Thousands March In South African Gay Pride Parade, Norway Warns Malawi To Stop Persecuting Gays, Three Hayward Cousins Admit To Targeting Gay Men With BB Gun, Dieux du Stade Preview, Zachary Quinto Makes The Scene Solo

In Cape Town, South Africa Saturday, thousands of individuals, gay and straight, took part in a celebratory Pride march, protesting against hate and homophobia. South Africa, whose constitution authored in the period post-apartheid, legalized same sex unions in 2006, but discrimination, particularly in poor townships, still exists. The parade participants denounced the proposed Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009.

Meanwhile, Norwegian Minister of International Development Erik Solhem, on an official state visit to Malawi, warned that the county needs to demonstrate more tolerance towards homosexuality and to end the persecution and prosecution of gay men and women. The Minister made specific mention of Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, the gay men imprisoned since December 27th, charged and convicted of committing unnatural acts and of gross public indecency. “My concern,” said Solhem, is “that the continued remand of the gay couple will negatively impact on the good perceptions that people have Malawi internationally. Malawi has been on the limelight internationally for achieving food security over the years and because of other good economic programs but if the gay issue is not handled well it can negatively impact on this.”

An update to a posting from last week, the three cousins from Hayward, California who allegedly shot a 27 year old man in San Francisco in the face with a BB rifle and recorded the incident, have admitted to police that they came to the city to target gay men. All three are scheduled to appear in court next week when they will be arraigned on assault charges as well as a hate crime stipulation.

A preview of the Dieux du Stade: Gods of the Stadium, the stunningly sexy coffee table book by photographer Tony Duran, to be published on May 15th.

The seriously stylish Zachary Quinto Saturday, sadly without boyfriend Chris Pine, spotted arriving to the Chanel and Charles Finch pre-Academy Award party celebrating fashion and film.