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Archive for the ‘Australia’ Category

Federal Prop 8 trial to start January 11.

Aussie saltwater croc bait. Yes, those are dudes in the open trap.

The new Ivana Trump airline snuggie.

FOX Sports hosts titter, get uncomfortable looking at naked photo of Howie Long: "…it’s Frank’s screensaver, which scares me, Frank."

GLAAD dumps Queer Lounge in favor of panel discussions and networking events at Sundance.

Eminem drops anti-gay lyrics to avoid protest at first UK concert in five years: "The last time Eminem toured the country in 2001, gay rights group
OutRage! protested outside his shows, saying his lyrics were
homophobic. Event organisers were said to be worried that another such protest
would cause major disruption to Wireless, which attracts tens of
thousands of people."

Marc Jacobs and Lorenzo Martone's are St. Barts lovebirds.

Becks back to Italy.

Palin-Johnston custody lawsuit comes out in the open. Writes Dan Savage: "Before Republicans are allowed to impose their values on our families
their political leaders—Sarah Palin, Mark Sanford, John Ensign, et
al—should be required to successfully impose their own damn values on
their own damn families for for five fucking minutes."

The underwear bomb.

Yemen vows to not be the new Al-Qaeda battleground.

Peter Tatchell on bitter Quentin Crisp: "He resented the fact that he was no longer unique – no longer the only
visible queer in town. Hence his loathing of the gay liberation
movement of the 1960s and 1970s. It had encouraged and empowered the
mass coming out of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. They
stole his limelight. Put bluntly: Crisp disliked being overtaken and
over-shadowed by other gays."

Painting by a young master: "His pictures cost upwards of £900, there are 680 people on a waiting list to buy them, and his second exhibition sold out in 14 minutes."

Jesus spotted (literally) on a banana.

Suspected Twilight showmance comes apart.

Hot new werewolf casting for True Blood.

Anti-gay Northern Ireland lawmaker Iris Robinson retires from public life due to depression: "Over the years, I have undergone a long series of operations and though I have never talked about it publicly, I have, against this background, also battled against serious bouts of depression. The stress and strain of public life comes at a cost and my health has suffered. As many people will be aware, I have recently tried to return to the full-time work of representing my constituents, following my latest period of illness. Only those who have faced similar challenges in life will know the ordeal faced by those who are profoundly depressed and the distress caused to those around them as they grapple with personality-changing illness.”

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An exhibition of photographer William Yang's photos of Australian Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham has opened in Sydney at the maunsell wickes at barry stern galleries.

More shots, AFTER THE  JUMP…

SameSame interviews the photographer here.

Previous sportraits…
Sportrait: Grady Sizemore [tr]
Sportrait: Dwight Howard [tr]
Sportrait: Carl Edwards [tr]
Sportrait: Ben Cohen [tr]
Sportrait: Rafael Nadal [tr]

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Ellen DeGeneres speaks out against Uganda.

$9.6 million was spent in the battle for and against marriage equality in Maine.

Loving Mr. McDonald: "Patrick might be the only person in America who still keeps a crystal vial of smelling salts in his purse."

Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner says coming out for an actor can be "commercially devastating": “The viability of you as a character – no matter how good an actor you
are – can be jeopardized by this. We struggle with it – obviously, it’s
wrong. It shouldn’t be that way.”

Screen Actors Guild Award nominations announced.

Watch: Robert Downey Jr. in the new Iron Man 2 trailer.

Maryland feeling marriage equality pressure from Washington D.C.: "…the issue of gay marriage is now at Maryland's doorstep, and it
increases the urgency for Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler to rule
on whether the state is permitted to recognize same-sex marriages from
other states."

Hugh Jackman is heavily armed.

In a Daily Beast interview, Kevin Sessums asks Sarah Jessica Parker
if her decision to go the surrogacy route with Matthew Broderick was a
way for them to channel their inner affluent gay man. Says Parker:
"God, that’s so true… and so funny. No, no, no … Matthew and I were
looking at a variety of ways to expand our family. So it’s not that
simple, channeling our inner gayness. And I wouldn’t say that we are
done either. We will keep exploring different ways to have a family I
think."

Obama thanked Lieberman for promising to support bill without Medicare or public option.

Sens. Monserrate and Onorato protested in Queens for anti-gay marriage votes.

New hope for skin and lung cancer as genetic code is cracked: "Not only will the cancer maps pave the way for blood tests to spot
tumours far earlier, they will also yield new drug targets, says the
Wellcome Trust team."

Pee wee thinks he's Jason Mraz.

Mark Salling sings a Glee tribute.

Vintage Brando.

Homophobic New Mexico lawmaker William Sharer pre-files marriage amendment bill.

Facebook group demands apology from BBC over Uganda forum question asking if gays should be executed.

Greater sea level rise from global warming predicted: "A new paper published online Wednesday in the journal Nature suggests
that the world may face a long-term sea-level rise of 20 to 30 feet,
even under a modest global temperature rise…The findings are significant because the estimate is higher than
previous projections, which put the sea-level increase at between 13
and 20 feet at 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, or two degrees Celsius, which is
the temperature rise threshold that policymakers are hoping not to
cross if they can seal a climate deal in Copenhagen."

The 25th most influential gay and lesbian Australians.

Phillippine elections commission rejects appeal by gay party Ang Ladlad.

Gay activists stamp out Evil Incarnate in Chicago.

Homophobic murderer in UK has sentence cut: "On Thursday, the Appeal Court decided to reduce the period to 14
years after deciding the 21-year-old had been 'led-on' by 15-year-old
friend Alexander Kindred, who is now 16. Lady Paton and Lord Clarke decided the sentence should be cut by two
years despite the fact Meehan went to the park to inflict violence and
later boasted about it at a party."

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A conservationist in Australia claims he has proven that tiger sharks are really docile creatures and not man-hungry predators because he sat on a whale carcass and petted the sharks while they devoured it.

Said Leon Deschamps: "Tiger sharks are not aggressive and I thought the most effective way
to demonstrate that would be by throwing ourselves into the middle of a
feeding frenzy. They were so sedate in
their movements and were far from aggressive despite it being a time
when they are supposed to be at their most ferocious. I think they enjoyed the experience."

I think Deschamps is just one missing forearm away from a more cautionary theory.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP…

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Cities across Australia saw demonstrations on Saturday after a government panel rejected a proposed marriage equality bill. The rejection occurred the same week the Australian Capital Territory approved civil unions. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said he will overturn them.

The Courier Mail reports: "Australian Marriage Equality spokesman Alex Greenwich said strong attendances by more than 2000 people at rallies in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, ACT, Adelaide and Lismore today to launch a national year of action showed positive community support.' I think the bill's rejection has re-energised people's commitment to marriage equality,' he said.

He said same-sex marriage could become a key issue in the lead-up to the next federal election. 'The inquiry put on the official record thousands of personal stories about the way marriage discrimination hurts, harms and hinders same-sex couples, their families and the nation – stories we will continue to bring to the attention of politicians and the public,' Mr Greenwich said."

Watch video from the Melbourne demonstration, AFTER THE JUMP…

(image above by flickr user bsolah)

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Australia has held its first legally-binding civil union ceremony.

ABC News reports: "The Legislative Assembly passed a Greens bill earlier this month allowing gay couples to recognise their relationship with a legal ceremony.

Warren McGaw and Chris Rumble – who have been together for nearly 20 years – celebrated their civil partnership at the Old Parliament House rose gardens this afternoon.

They say they are excited to be the first couple to take advantage of the legislation. 'We thought we'd take this opportunity not only for gay couples Australia wide … but just for human rights,' Mr McGaw said."

The celebration will likely be short-lived, as Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has promised to overturn the legislation.

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Despite calls from his own party to approve marriage equality and not override same-sex civil union laws recently passed in the Australian Capital Territory, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will do just the opposite, The Australian reports:

"In the latest run-in between the commonwealth and the ACT's Labor government on the divisive issue, Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said Attorney-General Robert McClelland had indicated during a recent meeting that the Rudd government would quash the amended legislation.

"They are prepared to intervene to overturn the recent amendments to the civil union legislation in the ACT," Mr Stanhope said of his Monday meeting with Mr McClelland. "I indicated bluntly that this was unacceptable."

Earlier this month, the ACT government amended its civil partnership legislation to allow public ceremonies following a move by the Greens, who now form a minority government with Labor. The move set the ACT on yet another collision course with the commonwealth, which on three previous occasions has intervened to kill, or dilute, various civil union bills passed or mooted by the ACT Legislative Assembly."

Said a spokesman for the attorney general: "The government's position is that the most appropriate way to achieve
this is through the development of a nationally consistent framework
for relationship recognition."

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The Victorian Labor Party is pressuring Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to recognize marriage equality, the Sydney Morning Herald reports:

"Labor's state conference overwhelmingly passed a resolution at the weekend calling for gay and lesbian couples to be given the same rights as heterosexual couples, including the right to state-sanctioned marriage.

The resolution, which is supported by state ministers and which attracted cross-factional support, calls on the Federal Government to change the Marriage Act to allow for 'equal access to marriage, regardless of the gender of either partner'.

It also urges the Federal Government not to override new laws passed in the ACT that will allow same-sex couples to celebrate their civil union at a legally binding ceremony. 'Victorian Labor believes that people are entitled to respect, equality, dignity and the opportunity to participate in society free from hatred or harassment and receive the protection of the law regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,' the resolution says.

The conference vote puts the Victorian branch of the party at odds with both Mr Rudd and the Premier, John Brumby."

The Age reports: "The Rudd Government intervened last year to ensure ACT laws allowed
only for civil union ceremonies with no legal status, and Mr Brumby has
said his Government does not support gay marriage."

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Over the weekend, Sydney's Bondi Beach was the scene of a (Kylie Minogue-approved) flash mob, led by legendary local drag queen Joyce Maynge.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP…

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Following judge's ruling, paperwork issued for Argentina's first same-sex marriage.

Kardashian sisters don duct tape for NoH8 campaign.

Joe Jackson's last money grab before MJ's fillings?

Retired military chaplains come out in support of repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".

ENDA mark-up postponed.

Philippines elections board (COMELEC) says gays "overly represented" in Congress: "Comelec second division chairman Nicodemus Ferrer was defending the poll body’s rejection of the application of gay-rights group Ang Ladlad for party-list representation. 'I have been telling them, you are not under-represented… actually you are over-represented in the Lower House and Upper House,' Ferrer told reporters in an interview. But Ferrer declined to name names."

While Levi does Playgirl, Neil Patrick Harris does Playboy.

Ken Keechl takes over as first openly gay mayor of Broward County, Florida.

Petition Obama to support federal court challenge to Prop 8.

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Community Center of Central Florida in Orlando and nearby gay-owned business hit by anti-gay graffiti: "…a swastika and the words 'Gay Pawer,' 'Die Fags,' 'Go To Hell' and other homophobic slurs. Damage to the two buildings is estimated to be over $1,000.The Center is currently working to cover the messages on the building to deter additional damage."

Horrific undercover investigation of treatment of pigs on factory farms.

Anti-gay Jamaican singer Beenie Man's appearance at Australia's Big Day Out has been canceled: "A statement from the Big Day Out's producers today says that while the concert organisers believe the controversial musician has now renounced homophobia, the storm of protest this week after the announcement that he was in the line-up means his continued involvement would prove too divisive."

Anderson Cooper helms Elton John AIDS Foundation event in NYC.

Chris Pine suits up for GQ's 'Man of the Year'.

Oprah interior designer Nate Berkus to get his own syndicated daytime show.

Max Blumenthal on Palin's ghostwriter Lynn Vincent: "Vincent may have been an effective literary collaborator, but like Palin herself, she entered the project with considerable political baggage. Vincent’s commentaries for World are punctuated by inflammatory characterizations of gays, minorities and liberals that have already provided fodder for Palin’s critics. Among Vincent’s most strident statements were her description of homosexuality as a 'deviant' mental disorder and labeling of President Barack Obama as the 'face of the minority survivor' of abortion, which she dubbed the 'Black Genocide.'"

Tim Gunn on the one item of clothing he can't stand: "I cannot wrap my brain around the ubiquity of Crocs. Kelly Ripa [on "Live with Regis and Kelly"] said, 'I insist that you put them on because they're so comfortable.' And I put them on. I am looking down at my feet, and I feel like I have hooves! They're horrible. If we all succumbed to the comfort trap, to dress as if we never got out of bed — then we should never get out of bed."

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