News: Winnipeg, Brenda Dickson, Nepal, Sam Adams, Stephen Harper

Gambino mob hitman didn't mean to tell everyone he was gay: “'He didn’t want to make an announcement to the world,' said one person with knowledge of the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the dangers facing Mr. Mormando. 'He wanted the judge to know what risks he took — why he wasn’t just your average cooperator, someone who had simply broken the code.'"

Sam Taylor-Wood's sleeping Beckham image to appear on condoms in Spain.

Why Hello There: 'Welcome to My Home' star Brenda Dickson wrongly imprisoned for four months!

Rep. Alan Grayson launches website to document those who have died because they had no health care.

James Franco makes silent appearance on SNL.

Boston DJ Barry Scott denied new trial against Provincetown police.

Nepal to seek status as LGBT tourist destination: "Nepal government has held a series of meetings with well-known international tour operators and non-profit organisations to promote Nepal as a potential destination for LGBTs, the Kantipur online said on Thursday. Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) officials hope that LGBT arrivals will give a boost to the number of visitors to the country as the government mulls new way to bring in a million foreign tourists in the Nepal Tourism Year 2011."

WATCH: John Mayer's music video for "Heartbreak Warfare".

McCain supporters' testosterone dropped on election night.

Ethiopia pleas with international community for food aid.

Pee Wee Herman plans comeback: "I don't want anyone for one second to think that I am titillated by images of children."

Philadelphia Gay News serves as test run for U.S. Census ad.

LAPD cuts ties with the Boy Scouts.

Uganda bill that would penalizes gays with death put off until 2010: "Parliament was too busy, just now, to handle the important matter of the Anti- Homosexuality bill. Apparently it is very, very far ahead in the future, but that gives you time to check in with your MP and tell them how much you support the Bahati Bill." American Evangelicals are playing role in efforts there to exterminate gays...

Fatal men's bathhouse fire now a homicide investigation in Winnipeg: "The bathhouse's owner, Somchai Pengpharsuks, told the Free Press last week he believed the blaze was set by two men on the building's second floor. He said the incident was potentially hate-motivated, according to information he received, because the bathhouse is frequented predominantly by gay men. Both men died of smoke inhalation in a fire that police believe was "deliberately set," said a police spokesman.

Glee planning "all Madonna" episode.

Former Oregon senator to lead new recall effort against Portland Mayor Sam Adams: "The PAC's treasurer, Teresa McGuire said this time around opponents will use paid signature collectors, much the same as other nonprofit campaigns."

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper hires homophobe speechwriter: "Referring to former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's 1969 decision to decriminalize homosexuality, Hannaford wrote in 2005, 'Fine, said lots of people. Leave gays alone? Fair enough. But, let 'em be Boy Scout leaders? Have each other's benefits? Adopt kids? Marry each other? Ridiculous. Anybody seeking political office who suggested it would have been laughed off the hustings. Yet, the Liberals are ready to legalize gay marriage. How did we get to this point?'"

News: Kris Allen, Facebook, Grizzly Bears, Mark Foley, Houston

Project Gaydar: Your secret, if you have one, is not safe with Facebook.

Meet the father of Prop 8.

Anderson Cooper needs a ride.

Ossett, UK man targeted by three men in attack: "All I can think is that they picked on me because I am gay. It's all a bit of a blur, all I remember is being laid out on the floor and waiting for the ambulance to arrive."

Grizzly Bears face huge population drops in Canada.

Command Sergeant Major Teresa L. King is the Army's first female top drill sergeant: "The eighth of 12 children, the sergeant major is the daughter of a sharecropper who grew cucumbers and tobacco near Fort Bragg, N.C. Her first job in the Army was as a postal clerk, a traditional position for women in those days."

Guess who's returning to Melrose Place?

Lindsey Graham on Obama: “If you asked me if the president of the United States is a socialist, I would say no. I think he’s an American liberal, that’s what I think he is. You know, Ted Kennedy was an American liberal, but we found ways to work together.”

Listen: Kris Allen drops first single.

Human Rights Campaign "endorses" National Equality March. AIDS rally and candelight vigil scheduled.

South Florida radio listeners to get inside Mark Foley's mind tonight.

Australian politico comes out, wins praise.

Houston mayor candidate Annise Parker attacked by anti-gay group: "Annise Parkers lifestyle that of being a HOMOSEXUAL is not the proper role model to lead the fourth largest city in the United States. The Bible speaks clearly against the lifestyle she represents, James 1:8 says, ‘A double minded man is confused in all his ways’. She does not believe in what the scripture says about her lifestyle which in return means she doesn’t believe in God."

Netflix awards million dollar prize to team for improving its online recommendations system.

Hugh Jackman kicks off Climate Week NYC.

Robbie Williams to reunite with Take That for one night only?

Montana gays and lesbians hold summit in Bozeman: "The first [summit] was to start networking so we’re not inventing the wheel, to see what everyone’s doing in the area and see what resources are available in the state. This year we’re bringing together up to 35 or 40 organizations to identify common challenges faced by the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, so we can come together and support ourselves throughout the state. It’s been very fragmented in the past."

GYM sportsbar opening in Los Angeles, in the old Normandie Room space.

Buju Banton show axed in Richmond, Virginia.

Tom Cruise shows off his jogging hair.

20 protest outside "ex-gay" conference near Melbourne, Australia: "They waved placards that read 'Hands off queer kids' and 'You can’t straighten me out', and had a heated debate with organisers about whether it’s possible to become straight."

Mario Lopez Emerges from the Waves in Malibu

Mario Lopez showed off his shiny pecs for the 2009 Nautica Malibu Triathlon on Saturday, raising money for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. One more shot, AFTER THE JUMP...

They're Everywhere!

I've been notified. Before there were the Fire Island Miley Cyrus gays, or the Asbury Park Whitney gays, there were the Spice Boys of South Central L.A.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Albert Gordon, Heterosexual Defender of Gay Rights, Dies in L.A.

Albert Gordon, an attorney who championed gay rights causes in the 70's and 80's, has died at 94, the L.A. Times reports:

"Often working for free, he became known as 'the leading pro bono lawyer to L.A.'s gay community,' historians Lillian Faderman and Stuart Timmons wrote in their 2006 book 'Gay L.A.' ... 'Before there was a straight-gay alliance in America, there was Al Gordon,' the Rev. Troy Perry, a longtime activist and founder of the gay-friendly Metropolitan Community Churches, said in an interview last week. 'When other people wouldn't touch us, he did. He was a hero.' One of Gordon's most memorable cases stemmed from a notorious raid on a gay bathhouse on Melrose Avenue in 1975, when scores of Los Angeles police officers broke up a mock slave auction staged as part of the entertainment for a gay community fundraiser. Apparently not amused by the gimmick, the police treated the event as actual human slave trafficking, a felony, and arrested 40 participants. Gordon helped win their release.  He supported a second mock auction, organized by Perry to raise defense funds, by going on the auction block himself. He went for $369 to his wife, Lorraine. He also represented gay activists in another cause celebre: a 10-year battle to force Barney's Beanery, a popular West Hollywood restaurant, to remove an offensive sign. The misspelled sign, 'Fagots Stay Out,' was taken down in 1984."

May he rest in peace.

News: Alexi Giannoulias, Pets, Sally Kern, Roger Federer, Beyonce

Duane: New York marriage vote possible this month.

Roger's turn: Federer flaunts his fur.

Cute-ass animal story of the day #1: The 'can't get up' puppy.

Cute-ass animal story of the day #2: Rhodesian Ridgeback adopts baby pig.

DailyKos: The road to marriage equality runs through Maine.

No storms on the horizon for New Orleans 'Southern Decadence' celebration: "In the almost four decades since it started, Southern Decadence has become a traditional Labor Day weekend, end-of-summer, event. But for two of the last four years, hurricanes crashed the French Quarter-centered party. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Gustav last year both generated evacuation orders for the city and brought the festivities to a screeching halt."

Stephen Fry urges Twitter followers to get behind campaign seeking apology for British mathematician Alan Turing.

Sally Kern facing transgender challenger in Oklahoma.

Michael Jackson finally laid to rest 70 days after his death.

Illinois Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias comes out for marriage equality, end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": "In an interview, Giannoulias said individual states should be able to decide for themselves whether they allow same-sex couples to marry, but that all states should be required to afford legal recognition to same-sex marriages performed in states where they are sanctioned."

Officials: L.A. fire was arson.

Referendum 71 names still under wraps: "Signed petitions seeking a statewide vote on expanded gay partnerships will remain shielded from public view for at least a few more days, while a federal judge decides whether Washington state's public records law could pose a risk to free speech rights."

ESPN commentator and coach Brad Gilbert not into "fruity" tennis outfits.

Fierce lawsuit: Project Runway's Chris March suing Thierry Mugler over Beyoncé tour costumes.

Washington archbishop Donald Wuerl steps up campaign against marriage equality: "Wuerl sent a letter to 300 local Catholic priests Tuesday reminding them about the Church's opposition to same-sex marriage, and he launched a round of media interviews to bolster the church's presence in the debate."

John Waters to retire after two more movies...

You'll See: Susan Boyle to cover Madonna  on debut album.

AIDS vaccine hopes revived after discovery of HIV weak spot: "Now, thanks to the antibodies, researchers have realised that the trimer is a viral weak spot because it's indispensable to the virus. So unlike many other targets on the virus, it's shared by many, if not all, strains of HIV. 'The key is the trimer,' says Koff. 'Our hypothesis now is that if you bind to the trimer, you neutralise the virus, as that's how it appears on the surface of the virus.' The antibodies are only a starting point, however, and the race is on now to develop synthetic vaccines that have the same shape as the "weak spot", or epitope, so people receiving vaccinations make antibodies that recognise it when the real virus comes along."