What happens when you win the Rat Race…

You win the rat race; you’re still a rat. But rats are after all successes of evolution. Cockroaches, too. Humans? An evolutionary blip. Hair today. Gone tamale. C’est la vie. C’est la Guerre. Tout le Monde manges pommes de terre. Sight seen at Stanford University. Thanks, A.

SF Eagle to Re-Open!?

It’s been over a year now, and the City of San Francisco has been without one of its iconic Leather bars, The SF Eagle. This site’s most popular post ever heralded its loss. In a city where real estate is at a premium, the expansive patio had for years provided a big outdoor space where Old Leather and New Gear, club brothers and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Queers of all spots and stripes and even friendly str8 hipsters and visiting moms could all relax, if not quite mix. For the last year, a group of die-hards has occupied other bars for monthly Eagle in Exile events. Now, it seems, the bar is set to re-open…under gay ownership. There has been a lot of weird back-room politics on this one, and there was a moment when it appeared that the place would be delivered to straights. And now?

The New SF Eagle states on their website:

“It will take a couple of months to do the much-needed repairs and upgrades that the property requires, but some upcoming events are already in the works prior to the opening of the bar. Please check this website periodically for new announcements coming soon.

The bar and patio located at 398 12th Street has long been a special place, not only to the LGBT community, but to the entire community for decades, not to mention the live music community as well. We just couldn’t let such a historic place like this disappear!

We will continue to host fundraisers for all the organizations from the past, as well as welcoming new ones to make the S.F. Eagle the pride of our community once again.

We look forward to seeing all of you very soon!”

Well…Cool! Looking forward to the re-opening with (guarded) optimism!

Eagle Poster by Uyvari, 1981. This poster, and lots of other hot, hard art will be on display at the Tough Love exhibit in San Francisco during the month of September. Cum out and see sum!

“Happyfuckin’ 4th of July, Unclefucker!” New Yaoi Bara Cali Manga from JoJo Mendoco

Malay Gays face Conservative Islamic Foes…but are backed by Islamic Renaissance Friends

As Malaysia moves into its election season, religious conservatives in the Islamic majority country are using the “proliferation of the LGBT problem” as a political weapon. According to an article in the Bay Area Reporter: “A large anti-LGBT demonstration is scheduled in Dataran Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur on April 21.” That is Saturday. Gay Malaysians have good reason for concern. They also have some interesting friends. House speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia recently rejected a motion that would have banned LGBT people from serving in Parliament. International outcry derailed a move to ban representation of unconventional sexualities in publicly funded media. And Dr. Ahmad Fuad Rahmat of the Islamic Renaissance Front is explicit in his support. He says, in a passionate defense of the (successfully) banned Queer Arts Festival Seksualiti Merdeka: “We are living in a heterogeneous society full of diversity. In order for a society to mature, it must be able to remodel itself to be inclusive in nature. There should be no discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation, irrespective of race and religion. Every single citizen has the right to live and express his or her conviction without fear.” Hear, hear! Click here for the entire text. As of this writing, sodomy is punishable in Malaysia by up to twenty years in prison. For something fun and sexy (homoerotic sandwich cookies!) from Malaysia, here.

Omar Sharif Jr: Famous Egyptian Actor’s Grandson is Gay AND Jewish!

According to the Jerusalem Post and numerous other media outlets, the grandson of the famous Egyptian actor Omar Sharif has come out as gay and has also revealed that his mother was Jewish. According to rabbinical law, this makes him Jewish. He explained that coming out was a result of his concern over the well being of sexual and religious minorities in Egypt in the wake of last year’s Arab Spring. He urged elected officials to pay attention and not let the efforts of progressive youth morph into repressive results.

Sharif wrote: “I hesitantly confess: I am Egyptian, I am half Jewish, and I am gay. I write this article in fear. Fear for my country, fear for my family, and fear for myself. I anticipate that I will be chastised, scorned, and most certainly threatened. From the vaunted class of Egyptian actor and personality, I might just become an Egyptian public enemy. And yet I speak out because I am a patriot. The troubling results of the recent parliamentary elections dealt secularists a particularly devastating blow. I write, with healthy respect for the dangers that may come, for fear that Egypt’s Arab Spring may be moving us backward, not forward.”

Attempted Gay (Fake) Weddings: Valentine’s Day news from China

According to People’s Daily Online, an online English-language Chinese newspaper, two same-gender couples (who weren’t really couples) tried to get married in Chaoyang yesterday. They were turned away, but it sounds like the city employees were pretty gracious about it. Cute picture below; you can read the article here.

-AidanAbroad