It's a sad day for porn lovers:

Although details are sketchy at this point, former Rascal Exclusive Cole Ryder died of a staph infection in his sleep.

One of the first of a crop of more-masculine and hairy studio exclusives, Cole was signed by Rascal in 2006, where he went on to appear in Link: The Evolution, When Bears Attack, and others.

He appeared on the cover of the October 2006 issue of Unzipped and the cover of Leather Sessions.

And, we imagine, a number of fantasies.

More details as they cum - oh, we mean come.

Update: Ryder's friends tell us he did not die of a staph infection, but declined to reveal the actual cause. We're told a press release with be released in the near future.

This is big news, folks, so pay attention: Sam Ronson, celebrity DJ and lover of actress Lindsay Lohan, got a new haircut. Tell everyone you know, living and/or dead.

[via Daily Mail]

The arrest of fifty-five at a "gay party" in Saudi Arabia could turn into an international incident.

The Philippine embassy has confirmed that two of their nationals were seized in that raid. While embassy officials haven't mentioned any specifics, they say they're actively working with the Saudis to resolve the situation:

[A] report quoted David Dicang, Labor Attache of the Philippine embassy in charge of the Eastern Province that Filipinos were among those apprehended.

“I know that some Filipinos have been arrested in that area and we are trying to help them,” Dicang said.

Dicang could not yet give any comment on the nature of the case but added that the embassy is working with police to extend assistance to Filipino workers.

Homo loving is perfectly legal in the Philippines, so we're hoping the Embassy's efforts can spread some gay appreciation among the Saudis. We doubt that will happen, but it's best to remain optimistic.

Justice could be served in the gruesome slaying of trans teen Angie Zapata. Colorado police have arrested a man who admitted to beating the 18-year old woman to death. The story's not for the faint of heart:

Allen Ray Andrade, 31, faces several charges, including second-degree murder in the death of Justin Zapata, 20, who was known as Angie Zapata. The victim's bloodied, battered body was discovered in her apartment by her sister on July 17.
…
Andrade told investigators that he met Zapata through MocoSpace, a social network designed primarily for cell phone users, according to an arrest affidavit released by Greeley police. The two met July 15 and spent the day together.

Andrade told investigators that Zapata performed oral sex on him but wouldn't let him touch her, according to the affidavit.

He said he also spent the night at Zapata's apartment, but in separate beds. The next day, Zapata left Andrade alone in her apartment, and Andrade noticed several photographs that led him to question Zapata's gender.

Andrade confronted Zapata when she got back. He grabbed Zapata's crotch area, felt male genitalia and became angry, the affidavit says. He told investigators that he took a fire extinguisher off a shelf, struck Zapata twice in the head and thought he "killed it."

Police Chief Jerry Garner definitely does not approve of Andrade's summation of Zapata, "It's disgusting. It's a horrible thing to say." As, too, is the murder…

Not only do we want to marry Norb Peti - we want to birth his children. Both count as "'impossible dreams," we're sure…

[Images]

Barack Obama and his campaign team wasted no time hitting back at rival John McCain, who today released an add attacking Obama's international popularity.

In this Obama advert - entitled "The Low Road" - McCain's painted as a negative nancy who simply can't escape old school Republican nastiness. Oh, and there's also some bit about Obama's energy policy, a tax cut for the middle class and the candidate's commitment to alternative energy sources.

Take a peak, after the jump…

[via HuffPo]

CONTINUED »

Two forces have drive Chris Willis' career: the church and music. And, at time, they worked in tandem, like when the Dayton, Ohio, native sang in a gospel quartet with his three siblings.

Those formative years sent him on his aural way, but the experience came with a price: self-hatred. Once on track to spread the good gospel word - in fact, he had a record deal in the 1990s - Willis eventually broke with the genre to pursue more mainstream pursuits.

After singing backup for the likes of Ricky Martin and American Idol, Willis eventually fell in with a French pop group and, through them, met David Guetta, a bona fide house music super star. Since they began working together at the turn of the century, Willis and Guetta have had a string of hits, but none as successful as "Love Is Gone," which recently broke the United States' top 40 chart.

While he's largely turned his back on organized Christianity, Willis' religious roots definitely shine through when asked to discuss racism, coming into his own and rising above harassment.

The singer tells our editor all about it, after the jump…

CONTINUED »

Activist Davis Mac-Iyalla definitely felt gay yesterday. The Nigerian national heard that he has been granted asylum in the United Kingdom.

Mac-Iyalla, who works with Anglican group Changing Attitude Nigeria, released the following statement:

I'm very grateful to the UK government for granting me asylum.

It means I will have an opportunity to continue working for the full inclusion of LGBT people in the Anglican church in Nigeria.

My heart really goes out to my LGBT brothers and sisters still trapped in Nigeria.

They are intimated and threatened by the increasingly hostile and violent environment against them, fuelled by the hostility of Archbishop Akinola and his fellow bishops - who claim that we don't really exist, and if we do then we are the spawn of the devil.

It is impossible to have a rational debate in such a climate of hatred coming from what is supposed to be a loving church.

Mac-Iyalla fled Nigeria earlier this year and received notes saying he'd be killed upon his return. And he didn't want that, obviously.

Finally! After months - and, sadly, years - of waiting, we finally got to see Weeds hunk-a-hunk Hunter Parrish's tush on last night's episode.

As you may or may not know, his character, Silas, has been flirting with the MILF next door. As you can see above, they do a bit more than just flirt in the Showtime series' latest installment.

See some more semi-NSFW pictures, plus an M4M spoiler, after the jump…

CONTINUED »

As children, we're taught that good always vanquishes evil. Unfortunately, that's not always the case.

Evangelical schmuck Michael Marcavage and his right wing pals are celebrating after Pennsylvania's Supreme Court struck down a gay inclusive amendment
to the state's hate crimes law:

Along with six other member of his Repent America organization, Marcavage sued a handful of state officials, including Gov. Ed Rendell, claiming the law was passed in violation of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
…
In its ruling last week, the Supreme Court essentially signed on to the opinion authored by Commonwealth Court Judge James Gardner Collins.

Collins said the bill signed into law by then Gov. Mark Schweiker in December 2002 "did not retain its original purpose as it moved through the enactment process."

In its original form, House Bill 1493 addressed "agricultural vandalism" and the "criminal offense of agricultural crop or livestock destruction." By the time it reached Schweiker, however, the bill had been gutted and rewritten to broaden the state's hate crime law.

CONTINUED »

The hits just keep coming for Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean. And when we say "hits," we mean video of his testimony in the ongoing discrimination lawsuit filed by former gay outreach director Donald Hitchcock.

In case you're just joining us, Hitchcock claims key DNC leaders conspired to sack him as retaliation for his boyfriend Paul Yandura's public criticism of the party. Dean denies the allegations, claiming Hitchcock failed to seduce the gays.

This particular video - part of which has been blacked out for its confidentiality - has less to do with Hitchcock's firing and more to do with the Democratic Party's alleged inclusion, specifically with regard to the national convention's contentious gay goals.

CONTINUED »

Witnesses continue to come forward after this weekend's shooting at a gay-inclusive Unitarian church in Tennessee.

The kids over at Out & About received an exclusive account from Carla Lewis, who was there when Jim Adkisson came in firing. This excerpt picks up right after Adkisson fired his first shot:

My mind tried to register the sound. I was thinking, "Did a speaker explode? Did I hear a prop gun? Did something go wrong?" and as soon as that thought left my mind I smelled the sulfur from the gunpowder and heard another BOOM and then BOOM. I left go of Jaime's hand and stepped around the corner just as John Bohstedt tackled the shooter. Immediately two others were on top of him.
…
In the minutes leading up to when the police arrived Jaime and I saw children with escorts looking for their parents. We saw children and adults with blood on their clothes. We saw the worst side of human cruelty we had ever seen. We knew people had been shot but we didn't know who.

We eventually gathered with the rest of the church family on a hill behind the sanctuary. Most of the children were in safe hands at the Second Presbyterian Church next door. While we were congregated together I noticed our friend. She is a transgender youth. She told us that Greg, her foster father, had been hit. That really hit home.

Scary, scary shit…

Former Attorney General staffer Monica Goodling and her cohorts had some pretty queer hiring practices.

A Department of Justice report confirmed today that Goodling, who worked as a White House liaison for A.G. Alberto Gonzales' office, considered political affiliation, influence and sexuality when considering new hires:

Several witnesses provided credible testimony that one of the reasons for Goodling’s actions was the alleged sexual orientation of the AUSA.
…
We concluded that Goodling’s actions violated Department policy and federal law, and constituted misconduct.

In addition, we believe [Executive Office for the United States Attorneys Executive Director Michael] Battle should have raised concerns about Goodling’s actions. In this instance, Battle knew that Goodling had considered sexual orientation as a reason to deny the [Assistant U.S. Attorney] an extension of her EOUSA detail.

Sexuality wasn't the only litmus test, of course. One man was rejected because his resume "appeared to be a liberal Democrat."

There's no word on whether the staffers will face charges, although some Congressional investigators may pursue perjury for the lies Goodling and others told during Congressional hearings.

Hear's a PDF of the DOJ's ruling, if you're interested.

The Chinese government will begin a "gender determination" process for female athletes to make sure they're not too manly:

Experts at the lab, located at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, will evaluate cases based on their external appearance and take blood samples to test hormones, genes and chromosomes…
…
The concept has drawn criticism over the years, largely because certain chromosomal abnormalities may cause a woman to fail a test, even though it gives her no competitive advantage. Also, if a female athlete fails a test she must have a physiological examination, which many consider invasive and a privacy violation.
…
At the 1996 Atlanta Games, eight athletes failed the tests but were all cleared by subsequent examinations. Santhi Soundarajan, a middle-distance runner from India, was stripped of an Asian Games silver medal in 2006 after failing a gender verification test.

We wonder where a post-op male-to-female would stand…

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released a statement yesterday on why he chose not to attend HRC's boycotted gala:

The Human Rights Campaign is on the frontlines of the fight for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights and I fully support its important mission at this critical moment in history.

It has come to my attention that the San Francisco Labor Council has voted to formally boycott HRC's annual fundraising gala and regretfully, I cannot attend this years event.

As Mayor of the largest city in California, I am committed to creating a world in which no member or group in society is denied full and equal rights. It is my hope that this time next year will find us all united by victory in the fight against Proposition 8 and ever more determined to establish equal rights, with no exceptions, for every one of us.

And peace shall reign…