E Article: John Travolta’s Gay Drama Continues He Is Sued For Libel By Controversial Gay Bathhouse Author Robert Randolph!!!
Thu., Jun. 21, 2012 6:02 PM PDT by NATALIE FINN
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesThe John Travolta legal web just got stickier.
The recently put-upon actor and attorney Marty Singer have been sued by the author of a self-published book about gay bathhouse culture called You’ll Never Spa in This Town Again, who is accusing the pair of trade libel following Singer’s legal threats on behalf of Travolta when Gawker published an article about the parts of Randolph’s book concerning the actor’s sex life.
In a statement to E! News, a rep for Travolta called the lawsuit “absurd” and Singer called it “ridiculous.”
So, why does plaintiff Robert Randolph believe that the defendants have sullied his reputation?
According to the lawsuit filed yesterday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Gawker published an article in November 2010 about Randolph’s book, entitled “The Secret Sex Life of John Travolta,” which detailed alleged encounters between himself and various celebrities, including Travolta.
Singer threatened legal action against Gawker Media, sending a cease-and-desist letter listing multiple reasons why Randolph couldn’t be believed—among them that he had, according to several people, spent time in mental institutions; his memory was distorted after a 2003 attack at a spa that left him brain damaged; and he returned to the spa where the violent attack at the hands of a fellow patron allegedly took place, only to be attacked again.
Gawker, in turn, posted the entire letter online.
“This letter exceeded the scope of any pre-litigation communications,” Randolph’s lawsuit contends.
Arguing that his memory is “fully operational,” the plaintiff states that Singer and Travolta acted with the intent of preventing Randolph’s book from selling and any other lucrative deals that could have arisen from the book’s success.
Randolph is asking for unspecified damages for trade libel, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage.
In addition to calling the lawsuit absurd, Travolta’s rep predicted that a judge will promptly throw it out.
MORE: Should John Travolta Be Worried With Gloria Allred on the Case?
Singer, meanwhile, tells E! News: “This is a ridiculous lawsuit. It is based on our letter which was completely privileged under the law. We intend to sue the attorneys for malicious prosecution after the court promptly dismisses this baseless lawsuit.”
Most recently, Singer vehemently defended Travolta when he was sued by two masseurs who alleged sexual battery. Both have since dropped their lawsuits and are being represented by Gloria Allred, who was in turn sued by their original attorney, who accused Allred of poaching his clients. Allred has denied those claims.
Interesting Article: The Sports World Is Not Ready For Gay Male Athletes To Come Out There Is A Code Of Silence.
  Gregorio Borgia / Associated Press Antonio Cassano drew derision for his homophobic comments. Italian striker Antonio Cassano may be good at opening up defenses, but opening up his big mouth is a problem. His dumb comments on gay soccer players drew derision at Euro 2012 earlier this month. He hoped there were no “queers” on the Italian team. Later, he issued the predictable mea culpa apology, most likely written by someone skilled in the verse of damage control. An estimated 500,000 professionals have kicked soccer balls across the globe. So far, only one top pro has come out as gay, the late Justin Fashanu of England. Tennis, rugby and other sports have witnessed gay athletes coming out. So what of soccer? English academic Ellis Cashmore, author of “Making Sense of Sports,” published research last year in the Journal of Sport and Social Issues. Ninety-three percent of participants in the broad survey, which included average fans and people involved professionally in British soccer, opposed homophobia. So I asked him this week: Why have no openly gay players emerged? “Gay players are already known by the clubs’ front offices as well as other players, perhaps game officials and agents; they observe a code of silence,” Cashmore said. “Reason? They assume it is in none of their interests to make it known if a player is gay. Other players think they will be mocked by players from other teams, front offices think it will hurt the club’s ‘brand’ if it is seen as the only club to have an openly gay player, refs and other officials have members of their own fraternity who are gay and wish to remain in-closet, and agents mistakenly assume their own commissions will take a hit if one of their clients is known to be gay. When a player comes out or is outed, they will all reflect on how wrong they were. Fans’ reactions will be surprisingly muted.” But the reaction is unlikely to be silent at first. “There’s no doubt that the first one or two players who come out will experience what British soccer fans call ‘stick,’ i.e. good-humored reprimands or chastisement, which can often be sharp but is essentially not malevolent,” Cashmore told me last year. “They will also encounter more serious forms of bigotry from sections of the crowd. It will be mean, nasty and wounding.” Who wants to go to a job and be publicly berated every week? Ace German strikerMario Gomez, in an interview last year with German magazine Bunte, said, “Being gay should no longer be a taboo topic.” Cashmore believes the spectacle will be less cruel over time. “Once the players show their mettle, their sexual orientation will recede in importance. Fans the world over are interested principally in performance on the field of play.” So where can we find gay soccer players? San Francisco Spikes is a predominantly gay soccer club playing in Bay Area leagues. Jay Higa plays defense, a veteran of 20 years. So how is it being a soccer player who happens to be gay? “It’s changed a lot,” Higa said. “On the field it doesn’t really matter. Every year it is getting easier. Soccer is not so much a blue-collar sport so I think soccer players in the U.S. might be a little more tolerant. I see some soccer stars coming out in the next 10 years. It won’t be as difficult as a football or baseball player coming out. And it will give us another person to look up to.” — A short film about the club, “Beyond the Team,” directed by Tim Kulikowski, is featured at the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. It’s showing Saturday at 4:15 p.m. at the Victoria Theater, 2961 16th St., San Francisco. |
Sydney Morning Herald Article: Gay Marriage Conscience Vote Will Stop Same Sex Marriage Becoming Legal In Australia.
Supporters of same-sex marriage are delaying a final vote in federal parliament hoping to shore up their numbers.
- ADVOCATES of same-sex marriage accept Parliament will defeat two bills later this year calling to legalise gay marriage but believe public pressure will ultimately prevail.
The Finance Minister, Penny Wong, one of the strongest proponents for a change to the Marriage Act, said yesterday that change would come.
”I think the campaign is not going to go away because, ultimately, it’s a campaign for people’s equality,” she said.
Same-sex marriage … proponent Penny Wong believes change will come. Photo: Andrew MearesA seven-member parliamentary committee split 4-2 against same-sex marriage yesterday with one abstention as it handed down a report which contained no recommendations, only information for all politicians to use to inform their final decision.
The committee chairman and Labor MP, Graham Perrett, along with fellow Labor MP Laura Smyth, favoured gay marriage while Liberal MPs Sharman Stone and Ross Vasta, and Labor’s Mike Symon and Shane Neumann opposed it.
The other member, the Liberal moderate Judi Moylan, gave no separate opinion.
Because both pieces of legislation are private members bills, time set aside to debate them is limited and no vote is expected until the end of this year at the earliest.
Priority will be given to the bill introduced by the NSW Labor MP Stephen Jones. The other is a Greens bill, sponsored by Adam Bandt.
”We’re short of the numbers at the moment but anything could change,” Mr Jones said.
The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, will vote against gay marriage but has allowed Labor MPs a conscience vote. Number crunchers estimate about 36 of the 70 Labor MPs will vote for same-sex marriage while 10 to 15 are undecided and the rest will vote against.
Tony Abbott will not allow a conscience vote and all Coalition MPs are required to vote against same-sex marriage. Backbenchers can cross the floor but any frontbencher who does so would have to resign from the shadow ministry.
Mr Bandt, who will hold off on his bill until later this year or next year, said the delay between the start of debate and the final vote would be used to increase public pressure on political leaders, especially Mr Abbott, to have a change of heart.
”I’m optimistic of achieving reform within the life of this Parliament with some more discussion and more persuasion,” he said.
Parliament’s standing committee on social policy and legal affairs received a record 276,437 responses to an online survey it conducted as part of its inquiry.
Church groups and the Australian Christian Lobby have fiercely campaigned against gay marriage, despite Labor’s bill exonerating the churches and any other religious groups from having to marry gay people.
Mr Perrett, who holds a marginal Queensland seat, said ”it is important to remember that God did not write the Marriage Act”.
With public opinion polls consistently showing majority support for same-sex marriage, Mr Perrett said it was incumbent upon MPs to respond to growing public support ”by categorically opposing laws that legitimise discrimination”.
Ms Stone and Mr Vasta said the Liberals had promised before the federal election not to legalise gay marriage.
”I do not accept that the view towards marriage has changed since the 2010 federal election,” Ms Stone said.
Blind Item: Hip Hop Star Sean “P Diddy” Combs Is Bisexual Likes Having Sex With Younger Men.
Three Men And A Hip Hop Mogul
[Gawker] Which Hip-Hop Mogul Is Not Very Discreet About His Gay Romps With Young Men? Three young men, to be exact, according to the source. They were all “summoned” to the mogul’s apartment for some downlow fun. He was very enthusiastic about giving bl*w jobs and very effeminate, which is odd, considering his rep as a ladies’ man. Our source says that he entertained his visitors “while his assistants typed on their laptops and waited for him to finish.”
Mr. Mogul doesn’t seem to mind that most in his inner circle know of his extracurricular proclivities, but he certainly doesn’t want it public. Yet.
My guess is Sean Combs the rumours have swirled for many years he is bisexual and his heterosexual image is just an illusion. Since the rap industry is very homophobic it isn’t surprising that P Diddy can’t come out of the closet. Being gay is career suicide for a male rapper. Since Sean Combs is on the down low he can have the best of both worlds.
Gayblackcanada 