STD rates rise sharply in amongst American gay men
Gay men practicing risky sexual activity are fueling a sharp increase in the incidence of syphilis and a smaller, albeit concerning rise in gonorrhea resistant to commonly used antibiotics, federal researchers said this week.
The latest report of increases comes at a time when STD rates among historically important risk groups (including women and minorities) have been declining, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Texas bans gay marriages but Maine rejects ban
Texas voters this week overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, making their state the 19th to take that step.
The same-sex marriage contest in Texas was a landslide victory; near-complete returns showed the gay-marriage ban supported by about 76 percent of voters. Like every other state except Massachusetts, Texas didn't permit same-sex marriages previously, but the constitutional amendment was touted as an extra guard against future court rulings.
Gay no longer used to describe women
According to a recent article in the International Herald Tribune, the word 'gay' no longer pertains to both men and women, as evidenced by a series of articles the paper referenced in the investigative feature.
Take, for example, a recent article about a referendum coming to a vote in Maine. The Associated Press reports that opponents of broadened civil rights protections for homosexual men and women claim that such legislation, already signed into law by the governor, would "grant a new status to gay men and lesbians that could open the door to same-sex marriage."
Star Trek actor comes out as gay
George Takei, better known as Mr. Sulu from the hit TV series (and subsequent six movies) Star Trek, has made it official in a new interview with Los Angeles based Frontiers magazine.
"Brad's my partner, we've been together for 18 years," Takei tells Frontiers. "I've been 'open,' but I have not talked to the press."
The 68-year-old actor was born in Los Angeles but spent much of his childhood in Japanese internment camps in Arkansas and Northern California.
"God made me gay" vicar faces trial today
A Methodist minister who was defrocked after telling her Pennsylvania congregation she is gay has her credentials back, but her ordination could again be revoked this week after she goes before the church's highest judicial panel.
The Judicial Council of The United Methodist Church will hear Irene Stroud's case in Houston today. Decisions by the council are final.
USA gay groups mourn death of Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks, the Alabama seamstress whose soft-spoken refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man triggered the Montgomery bus boycott, the first great mass action in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, died yesterday at 92.
USA gay civil rights groups are remembering the role Parks played in beginning of the fight for equal rights in America.
US City Mayor visited gay sex sites during official business hours
City investigations have revealed that Spokane mayor James E. West used his city computer to check out online profiles of gay men while traveling on official business, The Spokesman-Review reported Saturday.
Ex-wife to be "best woman" at husband's gay wedding
A Belgian woman offered up her services as "best woman" when her ex-husband married her hairdresser in a gay wedding. Tania Van Rysselberghe, 41, from Ghent, said her ex-husband, Guy Van Autreve, 40, and Danny Van der Heyden, 44, were like 'Ying and Yang.'
Iran Publicly Hangs Two Gay Teenagers
Two unidentified gay teenagers were publicly executed in Iran this week for the crime of homosexuality. According to the London Times, the youths were executed in Edalat (Justice) Square in the city of Mashhad, in north-east Iran.
Straight Camp Teen Released
According to reports from the Washington Blade, Zach Stark, the Tennessee teen who made headlines earlier this year by writing weblogs about his parents' negative reaction to his coming out, is due for release from Love in Action, the religious facility that has been working to change his sexual orientation since the beginning of June.
3 Arson Attacks on US Gay Clubs
A third in a string of suspected arson cases against LGBT-friendly venues hit the heart of Texas this week when the Heart Rock nightclub was gutted by fire on Sunday. This marks the third such attack in as many weeks.
Jimi Hendrix Played 'Gay' Card to Ditch Army
According to a new biography on rock God Jimi Hendrix, the man worshiped across the globe for his wild ways with women and guitars wasn't always so straight — in fact, for one American institution, he was downright gay.
Australian Gay Magazine Offends Hindus
DNA Magazine, Australia's top gay publication, has censored their latest cover in an effort to quell outrage from the Hindu community. The cover, features male fitness star Matt Walch wearing a Roberto Cavalli brief that is screen printed with an image of the Hindu goddess Laxmi.
Gays Lesbians at Greater Risk for Mental Illness, Study Says
A study by a group of New Zealand medical students has found that gay and lesbian youth throughout the country are at greater risk of mental illness than their straight peers, a finding LGBT community and welfare advocates say is "unsurprising" and likely paralleled throughout the world.
Oz MP Resigns After Gay Affair Leaked
South Australian Liberal MP Mark Brindal has announced he is officially withdrawing his name as a candidate for the state seat of Adelaide at next year's election on the heels of revelations he had an affair with a 24-year-old man earlier this year.
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