My Social Justice Rant

My Social Justice rant...

So, I'm just read a gay male whine about not having a space to talk about gay men issues, and hated that other groups had a space.... Somebody, put a prayer cloth on me, because I literally just can't. It's sad to see and read stuff like that, because it is the prime example of privilege.

I mean, it's so blatant and ridic to the uttermost degree. Look, if you can't see why women, trans, POCs and Bi folks need a space to discuss issues, then please step aside and get the F***k out of the way, because clearly, you are done. You are no longer a fighter, an advocator, or a believer. You are miserable and have forgotten the real reason why you fight. So, if your reading this and it's you, have a seat. We don't need your energy up in here. We're trying to win equality for all, not for a few, all.

When Random Dick hits Your Friendships - A Rant

Sometimes, the true test of a friendship is if random dick won't come in between you two. What am I talking about? Well, for example, if you had plans to hang out and all of a sudden, they cancel or forget about your plans.

Why? Because some guy they found on one of those app just trumped everything. I get it, it happens, but after awhile you have to judge you friend or friends. I won't use names, but I do know someone who consistently throws time away trying to make some random dick happen.

For example, he will complain about how ridic certain gay apps are and how the guys are the worst. BUT, still talk to these guys and possibly sleep with them. He blames it on being lonely, but I think it's for being desperate. When you find yourself skimming through apps trying to find companionship, you need to take a moment to get yourself together. Because if you're looking for legit validation from a majority horned up guys, you might looking for a long time.

When these randoms begin interrupting your "hang out" plans, it's time to confront your friend. No random dick should ever ruin plans or personal time with friends... That's just my opinion. I would never do that to my friends, it's just wrong and a bit disrespectful. When it happened to me, I was livid. So, I confronted my friend over it. We had a great discussion about hope, the levels of horniness and levels of desperation.

I was mad at him, but I understood his issue. Pretty much, we need to work on his self-esteem because he can't keep doing this. I can't imagine dealing with this forever rollercoaster of lies, sex and empty promise. After a while it does something to your spirit.

My Rant: Did we Read the Same Post?

In my latest piece in Bilerico Project, I wrote about full equality, not just marriage equality, should be our focus as a community. However, some folks got lost with my statement here:

  While gay marriage is cute for a privileged few, it is not a priority to many others.

My use of "cute" really bothered some people. They thought I was dismissing gay marriage, but the thing is, I wasn't. My statement "gay marriage is cute for a privileged few," was meant to point out how it's a privilege to not worry about your employment, housing, or benefits and you can only focus on marriage.

And speaking of "a privileged few", that's me. I am that PF. I have a job that allows me to talk freely about my partner, put him on my insurance and to reap my benefits; and he can do the same at his job.  They are many out there who don't have these opportunities. I want to make sure that they do. With a full equality plank, all in our community can reap the benefits.

I thought it was clear I was talking about full equality, but these folks just read what they wanted to read.

The interesting pieces to their rants against me proved 2 things:

1. They didn't read the full article, they got caught up with the word "cute" and they totally missed the message.
2. They proved my point in my post. They are so focused on gay marriage, they can't see anything else.

I appreciate opposing views, but to claim that I'm trying to divide the community or that I'm being dismissive is far from the truth.
If they can get past their own foolishness, they will see that I want the same thing they want. Full equality.

My Rant: Joe Solmonese, Understanding HRC and Playing the Political Game

I know many gays are glad Joe Solmonese is leaving the HRC in March. But to be honest, I really don't see what the hate is all about.

Some of the comments I've read are not really anything of substance. They blame him for the failure of ENDA and DOMA, or the dragging of DADT. But seriously, what do folks think the HRC is, the Masters of the Universe?

The reality is many people had an unrealistic view of the HRC's power. They were a consultant group to the major political peeps and they raised awareness to many LGBT activities. Yes, they gave pretty parties, but that's what fundraising is. If they were going to lobby, fight for ballot initiatives and keep the organization running, they had to raise money. And those $1000 a plate event paid the bills.

Also when it came to DOMA, DADT and other issues; many gays believed Joe was a Shaman or Wizard. I guess he was going to weave a spell to make all things gay pass every vote. That's not how politics works. It is a game; a hard, tough serious game. I'm sorry, but some of the gay bloggers and activists would fail badly trying to play this game. You can't bring grassroot philosophies on a true political playing field. I believe Joe knew that, but many within the community didn't get it. The sad part is, I don't think they would understand the game until it was too late.

So, please think about what leadership of a powerful org like HRC entails. It's not like running your local letter writing campaign, it's serious wheeling and dealing. This job ain't for the 'Pollyannas', it's for the true strategic players of the game. Joe may not have been the best leader, but for 6 years he took the HRC to a better place. He understood the responsibilities of the job. I'm not so sure that we actually do.  

My Rant: Are Fanboys Ruining Everything?

I think I have figured it out! I think I know why Hollywood ain't coming to Comic Con and why certain action movies work and don't work... The Fanboys.

I used to think the Fangirls were dangerous, but no, it's the boys. It's always the boys.

I think about the theatrical HOT ASS MESS, 'Sucker Punch'. That movie was DOA, anyone in the viewing room would have burned that movie to the ground. But at Comic Con, the fanboys got horny and stupid, and hyped that trash to the top. Then once it hit the screen... Burnt!

Think about Transformers, Clash of the Titans, Terminator, Fast and Furious and even Green Lantern... Why are these movies being made? Why are these movies insulting to the human brain? Because Hollywood believes in the toxic Fanboy.

This type of Fanboy is Hollywood's idea of a horny, lonely being, hoping to see alien sex and explosions. And the sad part is, some of them are out there.  They focus more on the hot babe vs the story. They think a Playboy playmate could play Wonder Woman, they worship Michael Bay and they beg for another 'Underworld' or Resident Evil'. These particular fanboys are killing our credibility and ruining everything. Their judgement is horrid and if they continue their madness, Megan Fox will be Xena in the series reboot in 10 years.

These particular fanboys are hurting the movement and I think it's time to hold them accountable. So Gay geeks, it's time to rise up and take control of the Intergalactic geek ship.

Studios... Bring Horror back into Horror Movies

Here's my plea to the Horror movie makers... No More Remakes, Reboots or Sequels!

I talked about this awhile ago, and I see not much has changed. Every horror movie released in the past 3 years has been mostly remakes, sequels and reboots. So I have to ask, WHY?

Horror should not be a lazy movie genre. Horror invokes so much creativity, fear, innovation and power; the amount of stories to tell are limitless. So why are studios falling short on this? Hell, studios are falling short on many things, but I'll stay with Horror for now.

Most of you know that I love Horror. I live for it, crave the fear and terror. But it hurts so much, when I see these remakes and re-images of classic horror films. Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Piranha 3D, and My Bloody Valentine made decent money, but they were TERRIBLE! They added nothing new or smart to the concept. Basically, they were rebooted for money, not for the love of the genre, but for money.

It really hurts to see SAW part 34 continuing on. That series died years ago. To see more of it, is like dragging a dead pony around the neighborhood. I know there are better stories out there... There are also better writers.

All I want is these studios to give new ideas a chance. Again, those remakes made money, but they met strong criticism and distaste from many fans. If I ever get the chance to put out any films, I will try to scare and thrill the viewers. I will be creatively motivated to put out the bee's knees. I just wished, others felt the same way.

So come on studios, give Horror, real Horror, a chance.

My Rant about some LGBT Blogs and their Fox News-ish ways

Today I was surfing the web, checking out all the blogs and sites of interest. Then I came across Towleroad's post called, Obama Appoints 'Proud Homophobe' to Panel on Oil Spill. I read the post and thought, "okay". But then, it hit me... Obama didn't appoint Jonathan Katz, it was the Energy Secretary Steven Chu who appointed him.

But somehow, it turned into Obama's fault. How? If I hired someone for a Hall Director position and they turn out to be a racist, should my boss be at fault? No.

This ain't the first I've seen stuff like this. AmericaBLOG, Pam's blog and others sometimes put out misinformation, half-truths and foolishness which is just wrong and misleading. I've talked about this before and never cease to amaze me how this still happens.

BTW, here are other examples of this issue: Example 2, Example 3 and Example 4

And the scary thing is, these blogs are supposedly the top go-to-places for LGBT leadership and awareness. If these blogs are considered our best, then we need to hold them accountable for their actions. We can not allow any form of misinformation to distort our path. We should demand the truth, honesty and just plan ole respect.

Don't give me bullshit in a box and call it a gift. Be real with me.

When I post anything, I try to give you the complete truth and my view. But I won't manipulate a story just to get you on my side. That's a disservice to you, to the cause and myself. If anything, I will always be real with you. Our civil rights journey must have a clear path to the goal. But it's riddled in drama and deception, we just get confused and lost.

We can't accept this level of malarkey and call it news. Hell, this is what Fox News does. Do we want our info to be this distorted? We deserve better and we should do better. My biggest fear is for our allies to see this mess in our top blogs and judge our community on the carelessness of a few.

We can't allow that, we just can't.

So in closing, if I ever mislead, trick or just flat out lie to you, please, call me out. I want to make sure that I keep it real with you. I feel it my duty to give the truth and the correct information. If I don't then I have to ask myself, "Why am I doing this?"

What if: We actually stopped the "GAyTM"

Many gay activists are telling us to stop donating to the DNC and only support folks that truly support us.

So let's imagine we actually got fed up and stop giving money to the DNC.

The next question is, "What do we do with it?"

These same gay activists said to support the ones who support us, right? So would that be some or most of the members of Dems? Believe it or not, they are our allies, we don't have a stronger group elsewhere. Repubs could care less and the supposed 3rd party is on life support.

You can give it to a LGBT organization that supports our rights. Well, who would that be?
The EAA is falling apart and most groups lack the people power or direction. The next best thing is, well... the HRC. You may hate them, but they are closer to the White House/politicians and have tons of support. Apparently, not every LGBT person is done with them yet.

Start our own group? We could, but can we establish a clear leader, let alone a group that has a mission, a goal and a plan? So far, that's been the hump we can't get over. But it can be done!

And on a side note, do we know how much we are actually giving the DNC? If our numbers are not as big as the other minority groups, what impact would that make?

I'm not trying to be mean or difficult. I'm writing about this because, I care about the state of our community. However, I'm a realist and while it seems cute to withhold our money, we need to have a concrete plan.

I'm sorry this became a long speech, but I'm passionate about our future.

Race, Crazies and Hope...My rant on life as we know it.

With all this talk about racism, Joe Wilson and Obama, you can't help but to think... What's really going on?

Many would like to believe that we moved past all of that, but the "treal" is, we haven't.

One of my students asked me if I was shocked about the, "the return of racism". I told him racism never left, it's always been here. However, what we are seeing right now is just a version of it.

The teabaggers or Real Americans are the examples of this version. They are in fear of change and so settled in their foolish ways. It tickles me how they talk about "losing their country" and "give us back our nation". These are the same folks that get screwed over by the GOP every time and are too ignorant to see that.

But to them, Obama is the Great Black Demon, trying to turn us into socialists and Muslims. He is trying to help them have a better life and they continue to spout out the "He's not an American, Muslim, jungle monkey" foolishness. It's like they can not accept that he is the president, our president.

Also the lack of respect from his peers is another example. Joe Wilson is proof of this. When Bush and Cheney were running things, none of congress folks would had ever disrespected them in public. When Joe did that mess, it was clear to me that he had no respect for Obama. Then when you look at Joe's ties to certain groups with high racial views, you can help but to see racism in the midst.

As Obama continues in office, we will see more of this foolishness. We were seeing this stuff way back in the primaries and during the election. But, this can be a good thing (you know I have to present a silver lining)

Hopefully, these issues will continue the conversations about race, lunacy, ignorance and hate. Our hope lies with the next generation, who's off to a decent start with change. Seeing these sad folks scream and shout, may trigger a stronger resistance to this racial malarkey. Call me silly, but I think these crazy times could be a turning point to something better.

Nope, I'm Still Sleeping With Him.

Dan Savage asked the question: Was Obama an One-Night Stand?

My answer... No.

As most of y'all know, I support Obama. He has done more for us than any president and in time, we will get our share. I understand the truth about politics and I knew it wouldn't be a smooth ride. Our equality will be an uphill battle. I never believed gay equality was coming within a year, but I know it's coming.

However, Dan is still feeling betrayed, lost, lied to and fooled by Obama.

Please check out Dan's article, here. I think he's still bitter and ranting about nothing new, but I would love to hear your thoughts about this.

My Childhood has been destroyed by Broke Ass Movies...A Rant

After the mess of a movie with Transformers 2 and reviews of G.I. Joe matching those of Ishtar, I have a request.

Stop making a mess of my childhood!!!!

Transformers 2 was basically made for a 5th grader. Based on my (special screening), I felt insulted for being a geek, smart, human and alive. The cartoon writers did a better job than whoever shat all over this. And now G.I. Joe is next...I don't think I can't take this anymore.

What I would like is a smart, critical take of these stories. Transformers was a great cartoon and the original cartoon movie is historic. G.I. Joe was also a great cartoon, with great characters and great stories. All the writers have to do is play on those stories and build them up. Actually, "Battlestar" them, make it an adult, serious story that challenge and thrills us.

It can be done, just do it already! I'm really scared to see G.I. Joe, I think it will be just as bad. However, I'm afraid as long as money can be made, most of my childhood will be massacred.

So what's next? He-Man, Pole Position, The Littles, JEM, She-ra? I will write the script for JEM, I don't want the Starlight Girls to go through the same shatfest that the Josie and the Pussycats movie did.

In all, I think most us want a good movie. But it doesn't have to be some dumbed down, 2 hours flicks with cheap starlets, CGI orgies and poo putt scripts. The human brain deserves better.

I'm done ranting for now, I was just hurt to see how huge Transformers 2 opened this weekend. It just proves that some folks will accept anything as entertainment

Are Some of our Gay Bloggers leading us into a Wall?

I'm just going to cut to it. This so called gay revolution is heading into a wall if we continue to operate from misconceptions, misinformation and assumptions.

I've noticed from several blogs, actually from several gay blogs that are considered "The top of the top" that their anger and misinformation can really hurt our movement.

Here are some examples

AMERICAblog attacks Jennifer Chrisler, head of the Family Equality Council, for going to the DNC event. The blog goes as far as calling her a "sell-out", then says

"I'm sure Chisler, as she sips her champagne and eats her fancy French hors d'oeuvres to commemorate the gays and lesbians who rioted for her civil rights 40 years ago, will do her best to hold the president's feet to the fire.

Please.

You should see her quotes in the article, how she wasn't satisfied by the "limited benefits" provided for in the memo the president signed last Wednesday. Yeah, real unsatisfied - that's why she stood over him clapping like a giddy schoolkid, providing him the political cover he needed at a time that our community needed her.

I seriously hope someone looks into who the donors are for this apologist organization. No gay person should ever give a dime to the Family Equality Council again. Ever."

So I guess if you have a different opinion from John Aravosis, you are an enemy of the state. Maybe John will request that any other LGBT person who attends the DNC event to burned at the stake.

Then on Pam's House Blend, they have a header that reads, Star and Stripes confirms HRC deal with WH to de-prioritze DADT. But as you read the piece, you see this:

Timothy Kincaid at Box Turtle Bulletin discovered quite a bit of business in the military newspaper Stars and Stripes.

One can only assume it is referring to HRC, since it is our lobbying org on the Hill: An official with the House Democratic leadership said the House is committed to repealing "don't ask" but has agreed with civil rights groups to put new hate crime legislation and a workplace nondiscrimination bill on the legislative calendar before taking up the military issue.

So, you say, it's confirmed it's HRC and then turn around to say that, One can only assume it is referring to HRC...that's misleading and assuming.

Also that Stars and Stripes article doesn't name the HRC as the civil rights group, so even that is a big assumption.

And Queerty, another popluar gay blog consistently post broke ass, poorly researched mess daily.

I have to ask...What in the Hell is really going on? Why are they pushing this stuff, when it's either inaccurate, a flat out lie or just pure foolishness. Now, I'm not trying to start a fight (I would win from all the Buffy I've watched), but I'm really getting worried that all this hype can hurt our cause. Right now, some of the LGBT community are fired up; mostly from reading these blogs.

But if the info is wack, what good is it?

Attacking and tearing down each other will not solve anything in our quest for civil rights.
Running on assumptions and hunches are not productive towards our progress.
Trying whip up foolishness and drama is destructive and divisive to our community.

This bothers me so much because many LGBT folks read these blogs and others like them. If folks are pushing misinformation and mess in their faces then that's a disservice to the community. They have to realize that our community is looking for hope. Let's help them find it, not lead them into a dark mirky ditch.