"A video showing football [read: soccer] stars speaking out against homophobia will be released next year as part of an unprecedented drive by the sport's governing bodies to tackle a sharp rise in abuse and discrimination. The video will be shown in cinemas, on TV and in stadiums in an attempt to rid terraces and pitches of homophobic chants and slurs, the Guardian reveals.

It is hoped that up to a dozen players, including David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell, David James, Wayne Rooney, Ashley Cole and Cristiano Ronaldo, will be persuaded to take part." [Guardian]

The man doth protest too much! British soccer player Ashley Cole reportedly plans to sue two tabloids for insinuating he's a homo, even though neither paper explicitly named him.

Cole has decided to sue for harassment, breach of privacy and libel after rumours over his sexuality spread like wildfire on the internet, fuelled by a series of articles in the News of the World and the Sun that did not name him but contained broad hints at his identity.

Legal experts view the case as an important step in taking the temperature of libel and privacy law in cases where the aggrieved parties are not named but the public is able to build up a "jigsaw" identification via tabloid hints that spark gossip via email, blogs and chatrooms.

They said the privacy part of the claim was "unique" because it relied on an untested concept known as "false privacy" - even though Cole says he is not gay, he will argue his privacy has been invaded.
…
Cole is likely to argue that the suggestion he is gay or bisexual is tantamount to accusing him of hypocrisy and thus damages his reputation.

Hey, does this remind anyone of when an unimplicated Larry Craig said he wasn't involved in the 80s congressional page scandal? Look how that one turned out…

• Those ever so blunt Dutch ask Missy Elliott if she's either gay or straight. Even that bitch Barbara Walters couldn't get to this level of awkwardness. [MTV via Arjan]

• Oh and Keanu Reeves? Still not gay either. [Pink News]

• Looks like this Ashley Cole controversy has made Brits just as lawsuit crazy as Americans. [Pink News]

• Christine Quinn is Irish, New York's City Council Speaker, and a dyke. And she won't be marching in this week's St. Patrick's Day parade. [NY Post]

• Forget the 100K, what Chloe Dao really wants is a new Saturn. [NY Post]

• Peter Bacanovic relocated from New York to LA, and like most people who do, he ended up a failure and an escort. [NY Post]

• Jake Gyllenhaal popped up behind numerous stars at some of the Oscar parties a couple of nights ago. We just wish he would just get behind us one of these days. [Towleroad]

• No, it isn’t related to Confessions on a Dance Floor, but Confessions of a Mormon Boy is hosting a gay singles night next week. [Broadway World]

• Finally a magazine for gays and lesbians in Northern Ireland! But come, naming it Icon?! [Gay.com]

• Ashley Cole is pissed that his name has been linked to the word "gay" on Google. Of course this is all due to his being linked to his alleged participation in gay orgies and shoving a cell phone up his ass. [The Times Online]

• The MSM has finally discovered the Brokeback Mountain parodies that have been filling our inboxes faster than shirtless pics of Clay Aiken. We're officially over both of them. [NY Times]

• While we're generally pretty unforgiving when celebs record themselves in their most private moments, we're going to take it easy on Texas A&M's Chris Walker. Not because he's half-naked and hot but because he's lip synching "Total Eclipse of the Heart." [Towleroad]

• Soccer star Ashley Cole is suing two UK newspapers for libel for printing gay orgy stories in which his name was never even mentioned. Makes perfect sense to us. [Press Gazette]

• Following the news that gay marriage is good for your health, we now get word that marriage bans are bad for us. [UPI]

• In talking about his being a gay role model, Westlife's Mark Freehily says "I don't know that I necessarily like it too much because, knowing me, I would probably say the wrong thing." We say don't stop talking about your sexuality, Mark. It's the only thing that gets the band press these days. [Sydney Morning Herald]