Rumor has it Madrid's gay pride tops all others. Thus, in an effort to uncover the truth, Queerty contributor Jimmy Im traveled to the Spanish city for a full investigation.

Check out the blow-by-blow, after the jump…

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The World Outgames aren't just a display of gay athletic prowess, but also operate as an opportunity for tourism boards to reach a captive audience. Melbourne, Rio and Amsterdam will all send representatives to this year's games in Copenhagen, as will Israel, a nation where gay rights remain a matter of serious contention:

Copenhagen mayor Ritt Bjerregaard recently approached Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai and invited him to set up a compound at the event in order to promote tourism to the Israeli city…

Huldai appointed City Council member Itai Pinkas and the coordinator of the pride parade in Tel Aviv Adir Steiner to organize the project.
The two decided to erect the compound on the beach, and turn it into a typical Tel Avivian strip of sand, complete with paddle ball games, falafel and surfboards. "This is an opportunity to put Tel Aviv on the world map of gay tourism," Pinkas stated.

The duo have enlisted a number of Israeli cultural figures, including gay filmmaker Eytan Fox, to represent Tel Aviv at this summer's festivities. They're also coordinating a massive dance party, because everyone knows we gays can't resist a little rump shaking!

Pittsburg and their tourism bureau are trying their hardest to harness the homo traveler. Someone call our travel agent!

• We've been seriously missing They Might Be Giants. In an effort to satisfy our aural yen, here's "Istanbul".

• University of Texas professor launches hunger strike for domestic partner benefits.

• Tabloid rumors hurt Queen Latifah's feelings.

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American Airlines finally decided to jump on the gay marketing train.

While competitors have courted the queers for years, American Airlines has preferred sponsoring gay friendly events. Their new nostalgic ad campaign changes all that:

Recalling when travel was considered glamorous, new print ads in The Advocate and online look like vintage, 50s-era illustrated posters, but with the twist of two carefree men stepping off the plane together. The tagline is "Fly forward" and was created by American's longtime ad agency, TM Advertising, of Dallas, and Washington, D.C.-based gay marketing firm Witeck-Combs Communications.

"There's a sameness to travel ads, the same faces and couples in stock photography, we thought we'd like to try something more imaginative," explains American Airlines spokesman Tim Kincaid.

The ads sure are imaginative: what gay man wears Hawaiian shirts? Not to mention socks with loafers…

• Out's February issue proves what we already knew: Richard Simmons is the queen of all queens.

• Lauren Williams hung out with Phylicia Rashad and the rest of the cast from the Debbie Allen Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and all we got was this incredible post!

• Hummer inspired by NYC-based fag rag HX? Wouldn't be the first time…

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• We fall more and more in love with Lizzy the Lezzy each day. Gary the Gay is cool, too.

• Gays love skiing in Colorado. No, actual skiing.

• CNN's John King and Dana Bash getting married? We always thought King a queen.

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Our previous installments of The Home Issue have revolved around design, interior and aesthetic.

We're shifting focus today with an interview between our editor and travel writer Mike Luongo. Luongo's longed to travel since childhood and has traveled around the globe documenting life in Afghanistan, Iraq and Argentina, among many, many others.

The New York-based journalist just edited and released Gay Travels In The Muslim World: an anthology of anecdotes and impressions from and of the Middle East. Though he and Belonsky definitely discuss the book, their conversation veers into religion, the parameters of democratization and the ever-troublesome "other".

Check it out, after the jump.

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On Orbitz.com's gay travel section, in their Travel Tips they suggest the homos visit Puerto Rico. Their No. 1 reason?

Puerto Rico is the best spot for gay Caribbean travel - with a gay beach, gay hotels, gay bars, and the island of Vieques arising as a popular hot spot for gay travel as well. And it's Ricky Martin's home island!

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New York University recently announced plans that it will open a campus in Abu Dhabi, one of the United Arab Emirates.

Considering the federation's prohibitions on "homosexual acts," it should come as no surprise that NYU garnered some queer criticism for the decision.

President John Sexton got grilled at town hall meeting last week, during which two gay students raised their voices against the dubious Abu Dhabi decision.

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The Grenadian government's playing choose your own gay adventure after hearing that four gay cruises plan to dock in their ports.

Upon hearing the news, Tourism Minister Claris Modeste–Curwen wondered:

As a government our policy is that we do not support [homosexuality], but are we going to put a barrier that says in any port of entry that if somebody is gay they should be debarred from coming to this country…This is my question, what does the Grenadian community want of us.

Catholic priest Sean Doggett says that while he cannot endorse anti-gay discrimination, he wants the gays to know they should behave themselves, "…If they come to promote [homosexuality] among Grenadian people, then that certainly should not be accepted." Ya hear that, homos?

No gay promotion while in Grenada. No gay give-aways, no gay publicity and - for the love of God - no gay agenda.

It's good to be gay in Argentina, where Juan Julia Blanch just opened his second gay hotel: The Axel Hotel. Named after Blanch's ex-boyfriend, the estimated 6 million, five-storey structure seems poised to be just as gay as its Barcelona-based big brother:

The receptionists are slender young men in sleek suits, the brochure features chiseled male torsos, the rooms are soundproofed and stocked with condoms and every now and then Judy Garland croons in the bar: welcome to Latin America's first luxury gay hotel.
…
No details have been spared: futuristic furniture by Charles and Ray Eames, Mies van der Rohe and Eileen Gray, a garden pool lined with transparent shower cubicles, a spa pool suspended over the lobby as a transparent roof, and deck chairs positioned in front of gym equipment. If you like to watch men stretching, bending, straining, sweating, soaping and swimming you are in the right place.

Damn! This isn't a hotel, this is heaven!