Gay Pride Weekend Wrap

Wedded bliss was a special focus of San Francisco’s 38th Annual Pride Parade, the first to be held after the California Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage. The Dykes on Bykes tossed bouquets and San Fran Mayor Gavin Newsom was greeted like a rock star. Gay icons Cyndi Lauper and Margaret Cho were among celebrity attendees. Crowds were said to be "larger-than-usual." Full photo album here.

According to The Canadian Press, members of the Canadian Armed Forces participated in Gay Pride for the first time in Toronto, whose parade featured a grand marshal (Gareth Henry) who fled Jamaica after being persecuted for his sexual orientation.

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota attracted an estimated 125,000 celebrants, including an exceptionally proud terrier (who I hope was dyed humanely).

Chicago’s Gay Pride Parade went off without a hitch Sunday. Themed "Live, Love, Be Proud," the parade’s grand marshal was ex-marine Eric Alva (pictured), the first American casualty from the Iraq War and an openly gay man.

German Pride celebrated its 30th year by kicking off for the first time from the former East Berlin. One special participant was 95-year-old Rudolf Brazda, a survivor of Buchenwald concentration camp:

"It was a terrible time. I must say that I feel as though I were in paradise in this democratic society."

Other European Pride events held on Saturday included some in countries "seeing gatherings of gays and lesbians for the first time." At the Czech Republic’s first Pride, three people were jailed for throwing fireworks at some of the 500 marchers. Five dozen skinheads were arrested in Bulgaria for attempting to derail that country’s event.

Paris Pride was organized around "homophobia at school" and drew about 700,000. But why talk about it when you can just take a look?

Finally, marchers in Calcutta, New Delhi and Bangalore celebrated Gay Pride, marking the first parades in the latter two Indian cities. "Several hundred" participants were reported at the events, which were staged in advance of arguments before a Delhi High Court to overturn the antiquated law—Section 377—forbidding any sex that is "against the order of nature." Indians are rarely locked up for homosexuality, but the legal punishment is up to 10 years.

Gay-rights activist and New Delhi organizer Lesley Esteves says:

"Discrimination is widespread because there is no protection or law or societal understanding. There's discrimination in the workplace; there's discrimination in the family—it's on every level."

At least some of the onlookers were just there for the music.

As usual, there will likely be a dull roar from some gay quarters that Gay Pride isn’t necessary because being gay is nothing to be "proud" of (overlooking that it’s the suggestion to be ashamed that these events are counteracting) or that it’s counterproductive because all the "freaks" come out. I agree with JoeMyGod’s annual rant: "They wish we were invisible. We’re not. Let’s dance."

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Tom of Finland Lays Pipe for Fragrance Ad Campaign

Etat Libre d'Orange has taken an appropriately sexual approach to the guerilla marketing campaign for its new Tom of Finland cologne which I posted about back in January.

According to fragrance site Scented Salamander, "The perfumer-composer for the fragrance is Antoine Lie and to him it had to smell like 'a guy coming out of a shower. He's clean, but not fragranced. And he puts on leather pants.' There is also an outdoorsy aspect to the scent and themes of 'metal, leather, sensuality, beauty and radiance' inspired by Tom of Finland's drawings. Perfume wearers will be carded -- that's right -- as a suggestive sketch is part of the outer packaging (must be on the other side). You will have to be 21 in the US and 18 elsewhere." Notes include a crumpled leaf, suede, metal, pepperwood, iris, tonka, vetiver, and musks.

So for the campaign, Tom of Finland's images have been pasted around Paris. Not randomly, of course, but to protruding public fixtures which tell a tale of their own: men come in all shapes and sizes.

A few more of their paste-ups, AFTER THE JUMP...

Is that a Bike Rack, or Are You Just Happy to See Me? [adrants]

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Fashion Legend Yves Saint Laurent Dies in Paris

Fashion legend and brilliant master of couture Yves Saint Laurent died at his apartment in Paris on Sunday at the age of 71. Some excerpts from the NYT obit:

* "Mr. Saint Laurent achieved instant fame in 1958 at the age of 21 when he showed his Trapeze collection, his first for Christian Dior following the master’s death. But unlike many overnight sensations, Mr. Saint Laurent managed to remain at the top of his profession as fashion changed from an emphasis on formal, custom-made haute couture to casual sportswear."

* "In September 1961, Mr. Saint Laurent announced plans to open his own haute couture house in partnership with his lover, Pierre Bergé (pictured, right, at the announcement of YSL's retirement). Mr. Bergé remained his lifelong business partner and was responsible for the company’s financial success, although they split up as a couple in the early 1980s."

* "Among his greatest successes were his Mondrian collection in 1965, based on the Dutch artist’s gridlike paintings, and the “rich peasant” collection of 1976, which stirred so much interest that the Paris show was restaged in New York for his American admirers."

* "By 1983, when he was 47, his work was recognized by fashion scholars as so fundamentally important to women’s dress that a retrospective of his designs was held at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the first time the museum had honored a living designer. Diana Vreeland, the legendary magazine editor and the doyenne of the Costume Institute, who masterminded the exhibition, called him “a living genius” and 'the Pied Piper of fashion.'"

* "'Every man needs aesthetic phantoms in order to exist,' Mr. Saint Laurent said at the announcement of his retirement. 'I have known fear and the terrors of solitude. I have known those fair-weather friends we call tranquilizers and drugs. I have known the prison of depression and the confinement of hospital. But one day, I was able to come through all of that, dazzled yet sober.'"

Saint Laurent's cause of death was reportedly a brain tumor. In recent years he had been hospitalized and in 2006 had a public collapse on a Paris street following one of the show's of the fashion house that bore his name.

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News: Autoerotica, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mandals, Bertrand Delanoe

There may be a ruling soon on Wisconsin's same-sex marriage ban.

Autoerotica: Washington man has had sex with more than 1,000 cars.

In 2000, McCain said he'd be too old to run in 2008: "Well, in 2004, I expect to be campaigning for the reelection of President George W. Bush, and by 2008, I think I might be ready to go down to the old soldiers home and await the cavalry charge there."

'Save California' group says issuing marriage licenses to gays is the moral equivalent of gassing Jews: "Ask your county clerk if they were a Nazi officer during WWII and had been ordered to gas the Jews, would they? At the Nuremberg trials, they would have been convicted of murder for following this immoral order." UPDATE: Group edits alert.

Winehouse out, Beyonce in to record James Bond theme.

Gay rights activists condemn Gambia leader's announcement that he plans to kill all gays: "Carey Johnson of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Council said the comments were 'disgraceful'. 'What president Jammeh fails to realise is that there are a significant population of Gambians who are gay, and he has no right to ask them to leave,' Mr Johnson said. The speech was 'doubly disgraceful' because The Gambia is the host country for the African Commission on Human and People's Rights, he said. ...'Jammeh has a long history of homophobia,' said British gay rights activist Peter Tatchell. 'If he tries to carry out these threats, international aid donors are likely to withdraw their support, and foreign tourists will stay away in droves, thereby damaging the Gambian economy,' he added."

Britney Spears is in the recording studio again working on follow-up to Blackout.

Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë takes first steps in journey that could lead him to the presidency: "In the introduction to a book of interviews, outlining a market-oriented and even Blairist future for Socialism in France, M. Delanoë hinted strongly that he would run for the leadership of the Parti Socialiste in November and probably seek the party's presidential nomination in four years' time. He was ready, he said, to "invest my convictions and energy in my country" if 'democracy and the Socialist Party call on me... to act'."

Will TV's first gay superhero Thom Creed soon make his way to your living room? "It's not campy either — it's not The Gayest American Hero. He just happens to be gay. It's just one of the many things he wrestles with."

Folks in New York's Union Square try on the season's gayest mandals.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United win the Champions League trophy!

Homophobic attack in Portsmouth, UK: "Two men have been attacked by a gang in what police described as a homophobic incident in Portsmouth city centre. The men, aged 41 and 20, were walking in Guildhall Square when they were attacked by two men and a woman who were part of a large group. One of the men received grazes to his chest and back and the other sustained a black eye and a sore neck."

Black bunny captures Provincetown's imagination.

Richard Dreyfus to play Cheney to Josh Brolin's Bush in Oliver Stone's W.

Marketing director for sperm bank catering to gays and lesbians files sexual harassment lawsuit: "In a lawsuit filed in New York, Scott Glasgow says he was pressured into sharing a bed on company trips with his boss, Growing Generations CEO Stuart Miller. The lawsuit also claims that Miller sent Glasgow pictures of himself shirtless, wearing bondage attire and holding a whip, and forced Glasgow to perform in drag on a company trip."

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News: Spitting, Lohan, Chris Carmack, Bay to Breakers, Tina Brown

Activists' Paris arrest on International Day Against Homophobia leads to meeting with Human Rights Minister, Rama Yade, and promise to push for "a European initiative calling for the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality" at the United Nations.

Chris Carmack plays to his strengths.

Living Lohan to win award for most mind-numbing reality trash of the summer — watch.

Washington Post op-ed writer Kathleen Parker pens offensive column on Obama and Edwards' 'gay' relationship.

Jack Mackenroth not returning to Project Runway next season.

When Ellen wears a certain jacket, watch for a gay rights alert.

Catholic church offering "ex-gay" therapy in Poland: “When you want a candy for example, you can resist and have it later. And you can trade it for a piece of chocolate.”

Maryland senator Richard Madaleno hopeful at state's same-sex marriage prospects.

Gay Canadian peace activist barred from speaking at Catholic church because of his views on marriage. Bishop: "Everyone is always welcome to come to our church, but not everyone is welcome to speak in front of our congregation. If someone wanted to come talk about the environment, which is a wonderful thing, but was actively pro-choice (on abortion) we wouldn't allow them to present either. It just doesn't add up."

The Big Gay Sketch Show's Paolo Andino talks Cuba, cash, and cookies with QueerCents: "Both my mother and father started from nothing when they came to this country as teens. Castro only allowed women to take two dresses and a pair of shoes out of the country. My parents didn’t believe in an allowance, I mowed lawns from the age of 10 to earn some spending cash. My favorite thing to buy was a half-gallon of Heavenly Hash Ice Cream for the family — I always liked to splurge!"

Tina Brown working on spy film about Noel Coward.

Jake Gyllenhaal steps out in spandex again. Is a marriage proposal in the works?

Gay British soldier claims he was dropped from the Special Air Services (SAS) over his sexuality: "Army sources expressed anger at the claims by former Corporal Kenna, saying that he was never a proper member of the SAS, but was 'a general duties soldier' in support of the regiment at Hereford. 'He wasn’t required to pass the SAS fitness tests and failed the one he did do,' one source said. The sources said the corporal was ousted from the special forces because it was considered he was unsuitable for that line of work, although he had served in the SAS for two years, including tours in Iraq."

Freaks come out for San Francisco's Bay to Breakers race.

Christian registrar in the UK taking government to tribunal over refusal to perform same-sex civil partnerships: "Miss Ladele, who has worked in the registration service for nearly 16 years, said she held 'orthodox Christian beliefs' about marriage and same sex unions. She said in a statement: 'The law places a duty on local authorities to provide civil partnership registration, but does not require all registrars to take part in the registration process. My local authority provides a civil partnership service, but it is one that it agrees does not actually require my involvement. Since 2004 I have therefore been asking to be excused from civil partnership duties, allowing my colleagues to do these duties instead."

The president of Poland, the leader of Uganda, and the UK Home Office named to the Human Rights Hall of Shame "for their actions in the past year in endangering LGBT people's dignity, families, and safety." Here are last year's winners.

Man dies in spitting contest.

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Gael Garcia Bernal Worshiped in Paris

A new art exhibition called "Saint Gael" by founding ACT UP member and artist Vincent Gagliostro opened in Paris yesterday at the Miss China Beauty Gallery.

Said Gagliostro in a statement: "SAINT GAEL (RE-USED) statement: 1. (with a predatory gleam in his eye): 'heaven’s mouth' - I thought, tearing his image from the magazine. The most beautiful mouth I had ever seen - Gael Garcia Bernal - a new subject. Further retrieving images from numerous official and unofficial websites, it seemed I was moving from my original focus on his beauty to an encounter with my surpressed voyeuristic nature. Predatory nature. Musical nature. Music, because what I seemed to be on to was a kind of 'sampling' much like a DJ/record producer does when creating a work. Studying his (GGB) film 'Y Tu Mama Tambien', I started re-sequencing the images, removing bits here, adding bits there. For example, in one sequence Gael is fucking the girl companion of the roadtrip. By cropping her out of the movement and re-using the images I could bring my subject closer to my world of sex, desire and politics–three ideas inseparable in my fag world. This project has led me to explore my nature and find perhaps a new willingness to turn the cameras on me and my culture, gay men."

More at East Village Boys and on the artist's website.

(Video).

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Madonna Knows Nothing Gets Press Like a Gay French Kiss

Pulling the Britney move out of her back pocket, Madonna made out with one of her back-up dancers during her concert at the Olympia in Paris last night.

Said M-Dolla to the crowd: "Why do I have this relationship with France? I'm always drawn to working with French people - and frenching French people. Vive la France!"

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Gay Activist Peter Tatchell Detained Amid Olympic Flame Protests

Gay activist Peter Tatchell was one of dozens detained in various protests over the weekend surrounding the transit of the Olympic flame through London, including one dramatic moment in which the torch was nearly snatched from the hands of television presenter Konnie Huq (see video, AFTER THE JUMP). There were 80 torch-bearers who carried the flame through London, from Wembley Stadium to Greenwich.

Gays Without Borders reports on the Tatchell arrest: "Mr Tatchell ran in front of the bus carrying the Olympic flame. He held up a placard which read: “Free Tibet, Free Hu Jia.” He shouted the same words as he ran along in front of the bus. The police wrestled Mr Tatchell to the ground, which delayed the bus briefly while he was removed to pavement. After questioning, he was later released without charge."

Said Tatchell,in a statement released later: "Hu Jia was jailed for three and half years in Beijing last week for campaigning for free speech, Tibetan autonomy, environmental protection, and for the human rights of the rural poor and people with HIV. Gordon Brown has shamed himself and Britain by greeting the Olympic torch at Downing Street, at a time when China is shooting dead Tibetan protesters and jailing and torturing hundreds of political prisoners. It is hypocritical for the Prime Minister to boycott the Zimbabwean regime, but not the dictatorial regime in China. These double standards bring our government into disrepute. The UK should not be colluding with a police state like China. Attempts to gently persuade the Beijing leaders to stop their human rights abuses have failed. They are manipulating the Olympics. We must not allow them to exploit the Beijing games to divert attention from China’s abysmal human rights record. All countries that love freedom, democracy and liberty should refuse to host the Olympic torch and boycott the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. Athletes should wear Tibetan flags during their events and on the podium when they collect their medals..."

Demonstrators across London wanted to make it clear that they will not tolerate China's human rights abuses as the summer Olympics in Beijing approach.

In all, 37 people were arrested over the course of the day. The flame is now in Paris, where it has been met with so much protest that it has been extinguished and put aboard a bus for its transit. According to Agence France Presse, "Paris's Socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoe planned to unfurl a giant banner over city hall in defence of human rights."

Watch the clip of the Olympic flame snatch attempt, AFTER THE JUMP...

37 held in Olympic torch protests [the press association]
Olympic torch ambushed in London [peter tatchell]
Pictures and videos: Olympic torch protests in London [shanghaist]
Protestors disrupt Olympic flame relay in Paris [afp]

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Valentino Spits on Dolce & Gabbana on the Way Out the Door

Valentino decided to let his fellow designers what they thought of them prior to the presentation of his final collection in Paris yesterday.

The Telegraph reports: "Valentino Garavani was reflecting on his 50-year career and on his rivals when he dismissed Dolce & Gabbana as 'shy to begin with, but now rather arrogant'. The 76-year-old added: 'The problem with young stylists is that they all want to be famous straight away and then they all do the same things.' Valentino’s comments appear to have touched a raw nerve, especially as he only had superlative praise for other Italian designers. He went on to describe Giorgio Armani as 'revolutionary', Miuccia Prada as 'stupefying' and Donatella Versace as 'gritty and determined'. In return, Mr Armani sent a vibrant red dress down his recent catwalk show in tribute to 'the genius of Valentino', who made red dresses his trademark. Stefano Gabbana, 46, one half of the label that now has an annual turnover of over £700 million, said: 'Valentino has been having goodbye parties since last July. I’ve been working. To be quite honest, I don’t care what Valentino says about us.'"

Gabbana also believes a child should not be raised by same-sex parents.

No word on what Valentino thought of Karl Lagerfeld, who handled the retiring designer with kid gloves at a ceremony later at the Hotel de Ville, where Valentino was awarded the Medal of Paris by gay mayor Bertrand Delanoe.

Previously
Valentino Steps Down from Design House He Founded [tr]

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Openly Gay Paris Mayor Delanoe Targeted by Islamic Radicals?

PageOneQ reports (via AP) that openly gay Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe (as well as targets in his city) is the subject of a threatening email sent to a radical Islamist website:

"The e-mail's sender and the site were not identified by the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. They said only that the message went to an Internet site run by Salafists, or Islamic fundamentalists. Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe said on RTL radio that authorities informed him of the threat Saturday. 'I am calm. I have the information I need and I have complete confidence in the work ... of police headquarters vis-a-vis security problems in general, terrorism in particular and finally the protection of the mayor of Paris,' Delanoe said later on the TV station iTele.

Local and national anti-terrorist agencies are looking into the situation.

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Drag Queen Arrested for 18 Serial Murders of Gay Men in France

French police have a arrested, Nicolas Panard, a 68-year-old man who reportedly makes his living as a drag queen for the murders of 18 men in eastern France and Paris, most of whom were gay, between the years of 1980 and 2002.

Agence France Presse reports: "Detained Tuesday in the eastern city of Mulhouse, the man was being held in nearby Montbeliard along with another suspect who is already serving a murder sentence in a Paris jail, the source said. Both men deny the accusations, according to the prosecution, which said it had "no formal proof" of their guilt at this stage. L'Alsace newspaper said the key suspect worked as a female impersonator and that his arrest followed a two-year investigation by a Montbeliard police officer, who spotted his name in database files relating to a string of unsolved murders."

According to the BBC, "... the arrests were the result of two years' work by a police officer based in Montbeliard who had originally only been investigating a murder in 1991 in nearby Sochaux. By using a police crime database, the officer found mentions of Mr Panard's name in the case files of several unsolved murders, the paper reported. The officer also discovered several common features in the murders, including that the victims had all been killed by blows to the head followed by multiple knife wounds, it added. Each time the victims' bodies were found partly naked, but with their faces covered."

The photo at right, via BBC, shows the sealed door of Panard's home and the locations of the various murders.

France holds man over 18 murders [bbc]
French police detain 'drag queen' over 18 gay murders [afp]

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Partying Princes Drown Sorrows with Defeated Brit Rugby Team

Princes William and Harry partied into the night on Saturday with members of the English rugby team following their rugby world cup defeat by South Africa at the Stade de France. It didn't appear that Harry was snorting vodka this time, just drinking straight from the bottle. Now word on whether he then went after outside centre Matthew Tait's nipple, as he seemed to have lost his shirt at some point during the night.

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Prince Harry Gone Wild, Snorting Vodka, Licking Male Nipple [tr]
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Rugby Players Gone Wild [tr]

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Russia Bans Kissing Cops as Well as Bush-Putin-Bin Laden Three-way

Russian cultural minister Alexander Sokolov has banned an image of two policemen locked in a romantic kiss from appearing in an exhibition scheduled to go on display in Paris next week.

The Guardian reports: "Mr Sokolov described the photo as political provocation and said he was pulling it, together with 16 other works, from a show at Paris's Maison Rouge exhibition hall. The exhibits were all displayed in Russia this year at Moscow's state-owned Tretyakov gallery. The minister also banned another work by the same irreverent group, Blue Noses, that shows Vladimir Putin, George Bush and Osama bin Laden cavorting on a double bed in their underpants."

We've tracked down those photos as well:

Said Sokolov: "If this exhibition appears [in Paris] it will bring shame on Russia. In this case, all of us will bear full responsibility. It is inadmissible...to take all this pornography, kissing policemen and erotic pictures to Paris."

Honestly, are these pictures any more obscene than the shirtless beefcake shots of Putin that appeared in German magazine Spiegel last month? I think not.

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Marc Jacobs: Naked in Paris with a Poltergeist Tattoo

In the next installment of the naked fashion designer series, Marc Jacobs disrobes in his Paris apartment for W's "art issue" which features an interview with the designer and a collection of photos:

"As he sits in his Paris apartment on a midsummer afternoon, Jacobs is surrounded by eight John Currins, six Richard Princes and six Ruschas, plus an assortment of Elizabeth Peytons, Damien Hirsts, John Baldessaris, David Hockneys and Lisa Yuskavages, not to mention a small but growing collection of Fifties Scandinavian handblown glass birds. 'Typical addict behavior,' says Jacobs with a half smile. 'I just got this bug. I started going to galleries, and I kind of went mad.' Jacobs, whose struggles with drug and alcohol dependency are well known, sees his new passion for contemporary art as a (relatively) healthy habit, one he intends to indulge for the foreseeable future."

The interview also makes note of Jacobs' second collection:

"As Jacobs fills his walls with art, he is also using his own body as a canvas: His growing tattoo collection, which started with a little heart on his left shoulder, is itself almost exhibition-worthy. The newest additions are the French words OUI and LUI in bold graphics on each forearm, and, in the middle of his back, Carol Anne from Poltergeist, mesmerized by a glowing TV screen. ("Stay away from the light," Jacobs intones with mock solemnity.)"

Now that's a tattoo I'd like to see. Unfortunately, it's not among the photos.

Marc Jacobs [w]

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Monet Damaged by Intruders at Orsay Museum in Paris

A group of drunk people somehow got into the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and punched a hole through Monet's "Le Pont d'Argenteuil" over the weekend.

The AP reports: "No arrests were immediately made and there were no signs the group was armed, Albanel told reporters at a news conference. The intruders 'tried to force other doors' before succeeding at a back door, 'even though it had big bolts,' she said, wondering aloud if the bolts might have been faulty. The painting hung on the ground floor with other Impressionist masterpieces. Albanel said the painting could be restored, but she deplored the damage."

I'm not a huge Monet fan either, but this seems a bit extreme.

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Public Gets Last Glimpse of Princess Diana as Accident Inquest Begins

Several snapshots of Princess Diana's final moments were revealed yesterday as an inquest began into the circumstances surrounding her death, more than ten years after the accident in the Pont L'Alma tunnel that took her life as well as Dodi Fayed's and that of chaffeur Henri Paul.

The BBC reports: "Speaking at the start of the hearing on Tuesday, coroner Lord Justice Baker told jurors he would be 'conducting a vigorous and searching inquiry through the evidence so that the true cause of death may, if possible, be determined once and for all.'"

Many of the newly released photos depict the carnage following the accident, but the two pictures that were released of the moments before the crash are perhaps the most chilling, and appear to show consternation in the vehicle as it is sandwiched by paparazzi.

Via the Daily Mail: "Taken by one of the paparazzi, the princess is visible in the rear seat peering back at the pursuing French photographers. To her side Dodi Fayed is hunched forward in his seat. It is just seconds after the couple have left the back entrance of the Ritz Hotel on the fatal journey to Dodi's Paris apartment and provides the last known picture of Diana alive. But it is the occupants of the front seat that catch the eye. Trevor Rees-Jones, Dodi's bodygaurd and the only survivor of the terrible accident, holds a protective hand up as he peers into the lens. Beside him the driver Henri Paul - accused by police of being drunk - stares twistedly, almost mockingly, at the camera."

Published for the first time: The most remarkable pictures of the Diana crash [daily mail]

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Rugby Ad: From London to Paris, with Love

This French tourism ad meant to attract Londoners to Paris sure got my attention. The French tourism site, C'est So Paris, notesd that the "ad uses offbeat wit and the Rugby World Cup to show the world that Paris is also the capital of humour. The Paris region will be hosting several World Cup matches, including the final at the Stade de France."

I'd say there's more than offbeat wit going on here, but I like how this game is progressing. (wallpaper)

(via jockohomo and Me-Me-Me)

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Fashion Designer Yves Saint Laurent Hospitalized

Fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent has been admitted to the American Hospital in Paris, WWD reports:

"Pierre Bergé, the legendary couturier's partner, said Saint Laurent was 'not doing well' and that he was beset with respiratory trouble. Saint Laurent also is having difficulty walking. Bergé, visibly emotional as he left the Quincy restaurant here after dinner Wednesday with close friends, including Betty Catroux, said doctors had yet to diagnose Saint Laurent's current health woes. Saint Laurent, who has long suffered from neuroses and often acute depression, retired from fashion in 2002 and has since led a somewhat secluded life. Poor health has limited his mobility and physical activities, including his ability to sketch."

He is expected to be released in the coming days. If you'll remember, the designer suffered a similar scare last October, collapsing after a Paris show of the label that bears his name.

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News: Azis, Stripper Cop, ACT UP Paris, Lance Bass

Seattle Pride parade on again. Rally searching for a resurrection.

Two female plainclothes police officers charge Scottish male stripper with impersonating a police officer: "I said I was not a police officer, I said I am a stripper. They followed me into the bar, watched the show, then asked me to go back to the station. It was all quite friendly. When I went back later they said they were going to charge me. I have spoken to two solicitors and they do not know if it will go to court."

Crain's POLL: "Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to introduce a gay marriage bill in New York state is favored by almost two-thirds of the 1,022 respondents to a recent Crain's online poll. About 63% of voters said they support a gay marriage law. If New York adopted the new legislation, it would become only the second state behind Massachusetts to legalize same-sex marriage."

Gay Pride dies in Leicester, UK: "...organisers say they are disappointed the event cannot go ahead because of a lack of cash and volunteers leaving the area."

Bulgarian pop star Azis, who married his partner last year, drags out new video.

Kentucky governor considering emergency "special session" of legislature in order to repeal benefits for gay couples.

Democratic presidential contenders go head-to-head in 90-minute televised debate tonight.

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg: "I hope Al Gore enters the race; I think it would be good for the country."

Condoleezza Rice to be subpoenaed on Iraq.

ACT UP Paris has been ordered to pay the Cathedral of Notre Dame a one Euro fine for staging a mock wedding in the cathedral without its permission: "'The provocative act of June 2005 and the unrest it caused shocked many people of different faiths, whether believers or not, both in France and beyond,' the Paris archdiocese said. Act Up Paris said it was considering appealing against the decision. In the mock wedding, a man dressed as a priest and a lesbian couple - both dressed in white wedding dresses - walked up the cathedral's main aisle and mimicked a wedding ritual while about 20 activists distributed flyers denouncing the Church."

Now it's Lance Bass handing out the kisses in public.

New York Post columnist slams Matos-McGreevey tell-all: "Dina McGreevey does a disservice to women. To wives. To honest political groupies."

55% of shareholders at Micron Technology Inc. vote to bar discrimination based on sexual orientation at the company, but Micron's Board of Directors refuses to accept the resolution: " This is the first time that a majority of shareholders at any U.S. company have voted to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. For most social issue resolutions, receiving shareholder support ranging anywhere from 20 to 30 percent is considered a decent mandate."

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Lagerfeld Vulnerable as Bodyguard Models Happy Feet Togs

I always wondered why Karl Lagerfeld never gave his ever-present bodyguard Sebastian Jondeau a bigger role to play than protecting him from all the thugs making attempts on his life. Well, turns out that during this season's Paris shows Mr. Jondeau took the runway for the first time:

"Karl Lagerfeld’s bodyguard Sebastien Jondeau made his runway debut the morning of the show, modeling—if only slightly awkwardly—two snug looks. 'It was strange and funny because for me it was something new,' he admitted afterward. 'But it was a treat to be there and something special to me.' The timing of his looks was perfect, as Jondeau’s final runway walk with the rest of the models culminated precisely with Lagerfeld’s runway bow—allowing the handsome Parisian bachelor to assume his original duties."

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(thanks shaun)

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Gay Mayors Take Mild Stand on Anti-gay Moscow Mayor Luzhkov

The mayors of Europe's four largest cities - London, Paris, Moscow, and Berlin, met in London along with the mayor of Beijing to discuss challenges facing their cities, and were met with protest by gay rights activists angry at the anti-gay policies of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who has banned a gay pride parade from happening in that city.

Two of the four mayors, Bertrand Delanoe of Paris (far left, above) and Klaus Wowereit of Berlin (far right, above), are openly gay, yet appeared to some news outlets to simply "look on" as Luzhkov branded homosexuality "wrong and unusual".

According to UK Gay News, Maria Tabak of the Russian RIA Novosti news agency asked if the mayors had raised the "controversial issues" of gay parades in Moscow: "How could we have avoided this subject? And why are you interested in this subject, Mayor? There was a lot discussed in the media. First of all what you said about gay parades and also about what Mr. Livingstone said on the same issue."

The translation appears to not be as smooth as I'd like, but here's Luzhkov's response:

“We have a different position as far as gay parades. We have different concerns – different opinions. It’s enough, in terms of our understanding – we understand what is proposed by other mayors. I don’t know what the position is of the Mayor of Beijing. My position is different from the three [other European mayors]. We were talking about sexual minorities and when we discuss it, the states have different attitudes to this issue. Specifically, in Russia, in 1993 – 14 years ago – the law was changed so sexual minorities were not prosecuted. We have a lot of gay clubs – we don’t know many citizens, for example, have this unusual sexual orientation. But the gay clubs are free to carry out their sexual activity. What we say is that we are against propagating – we are against promoting. Like any other society, we want to protect ourselves from the promotion of alcohol and tobacco. When we promote smoking, it’s bad – it’s wrong. But through the gay parade you promote some uncertainty, of course. It becomes an invitation to acquire this quality of the sexual minorities. This is OK. That is normal. Our view is that it is wrong and unusual. Let the gay people do what they do. But they should not involve the citizens of our country."

Luzhkov recently said the gay pride events were "satanic".

Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe said the mayors had discussed it: "We had a debate on this is a very relaxed way. Our differences in the way we see the situation were made with great respect for each other’s views – and in a peaceful and calm way. In terms of discrimination in general, we have to look at equality of rights. That leaves us to combat every form of discrimination. You do not become homosexual – there is no risk of propaganda. This is not a disease you catch at some point. It is somehow part of our identity. Some of us have brown skin, some of us have fair skin, some of us have brown eyes, some of us have blue eyes. We are born heterosexual or homosexual. And that is it."

A German correspondent, Jochen Hick, reportedly asked if Luzhkov would allow the gay pride parade should the other mayors at the conference say they want to attend. Last year parade organizers attempted to hold events even after the parade was banned. The resulting violence from Russian nationalists and ultra-orthodox Christians injured visiting gay German MP, Volker Beck (see photo):

Luzhkov responded: “I am not going to allow the gay parade. The final decision is taken by the court. If the court makes the decision to allow the gay parade, then the participants are free to parade. Last year, the court supported my decision and the gay parade didn’t take place. If the gay parade is not allowed [by the court], that is according to the law.”

London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who was moderating the event, was branded a hypocrite for not taking a stronger stand in person against Luzhkov's position on gay rights after releasing a printed statement criticizing the Moscow mayor's views. Journalist Nicolas Alexeyev says Livingstone ignored his attempts to ask a question at the press conference because he was critical of the London mayor's policies: "It is very easy to make statements from his office about supporting gay rights. It is not so easy to be brave enough to tackle the Moscow Mayor about his attitudes."

Livingstone and Wowereit did not make public comments on the Russian Mayor's views.

Homosexuality Not a Disease, Gay Parisian Mayor Tells Moscow’s Luzhkov [uk gay news]

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