Bulgaria's bent boys and girls came out to show their pride this weekend. Unfortunately for them, however, a group of anti-gay activists, most of them skinheads, also took to the streets, but with an entirely different mission: destruction.

Eighty-eight people have been arrested for trying to attack participants in Bulgaria's first-ever gay pride march, the interior ministry said Sunday.

They include Nationalist Union leader Boyan Rasate, who faces legal proceedings for hooliganism, the ministry said, after he launched a campaign against Saturday's march and urged people to openly resist it.
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The march came under attack from nationalists and skinheads who were seen booing the small procession and throwing rocks, firecrackers and at least one petrol bomb at it.

Tsk, tsk. Don't these people know how expensive gas is these days?!

Bulgaria's gay boys and girls hoped to have their inaugural pride this year. But, as happens, the religious right's raining on their parade:

Bulgaria's influential Orthodox Church on Friday called on authorities to ban the country's first ever gay pride march.

The march, planned for Saturday, has already been moved by from a downtown area of the capital, Sofia, to a remote park after municipal authorities city security concerns.

The church argued the event would undermine the country's Christian traditions.

"Bulgarian society needs healthy, strong and moral individuals to build new life on the indestructible foundation of faith, prayer, repentance, honor, Christian culture and morals," a statement said.

Like a broken record, those people…

Activists in Bulgaria are bugging out over the nation's anti-gay education. The country's premiere homo organization, Gemini, spent months pouring over schools' text books and found a pronounced slant against gays.

The bent book worms claim text books intentionally eschew gay topics and are asking the education minister to push some reeducation:

Bulgarian students read with huge interest about the love relationships of the poet Peyo Yavorov with his lover Mina and his wife Laura, but for some reason the books keep silent on the homosexual affairs of Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Hans Christian Andersen and Federico Garcia Lorca, the CEO of Gemini Aksinia Gencheva said.
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The homosexual experience of Lord Byron, Shakespeare or Sigmund Freud is omitted on purpose in the books as it is seen as immoral, twisted and scandalous, according to Gencheva.

Does this mean Bulgarian students are about to get some lavender education? Doubtful. Though homosexuality hasn't been illegal since 1968, it's still a scandalous topic. Maybe kids can take it as an elective?

• We came across this video from The Sound of Music and got a bit nostalgic. Now we're passing it on to you, because we know you love it. If you don't, we suggest you start…

• Ex-gays plan to use sham science to back-up conversion claims.

• Janeane Garofolo joins 24. Guess she doesn't mind taking money from Fox, Rupert and the other conservatives she blasts.

CONTINUED »

Though we briefly reported on this last week, we now have, courtesy of Outsports, a translation of what exactly went on in that Varna Amateur soccer club in Bulgaria. Well, seems like four teammates have been caught practicing some off the field ball playing, which, if we remember back to our college days, is not that interesting, but this is Bulgaria, and so we get quotes like this:

“Stefan was the leader of the group, and he has in his file that he was accused and found guilty of consorting with a goat at the age of 15,” said the coach.

The article is like bad soft core erotica as if written by Ali G alter ego Borat. One more choice quote:

“The host saw Stefan groping the testicles of the three teammates. He was overcome with caressing them and was paying too much attention to them,” according to the report.

Ahhh. Hot, gay sex translated through broken English.

Translating the Bulgarian Soccer Sex Scandal [Outsports]

• A group of uppity parents have their chastity belts in a bunch over a Rhode Island high school's field trip to see Rent because it "promotes homosexuality." Hey, West Side Story promotes heterosexuality (sort of) and you don't see us complaining.

• Stephen Bennett and his beard, er, wife, Irene, are at it again. She says she would give Brokeback Mountain “a 'thumbs down' for its message. Second, I give it an Oscar for the number one homosexual propaganda movie of the year." No word on which award she gave her hair. (Via Good As You)

• We spotted Bruce Vilanch (with some older guy) at the Grove this morning. No doubt he was on his way to check out Brokeback Mountain at the only LA-area theater you can catch the movie.

• Of all people, San Francisco cops are in trouble for recording videos that poke fun at African-Americans, women, and even trannies.

• Four Bulgarian athletes have been booted off their soccer team for participating in an orgy in the team's locker room, dispelling all doubt that Bel Ami videos are unrealistic.

• GE has a new print ad featuring a gay male couple for their high-end monogram line. Seeing as though we're the ones who either buy them or are responsible for putting them in chic kitchens, we think it couldn't be better. GE…You really do bring good things to life.