In the land of the early-bird special, you’d think that there’d be no problem at all finding pre-theater dining options. But no, most early bird dining options require you to be seated before five. Even at a leisurely pace that leaves you with at least with an hour to kill after your dinner before an 8 p.m. curtain. I suppose you could take a walk to burn off those calories, but in South Florida that means you’ll end up a sweaty mess when you get to the theater. However, a few places offer pre-theater prix fixe meals which allow you time for a meal with plenty of time to get to the theater.

Audiences were shocked when the Al Pacino film "Cruising" was released in 1980. In the film, the Oscar winning Hollywood legend played a straight police detective in New York who goes undercover in the gay leather scene to find a killer. As the dark, disturbing story unfolds, he becomes more immersed in that world than he ever imagined he would.

A gay Republican -- it’s the unicorn of the political spectrum, and Fred Karger is the leader of the mystical herd.

This week read about Jeff Green donating to an LGBT group in Utah, and an LGBT club granted equal rights as other clubs after a lawsuit in Indiana.

Family’s courageous fight to adopt transcends state borders; further highlights need for federal protection for gay adoption.

Gay Days, the popular brand known for its annual festivities in Orlando, is making a pioneering move out to the desert Southwest.

RELIGION KEEPS RAISING ITS UGLY HEAD often turning back the clock on centuries of progress and enlightenment. As reported last week a barbaric law that makes gay sex punishable by caning has taken effect in the conservative Indonesian province of Aceh. Starting on Oct. 23, 2015 anyone caught having homosexual sex, Muslim or otherwise, faces up to 100 lashes, a fine of 2 lb. in gold and 8 years in jail. Adulterers also face 100 lashes but without fine or imprisonment.

The seeds we planted many winters ago blossomed last year. Forty-five years after Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon, legal pot and gay marriage have landed on Earth. It was one small step for man, one giant high for mankind. America is in a different place, and so is being homosexual.

As a junior at Brigham Young University, John Gustav-Wrathall was struggling with his sexuality, he was suicidal, and devastated over the idea of leaving behind the Mormon church that had been his entire life.

So it’s that time of year again where you have been going balls to the wall in the gym all year to make good gains in size, shape, and definition and now it’s time to peel back the layers and see all your hard work unfold. We all love a great set of shoulders, well defined chest, bulging biceps and a nicely sculpted midsection… Especially on ourselves!

Colby Keller is a porn star who has developed a considerable following from the CockyBoys website and his blog www.ColbyKeller.com. Featured in the film series “A Thing of Beauty,”and photographed for the affiliated coffee table book of the same name, the sexy Keller describes himself as “a big old man”— quite a contrast to the other CockyBoys.

On November 18, gay activist Gilbert Baker took to the streets to protest during Russia day at Wall Street. For the occasion, he sewed a 100-foot rainbow banner that required nearly 30 people to carry it. A message emblazoned on it read “Human rights Yes; Russian thugs Yes. NYSE WTF?” according to Baker.

“The message is to make our point to the very people that are doing money trading there,” he said. “I think what’s going on with the Olympics, and what’s going on in Russia. I think it’s important to show that Russia isn’t good in terms of human rights.”

Baker, 62, is a driver in LGBT advocacy and has used his sewing skills to raise global awareness. In 1978 in San Francisco, he constructed the rainbow flag with eight pieces of colored fabric. Each color stands for a meaning: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for the human spirit. Eventually, Baker constructed the flag with six colors and stopped using pink and indigo.

For Baker flags are about visibility and power as well as a beacon of hope. Before he created the rainbow flag, the sole gay symbol was the pink triangle that came out of Nazi Germany. Since this symbol had such a negative stigma Baker sought to give the community a symbol of hope with his rainbow flag.

While Baker has seen advances in gay rights since he first got involved in marches and activism in the late ‘70s in San Francisco, he thinks there’s still a tremendous way to go.

“We really have a global human rights problem. It’s not just Russia. Sure, it’s great to be gay in Miami, New York, in San Francisco, but it’s not possible to be gay in a lot of places,” he said. “Look at the gay situation in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, Indonesia. We have a human rights problem, yes, we have made some progress, but we really have a long difficult struggle ahead.”

“You can’t protest in Russia, but in America we yell and scream and make our point. The other side that hates an open sexual orientation says that we are going to hell. We also get backlash from gays that think we are rocking the boat. Gay people are not united, there’s class and race that divides us. But when you push buttons, you get pushed back. But it doesn’t stop me,” he shared.

At times Baker looks at the struggle for equality and thinks he’s up against the impossible, even though he refuses to give up. “I feel like a lot of times that I’m not getting anywhere, and that the situation is hopeless, I feel that way often, but then I have to look at the global picture like the guy in Uganda wearing a rainbow scarf. Now that makes me happy,” he said. “I hope that the world will change for the better, but it’s not going to happen in my lifetime. I use my art to make statements that I can have fun with. I am happy when I’m sewing, making things, and on the street. I’m happy when I’m solving things and making art and not thinking about the world’s problems.”

The small Kansas town bred activist lives in New York. While he’s known for creating beautiful banners and flags, he’s in the process of scoping out a new way to deliver his message for gay rights.

“I’m looking into printing designs on streets. I love making giant flags, but they don’t last that long. Printing the flag image along a street has this horizon to horizon, sea to sea, larger than life appeal,” he said. “The problem with flags is they wear out. They don’t last – even my big flagpole projects. I love them but you have to constantly change them since they fade. Imagine printing my flag on asphalt, it’s more permanent. So that’s what I’m looking into now.”

Visit www.GilbertBaker.com for more information.

Not long ago, Steve Grand was a little-known, young singer/songwriter from the Chicago suburbs. But that all changed in July, when his self-funded music video, All-American Boy, was posted to YouTube.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haitian authorities on Thursday closed an orphanage for boys founded three decades ago by a U.S. citizen facing accusations he sexually abused children in his care.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A disciplinary hearing began Monday for an Oregon judge who is accused of a variety of ethics violations that include screening marriage applicants to exclude same-sex couples.

Lee Roy Reams adores Dolly Levi.

Homosexuality was once considered a normal part of life — especially in ancient Greece. But in modern times gays and lesbians have had it rough. Thankfully it’s not a crime anymore in the U.S. but in some parts of the world, it’s not only a crime, but is still punishable by death. For the most part though, those laws aren’t used to execute LGBT people.

Tyler Curry has a smile that radiates life and a body to match. He’s healthy, happy and seems, for the most part, carefree.

Phil Lauderhill takes medications daily to treat his condition. Lauderhill, 36, has been HIV positive for 10 years now, but like most people cannot afford to pay for his treatment alone.

Let’s face it, going out for dinner is a crap shoot. Even if a place is great, the day you decide to check it out might happen to be the day that the head chef calls in sick, your server is hung-over, the busboy is pre-occupied about a fight with his boyfriend, the bartender’s cat died or three staff members didn’t show up for their shifts. Or, maybe all of the above. Good luck having a great dining experience then. Or, you may hit the place on the one night when everything “clicks” and you have an incredible experience.

While no means complete, this list pays homage to some of the more iconic and groundbreaking LGBT characters to have graced the small screen.

Wakefield Poole wanted to make “artistic, erotic—not dirty” films. And he did. He had blockbuster successes with “Boys in the Sand” and “Bijou” although not with his fascinating flop, “Bible!”

Gays in Central Europe are finding an increasingly hostile environment

In the past few years the LGBT community has seen a string of victories from the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the Supreme Court case overturning the Defense of Marriage Act, to voters approving gay marriage in three states at the ballot box and a sitting president coming out in favor of marriage equality.

When HEtravel.com asked me to lead its brand new tour “Italy Unveiled,” I was delighted to read its itinerary, finding myself among the targeted: those who have seen the major attractions of Italy (Florence, Tuscany, Venice, etc.) and want to explore some of its lesser known regions. I greeted my charges, well-traveled couples and singles ages 30s to 70s, in Rome at an extravagant welcome dinner at Ba’Ghetto in the old Jewish quarter of the city.

Ever since James Franco emerged in Hollywood, gay men around the country have been infatuated with the actor, who Salon.com named the sexiest man alive in 2009.

JACL endorsed marriage equality in 1994

With cable, Web series, and independent films offering openly gay actors exposure, a trio of out actors are generating attention and breaking stereotypes by playing gay characters that mirror viewers’ lives as well as their own.

It was serendipity that Kylar Broadus was born on the same day as Martin Luther King, Jr.’s march on Washington, D.C.

Fifty years ago, William Shatner first hit the airwaves as the dashing starship captain James T. Kirk on “Star Trek,” inspiring generations of devoted fans. But in the decades since that first journey into deep space, he has also created unforgettable characters as the star of the police drama, “T.J. Hooker,” the eccentric attorney Denny Crane on “Boston Legal,” and a quirky caricature of himself in the infamous Priceline commercials.