News: Polaroid, McGreevey Trial, Banksy, Van Hansis

Anti-gay evangelical preacher stabbed to death in Perth, Australia.

Photographers, artists bitter over Polaroid's demise: "'Now what the hell am I supposed to do?' asks John Waters, who’s shot a Polaroid of each person who’s come into his apartment since 1992—friends, interviewers, deliverymen, everyone. 'Digital isn’t instant gratification, and those cameras don’t make that sexy sound.'"

Self-described 'YouTube Superstar' Tricia Walsh-Smith may join The Real Housewives of New York City.

Is Jake Gyllenhaal getting Nailed?

Till death: McGreevey divorce trial begins Tuesday. "Legal analysts expect New Jersey's former first couple will approach new lows, even for divorce court. 'I'm not going to tell you this is going to be the worst case ever in the history of New Jersey divorces,' said Charles Abut, a matrimonial lawyer who operates the New Jersey Family Law blog. 'But I think if you asked longtime matrimonial lawyers, 'Give me the your top 10 worst,' this one is going to appear on everyone's list.' The proceedings, which are expected to last up to six weeks in Elizabeth's Union County Courthouse, have been divided into three sections. Superior Court Judge Karen Cassidy has said she will rule separately on each part: Custody of the couple's 6-year-old daughter, Jacqueline; the amount of child support and alimony McGreevey must pay Matos McGreevey; and, finally, Matos McGreevey's claim McGreevey defrauded her, tricking her into a marriage of political convenience even though he knew he was gay."

In March I posted about the appointment of Yale music professor and singer Richard Lalli to Yale residential college master, one of the school's highest recognitions. Now the Hartford Courant has profiled Lalli.

Frank Rich wonders why the media is ignoring John Hagee...

Indiewire talks to gay filmmaker Arthur Dong: "As a gay Asian American filmmaker I'd be naive to think that anti-gay bigotry and racism has not affected the opportunities or lack thereof in terms of my work. But the way I confront it is to first acknowledge whatever factors I think might be there, and then forge ahead anyway with that knowledge. We all have thrust upon us unwanted external forces that we have no control over, whoever we are, and if we allow them to be barriers (excuses?) to our goals, then we may as well give it up because perseverance, passion, and stamina is a must for independent filmmakers."

Inside Banksy's CANS Exhibit.

John Mayer asks for hair Haikus.

T.R. Knight and Mark Cornelsen already planning for children. Knight: “I wouldn’t rule [adoption] out at all. I think it would be adopting versus any other route. But yeah. I mean, there are a lot of kids who need homes.”

FOX News radio host John Gibson mocks MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, lesbians.

As the World Turns' Van Hansis reportedly dating fellow actor Tyler Hanes.

Australian Capitol Territory forced to back down on civil partnerships: "The ACT decision comes as the deeply religious Mr Rudd faces growing attack from Christian groups over his Government's decision to remove discrimination against gays from all other federal laws. Mr Corbell yesterday accused the Rudd Government of breaking a commitment to the states and territories to allow them to legislate as they saw fit. The legislation, which was quashed by the Howard government in 2006, would have allowed gay couples to have their relationships recognised in a legally binding ceremony."

Gay powerlifter Chris Morgan reaches World Championships.

Israeli court denies restraining order against gay man's former partner because nation's family and domestic violence laws do not apply to gay partnerships: "The complainant told the court that the former lover, a younger man who had lived in his Ramat Gan home with him for two years, was abusing him psychologically. He argued that as common-law partner he was entitled to the protection of the family court."

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News: Ling Ling, Jake Gyllenhaal, MIT, Reichen, Kathy Griffin

Smith College students protest, defeat Ryan Sorba, author of The Born Gay Hoax.

One of Tokyo's most famous is dead at 22 (that's 70 in human years).

MIT takes no action against student who threatened LGBT group after receiving an email about the group's end-of-semester celebration. Said the student's email: "If you fucking fags send me something like that once again or contact me in any other way, I swear you won’t be able to study at Sloan for some time because you will spend it at resuscitation department. If this is what you want, go ahead." (email and response)

A new Nike ad directed by Guy Ritchie.

Anglican school council in Australia formally endorses ban on bringing same-sex partners to the school formal: "Up to eight students had wanted to take boyfriends and raised the issue with a senior staff member, who passed the request to Churchie headmaster Jonathan Hensman. At the time Mr Hensman said it was not appropriate for students to take a same-sex partner because escorting a young woman to a formal was part of the boys' education. But after reports in The Courier-Mail Mr Hensman referred the matter to the school council. A brief statement posted on the Churchie website yesterday said the council 'strongly supported the headmaster's position on the school's education programs in social settings'."

Reichen Lehmkuhl splits with model boyfriend Ryan Barry, writes up list of Hollywood dating tips.

Viral campaign for The Dark Knight issues 35 mm film trailers to 12 winners of its contest, each one individually defaced by The Joker.

Presbyterian church court issues conflicted ruling in same-sex union case: "A San Rafael minister who presided over several same-sex ceremonies didn't violate Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) rules, because same-sex marriages don't exist in the church, a church court ruled Tuesday. At the same time, the Permanent Judicial Council's ruling affirmed the right of same-sex couples to have unions, a ceremony that would theoretically have a distinct liturgy. The ambivalent ruling - affirming the rights of gays and lesbians to have their relationships sanctioned by the church but not considering them equal to those of heterosexual couples - is likely to disappoint both sides in the debate."

Tenant who lived in Austrian incest house heard knocking from the basement for 12 years but did nothing: "I wish to God that I could turn back the clock. The signs were all there but it was impossible for me to recognise them. Who would ever believe something so terrible was going on right under my feet? It is a regret I will have to live with for the rest of my life."

Street artist targeting NYC subway ads.

Kathy Griffin was fired from Hannah Montana because she told Jesus to suck it.

Gossip Girl's Ed Westwick is somewhere under the rainbow.

Gay books: Publishing Triangle awards handed out.

Hometown boy makes good: Portland paper profiles Chad White.

Jake Gyllenhaal is opening a restaurant: "The so-called ‘closet chef’ is said to be in the development stages of an organic restaurant project, for which he plans to travel throughout Italy collecting ideas...The actor has always said he planned to open a high-end dining venue by the time he was thirty (he has three years left), as long as his acting career had put him in a position that would make that possible."

Dusty Springfield to be played by...Nicole Kidman?

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News: Jim Neal, Ronaldo, Gay Sauna, Smiley Face, Charlie Crist

AFA asks followers to bombard Procter & Gamble with complaints over Luke and Noah's kiss.

Brazilian footballer Ronaldo caught up in tranny hooker extortion plot: "He told police he knew they were hookers, but didn't know they were dudes. He took the three trannies to a motel where he discovered the truth. He offered them around $600 each to leave. Two of the trannies accepted, but the other tranny, Andre Luis Ribeiro Albertino (above), demanded $30,000 or else."

Out has an exclusive excerpt from John Barrowman's new autobiography, Anything Goes.

Hillary Clinton supporter set up Reverend Jeremiah Wright appearance at National Press Club.

HRC refusing to support gay candidate Jim Neal in North Carolina...

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter appoints liaison to LGBT community. Mayor: "For the first time, the LGBT liaison will actually be operating out of the mayor's office, working across city government to advocate for the needs of Philadelphia's LGBT community."

Australian forum hears calls for gay-friendlier nursing homes.

Male autograph seekers mob Lance Bass outside Villa nightclub.

Police raid gay sauna in Israel: "The association's chairman, Mike Hammel, said that 'the sauna is a meeting place for men looking to meet men.' Hammel received many complaints from the sauna's visitors accusing him of slander. The sauna is viewed as a recreational place for gays around the world. In Tel-Aviv, for instance, there are three running saunas. A. established the sauna in Haifa a few months ago, investing large sums of money, and has run it ever since. This is the only place in the north serving as a meeting place for the gay community. 'Saying that this place provides prostitution services, is simply ignorance and stupidity', he said to Ynet. 'Only in Haifa can they come to a place for gays, remove people as if they were a herd of animals, and simply place them under investigation for prostitution.'"

Smiley Face: Investigators discover common link between 40 murder cases of young men across the country. "Gannon and Duarte have done something that no other law enforcement agency has ever done in this case -- they looked at the big picture and visited each site where the young men disappeared. While most local investigations focused on where a body was recovered, Gannon and Duarte tried to figure out where the body went into the river. City after city, when they'd find the spot where the body went in, they would find something else: The symbol of a smiley face."

Cher reminisces about affair with Tom Cruise: "It could have been a great big romance because I was crazy for him."

Lipstick Jungle's Robert Buckley doing what he does best.

Military responds to disgusting video of conditions at Fort Bragg: " Frawley's 10-minute video shows still photos from throughout the building, which appears to be falling apart and filled with mold and rust. Paint -- which Frawley said is lead-based -- is chipping. Ceiling tiles are missing. A broken drain pipe allows sewer gas into the building, while another one has tissues stuffed into it in an apparent effort to stop the gas from coming in. Photos from the communal bathroom show some of the most disgusting images. In one, a soldier stands in a sink to avoid what Frawley describes as 3 inches of sewage water that filled the floor when toilets overflowed."

Letter from Bible beater to underwear company condemns "evil, immoral clothing that will keep souls out of the holy, heavenly kingdom."

Who knew? Florida Governor Charlie Crist has a wife (or at least some want him to be seen that way).

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Australia to Offer Matching Rights, Not Marriage, to Gay Couples

Legislation to be introduced next month by the Rudd government will offer gay and lesbian couples a broad new set of rights, the Sydney Morning Herald reports today:

"The federal Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, will announce today that the necessary legislation will be introduced when Parliament resumes next month for the winter sittings. The measures do not amount to gay marriage; they afford gay couples the same treatment as heterosexual de facto couples in areas such as tax, superannuation sharing and social security...other areas to be reformed include health, aged care, veterans' entitlements, workers' compensation, employment and entitlements. 'In keeping with the election commitment, the changes do not alter the marriage laws,' Mr McClelland said. 'They will make a practical difference to the everyday lives of a group of our fellow Australians who have suffered discriminations under Commonwealth laws for far too long.' All the changes would be operational by the middle of next year; most will begin as soon as legislation is passed."

The legislation is expected to pass through the Senate easily.

Previously
Australian PM Kevin Rudd Says He Won't Overrule Civil Unions [tr]
Australian Voters Reject Howard, Elect Kevin Rudd Prime Minister [tr]

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Ian Thorpe Extinguishes Olympic Flame, Ever so Briefly

Canberra, Australia was the last leg of the Olympic Torch relay and, as you can see from the video below, the site of demonstrations similar to those around the rest of the world, with vocal pro-Tibet protestors poised to do whatever they could to put out the Olympic flame.

However, as SameSame notes, Australia's most famous Olympian, Ian Thorpe, momentarily did their work for them as the flame was accidentally extinguished briefly by the swimmer. To the dismay of many, however, it wasn't on purpose.

That clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously
Gay Activist Peter Tatchell Detained Amid Olympic Flame Protests [tr]
Ian Thorpe is Still Not Gay [tr]

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News: David Blaine, Spiders, NFL Draft, Methodists, George Bush

Bush disapproval rating breaks Gallup poll record: "President Bush has set a record he'd presumably prefer to avoid: the highest disapproval rating of any president in the 70-year history of the Gallup Poll. In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday, 28% of Americans approve of the job Bush is doing; 69% disapprove. The approval rating matches the low point of his presidency, and the disapproval sets a new high for any president since Franklin Roosevelt."

Breathe: David Blaine to attempt record-breaking inhale on Oprah.

Queer Month at Rhode Island College plagued by vandals.

"Possesses a V-shaped torso with a well-defined upper body, good bubble, developed calves and good chest thickness." Craigslist ad or NFL Draft profile?

Gay joke ban rejected by British House of Lords: "The television stars Rowan Atkinson and Christopher Higgins, who is himself homosexual, are among the prominent figures to have spoken out against the proposal to create a new offence of incitement to 'homophobic hatred'. ...Peter Tatchell, the prominent homosexual rights campaigner, also spoke out against the measure, arguing that freedom of speech should be sacrosanct."

Brad Pitt is a ruff rider.

Gay-straight alliance challenged in Janesville, Wisconsin.

David Beckham to strip for Ellen Degeneres?

Market: Clay Aiken will premiere his new album to audience of housewives on QVC.

Plague of venomous spiders shuts hospital in Australia: "The black spiders with a red stripe, close relatives of the black widow, are about 2-4 centimetres (0.8-1.6 inches) long and common across Australia. Their bites can cause severe pain, muscle spasms and death, although no fatalities have been recorded since an anti-venom was introduced in the 1950s."

Methodists hold convention in Fort Worth, brace for debate on homosexuality: "...there will almost certainly be another round of heated debate and contentious votes over whether the UMC should change its official position that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching and withdraw its ban on noncelibate gay pastors. Recent General Conferences have seen protests by gay-rights supporters. Eight years ago in Cleveland, some 200 demonstrators, including two bishops, were arrested for disrupting proceedings. Still, most experts believe the big tent of the UMC will hold, however the winds blow in Fort Worth. Some even say the denomination has turned a corner toward unity."

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News: Neil Patrick Harris, Hip-Hop, Kevin Rudd, PETA, Zac Efron

Australian PM Kevin Rudd presented with first major gay rights challenge of his administration as ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope asks him to allow same-sex civil unions.

Tiny Wookie takes leak on the ruler of the Naboo people.

Anti-gay South American Anglican Archbishop defies requests to stay away from Canada: "Archbishop Gregory Venables, who claims to represent 15 breakaway Anglican congregations in Canada, will speak Friday at a gathering in Delta of the conservative Anglican Network in Canada. Venables, who has been criticized as a rogue archbishop by Anglican colleagues in South America and elsewhere, is recruiting Anglican congregations in Canada and the U.S. that have opposed the ordination of homosexuals and the church blessing of their relationships. The primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, Fred Hilz, wrote a public letter to Venables on Monday urging him to stay home and saying that entering his North American jurisdiction 'will further harm the strained relations' between Canadian Anglicans."

Ewan McGregor makes light of skin cancer scare: “It was great fun having skin cancer, it was great, I really enjoyed it.”

Richard's Quest: The CNN reporter's Central Park thought process flowchart.

Zac Efron gives big to cancer patient in the UK.

A night out with Neil Patrick Harris at The Magic Castle: “I’m not the guy who goes to Skybar,” Mr. Harris said. "I’m not good with that random small talk with people I’ll never meet again. I prefer to take a friend somewhere eventful." He also says he's looking forward to welcoming Britney back to his show.

PETA offers $1 million prize for test tube meat: "The organization said it would announce plans today for a $1 million prize to the 'first person to come up with a method to produce commercially viable quantities of in-vitro meat at competitive prices by 2012.' The idea of getting the next Chicken McNugget out of a test tube is not new. For several years, scientists have worked to develop technologies to grow tissue cultures that could be consumed like meat without the expense of land or feed and the disease potential of real meat. An international symposium on the topic was held this month in Norway. The tissue, once grown, could be shaped and given texture with the kinds of additives and structural agents that are now used to give products such as soy burgers a more meaty texture."

Former MTV executive Terrance Dean promises to out DL players in the hip-hop industry in new book.

Investigators suspect gay angle in New Delhi murder.

Janet Jackson, who is set to receive a GLAAD award in L.A. this weekend, talks to E!'s Marc Malkin about AIDS, drag queens, Ellen Degeneres, and Lawrence King: "He was finally coming into his own and being himself and being OK with who he was. He was feeling good about that and not living in this shell and pretending to be someone else. He was letting all of that go and saying, 'This is me.' But being murdered for being who you are, for being real—we were crushed by that."

Neil Haskell, from So You Think You Can Dance, has joined the New York cast of Altar Boyz.

Clay Aiken is Tyra Banks' reward for 500 episodes.

ACLU asks Florida judge to reopen case on Okeechobee gay-straight alliance: " The lawsuit was recently dismissed by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore after its lead plaintiff Yasmin Gonzalez graduated and the club itself dwindled down to zero members, leading the judge to drop a requirement that the group be allowed to meet while the lawsuit was pending. The lawsuit was initially filed in November 2006 under the federal Equal Access Act after the student group claimed the school district would not allow it to meet at Okeechobee High School. The school district claimed it was banning the club in part because it was a 'sex-based' club and could conflict with abstinence-only education."

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Henry Rollins Would Kick Your Arse if He Was Gay

Henry Rollins is down in Australia, where he's set to perform in Sydney. And he continues to speak out about homophobia. He spoke with the Sydney Star Observer:

"While attending a military school, Rollins was struck with disgust as a teacher’s open attacks on a gay student led to the boy attempting suicide. It stayed with him as a defining event and he has gone on to publicly lambast institutions and propagators of homophobia. He hosted the successful Wedrock concert to raise awareness of same-sex rights to marriage and has made his views on gay rights well known. While still strongly denying all rumours that he is gay, Rollins puts across the message for gay rights strongly and simply. 'To me it’s just common sense. You come out of the womb and you’re something. You’re straight, you’re gay or you’re lucky,' he said. 'You know what you are very soon in your life. So when someone says you can’t love that person, you can’t marry that person I’m like, 'Really, fuck you!' Boy, if I was gay I would kick your arse!'"

You may remember we noted he wanted to kick arse last May. One of these days he's gonna do it.

'IF I WAS GAY I WOULD KICK YOUR ARSE' [sso]

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Gay Student at Aussie School Objects to 'Straights-Only' Formal

A gay student at one of Brisbane, Australia's elite Anglican private schools has made national headlines after threatening a boycott over the school's policies for its spring formal, at which male students are required to bring a female date.

News.com.au reports: "The student, who did not wish to be named, said he felt misled following his approach to a senior teacher and said he expected students would consider a boycott. The student said he approached Head of Senior School Dr Phil Cummins, who told him the school's practice of allowing only female formal partners would be "quietly changed" if he did not make a big deal about it. 'He said to me, 'If you go quietly about this and if you don't cause us too much trouble, we will just quietly change the rules so they're allowed and no-one gets hurt',' the student said. 'At the start of 2006, there was no one at the school who was openly gay, now there are dozens. Generally it's a very accepting school. It's not like anyone has ever been persecuted for being gay. A few students will have second thoughts about going to the formal because of all this.'"

The headmaster, Jonathan Hensman, stands by the school's policy: "We decide what is appropriate behaviour and what is not."

Australia's leading Anglican Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, who heads the school council, told ABC News: "I have no personal objection to a school deciding to allow boys to take friends who are boys or girls to take friends who are girls to school formals. But I understand in this particular instance the school has decided that its approach is to emphasise the interaction of young men and young women and providing them with an opportunity to do that in this kind of formal setting. And I have no objection to that either. I think that's a reasonable and legitimate approach."

Anger at school gay ban [news.com.au]

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Senior Anglican Minister Attacks Gay Australian Judge Michael Kirby

Openly gay Australian High Court judge Michael Kirby revealed at a forum on religious tolerance and homosexuality on Tuesday that he had been attacked by a senior Anglican minister over his sexuality:

"The rector of St Stephen's Church in Bellevue Hill, the Reverend Richard Lane, denounced the judge for calling himself a Christian Anglican while living in an openly gay relationship and warned as a 'messenger, watchman and steward of the Lord in the Anglican Church of Australia', he faced God's judgment. To call himself a Christian Anglican was a 'perversion of truth' and to continue to do so without changing his lifestyle would brand him, like Herod, a 'coward, a liar, a deceiver' and a 'lawless one'. 'I appeal to you to cast yourself on the mercy of Jesus … That is admit your sin, confess your wrongdoing and turn in humble repentance to the Lord Jesus, who alone can forgive you,' Mr Lane said."

Kirby replied that Lane had ignored the "central loving message of Jesus of the gospels". Said the judge: "To defy modern knowledge and to stick to uninformed interpretations is truly irrational. To do so selectively is specially so. It is a reason why the churches are losing rational adherents."

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10-Year Australian News Veteran Peter Hitchener: I'm Gay

Peter Hitchener, a top news anchor in Melbourne, Australia on National Nine News for the past 10 years, came out of the closet this weekend.

Said Hitchener: "I am a single person and given that we are on private issues of private life, I am choosing to share with you today that part of my life that I have not spoken about before: that I am gay. That is part of who I am and with that disclosure, or acknowledgment, I just also need to say I am still the person I was yesterday. I am still the same person and I remain committed to my job and my family and my service and so on. It is not something that has ever come up before. I have never been asked about it before. There is never a right time, or an easy time, to talk about these personal issues, but this is the right time to say it and to move on."

Hitchener is Nine's prime fighter [news.com.au]

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News: Gayest Looks, Christian Siriano, Blackmail, Marc Jacobs

My Gayest Look: A site for Jay Leno. Submit yours!

A view of the jungle shot by an elephant who carries around a hidden camera in a log.

Britney Spears may soon have her own sitcom!

Straight cops at University of New Mexico claim discrimination by gay superiors: "The two complaining officers, with a combined 24 years of experience with the UNM police department, filed a complaint with the state Department of Workforce Solutions arguing that they are being treated unfairly because they are straight and their superiors are gay. Lieutenant Michael Young contends that his job as administrative lieutenant was taken from him by Police Chief Kathy Guimond, whom Young claims is gay, and given to Lieutenant Patrick Davis, who is also gay. Young also claims another gay superior, Commander Debbie Kuidis, with Davis were given higher evaluation ratings by Chief Guimond and greater pay raises."

Karl Lagerfeld bodyguard smacks down paparazzo: "A paparazzo lurked from out of the shadows and started snapping away at them, and out of nowhere, one of Lagerfeld's guys just threw him to the ground." I wonder if it was Sebastian?

Scott Heim talks to the SF Chronicle about his latest novel, We Disappear: "What's true and what isn't - that's such an obsession with so many readers. If you say it's totally fictional, or you don't fess up to things, they tend to feel like they've been cheated or something. But if you say, 'Oh yeah, it's from experience,' then they kind of have this idea that you don't have an imagination."

David Beckham earns his 100th cap in a pair of golden booties.

The booties so impressed Beckham's son Romeo, that he dug for some gold of his own.

Keith Richards discusses Mick Jagger's sexuality: "It was camp. Yeah. It was all… I really have no idea if anyone ever shoved it up the shitter."

Kids coming out earlier than ever: "We're working not for tolerance, but for acceptance. I don't care if it's race, gender or sexual orientation. We need to accept the uniqueness of each and every one."

Student ambassadors train against school violence: "The training session was dedicated to Lawrence King, the Oxnard junior high school boy who last month was shot and killed, allegedly by a classmate, purportedly for admitting he was gay. The Oak Park ambassadors, who maintain anonymity for safety reasons, wrote their comments on a poster in memory of the 15-year-old victim: 'Lawrence, what happened to you is extremely unfair. Everyone deserves a chance in life no matter what sex, religion, sexual preference, anything. Your story will teach many people to be better people.' And, 'You are told to forgive and forget but the reality is you don't do either.'"

Marc Jacobs hits L.A. with new man.

Melbourne, Australia teacher fined $3,000 for blackmailing former lover with a sex video: "Hicks became aware that the victim was a 'closet homosexual' who had a wife and daughter who were not aware of his activities, Judge Michael McInerney told the court. 'He was discreet, or discreet as one can be if you pick up someone in a public toilet,' he said. The court was told that during one of their liaisons, Hicks - who also was married, had a child and was bisexual - recorded them on his mobile phone participating in a sex act. Hicks later approached the victim and told him he had a video of them and that he wanted $3,000 or he would show it to the victim's wife and put it on YouTube, the court heard."

Project Runway winner Christian Siriano designed the dress that Kimberley Locke performed in on last night's American Idol.

Leona Lewis is the first UK female artist to top the U.S. charts in more than 20 years, since Kim Wilde's 1987 cover "You Keep Me Hangin On".

Anti-gay domestic partner bill dies in Kentucky senate: "The Kentucky Senate’s Health and Welfare Committee voted to defeat a bill yesterday that would have barred state universities and other public agencies from providing health coverage to employees’ domestic partners. Furthermore, committee member David Watkins (right) scolded the bill’s sponsor, Vernie McGaha, for introducing it, calling the legislation divisive and ignoring the state’s biggest health problems like smoking and obesity, according to The Courier Journal."

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News: Glaciers, Jared Leto, Gay Nursing Home, Kevin Rudd

NYT: Civil unions not enough. "Though such arrangements were created, often under court mandate, with a promise of treating same-sex couples the same as opposite-sex couples, many gays and lesbians say they have not delivered and can never do so because separate institutions are inherently unequal. Many also resent being denied use of the word marriage, which they say carries intangible benefits, prestige and status."

Becks and teammate clutch the family jewels.

First stills of Britney Spears guest appearance on How I Met Your Mother.

Glaciers melting faster than at any time since records began: "The details are revealed in the latest report from the World Glacier Monitoring Service and will add to growing alarm about the rise in sea levels and increased instances of flooding, avalanches and drought. Based on historical records and other evidence, the rate at which the glaciers are melting is also thought to be faster that at any time in the past 5,000 years, said Professor Wilfried Haeberli, director of the monitoring service. 'There's no absolute proof, but nevertheless the evidence is strong: this is really extraordinary.'"

Inside Berlin's Asta Nielsen Haus, the first nursing home in Europe to cater specifically to gays and lesbians: "We just want people to be able to speak freely of their pasts. They shouldn't have to worry about reactions or prejudices. It's simple really: no one should be shocked to go into a man's room and see a picture of another man. No one should have to explain themselves to others at this stage of life."

Halloween in San Francisco's Castro District canceled forever.

Wentworth Miller goes to Jerusalem.

Nun urges Vatican to drop prejudice against gays and lesbians.

Gay Republican runs for seat on Plano, Texas City Council: "Justin Nichols is charting new territory in more ways than one. Nichols, 23, is already the youngest candidate ever to run for Plano City Council. If Nichols wins his race for the Place 1 seat on May 10, he’ll also become the first openly gay member of the body. 'I don’t know that one is harder than the other,' Nichols told Dallas Voice this week. 'I think that each is solved by letting people get to know you.' Nichols also faces a third challenge when it comes to gaining the support of Plano’s small but growing LGBT community: He’s a Republican."

Obama responds to controversial comments of Reverend Jeremiah Wright: "Let me repeat what I've said earlier. All of the statements that have been the subject of controversy are ones that I vehemently condemn. They in no way reflect my attitudes and directly contradict my profound love for this country."

Jared Leto packed on the pounds for his role as John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman.

Gay groups picket 'prayer breakfast' hosted by anti-gay Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle: "The featured speaker at the prayer breakfast, Jim Daly, president of the right-wing religious organization Focus on the Family, is among the most aggressive opponents of the gay rights movement. Daly’s organization is one of the primary backers of an anti-gay marriage amendment that goes before voters in November."

Australian PM Kevin Rudd forcing ministerial staff to list history of sexual partners, reveal extra-marital affairs and detail homosexual experiences before gaining security clearance: "More than 300 ministerial and electorate staffers have been ordered to fill in a 25-page form and attend an in-depth interview into their personal finances, drug habits and sexual history before gaining high-level security clearance. Senior staff say they have been told the security form is designed to protect them from blackmail. But several have told The Sunday Telegraph they were affronted at the personal information they had been forced to divulge."

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News: Eric Bana, Puddle, Steve-O, 90210, John Gibson, Jamaica

International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association condemns Jamaica: “We call immediately on Jamaica’s community leaders to cease their oppression. We will continue to speak up and to spotlight these cruel and bigoted actions before tourism and business leaders everywhere. IGLTA is in complete solidarity with Jamaica’s own LGBT leadership, J-FLAG. Therefore, like J-flag, it is not our intention to provoke reprisals or political condemnation in Jamaica by supporting a global tourism boycott. We understand this step could be counter-productive to making true progress in that Caribbean nation, and instead we will focus on education, publicity and market competition to highlight and help curb these terrible abuses."

A sweet little blog about a puddle.

Steve-O from Jackass has really gone off the deep end.

John Gibson, the FOX radio host who mocked Heath Ledger following the actor's death, has lost his TV spot: "The network confirmed this week that 'America’s Election HQ,' a program that displaced 'The Big Story' temporarily last month, would continue indefinitely. The program’s hosts, Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly, also anchor the network’s mid-morning newscast and are seen as rising stars on the channel. The change was first reported by the blog TVNewser.com. John Gibson, the longtime host of 'The Big Story,' will continue to have a role on television, the network said, although it appears that his future for now lies mostly on radio. For two years Mr. Gibson, a conservative commentator, has been the host of a three-hour program for Fox News Radio immediately following his television show."

The case for another Earth-sized planet in our solar system, beyond the orbit of Neptune: "A newly released paper shows that may very well be the case. A team of scientists ran a whole mess of simulations, and found that a small planet (in this case, around half the size of the Earth) could have formed inside Neptune’s orbit (where there was plenty of material in the early solar system), gotten tossed into a bigger orbit by Neptune, and then knocked around the orbits of the iceballs, distorting their orbits and creating the Kuiper Cliff."

Noosa mayor rejects claims that his town is the "gay capital" of Australia: "Let me answer the question Joe, let me answer the question, I am not the champion of the gay capital of Australia. Noosa is not the gay capital of Australia. Noosa gets many gay visitors after the mardi gras, they are welcome like every other Australian, Joe. I am not a bigot and I am not closed of mind."

Tom Brady and Eli Manning: no hard feelings.

Obama oral sex and drugs accuser Larry Sinclair files $3 million defamation lawsuit against TubeSockTedD, mzmolly and OWNINGLIARS for calling him a liar.

Spin off of Beverly Hills 90210 in development.

A whole bunch of photography firsts.

MoveOn.org has launched Obama in 30 Seconds, a contest for supporters interested in producing their own ads for the candidate: "We're counting on you to make amazing ads in the next three weeks. Then, MoveOn members and the public will rate the ads, and a panel of top artists, netroots heroes, and filmmaking professionals will pick the winner from among top ads. We'll air the winning ad nationally, and the winner will receive a gift certificate for $20,000 in video equipment." MoveOn has collected a gaggle of celebrities to judge the spots, including Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, John Legend, Moby, James Schamus, Rory Kennedy, and Michael Franti.

Eric Bana is the king of codpieces.

The tale of Spitzer's call girl Kristen.

Northern Irish councillor calls opening of gay bar 'foolish': "A veteran Strabane councillor has said he believes there is 'not a need' for a gay bar in the town. James O'Kane, an Independent member of Strabane District Council, claimed it would be 'very foolish.' The North West gay community has widely welcomed the annoucement of Strabane's first gay bar. However, speaking to the 'Journal,' Councillor O'Kane said: 'My own assumption is that it would be very very foolish to open it, it wouldn't be welcome. I'm a pioneer myself so I would not be frequenting these places anyway but I couldn't see it operating in the town. In this day and age we are all liberal but I can't see a need for it, I suppose only time will tell,' Colr. O'Kane said."

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Australian Gay Basher Jailed for Brutal Assault

A gay basher who brutally assaulted a man at HQ nightclub in the city of Adelaide has been sent to jail for eight months:

"Mohamed Abdula Abdulrahman was celebrating his 20th birthday at HQ nightclub when he attacked the man in December, 2006. Abdulrahman claimed to have lost control when the other man made sexual advances towards him about 5am. He knocked the man out with a punch to the head, then stomped on his head six to eight times. A number of people restrained Abdulrahman, but he broke free and stomped the prone man's head again. He also threatened one of the victim's friends who was trying to help the badly injured man. The attack was captured on the nightclub's security cameras and police arrested Abdulrahman soon after. District Court Judge Wayne Chivell said the victim was rushed to Royal Adelaide Hospital, where he remained unconscious on a ventilator for several days."

The judge gave Abdulrahman a lower-than-usual eight month non-parole sentence because of his youth and previous clean record.

Homophobic thug jailed for appalling assault [news.com]

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Streaker Leveled by Australian Cricket Player

Australian cricket player Andrew Symonds had the opportunity to "blow off some steam," according to The Age, when a streaker appeared on the field during a match Tuesday night:

"During the 10th over, play was held up as the male streaker showed security a clean pair of heels - and a whole lot more. But as the smug pitch invader rounded Symonds to complete his naked lap, the burly Queenslander put on a hit that left the intruder air-borne - and the crowd gasping. Security quickly pounced as a nonchalant Symonds hardly moved at the non-striker's end, as if it was all in a day's work."

Symonds may pay a stiff penalty for the bruising: "Symonds could face a serious punishment if the International Cricket Council decides that he breached section 4.2 of the player's code of conduct relating to a physical assault of a rival player, an official or a spectator. It carries a ban ranging anywhere from five Test matches or 10 limited-overs internationals up to a life ban. The spectator is expected to be fined $3,000 for invading the pitch - but faces a possible jail term for wilful exposure."

Clip AFTER THE JUMP (NSFW)...

Streaker no match for Symonds [the age]

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Australian Crocodiles Prefer Their Meat Shirtless

This crocodile obviously saw an opportunity to get right to the good stuff.

Continued, AFTER THE JUMP...

The Telegraph reports:

"The 16 foot-long saltwater crocodile came within an arm’s length of inflicting serious damage to the tourist, if not killing him. Novon Mashiah, 27, an Israeli backpacker, spotted the big crocodile during a fishing trip in the Northern Territory. Determined to have a picture taken of himself with the crocodile, he posed while leaning out of the back of his fishing boat, pointing towards the predator. 'I began playing with it for a photo,' Mr Mashiah said. 'I was pointing at it when it suddenly jumped up at me - I didn't realise that crocs were so aggressive.' The 'saltie' – which experts believe probably approached the boat in search of a free feed of fish – propelled itself out of the water with terrifying speed. After narrowly missing its prey, it smashed into the side of the small metal boat before plunging back into the water. 'I was shocked - the animal clearly wanted to kill me,' Mr Mashiah, from Tel Aviv, told the Northern Territory News."

Crocodile attacks backpacker in Australia [telegraph]

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News: John McCain, Madonna, Knut, Colombia, Ellen Page, Ireland

California state Supreme Court to hear same-sex marriage arguments this week: "The Supreme Court's intervention has been inevitable since February 2004, when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom ignited a national furor by giving same-sex couples the short-lived right to marry at City Hall. But now that the justices have the issue in their hands, the outcome is anything but predictable - and the stakes for all corners of the divisive social issue could not be higher."

Madonna/Timberlake single leaks.

PlanetOut posts loss of $51.2 million for 2007: " In 2006, the San Francisco company (NASDAQ: LGBT) lost $3.7 million. Sales fell to $53 million for 2007, down slightly from 2006 sales of $58.8 million. PlanetOut, which owns Gay.com, Advocate.com, Out.com and other web sites, as well as a book publisher, Alyson Publications, recorded a $25.9 million charge for impairment of goodwill and intangible assets in 2007, which contributed to its loss."

Venezuela and Ecuador on brink of war with Colombia? "Venezuela and Ecuador ordered troops to their borders with Colombia, sharply raising tensions after Colombia killed a top rebel leader on Ecuadorean soil. President Hugo Chavez on Sunday promised Venezuela would respond militarily if Colombia violates its border, where he ordered tanks as well as thousands of troops. He also ordered closed Venezuela's embassy in Bogota. Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said he deployed troops to the border while also withdrawing his government's ambassador from Bogota and expelling Colombia's top diplomat."

At New York's Bailey House Auction, Tim Gunn elaborates on his recent comments regarding Hillary Clinton's 'gender-confused' fashion sense: "Let me put it this way. I believe in the semiotics of fashion."

Ellen Page wants to "hug a woman with her legs in friendship."

Caged animal: Knut in captivity, one year later.

HIV/AIDS infections surge among gay men in Australia: "Based on current trends in condom use, testing for HIV and other epidemiological factors, the centre predicted new infections would increase from the 234 recorded among Victorian gay men in 2006 to 406 in 2015, an increase of 73.5%. For the same period, infections are predicted to decrease in NSW by 12% and increase in Queensland by 20%. If national trends continue, new infections among gay men in Australia overall would increase from 725 reported in 2006 to 786 in 2015, an 8.5% increase."

T.R. Knight and beau Mark Cornelsen appear at UCLA benefit to help crew members affected by the writer's strike. Previously...

John McCain asked to denounce the support of evangelical pastor John Hagee. Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, Hagee said: "All hurricanes are acts of God, because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God, and they are—were recipients of the judgment of God for that. The newspaper carried the story in our local area that was not carried nationally that there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came. And the promise of that parade was that it was going to reach a level of sexuality never demonstrated before in any of the other Gay Pride parades."

Madonna and Guy Ritchie bought their neighborhood pub, The Punchbowl.

Olivia Newton-John basks in gay love at Sydney Mardi Gras...

San Francisco launches gay tourism campaign.

Weeklong documentary series on photographers begins tonight on The Sundance Channel: "The documentaries, made over the last decade by 10 independent filmmakers and assembled for the series, feature a broad range of photographers including William Eggleston, Tina Barney, Helmut Newton, and Robert Mapplethorpe and his mentor Sam Wagstaff, among other lesser-known artists."

Jason Preston engaged to Marc Jacobs?

After review of the case, cover-up of gay relationship remains at center of mystery over theft of the Irish crown jewels: "The mystery popped back into the news recently after the safe that held the jewels, known as the regalia of the Illustrious Order of St Patrick, was moved to the Irish police, or Garda, museum where it is now on public display. 'It is a never ending and continually fascinating mystery,' said Murphy. His study, which took a fresh look at all available evidence, backed up the notion that there was a whitewash over the theft to cover up a homosexual ring at the centre of the British colonial establishment in Dublin."

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30th Sydney Mardi Gras Draws Crowd of 300,000

The 30th annual Mardi Gras went off over the weekend in Sydney, drawing a crowd of at least 300,000.

AP: "What began in 1978 as a protest march by 1,500 brave homosexual, lesbian and transsexual men and women that was harshly disbursed by police has grown into one of the world's largest and most flamboyant gay pride events. This year's procession of 150 floats was led by the '78ers' — a group of 186 of the original marchers and their partners, who drew rapturous cheers."

Below, coverage from the Australian video featuring Margaret Cho, Kathy Griffin (who arrived there, of course, on the pink flight, and Carson Kressley, whom they identify as Carson Daly:

Craig Gee, who was bruta