Hordes of homos will descend on Chicago this weekend for the International Mr. Leather contest. And, as per tradition, many participants will pop into legendary S&M club, Chicago Hellfire Club. Unfortunately, trans men aren't invited.

Chicago Hellfire Club - one of the oldest S&M clubs in the nation - enacted a strict no female-to-male policy ten years ago, thus barring a significant portion of the S&M community.

Of their unfriendly policy, former Hellfire Club president and long-time member, David Igasaki said:

The general rule of thumb is that there has to be a penile attachment... They don't want to admit women. It's not that people are anti-women or personally discriminate against transgender people. It's just that as a sex club there is a desire to protect a gay environment during play.

Critics, however, claim that the Club goes into public space to recruit members. One transman comments: "I don't think that a private club would set up a table at a public venue and allow anybody to talk with you and inquire to attend an event." And transmen aren't the only ones fighting the Hellfire.

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The story broke on the morning of Friday, May 5, 2007, but word didn’t begin to spread until later in the afternoon: Dror Barak, an Israeli consulate staffer, quit after being outed as a gay porn star known as Roman Ragazzi.

The Page Six report explained that an anonymous client had agreed to fly the eager Barak abroad for some “modeling work”. The daily tabloid column also quote’s an email from Barak to the aforementioned source, saying, “I just started doing porn movies. None of my movies is [sic] out yet. I know you mention 'escort.' I never did escort, and I don't do it.”

While some readers may have wondered whether or not the strapping Barak does, or did, escort, others questioned who leaked his name to Page Six. And, more importantly, why?

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• San Francisco's Department of Human Services has launched an ad campaign to recruit gay parents to adopt.

• Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle have clarified their report on the aforementioned ad campaign. The newspaper originally cited Family Research Council's Paul Cameron as an "expert" on the matter. They neglected, however, to mention that he's been debunked by the American Psychological Association and hates gay people. Oops!

• On that note: the APA formed a "task force" to review research on ex-gay conversion therapy. Oh, we're sorry - "therapeutic responses". APA president Dr. Sharon Stephens Brehm bursts with joy: "I am pleased to announce the initiation of this task force. Its work will be of significant value as it will help inform all mental health practitioners about appropriate and effective therapeutic responses to sexual orientation. I look forward to the group's report." That could be good for the children.

• National Runaway Switchboard has published a new brochure for gay teens, "Being Out, Being Safe". NRS director Maureen Blaha remarks, "Research shows that LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to exhibit the symptoms of major depression than heterosexual youth -- which may lead to a runaway episode". Be sure to pack a lunch!

• "Shirley Q. Liquor" - a black face drag comedienne - did an interview with Rollingstone. Jasmyne Cannick - a black sappho-journo - wrote a rebuttal. NSFC (Not safe for children).

• In other baby-related news, here's a baby playing with a cobra! No word on whether the parents are gay.

• Pictures of celebrities smoking pot. Grownup children!!

• Plague strikes Denver zoo! Do not take your kids there. They will die. And so will you... (In fact, don't go to Colorado at all.)

• Looking for a movie about 1980s Liverpool gay teens who venture into a magical trans bar? Well, look no further: The Fruit Machine's out on DVD. Now you can go to the Denver zoo.

This past Sunday, San Francisco celebrated the 96th year of the annual ING Bay to Breakers 12K, the largest foot race in the world. This means the streets were crowded with more than 100,000 visitors and locals who either ran or walked the route from Embarcadero Bay to—surprise— the Ocean Beach breakers!

Queerty correspondent Jimmy Im (the picture of professionalism) promptly made start time at 8 am and trekked 7.5 miles - in his record time: 3 hours and 50 minutes! - across the city, parading along ked-chugging trojan frat boys, gay smurfs, free balling old men and a shitload of dick-in-a-boxes!

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• Rufus Wainwright misses his drug-fueled wild days, but isn't about to hop on (or is it off?) the drug wagon. Don't worry, though, he's not going to become one of those perpetually chipper sober sisters. He's got enough misery to last a lifetime. Or, at least, a new album.

• Theresa Sparks' has quite a tale, even for San Francisco. The post-op transgendered woman started out in waste management, patented two recycling techniques, decided to become a woman, lost her family, lost her fortune, drove a cab, took over a sex toy company, made back her fortune and has now been elected President of the city's Police Department. Some crazy shit...

• Rome's "Family Day" targets gays, unwed mothers, miscellaneous sinners.

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Jack Davis knows a thing or two about penises. Aside from his faggotry-induced intimacy with the phallus, the San Francisco-based artist has dedicated his gem of a new show to men's jewels.

Opening this weekend at Mark I. Chester's studio, Davis' show features countless crocheted crotches in a variety of shapes, colors and, yes, sizes. Look, touch and smell, but whatever you do, don't call them Davis' dicks. As he tells Chester:

...There is an element of humor in my work, how could there not be? Whenever I talk about my work with people, it isn't long before they start laughing about questions like 'How are your penises hung?�' But I do take my work seriously.

It comes from being an art student for seven years. I use the word 'penis' instead of 'dick' or 'cock' specifically because I think it's a more serious term.

If you want to get a glimpse of Davis' dicks - sorry, penises - head on over to Mark I. Chester's studio (1129 Folsom Street) between May 13-June 10.

The San Francisco Examiner is reporting that the city is close to finalizing an $83,000 settlement with local gay resident Andrew Marconi that began in 2005 when Marconi mistakenly thought he could take a discreet leak on the street outside of a local gay nightclub and quickly escalated when a pair of policemen came upon him and mistakenly thought they could get away with making him kneel in his own “AIDS-infected pee" and then mop it up with his hair.

What's holding up the official announcement? Bureaucracy (supposedly). As soon as the Office of Citizen Complaints puts its stamp on things, Marconi's all set—except no one ever told the Office of Citizen Complaints about the case.

“This was an administrative provision that, quite honestly, fell through the cracks in terms of us sending the required form letter,” City Attorney Matt Dorsey said. “We made a mistake, we’ll correct it going forward and we’ll send letters to past claimants.”

Settlement near in alleged police anti-gay attack [San Francisco Examiner]

Terrestrial radio? About the only thing we use that for these days is NPR, and even with that station we're more likely to stream it on iTunes. But the latest move by the BBC has reinvigorated our interest in the aging dial. Beginning Sunday, April 29, BBC's Radio 4 will begin airing a gay church sermon from San Francisco.

The service will be taped at San Fran's 107-year-old Castro Catholic Parish of the Most Holy Redeemer, an "inclusive Catholic" congregation where, as you guessed, most parishioners are gay.

And when the service lets out, the congregation will head over to Midnight Sun on 18th Street, and the BBC will begin airing its techno-house hour.

Gay church service on Radio 4 [Gay UK]

It's been a while since our last We Want Your Art. What better time to reintroduce our gallery of our creative reader's creations than after that inspiring interview with Matthias Herrmann? (See below, silly.)

This here photo comes to us from San Francisco-based photographer Matt Baume. When asked to describe his work, Mr. Baume told us:

I like photos that elicit feelings of well-worn comfort; so my best pictures have a sense of used-uppyness, where things look a bit weatherbeaten. One of my obsessions is the peculiar, eccentric thing that makes you feel content - it's always something different and totally unpredictable for each of us, and for some folks it's a secret, but we all have one. My favorite pictures are of boys doing weird things that make them happy.

Check out Baume's Flickr page and see where your mind takes you...

Gavin Newsom loves controversy. The San Francisco mayor - who just left rehab after admitting to fucking his campaign manager's wife - got a little fresh after a reporter asked him about Laguna Honda Hospital. The hospital's currently under investigation after failing to report - and, in fact, denying - an elderly patient's fatal fall.

ABC's Dan Noyes met up with Newsom yesterday, but Newsom was in no mood to chat:

GN: Happy to take any questions you guys have.
DN: Mayor, I'm reporting-
GN: From any reporters.
DN: How about me, mayor?
GN: Thank you very much.
DN: I'm reporting-
GN: Thank you guys very much, appreciate it.
DN: Mayor, come on, you're kidding me, right?

Investigation Into Second Laguna Honda Death [KGO-TV]
The Invisible Reporter [KGO-TV Blog]

• Nobody likes a bully. They're brutish, nasty and their love lives are generally short. Yet they keep on bullying, particularly little gay boys and girls. Michigan's Triangle Foundation intends to stop them. The non-profit's been lobbying to pass Matt's Safe Schools Law. Named after Matt Epling -a 14-year old who killed himself after persistent bullying - the law will enact and enforce comprehensive anti-bullying regulations.

Through their tireless efforts, the Triangle Foundation successfully rallied a majority of lawmakers to support Matt's Law. Unfortunately, those nasties on the right managed to sway a few to the dark side. So, the Triangle Foundation wants all Michigan residents to contact their elected officials to put an end to this shit once and for all.

• We don't know how we missed this intriguing revolting piece of gossip, but Pete Doherty used to sell himself to "lonely pissed-up old queens". Guess you have to stay strung out somehow, huh?

• Our favorite sappho-journo Kerry Eleveld has penned on op-ed on the pros and cons of abandoning "marriage". She writes: "What if, instead of crashing the marriage party, the LGBT movement fashioned its own celebrations infused with the same legal protections given to spouses? We could probably redefine the currency of love for America faster than we could build popular support for gay marriage."

• Possibly one of the most disturbing stories we've heard in a long-time: 42-year old Kevin Whitrick hung himself on the internet. While some people urged him to stop, others encouraged him. One particularly nasty fuck said: "Fucking do it, get on with it, get it round your neck. For Fuck's sake he can't even do this properly". That's disgusting.

• OMG! A church has barred gay people from practicing their chosen religion? Insane!

• The murdered trannie from San Franny has a name: Ruby Rodriguez.

• Cord Jefferson may not appreciate Shemar Moore's hot bod, but we sure as hell do. But, yes, he's acting a little shameful for a TV Guide event. Although, when you think about it, isn't going to a TV Guide event the most shameful of 'em all?

• ACT-UP's celebrating 20 years of direct action with - what else - direct action. Tomorrow. Wall Street. Noon. Wear something gay.

Once in a great while, there comes an asshole so reprehensible, so rude and so utterly, mind-bogglingly repulsive that one has no other choice but to applaud their audacity. And today's person comes in the form of shit face conservative radio host, Michael Savage.

The man who once equated gay parenting with child abuse, yet for some reason, can't seem to stop admiring gay men's asses - may have topped himself with his most recent statements regarding the unidentified transwoman murdered in San Francisco. With regard to her incremental sex change, Savage remarked that she was in the "process of becoming a woman - psychopath". He went on to insist, "[She] should have been in a back ward in a straitjacket for years, howling on major medication."

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