News: AIDS Vaccine, Beijing, Albino Eagle, El Paso, Newlywed Game

Obama will not speak at the Brandenburg Gate, according to Bloomberg, but at the Victory Column just down the road: "A stage will be set up at the column, a 19th-century fluted structure that lies at the opposite end of a tree-lined boulevard from the Brandenburg Gate, the newspaper said. The campaign will announce the plans for July 24 today, it said. An appearance at the Victory Column, capped by its trademark gilded angel, will still give the Illinois senator the Brandenburg Gate as a backdrop in the distance."

Rare albino Golden Eagle discovered in Colorado.

Australia World youth Day pilgrims tell their gay hosts that they will "burn in hell."

K-Fed gets the kids from Britney in Cheeto divorce trial.

Rue McClanahan, Caroline Rhea, Olivia Newton-John, and Leslie Jordan get ready to make LOGO a bit more Sordid...

San Jose City College biology professor sues community college district for firing her over answering question about homosexuality and heredity: " In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in San Jose, June Sheldon alleges that college officials trampled on academic freedoms and free speech rights by firing her in February. Sheldon is backed in the case by the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative organization that also has been heavily involved in the legal battles over gay marriage in California and elsewhere. The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, reinstatement to her teaching job and a court finding that Sheldon's rights were violated."

Proposed George W. Bush Sewage Plant qualifies for ballot in San Francisco.

Gay community center opens its doors in El Paso, Texas: "El Paso's new Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgendered-Queer Center opened its doors to the public. The center houses non-profit organizations, counselors and even a flower shop. 'We want this place to be the hub of the gay community,' said director Charles Sloane. The facility is the crown jewel of El Paso's emerging gay community; a community that's mobilizing to have their voice heard as never before."

The Watchmen are coming (site not totally sfw).

Same-sex couples ineligible for Game Show Network's new version of The Newlywed Game.

Desperate Housewives gay couple Tuc Watkins and Kevin Rahm will be back in the upcoming flash-forward-five-years season: "...they now have a four-year-old daughter. Cherry said adding them to the show was 'just my commentary on how a gay couple moves in and nothing much happens.'"

VIDEO: A press rehearsal for the 9 to 5 Broadway musical.

Justin Timberlake kisses David Beckham's foot: "‘That's what $250million [£125m] tastes like,’ he told the audience." Maybe Becks can give him some tips on accessorizing.

Going to Beijing and want to know where to find the "gay scene"?

North Carolina anti-bullying bill killed: "The bill was controversial because it listed 'sexual orientation' and other characteristics as reasons schoolchildren might be the targets of bullying. Groups such as the Christian Action League and the N.C. Family Policy Council did not want the term in state law, saying that gay-rights groups would use it to leverage other rights."

Kenneth Cole's brief encounter.

Large U.S. HIV vaccine trial canceled: "...a top federal official said scientists realized that they did not know enough about how H.I.V. vaccines and the immune system interact. The decision is a major setback in an effort to develop an H.I.V. vaccine that began 24 years ago when government health officials promised a marketed vaccine by 1987. Health officials have long contended that such a vaccine would be their best weapon to control the AIDS pandemic."

High school dodgeball player #2 returning to Ugly Betty this season.

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News: Dark Knight, Gay Youth, Ravello, Ian McKellen, Uganda

Here's a list of the groups that are lobbying the Senate to remove the HIV travel ban.

The Dark Knight has its premiere and it's a big night for Christian Bale. But it was an even bigger night for the late Heath Ledger. His family paid him tribute as did his co-stars.

Reese Witherspoon cuts Jake Gyllenhaal off from his normal habit of swearing like a sailor: "Some of (the things she insists on) are run-of-the-mill. He has to take off his shoes when he’s in the house; trash must be taken out when the can is three-quarters full; and no feet on the coffee table."

PBS debates airing full-frontal Ian McKellen in broadcast of Royal Shakespeare Company's King Lear next year.

Some San Franciscans are objecting to a plan by the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco that would rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant as the George W. Bush Sewage Plant: "What we didn’t expect was that most of the opposition was coming from people who didn’t want to name anything. They just wanted to forget about the past eight years and move on or they felt that this is a facility that does something really quite useful and it would be inappropriate to put his name on it. […] If you get to the point where people are defending the sewage plant, that’s a sign that things have not gone so well."

Brad Blog: Alabama Attorney General Troy King, who last week was the subject of rumors that he was to resign in the wake of a gay sex scandal, was the client of gay GOP consultant Ralph Gonzalez, who was killed in a double-murder suicide last year.

The Washington Post on the coming out process and its emergence at earlier and earlier ages: "He has grown so used to the stares and laughter of strangers that their insults slip off his 118-pound frame like an oversize shirt. 'I think I've dealt with it so much my whole life that it really doesn't bother me anymore, not as much as it used to,' Saro says. 'If you have a birthmark on your leg for so long, you don't even notice it.' Saro, who first said he liked boys to a classmate in sixth grade, is like many of today's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths who openly discuss their sexual orientation and identity with friends, and sometimes family, before entering high school."

Whoopi Goldberg to join cast of Xanadu on Broadway.

Britney shoots video for Madonna tour.

Uganda's State Minister for Ethics and Integrity Dr James Nsaba Buturo says that opponents of gays should not be afraid of retribution because God will protect them: "It's true gays are rough people but men of God should not fear their intimidation. Ugandans should strengthen their mobilisation against the gay movement because the government is also committed to support them."

Gore Vidal home in Ravello, Italy to open as luxury hotel next spring.

FIRST LOOK: Project Runway designers enter the workroom.

Miss USA Crystle Stewart discusses her fall at the Miss Universe pageant: "I think I'm going to have to take some walking classes. I would never have thought in a million years that I would fall down at the Miss Universe pageant _ right after Miss USA fell last year. I always wondered: My God, if that happened to me, what would I do? Things happen. I'm perfectly fine. I'm going to move back to New York and get on with my life." Watch it.

Ruminations on a gay and straight brother...

The schedule for this year's Comic-Con in San Diego has been released.

Politics of Fear: Cartoonists respond to the Barack and Michelle Obama New Yorker cover, and Salon asks if the Bush era has killed a lot of liberals' sense of humor.

Philosopher Mark Vernon: I was a gay priest.

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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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SF Politicos Recognize Boycott of Human Rights Campaign Dinner

San Francisco Supervisors Tom Ammiano and Bevan Dufty are among those local politicians supporting a boycott and protest of the Human Rights Campaign dinner in that city next month, over the organization's failure to support a trans-inclusive employment non-discrimination bill (ENDA) last year. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "The city's two LGBT Democratic clubs support the boycott, as does the San Francisco Labor Council. Assemblyman Mark Leno and state Sen. Carole Migden, both of San Francisco, also are not attending the event."

It's a scene that has played out in New York (pictured) and other cities.

The paper reports: "On Tuesday, San Francisco Supervisors Tom Ammiano and Bevan Dufty introduced a resolution at City Hall calling for a bill that includes transgender people and recognizing the boycott. 'The Human Rights Campaign should not be human rights cowards,' Ammiano said at a news conference at the San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center. He said the organization seems uneasy with transgender issues. Dufty said he will skip the fundraising dinner for the first time in 23 years and instead will make dinner at his home for people protesting outside the event."

Matt Foreman, former executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, will be among those protesting outside the event. Said Foreman: "What is going on here is an emperor-has-no-clothes moment. We still don't have one single federal law that protects gay people, let alone transgender people."

HRC defend its actions in a statement from President Joe Solmonese: "HRC's position is that we could not oppose - and, in fact, should support - legislation to provide crucial civil rights protections that would be brought to the House floor for a vote, even though we did not and, certainly, would not have chosen that course...At a time when our community is threatened, once again, with a cynical election-year ploy that could hurt our families, we believe that it's time to set aside our differences and fight for what we all want."

The HRC dinner, which will benefit marriage equality (the organization has already made an initial pledge of $500,000 to the Equality for All marriage coalition), takes place on July 26th at the Westin St. Francis hotel.

Activists to boycott gay-rights group dinner [sf chronicle]

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Largest Pink Triangle to Top San Francisco's Twin Peaks

A pink triangle to be installed at the top of San Francisco's Twin Peaks (image via flickr user Madein1953) will be so large this year it will be visible from 20 miles away.

The installation,meant to commemorate gay victims of the Holocaust, has been in place every Pride weekend since 1995.

The installation begins this Saturday morning and volunteers are requested. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will be speaking at the event as well as Assemblyman Mark Leno, Senator Carole Migden, Supervisor Tom Ammiano, Supervisor Bevan Dufty, Treasurer José Cisneros, and German Consul General Rolf Schütte.

The Pink Triangle [official site]

Related
Berlin's Monument to Gay Holocaust Victims: The Kiss Revealed [tr]

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The Second Coming of Toad Hall?

During the filming of Gus van Sant's Milk, legendary Castro Street bar Toad Hall was recreated at its old address. Now, it appears that nostalgia has taken hold and another bar bearing the same name is going up around the corner. Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP...

Apparently under construction at the site of the old Pendulum bar.

(via flickr user kopicko_mike)

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David Beckham's Bulge Brings a Spectacle to San Francisco

David Beckham made his appearance at Macy's San Francisco last night and revealed a second image from a new set of five images from his Emporio Armani underwear campaign (the first I posted yesterday).

Needless to say, there was a crowd awaiting his arrival.

Watch the unveiling as it happens (complete with lustful shrieking), AFTER THE JUMP...

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San Francisco Street Artist Pleasures Tourists

Some clever street artist took liberties with an ad for the USS Pampanito Submarine at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. It certainly seems like a far more exciting tourist destination now.

Gawker lauds it as best in class in the recent trend in "remixing" advertisements, noting, "This is the kind of creative work you can only get when your city leads the country in both gay liberation and designers per capita."

(flickr user joestump)

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Giorgio Armani Announces Unboxing of Five New Beckham Bulges

Giorgio Armani announced that a special ceremony will be held tomorrow night in San Francisco as David Beckham unveils a second set of images from their highly successful underwear collaboration:

"Giorgio Armani is pleased to announce that his friend and testimonial David Beckham will unveil a giant mural featuring an image from the new Emporio Armani Underwear advertising campaign for Autumn/Winter 2008-09 on June 18th, 2008, 5pm PST at Macy’s in San Francisco. The mural overlooks an outdoor amphitheatre adjacent to Macy’s with seating for 6,000 spectators, where David Beckham will also personally meet two hundred Emporio Armani Underwear customers. The new advertising campaign was shot on Malibu beach in California, once again by renowned fashion photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, and will appear in sport, fashion and lifestyle magazines and on signature billboards in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, London, Milan, Rome, Paris and Tokyo."

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Outside City Hall

Here are a couple shots of the crowd outside San Francisco City Hall last night, shot by Towleroad correspondent David Lytle. There are lots more in our Towleroad Flickr pool.

If any of you budding photogs have anything to add to the pool, feel free!

In case you missed it...
Inside City Hall: Del and Phyllis Cut the Cake [tr]
Same-Sex Marriage Legal in California [tr]
The First Same-Sex Couple to Marry in L.A. [tr]
5:01 PM [tr]

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SF Castro Residence of Gay Vet Leonard Matlovich to be Recognized

Leonard Matlovich, a Vietnam war vet and gay rights pioneer who took up residence in San Francisco's Castro District in the late 70's and appeared on the cover of TIME magazine in September 1975 under the headline "I am a Homosexual", will get a plaque in the Castro on his former residence (at 18th and Castro) thanks to friends, who include frequent Towleroad commenter Michael Bedwell.

Bedwell told the Bay Area Reporter: "I wanted to memorialize him both to pay respect to him and to make newer generations aware of him. Mainstream society has countless examples of these which mark the people who came before, that inspire people, and reinforce people's identity themselves."

The TIME story concerned Matlovich's fight against the ban on gays in the military. According to the BAR: "He had told his commanding officers he was a homosexual but wanted to remain in the service. The Air Force kicked him out, and Matlovich sued the secretary of the Air Force. Matlovich settled out of court and received $160,000. The lawsuit did prompt the military after 1981 to switch from giving gay service members dishonorable discharges to honorable discharges."

Many of you may have seen Matlovich's striking headstone, which sits in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC and reads, "When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."

Said SF Supervisor and supporter Bevan Dufty: "I thought he was impressive. I was like 21 years old and this guy was amazing. He was out and proudly gay. Most gay men were closeted. It was kind of amazing somebody who had this military experience and all these military decorations for courage and service and bravery and he was an openly gay man."

Matlovich was an activist, a member of the Log Cabin Republicans, and died of AIDS in 1988. HE was 44. Bedwell, who spearheaded the campaign for the plaque, hopes to unveil it in the fall.

Friends plan plaque for gay Castro vet [bay area reporter]

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Bill O'Reilly Accepts 'Pink Brick Award' for Defaming Gays

Mikayla Connell, President of San Francisco Pride, appeared on The O'Reilly Factor to present him with the group's Pink Brick award for portraying the LGBT community unfairly. O'Reilly's take on the instances of defamation that Connell presents to him is that the guests he has on his show are free to express their opinions. And when it all comes down to it, the worst thing in the world is a guy in nun drag asking for communion.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via queerty)

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News: Ugly Betty, Morehouse, Boyzone, Latvia, Sharon Stone

Meet Ohio's Sally Kern...GOP Representative Jeff Wagner: "As much as some people would have us to believe otherwise, this country was founded on Christian principles. One of those long honored principles is the tradition of holy matrimony. One man and one woman joined together in a union that goes as far back as Adam and Eve. As our society has gotten further from that standard (not just homosexuality, but easy divorce, cheating on a spouse, etc.) we see a continued collapse of the basic building block of society the family unit. As that traditional family erodes, we see more sexually transmitted diseases, kids without parents, heartbroken people and I believe a host of mental and physical illnesses..."

Ugly Betty headed to Broadway?

High-profile Canadian murderer of gay man Jeffrey Lalonde commits suicide in prison.

Batman gets a milk moustache...

Roman Catholic Cardinal Jānis Pujāts calls on Latvian government to declare gay pride marches unlawful, compares gays to drug addicts and alcoholics...

Following last week's eulogy in the NYT, New York magazine weighs in with its final words to meatpacking restaurateur Florent Morellet.

Gay couple receives $15,000 in damages from homophobic teen: "Five years ago, the 17-year-old, who can not be named because he was a juvenile at the time, threw a roll of toilet paper and a firecracker on the couple's lawn. In a related incident, the teen also threatened the couple by saying he would like to 'wreck his fist' on their faces. The boy was arrested, but police never charged him. He was instead asked to apologize to the couple and seek psychiatric help. That didn't satisfy Wouters and Thibault who felt the boy's apology was made only to keep him from being charged in criminal court. They took the case to the rights commission."

Black, all-male Morehouse College battles homophobia from within: "Brewer, 22, didn't come to Morehouse with the intent of changing it. But he found that he had no choice. He had arrived here from Oklahoma City pretty comfortable with himself: outspoken, proudly smart and, at 5 foot 9 and 300 pounds, hard to miss. Early on, he decided he wouldn't water down his gay identity. And that, historically, has been a problematic strategy at Morehouse. The 141-year-old college has played a key role in defining black manhood in America. But with a past steeped in religion, tradition and machismo, it has struggled to determine how homosexuality fits within that definition."

Texas high school criticized for putting photos of gay couples in the yearbook.

Sex and the City publicity juggernaut achieves orgasm in Manhattan.

Boyzone performs the Full Monty...

Cyndi Lauper, Charo, and the nephew of Harvey Milk to grand marshall San Francisco gay pride parade.

McCain commercial features woman wearing Barack Obama t-shirt.

Chinese not happy with Sharon Stone's statement that the earthquake was "karma": "That prompted the founder of one of China's biggest cinema chains to say his company would not show her films in his theaters, according to a story in The Hollywood Reporter...Ng See-Yuen, founder of the UME Cineplex chain and the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, called Stone's comments 'inappropriate,' adding that actors should not bring personal politics to comments about a natural disaster that has left five million Chinese homeless, according to the Reporter. UME has branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hangzhou and Guangzhou, China's biggest urban movie markets."

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Gay Marriage Foes File Request to Suspend Unions Till Election

Hoping that a measure on this November's ballot constitutionally banning same-sex marriage might be approved by voters, groups who fought the recent lawsuit resulting in the legalization of same-sex marriage have filed papers asking the court to suspend any unions until after the election:

"The organizations, including the Proposition 22 Legal Defense Fund and the Alliance Defense Fund, filed a request with the court Thursday afternoon seeking the delay until after the November election. That's when the state's voters will likely decide a proposed constitutional amendment to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples. 'Permitting this decision to take effect immediately - in the light of the realistic possibility that the people of California might amend their constitution to reaffirm marriage as the union of one man and one woman - risks legal havoc and uncertainty of immeasurable magnitude,' the filing states. A spokesman for San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said they would fight any delay in issuing the marriage certificates to gay couples. Lawyers for the city are expected to file a legal response next week."

In related news, SF mayor Gavin Newsom reacted angrily to reports out of San Diego that the county might allow clerks there to refuse to perform same-sex marriages:

"On Wednesday, San Diego County Clerk Gregory Smith said he would consider allowing clerks to bow out of processing such marriages if they had moral or religions objections. 'I was pretty shocked about all that, candidly, and pretty outraged,' Newsom told Reuters in an interview. 'This is a civil marriage that civil servants have a responsibility to provide, so for civil servants on religious grounds to start passing judgments, they, I think, are breaking the core tenet of what civil service is all about. I've got very strong religious beliefs. So now, all of a sudden, I don't have to do certain things, even though that's my responsibility as mayor?'"

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Harvey Milk Bust Has Coming Out Party

As promised, Harvey Milk's bust was unveiled in San Francisco City Hall last night (the only bust of a non-mayor to have a place in the building). On its base is inscribed a quote from Milk recorded shortly before his death: "I ask for the movement to continue because my election gave young people out there hope. You gotta give 'em hope."

Via the SF Chronicle: "Standing 75 inches high and weighing over 200 pounds, the sculpture also has three scenes depicted in relief on the base. One features Milk during his stint in the Navy, another shows him riding in a gay pride parade, and the last depicts the candlelight march held the night of the assassinations...The bust will stand in a ceremonial rotunda outside the Board of Supervisors chambers, a spot where couples frequently choose to get married. Manton said she expects the bust to be popular with City Hall visitors, especially now that California has legalized same-sex marriage."

Harvey Milk sculpture gets unveiled at SF City Hall [sf chronicle]
(image liz hafalia)

AFTER THE JUMP, watch a short videoblog by Luke Klipp which gives a brief tour of City Hall and shows the wrapped bust and its placement on the day before the unveiling...

Previously
Harvey Milk Bust to be Unveiled Tonight at SF City Hall [tr]

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Harvey Milk Bust to be Unveiled Tonight at SF City Hall

Today, at 6pm, on what would have been Harvey Milk's 78th birthday, a bust (model pictured, below) in his honor will be unveiled at City Hall by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. The bust will occupy a permanent place atop the staircase in the City Hall rotunda.

The decision to place the bust atop the staircase capped weeks of haggling, according to the Bay Area Reporter: "'This bust has been traveling around City Hall like you wouldn't believe,' quipped Joey Cain, co-chair of the Harvey Milk City Hall Memorial Committee. Cain said the committee wanted the bust to be in the rotunda. During Milk's time in office, noted Cain, Milk never rode the elevator to the second floor. Instead, he walked up the grand staircase every time. 'Harvey has a quote – I don't know the exact wording of – in which he said when gay people walk into City Hall, they should walk right up those stairs to let people know they are here,' said Cain. 'Putting it outside the entrance to the Board of Supervisors' chamber in this rotunda has great symbolic significance."

Watch the NBC News footage broadcast on the evening of Milk and Mayor George Moscone's assassination, which includes Dianne Feinstein's still shocking announcement of their untimely deaths, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Missouri GOP Congressman Attacks Rival Over 'San Francisco Values'

This idiotic ad from GOP congressman Sam Graves (left), whose seat is being challenged by former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes, is a lowbrow racist and homophobic attempt to smear Barnes by calling her out on her "San Francisco Values".

Pathetic anti-gay scare tactics are all Graves has left, apparently. Barnes' response to the ad is on the right.

The Graves campaign refuses to apologize for the ad, and additionally trying to connect Barnes with the California same-sex marriage ruling. They told the local FOX affiliate: "The same week Kay Barnes was in San Francisco for a fundraiser, the California Supreme Court issues the most sweeping liberal, activist, pro-gay marriage ruling in the nation."

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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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First Look: Sean Penn in Gus van Sant's Milk

The first official production photo for Gus van Sant's Milk has been released and shows Sean Penn as Harvey Milk celebrating his 1977 election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, which made him the first openly gay man to be elected to office in a major U.S. city.

Producer Dan Jinks told EW: "[Sean] is playing a guy who's not at all like him, way beyond the sexuality of the character. Harvey was this guy who wants everybody to love him, and he loves everybody else. Sean just completely became that guy. It's a real transformation.''

You may have missed...
James Franco Rates Sean Penn His 'Top' Onscreen Love Interest [tr]
Harvey Milk Bust to Sit Atop Staircase in SF City Hall Rotunda [tr]
The SF Chronicle: Recreating History with Milk [tr]
Sean Penn Directed His Own 'Mighty Real' Man-on-Man Kiss [tr]
Gus van Sant's Milk Finishes up in San Francisco [tr]

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News: Mad Drag Queen, Thailand, Christian Siriano, Asteroids

San Francisco financial services firm reconsidering move to Oklahoma City because of Sally Kern's anti-gay remarks.

Drag queen who looks like Amelia Earhart targets Intimate Ideas, a lingerie store that refused to hire him — with his car!

Thailand's government ignoring surge in HIV rates among MSM: "Thai gays have essentially been left to sink or swim; and they're sinking."

Britney Spears now taking driving lessons from her kids.

Reduce your risk of prostate cancer: rub one out regularly.

Christian Siriano rips The Hills' Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port: "It’s really sad that if I didn’t win Project Runway, I probably wouldn’t have the sponsors I have now. I would have never been able to do what they have done because they all have disposable income, and yet their work still isn’t that great! I mean, it’s fun and flirty and young, but they’re not innovators. None of them will ever be an innovative designer. Buyers and editors are looking for longevity, and hopefully they will see that in me.”

AP: Same-sex couples in U.S. having trouble getting divorced. Rhode Island's Cassandra Ormison: "We all know people who have gone through divorces. At the end of that long and unhappy period, they have been able to breathe a sigh of relief. I do not see that on my horizon, that sigh of relief that it's over."

HGTV hosts in Canada Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan get married. Ryan: "After a year of living in Toronto, filming Home Heist, it became clear to us that it was time to tie the knot. Canada is such a progressive nation, so welcoming and open-mindedly liberal about gay marriage, that we felt thoroughly inspired."

One of the first Scottish couples to join in a civil partnership has been driven apart because of homophobic attacks: "Every time we went out young thugs would abuse us because of our sexuality and once we were set upon and attacked by three neds. It got worse after I moved to another house, in Irvine. For two months I was calling the police out about three times a night. Gangs of up to 15 youths were outside shouting abuse, throwing bricks and trying to break my door down."

Bravo's Step it Up and Dance has a contestant with a gay porn past (warning: NSFW)

First seniors home for gays and lesbians in Canada is proposed in Vancouver: "So far, the project is nothing more than a proposal, but already more than 30 people have plunked down a $1,000 deposit since it was first advertised two weeks ago, according to the U.S. developer. The plan is for a condo development featuring living units, a communal dining room, a fitness centre, a lounge and cabaret."

13-year-old German schoolboy corrects NASA on path of errant asteroid: "Nico Marquardt used telescopic findings from the Institute of Astrophysics in Potsdam (AIP) to calculate that there was a 1 in 450 chance that the Apophis asteroid will collide with Earth, the Potsdamer Neuerster Nachrichten reported. NASA had previously estimated the chances at only 1 in 45,000 but told its sister organisation, the European Space Agency (ESA), that the young whizzkid had got it right." (UPDATE: Hoax!)

American Idol's Michael Johns prefers to be an alert drunk.

Last week I posted about gay rights activist John Corvino, who had his appearance canceled by Michigan's Aquinas College, because he's gay. Students found a new, larger venue for him to speak at, which was donated for free.

South Africans reach out to gays in Zimbabwe: "The South African Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (LGEP), formerly known as the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality (NCGLE), is concerned about the deepening political, economic and social crises in Zimbabwe. We express our full solidarity with the lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, women, workers and all the people of Zimbabwe. We add our voice in condemning the unjustified delay in the release of the 29 March elections. As Zimbabwean Independence Day approaches on 18 April 2008, Zimbabweans have nothing to celebrate in honour of their heroic liberation struggle and historic achievement of freedom and democracy."

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News: Elizabeth Taylor, Old Trees, Heatherette, 'Ex-Gay' Protests

Protest as hundreds gather in Mountain View, California to 'pray the gay away': " A traveling national conference billed as an event 'to provide help for those struggling - and those whose loved ones struggle - with unwanted same-sex attractions,' drew about 700 people to a Mountain View church on Saturday. The gathering at the evangelical Christian church, Abundant Life Christian Fellowship, also drew a small protest by members of the Bay Area's gay and lesbian community incensed by the conference topic, the longstanding controversy on whether gays can be 'converted' - or turned into so-called 'ex-gays' through a Christian 'step out' program."

Details beats up Ashton Kutcher.

Marilyn Monroe sex tape unearthed, sold for $1.5 million.

Hundreds protest marriage equality in Norway: "The protesters included immigrants and native Norwegians, and they came from the villages and the cities. All were firmly against marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples."

Royal blackmailers Ian Strachan and Sean McGuigan head to court to face charges.

Search on for Hollywood actor to play first man on the Moon, Neil Armstrong.

Gay fashion duo Heatherette out of business. "The demise of Heatherette has been months in the making. The label actually canceled their fashion week show in February, though founder Traver Rains claimed at the time that he and partner Richie Rich were simply reorganizing the company and would be back in time for next fashion week. The reorganization was supposed to involve finding a new financial backer after Rich and Rains burned through the $6 million given to them by the Weisfeld Group, owner of urban streetwear outfit FUBU; a source tells Radar that the duo's efforts were unsuccessful, and that Rains and Travers have now amicably parted ways."

Have scientists found the oldest living trees?

With opening of Chaps II, leather scene returning to San Francisco's SoMA district: "On Friday, David Morgan threw open the doors to Chaps II, the most recent indication that leather is making a comeback in SoMa. 'There's a resurgence happening,' said Morgan, 39. 'A lot of people have been saying the leather scene was dead, but there just wasn't a place for people to meet up. ... Gearing up in leather and going to a bar where you're the only one dressed is kind of like a woman going to a bar in a ball gown while everyone else is in T-shirts.' Chaps II, at 1225 Folsom St., is named for Chaps, a bar that operated from 1983-85 on 11th Street, where the DNA Lounge is now located. Appropriately enough, Chaps II hosted a meet-and-greet to open the 30th anniversary Mr. San Francisco Leather contest, which concluded Sunday. Next year, one of the contest's events might take place at another leather bar, Hole in the Wall, which Morgan says plans to reopen soon."

Suicidal Tendencies or homosexual ones?

Orlando Bloom loves New York.

Elizabeth Taylor recently O.D.ed on prescription drugs and booze.

Lesbian couple told to "act straight" in UK pub: “We were told to make our sexuality less obvious. The landlord said there were complaints that the pub had too many dykes.”

POLL: Parents find men kissing more offensive than severed heads in video games.

Gay man arrested for using gay slur towards a police officer: "A gay man has been accused of homophobic breach of the peace - for allegedly calling an ex-police officer a p**f. Marc Sneddon, 38, clashed with former detective Stephen Whelehan while walking their dogs. He was charged and his partner Graham Spence - a police IT worker - was later arrested over claims he also shouted homophobic abuse on another occasion. The couple deny the claims and say neighbour Whelehan and his parents, James and Bridget, launched a vendetta of malicious complaints about them. Graham, 40, said: 'His dog attacked ours. Marc asked him to put it on a lead and got a torrent of abuse. Whelehan started calling him a 'wee f*****g p*****r'. Marc was provoked and asked whether he had a problem with his sexuality and did his wife know he was in the closet. Marc reported it to police but we were stunned when HE was charged."

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News: Courtney Love, Provincetown, Mario Lopez, Woodpecker

Archbishop Desmond Tutu honored by International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission in San Francisco. Tutu: "How sad, how tragic, that the Church be so concerned with this issue when God’s children all the world over are suffering. I ask for your forgiveness for the way the Church has ostracized you."

Sotheby's photography auction off to strong start.

Is Courtney Love rehearsing for a Valley of the Dolls remake?

The artist known as Prince has joined the line-up for this year's Coachella Music Festival.

More on the gay Yale impostor!

Anti-gay Christian group in Maine launches referendum aimed at banning same-sex marriage and gay adoption: "The referendum also would eliminate sexual orientation as a protected class under the Maine Human Rights Act and would take away funding that supports civil rights teams affiliated with the state Attorney General’s Office. Michael Heath, executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine, said that if the Secretary of State’s Office approves his petition, he’ll begin recruiting organizers to gather signatures. Putting a referendum on the state ballot requires about 55,000 signatures, or 10 percent of the turnout for the last gubernatorial electi