impressive (did I say that already?) either way I look forward to next year’s events.

For more information visit: Halloween New Orleans

TO SEE ADDITIONAL IMAGES VISIT THE ARCHIVED PICTORIAL BLOG

It's hard to believe that the poverty rate in the LGBT community is higher than heterosexuals. This should not come as a surprise to anyone, because LGBT people are born and raised in all types of environments. Most LGBT individuals also face unique obstacles because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. This includes a higher risk of being homeless when they are young, harassment and discrimination at school and the workplace.

All you must do is envision or think about the young gay man who is kicked out of him home and ends up working on the streets to survive, the transgender woman being turned down in a job interview, or an elderly lesbian being denied housing.

LGBT poverty to many is very surprising because there are not dominant images within the community, and stereotype remain resilient. Historically the image of the LGBT community has been the gay, white, young men who do not have children, therefore, it is believed that they have additional/extra income to use. To better understand you must break down that dominant image to address the underlining of LGBT poverty and the work that needs to happen to address it. 

According to research there are approximately 9 million LGBT people in the United States, and almost have are lesbian and bisexual women. Not only do they face sexual orientation discrimination, they must face sex discrimination in education, the workplace and gaps in wages. 24% of lesbians and bisexual women are poor, compared to 19% of heterosexual women. 

​People of color (African Americans, Latinos, Asians) One in five members of same-sex couple in the U.S. are people of color, and one in eight are Latino's. LGBT people of color are more likely to live in poverty, this is generally standard in our society. African-American same sex couples are more likely to live under the poverty line and are three times more likely to live in poverty than white same-sex couples.

The most economically vulnerable in the LGBT community are the elderly and young. It is estimated that 1.6 million youths in the United States experience homelessness each year, and between 20% and 40% identify as LGBT.  Members of the LGBT community that are 65 years of age and older, and make up 7% of the total members of the LGBT community, 28% are disabled and 6% receive Medicaid or other government assistance.

One of the most vulnerable members of the LGBT community are transgender people. Research has shown that transgender people are four times likely to have a household income under $10,000.00 and twice as likely to be unemployed as the typical person in the United States. 90% reported being harassed, mistreated, or discrimination on the job, and one in five reported being homeless as some point in their lives.

How do we as a culture begin to address these issues? Some state that we must understand the diversity within the LGBT community; that this is the key to breaking down the myth of affluence and the beginning of understanding how to combat LGBT poverty. There also had to be a collation among women, people of color, young and old and LGBT people altogether in the LGBT community.

What I find interesting is how you listen to people in LGBT community talk about unity, togetherness and acceptance. But they are just words, and words without action(s) mean nothing. We tend to look our noses down on those we don't consider worthy of our acceptance, we mock and ridicule those that dare to be different, we set standards that are only achievable in ones closed minded world. We live in a community that friends are determined on what they can do for us, and if you play the "game" you're somebody. 

For a very select few there are those in the community that try to make a difference, they work tirelessly to help those in need and provide support and assistance where ever needed.  Until we begin to change our attitude towards those in need we are no better than those in society determined to take away the rights we have.

So, where do we begin?