That’s because HIV and AIDS aren’t gay issues, he adds, but a global crisis that belongs to all of us. “AIDS is a huge issue and one that can’t be ignored,” he says. “I was asked to help and I couldn’t say no.” And while he took some ribbing from his fellow teammates for dropping trou, he says, “Of course there was a bit of banter. On the whole, the team and friends were all very supportive.”

In fact, his teammates have been supportive all year as Harding’s profile in Europe and the U.S. has risen. Last year the men’s grooming-products firm Bluebeards Revenge did a search for the world’s manliest man. It was done after a composite of the ideal masculine man was created, which combined George Clooney’s hair, Gerard Butler’s eyes, Brad Pitt’s nose, Jason Statham’s mouth, and Daniel Craig’s body. Harding, who received 160,000 votes, was the hands-down winner.

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Have you witnessed homophobia in sports?
I personally have not.

Do you think that after Gareth Thomas came out as gay and the antibullying campaign that Ben Cohen works on that professional sports will be more accepting of openly gay players?
I hope so. Someone’s sexual preference shouldn’t have any effect on whether some can be professional sportsmen. They should be appreciated for their talent.

What advice would you give to a teammate who is deciding whether to come out as gay?
I would say that the only people that matter will understand anyway. Life is too short to worry about what people think and let that dictate your life. Do what makes you happy.

And as he told the Gay Times, the photo shoot doesn’t hurt his standing with his girlfriend:

She loved it actually; she’s really looking forward to seeing the pictures. She’s very supportive.

Who wouldn’t? Besides, rugby players love to get naked: Something about the culture of that sport. No wonder gay rugby has taken off as it has.

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“Ziggy assures us that the clothed photos are of him, and were purloined off his Facebook account,” Leafs general manager Brian Burke said in an e-mail to QMI Agency. “He also assures us that the nude photos are not of him. He has retained a lawyer to help him put an end to this.”

Zigomanis plays for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. Isanyone up “acts as a forum for jilted ex-girlfriends or former lovers to anonymously splash naked pictures of their one-time partners — outing them by full name through a screenshot of their Facebook profile.” (I was able to find alleged nude photos of a UCLA football player on the site.)

According to Hunter Moore, the 20-something American founder of the site, the images were posted by “Andrea,” an alleged friend of the hockey player, who uploaded them to her Facebook account nine months earlier.  “The pictures are over a year old,” Moore has said. “I’m guessing he’s pretty angry over it.”

NBC’s Pro Hockey Talk says there is not a whole lot Zigomanis can do about getting the photos removed.

First of all, if he claims copyright to the lascivious pictures, he’s essentially admitting that they’re of him.

Zigomanis could also obtain a defamation order in hopes of obtaining the IP address of the person who posted the pictures on the website; however, as Toronto Internet lawyer Gil Zvulony tells QMI, that might not get him anywhere either.

“A U.S. court will not enforce a Canadian defamatory judgement,” Zvuolony said. “Sometimes that IP address would lead you to a dead end. A Canadian judge does not have power to have it removed from the site.”

I can understand why Zigomanis would deny these photos are of him, but having seen them, he certainly has nothing to complain about in that department.

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Paris Hilton made a sex tape…and it only increased her public profile. “One night in Paris” was hardly flattering. Do these photos help or hurt? As long as there isn’t a goat involved, I think they actually help.

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Snowboarder Louie Vito, photo by Peter Hapak

ESPN’s the Magazine’s “Body Issue” has become an annual tradition where the magazine gets male and female athletes to go naked (with all the naughty parts hidden) in celebration of their physical beauty.

The Hope Solo shots have the straight websites all aflutter, but we focused on the men, which included speedskater Apollo Anto Ohno, baseball’s Jose Reyes, the NFL’s Steven Jackson, the NHL’s Ryan Kesler and the NBA’s Blake Griffin among others.

Here is a link to ESPN’s entire gallery.

Ryan Kesler, photo by Alex Cayley:

Steven Jackson, photo by Alan Clarke:

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Sometimes you’re at a ­several million pound townhouse in London and others you’re in a two-bedroom terrace in a council estate in the back of beyond ­dealing with people who are totally leathered. …

Sometimes it’s gay parties, which are a bit of an eye opener. Basically you don’t know what you’re being thrown into. It could be 30 people screaming and drunk, or all quite sedate and you have to get people in the mood for a ­party. Some people think they can throw ­themselves at you but you have to take the reins and let them know where the boundaries are. Otherwise it could get out of ­control.

Skedd is listed via a sports modelling agency.

Hat tip to Towleroad.

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Hat tip to the Advocate.

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One concern I wondered about was getting an erection during class. Not to worry: Aaron says embrace it! Well, not literally – just don’t worry about it.

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“Brett Favre naked.” “Chris Cooley penis.” ‘Santonio Holmes naked” (photo right) were among the top searches Sunday. Plus the old standby — “Troy Aikman gay.” Here are the Top 10 search terms people used to land on the Outsports blog this Sunday:

The irony is that we never post naked pictures on the blog (though we do link to the original source as a reader service).

The Barry Zito search is a bit odd since the San Francisco Giants pitcher has not been on the playoff roster. Maybe they were looking for the classic “Is Barry Zito gay?” cartoon Dylan Edwards did in 2002:

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The video and story are here. (Go to 2:08 in the video to see the goods.)

Brett has wisely declined to comment. The New York Jets are investigating and so is the NFL. How many games suspension is sexting your cock? A game per inch?

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