They won't all understand.

Family Album: Our Shared History

James Baldwin, 1924-1987

Good for the Goose

Isn't is special....

that when I'm/we're getting dumped on, pissed on, shit on,

run over, disregarded, maligned, discarded, stepped on,

betrayed, ostracized, bullied, and so forth...

there's not a single worry or concern, no flag raised from

any quarter or corner by 'upstanding,' 'moral' citizenry that

cares so deeply for the welfare of their fellow man.

But, when I get fed up and become as tough and hardened

as the assholes who are out to destroy me, all of a sudden

my use of the same methods they used to denigrate and offend are

inappropriate, off-limits, distasteful, unacceptable, and cruel?

Thus, the insidiousness of having a second-class division (even

if only in the mentally-recessed minds of those who believe in

a separation between 'them' and 'us') is made crystal clear.

When there's indoctrination as to the idea of lessened worth of certain

others, the actions of discrimination don't take anyone by surprise.

And the need to ignore their double-standards and learn to

defend ourselves from them at all costs is underscored with

great prejudice.

Stand Up

Speak Out.

Demand Your Share.

And to Hell with those who want to shame and bully you into

'proper' actions. "Sitting back and taking it" is no longer on the

menu.

I don't know what leader they think they're following,

feeling justified in attempting to make our lives

harder, but I'll tell you it really is--

Bullshit Busters: Pledge of Refusal

I  PLEDGE

REFUSAL  TO
TOLERATE
HATE  OR
BULLYING

JUST  BECAUSE

IT  IS  WRAPPED  UP  IN

(Hiding Behind)

the  CHURCH,  the BIBLE,

so-called-CHRISTIANS, FREE

SPEECH, different OPINION,

Spiritual Belief, or

any other innocuous and misleading

mechanisms of excuse

that fanatics or equally-squirrelly

nuts wish to disingenuously promote.

***

University-Sponsored Hate

(FROM THE HEARTSTRONG OCTOBER NEWSLETTER)

EDUCATION/OUTREACH UPDATE

*The best way to stay up-to-date on HeartStrong's work.
*University of Arizona's Daily Wildcat publishes hateful cartoon

Like the Notre Dame cartoon of 2010 this new cartoon published
by the University of Arizona's Arizona Daily Wildcat shows just
how far we haven't come.

HeartStrong's Youth Empowerment Project is about providing
anti-bullying materials to school counselors and students. In our
battle to save lives you should all know what this university's
newspaper editor thinks is funny.

Parent's HAVE killed their kids if they think they are gay.
This is not a joke.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/08/992721/-Horrifying-4-Year-Old-Boy-Murdered-for-Acting-Gay

It's easy to forget that it wasn't too long ago that 30 Rock star Tracy
Morgan said, "Gays need to quit being pussies and not be whining about
something as insignificant as bullying." He added, "Gay is something
that kids learn from the media and programming." When talking about
the possibility of his son being gay - Tracy said he "better talk to me
like a man and not in a gay voice or I'll pull out a knife and stab that
little nigger to death."

We think we can convince young men and women that it gets better.
We think we can prove to them that coming out is about gaining, not
about losing. We think we can help them find the path to a life of hope,
love and peace.

And then they have to see this. This is not a reprint of an old cartoon.
This is a new creation.

HeartStrong has made it's voice known in this issue. Some are calling
on the paper to fire the editor who admits she approved this cartoon.
More than that, even more must be done to help GLBT youth find their way.

Just when we think we are getting places in our own efforts to reach
students, things like this happen and bring us back down to reality.
So many young GLBT men and women around the world are subjected
to this type of language in their homes, in the religious spaces and in
their schools.

The burden to alleviate as much of that fear and shame as possible is
great. We believe that we have a responsibility to those who would be
negatively affected by this type of language to extend our reach even
further.

HeartStrong Support for LGBTQ Youth

********************************************************
An added bit by Georgia Unity:

It was also not long ago that the human filth Ann Coulter made a few horrifying
remarks about gay people. (Yes, it's a longtime trend for her, and she is such a
wretched train wreck it galls me to mention her name, but the attention-whore
is hurting people with every utterance.)

She has said that she thinks gays should become pro-life because liberals
would start aborting fetuses if a gay gene were discovered.....she tweeted
just last weekend that since the prior Thursday was National Coming Out Day,
the following Monday should be 'National Disown Your (Gay) Son' Day.....
she defended Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy's anti-gay stance.....she
defended Carl Paladino's anti-gay comments and minimized them....on the Joy
Behar show she said she was "sick of gays" and that she though ex-gay therapy
worked.....and once remarked that if her child came out to her, she would tell
him that he was adopted (although she would more likely drown him in the tub
and then dispose of the body.)

The world is full of putrid human beings who don't care and who bask in their
ignorance and apathy. They even get high off of causing other people pain and
upset; they aren't oblivious to it. That's what a sociopath is.

***********************************************************
By the by, here's the Notre Dame cartoon mentioned in the Heartstrong post,
along with the original rejected (equally offensive) cartoon, courtesy of
www.TurningLeft.net

Change of Heart

 Overcoming the mountain of self-doubt taught to us
(and constantly-leveled at us in ways subtle and overt)
isn't accomplished by a few carefully-penned anthems
or a few days of righteous indignation on federal steps,
displaying our courage.

Those things are necessary, but overcoming the obstacles
involved in living your life openly is a gargantuan effort
of mobilizing spirit, questioning motives, staying on task,
being a cheerleader for self and your fellows, promoting
your own agenda, and not taking any more shit.

It's done in private, every day, as we prepare for and face
the world at large. We have to be relentless in building
ourselves up, ever in preparation for the forces that wish
to wear us down.


Self-love is the highest form, and the most important,
necessary mission. The only job we have is to learn
to live fully a life of evolving and surviving this hostile
world. (Don't let the veil of 'civilization' fool you!)


This modern, seemingly-sanitized world is more brutal than
the jungle. It's survival of the fittest, and if you aren't as
fit it simply means it's time to toughen up and get ready.


We must always be countering the dark spell of those we
encounter. The antidote? Absolute faith in self. And becoming
desensitized to homophobia on a personal level. (Recognize
that it's a lie, and actively condemn bias and intolerance for
the unacceptable mess it is; you don't have to buy into second
class citizenship any more!)


And its ongoing progression; not a simple decision.
A lifetime of proactive, decisive rededicating.


Open up to a gentle, guiding hand--Not someone who wants
to mash you and grind you into malleable paste. People who
want to crush your soul and spirit and heart and dreams in
order to make themselves feel better are not out for your
best interests. It's time for you to do it for yourself.

************************************************

Every Thing its Time and Place

People seem to find that calling me

an 'angry activist' is a curse;It's not.

It's a gold star, really.

Yes, I'm angry;I'm paying attention.

People setting their sights on us

because we 'differ' from what they

wish the world to be like.

People targeting me with violence,

denied opportunities, slander, gossip,

vandalism, threats, assaults, limited

access and denial of basic freedoms...

all because of who I am.

It won't change me.

I won't deny myself.

I won't live my life quietly

or in a closet in order to make others

'happy' with their false sense of strength,

empowerment, or entitlement.

Who the hell do these idiots think they are?

Well, they only have the ability if we

acquiesce and allow them the ability.

If my spirit and drive is mistaken as

anger and bitterness, so be it.

It won't be interpreted as 'victimized.'

"Oh, but we need to preserve dignity, and

deal diplomatically, and mend fences, and

build bridges, Robert...you shouldn't do

anything that will alienate people and make

them think we're all nuts or anarchists."

Here's a newsflash: those that hate us on

'religious' grounds (what a laff!) will never

care anything about us except to see us jailed,

neutered, or dead. You spend your life tucking

tail, apologizing for existing, and compromising

if you want.

My version of "Keep it civil" is to respond

as such; When someone is attempting to make

a second class citizen out of me, to strip my

power, my rights, my livelihood, my esteem,

I shall respond--

"Dear Sir/Madame, I appreciate that you

have gone to a great deal of trouble to become so

adamantly ignorant, so I do humbly beseech you

as kindly as possible...please do...

GO FUCK YOURSELVES!"

Let's keep it real.

**********************************

"Prayers for Bobby", Full Movie

Here's the entire movie (adapted from the book, "Prayers for Bobby: 
A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son" by
LeRoy Aarons.)

It's a difficult read (and view,) but especially great for a person of faith who
is a friend or family member of an LBGTQ person and possibly facing issues
regarding bias and discrimination that they grew up with in the church.
This story definitely puts the whole thing into perspective.

*******************************************************

Tea Party: More Trouble Brewing

"It's all just a little bit of history repeating."

The following is an excerpt from an article entitled "It's Their Party:
How the Tea Party Sustains the Anti-LGBT Right" by Pam Chamberlain.

Article published by Political Research Associates' "The Public Eye" magazine.
(link follows excerpt)

The more things change....

Remember; bigots won't stop hating just because laws exist and social
view change on whole; they find more insidious means of practicing their
discriminatory nature, and they find ways to institutionalize bias..without
labeling it such.

Awareness is such a wonderful thing.

**************************************************************

The Christian Right, including both the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy and
conservative evangelical Protestants, has been the driving force in opposing
LGBT rights in the U.S. An effective infrastructure of grassroots organizations,
charismatic leaders, media networks, and consistent funding provided the scaf-
folding for this Christian constituency to join with other burgeoning social move-
ments in a powerful political force.

The rise of the Tea Party has reinforced the visibility and ultimately the electoral
focus of the Christian Right. While initially galvanized around issues such as lower
taxes, smaller government and national security concerns, about half of the Tea
Party identifies with the Christian Right. This overlap has helped reinforce a
political “litmus test” for candidates on so-called social issues like abortion,
sexuality education, and the place of religion in public life. Right-wing strategists,
and the candidates who follow their counsel, have targeted various groups such
as immigrants, African-Americans, and Muslims as opportunities arose.

The ideas that LGBT and homosexuality are threats to society were constructed
as part of its overall strategy to mobilize support based on scapegoating and
fear.[v] Ample historic precedence exists for blaming immigrant communities
of color for economic and social problems. LGBT people have been singled
out both because they are easy targets based on fear of the “other” and that
they represent departure from the idealized sexual norm.[vi] "





Full Article Here


*************************************************************

Thanks to  PFLAG Tallahassee,  Welcoming Resources and More Light Presbyterians

*************************************************************

The Spark

"...But isn't that because we all feel so important and have no idea
what to do? We need someone to direct us and reassure us this is
possible. And I don't think I'm that person. I may have been a
catalyst for rebellion, but a leader should be someone with convic-
tion, and I'm barely a convert myself. Someone with unflinching
courage, and I'm still working hard at even finding mine. Someone
with clear and persuasive words, and I'm so easily tongue-tied."

-Katniss Everdeen, in "Catching Fire," second book in the
 Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

******************************************************

I thought this was an especially inspirational passage, showcasing
how even those in the most demanding of positions can find them-
selves questioning, struggling, doubting.

Going against the grain...standing up to The Powers That Be....
taking a stand for what's right...these take tremendous resolve and
courage, and it's a constant choice. It isn't some naturally fearless
drive that overrides all obstacles instantly.

It's work...hard work.  And like anything worth doing, there are
prices to be paid.

Hell, just living our lives as gay men and lesbian women....as a
transitioning transgendered man or woman....as a young person
questioning or an older person hiding...we have a fight every day
of our lives. With losses, discrimination, fears, being alone in a
crowd.

It takes a warrior to live life, period. It takes an exceptional
warrior to fight for life as a person with LGBTQ affiliations.
Recognize that feeling defeated can be a part of the journey,
but feeling it is not a sign of weakness--merely humanity. We
just don't give in.

We have to handle so much more than others; let's recognize
the strength it has taken to get this far, and know that we are
strong enough to continue, come what may.

Peace.

****************************************************

Gay Blood: Not Wanted

So you've seen the ads calling for blood donors, telling
how having sufficient and diverse blood products on hand
can make the difference between life and death for folks
in an accident or facing surgery.


Well, not nearly enough people give blood in this country,
and we're always at low levels.


But the Blood Services organizations still discriminate
against gay donors. They still deny the opportunity to gay
and bisexual men to donate blood, even though the
testing process for HIV is highly sophisticated.

I asked the St. Pete-based Florida Blood Services why the
ban on gay donors exists if they have the technology to test
the blood for viability of use. The contact was unable (or
unwilling) to state clearly, but did say the testing is not
100% acurate.


So, I asked, if testing is inaccurate, then isn't the testing of
all the blood that is diseased sort of a moot point? That's
when she admitted that they are really dependent on the
questionaires and people's honesty. WHAT THE WHAT!?!


You're putting the lives of millions on the line with the magical
thinking that the American public is going to honestly answer
intimate questions about socially uncomfortable information?


In the hands of an inaccurate testing procedure?

Here's the rub; the people who are the potential problem--
the IV drug users, the down low men, the closeted Bible
thumpers, promiscuous bisexual men, etc; these folks are NOT
going to admit their private activities on a questionaire that
is attached to their name and idenity! Especially in small towns!


Especially when many times, families and coworkers go to
blood drives in groups! Come on!

So either the testing is reliable or it's not; if you're willing to
chance lives on all the folks who lied about their activities in
order to squeek by and cover up their secrets, then why not
'take a chance' on the HIV negative, the sexually celibate, the
safe-sex practicing civic minded folks who want to be a part
of their community?


The answer; There is no good reason.

What was imparted to me, though, was that it's politics and
P.R....that essentially the questions and the policy remains because
the public is still homophobic, and people feel safer about the blood
supply when the idea that there is a ban on gay men donating exists.


Wow.


So, why not employ a ban on black men, black women, and
Latin women donating blood? Hispanic and black women are the
highest increase communities in HIV infection. Sell that move to
the people. No? I didn't think so.


The problem here is simple; The antiquated notion, the mythology
that gay men are automatically at risk for HIV moreso than anyone
else, is being promoted here, and the rationale is that since the
discriminatory attitude already exists, why not pander to it?

Fear, lies, and prejudice are not valid basis for public policies.


Is the life of your spouse, parent, or child worth the continuation
of discriminatory practice?

(Originally printed at Georgia Unity)

*******************************************************

The Danger of Positive Imagery: May 2010

So, to combat the anti-gay stance of most all of
small, rural, Southwest Georgia residents, God
inspired me to be courageous and create a
mobile message board.

A mural on my van comprised of positive images
and quotes to help inspire people and create hope
in an area that manifests little of either.

The positive pictures were selected to be neutral
enough to not illicit violence, but 'explicit' enough to
make clear that gay and lesbian people exist and
that it's more than okay.

(I'll get into statistics later as to the number of
gays and lesbians who run away, commit suicide,
hate themselves every day, live a lie, suffer from
depression and so forth as a result of people's
intolerance and deep-seated hatred.)

So I did my van up, used the images that had been
brought into my life, wrote up the appropriate phrases
to provide ALL people with some strength and hope,
and made my Inspiration Mobile. (Dubbed by the natives,
naturally, as the Fag Mobile. Feel the love. I wonder
why I felt I needed to do something?)

Then a few weeks later the Census called. Finally.
(Cuz no one knew when or if this operation was going to
happen.) After getting over the initial manufactured
nonsense they threw at me to keep me from continuing on
with them, I showed up to training every day in my van.
Everyone saw it, everyone knew about it, everyone
talked about it. It was not a secret.

Now, here's the rub, and where the bigots ran into
some trouble.
They couldn't fire me outright based on being gay.
They couldn't fire me outright based on non-Census
related politics.
They had regulations on the books about wearing
CLOTHING with logos and slogans on them, but
nothing prepared for a car mural. Hadn't been thought
of.

They DID have regulations against POLITICAL bumper
stickers, but here's the rub;
1) They aren't stickers and they aren't just on my bumper!

2) They aren't 'political'; there's nothing being voted on now
and they're just images, not slogans; the 2 possibly 'political'
quotes/sayings were about gay marriage and the ACLU
(interestingly enough!) and I covered them with double-faced
tape when I went out, although someone would remove them
when I stopped in a public area, generally.

(Not to mention, when I had removed my bumper
stickers during the last operation, my crew leader told me
I hadn't needed to do that, that no one was worried about it,
and that no one else was doing it. (more on that later.))

3) I know for a fact that there were Census workers who
kept their Rebel flag vanity plates on their cars (let's get real;
you can't GET more divisive than a fugging Confederate flag!)
and those who kept their "CHOOSE LIFE"/anti-abortion license
plates on their cars, so let's get real about what this is; singling
out, not equal mandate.

The images in question? That threatened to disrupt the
fabric of society and bring a small community to the brink
of destruction?

+ Wedding picture of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi
+ Picture of Harvey Milk smiling
+ Picture of a black man's hand holding a white man's hand
(which probably engendered more rage than the sexuality!)
+ Picture of a gay man and lesbian woman at a pride march
with a sign saying "Queer and Happy." (That's another
"No-No." Being queer and miserable--and closeted--is
perfectly acceptable to these people. But do NOT try and
live your life well. It will arouse wrath.)

So, you can see why people were losing their minds.....
and calling the Census to complain.

Now, as mentioned, they couldn't do anything about it
under the existing laws.
They surely didn't want to draw attention by addressing it
openly and appearing (accurately enough) to be inappropriately
harassing me or limiting my free speech or being uncool and
anti-gay....so hence the deception.

Ah, "How do you solve a problem like Robert?"
Cover-up, lies, deceit, fear, denial, duplicity and wrongful
termination.....It is the government, after all!
All to be met with an ongoing heap of all kinds of unwanted
attention to a bass-ackwards organization. I will not lie down...
I will not go quietly. God does not hate gays; God hates people
intolerant of gays. God gave me the voice and creativity and
passion and inspiration to speak up for Him, and I will not
back down from a righteous fight.