York University Study Suggests Gay Men Have Bilateral Brains, Police Constable Mark Carter Appears In British Court On Sexual Assault Charges, Texan GOP Platform Opposes Census Bureau And Red Light Cameras And All Gays, San Francisco HIV/AIDS Expert Retires Fatigued By insurance Industry Interference

A new study from York University in Toronto suggests that gay men are able to recall familiar faces faster and with greater accuracy than straight men, because, according to the study, gay men use both sides of their brains. The study, published in the journal Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition, shows that homosexual men display patterns of bilateralism – the usage of both sides of the brain, a theory that explains why over the years I have cultivated so many, unlikely celebrity friends.

27 year old Police constable Mark Carter appeared in Leeds Magistrates’ Court Tuesday charged with one count of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of an attempted sexual assault the result of an incident at the Etap Hotel in Leeds on December 19th, 2009. Carter, who was crowned Mr. Gay UK in 2006,was set free on bail and will appear in Leeds Crown Court on June 29th. During Tuesday’s brief hearing the court heard the charges involve four alleged victims and the alleged assaults are said to have occurred over two days between December 18th and 19th. Carter was also charged with possession of the class C drug Stanazol.

The Texas Republican Party released its 2010 state party platform, and it reads like fiction, frightening, paranoid fiction in fact. Among the lowlights: an opposition to affirmative action, to the census bureau, and a belief that red light cameras be banned. Also, under a section titled Strengthening Families, Protecting Life and Promoting Health, the platforms calls for a ban on gay marriage and of homosexuality says “we believe that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases. Homosexual behaviour is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God, recognized by our county’s founders, and shared by a majority of Texans. Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable ‘alternative’ lifestyle in our public education and policy, nor should family be redefined to include homosexual ‘couples.’ We are opposed to any granting of special legal entitlements, refuse to recognize, or grant special privileges including, but not limited to: marriage between persons of the same sex (regardless of the state of origin), custody of children by homosexuals, homosexual partner insurance or retirement benefits. We opposed any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.”

Doctor Marcus Conant, among the first and the best AIDS specialists in San Francisco, has left the city and his practice, having grown weary of interference by the insurance industry in the United States and spiralling costs. Dr. Conant has been in private practice for decades and in 1981 was one of the first to diagnose cases of Kaposi’s sarcoma, the cancer-like skin disease that became hallmark of the AIDS epidemic. In 1982, he started the organization that would eventually become the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.