Rugby To Beefcake To Opera

(Tipped by JMG reader Piet)

The Gay Who Wasn't Gay Enough

MSNBC Interviews Ben Cohen

CNN Speaks To Ben Cohen

Ben Cohen Wants To Meet You

Having never heard his decidedly non-posh accent before, I think I like Ben Cohen even more, if that's possible. This clip is posted to Cyndi Lauper's We Give A Damn channel.

Mark Bingham's Mom On Bin Laden

"I am going to miss my son every day of my life but this, the death of Osama bin Laden, seems to be perfect closure for the foul and evil deeds that that man has committed. Bill Clinton made a real effort to root out Osama bin Laden. George W. Bush promised the American public that we will not rest until we have Osama bin Laden in our control, and then Barack Obama was able to make good the promises and efforts of his two predecessors. I'm very grateful to all three men for their strength and their persistence in this project." - Alice Hoagland, mother of openly gay rugby player and 9/11 hero Mark Bingham, speaking to the Bay Area Reporter.

RELATED: The documentary With You, The Mark Bingham Story previews at the Castro Theater on June 18th.

Quote Of The Day - Ben Cohen

"It is disappointing to see this. As a professional athlete and rugby World Cup champion, I understand the heat and passion of competition at the highest levels. But we must all remember that strong bodies must be balanced with strong characters, and works toward that end. Our positions as role models demand it." - Straight ally Ben Cohen, saying he's disappointed with Kobe Bryant.

Drink For Equality With Ben Cohen

British rugby star and passionate straight ally Ben Cohen is teaming up with gay and gay-friendly rugby clubs for a series of events called "Beer With Ben," which will raise money for GLSEN. The Advocate reports:

The Ben Cohen Acceptance Tour will visit Atlanta, New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., in May to raise awareness and funds, and encourage people to stand up against homophobia, bullying and standing up for equality, tolerance and mutual respect. The Acceptance Tour 2011 will aid the activities of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network.

The tour begins in the UK next month.

Gareth Thomas - It Gets Better

Gotham Knights - It Gets Better

HomoQuotable - Will Coxhead

"I'm absolutely gutted that a couple of people in the gay community have ruined this for everyone else. I'm proud to be gay, proud to be an Air New Zealander and extremely proud of my role in the safety video. Obviously there are some people in the gay community that can be a little precious and need to lighten up. If anything this particular scene shows a bit of light hearted humour about the situation." - Will Coxhead (above left), flight attendant for Air New Zealand, who has removed a scene from their comical in-flight safety video in which Coxhead is rebuffed when he invites a kiss from an All Blacks rugby star.

When the clip was released back in August, I noted the grimace on the face of the rugby player, but most of you felt the moment was playful and inoffensive.

Atlanta Ruggers - It Gets Better

SF Fog Rugby Club - It Gets Better

Air New Zealand Safety Film: Hot Ruggers & A Rebuffed Kiss Request From A Steward

The new passenger safety film from Air New Zealand is cute enough and includes lots of hotties from the famed All Blacks rugby club. But I'm not sure how I feel about the kiss request from the male flight attendant, which is turned down with a grimace by the handsome player. At the 2:45 mark.

Mickey Rourke As Gareth Thomas?

According to British tabloid The Sun, Mickey Rourke has signed on to play Welsh rugby star Gareth Thomas in a movie about the newly out national sports hero.

The two met for dinner last week after Rourke had been a guest on Jonathan Ross' last BBC chat show. Their managers are now trying to work out a deal to make a movie based on the life of Wales's most-capped rugby union international. Oscar-nominated Rourke, 57 - a former boxer - is believed to have wanted to do a film about rugby for some time. But he did not have a suitable story until he read about full-back Thomas. Thomas, 35 - who last year became the first rugby union player to reveal he was gay - has since switched codes to play for Wrexham-based league side Crusaders.

Rourke is way too old to play Gareth Thomas.

(Via - The Advocate)

Rugby Club Fined After Fans Taunt Gareth Thomas With Homophobic Chants

A British rugby team has been fined £40,000 after its fans taunted openly gay star Gareth Thomas with homophobic chants.

The Yorkshire club was punished by the Rugby Football League (RFL) for the abuse Thomas received from its supporters at a March 26th match against the Crusaders. A statement from the RFL said: "Castleford were found guilty of unacceptable behaviour, of breaching the RFL's respect policy, of misconduct by their supporters and of conduct prejudicial to the interests of the sport. "The tribunal was chaired by his Honour Judge Rodney Grant, who criticised the club for failing to take steps to stop the homophobic chanting, for failing to identify the perpetrators, for failing to challenge the chanting and for their failure to undertake a meaningful inquiry afterwards." The March game was Thomas' second for the Crusaders after he switched from rugby union to rugby league.

The team is expected to appeal the fine.

VIDEO: The 2010 Bingham Cup

JMG reader Sean Chapin sends us his videos of this year's Bingham Cup rugby championships, where NYC's Gotham Knights beat defending champions the Sydney Convicts. In the second clip, Alice Hoglan, the mother of 9/11 hero Mark Bingham, delivers a great speech.

Gotham Knights Win Bingham Cup

NYC's Gotham Knights rugby club won the Bingham Cup tournament in Minneapolis yesterday, beating the Sydney Convicts, the two-time defending champions. JMG reader Sean Chapin attended and writes:

The New York Gotham Knights have won the Bingham Cup 2010 against the Sydney Convicts by a final score of 18 to 15. It was a closely fought battle with three lead changes throughout the game, and Sydney missed a penalty kick (like a field goal in American football) at the end of the match, which would have sent the match into overtime if it was made. Other winners of the three-day tournament included the Los Angeles Rebellion (Bingham Plate), Sydney Convicts B Team (Bingham Bowl), Dublin Emerald Warriors (Bingham Shield), Phoenix Storm (Alice Hoagland Crest) and Seattle Quake B Team (Bingham Spoon). Members from 30 clubs attended, with 24 teams fielded in the tournament, and the Minneapolis Mayhem Rugby Football Club were fantastic as hosts of the well-executed tournament.

The tournament is named for Mark Bingham, the openly gay rugby player who is believed to be one of the passengers who fought back against the hijackers of United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11th, 2001.

[Photo credit: Grant Bowers]

Friendly Voices - Ben Cohen

"I have had numerous e-mails, mainly from young men who have been inspired by me in some way, and so have had the courage to come out to their friends and families and so live fulfilled lives. I have also been told that I have helped parents come around to the fact that their son is gay. I have no idea how I have managed to do that, I have to confess – but if my openness has done that then it seems that it is the right way to be." - British rugby star and calendar man Ben Cohen, speaking to Compete Magazine. Cohen praises fellow rugby star Gareth Thomas for having come out and says that it's time for gay players in other sports to do the same.

May 26: Gotham Knights Bachelor Auction

On May 26th members of the Gotham Knights rugby club will be auctioned off at NYC's Splash Bar. Proceeds to benefit the NYC LGBT Community Center.