We took one look at the cover of the new issue of The Advocate, with "Gay is the New Black: The Last Great Civil Rights Struggle" plastered across its face and said "Wait til they get a load of this!" Then we opened (read: clicked) the story and saw that it's actual title is "Gay is the New Black?" Note the added punctuation, which transforms a radical statement into a vacillating question. We thought it had to be a typo, but the introduction proved that once again, The Advocate was about to fall back to its default position of trying to please everybody by saying nothing offensive, controversial or of consequence:

"In the wake of California’s passage of Proposition 8, protests are popping up around the country — and so are comparisons between gays’ and African-Americans’ fights for equality. Is gay the new black? "

You just said it was! In big self-important capitalized letters!  Why are you promising the declarative when what's on the menu is an interrogative? Our heart had the same sinking feeling it had the first time we opened a Cracker Jack box to find that the surprise was nothing more than a cheaply printed stamp.

We can't really blame author Michael Joseph Gross for hedging on such a charged statement, but you want answers and that's what Queerty is all about. So, we baked his story into an easy to digest pie chart by breaking up his various equivocating sentiments by word count to get a definitive answer. Also, because we knew you weren't going to read it anyway.

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New New York Governor David Paterson probably can't see straight right now. Well, actually, he barely see at all.

If he could, however, we're sure Paterson would be blown away by the outpouring of gay support. It's been a mere few hours since Paterson ascended and a number of New York's lavender leaders are extending their hopeful congratulations.

H. Alexander Robinson of the National Black Justice Coalition lauded Paterson's sudden rise:

David Paterson is known across Albany as a consensus builder and is highly respected on both sides of the aisle. He has also demonstrated his commitment to full equality for all Americans.

NBJC looks forward to working with Governor Patterson on a myriad of issues affecting our New York State constituents.

Alan Van Capelle of the Empire State Pride Agenda also highlighted Paterson's fight for equality, particularly Paterson's pro-gay Senatorial past.

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• Word comes via press release that HX Media, publisher of gay rag HX and the New York Blade, just purchased Gay & Lesbian World Travel Expo, the 13-year-old consumer show. Meanwhile, LPI Media completes its intergration of its gay properties Out, The Advocate, Gay.com, and RSVP Vacations. Media synergy at its gay best. [Advocate]

• A new Malaysian law will make it a crime if HIV-positive blood donors fail to disclose their status. Damn the cost-benefit analysis of giving away platelets! [Malaysian Star]

• The real uproar over Superman Returns shouldn't be whether Brandon Routh's character (or the real-life actor) is gay, but how the hell a journalist affords a house on the water and a sea plane. [Straighten Out]

• A five-year-old gay murder case sees justice nearing in: The suspected killer of a Queens, New York man was placed in handcuffs when he stepped off the plane. [365 Gay]

photos by Adam David Cohen

Reality television shows usually have room for one or two big personalities in each series. This season’s Project Runway, which unbelievably we’re loving more than season one, is full of those personalities. However, Santino Rice definitely steals the show. The Los Angeles designer caught up with Bradford Shellhammer to discuss the show, his sexuality, and who really was the world’s first supermodel.

What are your New Year's resolutions?
To live, to learn, to love, and to leave a legacy! Persevere, keep trying new things…to keep evolving. To change my world!

Some of the self-proclaimed "faggoty boys" from the show told us 
you're this season's Wendy Pepper. Why would they say such a thing?
My mom says they're just jealous, but she's been saying that to me since I came out the snatch! I think those guys were just being "cute," they know damn well that I’ve got talent and I’m the real deal. I think it's funny though, really man, nothing's sacred, including me! I'll take the piss out of myself before I let some bitter opinionated faggots try to read me!

Is Janice Dickinson really the world's first Supermodel? Do you care?
I'd say what about Veruschka, Penelope Tree, and Twiggy! What about Lauren Hutton, Cheryl Tiegs, Jerry Hall…….Patti Hansen!!!!! I'd say and think of a lot of other names before her file came up in my brain! But god bless her. Shit. People gotta eat and as far as her 15-year-old audience is concerned, she could tell them she invented the "blow-job" and no one would really question that! And yeah, I guess I do care, I’m a caring kind of guy!

What designers do you consider inspirations?
Any designer who is creating their vision, creating a body of work, I find them hugely inspirational. Yohji Yamamoto is the shit! I love him, and I’ve seen many successful collections by many designers and you can't help but store some of that in your memory bank.

Which do you absolutely hate?
Hate is a pretty strong word, especially directed toward someone who's actually doing something with his or her life, I hate idleness, and I hate mediocrity! I can't justify hating on another artist, regardless of what I think about their shit!

After the jump Santino tells us whether he's into guys or girls.

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• The strike enters day three and we’re cool with that. We have some, um, shopping to keep ourselves busy. No, really. [Gawker]

• One of The Gays’ favorites, Christina Ricci, is heading to television. This is a good thing. She is guest starring on the boring Grey’s Anatomy. This is a bad thing. [Yahoo News]

• We got an email claiming that French rugby players are wimps compared to the Aussies and that the Aussies too have a nude calendar available. The boys from Down Under got naked to raise money for indigenous and non-indigenous kids from rural areas. We just love the website: Naked guys next to children. Because they so go together. [Koori Kids]

• Dolce & Gabbana have created the gayest phone ever. It is a gold Razr and only 1,000 were made. We want one. [Gizmodo]

• Pulling an Andy Towle, Out and the Advocate created a special website dedicated to Brokeback Mountain. It features interviews, articles, reviews, and multimedia for all you BM obsessives. [Advocate]

If it seems like Jake Gyllenhaal’s doe-eyed mug has graced every magazine cover over the past two months, it’s because it probably has. Not that we mind, but what about giving Heath Ledger some love?

Well, a solo Heath finally pops up on the cover of a national magazine (and a gay one at that) promoting, what else, Brokeback Mountain. And he has something to reveal.

Straight boy has been a victim of gay harrassment:

Now, you began your career playing a gay role on Australian television, right? [Laughs] Yeah!

How did you deal with the media then? I can’t really remember. I actually remember getting harassed on the street.

So that’s why he’s so damn convincing in the movie. He’s working from personal experience!

Heath can now thank homophobic Aussies for helping him prepare for his role on Brokeback.

Heath on top [The Advocate]

We totally approve of The Advocate’s selection of Kerry Pacer as their “Person of the Year.” Having to fight hard for a gay-straight alliance club in her homophobic high school (whose non-discrimination policy neglects to include sexual orientation) is brave as shit. To use one of Dubya's phrases, she stayed the course and and we love her for it.

Pacer’s so cute in that sweater, torn jeans, and that adorable “look at me, I’m on the cover of The Advocate and you’re not” sneer.” What’s not to like?

We’re sure her life will change the same way every average citizen’s does once they make the cover of a national magazine; She’s going to be getting more tail than she can handle.

Lezzies will be breaking the door down to get to her now.

• God does work in mysterious ways. We have prayed and prayed for the return of Sex and the City. Not gonna happen. But we will get a new Candice Bushnell story coming to television.

• The Advocate has declared today Madonna Day. The album we’ve been talking about for a month now finally drops, officially, today.

• 50 Cent is launching a book company. There is something that seems very wrong about writing that sentence.

• Shirtless college kids dry humping one another on video, obviously wasted? Could be hard to watch, or in this case, really hot. Not safe for work.

• Thanks to Perez we now have a new favorite band. DaLipstyxx are a cross-dressing, 80’s obsessed, genderfuck trio. We hope they sound as good as they look

A little dirty birdie sent us this note about the LPI/PlanetOut merger.

In reporting on the PlanetOut/LPI acquisition, I'm sort of surprised NO ONE in the media (especially you) has picked up on the fact that in the acquisition of Out and Advocate, PlanetOut(the first publicly traded gay company) now owns Alyson Publishing(who did Camper's book, but mostly publish Erotica) as well Freshman, Unzipped, and Men Magazine.

In short: Gay Porn hits NASDAQ big time!