Category: discrimination

Too Through

My happiness with our new President-elect is overshadowed today.  With Prop 8 expected to pass here in CA, Prop 102 in AZ and Prop 2 in Florida passing, I have lost all respect for so called “Christian” hate-mongers.  If you’ve been living under a rock, these 3 amendments write discrimination into their respective state constitutions. 

I’ve always tried to respect peoples religious beliefs however, there comes a point where your hate, fear, and ignorance cloaked in faith is no longer acceptable.  That time has come.  After this election, you’ve made it very clear you hate me and hope to forever label me as a 2nd class citizen.  Well I’m here to tell you, I am not going away no matter how hard you try.  Nor will I blithely stand by when I hear you condemning me and mine in the name of scripture and then claiming faith as an excuse. 

Of course, there are those who still claim to be “christians” who also believe in reason and human rights.  It is you folks who are now faced with a difficult choice.  You can continue to stand by and allow your religion (aka cult) to be corrupted by greed and hate or you can take a stand.  You can stand for common decency, respect, and equal treatment of all people.  You can put your fellow “christians” on notice their behavior is not acceptable and take back your faith.  But, if you choose to stand idly by and do nothing while still identifying with those who hate me, you are no longer exempt from my scorn either. [1]I feel it is worth noting, some of the most horrific atrocities ever committed in human history were done in the name of faith.

No matter how hard you try to justify your actions using archaic scripts, you know deep down it is wrong.  And it is you who is accountable for that. 

And to be clear, I don’t hate you.  But don’t expect me to ‘turn the other cheek’ any longer. 

References

References
↑1 I feel it is worth noting, some of the most horrific atrocities ever committed in human history were done in the name of faith.

Donate, Please

I rarely ask anything of my readers other than respect.  This time I am asking a little more.  Let me be clear, I am not above begging.  The extremist wingnuts couldn’t win with the truth so they’ve taken to lying in their festering evil attempt to write discrimination into the California State constitution. 

It is a sad day indeed when the “moral majority” has to resort to lying and deceit to win their case in the hearts & minds of everyday folk.  This is one of the most important votes of the century.  Whether you live in California or not, if you believe as I do, that two people regardless of their sex should be allowed to form stable, long-term LEGAL relationships under the law, then I urge you to help out.

Please, even if you can only donate $10, take a moment and hop over to

Say NO to Prop 8.

If 1 million people gave just $1.00 that would be one million in extra funds to fight the hate and lies being brought against us in the upcoming election.

I gave $400 of my own money today.  I decided to forgo the shiny new riding jacket I wanted.  Instead, I donated the money to the No to Prop. 8 campaign.  I make this pledge.  If enough people donate from this post to raise $1000.00, I will donate $400.00 more of my own money. 

Please, I urge you, take a moment to donate whatever you can.  Even if it is only a few dollars, every little bit helps when we act together. 

All of these fine folks have also helped out. I’ll add every link I discover to this post.

roblog
Romach
Joe my God
Towleroad
Bear Schmear
Queeristan
Gooster
Mathias n Oz
SwimfinsSF
thisboyelroy

McCain Still a Hypocrit

McCain Never Returned Cash from former Manhunt Chairman

While I’m still on my high horse…

So not only did they not return the money but Crutchley is still working for MH even if he is no longer on the board. He still owns a significant share of the company and not being “on the board” was window dressing to appease us so we would blithely turn away and keep looking for our next hookup.

/rant

For My Next Trick…

I finally caught up on all my emails. [1]I guess politics rates right under porn for hot topics.  Most of the public comments are those in agreement with me.  Well except for that crazy Cajun, Brett. [2]Cajuns, by nature, are never afraid to speak up.  We also aren’t afraid to speak back. However, I got a slew of private emails representing the contrary opinion.  Folks, you are welcome to disagree with me anytime.  My only request is and has always been that you be respectful.  Most of you do that consistently.  I never nix contrary opinions just because you disagree.  You don’t have to worry about attacks here either.  I don’t tolerate that at all.  We can all talk w/o resorting to name calling.  Well, here on my blog we can.  Anyway, I think I replied to everyone’s private email.  If I didn’t, so sowwie but the fingers are tired.

*

I guess in my last post I wasn’t very clear.  I don’t expect to put ManHunt out of business.  Please.  They are a global company.  My little drop in the bucket won’t mean much in the grand scale of things. That said, I can’t knowingly support someone who doesn’t support me.  I don’t care if it is a "trashy hookup site", as Brett calls it. 

And frankly, it isn’t about the money.  The guy is making a very profitable living off of gay men.  To donate to the McCain campaign is a slap in the face and hypocritical.   I also don’t expect him to be some moral compass, whatever the fuck that is.  I do expect as someone who makes his living primarily off gay men he won’t support political candidates who consistently vote to keep us 2nd class citizens.

I am proud to say quite a few of my readers have nixed their accounts.  I can count at least 30 folks I know first hand who have done so.  The scandal hasn’t even hit mainstream media yet.  If enough of us make a statement Manhunt will have to deal with it. 

References

References
↑1 I guess politics rates right under porn for hot topics.
↑2 Cajuns, by nature, are never afraid to speak up.  We also aren’t afraid to speak back.

ManHunt = Fail

I just found out from two of my favorite reads the founder of Manhunt has given the maximum allowed donation to McCain.  He has even admitted it.  Besides being incredibly hypocritical, it reeks of the typical Republican mentality, "do as I say not as I do". 

He has the right to donate to the candidate of his choice.  I support that.  I also have the right NOT to support his business.  I can’t in good conscience do so anymore. 

You can read the full stories here and here.

Sadly, I doubt it will have much effect.  Many will just shrug and keep looking for their next trick.  I know that seems a bit cynical but most gay men think with the little head first.  I’m hoping my brothers will prove me wrong. 

If you are on Manhunt, I urge you to cancel your account AND let them know why.  Someone will pop up to take their place soon enough anyway. 

Celebration Time

i was all set to blog about some philosophical stuff I’ve been pondering.  However, today was the topper.  With the California Supreme Courts decision to overturn the gay marriage ban, Cali becomes the 2nd state in the Union to allow gays/lesbians to get married.  The decision was 4-3 in favor and w/6 of the judges being Republican it sends a powerful message.  The ruling goes into affect 30 days from today.  And while I have no one I’m planning to tie the knot with anytime soon, to say that I am ecstatic is putting it mildly. 

Actually, I got the news on my phone while I was in class.  I promptly broke down and started crying.  At first, everyone thought I was hurt.  Once I was able to speak and explain why I was so emotional, the entire class of managers I was instructing stood up and clapped.  It was a very powerful and emotional moment. 

Sadly, all of the marriages that were invalidated 2 years ago will not be re-instated.  Those people will have to go thru it again.  Then there is the fear the hate mongers from Colorado Springs will succeed in getting a Constitutional amendment passed.  However, I don’t really see it happening.  With even the Republican Governor stating he won’t support a Constitutional amendment, I doubt they’ll even get enough signatures to get it on the ballot.  And if they do, the overall feel here is that it is a done deal and it is time to move on.

Gay marriage as always been a touchy subject for me.  I firmly believe once we get it passed on a Federal level, it will be the last major hurdle in our fight for equal rights.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not so foolish as to think all the hate-mongers will give up.  Not even close.  However, like women’s right to vote and the abolishment of slavery it will be a turning point in our fight for equality under the law. 

To be honest, I didn’t expect to see it in my lifetime.  Gays/lesbians have come so far in just 10 short years.  And while we still have a ways to go, I am beginning to feel like I belong to this country once again.  Call it naive or wishful thinking, I don’t care.  I always try to see the good in humanity and just when I began to doubt, something like this comes along and renews my faith. 

Here are some of the related articles

Digg

Kron4

SFgate

CNN The correct version.  They got it wrong the first time. 

Associated Press

Needless to say, the Castro was a holy mess this evening.  They had to close down Castro St. for several hours until the revelers calmed down a bit.  Oh yes, people here are very excited! 

Super Platter

If you are a football fan, you might wanna skip this rant. 

It’s no secret I’m not a football fan.  However, if I hear another fag rant about the superbowl today, I think I might start screaming.  I enjoy sports as much as they next guy but we have some fucked up priorities in this country.  Have we forgotten the rampant homophobia in professional football?  Call me weird but I don’t think I’ll follow any sport where most of the players would just as soon spit on me as to look at me.  I’ll skip the laundry list of other issues related to the players.  I find it hilarious that we can’t be bothered to get out and vote but we can gather in massive numbers to support a sport that consistently tells us they hate us. 

No, I won’t be watching the superbowl today.  I’ll stick to my freak-accepting scifi shows.

Dazzling Stupidity

My tolerance for blind stupidity seems to be diminishing w/age.

While on MUNI this afternoon, this lady felt the need to interrupt my conversation and asked me, “Why are you gay? I just don’t get it.” Before I even thought about it, I blurted out, “Well, being gay was my 2nd choice. I actually wanted to be the Wizard of Oz but the position was already taken.”

She was less than amused. However, the look on my face clearly demonstrated my contempt for sheer stupidity. She was content to turn and walk away.

Answer Me

I am really surprised at the answers on the new Kinsey scale poll. [1]The Kinsey scale determines where you rate sexually, gay, straight or everything in between. Especially, the straight w/gay tendencies vs total straight. I didn’t think I had any straight readers. I figured these two would be reversed in answers. Meaning I’d have more straight w/gay tendencies readers. [2] See how much I know

I bring it up as I have a working opinion that a lot of really hard core homophobes fall into the straight w/gay tendencies category. It is an accepted principle that humans often attack qualities in others they dislike in themselves. Now why is it so hard for many to see homophobia is just an extension of that? I mean come on, not really a big jump in logic if you think about it. They see something in themselves they detest or can’t accept so they lash out at those who would accept it. One only need to look to the plethora of scandals rocking the GOP lately for some good examples.

I’m not saying everyone falls into that category but I think it is the rule more than the exception. What say you?

References

References
↑1 The Kinsey scale determines where you rate sexually, gay, straight or everything in between.
↑2 See how much I know

Politi-damn!

I rarely weigh in on politics. I often say, ‘there are plenty of fine bloggers out there beating that horse enough‘.

After reading Mark Morford today, I just felt the need to share. If you haven’t yet discovered this linguistical genius of a man, you need to read his current take on the whole gay GOP scandals. He has so many one-line zingers it may take me months to assimilate them all. I give you just a sample of his current rant.

Not our military, a massively warped organization apparently far more terrified of gays than of dropping its entrance barrier so dangerously low it makes good soldiers nervous, not the seminary with the pitter-patter of young men’s feet from bunk to bunk after light’s out, not the megachurches with their deep, eternal, fetishistic fascination with all things anal and perverted and hookeriffic and yummy.

The real irony? He is heterosexual.