New Zealand Sees Spike In Number Of New Reported HIV Infections In Gay And Bisexual Men, Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade Espouses Marriage Equality, Openly Gay Politicians Play Critical Part In Same Sex Marriage Advancement, Navy “Censures” Senior Officers Over USS Enterprise Homophobic Videos, Joe Jonas Sweats, Jake Gyllenhaal Runs, Big Brother Brazil Contestant Lengthy Urination

The New Zealand Herald reports that a record number of gay and bisexual men were diagnosed with HIV in New Zealand in 2010, new statistics reveal, the AIDS Epidemiology Group at the University of Otago discovering 90 new infections of the virus which can lead to AIDS among gay and bisexual men in 2010. That compares with record low rates of new infections among straight men and women, who accounted for just 35 of the 149 new HIV diagnoses made through antibody testing. One child - born in 2006 - was diagnosed with HIV contracted from their mother in 2010. A further 39 people were diagnosed with AIDS. Of those, twenty-five were men infected through sex with other men, 11 through heterosexual sex, one through injecting drugs, and two where the means of infection was unknown. New Zealand Aids Foundation director Shaun Robinson said the statistics showed the HIV epidemic had never been worse for New Zealand's gay community, saying it raised "grave concerns" for the safety of gay and bisexual men. Not even in the early days of AIDS in the 1980s were rates of infection this bad in New Zealand." Robinson said 15 of the 23 people for whom the cause of HIV transmission was still unknown were likely to be gay or bisexual men. That would make 2010 the worst year for new infections among gay and bisexual men in history, he said. The previous peak was 93 in 2008. He called for more HIV testing to make sure the disease is diagnosed while it is still in its early stages, saying "These men may have had HIV and been sexually active for a long time before they were diagnosed which means they missed out on treatment and were also likely to be more infectious. This situation could have been avoided by regular HIV testing." However, he was encouraged by the lower rates of HIV infection among heterosexuals in New Zealand. Having just 35 new infections was remarkable considering new cases of the disease among heterosexuals reached a record high of 87 in 2006, he said. "That's great news for heterosexual New Zealanders and it should be a cause for celebration." There have been 3,474 people diagnosed with HIV in New Zealand, of whom 678 have since died. It is estimated there are 1800 people with HIV still living in the country.

Saturday, the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras began in Sydney, Australia, the Morning Herald reporting that thousands lined the route for the 34th annual parade with 15 floats from groups including those representing Amnesty International and Labour Faces for Marriage Equality lobbying for same sex marriage, as brides and brides and grooms and grooms were prominently featured in the parade in addition to cheerleaders, nuns, vampires and dancing Antoinettes, as well as Liberal Party leader Tony Abbott in Speedos and Prime Minister Julia Gillard in a wedding dress also espousing equality. Up to 300,000 spectators from Australian and overseas are believed to have gathered despite the cold and rain, carefully watched by more than 1000 police. Peter Madden, meanwhile, a Sydney pastor held a vigil in the city's CBD calling for the Mardi Gras to be held in a stadium and calling for the government to hold a referendum on same sex marriage. Madden, the director of Heal Our Land Ministries, had organized the vigil to draw attention to what he classifies the "subversive" attempts by politicians and Mardi Gras participants to legalize same sex marriage.

The Associated Press reports on the powerful impact made by openly gay politicians, noting that of America's 7,382 state legislators, only 85 are openly gay or lesbian, but they are however, playing a fundamental and often impassioned role when the agenda turns to recognizing same sex couples with civil unions or full marriage rights. In Hawaii and Illinois, for example, openly gay state representatives were lead sponsors of civil union bills signed into law earlier this year. In Maryland and Rhode Island, gay lawmakers are co-sponsoring pending bills that would legalize same-sex marriage. In New York, a gay senator, Tom Duane, is preparing to be lead sponsor of a marriage bill in his chamber later this session. "For my colleagues, knowing that I am not allowed to marry the person that I love and want to marry, that's very powerful," said Duane, a Democrat from Manhattan. "It's more difficult for them to take for granted the right they have to marry when I don't have it." Gay lawmakers have impact in two important ways. Their speeches, frequently deeply personal, can often convince wavering colleagues, and they can forge collegial relationships even with ideological enemies through day-to-day professional and social interaction. Representative Deborah Mell, a Chicago Democrat elected to the state House in 2008, brought her partner to legislative functions, and a year ago announced their engagement on the House floor. Her fiancé, Christin Baker, was on hand when Mell gave an emotional speech November 30th during the civil union debate, underscoring one of Mell's principle points – that under current law would bar doctors from consulting her if Baker, her partner for more than seven years, became seriously ill."The more visible we are, the better," Mell said. "When you look someone in the eyes, it's a little harder for them to deny that we should have the same rights."

CNN reports on the action – or lack thereof – taken by the Navy against some of its most senior officers for their failure to stop a series of homophobic, racist videos shown aboard the USS Enterprise between 2005 and 2007. Capitan Owen Honors already has lost command of the aircraft carrier over the videos and now must demonstrate why he should remain in the Navy. The most serious measures were a recommendation that the Navy secretary place "letters of censure" in the files of Honors as well as senior Navy officers including Rear Admiral Lawrence Rice and Ron Horton, who were commanders of the Enterprise when Honors, then the ship's second-in-command, was producing and showing the videos. Also facing a possible career-damaging letter of censure is Capt. John Dixon, former executive officer of Enterprise who held that second-in-command position after Honors. Such censure could (the operative word being “could”) have a devastating impact on careers, and might result in loss of rank and reduction of retirement income.

Joe Jonas, sexy and sweaty, spotted Sunday in Los Angeles.

Also seen Sunday, also sexy and sweaty - Jake Gyllenhaal.

If watching a smoking sexy contestant on Brazil’s Big Brother stumble to bathroom still drunk and urinate for over a minute into a small wastebasket is your idea of hot, you have just scored.