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--

Counter Attack

In Tampa, this wall of a business

was vandalized with inflammatory

racial remarks.

After weeks going by

without being painted over,

'someone' decided to

turn the eyesore into

a lesson plan.

'Nuff said!

***

FCKH8 (Fuck Hate)

Well here's a toast to less mincing (of words, anyway!)

Shock and awe group FCK H8 has a series of radical and delicious 
videos on YouTube, as well as a rocking website, face book and twitter
accounts, and a whole campaign reaching out to help promote visibility,
advocacy, and a fighting spirit.

Cuz like it or not, crazy-asses have waged war on us and on reason.
And it's time to dig in and get a little in-your-face! Reclaim your life!

I love this movement and its voice!

http://www.fckh8.com/

Many Happy Returns

(As a practice, I don't normally import original content from one
blog to another, but this is from my Georgia Unity blog this week.)
                         *****
I want to stop and take a moment for some clarity.


"Thank You," to all our haters.


I want to express the mountain of Love I have for
the Michelle & Marcus Bachmanns, the Fred Phelps
sorts, the Rick Santorums, the Mitt Romneys, and
the Pat Robertsons.


You are the reason I am such a strength. Why I
will continue to gather and promote power.


You are what motivates me to fight on, to persevere,
to speak up and stand out and find that inner strength
that exists within us all.

You are the reason a whole new generation of my
brothers and sisters are galvanizing, forging together
as one to defeat the enemy. If left to our own devices,
we likely would not have been so resolute or determined,
but the clarion call of defending ourselves against your
misguided vivisecting is a godsend.


I am more whole because of you.


I am steadfastly fierce and fiery because of you.


I am toughened, motivated, and hastened by your threat.

I am more determined to never cease, and never give in.
You are the cornerstone of proof needed to showcase the
real demons facing me and mine every day.


Each child's death, spurred on by your hate and selfishness
and misinformation, only ensures that our lives will be
more focused on meting out justice, on changing the
backwardness of the land, of combating evils like
you and yours.

Each adult's life lived in exile from their own body,
suppressed and fearful and self-loathing, based on
your nonsensical dogma and rhetoric, will spur me
on to victory at any cost.
You have convinced me there is no god, because no
god would support the likes of you, and no god would
allow you to misuse its truly holy name. No god would
permit your devilish existence.


And I now know that, no matter how down-and-out
and nutsy-squirrel I become, I will never be the most
bat-shit crazy dope-headed ignorant fucker in the room,
cuz you all have that shit hammered down and notarized.


Thank you, and again;
I love you and appreciate you for the purpose you give
my day. I will beat you. Me and mine are locked in
battle to live well and leave your sad sickness in the dust.


All your hard work has paid off handsomely.


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

Let's Stop Pretending

"Should gay kids be controllable saps who make good doormats, expected to silently endure shit and not respond in kind?
The Hell you say!!!"

Let's stop pretending that being nice and calm gets equal
treatment in return.


The only message a bully understands is that his or her
target is no longer going to be victimized by them.


We MUST teach our youth to defend themselves on every
level. Obviously, even with support, these times are tough,
and take a physical and emotional toll on kids already
dealing with the stresses of being a teenager.


Even the biggest sissy or flamboyant queen can--and
should--learn to protect and defend themselves. There
are judo and karate and tae kwon do classes in many small
communities. There are boxing rings and tracks. There are gyms
and online classes, instructional videos, tutorials.


But even before we get to this point, how do we change
the inner emotional landscape? Because it's the programming
we have inside that has kept us submissive, passive, and weak.


We have generations of gays, lesbians, bi, trans folks
who have been systematically trained and conditioned
in every area of their lives to believe that they have nothing
to offer the world. That we are sub-par people, even. In
many circles, the argument extends to our being evil or ungodly.
And this message is delivered covertly and overtly in a variety
of ways every single day. This political season is proving
especially harmful with all the deceit and hate being bandied
about for the sake of ill-gotten votes.

Having rejected religion and its false gods as ridiculous
superstition and supernatural conjecture, these myths
have no sway over me. But for many who are embedded in
a religious family or a church, where religion and 'belief' is
a lifestyle of fanatical observance, these promotions are
harmful indeed. These notions are looked on as 'fact' rather
than opinion. Science and common sense matter very little
to someone who is having their thinking done for them.


We must address the esteem issue, and where it originates.
The lack of connectedness is a real and damaging problem.
At the fragile stages of not being fully developed in self or in
standing up for self or having had enough chances to strengthen
confidence and competence, the overwhelmingly negative images
and ideas that bombard these kids serve to erode the newly
blooming self-love.

Add to this that we are all bashed and broken from birth to
defer to the authority of a particular place or system, so if we
are not being protected in a school, church, family, we feel
powerless and without the 'right' to assert protection on our own.
Furthermore, the complicitness of authority to allow our abuse
sends a signal that we aren't worth protecting. Nothing could be
further from the truth. The lacking of public officials highlights
their incompetence and shame, not ours.

We have to teach them to know and love and embrace
themselves fully, so that they know they are worth protecting.
They must overcome the intimidation of a world and its
oppressors that promote the falsehood of gay people being
'lesser.'

Let's stop pretending that there isn't a double standard in place.
Bullies--jackasses, violent people, poor communicators, scum,
religious terrorists, etc--seem to get a free pass in society because
people are either afraid of them or don't know what to do with
them, or both. But the rest of us, already the subject of a bully's 
taunts and harassment, are expected to take up the slack and
be the 'bigger' people. The good guys are expected to tolerate
and endure and smile sweetly and make a nice doormat while,
at best, fingers are wagged and empty scoldings are leveled at
bullies.

This is the way it has been for some time. There is a sense of
avoiding the reality of the hierarchy of the world; that might
does in fact tend to make right. (But let a 'victim' lash out or
fight back, defending themselves; then all holy Hell breaks
loose!) Why is it that it becomes acceptable with repetition
for a bully to do certain actions, and people become resigned
to it and even apologist for it, but a defensive strike against
these very actions draws excited fury? Like I said; double
standards, hypocrisy, unfairness.

Here's a tough pill; the world is full of those things. It's the
nature of the beast. But we still have to fight the battle.
We still have to take the battle to them. Zero tolerance
policies are important. Education and advocacy and
outreach are important. But the real battles are within.

However, Will Rogers said it so well;
"You can't legislate intelligence and common sense."

So we bear down and accept that the world can suck
and be unfair; and we recognize that we MORE than have
a right to be alive in it.  We MORE than have a right to live
well and be treated well. We have to aggressively learn a
better defense; think outside the box, stop passively awaiting
help to come from outside sources. Our hero is within. It
always has been...we just weren't taught that.

Stop striking in. Throw off the shackles;
Embrace your greatness, refute the lies.
Know your power.
You can do this.

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