I saw this last week, but it is all over the place now and just thoroughly vulgar and disgusting. 

The reputation of the Pittsburgh Steelers likely took another hit today with the news that Steely McBeam, the team's official mascot, has been accused of sexual assault in an incident late last night at a downtown Pittsburgh gay bar.

According to a police report, McBeam was performing in a Village People revue at Steel Rodds Bar. During a brief intermission, he followed another performer into a small bathroom where they were planning to change -- McBeam into the Indian costume, his accuser into the construction worker -- and allegedly forced himself on the man. 

"The accuser describes the assailant as 6-foot-4 with a large, cotton-poly blend, stuffed penis," said Pittsburgh police chief David Palambo at a press conference this morning. "He claims McBeam held him down with a Styrofoam, faux-steel bar and assaulted him."

I realize it is intended to be a joke, but it isn't funny.  It might be funny if Steely were caught sending stupid text messages like Santonio or making a jackass out of himself like Jeff Reed, but rape?  Really? And it has to be in a gay bar because it is FUNNY that the Steelers mascot is gay.  Or likes gay sex. Or has a giant styrofoam penis.  Funny.

Ha.

The Post-Gazette reprinted a piece from the New York Times on what amounts to a gay college fair in Greenwich Village.

All this is good news for the young gay applicant. Of course, being gay does not lend an advantage, and the embrace is not universal inside admissions offices, and out. While much of the stigma of homosexuality may have eased over the years, harassment and even violence are still real concerns around campus -- Matthew Shepard, after all, was an undergraduate.

Students are looking for colleges where they will feel comfortable and safe, Mr. Windmeyer says. Also, he says, "straight students who have gay family members want to find a campus that is welcoming," so, for example, two moms can show up for parents weekend without a ripple. "They don't want to pick a college that's not going to be accepting of people they love."

Very interesting read. While not everyone can get to Greenwich Village for a college fair, you can do some internet searching to determine which colleges thought it important enough to attend and follow up.