Friday News - Sorry folks, that I've been away today. No, it's not because of a hangover, even though it is in fact Friday. I was busy, but now that it's taken me so long, at least the Washington Blade has posted this week's stories online, and there is so much to cover.

Okay, first up, we now have the gay sequel to last month's straight HIV true crime story from the Mount Rushmore State. (How lame a nickname is that?) Seriously, though, the question of legal sanctions against "intentional" spread of HIV is a real conundrum. While these two seem to be pretty bad apples, in the garden variety hookup I can understand the arguments against sending one party to jail when the other seems just as culpable for not asking. (Of course there's no excuse for not taking precautions, either way. Shouldn't that be relevant in the criminal case?) These laws are very concrete examples of the age-old battle between individual freedoms and responsibilities on the one hand and the defense of the common good on the other. I've always found it interesting that HIV provokes far stronger support for individual rights than, say, tuberculosis. But ever since its discovery as the "gay cancer", HIV has been so much more than just another contagious disease.

Next, there's been fallout from the Mike Piazza saga. Perhaps predictably, the focus has shifted from the sexuality of the player to the media ethics of the press. Many voiced condemnation of the NY Post for publishing an unsubstantiated rumor in the first place. Even the Post's own sports columnist Wally Matthews has quit or was fired (versions differ) because of a disagreement over whether the Post would publish his column criticizing the Post for its would-be outing of the Met. No matter how much fun salacious gossip is, you gotta feel for this guy, especially in a fight against Rupert Murdoch and his Aussie bastards at the Post. See more on the subject from Jim Romenesko.

Finally, on Ben's favorite subject, here is an interesting twist on the old sexual-predator-on-the-Internet story. Apparently, a straight fireman was caught posing online as a young lesbian to trade photos for other photos. The Blade is characteristically understanding of the Internet as a resource (and not just a danger) for questioning youth.