[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/gaycaliforniamarriage.jpg[/img2]New research published in Los Angeles today has revealed that estimated 11,000 same-sex couples have married in California in the first three months since gay weddings were ruled legal in the state.

The Williams Institute estimates that the number same-sex couples in the state has increased to 109,000, or 14% of the US total, and there are 861,000 lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults living in California.

Same-sex couples live in every county in California, constituting 9 of every 1,000 households.

San Francisco has the highest percentage of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals at 14%, followed by Humbolt (5.6%), Lake (5%), Santa Cruz (5%), and Sacramento (4.3%).

Voters in California will consider a ballot measure on election day in November that would alter the state constitution and "eliminate right of same-sex couples to marry."

In May the California Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex marriages in the state.

The Court voted 4 to 3 to strike down the ban.

Opponents of gay marriage raised more than a million signatures to place the initiative on the November ballot.

The research from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law revealed that five counties account for nearly 80% of the estimated 11,000 same-sex couples: Los Angeles (2,719), San Francisco (2,708), San Diego (1,689), Riverside (1,247), and Alameda (475).

These are all counties known to have large and visible lesbian and gay populations and are also attractive tourist destinations for both in- and out-of-state weddings.

The Williams Institute also published three new research studies providing demographic and economic information for the 109,000 same-sex couples in California.

The first study, an analysis of recent data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, shows that nearly 25% of same-sex couples in California are raising more than 52,000 children.

"Clearly, same-sex couples who seek legal recognition are in enduring relationships," said Gary Gates, Senior Research Fellow at the Williams Institute and co-author of all three studies.

"While lesbians are more likely to be in a cohabiting partnership than are gay men, gay men nonetheless have longer duration relationships, especially those who have sought official registration, 12 years average duration for gay men compared to 9 years for lesbians."

The third study, published in the journal Review of Economics of the Household, reveals that the usual predictors of marriage, economic factors like education and income, do not have as strong an impact in predicting which lesbian and gay couples will seek registered domestic partnership.

This is sick and so wrong

A 21-year-old man has been left permanently paralysed from the waist down after he was set upon by a group of youths while he was on his way to a gay bar in east London.
A 15-year-old from East Ham was refused bail in a youth court yesterday.
He has been charged with homophobic aggravated assault with intent, occasioning grievous bodily harm.
The 21-year-old, identified only as "Olly" was set upon by a gang of five youths in Boundary street on August 28th as he walked with a female friend to the popular gay George and Dragon pub in Shoreditch, East London, the court was told.
He was verbally abused, struck on the head with a glass bottle then stabbed seven times in the back and torso.
The young man, "Olly", underwent surgery on his brain and lungs at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
The court was told that he was stabbed in his spinal cord and is now permanently paralysed.








London gay youth left permanently paralysed by homophobic attack - from Pink News - all the latest gay news from the gay community - Pink News

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/mccainpalin.jpg[/img2]Sarah Palin, the vice presidential candidate for John McCain, has claimed that she is "not going to judge Americans" based on their sexuality in a CBS News interview.

The hopeful candidate was being questioned by the programme’s Katie Couric on sexuality, contraception and abortion.

When asked about her views on homosexuality, Ms Palin said that she believed homosexuality to be a "choice", and went on to say:

"I am not going to judge Americans and the decisions that they make in their adult personal relationships."

She then stated that one of her "absolute best friends" is a lesbian, and continued:

"She is not my gay friend, she is one of my best friends who happens to have made a choice that isn't a choice that I have made, but I'm not going to judge people."

Ms Palin, who is also Governor of Alaska, was also asked about her position on abortion, including in extreme cases of pregnant and underage rape victims. She said:

"I am pro-life and I am unapologetic about my position there."

"I would counsel to choose life, I would like to see a culture of life."

"I'm saying that personally I would counsel that person to choose life despite horrific, horrific circumstances."

Ms Palin said that she did not, however, feel that abortion should be an offence punishable with imprisonment.

Ms Palin has come under fire over her stance on gay rights since her selection as John McCain’s vice presidential candidate.

In September, it emerged that Ms Palin had been attending a church that advertised a conference that claimed to "cure" gays and lesbians.

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/banksy_funglejunk.jpg[/img2]A number of works by guerrilla artist Banksy have failed to sell at a modern art auction in London.

Fungle Junk - a mural painted on the side of a van - was expected to make £150,000 but was withdrawn after a bid of half that price was made.

A spokesman for auctioneer Lyon and Turnbull said the artist's refusal to authenticate the works was to blame.

The modern art sale's "disappointing" outcome was also put down to the current economic climate.

Some 80% of the lots at the auction failed to sale, according to Ben Hanly, Lyon and Turnbull's contemporary art specialist.

'Extreme caution'

A self-portrait of Kate Moss, inscribed in blood by her former boyfriend Pete Doherty, eventually made less than its expected £40,000.

Works by other leading artists including Sam Taylor-Wood were not sold.

Enigmatic artist Banksy refused to authenticate his five works after setting up an organisation, Pest Control, to verify his art after a series of fakes were attributed to him.
Gangsta Rat by Banksy
Gangsta Rat was expected to make up to £30,000, but was unsold

He has also expressed a dislike for his street art being removed from its original setting.

But the auction house said it was sure the work was genuine and it decided to go ahead without official verification.

Of other main lots by Banksy, only Bomb Middle England sold for £13,000, while a number of prints were auctioned off for relatively small amounts.

On its website, Pest Control said that since its creation in January, 89 street pieces and 137 screen prints attributed to Banksy had turned out to be fake.

"Pest Control does not authenticate street pieces because Banksy prefers street work to remain in situ and building owners tend to become irate when their doors go missing because of a stencil," it said.

"He would encourage anyone wanting to purchase one of his images to do so with extreme caution, but does point out that many copies are superior in quality to the originals."

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/littlebritainusa.jpg[/img2]Gay comedian Matt Lucas and David Walliams' multi-award-winning comic creation, Little Britain, is returning to television this Friday with a brand new series, Little Britain USA.

Filmed entirely in the States, the series features familiar Little Britain characters in new sketches, as well as brand-new characters, all performed by Lucas and Walliams.

Returning favourites include Dafydd Thomas, the self-proclaimed "only gay in the village"; Emily Howard, an awkward and obvious transvestite in denial; Lou and his seemingly wheelchair-bound best friend Andy; Marjorie Dawes, the insensitive leader of a chapter of the weight-loss support group Fatfighters; Vicky Pollard, a motor-mouthed teenage delinquent with a terrible attitude and Harvey, a young adult who still craves his mother's "bitty".

Among the new characters on the show are Bing Gordyn, the eighth astronaut to go to the moon; Phyllis, who is powerless to ignore suggestions from the manipulative and dangerous Mr Doggy, her King Charles spaniel; Mark and Tom, hyper-masculine gym buddies who will do anything for each other; Mildred, who shares wildly inappropriate secrets from her shocking past with her grandson Connor; Ellie-Grace, a frilly little girl with the mouth of a truck driver; and Sandra and George, who have been married for 40 "glorious" years.

The series will feature several cameo performances, including Geraldine James, Rosie O'Donnell, Paul Rudd and Sting.
Simon Fuller, Executive Producer, says: "Little Britain USA is a show we made for HBO, however we always had in mind our British audience and hope everyone enjoys the new characters as much as they do the familiar ones.

"Matt Lucas and David Walliams are two of Britain's most talented comedy writers and performers and I am happy to continue Little Britain's special relationship with the BBC.

"I am proud at the same time to introduce them to an American audience. The anticipation for the new shows has been quite remarkable."

Matt Lucas and David Walliams met at the National Youth Theatre in 1990, where they became immediate friends and collaborators, writing and appearing in a number of TV and radio projects.

In 2001, they launched the Little Britain sketch comedy radio series for BBC Radio 4, which was renewed for a second season on Radio 4 before becoming a TV pilot for both BBC Two and BBC Three in February 2003.

In 2004, they picked up a three British Comedy Awards, a National Television Award and a BAFTA for the first TV season and won two BAFTAs, a South Bank Show Award, a Broadcast Award, two Rose D'or Awards at Montreux and two RTS nominations for the second season. Little Britain has also been the recipient of two International Emmys.

Little Britain USA is written by Matt Lucas and David Walliams and was shot on location and in studio in Wilmington, North Carolina and Los Angeles.

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/rocketmanyves.jpg[/img2]A Swiss man has become the first person to fly solo across the English Channel using a single jet-propelled wing.

Yves Rossy landed safely after the 22-mile (35.4 km) flight from Calais to Dover, which had been twice postponed this week because of bad weather.

The former military pilot took less than 10 minutes to complete the crossing and parachute to the ground.

The 49-year-old flew on a plane to more than 8,200ft (2,500m), ignited jets on a wing on his back, and jumped out.

Mr Rossy had hoped to reach speeds of 125mph.

It felt "great, really great", said Mr Rossy: "I only have one word, thank you, to all the people who did it with me."

He said weather conditions on Friday had been perfect and his success signalled "big potential" for people to fly "a little bit like a bird" in the future.

Known as "Fusionman," he was aiming to follow the route taken by French airman Louis Blériot 99 years ago when he became the first person to fly across the English Channel in a plane.

In an interview earlier this week, he said: "If I calculate everything right, I will land in Dover. But if I get it wrong, I take a bath."

The stunt was broadcast live for the National Geographic Channel. Its producer, Kathryn Liptrott, said Mr Rossy was fearless.

"When we've talked to him and asked him are you worried about risk his quote consistently is: I'm not worried about risk, I manage risk.

"He flew Mirage fighters for the Swiss army, he now flies an Airbus. And in his sort of heart he's a pilot and a parachutist and what they do is manage risk. He won't fly if he doesn't think that he will arrive in Dover."

The longest flight he had previously taken lasted 10 minutes.

The wing had no rudder or tail fin, so Mr Rossy had to steer it using his head and back.

As well as a helmet and parachute, he wore a special suit to protect him from the four kerosene-burning turbines mounted just centimetres from him on the wing.

Here's a story that appeared on the msn news:
Clay is gay: Aiken comes out of the closet
Sept. 23, 2008, 6:20 PM EST
NEW YORK (AP) -- Clay Aiken is finally confirming what many people already knew: He's gay.
The cover of the latest People magazine shows Aiken holding his infant son, Parker Foster Aiken, with the headline: "Yes, I'm Gay." The cover also has the quote: "I cannot raise a child to lie or hide things."
The magazine has an interview with Aiken and confirmed that he was on the cover but refused to release the article to The Associated Press until Wednesday.
The baby's mother is Aiken's friend and record producer Jaymes Foster.
Aiken, who gained fame as the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003, rarely addressed the frequent rumors about his sexuality. In an interview with The Associated Press two years ago, he said: "I don't really feel like I have anybody to answer to but myself and God and the people I love."
The multiplatinum singer recently released the CD "On My Way Here" and made his Broadway debut this spring in "Monty Python's Spamalot."

Good for you Clay!!! mile: Bravo on becoming a dad.

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/lindsaylohan.jpg[/img2]Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan has confirmed she is "going out" with DJ Sam Ronson. (Mark Ronson's elder sister)

There have been constant rumours about their relationship, with everyone from Ms Lohan's father to the Los Angeles chief of police publicly airing their views.

Ms Ronson, speaking on a phone in radio show in the US about the plane crash last weekend in which her friend DJ AM was seriously injured. She then passed the phone to Ms Lohan.

Presenter Ted Stryker asked her:

"You and Samantha, have been going out for how long now?

"Like two years, one year, five months, two months?"

"For a very long time," Ms Lohan replied.

The two have been friends for years and it is said they got closer during Ms Lohan's stint at rehab last year, but the movie star's publicist has always denied they are in a relationship.

Earlier this month they issued a joint statement criticising the Republican party nominee for Vice President of the United States, Sarah Palin.

"I find it quite interesting that a woman who now is running to be second in command of the United States only four years ago had aspirations to be a television anchor, which is probably all she is qualified to be."

Lohan also attacked the candidate's views on sexuality: "Is it a sin to be gay? Should it be a sin to be straight? Or to use birth control? Or to have sex before marriage? Or even to have a child out of wedlock?

"Is our country so divided that the Republicans' best hope is a narrow-minded, media-obsessed homophobe?"

In August Ms Lohan hit out at the Los Angeles police chief after he said she had "gone gay."

Chief William Bratton made the remark while explaining why he does support a crackdown on the paparazzi.

"If you notice, since Britney started wearing clothes and behaving, Paris is out of town not bothering anybody, thank God, and evidently, Lindsay Lohan has gone gay, we don't seem to have much of an issue," Bratton told LA news channel KNBC.

"Police chiefs shouldn't get involved in everyone else's business when it comes to their personal life. It's inappropriate," Lohan said in a video filmed by paparazzi and posted on celebrity website TMZ.

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/g-a-y.jpg[/img2]The group that owns G-A-Y has ended months of speculation and confirmed it has purchased Heaven nightclub.

The Astoria had been the venue for G-A-Y club nights for 15 years. It is to be demolished to make way for the Crossrail project and a redevelopment of Tottenham Court Road station.

Promoter Jeremy Joseph said in May that he made the decision to leave the Astoria after fifteen years "after a lot of thought and consideration. The last night there was in July.

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, bought a 75% share in Manto Soho Limited (MSL), the company which operates G-A-Y Bar and G-A-Y Late, in August 2007.

Mr Joseph retains ownership of the G-A-Y brand.

He told clubbing blog dicscodamaged yesterday:

"I'm proud and excited that I can now confirm that G-A-Y is the new owners of HEAVEN Nightclub.

"Together it is 44 years of gay history.

"After years of being competition to each other, the world's best known gay club becomes the home to the world's most famous gay club night.

"Despite much speculation about the future of Heaven, it is my priority to make sure not only will Heaven be the new home for G-A-Y, but also to continue the success of other nights, allowing Heaven to be a diverse venue, making it Britain's best gay club."

"The next couple of weeks I will spend getting to re-know Heaven & will be making plans that will include a major refurbishment."

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/russelltovey.jpg[/img2]One of the most popular programmes on the BBC could soon have an out gay star as its leading man.

Emails from Doctor Who creator Russell T Davies printed in The Times reveal that he wants Russell Tovey to succeed David Tennant in the iconic role.

Tovey appeared in the show's Christmas special, Voyage of the Damned, as Midshipman Frame. At 26, he would be the tenth and youngest Doctor.

He gained rave reviews for his portryal of Rudge in the stage and film versions of Alan Bennett's The History Boys and in the Royal National Theatre’s production of His Dark Materials.

Russell T Davies leaves Doctor Who as lead writer and executive producer next year. He said Tovey was "going to be huge" and is "amazing."

The children's science fiction series was on air from 1963 to 1989, with seven different incarnations of the Doctor, among them Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.

Doctor Who was revived in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston as the eponymous time traveller. He was succeeded by David Tennant after one series.

The creator of iconic gay drama Queer as Folk, Davies is developing a new BBC drama series about forty-something gay men, it was confirmed last year.

In the emails Davies' humour shines through. He describes a press event in which he meets Tovey:
"In the middle of the line-up, I say hello to Russell Tovey [actor who plays Midshipman Frame]. He's in front of GMTV. I'm with Newsround. We both look embarrassed…

"Then it's the screening. We're hustled to our seats. "That's Russell Tovey's boyfriend," someone points out - and a whole fantasy night dies in my mind… "

The producer and writer also admitted to wrestling with fancying Conservatives and shares his distaste for politicians:
"I hate any Q&A. I'm 44 and balding and putting on weight, in a cheap suit because nothing else was clean and my alarm didn't go off; the last thing I want to do is sit in front of 500 people…

"Then it's the party afterwards. But I can't relax. It's all work. In three hours, I have half an apple juice and half a Coke. I have to speak to everyone. That's my job. Signing autographs for kids, which is nice, but then the MPs, the bloody MPs…

"The one time I do get five minutes to myself, one of the sci-fi magazine men is drunk and won't leave me alone, while I'm fending off his sly, smiling insults ("That was a fun episode, wasn't it? Just fun!"), and then I find myself with two gay boys who work as researchers in Parliament, and they're gorgeous, but it turns out that they're with the Shadow Secretary of Something. I'm thinking, would I sleep with a Tory?

"But then they're telling me that they were 13 when Queer as Folk was on, and I realise that I'm as old as George Bernard Shaw to them…

"Then more bloody MPs, and there's the nice man from The Guardian, all smiles and hellos, the same man who wrote a Guardian blog last week describing Doctor Who as the Most Overrated TV Show of the Year, but I'm smiling back, because they can write what they like.

"And it goes on and on and on. When I say I hate it, I'm really so unhappy - and smiling like an idiot. A hundred versions of me, and every single one sounds like a fool."

The role of Time Lord may not appeal to Tovey - in an interview with Attitude magazine in January he described his dream role:
"I want to play really dark, fucked-up characters, I want to play characters like drag queens, rent boys, someone who has been abused, a rapist."

In the emails Davies also revealed he had wanted Harry Potter author JK Rowling to star in a Christmas special.

"David (Tennant, the current Doctor Who) doesn't like the JK idea, he thinks it sounds like a spoof, so we've paused slightly, wondering whether to win him round or just abandon something that he's not going to be happy with," he wrote.

After this year's Doctor Who, the next series will not air until 2010.