Thank You for a Magical 2006

It's been a great year here at Towleroad. I thank you for being here and wish you peace, health, and prosperity in the year to come. See you in 2007!

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Hanging of Saddam Hussein Caps Year of Strife, Death, Torture

What price has the U.S. and the world paid for the death of Saddam Hussein?

The crimes against humanity continue.

December has been the deadliest month of the year for U.S. troops in Iraq.

Where are we going? Bush still doesn't seem to have any answers.

These are a few new magazine ads from Amnesty International which make an ingenious and chilling use of staples. Let's pray we don't have to see these ads again at the end of 2007.

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Gay in 2006: The Ins, Outs, and In-Betweens

This is the only "list" I'll be publishing this year, and i'm sure that I've missed a few disclosures here and there, but these are the main newsmakers in 2006 who declared that they're gay, not gay, or just not sayin'. First, a short record of those who burst from the closet:

CNN Anchor Thomas Roberts came out at the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association conference that was held in Miami in September, and the fact that it was apropos of nothing was perhaps the most significant thing about it. While other public figures' decisions to come out were most often inspired by rumors or events, Roberts' was of his own timing and volition. Said the handsome anchor: "When you hold something back, that's all everyone wants to know.''

West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon came out in March during his 'State of theCity' address, inspiring an abrupt standing ovation: "This is something I needed to say in a direct way, not in a private meeting with a reporter or at a Chamber of Commerce meeting, but to really say it at a time when I knew the community will hear my voice in a direct way...If I'm ever going to have a personal life, I wanted to be open and direct about who I was with my constituents before that happened...It should be the case where I shouldn't have to say anything about it and wouldn't feel the need to say anything. I went to Mayor Fargo's State of the City Address the other day and she never at anytime announced that she was straight. I know she is. It shouldn't be that way, but we're not in that place."

Former N'Sync bandmate Lance Bass came out in late July, after his relationship with a gay former reality show contestant forced him from the closet. He expressed relief at finally finding the courage to tell the truth: "The thing is, I’m not ashamed – that’s the one thing I want to say. I don't think it's wrong, I'm not devastated going through this. I'm more liberated and happy than I’ve been my whole life. I'm just happy. The main reason I wanted to speak my mind was that (the rumors) really were starting to affect my daily life. Now it feels like it's on my terms. I'm at peace with my family, my friends, myself and God so there's really nothing else that I worry about."

Congressman Mark Foley was forced out of the closet in October after "inappropriate" emails and IMs he had sent to congressional pages began to surface, triggering a string of resignations and inquiries in the run-up to the November elections. The statement came from Foley's attorney, David Roth: "Mark Foley wants you to know he is a gay man." Not that anyone needed confirmation.

American Idol singer RJ Helton burst from the closet spontaneously on a SIRIUS radio show after host Larry Flick asked him why he was no longer performing inspirational music. Said Helton: "I can have a faith but can't be who I want to be. So a lot of it was just personal things I needed to overcome and just be proud of who I was. Just because I am gay does not mean I can't love God." Flick responded: "Well there you go. Congratulations. This is something that I wasn't sure you were going to talk about on the air today, so what made you decide to come out?" Said Helton: "Today, this morning, three seconds ago? I've never even said that. It feels good. It does feel great. It feels good. I'm just really comfortable with who I am now. I'm very proud of who I am."

Calling it "the most significant event of [his] life", former Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes came out publicly in July when he made the announcement he had joined in a civil partnership with his boyfriend of two years Richard Cullen. Said Hayes: "I feel lucky to live in an era where my relationship can be considered legally legitimate and I commend the UK Government for embracing this very basic Civil Liberty. I'm proud of who I am, and after what felt like an eternity, I'm finally in a place where my heart is secure and content. And I can finally make sense of all of the searching."

Following an on-set brawl between Patrick Dempsey and Isaiah Washington in which Washington referred to co-star TR Knight as a faggot, Knight took a chill approach and told People magazine, "I guess there have been a few questions about my sexuality, and I'd like to quiet any unnecessary rumors that may be out there. While I prefer to keep my personal life private, I hope the fact that I'm gay isn't the most interesting part of me."

The small town of Pahokee, Florida saw its three-term mayor, JP Sasser, speak about his sexuality for the first time. He was very no-nonsense about the whole affair: "I am not a gay mayor. I am a mayor who is gay. And it's nobody's business. And I don't go around [proclaiming], 'This is who I am.' I'm not going to deny it, but it doesn't define me. I'm so much more than that. If I am somewhere and I hear someone say a negative remark or go on a little tirade, then I will identify myself. Like if I were an African-American faced with the n-word or a Jewish person faced with Mel Gibson. I have more pressing issues. I have people who have to choose between eating or taking their medicine."

Homophobic Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski was outed after media published declassified documents which discussed the PM's homosexuality. The outing revealed that political hypocrisy is as alive and well abroad as it is here at home. Asked the documents: "It is advisable to establish if Jaroslaw Kaczynski remains in a long-term homosexual relationship and, if so, who his partner is."

Actor Neil Patrick Harris, the only person on this list to have issued both a "no" (via his publicist, and reportedly not with Harris' blessing) and a "yes" to questions of whether or not he is gay, came clean about something many people had known about for years after Canada.com published an item suggesting he had found an acting role for his longtime partner David Burtka: "The public eye has always been kind to me, and until recently I have been able to live a pretty normal life. Now it seems there is speculation and interest in my private life and relationships. So, rather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me, I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love."

Lost actress Michelle Rodriguez was outed by her actress girlfriend Kristianna Loken in an Advocate interview. Loken, when asked about her relationship with Rodriguez, coyly egged on the interviewer, "Just don’t look upstairs, OK?"

Ted Haggard stepped down as pastor of the New Life megachurch in Colorado Springs after escort Mike Jones came forward with allegations he had sex with Haggard and sold him crystal meth. Haggard was finally forced to confess to his congregation: "I alone am responsible for the confusion caused by my inconsistent statements. The fact is, I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem.I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life."

Actor Raúl Esparza, starring in a critically-acclaimed revival of Company on Broadway, told the NYT that he's ready to face the reality that he's gay, something his stage character had to face as well: "I think the real thing that Bobby is going through is that he’s trying to grow up, and that means accepting things you can’t change, and it also means that in spite of all the messiness and failure you make a choice to love someone and live your life in the way that’s right for you. It’s messier than the pretty picture you painted for yourself. I had a romantic idea of what it means to be an adult: all husbands and wives who love each other get to stay together forever, love is enough."

Glasgow City Council Leader Steven Purcell responded to rumors surrounding his broken marriage by declaring he's gay, a fact that didn't come as a surprise to his wife: "Over the past couple of weeks the rumours surrounding my marriage have increasingly become a distraction to me. I wish to set out in public the facts surrounding the issue. For the last year my marriage has been in trouble and some months ago my wife and I separated. One of the issues we have been facing up to is the fact that I have realised I am gay. Over the last two to three weeks I have been telling close family, friends and colleagues. Now that they are aware of the situation, and that Katrina and I are clear they understand the issues, I want to dispel the rumours and get on with the job I am privileged to do as leader of the city council."

New Jersey Assemblyman Reed Gusciora thought his sponsorship of the Marriage Equality Bill in New Jersey might raise some eyebrows, so although he'd never denied it, he took a new show opportunity to set the record straight: "I've just never made an issue of it. If someone asks me, I tell them. No one ever asked me publicly before."

Reverend Paul Barnes, a Denver-area evangelical pastor stepped down in the weeks following Ted Haggard's resignation, saying he too had sexual encounters with men: "I have struggled with homosexuality since I was a 5-year-old boy... I can't tell you the number of nights I have cried myself to sleep, begging God to take this away."

Then there were those who felt it necessary to come out as heterosexuals, for whatever reason:

Ken Mehlman: "I’m not gay. But those stories did a number on my dating life for six months"

British actor Danny Dyer told Attitude magazine, on Boy George's aggressive come-on: "He saw the play and he really thought I was gay. He was on my fucking case. I was like, 'Listen man, I think you're the bollocks, but I'm not gay.' He just wouldn't accept it. He was at an awards ceremony and I shit my pants. He's a big man, he's an aggressive man. I was standing up against the curtain and he sort of pushed me, and I fell back onto my arse and I had to go home after that. I was flirting with him a bit. I was playing with him. I was kissing him on the lips. But he wouldn't accept the fact I wasn't gay."

Brandon Routh: "You find whatever message you want. Everybody is going to interpret the film differently...People will see the movie and realise that Superman is certainly not gay. And I am not (gay) as well, but people will have that discussion as much as they want - it is a topic for people to talk about."

Nick Lachey: "I was asked if I'd ever consider playing for the other team, which was a 'Ooh, I'm not expecting that one.' I answered it, 'While I respect the other team and recognise that there is another team and they too play ball, I am not interested in playing for the other team.'"

Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau: "I'm not, but if you say I am, I don't think it's a bad thing. Maybe my attitude has caused misunderstanding. I've never pronounced loudly I'm not gay, and I don't think there's the need to do so. I have gays friends."

Oprah Winfrey, on her relationship with Gayle King: "I understand why people think we're gay. There isn't a definition in our culture for this kind of bond between women. So I get why people have to label it -- how can you be this close without it being sexual? Something about this relationship feels otherworldly to me, like it was designed by a power and a hand greater than my own. Whatever this friendship is, it's been a very fun ride."

Project Runway's Michael Knight: "Why—are you trying to screw me, is that why you're asking? But that's what I want to say. But, yes I am straight and no, I am not dating anybody."

Peter Davis, husband of the New Zealand Prime Minister, told a radio show he's not gay after photos surfaced of Davis receiving a kiss from Labour party supporter Ian Scott: "I couldn't even remember the incident until (television channel) Prime then started showing it in a semi-pornographic way -- slowing it down, repeating it...Frankly, if I was doing anything like what was said of me, then that would have been of public interest. My wife would have been subject to blackmail -- it wouldn't have looked good for the nation. Frankly I'm really quite alarmed that somebody like myself who goes about their business, gets on with their work, can be dragged blinking into limelight and diced and sliced by people who should know better in the media and then spat out."

British Interior Designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, via his wife: "It's Laurence who is the peacock. I just try to avoid being too brown and peahen. Laurence is not a fop, but he is a dandy...Besides, these days, there are several flamboyantly dressed heterosexual men around - Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand - so people no longer ask 'Is Laurence gay?' because quite clearly, he isn't. He treats any suggestion that he is as a huge joke. [The night of our wedding] Laurence was looking extraordinarily camp and flamboyant and acting up dreadfully. I'd never met anyone like him before. I thought he was gorgeous and probably gay, so I was very surprised when he made a lunge at me. We ended up in bed instantly. We knew from the start that we were going to marry. For me, there has to be mental superiority in a man and Laurence is supremely clever and well-read. I was dazzled by his erudition. There was no grandiose proposal, but then everything about Laurence is so romantic and ostentatious - never a day goes by without some extravagant gesture - so there didn't need to be. We have a passionate relationship and the most baroque rows. My mother is half-Polish, and the Eastern European in me loves a good argument."

Andy Dick: "I'm not even gay! Last year, it was anal warts, which I don't have. This year, it's AIDS and gay. Which I don't have and I'm not. No and No. Just because I've been with guys, and I'm bi, doesn't mean I'm gay."

Florida Governor Charlie Crist, on whether he's ever had sex with a man: "Never."

Lance Armstrong, on whether he's having a sexual relationship with actor Matthew McConaughey: "We tried it. Wasn't for us."

A denial from Neil Patrick Harris' publicist set the ball in motion for Harris' coming out (see statement above). When questioned about the actor's relationship with reported "sweetie" David Burtka, Harris' publicist proclaimed: "He's not of that persuasion."

Liza Minnelli's former beau David Gest: "They said 'was I straight, was I gay?' I always said, 'bring me one guy I’ve been with' - I’d love to meet him because, if I was into it, I’d be proud of it. I have tons of friends that are gay. They said that because of my wife who I’m getting divorced from was [a gay icon]. I never had a Judy Garland room, I never had a Shirley Temple room. These are all ridiculous things."

And then there were those who would neither confirm nor deny...

Actor Hayden Christensen responded to ongoing rumors that he is gay, telling Vman magazine he considers them "fun": "To me, masculinity is the ability to flirt with the effeminate. [The gay rumors are] fun, entertaining and a bit of a joke. People I relate to know who I am. When people catch a picture of Sienna [Miller] and me, they can speculate, and I don’t do anything. Rumours are more fun than reality."

In September, Clay Aiken was asked by People magazine about rumors that he's gay. Said Clay: "What do you say (to that question)? … It's like when I was 8. I remember something would get broken in the house, and Mom and Dad would call me in and say, 'Did you do this?' Well, it didn't matter what I said. The only thing they would believe was yes. … People are going to believe what they want."

Rapper Ne-Yo, following the publication of quotes from an alleged article by Barbra Stradoff in Essence that revealed the R&B singer would come out, had his publicist issue a swift response: "There's isn't a staff member by that name at Essence, nor is Ne-Yo going to be featured in the October issue of the magazine."

John Travolta, following a Gone with the Wind-style photo of the actor kissing his supposed 'manny', had his lawyer issue a non-denial: "Martin insists that the smooch was harmless, and that Travolta's wife, Kelly Preston was also on board the plane which ferried him and the nanny home from Ontario, Canada. He said that his client's kissing another man was just a manner of customary greeting, and that Travolta kisses all those men and women whom he considers his close friends. 'As a manner of customary greeting and saying farewell, Mr Travolta kisses both women and men whom he considers to be extremely close friends. People who are close to Mr Travolta are aware of his customary, non-romantic gesture.'"

Feel free to leave any folks I've missed in the comments. I'm sure there are more than a few, and let's hope for truth, happiness, and visibility in 2007.

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Johnny Depp May Play Freddie Mercury in New Biopic

Johnny Depp is reportedly being considered for the starring role in a new biopic about the life of Freddie Mercury in development by Robert De Niro's Tribeca Productions according to Queen guitarist Brian May.

Responding to an inquiry from a fan on his website about the rumored casting, May responded: "Discussions are at an early stage .... I don't know where this story came from, but I think someone in the media, as usual, has taken a punt ... of course these opportunists have little to lose ... who cares about truth these days? Certainly not the tabloid press. But you're right about one thing ... Johnny Depp is fantastic. He would be a worthy counterpart for Freddie on screen. I don't think I can say any more right now."

Seems like an excellent choice to me. However, he will need to grow some hair on his chest.

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News: Polar Bears, Tony Blair, Wal-Mart, Hot Brazilians

Tony Blair on celebrity Bee Gee holiday in Miami. Tory Shadow Transport Secretary: "The trouble is that the Prime Minister does not appear to understand the damage his antics do to the reputation of politics in general, and that does no favours for any of us."

Bald Eagle spotted carrying fish in New York City.

United States to spend a year considering whether to place the polar bear on endangered species list as it suffers from loss of Arctic ice due to global warming: "Still, it will take at least another year of official study before the White House makes any decision on the polar bear, so Bush's admission is a small one indeed. But with even the Republican base shifting gears on global warming -- it's no accident that the White House announcement came the day after more than 85 Christian evangelical leaders signed a statement urging the federal government to issue mandatory limits on greenhouse-gas emissions -- even this obstinate administration may be getting the message that its inaction is unpopular and unsustainable."

The sexiest Brazilian of 2006 is...

And meet the celebrity criminals of 2006.

Operation Save America protests in front of Bentonville, Arkansas Wal-Mart, attacking store for disobeying "godly principles" of founder Sam Walton by "promoting homosexual sodomy and the killing of [God's] children." Wal-Mart responds: "Everyone has their own opinions and our focus is on serving our customers. Just as importantly, respect for the individual is one of the core values that has made us into the company we are today. We take pride in the fact that we treat every customer, every supplier and every member of our individual communities fairly and equally."

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Spain: Gays Persecuted by Franco to Receive Compensation

Victims of General Francisco Franco's dictatorship persecuted for being gay may receive payments for their suffering from Spain:

"During Franco's homophobic dictatorship, gays were jailed or locked up in sinister mental institutions known as 'correction camps'. With echoes of the Nazi atrocities against gays, they were given electric shocks in the belief that this would rid them of their homosexual urges. Inmates were forced to watch pornographic films featuring women in an effort to show them a sex life that was deemed 'natural' by the conservative authorities. As part of their nationalist, Catholic ideals, the Franco regime and its Falangist supporters considered homosexuals a threat to the 'macho' Spanish male. General Queipo del Llano, who broadcast to the nation, once said: 'Any effeminate or introvert who insults the movement will be killed like a dog.'"

Victims may be granted a pension of €800 (£540) a month, plus a one-off €12,000 payment. The amends may come in as little as two months according to Spanish Justice Minister Juan Fernando López Aguilar.

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