Time magazine spends some time this week looking at gay life in Communist China: a delicate balance, to be sure:

There's never been a better time to be gay in China, but as [gay club] Destination's somewhat schizophrenic combination of outer reserve and inner exuberance demonstrates, it still pays to be careful. Beijing's attitude has been described as a Triple No policy: no approval, no disapproval, no promotion. That hands off approach — a sort of commercial don't ask, don't tell policy — is emblematic of the delicacy with which the Communist regime is learning to deal with many of the issues concerning personal liberties that are increasingly being raised by its burgeoning middle class.

For their part, homosexuals in China seem perfectly happy to pursue their lives within the broad boundaries allowed by the government, albeit not without the occasional snipe at the authorities. It's no coincidence, for example, that the once ubiquitous term tongzhi — comrade — is now only heard as a slang term among young Chinese for gay men.

Despite the limited limitations, gay activists and citizens claim things are getting "freer and freer" with the passage of time. They'll be ruling the world in no time!

Filmmaker Ruby Yang enjoys controversy. The Chinese American's nationals previous film caused a stir by tracking AIDS orphans. Now she's looking at how the Communist Government's reproductive laws lead to multiple lives:

"There's a lot of pressure to produce an heir," Yang says. "Many gay men are married and live a double life. They lie to their parents, lie to their wives."

The half-hour film, provisionally called Double Life, is expected to be completed by May, but Yang is not counting on a public release in China. Instead, she hopes the film will get exposure on the international festival circuit.

We've no doubt Yang will get her wish: her aforementioned AIDS-orphan movie won an Academy Award.

Mitt Romney isn't the only Mormon making headlines! A big queer congratulations to 22-year old homo-Mormo Todd Herzog, who won Survivor: China. And all it took was a bit of deceit!

Todd Herzog, a longtime fan of Survivor, won the CBS reality show's $1 million prize after 39 days of lying and scheming.

"I wasn't the strongest. I wasn't the smartest," Herzog said during the finale. "But I was definitely the most strategic."

The 22-year-old flight attendant from Pleasant Grove, Utah, bested his Survivor: China allies Courtney Yates, a 26-year-old waitress from New York, and Amanda Kimmel, a 23-year-old hiking guide and former beauty queen from Los Angeles.
…
"I knew that the second that I got out there that, no matter what it took, I would do everything that I possibly could to be sitting right here," Herzog said after the votes were revealed.

That meant teaming up with Kimmel on the first day of the competition and aligning himself with both weaker and stronger players to deflect any attention away from himself.

"I can't believe it worked," he said.

Three cheers for money-hungry manipulation!!

Asia-Pacific nations must do more to fight HIV or face certain doom, a UN-backed group says.

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China's slowly but surely lifting the wall on HIV. The communist nation announced that it will ease restrictions on international HIV-infected travelers.

Under a 1994 law, foreigners applying for a residency permit in China must take an HIV test. Visitors to the country are asked to declare whether they have the virus - and can be refused entry or deported if they do. The law also affects those with other sexually transmitted diseases or tuberculosis.

But Mao said China's attitudes have changed. "At present, we are considering, and we are changing the present regulation that stops foreigners with HIV and AIDS from entering the country, and this job is under way.

The nation also made headlines this year when it committed to distributing condoms in public arenas. Chinese officials have not yet said when they'll alter the laws. Those commies sure do play their cards close…

New Zealand's government knows not all people have the same sexual demands. That's why their drug agency Pharmac plans to expand their range of subsidized prophylactics:

The Government drug-funding agency has started consulting with stakeholders on its proposal to add a wider range of condoms on its pharmaceutical schedule – including narrow (49mm nominal width), wide (55mm and 60mm nominal widths) and flavored condoms.

"We recognised there might be a need for a wider range," Pharmac manager of funding and procurement Steffan Crausaz said.

New Zealand's isn't the first government to introduce flavored condoms into their arsenal. China and Ethiopia both offer tasty treats. Sweet corn dominates in China, while Ethiopians go crazy for coffee flavor.

The Chinese have taken all the fun out of Viagra ads!

While American ads show graying men with a coy smile, perhaps a glass of wine and an eager lover, the communist nation's focusing solely on the erection-producing pills reproductive possibilities.

Unless, of course, Chinese consumers truly care whether or not their sperm will obliterate a woman's ovaries.

(Many a thanks to Copyranter!)

Dozens of gay activists took to Taipei's streets yesterday to protest Nicaragua's anti-gay laws.

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Looking to film and broadcast your sex change operation? Well, don't pitch your project in China. Although the nation's government's opening the table for safer sex discussion, their not so keen on discussing - or televising - gender "deviance". The communist government recently issued an edict banning networks from showing plastic surgery and sex changes. The state's Administration of Radio, Film and Television released the following statement:

All levels of television broadcasters must not plan or produce sex change or plastic surgery programs involving public participation (including news, specials or interviews), effective immediately.

Not even an interview? Forget their massive pollution problem, this shit's a real crisis!

• The Israeli Defense Force dropped singer Ivri Lider from a morale boosting show after discovering he only served a month of his required military service. In an exclusive interview with Out, Lider tells his side of the story:

I had a really hard time. I was very confused. I went to the army psychologist, and after I went two or three times, they decided I was not suitable for the army. They signed me out and sent me home.

• Bob Allen's even more full of it. The Florida Republican disavowed his racist explanation for his solicitation arrest:

According to [a new] report, Allen said he went to the bathroom to avoid a lightning storm that was about to start.

The undercover officer went into a stall next to Allen’s. Allen knocked on the officer’s stall door to ask if he was all right.

Are you fucking kidding us?

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A panda thought to be a man finally gets the chance to live as a woman! Born in 1996, Jinzhu exhibited "inconspicuous secondary sex characteristic and behavior" and, thus, Chinese zoologists assumed her to be a him.

They got a rude surprise, however, when Jinzhu refused to mate with "his" female companions. Researchers report, “When the pandas showed complete disinterest, experts decided to turn to artificial insemination, leading to the discovery that Jinzhu had no penis." Poor thing.

Most of us know how to find a penis and may say "Oh, stupid doctors, can't find a dick". Apparently it's not that easy with pandas - their dicks are only 3 centimeters long. Not coincidentally, female and gay Pandas aren't size queens.

Now that Jinzhu's vagina has been discovered, she's put it to good use by delivering twins. Congrats, Jinzhu the tranny panda! Let's hope they're less "inconspicuous".

China isn't fucking around when it comes to safe sex. The government has ordered all hotels, public showers and resorts to distribute free prophylactics. In addition to the rubbers, the communist government has printed a series of pamphlets on safer sex.

The recent order counts as just one of the government's initiatives against HIV/AIDS, which long carried the so-called queer stigma. In June, bars and clubs were told to encourage safe sex.

There seems to be a trend in the Far East. In addition to China's condom legislation, Hong Kong - the nation's "special administrative region" - recently overturned archaic sodomy laws. The former British colony also just founded it's first gay center.

• The Real World's Coral Smith's inching toward lesbianism: "I’m definitely venturing toward my lesbian qualities. It’s been a long time coming." Those titties won't hurt, we're sure.

• The Advocate on Hillary Clinton's new, improved marriage stance:

Clinton’s new stance on DOMA may also be an attempt to establish a separate identity from that of husband Bill Clinton, whose presidency left somewhat of a best-of-times, worst-of-times aftertaste in the mouths of LGBT Americans. While the gay population’s historic role in electing Bill Clinton launched us on to the national political stage, his statutory legacies to us were the military’s antigay “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and DOMA.

• New York State's Assembly Rules Committee advanced the same-sex marriage bill, 21-8.

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China's making great strides in the fight against HIV. Nineteen gay Beijing bars have joined the Chaoyang Chinese Aids Volunteer Group to help promote safe sex. In fact, they're taking at least partial responsibility for people's sex practices.

China Daily elaborates on the potentially life saving movement:

According to the memorandum of understanding, bar owners are responsible for promoting safe sex among their gay clientele in their venues. They have joined the fight against AIDS with medical scientists, volunteers and government officials.

Condom vending machines will be installed in many venues, and trained staff will be offered a financial bonus for promoting the safe sex message.

The government's also vowed to help keep infection rates down and life spans up.

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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