Just in, a New York appeals court has ruled that valid gay marriages performed in other states or countries must be recognized. For now, that means that marriages performed in MA, Canada and other countries would be valid in New York state. This is the first ruling of its kind in the US. Let's hope it's not the last.

I'm going to dive into your bed and slap some serious cuddle-rape on you or betch slap you. Keep reading to find out which.

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has been around some 25 years now. Yet it seems we still know little about the disease. But new reports this week brought us insightful facts on the epidemic and the search for a cure. New statistics show that under 1 percent of US adults have HIV, this study did not include prisoners or children, and in Colombia as many 117,500 people have been infected. Controversy is sure to follow Swiss experts who claim some HIV patients can have unprotected sex without worry of passing the disease.

It seems Zapatero's Socialist Party in Spain is in for a bruising fight with the Catholic Church. The church now outrightly campaigning against the party in parliament elections scheduled for March. In recent months the church has organized rallies with the hopes of reversing progressive reforms implemented in 2005, including gay marriage. Spanish officials quickly told the church to butt out.

Here's Ukrainian Eurovision song contest looser Verka Serduchka, not your average drag queen.

From the column marked expecting: Ethan Hawke and girlfriend are expecting a bundle of joy, Martie Maguire says she's pregnant, and Gwen Stefani is pregnant too. Call me Gwen, I think we could be best friends, no doubt.

The Red Robin® chicken continues to be furious over comments made by the Chick-Fil-A® cow Spicy Skirtsteak in this column two weeks ago. In that exclusive, pedal-to-the-metal interview Skirtsteak said, “Eat mor chikin. Spisee fried chikin with barbetchup, if you like.” The Red Robin® chicken claims the remarks were dangerous and harebrained. “Don't be fooled by that down-home act,” she recently told me in a phone conversation. “That frail knows exactly what she's doing. Spicy fried chicken with barbetchup can kill a person or leave 'em slervous.” The Red Robin® chicken explained that the natural mellowing agents found in ketchup combine with the kick of the barbecue sauce leaving a person sleepy and nervous simultaneously. “How does a person die from eating spicy fried chicken with barbetchup?” I asked. “Throw in a pound of cocaine and a liter of Russian vodka and we'll see if you make it past the cheesecake shooter, kid!” the Red Robin® chicken responded, then added, “I gotta fly, my manager needs eggs.”

Walter Weeks is a writer for On Top Magazine and can be reached at ww@ontopmag.com

The Gay Slant pops-in most Saturdays at On Top Magazine