Katy Perry watches Adam Lambert make out with Jake Shears

Jaguar drops Stephanie Rice over gay tweet

The car maker Jaguar has cut its sponsorship of Australia swimmer Stephanie Rice, a triple Olympic gold medalist, after she sent a tweet using an anti-gay slur.

Rice, 22, tweeted "Suck on that f--gots" after Australia's rugby union team, the Wallabies, defeated South Africa's Springboks on Saturday.

The swimmer, who won both individual medleys at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was part of Australia's victorious 4x200 freestyle team, later apologized and removed the comment.

"I made a comment on Twitter on Saturday night in the excitement of the moment. I did not mean to cause offence and I apologize," she wrote in a blog on her website.

But Jaguar Australia general manager Kevin Goult announced that his company has withdrawn its sponsorship. (reuters)

Flugtag & Naked Bike Ride are big hits in Philly

Philadelphia held two big events this past weekend. For the first time ever in the City of Brotherly Love history, Red Bull presented its unique Flugtag event. Flugtag (German: flight day, airshow) is an event in which competitors attempt to fly homemade human-powered flying machines. The flying machines are usually launched off a pier about 30 feet (9.1 m) high into the sea (Delaware River). Most competitors enter for the entertainment value, and the flying machines rarely fly at all. Red Bull official estimated nearly 100,000 specators watched in Philadelphia. Check out this video of the event.

For the second year, the Naked Bike Ride toured through the city. Various reports placed the attendance around 4,000....although, many were not naked as the video clearly shows...but fun just the same. (Warning - There really are naked people in the video!)

Radio DJ Elvis Duran Comes OUT

Early on Tuesday during his nationally-syndicated morning radio program, DJ Elvis Duran "officially" came out as a gay man. Though never denying or attempting to hide his sexuality in the past, Duran had yet to make a declarative statement on the matter. When responding to a listener's question about why he often is offended by homophobic comments from another member of his on-air team, Duran simply stated, "because I am gay."

Congrats to Duran for the bold, honest, and mature way in which he handled the issue. With so few visible OUT personalities in mainstream media and entertainment, this is an important step that I hope will be met with enthusiasm and support. Duran's show is broadcast in large and medium-sized markets across the country, instantly making him one of the most influential gay people in the U.S. As a fellow member of the gay media - albeit on a smaller scale - I want to express my sincere appreciation and respect for Elvis Duran!

Let's keep the momentum rolling. Which celebrity will come out next? Leave your predictions in the comments section below!!!

AIDS Walk Philadelphia - October 17th

Cali court rules officials do not have to appeal Prop 8 ruling

A California court has refused to order Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown to appeal a ruling that overturned the state's gay marriage ban.

The 3rd District Court of Appeal on Wednesday denied a conservative legal group's request to force the officials to defend voter-approved Proposition 8.

Presiding Justice Arthur Scotland did not explain why the appeals court turned down the request filed two days earlier by the Pacific Justice Institute. (ap)

Trump: "..Iran will take over Iraq"

Donald Trump was on David Letterman last night were he talked about the Ground Zero Mosque, Iraq and a few other subject. On the mosque, Trump thinks the developer would earn a great deal of "good will" if the location was voluntarily moved. On Iraq: "We should have never been in Iraq in the first place." Check out the entire interview here.

Dismissal of linguists in Iraq cost lives

The latest ad from Servicemembers United as part of its Military Readiness campaign features a Marine discussing the need for Arabic linguists. Of course, linguists such as Dan Choi have been dismissed under DADT. The marine in the piece: says "...it cost lives." Check it out.

Philly nominated as Best (gay) U.S. Destination

Philadelphia is nominated in the second annual TripOutGayTravel competition for best gay destinations on the planet. Philadelphia got the nod for Best U.S. Destination along with Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Provincetown and San Francisco.

According to Morgan Greco from Logo (who puts it all together): "The nominees were chosen by 20 of the hardest-working, busiest travel journalists cover the LGBT planet. They write for your local paper, gay magazines, travel blogs, mainstream travel publications and queer rags from Baltimore to Bali, so they know their stuff."

To see the full list and vote - click here.

Photo by R. Kennedy for GPTMC

Fidel Castro blames self for persecution of Cuban gays

With his health failing, Fidel Castro told a Mexican newspaper (La Jornada) that he is ultimately responsible for the persecution suffered by homosexuals in Cuba after the revolution of 1959.

"If someone is responsible, it's me," he said. "At the time we were being sabotaged systematically, there were armed attacks against us, we had too many problems," said the 84-year-old Communist leader.

"Keeping one step ahead of the CIA, which was paying so many traitors, was not easy."

In 1979, homosexuality was decriminalised and, more recently, there have been efforts to legalise same-sex unions.

PA's Robert Wagner and Co. sprew hate in the name of God

I am now official embarrassed to live in Pennsylvania!

Robert Wagner, from Coudersport, PA ,held a presentation to criticize a recent screening of OUT IN THE SILENCE, an award-winning PBS documentary about the lives of LGBT people in small towns. Instead it turned into a verbal gay bashing including an explicit threat of violence against transgender individuals. American Family Association of PA President Diane Gramley, a minor character in the documentary who has complained about being treated "unfairly" by the filmmakers, sat by calmly as Wagner spewed such hate as:

"I'm gonna put a ball bat in my car, and if I ever see a guy (transgender individual) coming out of a bathroom that my granddaughter's in, I'm gonna use the ball bat on him."
"In the good old days, before 'she-males' existed, they just called such people perverts."

Please speak out against anti-LGBT violence and support equality and justice for all, especially in (PA)small towns and rural communities where people like Wagner and Gramley still have a loud voice.

Congratulations T. Dibbs on with a pair of Southwest tickets!