News: Newsom's New Quest, Is Eating Ribs Presidential?, Boyfriends Will Be Boyfriends, It's A Rubyfruit Jungle Out There & More

Two-term San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom—famous for his support of legalizing gay marriage—launches an exploratory bid for California governor. He's expected to face opposition from a crowded field of fellow Democrats when Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger vacates in 2010.

Via Queerty: New Jersey Congressman Steve Rothman has changed his position on gay marriage—thanks to the advice of his lesbian stepdaughter. He's also joined the House Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Caucus.

A special court has upheld the Nepal Army's decision to expel a woman for being a lesbian.

Two women in Iceland will become the first same-sex couple to have their relationship "validated" in a church following new laws that took hold there on June 27. The laws do not define same-sex validations as "marriage." The official who will perform the service, Rev. Sigurdur Grétar Sigurdsson, says, "In my opinion it is a very appreciated development because many priests in the State Church have already organized ceremonies for many years where they pray for and bless gay coupes who have earlier had their cohabitation confirmed by state officials."

Buzzkill: About 600 Starbucks locations will close in the next year, 70% of which opened after 2006.

The NRA will be gunning for Barack Obama's chances this fall, spending $40 million dollars to paint him as a Second Amendment foe.

Clay Felker, New York Magazine founder and husband of Gail Sheehy, dies at 82 after battling throat cancer. Felker and co-founder Milton Glaser were forced out of their jobs in 1977 by Rupert Murdoch, leading to a staff walk-out. The magazine's most famous article, "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night," was the basis for Saturday Night Fever, and its "best" lists have made it a staple for actual and aspiring New Yorkers. Amazing quotes here.

Is Bush the best president ever...on AIDS issues? (Consider the source.)

Guess which presidential candidate is the more desirable barbecue guest, according to an AP poll?

T.R. Knight and boyfriend Mark Cornelsen spotted giving gay angst a bad name.

Heart-Breaking: Marriage does not do the trick for all of us, even those lucky enough to live in states where it's legal.

Interfaith Advocates for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender People in Rochester (New York) issues a doctrine for achieving Dr. King's "Beloved community" that includes banning hate crimes against transgendered people.

Rubyfruit Bar and Grill is joining Florent as a memory. The bar, named after Rita Mae Brown's Rubyfruit Jungle, is the victim of higher rent (it's up from $6,500 to $11,000 since 1994) and, perversely, the greater acceptance of gay people in the past decade. "Back then in 1994 there wasn’t this liberation yet for lesbian women, so it became a haven with private, intimate dinners, great wines, a place to hold hands and feel comfortable being out and having dinner Here we are in 2008, where they no longer need to have their own place. They can go anywhere and do whatever they want. It’s kind of a good thing, I guess," said Rubyfruit’s owner, Debra C. Fierro.

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First Gay Parliament Member Sunil Pant Takes Oath in Nepal

At the beginning of May, I mentioned that the founder of Nepal's gay activist group the Blue Diamond Society, Sunil Pant, became the first openly gay politician to be elected to parliament in that country.

Here's a photo of Pant before the oath ceremony, which took place yesterday. The nation is set to become a republic today, the BBC reports:

"As the assembly was being inaugurated a bomb explosion in the capital injured two people. The assembly is huge and the ceremony saw 575 men and women being sworn-in, many in traditional clothing. The ceremony was performed by an older member of the newly-elected body...Nepal stands on the brink of huge change...The assembly has been given the initial task of rubber-stamping the abolition of the monarchy, a move which is due on Wednesday. Reports said King Gyanendra and Queen Komal were seen driving out of the royal palace during the afternoon, but it was not clear where they were going or for how long they would be gone. Senior politicians have urged the monarch to leave the palace peacefully, but some have said force might be used if that does not happen. Exactly how a republic will be voted in on Wednesday is still not clear."

Previously
Sunil Pant Becomes First Gay Parliament Member in Nepal [tr]
AIDS Patients Evicted from Nepal Hospice Over Anti-Gay Bias [tr]
Five Gay Men in Symbolic Run for Office in Nepal [tr]

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Sunil Pant Becomes First Gay Parliament Member in Nepal

Sunil Pant, who heads Nepal's gay activist group the Blue Diamond Society, became the first openly gay politician to be elected to parliament in that country, the Times of India reports. There were several gay men running in the nation's first vote since 1999. They were all funded by the Nepal Communist Party (United), a junior partner in the ruling alliance:

"Sunil Babu Pant, a 35-year-old crusader for gay rights who founded the first organisation to protect the rights of the sexual minorities and ushered in a social revolution, now becomes part of Nepal's political history as well after being chosen by a minor communist party to represent it in the 601-member constituent assembly. 'We are honoured to send Pant as our representative to the constituent assembly,' said Ganesh Shah of Communist Party, who’s Communist Party of Nepal-United (CPN-U) has won five seats in the assembly under the proportional representation system. 'We hope it will improve the lives of a people who are the most repressed in Nepal, disowned both by society and their own families,' he added. Pant, a computer engineer from Belarus, founded the Blue Diamond Society in 2002. It is now one of the best known gay rights groups in South Asia, fighting for molested and detained gays, spreads HIV/AIDS awareness, runs a hospice for terminally ill gay patients and provides training and jobs to members of the community."

Said Pant: "Representing a sexual minority I will make sure the new constitution protects sexual groups, people with disabilities, small indigenous castes and others."

Recently
AIDS Patients Evicted from Nepal Hospice Over Anti-Gay Bias [tr]
Five Gay Men in Symbolic Run for Office in Nepal [tr]

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AIDS Patients Evicted from Nepal Hospice Over Anti-Gay Bias

Pressure from anti-gay neighbors prompted the landlord of a building in Nepal housing an AIDS hospice run by the gay activist group Blue Diamond Society and sponsored by the Elton John AIDS foundation to throw 12 men diagnosed with AIDS out on the street. Four of those men, who come mostly from the poor India/Nepal border region called the Terai Plains, are terminally ill and had to be carried because they are unable to walk, IANS reports:

"Just as Nepal's sexual minorities were celebrating the community's first participation in a national election as contestants, the AIDS hospice run in Kathmandu for homosexuals by Nepal's pioneer gay rights organisation was closed down Thursday night by the landlord after pressure from the neighbours...'Since the hospice was started two-and-a-half years ago, we were forced to move it four times,' said Sunil Pant (pictured), founder of the society and a poll contestant himself. 'Though we are prompt in paying the rent, the landlord comes under pressure from his neighbours to throw us out once it becomes known that there are AIDS patients in the hospice.' On Thursday, the eve of Holi celebrations in Nepal, the society's members were busy moving x-ray machines, ambulances and the patients to its own office, where the main hall was converted into an emergency hospital."

No human rights groups intervened with the landlord on the patients' behalf.

There is some hope with the upcoming election that the stigmatization the gay community faces in Nepal will ease: "For the first time in Nepal's history, 12 gays, lesbians and eunuchs are in the poll fray, with six of them having been fielded by a minor communist party. Two of the biggest parties in the country, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's Nepali Congress as well as the Maoists, addressed the hitherto excluded community in their election manifestos for the first time, pledging to address their problems."

Anti-gay bias evicts dying AIDS patients in Nepal [IANS]

Recently
Five Gay Men in Symbolic Run for Office in Nepal [tr]
Nepal's Top Court Orders Govt to Protect Gays [tr]
Elton John: Nepal Statements, Fashion Statements [tr]
Ignorance Halts Nepalese HIV/AIDS Program Funded by Elton John [tr]

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Five Gay Men in Symbolic Run for Office in Nepal

Sunil Pant (pictured), the Kathmandu-based founder of Nepal's leading gay rights group the Blue Diamond Society, is running along with four other gay men in a public election for one of 601 seats in a new constituent assembly in the nation's first vote since 1999. It takes place on April 10.

Pant and the other gay men say they hope to "shatter taboos" in the nation. Said Pant: "It is a prejudiced society. We are standing in the elections to fight the discrimination against our community. This is a very symbolic approach to tell all Nepalis that we have equal rights. I feel sad and we feel excluded. As human beings we all like to be loved and respected. We are deprived of the opportunity to contribute to our society and nation."

According to Reuters, "The five candidates have been fielded by the Nepal Communist Party (United), a junior partner in the ruling alliance. There are already signs the taboo may be beginning to lose its grip. In December, the Supreme Court ordered the government to end discrimination against gays and guarantee sexual minorities the same rights as other citizens. Pant feels he has a good chance of winning, saying there are hundreds of thousands of gay and transgender voters across the country to whom he will appeal."

Nepali gay men contesting poll hope to end taboo [reuters]

Recently
Elton John: Nepal Statements, Fashion Statements [tr]
Ignorance Halts Nepalese HIV/AIDS Program Funded by Elton John [tr]

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News: Sir Edmund Hillary, HIV, Paula Abdul, Emperor Hadrian

Man who sued over same-sex marriage question on Massachusetts bar exam apologizes: "I’m an Irish immigrant to this country. And you know, it’s hard to ignore the fact that all communities into America are first discriminated against and attacked before eventually being accepted. In hindsight I see the parallels in the discrimination that were once felt by the Irish in this country, and to a large degree it’s opening up my mind and my heart to want to stop the discrimination that the gay community is confronted with. Because you know it happens to all of us at one point or another; but we have a tendency to have collective amnesia and we forget about it."

Orlando Bloom gets high on Nepal.

Research team finds proteins that could be used to stop HIV: "A research team announced yesterday that it has identified about 270 human proteins that the AIDS virus apparently needs to infect a person, instantly providing researchers with dozens of new strategies for blocking or aborting HIV infection. The vast majority -- more than 200 -- were not previously known to play a role in the complicated choreography by which the virus attaches to a cell, enters it, gets copied and establishes permanent residence. The discovery was made with a technique called a 'genome-wide scan,' which is only a few years old. Current AIDS drugs work by interrupting one of four main steps in HIV's life cycle. The new study suggests that there are many more to target."

Sir Edmund Hillary, first to scale Mount Everest, dies at 88. Graphic illustrates his rise to the top. And here's a Google Earth tour.

REPORT: Paula Abdul set to cast Super Bowl spell...

British Museum exhibit opens with major focus on Roman Emperor Hadrian's homosexuality: "His first move, within hours of coronation, was to withdraw his troops from Mesopotamia, now Iraq, and fortify the empire's boundaries by building his eponymous wall in northern England and others in the Danube and the Rhine valleys, ushering in a new era of peace. The reign that followed can be traced through 200 ancient treasures, many of which have never been display in Britain. Several of the artefacts relate to his male consort, Antinous, who accompanied him on his travels around the empire. These items include a poem written on papyrus, featuring the two men hunting together, and new finds that include memorials to the dead lover at Hadrian's villa in Tivoli. Although it was not uncommon for his predecessors to have taken gay lovers alongside a female spouse, Hadrian was unique in making his love "official" in a way that no other emperor had before him."

Quartet of stars discovered swirling around one another in an area the size of Jupiter's orbit.

Adios: Britney Spears flees to Mexico with paparazzo boyfriend.

Chicago-area teen continues battle to wear anti-gay T-shirt to school: "Twice, Neuqua sophomore Alexander Nuxoll of Bolingbrook has filed for an injunction that would suspend "the school's policy that allows speech in favor of homosexual conduct, but bans speech critical of homosexual conduct," said his attorney, the Alliance Defense Fund's Jonathan Scruggs. And twice now courts have denied that request. Now, Nuxoll and his legal counsel are set to seek an appeal of these decisions."

Rodrigo Santoro hangs 10...

Figure skating champ Christopher Bowman dead in potential drug overdose.

Eminem turning into fat Elvis, says mom: "The rapper has been living in a constant state of depression, cut off from human contact while he eats massive amounts of food. Reportedly well on his way to obesity at the rate he's going, the 5 foot 7 rapper currently weighs in at approximately 203 pounds and was hospitalized over the Christmas holiday for possible heart problems as well as pneumonia. Suffering from insomnia, Eminem has taken to ordering in--mostly Mexican food and filet mignon--often paying for himself and his entire entourage."

Colton Ford and gay rapper Cazwell in new video.

Paris Hilton targeted for Scientology by Tom Cruise?

Hustlers in South Africa target gay man after having sex with him on the beach.

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Nepal's Top Court Orders Govt to Protect Gays

Nepal's highest court issued a "landmark" decision ordering the government to protect its gay and lesbian citizens and protect them from discrimination, the AP reports:

"The Supreme Court issued the order in this conservative Himalayan kingdom after hearing a petition filed by four gay activist groups seeking greater rights for homosexuals, said court spokesman Til Prasad Shrestha. Mr Shrestha indicated it is up to the government to determine how the ruling should be implemented. It was not immediately clear whether the ruling overturns current laws banning homosexuality or whether the government would be compelled to recognise same-sex marriages. Homosexual acts are punishable in Hindu-majority Nepal by up to two years in prison."

Said Sunil Pant, head of Nepal's activist group the Blue Diamond Society: "It was an extremely positive decision and a pleasant surprise for us. It would set a precedent for other conservative countries like Nepal."

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Elton John: Nepal Statements, Fashion Statements

Elton John and David Furnish dress down on vacation in Capri.

Meanwhile, in London, a spokesman from the Elton John Foundation said they were "'appalled' to hear about the 'bigoted and factually incorrect attitudes'" recently expressed by the Nepalese government, who put a halt to a program funded partially by the Foundation which sought to provide HIV/AIDS prevention and support in a far west region of the country.

According to Blue Diamond Society President Sunil Pant: "The public health officer Krishna Bhatta claimed that there are no 'sex tissues' in the anus and so there's no chance of HIV/AIDS transmission through anal sex." The authorities there also claimed that the prevention programs would "encourage more homosexual activities and 'pollute' society.'"

Said EJF executive director Robert Kay: "Men who have sex with men, transgender communities and other sexual minorities are made far more vulnerable to HIV infection when they are forced to live their lives in secret by a society that denies or condemns their existence. BDS is working to inform these communities about HIV/AIDS and their rights and support those who are HIV positive to access appropriate treatment and care services."

The EJF said it intends to direct its complaints to the appropriate ministries in Nepal.

However, perhaps a visit from the pink man himself could teach them a thing or two.

Ignorance Halts Nepalese HIV/AIDS Program Funded by Elton John [tr]

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Ignorance Halts Nepalese HIV/AIDS Program Funded by Elton John

A program, run by Nepal's Blue Diamond Society and partially funded by the Elton John AIDS Foundation, to provide HIV/AIDS prevention and support in a far west region of Nepal has been stymied by the government and NGOs working there.

This is the kind of ignorance they're facing, according to Blue Diamond Society President Sunil Pant:

"The public health officer Krishna Bhatta claimed that there are no 'sex tissues' in the anus and so there's no chance of HIV/AIDS transmission through anal sex."

Additionally, the health officials believe that AIDs prevention programs would 'promote' homosexuality.

According to the IANS, "Bhatta was supported by at least two NGOs present at the meeting who said a support programme for gays would encourage more homosexual activities and 'pollute' society."

Pant said that up until now, the program had seen some success: "There is an increasing number of gays, transgenders and males with HIV in the far west. Since the outpost started, we have sent more than 15 people living with HIV to Kathmandu for further support, treatment and hospice facility."

He expressed hope that at some point Elton John (whom the health officials have never heard of) would be able to meet with Nepalese officials in person: "We are not sure where Elton John is available to visit Dhangadi at the next meeting. When state public health officials and NGOs working in the sector of sexual health and HIV prevention display such homophobic attitude, we feel it is impossible to provide effective care and support treatment for the sexual minorities."

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Nepal's First Gay Wedding Photos [tr]

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News: Junior Vasquez, Gay Republicans, Speeders, Price is Right,

Isaiah Washington continues to speak out about his unjust firing: "All of this I'm saying to you has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he's gay. [T.R. Knight] came out October 19 as purely a tactical move to do exactly what it did, get public opinion in an outrage to lead them to believe that he is being picked on because he is gay. He could care less about the gay community."

DJ Junior Vasquez warns against crystal meth — "Don't touch that shit. It'll suck your soul and ruin your life, and it'll take years to get it back" — and working with Cyndi Lauper — "I think she's immensely talented, but she's a control freak with bizarre ideas. She's a royal pain in the ass to work with."

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's gay appointees: "Nowhere in the releases from the governor's office will you find any mention of the fact that seven of his appointments hail from the LGBT community. But since 2005 he has selected six gay men and one lesbian for political posts, three Republicans, two Democrats, and one independent."

Not coming on down: Rosie O'Donnell won't be doing The Price is Right after all.

Sunil Pant, founder of Nepal's Blue Diamond Society, the only LGBT support group in Nepal and the winner of the prestigious 2007 Felipa de Souza Award from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, speaks out about what it's like to be gay in Nepal - MP3 interview.

Can Kelly Clarkson survive her clash with music mogul Clive Davis?

Madonna buys sixth London property for £6 million: "The American singer and her husband Guy Ritchie last week signed a contract on the 10-bedroom Georgian townhouse in London's Marylebone. It adjoins the eight-bedroom property the couple live in with children Lourdes, 10, and Rocco, six. They also own two nearby mews houses, which are occupied by staff, and two other houses in central London...Madonna faced competition for the house from comedian Jennifer Saunders and photographer Mario Testino.

Paris Hilton to leave jail on Tuesday, have sitdown with Larry King. Illustration courtesy Pretty on the Outside.

CNN looks at gay adoption: "For the Manford-Roach family, difficulties arose when they first tried to hyphenate [their son] Jackson's last name. The judge overseeing the legal procedure in Dallas, Texas, crumpled up the paper and threw it over her shoulder when she realized they were a same-sex couple, Manford said. 'Get out of my courtroom, I would never do this for you,' the judge said, according to Manford. 'Children need a mom and a dad.'"

Transgender firefighter Jennifer Lasko pulls out of dinner with Barack Obama after her transgender status is exposed for fear of causing disruption to his campaign. Obama spokeswoman: "Sen. Obama would love to have her attend the dinner. If she chooses not to attend, Sen. Obama looks forward to meeting her and hearing more about her thoughts on how we can change this country."

Ad campaign attempts to humiliate male Australian speed demons by suggesting they are 'lesser' men: "The below-the-belt television ads show women noticing a young man roaring past then turning scornfully to their friends and wiggling their little fingers. The mocking gesture with the 'pinkie' is a clear sign they believe the driver is trying to compensate for an inadequate manhood, and is designed to counter the idea that speeding is cool and macho."

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News: Thomas Roberts, Kentucky Derby, Gay Art, Steve Jobs

STUDY: Same-sex parents as good, if not better, than their straight counterparts at raising children: "The report says the strongest conclusion that can be drawn from empirical literature is that the vast majority of studies show that children living with two mothers and children living with a mother and father have the same levels and qualities of social competence. A few studies suggest that children with two lesbian mothers may have marginally better social competence than children in traditional nuclear families, even fewer studies show the opposite, and most studies fail to find any differences, says the 74-page study. The paper references about 100 studies on parenting and childrens development."

The NYT discovers a resurgence in "gay art", coaxes art critic and curator to admit, "I adore Butt".

Lodi, California mom expresses horror upon discovering gay penguin children's book And Tango Makes Three: "It's a book about homosexual penguins...You don't start teaching them at three years old about two men together and adopting a baby. And just because you sugar-coat it with penguins on the cover, doesn't make it an appropriate subject matter."

Seattle gay pride saved as groups reach agreement.

Screenwriter Russell T. Davies tops The Independent's list of the 100 most influential gay people in Britain.

Although he received only $1 in salary, Steve Jobs was the highest paid CEO last year based on stock options and other benefits. The Apple Chief Exec made a whopping $646 million.

Brad Pitt requests 'ass double' for new film.

25 years later, The Smiths remain a "potent force" in music: "To put the extent of their achievement into context, you need only remember that they arrived at a time in the early-to-mid Eighties when punk's rupture had long been papered over, when the new synthesised pop of Boy George and Wham! ruled the charts, and, more importantly, when sample-based dance music first began crossing into the mainstream and rock music seemed to be fighting a desperate rearguard action."

CNN's out gay anchor Thomas Roberts has left Headline News to pursue "new journalistic opportunities". He will certainly be missed.

Queen Elizabeth wasn't the only one showing off at the Kentucky Derby.

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Nepal holds a 'Miss Transgender' contest: "Wearing an embroidered and sequinned red sari, 21-one-year-old Ria, also known as Raju Gurung, wore the Miss Transgender crown at a gay pageant Sunday in Pokhara city, a popular tourist destination. Though initially over a dozen people signed up to take part in the contest organised by NGO Sunaulo Bihani, many of them backed out at the last minute due to family pressure and the social stigma surrounding homosexuality in Nepal, a local daily said."

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News: Hairspray, Knut, Day of Silence, Cannes Film Festival

"Day of Silence" tensions, combined with the recent fever over violence at Virginia Tech, lead to lockdown at Indiana High School: "The Day of Silence at New Castle Chrysler High School coincided with a national Day of Silence and aimed to support gay, bisexual and transgender students. 'People were in their shirts for it, people were in their shirts against it, and it just caused a lot of drama that I didn't think was needed,' said student Kayla Boyles."

Berlin's global warming icon, Knut the baby polar bear, is the target of an anonymous death threat.

Middlebury College in Vermont, one of the Advocate's top 100 colleges for gays and lesbians, is tagged with anti-gay graffiti.

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ERUPTING: Thousands flee Colombian volcano.

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Gaydar founder Gary Frisch, who plunged to his death from an eighth-floor balcony in early February, was found to have raised levels of ketamine in his body: "Estate agent Stephen Ruddock was standing outside a nearby building when he saw Mr Frisch's body hit the ground. He said Mr Frisch shouted 'Waheey' moments before he plunged to his death. Mr Ruddock said: 'It was a celebratory thing. I saw his body come into my line of sight. It arced in the air and hit the ground.' Pathologist Dr Peter Wilkins said raised levels of ketamine were found in Mr Frisch's blood and liver. He added: 'It can have similar effects to LSD, confusion and hallucinations.' Recording a verdict of misadventure, the coroner, Dr Paul Knapman, said: "I don't think that it can be said he intended to kill himself. 'This is not suicide at all. He jumped to his death from the balcony of his flat on the eighth floor while under the influence of drugs.'"

Baby pilot whale found swimming in Brooklyn, dies.

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Kathmandu, Nepal gets its first gay beauty salon: "The salon, which offers regular beauty parlour services like haircuts, facials, manicures and pedicures, is also a training academy for members of the gay community who want to train as beauticians. The first batch of 10 young metis - gay men who dress as women - is running the salon under the aegis of the Blue Diamond Society (BDS), Nepal's sole gay rights group." The Blue Diamond Society recently received two awards from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission for grassroots groups making an impact in gay rights.

The Emma dilemma: "A 7-year-old girl is at the center of a court battle that is equal parts gay rights struggle, jurisdictional quandary and legal ethics question."

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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."

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Nepal's First Gay Wedding Photos

Here are a few photos from the first gay "wedding" in Nepal, which I posted about on Friday. While it doesn't appear that the ceremony made any great strides in dismissing the incorrect and oft-assumed notion that in gay relationships one person must play the man and the other play the woman, the "wedding" (same-sex marriage is not legal there, and neither is homosexuality) was most definitely an advancement for the gay community of Nepal.

The wedding of Anil Mahaju, 28, and Diya Kashyap, 22, thrown by Nepal's activist group the Blue Diamond Society, was attended by media, community activists, and a few family members, according to UK Gay News.

Sunil Pant, President of the Blue Diamond Society, said : "This is the first ever public wedding between two males but this is not the last. It’s an historic occasion that will hopefully not just inspire other individuals with similar love and commitment to come forward and live their lives according to their will, but will also generate a great deal of dialogue amongst this conservative society on wedding, social norms, values and politics of gender and oppression of masculinity in Nepalese society."

While wedding photos often have religious icons in the background, in this case it somehow seems entirely appropriate that that icon would be the internationally worshiped David Beckham.

Previously
Kathmandu Couple to Hold Nepal's First Gay Wedding [tr]

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Kathmandu Couple to Hold Nepal's First Gay Wedding

Homosexuality is a crime in Nepal and will land you in prison for a year, but that's not stopping Anil Mahaju, 28, and Diya Kashyap, 22, from holding what is being reported as Nepal's first public gay wedding tomorrow at a small ceremony in Kathmandu.

The Blue Diamond Society, Nepal's gay rights group where Diya works as an HIV/AIDS outreach counselor, has supplied the venue for the ceremony.

Last April, the Blue Diamond Society joined a movement hoping to oust the autocratic government of King Gyanendra in hopes to stop violence and arbitrary arrests of people suspected of being gay.

Obviously the wedding is largely symbolic, but a big step for a country whose last attempt at a gay wedding, according to the Times of India, resulted in two women being disowned by their families and forcibly locked up.

BDS's president, Sunil Pant, praised the couple for going forward with the ceremony: "I am really excited and happy that they have dared to challenge (traditional) culture and family values, where the whole society is oriented towards heterosexual marriage. It is very courageous of them and I congratulate them."

First Public Gay Wedding [times of india]

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