[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/thenakedman.jpg[/img2]A new book by a well-known British academic suggests that some men are gay because they don't break with other boys during childhood and retain some of their juvenile characteristics when they become adult.

In The Naked Man: A Study Of The Male Body, Desmond Morris questioned why "a certain percentage of adult human males, with or without the approval of society at large, find members of their own gender attractive."

His answer is that it happens for social reasons, therefore discrediting any "gay gene" theory.

But he also changed his previous theory that people would become gay because of the lack of absence of a father or a male role.

Comparing experiences of young heterosexuals and homosexuals, the best-selling author believed that the main change would happen at the pubertal phase.

At about the age of five, sexes would draw apart and a boy would play only with other boys, a phase that: "will last about ten years, during which time he will be going through an intensive educational period, programming the amazing computer inside his skull."

For many boys, with the flood of sex hormones during puberty the interest in girls would suddenly rise.

But not for others, because according to Morris "they get stuck in the stand-off phase, and stay there for the rest of their lives."

During the ten-year learning phase, male-to-male attachment would become so powerful for them and "if there are any special social factors adding their weight at this point, the break can be thwarted."

Morris suggests that some gay men may have had unpleasant experiences with girls during the stand-off.

"Or he may have found the boyish sex games that are so common in the stand-off phase to be particularly exciting and this may have fixated him on other males as sexual companions.

"For him it is impossible to make the switch because he cannot bear to leave behind what he had before."

He concluded that men are "made gay" because they keep juvenile characteristics when they become adult, what is known as "neoteny."

The 79-year old zoologist and anthropologist also said that gay men tend to be more creative than heterosexual as "the playfulness of childhood is continued into adulthood," which he claims explain why so many artists and creative people are gay.

Morris is best known for his series of "popular science" books in the 1960s and 1970s, such as The Naked Ape.

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/jodie_cydney.jpg[/img2]Two-time Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster has made a small but significant move to acknowledge her sexuality.

Accepting an award at a Hollywood breakfast last week, the Silence of the Lambs star paid tribute to "my beautiful Cydney who sticks with me through all the rotten and the bliss."

The reference to her long-term partner is a first for Ms Foster.

She has been in a 14-year relationship with Cydney Bernard and they have a son, but Ms Foster has always refused to answer questions about her personal life.

In the last year some younger Hollywood actors, such as Grey's Anatomy star TR Knight and Doogie Howser MD star Neil Patrick Harris, have found themselves effectively outed by gossip websites.

In May an American gay publication took the controversial step of naming a series of Hollywood stars it claims are gay, and urging them to come out of the closet.

Out featured two models holding masks of actress Jodie Foster and American TV news anchor Anderson Cooper in front of their faces, with the headline "The Glass Closet: Why Stars Won’t Come Out And Play."

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/g-a-y.jpg[/img2]Speculation has been building about a forthcoming takeover of London nightclub, Heaven, by G-A-Y, the clubbing brand owned by promoter Jeremy Joseph.

The news follows reports that G-A-Y will be soon be forced from current home, London's Astoria on Charing Cross Road, so it can be demolished as part of plans for a new Crossrail station, which have recently been given the go-ahead.

Mr Joseph refused to comment directly for legal reasons but said "I'm always looking for venues. It's a matter of finding the right ones."

He added: "It's like buying a house. Until it's all gone through, it could fall through."

The Pure Group, who run Heaven, were unavailable for comment.

G-A-Y which, which occupies The Astoria on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for different events, regularly attracts mainstream pop acts such as Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Westlife.

Heaven, situated in the arches beneath Charing Cross train station, became London's most famous gay nightspot when it opened in 1979, attracting stars such as Grace Jones and the Eurythmics to perform there.

In recent years, however, it's popularity has waned with increased competition from clubs in Vauxhall and Westminster Council's stringent crackdown on drug-taking have deterring clubbers.

The G-A-Y franchise includes two other bars, G-A-Y Late located just off Charing Cross Road and G-A-Y bar on Old Compton Street in Soho.

The MAMA group, owners of the Barfly music venue chain and the management company of top British bands such as the Kaiser Chiefs, recently bought a 75% shares in Manto Soho Limited (MSL), the company which operates G-A-Y bar and G-A-Y Late.

Ghetto, a gay club on Falconberg Court, just off Charing Cross Road, is also facing closure because of the Crossrail station.

... How many gay celebs can we list, between us?

I'm forever hearing peop,e suggesting THIS person is gay, or him out of whatever is gay...

I want a list.

My ten...

1. Elton John
2. Will Young (Will Yum...?)
3. Stephen Gately
4. Matt Lucas
5. George Michael
6. Graham Norton
7. Boy George
8. Scott Mills (News to me..!)
9. Ian McKellen (Is that actually right..?)
10. Dale Winton!

Come on people... Help me out!

x x x

Okay, I have to share this because it is the funniest and strangest thing my family has done.

3 years ago, my grandfather passed away from a sudden heart attack. It was very sad and my entire family was hit pretty hard.
However, the summer before he passed away, my grandfather decided to grow a crop of marijuana (pot). Well, at the end of the summer he was paranoid that the cops might discover it, or other members of my family might steal and sell it. So he cut and he brought it to the person he trusted most in all the world, my mother. He knew that neither she, my father, or myself would smoke it or sell it. So my mother hid it in tupperware containers in a closet.

One day when I came home from university for a visit, she took me to the closet and showed my the large stash. I was very confused and disturbed, but she let me in on the story. So I was amused at this and I didn't really care since my grandfather just wanted to make a little money.

Anyway, before he could sell it, he passed away. Now my mother was stuck with his crop. Well, she decided that she would sell it. She found a buyer and managed to get a couple thousand dollars for it. Then the following day she took my grandmother and they made a down payment on a headstone. We all say that my grandfather would applaud us for buying his headstone with the money made from his marijuana crop.

Isn't that a great story.

This just seems like a fun topic.

Mine are (in no particular order):

A Nightmare on Elm Street
Princess Mononoke
Lord of the Rings (all 3)
Kill Bill (vol 1 & 2)
Friday the 13th
Child's Play
Halloween (the original)
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Dogma

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/sprayoncondom.jpg[/img2]A German inventor has invented a spray-on condom.

Jan Vinzenze Krause, director of the Institute for Condom Consultancy said the idea came from the idea that the condom should fit the man, and not the other way round.

Speaking to Spiegel Online he said: "If you go into a drug store to buy condoms, the ones they sell are mainly suited to men with the average penis length of 14.5 centimetres (5.51 inches), but a lot of people have penises that are smaller or larger than that.

"This would represent a revolution in the condom market," he added.

The device works by spraying liquid latex straight on to the penis, which covers it in a matter of seconds.

The spray-on condom will, however, work out as more expensive than conventional ones.

The chamber will cost around £11 to £18 and the liquid latex refills, which produce between 10 and 20 condoms depending on size, will be priced at between £3.50 to £7.

That amounts to around 70p per condom, compared with around 35p per conventional sheath.

Although there are many legal hurdles to overcome and technical niggles to iron out, he is hoping it will eventually be available to buy in shops.

The system works a bit like a car wash. The man put his penis in a chamber and presses a button to start the jets of liquid latex, sucked from a detachable cartridge.

The rubber dries in seconds and is later rolled off and discarded like a conventional condom.

The aim is for the process to take just 10 seconds but at present the latex drying time is around 20 to 25 seconds. "We're working to shorten that time," said Krause.

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/walmart.jpg[/img2]Wal-Mart, the biggest private employer in the US has been given a "do not buy" rating in a new gay consumer guide.

Human Rights Campaign, the largest gay rights group in America, made its announcement, in time for the festive season, due to the company's refusal to give domestic partner benefits to gay and lesbian workers.

The 2008 Corporate Quality index rated Wal-Mart, along with other retail giants including Toys R Us and Auto Zone, in the red category, advising gays and their supporters to shop elsewhere.

It was a fall of 25 points to 40 from last years guide.

Wal-Mart spokesman David Tovar told USA Today: "We're proud of our diversity initiatives and we think we are taking the right steps."

He would not "speculate" on whether the rating would hurt holiday sales.

It is not the first time Wal-Mart has landed itself in hot water around LGBT issues.

Earlier this year it withdrew its membership of the National Lesbian and Gay Chamber of Commerce citing a new policy not to support "contraversial" issues.

Paul Blank, Campaign Director of WakeUpWalMart.com, an action group protesting about what they see as Wal-Mart's erosion of American worker's rights, said at the time:

"Wal-Mart should be ashamed that it would define its support for the GLBT community as "highly controversial."

"While it ignores its explicit support for right-wing George Bush-style Republicans whose policies have cost America middle class jobs, worsened our health care system, helped poison our environment, and blindly support failed strategies in Iraq."

Last year the Corporate Quality index was downloaded from HRC's website more than a quarter of a million times.

I just saw it this weekend. It was entertaining enough that I don't hate it, yet it was so Hollywood-esque that I have a hard time liking it too.
I wish I could see it in 3-D.

Anyone else seen it?

I have to ask if anyone has seen the series Broken Saints.
It is a really strange and unknown DVD. It isn't really an anime or cartoon, but more like a moving comic book, literally. It has a really complex, intriguing story.
It would be great if there is someone here who has seen it (or at least heard of it). If you haven't I definately recommend it. It really makes you think about the world and your life, an enlightening experience.mile: