Candlelight Vigil For Gay Suicide Victims In Hamilton Ontario, Campaign To Cleanse Africa Of Gays Continues, Chronicling Gay Homeless Youth In Los Angeles, Alarming Australian Study Suggest Young Gay Men Engaging In Risky Sexual Behaviours Unaware Of Consequences, Neil Patrick Harris To Star In Sondheim Revival, Neil Patrick Harris Hosts Video Game Awards, Chris Hemsworth

Friday night in Hamilton, Ontario a candle vigil to remember those who committed suicide because of gay bashing and bullying was attended by an estimated 100 people, the Spectator reports. They included Hamilton Centre Member of Parliament David Christopherson, who spoke of the progress of a private member’s bill proceeding through the House of Commons that, if passed, would prohibit discrimination of gender identity and gender expression under the Canadian Human Rights Act, Bill C-389 also designed to amend the Criminal Code to include those characteristics as factors in hate crimes. The bill passed a Commons vote Wednesday 143-131, and will almost certainly have a third reading in March. Christopherson said “We need to change attitudes, but we also need to ensure our laws protect (the LGBT) community. No matter how long it takes (to pass the bill), we will be there for it because nothing less is acceptable.”

The Washington Post reports on the alarming increase in attack against gays in Africa, precipitated by evangelical preachers, intolerant governments, and homophobic politicians, details on how gays and lesbians have been denied access to health care, detained, tortured, and in some cases, murdered. The Post writes that “The growing tide of homophobia comes at a time when gays in Africa are expressing themselves more openly, prompting greater media attention and debates about homosexuality. The rapid growth of Islam and evangelical forms of Christianity, both espousing conservative views on family values and marriage, have persuaded many Africans that homosexuality should not be tolerated in their societies.”

The Los Angeles Times on a sad reality: the growing numbers of gay homeless youth in Los Angeles County, “where they make up a disproportionate share of the at least 4,200 people under 25 who are homeless on any given day.”

A new Australian study suggests that an “alarming” cultural shift in which younger gay men appear more likely to take sexual risks and become infected with HIV earlier, the Sydney Morning Herald reporting that compared with older men, those under the age of 35 were more likely to have never been tested for HIV and more likely to report not knowing the HIV status of regular partners, and less likely to use condoms with casual or regular partners. Carol El-Hayek, epidemiologist at the Centre for Population Health at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne, who conducted the study, said “Recent focus group data have shown that younger MSM are less likely to discuss HIV and other sexually transmitted infections with peers," said Carol El-Hayek, Epidemiologist at the Centre for Population Health at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne."It has also been suggested that younger gay men may be more susceptible to engaging in risky sexual behaviour because they are less aware or less concerned about the implications of HIV since the introduction of (anti-retroviral treatment)."

Neil Patrick Harris has signed on to star in a production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, a musical about a perennial bachelor, his dating life, and his friends, the New York Times reports that Harris will appear in performances to run April 7th through the 9th, Harris thanking Sondheim for “filling every beat and note and moment with some intention,” adding that “It just allows the performer a great opportunity to mine as deep as they choose. My day job requires a shallowness that will be fun to play against.”

Saturday, Neil was seen arriving for his hosting duties at the Spike TV’s 2010 Video Game Awards.



Also in attendance, was the smouldering Chris Hemsworth, soon to be seen this spring opposite Natalie Portman as Thor.