News: Chile, Gavin Newsom, Connecticut, Marcia Brady, Sharks

Majority in Connecticut support same-sex marriage ruling: "Fifty-three percent of Connecticut residents support Friday's historic ruling by the state Supreme Court that legalizes gay marriage, while 42 percent of residents polled said they do not."

ONE Archives to open first museum dedicated to LGBT history in West Hollywood: "The museum -- really a micro-museum at 600 square feet -- has set a macro goal for itself: to bring little-known aspects of gay history out of the library closet and into the public sphere. The museum is an offshoot of the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, which is affiliated with USC. The old magazine covers dedicated to gay marriage come from ONE magazine, the first gay publication in the country."

Marcia Brady's tell-all confession: I was addicted to coke and quaaludes, had sex for drugs, dated Michael Jackson, had two abortions, bulimia, and almost lost my virginity to Greg Brady.

Karl Lagerfeld just bought a six-bedroom, 1840 landmark house on an island on Lake Champlain, Vermont.

Bush supporter Dennis Hopper: I pray Obama wins.

MEAT: Gerard Butler opens BBQ in Hollywood.

Damien Hirst tops list of powerful people in the art world: "Hirst is also a good example of how contemporary art reflects modern life. Like our shopping centres, our art world is dominated by superbrands: Hirst in Europe, Jeff Koons in America and the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami (whose recent American retrospective included a Louis Vuitton boutique selling Murakami-designed fashionwear)." [LIST]

Shark blood offers hope for cancer.

Kenya's elephants now text message conservationists before raiding villages: "Kenya is the first country to try elephant texting as a way to protect both a growing human population and the wild animals that now have less room to roam. Elephants are ranked as 'near threatened' in the Red List, an index of vulnerable species published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature."

Australia debates the merits of mantyhose.

SF Mayor Gavin Newsom has become the single-best tool for same-sex marriage ban backers: "His pictures have become the rallying cry for Prop. 8. It's unfortunate for him, and it's unfortunate for the anti-Prop. 8 campaign. I don't know that I would change his behavior, because he's representing his constituency, and he's been totally consistent in his position. But he's become everyone's worst nightmare."

L.A.: Stars come out to Skybar to defeat Prop 8. "Chad Allen, Eric McCormack, Dana Delaney, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Thomas Roberts, Katherine Joosten, Loni Anderson, Heather Tom, and Eduardo Xol who were among the celebrities there to raise money for 'No on 8 - Equality California.'"

TOUR: Britney Spears will take her show on the road this spring.

Chilean gay rights group steps up against Catholic bishop and Evangelicals: "MOVILH strongly criticized Bishop Juan Ignacio González Errázuriz, whose San Bernardo Diocese is located just south of Santiago, for writing a public letter urging Chileans not to vote in this month's city elections for candidates who support granting certain rights to gay and lesbian couples...MOVILH also is up in arms about a Saturday conference held by the Isacar Movement, a network of Evangelical professionals. Isacar called the conference to address the so-called Anti-Discrimination Law currently under consideration in Chile's congress."

The least attractive photo of The O.C.'s Benjamin McKenzie you'll likely ever see.

SPOILER: Meet Mad Men's new gay character.

Producing duo acquire rights to French-Canadian comedy Taxi 0-22: "The two will be shopping an American version of the series, which centers on Rogatien Dubois, an outspoken and politically incorrect taxi driver. A modern-day Archie Bunker type, Dubois wrestles with his many prejudices and the fact that his 20-year-old son is gay."

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News: T.R. Knight, SUNY, Soulforce, Anteater, John Boehner

T.R. Knight donates $50,000 to No on 8.

Manchester, UK teen hangs himself over gay hate anonymous phone bullying.

Free screening of The Times of Harvey Milk documentary tonight in L.A. See it, it's amazing.

House Minority Leader John Boehner mocks the way Barney Frank talks: “You know where he’s from. He’s from Massachusetts, although he can’t say the word 'Massachusetts.'"

Brandon and Brenda Walsh reuniting for 90210.

Denver Post remembers Matthew Shepard: "The crime galvanized gay-rights activists, who were determined change should come of Shepard's death. In some ways, the death of the affable young man has made a difference. Laramie, where Shepard attended college, passed a bias-crime ordinance in response to his death. His killing also has led to greater awareness about hate crimes and calls for tougher laws nationwide. But much work remains..."

NYT: Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina. "Tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that appear to violate federal law..."

Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club endorses Mark Leno, refuses to drop support for Nancy Pelosi in favor of Cindy Sheehan. "The decision at the club's political action committee meeting Tuesday, October 7 not to support Sheehan prompted complaints about who the club allows to vote on its endorsements and was the third time during Pelosi's 20 years in Congress that attempts to strip her of the Milk Club's support had failed."

Gerard Butler under investigation for beating the crap out of a paparazzo.

SUNY Fredonia students drown out anti-gay demonstrators: "The Deferios didn't quite know what they were getting into when they visited the SUNY Fredonia campus earlier this week. Jim Deferio of Syracuse, along with his daughter, Michelle Deferio, 26, stood in the grass near the Reed Library steps, holding signs, beginning shortly before noon on Tuesday. Jim wore aviator sunglasses and clutched a megaphone, which he used to address the rapidly expanding group, and held a large poster that read, "Warning: Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God?...Many exchanges occurred between Jim, via megaphone, and the crowd throughout the afternoon. Jim would begin to shout, "There's no biological basis -" and the crowd would reply, 'Shut up, Jim.'"

More Clooney P.I.

Now Jude Law goes the 'stache route.

Palm Beach Atlantic University to allow Soulforce Bus riders on campus, but Soulforce calls invitation too restrictive: ''Unfortunately, the format is not conducive to reaching out to the Palm Beach Atlantic community in the spirit of open dialogue. Additionally, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students who need to hear our message of love and affirmation would not be reached in this format.''

Proud Nation: UK's first gay museum planned for London.

I always fall for a good baby anteater story.

New pain relief method is eight times stronger than morphine: "The revolutionary technique involves an injection that can combat serious discomfort for more than three days - 14 times as long as morphine. The substance, which can be injected, appears to have few side effects and works by neutralising the chemical in the body that causes the brain to feel pain."

California leads the country in gay rights even if Proposition 8 is approved (which of course cannot happen!)

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Gerard Butler, Guy Ritchie, and an Ass Jab

Above, a portrait of Gerard Butler and Guy Ritchie from San Diego's Comic-Con. Butler stars in Ritchie's new film RocknRolla. Butler has been regaling audiences with a tale of how Madonna injected a B-12 vitamin shot in his ass when he was sick while they were filming: "I was sick, and she was a nurse basically. Guy introduced me to her and she said, 'You''re the sick one?' and I said, 'Yes.' Well, she was amazing. She just said, 'Drop your pants.'"

Ritchie told People that his marriage to Madonna "is fine as far as I'm aware of." Madonna was photographed over the weekend looking particularly haggard and speculation immediately arose that many things have been taking their toll on her lately — marriage, the tell-all, her intense workouts and tour, but it could have been that she was just tired and not wearing any make-up. It was also reported over the weekend that she and Ritchie would renew their vows.

Meanwhile, Page Six published a report that Madonna had a hand in her brother Christopher's tell-all:

"She actually ghost-wrote parts of it with him, the way Princess Diana helped Andrew Morton write his book on her. That's why there's nothing too devastating in Chris's book. He's mean to others, but not so much to his sister."

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News: Quentin Tarantino, Ugly Dog, Bulgaria, Michelangelo

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

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

DAD: Amy Winehouse in first stages of Emphysema.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gerard Butler is a fashionista.

Dog named world's ugliest.

Salon bookmark: Gore Vidal's Inconvenient Truths.

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

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

They got him!

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

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News: Beatles, MRSA, Vanessa Williams, Jamaica, Maria Shriver

Mob of 20 attacks two gay men in Jamaica: "After days of harassment and threats, a Jamaican mob attacked two gay men, putting one in the hospital with serious injuries, while the other is missing...The group broke into the home of the men and attacked them, authorities told The Associated Press. One man had his left ear severed, his arm broken in two places and his spine possibly damaged; the other man, who was chased from their home, has not been found, according to the report."

Welcome to the just-opened Hard Day's Night Hotel in Liverpool: "The four-star, 110 room Beatle themed hotel opens its doors to the public... and is only a stone's throw away from the site of the famous Cavern Club."

Gay rights activist and psychotherapist Myra Riddell dies at 81.

This is why the Spice Girls tour is ending.

Anti-gay graffiti found in DC police station men's restroom: "'It's extremely offensive, so we're taking it very seriously,' [Police Chief Cathy] Lanier said. Lanier sent an e-mail to police department personnel Thursday night that said, 'All members of this department put their lives on the line every day, and I will not tolerate any member treating another police professional with disrespect.' Lanier said she will 'impose the most serious penalty' if the perpetrator is found to be a member of the department. The graffiti was found in an area that is accessible to both officers and civilians, Lanier said, so it is not clear who may have left the message."

New Chicago Episcopal bishop Jeffrey Lee shows support for gay clergy: "'That's one of the tragedies afflicting the church right now,' he said. 'So many of us seem to think that salvation depends on our theological correctness.'"

Gay Republicans flocking to McCain?

First lady of California Maria Shriver joins Kennedys in 'surprise' Obama endorsement.

SF health officials apologize to gay community for MRSA scare: "We regret that our recent news report (1-14-08) about an important population-based study on MRSA USA300 with public health implications contained some information that could be interpreted as misleading. We deplore negative targeting of specific populations in association with MRSA infections or other public health concerns, and we will be working to ensure that accurate information about the research is disseminated to the health community and the general public."

San Francisco-based music journalist Adam Block dies.

Police break up suspected 'gay' party in India: " A team, led by deputy police commissioner Bhujangrao Shinde, raided the Agrawal bungalow at Yeoor and detained six persons, including the main organiser, Sahil Bhoricha (24). Liquor bottles and condoms were seized from the bungalow. Entry to Yeoor Hills was restricted during the operation. Ashok Row Kavi of Humsafar Trust, a gay rights group, condemned the action as unfair, given that all the men detained were adults and were not found violating any law. A magistrate denied the police custody of those arrested."

Robbie Williams becomes a bear.

Britney Spears' family finally takes control of the situation.

Western Montana Gay and Lesbian Community Center hold "skate against hate" in Missoula to raise awareness about anti-gay violence there.

Gerard Butler and Jonathan Rhys Meyers party it up in L.A.

Ohio health officials to study smoking habits of gay teens: "Health officials are allocating $60,000 to identify the smoking habits of those teens and develop a tobacco-prevention campaign for them. Ohio Department of Health spokesman Kristopher Weiss says gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community has a smoking rate at about 40 to 60 percent. As part of the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender Community Youth and Young Adults Anti-Tobacco Social Marketing Project, officials will form focus groups among youths ages 12 through 20 at an LBGT center in Columbus."

Melbourne, Australia holds gay pride march...

Vanessa Williams to be honored as "Ally for Equality" by the Human Rights Campaign. More...

Second memorial service for Heath Ledger held in L.A.: "Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Sienna Miller, Lindsay Lohan, Ellen Degeneres and other celebrities gathered at the Sony Pictures lot on Saturday to remember Heath Ledger. This service comes a week after a smaller gathering that included ex-girlfriend Naomi Watts was held in Beverly Hills. Other mourners included Heath's father Kim, representatives from CAA (the agency that represented Heath), director Todd Haynes, and actress Shannyn Sossamon who was Heath's co-star in "A Knight's Tale". "I'm Not There" director Haynes spoke at the service."

Police raid gay bar in Philippines, arrest 10 for alleged prostitution: "The men were nabbed inside the Male Bucks Hosto Bar in Angeles City around 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Members of the raiding team used a female informer who posed as a customer. The informer told authorities that the "entertainers" were dancing on stage clad only in their underwear."

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Gerard Butler and Jason Statham Form Muscle Storm in Miami

Gerard Butler and Jason Statham rang in 2008 at the Cuervo Platino Party at The Florida Room at the Delano Hotel in Miami Beach on New Year's Day. All that and a shot of tequila? Now that's a great way to start the year.

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Gerard Butler to Jeffrey Dean Morgan: P.S. - I Love Your Ass

Gerard Butler and co-star Jeffrey Dean Morgan appeared at the P.S. I Love You premiere over the weekend and proceeded, for reasons unknown, to grab each other's rumps. Given Butler's work-outs for 300, there's likely plenty to grab.

Said Butler to People: Jeffrey Dean Morgan rubbing my ass. Yeah that’s about as good as it gets!"

More photos of the premiere at Just Jared. One more shot of the grab-ass moment, AFTER THE JUMP...

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News: Scooter Libby, Latvia, Americone Dream, Wyoming

Scooter Libby found guilty on four counts in CIA leak case: "Libby is the highest-ranking White House official to be convicted of a felony since the Iran-Contra scandal of the mid-1980s. The case brought new attention to the Bush administration's much-criticized handling of weapons of mass destruction intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war." Bush saddened by verdict...

Stephen Colbert, Ben & Jerry launch Americone Dream.

Riga, Latvia's new mayor says he'll back a gay rights march later this year: "In an interview with Diena newspaper, Janis Birks said he was ashamed at events last year, when bags of human excrement were thrown at gay marchers. The Mayor called for tolerance and understanding on all sides."

Isaiah Washington may actually pay for calling T.R. Knight a "faggot".

Not to beat a dead horse, but here's more on why Ann Coulter's argument is so wrong.

UK lesbian shopkeeper will receive a possible award of more than £120,000 after suffering months of bullying at the hands of a co-worker: "Mrs Davies, a practising Jehovah's Witness, pushed Miss Bielak and started shouting and swearing at her, calling her a '******* dyke'. A tribunal also heard that she would play the Morrissey track ["All the Lazy Dykes"] every time Miss Bielak came into the stockroom at the Next store in St Helens, Merseyside. "

Straight Republican legislator from Wyoming, Dan Zwonitzer, makes headlines after taking public stand against anti-gay marriage amendment: "Zwonitzer told the House Rules Committee on Feb. 22 that he needed to publicly oppose the measure -- even if it cost him his seat -- because he believed that was the right thing to do. He told the committee that gay rights were the civil rights struggle of his generation. 'I will tell my children that when this debate went on, I stood up for basic rights for people,' he said."

With civil unions already legal, New Jersey Republicans vow to block next steps of adding the "marriage" term to it.

Gerard Butler, Rodrigo Santoro on hand for 300 premiere in Hollywood. AfterElton review: solid film needlessly disrespects homosexuals...

Equality Texas rallies at state capitol in Austin: "Equality Texas wants to protect foster families, ensure safe learning environments for schoolchildren and end workplace discrimination based on real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. They met with legislators to voice concerns over these issues."

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Gerard Butler Prepares to be a Spartan for 300

Scottish actor Gerard Butler put himself through a brutal work-out regimen for his role as King Leonidas, leader of a 300-strong army of Spartans in the upcoming adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel 300:

"We would do a lot of circuit training using a lot of primitive tools like kettle bells, medicine balls, rings and huge elastic things which attached to the wall. You would have to run and then stop and hold. I also worked with the stunt people in an non-air conditioned warehouse and that was like an oven inside. That was the stuff that really made you sweat. I was pretty much naked and the floor would be soaking wet with our sweat."

Men's Health takes us there in the latest issue. 300 premieres on March 9th. Check out the trailers here, and our previous coverage here.

And here's Butler's finished product:

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