Dolly claimed she was in shock when she heard of the parody and hurt he would do such a thing. Although, the publicity may end up helping them both. I don’t think Stern knows that he should not mess with this Southern gal. She will come after him! She is definately one of the sweetest and more real celebs you will ever see.

On the same topic, Dolly just finished her concert tour for Backwoods Barbie and it was a great show. I had a chance to see it last weekend and it was great to see her and all of her jokes in between songs. Many of the jokes were boob-related… imagine that! They did not allow cameras in the concert or I would have some to show you. I really enjoyed the older videos of her concerts in the background during a few of the songs.

Here is the video of the audio clip parody from shock jock Howard Stern:

While many in California and the nation are celebrating that gays can now marry in the state. Their is a possible backlash in the November election. Anti-gay groups such as Focus on the Family have gathered signatures to put the gay marriage issue on the November ballot. This could not only hurt the chance of Democrats in the white such as the stolen Bush election 7 years ago but it could overturn the Supreme court decision based on the constitution.

California’s secretary of state is expected to rule near the end of June whether the activists gathered enough signatures to put the gay marriage amendment on the ballot. Right wing groups are building up a 10 million dollar bomb to throw towards the November ballot issue. The National Organization for Marriage’s own web site is calling on their supporters to give $10 million so they can pollute the state with anti-gay messages in months ahead.

VoteYesMarriage.com, who seek to to amend the California Constitution to ban gay marriage are saying that the decision today is a bad role model for children to follow but they are not thinking of the basic rights of other tax paying humans sharing the planet with them. Same sex couples pay taxes and we have the right to marry just like your families and your kids.

What can you do to help? Donate to the Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org) or get a card that helps these causes just by making everyday purchases.

You can also take in any of Orlando’s other attractions while at Gay Days, and the location, the Regal Sun Resort, is conveniently close to Disney and other Orlando fun. You’ll even find activities for children at Gay Days in Orlando, making this a good choice for queer families. Girls’ Days is being billed as a kid friendly event, so if you have considered a Disney vacation, perhaps this is the time to take it. Your kids are sure to especially treasure the memory of a Disney visit during this time, since they can become one of the crowds of kids with two moms or two dads.

There are several special Girls’ Days events planned. These include daily pool parties at the host hotel, a lesbian comedy show featuring Susan Westenhoefer and others, vendor fairs, and a great retro dance party aimed at the girls. Staying at the Regal Sun Resort will allow you to meet and greet other women from all over the country and the world who have come out to enjoy Girls’ Days at Gay Days.

You may also want to check out some of the other Gay Days events not specifically associated with Girls’ Days. All Gay Days events welcome both men and women, so you might enjoy taking in the Miss Gay Days pageant, wine tastings, or buy tickets for Gay Days at Disney World. You’ll also find other theme parks welcoming the gay community during Gay Days.

Pack up a red shirt and head for Gay Days. Whether you are traveling with your family or alone, a full schedule of pool parties (might need a new swimsuit), fun and new friends awaits you in Orlando.

The New York Times did an elaborate piece on the young couple. It also talked about how MTV did a show on a set of male and female couples from Massachusetts. Good Stuff. Read more about it here.

When most of us just paid our high tax bills we looked around and wondered if we get anything out of our payments to the government. Gay Marriage is a start to getting the benefits in life we deserve and the love that the straights can cherish.

When you start the registration process at GayRomeo.com you actually get four options. You can register as a user (I’ll come back to that in a moment) or you can register as a club. Doing that will let you set up a different kind of profile and create your own on-line community; a great way to find other folk with the same interests as you. If you are a business you can register to be in the guide and if you are an escort you can also set up a professional profile and, as far as I could see, all of these options were free.

I tried out the basic, personal registration process and found it quite a long one. There are certain things you have to fill out before you can proceed but the site will tell you if anything is missing. It’s always best to be thorough with these things anyway as you only want to attract the right guys. There’s no point saying you are hung like a horse and have the body of a porn star if you don’t – you’ll only disappoint people and get a bad name. Also, take a moment to work out your ‘handle’ or profile name. Things like S2***drt7 are not only hard to remember but meaningless.

Once you get your log in details and your registration is confirmed you can start to upload images. The users console in quite neat and easy to use but there are lots of different options to experiment with. Across the top you have links to shops, the info zone where there is all kinds of useful info including tips on how to design your profile and safe sex information too. There are really friendly help and support pages plus the ‘about’ page where you are introduced to the team behind the site. Then you come to the users search engine and I guess this is where you’ll want to start. There are seven kinds of search already picked out for you and these include your area under their headings, so for example you can see who in your area has images, you can find recently registered users from your area and so on. Of course you can search for other locations too and even by name, age and the usual dating site options apply here.

At the bottom of your screen the options continue and you can check messages, view clubs, change your profile and update any number of settings to aid your viewing. It looks like Gay Romeo has thought of just about everything and, when you register, you really do get the feeling that you are joining something special. The design is cool with neat images and clear text and you can even instantly change the language of the site into one of six European languages.

I have seen quite a few of what I call dating sites recently and they each have their own style of presentation but, so far, Gay Romeo is my favorite for Europe. There really is too much on it to tell you about here so I can only suggest you pop over and have a look. It’s free to register and use so you’ve got nothing to lose. It’s new and fresh and offers a good hook-up, chat and general on-line community for you to become a part of.

If you have not been to the Oaklawn gayborhood of Dallas you may not know they are hiding some of the nation’s biggest hot spots. A few of the Caven owned clubs in Dallas have the theme of that soap opera “Dallas” with Sue Ellen as the lesbian bar and JR’s as the gay pub. You cannot blame them for naming them these names because they are sexy names and do stick out. I just wonder how many straight people pull up wondering if they can buy souvenirs from the soap opera.

Sue Ellen’s recently closed down to re-open at its new location which used to be TMC a.k.a. Throckmorton Mining Company (located just behind Throckmorton and Cedar Springs). TMC used to be a hole-in-the-wall bar stuck behind JR’s that was known for being dark and mysterious. A few Republican senators probably hung out in the closet inside there somewhere. TMC remodeled several years back which was good for awhile but now things have changed and its time for Sue Ellen’s to break out with its new mega-club.

You certainly cannot call this a bar anymore. Sue Ellen’s has grown up into a mega-club with a bigger dancefloor, huge upstairs with a live band area, and all-new lipstick lounge that is modern and sleek. Make sure you arrive early on Saturday nights because there is normally a line outside since everyone wants in the newest club opening. The upgrade is definitely 2 times bigger and 2 times hotter than the old version.

Now if they can only do something with JR’s the block will have all new clubs. I have been told they will someday connect all of the clubs so you can pay one admission to get in Station 4 and Sue Ellen’s and this may be the first step in that direction. If you like specials you may want to check out their website at Caven.com for the Cruisin The Crossroads schedule. The times are from 9:30pm to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays for No Cover and $2 Well Drinks and move on to the other clubs. Below are some live bands coming and some pics from the new lesbian mega-club.

LIVE BANDS and Coming Events at Sue Ellen’s Nightclub:

• May 1 - Creme Girlee
• May 2 - Ya! Ya
• May 5 - Cinco de Mayo Celebration
• May 8 - Izzy Scott
• May 9 - Girl in a Coma
• Prom 2008 - Friday, May 16

Russia, China, the United States are just a few of the nations that have to constantly do research on war programs for protection. The pentagon has admitted many programs that use biological warfare after sometime. Some may even be needed to protect the U.S. in case some country decides to do the same. But this could just possibly be a case of an experiment gone wrong. It could also be many other factors.

I normally always question things such as who owns the drink sites that tell you that drinking corn syrup really is not that bad for you? hmm maybe Coca-Cola. It was on the main page of Yahoo.com one day advertising and at the time it did not have anything that resembled Coke on the site until I researched it. It now has a semi-Coke looking label. A web page owned and created by Coke called the Beverage Institute for Health and Wellness.

My point is that questions need to be asked sometimes.

I do not really see any gay blogs talking about this issue that Rev. Wright brings up. Sometimes it seems that the GLBT overall is scared to speak up about HIV/AIDS and just submit to "tests" every time they are told with no questions asked. With full trust of everyone involved for some reason even though we are the most discriminated group known to mankind.

Above is Hillary making a good point from a YouTube video. Rev. Wright may be on the racist side of things but he may have a point that needs to be looked into further. Not just blacks but gays and blacks could have been the target.

There are sites online such as EATG.org that point out some interesting details that never make it to the big media:

But an adviser to WHO who disclosed the problem, told The Times ‘I thought it was just a coincidence until we studied the latest findings about the reactions which can be caused by Vaccinia. Now I believe the smallpox vaccine theory is the explanation to the explosion of AIDS." the article stated, adding, "The greatest spread of HIV infection coincides with the most intense immunization programme… The article said about 14,000 Haitians who were involved in the vaccination program then brought the disease home to the Caribbean.

The literature on this site brings up thoughts that Smallpox, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis "vaccines" or experiments or tests could all be part of the main problem. I am not a doctor I just found it really interesting. I would like to know what the people over at theBody.com have to say about it.

Of course we have all heard about the Tuskegee experiment where black patients who were never told they had Syphilis all eventually died untreated. This went on for forty years with African-Americans in the medical community not saying a word.

Not saying I agree with all of this… Just saying some things need to be evaluated.

These are two separate giveaway offers but I thought I would mention them both in the same post since they are Diva related giveaways. One of the offers the Kylie Minogue promoter is giving away on our site and all you have to do is make a comment on our site about your favorite Kylie Minogue experience.

This is a promotion for the US release of Kylie Minogue’s new album ‘X’, which is already certified platinum in the U.K. and Australia. To qualify for this contest you just comment below and that could include a favorite song and how it made you feel or a concert moment with the Diva. We will pick from the best comment below and send you a prize pack from the promoter which includes:

The prize pack includes the U.K. Enhanced CD single of “2 Hearts”, stickers, poster, and postcards. If you are a true Kylie fan this is a great prize pack and we are excited we can offer this.

We will decide the winner on April 29th and email you from the email you use on the comment form. Please make sure you use an email we can contact you to mail out this prize pack. We will not sign you up for any other offers nor will we sell your email to any lists. There are no strings to this offer it’s basically to promote the new album from Kylie Minogue which includes these hot songs to show you a few: “2 Hearts” / “Like A Drug” / “In My Arms” / “Speakerphone”.

Madonna Concert In NYC from VH-1

Yes, you also heard me right about a Madonna Concert. You have the chance to win Madonna Concert tickets for her performance in New York City at a small upclose venue. All you have to do is write a 4 line poem on the VH-1 website and they will pick from thousands of those entries.

You just need to goto MadonnaTickets.VH1.com to get a chance to see Madonna at the Roseland Ballroom on April 30th. The folks over at the VH1 website will decide on two poet winners on April 24 and contact them by the address they use in the contact form.

Note: We do not have any relation with the Madonna Concert giveaway. A representative from We do have the right to terminate this contest or refuse an winner if something comes up out of our control.

Read more about the new Madonna release here. You can view the Myspace of Kylie Minogue at myspace.com/kylieminogue or Official site at kylie.com. Keep in mind that you have big odds of winning the Kylie prize pack here so please give us some comments and lets get this going.

Kylie Minogue shows no signs of slowing down in 2008. She began the year being honored by the Queen with an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for her services to music, and has already earned a host of honors for X, including a BRIT Award for “Best International Female Solo Artist.” In May, she will hit the road for a three-month, 50-date European tour, entitled KYLIE X 2008.

But what exactly is Gay Vox? Well, actually it’s several things. It’s a news and information centre for all things French and gay and worldwide and gay, it’s a guide to gay France, it’s a dating site and it’s a discussion board too. And all around the edges of all of that are interesting advertisements, galleries, links and snippets of information about gay lifestyle and health. Let’s start at the home page and work our way through:

On the home, ‘news’, page you are asked to log in, but this is not compulsory. You can still enjoy the site without being a member but signing up is free so you have nothing to lose by joining. As a member you will be able to see a little bit more and search for sexy French guys and girls looking for dates and chat, join in the forums and so on. There is also a search box for ‘Recontres’, which is what I would call ‘personals’, using this brings up pages of guys who are registered on the site but for a more detailed search there is a ‘Recontres’ section. Check the rest of the page before moving on and you’ll find links to various other sites and pages on a variety of themes: gay culture, news, articles, travel, shopping and health.

The next page along the top menu brings you a searchable database of events in and around France. Click the map to select your area and up comes the list of places, times and dates. This is a great function of you are going on holiday or taking a business trip to France; there is a drop down list where many of the themes are similar to the English: Sex-parties, Naturisme and Clubbing for example – simply choose what you’re looking for and click the area of the map you are visiting and there’s your list of things to do all laid out for you.

A more in depth description of what’s hot and what’s going on in the country can be found on the Guide page which again is image driven with a more detailed map. You could use the Forums to get into discussions about places to go and things to see, though you will probably need to read and write some French to do this. Or you could search out guys or gals near to your destination by using the personals part of the site.

Whether you speak French or not you should be able to find your way through Gay Vox and enjoy what it has to offer. The registration form is straightforward and if there are any words that don’t look familiar (many English words come from French so you may be surprised at how easy it is to follow) you could try using an on-line translator to help you along. One final thing to note, the personals database covers the entire world and not just France and French speaking countries so you are bound to find new friends who understand your language and who may even help you learn theirs. Like I said Gay Vox has become very popular very quickly and it’s easy to see why, even for non French speakers it’s a great site to visit.

The bottom line is you can basically Travel to France without being there and feel there culture.  If you have trouble with translating this site then download the Google Toolbar and just rightclick and that is the easiest way to see things in English or whichever language you prefer. You may also try Worldlingo.com which has a URL translation for pages of a site. You may also just have Google do it for you manually.

The law says that anyone promoting “extreme thin” including websites, fashion magazines, and advertisers will be committing an illegal crime.  So you can be as fat as a mountain but have limits on how thin you can be.  This is discrimination and I hope the French Senate will not allow this to pass through.

There are so many reality shows making people eat excessive foods then you have your model shows where they diet some.  I think people know their limits they can overly commit themselves and there does not need to be a law telling someone how much weight they can gain or loose.

What’s next are they going to outlaw Diet cola?  I mean how can they tell when someone is overly thin?  They going to jail someone for being too thin when they see them walk down the street?

The person who has been dragged through the slaughterhouse lately by these religious radicals is Justin Nichols who just so happens to be gay and running for Plano City Council.  He recently appeared on the front page of the Metro Section of the Dallas Morning News three times this week, the front page of the Plano Star Courier, and the front page of the Dallas Voice.  People are watching how this battle goes, and we must win!  The fight is not over!

We have got to stand up to this bigotry and say NO MORE!!  It is going to cost money to fight the radical fundamentalists, and I need your help.  If you have already donated to the campaign, thank you!  If not, please click here and make a contribution today.  MOST IMPORTANTLY, PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO 10 FRIENDS OF YOURS SO THEY CAN HELP TOO!

To give you an idea of what you donation can do, please consider:

$20 allows us to buy breakfast for volunteer who will knock on hundreds of voters’ doors.

$50 pays for 10 yard signs, or makes it possible to reach 100 voters by mail, or 500 voters by phone.

$100 pays for 4 large signs, makes it possible to reach 200 voters by mail, or 1,000 voters by phone.

Whatever the amount, your contribution will make the difference in this campaign.

Please join me in standing up against bigotry, intolerance, and equality for every person.  This isn’t about being Republican or Democrat, man or woman, straight or gay - this is about people taking a stand for what is right!

I never imagined taking on this fight so publicly and becoming the poster-child for discrimination in Collin County - but that is where I’ve been led, and I am ready to fight.  I say to those bigots, “BRING IT ON!”

Thank you for your consideration and support, and please remember to forward this on to your friends, whether they are in Plano or not, because this fight affects us all!  I remain

Very truly yours,

Justin Nichols

www.JustinNichols.net

Nichols has also been endorsed by the Victory Fund, and encourage you to visit their website.  

So I went with some lists of the top 25 guys, though I won’t list them all here one by one as this page would simply be a list and serve no purpose. Instead here are some interesting ‘top’ facts and opinions that you may not know, as of March 2008.

In the world of Movies there are lots of ‘top lists’. How about the best 25 sex scenes from Hollywood? Brokeback Mountain is in there at number 21, Boogie Nights at 18 and top of the list is a movie called ‘Y Tu Mama Tambien’. As for the top stars under 25 years old at the moment: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter as I am sure you know) is 24^th, Zac Afron (yeah!) is at number three and Scarlett Johansson (who is not a man) is at number one. (Yup, she is still only 23.) You can find more fun top lists at movies.aol.com

Carrying on with the task of finding the top men in various categories I stumbled across top10.gaywired.com/Scene which had a list of their top ten male celebrities past and present. There were great shots of Aaron ‘Ajay’ Savvy with his muscled physique and military appearance. Men’s Fitness model Matt Cohen is simply to die for with his boyish good looks as is James Marsden. ‘The face of Speedo’ (do we look at the faces of guys wearing Speedos?) is gorgeous model TJ Wilk and he ranks number four with actor Chris Evens making it to number one. If I were you I’d look at all the guys on this list as they are each as hot as each other.

Then I found a very handy site for anyone who is into top 10 lists: top10lists.com which had nine main categories though sadly none were gay porn or anything sexy like that. It does have the top 10 naked people as caught on satellite for one of those ‘view the Earth’ programs you can get for you computer, the top ten urinals of the world (number one being at the Amundsen-Scott Soul Pole Station!) and the top ten most questionable ‘Best Picture’ Oscar awards. (How Green Was My Valley that won over Citizen Kane.)

But we’re getting off the point here. And my point is that to find the hottest 25 guys in the world seems like and impossible task. Maybe you should come up with your own list? I know who mine would include: my partner, the guy who works at the bar down the road and possibly Chris O’Donnell playing Robin in the Batman films. You see? Not everyone who is hot appears in these lists.

Nearly there: the top 100 sexiest men in the world (according to new Woman magazine and as found at http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news?id=27160) included at the top of their list, with my personal comments on the right:

1. Take That Then and now
2. Daniel Craig I’ll let them have that one
3. Johnny Depp It’s a question of taste.
4. Orlando Bloom Oh yes.
5. Jake Gyllenhaal Sure does it for me
6. George Clooney Uh hu, if you like them older
7. Brad Pitt Again?
8. Matt Willis Who?
9. Robbie Williams Oh per-lease!
10. Justin Timberlake He has his days… he looks hot in the new Madonna Video “4 Minutes”- but Madonna has that effect on people.

So finally, the hottest gay “action” star? A quick search reveals Chris Geary or Bret Wolfe who you can see at badpuppy.com forget the rest and go view him now!

Clinton said she opposes a measure that would ban gay marriage in Pennsylvania and proposed a few other great ideas:

• Eliminate her husband’s policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” that prevents gays from serving openly in the military. Asked if she could do so by a signing order connected to a military appropriations bill, Clinton said she didn’t think that is possible but she would look into it and do it if it were legal.

• Be “very strongly outspoken” against foreign governments that execute gays and use financial assistance and other leverage to prevent the killings.  (read our article on dangerous gay travel destinations regarding this)

• Support federal domestic partner legislation to extend rights to all same-sex couples.

• Support services for gay youth, including guidance for schools about the discrimination they face.

• Continue to support gay pride celebrations, to the extent that security would allow. “I don’t think the Secret Service let Bill walk in a parade when he became president,” Hillary said.

She also recently spoke on AIDS/HIV Issues. I love Hillary and hope she gets the Democratic nomination for president. I am sad that MoveOn.org had to support Obama in such an early state of the election. They clearly do not represent millions of progressive voters who are for Hillary.

Obama and McCain declined the interview with the Philadelphia Gay News.

Women’s swimwear styles have expanded, and regardless of whether you prefer men’s swim trunks or a bikini, you’ll find a suit that meshes well with your style and allows you to enjoy the water. Mix and match tankini tops sold by many retailers including landsend.com will work well under a tee or on their own with a pair of trunks. The mix and match swimwear trend also works wellfor those o us who might need one size on the bottom and another on top. Girly-girls will rejoice this summer. The suits are retro, reminiscent of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. For those of us with a few figure flaws to hide, many of these suits also cover the damaging evidence of too many sweet treats and holiday cocktails. Getglamorous.blogspot.com has some great designer shots of these suits.

For the boys, there are a number of trunk styles available and the growing popularity of rash guards allows you to cover a bit more and still look in style. For most guys, a more tailored style of trunks will be more flattering than the traditional elastic waist. Fortunately, these are already showing up in stores all over. Prints, particularly retro-inspired Hawaiian ones, are in style for guys this year. Lengths range from a long board short to a fairly short length. Choose the one that best suits your body type and personal preferences. You will find great trunks available at all price points, and may want to pick up several to offer a variety of options, whether you are planning a cruise with your partner or an office pool party. A visit to your local department store is a good place to start, but online retailers also offer a wide selection of trunks and rash guards.

Regardless of the trends, choose a suit that fits your body well. String bikinis and Speedos are not a comfortable or practical choice for most of us, but thankfully flattering and sexy swimwear is available in all sizes. Sadly, you do still have to go try it on if you actually want it to fit.

My advice to the gay community is SHUT UP, just don’t talk about it. If you walk around talking about what you do in the bedroom, you should be on the pervert channel. - State Senator Gary George of Oregon, (sen.garygeorge@state.or.us)

Here is what a friend (Floyd Martin) wrote on a myspace bulletion that I totally agree with:

Yeah, Senator George,
I will stop talking about it when you take down all pictures of your wife and children, and stop wearing your wedding ring, and flaunting your heterosexuality. I will stop talking about it when all Americans are allowed to serve their country if they so desire, and to have all the legal benefits that other American couples are afforded. I will shut up when bigots like you do not exist in the world anymore, and unfortunately, thats not going to happen for a long time. So, your desire is not our wish. I have an idea, why don’t you shut up, and resign, and go crawl under the rock you came from. Free Speech and civil rights are not only for those that you agree with, and are too small-minded to see reality. Shame on you. — FD Martin Oklahoma City, OK

The artwork for Hard Candy has also been released on the Madonna.com site and looks hot!! I am excited to hear the rest of the CD when it comes out. If you have not seen the video of Madonna inducted in the Rock and Roll hall of fame on Youtube make sure you watch it. It is a 4 part video and I loved the story of Justin telling everyone of his B-12 injections from Madonna when she told him to “drop em” so she could stick him with a shot.

The full album release of Hard Candy comes April 29 in the US and April 28 internationally. See comments below for the video of Ellen dancing to Madonna’s new 4 Minutes song. Also, read our article on the seductive book by Madonna.

Pre-Order Now!

You normally see Muslim women in public pools such as the Hurricane Harbor having to wear their full clothing due to religious reasons. I thought this was a neat option found at ahiida.com for those with Islamic roots.

I did my usual searching about on the net and found some related articles and info, which I’ve put together for you, to try and explain what exactly is, or isn’t, going on.

It was around August 2007 that news started breaking that Australia was going to ‘clean up internet porn’ but how it was going to do this was another matter. Then Prime Minister, John Howard, announced that a whole heap of cash was going to be made available to assist a new programme, ‘Assisting Australian Families Online’ which would come under the auspices of NetAlert – Australia’s internet safety advisory body. Some say that this was just a ploy to recruit the Christian voters in the upcoming elections, (the announcement was made in a webcast that went out to 770 churches and which was watched by an estimated 100,000 Christians,) so bear that in mind.

The scheme works in two ways: families can opt to have a filtering programme installed on their home PCs or they can requests a ‘clean’ internet connection – one from a service provider that is responsible from blocking porno content at ISP level. (At the main hub.) These options take up most of the budget and the rest goes on publicity, an awareness campaign and ‘internet police’ and prosecutions. The main thrust of this action, of course, is to protect children from unscrupulous website owners and others who provide CP, but there were concerns from legitimate adult webmasters (providing 18+ adult entertainment) that their businesses could also be affected.

There were more concerns about the scheme when, soon after the filter system went public, a teenage hacker managed to find a way around it within half an hour. A second version was released and this took the lad 40 minutes to get through.

The caldron bubbled some more as new legislation was proposed that would make the owning of five or more pornographic movies an offense, (in the Northern Territories) even if they were for ‘home use’ as opposed to distribution. There were, some say, good reasons behind this move, again to do with trying to stamp down on the occurrences of CP in those areas but the ideas were called ‘draconian’ by the New Zealand Herald and slammed by the Australian Christian Lobby as not going far enough, after all, what about other parts of the country?

So it seems, from what I could find out, that the screaming headline of ‘Australia bans porn’ is not as dramatic as it sounds and you don’t need to be too concerned that it is a trend that will start to spread to other countries. There were (and still are as far as I know, though the controversy seems to have died down recently) plans to help parents limit the kind of content that was accessible on their home PCs, via a couple of methods. This can only be good news if you have young children who are adept at using the computer and internet (as more and more are) and you don’t want them to stumble across inappropriate content. The idea that a government can tell you what you, as an adult, can and can’t view totally smacks of censorship and I doubt that it would be stood for by human rights campaigners. Though don’t forget that in some other countries the government have already taken this step. For example, in China a law has existed since 1997 that makes it a criminal offense to produce a piece of work (art, literature etc.) that is deemed a ‘computer crime’ and promotes, among other things, ‘pornography.’

And there is one other thing to remember. The attempt by Howard to woo the Christian vote on the back of a ‘clean up the net campaign’ didn’t help him. A new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, was elected in December 2007.

Final Point:  Who wants to visit a country that bans porn or takes away basic rights? Not someone who demands freedom.  This is a right every adult should have.  It should be the parents decision to put filters on what their kids view online not the government or internet provider.  What will they ban next?

I would expect to find more gay news related resources such as GayWired.com, PlanetOut.com, 365gay.com, etc. The strange thing is that neither MSN nor Yahoo search has the hate group listed in the top 10. So I suppose maybe some googlebombing is taking place? Similar to the tactics websites used to get George Bush to rank high on the term “idiot.”

With the rise of hate crimes lately including the killing of a teenager in gay California and neo-conservative religious radicals going up against gays we need as much love and support as we can get and not expect to be bashed just by searching online. We should all at least try to get google to remove this or lower it down for the term “gay”. I am not trying to tell google how to run their search engine but it is unfair that they are using the same techniques of google bombing to rank high on this highly popular term.

No Society that has embraced gays has lasted more than two decades? I would like to know where this so-called Representative got her facts.
“It will destroy our young people and it will destroy this nation.” Yes, you will Representative Sally Kern of District 84, a Republican in Oklahoma City.

You may reach Rep. Sally Kern at 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 332, Oklahoma City, OK 73105. Her email is sallykern@okhouse.gov. Feel free to send her a piece of your mind. If you live in her district in Oklahoma be sure and get out and vote. This is what happens when you do not get off your hides to vote people like this get into office and spread their hate. Hate is the disease that she already has!!

Rep. Sally Kern’s gets our Worst Person of the World vote for today!

I just do not understand why You tube videos will not play on this site so here is the link.

You should check out the very informative pages at Gay.ru before you start to think about the club scene as here you can also read up on the background to gays and the law, history of he gay movement and other general subjects related to queerness in the country. Once you are armed with the background information you can start looking for the club scene.

Saint Petersburg is a Russian city located in the North-western Federal District of the country on the Neva river and is named after Peter the Great who founded it in 1703. I’m sure he wouldn’t know what to make of it these days though, especially if he were to call in at “Sinners” which boasts “Four floors, one dance floor, bars, splendid romantic view from the top of the roof. Full striptease all night long. Nude dancers mix with the crowd and occasionally offer paint and brushes to visitors to draw on their exposed bodies.” Sounds like fun to me!

There used to be another night club in the city called the 69 Club but word has it that this is now used by predominantly heterosexual teenagers so is probably best avoided. For other entertainments you could try the cafes, “Kabaret” – “Charming drag queen talk show. Cosy and relaxed atmosphere. Inexpensive bar, karaoke, large dance floor, huge darkroom. Fridays and Saturdays are overcrowded, many good looking cadets from the Navy Academy.” Sounds like even more fun! And the “Mono Club” which is considerably smaller and mixed.

There are also four saunas in this city and you can find the full details of all of these places here.

Moscow is the capital of Russia and so we expect it to be bigger, bolder and more liberal. Actually there were only three night clubs listed at Gay.ru when I looked. “Chance Club” is open every night and is now a revamped version of the oldest club in the city. The quality of the crowd varies but it is the biggest and most used of the clubs so you’re probably going to score if you go there for a night out!

The “Three Monkeys” club is also open all week and has several floors, internet access, drag shows, go-go boys and a ‘cinema’ room. Like all of the clubs there is a cover charge or an entrance fee and these vary from venue to venue but generally the entrance charges seem to be cheaper (sometimes even free) for men. Guys at Chance, for example, pay 150 Rubles to get in while women pay 300! That’s around $24.00 for a girl to access a night club in case you were wondering. The third listed club, “Propaganda”, hosts a gay/mixed tea dance on a Sunday where you get good value for money with cheaper drinks and no cover charge.

From my quick look at these places it seems that the country is more liberal and accepting than I first thought it would be. The write ups and reviews of these clubs make them sound like any club you might find in New York or London – though we know that the sexy Russian boys will be a different matter! Check Gay.ru as it’s one of the more informed sites about gay Russia and also lists saunas, cafes and other entertainments in various locations around the country. Also make sure you check out the ‘life in Russia’ section as this will tell you what to expect generally if and when you go and visit.

Clay Bennett, the man who owns the Supersonics (or whatever they are called), is a notorious homophobe, and thats part of the reason the good people of Seattle would not let them bully them into paying for a new staduim.

He is also one of the richest men in Oklahoma City, and if he wants to bring an NBA team here, he should, but not on the backs of the poorest people that reside here. The little old lady shopping at Buy For Less, deciding whether she should buy groceries or get her medication this month, will pay a penny sales tax every time she makes a purchase. So will I, the Gay man ,who Bennett and Cornett and thier cronies so passionatly oppose and donated millions to anti-Gay campaigns in the state of Washington. That little old lady at Buy For Less will never attend a game at the Ford Center, nor will I. In
my case, not so much on principle, just not interested in pro basketball. When we pay teachers what we pay athletes, then I might care. Until then, I do not. That same aforementioned senior citizen might like basketball, but she could not afford to go the games. Funny thing is, also as mentioned before, she and everyone else in this city will be paying for it.

I have lived in this city all of my life, and am very interested in city government. I know this town like the back of my hand, (give me an address, I’ll tell you which house it is…)I have lived and worked in all areas of it for almost 42 years., and am probably the only person you know that watches all of the meetings religiously on Channel 20. I would run for office if I thought I could get elected. Of course, I want to see the city progress. Of course, I want to see the merchants and waiters in Bricktown do well, but a sales tax for an NBA team is NOT the answer.

The concerts will still come to The Ford Center. They make money and thats the driving force behind that business. To infer that that won’t happen suddenly because we don’t extend this sales tax is pure bullshit. Yes, they will.

I was opposed to the original MAPS Project. I didn’t trust this city. We had a brand new jail that was flooding and that people could kick bricks out and escape. We had a failed string of pearls project that never went anywhere, and someone stole all of the federal money. I was wrong, and I admit it.

I was all for Maps For Kids, as a lifelong resident and product of the Oklahoma City Public Schools. We got three new high schools out of the deal, and although I haven’t paid much attention to John Marshall, Grant and Douglass are beautiful.

Mick Cornett is correct when he says that your taxes will not increase if you vote yes for this. What he isn’t telling you is that your sales tax will GO DOWN at the end of this month if you vote no. Thats right, Maps for Kids expires at the end of March, 2008.

When MAPS for Kids was about to expire, the city asked on thier website if we should extend the sales tax for MAPS 3, and if so, what for. The response was that yes, we should, and that we needed to improve public transportation. With the rising cost of fuel, and the fact that our bus system pure and simple SUCKS, that was a good idea. That has all been placed on the back burner, as Bennett and McClendon and the ilk approached thier buddy, Cornett, about buying them a basketball team.

With the money they have, that team will come to OKC. No one has said that it wouldn’t, and as far as I know, they arn’t even looking anywhere else. Thats fine, I just don’t want to pay for it.

People I have lots of love and respect for feel very different then I about this issue. I am glad that they are passionate, and I am probably going to be on the losing end of this stick, but I will vote No, and it it passes, its certainly not the end of the world, not for me, not for you, and damn sure not for the snake oil salesmen who promise economic development in this city because of an NBA team. (You know, one of the tribes wants to build a mega-casino at Hefner and I-35 that would hire 1,900 people. Cornett is very much against that. I realize cities do not get sales tax or much of anything else from tribal ventures, but 1,900 of your citizens employed and paying sales tax on everything they purchase has got to be an economic boon, compared to maybe 50 full-time employees and maybe 100 temporary employees during basketball season).

One more point and I will shut up. This whole staduim to lure pro sports teams things is a dangerous road for municipalities to go down. There is always going to be another city, facing a resurgence, willing to pay for a new staduim or whatever to snag them away. Businessmen like Bennett know this. We are a temporary stop on this journey. Three years from now, they will be asking you again to pay for thier arena, because Wichita or Omaha, or whoever is building a new one.

Vote how you like. So will I.
Thank you for reading.

Floyd D. Martin, Jr.
Oklahoma City, OK

I tried to find out a list of places best avoided for gay travelers:

In an interview with The Advocate, travel writer David Kirby mentioned the obvious places such as “a lot of the Islamic world” and you can imagine that Iraq and the surrounding area, though interesting, is probably best avoided at present. But he also mentions some not so obvious places. He states that Jamaica, for example, can be tricky. Some businesses there will not rent rooms to same sex couples if there is only one bed in the room and there have been reports of other anti-gay behavior too.

Deciding what new and interesting place to visit can be a tricky decision as some places we already know are very gay friendly, like Thailand and Myanmar, whereas others are not so obvious. If you travel to Brazil for example you can expect a warm welcome in some cities but not in others and the pro/anti gay feeling varies from place to place. Egypt is another paradox: you will encounter lots of attention from men (if you are a man or woman) and sex is readily available if you are discrete, you will even see policemen holding hands in the street but don’t read anything into this. The country has very harsh anti-homosexuality laws.

I did a bit of lateral thinking in my search for the top ten most dangerous places for gay travelers and found a list of the ten ‘worst’ countries to be in, if you are gay. (According to queerty.com and ‘the Southern Voice’.) These findings are based on anti-human rights reports that outline details about countries that discriminate against citizens based on their sexual orientation. Some are obvious when you think about the religions of those countries while one, at least, is very surprising, number 8, Poland. Here is the full list.

1. Uganda (Consensual gay sex punishable by life in prison)
2. Iran (Punishable by death)
3. Egypt (You can be arrested and tortured especially if you have HIV)
4. Saudi Arabia (Floggings and even death)
5. Nigeria (Up to 14 years in prison)
6. United Arab Emirates (You can be arrested)
7. Cameroon (You can be arrested)
8. Poland (President denied gay rights groups)
9. Nepal (Not illegal but much harassment)
10. India (Up to ten years in prison)

But it’s not all bad news. In the same The Advocate interview, Kirby pointed out that places like Great Britain and France are working hard to attract more gay visitors, as are places in the USA, Provincetown, Massachusetts, for example. The general rule when traveling is to trust your instincts. Don’t go anywhere where you don’t feel safe, don’t be provocative in your behavior and remember that if you are in a ‘danger zone’, the local police may not be on your side if you get in to trouble.

A good way to check what the gay local ‘scene’ and attitudes towards it are is to pick up a travel guide. The ‘Indie’ ones and more well known ones like Lonely Planet usually have a gay section by country so you can judge for yourself whether a place is safe or not. IN a nutshell: play it safe and have a great time.

The official study that caused all this uproar can be found at annals.org. While the study does not jump to any significant conclusions, the media did, ranging from calling MRSA the “new HIV” to linking it with anal intercourse.

What is MRSA? MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, further clarified as hospital acquired (HA-MRSA) and community acquired (CA-MRSA).  First and foremost, it should be clarified that antibiotic resistant bugs have been around, and are becoming more prevalent in all walks of life, and all communities regardless of sexual orientation. Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacterium that normally lives on the skin and in the nasal passages. This infection can produce symptoms ranging from a simple skin abscess or lesions to cellulitis and even death. While many bacteria produce infections, the primary concern with MRSA is that very few antibiotics are effective, and in the case of new strains even fewer drugs may be available to treat these complex infections. For more information on the specifics about MRSA, see the mayoclinic.com site.

That said, what does this mean for you? What should you be doing to protect yourself? The simple fact is that MRSA can be spread through skin to skin contact of any sort.  Moreover, staph infections of the skin often occur in moist areas, including the buttocks and groin. This is entirely unrelated to actual sexual contact. Prevention is not so hard really. Use good hygiene. Wash your hands regularly. If you do have a skin infection, or a partner does, seek treatment quickly and request that skin lesions be cultured before beginning treatment so they can be treated appropriately.  Really, though, these are not tips relevant to gay men, but to everyone who uses a gym, might have children in daycare, or have lunch with a health care provider.

The system is called Crystal Clear which was featured in Newsweek and endorsed by some Naturopath’s. While I am always sketpical of any supplements or herbal remedies I think sometimes even as a placebo effect anything should be tried to stop such a horrible addiction.  This is a twelve week program so it seems like it would take a lot of self-control and personal rehab to complete.

The gay community has seen rising rates for years with the meth addiction and we should try anything we can to stop this evil substance.

A gay student that is only 15-years-old was shot in a California middle school (junior high) and some say he is “clinically dead” but other reports say he could make a recovery.  The boy was known for being femanine and wore women’s jewelry (these days some jewelry was unisex I would have thought) and makeup.

Teachers say he did not deserve this and who would.  It is beyond me that a kid cannot goto school without being worried of being beaten up, bullied, or shot to death or until you are handicapped the rest of your life.

Thank you for sharing…we as a lesbian couple have a 7yr old son who enjoys wearing his older sister clothes and lil clips in his hair he wanted to wear it to school but we had to explain that somethings other people just arent ready for and people can be really mean so when hes older he can make that choice for himself but now as his moms we let him dress up for lack of a better term at home and school time is just time to learn. Its hard and wrong that we have to shelter our youth in such a way. Thanks for caring and may peace be with you. -the Lesbo Mommies (taken from myspace bulletion)

The Pop-Diva and Gay Icon, Cher, has signed a three year contract with AEG live to perform at Ceasar’s Palace Colosseum. The cast includes four aerialists and at least 14 dancers. She is known for having one of the best dancing, choreography, and entertaining shows so it will be a big hit in Vegas. She will also feature some new props and moveable scenes according to Luxe Life of Vegas. A USA Today article claims that it will be “visually unbelieveable.”

Cher is supposed to take stage on May 6th. Tickets will be available in a few weeks. There is also word she will be releasing a new album for 2008.

Update: Cher Tickets can be found on sale here.

Sometimes nothing other than an expensive gift will do. A meaningful piece of jewelry or an inscribed watch may be the right present for the special person in your life. If you were pondering popping the big question, perhaps you are engagement ring shopping this year. There is something to be said for a gift that your partner can wear each day as a tangible reminder of your love.

Time together is another option when you are planning your romantic holiday together. In today’s busy world, spending time together can be one of the best gifts you can give your partner. Whether you plan a vacation together or simply a night out, taking time out of your lives to devote to one another is both a great option for romance and relationship building. Planning a day together doing something your partner loves, whether it’s a ball game or an outing to the art museum is sure to be a much treasured memory of Valentine’s Day 2008.

Some of the best romantic gifts are the ones that cost next to nothing. Write your partner a love letter, make a mix CD or play list with songs that matter to the two of you, or if you are creatively inclined, write a song or poem for your partner. While gifts from the heart may seem a bit clichéd, they can be the most meaningful in any relationship. Even if you plan a day out or give an expensive gift, adding something handmade and from the heart can make this the best Valentine’s Day of your relationship.

Traditionally, flowers and Valentine Roses(possibly organic) present a sweet gift but then again there is always more room for something more romantic or something more creative.

What do you want your partner to get you on Valentines Day? A Romantic, Candle-Lit Date?

Obama is in the lead in many places and Hillary needs help now more than ever. I am just too scared that if Obama wins the nomination that he will not win in the general election. They are both great people but Hillary is the best candidate and has the most experience for President of the United States.

Madonna endorsed Hillary while she was in NYC this weekend. I am glad to know Madonna is on board for the Hillary camp.

https://contribute.hillaryclinton.com/form.html

This all comes on the heals of the big Super Tuesday decision this week where things will come closer to the final decision in November. There has also been lots of HIV news this week including research that from Swiss AIDS experts saying that “some people with HIV who are on stable treatment can safely have unprotected sex with non-infected partners.”

The Swiss National AIDS Commission said patients who meet strict conditions, including successful antiretroviral treatment to suppress the virus and who do not have any other sexually transmitted diseases, do not pose a danger to others.

For some reason I could not find the Swiss National AIDS Commission website because all the newsstories came up in search instead of their site. I would like to see their full report on this subject instead of reading the blogs and various news gossip. Also in the news this week was the talk of HIV Funding and too much money being appropriated to abstinence instead of prevention or helping us battle the virus.

I am in disbelief that the OKC Pride board would do such a thing and put the entire parade in jeopardy. I can understand them wanting to sell alcohol to make some extra money from the parade but why not on Sunday? This is during the summer time which helps out on it being Monday the next day for some. Am I just being too closed minded to change?

I thought these comments from Sarah Evans (I assume not the Country singer?) were a nice read on Hard News Online:

My apologies to Kelly Ogle, but lesbians have money too…..In my humble opinion, with input from several of my friends, here is what the board should look at doing……

Friday night, a nice fun Street Party down on 39th Street, local performers, not just drag queens, but musicians like IRIS, Peggy Johnson, Heath Fitzgerald, etc. We have so much real talent in this state, let’s show it off.. Block off 39th by the Bars and let’s have a great dance in the streets…… Have your vendors, have some charity type games for local organizations…. kissing booth, dunk the drag queen…. etc…..

Saturday, have the party in the park…. vendors, music… beer if you must… then kick off the parade that evening winding down on 39th Street for a Saturday night of fun, maybe another street party or just have all the bars have special promotions..Drag Shows, Drag King Shows, Live Music..Real Entertainment, how about bringing in a top notch performer or a DJ..

As for the parade, please let’s not have the new car/truck showcase again.. Parades are for floats with paper flowers and decorations, not a poster board announcing who is riding in the new car provided by the local car dealer…Plus, do we have any marching bands or cheerleaders??? I know there were gay and lesbian members of college bands and high school bands in Oklahoma..How about a marching band??? A kazoo band…. anything that would liven up the parade.

Sunday, let the Churches and other groups have their outreach. Local clubs can have a recovery dance and such. Trim it down to one day in the park, one night on the strip with the parade on Saturday……

I thought Sarah had some interesting comments that should generate some ideas about what to do with some pride festivities that they should use. I do not agree with what she is saying on doing away with the entire parade though. That is kind of like giving up on one of the backbones of pride itself. It tooks years of hard work to get where we are today and we should have a celebration in the streets and be proud of who we are. I just think doing it on Friday at 7pm is a horrible time. Also take into account that the highly popular Angles T-Dance will not be able to happen without the help of the Parade going on and that is sooo much fun.

The debate may cause quite some drama in Oklahoma City where many are against this time change. A poll on HNOKC.com recently showed more were against the change last week. The sites contributing writer Floyd Martin (myspace.com/itzfloyd) chimed in with some interesting points to take in to account …

I also think that Pride for many is the one chance all year that they get to be themselves, especially in repressed Oklahoma. If that means donning a wig, leather chaps, holding hands with your spouse, or dancing to The Pet Shop Boys, go for it. It’s Gay Pride, we’re Gay, why not celebrate who we are? We could go be boring straight people anytime. Some even live their life like that.

I, of course, think serving alcohol is fine at the park. It’s a celebration. Many people, the world over, imbibe when they celebrate. Ever heard of New Years Eve, or Mardi Gras? AA has conventions all year long, if you have that big of a problem with it.

It just amazes me the people that, rightfully so, feel that the government has no business on what they do with their bodies or whom they marry, are so judgmental of other people that believe in the same thing, basic human rights. It is not us against us, it is us against the world. Sometimes that’s easy to lose sight of when dealing with Gays and Lesbians, many of whom have strong personalities and opinions. Accomodating everyone shouldn’t be hard. When you go to a buffet, if you don’t eat meat, you skip it, and go to what you like. Why should pride be anything but a buffet of happiness, for all GLBT people and their supporters. Take what you like, avoid what you don’t. Of course, life should be that way as well.

Obviously, we all know which issue is getting the press. Marriage rights are big news in our community, and rightly so. None of the forerunners for the Democratic nomination support marriage rights; however, both have voiced support for civil unions in clear and broad terms. Edwards, too, has voiced wide ranging support for civil unions. In all cases, they include medical rights, health insurance, employer benefits and the rights and responsibilities that go along with marriage in their definition of civil unions. Edwards and Obama have publicly stated that they would support the full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, while Clinton supports only a partial repeal.

Other family-focused issues are also important within our