• After pussy footing around impotent ENDA, HRC's asking members to get involved. Says President Joe Solmonese:

Late last week, House leaders announced their decision to change the language of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) so that it only includes sexual orientation and not gender identity. These House leaders have said that they do not have enough votes to move forward with the original fully-inclusive bill.

We are profoundly disappointed by this move, and I want to explain our position and ask you to write your congress member today.

Sign their pre-written letter here.

• George Takei's hard as a rock: asteroid named in gay actor's honor.

CONTINUED »

• We're total suckers for shameless self-promotion, so we readily agreed to Roger Kuhn's request to post this video: "What's Your Name?" The track's on Logo's Online Click List, but Kuhn's shooting for the televisual stars. If he gets enough votes, Logo will play the video on tv. Do you think Kuhn deserves it? If so, vote for him! If not, ignore this and move on.

• Stereohyped asks: "Are Nooses The New Black?" Let's hope not.

• Does Genre EIC Neal Boulton have an original thought in his head? Career history says "no".

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Russian rabble-rouser Nikolai Alexeyev will be the keynote speaker at Chicago's Matthew Shepard March this Saturday. Alexeyev's made international headlines for his tireless gay activism and the outing of prominent politico Alexander Chuev.

That stunt may earn Alexeyev slander charges.

Of Alexeyev's involvement, Gay Liberation Network's Andy Thayer says "[His work] demonstrates how rights have always been won, regardless of country."

• Awwww, Amy Winehouse used to be so cute and innocent. What happened? Oh, right: heroin.

CONTINUED »

Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov takes shit from no one - not even the Council of Europe.

A Russian newspaper has published a series of letters in which numerous European officials, including secretary general of the council, Terry Davis, asked Luzhkov to compromise with gay pride organizers. In a missive dated January 31, Davis writes:

I am not keen to argue about such a sensitive issue in the media, and I would prefer to be in position to say that the Russian authorities have found a reasonable compromise, which respects the rights and human dignity of all individuals concerned.

A homophobe through and through, Luzhkov ignored Davis and others' pleas. Instead, he asked Russia's Department of Internal Affairs to cock block queer paraders.

Moscow officials, of course, won this battle, banning gay pride and have now found themselves marred in a legal battle. If only Luzhkov had taken Davis' advice.

In other Russian news, a reformed Orthodox priest announced plans to open a gay church in Moscow.

Father Alexei left the Orthodox movement over its staunch anti-gay policy and took up with the more lenient - and loving - Renovated Church Federation.

CONTINUED »

A Russian court struck a blow to the European nation's gays yesterday. Tagansky District Court tossed gay pride organizers' bid to declare Moscow's ban on the festivities as illegal.

Undeterred by the decision, activist Nikolay Alexeyev vows to appeal until he and his allies get justice:

We will appeal the decision of the Tagansky District Court to the Moscow City Court under the current law. Then we are going to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

The current law insists local governments provide security and clearance for public happenings. Moscow's anti-gay mayor, Yuri Luzhkov did not comply, which led to an exceptionally bloody pride parade.

After coming out as a middle-aged beef cake, Russian President Vladimir Putin seems poised for another coming out.

An eagle-eyed reader sent us in this m4m sexvert entitled "Russian Dictator Seeks Love":

I'm a nice, decent guy looking to meet another masculine bro for some hot fucking and hopefully a meaningful emotional connection. I like dogs, fishing, poisoning dissidents, and long walks on the beach. Turn offs are mean people and democracy. I hope I can meet a guy who can look past my rough exterior and see the sensitive artist underneath. I like to cuddle with a guy, gently kissing him all over his body until the morning light comes in through the window. You must be into BDSM sub/dom pain play, I'll tie you to a chair and interrogate you for hours, I'm handy with a pair of pliers.

Vladimir Putin,
(Pootie-Poot)

We love poisoning with dissidents and told Pootie-Poot as much, but he's not interested. He prefers to dominate men with darker, Chechen features.

• We started today with some pictures of William Devaughn, a Filipino McDonald's spokesperson. Here's one of his commercials. He's even dreamier in motion. The McRice sandwich, meanwhile, looks sick.

• The Russian Orthodox Church wants some anti-gay education.

• Michael Rogers wants straight people to watch the gay debates. Here's why.

• Don't have Logo? Watch the gay forum online.

CONTINUED »

While Russian activist Nicolas Alexeyev faces potential slander charges for outing anti-gay politico Alexander Chuev, gay editor Vladimir Kirsanov's new anthology, Liberty Life takes a less robust approach to gay politics.

A collection of stories from sixteen gay authors, the anthology takes a look at gay life in Russia - minus the gay. While some would hope a gay anthology would attempt to stir the shit, Kirsanov hopes to avoid controversy:

I regularly think in my head about what the grandma in the bookstore who opens the book will say. I'm always a little afraid and am reluctant to have problems with the government. I wanted a collection of authors that wouldn't arouse such a reaction.

It's a shame a democratic government such as Russia's would instill so much fear that even the gays are editing themselves. But, as we've seen, democracy doesn't always equal liberal freedom.

Anti-gay Russian politico Alexander Chuev got his wish.

After being outed by gay activist Nicolas Alexeyev on national television, Chuev pressed the General Prosecutor to press charges - any charges - against Alexeyev (pictured).

The General Prosecutor must have agreed, because Alexeyev may be charged with slander.

Slander's never an easy charge to prove and, as Pink News explains, Russian prosecutors will have to show that being called "gay" hurt Chuev's reputation.

CONTINUED »

Quite a quaint scene you see above. Unfortunately, as we all know, it's rare to see such open displays of Russian faggotry.

Russian homophobes certainly aren't shy. They definitely made their presence known during Moscow's bloody gay pride. And they raised more eyebrows when they announced they were going to wash a river to rid it of so-called gay pollutants.

Their park patrols, however, may be the most insidious of their plots against the gays. As we reported, anti-gay youths have been patrolling a local "cruising" area in an effort to reclaim their public space. While on the surface these sentinels may appear to be simply homophobes, NY Times puts the rise of Russian homophobia in a larger context.

CONTINUED »

Alexander Chuev makes you look butch. The Russian politico has asked the General Prosecutor to "investigate" Nicolas Alexeyev, the gay activist who recently outed Chuev.

Deeply offended by Alexeyev's actions, Chuev claims calling someone "gay" on television constitutes a crime. Which crime, however, remains to be seen. He wrote on his blog, “Let the investigators now to find out which crime there is in his actions”.

Gotta love that Russian sense of justice.

CONTINUED »

Russia's bloody anti-gay history continues. Police carted off two gay activists today after shutting down a pre-sanctioned protest against Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov (pictured, looking like a shit eater). Demonstrators want the EU to ban Luzkhov's intracontinental travel.

Rather than admitting the injustice, overzealous coppers claimed the queers' were too close to a construction area, according to The Independent…

CONTINUED »

Russian religious fanatics are fucking nuts (pictured). They really need to spend their time enjoying life rather than cleaning up a river after a gay cruise. Yeah, you read that right. About 200 Russian wack-jobs just spent their Sunday walking up the Moscow River to rid it of gay pollutants.

Coordinator Yuri Ageshchev of the Union of Orthodox Brotherhoods explains that they wanted "to clean the Moscow River from the filth that filled the river after the trip of a big company of homosexuals that took place on the same route and on the same motor ship". Those Russian zealots sure do take their anti-gay environmentalism seriously.

A similar group recently made it it's mission to rid a public park of those stinking queers. Unfortunately for them, however, the queers fought back.