Gay on Saturday night, Straight on Sunday afternoon. Is That Any Kind of Life, Switching One's Sexuality ON and OFF,to Suit The Mood or Situation?

The following discussion has been getting a lot of traction in the blog world this past week?

Do you think something like this could happen, or is it something from the pages of the Twilight Zone?

Turning Homosexuality On and Off
By John Tierney

What if you could take a drug that would quickly alter your sexual orientation from straight to gay, or vice versa?

To their surprise, neurobiologists have discovered that homosexuality can be turned on or off in fruit flies. They’d known that sexual orientation can be genetically programmed, but they didn’t realize it could also be altered by giving a drug that changes the way the flies’ sensory circuits react to pheromones.

Within hours of the treatment, previously heterosexual male fruit flies would be courting other males, and treatment could also cause flies who had been engaging in homosexual behavior to become exclusively heterosexual, the neurobiologists report in Nature Neuroscience. You can read a summary of it here from the University of Illinois at Chicago, the home of one of the researchers, David Featherstone.

“It was amazing,” Dr. Featherstone said. “I never thought we’d be able to do that sort of thing, because sexual orientation is supposed to be hard-wired. This fundamentally changes how we think about this behavior.”

The writer asked Dr. Featherstone if it might be possible one day to quickly alter humans’ sexual orientation. Here’s his answer:

"Although I am not sure my research is a big step in this direction, I think that ultimately the answer will be: Yes. After all, the goal of neuroscience is a complete understanding of brain function. Understanding in science is typically demonstrated by the ability to control a process."

"This morning, I received an email from a transsexual 5 years into her hormone therapy. She told me she regularly modifies her libido and orientation with diet and drugs. She even sent me a scientific reference explaining why her regimen might work. Now that is amazing research. "

The question of whether or not homosexuality should be turned on and off is not a scientific question. It is an ethical/societal dilemma. I am glad my work is stimulating the discussion earlier rather than later. History is replete with poorly thought out attempts to ‘cure’ societal/behavioral ‘illnesses’ that turned out, with proper perspective, to not be ‘illnesses’ at all.
So let the discussion begin. The author doesn't think of homosexuality or heterosexuality as an “illness” to be “cured,” but I wonder how people would use the ability to control sexual orientation — to have a designer libido.

Would some people, gay or straight, who weren’t having luck attracting one gender decide to switch to the other? Would some people casually switch back and forth?

Would some social conservatives (like Leon Kass), who normally object to biologists “playing god” and pharmacologists altering “human nature,” change their minds and urge the use of biotechnology to promote heterosexuality?

Would some social liberals try to restrict the use of this biotechnology? Would parents, gay or straight, want to regulate their children’s sexual orientation — and should they or their children be allowed to do so?

187 comments so far...

This is something that some guys, I would believe, would experiment with, to explore their "straight " side. For me personally, I wouldn't even be interested. I like who I am, and I like the fact that I enjoy loving and having sex with men, men who share my same plumbing, and who I have a lot of experience in making sure certain parts of the male anatomy are functioning to perfection. WOOOF. To me, there isn't any better way. To male buddy body bonding, may it continue to flourish and expand to the end of time.

Check out my Slide Show!

Ten Things Every Gay Man Should Know. Wow, This Is Way Too Easy. What about the other 59?

Something I thought I'd share with you. Our lives can't be that easy.

10 things every gay man should know Filed by: Bill Browning December 3, 2007 1:27 PM

Don't you wish being gay came with an owner's manual sometimes? Wouldn't it make things so much easier if we just had a checklist?

In that spirit, Bill shares with us what he considers to be the top ten things every gay man should know.

1. You will never find "the one" by trolling for sex on Manhunt.

2. Just because you're part of a minority group doesn't mean you know how all other minorities feel.

3. Some churches don't think you're sinful and in need of redemption.

4. You don't have to be married to be in a committed relationship.

5. HIV/AIDS is a gay disease. So are cancer, leukemia, bipolar disorderand cerebral palsy.

6. Just because you're "straight-acting" doesn't mean you're better than someone who's not.

7. Dick size does matter, but not as much as knowing how to use what you've got.

8. You are not the spokesperson for our cause. Others might have a different experience.

9. Steel Magnolias is not the best movie ever made. Neither is Brokeback Mountain.

10. Ass-less chaps are not appropriate evening wear for a fancy restaurant.

Now they tell me. I was thinking about wearing my chaps bare butt and booted later today for my post-opp visit with my surgeon.

Hey guys, last week I had two hernias repaired. I guess that's the down side of being a top man.

But I am feeling much better having them repaired, than I did before the operation. I'm still pretty much black and blue, so that's not a pretty sight.

Mega hairy muscle hugs to you guys. Hoping all is well, sexy, and horny with each and every one of you, studs. WOOF.

World AIDS Day 2007. A Grim Reminder of the Nightmare Gay Men Continue to Live With, and Will Continue to, Unless, Commonsense Prevails

Today, marks yet another observance of World AIDS Day. This is one observance that I wish, would no longer have to take place. But it will, as long as, safer sex is not practiced.

I have continuously advocated safer sex as a reoccurring theme throughout the existence of this blog. I have begged, made numerous examples of hot alternatives to unsafe sex, pleaded, whatever, to draw attention to why the spread of HIV among gay men can never be condoned. It has to be condemned and the only way to fuck safely is by using condoms.

Yes, new revised UN statistics make the disease less threatening and less of an epidemic. I guess, for that, we should be grateful. But this really doesn't matter if one more gay man is infected today and tonight.

So, if there is a gay god, please sprinkle some cautious fairy dust among all gay men having sex to prevent the spread of any more infection tonight.

I cringe when this observance falls on Saturday, because this night makes gay men seem more vulnerable to unsafe sex temptation. If only all gay men getting together tonight could give each other mega hairy muscle hugs and body bond safely, with a lot of hot foreplay, and wake up tomorrow in each others arms, knowing that they survived the night without getting infected.

Then I would become a true believer in fairy tales.

This is What I Don't Call, Buddy Body Bonding

Posted on November 19, 2007 at 5:14 am (PST)

CNN aired this incredible tape of two gay men fist fighting in the middle of the freeway in Phoenix, Arizona. Notice how no one stops to intervene. One of the guys tried to throw himself into traffic, but then his self esteem sunk even lower after he failed to kill himself. Neither guy was hit buy traffic, but they were both arrested on domestic violence charges because they admitted to being "boyfriends," as CNN likes to avoid the "gay" word. Drama drama drama

This is exactly the kind of behavior that I can't tolerate within the gay male tribe. This public blowup shows that these guys truly deserve each other. Better them being together than being separate to make other gay men's lives in the Phoenix area miserable.

Giving Thanks For Us, This All Embracing Band of Gay Brothers

Defiance and Attitude: An Exhibition of Queer Art Made in Texas
Artist Harmony Hammond curates a new show examining the double meaning of "Y Que?"

From October 5th until November 17th, Landmark Arts and the School of Art in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Texas Tech University will present Y Que? —Queer Art Made in Texas, curated by prolific artist Harmony Hammond, in the Landmark Gallery of the Art Building.

According to Hammond, the show “expresses defiance and attitude. Y Que? has a double meaning. One the one hand it implies, ‘Yeah, I’m queer, so what? What’s it to you?’ But it also implies a continuation: ‘…and what else? OK, so you’re queer, but what else are you?’ Texan, Chicano/a, African-American, etc.” (The above art work and written description courtesy of Peter Schaus, and Out magazine.)

It takes a lesbian to document via visual art what, we, as gay men, meaningfully represent, as a tribe. Sure, we love to fuck and get fucked, but hey, it's about something higher, more gratifying, more structural.

I recently came across a question on the hot gay male site, http://www.realjock.com/, in their forum section. The hottie who posted, wanted to start a discussion. He wanted to know, if it was alright not to like his fellow gay men, because he found fault in some of their ways, and could not quite come to associate himself with "every" gay man.

One commenter wrote, that he, as a gay man, must accept all gay men unconditionally. Well, while I welcome this thought, I don't necessarily agree.

We are all different, in so many delightful ways. True, we have our gayness as a common thread, and I, for one, am glad of that. But true, buddy body bonding, and acceptance, requires liking and connecting with that other dude. If sparks don't fly, then a common kinship just doesn't get established.

While I have written many times that I can find at least one thing, one attribute, to find attractive about another guy, that doesn't mean that a guy can't have more than one thing to like.

For instance, rudeness is something that turns me off. I believe in being civil with everyone, no exceptions. For me, rudeness, is the break off, turn off. I'm human, guys, and I can't tolerate rudeness. Deception, I can accept, rudeness, I can't. Even when a fellow gay dude swipes my photo and identifies it as it being him, I can accept that.

For me, you guys are a band of brothers. I like every one of you. If I could, I would want to give each and every one of you, mega hairy muscle hugs, to show my appreciation for your years of being who you are, just great guys.

For me, that's what Thanksgiving is all about.

And also for me, a turkey baster has multiple uses as a toy to enjoy with a bud, besides helping to give the turkey a golden brown color. Bon apetit, and have a great Thanksgiving.

2008 Hunky Hot Stud Calendars, A Brief Exposure

Howdy guys. I thought I post some recommendations for a select group of woofy 2008 calendars that might make great stocking stuffers.

I have fun each year selecting from a bunch of sexy calendars for this annual blog post.

Please recommend any hunky stud calendars that I may have missed.

WOOF. These guys would make for a great afternoon or nighttime snuggle time of heavy buddy body bonding.

Mega hairy muscle hugs to all you hunky studs. Hell, maybe next year we could put together a calendar of you guys. Anyone for Mr. November?

Thanks for Defending Our Freedoms

1a07mecloseupjockgrabinfrontdoorIMGP0071
Originally uploaded by flexfuzz

A very happy and safe Veterans Day to all my woofy buds.
Mega hairy muscle hugs of support to our gay military who gallantly defend our freedom to live in peace in the world, for our right to live openly, and who inspire us to love who we want, unconditionally.

Making sure the loading dock ramp is secure for Daddy Santa

large-msg-1123866126-2
Originally uploaded by flexfuzz

Taking a load off. Wishing you guys, Mega hairy muscle hugs. Hoping you are enjoying a nice weekend and observing Veterans Day in your own way.

Practice Does Make Perfect

2247609871_WOOF TRUCK400_1
Originally uploaded by flexfuzz

Me, ready for some deliveries. Getting in practice to play Daddy Santa's helper later this year.

Being Fuzzy Faced For A Great Cause.

It seems that our gay Kiwi brothers from New Zealand have a fetish for furry, bearded guys, and they fulfill their urges in a very interesting and beneficial way. See the story below.

Clean-shaven carebears set for 'Movember' Posted in: Community By GayNZ.com - 31st October 2007

It'sthat time of year again, when men up and down the country try to imitate the likes of Tom Selleck, Freddie Mercury or even Ned Flanders, as Movember hits New Zealand and other parts of the world.

Kiwi guys are invited to seek sponsorship and "grow a mo" through the month of November to help raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

This year, Mr Urge Bear 2007 winner Anton Cronje and Urge Bar co-owner Alan Granville will be joining thousands of men across the country in the annual fundraiser.

Over 2,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and around 600 die from the disease every year in NZ, making it the second largest cause of male cancer deaths, after lung cancer.

Auckland gay men's space Urge Bar has recently been collecting money for the Foundation with contributions from their Woof! and Underware theme nights.

Cronje confirms: "That's right, I'm bringing the Mo back because I'm passionate about men's health and the fight against prostate cancer." Alan Granville, who will also to go clean-shaven on 1 November, will be raising cash from Urge customers throughout the month.

"It's been a few years since I have been without a furry face and sadly due to genetics I am not anticipating a massive moustache growth spurt in a month, but I will be trying my best to grow some form of facial caterpillar. "It's a great cause which doesn't get the kind of publicity it deserves and I would really appreciate any donations. Some of our customers are also entering and we wish them well."

Participants can enter as an individual or as part of a group and Granville will be joining the team at Maloney's Barbers, next to Les Mills on Victoria Street, for the month long "Mo-fest". Movember culminates at the end of the month in Gala Partés in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. These glamorous and groomed events will see Tom Selleck and Borat look-a-likes battle it out for their chance to take home the prestigious Man of Movember title.

All donations are made directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand who will use the funds to create awareness, increase support networks for those men who suffer from prostate cancer, fund research and scholarship programs. For more information, you can contact Alan Granville at urgebar@ihug.co.nz

So not only having a fuzzy face makes a guy sexy, in New Zealand anyway, it can be the culmination of a lifelong ambition, Man of November.

I know you guys have your own favorite furry faced studs that you admire the most. Share them with the rest of us. Or maybe nominate yourself. Heck, this might even lead to an annual competition, of crowning a Mr. Woofy, 2008. Makes me hard just thinking about it. WOOF.

Happy Halloween, BOO and WOOF

I'm having a hard time deciding what to be this Halloween. Any suggestions???

Wishing you guys a safe, sexy and Woofy All Hallow's Eve. All hot tricks and plenty of treats.

A More Realistic Study of Gay Men Reveals Greater Ethnic and Economic Diversity Than Previously Researched

Gay Stereotypes Dispelled
By George Anderson

A one-size-fits-all approach to the gay and lesbian market is reducing the effectiveness of campaigns targeted to consumers based on their sexual preference. That is the finding of a recent study by New American Dimensions and the Asterix Group.

According to the study of 926 individuals online and in-person, the stereotypical young, white, urban and affluent gay and lesbian image often portrayed in the media is reflective of only a small percentage of consumers in this market segment.

Gary Gates, a demographer at the Williams Institute at the University of California-Los Angeles law school, told the San Jose Mercury News, "Gay men actually make less money than other men. And every time I say that, people say, 'What?' This stereotype of gay men being really wealthy - the whole 'Will and Grace' kind of stereotype - it's just absolutely not true."

Only 42 percent of gay men and 31 percent of lesbians report living in urban areas. The vast majority resides in small towns and rural areas.

About 12 percent of the study's respondents were identified as "closeted." Only four percent of this group reported having come out of the closet while 35 percent said they were still in.

These individuals, the research found, were more likely to be Caucasian, older and live in small communities. Eighty percent of these individuals said sexual orientation was not an important part of their identity.

The polar opposite to "closeted" individuals were those identified in the study as "super gays."

About 26 percent of respondents were classified into this segment by the study's authors. Members of this group were open about their sexual orientation and tended to be more highly educated and affluent.

Across the various segments, the study found some commonalities. For one, nearly two-thirds report having experienced stereotyping and discrimination as a result of their sexual orientation.

Christine Lehtonen, president of Asterix, told the Mercury News, "I expected to find more differences by gender, male and female. And primarily, there weren't a ton of differences."

Seventy percent of gay consumers were willing to spend more for products developed for companies that support their community. The two most popular methods for demonstrating that support are companies offering domestic partnership benefits (79 percent) and making donations to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) groups.

Reflecting on the study, David Morse, president of New American Dimensions, said in a press release, "We have segmented the LGBT market in all its diversity, providing a more detailed picture of the gay and lesbian customer, providing highly sought-after insights to mainstream advertisers."

Christine Lehtonen, president of Asterix, told the Mercury News, "I expected to find more differences by gender, male and female. And primarily, there weren't a ton of differences."
Seventy percent of gay consumers were willing to spend more for products developed for companies that support their community. The two most popular methods for demonstrating that support are companies offering domestic partnership benefits (79 percent) and making donations to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) groups.

Reflecting on the study, David Morse, president of New American Dimensions, said in a press release, "We have segmented the LGBT market in all its diversity, providing a more detailed picture of the gay and lesbian customer, providing highly sought-after insights to mainstream advertisers."

All of us knew all along that we are a diverse group of gay men with different kinks, attitudes, and backgrounds. While we don't need a survey to verify our diversity, I'm glad that finally someone has focused on our differences.

Now if we could only get advertisers to portray us as we bond, giving each other mega hairy muscle hugs, now that would be the kind of recognition I'd appreciate. WOOF.

Uncle Sam's Looking For A Few (Or Many) Hunky WOOFY Men

Here's a funny. Yea, right. They needed the recruits so badly, that they didn't check out the web site first? Someday, this kind of sillyness will come to an end. And the country will be much, much better for it.

Military Looks for a Few Good Woofy Men on Gay Website

Article Date: 10/19/2007 By Bryan Ochalla

In looking for a few good men, the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force decided to place thousands of recruitment ads on GLEE.com, a networking website for gay professionals. As soon as USA Today brought that to the attention of various military officials, however, the ads were brought down.

"This is the first I've heard about it," Maj. Michael Baptista, advertising branch chief for the Army National Guard, told the newspaper on Wednesday. "We didn't knowingly advertise on that particular website," which he said does not "meet the moral standards" of the military.
A Navy spokesperson told USA Today that nearly 8,000 ads would be removed from the site, while ads attributed to the Marine Corps were for civilian jobs not covered by "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

The ads were placed through New York-based Community Connect by way of Monster.com. Monster.com offers companies and organizations a "diversity and inclusion" package, which includes posts on niche websites aimed at various minorities, including gays and lesbians.
To Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Director of Communications Steve Ralls, the snafu was strangely, and sadly, ironic. Many gays and lesbians "have been drummed out of the armed forces simply for using sites like GLEE," he told USA Today

BEARFORCE1, Hot, Fuzzy Men With a Magnetism and Sound That's Much More Than Eye Candy. WOOOOOOF

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twQlpFrm5iM Judge for yourself.

Peter is the hottie above, at the left.

Top, right, a group shot of all the hot fuzzy dudes.

Maybe these are the guys I have had in mind to show the gay male world how to be hot and sexy and safe.

These guys together would make an awesome manwich. Talk about the ultimate buddy body bonding, all of us joining them in a Guinness Book of World's Records mega hairy muscle hug. WOOF.


YURI

GAY HISTORY MONTH, Is 31 Days Enough?

While it is nice to set aside a month to honor our gay heroes, shouldn't we also be honoring the countless gay and lesbian individuals, who have, in their own small way, made each of our lives better and better each and every day? All of our daily actions, collectively, however trivial they might be, do positively contribute to our state of well being.

A hero a day

Gay GLBT History Month introduces students to 31 gay rights leaders

http://www.washblade.com/2007/10-5/arts/feature/11355.cfm

REBECCA ARMENDARIZ Friday, October 05, 2007

From Leonardo da Vinci to Leonard Bernstein, organizers of GLBT History Month are urging a new generation to learn more about the contributions of 31 iconic gay figures throughout the month. This year marks the second time Equality Forum has organized the month-long celebration.

Though educators launched the concept in the mid-1990s, it failed to catch on. This time around, however, GLBT History Month has found support from major national organizations. Malcolm Lazin, Equality Forum’s executive director, says that last year, 20 organizations promoted the month on their web sites. This year, 80 colleges — from community institutions to Ivy League schools — have put a link to the project on their home pages.

Other supporters include 12 statewide organizations, 28 community centers and corporations, including Banana Republic and McDonald’s.GLBT History Month aims to educate the public about the importance of gay figures in creating the movement’s history. “As much as our history has been closeted from us, it’s also been closeted from the mainstream,” Lazin said. “[The month] combats a societal homophobia by providing role models in that history.”Equality Forum’s project is available to school-age children.

This year, the organization collaborated with the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network to meet with high school students. As a result of those interactions, Equality Forum has created weekly, multiple-choice challenges based on the biographies and videos for each week’s seven icons. At the end of the month, there will be a Rainbow Challenge based on all 31 role models.“If we do not take the responsibility of teaching our history, no one else will,” Lazin said.

Some of those honored include Gore Vidal, an American author known for his novel “The City and the Pillar”; Susan Sontag, an American essayist and activist; David Hockney, an English artist; Gertrude Stein, an American author and art enthusiast; and Frank Kameny, who, according to Lazin, is the “father of the GLBT civil rights movement.”

State, national and international executive directors of gay rights groups submitted their nominations and Kenji Yoshino, a Yale Law School professor and author of “Covering,” and Rev. Nancy Wilson, moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC), selected the final 31 icons.

Yoshino says that GLBT History Month is for everyone.“Because GLBT individuals are usually born to heterosexual families, it is not as likely that individuals in the GLBT community will be taught by their families of origin about GLBT history,” Yoshino said. “The organizing principle of ‘a person a day for a month’ permits individuals to learn without being overloaded,” he said.October was chosen to highlight these people, Yoshino said, because it is the beginning of the school year, and it’s more likely that students would be made aware of the project.“Our hope is … that individuals will see one famous figure they know and then keep browsing to see who else we have chosen as their peers,” he said.

The selections are as diverse as Leonardo da Vinci and Angela Davis. Yoshino says, “that sense of oddness … should teach us that the project of gay history is still young. Because our history has just begun to see the light, it’s not surprising that people juxtapose a Renaissance artist and a contemporary activist.”

Frank Kameny is one of those contemporary activists. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) names him as one of her own personal heroes. He is widely credited with spearheading the gay civil rights movement, and has been an activist for half a century.“He started that grassroots organizing that has laid a foundation for later change,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin recently wrote a piece titled, “Leaning Toward Justice” as part of the Gay History Project.“Leaning Toward Justice” compares the gay rights movement to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Baldwin said the project will help remind young readers that while change sometimes seems to come slowly, in a historical context, the movement has actually progressed with surprising speed. To put things in context, Baldwin writes of her own coming out in the 1980s and the energy she put into learning about gay rights leaders and their contributions.“No role model ever told me about the Daughters of Bilitis, the Mattachine Society, or Stonewall; Elaine Noble, Frank Kameny, or any of the courageous leaders who shaped our movement or contributed their art, their science, their sweat and their intellect to this world,” she said.

Kameny says he feels good about being named a hero of gay history. “I think as ideas and projects of this kind come along, provided people do pursue them, we’ll be able to establish our history and our place in history, using the word history in a larger sense. There is an extensive gay history,” Kameny said. He added that he has too many gay heroes to name.

Kameny has played a key role in achieving civil rights for the gay community. His early focus was repealing sodomy laws and removing homosexuality from the American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental disorders. He is hopeful that with a Democrat in the White House in 2008, that his final goal of repealing the ban on gays in the military will be realized.“More than anything else, not as a specific issue, but simply as a tactic, we just need to get people out and open. I think that’s absolutely necessary,” he said.

Recently, Kameny’s papers and materials from the 1960s were put on display at the Smithsonian. “We would have never believed when we were making those signs in 1965 that they were going to end up actually in the Smithsonian and some of my papers in the Library of Congress … it’s just totally incredible,” he said.

Yea, I have had the privilege of meeting and talking briefly with Frank Kameny, over several years. He is quite a man. A living history of the gay movement.

But like anything else, youth is wasted on the young. Who needs the most education today are gay youth. They think, somehow, that they are the first queers to face anything. But hey, there are many of us, survivors, if you will, that have lived open lives, have lived actively sexually, and have blazed the trail for the twinks of today.

Buddy body bonding never goes out of style, and will always have its place in the gay male world. Fortunately, in this case, one size does fit all. Do some exploring on your own, hug a bud and have a fantastic Columbus Day weekend.

Yet Another Cry for Censorship. It Doesn't Take Much For These Critics To Get Their Panties All In A Bind

A whole new controversy is brewing over the poster below that will be used to promote Folsom Street Fair this year. Personally I find it full of hot leather dudes and a gal, sharing a common table, breaking "bread" and wine together, like I imagine, in the purest sense, what the ideal image of leather pride events such as this, is all about. Your thoughts?????

h.cassell@ebar.com
Folsom Street Fair's photograph has led Miller Brewing Company to ask that its logo be removed. Photo: FredAlert

The photograph resembling Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting of the Last Supper used on the Folsom Street Fair program and its promotional posters drew fire Tuesday, September 25 from Concerned Women for America.

The anti-gay group issued a news release stating that the Folsom Street Fair is "reminiscent of biblical Sodom and Gomorrah."

"The bread and wine representing Christ's broken body and life-giving blood are replaced with sadomasochistic sex toys in this twisted version of da Vinci's 'Last Supper,'" said the CWA's statement.

In response to pressure from CWA's constituents, Miller Brewing Company on Wednesday requested that Folsom Street Events remove its logo from the posters displaying the leather last supper image.

"While Miller has supported the Folsom Street Fair for several years, we take exception to the poster the organizing committee developed this year," the company said on its Web site. "We understand some individuals may find the imagery offensive and we have asked the organizers to remove our logo from the poster effective immediately."

[After the print edition of the Bay Area Reporter went to press, a Miller spokesman told the paper that the company would continue to support the event.

"We are and will continue to be supportive [of Folsom Street Fair and the LGBT community]," said Julian Green, director of media relations of Miller Brewing Company, Wednesday afternoon.

Miller has not requested a refund of any sponsorship money, Green said. Green said that Miller's decision was based on corporate policies.

"[It] has nothing to do with public pressure," said Green. Green said that the company's decision was based on marketing guidelines at the corporate level that don't allow use of its logo on any "creative design" depicting a "religious connotation."

Until CWA's call to action Tuesday, Miller's corporate office wasn't aware of the use of its logo on the poster, Green said. "Our corporate offices was not made aware of the artwork, however, there may have been some awareness at the local level," said Green. "If it had been reviewed at the corporate level it would not have been approved."]

Folsom Street Events Executive Director Demetri Moshoyannis told the B.A.R. late Wednesday morning that they weren't concerned about Miller's request to remove its logo from the posters. When asked if they thought that they might lose Miller's sponsorship, Moshoyannis said, "Not to our knowledge."

People commenting on the Joe.My.God blog called for support of Miller rather than a boycott, stating that the beverage company has been supportive of the LGBT community for many years.

According to CWA, "Scripture says that God is not mocked, yet it doesn't stop people from trying," Matt Barber, policy director for cultural issues with CWA, said in the release. "As evidenced by this latest stunt, open ridicule of Christianity is unfortunately very common within much of the homosexual community."

"I guess it wouldn't be Folsom Street Fair without offending some extreme members of the global community," said Andy Copper, board president of Folsom Street Events, in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon. "There is no intention to be particularly pro-religion or anti-religion with this poster; the image is intended only to be reminiscent of the 'Last Supper' painting."

Copper stated, "... many of the people in the leather and fetish communities are spiritual and that this poster image is a way of expressing that side of the community's interests and beliefs."
"The irony is that da Vinci was widely considered to be homosexual," Copper added.

Copper pointed to the diversity in the photo, stating that it is a "distinctive representation of diversity with women and men, people of all colors and sexual orientations" which is a part of San Francisco's values.

Local gay clergy also weighed in on the matter.

"I disagree with them I don't think that [Folsom Street Events] is mocking God," said Chris Glaser, interim senior pastor at Metropolitan Community Church – San Francisco. "I think that they are just having fun with a painting of Leonardo da Vinci and having fun with the whole notion of 'San Francisco values' and I think it's pretty tastefully and cleverly done."

Glaser added, "I think that oftentimes religious people miss out on things because they don't have a sense of humor. That's why being a queer spiritual person we can laugh at ourselves and laugh at other people."

Barber called the photo an action of lashing out in a "hateful manner toward the very people they accuse," referring to gay activists calling Christians "haters and homophobes." He said that taxpayers are being "forced" to pay for the fair that allows "'gay' men and women to parade the streets fully nude, many having sex – even group orgies – in broad daylight, while taxpayer funded police officers look on and do absolutely nothing."

CWA called on California's elected officials, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), and Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to "publicly condemn this unprovoked attack against Christ and His followers."

Pelosi was mocked for her "San Francisco values" in a Saturday Night Live skit last year that poked fun at right-wing attacks that she would bring "left of center" values to Congress.
Tuesday afternoon, Pelosi downplayed the right's uproar.

"As a Catholic, the speaker is confident that Christianity has not been harmed," said Drew Hammill, Pelosi's press secretary.

Barber urged the media to "cover the affront to Christianity with the same vigor as recent stories about cartoon depictions of Mohammed and other items offensive to the Muslim community."

Moshoyannis would not comment beyond the organization's news release sent out on Tuesday.

Copper stated that the leather last supper was the first FSF poster inspired by cultural classics in a series of posters forthcoming from FSE including "American Gothic" by Grant Wood, Edvard Munch's "The Scream" and even The Sound of Music.

Photographer FredAlert, who produced the staged leather last supper, declined to comment.

I admire Fred for his creativity and hot composition. WOOOF.

It has been too long, (5 years), since I've been to Folsom. Got to get my barebutt and chaps back out there some time in the future.

Mega hairy muscle leather pride hugs. Hoping all the guys attending Folsom have a great time. Party hardy and play safe.

Gay Advertising. It Has Always Been Out There, and the Straight Public Didn't Notice.

If you haven't watched it, Mad Men on AMCTV is an awesome look at the golden age of advertising in the early 1960's and explores, among many topics, the input of gay men in the industry, especially the art work.

The article below has a link: http://www.washblade.com/2007/9-21/arts/books/11284.cfm

Taking the ‘Hint’ Gay Former George Mason professor chronicles gay-friendly marketing in new book on advertising
ZACK ROSEN Friday, September 21, 2007

Before there was a widespread gay media, before publications like The Advocate could show car ads with two men holding hands, advertising executives had to find more subtle ways to court the gay and lesbian consumer.

Bruce H. Joffe’s new book, “A Hint of Homosexuality: ‘Gay’ and Homoerotic Imagery in American Print Advertising” documents ads, starting in 1905, that would raise eyebrows even among gay people living in 2007.

“Hints of Homosexuality” grew from an article Joffe wrote on homoerotic imagery in Ivory Soap ads from the early part of the century. Entitled “.056/100% ... Homosexual,” the piece explores imagery that is undeniably gay friendly. “[Those ads] are amazing,” Joffe says, describing in particular one that is set in a locker room. “You can see pubic hair! The other guys are looking at it.”

Joffe’s interest in early gay advertising began as a hobby. He had a number of early ads framed on the walls of his house and friends frequently suggested that they should be compiled and published. EBay searches raised his collection to over 300 pieces. Though the visual nature of the ads would lend itself best to a coffee table book or full color volume, practical concerns made an academic work the more viable option.

“You are talking about a niche within a niche,” Joffe says. “There’s no money [for the publisher] in making this a coffee table book. Being a professor, you have to publish or perish. I tried to write the book with a popular voice so that anyone could pick it up, could look at the words and say ‘He’s right, I never noticed this before.”LEAFING THROUGH “HINT” forces the reader to look at old marketing in a new light.

The book gives many examples of coding, the subtle images inserted in print advertising that would go unnoticed by a straight reader but perk the attention of an informed gay man or lesbian. “If an advertising illustrator dressed someone in red, had someone lighting someone else’s cigarette [it meant something gay,]”

Joffe says. “Sex sells, it has always sold. People in marketing always knew that there is more than one market. There was no LOGO, no Blade. How do you reach these people? You reach them by encoding.” Joffe sites many examples of “gay vague” advertising in the book.

A 1948 ad for Schlitz beer used the tagline “I was curious…I tasted it” and a three panel set up. In the first frame, two men and two women are being served the beer. In the second frame, the men stand next to each other while trying the beer, and in the third frame the women are gone completely, implying that the rewards of their curiosity include more than just “the beer that made Milwaukee famous.”

Joffe’s interest in gay advertising goes beyond the casual or the educational. He is donating all profits from “Hint” to the Commercial Closet Association, a non-profit that seeks to influence advertisers to include gay populations in their marketing. The association also maintains an archive of gay-inclusive television advertising from around the world, a collection that Joffe is adding to by lending all of his hard copies of the ads documented in the book. “This organization is trying to reach a point where it doesn’t matter who is pictured in the ad, but that we’re all respecting each other while advertisers are making money,”

Joffe says. “I am loaning them my collection of print ads so there can be a museum that documents and chronicles the history of gays in advertising.”

So, those male underwear ads in the old Sears, Montgomery Wards and JC Penny catalogs weren't the only ones out there in the 1960's and early 1970's to draw the curiosity of an young adolescent gay male. Oh, the power of advertising!!!!

It Really Shouldn't Matter, But, For Some, It Does

This should really be a good movie. Tom Cavanaugh is a hottie, and the subject matter couldn't have come out at a better time. Now, if we can only see these guys give each other on the ice big hairy muscle hugs and locked lips, after a goal, WOOF. That and a locker scene full of buddy body bonding would make this flick a screen gem.

'Gay hockey movie' hopes to score despite vicious remarks
Last Updated: Thursday, September 13, 2007 8:12 PM ET
CBC News
Director Laurie Lynd says he's shocked by the hateful comments aimed at his "sweet film" about tolerance — Breakfast with Scot, or the "gay hockey movie" as it has been dubbed.
But if the movie can score at the box office as a result, Lynd says he doesn't mind.
In the movie playing this week at the Toronto International Film Festival, Canadian actor Tom Cavanagh plays a gay former Toronto Maple Leaf who works as broadcaster for a major sports network.

Because of homophobia in the field, he decides to keep his personal life a secret but that all changes when his partner's flamboyant nephew, Scot, comes to live with the couple.
"It's the one hurdle that's left to be cleared and yet they're not even close to clearing it," said Cavanagh, the Ottawa-born actor who played the title character on the TV series Ed.
The NHL and the Leafs both gave permission for their logos to be used in the movie — a first for a gay-themed movie, according to the director.

"It was an easy decision," said John Lashway, a member of the Leafs' management team. "We have fans from all kinds of lifestyles, so it just made sense for us."
Negative online posts have already taken aim at the movie, with a couple of right-wing U.S. groups contacting the Leafs. Lynd has also received hate mail.

"I read [the negative comments] while we were in production, and I had to put it down because it was so vicious about such a sweet film that is … about tolerance," says Lynd, adding he was surprised it was even an issue in 2007.

One of Canada's most vocal openly gay athletes, former Olympic swimmer Mark Tewksbury, says he's hopeful this film will open doors for athletes.

"What it could mean is that if it's OK in a fictional movie then maybe, if there is a gay person on a professional franchise like the Maple Leafs, it gives them permission to be themselves."
But for the Montreal-native Noah Bernett, who plays Scot in the movie, the issue is a no-brainer: "I think the moral of this story is that people shouldn't be scared of who they are."
More:
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/09/13/hockey-movie-scot.html?ref=rss--

Cruisingforsex.com Gets Its Best Exposure Ever

When it rain, it pours. And for the web site, http://www.cruisingforsex.com/, the whole Larry Craig thing has given it new exposure. Read it for yourself.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20529609/site/newsweek/?from=rss

But thanks to cruisingforsex.com (which boasts some 30,000 visitors daily, its operators say) and its competitors, such information is easily accessible around the country—and the world. And the information is precise; some listings direct readers to visit a location between, say 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. How convenient.

Here are more exerpts from the article:

Has craigslist.org put a dent in cruisingforsex.com's business? Do chatrooms pose a threat?

Craigslist certainly has changed the field. A lot of strictly younger people tend to turn first to hookups online. But my impression—based on what I am personally experiencing, not any research I’ve done—[is] that people may be tiring of the hookups online and wanting to get back into the real world. There’s some benefits to both ways of meeting. Certainly craigslist, which by the way is often used to hook up in public locations, certainly has taken a lot of men who now meet online and go to each others’ house.

With all the information on cruisingforsex.com and on craigslist, do you feel that law enforcement is more aware now? Or are they less likely to crack down than they were 10 years ago?

In all of our years of doing this, there has always been a constant crackdown and a constant drumbeat of harassment. What Senator Craig has experienced is not unfamiliar to a lot of sexually active men out there.

But, whatever your orientation, is engaging in sexual activity in public okay?Most cruisers don’t want to engage in sex in public. They want to meet someone in a public space and then try to be discreet—maybe in a stall or a cubicle or maybe behind a bush.

As you know from my previous post, I am not sympathetic at all to Larry Craig. And even if he fights to retain his seat, he is facing an uphill battle. Gay groups are out to squeeze his nuts and the right wing has already gotten a noose ready for the lynching.

Hot topics such as this keep the blogging world with enough topical subject matter to write about for days. I would really like that this publicity move to the more important topic of safer sex between two consenting gay men. What we need are more play spaces around the U.S, where guys can meet and not have to take unnecessary risks of public sex. Sure, all of us love hot protected sex, but I feel that "spur of the moment" sex is probably a lot more risky than motivated, intential, pure buddy body bonding. Right here, right now sex, public cruising sex, may be exciting, but it doesn't have lasting benefits. It is just a fix, and sometimes a risky one, at that.