News: Polo, Jeff Gannon, Jerusalem, Sacha Baron-Cohen, Banksy

With Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem set for Thursday, Haredim choose this year to avoid public protest.

Mario Lopez attempts to recreate a classic.

VV: Why isn't anyone fucking anymore? "The city has shut down all but two bathhouses and every known sex club in Manhattan, as well as citing bars, clubs, and private parties where inspectors find any men-on-men action. The few entrepreneurs still out there complain about apathy and different priorities among younger gay men."

Nomination of homophobic surgeon general James Holsinger may be dead: "Sen. Jim Bunning (R., Ky.), a staunch supporter of surgeon general nominee James W. Holsinger Jr., suggested yesterday that the doctor’s quest for the top U.S. medical post is at an end. During a telephone news conference, Bunning said he doubted the nomination would move forward. He cited the Democratic leadership’s blockage of several Bush administration-backed judicial appointments. 'They are not moving any positions of consequence,' he said."

May 15: Universal sets release date for Sacha Baron-Cohen comedy about gay Austrian journalist Bruno.

Banksy works exceed expectations at London urban art auctions.

Washington Times columnist >Wes Pruden cavalier over millions of AIDS deaths: "We were all supposed to be dead now, done in by AIDS, the gift of the gays. After that it was SARS, bequeathed to the world by China. Then it was avian flu, which, to be fair to the alarmists, did in fact result in the deaths of millions. The millions were all chickens, true, but chickens have feelings, too. You could ask the folks at PETA."

Rex Wockner chronicles the same-sex marriages in San Diego in photos.

Prince Harry gets in uniform to honor Britain's fallen.

Gay Polo League plays in first tournament ever.

Slate: Gay culture war about to turn chemical. "If the idea of chemically suppressing homosexuality in the womb horrifies you, I have bad news: You won't be in the room when it happens. Parents control medical decisions, and surveys indicate that the vast majority of them would be upset to learn that their child was gay. Already, millions are screening embryos and fetuses to eliminate those of the "wrong" sex. Do you think they won't screen for the 'wrong' sexual orientation, too?"

Cristiano Ronaldo and the sweet taste of success.

Keanu Reeves frolics in the surf.

LETTER: The full letter from The Rt Rev Richard Chartres to Rev Martin Dudley following Dudley's marriage of two gay priests.

Jeff Gannon now blogging at the National Press Club.

Germany divided over prospect of gay Lutheran bishop: " Horst Gorski, a senior cleric from Hamburg, is standing for the post of bishop of Schleswig in northern Germany against Gerhard Ulrich, a senior cleric from the Schleswig area. The incumbent bishop is retiring in September. Gorski is a widely respected theologian and he helped set up a centre for gay and lesbian Lutheran pastors. His open homosexuality angers some Lutheran conservatives who argue his election as bishop would leave many Christians with no spiritual home."

Pittsburgh paper: Rural gays isolated, but still stigmatized.

Sphere: Related Content

News: Thresher Shark, Kylie Statue, Anderson Cooper, Anti-gay Attacks

New Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says Poland won't sign the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, in order to win favor with the party of the former homophobic PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski. He also said that Poland would pull its troops out of Iraq by the end of 2008.

Record-breaking Thresher shark snagged off the coast of Cornwall, England in trawl net: "The shark, estimated at 32 feet from nose to fin, was caught by Roger Nowell off Lands End and landed at Newlyn, west Cornwall, yesterday. The fisherman was trawling for squid and John Dory when the 510 kilo (1,250lb) predator ended up in his net. The biggest previous thresher shark caught is believed to have been landed off Hawaii in 2007 weighing 953lb."

Election thievery? Clinton and Giuliani in early showdown over California electoral initiative.

Provincetown's Pilgrim Monument lit for holidays - video.

Snappy dresser: Anderson Cooper as fashion designer?

11-year-old boy in Dursley, England issued warning for homophobic slurs against 49-year-old man. Officer: "We thoroughly investigate any reports of hate crime - whether related to race or sexual orientation. The majority of young people are fully aware that it is unacceptable to abuse people, particularly in racist and homophobic terms. However, the minority who believe such abuse is amusing or acceptable should be warned that they could land themselves with a criminal record if they are caught."

Welsh couple targeted by homophobic arsonist neighbor: "A court heard how Alan Pollitt went to the nearby Rhyl flat of a homosexual couple who had been together for 18 years, and threatened one of the men with a metal bar. The victim then left the property seeking his partner to tell him what had occurred. The couple went for a drink to discuss the matter and while the flat was empty, Pollitt broke in and started five fires."

X- Kylie's ass immortalized at Melbourne Docklands.

Beloved lesbian Bronx pastor faces threat from Evangelical Lutheran Church: "Pastor Foster and her roughly 100 congregants face a new challenge: the possibility that she, along with four other pastors in the New York area and 81 nationwide, could be defrocked in 2009 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The country’s largest Lutheran denomination, it allows openly gay pastors but forbids them from being in same-sex relationships, according to the Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, bishop of the denomination’s New York-area synod."

Darcy Dear, founder of United Gays And Lesbians Against AIDS In Barbados, targeted by stone-throwing vandals: "The confessed homosexual and gay rights activist, who is on break from his restaurant in New York, said it would cost $900 to replace the sash windows and pay for labour. Dear, who is in the process of completing his apartment complex and home, said he was in his room on Wednesday night watching television when he had to dodge two large stones thrown through his windows. He said the response from police at District "A" was swift and officers took away the stones and brushed the area for fingerprints."

Sphere: Related Content

News: Norway, Spice Girls, Talan Torriero, Gregg Araki, Taipei

University of Virginia attempts to deal with anti-gay football chant: "After a Cavalier touchdown, the marching band strikes up what, to an outsider, sounds like 'Auld Lang Syne.' But, to its tune, students and alumni sing the 'Good Old Song,' its lyrics written by Edward A. Craighill in 1895, its mention of all being 'bright and gay' a throwback to when 'gay' meant 'happy,' the line a launching pad for what’s since become a university tradition of negating the word 'gay' with gleeful (often drunken) shouts of 'not gay!'"

Spice Girls lipsync their way through Victoria's Secret fashion show.

Is Laguna Beach's Talan Torriero the next Aquaman?

Norway's Lutherans vote to allow clergy in same-sex partnerships to serve: "The compromise decision reflected the realization that the church may have to live with a deep split over the issue. After an anguished week of debate at its annual meeting, the church's 86-member governing synod voted 50-34 to make the change. Two members abstained. The meeting, which ended Friday, was held in the town of Lillehammer. The decision means that six of Norway's 11 bishops are likely to open the pulpit to gay clergy in partnerships. In a vote earlier in the year, those six bishops voted in favor of easing the ban. The church already allows gays to serve in the clergy as long as they are not living in a homosexual partnership."

Amherst College students apologize to five Hampshire College students who "were allegedly called names, threatened, spit at and were blocked from leaving the dorm" following a gay party at which they were guests: "Dozens of students gathered outside Valentine Dining Hall at the college yesterday carrying signs that said 'We're Sorry Hampshire' and "I don't want to be 'tolerated.' They also asked passers-by to sign a banner that said 'Please Come Back.'"

IndieWire chats with filmmaker Gregg Araki about his film Smiley Face. We previewed a couple John Krasinski stills from the movie in October.

AfterElton talks to Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann about their gay storyline as Luke and Noah on As The World Turns. Hansis: "My parents are so proud of me it sort of embarrasses me. My mom cried on the red carpet at the Emmys this year when she was asked about how she felt for her son to be nominated. It was actually really nice. It’s great to see your parents so proud of your accomplishments. Both my parents now go through the soap magazines at the grocery store and point to pictures of me and tell the cashier 'That’s my son!' They are generally busy during the day so I think they watch the show online. But they have always been my biggest fans and I couldn’t ask for anything more."

From the just-don't-get-it dept: Taipei restaurant gives a completely new meaning to potty-mouthed.

Esteemed design group Pentagram takes a look at the redesigned Advocate: "Today gays and lesbians are no longer an ignored minority, and the younger generations have experienced a saturation of media both from and about the community. Activism, while still important, is less in the mix, and issues like gay marriage, medicine and civil rights have shifted to the mainstream press. At the same time, the circulation of newsweeklies is changing as news and information is more readily available online. The magazine’s redesign reflects these transformations. The new Advocate is modern and vibrant while continuing to confront politics and difficult LGBT issues. Impressively, it manages to successfully straddle the line between opinion leader and entertainment magazine without losing its journalistic integrity and with a tone that is sophisticated, but not frivolous."

Rod McCullom on HuffPost: John Edwards and Barack Obama make mistake of repeating Republican talking points to attack one of their own. "...something funny happened to Senators Edwards and Obama on their way to Las Vegas. Maybe the high-roller suites have complimentary testosterone and egos on the pillows, or, possibly they bumped into Elvis, who told them, "A little less conversation and a little more action." They lost their mojos. Instead of throwing the hungry audience sound bites that were wrapped in juicy, red meat, the two candidates tossed stale, Republican talking points at frontrunner Hillary Clinton and the audience booed and hissed."

Without fanfare, Nicaragua drops anti-sodomy laws: "In adopting a new national civil code on Monday, the Nicaraguan National Assembly sidestepped the longstanding law that penalized sodomy between members of the same-sex with up to five years in prison by overwhelmingly voting to approve a new civil code that simply did not mention it."

Bah Humbug: The Bill O'Reilly Christmas Store is now open!

Sphere: Related Content

Lutheran Church Passes Historic Resolution Regarding Gay Clergy

On the last day of its annual meeting at Navy Pier in Chicago, the leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America passed a resolution from Chicago's Bishop Paul Landahl urging bishops to refrain from disciplining gay ministers who are in committed same-sex relationships.

The Chicago Tribune reports: "After emotional testimony on the biblical interpretation of homosexuality, church leaders passed Landahl's resolution by a vote of 538-431. Saturday's resolution surprised some in the church because it came a day after leaders defeated a measure that would have ended the ban on non-celibate gay clergy...The renewed debate on homosexual clergy in the ELCA stems from the case of Rev. Bradley Schmeling (above), an Atlanta pastor who was removed from the clergy roster in July after he told his bishop he was in a relationship with a man. The new measure prevents his bishop from seeking further disciplinary action, but does not re-institute Schmeling's status."

Said Schmeling: "I'm grateful the resolution passed, because now no one else will have to go through what I went through. What I hope we've done is provide some relief for others in the church who now may not face discipline. And they can live with a little less fear and a little more confidence that the church isn't out to get them. Even though we've got a long way to go to get an overall change in the policy, maybe we can take a deep breath and we don't have to be so afraid anymore."

Conservative church leaders, however, said the historic vote would open the door to "chaos" as it appears to contradict the policy forbidding the ordination of gay ministers.

Lutherans to allow pastors in gay relationships [reuters]
Lutherans ask bishops to keep gay clergy in ministry [chicago tribune]

Sphere: Related Content

News, Montana, Anderson Cooper, MLK Parade, Lutherans

LGBT marchers battered with insults at Atlanta MLK day parade: "Y’all gay? OK, alright," one man shouted before backing away and turning around. "You can look at them and tell [they’re gay], they don’t need no signs."

Go west: gays buying up property in Red Lodge, Montana.

Nigeria is about to have a major crackdown on gays: "Though presented as a simple ban on marriage, the long-winded 'Prohibition of Relationships Between Persons of the Same Sex, Celebration of Marriage by Them, and for Other Matters Connected Therewith' will bar all expressions and endorsements of homosexuality."

Six Feet Under's Lauren Ambrose is the proud mother to a baby boy.

Jim McGreevey's wife is "eager to counter the version of events the ex-governor offered in his own memoir" according to the New York Daily News. Dina McGreevey: "I've had a lot of requests for interviews and appearances, but thought it best for my daughter and myself to stay out of the public maelstrom. But two years have passed and still I am the subject of much speculation as to the nature of my relationship with my husband. Enough is enough."

Just an itty bitty correction: David Beckham's L.A. Galaxy contract is worth $50 million, and not $250 million as first reported.

Because he announced he has found a lifelong male partner, openly gay Rev. Bradley Schmeling must face trial by a Lutheran committee who may defrock him: "The ELCA maintains it is simply following its own rules, which bar unmarried clergy — whether gay or straight — from having sex. The denomination believes that sex is reserved for marriage and marriage for heterosexual couples. Still, many Lutheran churches support ordaining partnered gays and perform same-sex blessing ceremonies despite the policy."

REPORT: Anderson Cooper renews his contract with CNN for more than $4 million a year.

Britney Spears has been busy checking out the gay nightlife in L.A. and Vegas.

Liza Minnelli and David Gest are finally ready to divorce...in Tennessee: "Before filing for divorce, Gest sued Minnelli for $10 million for assault, claiming that his wife had beaten him so badly during alcoholic rages that she caused him nerve damage and caused him to be hospitalized for five days. Minnelli countersued, claiming that Gest had stolen at least $2 million she earned while performing in shows he had produced. Lorraine Nadel, Gest's lawyer in the assault lawsuit and in the Minnelli countersuit, confirmed that legal battle was over. She said the settlement terms were confidential and would not say whether either paid the other any money."

Sphere: Related Content