Finally! I can write something provocative without the world's tweens and teens threatening me with bodily harm. Harry Potter's headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is gay. Gay gay gay gay gaaaaaaaaaay. And you can't flame me in the comments section because J.K. Rowling herself said so. So there.

Rowling, author of the Harry Potter novels, outed the ol' wizard when she appeared at Carnegie Hall in New York last Friday on the final stop of her U.S. book tour. "I always thought of Dumbledore as gay" was the revelation that made the audience collectively gasp--then subsequently erupt into wild applause. Responding to the enthusiastic reaction, Rowling added, "If I'd known it would make you so happy, I would have announced it years ago!"

Let's lighten things up on this fine Friday, shall we? There's so much to love this week!

Don't you love it when the military accidentally recruits gays by placing more than 8,000 job listings on a gay networking website? "Whoops!" doesn't quite capture the sound of high-ranking officials crapping their pants when they found this out.

Don't you love it that Lance Bass wanted Britney Spears to be his fag hag? But nooooo, they haven't talked since that fateful night when Lancey-poo invited Britney to his bed--only to clobber her by coming out.

Don't you love it that Lance wants Justin Timberlake to be gay as much as we all do? "We thought Justin was gay because he told us he wanted to do a gay part in a movie," Lance told GQ magazine. I don't know about you, but that still gives me hope. Maybe Justin can team up with Daniel Radcliffe, who wants to go gay too! Who would top? Who would bottom? The possibilities are endless!

Whenever I post something about High School Musical (like here and here), the world's tweens and teens lash out at me and leave vitriolic comments that are unintentionally hilarious in their utter seriousness, rank naivete, and sheer ferocity. Their anger is born not out of my disdain for HSM (I'm actually a fan and can karaoke to "Bet on It" like a 13-year-old Filipino girl), but out of a gross misinterpretation of my use of the word "gay." I don't use the word pejoratively (look it up, tweens!), but to young America "gay" is still the ultimate insult, one of the most horrible things you can call somebody or something.

When I describe a movie, a character, a dance sequence as "gay," it's a badge of honor--but kids don't see it my way. Behold some nasty comments:

* this article makes me want to punch you in the face.... go f*** yourself.

* don't call us tweenyboopers. or u'll get ur ass kicked by a bunch of tweenyboopers. so shut the hell up.

* when i figure out where you live i'm going to shove my school's flag pole up your ass!!

* Well your gaytarded

(For a more complete list of my favorite angry comments, go to my Bamboo Nation blog.)

Apparently, even those in our own community vilify the word "gay" and wish it to be stricken from colloquial speech. A homosexual college student (I assume he's in college from his e-mail address) posted this comment, referring to a post in which I point out that an HSM character is gay:

The gay community is outraged that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed AB 43, a bill that would have allowed same-sex couples to marry in California. Indeed, small protests in opposition to Schwarzenegger's decision were held in different parts of the state earlier this week--including in my own home, where I subjected myself to nude self-flagellation like that albino monk in The Da Vinci Code movie.

But after noticing how some conservatives and the religious right are covering the story, I think we would be remiss if we didn't recognize and applaud the legislative strides that were made last week in California. Progress is sometimes best measured by how upset the opposition is. And it's about time I put my whips away and my robe back on.

While CitzenLink (an offshoot of the ultra-right Focus on Family organization), for example, notes on its website that Schwarzenegger's veto is "a victory for traditional marriage," the group denounces the governor for passing "several bills detrimental to California families."

Mona Passignano, a spokesperson for Focus on the Family Action (another branch of Focus on Family), said that those other bills "will likely have a devastating impact on churches and Christian families in the state for years to come." This sentiment is echoed on similarly themed websites on the Internet.

The governor actually signed seven LGBT-friendly bills into law last week, after they were all passed by the Legislature:

Although I've been somewhat visible in both the Asian Pacific American (APA) community and the gay community, I've never considered myself to be an activist or voice for either group. I mean, I'm much too busy trying to beat my own Ms. Pac-Man high score to do much of anything else. But growing up a double minority, having to work through two different layers of self-hate, and desperately seeking Asian-American role models and subsequently gay role models, I've become particularly sensitive to issues surrounding gay Asian Americans.

So when The Advocate recently published its list of the 40 Greatest Gay Heroes, selected by readers from a list of 100 nominees, I of course noticed the absence of APAs. (The full list can be accessed here.) Surely, there are Asians who have had some impact on the gay community, right?

In an effort to increase HIV awareness and promote safe sex in the UK, particularly among 16- to 24-year-olds, the BBC has just launched a campaign that includes an interactive website, events on school campuses, and videos that feature the central figure of the campaign: GI Jonny, a safe-sex crusader.

The first video, which stars GI Joe-like action figures, features graphic sexual moments and shots of certain choice body parts. When I first saw what Captain Bareback's "crotch cannon" could do, I didn't know what to think. But if that's how you get to young people, I guess that's how you get to young people. Thankfully, GI Jonny comes to the rescue, but when he pulls down his pants I was like "WTF?!"

The Central Christian Church of Wichita, Kansas, is so excited by its upcoming Clay Aiken Christmas concert that the former American Idol contestant gets an enthusiastic mention on the front page of the church's website. "Clay has an incredible voice as well as a heart to use it for the Lord," the site declares. "You won't want to miss this exceptional concert!"

However, the National Enquirer (c'mon, you read it in the checkout line too!) and a TV station--KSN, the NBC affiliate in Wichita--have managed to obtain a very interesting letter that the church drafted in July. Apparently, in a preemptive move, the church prepared a document that denies that Clay Aiken is gay. You see, just in case anybody inquiried about the singer's sexuality, they would have a letter ready to go in order to assuage people's fears--because, you know, when people decide whether to go to a concert or not, they need to be assured that the performer is not a homo. I mean, people don't want to catch a gay singer's cooties.... WHAT?!

According to KSN, the letter affirms Aiken's Christian beliefs, states that "he doesn't drink, smoke, swear, or womanize," and cites a Rolling Stone article in which Aiken clearly asserts that he is not gay. Whew! Crisis averted!

The heated debate about whether or not Piedra Vista High School in Farmington, New Mexico, should allow the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance is over for now. QueerSighted reader Marshall e-mailed me within minutes of the school board's unanimous decision to let the club meet. But this is a bittersweet victory at best.

The board faced a tough choice. They couldn't just outright ban the club because they would be in violation of, you know, the law, and would face legal action by the ACLU. So they had to either remove all clubs from campus or allow the group to meet, much to the dismay of many in the community.

According to the local paper, The Daily Times, the school board's decision to allow the club wasn't really born out of a desire for tolerance and understanding. Are you ready to get queasy? Board Deputy Secretary Mike Isaacson said, "The choice to ban all clubs would eliminate any benefit we as a school board are currently contributing back to the community. Banning all clubs means we would ban all community access to the schools, which would include churches, the Boy Scouts, Special Olympics, Little League practices, powwows, etcetera. It would be unfortunate to let a small group of students, who believe they need to join this club, eradicate all the good we've been able to achieve by allowing the public to use our facilities."

Reading that quote again makes me want to throw up, really. Isaacson seems to suggest that there is no value to having a Gay-Straight Alliance, a group meant to promote tolerance at a high school that seems to need it. Just take a look at video clips of Piedra Vista students arguing against the club. One angry girl declares, "I don't want to be hanging around a whole bunch of queers." And an upset boy asserts, "If gay people want to be gay, they should go and get their own place to be gay!"

Perhaps it is that kind of hate that motivated some students to build enough courage to form a Gay-Straight Alliance in the first place. It's nice to know you have allies when you're facing that level of vitriol on a daily basis, whether it is spoken out loud or not.

After leaving last night's raucous Pansy Division concert at Spaceland in Los Angeles, my friend Gabriel insisted that I fulfill my duties as a journalist by going back to interview a band member or two, chatting with them about gay punk, and asking them what John Cameron Mitchell was doing in the audience. It was way past my bedtime and I was cranky, so I screamed, "Who the hell do you think I am?! Hunter S. Thompson?!"

But since I feel such a deep commitment to you, dear QueerSighted readers, I found myself back at the venue and talking with Pansy Division's founding members, Jon Ginoli and Chris Freeman. And while doing so, I remembered why I went to the concert in the first place--aside from their unabashedly gay lyrics and catchy music, Pansy Division holds a unique and important place in queer, as well as rock, history.

The first all-gay rock band ever, Pansy Division has always been unafraid to sing directly about gay sex, gay life, gay sex, gay relationships, and gay sex--oh, and did I mention gay sex?--and they've done so with infectious pop-punk appeal. They first gained notoriety in the mid-'90s after they were asked to tour with Green Day, right when Dookie had captured the hearts, minds, and wallets of the public.

As expected, performing for Green Day's fan base met with mixed reactions. After all, no one goes to a rock show expecting to hear songs like "C***sucker Club," "Fem in a Black Leather Jacket," and "James Bondage," especially coming out of the mouths of men. While they were occasionally pelted with objects on stage, they gained new fans--many were high school kids, who didn't fit in with their straight peers and who didn't align with showtune-loving stereotypes, and they finally found musicians they could identify with and embrace.

With my seemingly obsessive ongoing posts about High School Musical, you may think that I'm pretty much a one trick pony. But, as you may have guessed, I like to have as many tricks as possible.

There is something to be said, however, for latching onto a theme and running with it. In my plays, I seem to deal with coming out issues repeatedly. Perhaps I'm striving to get it right in art--since the process has been imperfect in my own real life. In these plays, the audience assumes a certain character is straight, but the character eventually comes out, clumsily in most instances and much to everyone's surprise.

For example, in Boyz of All Nationz: The Rise and Fall of a Multi-Ethnic Boy Band (2002), the very religious Hispanic member of the group, Jace, is changing backstage after the band's first big concert. An obviously gay fanboy named Joe sneaks into Jace's dressing room and starts gushing. Soon, gay Joe is trying to figure out which way his favorite boy band member swings.

If you were to believe the Okeechobee County School Board in Florida, gay-straight alliances on high school campuses are a hotbed of salacious activity and a forum for explicit discussion about dirty, nasty gay sex--because, as you know, that's what gay-straight clubs are all about: your peers pressuring you to have same-sex intercourse and lots of it.... Okay, well, the board didn't say all those things exactly, but I can read between the lines.

When a student met administrative resistance after she tried to form a gay-straight alliance at Okeechobee High School, the ACLU filed a lawsuit on her behalf. Earlier this year, a judge ruled that the club could meet until the case is settled, which won't be until at least March.

In a preemptive strike to ban any future gay-straight groups on campus, the school board decided this week that from now on any clubs based on sexual orientation are not allowed. Superintendent Patricia Cooper stated in a memo that the policy change would "assure that student clubs and organizations do not interfere with the School Board's abstinence-only sex education policy."

Her statement makes me roll my eyes for so many reasons.

With Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger expected to veto a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in California, a multimillion-dollar television ad campaign will be launched this week, one that is meant to push buttons and appeal to the emotions--in the hearts of straight people. The TV commercial, which will air in major California markets, shows a bride on her wedding day, as she heads to the alter where her handsome groom awaits. On her way, she encounters a series of obstacles--debris in her path, a guest tripping her with a cane--until she falls to the ground and the screen reads: "What if you couldn't marry the person you love?"

Take a look at the commercial....

When Rolling Stone published an in-depth, lurid story about the gruesome murder of gay porn mogul Bryan Kocis in its September 20, 2007, issue (which is not available online), I just had to do more research because I couldn't believe a mainstream national magazine was devoting that much ink to gay porn. I suppose the whole horrific slaying angle was the main draw, but, still, the article was perhaps the most informative text I had ever read about the gay porn business. The story, "Death of a Porn King," also delves into the personalities of porn stars Brent Corrigan (who worked for Kocis at one point) and Harlow Cuadra (one of the murder suspects, who vehemently denies the charges).

But this post is not really about Rolling Stone or the murder or Corrigan and Cuadra. This post is about gay porn star blogs. You see, in my search for more information about the events and details in the article, I stumbled upon the personal blogs of Corrigan and Cuadra, which led me to an entire subculture of blogs written by gay porn stars. And these blogs weren't merely forums for them to post pictures of their penises--they actually had things to write about. Some of these guys write even more than I do--and long posts at that.

So I thought it would be fun to check in with some of these gay porn stars and see what they're writing about. (Typos included.) I'm not providing any direct links to their blogs because I know better than link to anything porn-related on this AOL site and because our dear managing editor, Kenneth, has already busted me for indecency and I've only been around for about two weeks. So, if you're interested, you'll have to Google these blogs all by yourself.

During the Weekend Update segment of this past week's Saturday Night Live, the increasingly reliable Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler took on disgraced but defiant Senator Larry Craig, who was caught soliciting gay sex in an airport bathroom. In their recurring "Really?!" bit, they state the obvious, but do so with such entertaining disdain, as they mercilessly taunt Craig. "And, really, you oppose gay marriage. What? You think that marriage takes the sizzle out of it?" Meyers teases. "Or are you just afraid that if gay marriage is legalized, there'll be fewer single gay guys trying to have sex in airport bathrooms?" Take a look....

I've always been a little awed and heartened by the success of NBC's My Name Is Earl. The sitcom, now in its third season, manages to be subversive and edgy while appealing to mainstream audiences--perhaps because it's so consistently funny and genuinely good-natured. Even my own mother watches it--in fact, she's the one who first told me about it, laughing uncontrollably as she explained the premise: a guy tries to reverse his bad karma by trying to undo all the damage he's done to people in the past, one by one from a list he scribbled onto a scrap of paper.

Last night's episode took Earl's gay-friendliness to a whole new level, and, despite its broad caricatures (that's what the show deals in, after all), presented a gay love story really unlike anything I've seen on a network sitcom. Sure, My Name Is Earl has gotten gay before--the pilot episode in fact dealt with Kenny, a gay copy shop employee. Earl decides to shun his own homophobia after getting whacked with a telephone and nudges Kenny out of the closet. But in last night's episode, gay romance--and hot gay romance at that--was integral to the plot.