Gays join march for Chernobyl victims in Minsk: “When Sergey Androsenko, the 19 year-old leader of the Gay Youth Association in Belarus, paraded the gay “Rainbow Flag” through the streets of Minsk this afternoon, a little piece of LGBT history was made. It was the very first time that the flag had been seen on a political event in Belarus.”

Is David Beckham planning to join the cast of X-Men Origins: Wolverine?

Norman Mailer’s gay sexual fantasies detailed in new book by his mistress Carole Mallory: “At one point in April 1990, when Mailer was 67 and married to his sixth wife, Norris Church, Mallory worried that her lover of the previous seven years ‘could get AIDS’. Three weeks later, she wrote that Mailer had asked her what other men she would like to sleep with. When she mentioned a man named Paul, Mailer is said to have replied: ‘He’s gay. Why don’t we all three f***?’ At another point she writes: ‘He asked me to wash his bottom. So SAD. He is so ashamed of what he likes.’ On October 24, 1990, Mallory scribbled in a black spiral notebook: ‘I think Rick Stratton is his lover. One of them.’”

GLAAD media awards held in Los Angeles. Coverage here, here, and here.

The White House Correspondent’s Dinner was definitely not A-Listy enough.

Bobby Trendy unmasked.

$500 million private Airbus A380 features conference room, grand lounge, master bedroom.

Air traffic controllers sound yet another alarm over working conditions, fatigue.

Gay gossip columnist Ben Widdicombe of the New York Daily News puts down his pen: “I have been a gossip columnist for all my 10 years in New York—first with the online fashion column ‘Chic Happens,’ and six years full-time with the Daily News. But for a writer New York is like a fairground, and I think it’s time to go on some of the other rides. Also lately I’ve developed a peculiar attitude towards scandal—with some of the items that have crossed my desk I’ve thought, ‘This really isn’t any of my business.’ Which is problematic for a professional gossip columnist.”

Gay men and lesbians in St. Petersburg, Russia have started their own “Day of Silence”.

The beef is roasting.

Gay gossip columnist Ted Casablanca getting married.

Parents of Florida hate crime victim Ryan Keith Skipper fight for anti-bullying legislation on what would have been Skipper’s 27th birthday.

Police storm gay rights group meeting in Kyrgyzstan: “Police forced their way into the premises of the LGBT group Labrys, which was in the midst of hosting a dinner for 30 domestic and international advocates. Members of the Kyrgyz Anti-AIDS Association and other local groups were joined by international partners from organizations including COC, the Dutch LGBT association that is the world’s oldest gay groups and Gender Doc-M, an LGBT group in Moldova. Police threatened to arrest anyone who did not produce identification papers.”

The biggest Mentos-Coke explosion of all time.

A father speaks out about having a gay son.

Gay Vancouver man forms support group for LGBT Sikhs: “Since launching the group April 6, Amar has signed up 33 members – mostly men, but a few women as well. He says the quick response is proof of the need. Citing the ‘one in 10 rule,’ in which some researchers estimate that 10 per cent of the general population is homosexual, Amar believes there are thousands of gay Sikhs in the Surrey-North Delta area. He knows of some who have been forced into marriages and lead a secret double life – dancing in gay clubs at night, and sadly, sometimes bringing sexually-transmitted diseases home. ‘This should not be happening,’ he says.”

On Friday, I posted an interview with Jeff Dupre, a producer on the PBS special documentary mini-series Carrier. Carrier is a character-driven total immersion in the high-stakes world of a nuclear air craft carrier. A team of 17 filmmakers spent 6 months on the USS Nimitz on a full deployment to the Persian Gulf. The 10-hour documentary began airing last night and continues on through Thursday on PBS from 9-11pm ET (check local listings).

One of the hours tonight is called “Super Secrets” and details some of the more hush-hush goings-on aboard the Nimitz, including several interviews with gay and lesbian servicemembers. While those who are currently serving are pixellated in their interviews, one soldier you’ll be able to see quite clearly is Brian Downey, who served as a quartermaster third class petty officer in the navigation department of the Nimitz.

Downey served four years in the Navy and is currently living in San Diego, working at a bar, and enrolling in school to be a medical assistant. Downey grew up on a Navajo reservation in the four corners area where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado come together.

I had the opportunity to ask Downey a few questions about his service and life aboard the Nimitz.

Did you anticipate any particular challenges coming aboard the Nimitz as a gay man?

I never saw anything as a real challenge. We all have our little jokes about our backgrounds just like anybody does. Nothing was ever really an issue. It was never really a struggle or anything. You kind of have to get along. You’re gonna work with each other, you’re gonna see each other.

Why did you decide to enlist in the Navy?

I wanted to enlist for one, to serve my country. I knew I would have to put a lot of things aside. I understood that I had to make a sacrifice and I feel like more of an enriched person because of it. I wanted to get out there, I wanted to learn what people were like. Everybody wants to see the world, you know, but I feel like being in this country and to have the freedoms that we have…I wanted to feel like I worked at least for what I have, or at least understood the reasons why I have it. Why do we do what we do? What’s the price for freedom? It wasnt anything else. In all honesty I think it would be a great thing for a lot of people to do. I’m not an advocate of [telling people] ‘hey you should be in the military,’ or for the draft, or anything like that. [But the military] helps you understand more who we are as a people. That’s the reason I did it.

What were your duties aboard the ship and did you know what you wanted to do before you enlisted?

The first day when I sat down and took a test, all these jobs came up. One thing that really caught my attention was ‘aviation anti-submarine warfare systems operator (AW)’.'What they do are search and rescue missions. There’s also an acoustic version of the job using radar. I just knew I wanted to get into search and rescue. It was very dynamic job. I ended up being part of one of the smallest departments on the ship but we had the huge responsibility of [ensuring the] overall safe navigation of the ship, making sure it goes where it needs to go and gets there safely. We’re the primary assistants in the pilot house. That was my overall responsibility. I was also the logistics supplier for my department. For a brief time I was involved with charts but that’s a huge responsibility that takes up all of your time.

Would you do it again?

I was in all four years. Did my duty. In all honesty it wouldn’t bother me to go back if I ever got called back to serve as part of a war. But right now I’m enjoying my civilian life.

One of your other jobs, as we see in Carrier, was the raising and lowering of the flag?

Every day it comes down at sunset and goes up at sunrise. While we’re in ports you put it up and there’s a ceremony for it. And you treat it with respect while you’re doing it. In ports, you’re seen more often. It doesn’t matter where you are, you treat it with respect. It was one part of my duties.

How was it serving under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’?

Interview continued, AFTER THE JUMP…

How was it serving under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’?

It wasn’t really much of an issue for anybody. I can’t speak for everybody, but for me it wasn’t an issue. At the time I didn’t have a problem with it. Before, when I said I had to make sacrifices, [I meant that] quite honestly there were far more things bigger than myself. I’m [not] there to make a statement, I’m there to do my job.

Did anybody who found out about your sexuality give you a hard time?

Nobody really. It’s not like I said ‘hey this, hey that, blah blah blah.’ It’s not like I advertised it. I wasn’t a big queen running down the passageways and stuff. There were people that knew. And if they knew, they knew. If they didnt they didnt, big deal.

Did you feel like there was homophobia aboard the ship and how did you deal with it?

You always feel like you want to change somebody’s mind. You can’t do that for somebody but you can definitely help turn their mind in a different direction. You always want to help somebody try to understand better. In a lot of people’s minds I’m gonna walk around with a limp wrist, and have a switch in my walk, and I’m gonna lisp up and down all day, you know?

I had a friend on the ship – he was an awesome guy, masculine as they come – we used to be workout buddies. He’d always spot me, I’d always spot him. I never thought of anything really and when he found out he was like ‘dude we work out together’ and [I said to him] ‘I’m not gonna invade your privacy and your space and on top of that you’re not my type anyway, so why would I?’ And he’s like, ‘Why not? I don’t think I’m a bad looking guy.’ I said, ‘No you’re not. You’re a good looking guy but I’m just not gonna go there.’ And it really made him understand a little more that people out there who are gay [can be] very mellow and kick back, and just normal.

People would joke with me because they noticed I took care of myself in a way that most of the guys didn’t. I made sure I was clean shaven. I made sure my hair was regulation but still stylish (laughs) but not too much. I got along with a lot of guys there. One guy would call me ‘Princess’ every now and then because I spent more time getting ready. I was always ironing my uniform. You could always wear your coveralls as long as they were clean and pressed. I was always in my utilities, I always kind of presented myself very well, and he was like, ‘Why do you always wear that?’ And I said, ‘Because I take pride in what I’m doing.’ Once he found out (I was gay) he was just kind of like ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I hope you werent offended.’ He was always ragging on me for being who I was.

There were people that I’m sure felt uneasy but it’s not like I bothered them or wanted to be close buddies or anything. There were a lot of guys I knew who had mixed feelings about it. When I first came in somebody wanted to fight me because they thought I was a certain some way or another and then one night he came back on the ship drunk off his ass one night and I kind of put him in his place about it.

How do you feel about the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy in general?

Iin this day and age and the way things are changing, if they drop it I don’t see that it would be a big deal for anybody. People know each other on the ship. And that’s just in the little community itself. If they were to drop the policy I’m sure it wouldn’t cause much of a security risk for anybody. It’s always been around — there have always been people in the military that have served that are gay. And people that have been in great positions — people that are in very high positions — and if it were dropped I’m sure it wouldn’t be a big deal. We’re not here to freak you out, we’re here to try to do something with you – we need to do our job and do it well. We just happen to be a little different — just like blacks were different, just like women were different. Well before those times there were gays in the military. I think it would be a very big social uplifting, an awakening for people.

The 10-hour documentary series continues tonight through Thursday on PBS from 9-11pm ET (check local listings).

PreviouslyCarrier: Jeff Dupre Talks About Life Aboard the USS Nimitz [tr]

Rufus Wainwright, who was presented with GLAAD’s Stephen F. Kolzak Award (named for the late casting director and given to an openly gay member of the entertainment or media community for his or her work toward eliminating homophobia) at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles over the weekend, told Variety about his next project, Prima Donna, an opera which focuses on a day in the life of an opera diva.

Said Wainwright: “I’ve written songs for so many years that it’s basically become a bodily function. There’s nothing glamorous about it whatsoever. I’ve wanted to write an opera since I was about 14 years old, but I couldn’t find a story that I could wrap my head around. (Inspiration came from my fascination with) the construct of the diva, from Maria Callas to Norma Desmond and the (Jean-Jacques Beineix) movie ‘Diva’ from the ’80s. And God darn it, there’s a bit of me in that too. Once the lights go down, it all kind of boils down to the same thing. It just has to be good.”

Wainwright (pictured here with his partner, German arts administrator Jorn Weisbrodt, at the GLAAD awards) will function “as both composer and librettist (in French)” for the work, which was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera.

The UK Border Agency has reportedly offered a gay teen Syrian seeking asylum in Scotland less than $100 (£46) to get him to accept deportation and return to Syria, the Scotsman reports:

“Jojo Jako Yakob, 19, fled his homeland two years ago after being arrested, shot and beaten before being tortured in a Syrian jail when he was caught distributing anti-government leaflets. Once prison guards discovered that Yakob, a Christian member of the repressed Kurdish minority in the Arab state, was homosexual, he suffered horrific beatings and was assaulted so badly that he slipped into a coma. He fled to Scotland but his application seeking asylum was rejected and the Home Office has ordered his return to Syria, where homosexuality has been banned. Last night, ‘Save Jojo’ campaigners criticised the UK Border Agency for sending Yakob, who is currently being detained at Polmont Young Offenders Institution in Falkirk, a ‘weekly’ letter, asking his permission to be ‘repatriated’ back to Syria. A spokesman for the campaign said the agency has offered Jojo £46 ‘in cash’ on leaving the United Kingdom ‘to assist you in reintegrating into your home country. This could be used for example to set up a business, further your education or assist with housing’. Leading gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell labelled the UK Border Agency as ‘immoral’ in its attempt to get Jojo into accepting deportation. He said: ‘This insulting offer shows the scurrilous, immoral nature of the UK Border Agency. The sum of £46 would barely pay one week’s rent, never mind help Jojo start a new life. The idea that he should risk his life and go back to Syria for £46 is an absolute disgrace. It shows the depth to which the Labour Government is sinking in its desperate bid to pander to racist and xenophobic opinion.’”

Yakob’s case is similar to that of Iranian teen Mehdi Kazemi, who was granted a temporary reprieve from deportation when public outcry in late March brought attention to his case.

Government offers Jojo £46 to go home [scotsman]

Lost actor Ian Somerhalder showed up at the Coachella music festival dressed to impress.

Somerhalder was one of more than 150,000 people who showed up in the California desert to take in the ninth annual festival.

Sean Penn showed up there as well to announce his biodiesel trek across America in which he “plans to board a fleet of biodiesel buses and take about 300 people on an 1,800-mile trek across the U.S., ending in New Orleans.” Said Penn: “I see this as a reckoning. My generation and those that came before have to recognize the numbing of incentive that we’ve passed on to the change hungry, imaginative, smarter than us youth of today.”

But the act that everyone was talking about was Prince.

AFTER THE JUMP, one more shot of Somerhalder, as well as the song people are raving about — Prince’s cover of Radiohead’s “Creep”.

(image source

This is what makes a scandal? What’s prompting forced apologies is Disney’s fear that their billion-dollar Hannah Montana cottage industry is about to go down the drain. As evidenced by the Vanity Fair article, Miley Cyrus’ generation is much further along than her parents’ and their sexuality more fluid:

“Before I met Cyrus, an editor at a tabloid told me that all the celebrity weeklies have been ratcheting up their focus on her. With Lindsay Lohan rehabbed and Britney Spears under psychiatric care, the tabs are looking to Cyrus to flame out, or at least do something mildly outrageous. In December, some pictures made it onto the Net showing Cyrus and a girlfriend sharing what looks like a Twizzler and almost kissing, prompting a brief, halfhearted spate of ‘lezzie’ rumors. Silly. But still, I ask, did she feel betrayed that someone, presumably a friend, had posted the pictures? ‘It was me,’ she says, ‘on my MySpace. For me, I was like, That’s two girls—it’s not a big deal. But they got spread around. Like someone copied and pasted and said, Omigod, look at this, and blah blah blah. I was just like it didn’t affect me. Everyone’s like, Maybe she’ll learn her lesson this time. Nope.’ If she had been chewing gum, this could have been nicely underscored with a snap.”

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