The retired rugby hunk that is Ben Cohen so loves Atlanta that he based his brand new anti-bullying foundation right here in the city too busy to hate. How can we repay him? Cruise him. Hard. Cohen’s been traveling about the U.S. promoting the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, a tour that opened in Atlanta last month to rousing success. While in town, thanks to host the Atlanta Bucks Rugby Football Club, Cohen dropped this surprise nugget: He’ll base the foundation here. That’s right, gay jock supporters, you’ll be seeing more of this strapping rugby star in the future. Not that he spared much while in Atlanta, what with warming up the Bucks at a practice, downing a few pints at an opening reception, hitting the pitch with them, and joining them at the Eagle. But Cohen (photo) isn’t taking a respite. He’s joining gay novelist Armistead Maupin to headline a week-long Rome to Venice cruise in September. Did we mention it’s an all-gay cruise, save for the married and straight yet gay-friendly Cohen? Maupin, for one, isn’t too concerned. “Ben is heroic in every in every sense of the word,” Maupin says in a prepared statement. “And I plan to tell him personally when we cruise from Rome to Venice.” Uh-huh. The cruise comes courtesy of Miami-based Source Events, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary during the event. Expect a luxury event and by luxury, we mean prices that open at $3,200 and climb to $7,500. “We are so thrilled that Ben has chosen to take his message of acceptance on the Rome to Venice cruise,” Craig Smith, founder of Source Events, says in a prepared statement. “We are especially proud to support the mission of the StandUp Foundation, to take a stand against bullying in the gay community.” Photo by Brent Corcoran, RNZ Photography