Media coverage: how are we seen?

[Lola]

Stephen Fry has criticised the way straight actors are congratulated for playing gay characters.

He questioned why heterosexual male stars are hailed as "brave" when they kiss other men on screen.

The QI host was speaking about the single status of his TV character solicitor-sleuth Peter Kingdom in the ITV1 Sunday night drama.

He told the Radio Times: "I think the fact that I'm so well known to be gay makes it very difficult to have a convincing relationship with a woman on screen. Straight actors can play gay people and they're rather congratulated on it. People say 'Ooh, how brave of you'."

But Fry, 50, added that no one says to a gay actor who plays a heterosexual person: "'How brave of you to kiss that woman, that must have been very difficult for you'."

He said: "It wouldn't be at all difficult for me to kiss a woman - I'll kiss a frog if you like. And why should it be difficult for a man to kiss another man?"

Fry added: "It's difficult to ride bareback backwards while unicycling, but to kiss someone isn't difficult. It's just part of the insanely irrational way that the human mind works."

The star said it would have been selfish of him to hide the fact that he was gay. He said: "If you... have had the experiences I have had, not to share them where they can be useful is just mean. The obvious case is coming out as a gay man, which I did when it was quite a rare thing to do.

"You think of the average person in the playground who's terrified of being beaten up, or the people who are not in a job like mine, where it doesn't really matter, and these people need to be reassured that they're not alone and they're not freaks."



His comments come after a slew of Hollywood stars have won acclaim for playing gay characters. Philip Seymour Hoffman starred as Truman Capote in a movie about the gay author, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger were cast as secret lovers in Brokeback Mountain and Tom Hanks a gay lawyer in Philadelphia.

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5i5pE-BKYkGIoezHFxy8aal5mkdoQ

[michaelflanagansf]

Buy you a drink, sailor?

With Daily Alcohol Use, Male Fruit Flies Court Other Males
ScienceDaily (Jan. 10, 2008)

 A team of researchers at Penn Sate has used an animal model to reveal, for the first time, a physiological basis for the effect of alcohol on male sexual behavior, including increased sexual arousal and decreased sexual inhibition. The research resulted in four novel findings with broad importance for further addiction research. It is the first study to characterize the effects of chronic alcohol exposure in fruit flies. "Physiological evidence supporting various theories about the effect of alcoholic drinks has been lacking, so our now having a suitable animal model makes it possible to conduct much-needed laboratory research on this issue," explains research-team-leader Kyung-An Han, associate professor of biology and a neuroscientist at Penn State. Information from this research can serve as a baseline for similar studies in other animals, including humans.

[article continues online]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080102222901.htm

[michaelflanagansf]

H.I.V. Rises Among Young Gay Men
January 14, 2008
New York Times

AIDS appears to be making an alarming comeback. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that the incidence of H.I.V. infection among gay men is shooting up, following an encouraging period of decline. The rise of infections among younger gay men, especially black and Hispanic men, is troubling, and the study carries the clear implication that people at high risk of contracting the disease are becoming less cautious.

Statistics gathered by New York City health officials show that new diagnoses of H.I.V. infection — the virus that causes AIDS — in gay men under age 30 rose 32 percent between 2001 and 2006. Among black and Hispanic men, the figure was 34 percent. Most troubling, the number of new diagnoses among the youngest men in the study, those between ages 13 and 19, doubled.

New York officials say increased alcohol and drug use may be partly responsible since they make unprotected sex more likely. Other basic precautions, including finding out whether a potential partner is infected, are also apparently being ignored.

 The one bright spot in this bleak picture was the 22 percent decline in infections among men over 30 in the New York study. Awareness of the disease’s devastating effects, as much as maturity, may explain the difference. A large number of these older men came of age when AIDS was all but untreatable. They may have buried friends who died after being horribly ill.

When the disease was new and terrifying, the gay community helped change behavior by preaching loudly against taking sexual risks. From San Francisco to New York, bathhouses notorious for promoting casual sex changed the way they did business or closed down. Condoms were encouraged, and so was H.I.V. testing. “Silence equals death” was the motto of the day.

Silence now seems to be winning the day. Nearly 6,000 gay men died of AIDS in the United States in 2005; still, many young men appear to have persuaded themselves that the infection is no longer such a big deal. It is true that antiretroviral therapy has improved the outlook for anyone who becomes infected. But the treatments are still too new to know whether they can work much beyond a decade. Public health officials need to continue to distribute condoms, encourage testing and treat those who are ill. Leaders in the hardest-hit communities need to start speaking out again. The fight against AIDS is far from over.

[tfferg]

Here's an interesting article about Ellen DeGeneres' popularity even with homophobic people who respond rather to what the writer sees as her authenticity.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/real-appeal/2008/01/19/1200620277068.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

[Carissa]

Although it has been mentioned in the Heath thread about The Phelps clan going to protest his funeral, I can't bring myself to post this there.  It's hard to listen to because of her deluded beliefs but the host and callers go at her pretty good.

From PerezHilton.com:

http://perezhilton.com/2008-01-25-she-had-it-coming

You MUST click here to listen to the best interview with Shirley Phelps-Roper.

She is so delusional, it's hilarious!!!

Shirley is one of the daughters of Fred Phelps, the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church (aka God Hates Fags).

Phelps lost her shit when she was given a taste of her own medicine on the Kane morning show on 99.5 in Washington, D.C.

Shirley was being interviewed about her fanatical church's decision to protest the funeral and memorial for Heath Ledger.

She did not take it very well when the radio hosts brought up her illegitimate sons.

Stupid whore!

[tfferg]

Although it has been mentioned in the Heath thread about The Phelps clan going to protest his funeral, I can't bring myself to post this there.  It's hard to listen to because of her deluded beliefs but the host and callers go at her pretty good.

From PerezHilton.com:

http://perezhilton.com/2008-01-25-she-had-it-coming

You MUST click here to listen to the best interview with Shirley Phelps-Roper.

She is so delusional, it's hilarious!!!

Shirley is one of the daughters of Fred Phelps, the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church (aka God Hates Fags).

Phelps lost her shit when she was given a taste of her own medicine on the Kane morning show on 99.5 in Washington, D.C.

Shirley was being interviewed about her fanatical church's decision to protest the funeral and memorial for Heath Ledger.

She did not take it very well when the radio hosts brought up her illegitimate sons.

Stupid whore!

I don't think those Westboro fanatics plan on going all the way to Perth for the funeral. The leader of the Baptist Union in Australia has made a public statement in which he dissociated the Baptist church in Australia from the Phelps mob and expressed condolences to Heath's family.

[Carissa]

I don't think those Westboro fanatics plan on going all the way to Perth for the funeral. The leader of the Baptist Union in Australia has made a public statement in which he dissociated the Baptist church in Australia from the Phelps mob and expressed condolences to Heath's family.

I believe that the Southern Baptists here in the US dissociate themselves from the Phelps clan too.

[fritzkep]

That's true. They are their own group, not recognized by any larger organization, and presumably believing that they are the sole possessors of truth in the world. Any church can call itself by the name of one of the larger religious traditions without actually belonging to that tradition.

[milomorris]

The summary affect of the the Phelps Klux Klan is actually a positive one for homosexuals as far as our image in the media is concerned. The world has been hearing us talk about homophobia. As with racists, most people don think they know (or are) any homophobes. Primarily because they don't know how to recognize them. Therefore they don't think there really are any out there. They think that we have are afraid of some Gay Bogeyman. And now we have the perfect example to point to and say, "Look!! See what I mean!!" Yes, it s true that people like this will pick a follower here and there who might want to join their cause, and several more who agree and sympathize with them. And that's fine...ducks are easier to shoot when they are all sitting in one barrel. Let America see the PKK for exactly what they are: hateful, overbearing zealots who are clearly on the wrong side of this country's morality. The more airtime the PKK gets, the more people empathize with homosexuals.

Give these clowns enough rope, and they will eventually hang themselves.

Milo

[brianr]

I watched the interview on Australian television. It was prime time, straight after the news on "A Current Affair" At first I was angry at them giving this creep airplay. But then he showed himself to be mental, describing Australia as the land of sodom, so ridiculous and really going down well a few days before Australia day. No-one in their right mind would take him seriously. The man's face looks like a skull, it is consumed with hatred. I do not know if this is the result of his inner mind. The most upsetting thing for me as a Christian is that people would consider this to be typical of Christians, remember Australia is a much less church-going country than the USA.

[Roco]

Why Heath's death is like a body blow

It's funny, but I've been so busy writing our article about Heath's death that I haven't really had time to ponder what I'm feeling about it. Yet now that I do, I find this is one of those celebrity deaths that really does feel like a body blow.

http://www.afterelton.com/blog/michaeljensen/heaths-death-like-body-blow

[milomorris]

This story was on the front page of the Philadelphia Daily News today.

==========================

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20080227_Twin_gay-porn_stars_arrested_in_rooftop_burglaries.html

Twin gay-porn stars arrested in rooftop burglaries

By STEPHANIE FARR & DAN GROSS
Philadelphia Daily News

farrs@phillynews.com 215-854-4225
TWINS Keyontyli and Taleon Goffney have been arrested for allegedly breaking into area businesses by cutting rooftop holes to gain entry. Turns out, they were also just as skilled at breaking into their second, more respectable careers - as hardcore gay-porn stars.

The 25-year-old Goffney twins, both of New Jersey, were arrested Feb. 19. They were charged with breaking into Moon's Beauty Shop at 9th and Washington streets in South Philadelphia and the adjoining Wings and More, using only a handsaw and ax to get in through the roofs of the establishments.

A Rite Aid at Front Street and Snyder Avenue was burglarized in a similar fashion the previous day. On Feb. 8, Taleon Goffney is alleged to have committed similar burglaries at Wawas in Nether Providence and Wallingford, Delaware County, according to police.

Chief Richard Slifer of Nether Providence said cash, cigarettes and condoms had been among the items taken.

The twins are the focus of a tristate Rooftop Burglary Task force, led by New Jersey investigators, the state where many of the 40-some rooftop burglaries have been committed over the last 18 months.

The Goffney twins are also the focus of numerous hardcore Internet gay-porn videos - some of which they star in together under the stage names Keyon and Teyon, according to several Internet sites that write about modeling and gay culture.

In "Marc and the Twins," which was distributed only online, the Goffneys are hanging out on the Las Vegas strip when they offer to audition for "Marc," a chiseled black porn star who happens to pass by.

The three take the "audition" to a seedy hotel room. Although "Marc" is the focus of the encounter, the twins can be seen rubbing each other's chests and getting cozy.

"Marc and the Twins" seems to be the most popular of the online porn films that star Taleon and Keyontyli. Their co-star in the film, Marc Williams, is a fairly big name in gay porn, according to Erik Schut, editorial director of Philadelphia-based TLA Entertainment Group.

The company's Web site, TLAVideo.com, is the nation's largest retailer of gay porn DVDs. To Schut's knowledge, the twins have not appeared in any porn films available on DVD, but he said if they had chosen to further their career in porn, "They could have been huge."

"Two incredibly beautiful black men and twins - it's unprecedented," Schut said. "Ethnic, gay models are rare."

In fact, Keyontyli, a graduate of the Barbizon School of Modeling, seems to have had legitimate gigs as a model, according to his portfolios on Jurgita.com and NYCastings.com. He has served as a runway model for clothing companies BOIISH and Azzure, and this month, he has a seven-page spread in CLIK, a magazine for black gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

He lists several television appearances in his portfolio, including gigs as a "seat filler" on VH1's "Save the Music," and a "Super Bowl shuffler" in a "Saturday Night Live" skit.

Taleon also has a lengthy portfolio - but his is kept by the police.

"Taleon is a bad, bad dude," one police source said.

Chief Dave Kunkel of Clementon, N.J., had no trouble recalling his department's run-in with Taleon in 2006.

Officers conducting surveillance work at an apartment complex spotted Taleon running up the building's walls and turning back flips.

"The officers said, 'We're glad we're not going after him,' " Kunkel recalled. "Lo and behold, after that, he began conducting open-air, hand-to-hand drug sales."

Police arrested Taleon for possessing about a half-ounce of crack cocaine and a loaded .25-caliber automatic handgun. While handcuffed in the back of the moving car, Taleon smashed out the rear window by head-butting it, police said. He then dove through the window and its steel frame, causing $1,800 in damage, Kunkel said.

After landing on his face, Taleon rose to his feet and, while still handcuffed, fled on foot and into a nearby pond, police said.

"He swam across like Flipper, taunting the officers saying, 'You'll never catch me,' " Kunkel said.

Indeed, they didn't. Two officers were injured while chasing Taleon. A week later, he turned himself in. But he didn't return the department's handcuffs, Kunkel said.

Kunkel was unaware what sentence Taleon received in the case, but he noted that at the time of Taleon's arrest he also was facing charges in other New Jersey counties and in Delaware.

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office said it was prohibited from releasing information regarding Taleon's record or his criminal history.

Several lead investigators with the Rooftop Burglary Task Force in Pennsylvania and New Jersey declined to comment yesterday on the case, fearing that it would jeopardize their ongoing investigations.

According to a police source and online court records, the Goffney brothers are scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Philadelphia tomorrow on charges of burglary, trespassing, theft and related crimes.

According to the source, both men remain in prison. Online court records, however, indicate that Keyontyli may be free on $75,000 bail while his brother remains in prison on $150,000 bail.

==================

Here is a link to photo of the guys that did NOT make the paper. WARNING: Not safe for work.

http://hottflashes.blogspot.com/2007/04/dream-come-true.html

Milo

[estefue]

Now I've seen everything!

[michaelflanagansf]

I'm not entirely sure I see this as a 'how are we seen' moment (for one thing, I've never had abs like that  ).  Porn stars are of their own little world - and some get involved in lots of weird stuff - for example:

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou070918_jj_pornrapesuspect.e8708802.html

And this guy (not a porn star, but a model for gay magazines):

http://search.sfweekly.com/1999-01-13/news/panic-or-attack/5

There's another one that stole a car and killed a guy in SF - but I can't find it at the moment.

[milomorris]

I'm not entirely sure I see this as a 'how are we seen' moment (for one thing, I've never had abs like that  ).  Porn stars are of their own little world - and some get involved in lots of weird stuff - for example:

Well, my take on this is that if they were just a couple of theives, they would have ended up on page 6 or 16 or wherever. If they were just porn stars, they might have ended up on page 2 or 3. But the sensational triple-whammy of gay, porn, and robbery puts them on the front page.

And whether "we" have abs like that or not, the media, and many in the general population lump us all into one big pile.

Milo