• Lesbians and gays in the Philippines plan to register their own political party in the next federal elections. Among the biggest supporters of the LGBT party are several hairdressing associations, and various artists, entertainers, and others in typical homosexual professions are onboard as well. Maybe if gays in the U.S. formed our own political party, we wouldn't have to rely on the Democrats to pretend they care about us. We bet the Aveda Academy would totally throw in some free conditioner for the party spokespeople. [Asian Journal]

• Former Boyzone member Stephen Gately gay-married his partner in the UK on Sunday. Elton John was supposed to attend the ceremony but then cancelled. Perhaps Stephen's party threatened to be even more fabulous than Sir Elton's, or not fabulous enough. [PinkNews]

• India may not have yet decriminalized homosexual intercourse, but the first gay community organization has been formed in the city of Chennai. The organization, called the Men Community Development Society (not the catchiest of names) aims to build community among homos for the good of society. Says one member, "I came here and was astonished to find a lot of people with whom I can identify myself. Then I came to know about condoms and the truth about HIV/AIDS." We hope the MCDS helps everyone else in India "come to know about condoms" as well. Yikes. [New Kerala]

• Elton John will not be appearing at any civil unions in Australia anytime soon. A doomed-from-the-start bill to legalize gay unions in the Australian state of Victoria was officially killed today by Premier Steve Bracks. Australian Prime Minister John Howard also remains thoroughly opposed to the idea. We think these politicians need to rewatch Priscilla: Queen of the Desert. [GayNZ.com]

• New head of the Human Rights Campaign Joe Solmonese talks and talks in a way-too-long interview with the Washington Blade. If you have always wondered what the HRC actually does, Mr. Solmonese endeavours to explain it in painstaking detail, but don't say we didn't warn you when you blow your whole lunch break trying to make sense of it all. [Washington Blade]

• In the UK, members of the Stonewall Football Club faced off in a soccer match against a team of Parliament members, beating them soundly 7-0. The match was arranged to raise awareness of homophobia, but the Parliament's "fear of gays" has potentially increased after getting so thoroughly whooped. [Pink News]

• Straight men are becoming as body-conscious as the rest of us, according to a study, and they even lie about how much they weigh. It may have finally happened: Straight men are the new straight women! [Medical News Today via Towleroad]

• In Minnesota, the State Senate Majority Leader is accused of kibitzing with Supreme Court justices about the potential outcome of cases challenging the state's gay marriage ban. Allegedly several justices told him they "would not touch" it, and now there are calls for his resignation. [Washington Blade]

• Gay members of the British Royal Navy are very "keen" to march in uniform in the EuroPride parade in London on July 1. They are the only wing of the British armed forces not to have participated in a Pride parade, and they are eager to have a "service presence" at the festivities. We are baffled by the idea of a "service presence" at Pride, but then again, we are American. [The Guardian] UPDATE: The sailors will be allowed to march in the parade. [The Times]

• The first of the gay marriage lawsuits in New York State has reached the state's highest court: the Court of Appeals. The five couples involved in the lawsuit won a victory last year from a New York City judge, then lost in appeal, and then appealed the appeal (we didn't know you could do that), and now here we are. If the Court of Appeals finds the state's ban on gay marriage perfectly legal, Tiffany's might not make its projected profit next quarter without all those wedding band sales. [365Gay]

• The Log Cabin Republicans are spearheading efforts to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which, if successful, would make it that much easier for you and me to get a free one-way ticket to Baghdad! [NY Times]

• A convicted pedophile serving time for kidnapping and thirteen child assaults gets "special treatment" at the Broadmoor Prison Hospital in Berkshire, England. What's the treat? Gay porn. We want to know if it's twinks only. [Pink News]

• What if curing HIV was as simple as clicking our heels together and having Glinda the Good Witch tell us that we had the power all along? That may seem glib, but new research at Ohio State University suggests that certain cells in our bodies, if protected from the debilitating effects of the HIV virus, can actually help to fight the virus and limit its spread. [365 Gay]

• Being Christian and gay can be a troublesome combination, unless you're a Dolly Parton sort of Christian and a Gene Robinson sort of gay. Well what if you were also from Kenya, where sodomy is illegal, and on top of that, you had decided to lead a celibate life because of your faith? Yikes. For real, it's the true story of a Christian,gay, celibate 32-year-old Kenyan man, and he's pretty chipper about it all. [BBC]

• If this makes you feel better, hatemongering is not only unique to the American political process, but is happening Down Under as well. [ABC Australia]

•The American Red Cross is considering the possibility that maybe not all gays are infected with HIV from that one time they had anal sex back in 1985, and are consequently in favor of lifting the government's lifetime ban on blood donation for gay and bisexual men. [Advocate]

• What makes us gay or straight? Was it the leather pants our grandma bought us when we were six? There are scientists trying to figure it all out, and right now in the rhetorical battle of nature vs. nurture, nature seems to be winning. [CBS News via 429 News]

• Straight high school student Brandon Flyte has allegedly been expelled from his high school for surprise-airing his gay-themed student film Brokeback High for his marine biology class. Word is still out on whether the film involved whales or dolphins. [Towleroad]

• The Meretz political party is the first in Israel to endorse gay marriage. Their catchiest slogan borrows from the Jewish marriage song: "the voice of groom and groom," and "the voice of bride and bride." [365 Gay]

• Virginia's constitution could be amended to ban gay marriage this November, thanks to a ballot measure made possible by (phony) Democratic governor Tim Kaine. [Washington Blade]

• Turkey to host event for International Day Against Homophobia. May 21, Ankara. We want to go. [TDN]

• City of Fargo assigns a police officer to be the liason to the LGBT community. The bigger story, of course, is that in Fargo this is considered "news." Someone please go to Fargo and make something happen. [In Forum]

• Gay crack-addict hustler ties up and kills 78-year-old john, after watching bondage videos: "I don't know why I did it." Um, maybe because you were on crack? Just a guess. [365gay] [Toronto Sun]

• Five soldiers beat a man, David Bennett, outside a Savannah gay club. [WTOC]

• City of San Francisco blocks historic battleship out of city ports, to protest military's ban on gays. And who says gays over-react? [USA Today]

&bull The Moroccan government sentenced thirteen men to prison for "producing gay pornographic films" and "inciting prostitution" on the internet. In a country filled with architecture shaped like penises, we find this a bit surprising.

Three of the men received sentectes of six years each; one of the men is a French citizen, who received a one year sentence. (The group's total prison sentences total thirty years.)

The majority of the defendants (the models)…aged between 18 and 20, these impoverished Moroccans found themselves involved in a very dirty adventure, risking their reputation for a very insignificant sum of money and a promise of immigration to France.

The name of the site has not been released, and the Moroccan government blocked access to the site. We can't imagine that life in a Moroccan prison is anything like what we see in those prison-porn movies, either. Yuck.

&bull Speaking of politics you'd find in a Third World country: unbeknownst to most gay people, abortion is NOW ILLEGAL in South Dakota, and legislators are pushing to pass similar bans in several other states, including Mississippi. The goal is to bring a case to the Supreme Court, which will most likely overturn Roe vs. Wade. Although now that sodomy is legal again, it was only a matter of time before people got itchy for another sex law to fight.

Make a porno, go to prison [Moroccan Times]

• Chokeback Mountain didn’t win the big award. But you can download the short story for free over at AOL. The narrator is hottie Campbell Scott. [Audible]

• Madonna is set to do The Simpsons. [D Listed]

• Don’t Worry. Andy Towle did not commit suicide like many believed he would after hearing the news of Crash’s victory. [Towleroad]

• We’re amongst good company in the latest issue of Cybersocket. [Cybersocket]

• Kia’s pissed. And funny. [Exceptional Mediocrity]

• A West Virginia police chief allegedly blocked life-saving measures for Claude Green, pictured, because Green was gay. Unbelievable. [SF Chronicle]

• Ryan Seacrest undresses a 17-year-old boy. With his eyes. [Aanthems]

• A celebrity comes out of the closet. On Pinoy Big Brother. [The Manila Bulletin]

• The Da Vinci Code and Load will be released on the same day!. [The Book Standard]

• Myspace the movie. Brilliant. [You Tube]

• Wanna see Clay Aiken’s white torso and cam pics? Neither did we. [Perez Hilton]

• Andy found Tyler from the Real World on Friendster. [Towleroad]

• Bad news for cokeheads. [Gizmodo]

• A lesbian writer shares her love of Howard Stern. [Gay.com]

• The new James Bond is pretty freaking hot. [Kenneth in the (212)]

• Heather Reznor, pr whiz for Michael Lucas, interviews Kara Janx. We love both of these girls. [Heather Fink]

• Mental note: We too want a Santino Rice birthday cake. [Santino Rice]

• Surfers have always been gayer than cowboys. [Towleroad]

• Let’s all collectively pray for an Amanda Lepore television show. [Brace-Face]

• A legend returns to blogging. She’s old school, bitches. [Jihky]

• Anderson Cooper was looking especially queeny at Mardi Gras. [Open All Night]

• “After nearly a year of debate, the Oklahoma City-County library system has voted to create a new section in the children's library to shelve books dealing with homosexuality and other ‘sensitive issues.’ Those issues are pedophilia, child abuse, substance abuse, premarital sex and extramarital sex." [Boozhy]

• SignalShift* is back and he’s friends with Jay McCarroll. [SignalShift*]

• Toby goes on the attack again. No Metro Weekly cover boy is safe. [Vividblurry]

• A gay porn star finds God. How lovely. [Dallas Voice]

• Without a doubt the most frightening photos we’ve seen all year. [D Listed]

• George Michael has been arrested. He was slumped over his SUV's wheel and in possession of GHB and sex toys. [CNN]

• Mark Kraynak and Steve Wright, the two American strippers that were found dead in a quarry in Montreal, are about to be seen again. In a porn. [Bitchless Blog]

• We’re all about comedy and making fun of ourselves. But this is just stupid. [You Tube]

• A 70-year-old trannie substitute teacher’s job is in jeopardy. We think that is messed up, but we just cannot get over the fact that she transitioned in her late 60s. It’s never too late, huh? [365 Gay]

• We’ve just now come across Zsa Zsa Gabor’s fitness video. Brilliant. [Not That Boy]

• Let’s hope the new james Bond is a grower, since he’s obviously not a shower. [WOW Report]

• We’d like to find out the same about Chad Michael Murray. [The Malcontent]

• Philadelphia is giving away trips to the city for its "Ultimate Gay Stay Giveaway.” They don’t call it The City of Brotherly Love for nothing. [Go Phila]

• Deep down you’ve known all along. It’s your mother’s fault. [Gay.com]

• “The self-portrait . . . has become a kind of folk art for the digital age.” Yeah, we’ve seen a lot of folk art on Manhunt. [NY Times]

• Arjan reports on yet another incarnation of Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love.” And it’s cute. [Arjan Writes]

• Surprise! Johnny Weir loves D&G, LV, and Cavalli. [Washington Post]

• Speaking of figure skating, could it be true: Santino Rice designing skating costumes again? [Manhattan Offender]

• Maybe not, but he was hilarious on Regis & Kelly. [Santino Rice]

• And lastly, a correction to a post yesterday about the NO/AIDS Task Force. The organization was not wiped out by Katrina and is one of the only viable HIV/AIDS organizations in New Orleans. [NO/AIDS Task Force]

• William Shatner may go gay. [WOW Report]

• Even in the world of dorks, The Gays are not fairly treated. [Gay.com]

• Donald Trump has fired back at Martha Stewart. [A Socialite’s Life]

• Get ready to go to Berlin this summer. The Love Parade is returning. [BBC]

• We just fell in love. Again. [Made In Brazil]