More than 1 million people in the United States had HIV in 2006, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday, adding that but one in five people are also unaware of their infections.

The image is from the a 2006 “Love Life – Stop Aids” Swiss HIV awareness campaign, which showed situations where it’s logical and normal to use protection and and sends the message that sex should call for the same level of protection.

The 2006 campaign featured nude fencers, ice hockey players, motorcyclists, who look quite vulnerable without the standard protective gear.

via WickedGayBlog and AllHeadlineNews

Is anyone else sick of Palin’s “folksy charm.” Hearing here refer to the Democratic ticket as “you guys” in a serious public forum is just plain embarrassing. It seems to me that the choice of Palin and her dreadfully informal speech patterns are an attempt to attract what the Republicans consider the “average” American. I realize that we have a lot of stupid people from sea to shining sea, but do we HAVE to sink to their level? Even my die-hard Republican parents agree she’s a hockey mom who is out of her league.

I found this handy flowchart detailing the complicated political processes that were taught to Sarah Palin during her grueling days of Debate Camp. As I read through it, I can almost picture the debate unfolding before my very eyes.

And here’s more folksy charm about the Michigan pull-out.

via Queerty and Mollygood

Here are a few more clips… Jenifer Hudson singing the National Anthem, plus speeches by the spouses of this years contenders.

Super strength is now possible if you have a Japanese prototype bionic suit intended to aid people with disabilities to walk or lift heavy objects. I can find articles as far back as 2005, but this video of Hal 3 (hybrid assistive limb)popped up on MySpace this morning.

I hope it’s only a matter of time until they can miniaturize the technology, add armor plating, flight capability and repulsor rays! We’ll have Iron Man for real any day now.

Its the end of an era. Playgirl won’t be publishing any more issues. Whatever will lusty ladies buy to objectify men? Freshmen? Honcho? Latin Inches? It just won’t be the same.

via Best Week Ever

OK I admit I usually think she just comes across as a vapid entitled whore, but this is actually pretty amusing. Crazily enough, her suggestion for the energy crisis seems sound.

via Queerty and Funny or Die

Check out this trailer Beyond Gay - The Politics of Pride a very moving and powerful documentary about what it is like to be gay in various countries around the world. I thank my lucky stars to live in the United States and more specifically, in San Francisco.

via WayOutWestTV and BigGayMovie

It was only a matter of time before comments from the peanut gallery (that’d be me) and the rest of the jokers out there started sprouting up everywhere. Once the story broke that Christian Bale, star of the movie of the year had been arrested for allegedly assaulting his Mother and Sister before the London premiere of The Dark Knight, you had to know it was going to be big. Apparently his mother is a part time clown so perhaps Bale simply has some leftover Joker issues due to method acting? Already out on YouTube is this “exclusive audio tape.” By the way, in case you didn’t know, Bale’s step-mother is Gloria Steinem.

No word on whether his mom had her clown make-up on at the time of the assault.

here is Websters is My Bitch’s hysterical albeit purely hypothetical reenactment of just how the altercation may have played out…

So, let’s read between the lines here, OK?

So, Jenny was like, “I need some grocery and cigarette money. Just a loan. I’ll pay you back. I swear! Can you help a sister out?” And Christian was probably like, “Fuck you. Where were you when I was making movies nobody ever heard of, like Metroland and The Secret Agent.” And she was probably, like: “We’ve always stood behind you, in our hearts!” And then he said, “I earned this money wearing a rubber suit for 12 hours a day. You chose to be a circus clown. I’m not going to pay for your bad decisions.” And then Jenny probably said, “Your wife is a whore.” And Christian probably got up in her grill and went all apeshit on her, “Do you know who I am? I’m Batman, bitch. I will cut you.”

via LATimes and WebstersIsMyBitch

via QHT

Costume Designer Kermit Love worked with Jim Henson to design Big Bird and other “Sesame Street” characters. Love was also know for his work with a some of ballet’s most prominent choreographers, Twyla Tharp, Agnes de Mille, Jerome Robbins and George Balanchine, as well as puppets and costumes for film and TV (he also created the Snuggle Fabric Softener teddy bear).

Kermit Love died on June 21, 2008, of congestive heart failure, in Poughkeepsie, New York. He had lived in Stanfordville, N.Y. He is survived by Christopher Lyall, his partner of fifty years.

via Towelroad and Yahoo News

Memphis Police Association President J.D. Sewell says Bridges McRae went into today’s administrative hearing thinking that he would be keeping his job. I’m so glad he was unpleasantly surprised. According to Sewell, McRae says he did nothing wrong. He beat a defenseless trannsexual in the face with his hand wrapped in handcuffs for not answering to hate epithets and he didn’t think he did anything wrong. They had already fired the guy who held her down (Swain). I have no idea how he could think his behavior was justified. That mindset makes it clear how large a problem this police force really has. Simply firing the perps isn’t enough. Officers still on duty need to see these 2 prosecuted and properly punished.

From the looks of them, I bet if she’d been on her own turf, Duanna Johnson would have kicked the crap out of both of them.

keep up writing and calling.

Mayor Willie W. Herenton
City Hall
125 N. Main St. Room 700
Memphis, Tn 38103
901-576-6007

Shelby County District Attorney’s Office
201 Poplar Avenue, Third Floor
Memphis, Tennessee 38103
901-545-5900

Media inquiries should be directed to:
Jennifer Donnals, Communications Director
901-545-5988
jennifer.donnals@scdag.com

Detective Monique Y. Martin
Memphis Police Department
Office of Public Information/Media Relations
201 Poplar Avenue Room 12-08
Memphis, Tennessee 38103
901.545.3024 office
901.545.5740 fax
pio@memphistn.gov
www.memphispolice.org

The Honorable Governor Phil Bredesen
Governor’s office
Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, TN 31243-0001

Phone: 615-741-2001
Fax: 615-532-9711

phil.bredesen@state.tn.us
A list of elected government officials may be found at:
www.tennesseeanytime.org/government/elected.html

I’d never heard of “internet celebrity” Matthew Harding a.k.a. Dancing Matt - but this is awesome. 14 months in the making, 42 countries, and a cast of thousands.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

via BWE and wherethehellismatt.com

More coverage of Memphis Police Officers Bridges McRae and James Swain beating of transsexual Duanna Johnson while she was in custody is hitting the net as we speak.

Also more details are surfacing. Apparently the ONLY reason this brutal assault was brought to the attention of Memphis Police Department’s Internal Affairs was because McRae has the gall to file a complaint against another officer who was present for not helping McRae “during the incident” (the incident in question would be the beating). These people have NO idea that what they did was wrong and we CANNOT trust this system to police itself.

Associate Press:

and Surprise Surprise FOX NEWS even covered it.

here are some great thoughts on the matter that were posted as comments at one of my favorite sites for gay news, Queerty.

I think the Memphis Police Department has some explaining to do and at the very least, owes the LGBT community an apology. I would strongly urge the writing of letters of protest, as is my intention to do, from the LGBT community to the governor of Tennessee and other state representatives demanding a full investigation into this matter.

The Honorable Governor Phil Bredesen
Governor’s office
Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, TN 31243-0001

Phone: 615-741-2001
Fax: 615-532-9711

phil.bredesen@state.tn.us
A list of elected government officials may be found at:
www.tennesseeanytime.org/government/elected.html

via Queerty and Lavender Newswire

Contact info for the Mayor of memphis and the Memphis District Attorney’s office can be found in my original story.

This video, taken February 12th 2008 clearly shows Memphis police Officer Bridges McRae, 28 walk over to Duanna Johnson - a transsexual suspect being held after a prostitution arrest - and hit her in the face several times while Officer James Swain, 25 holds her back.

The beating began after the bigoted officer got upset when she refused to answer to anti-gay slurs such as “faggot” and “he-she”. This is unacceptable behavior for a public servant. This is a violent assault proceeded by hate speech. Sounds like a hate crime to me. After the incident the Police dropped the prostitution arrest against Ms. Johnson (no doubt hoping that would be the end of it), but no charges have been filed against the officers in question.

I hope they throw the book at the officers, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Swain is no longer with the MPD, but McRae has only been placed on non-enforcement status pending an administrative hearing. I hope Duanna Johnson presses charges.

video wouldn’t embed - but here is a link.

If you’d like to know what is being done about this, ask the Mayor of Memphis or the District Attorney’s office… their contact info is after the video, and elected officials are always the best ones to deluge with complaints. The DA’s office has the discretion to prosecute who they want and I spoke to their media rep Jennifer Donnals who says they have NO PLANS to prosecute these officers. Lets see if we can change that.

Mayor Willie W. Herenton
City Hall
125 N. Main St. Room 700
Memphis, Tn 38103
901-576-6007

Shelby County District Attorney’s Office
201 Poplar Avenue, Third Floor
Memphis, Tennessee 38103
901-545-5900

Media inquiries should be directed to:
Jennifer Donnals, Communications Director
901-545-5988
jennifer.donnals@scdag.com

A request for a comment from the Memphis Police Department resulted in them sending the following prepared statement…

The Memphis Police Department does not condone any misconduct of a police officer that will compromise official law enforcement duties or the rights or safety of our citizens.

As it relates to the February incident that occurred at the jail facility, the police department has been conducting a thorough internal investigation. The details surrounding the complainant, witnesses and law enforcement officials’ statements are part of an ongoing investigation and can not be released at this time.

As a standard departmental policy, a full, impartial hearing will be held with the accused officer.

Memphis Police can confirm the work status of the two primary officers involved in this complaint. Officer J. Swain was a probationary officer and has been separated from the Memphis Police Department. Officer B. McRae has been placed on non-enforcement status pending an administrative hearing.

Memphis Police can also confirm the Federal Bureau of Investigation had been notified and requested to look into the complaint further.

Regards,

Detective Monique Y. Martin
Memphis Police Department
Office of Public Information/Media Relations
201 Poplar Avenue Room 12-08
Memphis, Tennessee 38103
901.545.3024 office
901.545.5740 fax
pio@memphistn.gov
www.memphispolice.org

via Queerty and WMC-TV

It’s not as much fun as my usual posts, but its important. Many have noticed a distinct lack of HIV awareness in todays youth. This video has been making the rounds. Its the first in a series of web videos meant to reach the youTube generation. Please share it.

via Queerty and Towelroad

(LEFT: On the set of “Iron Man”, actor Robert Downey Jr. (left) with director Jon Favreau (top) RIGHT: Marvel exec Kevin Feige, David Maisel hefting Thor’s hammer)

According to Variety, the huge box office success of the new Iron man movie has prompted promotions for two of the men behind the movie.

Kevin Feige has been promoted from president of production to president and David Maisel has been contracted to continue as chairman of the film division through 2010.

read the full article at Comic 2 Film

Good news for us…if good comic book movies got them promoted hopefully they will keep making them! Yay Avengers!!!

TOTALLY off topic, but too good a story to pass up. Priest ties self to giant flock of balloons while tryingto raise money for a “Spiritual Rest Stop for Truckers” and is lost at sea.

And hey why not, I’m probably going to hell anyway, so here you go…

more photos and a few articles links after the jump
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