China raids gay businesses ahead of Olympics

Today's stories that have queer people talking

China is raiding its gay activists and businesses in an apparent attempt erase all evidence of homosexuality before Beijing hosts the Olympics starting August 8. In other Olympic news, the entire men’s synchronized swimming team appears to have gone missing.

Pierce Brosnan was voted top gay icon over 50 in a UK poll. The former James Bond still looks great but we’re glad the poll chose 50 as the cutoff age: while Ian McKellen would’ve been fine for an over-60 prize, anything higher would stick us with John McCain’s vogueing. Scary!

The owner of Crews Inn in Dallas is in trouble for banning drag queens on busy Tuesday nights but the owner of nearby Zippers says they’re always welcome. Leaving aside the blatant trans discrimination for a moment, I have to ask: Crews? Zippers? Are there only four names for gay bars out there?

Tom Cruise is in talks to return as flyboy Maverick in “Top Gun II.” Sorry, Tom, but your homoerotic volleyball days are two decades behind you. We’ve lost that lovin’ feeling!

A former editor of the late, lamented fab magazine, Scott has been writing for Xtra since 2007 on a variety of topics in news pieces, interviews, blogs, reviews and humour pieces. He lives on the Danforth with his boyfriend of 12 years, a manic Jack Russell Terrier, a well-stocked mini-bar and a shelf of toy Daleks.

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