Morocco's gay wedding scandal continues to - well, scandalize.

The story bubbled late last year, when a group of men were arrested - and later convicted - for participating in what several described as gay nuptial celebration. Horror of horrors!

Newspapers sensationalized the story, of course, smearing the names of those involved, including a litigious prosecutor, whom they accused of "sexual perversion". Those papers should have known better to piss off a potentially gay prosecutor. They're the meanest of the species.

Fast-forward a few months and you'll learn that the prosecutor just won a libel suit against one of the papers, Al Massae and its editor, Rachid Ninni. Tragic.

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Morocco came under activist fire again today. The government got some flack last month for that whole anti-gay arrest thing, which led Amnesty International's UK-branch to wag its non-profit finger at the North African nation. Those men remain in custody.

Human Rights Watch joins the din today, saying that the the primarily Muslim nation best get with the liberal program.

The Moroccan government should protect the rights to privacy and a fair trial, Human Rights Watch and the Moroccan Human Rights Association said today. Human Rights Watch and the Moroccan Human Rights Association called on the government to repeal a law that provides prison terms for consensual homosexual acts, and launched a petition demanding that the government repeal article 489 of the penal code. They also demanded the release of the six men currently imprisoned under this article.

PM Abbas El Fassi is reportedly shaking in his boots.

• A 16-year old Australian got into big trouble after throwing a rager at his parents' home. Despite the fact that his parents hate his guts and he owes coppers $20,000, the kids has absolutely no contrition. When asked if he has advice for other kids who want to follow suit, he replies: "Have me do it." Why? "Because it was the best party". Sweet!

• We want the Macbook Air.

• Orlando Jones to play gay. Yay!

• DJ Jared Abbott loves living in Madrid, being in style.

• Morocco upholds conviction for six "gay" men.

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Morocco's dispensing some queer justice. Authorities arrested six allegedly gay men last month and tried them for "lewd or unnatural acts." Following a brief and flawed trial, the men have been found guilty. Now Amnesty International's UK-branch is asking its allies to rally for their freedom:

Amnesty International UK is calling on its 2.2 million members worldwide to write to the Moroccan authorities demanding the release of six men who are facing jail because of their presumed sexuality.
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“The fact that the six men were convicted purely on rumour shows how prevalent homophobia is in Morocco,” said Tim Hancock, campaigns director at Amnesty International UK.
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“Amnesty has called for their sentences to be overturned and is calling on its members across the world to email or fax the Moroccan embassy demanding their immediate release.”

Click here for a complete list of Morocco's international embassies.

• Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and his - um, charming - family took this picture when the politico was Arkansas' governor. Ain't it sweet?

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• The heat is on at La Mama!

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Amsterdam's worrisome anti-gay hate crime rates are sparking an equally worrisome study:

Mayor Job Cohen commissioned the University of Amsterdam to conduct a study on the motives behind the hate crimes. Half of the crimes were committed by men of Moroccan origin and researchers believe they felt stigmatized by society and responded by attacking people they felt were lower on the social ladder. Another working theory is that the attackers may be struggling with their own sexual identity.

While we're all about Amsterdam trying to curb anti-queer attacks, this study seems a bit short sighted. Wouldn't it be better to educate people, rather than rationalize their actions into objectivity?