[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/brangelina.jpg[/img2]Hollywood star Brad Pitt has said that he doesn't care if any of his children are gay, saying: "I hope I teach my kids to be who they really are".

In an interview with Parade magazine, Pitt, 45, said having a gay child wouldn't bother him "one bit".

"Would it bother me if a child of mine turns out to be gay? No, not one bit. I want my kids to live the lives they want to live. I want them to be fulfilled. I hope I teach my kids to be who they really are," he said.

Pitt, who has six children with partner Angelina Jolie, including three who were adopted, also defended the couple's decision not to get married, saying they won't do it until "it's legal for everyone else".

"When someone asked me why Angie and I don’t get married, I replied, ‘Maybe we’ll get married when it’s legal for everyone else."

He continued: "I stand by that, although I took a lot of flak for saying it - hate mail from religious groups."

"I believe everyone should have the same rights," he continued. "They say gay marriage ruins families and hurts kids. Well, I've had the privilege of seeing my gay friends being parents and watching their kids grow up in a loving environment".

The actor said that his views stem from his position that all people should have equality.

In September 2008, the star made a $100,000 (£54,840) donation to the campaign against Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California.

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/judelaw.jpg[/img2]Plans to give legendary detective Sherlock Holmes a gay twist have been attacked by a film critic who said it could turn audiences off.

Director Guy Ritchie's version will see Holmes and Dr Watson sharing a bed and wrestling. Ritchie has not said the characters will be gay, but there is likely to be plenty of homoerotic tension.

The film, based on the detective stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, features Robert Downey Jr as the famous detective and Jude Law as his sidekick, Dr Watson.

Former New York Post film critic Michael Medved told the newspaper: "There's not a seething, bubbling hunger to see straight stars impersonating homosexuals. I think they're just trying to generate controversy."

Medved, who is a self-proclaimed conservative and famous for adding a family suitability rating to his film reviews, added: "They know that making Holmes and Watson homosexual will take away two-thirds of their box office. Who is going to want to see Downey Jr and Law make out? I don't think it would be appealing to women. Straight men don't want to see it."

However, Jason Starr, a New York-based thriller writer, defended the move. He said: "This sounds like exactly the type of updating the series needs to attract a new generation. Playing up the homoerotic undercurrents in 'The Talented Mr Ripley' worked rather well. If Conan Doyle was writing today, he would have been much more provocative with the characters."

Downey Jr revealed the new twist in an interview with the News of the World in February.

He said the pair will have lots of sweaty grappling scenes.

"We're two men who happen to be roommates, wrestle a lot and share a bed. It's bad-ass. Guy [Ritchie] wanted to make this about the relationship between Watson and Holmes. They're both mean and complicated," he said.

The film is set to be released on Boxing Day.

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/petchkoom.jpg[/img2]A Thai boxer who posed on the cover of a gay magazine in his underwear is facing a year-long ban.

Worapoj Petchkoom, who is one of the country's best hopes for a medal at the 2012 London Olympics, has said he did not know the magaine, Stage, was gay-related.

The Amateur Boxing Association of Thailand (ABAT) has called the shoot "inappropriate".

ABAT president General Thaweep Jantharoj said: "We will question him. After we listen to him, we will mete out punishment."

Petchkoom, 28, told the Joh Jai TV programme: "I thought it was an honour to be invited to grace the cover of a magazine on its third anniversary.

"I became sceptical when I was told to wear just underpants.

"They said everything was going to be okay because it would show my abdomen muscles."

The boxer said he was told he would have to pay compensation if he left the shoot.

He has said he may have to abandon hopes of representing Thailand in the 2012 Olympics if he receives a ban.

Petchkoom denied being gay, saying he had a girlfriend. He also apologised to fans, saying it was a "life lesson".

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/civilpartnerships.jpg[/img2]The number of civil partnerships entered into by gay and lesbian couples has continued to fall since a peak when they were legalised in 2005.

Figures released today by the National Office of Statistics showed an 18 per cent drop in the number of ceremonies held in England since last year.

Between 2006 and 2007, the drop was much higher at 46 per cent, suggesting that numbers may be levelling off.

In the UK, 7,169 civil partnerships (3,824 male and 3,345 female) were held last year, in the UK in 2008, bringing the total number of partnerships formed since the Civil Partnership Act came into force until the end of 2008 to 33,956.

As in 2007, the London Borough of Westminster and Brighton and Hove Unitary Authority had the highest number of gay partnerships.

There were 180 civil partnership dissolutions granted in the UK in 2008, with almost twice as many being granted to female couples (116) than male couples (64).

Eleven per cent of men and 21 per cent of women forming a civil partnership in the UK in 2008 had been in a previous marriage or civil partnership.

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, said a "natural stabilising" in the rate of civil partnerships was unsurprising.

He commented: "Stonewall lobbied for civil partnerships to offer same-sex couples the same legal protections that marriage offers.

"Civil partnerships were initially far more popular than the government predicted - there was clearly a pent-up demand for thousands of same-sex couples to finally legalise their relationship. A natural stabilising of this initial boom is no surprise."

So last night while I was out and about in the lovely Sonoran Desert of Arizona, U.S. I was sitting on a bar stool when I felt a peculiar tingling feeling on my leg. It was a scorpion, and yes my friends, I was a victim of a venemous insect sting.

I don't know what the big deal was. I always hear how it hurts when you get stung by one, a scorpion. It really doesn't hurt, for me at least.

So, if there isn't already a post such as this, here is one now.

What is the strangest insect you have ever gotten stung by?

I was stung by two bullet ants in Venezuela, that IS PAIN!!!

I know our dear Sox is not keen on public displays of affection, but I'm not sure he would go this far in dealing with it. I've just heard of this incident that took place in Salt Lake City's Main Street Plaza recently. Four security guards apparently took exception to a kiss and a cuddle by a gay couple in the LDS Church owned area. Rather an aggressive response ... or justified, do you think?

I need to vent. This seems to be generally what I use this forum for, and for that I apologise; however this is one of the few places I can vent without risk of upsetting someone.

I left my old job, the one with the 70,0000 hours a week, for a new trainign job where I could get some more qualifications. I am now thoroughly bored and even more skint. My qualifications seem as far away as ever and did I mention how bored I am?

At the new job I managed to make a rather large whoopsie a few weeks back by getting extremely drunk and sleeping with a (supposedly straight) girl who I work with. I don't really like her, at all, and I'm not out to any of my work colleagues so that sort of hangs over me (on the plus side it hangs over her as well!). Oh, and to add insult to injury the bitch bit me (apparently that counts as foreplay in her twisted little mind) and I ended up on antibiotics for it!!

I have an incredibly overwhelming crush on a straight guy I work with (henceforth known as TSG - the straight guy - due to the pure novelty of actually knowing someone straight!!). I cannot stop thinking about him, sometimes in extremely innapropriate places at very innapropriate times!! He is a really nice guy and we are pretty good friends but I have tried to push it further twice and have been met with firstly 'I can't even think about a relationship at the moment' and 'I'm just not there yet'. WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?????? If he'd told me I was a minger but thanks for trying I could understand. Does anyone out there speak straight?? On the pluss side he has been well and truly decent about me being rather forward (and once, rather drunkenly so!) and it hasn't changed our working or friend relationship at all so far as I can tell.

I haven't managed to ride side saddle (my current 'big thing') or go to London or see most of my best friends for over 4 months now :frown: and this week I am a glorified babysitter with kids galore coming for 'Pony Week' where their parents dump them on me for 4 days.

I'm still wrestling with the issue of coming out. I still amintain that I have no need or wish to come out to my parents untill/unless I meet a woman with whom I become seriously involved. However not being out at work is starting to frustrate me somewhat but I am not sure how well it would go down (for example an overheard conversation between 2 colleagues about a woman they had met the night before, 'you do know she's into women don't you?' 'Eugh thats disgusting, I thought she was a bit too friendly'). I know I don't like the job but it is a necessary evil for the qulaifications at the moment so don't really want to alienate workmates!

So, there is my grump and moan. If you made it this far please have a pat on the back/wine/JD/cookies/hagen dazs/whatever suits! I feel a little better for having written this down and now I'm off to give my pillow some head and my duvet some ass.

So I just finalized my trip to my hometown of Maracaibo, or "La Tierra del Sol Amada!", in the scenic state of Zulia, from the beautiful country of Venezuela. I am going to visit my Grandfather and a few aunts, uncles and cousins. I am super excited! I have not seen my family in 'Caibo in so long. I am happy to be going this time because I am going there for a good reason. My cousin is getting married!!! Her fiancee is a sexy Argentinian law student from the city of Rosario, province Santa Fe. The last time I went home, it was for a sad reason, my Grandma had passed. So the last trip I took was a sad one. I am looking forward to this trip becuase this will be the first time, since my granmda's passing, that we will be partying and celebrating at my grandparents' rancha. It is going to be fun. If you ever get a chance to go to a South American wedding, GO! We know how to throw quite an affair. I am just so excited! I will be counting down the weeks until I arrive there. I bet the next two months will be painfully slow! Don't you guys hate that? When you are waiting for something and it takes for freakin' ever! JAJAJA! I think I am just to excited. Anyway, I just I thought I would share this, my excitement that is. Buenoooo, hasta la vez proxima todos!

chau,
j

I went to my second pride event yesterday. It happened to be the first one held in Norwich. The city council and a number of employer organisations and unions got behind the whole event. Lots of speakers and performers. Loads of events leading up to the big day with a wind down happening today. The parade itself attracted at least 500 participants maybe more. It was all pretty amazing and, once more for me, a bit emotional. I had a few minutes to speak to Daniel Danso from Stonewall and my regard for Stonewall has just gone up a few more notches ... and his photograph on the Stonewall website does him little justice

Friends of mine were playing in Norwich Samba who led the parade. The mood was joyful ... and for those of you from other discussions we've had about Pride marches, pretty much everyone was dressed in "civvies". A few in fancy dress (some very imaginative), but I saw nothing that could possibly be construed as offensive or outrageous. The positive mood was only threatened as we passed a very sour and miserable-looking bunch of so-called "Christians" waving placards informing us that "the wages of sin are death" and suchlike jolly stuff. One of them was handing out little photocopied booklets bearing a title to the effect that gays can be cured through Jesus I couldn't help wondering what is missing in their lives that they feel the need to interfere in such a personal way in the lives of others. There have got to be other, far more important, issues upon which their god would want them to be expending their energies ... surely? Elsewhere, but marching with us were members of the Unitarian Church. I guess they are also "Christian"?

Anyway, I don't suppose anyone from the organising committee is reading this, but thanks! It was a good first Pride and I look forward to the next one.

Staring Johnny Depp as the mad hatter.

New Trailer: Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland | LOVEFiLM

Personally I'm not sure about it, if you see the trailer he looks a little out of place from his usual role in films and is it a good think?
The trailer doesn't really make me think, ow I might give that a watch.