I just read this article at gaycitynews about a possible vendetta against Splash in NY. After reading the article it is quite laughable the minor charges or infractions that this particular Inspector Michael McEnroy is going after them for and it seems that other officials and officers are on the side Splash owner Brian Landeche. This sounds like some left over residue from the Giuliani era, when that asshole was doing everything in his power in NY to make it very difficult to operate bars or clubs, essentially trying to put all the gay bars out of business. What a pillar of morality he was, but i digress. 


I started going to Splash when it first opened. It was my favorite bar. They had the best two for one happy hour. I loved the little round chips they would give in order for you to get your next free drink. I had stacks! I have seen it go through more face lifts then a Beverly Hills wife and i hope that this all gets worked out. Gays of the city stand together and protest if you have to! Don't let this discrimination happen. Remember Stonewall, just a few streets away...




Against the backdrop of a nightlife scene that most gay New Yorkers who enjoy an evening out would agree has been in decline for many years, Splash Bar has been a welcome exception. Opened in 1991, the West 17th Street club plays host, its owner Brian Landeche estimates, to somewhere between 3,500 and 10,000 patrons every week.

Those clubgoers might soon need to find alternate venues — that is, unless Landeche is able to halt what he claims is “a systematic campaign of unjustified harassment” based on a “personal vendetta” by a senior NYPD officer. The trouble began, he said, in 2005, after he had operated the business without any major problem for 14 years. It was at that time that Inspector Michael McEnroy, then commander of the 13th Precinct, allegedly began to “deliberately target” Splash, an effort that in short order yielded three drug dealing charges on the premises. According to Landeche, those busts, later dismissed, were the only drug-related police actions in the club’s 19-year history.

I had my ex just snap this pic. It is a sign in the window of a store in West Hollywood. Love it. So funny.

Today marks the first ever Harvey Milk day in California! It is the first day of "special significance" in the West Coast state to honor a (actually in this state or any other) gay rights leader. There are celebrations all through out the state. I attended the one in West Hollywood. I could only imagine what San Francisco is like right now. Harvey would have been 80 years old today. I am sure he would have been proud by the achievements and progress made by the gay community since his death, but there is still a lot more to be made.


To learn more about Harvey go here (Harvey Milk)

Former DNC Treasurer Andy Tobias has compiled this list of what President Obama has done for the LGBT community since his presidency began. Considering he came into two wars, an economy in the shitter, a deficit out of control and not to mention a plethora of other issues, i thinks he's doing good by us in the year and half or so he's been in the hot seat. Far better then idiot Mccain and dumb ass Palin would have done. Oh wait, they wouldn't have done anything except try to push us back in the closet...


see the list after the jump...
(list via buckmire)

California Judge Challenging Obama on Gay Rights

On the annual International Day Against Homophobia, a coalition of national faith leaders announced that they are launching a campaign based on the “Uganda Declaration” to begin mobilizing faith leaders to work for decriminalization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people based on their tradition’s human rights policies and official statements against violence. Motivated by Uganda’s proposed “anti-homosexuality” bill, with its death penalty and extradition clauses, the coalition began its work by challenging the export of homophobia to Uganda by evangelicals from the United States. It is expanding its concerns to asking faith leaders from all traditions to use their faith networks and official policies on human rights to challenge the more than 80 countries with laws against homosexuality—seven with the death penalty. 


(read the deets via rabbieger)

Md. state employees in same-sex marriages get same rights as heterosexuals

Since my days of being a super model are behind me ( not that far behind bitch'ez ) I'm not sure i will partake but the Advocate is looking for photo submissions for their photos essay “A Day in Gay America”. Sounds like fun though. 


p.s  keep your privates in your pants , cuz they ain't looking for snaps of your bitz...behave ;)

The Advocate, the world’s leading gay news source, is seeking photos of LGBT Americans for its first “A Day in Gay America.” Photographs must be taken this Friday, May 21, and feature gay Americans living their everyday lives. Everything will be accepted, including images from work, play, or enjoying a quiet moment. The best photos, as selected by The Advocate’s staff, will be featured in the “A Day in Gay America” photo essay to be included in The Advocate’s August 2010 issue as well as on Advocate.com (www.advocate.com).

“One of our most important mandates at The Advocate is to convey the wide diversity of LGBT people. When we do it well, we not only empower our readers, we also have the opportunity to educate people who might not ordinarily pick up our magazine,” said The Advocate’s Editor in Chief, Jon Barrett. “This project, ‘A Day in Gay America,’ has the potential to reflect that diversity like never before—through reader-submitted snapshots from around the country, capturing the everyday and not-so-everyday activities from gay people everywhere.”

On May 21, between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m., snap self-portraits or take pictures of friends and family doing anything that says something about life as an LGBT American. From the glamorous to the gritty, from the insane to the mundane, all photographs are welcome and will be considered for the “A Day in Gay America” photo essay.

All photos should be e-mailed to The Advocate at by Friday, May 28. In the subject line of the e-mail, please include an e-mail address, first and last name, phone number, age, time and location of the photo, and a brief description of the photo. Please send images as a 4-by-6-inch 300dpi JPEG file no larger than 10MB. TIFF and EPS files can not be accepted. By submitting photos, users agree to the terms and conditions located at www.advocate.com/terms.

(for deets go here advocate) 

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – A Dutch sex shop will be giving away 2,000 "Pope condoms" this weekend in a dig at the Roman Catholic Church.
De Condoomfabriek (The Condom Factory) said it wanted to make a point about sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and the Vatican's opposition to contraceptives.
The condom wrapper carries the image of a papal figure with an unmistakable general likeness to Pope Benedict, though the figure's face is removed. It bears the words "I SAID NO! We say YES!" framing the papal image.
The suggestion of a "pope condom" caused a diplomatic row last month when Britain's Foreign Office was forced to apologize for a memorandum by a civil servant that suggested Benedict launch a papal-brand condom on his pending visit to the UK.

LOLS...As funny as this is, the thought of the pope on your dick is gross (cuz we know it wouldn't be the other way around, OhhhKaaay)....ewww, skeeve....picture it with her ruby slippers on and that tacky house coat in a twist....LOLS

2 Gay Men have been sent to prison for 14 years hard labor in Malawi for loving each other.  Oprah where is your voice and power? The two of you are have schools in Africa. Madonna yours is in Malawi and you have adopted children from there and have donated money so for you not using your power and not doing anything is even more unbelievable. Your silence is deafening but awfully telling...

BLANTYRE, Malawi (May 20) -- A judge sentenced a couple to the maximum 14 years in prison with hard labor under Malawi's anti-gay legislation, and crowds jeered the two men as they were driven from the court house to jail Thursday.

The harsh sentence for unnatural acts and gross indecency had been expected after the same judge convicted Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza earlier this week under laws dating from the colonial era. The case has drawn international condemnation and sparked a debate on human rights in this conservative southern African country.

Chimbalanga, a 20-year-old hotel janitor, and his unemployed partner were arrested Dec. 27, the day after they celebrated their engagement with a party at the hotel where Chimbalanga worked -- an apparent first in Malawi.

"Maximum sentences are intended for use for worst cases," Magistrate Nyakwawa Usiwa Usiwa said as he delivered his sentence. "We are sitting here to represent the Malawi society which I do not believe is ready at this point in time to see its sons getting married to other sons or conducting engagement ceremonies."

The lawyer for the two, Mauya Msuku, said they would appeal.

Chimbalanga remained composed as armed police officers handcuffed him to Monjeza.

"I am not worried," he told reporters as they were taken to a police vehicle.

Monjeza broke down upon hearing the ruling and was still sobbing as he was helped into the van.

Hundreds of onlookers inside and outside the court house showed little sympathy. There were shouts of "You got what you deserve!" and "Fourteen years is not enough, they should get 50!"

Michelle Kagari, deputy Africa director of Amnesty International called the sentence "an outrage."

Her rights watchdog has adopted Chimbalanga and Monjeza as prisoners of conscience, and would "continue to campaign on this matter and to work tirelessly to see that they are released unconditionally as soon as possible," Kagari told The Associated Press by telephone from her office in Kampala, Uganda.

Mark Heywood, director of the South Africa-based AIDS Law Project called the sentence "outrageous and a violation of human rights." He said activists should hold protests around the world against Malawi.

In a joint statement issued in London Thursday, lawmakers Henry Bellingham, Stephen O'Brien and Lynne Featherstone urged Malawi government to review its laws to ensure human rights were protected.

They said their country "believes that human rights apply to everyone regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity," and would, with its international partners, "continue to press the Government of Malawi on this issue."

In Washington, Philip Crowley, an assistant secretary of state, expressed his country's deep disappointment with the conviction of Chimbalanga and Monjeza.

"We view the criminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity as a step backward in the protection of human rights in Malawi," Crowley said.

Malawi's government has been defiant in the face of international criticism over the couple's prosecution.

Betsy Chirambo, an adviser to President Bingu wa Mutharika, expressed concern over calls by some activists for the West to withdraw aid to Malawi because of the case. Up to 40 percent of Malawi's development budget comes from foreign donors.

"It is not our culture for a man to marry a man," Chirambo said this week. "That is not even in our constitution. Some of these rights are not good for our culture."

The government has been backed by religious leaders in the country who have equated homosexuality with Satanism.

But the debate also has emboldened some rights activists in the southern African country. The independent Centre for the Development of People was recently formed by Malawians to fight for the rights of homosexuals and other minorities.

Gift Trapence, executive director of the Centre for the Development of People, was at the court house Thursday and told reporters: "How can they get 14 years simply for loving one another? Even if they are jailed for 20 years you can't change their sexuality."

Gay people forced underground in Africa are unlikely to seek counseling and treatment for AIDS, activists say. In Malawi, nearly 1 million people - an estimated 12 percent of the population - are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Homosexuality is illegal in at least 37 countries in Africa including Malawi. In Uganda, lawmakers are considering a bill under which homosexuals could be sentenced to life in prison and "repeat offenders" could be executed. Even in South Africa, the only African country that recognizes gay rights, gangs have raped lesbians.

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. and its military allies agree on many things, from the size of bullets for their rifles to the design of future fighter jets. But on the issue of gays in the military, the United States stands alone among its Western allies.
Representatives from Great Britain, Canada, Australia, Israel and the Netherlands gathered Wednesday at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington, to describe how the militaries in those countries handled allowing homosexuals to serve openly. The consensus was that, in spite of concerns before the change, it became a nonissue once gays and lesbians were allowed to serve.
"I did not see one case at any level when homosexuals did not get along with other soldiers. The problems are among men and women," said Maj. Gen. Walter Semianiw, an infantry officer in the Canadian military. "This is not an issue for our country."
"We know the U.S. as a country that favors the individual rights, freedom, giving the people the opportunity to flourish in their life," said Col. Kees Matthijssen of the Royal Dutch Army. "From that perspective it's still very strange the U.S. is still having a kind of ban on openly having gays and lesbians in the military."

Thank you Col. Matthijssen, it is not only strange, it is quite embarrassing to this country which was built on and calls itself the "land of the free"...

(deets via cnn)

If your song is still trapped in your heart, there's hope. For the better part of a decade, two Southern California co-conspirators have helped gay men approaching, at or past midlife explore their life's trajectory with the objective of creating a much more meaningful and productive second half of life. Gay rights pioneer and Jungian analyst Dr. Donald Kilhefner and Roberto Blain, Director of Talent Services at the University of Southern California, teamed up a number of years ago to develop a retreat experience for Gay Men that would allow them to step back from their daily routine to engage in the kind of exploration that can and has shifted the life orbit of many gay men across the country.


If you are at the midlife point and not feeling satisfied this might be for you...


(deets via huffingtonpost)

Anti-Gay Republican Resigns from Office

TV ad zeroes in on same-sex marriage

Sia has announced that she will quit music after she releases her next album.

The singer plans to retire from the industry in search of a "normal job" after constant reports of her bisexuality in the press and being the victim of a stalker left her depressed and suffering from panic attacks.

She told The Times: "When I was outed by Perez Hilton as bisexual, I suddenly started being asked a lot of personal questions, which was really difficult. I'd had a relationship with a woman when I was 20, but nobody cared then.

"As it came at the same time as my fame, it made me withdraw, and I started to have panic attacks. It was then that I was prescribed antidepressants - fame made me develop a panic disorder."

The 'Buttons' singer, who most recently worked with Christina Aguilera, said that fame has its good points but the downsides are far worse.

She explained: "There are advantages [to fame]: I can tweet someone famous and they'll usually tweet back; I get given free stuff, but I can afford to buy it myself.

"It's no wonder Britney Spears was diagnosed as bipolar. Amy Winehouse wasn't doing crack and heroin until she became successful. And then there's Heath Ledger... People aren't honest about the horrors of fame. The downsides are so overwhelming that, for me, there is no payoff."

She added: "Now my dream is to write songs for others, to have a baby, to have a routine... I want a normal job. I want to be who I was before all this."

Sia's new album We Are Born is released on July 12.

(via digitalspy)

Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz will join San Diego locals in celebrating the life of Harvey Milk.

Friday's Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast, which is being billed as California’s largest Harvey Milk celebration, is at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in downtown San Diego, according to the San Diego Gay & Lesbian News.

Mraz has two Grammy awards under his belt from his latest album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The event will be emceed by San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders and his lesbian daughter, Lisa Sanders, and benefits the San Diego LGBT Center.

The British actor, who is backing the Trevor Project, says in the PSA: “I grew up knowing a lot of gay men and it was never something that I even thought twice about – that some men were gay and some weren’t…

“I think it’s important for somebody from a big, commercial movie series like Harry Potter and particularly because I am not gay or bisexual or transgendered… The fact that I am straight makes not a difference, but it shows that straight people are incredibly interested and care a lot about this as well.”


The Trevor Project is a great organization helping to prevent crisis and suicide in gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. go here for more information. thetrevorporject

Bulgaria is one of the most homophobic countries in the EU, according to the Bulgarian gay and lesbian community.
As a member of the EU, the Bulgarian state should assist those of its citizens who have a different sexual orientation, however it does nothing to alleviate their situation, said Monday Aksiniya Gencheva, a Bulgarian gay activist.
Gencheva cited data by Eurobarometer which shows that 30% of the Bulgarian employers have declared that they would not hire a gay or lesbian person although the country's Labor Code defends the rights of gays and lesbians.

Bigoted employers may not hire the gay's but at least the law's protect them...Good luck getting a good hairdo in that country, straightiees! 


(deets via novinite)

"I was sending a text and got hit in the head with something really hard," said Kyle, 28. "Even if I had something to protect myself, I wouldn't be able to use it... I didn't even know they were there."

The men pushed both Kyle and Alex to the ground and began kicking and hitting them with the bats.

Kyle was knocked out, but Alex said the men used homophobic slurs, and didn't ask for money before lashing out.

"They pushed us to the ground and they had baseball bats and I heard them say, 'F*****s, give us your f*****g wallets,'" Alex recalled. "I thought I was going to die; I thought they were going to try and kill us."

The four suspects — described only as Latin males wearing white tank tops — fled with the wallets and cell phones of Kyle and Alex.

Dallas police say they consider this attack only a robbery and not a hate crime. Alex disagrees. "I still feel like that was why we were targeted in the first place, because we are gay," he said. "It was like it was funny to them."