In sort-of-related, a gay man by the name of Mohamed Essam Ghoneim el-Attar has been under lock and key over in Egypt. The government insists el-Attar admitted to spying for an Israeli Mossad-backed espionage group in both Canada and Turkey. Israel, of course, denies the charges.

Fearing his faggot life in Egypt, el-Attar fled to Canada back in 2002, where he took a job as a bank teller. On the 1st of this year, el-Attar flew back to Cairo, where police arrested him and threw him in detention. His family insists he's not a spy and has been calling on the Canadian government to help rescue him. The government, however, has not acknowledge el-Attar's citizenship and therefore hasn't made a pledge to negotiate for his safe return. Globe and Mail elaborates:

While in custody, prosecutors say, [el-Attar] admitted that he worked for Israel, at the behest of a Mossad-backed espionage network operating in both Canada and Turkey.
...
Egypt has alleged that he has revealed the identities of Mossad handlers living in Turkey and Canada, and is urging that they be arrested and sent to Egypt for trial.

Canada, which has no extradition treaty with Egypt, has not said whether it would oblige the request. In the past, human-rights concerns have scuttled attempts to deport fugitive Egyptians from Canada.

The New York Times was all sorts of gay this weekend. In addition to the aforementioned article on straights foregoing marriage in the name of queer support, the newspaper's Sunday magazine ran an article on the rise of homophobia in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Some people believe that homophobia's an ancient practice. Of course, considering the notion of homosexuality didn't exist until the butt end of the 19th century, that's just plain wrong. Still, it's tempting to project an American experience on a Middle Eastern country.

According to Negar Azimi, however, the threat to Arab gays reached new heights over the past five years:

[S]exuality in general and homosexuality in particular are increasingly becoming concerns of the modern Arab state. Politicians, the police, government officials and much of the press are making homosexuality an “issue”: a way to display nationalist bona fides in the face of an encroaching Western sensibility; to reject a creeping globalization that brings with it what is perceived as the worst of the international market culture; to flash religious credentials and placate growing Islamist power.

[Read On ...]

• Egypt has an astonishingly low HIV infection rate, but not because everyone is using condoms. Gays are afraid to get tested because their hospital records might be used against them in police raids, so the freely available tests are underutilized. [Pink News]

• Black voters are repeatedly duped by the Republican party's homophobic tactics, according to a new study. [365 Gay]

• You can now officially find gay sex inside of Walmart. The Brokeback Mountain DVD will be sold as planned despite protests from Christian groups. [LA Times]

• The community of family-friendly Crystal Lake, IL will allow the Gay Games to send its perverted, homosexual rowers to compete on their beloved body of water. [ABC7]

• Syphilis is on the rise in Chicago. Shall we issue an orange alert or can citizens smarten up and start playing safe? [The Advocate]

The New York Times reported the other day on the Egyptian tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, two men who shared a tomb, something extremely rare.

"And it was most unusual for a couple of the same sex to be depicted locked in an embrace. In other scenes, they are also shown holding hands and nose-kissing, the favored form of kissing in ancient Egypt. What were scholars to make of their intimate relationship?"

There are three explanations. According to theorists they were either twins, conjoined twins, or gay lovers. Um we’ll choose number three thank you very much. For obvious reasons.

We’re all for breaking down stereotypes, but sometimes they exist for a reason. Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep were manicurists. Yes, manicurists. And we all know what that means, honey.

A Mystery, Locked in Timeless Embrace [NY Times]