Category: rights

Pride 08 Cometh



Pride 08 Cometh

Originally uploaded by ibod8x5


It is that time again. The time of year when San Francisco opens its bosom to the world at large and says “welcome”. The supposed mecca prepares for the onslaught of daddies, queens, dykes, fags, queers, and freaks. And that’s just the locals. LOL

I snapped this shot on the side of the bus stop in the ‘hood. This particular poster is not just in Castro, it’s all over the City. [1]Pride is the #2 money making event of the year for SF.

The City is already abuzz with excitement and anticipation of Gay Pride 08. I may not be fresh out of the closet or even questioning my sexuality but I still celebrate. Many see Pride as a spectacle because of the more flagrant folks. Not me. Sure, some do it for shock value, some do it for attention, and some. . . some actually do it because they are living openly and honestly for the first time ever. No matter where I’ve lived over the years, I’ve always run into someone during Pride celebrating their very first. The mixture of feelings can be overwhelming. Relief is often felt by many. Relief they are not alone. For others, it can be surprise, shock, confusion, and conflict. This little tidbit is for the latter group. You don’t have to fit. You don’t have to mold yourself into a stereotype or squeeze yourself into a sub-culture. You don’t have to have anything in common with all the revelers. But…you need to remember you do have one thing in common, oppression. It is still a crime in some states to be gay. It is also illegal in many more states for gays [2]when I say gay, I include everyone up/down the Kinsey scale. Where ever you fit, you too. to marry. Something as fundamental to society as marriage is still denied us in most places. Don’t even get me started on World events.

So, I’ll continue to celebrate with the freaks and fairies. I’ll continue until my rights are indistinguishable from those of my straight counterparts. When I can walk down the street in middle America hand in hand w/the man of choice w/o fear of reprisal, then and only then, will I give up the celebration. We all know that ain’t happening anytime soon so until then….the beat goes on bitches!

References

References
↑1 Pride is the #2 money making event of the year for SF.
↑2 when I say gay, I include everyone up/down the Kinsey scale. Where ever you fit, you too.

Represent!

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is getting lots of reaction to the recent gay marriage ruling. Take a moment to let his office know you support equal rights for gays/lesbians.

Please take 10 seconds right now to do it!

To vote in support of the California Supreme Court’s recent decision on gay marriage:

1. Call 1-916-445-2841
2. Press 1, 5, 1, 1

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! 

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.

Pride Cometh

The motherland is gearing up for the first gay high holy day of the season. The gym gets busier by the day, the bars have already put out flashy banners, and the city is slowly filling up w/visitors. Yes, gay pride is coming again to SF. I’ve weighed in more than a few times on pride here but feel compelled to do so again.

I’ve already seen and heard that many folks once again don’t celebrate pride anymore. They feel it represents aspects of the community as undesirable. Aspects many would rather middle America knew nothing about. Why? Because it forces them to challenge their beliefs. Oh, I’ll be the first to admit pride is no longer just about celebration however, that doesn’t mean we should stop. We are more visible than ever. We have more rights than ever. However, one only need to look as far as the local news to see that gays/lesbians are still tormented, tortured, and even murdered by the ignorant.

Gays/lesbians come from all walks of life. We cross the divide of race, sex, and nationality. It is foolish to think we will ever speak w/one voice; we are simply too diverse. Does that mean we should abandon those who came before us? Or how about those coming after us? Will they see a community as large and diverse as humanity itself or will they see nothing?

I came out very young. Even though I decided to live openly for myself, I was still very naive and scared. Seeing my first pride parade gave me hope. I realized I was not alone. I realized I didn’t need to settle for second class citizenship. I realized that there were people just like me out there in the world. It was such a relief and it was then I knew I’d be alright. I have not forgotten those fearful years. I find it an act of cowardice to even suggest we abandon a celebration of who we are. We would be turning our backs not only on the very liberties we’ve fought so hard for but also those coming up behind us. There may come a day when we no longer need to celebrate in unity. That day is not yet upon us. While many of us have come to terms w/being gay, many more have not. We may not identify or even agree w/parts of the gay “community”. We don’t have to. We only need remember that everyone has the right to live openly and free of persecution simply because we are different.

It is with an open heart I welcome you into the fold. Fag, dyke, queer, lesbo, tranny, daddy, twink, bear, bunny, lesbian, gay, or whatever you call yourself. Welcome. And realize you are not alone.

Gay or Straight

With all the news surrounding Haggard in the news right now, a striking revelation hit me. Why is it when bible-thumpers are preaching and bringing their damnation down upon us, we are predators. Yet, someone like Haggard comes out and it’s back to an affliction.

You constantly hear how we are trying to recruit or convert more people to our side1. If it were that easy to convert to being gay don’t you think you’d see a much higher success rate in the reverse? Brainwashing groups liked Exodus2 “claim” they can “cure you” of being gay3. Well, one of my best friends almost killed himself while in their program. Their “cure” is to teach you to hate the world and to hate yourself. Everything has a sinister purpose. You are taught to withdraw and cut yourself off from the world. How in the hell is that healthy? It’s no wonder so many drop out. Anyway, I’m getting off topic. So, it’s a choice. Yet, when someone as respected and widely known as Haggard comes out with “I have been warring against it for all of my adult life“, suddenly it’s not a choice anymore. Suddenly, it’s an affliction again. IMHO, It’s just more double-speak. Double-speak that seems to be taught like a 2nd lanuage when you are religious leader. I hate to admit it but I’m losing more and more respect for the “christian” community. I’ve always been one to “live and let live” however, there is a line approaching in the sand. A line that says “no more”. You can no longer use ignorance and fear to oppress people. And you can no longer hide behind your “religion” as an excuse to relegate whole sections of the population to 2nd class status. You can no longer use “religion” to keep women as slaves. You can no longer use “religion” as a shield to give you cart blance say over those around you.

There is a shift occurring in this country right now. More and more people are shifting away from mainstream religion. And it’s their own fault. Religion is dying not because of gays. It’s dying because its leaders have failed to evolve and keep up. Human beings don’t even relate to each other in the same ways anymore. You can’t use the threat of fire and brimstone to control the masses anymore. You can’t hide behind constant denial of the self. Mark my words. A day is coming and it’s coming soon. We are facing a holy war in this country. But not between the God and the devil. We are facing a war between ourselves. The “right” that allows us to spread hate and the “right” that refuse to put up with such behavior.

1 Forgetting for a moment, most gay children come from straight households.

2 I refuse to even link to such stupidity.

3 What they neglect to tell you is there obismal success rate.

Those People

A very unfriendly lady told me today that “those people” don’t belong here, referring to a homeless couple who had setup camp on her block in a rather affluent part of town. Granted the homeless situation here is a major problem. Being a progressive city, SF has a large population of homeless folks. To me that sounds more like a contradiction than a definition. Yet, you find the same problem in every large city. It is not a crime to be homeless. And it should not preclude you from the human rights granted to any other human being. An important distinction often forgotten.

When you deal w/the homeless as much as I do in my line of work, it is easy to forget these are human beings. You see people who, for a variety of reasons, have been discarded by society. And it’s not a pretty sight seeing a human devolved to such a lowly form of existence. Living in squalor, stink, and filth, manners and cleanliness become unafforded niceties that are soon forgotten. In this scenario it is easy to forget. Yet, we musn’t. If we, as a society, allow people to live this way then we must also bear the burden of supporting them. We no longer live in age of wilderness where ever man is his own world and anything outside that world is unimportant. We live in an age where our planet is fast becoming overpopulated and the driving force behind our existence is money and/or the accumulation of wealth. Well friends, that existence isn’t free. You only need to look in your slums and ghettos to realize it.

I can’t help but notice the similarities in how the homeless are viewed here and how gays are viewed elsewhere. Homeless folks here are often mistreated, overgeneralized, stereotyped, looked down upon, and regarded as a stain on society. Sound familiar?

I’m always bitching to folks about the distinction between things. The same could be said of same sex marriage. There is a clear line between the civil and religious benefits of a marriage contract in this country. However, over time the line has become blurred because there was no reason to make a distinction. Now there is. We need to refocus our efforts on reminding law-makers of the separation of church and state clause in the constitution. The State needs to recognize we deseve equal treatment under the law. However, we [gays] need to remember a religious institution does not have to agree or support our right to marry. Nor do they have to allow us to “marry” on their property. Another distinction often lost in the flurry of self-rigtheousness indignation.

Very important dinstinctions like these are increasingly forgotten in our society today. We should be mor than a little frightened of that.