Arts & Entertainment
Teen comes out while riding Splash Mountain
16-year-old captured moment on Action Cam
@ayydubs this is how I came out yesterday lolol pic.twitter.com/UqStjeZRyF
— gina (@ginaslife3) June 20, 2016
A California teen decided to come out to her family with the help of Splash Mountain’s Action Cam.
16-year-old Gina told BuzzFeed News she had known she was gay for about a year. When she and her mom went to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., she held up a sign saying “I’m Gay!” while posing for Splash Mountain’s Action Cam.
“I am not the type of person to have a deep, sit-down conversation, so I wanted to tell them in a lighthearted and fun way,” Gina told BuzzFeed News. “I love funny ride photos, so I figured I could make the sign just in case I decided to go for it, and I did.”
After her mom saw the picture, she sent it to Gina’s dad and brother who Gina says were “already 70% sure I was gay.” Although her mom had no idea, Gina says her family’s reaction was “super accepting.”
Gina tweeted the Splash Mountain photo and received an overwhelming response. The tweet received more than 5,000 retweets and more than 9,000 likes.
“I never expected it to blow up like this,” Gina told BuzzFeed News. “This Twitter account was just my spam account where I posted random fangirl stuff but I decided it couldn’t hurt to post it and the result was absolutely amazing.”
Gina says her tweet has helped other closeted LGBT teens.
“People have responded saying I’ve inspired them to do the same thing, which I think is the coolest part of it all,” Gina says.
Speaking with the Huffington Post, Gina gave some advice for teens thinking about coming out.
“It’s an overwhelming process, so just make sure you’re comfortable with who you are and make sure you’re prepared for questions or reactions people may have. I also know it’s sometimes hard to tell if you’re ready or not, so just be sure to give yourself time to really think about if you’re prepared,” Gina says.
The 2026 World Pride March was held on Saturday, Aug. 8 in Amsterdam. Tens of thousands of participants marched from Martin Luther Kingpark to the grounds of the Pride Village at Museumplein.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)








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The weekly drag show “Daddy Issues” was held at Kiki on Wednesday, Aug. 5. Performers included Evry Pleasure, Indiana Bones and Tiara Missou-Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)









Books
Something’s off about Dad. When is it time to step in?
‘When Memory Fades’ can help when families face dementia
‘When Memory Fades’
By Nathaniel Chin, MD
c.2026, St. Martin’s Essentials
$30/422 pages
Mom called you in a panic the other day.
She’d lost her keys and by the time you arrived to help, she’d found them. In the refrigerator.
These kinds of things keep happening, not often but often enough, and you don’t know quite what to worry about. But in the new book “When Memory Fades” by Nathaniel Chin, MD, you’ll learn about the journey ahead, for both of you.
You can’t remember why you walked into a room. You got lost last week, going to the bank. Popular wisdom says that things like that are normal as we age, but Chin says that’s not true – although the answer may not be a worst-case scenario, either. Yes, memory problems could just be signs of stress, dehydration, or lack of sleep – or is it time to see a doctor?
Chin says maybe, yes.
He was working his way through medical residency when his father, a geriatrician in Madison, Wisc., was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Chin, now a geriatrician, was blindsided, but that diagnosis also changed his life.
Here, he writes about the brain, and how Alzheimer’s and dementia are diagnosed, explaining that dementia has many faces and, depending on a doctor’s evaluation, memory problems might be slowed or improved. He shares his father’s illness with readers, but he also writes about his mother, a steadfast, steady caretaker.
Her story reminds reader-guardians to care for themselves, too.
Know how to talk the talk, so that you can have “a more productive” conversation with your doctor. Understand that there’s nothing “normal” about dementia or Alzheimer’s. Know the statistics – African Americans are affected with dementia twice as much as whites – and know how to lower your risks. Learn here what questions to ask, how to break the news to everyone, and any legal matters that will be important soon. And know how to tend to you.
Says Chin, “The best action you can take is to educate yourself… The more you understand, the better equipped you are to make sound judgments.”
Something’s off about Dad, just a lot of little things that don’t add up. When is it time to step in? “When Memory Fades” can help you decide.
Wise, wide-spread, comprehensive, and compassionately helpful, this is a book you can read and then take it to the doctor with your loved one. It’s a book that makes sense when nothing else does, and its biggest feature is that it smoothly transitions from easy-to-grasp science and charts, to gentle coaching for caregivers. Author Nathaniel Chin, MD writes with storytelling, humility, grace, and experience from both sides of the Alzheimer’s/dementia issue, and his words are reassuring but also urgent. Learn, but don’t wait, he says. Know how to safeguard yourself. See your doctor, and don’t fear testing. Watch for signs of depression. And never, ever stop asking for help.
Read those last seven words, and find “When Memory Fades” now. It’s a book to have on your shelf, whether you’re 45 or 95 because, as you’ll see, dementia happens and knowledge is key.
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