Thursday, October 11. 2007
1. I like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
2. I am still in love with my first boyfriend even though I barely know him anymore. 3. I am so bad at lying outright that I've figured out ways of telling misleading truths. 4. I don't speak Tagalog (my parents' native tongue). 5. I sometimes wish I were stupider than I am, so I could just do things instead of thinking through every possibility. 6. I have an irrational fear of mirrors, especially at night. 7. I watch bareback porn. 8. I have a "sinful" degree of pride in some of the plays I write. 9. I would get liposuction if I could, and I'm embarassed that I can be that superficial. 10. Also, I'm gay. Happy National Coming Out Day. Don't be ashamed about any of your oddities, and don't think you have to keep them to yourselves. Click here to visit the National Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Community Centers to find coming out resources at your local LGBT center.
Thursday, October 4. 2007
 The issue of transgender inclusion in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) has been debated within the community for over a decade now. Up until last week, the battle lines drawn seemed to be between transgender activists on the one hand and U.S. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) -- the lead sponsor of ENDA in the House -- on the other.
The Human Rights Campaign is the largest, wealthiest, and by all accounts, the most influential LGBT rights organization in the country, and for years, HRC supported the transgenderphobic Barney Frank in his insistence on limiting ENDA to protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation. But in 2004, HRC changed its tune and came out openly in support of adding gender identity and expression in order to protect transgendered and gender-variant people from discrimination in employment as well.
Continue reading "ENDA: To Be Transgender-Inclusive or Not to Be?"
Saturday, September 22. 2007
 Just when you thought the world couldn't get any weirder, a homophobic, anti-Marriage Equality, conservative, Republican senator might just make it safe for queers to cruise in public bathrooms, parks, rest stops, truck stops, saunas, gyms, and locker rooms!
When the whole Larry Craig thing started going down, I was (as you've all probably guessed or read) pretty cranky about the whole thing. And by cranky, I mean royally, er...senatorially pissed! Pissed at Craig, at the police, at our sex-panicking society, and at other queers for actively participating in the latest faggot freakshow simply because it would get an anti-gay senator out of the Senate. Two weeks ago, the only silver lining I could find on this cloud was that the word "toe-tapper" was ironically reclaimed in about the same short time that it had become a slur. I, for one, get tired of spitting out bitch, cocksucker, fudgepacker, cum slut, and fag -- thank god for the addition of toe-tapper to my repetoire! And then came the ACLU.
Continue reading "Larry Craig and the ACLU Want You to Lick Your Lips at a Police Officer"
Friday, September 21. 2007
 On April 18, 2007, my VW bug was tagged with the words "fag" and "u r gay" on the hood and driver's side of my car for sporting a rainbow sticker. Rather than get it fixed, I decided to embrace what happened and keep the words on my car to evoke a dialogue with the general public about homophobia and hate crimes. Often times people think this type of thing doesn't happen because they don't see it. Not only did I want America to see it, I wanted help coming up with a solution so I launched a 58 day cross country trip with my car that is now known worldwide as the fagbug.
Continue reading "Fag Bug: A roadtrip against homophobia"
Tuesday, September 18. 2007
 It's a sad day for freedom in the Free State. The Maryland Court of Appeals (the state's highest court) handed down a decision that upholds the current state law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman thereby rejecting a lawsuit by 19 queers who were fighting for the right to marry their same-sex partners. As this is the highest court in the state, the Court of Appeals decision is final and can not be appealed since it deals with the Maryland constitution.
The sadness is poignant and resonates with this writer who was born and raised in Maryland and whose great-grandparents settled in the state in pursuit of freedom from the institutionalized persecution they were subjected to in "the old country".
While Alanis Morissette may define irony as rain on your wedding day, I would propose that irony is actually being denied the freedom to marry in a state that's nickname is The Free State.
Continue reading "Free state decides against freedom to marry"
Thursday, September 6. 2007
Did you hear the one about the man of the cloth that backed out after agreeing to host a funeral once he learned that the deceased was gay? Unfortunately this is not a joke.
Pop over to fastlad's blog to read more about this bigoted homophobic hate monger masquerading as a Christian and the lively discussion in the comments.
Wednesday, September 5. 2007
As you might remember, I've been keeping my eyes peeled regarding how and why and when people (particularly straight folks) use "faggot" and its variations in public discourse. So here are a few news tidbits on Jerry Lewis' recent fumble into maligning the faggily-inclined: Jerry Lewis Echoes Isaiah, Apologizes (E! Online), September 4, 2007
GLAAD goes after Nutty Jerry (Queerty), September 4, 2007 Jerry Lewis Apologizes for "Fag" Slur (Towleroad), September 4, 2007 What's particularly weird about this one is that it was during a Telethon to raise money for children. In what universe is the usage of any slur in that situation even close to okay? Could you imagine him running up and down the stage going: "Here's Candy, the 'spic ho. And Larry, the nigger lardass..." What a world, what a world.
Saturday, September 1. 2007
Larry Craig, Mark Foley, Ted Haggard, et al.
Let 'em. "Why?" you ask. Because they are. Once again we find ourselves in the midst of another gay freakshow where the scandalous misdeeds of a dishonest, promiscuous, sexually out of control faggot, who can't keep his dick in his pants (or at least pointed at a urinal solely for purposes of waste elimination) is being shoved into the public eye in order to sell papers. The problem with this characterization? Oh, yeah, he's not a fag. As Craig stated after thanking everyone "for coming out" (Fastlad's preposition of the year): "I am not gay. I never have been gay." And once again, I say let him be not gay. Them. All of them. Because when I think of LBGTQ 'n' Q people, of pansies, of faggots, of fudgepackers, rugmunchers, poofs, dykes, and homos I think of the out, proud, smart, sexy, and fun-loving bunch I call my friends and neighbors. That's gay to me - not an ugly, self-hating white guy who lies to his family, constituents, country, and Self. So if LC wants to hit it on the DL, dawg, then why argue with him? A gay person could never do what he's done. Who could do it? A straight person. A person so straight that he should be writing posts for Big Straight Blog. So straight he should be the standard bearer for assholes so into maintaining a bigoted, hate-fueled social order that he would turn against himself. So straight that he could live a life of lies that no real gay person ever could. I mean, if he'd just identified as gay 40 years ago (or earlier or later), the life he's leading now wouldn't have been possible. He would be a strong, proud gay dude, not a weak, lying straight fucktard.
Continue reading "And Big Mouth Said, "Let Them be Straight...""
Monday, August 6. 2007
So here's one of my pet peeves: the term 'herstory.' According to Wikipedia,
"Herstory is a neologism coined in the late 1960s as part of a feminist critique of conventional historiography. In feminist discourse the term refers to history (ironically restated as "his story") written from a feminist perspective, emphasizing the role of women, or told from a woman's point of view. (The word history (from the Ancient Greek ιστορία, or istoria, meaning "a learning or knowing by inquiry") is etymologically unrelated to the possessive pronoun his.) The Oxford English Dictionary credits Robin Morgan with coining the term in her 1970 book, Sisterhood is Powerful..."  'Herstory' has been institutionalized in the names of a number of organizations, including the Lesbian Herstory Archives in Brooklyn and the neologism is wildly popular among feminist historians (excuse me, 'herstorians'). Now, I understand perfectly well the origin of the term and it is certainly true that history, as written largely by white men – not to mention conventionally gendered, heterosexual white men with class privilege and the 'right' academic credentials – woefully ignored the lives and perspectives of women (with the exception of a few prominent women, mostly ruling monarchs such as Cleopatra, Elizabeth Tudor, Cixi, and the like).
Continue reading "History, Herstory, Mystory, Yourstory"
Tuesday, July 10. 2007
 As Rudolph William Louis Giuliani pursues his candidacy for for the Republican nomination for president of the United States, the former mayor of New York City is almost invariably described by the mainstream media as "pro-gay rights." That reputation is largely based on a few high-level appointments to his administration and his signing a domestic partnership bill into law while mayor. But as Giuliani attempts to court the religious right in his drive for the Republican nomination, he seems to be retreating from his support even for such limited measures as domestic partnership. And there is nothing in his record as mayor to suggest that he was or is supportive of transgender rights, despite his now-famous (if not notorious) appearance in drag as 'La Rudia.' As members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community evaluate Giuliani's candidacy they should carefully consider his opposition to Int. No. 24, the transgender rights bill ultimately enacted by the New York City Council as Local Law 3 of 2002 after he left office.
Continue reading "Giuliani & Transgender Rights: The Untold Story"
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