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Archive for the ‘Atlanta’ Category

Chronicle: Gays celebrate acceptance in Annise Parker's victory.

Kellan Lutz to remake Marky Mark Calvin Klein campaign?

Brian Wehrle, a gay man from Atlanta, has been missing since September. His car has been found in Chattanooga. "Wehrle, a 40-year-old land surveyor in Atlanta and owner of a farm two hours north, disappeared from his parents house in Carrollton Sept. 23 as floodwaters rose across North Georgia. He left behind money, his cell phone, medication and an overnight bag 'as if he was going to be right back,' Jeff Rolsten, Wehrle’s partner of 13 years, tells the Chattanooga Times-Free Press."

Poor Megan Mullally.

Florida neo-Nazi to be re-tried. "The 23-year-old is accused of stabbing two people in 2006, killing one.
He was a member of the American Nazis then, living in a compound on
Teak Street surrounded by guarded fences and adorned with swastikas and
rebel flags. The neighbor next door, Patricia Wells, had a black friend
who sometimes visited and an openly gay son, which sparked the ire of
the white supremacists next door."

First look: How I Met Your Mother, the musical…

Porn star twin Taleon Goffney gets three years for NJ burglaries.

New York Film Critics Circle announces award nominations: The Hurt Locker gets Best Film, Best Director.

Gay lawyer convicted of marriage fraud for marrying his same-sex Peruvian partner to a woman, seeks pardon and reinstatement.

Sean Faris loses his shirt for Men's Health.

"Thug" faces life sentence for UK knife attack on gay couple: "The attack at their home left one dead and the other fighting for his life, the Old Bailey heard.

Frail Gerald Edwards, 59, was stabbed four times and died in the blood-covered flat in March.

Chris Bevan, 56, also suffered 'catastrophic injuries' but escaped death when he fled and alerted neighbours in Page Heath Villas, Bromley, south-east London.

He was stabbed and received open-heart massage at the scene after his heart stopped."

Female albatrosses incubating egg in New Zealand.

Courtney Love loses custody of daughter.

Bigots blow gasket as 50 show up for high school auditions for William Finn musical Falsettos, which features two gay couples, a straight couple, and a 12-year-old boy.

This year's offensive right-wing Christmas tune.

Canada's Pink Triangle Press has its YouTube account suspended for posting inappropriate videos: "The videos featured footage from the Church Street Fetish Fair and the Northbound Leather Fetish Party. Notices sent by YouTube reportedly cited 'nudity' and 'sexually
gratuitous' imagery. Xtra! Toronto said 'YouTube did not respond to
multiple requests for comment' on the matter."

King County health officials: HIV/AIDS, other STDs on increase in Seattle.

iPhone users urged to take down AT&T: "The mission (written as though dreamed up by Apple engineers) is dubbed Operation Chokehold, and it’s designed to encourage iPhone owners to use the most data-intensive apps for a full hour starting at 12 p.m. PST on Friday, December, 18, 2009. The ultimate goal being to bring down the network and 'send the message to AT&T that we are sick of their substandard network and sick of their abusive comments.'"

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This weekend was a big one for Santas in Speedos, with runs taking place in San Francisco (below), Boston (above – many more photos HERE), Albany, Atlanta and probably a few other places as well.

Watch videos, AFTER THE JUMP…

San Francisco:

Boston:

Albany:

Atlanta:

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Some history made in Georgia yesterday, via The Victory Fund. The first openly gay African American lesbian state lawmaker was elected in the state, and Atlanta voters elected the first gay Asian American to the city council:

"Simone Bell, a Victory Fund-endorsed candidate, won a runoff
election to represent Georgia State House District 58.  She becomes the
second openly LGBT member of the Georgia State House, joining Rep.
Karla Drenner.  Both are from the Atlanta area…For more than 20 years, Simone has worked as an activist and
advocate in Atlanta and across the south. She’s tackled a broad range
of issues including workplace equality, access to affordable health
care, fighting HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination, safe schools for all
children, youth empowerment and women’s issues. Meanwhile Atlanta voters elected the city’s first gay man, and first
Asian-American, to the city council.  Alex Wan, a Victory Fund-endorsed
candidate, will represent District 6 after winning his runoff election
tonight.  He currently works as the development director of Jerusalem
House, Atlanta’s oldest and largest provider of permanent, supportive
housing for homeless or low-income individuals and families living with
HIV/AIDS."

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The L.A. Times reports on the runoff election (taking place tomorrow) between former senator Kasim Reed and Councilwoman Mary Norwood. Both candidates have turned their attention to the 12.8% of Atlanta voters who are LGBT.

The LAT reports:

"…the wooing of LGBT voters here has become particularly intense since the Nov. 3 general election, when Councilwoman Mary Norwood and former state Sen. Kasim Reed earned spots in the mayoral runoff. 'I cannot recall a mayor's race when there's been so much attention placed on the gay and lesbian vote,'said Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, the state's largest gay rights group.' All of a sudden, overnight, it's like an unbelievable push [to prove] who's gayer,' added Glen Paul Freedman, chief of staff for City Council President Lisa Borders.

Eleven days after the November vote, Norwood — who would be the first white mayor of Atlanta since the 1970s — was outside the state Capitol for a rally protesting Proposition 8, California's anti-gay-marriage measure. She told the crowd she had sent a donation to the forces fighting Prop. 8, and called herself 'the only mayoral candidate who supports full marriage equality.'A rainbow flag icon is now featured prominently on Norwood's campaign website; it links to a page reminding viewers that "each person in a couple" can contribute $1,200 to a candidate in the runoff.

Her rival, Reed — a favorite of Atlanta's civil rights establishment who favors gay civil unions, not marriage — has touted his pro-gay-rights record in the Legislature, where he sponsored a hate crimes bill that extended protections to gays.

Reed, in a recent televised debate, attacked Norwood for missing a City Council vote on a measure to extend pension benefits to domestic partners of city employees."

Reed talks about his endorsement from the General Assembly's only openly gay member Karla Drenner, and Mary Norwood speaks at a marriage equality rally at the state capitol on the anniversary of Proposition 8 – AFTER THE JUMP…

Atlanta mayoral candidates appeal to gay vote [la times]

Mary Norwood:

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On behalf of 19 individuals forcibly searched and detained by Atlanta police on September 10 at the Atlanta Eagle gay bar, Lambda Legal is suing the City, the Chief of Police, and 48 officers, the group said in a press release:

"Dan Grossman, co–counsel in the case, has been working with victims of the raid since that night. "I’ve listened to dozens of stories from patrons who were mistreated by police at the Atlanta Eagle that night," said Grossman. 'The Atlanta Police Department is not above the law. They do not get to search and detain people who are not suspected of any crime.'

On September 10, the Atlanta Police Department dispatched about twenty to thirty officers to the Atlanta Eagle, including its 'Red Dog Unit' dressed in SWAT team gear, but inside the bar the APD found no public sex, no drugs, or illegal weapons. During the raid, patrons of the bar were forced to lie facedown on the floor while background checks were run on everyone. Eagle bar patrons heard antigay slurs; were forced to lay in spilled beer and broken glass; and one was forced to lie on the floor even though he had injured his back in the Iraq War. Not a single patron was charged with any crime."

Said Supervising Senior Staff Attorney Greg Nevins: "The illegal activity going on in the Atlanta Eagle that night was
committed by the APD. If it is APD procedure for elderly men and wounded veterans to be
thrown to the floor and harassed simply for being in a bar having a
drink after work, then the APD should change its procedures."

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NYT: Six tests for equality and fairness. "Three jurisdictions — New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia
— seem tantalizingly close to securing legislative approval for
measures ending the hurtful and unjustifiable exclusion of same-sex
couples from civil marriage. But in Maine, Washington State and
Kalamazoo, Mich., voters are being asked on Tuesday to strip away vital
rights and protections."

Adam Lambert and Ferras glam it up on Halloween in West Hollywood.

A-Rod's art collection? "He was so vain. He had not one, but two painted portraits of himself as a centaur. You know, the half man, half horse figure? It was ridiculous."

West Hollywood woos gay tourists.

LGBT liaison Dani Lee Harris wears uniform in Atlanta Pride parade: "Harris's decision comes after this week announcing she wouldn't wear
her uniform due to backlash from some in the LGBT community over having
the police represented in such a high-profile manner during the Atlanta
Pride parade after the controversial police raid of gay bar the Atlanta
Eagle.

This is the average color of the universe.

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) urges Hillary Clinton to condemn bill proposed in Uganda that would increase penalties for "aggravated homosexuality" up to and including the death penalty. Here are some of the details on the community discussions of that bill. France slams proposal.

Hugh Jackman turns down offer to host the Oscars for a second year.

Chicago Cubs become first major-league sports franchise with lesbian owner, Laura Ricketts: "On Oct. 30, the Ricketts family were announced as the new owners of the Cubs, buying the team, Wrigley Field and a share in Comcast SportsNet Chicago for $845 million from the Tribune Co, according to MLB.com. Pete, Todd, Tom and Laura make up the board of directors, with Tom as chairman, NBC.com added. "

Study: "Illegal" music file-sharers spend more money buying music.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 video game spot pulled after outrage over "FAGS" acronym.

Gay groups to protest Focus on the Family conference in Birmingham, Alabama. In related news, James Dobson is exiting the group in February.

Robert Pattinson does Vanity Fair.

Male model fix: Matt Loewen.

NYT's Deborah Solomon interviews Maine governor John Baldacci.

Dan Savage: A Halloween tale about why we're winning.

One million celebrate rainy Pride in Rio.

NYT on Referendum 71 in Washington and the attempt by Protect Marriage Washington to keep private the names of signers
of the petition to get it on the ballot: "The case, legal experts say,
could chart new territory well beyond Washington State. The United
States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which had ordered the
release of the signatures, said the case presented 'novel questions of
whether referendum petition signatures are protected speech under the
First Amendment.'”

World's largest cruise ship sets sail from Finland, heads for Florida.

Ethan Hawke praises Madonna for speaking out for Romania's Gypsies: "She transcended being a pop star. She drew
international attention and shone the spotlight on a level of racism
and the need for greater education."

White House visitor logs opened… BBC:
"The White House put some 480 visitor records online on Friday in
response to specific requests for information. The newly-released data
covers a period from 20 January to 31 July and includes about 100
meetings with Mr Obama. From December, all visitor records will be
posted, as part of President Obama's pledge on greater transparency."

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Website devoted to raid on Atlanta Eagle bar launches.

Health care: Pelosi publicly whipping on robust public option?

SPACE: A giant hole found in the Moon, the youngest and most distant galaxy cluster ever recorded, and a stunning map of exploration of our solar system.

News anchor finds himself in a remake of The Birds.

Boston gays to protest Obama this weekend.

PFOX urges libraries to carry books about the "ex-gay" movement.

Jack Mackenroth slams Oprah over HIV show.

Utah Catholic high school defends production of Rent: "Sister Catherine
Kamphaus, superintendent of schools in the Salt Lake City diocese, said
she read the script at the request of Bishop John Wester, and she
watched a dress rehearsal Tuesday. 'There is absolutely nothing that would be offensive,' Kamphaus
said Thursday. 'It wasn't condoning the gay and lesbian lifestyle.' Rather, she said, the play shows friends forming a loving and caring community while facing AIDS and other challenges."

Homophobic Daily Mail writer Jan Moir was thrilled to be in spotlight over Gately death.

San Diego gay man says attack in Hillcrest area was hate crime.

Producers shaft the hot dude on Melrose Place.

Time capsule: Chicago's Belmont Rocks.

Tom Cruise: American Psycho.

Report: International transgender community at higher risk in counterterrorism operations. "The report, by noted International Law Professor Martin Sheinin, concludes that because security personnel regularly seek out men 'dressed as women' as potential terrorists, soldiers often target all men in female clothing — including those who do so as part of their gender identity. This is particularly the case in Middle Eastern/Islamic nations — or against Middle Eastern/Islamic people.' Enhanced immigration controls that focus attention on male bombers who may be dressing as females to avoid scrutiny make transgender persons susceptible to increased harassment and suspicion,' the report says."

Coalition releases statement condemning anti-gay bill in Uganda.

UK's first gay tourism office opens in London's Soho district.

Obama administration sets aside 200,000 acres in Alaska for Polar Bears.

Model Paul Sculfor shoots gay scene in Madrid.

The Dot Gay Alliance has competition from a straight German man in Riga, Latvia:
"While both groups have left open the possibility of cooperating, they
haven’t yet joined forces. Both groups say they plan on starting the
application process with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers, or Icann, to create top-level domains, akin to .com, .edu,
.org and .net."

German high court backs pensions for gay married couples: "A failure to give gay partners the same benefits infringes the basic
right to equal treatment, the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe said. The decision nullified an earlier ruling from the Federal Court of
Justice (BGH) regarding a Hamburg man who has been a public servant
since 1991 with a supplementary pension. The public-sector pension
company VBL – the largest such company in the nation – refused to give
the man married status, despite the fact that he’d been living in a
registered civil union for eight years. This meant that his retirement
benefits would be €74 less each month, and his partner would receive no
surviving dependants’ pension in the event of his death."

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(image  jim burress pba online)

Between six and ten people attended a protest at the corner of 10th street and Piedmont in Atlanta yesterday to demonstrate lingering anger over the September 10th raid on the Atlanta Eagle gay bar. Most wore visible underwear, some only underwear.

PBA Online reports: "Dressed in a T-shirt and boxer
shorts on the corner of 10th & Piedmont, Laura Gentle says she's in
her underwear to remind passers-by of what happened on September 10th
at the Atlanta Eagle: 'The number one thing is they didn't find
any sexual activity and they didn't find any drugs. People still seem
to not know that they only arrested people on license and permit
charges that had to do with underwear, essentially.'"

The Southern Voice reports: "Eagle co-owner Robby Kelley, holding a sign that read,
“Where was the warrant?” said awareness of the raid need to continue. Kelley
was one of the eight arrested and faces a Nov. 3 arraignment date in Municipal
Court. The case is being prosecuted by the Solicitor’s office and a plea
agreement is attempting to be reached before Nov. 3. If one is not reached, the
employees will go to trial in January. 'We need to keep the focus on this so it doesn’t happen
again,' Kelley said, wearing an Atlanta Eagle t-shirt and blue swim trunks. Business has been hampered as well by the raid, he
acknowledged, because people are afraid to come into the bar thinking it might
be raided again by the APD. 'It’s kind of understandable, but they have to understand
they didn’t have the right to come in the first time and they are not going to
come in again,' he said. Kelley also said his charge of not having a license for
go-go dancers who were wearing attire to what he was wearing on the street was 'absurd.' … 'I think it’s stupid that you need an adult entertainment
license to have people dance on your bar in their underwear … it would be
different if I was having people naked on the bar,' he said."

Image below: Atlanta Journal Constitution.

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WaPo: 7,000 gay men have helped study AIDS in the past 25 years.

Facebook kills poll asking if Obama should be killed. Secret service investigates. UPDATE: Secret Service tracks down user who posted it.

Too Much! Salaries of The Hills cast per episode.

"Ex-gay" group calls hate crime laws "anti-ex-gay": "According to PFOX, hate crime laws protecting gays and lesbians themselves constitute hate crimes against ex-gays.
Because if you tell people that they can’t beat up people because
they’re gay, you discriminate against the people who beat up gay people
because they are gay! It is you who are committing the “anti-ex-gay hate crime,” because if people aren’t allowed to hate gay people, how will PFOX ever find any ex-gay people?"

Atlanta Eagle court hearing postponed a second time.

Malaysia bans Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno: "It's banned because the story is based on gay life … There are a lot
of sex scenes. It's contrary to our culture."

Isn't it a little early to hit the pumpkin patch, Hugh Jackman?

DJ AM death ruled accidental.

The Vatican defends its sexual abuse scandals by saying other churches are far worse, then claims their priests aren't pedophiles but homosexuals attracted to young men: "In a defiant and provocative statement, issued
following a meeting of the UN human rights council in Geneva, the Holy
See said the majority of Catholic clergy who committed such acts were
not paedophiles but homosexuals attracted to sex with adolescent males.…The
statement said that rather than paedophilia, it would 'be more correct'
to speak of ephebophilia, a homosexual attraction to adolescent males."

Maine's Catholics fast to save marriage.

Janet Jackson makes amfAR appearance in Milan.

NYT Consults blog on questioning teens: "In trying to understand sexual orientation, it can help a person to
think about who he or she has crushes on and fantasizes about being
with. A person doesn’t necessarily need to have a 'full' sexual
experience in order to understand his or her sexual orientation."

Australian court hears gay panic defense from two men in murder trial.

Gerard Butler pigs out, shows off his cock.

Mattel to offer Barbra Streisand doll.

Billboards in Wisconsin highlight LGBT neighbors: "The campaign is a first in Midwest history to be translated to Spanish,
and one of the firsts across the country. Digital billboards will be
featured on major commuter freeway paths, which include ads in Ozaukee,
Racine, Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties. The accompanying websites,
GayNeighbor.org and MiVecinoGay.org, answers basic questions in Spanish
and English about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender (LGBT)
community and issues they face."

The speech William Safire wrote for Richard Nixon if the astronauts were left stranded on the moon.

Rufus Wainwright: Cheese-eating Ken doll.

OMG interviews Karin Dreijer Andersson of Fever Ray and The Knife.

Graham Norton given warning about lesbian remark: "Norton, 46, and his programme team have now been warned about 'being
seen to endorse offensive sexual stereotypes' after a BBC investigation. This comes after a viewer complained about the remarks made about
an illustration of a jump suit invention, which showed a large woman
with short hair. The comic described the picture as showing a
'strange lesbian' and when asked what a lesbian looks like, he pointed
at the picture and said 'That!'."

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