Ted Koppel Looks at One Part of Gay China

In part two of his Koppel on Discovery series called "The People’s Republic of Capitalism," Ted Koppel interviewed a drag performer in China. While gay people are not able to fully express themselves politically (as in a gay pride march), according to the man Koppel interviews, gays are becoming more accepted socially and his father was able to accept him. He does, however, expect that he'll have to be married to a woman someday.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via cinequeer)

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News: Shanghai, Cynthia Nixon, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Prince William

Australian Capitol Territory holds first same-sex civil partnership ceremony.

Bachelor Summit: Matt Grant towers over Andy Baldwin.

Cynthia Nixon stands by her girlfriend's clothing demands.

Military sociologist Charles Moskos, who helped establish 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell', dies in California: "Dr. Moskos' research examined the modern military experience in unprecedented detail, gleaned in part from his ease with the rank-and-file soldiers. 'He truly had an impact on the military,' said Gen. Wesley Clark in a statement. 'He gave many of us the reassurance that someone out there knew us, cared about us and could help see our best interests as a nation and a military were looked after.'" More from SLDN.

Prince William sets sail in the Caribbean.

From the stacks: Grandfather was queer.

Brad Pitt to design green hotel (with team of consultants) in Dubai: "Whilst acting is my career, architecture is my passion. Selecting this development as my first major construction project has been a simple decision. It will underpin not only my values for environmentally-friendly architecture, but also embrace my career in entertainment."

Live Cool: Shanghai gets new gay nightclub.

McCain schedules appearance with country singer John Rich, who once said: "I think if you legalize [gay marriage], you've got to legalize some other things that are pretty unsavory. You can call me a radical, but how can you tell an aunt that she can't marry her nephew if they are really in love and sharing the bills? How can you tell them they can't get married, but something else that's unnatural can happen?" Rich later apologized after public outcry.

Shakespeare's grave getting a makeover.

Queer Quinn : New York news anchor in Freudian slip.

Under Armour issues statement denying relationship with Al Reynolds, Jr. after photo surfaces: "I wanted to clarify what has been reported. Al Reynolds is not a spokesperson for Under Armour, nor is there any business relationship of any kind between the Under Armour brand and Al Reynolds."

Nancy Pelosi endorses gay San Francisco Assemblyman Mark Leno in bid for state senate.

11-year-old trailer once used as canvas for a young Banksy, now may fetch £500,000: "Called Fragile Silence, it shows commandos landing stereo equipment on a beach. The trailer’s owners, Maeve Neal and Nathan Welland, say Banksy has authenticated the work, which he completed before they drove the truck to the Glastonbury Festival in 1998. And instead of them paying him, he gave them two free festival tickets for providing the ‘canvas.’ At the time Banksy, whose real name has never been confirmed, was little known."

Gay Colorado congressional hopeful Jared Polis contributes $2.1 million of his own funds into his campaign.

Fashion world remembers Yves Saint Laurent. Simon Doonan, of Barneys New York: “I have a permanent shrine to Yves in my house: a pair of couture croc thigh boots. His highwayman looks, his Cossacks, his lesbian tuxedos, his sexy safaris, his djellabas, his Spanish cigarette girls, his tartan flings. There is no end to his influence and fabulousness.”

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News: Ugly Betty, Morehouse, Boyzone, Latvia, Sharon Stone

Meet Ohio's Sally Kern...GOP Representative Jeff Wagner: "As much as some people would have us to believe otherwise, this country was founded on Christian principles. One of those long honored principles is the tradition of holy matrimony. One man and one woman joined together in a union that goes as far back as Adam and Eve. As our society has gotten further from that standard (not just homosexuality, but easy divorce, cheating on a spouse, etc.) we see a continued collapse of the basic building block of society the family unit. As that traditional family erodes, we see more sexually transmitted diseases, kids without parents, heartbroken people and I believe a host of mental and physical illnesses..."

Ugly Betty headed to Broadway?

High-profile Canadian murderer of gay man Jeffrey Lalonde commits suicide in prison.

Batman gets a milk moustache...

Roman Catholic Cardinal Jānis Pujāts calls on Latvian government to declare gay pride marches unlawful, compares gays to drug addicts and alcoholics...

Following last week's eulogy in the NYT, New York magazine weighs in with its final words to meatpacking restaurateur Florent Morellet.

Gay couple receives $15,000 in damages from homophobic teen: "Five years ago, the 17-year-old, who can not be named because he was a juvenile at the time, threw a roll of toilet paper and a firecracker on the couple's lawn. In a related incident, the teen also threatened the couple by saying he would like to 'wreck his fist' on their faces. The boy was arrested, but police never charged him. He was instead asked to apologize to the couple and seek psychiatric help. That didn't satisfy Wouters and Thibault who felt the boy's apology was made only to keep him from being charged in criminal court. They took the case to the rights commission."

Black, all-male Morehouse College battles homophobia from within: "Brewer, 22, didn't come to Morehouse with the intent of changing it. But he found that he had no choice. He had arrived here from Oklahoma City pretty comfortable with himself: outspoken, proudly smart and, at 5 foot 9 and 300 pounds, hard to miss. Early on, he decided he wouldn't water down his gay identity. And that, historically, has been a problematic strategy at Morehouse. The 141-year-old college has played a key role in defining black manhood in America. But with a past steeped in religion, tradition and machismo, it has struggled to determine how homosexuality fits within that definition."

Texas high school criticized for putting photos of gay couples in the yearbook.

Sex and the City publicity juggernaut achieves orgasm in Manhattan.

Boyzone performs the Full Monty...

Cyndi Lauper, Charo, and the nephew of Harvey Milk to grand marshall San Francisco gay pride parade.

McCain commercial features woman wearing Barack Obama t-shirt.

Chinese not happy with Sharon Stone's statement that the earthquake was "karma": "That prompted the founder of one of China's biggest cinema chains to say his company would not show her films in his theaters, according to a story in The Hollywood Reporter...Ng See-Yuen, founder of the UME Cineplex chain and the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, called Stone's comments 'inappropriate,' adding that actors should not bring personal politics to comments about a natural disaster that has left five million Chinese homeless, according to the Reporter. UME has branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hangzhou and Guangzhou, China's biggest urban movie markets."

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #295

COMMENCEMENT: Barack Obama "pinch hits" for Ted Kennedy at Wesleyan University.

SHARON STONE: Says "karma" was to blame for death and destruction of Chinese earthquake.

KEITH OLBERMANN: Slams Hillary Clinton's RFK 'assassination' remarks. Clinton has apologized for the reference.

SMASHED: Spokane Chiefs win the 2008 Memorial Cup, then drop it.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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Aurora-Like Phenomenon Recorded Pre-Earthquake in China

According to the YouTuber who posted this, "Bizarre colorful (luminous/glowing) cloud phenomenon in the sky was observed about 30 mins before the May 12, 2008 Sichuan earthquake took place. This was recorded in Tianshui, Gansu province - 450km northeast of epicenter, by someone using a cell phone."

Looks a lot like a rainbow to me, but I'm no expert on geo-magnetic phenomena.

Watch the clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #290

CHINA: Raw video footage of first moment's of earthquake in a mountain region near Chengdu.

2013: McCain's new ad. He also held a crystal ball press conference.

FANTASIA: The best thing about last night's American Idol.

SHAVING: An ad from Germany.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #288

QUAKE: Magnitude 7.8 earthquake hits central China. Death toll up to 9000.

FATIGUE?: At a campaign stop in Beaverton, Oregon, Barack Obama says he's visited all 57 states.

BREAKING THE DINNER CODE: Radio host Michael Smerconish compares Arianna Huffington to 'a hooker who gives up a john' for saying McCain told her he didn't vote for Bush in 2000.

JOHN MCCAIN: McCain puts 14-year-old girl on the spot, later describes her as "very attractive."

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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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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U.S. Goes Preppy for Olympic Wardrobe

The WSJ reports:

"The preppy styles Polo is making for the athletes to wear in the Opening and Closing ceremonies and in the Olympic Village will mark a departure from sporty outfits that the American team has worn in recent years, such as retro ski jackets inspired by vintage Ducati motorcycle ads that were worn in Turin, Italy, in 2006."

Check out the first glimpse of one of the outfits,
AFTER THE JUMP...

The U.S. team rejected Canadian company Roots in favor of Ralph Lauren:

"Roots late last year had unveiled a 'yoga-inspired, technical, green product' for the U.S. athletes to wear in Beijing, according to Roots Chief Executive Michael Budman. But Norman Bellingham, chief operating officer of the USOC and a former Olympic kayaker, says that he wanted the athletes to be attired in a 'classic and more formal manner. "They wanted blazers and slacks, a more formal look,' Mr. Budman says. The two mutually agreed to terminate their contract. Mr. Bellingham says he asked former NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw to contact Ralph Lauren to see if Mr. Lauren might be interested in designing for the U.S. team. At a meeting at Polo's headquarters on Madison Avenue in New York, Mr. Bellingham told Mr. Lauren that his inspiration was 'Chariots of Fire,' the 1981 movie about British athletes competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Upon hearing that, Mr. Lauren smiled, Mr. Bellingham recalls. 'He knew precisely what we were going for.'...'We have to put America on a world stage that looks refined and appropriate,' says David Lauren. At the Olympic Village and at the Closing Ceremonies, athletes' wardrobes will include V-neck tennis sweaters and ties, classic Polo mesh shirts with 'Beijing'" written in big Chinese characters across the front and cargo pants -- all in a patriotic palette of red, white and blue. The Olympic logo featured on the new uniforms may include a replica of a crest with stars and stripes used by the 1932 U.S. Olympic team at the Los Angeles Games. Polo ponies of varying sizes will also make an appearance on the garments."

Don't expect fashion to dominate the conversation this year, though.

Polo to Outfit U.S. Team for the Beijing Olympics [wsj]

Previously
Gay Activist Peter Tatchell Detained Amid Olympic Flame Protests [tr]

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Gay Activist Peter Tatchell Detained Amid Olympic Flame Protests

Gay activist Peter Tatchell was one of dozens detained in various protests over the weekend surrounding the transit of the Olympic flame through London, including one dramatic moment in which the torch was nearly snatched from the hands of television presenter Konnie Huq (see video, AFTER THE JUMP). There were 80 torch-bearers who carried the flame through London, from Wembley Stadium to Greenwich.

Gays Without Borders reports on the Tatchell arrest: "Mr Tatchell ran in front of the bus carrying the Olympic flame. He held up a placard which read: “Free Tibet, Free Hu Jia.” He shouted the same words as he ran along in front of the bus. The police wrestled Mr Tatchell to the ground, which delayed the bus briefly while he was removed to pavement. After questioning, he was later released without charge."

Said Tatchell,in a statement released later: "Hu Jia was jailed for three and half years in Beijing last week for campaigning for free speech, Tibetan autonomy, environmental protection, and for the human rights of the rural poor and people with HIV. Gordon Brown has shamed himself and Britain by greeting the Olympic torch at Downing Street, at a time when China is shooting dead Tibetan protesters and jailing and torturing hundreds of political prisoners. It is hypocritical for the Prime Minister to boycott the Zimbabwean regime, but not the dictatorial regime in China. These double standards bring our government into disrepute. The UK should not be colluding with a police state like China. Attempts to gently persuade the Beijing leaders to stop their human rights abuses have failed. They are manipulating the Olympics. We must not allow them to exploit the Beijing games to divert attention from China’s abysmal human rights record. All countries that love freedom, democracy and liberty should refuse to host the Olympic torch and boycott the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. Athletes should wear Tibetan flags during their events and on the podium when they collect their medals..."

Demonstrators across London wanted to make it clear that they will not tolerate China's human rights abuses as the summer Olympics in Beijing approach.

In all, 37 people were arrested over the course of the day. The flame is now in Paris, where it has been met with so much protest that it has been extinguished and put aboard a bus for its transit. According to Agence France Presse, "Paris's Socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoe planned to unfurl a giant banner over city hall in defence of human rights."

Watch the clip of the Olympic flame snatch attempt, AFTER THE JUMP...

37 held in Olympic torch protests [the press association]
Olympic torch ambushed in London [peter tatchell]
Pictures and videos: Olympic torch protests in London [shanghaist]
Protestors disrupt Olympic flame relay in Paris [afp]

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Is China cracking down on gay establishments as the Olympics approach?

Mother of twin gay porn bandits arrested for serving as their getaway driver: "Towana Goffney, the mother of 25-year-old twins Taleon and Keyontyli Goffney, was arrested late Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Her sons, Taleon and Keyontyli were linked to nearly 40 break-ins. Cameras were rolling as the men were led away in handcuffs and it turned out, this was not the first time the pair was in the spotlight. According to internet gossip sites, the brothers are gay porn stars. Now the family has the arrest of the matriarch to add to their rap sheet and online profiles."

Kylie Minogue hits up the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

McCain won't be fighting party platform on gays: "McCain associates told The Washington Times that his operatives are not going to work behind the scenes to eliminate the party's calls for constitutional bans on abortion and homosexual marriage before the GOP convention in September."

Search for most eligible gay bachelor begins in San Francisco.

The premiere international prize in electronic media: A list of the 2007 Peabody Award winners.

Woof: Madison, Wisconsin gets new gay sports bar.

Northern Ireland town of Strabane prepares for opening of first gay bar. Proprietor: "All the feedback I've had about the bar has been positive, I was so surprised by everyone's reaction, I've received no negativity whatsoever. Even elderly residents of the town have voiced their support and have been wishing me all the best."

Famous tranny Dana International prevents Wentworth Miller from escaping!

Obama says he would hire Al Gore: "Not only will I, but I will make a commitment that Al Gore will be at the table and play a central part in us figuring out how we solve this problem. He's somebody I talk to on a regular basis. I'm already consulting with him in terms of these issues, but climate change is real. It is something we have to deal with now, not 10 years from now, not 20 years from now."

The New Kids on the Block are back together. Here's their first photo together in more than 15 years.

An update on gay Iranian teen Mehdi Kazemi: "Mehdi Kazemi is still in Rotterdam, awaiting deportation back to the UK under the Dublin Treaty, where Home Secretary Jacqui Smith still hasn’t granted him asylum. It appears that a Dutch MP has secured a parliamentary debate in the Netherlands to take place tomorrow, because he doesn’t believe Jacqui Smith can be trusted with his safety."

Iranian gays left out of Human Rights Watch annual reports.

Scientists: There is no benefit in drinking 8 glasses of water a day. And drinking coffee may protect you from dementia and other debilitating brain diseases.

British activist Tatchell to European Feminist Summit: "By challenging the cult of heterosexual masculinity, queer liberation is about much more than the limited agenda of equal rights. It offers a unique, revolutionary contribution to the emancipation of the whole of humanity from all forms of subjugation."

In case you were wondering, Chace Crawford is doing 'okay' after his break-up with Carrie Underwood.

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A dog's life: NYC penthouse purchased for Gayle King in name of Oprah's recently deceased cocker spaniel, Sophie.

San Franciscans battle it out to be Hunky Jesus in Easter competition: "Catholics have labelled the annual pageant blasphemous, considering that previous entrants have included 'old school Jesus', 'surfer Jesus' and 'zombie Jesus', an irreverent take on the Easter message of Christ rising from the dead."

Last night's How I Met Your Mother guest starring Britney Spears was the show's highest rated episode ever.

18-year-old charged with stabbing death of gay man appears in Brooklyn court: "The defendant, Omar Willock, is charged with a hate crimes offense...At Willock’s arraignment last spring, Hynes told reporters that Willock 'shouted anti-gay remarks' at Roberto Duncanson, taunting him even as he tried to get away from Willock. Willock allegedly followed Duncanson, who’d been trying to avoid the confrontation, which had its roots in an verbal exchange earlier that same night, when angry words were exchanged between the two men. Willock had claimed that Duncanson stared at him in an unwanted manner, though the incident did not become violent. When Duncanson returned along the same route later that evening, Willock is alleged to have renewed his taunts. Witnesses told police the two engaged in a brief fistfight, culminating in a chase that ended with Duncanson’s stabbing death."

Florida Governor Charlie Crist loves women.

Yale University appoints first openly gay residential-college master, tapping acclaimed singer Richard Lalli MUS ’86 to lead Jonathan Edwards College: "He will be joined by his partner, Michael Rigsby MED ’88, who will add the designation of associate master to his current title: medical director of Yale University Health Services. Lalli, an adjunct professor of music, has taught at Yale since 1982; both are already JE fellows and freshman advisers in the college. 'This is a great occasion. It’s probably the greatest occasion of my life,' Lalli said to JE students after University President Richard Levin announced his appointment over dinner Wednesday night in Commons." College master is one of Yale's highest recognitions.

Gay Syrian applies for asylum in Scotland: "After Mr Yakob's terrible ordeal in Syria, it is unacceptable that the Home Office would consider sending him back. There is a very real risk that he would suffer further ill treatment or even possibly death. He has sought asylum in Scotland and I will make an immediate representation to the Home Office in an effort to overturn their ruling before his final hearing in May."

OP/ED: Repeal of gay rights laws in Oregon would have chilling effect.

Chinese paramilitary police open fire on mass crowd of monks, nuns, and Tibetans: "Residents of Luhuo said that a monk and a farmer appeared to have been killed and about a dozen people wounded in the latest violence in Tibetan areas of China. Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, said that one officer was killed when police confronted a 'lawless mob' in Luhuo. The demonstration began at 4pm when about 200 nuns from Woge nunnery and a similar number of monks from Jueri monastery marched towards the Luhuo Third District government office. They were joined by several hundred farmers and nomads, witnesses said."

Ashton Kutcher plays douchebag in new film.

How does Priscilla Presley stay looking so young? Special facial injections of auto lubricant.

Gay sex expert Michael Alvear spent three months filming couples and analyzing the footage: "I don’t think that people are really that aware of their contributions to the breakdowns in a relationship, and the cameras are able to cut through all the false perceptions that they have about themselves. I’ve always believed this through writing and advising people about sex—the question, 'What are you unaware of that, if you became aware of it, you could change and make the situation better?' That’s what the cameras allowed people to do—become aware of the things they’re not aware of. It’s like a mirror that way."

Gay Wisconsin man settles lawsuit alleging two men attacked him in a deli because he was gay: "Brett Timmerman's lawsuit claims that he walked into a sandwich shop in Platteville in July 2005 when Oden Waite and Enove Urias made anti-gay remarks to him, put him in a headlock and took him to the ground. Timmerman claims that Waite spit on him twice. Timmerman's attorney, Jim Madigan, said that he reached the deal with Waite's attorneys last week. He said that the settlement calls for terms to remain undisclosed."

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News: Michael Stipe, Tel Aviv, Anthony Minghella, China and Tibet

China closes off media access, shuts down YouTube, CNN, and Google amid violent crackdown in Tibet. China has also begun parading Tibetan prisoners on military trucks in Lhasa. Dalai Lama threatens to step down...

Michael Stipe comes out? "It was super complicated for me in the ’80s. I was totally open with the band and my family and my friends and certainly the people I was sleeping with. I thought it was pretty obvious. Now I recognize that to have public figures be very open about their sexuality helps some kid somewhere out there."

GLAAD hands out media awards in New York; Barbara Walters, Judy Shepard, Brian Graden and films The Bubble and For the Bible Tells Me So all honored. Who was there?

Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella dies at 54: "Minghella's publicist, Jonathan Rutter, said the filmmaker died at London's Charing Cross Hospital. He said Minghella was operated on last week for a growth in his neck, 'and the operation seemed to have gone well. At 5 a.m. today he had a fatal hemorrhage.'"

Pennsylvania senate proposes amendment banning gay marriage: "Constitutional amendment legislation failed in the last legislative session but is being considered anew in the current session. During a Senate committee hearing, Maggie Gallagher, President of the National Organization for Marriage, said an amendment to the state constitution would protect against a judge’s ruling that could strike down state law defining marriage as between a man and woman…'It’s not a fantasy that this could happen. It is happening – it’s happened in New Jersey, it’s happened in Connecticut' Gallagher was speaking to Republican Senator Jane Earll of Erie, skeptical of the need for a constitutional amendment: 'We are going to hold our constitution hostage to the wackiest judge in some other state. I just think that amending the constitution is a very drastic measure.'"

Janet Jackson opens wide for Black Book.

Tel Aviv hoping to attract more gay tourists.

Richard I slept in the same bed with French King Phillip II but it wasn't a gay thing: "It was an accepted political act, nothing sexual about it; just two politicians literally getting into bed together, a bit like a modern-day photo opportunity."

Chad Allen, Janeane Garofalo, Rebecca Gayheart, Soleil Moon Frye, Patrick Muldoon and Brad Rowe team up for gay indie screwball comedy For Better or For Worse: "Frye will play the lesbian minister presiding over the ceremony at the home of one groom's mother (Ruta Lee). The guests include the jilted ex of one of the grooms and his new beau (Muldoon and Allen), a closeted neighbor (Stanley Kamel), a wallflower sister (Gayheart), a family-man brother (Rowe) and his nanny (Garofalo), who has a bombshell to drop."

Ch-ch-ch-changes. Spot the differences in Ryan Seacrest 2.0.

Brazil gets another new gay magazine.

Hugh Jackman spends more time naked than dressed.

Anti-gay graffiti causes stir in Northern California town of Fortuna: "A Fortuna resident noticed anti-homosexual words painted on several mailboxes on her street and filed a police report Thursday. The derogatory words, 'fag' and 'gay,' made her so irate, it took her more than an hour to stop shaking, she said. The Fortuna Police Department is treating the vandalism as a hate crime because the intent was likely to express hate, FPD Sgt. Jack Bernstein said. 'It’s concerning for us to have something like this.'"

Police officers punished in Austin, Texas after remarks: "Cmdr. Calvin Smith, who has worked for the department for 34 years and supervises the Austin police training academy, told the fellow commander that he was worried about the 'kind of message' the potential transfer of a gay female officer would send at the academy, which already had two lesbians working there, according to a disciplinary memo. Cmdr. Larry Oliver was fired for failing to report the comments, even though he later confirmed to investigators that he thought Smith was referring to 'their being lesbians,' a disciplinary memo said. He was fired after refusing Acevedo's offer of a 30-day suspension."

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New York judge allows divorce trial for lesbians married in Canada.

Four years ago today Rosie O'Donnell and Kelli Carpenter were married inside Mayor Gavin Newsom's office at San Francisco City Hall.

Hospital in Florida refuses lesbian and children to communicate with her dying partner of 18 years, tells them there is nothing they can do because they're in an anti-gay state.

Courtney Love blogs about the Oscars: "i was supposed to be at Eltons Party at i think noon or something and if we dont hiurry it will suck- i really dont want to get there ina crush of shit and stuff- wait my pr is outside im calling her hold on- okay i hope the disaster has been averted but m,y expirience with that party is that i do NOT want to see Paris dancing ona table i really really DONT and i dont want to stuff a stale slamon canape in my mouth and i really need to get laid so i m off to do so."

Incest is Best: Dexter serial killer killer Michael C. Hall is dating his sister on the show?

Anti-aging substance found in bullfrogs: "Because it is water-soluble, the substance may be consumed in much more diverse ways than the oil-soluble tocopherol. You may put it in soft drinks, for example."

First 30,000 pages of 'Book of Life' revealed: "The immense online resource is designed to greatly enhance our understanding of the world's diminishing biodiversity. The creators of the database say it could have an impact on human knowledge comparable to that which followed the microscope's invention in the 1600s. It is designed to be used by everyone from scientists to lay readers. The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) - described as the "ultimate field guide" - is to encompass all six kingdoms of life, and even viruses - which many researchers do not consider to be living organisms."

Robert Buckley makes an impression on Lipstick Jungle.

The Academy's excuse for Brad Renfro death montage snub: not enough time to include everyone.

Cases of HIV/AIDS soar 45% in China from 2006 to 2007: "The staggering rise was put down to changing social attitudes and an improvement in data collection. The government had said late last year that 700,000 people were living with the virus, an increase from an earlier estimate of 650,000. The year before, China lowered its estimate to 650,000 from 840,000, despite warnings from international experts that the disease was spreading due to ignorance and because many people were too afraid or too poor to seek help."

Rent ends 12-year run on Broadway.

Gay porn twins arrested for string of burglaries in Philadelphia.

Gay Brazilians demand Fidel Castro ask for forgiveness for his persecution of gays and lesbians: "Grupo Gay da Bahia, the oldest homosexual non-governmental organization in Latin America, demands that the dictator Fidel Castro, before his death, recognizes and asks for forgiveness for the grave errors of the Cuban revolution responsible for the demoralization, persecution, imprisonment in concentration camps, forced labor, torture, deportation, and death of thousands of gays, transvestites and lesbians in Cuba."

Scientists: Prozac doesn't work.

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Alexandre Despatie Tests the Water Cube

Our favorite French-Canadian diver Alexandre Despatie looked sharp at the FINA World Cup at the aquatic facility they've dubbed the "water cube" which was built for the 2008 Olympics this summer.

Unfortunately, for Despatie, he finished a disappointing fifth in the competition. Said the diver: "I guess it's one of those days. The final was disappointing, but I guess the point of coming here was to dive in the Olympic pool, make sure we feel comfortable looking toward the Olympics and that is a point we managed to achieve."

Incidentally, the water cube, like Despatie, is a beautiful thing to behold.

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News: Beijing Stadium, Idaho, Amy Winehouse, Martian, Brad Pitt

CROOKS: Emails went missing from Bush and Cheney offices the very day Alberto Gonzalez "ordered the president and the vice president's staff to 'preserve all materials that might be relevant' to an inchoate Justice Department probe."

Mysterious 'alien' figure spotted in Martian landscape!

Pentagon releases statement on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, saying it is continuing to discharge gay and lesbian soldiers even though reports have shown a recent major drop in such cases. Statement: "Our policy implements the law Congress passed after prolonged research and debate. The department will continue to follow congressional mandate on homosexual conduct. We can't speculate as to why the number of discharges has declined."

Amy Winehouse in downward spiral — caught smoking crack ON VIDEO.

European Court of Human Rights rules: France discriminated against lesbian mother by refusing to allow her to adopt a child. "The judges decided that the woman was a victim of discrimination because of her sexual orientation. They said her right to family life under the European Convention on Human Rights had also been infringed. France has been told to pay her damages...The court's ruling in Strasbourg on Tuesday noted that: 'French law allowed single persons to adopt a child, thereby opening up the possibility of adoption by a single homosexual.' The court criticised the French judiciary's emphasis on "the lack of a paternal referent in the household" in the case of the lesbian woman, who was identified only as E.B. The reference to the applicant's homosexuality had been "if not explicit, at least implicit," the ruling said."

Beijing builds giant nest as Olympic Stadium.

Nothing gets between Brad Pitt and his Edwins.

The coldest place in the universe was recently observed...right here on Earth: "The record-breaking lows were among the latest feats of ultracold physics, the laboratory study of matter at temperatures so mind-bogglingly frigid that atoms and even light itself behave in highly unusual ways. Electrical resistance in some elements disappears below about minus 440°F, a phenomenon called superconductivity. At even lower temperatures, some liquefied gases become "superfluids" capable of oozing through walls solid enough to hold any other sort of liquid; they even seem to defy gravity as they creep up, over and out of their containers."

The Mr. Gay International swimsuit competition - on video.

Dow plunges 465 points, then recovers most of it after Federal Reserve interest rate emergency cut: "The U.S. markets joined a global selloff amid growing fears that a recession in the United States could send economies around the world into a downturn. Though stocks regained ground as investors digested the Fed's move to cut its benchmark federal funds rate by 0.75 percentage point and as bargain-hunters entered the market, trading remained volatile and the major indexes fluctuated sharply, at times approaching the break-even point before heading down again." Bernanke setting the stage for an even bigger recession?

Did Katie Holmes fake running the New York Marathon? Plenty of evidence seems to suggest that maybe she did.

Idaho legislature floats first-ever anti-discrimination bill that includes gays and lesbians: "Leslie Goddard, director of the Human Rights Commission beautifully presented the bill after an introduction by Senator Tim Corder, a major sponsor or the legislation. Some may remember the Mountain Home Republican Senator from a City Club debate in 2006 or from his past vote to ban gay marriage in Idaho's Constitution. His support of this year's legislation speaks loudly to the fundamental fairness implicit in the issue of employment discrimination and to the progress made on understanding of these issues over the years."

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News: China, Fabio, Antarctica, Oprah, Dame Edna, Scotland, Britney

Teen gay bashes straight couple after mistaking short-haired girlfriend for a man: "The boy, 16, has been charged in juvenile court with the assault, occurring after asking the man and his girlfriend if they were 'two gay guys.' They then became "f$%^ing gay bastards" as they were thrown to the ground, punched and kicked on a busy Dublin street."

Nightmare Garden: Actor from British children's TV series claims on-set injury and anti-gay harassment: "Isaac Blake claimed he suffered an injured pelvis while wearing the chunky brown and pink costume to entertain millions of viewers as one of the three Tombliboos. The 28-year-old said he had to go to hospital and was forced off work for a week after being made to bend over for long spells for closeup shots while wearing the suit. At an employment tribunal, Mr Blake, a trained dancer, also alleged that he was discriminated against and verbally abused for being homosexual. He claimed a colleague called him a 'bitch' and a 'faggot' but when he made a formal complaint he was told to 'shut up and get on with it'."

OWN: Oprah Winfrey gets her own network! What an appropriate name for it.

Judge orders MSNBC to include Dennis Kucinich in Las Vegas debate today.

Kennith H. Burns, founding member of pioneering L.A. gay rights group Mattachine Society, dies at 81 of lung failure: "In 1953, when McCarthyism was strengthening its grip on the national consciousness, Hay and other Mattachine leaders with communist ties were ousted and Burns assumed a prominent role in the organization. The society moved in a more conservative direction during Burns' tenure as Mattachine president in the mid- to late 1950s. Along with other Mattachine leaders, including Harold Call and Don Lucas, he urged members to temper their public image and assimilate into society. 'We must blame ourselves for much of our plight,' Burns said during this period. 'When will homosexuals ever realize that social reform, in order to be effective, must be preceded by personal reform?'"

Fabio offers up Details on George Clooney West Hollywood catfight: "He laid a hand on me, so it would have been self-defense if I had beaten him down. I could have fucked him up. Oh my god, I could have beaten the shit out of him. I was so pissed off. Right then, I could have knocked him over and beat him. I could have punched him in the face while he was on his back. That's how you really hurt someone—their face can't amortize the punch so it takes, it takes the whole impact."

Dame Edna ill, ordered to rest for six months...

Stuart Ellanson, an inmate serving life sentence for murder of gay man gets 15 additional years for holding a dental technician hostage at the prison: "He held the woman captive in a storage room in the prison's health complex for about five and a half hours before releasing her. He was then arrested. Ellanson is serving a life term for murder as a hate crime in the stabbing death of a man in Superior in 1991. The criminal complaint said Ellanson told investigators he killed the man because he was gay."

MELTING: Antarctic ice loss jumps 75% in a single year.

Britney SNAPS (4:13), and picks up a British accent while doing so.

Outsports looks at the aquatic side of Project Runway's Jack Mackenroth: "'Swimming just came fairly naturally to me, and I really enjoyed it,' said Mackenroth, now 38. And he was very good at it, too. He has three All-American titles and set a national record at the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago in the breaststroke leg of the 4-by-50 meter medley relay. Also in 2006, he finished 12th in the 50-meter breaststroke at the Masters World Championships in Stanford, Calif. 'Swimming has been rewarding,' said Mackenroth, who played soccer and baseball as a youngster and now admits that he, 'was hopeless at all of the other sports.'"

China Daily looks at what gays face in that country: "The more you try to oppress sex, the more resistance will rise up." Time takes a look too.

Scotland's hate crime laws to be widened to include sexual orientation, gender identity, and the disabled: "It aims to strengthen the law to protect disabled people and those from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities by extending statutory aggravations to cover crimes motivated by malice or ill will towards victims."

RESEARCHER: Heterosexual couples have something to learn from same-sex couples: "In a series of studies Green conducted with Michael Bettinger and Ellis Zacks, lesbian couples were found to be emotionally closer than gay male couples who, in turn, were found to be emotionally closer than heterosexual married couples. 'It all comes down to greater equality in the relationship,' Green said in a statement. 'Research shows that lesbian and gay couples have a head start in escaping the traditional gender role divisions that make for power imbalances and dissatisfaction in many heterosexual relationships.' Heterosexual couples could learn from gays couples about sharing housework and childcare, using softer communication in conflict and having more nurturing behaviors toward one another and their children, the researchers conclude."

The Gawker job interview.

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News: China Moon, Kevin Rudd, Spice Girls, Kentucky, Truman Capote

Philadelphia Boy Scouts facing eviction for their anti-gay bigotry: "The Cradle of Liberty Council—Philadelphia's Boy Scout chapter—has been housed in an historic building in downtown Philly for almost 80 years, paying almost nothing for the prime piece of proprety under the terms of a 100-year sweetheart lease it inked with the city in 1928. But that lease is set to expire, and city officials say the taxpayer's shouldn't be footing the Scouts rent bill because of it's national policy banning openly gay members and leaders. The Scouts must either pony up the fair market rent for the space—about $200,000 a year—or find a new home."

Back to 1996: Spice Girls kick off world tour in Vancouver, with real live vocals! "There is a click track for the band to keep them in time, which is standard, but all of the girls' vocals were live."

British Panto theatre comes out of the closet: "Panto has cross-dressing, innuendo and glitter, so maybe we've reached the point where we've stopped pretending that it's just camp and really it's as gay as you like. It's built into the form."

The NYT takes a look at the difficulties of being gay in Newark, New Jersey: "Sharrieff Baker and his partner, Edwin Rosario, who own a house in the North Ward, said they had a very different experience when one of their tenants found out they were a couple. Last month, they said, the tenant tore up a shared bathroom, called them 'faggots' and threatened to blow up their house. When they called 911, they said, Vincent Cordi, the responding police officer, appeared unconcerned and agreed only reluctantly to take their complaint. Back at the station house, they said, Officer Cordi sniggered with co-workers as he typed up the paperwork, at one point blurting out, 'How do you spell 'faggot'?'"

Truman Capote, New Orleans, 1946: First chapter of new book Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote (Review)

Beckham makes the sponsorship switch: Emporio Armani undies spotted in New Zealand

Homophobic, racist flyers found on Canada's University of Windsor campus.

A look back at Saturday Night Fever on its 30th anniversary: "Lapels aside, the film seems strangely prescient -- a road map to the income inequality, the ethnic and racial politics, and the lure of celebrity that we see today. Culturally speaking, the '70s are back. As we grapple with soaring gasoline prices, tune in to 'Dancing With the Stars' and work through a new kind of national malaise, we would do well to heed the cautionary lessons of the young man in polyester."

Gay census study sees closets emptying in Kentucky.

Watchdogs question authenticity of Chinese Moon photo, say it may be plagiarized from NASA. China denies.

Australia's new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes his first act ratifying the Kyoto Treaty: "Australia's new stance on Kyoto will isolate the US as the only developed nation not to have ratified the treaty. Mr Rudd is due to attend the UN climate change conference in Bali next week with four of his ministers. When they heard of Mr Rudd'