T.R. Knight says NO to the tune of $50K

Following this assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• Some good news and some bad news. The good news is that T.R. Knight has donated $50,000 to help defeat Proposition 8, which would strip same-sex couples in California of their right to marry. The bad news: The supporters of the bill are ahead in fundraising efforts and in the polls, so we need more people like Knight (the first gay Hollywoodian to pony up that kind of cash) to step up to the plate. For more info and to donate to the cause, check out NoOnProp8.

• The optimistically-titled LA Times piece "California Leads the Nation in Gay Rights" points out that even if Proposition 8 goes through (*shudder*), the state is still the pioneer for LGBT equality. Replied New York: "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!"

Marc Felion and Fausto Fernós of Feast of Fools with drag queen Teri Yaki as Amanda

• I'll totally watch the October 17th What Not to Wear episode where the gay Feast of Fools guys throw their female friend Amanda to the ever-fabulous Clinton and Stacy for renovation. Apparently the producers have said that it's "the gayest episode ever" ... isn't that kind of like saying that one of the Golden Girls eps was the "most menopausal"?

• Out British comedy actor Richard Wilson (Merlin, Doctor Who, One Foot in the Grave, Father Ted) will host the next Stonewall Awards, which honor entertainers who have had positive impact upon the lives of LGBT people.

Chad Allen (with Adam Grimes) is among the few out actors in soaps

• TVGuide Canada's soaps editor posted a lengthy discussion of why there are so few out actors in daytime (Lea DeLaria and Chad Allen, who's technically in nighttime, being the only two), when gay characters are becoming more common both before and after naptime.

• And in today's "gay porn past" news: Defamer is reporting that the new VP of casting for FremantleMedia (the company behind American Idol and The Price is Right) began his Hollywood career as gay porn star Jordan Young. Idol from the Sky, indeed!

And today's Briefs are brought to you by...

Following this assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• British LGBT advocacy group Stonewall has secured the support of celebs like James Sutton (Hollyoaks) Dan Gillespie-Sells (out lead singer of The Feelings), Sir Ian McKellen, Dannii Minogue, comedian Alan Carr, and Mark Feehily (Westlife) to promote the "Some people are Gay. Get over it!" anti-bullying campaign.

• The IFP will honor out director Gus Van Sant at this year's Gotham Awards, and in conjunction with the filmmaker's latest project will be donating cameras to New York's Harvey Milk High School and starting a mentorship program (in conjunction with NewFest) to encourage young LGBT filmmakers. It's news like this that makes it worth getting up in the morning, yaknow?

• Okay, this review of the disastrous remake of The Women from The Stranger written by "Diane Keaton" is genius. It had me at "What's up, bitches?"

Soon-to-be wed lovebirds George Takei and Brad Altman

• Everyone's favorite wacky gay uncles, George Takei and hubby Brad Altman, will wed officially this Sunday. It's not too late to send them a blender! (Seriously, that's awesome, and we send our best!)

• Okay, so we're not exactly BFFs with some of the folks at Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. But having Shirley Manson's new character pose as a urinal? Somebody over there really does have issues.

And today's Briefs are brought to you by...

While Heinz was receiving kudos in the gay media for a rather clever ad ending in a same-sex kiss, the usual suspects were getting their knickers in a twist over the ad.

Bill O'Reilly brought it up on his show, where Bill-O yelled "It was obviously a gay thing! I don't know what the message is, other than gay people like mayonnaise..." and prompting guest Bernard Goldberg to call Bill-O "nuts". When both guests failed to see what was worth getting so excited about, the hothead pundit protested, "I didn't say it was terrible... This whole 'gender-blending' thing, it's confusing to me. I just want mayonnaise, I don't want guys kissing." (You can watch the full clip here. I think I'll bookmark that link for the next time Bill-O wonders why San Francisco threw a pink brick at him.)

However, the ad also raised protests in the UK where it aired. Nearly 200 complaints were made to the Advertising Standards Authority and it's likely to be one of the most-complained about ads of the year. As you'd expect, some the complaints are of the 'I had to explain that gay people exist to my children!' variety. (Interestingly, the ads aren't allowed to air during children's programs; not because of the same-sex kiss but because of the nutritional content of the mayo.)

Heinz has pulled the ads, citing the action as part of a policy "to listen to consumers." However, there is now a backlash to the backlash as one gay rights group, Stonewall, is now calling for a boycott of Heinz products in response to the ads being pulled, saying that Heinz had fallen for an "orchestrated campaign of complaints." I tend to think Stonewall is on the right track. I've experienced this kind of hubub from a marketer's perspective and had to take those irate phone calls; sometimes pulling a controversial ad is just a matter of trying to get the phone to stop ringing. Sadly, sometimes the only way to keep the squeaky wheel from getting all the grease is to squeak even louder.

Do you think the boycott threat is one that's warranted? Would you join such a boycott in the UK or even participate from outside the UK? Discuss it in the comments!

Are you sitting down? It's been long, long over due, but at last Hollyoaks has finally won an award! The show was a worthy winner at the 2007 Stonewall Awards, having been named Broadcast of the Year, thanks to its sensitive depiction of the gay love affair between teenagers John Paul McQueen (James Sutton) and Craig Dean (Guy Burnet).

The Stonewall Awards, which took place on November 1 at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum before an audience of more than 400 people, praised the show for its "sympathetic and convincing handling" of the "gritty and emotional" storyline.

Speaking to the Digital Spy website, Hollyoaks producer Bryan Kirkwood said: "I'm really chuffed that Hollyoaks has been recognized at the Stonewall Awards. It's a really prestigious award and one that means a lot the show, to James and Guy, to our writers and most importantly the audience that engaged with the story."

James Sutton was both thrilled and humbled by the award, adding: "Stonewall is such an important organization and it's amazing that we've been recognized by them for all the hard work we put into the storyline."

Elsewhere, Russell T. Davies lost out to lesbian Scottish crime novelist Val McDermid for Writer of the Year and Dan Gillespie Sells, the openly gay lead singer of The Feeling, won the award for Entertainer of the Year.

Other winners included openly gay international rugby referee Nigel Owens for Sports Personality of the Year; and former secretary of the Homosexual Law Reform Society, Antony Grey bagged the award for Hero of the Year. The Stonewall & Barclays Community Group of the Year award went to the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard.

Villain of the evening was the Bishop of Hereford, Anthony Priddis, who was crowned Bigot of the Year, after an employment tribunal found the Bishop unlawfully withdrew a job offer to a gay youth worker after subjecting him to humiliating personal questioning.

Stonewall’s second annual awards ceremony takes place at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum on November 1, 2007.

The awards, to be hosted by television presenter Anthony Crank (pictured at left), are designed to celebrate the positive contributions being made by individuals and organisations to the lives of gay people in Britain.

Nominees include actor and TV presenter Antony Cotton, Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright and lesbian rapper Mz Fontaine for Entertainer of the Year; Hollyoaks and Doctor Who for Broadcast/Broadcaster of the Year; and Russell T Davies and Scottish author Val McDermid for Writer of the Year. Former premiership footballer Graeme Le Saux, an activist for gay rights in football, is nominated in the Sportsperson of the Year category.

Winners from six categories will be chosen by a panel of judges, which includes Matt Lucas, Clare Balding, Nicky Campbell and Paul Gambaccini.

Former professional NBA basketball star John Amaechi and Beth Ditto, lead singer of rock band The Gossip and an advocate of gay equality, are both up for the accolade of Hero of the Year. While Top Gear presenter and journalist, Jeremy Clarkson, who refused to apologize after being reprimanded by BBC bosses for his derogatory gay jibes on prime time television, is one of several nominees up for Bigot of the Year. Both of these accolades are chosen by a vote cast by Stonewall supporters from across Britain.

Stonewall, which was founded in 1989, is renowned for its campaigning and lobbying. Last year’s awards ceremony was hosted by one of the organization's most high-profile founders, stage and screen actor Sir Ian McKellen.

Here's some news I'm pretty excited about: work has begun on The Last Dance Raid: The Event That Changed Gay History, a documentary examining a 1965 event that many credit as being a turning point for gay rights in San Francisco.

The event in question was a New Year's Eve dance at the California Hall that had the support of The Council on Religion and the Homosexual, a group of San Francisco religious leaders who argued against police harassment of LGBT people. Despite attempts to work with the police in planning the ball, it was raided soon after it began and ministers (as well as the pregnant wife of one minister) were arrested along with the gay attendees of the party.

Those arrests got people to reconsider their view of gays facing police harassment, not only was it shocking to see ministers arrested along with gays (since the ministers' presence put doubt to the idea that "They must've been doing something wrong if the police arrested them.") but it made people listen when local religious leaders spoke against the discrimination that was a part of everyday life for LGBT people.

I never knew about the Council on Religion and the Homosexual until I lived in San Francisco. Since then I've been disappointed that this part of gay history isn't better known. In some ways, it's an interesting contrast to the Stonewall Riots. The California Hall raid was a turning point that involved heterosexual supporters standing up for gays, while Stonewall was about gays standing up for themselves.

Right now, we're seeing a few documentaries examining gays and religion, like Camp Out, which is about gay, Christan teens reconciling their faith with their sexuality. Or For the Bible Tells Me So, which questions if the Bible really does condemn homosexuality. The Last Dance Raid brings a unique take, looking at religious leaders who didn't see a conflict between religion and being gay back as far as 1965.

The Last Dance Raid is still in development at the moment, with the producers seeking funding to finish it.