Sportrait: Paul Bester

Meet Paul "Pretty Boy" Bester, a 19-year-old rugby player from South Africa now living in Georgia. He was discovered by Bruce Weber while playing rugby. Weber shoots him for this spread in August's L'Uomo Vogue.

More shots, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via Models.com)

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News: Dolly Parton, Murakami, Polar Bears, Purse, Phillip Bloch

Recently out Degrassi star Adamo Ruggiero to host Canadian talent show The Next Star.

Takashi Murakami sculpture of anime dude ejaculating goes for $15 million at auction: "The winning bid was submitted to Sotheby's by telephone, probably because no one likes to buy this sort of thing in person, even if it's at a classy art auction."

Don't mess with Dolly! Howard Stern alters Parton's audiobook to make her say some disgusting things.

Bee Gees musical to disco up London's West End: "The Bee Gees are still staying alive and, post-Saturday Night Fever, readying another stage attack with a compilation musical based on their greatest hits. Brother Robin Gibb confirmed the status of the project this weekend while unveiling a green plaque at the former London home of the band’s manager and producer Robert Stigwood, where they wrote songs including 'Chain Reaction' and 'Heartbreaker'."

It's a slow news day at the BBC.

Wonder Twin messes activate!

Polar Bears declared a threatened species: "Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne cited dramatic declines in sea ice over the last three decades and projections of continued losses, meaning, he said, that the polar bear is a species likely to be in danger of extinction in the near future. But Kempthorne said it would be 'wholly inappropriate' to use the protection of the bear to reduce greenhouse gases, or to broadly address climate change."

Robert Downey Jr. showcases the season's hottest accessory.

Stylist Phillip Bloch forcibly removed from Madison Square Garden over mistaken marijuana incident: "Bloch, who had earlier lit a cigarette but quickly stubbed it out unnoticed, had been talking to a group of pot-smoking teenagers in the row behind him who were passing a pipe among themselves. 'The whole stadium smelled like pot, and the kids behind us were smoking. I'm sitting there having fun, laughing,' said Bloch. 'Then I get an order to go with this man. They say, 'You're leaving, give us your ticket.' I held it up, they took it. At that point they grabbed me by my arms to take me out, so I threw my hands up and said, 'You've got to keep off me. I'm no threat.'' Page Six witnessed three security guards then spin Bloch around and pin him against the corridor wall."

Chris Carmack's new movie should ensure plenty of shots like this.

Gay kiss heats up South African soap opera: "The protagonists were Stone (played by Zenzo Ngqobe) and Thula (Wright Ngubeni). Thula’s unemployed mother is bedridden by HIV/Aids, and to make ends meet he is selling his body to a married man. Not even his best childhood pal, Charlotte (Stone’s girlfriend) played by Nosipho Nkelemba, knows about the big secret. When Stone confronts Thula about the prostitution, there is an exchange of words and Stone suddenly kisses his friend, Thula. Both are left staring at each other in shock. The kiss did not last longer than five seconds, but is as big a talking point as After Nine – a locally produced short film on black gay men, screened on SABC1 last year."

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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: 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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South African Gay Activist Zackie Achmat Marries Partner

South African HIV/AIDS activist and founder of that country's Treatment Action Campaign Zackie Achmat married his partner Dalli Weyers over the weekend in front of 300 guests at the Imperial Yacht Club near Cape Town.

The Sunday Times reports:

"Judge Edwin Cameron, complete with glitter eye make-up, officiated. He had applied to become a magistrate in the Wynberg district for the day so he could conduct the ceremony. Guests at the cheerful and relaxed occasion included Cape Town mayor Helen Zille, cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro, axed deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, Judge Dennis Davis and former South African high commissioner Cheryl Carolus. The wedding invitations bore the slogan 'safe sex, antiretroviral drugs and rock ’n’ roll' — a play on the sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll mantra of the ’60s and ’70s."

Achmat has worked to make TAC respected throughout South Africa by focusing on health care programs in the public sector. He also founded the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality, won the inaugural Desmond Tutu Leadership Award, the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights in 2003, and the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights in 2003. A U.S. Quaker humanitarian group nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

Weyers told South Africa's Sunday Times: "The nervousness fortunately only relates to getting everything done. But nervous for the actual ceremony? No. It is just a natural step and I don’t think Zackie or I will have extra expectations of each other after the ceremony. We are very in love and that is obviously going to go on, so we don’t see the ceremony as necessarily changing anything. We are very excited because the day essentially will be about family and friends and sharing it with them."

Added Achmat: "What attracted me to Dallie was his degree of maturity, a sense of seriousness and also that he is a very decent human being — apart from the fact that he is a very handsome man with the most beautiful eyes you’ve ever seen. So clear and strong. Our relationship is one of deep companionship and a love for life and shared but not identical interests. [My life] is very difficult and busy and also one of the difficulties in making the decision was obviously that he doesn’t have HIV and I do and I always worry about that. Then there is the age difference, which is enormous. I am 45."

According to the paper, "The honeymoon will be spent at a friend’s lodge in Lesotho and visiting Weyers’s mother Delina at her Free State home."

Best wishes to them!

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News: Barack Obama, iPhone, Vermont, Minke Whale, Charmin

Poll shows Barack Obama pulling ahead of Clinton in Iowa: "Most Democratic likely voters in Iowa, 55 percent, say they're more interested in a 'new direction and new ideas' than in strength and experience, compared with 49 percent in July -- a help to Obama, who holds a substantial lead among 'new direction' voters." And Obama struggles with spin...

Smartypants with iPhone tries to use method in latest Apple commercial to ask why plane hasn't taken off yet and gets read by pilot: "If the passenger with the iPhone would be kind enough to use it to check the weather at our alternate, calculate our fuel burn due to being rerouted around the storms, call the dispatcher to arrange our release, and then make a phone call to the nearest Air Traffic Control center to arrange our timely departure amongst the other aircraft carrying passengers with IPhones, then we will be more than happy to depart. Please ring your call button to advise the Flight Attendant and your fellow passengers when you deem it ready and responsible for this multi-million dollar aircraft and its passengers to safely leave."

Guardian gone: Now, everybody will be squeezing the Charmin.

Latvian government minister and newspaper owner praise international anti-gay group Watchmen on the Walls pledge fight against homosexuality at "human rights' conference, slam Arnold Schwarzenegger for "teaching homosexuality" to children.

18-foot-long Minke whale discovered swimming lost, 1,000 miles up the Amazon river: "Environmentalists are now considering the best way to transport the mammal from the Tapajos River, where it was last seen, back out to the Atlantic Ocean. 'It is in good condition,' veterinarian Milton Marcondes from the Brazilian Humpback Whale Institute told the Associated Press. 'We couldn't do a blood exam, so we don't know how it is doing internally, but we gave it antibiotics as a precaution.' He added that it would be easy for the whale to become ill as a result of the stress of being so far from its natural habitat."

South African guesthouse owner turns away gay guests: "We are certainly not gay-friendly, this is a Christian household. We have never had a gay couple staying in the house and we prefer to keep it that way. We hereby cancel this order and exercise our right of admission."

Popstar Azis continues to stir the pot in Bulgaria with racy magazine cover: ""I am ready to do anything for a high rating for my show! As you can see from the pictures, I sold my body, or as we say it, got a tuning." (NSFW)

British police officer among men nabbed in restroom sex sting: "The officer, who has not been named, was fined 13 days' pay following an investigation into 'cottaging' at toilets on Harrison Drive, Wallasey. Six people have been charged under the Sexual Offences Act - two have pleaded guilty, four are awaiting trial. Another 32 people, including the officer, were issued with cautions over the incidents."

Tom Cruise angered by publication of fatsuit photos.

Milo Ventimiglia thinks it's time to get mysterious for Nixon Watches.

Gay and lesbian Ohioans "eager" for Governor Ted Strickland to test limits of laws surrounding state's same-sex marriage ban.

A visit to the virtual queer red light district (nsfw).

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS hit hard by stagehand strike.

Same-sex marriage supporters get vocal in Vermont: "More than 20 people testified before the Vermont Commission on Family Recognition and Protection at its public hearing at Lyndon State College, and throughout the 90-minute session, only two people stood up to speak against same-sex marriage. This was the second forum held by the 11-member commission and the second time that a strongly supportive audience turned out. Major anti-gay groups in the state are boycotting the hearings. Joseph Gainza of Marshfield floated one theory on why gay marriage has not become a divisive topic during the hearings: Most straight Vermonters, including him, noticed that the sky did not fall down after the Vermont Legislature legalized civil unions for same-sex couples seven years ago. 'The change came and you realized that nothing in your life has changed,' said Gainza. 'The only difference is that your neighbors have some rights they didn't have. And none of your own rights were taken away in the process.'"

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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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News: Synthetic Life, Andrew Sullivan, Frozen Smoke, Jocks

Blogger Lane Hudson files FEC complaint against Fred Thompson: "It is my contention that he has violated the 'testing the waters' exemption of election law. He has been presenting himself as a candidate for President, he has been raising large sums of money beyond what would be required to explore a possible candidacy, and he has signed a long term lease on a headquarters for his campaign. He has even spent advertising dollars, which are specifically prohibited by the law."

Scientists on verge of creating form of synthetic life: "It's going to be a big deal and everybody's going to know about it. We're talking about a technology that could change our world in pretty fundamental ways _ in fact, in ways that are impossible to predict."

"Frozen smoke" is world-changing material, according to scientists: "It is expected to rank alongside wonder products from previous generations such as Bakelite in the 1930s, carbon fibre in the 1980s and silicone in the 1990s. Mercouri Kanatzidis, a chemistry professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, said: 'It is an amazing material. It has the lowest density of any product known to man, yet at the same time it can do so much. I can see aerogel being used for everything from filtering polluted water to insulating against extreme temperatures and even for jewellery.'"

A briefing on the Democratic debate held over the weekend in Des Moines, Iowa.

The L.A. Daily News looks at gay sites and straight athletes: "When it comes to visuals in sports, gay men and straight men are very similar except for the genders that we look at.Men are more visual. So we are just doing what mainstream sites do but we are catering to our audiences. If you look at Sports Illustrated or ESPN magazines, they all have some kind of photo gallery of hot babes in sports, or cheerleaders of the week. In a sense, that is geared toward what their audience mostly is: heterosexual."

An update on Britney's hair growth.

Responding to Victor Juliet Mukasa's press conference last week pleading for human rights in Uganda, the government has said there's no chance for equal rights or the legalization of homosexuality.

In space, no one can hear you eat your vegetables.

Blogger Andrew Sullivan experiencing "jitters" over imminent marriage.

Oklahoma chooses not to appeal ruling striking down a state law refusing Oklahoma birth certificates to children adopted by out-of-state same-sex couples. Lambda Legal: "This is a monumental decision, not just for the couples involved in the case, but for lesbian and gay parents and their children nationwide. It means that when same-sex couples have an adoption decree recognizing both of them as parents, the adoption, and their status as their child's parents, must be honored no matter where they go."

Federal government to pay $80,000 to couple arrested for wearing anti-Bush T-shirts.

From the big house to the Big Brother house: Paris Hilton to join UK version of Celebrity Big Brother?

WaPo looks at Giuliani's retreat on gay issues. GOP Pollster: "Outside New York, the rest of America has this image of Giuliani as a tough, no-nonsense guy who cleaned up Times Square, closed sex clubs. And that Giuliani doesn't sound like the Giuliani who's pro-choice, pro-gay rights, et cetera. Until Republican primary voters are given information that counters the image they have of Giuliani, many of them will assume that he is who he says he is."

South African hospital to gay pregnant woman: "We don't help people like you."

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Daniel Craig Elicits Some Hot Flashbacks

Daniel Craig has the 'I'm wet and climbing out of the ocean' scene down pat.

In South Africa shooting a scene from Flashbacks of a Fool, a new film where he plays a fading Hollywood actor, Craig made excellent work of a white button-down shirt, giving us a few flashbacks of our own.

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News: Tony Dungy, Clinton Requiem, Nip/Tuck, SA Divorce

As a sixth paper drops Ann Coulter's column, the AP wonders if she's reached a tipping point.

Madonna to guest star on Nip/Tuck, possibly opposite Rosie O'Donnell.

One of the first gay couples to register for a civil union in South Africa, Richard Thornton and Andries Jacobs, have filed for divorce: "Barely a month after a chance encounter in a West Rand shopping mall, they exchanged rings and vows of fidelity on January 5, one of the first same-sex couples to be married in South Africa under the then newly enacted Civil Unions Act. Ironically, they could become the first divorced under the legislation. Just two months later, the marriage has crumbled and 52- year-old Thornton has filed for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences and desertion. Jacobs, 20, packed his bags in the dead of night just weeks into the marriage as arguments over coming home late and overpossessiveness escalated."

Hilary Duff hits the gay bar circuit.

Beckham impostors attempt to crash Hollywood power lunch spot The Ivy. This time they weren't hawking fragrance.

Priest in Saskatchewan cut from church for performing gay marriages. Rev. Shawn Sanford Beck considers his position an act of civil disobedience: "I felt unable to say no to those requests. That goes against everything else I'm about in my ministry and everything else that the church stands for...I have no desire to get myself off the hook. I'm trying to send a very strong message to the gay and lesbian community, and to other communities that have been alienated from the church, that we don't all think the same and there are people willing to go to the wall."

House conservatives attempt to neuter global warming committee by appointing chief climate skeptic.

Ford Motor Co. said that American Family Association had nothing to do with their decision to cut ties with GLAAD Media Awards.

Roxy R.I.P. - a New York Times obituary.

David Mixner's requiem for the Clinton era: "Today, the Clintons run the political machine trying to save the status quo in the Democratic Party. Their fundraising operation is notorious for its ruthlessness and elitism. Their circle of advisors and friends are tough and aggressive with anyone who refuses to pledge allegiance. They are surrounded by money collectors like Terry McAuliffe who shakedown donors with warnings that they will be punished if they give to another candidate. Senator Clinton’s position on the Iraq War is by far the most calculated of any candidate. And on so many other issues, her positions are measured and break no new ground. Each appearance is predictable and perfectly arranged. Whether by necessity or choice, the spontaneity, exuberance and hope we saw in both of the Clintons in 1992 is gone."

Sick mugger attacks 101-year-old woman in Queens.

Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy back under the microscope for anti-gay Indiana Family Institute fundraiser. Colts release statement: "Coach Dungy's feelings on the importance of marriage and family are well known. He, of course, is free to speak to any group he wishes. The club does not take positions in political issues in which it is not directly involved. The Colts do not endorse any political or religious position taken by any group that any Colts employee decides to speak or lend his or her name to."

Utah Governor Jon Huntsman signs bill targeting gay-straight alliances. The legislation would allow school districts to ban them should they not "maintain the boundaries of socially appropriate behavior." According to the AP, "The new law has more than a dozen pages of regulations, including requiring parental permission to join a club, a faculty sponsor for the club, prohibiting students at another school from joining the club and submitting written materials to the principal within 24 hours after a meeting so parents can review them."

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News: Guy Ritchie, Lambda Lit Awards, Michael Savage, Condoms

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to skip New York's St. Patrick's Day parade again and march in a parade in Dublin because the New York organizers still refuse to allow gays and lesbians to march. Quinn: "My participation in Dublin's parade is also an opportunity to march openly as a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community, something we have not been able to do in New York City," Quinn said in a statement Saturday. "I hope my participation in the Dublin march will send a message about the importance of inclusion."

Guy Ritchie: arrest me officer.

Radio host Michael Savage responds to the recent outcry following his hate-filled rant against Melissa Etheridge and her partner: "Those of you who think I'm your enemy -- if you think I'm a bigger enemy to you...then you're proving to me that liberalism is a mental disorder...You're mentally ill, and you need help. You need more help than you can imagine. But you'll be the last person to understand how sick you are."

Gay newspaper Capital Xtra in Ottawa, Canada claims city is illegally removing it from certain public facilities.

Iowa State University student groups to protest federal ban on gay blood-giving: "Up to 500 blood donations are expected to be lost as a result of the decision by Greek Week officials, said organizers of the Ames blood drive, the largest student-run blood drive in Iowa. The loss of that much blood comes at a time when Iowa blood banks are already seeing supplies run short because of recent storm-related cancellations of blood drives."

The Lambda Literary Award finalists have been announced. Congrats to all the nominees.

Not the happiest place on Earth: Disney bars same-sex union ceremonies from its parks. "On the Feb. 20th episode of The View, well-known wedding planner David Tutera appeared on the talk show to promote his David Tutera Couture Wedding Collection at Walt Disney World Resorts in Orlando, Fla. The collection allows the happy couple to choose between four elaborate wedding styles: classic elegance, simply chic, cocktail soiree and whimsical garden. But are those weddings available if there are two brides or two grooms? Short answer: no."

Mario Lopez takes his glistening pecs for a jog.

Bush approval rating: 29%.

Condom applicator named most beautiful object in South Africa: "The applicator, invented by Willem van Rensburg and designed by industrial designer Roelf Mulder of South Africa’s XYZ Design, allows a condom to be put on easily and rapidly. The user holds the device with the thumb and forefinger of both hands, pulling the condom down over the penis in a single rapid movement. It is hoped the design will encourage the use of condoms, thereby helping reduce the spread of AIDS."

George Michael to christen new Wembley stadium with June 9 concert.

Gay Dallas police officer under investigation over sexual harassment claims. Some say the claims are an effort to run him out of office.

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News: Doomsday, Robbie Williams, Spain, Ugly Betty, Footballers

Following last year's Stephen Colbert appearance which reverberated across the blogophere at light speed, the White House wants a Bush-friendlier dinner this year. Good luck.

Robbie Williams: gonna dress you up in his love.

Brangelina's next mission: save New Orleans.

Kathy Griffin and Tim Gunn will guest star in coming weeks on Ugly Betty. Executive Producer Silvio Horta: "A lot of us watch[Project Runway], we talk about it a lot in the [writers] room. We always thought when [our] Fashion Week [episode] comes along we’d love to have him, whether as a fashion TV reporter or just have him there as part of the mix."

Closeted gay footballers speak out from behind the closet door: "But what am I to do? Coming out would mean death."

Sarah Jessica Parker: the neighborhood nemesis.

The 2007 Brit Award nominations are out. Best British album nominees: Amy Winehouse, Snow Patrol, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, and Lily Allen.

For first time, Doomsday Clock moves closer to midnight over threats from global warming.

Chris Rovzar makes an illuminating trip to Spain to see what's behind the legalization of gay marriage there: "I met with [Pedro Zerolo, the secretary of Social Movements and Relations With NGOs, a ministry post] in his expansive office in the party headquarters in Madrid, and we chatted for well over an hour. He was full of political platitudes about 'worlds of the rainbow' and how 'we won a victory for humanity.' Whenever I had conversations like these, I couldn’t help but think that in the end it wasn’t the activists that made the law possible in Spain—it was the straight people who listened, who allowed themselves to be educated, and who ignored religious and social prejudices. With a large voting majority, passing the law was easy."

South African nuts charge AIDS worker Zackie Achmat with genocide. They also claim vitamins will cure the disease.

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Brad Pitt to Marry Angelina...Where Everyone Can Marry

After reading the latest rumblings that Brad Pitt is to marry Angelina Jolie in a fairytale Christmas wedding in South Africa, I thought back to Pitt's statement to Esquire magazine in September.

In an article titled "Fifteen Things I Think Everyone Should Know," Pitt told the magazine: "Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able."

Of course everyone assumed that "the country" meant Pitt's own—America—which would mean Brangelina might be waiting a very long time to tie the knot.

However, as South Africa has recently legalized same-sex unions, Brangelina wouldn't have to worry about breaking that fairly major promise if they marry there.

Pretty sneaky, Pitt.

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South Africa's First Gay Wedding Photos

Vernon Gibbs and Tony Halls today tied the knot in South Africa's first gay wedding since same-sex unions took effect on Thursday. They adopted the joint surname Halls-Gibbs.

The couple wore ranger outfits to the ceremony because they "run a guest lodge and animal rehabilitation centre, which was attacked last year after it was marketed to gay tourists" according to the BBC.

Vernon Halls-Gibbs noted the fact that the ceremony took place on World AIDS Day: "This marriage... is for all HIV/AIDS sufferers and gay people who have experienced discrimination."

He added, "I just have one message I would like to give to everybody that we are just two men who love each other and who have loved each other for a long time."

Our best wishes to the happy couple.

Per a reader request, here's a link to their guest lodge website.

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South Africa Legalizes Gay Marriage

Becoming the first country on the African continent and the fifth in the world to do so, South Africa's parliament today voted to legalize same-sex marriage.

The "Civil Union Bill" passed by a vote of 230 to 41 with three abstentions.

According to the AP, "The bill provides for the 'voluntary union of two persons, which is solemnized and registered by either a marriage or civil union.' It does not specify whether they are heterosexual or homosexual partnerships. But it also says marriage officers need not perform a ceremony between same-sex couples if doing so would conflict with his or her 'conscience, religion and belief.'"

Supporters are happy that "marriage" is included in the language of the bill but some worry that the latter could leave couples searching for someone to marry them. Nevertheless, the bill was hailed as a victory by gay groups.

South Africa joins Canada, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Spain as countries where same-sex marriage is legal nationwide.

Melanie Judge of the gay rights advocacy group OUT, hailed the decision in an interview with the New York Times: "This has been a litmus test of our constitutional values. What does equality really mean? What does it look like? Equality does not exist on a sliding scale."

South Africa was the first country in the world to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in its constitution, adopted when apartheid ended in 1994.

South African Parliament Approves Gay Marriages [tr]

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News: Seann William Scott, Gaysbians, Pavilion, South Africa

South African parliamentary committee clears way for passage of same-sex marriage legislation: "The civil unions bill will go to a full session of parliament Tuesday. Despite the unease in the ANC ranks, it is expected to pass as lawmakers have been ordered to follow the party line and told there is little room for maneuver...South Africa recognized gay rights in the constitution adopted after apartheid ended in 1994 - the first in the world to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. But the government long opposed attempts to extend the definition of marriage in court to include same-sex couples in the mostly Christian country."

I vote 'yes' for Seann William Scott as porn-stached Gary the Tennis Coach.

Virginia Senator George Allen in hiding: "A senior Allen staffer tells CNN that the senator is 'sequestered in his home, ‘shell shocked,’ and going through ‘a nightmare,’ during this period of limbo.'"

Voting for the Gay Bloggies ends today!

Fire Island Pines Pavilion begins to rise again...

Is Darwin, Australia becoming a new gay Mecca down under? "While the streets are not exactly lined with rainbow flags or feather boas, the legendary Northern Territory friendliness now seems to extend to the complete range of human beings, regardless of sexual orientation. With all the Paul Hogan wannabes running around in Outback drag, gaysbians are hardly remarkable on the streetscape. It's hard not to arouse a johnson for the easy styles of living in Australia's north."
Um, gaysbians?

Beyonce and Eva Longoria to play lesbian lovers in Sofia coppola-directed film adaptation of Tipping the Velvet: "Longoria says, 'Yes it's true, we're talking about doing that. It's such a wonderful novel, a beautiful love story.' Knowles adds, 'We've had Brokeback Mountain so the time is right for this divine novel to get the same treatment.'"

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News: Pink Elephant, JC Chasez, Clinton Tears

Gay German couple attacked in Croatia: "The two German men, ages 20 and 39, were beaten late on Wednesday while walking on a street in Split, a police spokeswoman told AFP. The 39-year-old suffered serious injuries and needed medical treatment for a broken nose, she said. According to local media, the two were holding hands when they were attacked. It was the fourth attack against gay and lesbian tourists in the Split area since July."

Banksy's painted elephant, as suspected, has angered animal welfare activists: "Here we have an endangered species. And we're taking it and moving it into a warehouse and painting it. It's a mockery. There's no reason. This isn't a religious ceremony in India." The elephant's trainer disagrees: "Tai has done many, many movies. She's used to makeup."

Google and Apple in "video talks" over content deal for new iTV streaming device. Apple iPhone on track for early 2007.

Letter to government from Indian luminaries: repeal 145-year-old law criminalizing gay sex. Letter: “In independent India, as earlier, this archaic and brutal law has served no good purpose. It has been used to systematically persecute, blackmail, arrest and terrorize sexual minorities. It has spawned public intolerance and abuse, forcing tens of millions of gay and bisexual men and women to live in fear and secrecy, at tragic cost to themselves and their families.”

Janet Jackson stages comeback as neo-Barbarella.

Gay Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit wins re-election handily.

Here's what we'll ask: Do the unambiguously gay duo have more love for each other or for the cameras?

That other former N-Syncer JC Chasez looking dapper at last week's Heatherette show.

Bill Clinton escorts casket at Ann Richards funeral, cries, pays tribute: "First she was big. Big hair, big bright eyes, big blinding smile. She also had a big heart, big dreams. Big, big dreams."

In South Africa, a massive Christian protest against upcoming parliament vote on gay marriage: "The protests, spearheaded by the conservative African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), came days before a parliamentary committee holds hearings on a bill that would accord same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual ones."

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News: Hillary Rips Rumsfeld, Gayken, Freak Nature...

After Hillary Clinton rips Donald Rumsfeld over the state of affairs in Iraq, Rummy says he has "never painted a rosy picture" and says "you would have a dickens of a time trying to find instances where I have been overly optimistic." Unfortunately, that's not so true. Later, she called for his resignation.

Freak nature: Snow falls in Johannesburg, South Africa for the first time in 25 years.

Strange bedfellows. Royalties from the cheesy 1985 dance anthem "So Macho" are funding Christian fundamentalist agenda: "Apparently, the song generates about £10,000 a month, through radio play and compilations. No, that’s not a typo- £10,000 a month. Hargreaves is now ploughing the proceeds from his ‘80s hit into his radical party, Operation Christian Voice and hopes to becomes a Scottish MEP. The ex-songwriter and promoter admits to a colourful life in the music industry but has since seen the ‘error’ of his ways; 'I was a hedonistic sinner. I was Jack the lad. But there came a point when I looked at myself. I was calling myself a Christian but not living the Christian life. I read a Bible from cover to cover and I changed my life.'"

Heat blasts New York City. Cool Hunting offers up seven frozen treats to beat the heat.

Clay Aiken to hit the airwaves with an album of love songs...

Even though he has resigned from Congress and withdrew himself from consideration for re-election, a court agreed today for the second time that the corrupt House majority leader must appear on the ballot.

Now you know. The 25-sexiest guys in Brazil...

Owners of a Manchester, England gay bar are offering a $10,000 reward for information on gay bashers who fatally wounded Texas resident Martin Salinas, who died last week after over three years of suffering. Bar owner: "artin was on his way to have a night out at Essential and I feel its only right that I do everything I can to find the people responsible for this savage attack."

Senator Ted Stevens, of the Internet is a series of Tubes speech, is trying to force a vote on Net Neutrality before the Senate session ends, but it looks unlikely to happen as certain Senators in upcoming elections are resisting going on the record about a controversial measure before the elections.

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A number of cars with rainbow flag stickers in Des Moines, Iowa have been targeted by vandals who scratched images of penises into the paint and attached photos of naked men to them with shaving cream. All the cars were owned by women. Police are treating the vandalism as a hate crime.