Welcome

Copyranter notes: "Spirit once again tries to prove that, creatively, it's better to be fast than good."

The below promotional clip from Pride Toronto and Tourism Toronto has some complaining that it reinforces gay stereotypes.

In the video, instructor Brody wears skintight shorts to show off his glistening oil-rubbed skin, promoting a gym lifestyle centred on the fact that all gay men and women want is “the best chest.” Amid “sparkle crunches,” a “disco break,” a requisite “bear” appearance and a lesbian who is grossed out by a penis (some may be surprised to note that this woman has a deep voice), we can’t help but wonder how out of touch (or straight?) the person who cooked up Pride Toronto’s painful-to-watch and setting-back-the-movement promotional video was. If gay activism is on the rise, how will the community be taken seriously if the organization that fronts the city’s largest gay celebration backs these old-hat, shouldn’t-be jokes? If they were looking to shoot fish in a barrel, why didn’t the Pride committee just hire Big Gay Al?

Some folks need to lighten up, but it just wouldn't be Pride season without some controversy out of Toronto. Remember all the hoopla about Queers United Against Israeli Apartheid last year?

Steve Barnes at the Albany Times-Union reports:

A prominent billboard urging a local politician to vote for same-sex marriage has a restaurant source: Bombers Burrito Bar. The billboard, on I-787 south between I-90 and the Clinton Avenue exit, is addressed to Republican Roy McDonald, who voted against gay marriage while in the Assembly and, in 2009, as a state senator representing parts of Rensselaer and Saratoga counties. As my colleague Jimmy Vielkind reported last week, McDonald, who has been mum on the issue lately, is one of a handful of senators of both parties whose votes are uncertain.

Bombers Burrito Bar is owned by Matt Baumgartner, who owns several other restaurants across New York state.

Brisbane's safer-sex ad campaign has been reinstated after widespread outrage across Australia. The campaign had been yanked after complaints from an anti-gay Christian group.

Announcing their backflip this afternoon, the company said it had changed its mind because it did not realise it had been subjected to a campaign from the Australian Christian Lobby to remove the posters. “Following ACL Queensland director Wendy Francis’ acknowledgement that the complaints received by Adshel, Brisbane City Council and the Advertising Standards Bureau regarding QAHC’s campaign have been orchestrated by the Australian Christian Lobby, Adshel is reinstating the ‘Rip and Roll’ campaign," a company press release said. "Adshel earlier responded to a series of complaints by removing the campaign from its media panels yesterday. None of the complaints indicated any liaison with the ACL, so Adshel was made to believe that they originated from individual members of the public.”

Shades of the Sassy Best Friend. Randall's YouTube fans are split on this development, of course.

An anti-gay Christian group in Brisbane, Australia has forced an outdoor advertising company to yank a just-launched safer sex campaign. The ads featured a fully-clothed gay couple holding an unopened condom.

Adshel, the company that provides advertising for Brisbane's bus shelters; Goa Billboards; and the Advertising Standards Bureau were targeted in an orchestrated campaign by the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL). Healthy Communities executive director Paul Martin said it was extremely disheartening that Adshel had buckled. "Those of us who have been around fighting HIV in Queensland for a while will remember this kind of reaction from days gone by," he told AAP. "We certainly don't expect it in 2011."

ACL was trying to have gay people "erased from the public sphere", Mr Martin said. "It's an extreme minority of people who are very well organised and are able to launch this kind of action," he said. "The vast majority of Queenslanders support gay and lesbian rights." ACL Queensland director Wendy Francis said she objected to the sexual nature of the ads, not the fact the couple pictured were gay. Ms Francis was last year forced to apologise publicly after a Tweet likening gay marriage to legalising child abuse.

"Thank you for cleaning up the Viagra commercials Fox, but PLEASE what’s with the new tolerance for homosexuals campaign disguised as anti-bullying? Bullying is wrong. It is wrong for any reason. Apparently, American Idol with the help of Woody from Disney’s Toy Story, thinks that my 4th grader needs to be fully aware of the plight of teens who view themselves as 'gay.' I am sorry, but he doesn’t even know about heterosexual sex yet. Can you give me some room here? I am ticked because I feel tricked. Fox blew it last night. The point is parents felt secure in allowing our entire families watch this show. They lured us into a false sense of security and broke trust with us last night." - Concerned Women president Penny Nance, angry about this week's airing of Google's It Gets Better ad during American Idol.

An ad from the gay Christian group Believe Out Loud has been rejected by Sojourners, the supposedly progressive and gay-friendly Christian website. Read the rant of actual progressive Christian writer John Shore here. The ad is below.

(Via - Dan Savage)

Copyranter tips us to this possibly NSFW animated safer sex clip from France's AIDES.

Major whopping props to Google for airing this amazing ad during tonight's episode of Glee. Somebody hand me a tissue.