News: Senegal, Orlando, Jake Gyllenhaal, Genetics, Edmund White

Company to offer service sequencing an individual's complete genetic make-up for $5,000.

Senegalese entertainer who was forced from his country after appearing in magazine photos of a 'gay wedding', has found refuge in New York: "I'm fabulous. I feel good."

Orlando to become first central Florida city to offer benefits to partners of gay employees: "Orlando city commissioners are expected to approve the plan on Monday. There are currently 18 Orlando city employees who would benefit from the measure, which would cost the city about $37,000. 'It's going to be a good thing. It shows we're progressive. It will help us attract good people. Benefits are an important package if you're going to work for government, and this will help us compete with other government agencies,' Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan said."

He Bopped: Robert Downey Jr. on his former compulsions..."I was a compulsive, serial masturbator, but it was the best thing I could have been. I utilized that organ and rode it for everything it was worth."

Columbia International University in South Carolina warns Soulforce they'll be arrested should they try to enter campus today.

Brad Pitt shows his support for Obama.

Report reveals that lesbian soldier Ciara Durkin, who died under 'mysterious circumstances' at an Afghan airbase, took her own life, and sent text messages before she did it: "According to the report, Ms Durkin was found lying against shipping containers behind the chapel. It found that she shot herself in the head while sitting on the ground, leaning back against the containers. Just before she died, text messages were sent from her phone to a friend saying she was going to take her own life. The report does not draw any conclusions as to why the soldier took her own life, but sworn statements from fellow soldiers on the base suggest she was dealing with a range of stressful issues."

Madonna Sticky & Sweet Tour arrives in the U.S.

Signing smack: Project Runway's Jack Mackenroth's thoughts on New York fashion week: "I know some of the designers from other seasons were talking smack about the Project Runway finalists and all their families were right in front of them. I was hanging out with Martin Ritchie, the deaf model on Janice Dickinson’s Modeling agency and we were signing that the Rock and Republic collection was terribly boring so anyone who new sign language within eye view may have 'overheard' us."

Hillary Clinton steps in for Joe Biden at HRC dinner in Washington D.C...."[McCain's] not a maverick. He's a mimic." HRC statement on death of Biden's mother-in-law.

O.J. Simpson guilty on 12 charges in robbery-kidnapping case.

Jake Gyllenhaal goes solo in London.

John Barrowman just wants a little respect.

Rolling Stone eviscerates McCain: "In its broad strokes, McCain's life story is oddly similar to that of the current occupant of the White House. John Sidney McCain III and George Walker Bush both represent the third generation of American dynasties. Both were born into positions of privilege against which they rebelled into mediocrity. Both developed an uncanny social intelligence that allowed them to skate by with a minimum of mental exertion. Both struggled with booze and loutish behavior. At each step, with the aid of their fathers' powerful friends, both failed upward."

British MP once caught up in internet underwear scandal appointed Deputy Leader of the Commons.

Edmund White on his new biography of Rimbaud, and Rimbaud's relationship with Paul Verlaine: "I think it’s quite clear that Rimbaud was the top in the relationship, and I think that’s something that straight people don’t usually grasp very well. They often see the younger boy as being a sort of stand-in for a girl—maybe that comes out of the classical Greek model. But this idea of a tyrannical younger boy frightening and controlling an older married man is something that people who are gay and who’ve lived in gay life recognize as a possible variation of that situation."

Ugandan government promises strengthening of anti-gay laws.

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John Barrowman Heads to L.A. to Take the Gay Test

Here's a brief excerpt from The Making of Me, which follows John Barrowman to L.A. to take a series of tests to determine why he's gay. It's just a short bit which features Barrowman's partner Scott Gill. These two are so cute together.

Concludes Barrowman: "I am gay because I have no control over it. I was the way I was born. So I embrace it. I want to embrace it. Because it's who I am. It's what I am. That's the truth. That's the truth about me."

The documentary aired last night in the UK on BBC1 and was the most-watched program, attracting 3.8 million viewers.

Watch the clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

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John Barrowman Goes in Search of Why He's Gay

In a new BBC program, The Making of Me, John Barrowman (pictured here at an unrelated appearance at G-A-Y nightclub in London) undergoes "a series of tests including a DNA examination that is compared with his straight brother's, and he takes to the streets of LA to try out a theory that the origin of homosexuality is linked to events in the womb that may affect the foetus."

According to the network, "Throughout the programme, as well as picking up clues from psychologists and scientists, John also meets some celebrities and extraordinary people who help shed light on the origins of their traits."

The Guardian reports: "The results of the programme - is it nature, is it nurture? - are a closely guarded secret, though Barrowman has always been convinced that sexuality is not a choice. 'I've always known who I am,' he says. 'That's what I believe. I feel I was born this way. I've never questioned that.'"...He mentions interviewing a Seventh Day Adventist 'ex-gay' man while filming The Making Of Me, who believed that homosexuality was incompatible with a fulfilling life. 'His idea was that you had to have the white picket fence and the farm and he was talking about it like it was something that I could never have,' says Barrowman. 'And I actually said to him, 'Yeah, but Ron, I have a partner, I have a dog, I have really nice cars, I have a beautiful home, I have a home by the sea and the beach. You can have that and be gay.' But he just couldn't see that.'"

But it was his contact with those who are questioning their sexuality that pushed him to do the show: "I have to put it this way. There are some days that I sign, like, 400 pictures, autographs and stuff. And among those I generally get a bunch of, say, four, five emails and some written letters from young men and women who are struggling to come out of the closet and they don't know who to turn to because they're afraid of their family's reaction and they're afraid of their community's reaction. So when they approached me to do this [The Making of Me], I thought, 'Yeah, you know, I really kinda have to do it.' I do think I've got a responsibility to help change perceived attitudes or try to change them."

The Making of Me airs July 24 in the UK on BBC1 from 9-10pm.

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Are People Born Gay?

The women of The View discuss the recent brain study and ask, "are people born gay?"

You won't be surprised by who thinks what. AFTER THE JUMP...

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Gay Male Brain Found to Resemble Straight Female Brain

Calling it the "most robust measure" done of the differences in brain architecture and activity between gay and straight people, a Swedish researcher reports that gay people show striking similarities in brain structure and activity to heterosexual people of the opposite sex:

"First they used MRI scans to find out the overall volume and shapes of brains in a group of 90 volunteers consisting of 25 heterosexuals and 20 homosexuals of each gender. The results showed that straight men had asymmetric brains, with the right hemisphere slightly larger – and the gay women also had this asymmetry. Gay men, meanwhile, had symmetrical brains like those of straight women. The team next used PET scans to measure blood flow to the amygdala, part of the brain that governs fear and aggression. The images revealed how the amygdala connected to other parts of the brain, giving clues to how this might influence behaviour. They found that the patterns of connectivity in gay men matched those of straight women, and vice versa (see image, above right). In straight women and gay men, the connections were mainly into regions of the brain that manifest fear as intense anxiety. 'The regions involved in phobia, anxiety and depression overlap with the pattern we see from the amygdala,' says Savic. This is significant, she says, and fits with data showing that women are three times as likely as men to suffer from mood disorders or depression. Gay men have higher rates of depression too, she says, but it's difficult to know whether this is down to biology, homophobia or simply feelings of being 'different'."

New Scientist calls it "the most compelling evidence yet" that sexuality is a biologically fixed trait.

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News: Black Hole, Amy Winehouse, Artificial Life, Jennifer Saunders

Vermont to hold last of six same-sex marriage public hearings tonight.

Survivor winner Todd Herzog talks to AfterElton about his win and certain homophobic contestants: "Jean-Robert was really, really, really homophobic. But I knew that by letting the girls know [I’m gay] they could feel comfortable around me and that I could make a tighter alliance with them. With Amanda, Courtney, Peih-Gee, and Denise being in the finals with me, I knew I needed to take the girls because the girls feel more comfortable around the gay guy. He had a lot of opinions on it, saying, 'It's wrong. It's a choice,' things like that. But I think getting to know me really changed his mind quite a bit, because he told me that out of a lot of gay guys he's met, I surprised him. He'd always thought that the gay culture was to sleep around and drink and party and do drugs, and he was shocked that that's just not me."

Amy Winehouse ARRESTED on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

Scientists on the brink of creating entirely new life forms based on entirely artificial DNA: "Some experts are worried that a few maverick companies are already gaining monopoly control over the core 'operating system' for artificial life and are poised to become the Microsofts of synthetic biology. That could stifle competition, they say, and place enormous power in a few people's hands. 'We're heading into an era where people will be writing DNA programs like the early days of computer programming, but who will own these programs?' asked Drew Endy, a scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology."

L.A. Times: The mustache is back.

LIAR: Lieberman endorses John McCain. But what did he say back during his 2006 reelection campaign? “I want Democrats to be back in the majority in Washington and elect a Democratic president in 2008.”

Be seated: Mysterious out-of-reach bench appears in downtown Manhattan.

Massive black hole seen blasting a nearby galaxy: "'We've seen many jets produced by black holes, but this is the first time we've seen one punch into another galaxy like we're seeing here,' said Dan Evans, a scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and leader of the study. 'This jet could be causing all sorts of problems for the smaller galaxy it is pummeling.' Jets from super massive black holes produce high amounts of radiation, especially high-energy X-rays and gamma-rays, which can be lethal in large quantities. The combined effects of this radiation and particles traveling at almost the speed of light could severely damage the atmospheres of planets lying in the path of the jet. For example, protective layers of ozone in the upper atmosphere of planets could be destroyed."

Behind the scenes of the David Beckham undies shoot.

Evan Biddell wins Canadian Project Runway: "The end is here, and so am I. Nobody left on this runway but myself. I just had to say goodbye to my last two competitors, and now the judges are telling me they want to see what else I can do. They believe I have a strong point of view, and an innate sense of style. When they found out I had never built a collection before, that was the moment I felt I might take the prize. I could feel the judges simultaneously think “How the f**K did he do that?” It felt awesome to know you are exactly where you are supposed to be. To be honest with you, fashion is what I know. I love playing with the shapes of a female body, wrapping her up in rich detail, following the curves a woman, using her body as the blueprint and working around it. It just gets me off!"

The Greatest Day of My Life: Michelle Collins takes a subway ride with Anderson Cooper.

Princeton student in anti-gay hoax after pretending to be targeted by others who don't share his conservative views.

Jennifer Saunders tipped as the next Dr. Who.

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Scientists Turn Homosexuality On and Off in Fruit Flies

A team of researchers was able to alter the sexuality of fruit flies within a few hours by altering a key neurotransmitter in the flies' brains which they had earlier determined factored into the sexuality of the tiny insects.

LiveScience reports: "'Based on our previous work, we reasoned that GB mutants might show homosexual behavior because their glutamatergic synapses were altered in some way,' Featherstone said. 'Homosexual courtship might be sort of an 'overreaction' to sexual stimuli.' To test this, the researchers genetically altered synapse strength, independent of GB. They also gave flies drugs to alter synapse strength. As predicted, they were able to turn fly homosexuality on and off, within hours. 'It was amazing. I never thought we'd be able to do that sort of thing, because sexual orientation is supposed to be hard-wired,' Featherstone said. 'This fundamentally changes how we think about this behavior.' The team figured fly brains maintain two sensory circuits: one to trigger heterosexual behavior and one for homosexual. When GB suppresses glutamatergic synapses, the homosexual circuit is blocked, the thinking goes. So they did more tests. As expected, without GB to suppress synapse strength, the flies no longer interpreted smells the same way. The smells in question come in the form of pheromones, chemicals that affect sexual behavior in much of the animal kingdom."

These scientists might want to speak with scientists in the UK who used pheromones to halt the population explosion of brown-tailed moths. Men living and working at a Royal National Lifeboat Institute at Spurn Point in Yorkshire "were developing rashes and breathing problems from the poisonous hairs of the larvae blown in the wind" because there were so many moths. Once the pheromones were spread, the moths became confused and some were persuaded to be gay.

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San Francisco Gay Penguins Move in, Improve Neighborhood [tr]

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23 and Me: Genetics for Dummies?

Genetics company 23andMe launched this week. For $999 the company will send you a kit with a container you fill with saliva. You send it back to the company and here's what they do:

"After receiving your sample, lab professionals extract DNA from cells in your saliva. Your DNA is then chopped up into shorter strands and copied many times via a process called amplification. Next, your DNA is washed over a small microchip-like device that contains short strands of synthetic DNA. The synthetic DNA fragments latch onto the pieces of your DNA that are a complementary match. Then a laser-scanning step reveals which strands of synthetic DNA are stuck to your DNA to determine your genotype. The chip used in our process is the Illumina HumanHap550+ BeadChip, which reads more than 550,000 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) plus a 23andMe custom-designed set that analyzes more than 30,000 additional SNPs. What this means is that the laboratory process reads nearly 600,000 data points on your genome."

Once the company has completed the analysis, you receive an email with a login and password. You are then able to search among the thousands of data points for things like Alzheimer's, heart disease, arthritis, and see if you are genetically predisposed to many of the unknowns that cloud your biological future.

The New York Times had one of its writers go through the process.

The company was founded by the wife of Google founder Sergey Brin, and Google has already funded it to the tune of $3.9 million. Will Google eventually own you, the universe, and everything in between???

While 23andMe has an extensive and very clear privacy statement, the question remains — what's to happen should your genetic information accidentally become public? There are considerations. I suppose that's a chance you have to take. The service may be particularly fascinating for those who are adopted and don't have any idea about history of disease in their families or don't have clarity about their genetic ancestry.

As someone in that particular situation, I do find it intriguing. Would you want to know?

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News: Bill Gates, Warhol Scent, Gyllenspit, Vegas, Britney Spears

I think now she's doing it on purpose. Britney Spears has run over another foot.

Striking gay WGA writers are holding their own march: "It will totally be "Norma Rae" meets the Abbey."

Closet Idol fan? Bill Gates spotted at Kelly Clarkson concert.

In wake of progressive Democrats move to censure Dianne Feinstein, her spokesperson defends: "[Feinstein] has been an independent voice for California."

Barack Obama says there are no existing records from his days in the Illinois state senate: "'I don't have _ I don't maintain _ a file of eight years of work in the state Senate because I didn't have the resources available to maintain those kinds of records,' he said at a recent campaign stop in Iowa. He said he wasn't sure where any cache of records might have gone, adding, 'It could have been thrown out. I haven't been in the state Senate now for quite some time.'"

Meet the Dixie Chicks of competitive Bridge.

Andy Warhol Foundation launches first of several fragrances: "The scent developed by Aurelien Guichard is a smoky yet spicy cocktail of incense, grapefruit, wood resin, amber jasmine, cedarwood and violet, one Warhol’s favorite aromas. The term is no longer '€˜unisex'€™ but '€˜universal'€™ to indicate that the perfume can be worn by both men and women and is said to smell like metallic rubber."

For you Scissor Sisters fans (or haters, I suppose): Whack-a-Sister.

Scab-lash: Ellen DeGeneres cancels NYC tapings. "We're delighted that Ellen DeGeneres has decided not to come to New York to tape her program. She knows that the Writers Guild East would have been there to protest her lack of solidarity, not only with her Guild writing staff but all the striking members of the Writers Guild, of which she is a member. We will be even more delighted if she does not cross the Guild picket lines at the NBC Studios in Burbank, where her show usually is produced."

Scientists identify oral sex "swallower" gene...in fish.

Yes, Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon have been captured swapping spit in public.

Broadcast of McCain supporter calling Hillary Clinton a bitch sparks war between McCain campaign and CNN: "Now McCain's campaign is trying to turn this to its advantage -- by opening fire on the network and portraying it as both a Hillary ally and a liberal media foil to McCain. McCain campaign manager Rick Davis has just blasted out an email to supporters demanding that CNN apologize to the Arizona Senator for smearing him."

Bjorn Borg unveils new underwear line, and invites folks to send in pictures of themselves wearing it. Flashback: Model Search.

In July 2006, Patricia Todd became Alabama's first openly gay elected official when she ran a run-off race in the House. Pam Spaulding over at Pam's House blended has posted a series of videos of Todd talking about some of the homophobia she faced during her election.

BOOK: Gay community in Vegas on the upswing.

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News: Adam Levine, Bigot of the Year, Writer's Strike, Thailand

Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner and partner Matt Nye are expecting twins in January.

Daughter of anti-gay leader Amy Contrada (MassResistance) comes out of the closet: "I am a lesbian, which my mom still does not get. She just says that I am confused. I realized in around eighth grade, but I was in denial for quite some time because I was scared due to my mother constantly saying that homosexuality is wrong. How can it ever be wrong to love though? That’s what I’d like to know."

Reuters discovers that some Republicans are gay!

Scientist tweak gene in mice to create "mighty mouse": "Scientists at Case Western Reserve University have genetically engineered mice that outrun, outlive, and out-eat ordinary mice while staying lean, light, and fertile well into old age...A major unanswered question, Hanson's team notes, is what brain changes accompany the genetically engineered mice's hyped-up activity."

Ellen DeGeneres takes on the holiday as a "not pregnant" Jennifer Lopez.

Maroon 5's Adam Levine dresses down for slut-o-ween.

Daniel Radcliffe confirmed for Equus on Broadway in September 2008: "... it took months of negotiations to secure a deal with the theatre-owning Shubert Organisation and for the producers David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers to sort out all the paperwork for the play's two leading men to perform in New York. Director Thea Sharrock will begin rehearsals next August."

Get ready for more Reality TV: Hollywood writers to strike for the first time in almost 20 years - "We've never been more united and we are willing to deal -- and our decision makers are at the table. Their decision makers are not at the table, and that tells you pretty much all you need to know about how the companies are pushing this."

Royal blackmailer Ian Strachan to apply for bail: "Lawyers representing Ian Strachan, 30, are due to make an application behind closed doors at the Old Bailey. A previous application last week was adjourned after a few minutes because the lawyers needed more time to prepare. Strachan is not expected to attend but will be released from Belmarsh prison, south-east London, if bail is granted."

Bishop wins Bigot of the Year award from UK gay rights group Stonewall: "An employment tribunal in Cardiff in April heard how youth worker John Reaney, 42, was left feeling humiliated after a two-hour interview during which the bishop grilled him about a previous gay relationship. The tribunal decided Mr Reaney had been a victim of unfair dismissal and awarded damages against the Church of England."

On Wednesday I posted about the latest hustler to bring down a Republican hypocrite, and his porn past. Fleshbot has a big round-up of Cody Castagna's adult activities (NSFW).

SLOG reads the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report, and it's quite terrifying.

Munich version of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin features drag queens and Brokeback Mountain references. It's not being received well: "There is no novelty value left in the outing of Tchaikovsky. Half-naked cowboys and men in ballgowns are cheap cliches. An exploration of the two men's relationship is legitimate, since it is one of the opera's deepest and certainly its most tragic. With more subtlety and professionalism, it might have worked."

Thai gay activist says he was refused insurance because he is gay: "Natee Teerarojjanapongs, president of the Gay Political Group of Thailand, said he had tried to buy a policy from AIA sales agent Pachara Pipatwong on Sunday. However, after Pachara called to consult an AIA official who liaises with the company's agents, Natee was told he could not do so because he was gay. 'AIA is violating the 2007 Constitution, as it is restricting my rights. [Pachara] told me the official said AIA policy stated that it did not give homosexuals insurance,' Natee said after speaking to the council, which met to monitor how the new Constitution was being implemented. 'I'm willing to let them give me a full health check if they think that I'm in a high-risk group. There's no reason to deny me and other gays or transvestites life insurance. We are educated like others in society. Not all of us engage in risky behaviour,' he said."

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Scientists Change Sexual Orientation of Worms with Gene Alteration

Scientists experimenting on tiny worms called nematodes have found they are able to switch the worms' sexual orientation by altering a gene in the brain.

Via The Globe and Mail: "The study reinforces the notion that sexual orientation is hard-wired in the brain, said Erik Jorgensen, scientific director of the Brain Institute at the University of Utah. 'They look like girls, but act and think like boys,' Utah researcher Jamie White, who worked on the study published in the journal Current Biology, said in a statement. Researchers in Dr. Jorgensen's lab switched on a gene in female worms that makes the body develop male structures, but they only activated the gene in the brain. As a result, the female worms still had female bodies, but they behaved like males."

As Dan Savage at SLOG notes, while more proof that sexual orientation is genetic is definitely welcome, the fact that it can be so easily switched may have the wingnuts rejoicing as well.

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Tuscany, Italy in Gay Baby Controversy: Sexuality Not a Choice

Tuscany's regional government is set to post thousands of posters of a newborn infant wearing a wristband labeled "homosexual" as part of an anti-discrimination campaign.

The posters say "Sexual orientation is not a choice."

Said Tuscany region's civil rights councillor Agostino Fragai: "Homosexuality is not a vice and hence should not be condemned nor marginalised, or worse still persecuted."

Conservatives (and even some left-leaning politicians concerned with the lack of genetic proof) in Italy are up in arms. Said Christian lawmaker Lucio Volonte: "Exploiting newborns to suggest that homosexual tendencies are innate is a misleading and shameful act."

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News: Dinosaur, Mann Coulter, Art Sex, Clay Aiken, Uganda

Canadian soldiers sentenced to jail for anti-gay attack in Amsterdam: "Eric Wright was sentenced to five months in jail and ordered to pay 6,000 euros (8,300 Canadian dollars/8,500 US dollars) in damages and Ryan Dowie was given 45 days in jail, a court spokesman told AFP."

Since she'd like to perfect the Jews, Maxim's editors went ahead and tried to figure out how they would perfect Mann Coulter.

DNA: Genetic study of gay brothers gains steam...

Gay activist group to go door-to-door in South Carolina.

The Guardian reports on the sex exhibit that recently opened in Britain: "...we live in a world that fears erotically charged images. Pornography is loathed even as it is consumed. In Britain, there has been a recent moral panic about one of the artists in this show, Nan Goldin, whose photograph of a naked young girl was removed from an exhibition at Gateshead's Baltic Centre. That is the modern version of anxieties that for centuries drove artists to veil passion in fine ideas. This show includes a copy of Michelangelo's drawing of The Rape of Ganymede, which he gave as a present to a young nobleman he adored, and which portrays Jupiter taking the form of an eagle to carry away a boy he lusted after."

REPORT: Air America talk show host Randi Rhodes assaulted in NYC.

Massive new dinosaur unearthed in Patagonia.

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation apologizes to gay group after party raid: "The written communication came after Ebony Pyramid Entertainment demanded a public, published apology from the Royal Bahamas Police Force and assurances from the Ministry of Tourism that their annual event will not be targeted again to 'intimidate' homosexuals. The group received one of their two demands. The Executive Director said he is still awaiting an apology from the RBPF. The police 'raid' on their October 6 party which was attended by over 200 lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) tourists was nothing more than a poorly disguised attempt to harass, intimidate, and frighten the homosexual community, Xavier said in a release addressed to the MOT."

UC Berkeley student asks, why not marriage for all?

Is Britney Spears dreaming of escape with her new reading material? Or has she just completely wigged out?

Clay Aiken to join Broadway production of Spamalot as Sir Robin. Role was originated by David Hyde Pierce.

Skeptical global warming meteorologist hailed by traditional media once compared Gore to Hitler: "MSNBC called Gray a 'top meteorologist.' McClatchy referred to him as a 'pioneer in the science of seasonal hurricane forecasts.' The Washington Times coined him one of the 'world’s foremost meteorologists.' But all failed to note that Gray has a long history of climate skepticism and attacks on Gore. In May 2006, a Washington Post magazine article quoted Gray directly comparing Gore to Hitler: 'Gore believed in global warming almost as much as Hitler believed there was something wrong with the Jews.'"

Muslim leader in Uganda wants gays sent to an island until they die.

93-year-old pens gay romance novel: " Mr Soper only decided to write the novel after 'coming out' at the age of 91 - and only told his fellow residents at the The Old Vicarage nursing home, in Moulsford, where he lives, after they asked to read his novel. He said: 'When all the old ladies heard about the book, they asked if they could read it. So I had to tell them I was gay and that it was a gay-themed novel.' Mr Soper, a former academic at Christ Church, Oxford, until 1981, said it had been nice to be honest about his sexuality after so many years."

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Is There Such a Thing as a Gay Walk?

We've heard about whorls and finger lengths, but now researchers are trying to determine whether or not the style of your gait (warning - site NSFW) is an indication of a particular sexual orientation.

Here's a direct link to a worksafe version of the article.

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Gaydar: Do You Have A Counter-Clockwise Whorl?

If you're reading Towleroad, it's more likely than not that you do.

The Science of Gaydar [new york magazine]

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News: Fat Gene, Tom Ford, Village People, New Hampshire

Senate committee in New Hampshire endorses (3-2) civil union bill that the House passed last week. The Senate is expected to vote next week!

The Washington Post tells the tale of Soulforce: "Even on American highways crowded with giant family cars, buses are still big enough to make a point. For his acid tour in 1964, Ken Kesey had his Merry Pranksters repaint a 1939 school bus in psychedelic colors with brooms. These days buses are plastic-wrapped with their messages, like giant Twinkies on a mission. The one driving down Route 7 in Virginia yesterday was purplish on one side and orange sunset on the other. In huge letters it said "Social Justice for Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People." On the highway, fellow drivers either honked and waved or threw Coke cans. In Sioux City, Iowa, someone spray-painted the bus with 'Fag, God doesn't love you.'"

Why is Brad Pitt losing his hair?

Don Imus just the tip of the hate speech iceberg: what about Glenn Beck, Neal Boortz, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, Michael Smerconish, and John Gibson? Al Franken calls on CNN to fire Glenn Beck.

Scientists identify gene that makes us fat.

Tom Ford celebrates the opening of his new butler-staffed boutique.

Fallen American Idol contestant Frenchie Davis shows that there's room for both God and the gays: "When I'm singing, that is when I feel closest to God. I feel like I'm fulfilling his purpose for my life. Sometimes I get goose bumps, and sometimes my bottom lip quivers. I know it is God, because this business is insane and I want to give up on it every day. It's my belief that keeps me going....I used to sing at the gay clubs in D.C., and the boys would come up onstage and give me tips. They still do! There was a gay Stanford law student who started a Save Frenchie Web site and Save Frenchie T-shirts. All the important men in my life have been gay. Even though I'm not gay, I've always been a member of the gay community.

Nice bathrobe: Will Arnett's gay cameo in 30 Rock.

Vogue Hommes International attempts to capture the spirit (and the abs) of JFK Jr.

Village People celebrate 30 years in show business: "David Hodo, the construction worker, remembers it well. 'The (casting) ad said, 'Must have mustache.' Back in 1977, the producers envisioned a gay disco group that would be "a very dark, very heavy Marlboro Man experience,' says Hodo, who immediately took another approach. 'There was absolutely no way I could do this seriously, so I started to spoof on the stuff. We realized it was more fun to have fun with it. That's what the group is, tongue in cheek.'"

HIV and Me: Stephen Fry making documentary about friends who are HIV positive and those who have died of AIDS. Fry: “I’m not HIV positive myself but the documentary is something very close to my heart as I have friends who have died from AIDS and who are HIV positive. I’ve also worked for the [AIDS charity The Terrence Higgins Trust] for a long time.”

Jimmy Kimmel called out for attack on Gawker editor.

Reporter: Despite their recently waning numbers, gay TV characters are gaining complexity.

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News: Amazon Swimmer, Palm Springs, Genetics, Tax Time

Gay families hit unfairly again at tax time because of Federal Defense of Marriage Act: "Each tax season, same-sex couples sit at their dining room tables and are forced to live a legal lie by checking single despite their decades together - arbitrarily dividing up their joint households income, expenses, and dependents. Even in states with domestic partnerships or civil unions, we still have to check single on our tax forms because our federal government doesn't consider us a family."

This may be as close to your ass as David Beckham's ever going to get.

Unhostile takeover: the rise of guerilla gay bars.

Former gay Big Brother Australia contestant David Graham dancing by on Dancing with the Stars, thanks to the "gay vote".

Palm Springs committee unanimously approves Rainbow Vision gay and lesbian retirement community...

NYT on sexual genetics: "Desire between the sexes is not a matter of choice. Straight men, it seems, have neural circuits that prompt them to seek out women; gay men have those prompting them to seek other men....Sexual orientation, at least for men, seems to be settled before birth. 'I think most of the scientists working on these questions are convinced that the antecedents of sexual orientation in males are happening early in life, probably before birth,' Dr. Breedlove said, 'whereas for females, some are probably born to become gay, but clearly some get there quite late in life.'"

52-year-old Slovenian man swims the Amazon river, covering 3,274 miles in 65 days, battling piranhas, sharks, crocodiles, and pirates. Here he receives aid from Brazilian medics at the end of his record-breaking swim. Here's a swim diary...

And the cat came back, the very next day... Traveling cat rides the bus every day for fish and chips.

Hillary Clinton becomes third Dem candidate, following Obama and Edwards, to pull out of FOX/Congressional Black Caucus debate.

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News: Tonya Harding, Pizza, Barbara Gittings, Genetics

Statements by Baptist minister Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr. that if a biological basis for homosexuality were proven then prenatal treatment to reverse gay orientation would be biblically justified have inspired criticism from the right and left. Harry Knox, HRC: "He's willing to play God. He's more than willing to let homophobia take over and be the determinant of how he responds to this issue, in spite of everything else he believes about not tinkering with the unborn."

Better late than never? Nearly a month after her death, the NYT publishes pioneering gay activist Barbara Gittings' obituary. Perhaps they heard the cries of Larry Kramer.

New York magazine has a few questions for photographer Patrick McMullan.

Activists, law students in Maine lobby for changes to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".

Ryan Seacrest works it out.

Supporters outnumber opponents at New Hampshire gay marriage hearing.

The lawyer for Magdaleno Olmos, the former assistant production accountant on American Idol who recently accused former contestant Mario Vazquez of propositioning him, speaks out about his client's claim that he was fired from the show for reporting the incident. Lawyer Matt Matern: "I believe it (Vazquez's departure) was not voluntary in any way shape or form. There were meetings held on that same day with the executives Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick, with my client and with the attorneys for ‘American Idol.' They asked my client what had happened. Then I believe they interviewed Mr. Vazquez that same day, brought my client back in for a second interview and [I'm told], Nigel Lythgoe, put his arm around my client and said, ‘we know that this happened and we are going to let Mario Vazquez go, and you're going to stay.'"

Tweaked out Tonya Harding calls cops after having visions of animals.

Filmmaker John Waters has a Christmastime kids movie in the works entitled Fruitcake.

Congressman spearheading repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" announces he may be leaving office to become Chancellor of UMASS Lowell.

Is Jim McGreevey ready to become a gay activist?

New York restaurant presents the $1,000 pizza.

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News: Gay Babies, Arkansas, Thomas Roberts, Rosie

Los Angeles fertility clinic opens, catering specifically to gay males who want to become parents. Director: "There are a lot of centers that dibble and dabble in this. But we are the only program for gay men that has psychological, legal, medical, surrogates, donors and patients all taken care of in one place. The demand is incredible. The United States has always been busy but we are seeing more and more demand from abroad."

Radar asks: Is your baby gay?

Anderson Cooper's report on Thomas Roberts' sexual abuse at the hands of a gay priest had one glaring omission: "While it was unquestionably courageous for the man to speak so candidly about his sexual abuse at the hand of the family priest as a teenager, there seemed to be a glaring absence in the discussion: namely, about how Roberts, as an out gay man, has been affected by the abuse as a grown, sexualized adult...the fact that Roberts is an openly gay man and was the victim of an ongoing sexual assault by another man (and the fact that the other victim, Goles, is also gay) can very easily lead to a cause-effect conclusion in the minds of viewers (i.e., if you are molested by a priest, you will be gay; if you are a gay adult, it is likely because your sexual development was interrupted by same-sex abuse). This interview would have been a fantastic opportunity to address these misconceptions (which are already rampant) and put them to rest."

Equality Florida leader Nadine Smith talks about her brutal arrest at the hearings for Largo city manager Steve Stanton: "The hatred expressed by the mob, the fury that surrounded his dismissal that night by those who justified themselves by invoking God is a frightening and public example of what happens to LGBT people all the time but rarely with such visibility. Largo is a wake up call to those who believe quietly in equality. In your silence, the mob speaks for you and takes your absence as license to systemically ignore the civil and human rights of LGBT people."

Gay children's books under fire in Great Britain: "It is being argued that the books, one of which is a fairytale featuring a prince who turns down three princesses before falling in love and marrying a man, are necessary to make homosexuality seem normal to children. Fourteen schools and one local authority, backed by teaching unions and a government-funded organisation, are running the controversial scheme, which has been attacked by Christian groups."

Rosie and Reichen bowl for gay families.

Clinton, Obama, Edwards vie for gay votes: "Mrs. Clinton has stiff competition in her pursuit of influential gay Democrats. Unlike the election of 2004, when Howard Dean had the distinction of having fought for a civil-unions bill when he was governor of Vermont, the three leading Democratic candidates have virtually identical stances on the most visible gay issues. (Barack Obama, John Edwards and Mrs. Clinton are uniformly in favor of lifting a ban on gays openly serving in the military, but are all opposed to gay marriage.)"

Arkansas Senate says "no" to gay foster parents. Senator Jim Argue, (D-Little Rock): "It really bothers me when I feel like we've made choices that are based on prejudice and fear. There is absolutely no evidence that this bill is in the best interest of children."

France's high court rejects first gay marriage: "Stephane Charpin and Bertrand Charpentier were married in a civil ceremony on June 5, 2004, in Begles, a town in the southwest Bordeaux region. The government immediately said the union was outside the law, and a series of court decisions unfavorable to the couple followed."

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Scientists Discover Gene That Turns you a Golden Brown

The gene for tanning has come out!

Now if they could find a cure for skin cancer we'd be all set.

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News: Buddha, Island Vanished, Reggie Bush, Supergenes

REPORT: White County school board agrees to pay ACLU $168,000 for legal costs and $10,000 to student plaintiffs over longstanding gay-straight alliance feud.

Boy hailed as reincarnation of Buddha reappears after nine months in the wilderness: "The 17-year old teenager Bomjon, who had been "meditating without any food or water" in the jungles of Ratanpuri village in the district had disappeared under unknown circumstances in March this year and was found in the jungles near Pathlaiya-Nijgadh road section of the Mahendra Highway on Sunday."

Lawrence, Kansas (home to the University of Kansas) is considering a city registry for gay and lesbian couples: "Supporters said the registry would not automatically give gay and lesbian couples the legal rights afforded to married couples, but the registry would serve as a legal recognition of the couple's relationship. 'It would indicate that the city is welcoming and supportive of its gay community members,' said Maggie Childs, who heads the Lawrence chapter of the Kansas Equality Coalition, which asked Lawrence Commissioner Mike Rundle to set up the registry. 'In my mind, the primary benefit is symbolic.'"

In the latest of its high-concept fashion ads, Diesel takes on global warming.

First inhabited island washed off the face of the earth by global warming: "The obliteration of Lohachara island, in India's part of the Sundarbans where the Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers empty into the Bay of Bengal, marks the moment when one of the most apocalyptic predictions of environmentalists and climate scientists has started coming true."

Sports Illustrated ponders