This is a very gay announcement

Thinkbeforeyouspeak.com has released its new campaign on the issue of teens experience homophobic remarks and harassment.

” This campaign aims to raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBT bias and behavior in America’s schools. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce and prevent the use of homophobic language in an effort to create a more positive environment for LGBT teens. The campaign also aims to reach adults, including school personnel and parents; their support of this message is crucial to the success of efforts to change behavior.”

I’d say this helps a lot more people than teens, really, many adults are still acting like a kid.

They have also enlisted Wanda Sykes and Hillary Duff to appear in two PSAs that draw attention to the phrase “that’s so gay” and its interpretations.

Prisoner of Love: Reality Show Gone Too Far

So there are many horrible reality shows out there, but this is kind of hard to top; On the new Dutch reality show“Prisoner of Love,” women go on blind dates with newly-released criminals and have to guess what crime they were jailed for. Am I the only one worried about the safety of the women? (Uh, having a blind date with an ex-rapist?)

The Sims 3: Official Trailer Released

It’s coming in 2009 but people around the world are already hyped about The Sims 3. The official EA site has just released a new video trailer yesterday and it’s better than ever. Step outside the the box and limitations of the old Sims and get ready for a whole new Sims world. Watch out for the guy with make-up, I have a feeling that he would be one of the main characters in the upcoming game. Check out the all-new screenshots, blogs from the developers, cool stuff, and more from The Sims 3 Team. And yes, the annoying jogger still runs past your house every morning.

Chad White as Icarus for OUT

For OUT’s September issue, photographer Francois Rousseau remade the myth with Chad White as a fashion forward Icarus. Icarus was the son of Daedalus, who crafted two sets of wax wings so he and his son could escape exile in Crete. He warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, which Icarus did. Icarus fell into the sea. Of course, he wasn’t wearing a feather scarf by Burberry Prorsum at the time.

See the full set of photos at OUT

Read, Read and Read

So it’s summer time and for those who rather stay in air-conditioned homes, here are some reading suggestions. They are not new so chances are you might have already read them, that’s why I’m listing out books that are good for re-reading. If you haven’t read them, you should. If you have, you would most likely agree on the fact that they are those who worth the time to be re-read.

Poppy Shakespeare by Clare Allan: You are probably wondering; “Wait, isn’t that a movie shown on Channel 4 starring Anna Maxwell Martin (Doctor Who, Becoming Jane) and Naomie Harris (28 Days Later, Pirates of the Caribbean, Miami Vice) from the producers of The Last King of Scotland ? Yes, and if you liked this laid-back fun TV movie directed by Benjamin Ross, chances are you are going to like the original more-in-depth novel. As the Guardian put it; “Catch-22 meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest…an electrifying debut…surreal, raucous, infuriating and very funny.”

Author preferred text version of American Gods by Neil Gaiman: I don’t think I need to say much about this one. It’s good, it’s grand and you’ve probably read it. Winner of the HUGO, NEBULA, BRAM STOKER, SFX and LOCUS awards, has written this novel of large themes with rich imagination. If you fell in loved with the novel, you might want to try the author’s preferred text. This version of American Gods is about twelve thousand words longer than the on that won all the awards, and it’s the version of which Gaiman is the most proud. Indulge yourself with this untrimmed version of American Gods this summer with a glass of long island iced tea!

The Second Week of Tokyo Gay Film Festival

This year’s Tokyo International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (TILGFF) is doing something different by expanding to encompass two locales over a total of eight days (July 11-13 and 17-21).

“While the festival’s second half will continue to make its home in the artsy venue of Spiral Hall in Tokyo’s fashionable Aoyama district, this past weekend’s films screened for the first time in festival history at the deluxe Wald 9 Cinemas in Shinjuku, adjacent to Tokyo’s famed gay neighborhood of Ni-chome.”

Read more about this event on Fridae.