NEWS: Medicine, Mansions, Music (VIDEO)

Walking in LA? You'll find America's gayest intersection in West Hollywood, at the intersection of San Vicente and Santa Monica.

Versace's South Beach manse hits the market. Asking price: $125 million.

Known as Casa Casuarina, the 10-bedroom, 11-bathroom house overlooks the ocean. Mr. Versace bought the home and its adjacent lot in 1992 for just under $10 million and then invested another $33 million in the property, adding a 6,100-square-foot south wing, a 54-foot-long mosaic-tiled pool lined with 24-karat gold, a mosaic-covered courtyard and frescoes on the home's walls and ceilings. He was killed outside the home in July 1997. Peter Loftin, a telecom entrepreneur, purchased the property in 2000 for $20 million. After using it as a residence for several years, Mr. Loftin turned the home into a boutique hotel with a restaurant and opened it in late 2009 as the Villa by Barton G.

Yesterday I posted this awesome country-song-cum-It-Gets-Better video. Here's a making-of vid, in which the principals explain why the world needed a countrified It Gets Better video in the first place. 

MP Dr. Liam Fox, babbling British bigot, explains that only a "metrpolitan elite" cares about marriage equality:

“This is a contentious issue but I have to say that I am much more in favour of social mobility than social engineering.

“I think that the vast majority of the public have a completely different set of priorities from what I would call the metropolitan elite and I think they will be looking for economic and social issues to be dealt with first.”

His comments come as a major Conservative donor, Michael Farmer, reportedly joined the campaign against same-sex marriage.

Is Mayor Bloomberg hip to evolutionary biology?

Religious Minnesotans divided on marriage equality:

Members of Minnesota’s clergy are increasingly taking sides on the push for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, a political battle that’s pitting certain denominations against others and, in some cases, splitting believers from the same faith.

This Sunday, a group of Catholic churchgoers opposed to the amendment are kicking off the “Catholics Vote NO!” campaign, flying in the face of the church’s local hierarchy, which supports the measure.

It’s just the latest in a lengthy list of recent organizing efforts by the faithful — from a recent “pastor’s summit” of church leaders who support a ban to a gathering this past week of more than 100 Christian and Jewish ministers opposed to it.

A peaceful Pride Parade in Croatia.

Might gay-inclusiveness be hurting J.C. Penney's bottom line?

"Mr. Johnson is alienating Penney's traditional customers in a bid to attract new customers from higher socio-economic segments that now shop Macy's, Nordstrom and Target," wrote Al Lewis of Dow Jones Newswires, which appears in the Wall Street Journal. "The result? Larger-than-expected losses, plunging revenues, dwindling customer traffic and a plunging stock price."

A further step towards an HIV vaccine.

Quick -- could someone old enough to remember the disco era please tell me if Armi & Danny ever made it out of Finland? (Don't know Armi & Danny? Well then -- prepare to witness the best, or maybe the worst, or possibly the only Finnish sci-fi disco ever committed to Betamax, AFTER THE JUMP ... )

Facebook Group Warns Blood Will Flow if Croatia Gay Parade Happens, Shows Off Gasoline Bombs

Organizers of a Facebook group warning that blood will flow in the streets of Split, Croatia if the gay parade happens posted a photo of bombs intended to harm marchers today.

I reported on the page once before back in March, but it's still live.

According to Reuters: "Several nationalist and war veteran groups have issued warnings against this year's June 9 march in Split, calling it a shameful provocation by sick people to which we will respond'".

Several government officials have pledged to join the march, calling it a test of the nation's democracy ahead of its plan to join the European Union.

Government Officials to Join Gay Pride Parade in Croatia As Nationalist Groups Threaten Violence Again

More than 100 were arrested last year in Split, Croatia after nationalists and right-wing groups attacked marchers in a Gay Pride parade. They are threatening to do so again this year, Reuters reports:

Several nationalist and war veteran groups have issued warnings against this year's June 9 march in Split, calling it a "shameful provocation by sick people to which we will respond".

In an unprecedented move for the Balkans, where gay rights are largely ignored and Pride marches are few and far between, the liberal centre-left cabinet openly approved of the event. Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic (pictured) called on Split residents to show tolerance and accept "standard democratic practice of Western Europe".

"The eyes of the European Union will be focused on Split on Saturday ... The gay population does not threaten anyone and we just have to accept them," Milanovic told Media Servis, a local electronic news provider...

Croatia is set to join the European Union next year and some government ministers who see the event as a test of democracy say they will join the gay marchers  despite the threat of violence:

...Split Mayor Zeljko Kerum said he would not take part in the Pride, an event he said was disapproved by most Split residents. Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic, who will join the march together with Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic, a native of Split, and three other cabinet ministers, said violence might even complicate Croatia's progress towards EU membership.

"This is a time when we are laying the foundations for the exhaustive (EU) monitoring report in October, on the basis of which many member countries will ratify our accession treaty," she told a news conference on Tuesday.

 

Croatian Facebook Group Promised 'Blood Will Flow in the Streets of Split' if Gay Parade Happens

A Facebook group called “Blood will flow in the streets of Split, there will be no gay parade” is threatening violence ahead of this year's Gay Pride parade in June in Split, Croatia.

B92 reports:

The group says its goal is to point out to the public that it was unacceptable to hold the “immoral manifestation” which should be held on June 9 in Split. According to the group, the manifestation is “poisoning children”.

“What are they proud of, their disease?”, “Every normal person is sick of parades of mentally ill people (gays). They don’t care about the fact that someone’s child has to watch the sick people”, “Gay bashing June 9, 2012”, “Don’t parade, go get some treatment!” are just some of the comments posted on the group.

Croatian police said they are investigating. Said Spokeswoman Marina Kraljević-Gudelj: "We started the investigation yesterday. The name of the group is problematic. We will try to determine who the author of the group was and we will act in accordance with the law. After that we will inform the state prosecution."

Violence marred last year's Gay Pride march in Split. While there were no direct confrontations because of police presence, observers threw rocks, bottles and firecrackers at the approximately 200 participants, and 100 people were arrested.

Two brief videos of last year's event, AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Ryan Gosling, HIV, Croatia, Mitt Romney

The couple who shot to instant fame for kissing on the street amidst the chaotic riots in Vancouver earlier this week have come forward.

Ryan Gosling beaming at the premiere for his movie, Drive.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin files for divorce from his wife of 23 years.

HIV infections reportedly drop in gay and bisexual men in California. Other findings: "The rates of new, positive HIV tests in recent years were highest in men age 18 to 24, a finding that suggests younger men may be more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as unprotected sex, researchers say."

Ryan Murphy is getting hitched.

New sci-fi video game set in the 1950s to include closted gay character.

The music video for "I Wanna Go" by Britney Spears to debut next week.

Study shows that you might just lose a few IQ points if you watch Jersey Shore.

2,000 marched in the 10th Pride parade in Zagreb Croatia today. 700 police protected the participants in order to avoid the type of violence that struck a rally in Split last week.

Gay rights group wins auction; will now confront Australian prime minister Julia Gillard about her anti-gay views during a dinner party.

Watch: Amazing video of a 6.3 quake hitting a hardware store in New Zealand.

"Flying deer" causes blackout in Montana.

Canadians hold kiss-in in their country to support marriage equality in the United States.

Jennifer Lopez could pull an Ellen DeGeneres and make herself a one-season judge on American Idol.

Multi-millionaire Mitt Romney resorts to damage control after telling a group of people who are out of work that he is also unemployed.

News: Croatia, Ryan Philippe, EastEnders, IRS, David Norris

Unusually long lunar eclipse to be visible this week.

Chaz Bono to be grand marshal of San Francisco's pride parade.

Ryan Philippe almost in disguise at his son's football game.

Croatian President Ivo Josipovic blasts the anti-gay protesters responsible for the violence at yesterday's pride parade saying that it was "not Croatia's real face."

IRS sends out letters with language that excludes same-sex couples: "How the errant letters started is unclear. Tax experts who brought the letters to the attention of the I.R.S. weeks ago had wondered if anti-gay I.R.S. employees were acting out of malice. 'It’s either intentional or ignorance,' said Pan Haskins, an Oakland tax consultant who had been tracking the letters."

Extremists in Poland attacked gay pride participants yesterday with firecrackers and anti-gay chants. No injuries or arrests were made.

The BBC felt a need to issue a public statement about a scene in EastEnders which showed two men in bed together.

This woman is also very likely to steal candy from a baby.

Justin Bieber sends his get well card to girlfriend Selena Gomez via Twitter.

Openly gay Irish politician David Norris is still eyeing the presidency in Ireland: "...I will say that I have represented Ireland on the world stage before. It was an honour then and it will be an honour if I am elected the ninth president of Ireland."

Joel Burns on Sam Maden, the 12-year-old who successfully petitioned to get the Boston Red Sox to create an "It Gets Better" video: "I'm proud of Sam and I think that his bold action is yet another example of people joining in this conversation about teenage bullying and suicide. All of our kids' lives have worth and even the children have a role in participating in that conversation."

Mitt Romney has already won the support of Matt Drudge.

Tonight's Tony Awards host Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka out on the town on the eve of the ceremony.

Dustin Lance Black wants to hear your stories.