News: Quentin Tarantino, Ugly Dog, Bulgaria, Michelangelo

First-ever "Rainbow Parade" set for Czech Republic: "he National Party (Národní strana) sees the event as a 'pressure on the majority, pressure that is disgusting and awkward, pressure leading to social acceptation of the children being adopted by homosexual couples.' Members of the party are prepared to protest against the march. Police are evaluating potential risks in order to determine what security measures will need to be applied."

Quentin Tarantino accepts Filmmaker on the Edge award from the Provincetown Film Festival. John Waters: "You helped reinvent John Travolta as a man and I reinvented him as a woman."

DAD: Amy Winehouse in first stages of Emphysema.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to officiate today at marriage of American Beauty producer Bruce Cohen to art consultant Gabriel Catone: "After the state Supreme Court struck down a ban on same-sex marriage last month, Villaraigosa promised to preside at as many ceremonies as possible. But when the ruling took effect last week and other political officials were presiding over same-sex weddings, Villaraigosa was in Israel on a city trip."

Nationalists in Bulgaria plan "Week of Intolerance" in response to upcoming gay parade.

Gay health therapist Michael Shernoff has died at the age of 57, of pancreatic cancer.

Book: Michelangelo hid secret messages in Sistine Chapel attacking the Pope.

Jane Fonda on her first screen test, with Warren Beatty: "At the time I suspected that Warren might be gay, because he was so cute and had so many unusual, intellectual friends. Well, how wrong can you be?"

Brooklyn appellate judges to hear arguments on New York Governor David Paterson's directive to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages: "he case being heard today, Godfrey v. Spano, will consider whether recognition of same-sex marriages first requires approval from the Legislature. So far the Legislature hasn't passed any laws relating to gay marriage. Whatever decision the Brooklyn appeals court reaches in the Godfrey case is sure to be quickly appealed to the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals."

Gerard Butler is a fashionista.

Dog named world's ugliest.

Salon bookmark: Gore Vidal's Inconvenient Truths.

Australian city council apologizes to gays for incident that happened 20 years ago.

SF Chronicle columnist's brief encounter with David Beckham: "Beckham is, for lack of a better word, man-tastic. He leans on a stool, wearing a crisp white shirt and silver tie, having just taken off his cream suit jacket. His hair is cut short and simple, ceding attention to his long stubble, which covers his face except for two Band-Aid-size vertical stripes shaved clean on either side of his goatee."

They got him!

The NYT takes a closer look at pregnant trans man Thomas Beatie: "Partly a carnival sideshow and partly a glimpse at shifting sexual tectonics, his image and story powered past traditional definitions of gender and exposed a realm that seemed more than passing strange to some observers — and altogether natural to those who inhabit it. 'This is just a neat human-interest story about a particular couple using the reproductive capabilities they have,' said Mara Kiesling, director of the National Center for Transgender Equality in Washington. 'There’s really nothing remarkable' about the Beatie pregnancy, she said."

Bulgarian Men in Mad, Icy Plunge to Get Closer to Christ

One of the few things that can bring massive amounts of shirtless men this close to one another in Bulgaria is the celebration of Christ's baptism on Epiphany (January 6), when the race for a wooden cross thrown into an icy lake is as frantic as a shopping stampede at Walmart.

According to Sofia News Agency Novinvite: "The main ritual is performed by a priest who throws a cross into a river or a lake for young men to catch it. It is believed that the first person that gets to the cross will enjoy good health throughout the whole year."

According to the agency, "Krassimir Nikolov, a 22-year-old student at the National Sport Academy, was the first to reach the cross."

Recently
New Poll Exposes Homophobia in Bulgaria [tr]
Azis Billboard Too Hot for Bulgarian Authorities [tr]
Bulgarian Pop Star Azis Has Baby Girl with Partner [tr]

New Poll Exposes Homophobia in Bulgaria

A new poll reveals attitudes about gay people in the Southeastern European nation of Bulgaria. The poll, conducted in September of this year by the Skala agency, showed that 80% of Bulgarians have a negative attitude towards gay people, the nation's news agency reported:

"53% of the inquired Bulgarians have extremely negative attitude towards gays. 17% declared that can freely communicate with person homosexually orientated. Most clearly are expressed the prejudices to transsexuals, most weakly to gay women, shows the research. Almost half of the inquired would not work with homosexuals in one room. 70% of the people won't enroll their kid in school where works a gay teacher. 50% won't acquiesce of their own child has homosexual orientation. According to the research the most frequent is the discrimination based on race differences. Strongest tensions are between Bulgarian and Gypsies on one hand and Turkish people and Gypsies on the other."

Bulgarian pop star Azis, who recently made headlines after racy headlines for an upcoming show were taken down by authorities, and who has also made very public his marriage to his partner and their adoption of a baby girl, is likely the most prominent out personality in the nation.

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Azis Billboard Too Hot for Bulgarian Authorities [tr]
Bulgarian Pop Star Azis Has Baby Girl with Partner [tr]
Bulgarian Drag Star Azis to Marry His Partner [tr]

Azis Billboard Too Hot for Bulgarian Authorities

A billboard featuring Bulgarian pop star Azis in a sexual embrace with his partner was ordered taken down in the town of Kustendil, Bulgaria's Sofia News Agency reports:

"The poster, which shows the new silicone breasts of the singer, advertises the fourth Bulgarian broadcast television channel TV2 to be launched on November 25. The producers have big hopes for the primetime show hosted by Azis will compete for TV ratings against the country's most popular late night show, hosted by Slavi Trifonov on bTV."

Azis made headlines in 2006 when he traveled to Germany to marry his partner, and again in August of this year when the couple had a baby daughter using a surrogate who was a friend of the sperm-providing singer.

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Bulgarian Pop Star Azis Has Baby Girl with Partner [tr]
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News: Rent, Jay McCarroll, Peru, Bill Richardson, Amy Winehouse

Bill Richardson will be appearing on Michelangelo Signorile's Sirius radio show today at 4:25 EST to discuss his "choice" comment from last night's forum.

Project Runway winner Jay McCarroll's claims that he is homeless challenged by his best friend and publicist: "Jay, she said, in fact lives in a beautiful apartment building at 72nd Street and Riverside Drive."

Jon Stewart on Florida Rep. Bob Allen and his fear of dark people.

Rehab? Life imitates art for Amy Winehouse.

New Jersey court rules that same-sex couples in civil unions cannot file taxes jointly for 2006, but must wait until 2007: "Under New Jersey law, plaintiffs Quarto and Prichason were considered to be in a civil union because they are legally married in Canada. They asked the state if they could file a joint income tax return as a symbolic measure — even though it would mean paying the state an extra $411...In a unanimous ruling, a three-judge appeals panel affirmed the state's position that the benefits—at least regarding tax returns—did not start until Feb. 19, when gay couples were allowed to join in civil unions."

Group in Lima, Peru launches sticker campaign alerting people that they may unknowingly be carrying HIV.

Bulgarian gay group launches "social attack" tomorrow in Sofia: "At the event, which will be held in park between Sofia University and the Parliament, volunteers will provide basic information about gay and lesbian issues to the general public. 'There are many misconceptions about gays and gay rights in the Bulgarian society, and this is a way to ensure people are getting accurate and fair information,' said BGO Gemini Executive Director Aksinia Gencheva. The event will be recorded on video. Interested passers-by will have the opportunity to answer questions about their awareness and opinions on gay issues such as discrimination and civil partnerships. The volunteers are trained to be honest when talking to passers-by."

Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal discuss their return to Rent on Broadway. Pascal: "It was kind of [producer] Jeffrey [Seller's] idea. He had a six-week window in-between actors playing Mark and Roger. Jeffrey and I have been working together on other projects. I think I jokingly said to him in an e-mail, 'Hey, maybe I'll come back to Rent,' because I was going to be in New York at this time anyway. 'Ha, ha, ha.' He called me back a couple weeks later and said, 'Listen, I have this idea. I know you said you were going to be in New York. We have this window, and I want to ask Anthony. Would you be interested in doing the show?' It was the perfect scenario to come back." Josh & Josh share the nostalgia.

Finally: Beckham plays for 20 minutes in L.A. Galaxy debut, still manages to get his top off.

Gay Nicaraguan man faces deportation from Canada after asylum bid fails: "Alvaro Orozco, 21, says he fled Nicaragua, where sodomy laws are in place, at the age of 12 because his father beat him for being gay. He hitchhiked to the U.S. and eventually made it to Canada two years ago. He applied for asylum, but the Immigration and Refugee Board member who heard his case didn't believe he was gay because he wasn't sexually active during his teen years."

Bulgarian Pop Star Azis Has Baby Girl with Partner

Controversial gay Bulgarian pop star Azis and his partner have a new baby girl, the Bulgarian press reports:

"The mother of the child is Azis friend Gala, the singer himself is the biological father of the baby, who will have his boyfriend for a second daddy. The little wonder has been named Raya. Same-sex marriages are illegal in the country, but that didn't stop the folk singer from re-enacting the whole ritual with his boyfriend Niki Kitaetsa last year."

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Bulgarian Drag Star Azis to Marry His Partner [tr]