Police are investigating the suspected robbery of a 26-year-old man who was found naked and badly burned in the lobby of a Polo Grounds building at 8th Ave. and 155th St. in Manhattan. Trevor Lyons' clothes were found on the 16th floor of the building, where it appears he was attacked at about 8 a.m. Saturday morning. Lyons was attending what the Daily News described as a "drug-fueled party" in the building. He is not......

In a televised address Monday night, Polish President Lech Kaczynski showed a clip depicting a gay couple (pictured) from Queens getting married in Toronto five years ago. Kaczynski’s anti-gay speech was meant to warn Polish conservatives about what lies ahead if Poland ratifies the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights. Here's TV news coverage of the gay marriage storm gathering at Poland's borders. The two men in the video, Brian Fay, a documentary producer, and......

Senator John McCain at a campaign stop in San Antonio, TX by Eric Gay/AP CNN, NBC, and the AP are projecting Senator John McCain will clinch the Republican presidential campaign, after winning the primaries in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island and clinching the 1,191 delegates needed. A source tells NBC that President Bush has invited McCain to the White House tomorrow and will endorse him. McCain will be having a victory party in......

The principal of a renowned Catholic boys’ high school in the Bronx resigned recently after pornographic images were found on his office computer. Christopher Keogan, the principal of Cardinal Hayes High School, says the allegations are “absolutely, positively 100% false." Officials have confirmed that Keogan’s hard drive was storing pictures of nude men and that since there were no minors depicted, Keogan does not face any criminal charges, though of course his career is destroyed.......

Two lawsuits currently wending their way through New York courts are forcing judges to grapple with the legal ramifications of “gay divorce.” In one case, State Supreme Court Justice Laura Drager is allowing a Manhattan woman to sue for divorce and custody of children borne by a woman she married in Canada in 2004. The ruling echoes a recent appellate court decision in Rochester that found "out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples must be legally recognized......

Photograph at left of David Diehl, Guy Whimper and Kevin Booth touching the Vince Lombardi trophy by David J. Philip/AP; photograph at right of Michael Strahan kissing the trophy by Eric Gay/AP 11:27PM: We're enjoying the postgame coverage of the Giants' victory, with sad Tom Brady, really excited Michael Strahan (singing Eli's praises), Peyton Manning being thrilled with his brother's success (aw!) and thoughts from the 1972 Dolpins, secure with their undefeated record for......

A New York State appellate court ruled that under the federal concept of the "marriage recognition rule," which grants reciprocity to the bond of marriage formed in other states, it will recognize gay marriages solemnized in other states. As one of the largest states in the nation, this is a huge step for proponents of normalizing same-sex marriages. Gay marriages still aren't allowed in New York State, although a young mayor in New Paltz, NY......

Photo of Tom Coughlin reflected in the Vince Lombardi Trophy during a press conference by AP/Eric Gay After two weeks of hype, Super Bowl XLII is finally around the corner. The Giants have reached the ultimate game with a chance to prevent history by ruining the Patriots' quest for a perfect 19-0 season. During those two weeks of hype since the NFC Championship, there has been a frenzy of media covering Tom Brady and......

One of the ten suspects arrested in the Q train beating of a Jewish man during Hanukkah is saying that hate crime charges are completely uncalled for because he himself is Jewish. Joseph Jirovec Jr. was arrested two weeks ago after a group of Hanukkah revelers was beaten while on a the Q train after wishing happy holidays to other riders. Members of a crowd on the train took objection to the Jewish greetings and......

The story of Philadelphia anchorwoman Alycia Lane gets stranger and stranger. Her first call upon release from custody after punching a NYPD officer was, according to the Philadelphia Daily News, to Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell. A spokesman for the Pennsylvania governor told the paper, she did it to "make sure he knew her side of the story because he is an opinion-maker and runs around in influential circles." And "I think she knew better than......

It’s said that when Dick Cheney was tasked with vetting potential Veeps for the Bush campaign, he carefully considered all the applicants before recommending the best man for the job: himself. Perhaps tearing a page from Vader’s playbook, Dark Lord Balthazar – AKA Gawker Media Czar Nick Denton – has found the ideal replacement to helm his flagship website in the wake of managing editor Choire Sicha’s resignation: an eager young go-getter from sector 7G......

A week and a half ago, former NJ Governor James McGreevey and his ex-wife Dina Matos McGreevey were fighting over a birthday party McGreevey and his partner were planning for 6-year-old daughter Jacqueline, another public spat in their contentious divorce. In spite of a judge's repeated requests for the McGreeveys to settle their differences for the sake of their daughter, we know a lot about their squabbling. The Post runs down the greatest hits. Matos......

Last month, New York City kicked off a big global advertising campaign to attract more tourists to the Big Apple. The ads appear in a number of venues, and the Post notes that media space has been bought in Out magazine and on the LOGO network, as well as LGBT websites. A Bloomberg administration official explains that gay and lesbians have more disposable income, as they are usually dual-income without kids, "What we're saying......

December is here, and the responsible citizens behind National Drunk and Drugged Driving (3D) Prevention Month have their work cut out for them, because this month is also National Egg Nog Month. On Monday night the fabulous folks at Mount Gay Rum (no comments, please) will be kicking off the month-long nogathon with an eggsellent event at the swank World Bar, former home of the world’s most expensive cocktail, located in the Trump World Tower.......

Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey and his ex-wife Dina Matos McGreevey are making sure they're not letting the best interests of their six-year-old daughter get in the way of their bitter divorce. The publicly feuding pair were back in court yesterday, where they were excoriated by a judge. The McGreeveys split when the governor resigned amidst a sex harassment scandal in which he famously announced that he was "a gay-American.""The hatred you have for......

MOVIE: BAM pays homage to the late Barbara Stanwyck tonight with a screening of Forbidden. The 1932 Frank Capra-directed film (which tells the tale of a librarian who has fallen for an unobtainable/married man) was supposedly influenced by his real-life affair with the leading lady. Critic and historian Elliott Stein will discuss the film after the 6:50 screening. 4:30, 6:50 and 915pm // BAM Rose Cinemas [30 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene] // $11 Meanwhile, the......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on Rockaway Ave. in Brooklyn, a pedestrian fatally struck on Cypress and Flushing Aves. in Brooklyn, and another pedestrian fatally struck on Fish Ave. and Boston Rd. in the Bronx. A former judge and WWII veteran who lost his mind, his legal autonomy, and then his fortune. The sad conclusion of his troubles are that two historic theaters have been closed. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly does some......

The Sklar Brothers spent years living in New York, working their way through the alternative comedy scene, becoming in demand performers, and eventually getting their own MTV show, Apt 2F, and later a Comedy Central Special. Then, once they had moved to LA and gotten comfortable, they were sent back into New York to film their show Cheap Seats for ESPN Classics. It seems like the Sklars just can't stay away from the city because......

Earlier today, the Reverend Pat Robertson endorsed Rudy Giuliani for president, showing that the former mayor was able to win over an influential Christian conservative leader. Robertson explained,"To me, the overriding issue before the American people is the defense of our population from the bloodlust of Islamic terrorists.... We need a leader with a bold vision who is not afraid to tackle the challenges ahead." And he acknowledged Rudy's NYC history, "Rudy Giuliani took a......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an officer assaulted on Church Ave. and 53rd St. in Brooklyn, a car into a coffee shop in the area of Skillman and 50th in Queens, and two people shot on Park Ave. and 17th St. in Manhattan. An insurance broker pleaded guilty to idiotic target practice that launched arrows from his compound bow on the Upper East Side. Bono and Bloomberg's mutual admiration society. Brooklyn state Assemblyman Dov......

19-year-old Gideon Glick may still walk and talk like an ordinary young adult, but the past few years for the Philadelphia-bred actor have been quite extraordinary. An openly gay adolescent since seventh grade, Glick was catapulted to the top of the New York theatrical mountain last year through his portrayal of a young man discovering his homosexuality in the Broadway hit Spring Awakening. (The sexually-charged musical was adapted from the controversial 1891 play by Frank......

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling spent the past week meeting with school children across the country as part of her Open Book Tour. Greeted like a rock star in Los Angeles, she told the crowd she isn't immediately writing the Harry Potter encyclopedia. And last night was her final stop, an event at Carnegie Hall, where it appears she saved for the best for last, as she spilled the beans about various characters during a......

ART: Secrets of Coney Island Creek opens at the Brooklyn Public Library tonight. The exhibit of photographs by photog/author/Coney Island native Charles Denson goes back to the 1960s "when the waterway was at a low point, surrounded by industry and suffering from neglect and pollution. Since then, portions of the creek have been reclaimed, drawing both wildlife and residents to its shores. The photographs in Secrets of Coney Island Creek document those early decades and......

Ann Bannon’s 1950s lesbian pulp novels, The Beebo Brinker Chronicles, have long been beloved for their vivid portrayal of secretive homosexual subcultures in ultra-repressed America. The series has been recently adapted for the stage by Hourglass Group; their production charts the parallel lives of two amorous sorority sisters who painfully part ways after graduation. Beth settles down and starts a family; Laura heads to New York where, after a torrid affair with the titular Beebo......

A year after Michael Sandy was lured to a parking lot at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn under the pretense of a sexual encounter and then killed in an attempted robbery, the spot on Sheepshead Bay continues to be a place where men congregate for furtive homosexual encounters. John Fox and Anthony Fortunato were both convicted last week of manslaughter as a hate crime in the death of Sandy, who was struck by a car......

Anthony Fortunato was found guilty of manslaughter as a hate crime yesterday, after intense arguments by the jury. He was the second man found guilty of the crime. Fortunato was accused of killing Michael Sandy in a hate crime after luring him to a known gay cruising spot at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn. The encounter ended with Sandy being chased and beaten onto the Belt Parkway where he was struck by a car and later......

John Fox was found guilty of manslaughter in the killing of Michael Sandy. Fox was convicted on charges of a hate crime and manslaughter, but not murder, for chasing Michael Sandy onto the Belt Parkway where he was fatally struck by a car. Three men are on trial for Sandy's killing: John Fox, Ilya Shurov, and Michael Fortunato. A fourth man, Michael Timmins, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for his testimony. Fox......

Accused murderer Michael Fortunato is pinning his hopes of exoneration by baring his soul on the stand and revealing that he was an until-now closeted gay person. In the opening statements of the trial, the lawyer for Michael Fortunato––the purported ringleader of the three men charged––stated that his client was not guilty of a hate crime murder against a gay man because he himself was gay. Michael Sandy was attacked by a group of men......

A police officer has filed a lawsuit against the police department, accusing the NYPD of discrimination and harassment because he is openly gay. Five-year veteran Michael Harrington said that his career had stalled after coming out to a coworker in 2003. He listed a number of grievances in his court papers:He was repeatedly called "faggot" at the 75th Precinct in Brooklyn and received a note that said "Die, you c---" During a domestic disturbance call,......

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke today, giving a speech and sort of answers some of questions posed by Columbia University President Lee Bollinger and School of International and Public Affairs Dean John Coatsworth. We're sure video and transcripts will come shortly, but in the meant time, The Bwog, New York, and City Room have been liveblogging the speech. Here's a sample of questions posed, via the City Room:In response to a question about the treatment......