BC gives us this year's Mr Gay Canada

Rob Goddard is Mr. Gay Canada 2011

A Vancouver bartender from Smithers B.C. has won the title of Mr Gay Canada and will represent the nation at the third annual Mr. Gay World competition on March 9 in the Philippines.

Rob Goddard, who says he moved to the city so he would be more readily accepted as a gay man, released a statement calling the win, "an incredible opportunity to meet courageous men from around the world who all have a unique story, and who want to make a difference in improving the human rights conditions that they face in their home country and around the world."

"It is a great honour to use the platform of 'Mr. Gay World' to share my experiences as a gay man privileged to come from a far less discriminating nation such as Canada - a country that borders a 'free' super-power country that is STILL divided over the rights and acceptance of non-straights," he continued.

Online voting for My Gay World begins on February 21, 2011. Representatives of 24 countries will take part in the event.

You can follow Rob on the Mr. Gay Canada Facebook page

What Is Your Talent? ( Qual É O Seu Talento? )

These two gents recently appeared on Brazil's Qual É O Seu Talento? (What Is Your Talent?). 

 Sure, there were gasps in the audience (and a noticeable "Uhhhh!" from the show's Ryan Seacrest) when the pair smooched at the end, and while I don't speak Portuguese, I think the judges liked it.

Queerty reader Luc Santos says this is the first gay kiss on Brazilian television — or at least the first "more than a peck" kiss.

Was The King's Speech filmed on a Porn set?

Have you seen The King's Speech? 

Well it looks like key scenes of the award-winning movie were filmed on the same set as scenes from a recent gay porn video from UK Naked Men. UK Naked Men is a very popular XXX website that produces original content featuring men from the British Isles. 

In the first instance the space is depicted as a comfortable, and very royal, sitting room whereas in the UKNM video it is described as a 'dingy run-down snooker club'.

33 Portland Place is one of the largest and most remarkable houses in London: a rare and exquisite example of a magnificent eighteenth century residence. It is where Edward Davenport and his celebrity friends host the most glamorous and exclusive parties in London. 

There's more proof after the link - Click on the Post Headline! Article contains images that are NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK situations.

The Met in 3D : Lepage

Met Opera season kicks off with Lepage's Rheingold

Canadian director Robert Lepage, who wowed New York opera-lovers with his Das Rheingold last fall, is bringing a new technical innovation to the Metropolitan Opera stage: 3D.

His production of Siegfried for the Met's upcoming 2012-13 season will feature 3D projections that will enhance the setting around some of the world's top opera singers.

Opera patrons will not have to wear special glasses. Instead, Montreal firm Réalisations, which has worked with Lepage's Ex Machina production company, has developed a new technology that allows projected 3D images on-stage to be seen without special eyewear.

For instance, an opera singer might move inside a projection of a castle, which would appear three-dimensional to the audience. As the singer moves, the set around him or her would shift in what appears to be 3D.

Réalisations has previously created effects for Cirque du Soleil and other theatre groups.

Gaga gaga over 'Peg girl

Maria Aragon, 10, of Winnipeg is getting a lot of attention on YouTube thanks to an endorsement by pop superstar Lady Gaga.

Maria posted a YouTube video of herself playing keyboard and singing a cover of Lady Gaga's latest song, Born This Way. It was posted on Feb. 16 but was pushed into the spotlight on Thursday when Gaga herself mentioned it on her Twitter page.

"Can't stop crying watching this. This is why I make music. She is the future," Gaga's posting stated.

As of this post, the number of Views is: 12,747,000
... you're amazing!
Here is the original post on YouTube:

Prayers for Libya

Al Jazeera is currently in Preview on Rogers Cable here in Ottawa.

With all that has been happening in Northern Africa, I have been watching it more and more - finding that it gives a variety of perspectives that put North American news channels to shame.

Heard about this website there and found the post below.

Not only am I struck by the poignancy of the messages, but the technology itself - publishing voice recordings through cellphones where internet is not available.

We (North Americans) may pride ourselves on our technological advancement here in Canada, but the people in the Middle East are forging new ways of communicating which leave us far behind.

I am not a religious person, but I am praying for Libya to make it through this without further pain. ...

Libyan Army !!! 
Start PROTECTING THE PEOPLE from Ghaddafi & the mercenary forces that he has hired ... BEING NEUTRAL IS NO LONGER NEUTRAL !

The Sound of a Free Egypt

Protesters in Tahrir Square celebrate after Mubarek steps down.

For all 18 days, I witnessed on TV the determination, the terror, the frustration, the love, the peacefulness and the joy of the Egyptian Revolution.

This video and song depict the people of Egypt in Tahrir Square as the rest of us watched history unfold. Whether you understand the words or not, the song carries a genuine feeling of strength, joy, peace and the Humanity of the Egyptian people. Beautiful!



Click on the link to read a partial translation of the words.

I was Born This Way

Lady Gaga emerged from a cosmic egg with pointy prosthetic shoulders at The Grammys last week to make a simple but powerful statement about being true to oneself.

You can listen to her new song called Born This Way here.


She may have had the outfits and choreography but the message is the much the same as the Born This Way blog which posts pictures like the one below that illustrate it's Statement of Purpose:

A photo/essay project for gay adults (of all genders) to submit pictures from their childhood (roughly ages 2 to 12) - with snapshots that capture them, innocently, showing the beginnings of their innate LGBT selves. It's OUR nature, our TRUTH!

Click here to see a nice collection from Born This Way on BuzzFeed.

The Epic Story of Sapporo Beer

This commercial (short film?) for Sapporo, by the firm Dentsu out of Canada, is just so astonishingly good: a two-minute upward vertical scroll through the bowels and history of Japan. It's embedded below, but do watch it in a larger format for the full effect.

One big step forward ... Human Rights Act to shield transgender, transsexual Canadians

2. The purpose of this Act is to extend the laws in Canada to give effect, within the purview of matters coming within the legislative authority of Parliament, to the principle that all individuals should have an opportunity equal with other individuals to make for themselves the lives that they are able and wish to have and to have their needs accommodated, consistent with their duties and obligations as members of society, without being hindered in or prevented from doing so by discriminatory practices based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, family status, disability or conviction for an offence for which a pardon has been granted.

OTTAWA — The House of Commons passed a bill Wednesday that will amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code to protect transgender and transsexual Canadians from discrimination.

"It's a great day," said the bill's author, NDP MP Bill Siksay. "It's been in the works for six years, and it's great to see people from all parties supporting the bill. This is not a partisan issue, it's a human rights issue."

When all heads were counted, 143 MPs voted for Bill C-389 and 135 voted against.

The amendments proposed in the bill prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression through adding "gender identity" and "gender expression" to the list of prohibited grounds for discrimination in the Canada Human Rights Act, and through adding transgender and transsexual Canadians as identifiable groups in the Criminal Code's hate crimes law.

The term 'gender expression' refers to an individual's outward expression of their inward sense of gender, Siksay said.

A majority of Conservative members voted against the bill, prompting opposition members to applaud Tory ministers and members Lawrence Cannon, Lisa Raitt, John Baird, John Moore, Shelly Glover and Gerald Keddy when they rose to their feet to support the bill.