News: Shiny Fruit, Chris Brown, Gaymer, Ezra Miller, Hong Kong

ACT UP activist Robert Navarret dies.

Lady Gaga is back to donning garish outfits and parading herself around London.

The shiniest living thing on the planet.

Chris Brown gets hideous neck tattoo, possibly depicting beaten Rihanna.

The xx gave one fan a copy of their album in order to track its spread, which you can see here, around the globe.

David Mixner has five questions for Jake Shears: "Everyone thinks I'm naked all the time or something. In fact the funny thing is, I cant really stand it when someone is totally naked. I find it a real turn off. I've only really gotten momentarily naked in front of an audience probably 3 times. That is if you don't count my balls falling out of my Calvin's that one time in Paris."

Reddit 'Gaymer' community battles owner of Gaymer.org.

Reykjavík Mayor Jón Gnarr writes to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin urging him to reconsider ban on Gay Pride marches: "In the letter, Jón writes that Reykjavík's Gay Pride festival has had a positive impact on the city's image and on the attitude of the public towards the LBGT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) community and is now one of the city's biggest festivals, mbl.is reports."

Chris Hemsworth is back in his Thor regalia.

Indiewire talks to Perks of Being a Wallflower's Ezra Miller: "I feel glad to be one of the people who are working in media who don’t feel a need -- or are ignoring a superficial need and are feeling another calling: to be honest, to be upfront, and to try to encourage the people around us to be inclusive in their views." (image via paper)

Cynthia Nixon to play Emily Dickinson: "The film will trace Dickinson's life from precocious schoolgirl to the tortured recluse who saw only seven of her more than 1,000 poems published in her lifetime."

Michelangelo Signorile found homophobes in short supply at the DNC: "All this and much more were indications that the DNC had undergone a profound shift this year as compared to years past -- and I've attended these conventions for the past 20 years. But it wasn't just about doing the right thing for gays. It was about understanding how dramatically public opinion had shifted, and capitalizing on that mightily. It was about helping to unify a party, giving it moral clarity, making its members feel that they stand for something greater -- in the way they did in the history-making election of 2008 -- and yes, inspiring them with enthusiasm and energy to help re-elect Barack Obama president."

Ian Smolder-halder pouts, squints for Essential Homme.

Brett Favre's purported pubes for sale on Craigslist.

RuPaul wants to record a duet with Honey Boo Boo. “She is the queen. She understands what drag is."

Parent balks at Utah Draper Elementary School's decision to sponsor spirit night and cater student events: "'I am really surprised and concerned that Draper Elementary would choose to partner with the restaurant Chick-fil-A at a time when that company has become a symbol for the Gay Marriage/Marriage Equality debate going on in our country,' Pedersen wrote in an e-mail he sent to Sorensen and also shared with The Salt Lake Tribune."

Hong Kong AIDS organization blames Grindr for rise in HIV infections: "Cheung added that attempts to engage with Grindr in order to work together to send a safe-sex message through the app have been obstructed by the American company."

Faux-Christian Ministry 'Mission America' Publishes Hateful Guide to Homosexuality for Kids: READ IT

The faux-Christian anti-gay hate group Mission America and its leader Linda Harvey have published a Q + A for talking to kids about homosexuality.

Not surprisingly, it's rife with the worst kind of homophobia. You can read the full pamphlet below but here's some of its nonsense:

Gay is bad, bad, bad:

But once in a while, a man wants to date and love another man, or a woman wants to date and love a woman. Most cultures long ago decided this was very wrong. And they made rules against it, for a lot of good reasons (more grown-up stuff). First of all, two men can never create their own child. Neither can two women. And two men kissing– well, it just doesn’t seem right. That’s because it isn’t!

In fact, it's an abomination:

God had very, very strong words against homosexual conduct (Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-27). So even though it’s not the only sin, it’s still a very serious one.

When Jesus came, He repeated what God said about marriage –that it should only be one man and one woman (Matthew 19:4-6). And we should not forget that Jesus was really God on earth, so He should know!

Never tell a kid that gay is okay, even if they're being bullied:

...it’s not right to tell someone that being homosexual is okay. The person may be feeling sad because of being bullied, but never try to make him or [sic] feel better by saying “gay” is okay. Kids who are overweight are sometimes bullied, too. And we might want to make that person feel better. But it would be a mistake to say that overeating is a good thing, right? So tell your friends, in a nice way, that no one needs to be “gay” or pretend to be the other gender. It’s not the right thing to do.

And homosexuality is a choice, just "strong feelings":

Some people claim they were “born” homosexual. But there is no well-accepted science that backs up that idea. Strong feelings are not proof of anything.

And here's Harvey's suggested usage for the pamphlet:

"Have you wished you could find a simple flyer for your older grade school or middle school children about homosexuality? Well, Mission America has developed one. It's clear, concise and provides a beginning basis for a more in-depth study later on. You can read and download it below. Feel free to print this as needed and give to your children, grandchildren, or your church group."

Read it below:

(h/t think progress)

Ellen Welcomes Gay Virginia Teen and the Mechanic Who Fixed His Homophobic Slur-Laden Car for Free: VIDEO

A couple of weeks ago I featured the story of Jordan Addison, a bullied gay teen in Roanoke, Virginia and Richard Henegar Jr., a car repair shopw owner. Jordan's car was vandalized with anti-gay graffiti four times between March and May of this year. Someone even keyed “die” into the side of Jordan's car.

Henegar, who owns Quality Auto Paint and Body, heard Jordan's story and decided to help him by fixing his car for free and improving it.

This week Ellen had them on her season premiere and gave each of them a huge check.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Massive Pack Mule Robots Will Follow You for 20 Miles: VIDEO

Earlier this week they showed off the cheetah robot that can run faster than Usain Bolt.

Now, check these robots out, which are more like draft horses or pack mules.

The Legged Squad Support System (LS3) is a rough-terrain robot developed by Boston Dynamics with funding from DARPA and the US Marine Corps. It is designed to carry 400 lbs of payload and travel 20 miles without refueling.

How smart is it?

“Other improvements include the ability to go from a 1- to 3-mph walk and trot over rough, rocky terrain, easily transition to a 5-mph jog and, eventually, a 7-mph run over flat surfaces, showing the versatility needed to accompany dismounted units in various terrains,” Hitt said. “The LS3 has demonstrated it is very stable on its legs, but if it should tip over for some reason, it can automatically right itself, stand up and carry on. LS3 also has the ability to follow a human leader and track members of a squad in forested terrain and high brush.”

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

British Producer Faces Possible 2-Year Prison Term for Producing Gay-Themed Play in Uganda

David Cecil, the producer of The River and The Mountain, Uganda's first gay-themed play which had a short six-day run in Kampala in August, faces a possible two-year jail term.

Radio Netherlands Worldwide's Mark Schenkel reports:

On 6 September, Cecil was charged for ignoring an advance warning from the Uganda Media Council that the play was not to be staged until official "clearance" was obtained. The warning was issued on 16 August, the day before the play premiered. On 29 August, after the showings had ended, the Media Council ruled that the play was not to be staged because parts of the production "implicitly promote homosexual acts", which "are contrary to the laws, cultural norms and values of Uganda".

Cecil says he and British playwright Beau Hopkins, together with Ugandan director Angella Emurwon and the Ugandan actors, decided to go ahead with the staging because the Media Council's initial warning letter "in no way" made reference to any potential legal consequences. Cecil says: "Even my Ugandan lawyer read the letter and said: 'It does not clearly constitute a legal order'."

But as it went, Cecil was contacted by the police and subsequently charged for disobeying an order from a public authority - the Media Council. After reviewing the charges, authorities will decide whether or not to bring the 34-year-old producer before court. It is unclear when the decision will take place.

In the meantime, Cecil, who has been living in Uganda for three years, has had to hand over his passport. A police bond has been issued for him.

Okuyo Joel Atiku Prynce, a straight actor who played the lead role in the play, told France24 that he was proud to take it on and that the audience welcomed it:

The reaction to the play makes me think we’re headed in the right direction, as we had a full house every night. Many of the people who came were from the neighbourhood we were playing in, and didn’t even know that the play would touch on homosexuality. It was a great success. Only two people walked out – one who was clearly homophobic, and an activist who thought the play wasn’t activist enough. But many gay people thanked us, saying that we perfectly captured their experiences. I heard one director said he wouldn’t work with me any more because I took on this role, but I don’t care – I did my job, and I am proud of it.

Here's the River and the Mountain's Facebook page.

France Justice Minister: Marriage, Adoption to Be Extended to Gay Couples

France is edging closer to offering marriage equality. Today, in an interview with La Croix newspaper, the Socialist government's Justice Minister affirmed news that the Prime Minister offered in August, that equality is on its way.

Expatica reports:

The new law "will extend to members of the same sex the current arrangements of marriage," Justice Minister Christiane Taubira told La Croix newspaper. "We will open adoption to homosexual couples," she said. "They will be able to adopt children either as individuals or as a couple."

...

Taubira said the new laws would allow "homosexuals wanting to become a 'parent' of their partner's biological child to do so in similar conditions as heterosexuals."

According to the Prime Minister, a bill is forthcoming in October.