Category: listen up!

Last night, we were watching the L word, per our usual Sunday night TV fest, when one of my biggest fears was portrayed on the show; Dana was in the hospital, and they wouldn’t tell her partner anything or let her see her, because she wasn’t “family”. I literally watched horrified, as the doctor snubbed Dana’s partner, and then worst of all, Dana’s parents followed suit and treated Dana’s partner like she didn’t even matter.

This is honestly one of my biggest fears, and it is a real one people should have; especially if you are in a gay relationship. Heaven forbid that your partner have to go into the hospital for anything; but not being able to see them, or be informed of what is happening, topped off by an insensitive and uncaring in-law situation, can only make a bad situation unbearable, and make you feel totally powerless.

Now, I know that I told everyone that reads this blog about James and my decision to go and have our wills and other important documents drawn up, so I bet you are wondering why I am still worried about it, right? Well, the fear is still real, and still inside me, and it probably won’t subside just because I have a piece of paper.

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I was meaing to do this for a while, but I am lazy… But last night, after talking with Tony, I decided to follow his lead. Now, you can get your very own duanemoody.com t-shirts. Here is the front:

and here is the back:

Buy lots. We have a lot of homosexualization to do; and it is going to take a while. (And yes, there are even shirts for the ladies!!! If any of you think it would be prudent, I could add sweatshirts and hoodies too… let me know!)

UPDATE: Dur! I forgot that I didn’t even post the link to the cafepress store in the post (even though it is on the side bar permanently). It is www.cafepress.com/duanemoody

Yesterday, a guy walked into a bar in Massachusetts, asked if it was a gay bar, and then started attacking people with a hatchet and shot a couple of other patrons. Three people were injured in the attack before the attacker fled the scene.

Excuse me? What was that? I’m sorry, I thought for a second there, I was describing a fictitious event, because I know there is no way that stuff like this actually happens; but it did. And not only that, there are crimes against gays occurring all over the place right now. In London, a gay couple’s house was set on fire, and other gay people have been attacked and beaten in the streets. They believe it is a backlash to the legalization of gay civil unions in Britain. The police are recommending that gays, lesbians, and transgenders be as careful as possible when walking outside. Wait a minute, WHAT?

Is this the response that people have to gay people now? I know this has happened in the past, but are people really just becoming more willing to beat us up or kill us? How is this even possible? I honestly can’t believe that stuff like this still happens in this day and age. I would like to believe that there can’t be this much hate in the world, and that there is no way people feel that threatened by gay people; at least not enough to try and harm or kill us for being gay. What does that say about people? Are we loosing humanity, and the ability to see other people as equal? You would think that we live in more progressive times. But, given the light of these events, and horrible tragedies like Matthew Shepard, Barry Winchell, and Brandon Teena (among many others), it seems these times aren’t as progressive as they should be.

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Now, I don’t want to go into a diatribe, but I do want to add to what I was talking about in my post about abortion yesterday. Basically, this desire to continue what I was saying, came from the news coverage of the anti-abortion rallies going on all around the country, right now; but more specifically, it was a comment that I read on Joseph’s blog last night. A blogger commented that he was adopted, and was therefore against abortion, because if abortion were legal, then he may not have been born. Now, I don’t want to single this person out, and I don’t want to say that they are not entitled to there opinion; an old roommate of mine was in the same situation, and held the same point of view. But, I do believe that line of thinking is both misinformed and dangerously ignorant. See, saying that you are for abortion laws, does not mean that you want everyone to get an abortion. Just because people have the right to have an abortion, doesn’t mean they necessarily will; but if they do, it is a decision that they should make, not the government. Many women have the option of abortion right now, and still choose to carry a pregnancy to term, and use adoptive services. The adoption services of this country are overflowing with children right this very moment because of these countless examples of choosing to carry the pregnancy to term; so I believe it is unfair to place the imposition of “abortion right = abortion practice”, on the right to choose. In my opinion, that is taking it a little too far.

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Today, January 22, marks the 33rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the monumental case that deemed the laws against abortion of that time, to be a violation of a citizen’s constitutional right to privacy in the United States. While I am definitely pro-choice, I know that there are many out there that are not, and by maintaining a constant and more centered focus on this very important issue, I believe that those of us that believe in the right to privacy and the freedom to make the decision on how one’s own body and life are treated, can have a positively effect on lawmaking and decision making. By continually talking about and fighting for these rights, we can get those that oppose it to listen.

Having these rights are fundamental, and are essential, especially in our current political climate. If Roe v. Wade were to be overturned by the Supreme Court, it would undoubtedly be one of many laws that would restrict freedom and impose unfair and discriminatory laws on many of the citizens of this country. I will always maintain a pro-choice stance, for I believe that it is the right of every woman to choose what she can and cannot do with her own body, health, and life. Please, let’s continue to rally for these freedoms, in hopes that the right wing agenda and regime doesn’t defeat and silence our freedoms.

Speak up and speak out: Roe v. Wade needs to hear from you. We all have to keep up the fight to protect our freedoms, and rights to privacy. Women should be able to have control over their own bodies, now, and forever.

Here’s the wikipedia entry on Roe v. Wade, if you want more info. Also check out Bush v. Choice, a pro-choice blog, where the image above is from. Thanks, Amber for the heads up.

There are a lot of smart computer people out there; so hear my plea: Can you tell me how to force the default windows xp file extension to be lowercase? Here’s the deal, when I go to save a file, the default windows extension is uppercase; but I want it to be lowercase. Is there a way that I can configure XP to do that? Many thanks in advance to the genius that shows me the light on this one… Seriously, I am pulling out my hair here!

Shameless plug; we are selling our elliptical machine (shut up anyone out there that said we shouldn’t get it…), and I thought I would give it some press by posting the craigslist link here. If you are in ATL, and want a damn fine elliptical for like $800 less than it costs in the store (it sells for $2600), then this is your lucky day. Here’s the link. Tell your friends, we need to get this thing out so we can make room for a new couch!

I usually don’t post these “event info” type of posts, but this one is something everyone should be a part of; Wicked is coming to the ATL, and as of 15 minutes ago, the tickets are officially on sale to the public. Here’s the link. Listen to me when I tell you that this show will be worth whatever you pay to see it, it is fantastic. I saw it on Broadway, 7th row. It was everything I had ever dreamed it would be AND MORE. Now get your tickets bitches, and let’s go see a great show!!!!

UPDATE: As of today (Monday, Dec 5), the seats are pretty much almost gone. Get it on!

I work in HIV prevention. I have for years. And I will continue to do so, as long as I am needed. So please, please listen to me; get tested. Wear condoms. Be careful. Seek treatment.

I care, I really do. I care about all of you, and I want you to escape infection of this horrible disease; and I want to you get tested and seek treatment if you are positive and don’t know it. HIV disproportionately affects men who have sex with men and African Americans, both male and female, in this country. Every year there are over 40,000 new cases of HIV diagnosed in the US alone. It is estimated that there are as many as 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States; which is only a minor fraction of the 40 million people living with HIV worldwide. In this country, it is estimated that as much as 25% of people living with HIV are undiagnosed, and it is recommended that everyone get tested immediately, in order to foster appropriate and effective prevention and treatment. I deeply urge you, any and all of you, on this day, to please reflect on those that we have lost, those that are living with this disease, and those that we will lose; especially if those 25% remain undiagnosed and continue to spread the disease without their knowledge. Make sure that you are tested regularly. It only takes 20 minutes with the new OraQuick testing method. If you get tested be sure to get your results. Make sure that your lover/partner/friend/whomever is also tested regularly. Together, we can make this thing stop. But we all have to take a stand. AIDS is not over. It is still going strong. Don’t think for one minute that it is gone. Every ten seconds, someone in the world dies of AIDS. Please, get tested. Be safe.

I highly recommend going to see the AIDS quilt if you have the chance. They have some of it on display at where I work today, and needless to say, it has been difficult not to just sit down and cry all day. We must never forget, and we must continue to fight. Prevention is the key. Do your part. And protect yourself; you are the only one who can.

Tonight, I finally went on the sweetwater brewery tour, which I have been wanting to go on for like the entire 5 years I have been living here. It is so cool. You get a glass and 3 beers for $6. It used to be all you could drink, but sucky Atlanta laws stopped that… assholes. Either way, if you are around at 4:20 on a Monday or a Thursday, I highly recommend it… good beer, and good music, good times are sure to follow! Drink on! Now I am going to lay down, after drinking took place, and I am now in for the night… man, what happened to my twenties???