Cape Breton Regional Mayor John Morgan Among The Hundreds Celebrating Pride, Fairness West Virginia Launches Anti-Bullying Initiative, Buffalo News Reports Gay Bashing But Stumbles Over Pronouns, Esurance Online Campaign Donates $50,000 To The Trevor Project, Zac Efron Wink Winks, David Beckham Surfs, Vivienne Westwood Finally Says What We All Have Been Thinking About Kate Middleton, Alexander McQueen Met Exhibit Closes Breaking Records

In the 11 years since pride parades became an annual aspect of a Sydney summer, event organizers are still overwhelmed with the level of acceptance shown by the Cape Breton community, the Post reports that such was the case again on Saturday when the local gay, lesbian and transgender community were joined by friends in their march through the streets of Sydney. “We thought when we first started that we would have all kinds of slurs yelled out at us, tomatoes thrown,” said Peter Steele, co-chair of Pride Cape Breton and the Pride festival producer. “However, it was surprising to see every sidewalk packed three people deep with applause and everything else. That was a good boost to keep things going.” As the most recent parade made its way through downtown Sydney interested and supportive onlookers lined the streets waving flags as participants passed. “We have to protect everyone’s rights and treat everyone equally but we have to celebrate everybody and show pride in all of our citizens,” said Cape Breton Regional Municipality mayor John Morgan who was among the many parade participants. “I think on that basis I want to be here and be part of it and ensure that we send a message out that the CBRM is a big tent with a great diversity of people and we welcome and cherish all of our citizens.”

Fairness West Virginia, a state-wide advocacy group that promotes civil rights and fair treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents, has launched a new campaign with the goal of creating effective anti-bullying policies in West Virginia, according to a report by the Charleston Gazette. Too often across the state, anti-bullying policies are generic and don't do enough to protect children and teenagers on the basis of sexual orientation, said Fairness WV Program Director Bradley Milam. Fairness WV has partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia for the campaign, dubbed "West Virginia Bully-Free." Milam cited findings from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network's 2009 National School Climate Survey. The survey of more than 7,260 middle school and high school students found that nearly nine in 10 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students had experienced harassment at school within the previous year, and about two-thirds felt unsafe because of their sexual orientation. However, students who attend schools with an anti-bullying policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity protections heard fewer homophobic remarks. They also were victimized less often and reported that school employees were more likely to intervene during incidents of harassment. "It is a campaign that will show the public as well as policymakers that we need to have a much more effective policy here," Milam said. The Fairness website features videos and written stories of young West Virginians who experienced bullying, isolation and intimidation when they were growing up in school. Two former students from St. Albans, identified only as "Matthew" and "Michael," tell their stories. Matthew, a 22-year-old gay man, said bullies really started to harass him once he started middle school. "Bullies made my life hell. I was name called, pushed, shoved, spit on, and threatened," he wrote. "I denied who I was on a daily basis. I did poorly in my classes and became very depressed. I was constantly looking for an escape that would never come." By sharing stories, the Fairness and ACLU officials hope to show policymakers that current anti-bullying policies don't go nearly far enough, and that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students especially are constant targets of harassment. "We're hoping to further develop the website and the campaign in the coming months," Milam said. "Eventually, in time, we're going to have a few more videos."

According to the Buffalo News, a reported case of “gay bashing” ended with an assault on the victim Saturday night, police said. The 19-year-old victim told police he was visiting a friend’s house on Linwood Avenue and that his boyfriend was there, calling him names. When the victim asked the man to refrain, he instead punched him in the mouth, knocking him momentarily unconscious. Upon awakening, the victim was punched repeatedly, resulting in assorted minor injuries that required treatment at an area hospital. Police said there has been ongoing tension between the two men and advised the victim to seek a arrest warrant. In the actual report, the News mistakenly uses the pronoun “her.”

Esurance, the direct-to-consumer personal car insurance company, today announced that the company donated $50,000 to The Trevor Project, the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. Esurance recently launched the charitable giving campaign on its Facebook page. For each new "Like," the company donated $10 to The Trevor Project to help support the Trevor Lifeline, a 24 hour, 7 day a week crisis intervention phone hotline offering free and confidential suicide prevention counselling to youth nationwide.

Zac Efron, in a steamy New Orleans, spotted offering a smile and a wink, more than enough.

David Beckham and his brood of boys – Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz – spotted surfing off the shores of their rented Malibu home.

Vivienne Westwood finally says it – Kate Middleton’s makeup, um, not so much.

The New York Times reports that when all was said and done at the close of the wondrous exhibition “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” on Sunday night, the final attendance count reached 661,509 visitors since the show opened on May 4, making it the eighth biggest show on record at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibition broke the attendance record for the Met’s Costume Institute a week ago, surpassing the 2008 show “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy,” which had 576,000. Nearly 80,000 people saw the McQueen show during its final week, as the museum stayed open until midnight for its final two nights.