Supposily there was a picture of John & Edward dancing in only their boxer shorts, I've gone on all the news sites can't find it

Has anyone else saw it.

and also do you like or hate them!


xx

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/brotherhood.jpg[/img2]Brotherhood, a film about two male Neo-Nazis who begin a relationship, has won the best film accolade at the Rome Film Festival.

It is the first film from Danish-Italian director Nicolo Donato, who previously worked as a fashion photographer.

The film tells the story of two men who are part of a Neo-Nazi group who persecute gay men. Main character Lars joins the group after leaving the Army but starts a secret relationship with his mentor in the group, Jimmy.

Other winners at Friday's awards ceremony included Helen Mirren, who won best actress for her depiction of Leo Tolstoy's wife in Michael Hoffman's The Last Station, while Meryl Streep won a career achievement award.

Italian star Sergio Castellitto won the best actor award for his portrayal of a blue-collar worker and single parent in Alza la Testa.

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/usarmy.jpg[/img2]US Secretary of the Army John McHugh said this weekend that the military is ready to lift the ban on openly gay personnel.

He told Army Times: "Anytime you have a broad-based policy change, there are challenges to that. The Army has a big history of taking on similar issues, [with] predictions of doom and gloom that did not play out."

McHugh is the highest-ranking Army official to show his support for repealing the ban.

Currently, gays and lesbians can serve in the military as long as they do not reveal their sexual orientation.

President Barack Obama has spoken of his desire to see the ban scrapped, saying recently: "I'm working with the Pentagon, its leadership, and the members of the House and Senate on ending this policy. Legislation has been introduced in the House to make this happen. I will end 'don't ask, don't tell.' That's my commitment to you."

McHugh also suggested that the breaking down of the ban could come in phases such as allowing servicemembers to be open about their sexuality in some areas of the military.

Dr Nathaniel Frank, senior research fellow at the Palm Centre, commented: "What we're seeing is a tipping point in the opinions of both military and civilian leaders on this issue.

"The Army is the largest of the services and the most heavily involved in our wars abroad, and for Secretary McHugh to state clearly that it can handle repeal sends a strong signal to the other service secretaries that they can do the same."

Dr Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Centre, said Secretary McHugh's comments were enormously significant.

But he pointed out that there is no research to support the idea of letting gay soldiers serve in some units but not others. "The rationale for the ban applies equally across all job categories," he said.

"So if it's okay to be an openly gay Arabic interpreter, it's also okay to be openly gay in the infantry or on a submarine. Since conduct rules apply across the board, there's just no basis for applying different standards to different specialties."

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/barackobama.jpg[/img2]US president Barack Obama will reportedly sign a bill giving gays new protections from hate crime.

The bill is nicknamed the Matthew Shepard Bill, after the gay Wyoming teenager who was murdered in 1998. It was passed by the Senate 68 votes to 29 last week.

It will expand federal hate crime laws to include crimes where the victims were targeted on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, and disability.

The bill is attached to the Department of Defence reauthorisation bill, a bill to provide new F-22 fighter jets.

According to ABC News, Obama will sign the bill into law tomorrow.

It is thought that members of Shepard's family will attend the signing at the White House and a reception with gay rights campaigners will follow.

[COLOR="Navy"]Thought I'd start a nice, easy, and random topic......What are some of you're favorite movie quotes?

Mine are:
"Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars."
-Bette Davis in Now, Voyager.

"Its state law, fags play one hour of sports a day and they get beat up." -Timothy, Were the World Mine.

"I'm like cat here, a no-name slob. We belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us. We don't even belong to each other."
-Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's.

"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."
-Rhett Butler, Gone With The Wind.[/COLOR]

As if us here in the States haven't heard enough about the now infamous balloon boy and his family who captivated the nation with an elaborate hoax to garner media attention, more information surfaces about this troubling family. A video has surfaced on Youtube showing the balloon boy and his brothers rapping using numerous anti-gay slurs.

Here is the link to the story posted by The Advocate:
Balloon Boy, Brothers Rap Antigay Slurs   | News | Advocate.com

[SIZE="4"][COLOR="DarkRed"]A 49 year old gay man who was the victim of a Hate Crime last week in Queens, New York that was caught on tape speaks for the first time about the attack. His attackers have been arrested and charged with felony assault as a hate crime.

You can read the article here, what a brave man.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
: Gay man Jack Price, beaten in Queens, talks about attack

Be careful, folks, it is still happening :frown: Ian Baynham was assaulted and died from his injuries sustained in an attack in Trafalgar Square. Police have arrested two seventeen year old girls and an eighteen year old boy.

Condolences to his family and friends.

link

So Which Books Face Calls for a Ban or Restrictions?
As you might imagine, literature featuring gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) themes is often the source of controversy.

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Henry Cole is often one such book that is challenged. It is the story of two male penguins who raise a chick in the Central Park Zoo.

The book, aimed at children, is based on true events and, whilst not featuring any explicit affirmations of sexuality, it is often labeled as "indoctrination" and accused of "promoting a homosexual agenda". It is the ALA's most challenged book of 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Baby Be Bop by Francesca Lia Block was one of fifty-five books that were challenged by parents in Fayetteville, Arkansas. They formed a group called the Parents Protecting the Minds of Children who wanted the book removed from shelves for what they called its "graphic language" and for "promoting a homosexual agenda".

Baby Be Bop was also challenged in Wisconsin by group called the West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries who wanted all LGBT interest books moved to the adult section, regardless of the nature of the book, claiming that such material filed anywhere else in the library could be harmful, and that restricting access to the books was necessary "to protect children from accessing them without their parents' knowledge and supervision".

Groups don't ask for books to be banned just for the sake of children either. The Christian Civil Liberties Union (CCLU) filed a legal suit against West Bend earlier this year claiming that elderly library goers were "damaged mentally and emotionally" by Baby Be Bops presence. They sort financial damages and the right to hold a public book burning.

Speaking on the lawsuit a spokesperson for the CCLU said, "We don't want it put in a section for adults. We're saying it's inappropriate to have it in the library, and we want it out or destroyed".

For a list of LGBT themed books that are frequently protested against or have received local bans, please click here.

It's not just LGBT themed books that are targeted. Often books that are considered classics by most are also challenged. The organization Focus on the Family and others like it have, in the past, wanted to restrict access to books they deem " too liberal", "satanic" (concern was raised that The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter promoted sorcery) and books that do not "represent traditional values". The traditional values they stand for include campaigning against abortion, and the perceived homosexual agenda.

"Every year, the ALA and other liberal groups use this trumped-up event to intimidate and basically silence concerned parents... the truth is, parents have every right and responsibility to object to their kids receiving sexually explicit and pro-gay literature without their permission, especially in a school setting." – Candi Cushman, education analyst for Focus on the Family.

So what kind of books are often objected against? Here's just a small selection:

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
   
2. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.
   
3. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling.
   
4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
   
5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker.
   
6. Animal Farm by George Orwell.
   
7. Beloved by Toni Morrison.
   
8. Lord of the Flies by William Golding.
   
9. Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
   
10. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. This is the ONLY book I have not (YET) read!!

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama delivered a rousing speech Saturday night to the nation's largest gay rights group, praising the gay community for making strides in equal rights and pledging to deliver on major campaign promises that some say he's left on the back burner.
President Obama speaks Saturday night at the Human Rights Campaign dinner in Washington.





"For nearly 30 years, you've advocated for those without a voice," Obama said during his address at the dinner for the Human Rights Campaign. "Despite the progress we've made, there are still laws to change and hearts to open."
Obama's speech came as gay rights activists continued to lose patience over the lack of change to key issues for the gay community -- including the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. It comes on the eve of a major gays-rights rally in Washington.
"This fight continues now and I'm here with the simple message: I'm here with you in that fight," Obama told the applauding crowd.
The Human Rights Campaign issued a statement praising the speech, saying it was a "historic night when we felt the full embrace and commitment of the president of the United States. It's simply unprecedented."
Obama called for the repeal of the ban on gays in the military -- the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
"We should not be punishing patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve this country," he said. "I'm working with the Pentagon, its leadership and the members of the House and Senate on ending this policy, legislation that has been introduced in the House to make this happen, I will end 'don't ask, don't tell.' That's my commitment to you."
The president said he backed the rights of gay couples, saying they should have the "same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple in this country." He said he has urged Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and to pass the Domestic Partners Benefit and Obligations Act.
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