With a $350,000 grant from New York City's health department, the New York State Black Gay Network this week launched a billboard campaign (and corresponding website) aimed at battling black homophobia. As the "downlow" phenomenon can attest, there seems to be an added layer of prejudice against gay men and women among people of color. The ad campaign – which, smartly, will be featured in predominently black areas like Harlem and Brownsville instead of, say, Chelsea – also has a second goal: to fight the spread of HIV among blacks. Mark McLaurin, the organization's executive director, points out how the heterosexual black community often ignores the AIDS epidemic and labels it a "gay problem." Three versions of the billboard will appear throughout the city, each carrying inclusive messages aimed at family, religion, and recreation. This is one straight-forward cause that has our full support.

Billboards Challenge Black NYC [Gay City News]
We Are Part Of You

A New York man learned this weekend not to spit on people lest you end up with a steak knife in you. A group of seven lesbians were leaving a movie theater in the West Village of New York City when a man approached one of them and complimented her looks. When she told him to fuck off, he allegedly spit on her and threw a cigarette, prompting her and her friends to stab him with a steak knife and beat him to a pulp on the sidewalk.

The man had obviously never seen Foxfire (pictured above) or he would have known better.

Man Stabbed After 'Coming On' To Lesbian [365 Gay]

• In New Jersey, a former high school student got the OK from an appeals court – even though he missed the filing deadline – to sue the school district on charges his then-band teacher infected him with HIV during their sexual relationship. [AP]

• Though the military's discharging of 726 service members under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy last year represents a 10 percent increase over 2004, there's no evidence to show there's been an increased effort to force out members. [NYT]

• In Australia, the federal government is expected to move for a ban on gay couples from abroad being allowed to adopt children from the county. Such policies are usually left up to states – where some allow gay citizens to adopt, others not – but P.M. John Howard is likely to assert federal power over the matter. [Pink News]

• Big Pharma companies Gilead and Merck announced they'll be providing once-daily HIV pill Atripla to developing nations around the world. No word yet on which countries will receive the drug, and at what cost. [Advocate]

• In New York City, City Council speaker Christine Quinn – almost always an ally in gay rights – is at the center of criticism over a push to have the city's nightclubs install security cameras at entrances and exist. Critics say it's a privacy violation, especially for gay men and women not open about their sexuality. [NYT]

• In Britain, Price Harry cops a feel. [The Sun]

• Another blip on the gay radar for Desperate Housewives: Though Marcia Cross insists she's straight, co-star Eva Longoria hopes she'll get to go gay. [Contact Music]

• Patricia Todd knew her being gay might be a campaign issue when she campaigned for a seat in Alabama's state legislature. But now, having defeated a black candidate in a run-off election, it's her white skin that's become the center of debate in a primarily black district. [AP]

• Speaking of race, is it possible to be white and on the downlow? Maestro of all things relevant to the under-34 set, Benoit Denizet-Lewis investigates. [Slate]

• The friendly NYPD we just saw marching in New York's gay pride parade can now be seen issuing citations to gay bar patrons. [Towleroad]

• Illinois voters will not be deciding on a gay marriage ballot measure: The Board of Elections on Friday followed procedure and refused conservative organization Protect Marriage Illinois's signature list for being too small. [Bgay]

• Enough about Anna Wintour and The Devil Wears Prada. Let's turn our attention to Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter — and who will be his Meryl Streep. [Jossip]

• It's Lindsay Low-hang-an. [MollyGood]

NOTE: So you noticed our technical dalliances over the weekend, did you? Oh, you didn't? Then forget we ever said anything. But if you did notice some unpleasant downtime (though accompanied by a pleasant downtime note), we're very sorry. We were moving things around with the big machines that keep Queerty pumping like a rhino in heat. But let us know if you find anything amiss, won't you?

Oh, so you heard that it's National Underwear Day? And you're celebrating by wearing your most prized Baskits, 2(x)ists, Ginch Gonchs, and Waxes underneath that dreary suit, aren't you? Yes, we most certainly understand that this invented un-Hallmark holiday is a marketing ploy orchestrated by Freshpair that began in '03 , but we're slaves to any corporate agenda that involves showing off a bulge. Cue the hot models trolling Manhattan with free swag and email listserv signup sheets.

National Underwear Day [Freshpair]

• WorldPride 2006 kicks off this weekend in Jerusalem, despite vast efforts to have it shuttered or moved. Organizers prepare for a week of events, depsite the on-going attacks with Lebanon. [Pink News]

• Switching from California to New Mexico, three gay bashing suspects have been arrested and charged with hate crimes in the beating of an 18-year-old gay man. [Advocate]

• As Connecticut's Democratic race for U.S. Senate heats up, incumbent Joe Lieberman has decades of healthy relations with the gay community to back him against challenger Ned Lamont. [INW]

• The annual gay pride/AIDS event aimed at people of color in Queens, New York – Pride in the City – had its five year history put into jeopardy after park services officials tried to limit attendance at 1,500 (it usually reaches 5,000) and ban the live concert, supposedly an effort to curb littering and obstruction to beach goers. After plenty of media attention, the city officials relented somewhat: live music will be allowed, at a distance, but attendance will still be capped at a fraction of what's expected. [NYT]

In the photo at right, our favorite homo figure skater is waving as he shows off a sneak preview of the Heatherette Spring 2007 collection. We hear it's all about birds. And glamour. And sparkles. And Tori Spelling.

Just kidding, except about the Tori Spelling part. That outfit is his "swan costume" from a while ago. But Johnny Weir will be making his debut on the catwalk in September as part of the Heatherette runway show during New York Fashion Week. We assume he will be wearing pieces from the menswear line, but when we consider his upcoming spread in Blackbook that features him in some frou-frou Chanel dresses, we can't really say for certain.

Ready to Weir [New, Now, Next]

If you have never been to the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, you should run (don't walk) and do so the next time you venture into New York City. It's housed in the breathtaking Andrew Carnegie Mansion on 5th Ave. (at 91st St.) and is the only museum in the nation to focus solely on historic and contemporary design. We've seen a couple great exhibitions there: one on utilitarian textiles and one on the influence of color in fashion through the ages.

And after a hard day of walking around the museum, the shop is actually a pleasant reward. It's not filled with dinosaur-shaped pencil erasers and ceramic paper bags, but instead cases of attractive glassware, an impressive collection of art books, modern watches and accessories, and an ever-changing roster of art multiples.

Now for the news: you can visit the shop online in their new web store.

The Shop at the Cooper-Hewitt [Official Site]
The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum [Official Site]

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Our kid sis MollyGood has some exclusive video clips from Madonna's Confessions tour that's hovering over Manhattan right about now. And lucky for you, she's willing to share 'em. If you've got tickets to see her show in the coming weeks, perhaps it's not worth ruining the surprise – if there's any surprise left, that is, given all the photos posted all over Flickr – but otherwise feel free to take a peak at Madonna's opening number, above.

Molly's coverage comes in two parts, here and here, and includes Madge's performances of both new and old.

MollyGood Exclusive: Madonna At MSG [MollyGood]
MollyGood Exclusive: Madonna At MSG, Part II [MollyGood]

New York Giants' defensive end Michael Strahan isn't going to great lengths to defend against rumors of his being gay, despite his ex-wife's claims. The trouble began last March when Strahan filed for divorce from his wife Jean, who then proceeded to file a domestic violence complaint against him (which was quickly dismissed). Fast forward to last week to divorce court when Jean claimed Michael lived an "alternative lifestyle." But, as the New York Daily News' Michael O'Keeffe notes, Strahan didn't take the typical route of a professional athlete denying he's gay (read: He's not Mike Piazza, who held a press conference to announce his heterosexuality).

The New York Giants' defensive end didn't hold a hastily organized press conference to loudly proclaim his love for the ladies. He didn't head to a trendy nightclub and pose for the paparazzi with the finest-looking women he could find.

Instead, Strahan went to a gym in the West Village, the birthplace of the gay rights movement. He went to dinner at a Meatpacking District hotspot with Ian Smith, the TV doctor Jean Strahan had suggested was his lover (Smith, who is married, says he is not gay). He told a New York radio station that he had many friends who were gay or bisexual and that he was cool with that.

"This is New York City," Strahan said during a brief phone call to the station. "If you can't accept people for being people, then you have no business being here."

Cue the requisite debate over whether professional sports are becoming more tolerant toward gays in their midst. Is one professional athlete – who still holds the small possibility of not even begin gay – having a more rational reaction to homosexuality going to change the industry? Certainly not. But a move like this could certainly be Giant.

Strahan's handling of `gay' tag a breath of fresh air [NYDN]

• Marc Jacobs seems to be back with rent-a-boyfriend Jason Preston, at least for now. The twosome were spotted at Therapy in New York with, of all people, porn star maestro Michael Lucas. [Page Six]

• When it comes to celebs coming out of the closet, Jake Gyllenhaal and Vin Diesel are, not surprisingly, at the top of the list of gambling odds. [Gambling 911]

• Jennifer Lopez made good on rumors she'd be the surprise guest at Dance On The Pier. [Perez Hilton]

If there was ever an unofficial grand marshall of New York City's Gay Pride Parade this year, it was Kevin Aviance. New York's storied drag queen – gay bashed earlier this month – made a grand public appearance atop HX magazine's float, showing no signs of victim — just pride.