Category: civil rights

civil rights, listen up!, show the love, that is so gay

milk’s legacy lives on

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From last night’s Oscars:

Sean Penn had this to say:

For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that way of support. We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone.

He may have pulled a Hillary Swank in not thanking his wife, but what he said was definitely a big thank you to all gay people that will not go unnoticed. Thank you Sean Penn, and all other mega-famous people who support us. We really do appreciate it.

Also, the wonderful screenwriter of Milk, Dustin Lance Black had this to say:

It gave me the hope one day I could live my life openly as who I am and then maybe even I could fall in love and one day get married. If Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he would want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are ‘less than’ by their churches, by the government or by their families: that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value. And that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you. And that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally across this great nation of ours. Thank you, God, for giving us Harvey Milk.

What a great speech from a virtual “newcomer” who snagged the Oscar on his first big try. I’m glad that the Academy honored this film about such a wonderful, and inspiring man who was taken from us far too soon. I hope that Harvey is looking down on us from the heavens today and smiling; he certainly has made a lasting impact that will hopefully continue to shape the face of the gay rights movement.
(source)

civil rights, is it just me?, listen up!, that is so gay, tragic, venting, well?, wtf?!

WTF Out magazine? Katy Perry as musician of the year? Are you JOKING?

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Well, Out, you’ve gone and pulled another “WTF” moment on us with your recent choice of Katy “UR So Gay” Perry as MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR!!!!?!?!?!??! Regular readers know that I was been pissed at them before for outing celebrities (one of which has come out on her own since), so I guess that I should just expect stupid shit from one of the only gay magazines that we have in wide circulation. Seriously Out, what is going on with your writers and staff that has them so in the dark? Do you not realize that Katy Perry is perpetuating (without apology!!!) a negative gay stereotype; one that I am sure many of you had to overcome and deal with as kids in school? I just don’t get blatant stupidity like this. I have made my opinion about Perry known before on this blog, and it is still getting attention (thanks to links on wikipedia… wtf!?). I can only wonder where things will go now that I am calling spades again on Ms. Perry?!

After seeing the cover and reading the awesome post over at Dorothy Surrenders, I had to go and see what saving grace Out was sure to have in it’s interview with Perry; surely, they would confront her, right? Well, they didn’t (figures), but out of everything I read in the interview with Perry, and this was a gem for me:

Some of the opinions are just from people who are unhappy in their lives, or critics that wanted to be musicians but never fucking made it. We all know that. Unless there’s an amazing, legitimate journalist I respect, I don’t really take any of that shit to heart.

REALLY Katy? So you know what it is like to be a gay youth who gets called “gay” and “faggot” every day at school, and how that fucking hate and verbal abuse leads many gay youth to commit suicide? You know all about that, and we are all just bitter bitches, right Katy? Fuck you. FUCK YOU and your self righteous “I’m an artist so I don’t have to be socially responsible, and I don’t have to apologize for what I say” bullshit. You don’t deserve your 15 minutes more than anyone else, and I for one will be glad when the light dims over your pathetic career.

Shame on you, Katy, and shame on Out magazine for picking some dumb bitch like you as their freaking musician of the year (because clearly, there are NO LGBT artists out there worthy, right?). This is just one more reason that I will NEVER have a subscription to that piece of fluff “all about the abs, and all for show” Out Magazine. Clearly, they have their heads so far up their own asses that they are willing to just hop in bed with the same fuckers that picked on them on the playgrounds; all while laughing off the harassment that was slung at them.

I just want to say that I personally feel sorry for anyone that has to endure the bullshit that people throw at them in the form of verbal abuse; especially when it uses a word that describes them as a synonym for bad. I went through HELL in school, and I wouldn’t wish that one anyone, not even Katy Perry. Katy Perry perpetuates that very same hateful mentality in her song UR So Gay (I even gave her a lenient benefit of the doubt for I Kissed A Girl), and after hearing that she doesn’t give a fuck about what she is saying, I want that bitch to know that people like me aren’t just unhappy with our lives, or just “didn’t make it” like “she did”; we went through a fucking LOT to get where we are, and we don’t need more bullies out there being told that it’s okay to make fun of the gay kid, because hey, it’s funny anyway, right? Fuck you Katy Perry, and fuck you Out Magazine. It’s more than annoying when our own community turns a blind eye to those that will make fun of us to our faces, and then say it’s no big deal when confronted with the accusation; especially in a time that we are fighting for our rights. Way to accept second class citizenship guys… seriously. Ugh.

civil rights, politics, show the love, that is so gay

as if I needed another reason to love Sara Bareilles

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There are a whole bunch of people speaking out against Prop 8, and I was pleased to get this email from one of my very favorite singers, Ms. Sara Bareilles, the other day:

Dear Californians,

I don’t normally delve into the political spectrum, but this particular issue is very important to me and I want to share with you all. As elated as I am with the current election outcome, I’m incredibly disappointed with the passing of Proposition 8, and if you feel as strongly about it as I do, please go to this link and add your name to the thousands and thousands of people that want to help California move forward and truly represent the people that call her home.

Go there, sign it, send it.

“All men were created equal…”

Love and peace.
Sara

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again… I really, really, really, REALLY appreciate all of our straight allies. You all rock! Thank you so much, Sara, I have nothing but love and peace right back at you!!! Man, it really rocks when famous people surprise you in amazing ways like this; it just makes me appreciate them even more (especially when they are among my favorite artists!!)!

civil rights, listen up!, politics, that is so gay, tragic, venting, wtf?!

redistributing hate

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I know that I already posted today, but this has me in such an uproar, that I literally feel my skin crawling as I sit here typing this. A close friend of mine who lives in California has alerted me to what can only be described as a redistribution of hate. I actually had to read this twice, because I wanted to deny that people would be this blatantly racist and hateful; especially the very people that are currently experiencing such hate themselves!!!

So listen up: GAYS!!! DO NOT become a racist because YOU think that “blacks” are to blame for Prop 8. PEOPLE are responsible for it. People voted for it, and people need to be convinced that Prop 8 has no place in the law. It doesn’t matter what color of skin they had when they voted; WHITE people voted for it to! DO NOT under any circumstances think that it is now okay to turn the hate that has been thrust upon us onto another oppressed group; doing so is so unbelievably hypocritical, not to mention insanely hurtful to the black gay and lesbians that are also a part of our community.

If you find yourself mad because of Prop 8, I am WITH YOU. But I will turn on you in a fucking heartbeat if I hear any of the shit come from that was described in the aforementioned article. There is NO PLACE for redistributed hate, and I frankly am ashamed that white gay people would act this way. You know better. We ALL know better. Let’s fight this fight together, against anyone that voted for or believes that gay people don’t deserve civil rights… the color of their skin is inconsequential, and it is outright racism to place blame on any one race; especially when white people voted for Prop 8 too.

I honestly don’t want to believe that something like this would still happen. I was born to a southern family who threw around the N word as if it were common language, and I find it unacceptable that people are still racist towards black people; especially gay people experiencing the same level of bigotry from this vote. My friend told me that he found it hard to go out and fight the fight with the rest of his so-called gay brethren because of this displaced hatred, and I really, really want him to know that I am ashamed that anyone could be so hateful, and I hope that we can stop all of this finger pointing, and focus on Prop 8; not the color of someone’s skin who voted for Prop 8. I wish that I could make everyone of those people perpetrating this behavior understand how wrong they are for doing this.

Wow. I am just in shock.

civil rights, five song friday, listen up!, music musings, music suggestion, politics, that is so gay

5SF: november 7

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As horrible as things are for gays in this country right now, it is hard to want to write about anything else. I am so disgusted that not only is there so much hatred for our relationships that people want to prevent us from getting married, but that there are actually states where gay people cannot adopt children. That is sickening, and any “Christian” that stands behind that belief should be totally ashamed of themselves; one truly cannot actually believe that they are doing good by preventing a child from having a parent (or two parents) that loves them, rather than forcing them to grow up in foster care, can they? With each thing that comes out in regards to our second class status, I am more and more disappointed with people in this country, and I just have to focus on other things like music, to keep from seriously melting down. That being said, I have five great songs today that have been helping me numb out some of the thoughts about this hatred, and I hope that they distract you for a short time, and make your Friday just a little better (through good music) as well.

Agnes Carlsson – Release Me
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_117_agnescarlsson-releaseme.mp3]
This is just what we need to bring us some good spirits; a new gay anthem, right?! This song is amazing, and I am in major music debt to my friend Stu for this one. He simply told me that I had to hear it because it is amazing, and well, he is right… it is utterly amazing and the only bad thing about it, is that it isn’t longer. It is so feel good and has the perfect dance beat. It doesn’t get much gayer than this; it is practically it’s own gay pride float!! Agnes is another one of those amazing Swedes bringing us the best that pop has to offer, and she was a winner of Swedish idol to boot! Play this song on repeat for a little while, and you will definitely be dancing around and have a smile on your face… trust me; I’ve been playing it on repeat all week long!

Tami Chynn – Frozen
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_117_tamichynn-frozen.mp3]
Okay, I have to admit that I have been holding this one back for a few weeks now. I love the song (it seems that Red One and Akon can do no wrong these days, production wise, eh!?!), but I couldn’t find an mp3, so that I could feature it on one of these five song Fridays (damn you iTunes and your mp4’s!). Well, I managed to scrounge one up, because I had to bring something peppy and fun for this week; especially with the aforementioned stuff swirling in my brain. Tami Chynn has had a couple of hits in her home country of Jamaica, but this is her first one to try and capture the US market. I have to say, that this song has taken me by storm. It is a great hip-hop flavored dance jam, and should definitely deserves to be on the radio. I can’t wait to see what else we have to look forward to from Ms. Chynn.

Laura Marling – Ghosts
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_117_lauramarling-ghosts.mp3]
This is unfortunately one of those songs that I was told about in the past, but I never got into it; only to hear it again later and be instantly taken by it. I hate when I am like that, because I really love sharing stuff with other people, and I really like getting recommendations myself; it’s just that sometimes I am out to lunch for whatever reason, and I guess if it doesn’t click then, I forget all about it. Well, lucky for me that I came back to this one, because the chorus is catchy, and will stick with you (even if it doesn’t the first time around!!). Laura brings us her great folk-pop from the UK, proving yet again that there is a ton of great music coming from those islands. It’s crazy to me that she’s only 18, because she definitely sounds older than that in her vocal styling. This is such a great single, and I absolutely love that chorus.

Semi Precious Weapons – Semi Precious Weapons
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_117_semipreciousweapons.mp3]
To quote Christian Siriano, “what a hot tranny mess!!”. Yet in this case, I mean nothing negative at all… this is hot tranny in the GREAT way!!! I heard about Semi Precious Weapons through Logo, and really enjoyed their kitschy style, and the way that they marry hard rock riffs with their own take on glam-rock. This song reminds me a lot of the energy from bands that I love like the Darkness and Scissor Sisters; and I bet these guys would be awesome live. I love music acts that don’t take themselves too seriously, and actually sound like they were having a kick ass time while they were recording the track. Semi Precious Weapons definitely have that vibe on this track, where it just sounds like a pretty party was going on in the studio; and by the looks of the video, I bet it was!! Be aware that he says fucking a lot in this song, so it probably isn’t a good idea to blast it over your computer speakers if you are at work.

Jamelia – Beware of The Dog
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_117_jamelia-bewareofthedog.mp3]
Okay, I will admit openly that I am posting about Jamelia this week because of something that I wrote on Jiingo, where I compared this track to Hilary Duff’s most recent single release, titled Reach Out. See, both songs use a sample from the Depeche Mode song Personal Jesus, but this one does it so much better, and it was released a full two years before Hilary’s copycat song. Given that Hilary will most likely get more glory for her version, I wanted to spread the word even more about the fabulous Jamelia, and her superior use of the sample. If you haven’t heard of her before, you have now, and you must do yourself a favor and check out the rest of this record… it’s hot, and it really makes me wonder why she isn’t huge; both in here and across the world. She is a huge asset to pop music, and I can’t wait to hear more from Jamelia.

Well, writing about these songs has definitely put me in a better mood, and has given me a little while to focus on something that I love, rather than on someone that hates me. I hope that everyone has a great weekend, and make sure to let me know what you are listening to! We will continue to fight, and we will prevail. Civil rights aren’t just for some; they are for ALL OF US.

civil rights, get involved, is it just me?, near and dear, politics, show the love, that is so gay

Obama/Biden FTW!!!!

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Holy. Freaking. Shit.

We have a black man as our president!!! I never thought that a country that keeps such backward racist ideals alive would progress to a point that something this affirming and amazingly progressive could happen. This is amazing, and I am so incredibly happy that people are changing!! We have an amazing chance at making real changes in this country, and this victory proves that Americans were, and still are paying attention. It proves that people are growing, and change is coming. This is one of the most amazing things that I have ever been lucky enough to experience and be a part of in my life time, and I am just so proud to have Obama as our president. I hope that seeing this shift in attitudes to minorities will thrive and grow, and even though bigoted actions like Prop 8 are still an issue in California (WTF California!?!), I hope that people can begin to see all people as what we are: EQUAL. This time of oppression has got to end; and this election proves that we are ready to make it happen… we just have to keep fighting.

Suddenly… it feels great to be an American again, doesn’t it?

UPDATE: The more I read, and think about Prop 8 passing (as well as the actions that passed in several other states last night as well), I am more and more disgusted by people’s outright hatred of gay people. Why are gay people so fucking threatening? WHAT about us is so harmful to YOU? Having a black man in the oval office is a HUGE stride towards overcoming oppression, but at the same time, we have a VERY public message that gay people are still not welcome. It just hurts. I will never understand it, and I will never get why someone can just hate someone because of who they are; I have never been that way, and never will be. I honestly feel sorry for every other gay person in America today, because while we have been made aware of the continuing progression of our nation, the people in it clearly don’t want us to have the same civil rights as everyone else. It just makes this victory overwhelmingly bittersweet, seeing that it was coupled with such bigotry.

civil rights, get involved, is it just me?, listen up!, mixed media, politics, public health, show the love, that is so gay, tragic, venting, well?, wtf?!

reflecting on a few news items

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First up, something wonderful, because the last things are very, very disappointing. A couple of times, I have written previously about how I was really proud of athletes in the Olympics, specifically Michael Phelps, but there was one guy that I am beaming over even more. Matthew Mitcham is an Australian diver that took the gold in his event; even though it was highly favored to go to the Chinese (as all 7 other medals in diving did). One small thing… he’s gay! He was actually the only out gay male athlete to win a medal at the Olympics, and it was not only an upset victory, but he took home gold! After his medal ceremony, he ran up to the stands to embrace his mother and his partner. It’s great that the gay community can embrace another positive role model; an Olympic champion! Woo hoo! Make sure to check out the video of his performance and his medal ceremony, which apparently caused some controversy, because it wasn’t broadcast in full, and which is posted below:


Inspirational, to say the least!

Next, this harrowing revelation that HIV infection rates continue to not only soar, but that they are soaring at an even higher rate in New York City. We are more than 25 years into this disease; when are people going to take testing, safe sex, and prevention more seriously? I know that it is hard to do, but it is clear that people are ignoring something, because the increase in HIV rates cannot be described by “mistake” alone… get tested, and be safe people! YOUR LIFE depends on it!

This makes me feel so ill, that I want to violently puke. Seriously. Such a raping of human rights is disgusting, and should not be tolerated; especially in a country that we are currently occupying!!! What are we doing America? If we really want to make things better for the people of Iraq (which is continually touted as our mission), why not ALL Iraqi people?? Do the gay ones just not matter to us? It disgusts me that gay people are being treated so horribly, and being hunted in Iraq. Why can’t we offer them asylum? Why can’t we offer them protection? What are we even doing to help them? We have GOT to do something; these are freaking human beings, and they clearly have been put into a worse situation because of our actions. I can’t believe that things like this are allowed to happen; it really, REALLY lowers my faith in humanity. I will never understand how people can, a) be so cruel to their own people, and b) why we can’t do something to stop it if we are already there, ESPECIALLY since the situation they are in is a direct result of our military actions in Iraq? It’s not just gay people either, but they are actively being hunted… and it’s wrong! It just makes me shake my head, and hope that those gay people facing this “hunt” are lucky enough to get out with their lives intact. I will never ever understand religious fanaticism; it always seems to do way more harm than good.

Finally, a great piece of graffiti. Damn, sometimes, you just have to reflect, and feel good about the things that are going right in life; things could be worse.

civil rights, happenings, near and dear, show the love, that is so gay

congratulations are in order…

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First off, to Michael Phelps for becoming the first person to win 8 gold medals in one Olympics. Is there anything this guy can’t do?? I can’t help but feel this amazing sense of pride for him, because of everything he has worked for, and has now achieved. What an awesome story, and what a great achievement!!! Congratulations, Michael! You rock buddy!

Secondly, a HUGE congrats to one of the only A-list gay couples in this country on getting married this weekend!!! Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi have said their “I dos”, becoming one of only A-list MARRIED gay couples in America! All my best to Ellen and Portia, who make a fabulously beautiful couple, as well as a beautiful set of role models for all of the gay community. Being an out couple, and one with such a positive image at that, makes me so happy that they represent our community. Through their publicity, and continued positive exposure as a couple, these two amazing women help to make being gay more of a normal occurrence in this world. I hope that they had an amazing day, and I wish them love, life, and happiness together. Congratulations, Ellen and Portia!

civil rights, is it just me?, listen up!, that is so gay, tragic, venting, well?, wtf?!

what do you have against gay people, Katy Perry?

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If you don’t know who Katy Perry is, she is the chick that has made a hit out of kissing a girl (even though Jill Sobule did it many years ago, and unlike Perry, didn’t seem to have any issues with it) and then telling the world about it. As much as I wanted to like the song “I Kissed a Girl” (currently #2 on iTunes) by Perry, I initially didn’t feel like it was a good message. She sings about how it feels “wrong”, and even worse, she says that kissing girls isn’t what “good girls do”. However, after looking at the song from a different perspective, I figured that maybe she didn’t mean that at all; in fact, perhaps what good girls don’t do, is cheat on their boyfriends… and in that case, this song is playful, and not grounded in hate at all.

However (and a HUGE however), after checking her out further, and really trying to give her the benefit of the doubt with her “experimentation” with homosexual kissing, I found something that really makes me scratch my head and wonder if there is some problem that Katy has with gay people. She has a song called “Ur So Gay”, which has been called the “ultimate kiss-off” to a boy that was too “full of himself” to give her the time of day. In the song, she describes everything “wrong” with him, building to the conclusion that he must be gay, even though he doesn’t like boys (which, is the actual only ACCURATE use of the word gay… that which is glaringly absent from her song).

While many will see this accurately as a joke, the underlying message is too clear to ignore; Katy sees being gay as wrong, abnormal, and most importantly, as an insult that she uses to make herself feel better for being dissed. What’s wrong with that, some of you may wonder? Well, the underlying message is hate speech, and here again, I can’t believe that we have yet another example of someone using the description of a person’s sexual orientation as a slur of any kind.

Katy dear, this is 2008. We need to stop using gay as an insult; being gay is normal. If you use “gay” as synonym for bad, negative, horrible, stupid, or any of the many other derogatory words it has been used in place of to place insult, then you are propagating and continuing the underlying bigotry that is so fervent in this country. Continuing this form of “hidden” bigotry is just intolerable, and I for one feel like I must continue to speak out against it.

“Artists” like Katy Perry should be confronted with the fact that their “silly, harmless jokes” are grounded in hateful, shameful, and derogatory feelings that only further the bigotry against gay people in this country. It isn’t “cute” or “funny” that she kissed another girl, it is normal; whether or not she can deal with her homosexual feelings is her problem, not ours.

If you don’t see this as a big deal, ask yourself: would it be cute or funny if she wrote a song about how weird it was for her to kiss a black person?? How do you think that would that go over? Additionally, if she were to write a song about how awful a boy was because he was so “stereotypically black”, how would that sound? Well, I know how it would sound, in one word: RACIST. So I want to know why is it okay to apply that same sentiment to gay people?? Clearly, it isn’t, and I honestly can’t believe that this type of message is still put out there; yet here it is.

Shame on you Katy Perry. Grow up. Become more than that stereotypical playground bully. Gain some intelligence (clearly, that is lacking, because being gay means “liking boys” if you are male, and she doesn’t seem to put two and two together in her song) and perspective, and realize that, even in a “joking” manner, that using the term “gay” to insult someone is causing harm to the gay community in perpetuating the very hate and indifference we are fighting so hard to get rid of. I always cling to the hope that people can be better than they are, but it is people like Katy Perry that continually let me down. Unfortunately, there are people out there that are just waiting to gobble this crap up, and morons like Perry are ready to give them more. I have to ask myself, can there truly be a time when we can all stop the name calling, and just see each other as equal? Can their truly be a time when gay people can be treated as the normal people that we are, and not continually insulted and have our lifestyle continually used as a form of degradation? Little things like this really make me wonder if people are truly capable of that at all, unfortunately.

Sigh. Hopefully, she will fade into the distance soon, and people will rightfully forget about her ignorance; even though it is bound to pop up somewhere else.