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Leonardo Da Vinci was GAY! »

The ultimate renaissance man, Leonardo was felt to represent not only humanity but also divinity itself. His famous drawing of Vitruvius Man demonstrates the perfection of the proportions of the human figure. Besides his amazing notebooks, he created the most famous religious painting in the world and, of course, the most famous portrait ever.

leonardo da vinci

The following is from Serge Bramly’s great book about him:

No other personality was so intimidating, no other career so difficult to encompass, so biographers often resort to the assumption that Leonardo embodied some superhuman quality: “il divino”. Vasari (a contemporary biographer of Leonardo) writes “there is something supernatural in the accumulation in one individual of so much beauty, grace, and might. With his right hand he could twist an iron horseshoe as if it were made of lead. In his liberality, he welcomed and gave food to any friend, rich or poor.” His kindness, his sweet nature, his eloquence (”his speech could bend in any direction the most obdurate of wills”) his regal magnanimity, his sense of humor, his love of wild creatures, his “terrible strength in argument, sustained by intelligence and memory,” the subtlety of his mind “which never ceased to devise inventions,” his aptitude for mathematics, science, music, poetry. What’s more, Leonardo was a man of “physical beauty beyond compare.”

How do we know Leonardo was gay?

When he was twenty-four years old, Leonardo was arrested, along with several young companions, on the charge of sodomy.

No witnesses appeared against them and eventually the charges were dropped. It must be said that often anonymous charges like this were brought against people just for a nuisance. Renaissance Florentines didn’t make the distinctions we make about sexuality today and apparently it was common for young men to get into sexual relationships; in fact, the word “Florenzer” was German slang for “homosexual”. Leonardo had no relationships with women, never married, had no children, and raised many young protégés, including one nicknamed “Salai” which means “offspring of Satan”. Salai (pictured below) stole things, broke things, lied, and was generally a, well, devil; if he were a mere student or servant he would have been sacked. It’s not hard for me to see how this imp would be attractive to Leonardo. He stayed with Leonardo for over twenty years, and appears many times in Leonardo’s sketchbooks.

leo-salai2 Leonardo Da Vinci was GAY!

From Serge Bramly, Leonardo: Discovering the Life of Leonardo Da Vinci (1991):

Among several citations under “Homosexuality” in the index are the following:

“Yet while no definite proof exists of Leonardo’s homosexuality, there are plenty of indications, in his drawings as well as in his writings, that he was attracted to males, and, as Freud puts it, ‘doubtful whether he ever embraced a woman with love’.” p. 119

“There is no record of any woman in his life — not even a female friendship. On the other hand, he was soon surrounding himself with a constantly renewed court of remarkably beautiful young men.” p. 119

There follows six pages on Salai, one of Leonardo’s “remarkably beautiful young men”, starting at p. 223. So there is no doubt that Mr. Bramly thinks that Leonardo was gay.

From Michael White, Leonardo, The First Scientist (2000):

“He [Leonardo] was a homosexual vegetarian born out of wedlock who received very little formal education and was excluded by birthright from almost all professions.” p. 7

About the sodomy accusation, he writes:

“It is possible that up to this time he had felt no real guilt about his homosexuality, that it had either been natural to him, or else he accepted it as part of his self-image; after all, there were certainly plenty of role models [in other Florentine painters] for him.” p. 72

In describing Leonardo’s relationship with Lorenzo de Medici, White writes:

“Lorenzo was heterosexual, later described by Machiavelli as “incredibly given to the pleasures of Venus”. Leonardo was homosexual with a very public sodomy trial behind him. However, it is certain the different sexual tastes of the two men would not have been a major factor in the progress of their relationship. After all, Lorenzo actively encouraged at least one other homosexual artist, Michelangelo, giving him a string of commissions and even opening his homes to him, treating him almost as a social equal.” p. 83-84

Then, writing about Salai, White says:

“Biographers have skirted the issue of Leonardo’s relationship with Salai because it has been a subject too sensitive to investigate candidly. Kenneth Clark, writing in the 1930s, simply refers to the relationship by saying “these facts… inevitably suggest that his relationship with the master was of a kind honored in classical times, and partly tolerated in the renaissance, in spite of the censure of the Church.” p. 137

“… Giacomo [Salai's real name] soon became a fixture in his life and was hardly to leave his side for the next three decades. From his actions and the way Leonardo treated him, Salai played the role of son, friend, helper, and quite possibly, lover.” p. 137

So there is no doubt that, like Mr. Bramly, Mr. White thinks that both Leonardo and Michelangelo were gay. So if you include Kenneth Clark, the British art historian whom White quotes, there’s three experts right there who think Leonardo was gay.

City of Sydney to introduce homophobia-free zones »

FIRST there were nuclear-free zones, then alcohol-free zones. Now Sydney is set to introduce “homophobia-free zones”.

In an Australian-first, City of Sydney council is moving to single out parts of the city for a crackdown on homophobic behaviour.

The policy is still being finalised but Oxford St, as well as parts of Darlinghurst, King St, Newtown and Erskineville Rd, Erskineville will be recognised by the council as gay and lesbian precincts.

The move, passed by a vote of five to four, could allow City of Sydney Council to revoke late-night trading privileges for venues if their patrons commit homophobic abuse or violence, and require venues to include anti-homophobia measures in staff training and patron management.

 City of Sydney to introduce homophobia-free zones

Local businesses will be encouraged to use signs and stickers to declare their premises homophobia free.

The council will to consult with police, the Aids Council of NSW and other community groups to develop the strategy.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the move recognises the “essential gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) character of Oxford St”. She added while all areas of NSW are technically “homophobia-free zones”, this strategy recognises the importance of the GLBT community.

Councillor Phillip Black, who proposed the plan, said the idea was similar to alcohol-free or nuclear-free zones.

“At this point, the ball is with council staff to develop a proposal that will come back to council over the next few months, but it could involve stickers, badges, posters and T-shirts similar to the Safe Place pink triangle campaign,” he said. “We have to create awareness that homophobia is not acceptable.”

But gay Sydney councillor Shayne Mallard, who voted against the idea, has labelled the plan “a PR stunt”.

“It’s a gimmick, a token effort to do with a very serious problem,” Mr Mallard said. “It’s essentially signs and stickers. What we need is more police and, if they don’t have the resources, council should provide money to employ security guards.

Drag Queen Maxi Shield, a City of Sydney Oxford Street Safety ambassador, said the idea “can’t hurt”.

“More education in anything doesn’t go astray, but we need both awareness and more police,” Ms Shield said.

homophobia

“We need more police presence and safety measures, not just putting a label on it.”

The strategy will operate in addition to two other council moves designed to make Oxford St safer and the Trading Premises Development Control Plan which was used to refuse the Gaff Nightclub’s application to virtually double its size.

Ms Moore said that decision followed objections from local residents about noise and “gay men also wrote to me about homophobic abuse from nightclub patrons”.

While Sydney may be leading Australia in anti-homophobia moves, the idea of is not a world-first.

In 2006, Juan Barreto, the Mayor of Venezuela’s capital Caracas, declared that city to be a “homophobia-free zone”.

Aussie Gay Diver Wins Gold At Beijing! »

Australia’s Gay Diver Matthew Mitcham has won the gold medal in the men’s 10m platform, ruining China’s bid for a clean sweep in the diving at the Beijing Olympics.

Matthew Mitcham

The 20-year-old Sydney-based diver overcame a botched opening effort to nail a perfect 10 in his second and an amazing 10-point final dive to steal victory from China’s Zhou Luxin.

Mitcham overcame a 32.50 point deficit on his final dive to win with 537.95 points from Zhou 533.15 and Russian 2007 world champion Gleb Galperin (525.8).

Chinese divers had won all seven of the previous diving events in Beijing but Mitcham ended the red-wash in the most dramatic of circumstances to prevent China being the first nation in over half a century to claim a cleansweep.

It appeared Mitcham’s inconsistency and nervous opening would cost him the gold medal but for the second time he nailed the back two and a half somersault with two and a half twists to surge home.

He was ninth after the first dive before rising to second with a string of 10-point scores for his next dive, a backward three-and-a-half somersault.

Mitcham again let the opportunity slip with a poor scoring third dive which left him over 26 points from unflappable Zhou and back in fourth place.

However Mitcham delivered two gems with his next couple of dives and then watched as Zhou botched his final attempt - for 74.80 points - leaving the Australian needing several 10s to win.

He duly delivered with four 10s from the seven judges to win by 4.80 points.

Mitcham was mobbed by teammates afterwards and stood with both arms raised in the air.

He bettered the silver medal won by Mathew Helm in Athens four years ago.

It is Australia’s second Olympic diving gold medal in as many Games after Chantelle Newbery also claimed victory in the 10m platform in Athens.

It has been a stunning comeback for former trampolinist Mitcham after he quit diving in 2006 only to return a year later after seeing his Australian teammates dive at the 2007 world championships in Melbourne.

He showed signs he could threaten for gold at these Games at the Australian championships earlier this year when he became the first diver in 14 years to win the treble - 1m, 3m and 10m events.

He also went on to win a World Cup event in Fort Lauderdale, USA.

Teammate Helm couldn’t replicate his Greek effort but still finished a respectable sixth with 467.70 points.

John Goodman: A Great Chubby Actor »

John Goodman

John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is a Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning American actor, perhaps best known for his roles on the television series Roseanne, and in several Hollywood films.

Goodman is famous for his role as Dan Conner on the American sitcom, Roseanne, which aired on ABC from 1988 to 1997. He has a long history of appearances on late night comedy shows, being the first guest on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, receiving the show’s “First Guest Medal” (Goodman joked that he would pawn the medal for a bottle of cheap scotch). He has been a popular guest host on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, having hosted the show twelve times (Goodman once auditioned to be a castmember for Jean Doumanian’s 1980-1981 tumultuous SNL season, but was rejected).

His many appearances on Saturday Night Live can be partially attributed to his recurring role as Linda Tripp during the Lewinsky scandal. Goodman is noted for his work in numerous films by Joel and Ethan Coen, including Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?. In the film King Ralph, he played a goodtimer who unexpectedly becomes the official head of state after the royal family dies in a freak electrical accident. In television, Goodman had a recurring role on The West Wing as fictional House Speaker Glen Allen Walken.

In the show, his character briefly served as Acting President when President of the United States Josiah Bartlet yielded power temporarily under the terms of the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Goodman also recently played an ornery judge on Sorkin’s newest show, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, earning a 2007 Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor - Drama Series for his performance. He voiced Robot Santa in the character’s first appearance on Futurama.

Beginning in 2007, Goodman has been the voiceover in Dunkin’ Donuts commercials. Goodman replaced John Belushi as Dan Aykroyd’s partner in the popular Blues Brothers Band, in which he first appeared as “Mighty” Mack McTeer on Saturday Night Live on March 25, 1995 and co-starred in the film Blues Brothers 2000. He continued to perform with Aykroyd (Elwood Blues) and Jim Belushi (Zee Blues) through 2001.

Health problems eventually forced Goodman to retire the character. Goodman’s most recent project is the film version of Speed Racer in which he plays the character of Pops, Speed Racer’s father.

Monument to gay Nazi victims smashed »

Berlin — A MONUMENT dedicated to the thousands of homosexuals persecuted and tortured by the Nazis has been vandalised in Berlin less than two months after it was unveiled, police said today.
The monument - a grey concrete slab that stands about 5m high - contains a window through which viewers can watch a video of a “never-ending” kiss between two men.

gay monument

kissing

The window had been smashed by unknown assailants, police said, adding the incident was being investigated.

The monument is in the heart of the capital close to the main Holocaust monument.

Hitler outlawed homosexuality in 1936 and convicted about 50,000 people for “unnatural” behaviour deemed unbecoming of the Aryan “master race”.

It is estimated the Nazis sent between 5000 and 15,000 gays to concentration camps together with Jews, political opponents, gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses and others deemed undesirable.

Once there, few were killed right away. Most were forced to wear a pink triangle, putting them at the bottom of the camp hierarchy, and died of hunger, disease, abuse or exhaustion. Very few returned.

The memorial cost €600,000 ($1.02 million) and was funded entirely by the government.

Support gay athletes in Beijing »

Members of the community are being encouraged by the Federation of the Gay Games to show their support for out gay and lesbian Olympians, including Australian diver Matthew Mitcham (pictured below), currently competing in Beijing.

matthew mitcham gay australian diver

In a written statement, the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) identified eleven openly-gay, lesbian and bisexual athletes taking part in the Beijing Olympics. Along with Mitcham, they include: Gay Games Ambassador Judith Arndt (Germany, cycling), Linda Bresonik (Germany, soccer), Imke Duplitzer (Germany, fencing), Vicky Galindo (USA, softball); Gro Hammerseng and Katja Nyberg (Norway, handball; they are a lesbian couple); Natasha Kai (USA, soccer), Lauren Lappin (USA, softball) Victoria “Vickan” Svensson (Sweden, soccer) and Rennae Stubbs (Australia, tennis).

FGG co-president, Sion O’Connor said: “The Federation is hoping that thousands of messages of support will be sent to these athletes as a sign of appreciation for all out athletes who practice sport at every level”.

Messages to Stubbs and Mitcham can be sent by visiting Telstra’s ‘Hero Message’ website.

The announcement came as the FGG put out a call on all Olympic athletes to participate in the next Gay Games, regardless of sexuality. The next Gay Games will be held in Cologne Germany in 2010.

FGG co-president Emy Ritt said the Gay Games “welcomes all sport and culture participants without regard to their sexual orientation, age or physical abilities”.

For more information, visit gaygames.com To leave a message of support, visit hero.telstra.com/olympics

Catch Matthew Mitcham represent Australia on August 18 and August 22.

New Gay Chub Gallery Added »

gay chub belly

Yes we have a new gallery of 60 odd gay chub pics just for you all. So do yourself a favour and check them out. These gay chubby images will knock your socks off. Enjoy!


CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR NEW GAY CHUB GALLERY

A Big Furry Bear Belly! »

furry bear belly

I don’t know what it is about Truckies that get me so turned on. But take this lovely hairy belly sent in by Dave from Adelaide, Australia. He tells us that he drives road trains which is an impressive thing. I have driven up the middle of Australia and those road trains can be scary as they roll past you. Dave spends his time delivering goods to the Northern Territory and enjoys meeting up with Bears and Chubs along the trip for some hot man on man action.

big trucker belly

Dave tells us a bit about himself:

I have been driving for twenty years now and the lifestyle is ingrained in me. I love the freedom of the road and all the sites and people you meet along the way. I have had a lot of men over the years and sometimes women too. I guess I am a bi-sexual but I just like to have fun. I was married once but she left me once she realised I loved the road more than her.

There seems to be many truckies out there that love to hook up at the truck stops. Suits me fine as I just really get off spending time with a fellow truck driver during a break. We often hook up on the CB radio and then meet up later on. I get so turned on sometimes I drive up the highway with a raging hard on the whole time.

I am just picturing Dave driving with a boner……yep that did it for me. Now I have wood as well! What a sexy bloke Dave is that enjoys all aspects of his job. Good luck to you mate and keep on trucking! If you want to be apart of my blog send in a picture(s) and a little about yourself to admin@justsomestuff.org