As expected, the gay marriage ban failed in the Senate today, by a vote of 49-48 with a two-thirds majority (60 votes) need to pass. The 49 votes in favor of the ban was only a one vote increase over the last Senate vote on this issue in 2004, with a surprising 7 Republicans voting “No”. Only two Democrats voted …

“It might take years to get the marriage thingy approved. In the meantime remember that you, as a fabulous person of queerness, are still ahead of the game. You are one of the chosen people. Unlike a straight person, you are free, free to stay down on the farm or free to move to the big city and spread your …

I knew it!.

If you are in New York City and you can’t find any alcohol, it’s because the bloggers drank it all. Last weekend was GB:NYC3, the gay bloggers’ confab, and starting with the kickoff mixer Friday night at Hell’s Kitchen’s Barrage, right on through to early Monday morning, I drank beer, I drank shots of tequila, I drank some horrendous sugar-rimmed …

Pride Magazine 2006 hits the streets this week with articles on the midterm elections, the status of gays in Iran, the queer artists who rock pop music, and an exclusive interview with cover subject Marc Jacobs, photographed by Bill Diodato. Also onboard with commentary are John Waters, Justin Bond, Marga Gomez, Edmund White and many other gay luminaries. I especially …

A friend of mine was just telling me about his recent experience of picking a guy up in a leather bar and getting him home to find that he was wearing a diaper under his Levi’s. While I’ve come across just about every fetish in the book and a few that aren’t, infantilism is one I’ve been thankfully spared. So …

In the good thing/bad thing department: Jetblue has purchased a band of frequency from the government which will allow them to offer internet and cell phone access and sell such access to other carriers. A wave of blog posts that begin “I’m writing this from 30,000 feet above the Rocky Mountains” coming in 5…4…3….2….

As if I didn’t spend enough time wondering if I’m crazy, there’s this: I don’t hate the Paris Hilton single, Stars Are Blind. In fact, I think I sorta dig it. I mean, I’m sure that with a bit of studio wizardry, even I could be made to sound agreeable, but it really bothers me that I don’t hate the …

“The epidemic is still lavender.” – Frank Oldham, Executive Director, National Association Of People With AIDS, speaking about the changing demographic of those with AIDS, pointing out that over 250,000 gay men of all colors have died. While AIDS is a more and more a disease of women and people of color, Oldham says, “If you had to have a …

As has been well documented on this here website thingy, I have no love for showtunes. I consider it one of my greatest failings as a career homosexual, along with my disinterest in the culinary arts and my apparent inability to discern minor color gradations. Eggplant? Eggshell? Whatever. However, one does not live in a vacuum and there is just …

Pet Shop Boys’ new release Fundamental, which has already gone to #1 in ten countries, is their best work since 1993’s Very, and that is saying something. I recommend getting the limited edition double-disc Fundamental/Fundamentalism. I particularly like the track The Sodom And Gomorrah Show. On the remix disc, Stuart Crichton’s remix of In Private is a grand trance production …

Most of the media will observe this week as the 25th anniversary of AIDS, as it was on June 5th, 1981, that the Centers For Disease Control’s Morbidity And Mortality Weekly Report first mentioned a “strange cluster of pneumonia cases” in five gay men (although the unusual illnesses were first mentioned 3 weeks earlier in the gay paper, The New …

It’s been almost 30 years and despite challenges from thousands of hilarious contenders, Rita Beads remains my all time favorite drag name. Rita was a hairy chested, butch mustached, roller-skating, pregnant nun sort of drag queen, back in late 70’s Orlando. The reason Rita Beads is such a funny name is probably sadly lost to most of you, but the …

It’s only the first day of June and I’ve already had more than enough hot. New York is just miserable during the summer and it’s a freakin’ 2-3 hour science project just to get to the beach. Not that I enjoy beaches all that much anyway, with my fishbelly complexion. Ten years in Fort Lauderdale and I probably went to …

West Village, Summer 2004 It’s a beautiful afternoon. My friend Andy and I are killing an hour ambling around the shops on Bleecker street, wasting time before a show. Across the street, I spot a drag queen pulling off a spectacular Mary J. Blige impression. Big wig, big glasses, big bling, big Louis Vuitton handbag. I’m so impressed with how …

My book debut comes this July 28th, in the forthcoming Carroll & Graf anthology, From Boys To Men: Personal Essays Of Gay Coming Of Age. Rather than a traditional collection of coming out stories, “In these memoirs, coming out is less important than coming of age and coming to the realization that young gay people experience the world in ways …

On a sunny day, New Yorkers are not above plopping themselves down just about anywhere to catch some rays, like this rather leathered old biddy who chose the pedestrian overpass of FDR Drive at 71st Steet. I guess the noise and exhaust of the 6-lane highway beneath her isn’t a bother.

This weekend is the annual messy, sloppy, sodden gathering of gay bloggers in NYC. I stole this naughty graphic from Chris over at See My Briefs, who has an amusing listing of the schedule of activities. I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of familiar faces from around the country and hoping to meet some new ones. Btw, blaggle? What …

So here’s my dilemma: Do I go see the Al Gore’s global warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, and come out with sharply detailed information over which to obsess and worry? Or do I not go see the movie and merely continue with this vague, unfocused sense of dread?

Big weekend. Big in every way. Saturday: Up early and out for the Superbowl of gay rugby, the Bingham Cup. Emerging from the 6 train up in Harlem, Eddie and I ran into podcaster/tough guy Mike P and blogger hottie Bryce of Plastic Music, and we joined the curious mix of locals, ruggers and gay rugby groupies waiting in line …