TotallyOz

A must see:

I saw a hot guy on Craig's List today and he sent me a wonderfully canned response. Here goes: Hi, thanks for contacting me. My rates are 60$hr(in) 80$hr(out). I am licensed to do many therapeutic massages, such as thai, deep tissue and reflexology, along with erotic services. Kiss, mutual touch, top or bottom . If you like nude massage with mutual touch, I would be happy to accommodate..I dont have very many rules when it comes to our meeting i figure its your hour to do with it what you like. Only thing i ask is that you verify yourself at my agencys site, you will receive a confirmation email with my personal cell number, after that you can call or text me anytime. Sorry for all of this but I cant make exceptions, it makes sure your not too young,not a criminal, and are with serious intention. http://www.datetyler.com is the site and once you finish just call me anytime I am available 24/7. Here are a couple pics for you: http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/2461/gym225.jpg http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/1853/1194904037l.jpg http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/5190/tyler10.jpg

The U.N. refugee agency said on Tuesday it had asked Laos to grant it access to more than 4,000 Hmong asylum-seekers deported from camps in Thailand.In a statement, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees also urged the Thai government to detail assurances it had received from the Laos communist government on future treatment of the Hmong, who say they face oppression if sent back. "The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has today formally approached the government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic seeking access to Lao Hmong who were deported from Thailand on Monday," the Geneva-based agency said. Some of those sent back were recognized by the UNHCR as having refugee status and needing international protection, it said. The expulsion sparked criticism from the United States and Europe. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was concerned about the expulsion of the Hmong, who "included individuals the Thai government had reportedly assessed to be in need of protection," his office said in a statement on Tuesday. Ban "regrets that these deportations have taken place in the face of appeals from the (UNHCR) and despite the availability of third country resettlement solutions for those recognized as refugees," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said. Ban urged Thailand and Laos "to take all necessary steps to respect the rights of those concerned and to facilitate humane solutions," Nesirky said. Known as America's "forgotten allies," the Hmong sided with the United States during the Vietnam War and many fled Laos in 1975 when the communist Pathet Lao took power. Tens of thousands have since been resettled in the United States. The UNHCR said that despite Thailand's "long history as a country of asylum," it had deported the Lao Hmong from two camps, one in the northern province of Petchabun and another in Nong Khai in the country's northeast. "UNHCR was given no access to people in the first camp, while those in Nong Khai were all recognized refugees," it said. A Lao government spokesman said on Monday the concerns were groundless and the Hmong being repatriated were illegal migrants who would be housed in resettlement villages. Thailand and Laos reached an agreement in March to repatriate the Hmong. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/12/29/world/international-uk-laos-refugees.html?_r=1

I met a guy on Craig's List today that said a "new" massage place opened in this area in LA and that it was a gay full service massage place. The pic he sent was sexy. But, he said he only works one day per week. He said massage was 50 US. He said masseurs expected tip of 20-40 for full-service. What am I missing?

1. Belgrade: "The long years of bad press that kept Serbia off the map have now passed," says Lonely Planet. "Foreigners are now realizing what locals always knew - that Belgrade really rocks. With an exuberant population and its legacy as an intellectual hangout, Belgrade offers varied nightlife, ranging from eclectic watering holes for those in the know, to the busy restaurants and bars of the Skadarlija district and the summer clubs in barges on the Sava and Danube Rivers." 2. Montreal: "Easygoing Montreal is increasingly popular with foreign travellers, who enjoy the joie de vivre of a place with bilingual ambience, good local beer and even skiing at nearby Mount Royal. Montreal's irrepressible student population and atmosphere (Old Montreal) give the city a lighthearted, Bohemian air. There are Old World cafes, cool jazz clubs, packed discos and late bars to choose from, plus a popular comedy festival each July." 3. Buenos Aires: "With its unique mix of European and South American cultures, and a native passion for dance, the Argentine capital provides fertile ground for lively nightlife. There's an emphasis on fashion and a diverse range of entertainment offerings in Buenos Aires' barrios. Relax at a swinging jazz club or dance all night by the waterfront; some clubs and cultural centres offer classes so you can learn to tango or salsa like a local. There's everything from Irish pubs and local folk to house parties." 4. Dubai: "For those who can afford it, the world capital of conspicuous consumption is unbeatable. Dubai's extravagance is way over the top, with ultraluxury hotels on artificial islands, slick modern malls and tonnes of precious metals glittering in shops. Yet Dubai is also a cosmopolitan place, so if you're not invited to party on board the private yacht of a celebrity, you can always mingle with people from around the world in the swank bars and clubs of the Middle East's most decadent desert getaway." 5. Thessaloniki: "Greece's second city has style, with plenty of fashionable shops and salons. Thessaloniki boasts great nightlife during those long months when more famous Greek destinations are deep in hibernation, from arty cafes to Latin bars to discos pumping out house music to salacious bouzoukia (clubs featuring twangy, Eastern-flavoured Greek folk-pop). That's plenty to keep you occupied after you've traversed the sublime Byzantine churches, museums and ruins. It's not cheap, but no Greek city save Athens compares." 6. La Paz: "Don't forget that liquor goes to the head quickly in the Bolivian capital, well over 3,000 metres above sea level. Get hot and sweaty in one of many slick nightclubs, which cater to chic locals and the foreign contingent. The natives are friendly and, with a steady stream of travellers, it's a town of many tongues. World-class bars, swank cafes and restaurants serenading with traditional music round out the offerings. Buy traditional Aymara herbs at the Witches' Market (Mercado de Brujas) to ward off hangovers and bothersome spirits." 7. Cape Town: "With the 2010 World Cup bringing a global audience to South Africa, the partying will only get harder as travellers converge on a city already well known for nightlife. Luxuriate on some of the world's best beaches by day and kick back under the moonlight at suave cocktail bars by night. Two hours east, in the Indian Ocean, lies the elegant beach village of Mossel Bay, with more great beaches and chic flair. Visitors must try some of the wines crafted by South Africa's world-renowned vintners, either at a Cape Town bar or at one of several wineries nearby." 8. Baku: "Since the 1990s, when it started taking off as a hub for Caspian Sea oil and gas, (this city in Azerbaijan) has been transformed and this new-found economic stimulation hasn't failed to influence urban nightlife. The cash injection from energy projects, enhanced by the presence of thousands of international oil workers and wealthy consultants, has turned Baku into an oasis of excess in an otherwise fairly traditional Muslim country." 9. Auckland: "Myriad cafes, bars and dinner clubs cater to a hip young clientele in New Zealand's biggest city. Try the glittering waterfront for smart bars, and hit the happening clubs (some stay open 24 hours). There are plenty of live shows on offer too, from folk in Devonport to louder sounds at Mount Eden. And you can always walk off the Sky Tower - the southern hemisphere's tallest structure - a 328-metre cable-controlled drop in which jumpers reach a speed of 85 kilometres per hour." 10. Tel Aviv: "Like elsewhere in the Mediterranean, Israel's capital gets going late. The endless bars, pubs and cocktail venues start to fill up by midnight, from which point the nightclubs get revved up with dancing till dawn. Nowadays an international crowd joins Israelis for a mixed bag of funk, pop, house and techno at the city's dozens of entertainment hot spots. Tel Aviv has a relaxed air, and prides itself on being gay-friendly and outgoing." http://www.nationalpost.com/life/story.html?id=2389635

1. Belgrade: "The long years of bad press that kept Serbia off the map have now passed," says Lonely Planet. "Foreigners are now realizing what locals always knew - that Belgrade really rocks. With an exuberant population and its legacy as an intellectual hangout, Belgrade offers varied nightlife, ranging from eclectic watering holes for those in the know, to the busy restaurants and bars of the Skadarlija district and the summer clubs in barges on the Sava and Danube Rivers." 2. Montreal: "Easygoing Montreal is increasingly popular with foreign travellers, who enjoy the joie de vivre of a place with bilingual ambience, good local beer and even skiing at nearby Mount Royal. Montreal's irrepressible student population and atmosphere (Old Montreal) give the city a lighthearted, Bohemian air. There are Old World cafes, cool jazz clubs, packed discos and late bars to choose from, plus a popular comedy festival each July." 3. Buenos Aires: "With its unique mix of European and South American cultures, and a native passion for dance, the Argentine capital provides fertile ground for lively nightlife. There's an emphasis on fashion and a diverse range of entertainment offerings in Buenos Aires' barrios. Relax at a swinging jazz club or dance all night by the waterfront; some clubs and cultural centres offer classes so you can learn to tango or salsa like a local. There's everything from Irish pubs and local folk to house parties." 4. Dubai: "For those who can afford it, the world capital of conspicuous consumption is unbeatable. Dubai's extravagance is way over the top, with ultraluxury hotels on artificial islands, slick modern malls and tonnes of precious metals glittering in shops. Yet Dubai is also a cosmopolitan place, so if you're not invited to party on board the private yacht of a celebrity, you can always mingle with people from around the world in the swank bars and clubs of the Middle East's most decadent desert getaway." 5. Thessaloniki: "Greece's second city has style, with plenty of fashionable shops and salons. Thessaloniki boasts great nightlife during those long months when more famous Greek destinations are deep in hibernation, from arty cafes to Latin bars to discos pumping out house music to salacious bouzoukia (clubs featuring twangy, Eastern-flavoured Greek folk-pop). That's plenty to keep you occupied after you've traversed the sublime Byzantine churches, museums and ruins. It's not cheap, but no Greek city save Athens compares." 6. La Paz: "Don't forget that liquor goes to the head quickly in the Bolivian capital, well over 3,000 metres above sea level. Get hot and sweaty in one of many slick nightclubs, which cater to chic locals and the foreign contingent. The natives are friendly and, with a steady stream of travellers, it's a town of many tongues. World-class bars, swank cafes and restaurants serenading with traditional music round out the offerings. Buy traditional Aymara herbs at the Witches' Market (Mercado de Brujas) to ward off hangovers and bothersome spirits." 7. Cape Town: "With the 2010 World Cup bringing a global audience to South Africa, the partying will only get harder as travellers converge on a city already well known for nightlife. Luxuriate on some of the world's best beaches by day and kick back under the moonlight at suave cocktail bars by night. Two hours east, in the Indian Ocean, lies the elegant beach village of Mossel Bay, with more great beaches and chic flair. Visitors must try some of the wines crafted by South Africa's world-renowned vintners, either at a Cape Town bar or at one of several wineries nearby." 8. Baku: "Since the 1990s, when it started taking off as a hub for Caspian Sea oil and gas, (this city in Azerbaijan) has been transformed and this new-found economic stimulation hasn't failed to influence urban nightlife. The cash injection from energy projects, enhanced by the presence of thousands of international oil workers and wealthy consultants, has turned Baku into an oasis of excess in an otherwise fairly traditional Muslim country." 9. Auckland: "Myriad cafes, bars and dinner clubs cater to a hip young clientele in New Zealand's biggest city. Try the glittering waterfront for smart bars, and hit the happening clubs (some stay open 24 hours). There are plenty of live shows on offer too, from folk in Devonport to louder sounds at Mount Eden. And you can always walk off the Sky Tower - the southern hemisphere's tallest structure - a 328-metre cable-controlled drop in which jumpers reach a speed of 85 kilometres per hour." 10. Tel Aviv: "Like elsewhere in the Mediterranean, Israel's capital gets going late. The endless bars, pubs and cocktail venues start to fill up by midnight, from which point the nightclubs get revved up with dancing till dawn. Nowadays an international crowd joins Israelis for a mixed bag of funk, pop, house and techno at the city's dozens of entertainment hot spots. Tel Aviv has a relaxed air, and prides itself on being gay-friendly and outgoing." http://www.nationalpost.com/life/story.html?id=2389635

That was adorable. Thank you for sharing that!

If you know of any parties going on in LOS, please post them here. I know of a few. Any others?

If you are free, head over to Richards for their anniversary.

The Associated Press was at least half-right when it ran a headline, in 2001, saying Larry Kramer was dead. He was awfully close. Because he’d been sick for several years, many people who didn’t know him thought he had died already, presumably from AIDS. But AIDS, for so long his cause, was not Kramer’s problem. His long-standing HIV infection had never progressed, the virus perhaps having found that rare human host more ornery than itself. Rather, he had end-stage liver disease, the result of a hepatitis B infection contracted decades earlier. His partner, David Webster, an architect and designer, kept him as comfortable and hopeful as possible in their Greenwich Village apartment and Connecticut country house. Still, at only 66, Kramer knew it was time to close up shop. He appointed a literary executor: Will Schwalbe, a young family friend who was then the editor-in-chief at Hyperion. Among the properties that would eventually fall under Schwalbe’s purview were plays including The Normal Heart and The Destiny of Me, the novel Faggots, the screenplay (from his Hollywood days) of Women in Love, and a raft of journalism, blog posts, op-eds, and historically important letters and e-mails. These were works that marked the world: that prompted, in a way rarely accomplished by words on paper, social action. He might have died proud of that alone. And yet to Kramer, everything he’d been known for was just a prelude to a massive unpublished work called The American People, at which he’d labored on and off since 1978. All the plays and speeches put together would not equal it in extending his argument about the centrality of gayness in human achievement. It would also, he believed, deliver the coup de grâce to those who had for years forbidden his work entry past the polished gates of art, consigning it instead to the slum of agitprop. The American People would prove him a citizen of both neighborhoods, which were actually not even separate. The only problem was that it wasn’t nearly done, and time was running out. “He had thousands of pages of manuscript,” recalls Schwalbe, who started working with Kramer on the material that summer, using index cards to map out the plot. “It was his legacy—and it was a mess.” But Kramer didn’t die. On December 21, 2001, in a thirteen-hour operation, he received the liver of a 45-year-old Pittsburgh-area man who had suffered a brain embolism. The new organ seemed to set Kramer’s clock back a few decades. His chest hair, white before it was shaved for the transplant, grew back black. The liver also seemed to recalibrate his humors, pushing his reflexive biliousness and melancholy sweetness to greater extremes. Perhaps that’s why it was possible, earlier this fall, to find him waving shyly from a leather-upholstered, artificial-flower-bedecked, horse-drawn carriage as it clopped through the streets of Dallas. Dressed in white overalls (they don’t disturb the scars the way pants do) and encrusted with turquoise (as amulets against relapse or rejection), he looked more like a retired folk singer than the gay world’s leading apostle of unrest. He was, strangely, the honorary grand marshal of Dallas’s 2009 pride parade. Never having been so honored in New York, he was flattered. Still, after a lifetime spent in opposition, at 74 he seemed to find the perquisites of tribute both awkward and insufficient. What happened to the convertible he was promised? Was the day too hot for the horse? Would anyone listen to his speech at the end? For he was aware that few of the 35,000 revelers along the parade route seemed to know who he was, despite a sign hastily attached to the coach and despite a three-minute biographical video that for the previous few weeks had been looping in gay bars amid the regular fare of sports, music, and porn. The video, produced by the Dallas Tavern Guild, which also produces the parade, emphasized the AIDS work that made Kramer both a hero and a lightning rod for controversy, in particular his co-founding of Gay Men’s Health Crisis in 1982 and, when that ended badly for him, his creation of ACT UP in 1987. Arguably, these organizations were responsible, in their good-cop-bad-cop way, for bringing drugs to market that now make it possible for millions of HIV-positive people to live reasonably normal lives. As a side effect, they also instigated a fundamental shift in the way the public participates in decisions about health policy and pharmaceutical research. His former archenemy, now friend, Anthony Fauci, longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, divides American medicine broadly into two eras: “Before Larry and after Larry.” So while it was nice that Dallas named him an honorary grand marshal, putting him in the company of such luminaries as Bruce Vilanch, why has this man not been awarded a Nobel Prize? Read more: How Larry Kramer's Boundless Outrage Has Changed the Course of AIDS -- New York Magazine http://nymag.com/news/features/62887/#ixzz0b2rZXJKr

Well, that is adorable. Now I am turned on. Thank you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFl-WQAXMto&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvjGIkl2yDY

No, the e-mail went out to regular members by mistake. We put a message on home page apologizing. I should have posted here too. While I would like to see your pic TomCal, it is not now nor ever required. Also, it is not build into our system to let clients upload photos other than in the forums. I doubt many would be interested including myself. My picture in the forum (avatar) is a perfect resemblance of me. Sorry guys.

Since the Northwest flight was almost attacked a few days ago, I have many friends who have traveled and they said they airlines had really tightened up things. A good friend said that he was limited in his carry on luggage in First Class domestically. He had never had this issue before. Has anyone else been traveling noticed anything? I have a flight New Year's Eve (not to LOS unfortunately) and worried that my quick trip down and back is going to be a problem.

I have found many guys over Thailand that I really like. Most of my long term guys have not been bar boys but met other places. The one bar that did the most for me when I first started visiting Thailand was Future Boys in Bangkok. I had so many wonderful guys there that I didn't know what to do. I loved my time there and I knew I would get lucky every time I took a guy from there. In Pattaya, I always had good luck at the old Kaos. I met some great guys there. One of my longest BF's in LOS I met at Krazy Dragon and I am still friends with him and still absolutely adore him. He was great and I still have fond memories of the old sleezy Krazy JO contests. Those are the bars where I have the most luck at. They are not necessarily my favorite bars as I tend to like a Cabaret like show and have a good time.

I have had many experiences in gay Thailand and have loved them all. I love the Thai food and I really enjoy trying new things. I have eaten several odd things that I never thought I would taste including Scorpions and Cobra. I have also eaten many of the bugs off the carts just to say I tried them. I think the most enjoyable odd thing I have eaten was on my bike trip last year and I had a lady that had a fresh honey comb that was still full of dead bees. The honey was the sweetest thing I have tasted and it was fantastic! What is the strangest thing you have eaten or the most enjoyable you have eating in LOS?

Max Lincoln, CEO of one of Europe's largest gay pornography producers 'Eurocreme', speaks exclusively to PinkNews.co.uk about his decision to stop producing bareback porn. "Consumers of gay porn prefer to watch 'bareback' films over 'condom' porn, and bareback production companies enjoy significantly stronger sales than those that require their performers to use condoms," he told PinkNews.co.uk. "There is a window period between an individual becoming infected with the HIV virus, and that individual showing up positive in an HIV test. During the window period, the infected individual can transmit the virus to others during unprotected sexual intercourse. "For that reason it is not possible for a production company to guarantee the safety of an actor in a bareback film." Earlier today Pinknews.co.uk reported that an American HIV/AIDS charity are petitioning for a ban on the production of bareback porn in the state of California. "Last year, in order to protect its performers against HIV infection, Eurocreme took the difficult commercial decision to produce only 'condom' films," continued Lincoln, who founded the company in 2002. "In the absence of any legislation governing porn production in the UK, this moral stance places us at a serious disadvantage in the marketplace." Bareback porn saw a massive resurgence in popularity in the late nineties and is now one of the top selling genres in the multibillion pound gay pornography market. Many have blamed the rise in popularity on an increasingly apathetic attitude towards HIV/AIDS amongst gay men. Commenting on the campaign in California to make the production of bareback porn illegal, Lincoln told PinkNews.co.uk: "Bareback sex is not a criminal offence, and it would be a dangerous precedent for the Government to legislate against the depiction of a perfectly legal activity. "Porn companies exist to entertain, and it should not be left to them to educate the general public at their own expense. "It is also facile to imagine that legislation will prevent the consumer accessing bareback porn; It will instead send him down the route of piracy and filesharing. The correct approach in the UK is for the producers, retail outlets and the gay press to self-regulate, much as has been proposed in the USA. This would at least allow responsible adult companies to compete on a level playing field." "If the Government is to become involved in this issue in any way, it should be to devote funding to HIV awareness programmes, particularly directed towards young people." Eurocreme was founded in the United Kingdom by director Max Lincoln, whose first film was 'DreamBoy', released in 2002. http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/12/21/exclusive-eurocreme-ceo-speaks-to-pinknews.co.uk-about-the-bareback-porn-debate/

ctor and sex symbol Colin Farrell is expected to fly into Ireland from Los Angeles to celebrate his gay brother’s wedding. Eamon Farrell reportedly already married artist Steve Mannion in Canada earlier this year, with Colin as his best man, because same-sex marriage in not yet legal in Ireland. Eamon, however, has planned to mark the union in his home country with a "wedding blessing" ceremony next weekend. The event will be followed by a night out at trendy Dublin hotspot Krystle nightclub. Colin and Eamon will be joined by mother Rita and sisters Claudine and Catherine. A civil partnership bill in under consideration by Ireland’s national parliament and, if passed, will provide for civil partnerships for same-sex couples but not full civil marriage rights. http://www.mambaonline.com/article.asp?artid=3988

Anti-gay laws sweeping through East Africa have sparked a debate in the United States about the possible influence of American evangelical leaders and lawmakers with strong ties in that region. U.S. activists are also shedding new light on the risks that gays face in East Africa. In his book called The Family, American journalist Jeff Sharlet criticizes a group of influential American Christian leaders and conservative lawmakers with close ties to politicians in East Africa. He accuses them of treating some of the countries they deal with as social and political experiments. "It has become sort of a Frankenstein's monster and is the family going to take responsibility for the empowerment they have given to some of these politicians?," asked Jeff Sharlet. In his book, Sharlet specifically refers to politicians in Uganda proposing an anti-gay law that would criminalize homosexuality. The law, which could be passed within weeks despite international condemnation, includes possible punishment by death. Anti-gay laws were recently passed in Burundi, are being discussed in Rwanda, and could soon be expanded in Kenya and Tanzania. The American group Sharlet calls The Family is also known as The Fellowship. It organizes an annual National Prayer Breakfast with the U.S. president and foreign guests, but besides that activity shuns publicity and does not openly list its members. But Sharlet says more American reporters are looking into the group and its alleged ties to Africa. These include helping African politicians with money so they can push socially conservative agendas. "We see reporters in Iowa, in Pennsylvania, and in Oklahoma, going to their elected representatives who have a link to this whole thing and saying 'tell us about the link'," he said. "They are not accusing them of anything, they are saying, 'You have a relationship with the Ugandan government, what is the nature of that relationship? And, are you going to use that influence to oppose this legislation that seems to be supported by some of your allies?'" Religious leaders like Rick Warren have also been under the microscope. He is the senior pastor of the California-based Saddleback church, which is active in both Uganda and Rwanda. After being questioned about his role by U.S. media, Warren issued a video message on the Internet, denying his support for the law in Uganda. "As an American pastor, it is not my role to interfere with the politics of other nations, but it is my role to speak out on moral issues and it is my role to shepherd other pastors who look to me for guidance, and it is my role to correct lies and errors and false reports when others associate my name with a law that I had nothing to do with, [and which] I completely oppose and I vigorously condemn," said Rick Warren. "I am referring to the pending law under consideration by the Ugandan parliament, known as the Anti-Homosexuality Bill." Rwanda's parliament is also working to pass a law which would criminalize homosexuality but Warren has yet to address his church's role in that matter. In 2005, he called Rwanda a "purpose driven nation." Warren went with dozens of American evangelicals to hold meetings with government ministers, lawmakers and donate materials to churches across Rwanda. Several American lawmakers who have been linked to the Fellowship, like Nevada Senator John Ensign have called the Ugandan law proposal "outrageous". But others like Kansas Senator Sam Brownback, who went to Uganda in 2004, have said they do not know enough about the bill to comment. The executive director of the U.S.-based International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Cary Alan Johnson, welcomes some of the questions now being asked. "It is a debate that has to happen and we are glad it is happening," said Cary Alan Johnson. "Rwanda and Uganda are both countries with deeply spiritual people and as of late we have understood that some of the more conservative elements in the United States have been funding the most violent and homophobic discourses about homosexuality." Johnson says those seeking to push an agenda should understand the consequences of their actions. He warns anti-gay laws could worsen already high HIV levels in east Africa. "The impact of these laws on HIV prevention is extremely worrisome to us," he said. "Laws we are talking about in Uganda, Rwanda, will make it impossible for groups to do HIV education that targets men who have sex with men or that targets bisexual people and we know that there is a strong impact of HIV on this community and on society in general." Lisa Laurel Weinberg, from the Massachusetts Lutheran Social Services Human Rights Protection Project, says the situation is already very difficult. In her other job as an asylum attorney, she recently helped a young Ugandan woman win asylum to the United States. The woman's apartment had been raided by police while she was inside with her girlfriend. "The police broke in and brought them to the police station and raped them in what is called a corrective rape," said Lisa Laurel Weinberg. "It is when males of authority try and correct lesbianism through rape." But Weinberg warns trying to fight the new laws from the outside is very complicated. "I got an e-mail yesterday that said be really careful and check with Ugandans before you do any advocacy from the West, because us imposing our values, they are really sensitive to the whole colonialism history, so that the email cautioned be careful what you do and let it come from them," she said. Some prominent politicians and journalists in East Africa have called homosexuality the "white man's disease." Pro-gay groups in the region, which are mostly underground, say they are becoming increasingly afraid to ask for help, and believe outside interference could worsen the persecution they face. http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/human-rights/Africas-Anti-Gay-Laws-Spark-Accusations-and-Denials-in-US-79853182.html

Anti-gay laws sweeping through East Africa have sparked a debate in the United States about the possible influence of American evangelical leaders and lawmakers with strong ties in that region. U.S. activists are also shedding new light on the risks that gays face in East Africa. In his book called The Family, American journalist Jeff Sharlet criticizes a group of influential American Christian leaders and conservative lawmakers with close ties to politicians in East Africa. He accuses them of treating some of the countries they deal with as social and political experiments. "It has become sort of a Frankenstein's monster and is the family going to take responsibility for the empowerment they have given to some of these politicians?," asked Jeff Sharlet. In his book, Sharlet specifically refers to politicians in Uganda proposing an anti-gay law that would criminalize homosexuality. The law, which could be passed within weeks despite international condemnation, includes possible punishment by death. Anti-gay laws were recently passed in Burundi, are being discussed in Rwanda, and could soon be expanded in Kenya and Tanzania. The American group Sharlet calls The Family is also known as The Fellowship. It organizes an annual National Prayer Breakfast with the U.S. president and foreign guests, but besides that activity shuns publicity and does not openly list its members. But Sharlet says more American reporters are looking into the group and its alleged ties to Africa. These include helping African politicians with money so they can push socially conservative agendas. "We see reporters in Iowa, in Pennsylvania, and in Oklahoma, going to their elected representatives who have a link to this whole thing and saying 'tell us about the link'," he said. "They are not accusing them of anything, they are saying, 'You have a relationship with the Ugandan government, what is the nature of that relationship? And, are you going to use that influence to oppose this legislation that seems to be supported by some of your allies?'" Religious leaders like Rick Warren have also been under the microscope. He is the senior pastor of the California-based Saddleback church, which is active in both Uganda and Rwanda. After being questioned about his role by U.S. media, Warren issued a video message on the Internet, denying his support for the law in Uganda. "As an American pastor, it is not my role to interfere with the politics of other nations, but it is my role to speak out on moral issues and it is my role to shepherd other pastors who look to me for guidance, and it is my role to correct lies and errors and false reports when others associate my name with a law that I had nothing to do with, [and which] I completely oppose and I vigorously condemn," said Rick Warren. "I am referring to the pending law under consideration by the Ugandan parliament, known as the Anti-Homosexuality Bill." Rwanda's parliament is also working to pass a law which would criminalize homosexuality but Warren has yet to address his church's role in that matter. In 2005, he called Rwanda a "purpose driven nation." Warren went with dozens of American evangelicals to hold meetings with government ministers, lawmakers and donate materials to churches across Rwanda. Several American lawmakers who have been linked to the Fellowship, like Nevada Senator John Ensign have called the Ugandan law proposal "outrageous". But others like Kansas Senator Sam Brownback, who went to Uganda in 2004, have said they do not know enough about the bill to comment. The executive director of the U.S.-based International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Cary Alan Johnson, welcomes some of the questions now being asked. "It is a debate that has to happen and we are glad it is happening," said Cary Alan Johnson. "Rwanda and Uganda are both countries with deeply spiritual people and as of late we have understood that some of the more conservative elements in the United States have been funding the most violent and homophobic discourses about homosexuality." Johnson says those seeking to push an agenda should understand the consequences of their actions. He warns anti-gay laws could worsen already high HIV levels in east Africa. "The impact of these laws on HIV prevention is extremely worrisome to us," he said. "Laws we are talking about in Uganda, Rwanda, will make it impossible for groups to do HIV education that targets men who have sex with men or that targets bisexual people and we know that there is a strong impact of HIV on this community and on society in general." Lisa Laurel Weinberg, from the Massachusetts Lutheran Social Services Human Rights Protection Project, says the situation is already very difficult. In her other job as an asylum attorney, she recently helped a young Ugandan woman win asylum to the United States. The woman's apartment had been raided by police while she was inside with her girlfriend. "The police broke in and brought them to the police station and raped them in what is called a corrective rape," said Lisa Laurel Weinberg. "It is when males of authority try and correct lesbianism through rape." But Weinberg warns trying to fight the new laws from the outside is very complicated. "I got an e-mail yesterday that said be really careful and check with Ugandans before you do any advocacy from the West, because us imposing our values, they are really sensitive to the whole colonialism history, so that the email cautioned be careful what you do and let it come from them," she said. Some prominent politicians and journalists in East Africa have called homosexuality the "white man's disease." Pro-gay groups in the region, which are mostly underground, say they are becoming increasingly afraid to ask for help, and believe outside interference could worsen the persecution they face. http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/human-rights/Africas-Anti-Gay-Laws-Spark-Accusations-and-Denials-in-US-79853182.html

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What is the deal with MJ's on Xmas Night? You think it will be crowded?

The U.S. Justice Department is closely monitoring the fallout from an apparent anti-gay killing in Puerto Rico in an incident that could become the first prosecuted case under the new federal hate crimes law, according to a department official. Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil rights division, told reporters Dec. 17 that federal officials are keeping a close eye on the case. “That case is being investigated and prosecuted right now by the state of Puerto Rico as both a murder, and they do have a hate crimes law in Puerto Rico, so we’re closely monitoring that case, as we do all cases, and we continue to follow that case very closely,” he said. Juan Martinez Matos, 26, is accused of killing Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, who was gay. The dismembered body of the 19-year-old college student was found last month along a road in the town of Cayey, according to the Associated Press. The Associated Press quoted the local prosecutor in the case as saying Martinez met Lopez while looking for women in an area known for prostitution. The suspect reportedly said the victim was dressed as a woman and that he stabbed Lopez after discovering he was male. Martinez was charged with first-degree murder and weapons violations, and was jailed on a $4 million bond, according to the Associated Press. The next hearing in the case is set for Jan. 13. The defense has said Martinez is mentally unfit to stand trial. A state psychiatrist is evaluating the defendant, and the court will decide Jan. 13 whether he’s mentally competent. Should federal officials decide to prosecute the killing as a hate crime, it would be the first such prosecution under the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, signed by President Obama into law in October. Asked what would factor into federal officials’ decision to prosecute the killing under the new law, Perez recalled recent news from Shenandoah, Pa., regarding an allegedly bias-motivated fatal beating of Luis Ramirez, a Latino man. Two people — Derrick Donchak and Brandon Piekarsky — were indicted under a previously enacted federal hate crimes statute. “We’re monitoring [the Puerto Rico case], just as we monitor the prosecution in the Shenandoah case,” he said. “We kept a very close eye on it, and when the case ended, we conducted our own private independent investigation, and you saw the fruits of it earlier this week.” Also closely monitoring the case is the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. Pedro Juliano Serrano, spokesperson for the organization and founder of Puerto Rico Para Tod@s, said his organization is calling for local and federal authorities to consider the killing as a hate crime. “We do think it is a hate crime and we’re asking the authorities to investigate it as a hate crime,” he said. “We called on the local authorities to investigate it and we’re certainly satisfied that the federal authorities are monitoring the local investigation, and might be involved, if possible.” The U.S. attorney involved with the case, Rosa Emilia Rodriquez, reportedly told Puerto Rican media last week that her office is monitoring the case and will file paperwork with federal authorities if the defendant is not convicted of a hate crime. Still, El Nuevo Dia, a Puetro Rican newspaper, quoted Rodriguez as saying she believes the case is moving ahead properly. Puerto Rico has had a local hate crimes statute since 2002, but Serrano said he’s skeptical that Martinez would be prosecuted under this law because no conviction has taken place under this statute. “In the seven years that the hate crimes has been in place in Puerto Rico, we’ve had more than 20 killings that have clearly had signs of being probably hate crimes,” Serrano said. “None of them have been classified as such.” Serrano said the lack of prosecutions under the Puerto Rico hate crimes statute is what’s prompting activists to ask the federal government to keep an eye on the case. “That’s why we are calling on the authorities to keep monitoring the situation because if the local authorities again fail to process this as a hate crime with their statute, we’re hoping that the federal authorities can come in and assume jurisdiction,” he said. Serrano said he believes the incident was a hate crime because Martinez reportedly confessed to killing Lopez out of hatred for gays. “He said that supposedly … he had been raped during a stint in prison because he was convicted of domestic violence, and because he was raped, he hated gays,” Serrano said. The brutal violence of the crime, Serrano said, also indicates that it was bias-motivated. He noted that Lopez’ body was dismembered, decapitated and burned and that it’s unclear whether the victim was in fact dressed in women’s clothes because of the condition in which the body was found. Attention to the case in Puerto Rico comes as the Justice Department is ramping up efforts to comply with the newly enacted hate crimes statute. Perez told reporters his office is busy training federal and local authorities to make the law fully effective. “We have an implementation plan put in place that involves training the assistant United States attorneys, training the state and local authorities and local prosecutors, working with our community partners to train them, and also to work on prevention initiatives,” he said. http://dcagenda.com/2009/12/23/feds-%E2%80%98closely-monitoring%E2%80%99-anti-gay-puerto-rico-killing/