Tracy Morgan's Gay Bashing Rant

Comedian Tracy Morgan has come under fire lately because of some homophobic remarks he made during his live comedy show in Tennessee about a week ago. The first half of this blog is taken from a post written by a man named Kevin Rogers who was in attendance at the show and was deeply offended by Mr. Morgan's hate speech. The second part of this blog is my response to all of this. And the last part is a small update on everything that has happened since this incident first began.

Kevin Rogers Post:

So tonight was the night, Tracy Morgan in the hallowed halls of the Ryman Auditorium.  The show was your typical hysterical dick, cum and pussy humor... I have to say it was hilarious and well worth at least 40% of the $86 we spent per ticket to see him. I figured at some point the gay jokes would fly and I'm well prepared for a good ribbing of straight gay humor.  I have very thick skin when it comes to humor; I can dish and I can take. What I can't take is when Mr. Morgan took it upon himself to mention about how he feels all this gay shit was crazy and that women are a gift from God and that "Born this Way" is bullshit, gay is a choice, and the reason he knows this is exactly because "God don't make no mistakes" (referring to God not making someone gay cause that would be a mistake).  He said that there is no way a woman could love and have sexual desire for another woman, that's just a woman pretending because she hates a fucking man.  He took time to visit the bullshit of this bullying stuff and informed us that the gays needed to quit being pussies and not be whining about something as insignificant as bullying. He mentioned that gay was something kids learn from the media and programming, and that bullied kids should just bust some ass and beat those other little fuckers that bully them, not whine about it.  He said if his son that was gay he better come home and talk to him like a man and not [he mimicked a gay, high pitched voice] or he would pull out a knife and stab that little N (one word I refuse to use) to death. He mentioned that Barack Obama needed to man up and quit being all down with this just because he has a wife and two daughters. All of this being followed by thunderous cheer and "You go Tracys".  Tracy then said he didn't fucking care if he pissed off some gays, because if they can take a fucking dick up their ass... they can take a fucking joke.  The sad thing is that none of this rant was a joke.  His entire demeanor changed during that portion of the night.  He was truly filled with some hate towards us.

MY RESPONSE:

Kevin Rogers story was SHOCKING to me.  Out of all the stories I read about this incident, none of them actually quoted anything that Tracy Morgan said.  So because of this, I felt like maybe it was something small that got blown up by the press.  But after reading this, I do not see how any journalist could write an honest and truthful piece about this without letting the reader know exactly what was said.  His actual words were far beyond anything I had imagined.  This has totally changed my opinion of Tracy Morgan.  I was fan, but now I'll never watch or listen to anything he puts out ever again.  What he said can't be brushed over with an apology.  His apology means nothing to me because I know it will only be about him trying to save his career.  He's a sad little hate filled man, and I hope people will see him for what he is and stop supporting anything that he is a part of.  Why would anyone want to support someone like this?  I hope that gay rights organizations are not trying to solicit any kind of public apology from him.  It would be insulting.  Someone that says the kind of things he said doesn't change the way they think overnight, or go to some weekend siminar and magically become a changed man.  That kind of ignorance and hatred comes from a very deep dark and disturbed place, and any proclamations of change should be met with extreme skepticism.  As long as he's on 30 Rock, I'll NEVER watch that show EVER again.  The sad part of it all was the reaction Tracy got from the audience.  A large majority of them were cheering him on during his homophobic rant.  To me that's a confirmation of the long and treacherous road ahead we have yet to travel to reach total equality for our community.

STORY UPDATE AND TRACY'S "APOLOGY":

Morgan has agreed to go to Nashville with GLAAD to protest the state's controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill, according to E! Online. He spoke to E!'s Marc Malkin about his regrets over his rant, emphasizing his belief that all children should be loved, regardless of sexuality.  "I know how bad bullying can hurt," Morgan said. "I was bullied when I was a kid. I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it. I never want to use my comedy to hurt anyone. My family knew what it was like to feel different. My brother was disabled and I lost my father to AIDS in 1987.... Parents should support and love their kids no matter what. Gay people deserve the same right to be happy in this country as everyone else. Our laws should support that."  In an interview with Russell Simmons at Global Grind, Morgan apologized again for his verbal tirade that sparked national outrage, swore off his hate speech and came out for marriage equality.  "Of all the sicknesses, there is probably none more abusive than homophobia. My heart is committed to giving everyone the same rights that I deserve for myself," Morgan said. "I don't care if you love the same sex as long as you have the ability to love someone I am deeply sorry for the comments I made. What I am most sad about is the comments I made about kids and bullying."

Morgan also noted his support for gays serving in the military -- an issue solved by the recent repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and then insisted he believed in gay marriage, too. "I believe everyone deserves the right to be happy and marry who they want too; gay, white, black, male or female. Let me know where the rally's at Russ. I'm there!" Morgan promised.  The words came as he works to make amends, not only with his public, but his friends, too. Tina Fey, his "30 Rock" co-star and executive producer slammed his comments but noted that she believed Morgan was a loving person.  "It doesn't line up with the Tracy Morgan I know, who is not a hateful man and is generally much too sleepy and self-centered to ever hurt another person," Fey said in a statement.  Another co-star, Cheyenne Jackson, said that he was "disgusted" by what Morgan had said.

Was Tracy's apology sincere?  Is he serious about making amends?  Does he understand how hurtful and dangerous his gay bashing tirade was?  I wish I had the answer to those questions, but only time will tell. When I began to write this blog, I kept thinking about something Mya Angelou said in an interview with Oprah.  It seemed to fit this situation perfectly, and I've found it to be true in my life as well.  This very wise woman said "When someone shows you who they are, believe them".


JULY 4 2011 UPDATE

To view free streaming episodes of 30 Rock or Saturday NIght Live, visit the links below.
30 Rock seasons 1 through 5:
http://www.tv-links.eu/tv-shows/30-Rock_10/
Saturday NIght Live seasons 1 through 36:
http://www.tv-links.eu/tv-shows/Saturday-night-live_12110/

Who Is Bayard Rustin?

It saddens me that I've never heard of this amazing and courageous gentleman.  The black community continually omits any positive gay black leaders.  This man was a HUGE part of the civil rights movement and we know nothing about him.  There are thousands of books, news reels, news articles, movies, documentaries, text books, lectures, poems, etc detailing everything about the Civil Rights Movement and none of those historical accounts mentioned his name at all.  As a black gay man, growing up in the south with very religious parents, I had a very tough time accepting who I was, which fostered self-hatred  and deep depression. If I was aware of Bayard Rustin and taught about his role in the civil rights movement, that would've had a huge impact on my life and the way I felt about myself. That's why it's so important to expose those positive gay African American figures to let young adult closeted gay men and women see that they are not alone. 

The Right Movie At The Right Time

I randomly came across this movie early this morning (4am) because I couldn't sleep. I was shocked that I had never heard of it before. Even though it was released in 2009, the message is so very relevant to everything going on in the news right now. Gay-bashing, homophobes, religious zealotry, gay teen suicide, etc. What's even more amazing is that it's a true story. It stirred up so many emotions with me. At times it seemed as though I were watching a movie based on my life. It was kind of eerie how much of my life paralleled the main characters. It's probably the most touching film I've ever seen. If I had normal human emotions, I probably would of cried through the whole movie (lol). 

PLEASE watch this movie, and then get your friends and family to watch it. Stories like this have the power to open closed eyes, and reach those who we thought were unreachable. After you watch it, I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on it. Anyone that can watch this movie without being moved is not human at all... or what I like to call a "Republican" (lol).

You can watch the movie right here for free, or purchase it on DVD by clicking this link:
Prayers for Bobby

Dr. King And Prop 8?

This has been such an exciting week because the Federal court struck down the gay marriage ban (aka Prop 8) in California. This is a huge victory for Gay Rights in the state of California, and also for the entire country. Even-though the ruling was made in a California court by a California Judge, it still sets legal precedence. And legal precedence can be used and cited in any state, and even in a Federal court. Right after I got the good news, I stumbled upon a short youtube clip taken from one of Dr. Martin Luther King's speeches. Call it fate or serendipity or a sign from a higher power, but either way, this wasn't just a random coincidence. It was very clear to me that I was meant to share it with my blog readers and frame it in the proper context so even those that have opposing views, can still see the logic in my argument.

I've heard this speech hundreds of times, and yet I still get chills every time I listen to it. I'm posting this video because I see a very present correlation to the fight for gay rights that's going on in this country right now. I think it's very sad that many of my fellow African Americans fought so hard for racial equality, but still can't see the injustice in denying equal rights to the GLBT community. I know there are some people that feel uneasy or even offended whenever the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's gets compared to the present day Gay Rights movement. And I'm sure some of those people would consider it complete heresy to even associate Dr. Martin Luther King with anything having to do with Gay Rights. If that's your belief, then fine... you're entitled to form your own opinion (even if that opinion is a product of ignorance perpetuated by hate and cloaked in intolerance lol). I'm not saying that one movement has a greater social relevance than the other because comparing the hardships of each is irrelevant. Although we've made huge progress on the road to racial equality, we're still not there yet. And the fight for Gay Rights has a long and hard road ahead that we must travel. I strongly believe that if Dr. King were alive today, he would be a great ally to the GLBT community and would fight right along with us.

I challenge anyone who reads this, to watch the short clip, and then honestly tell me that they can't see the connection and how it can apply to the Gay Rights movement.

The Mormon Proposition

"The Mormon Proposition" details in devastating fashion the efforts of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to help pass the 2008 California ballot measure that defined marriage as solely consisting of a union between a man and a woman. Writer/Co-Director Reed Cowan's film reveals a disturbing truth of the increasing overlap between church and state. This documentary is extremely well done and at times it even brought me to tears (which is EXTREMELY rare). I wish I could get every person in this country to watch this amazing documentary. I thought I knew everything that went on with proposition 8, but this film exposed a lot of new & shocking information that left me speechless. If this film doesn't move you, then you have to be a soleless heartless pitiful sociopath incapable of any human emotion... or a practicing Mormon (I'm only being facetious here, so please no hate mail).

The legal battle to declare Proposition 8 unconstitutional is currently underway, which means the ending to this story has yet to be written. Will we write an ending of triumph and redemption, or will we continue this story of intolerance and hate? 

Watch the full length documentary for free below:

President Obama Speaks at GLBT Pride Reception

President Obama spoke at a White House reception marking GLBT Pride Month on June 22, 2010. I know some of his campaign promises concerning gay rights are taking a little longer than we would like, but I have absolute faith that he is going to fulfill every promise that he's made to the GLBT community. Watching this speech gave me chills at times because I realize just how close we are to equal rights and total equality, and I realize how monumental it is to have a sitting president publicly announce his support for ending ALL gay & lesbian discrimination. This president understands that religious ideology has no place in a democratic government. I hope and pray that, that type of government ended with George Bush, never to be seen or heard from again.

For more info about issues concerning GLBT rights, please visit the sites below:

• Freedom To Marry http://www.freedomtomarry.org/
• American Foundation for Equal Rights http://www.equalrightsfoundation.org
• North Carolina GLBT Equality http://www.equalitync.org/

SIGN THE "FREEDOM TO MARRY" PLEDGE

http://www.freedomtomarry.org/

Missionaries of Hate

After I got home from a long day of shopping, paying bills, buying groceries, and a few other miscellaneous errands, I was dog tired and craving a nap like you wouldn't believe. YES, I am a young man, but because of my illness (Sickle Cell), my energy and endurance levels decreases exponentially as my age progresses. I'm telling you this because I know someone would read the part about errands and paying bills made me dog tired, and they would probably think, damn, this guy is seriously out of shape (lol). So don't get it twisted, I keep things tight and the full six pack is still in effect. I could never disappoint my haters and let them down like that. I've always given them plenty to hate on, so why stop now (lol).

I chose to start this particular blog post off in a light-hearted and humorous way because what I'm about to share with you is anything but. In fact it's down-right disgusting. I could write a list of every negative and horrible adjective I could think of, and still not do it justice. Ok, so after I got home, I put away the groceries and cataloged my bill payment receipts and headed straight to bed for a 2 or 3 hour "power nap" because I told my friend Tamika that I would return to Washington and spend the night watching movies with her at her new apartment (which she has beautifully decorated, and I'm soooo jealous of her bedroom suit lol). So I lay down to start my nap, and of course I can't fall asleep (I hate when that happens). So I got on my laptop and searched the web for a good movie or tv episode to watch. I ended up finding a documentary about the "kill the gays" bill in Uganda. If you're not familiar with this disturbing story, then let me give you a super condensed synopsis: The African country of Uganda joined up with some very prominent AMERICAN Evangelicals (à la Pastor Rick Warren) to draft a piece of legislation in Uganda that would make being homosexual a crime punishable by either life in prison or DEATH. Yes, you heard me right... DEATH! In other words, if I lived in Uganda, and I were in a same sex relationship with a man that I loved, both of us would be arrested and sentenced to DEATH... Can you imagine getting arrested for being in love? And these evil people that claim to be "Christian", are all doing this in the name of God. These American evangelicals have created a huge campaign with millions of dollars at their disposal to fight those that are gay and rob them of their basic civil rights, and impose their beliefs on everyone. There are so many problems and ills that plague our society, like hunger, famine, disease, homelessness, poor education, etc, and instead of using their power and recourses to combat some of those issues, they choose to fight the gay community in order to strip them of their rights. This makes no sense at all. What is "Christian" about that? I really didn't intend to write all this and shout from my soapbox, but things like this really angers me. The real point of this blog post was to get you to watch this 40 minute documentary about Uganda's "kill the gays" bill, and how American Evangelicals played a huge role in the creation of the bill. I'm warning you now that this video is very inflammatory, and so ridiculous at times that you just want to laugh from frustration. The most absurd part of it is when the church pastor shows his congregation gay porn during one of his sermons condemning gays. Yep, I kid you not... gay porn on display right in front of the whole congregation, kids included. Just watch it, and let me know what you think. Evil comes in many forms, and in this particular documentary, the evil is in the pulpit preaching hate.

DeMon's Dilemma

It's been a while since I've written a blog about something personal in my life.  Here lately politics have consumed most of my attention, therefore my writing has shown that.  But as I sit here in my room at 6am taking advantage of the quiet calm that dawn has presented me, I begin to reflect upon my personal relationships and how I interact within these relationships.  The genuine connections I have with my family and close friends have always been extremely important to me.  But being gay and closeted for my entire life up until I was 19 or 20 effected those relationships, and what parts of my personality I felt comfortable sharing with them.  I loved and desperately needed these people in my life, and I thought if they knew who I really was then I'd lose them.  So I learned how to compartmentalize different aspects of my personality and modify those characteristics that I thought might expose my secret.  I became really good at analyzing people to figure out who they wanted me to be and what attributes they felt the most comfortable with.  So in my head I thought that's who they wanted me to be, so in-turn I would try and portray that when I was around that person.  After doing that for almost my whole life, I began to question every single thing about me and my personality.  What was real and what was an act.  After struggling with who I am and wrestling with self-hatred for all those years, somehow I finally found the courage admit to myself and to my friends that I was gay.  I was so blessed to have amazing friends in my life that genuinely love and accepted me unconditionally.  They have no idea how big of a role their acceptance played in making me feel good about myself for the first time in my life.  Without Shante Mika and Jessie, I might be dead right now... no joke.  Then about 4 years after I came out to my friends, my family finds out. I won't get into how they found out, but I will say it wasn't a pleasant situation, and probably one of the darkest periods in my life thus far.  So after that pretty much everyone in my life knew about my sexuality, then there was no need for me to be so guarded, scared, and cautious anymore.  I could just be me... right?  Well that's what I thought at first, but things aren't like that at all.  Let me explain:  After building a personal relationship with someone throughout your whole life, you and that particular person have created a certain rapport with each other. The familiar way you two interact is what makes your relationship comfortable, so that's what you come to expect from that person.  So now that I'm not closeted anymore, I don't feel comfortable putting on that act.  So my relationships with those people becomes a huge dilemma.  I don't know how to be "me" around them.  I can feel that they're uncomfortable with my sexuality because they don't want to acknowledge it or talk about it.  They want me to be the person they are use to, but they don't understand that that person wasn't me.  So because of all that, I just try and keep my distance.  I don't want to give them the chance to reject me.  This is the case with a lot of my family right now (most, but NOT all).  I have no idea how to act around them. 

I'm not sure if I articulated my thoughts and feelings clearly in this post, but I hope that whoever reads this will get some kind of understanding out of it.  This is a hard situation to put into words because there's so much emotion behind it.  Maybe I'll do a video blog later on to try and explain things a little better.  If you did pick up on the point I was trying to get across, then leave me a short comment or a private message to let me know.

The Religion Debate Continues

I posted a copy of my blog entry entitled "Religion Seeks To Kill Spirituality" on a popular gay African American discussion forum that I'm a member of.  It had the same effect that the original had when I first posted it on this blog... it BLEW UP and stirred controversy which led to an interesting debate among those who read it.  I was really impressed by everyone's ideas and how perspicacious and well articulated their arguments were.  Sometimes in those type of forums, people can get very disrespectful and overly argumentative when others disagree with their point of view, but for some reason this discussion didn't head that way at all.  I was so pleased with our discussion, so I decided to post the "back & forth" repartee here on my "Blue Options" blog.

ENJOY :-)

CLICK TO READ THE REST OF THIS BLOG ENTRY WITH A LIST OF ALL COMMENTS

Religion Seeks To Kill Spirituality

I hate to see "so called" Christians use religion as a tool to perpetuate hate and intolerance. The problem with religion is it's one size fits all ideology. This ideology is what causes intolerance to flourish. This is also why spirituality and religion are two very different things, and why religion seeks to kill spirituality. Religion is man-made and divisive. Spirituality is divine and unifying. Religion selects the designated few, while spirituality embraces the divine in us all.

RECOMMENDED READING:

What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality

Their Own Receive Them Not: African American Lesbians And Gays in Black Churches

Broken Spirit

Today I feel so very sad, tired, and somewhat defeated. My initial outrage and anger (that I felt when I first became aware of Uganda's gay death penalty bill) has slowly turned into angst on the cusp of despair. I grew up in a very rural extremely small White town in the south right in the heart of "The Bible Belt", so I'm very well aware of the homophobia that exist in most conservative and Christian households here, so I'm not at all naive about their beliefs and opinions about gays. I usually just chalk-it-up to ignorance, and continue living my life as open and honest as I can. I've always believed that my character as a person who happens to be gay, is a lot more effective in changing the minds of those that are homophobic, way better than any magazine article, movie, argument, debate, march, or protest can. By knowing someone who's gay, they can see them as a person with the same hopes and dreams as they have, and not just an issue to be for or against. But when I learned that an American "Christian" evangelical group were going back and forth to Uganda to aide them in committing the worst human rights atrocity in my lifetime, I began to lose my faith in the goodness of man and doubt the compassion and love in Christianity. I know this particular situation with Uganda involves only one of many religious organizations and/or churches, but I feel that a majority of those groups and churches share equal blame in this. By not speaking out against an injustice of this magnitude, it makes them culpable. The few that have came out with public statements are choosing their words very carefully so they can appear sympathetic to the gay community without admitting that their homophobia indirectly contributed to the creation of this "kill the gays" bill. The only thing that frustrates me just as much as homophobia is unacknowledged and/or unaddressed hypocrisy. And these people are pushing both buttons at once.

While I was reading the latest developments about this story, searching different blogs and established print media (on the web); I stumbled upon something that switched my anger into utter despair. I noticed that a majority of the comments that were left on all the African American targeted blogs were siding with Uganda's attempt to execute gays. That just blew me away. I really didn't expect that amount of hatred from my own race. A race that I'm proud to be a part of, a race that has first hand knowledge of how oppression and violent injustice feels. I just don't understand... why, or how this came to be. I would of never guessed that my race would ever under any circumstances, take on the role of the oppressor. I just can't get my head around that one. I've tried and tried and tried to make sense of it all, but disappointingly, it turns into a contest of futility. If I can't convince my own race to change and see things rationally, then what chances do I have to convince a whole country.

*FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS BLOG POST BELOW:

Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill is a piece of proposed legislation under consideration in Uganda. It was proposed on 13 October 2009 by... more

Get one for any topic!

Uganda's "Kill The Gays" Bill Sponsored By A U.S. Christian Group

Just when I start allowing myself to think that the fight for equality and gay rights are progressing; I get blindsided with the most disturbing shit I've ever heard. The law makers in Uganda have teamed up with a Christian religious organization here in the United States to introduce a bill that if made into law will make homosexuality a capital crime punishable by DEATH in their county. This law is the inevitable culmination of hate, intolerance, ignorance, bigotry, religious zealotry, political propaganda, and hubris dogma that ironically reveals how much evil can exist in the heart of man. I can not find words that would adequately express and convey my feelings about this. Just knowing that this kind of thing is going on in this day and age baffles me. I go through a roller-coaster of emotions every time I hear, read, or think about it. The most profound of those emotions are anger and helplessness. I'm most angry about the involvement of this well known American religious group (known as "The Family") that wrote and supported the bill that Uganda is now making into law. What's Christian about that? It's absolutely ridiculous to believe that killing gay people has anything to do with God or Christianity...

Here are some recourses to help you learn more about this issue. You'll also find startling information about some of "The Family's" well known supporters and members like Rick Warren, Pat Robinson (from the 500 club), and several Congressman and Senators who are connected to the group, including John Ensign, Bart Stupak, Joe Pitts, James Inhofe, Tom Coburn, Charles Grassley and Zach Wamp.

http://rawstory.com/2009/11/author-the-family-proposed-ugandan-law-execute-hiv-men

Video clip from the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC:

Ugandian Official David Bahati talks about homosexuality and why he thinks they deserve to die:

NPR Interview & discussion about Uganda's Anti-Gay History:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121605525

News article from the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2009/12/091218_gay_uganda_law_wt_sl.shtml

E. Lynn Harris; The Passing Of A Brilliant Author

I was very troubled to hear about the passing of Mr. Harris. To me he was more than just an author. He helped me see that being an out gay black male was possible. The way I first discovered his writing was kind of serendipitous. I was a very unhappy closeted college freshman at East Carolina University. I've always had a passion for reading, and used books as a way to escape the reality of my inner-turmoil. I would go to Barnes and Nobel quite often to sip coffee and find new books to read. I was aware that they had a "Gay and Lesbian interest" book section, but I was so deeply closeted that I couldn't even walk towards that isle (even though I wanted to very badly). During one of my days there, I walked around a bit, and found a couple of books that looked interesting. I went to purchase my coffee, and found a comfortable chair to sit in while I went through my books to see which ones I wanted to buy. I sat my things on the coffee table in front of me, and I noticed an interesting looking book lying there on the table that someone had left for the employees to re-shelve. I picked it up and read the title "Invisible Life". That really peaked my interest because I felt as though I were living a kid of invisible life. I started to read and it drew me in instantly. When I noticed that they were about to close the store, I had already went through half of the book. As soon as I got home, I couldn't sleep. All I could think about were the characters and how much I could relate to things that they were going through. I knew I had a morning class at 8am, and I'd feel like hell if I didn't get any sleep, but I didn't care. I got back up, and finished the book just as the sun was rising. It was the first time in my life that I watched the sun rise, and really felt as though it was a new day. Over the next couple of days, I read the book again until I could get another chance to hit Barnes and Nobel and search for another one of his books titled "Abide With Me". In those few short days, my world felt as though it had transformed. I thought being gay was a curse bestowed upon me, and I was destined to live my life in lonely solitude, but E. Lynn's book gave me hope. It help me see that I could be happy. I could find love. I could be the person God made me. All of that never occurred to me before. This time when I walked into the book store, I headed directly to the "Gay and Lesbian Interest" section. The store was very busy with people, and I didn't care at all. Just three days before, I couldn't fathom going down that asile and taking my time looking for a book. So for me, Mr. Harris was not just an author of gay fiction. This man and his books completely changed my life... and changed it for the better. Before I read that first novel, it had never occurred to me that I could have a healthy loving relationship. Without his books, I would of never met Brook (my ex). My five year relationship with him was the happiest I've been in my whole adult life. Whoever I was before that trip to Barnes and Nobel, I don't know who that is anymore. It's like looking back at someone else's life. When I heard the news on CNN about the death of E. Lynn Harris, it really sadden me. I wanted to meet him, and tell him my story of how he helped me, and how he changed my life. I just wanted to thank him, and now it's to late. My only solace and hope is that he passed knowing about how many lives he's touched and how much his work has helped me and millions of people just like me. For this, I am forever grateful.

R I P Mr. E. Lynn Harris


      

Let's See The Homophobic Evangelicals Explain This One.

I have two words for you; GAY PENGUINS. Yes, you heard me; GAY freakin' PENGUINS. I guess I should explain. I was reading one of my favorite blogs "The Huffington Post", and I see a headline that reads "Two Gay Penguins Raising A Chick". Of course my first thought was WTF?!? Then I read the story, and in a way, it made me feel a little bit better about who I am, and it also made me think, if these two gay male Penguins found love and started a family, maybe there's hope for me after all. I would love to hear those Bible thumping extreme right wing Republican evangelical homophobes explain this one. lol... I'm waiting?

Here's the whole story from "The Huffington Post":

BERLIN — A German zoo says a pair of gay male penguins are raising a chick from an egg abandoned by its parents.

Bremerhaven zoo veterinarian Joachim Schoene says the egg was placed in the male penguins' nest after its parents rejected it in late April. The males incubated it for some 30 days before it hatched and have continued to care for it. The chick's gender is not yet known.

Schoene said the male birds, named Z and Vielpunkt, are one of three same-sex pairs among the zoo's 20 Humboldt penguins that have attempted to mate.

Homosexual behavior has been documented in many animal species.

The zoo said in a statement on its Web site Thursday that "sex and coupling in our world don't always have something to do with reproduction."

HERE'S A LINK TO THIS STORY ON HUFFINGTON POST:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/04/two-gay-penguins-and-a-ch_n_211497.html


http://www.kyte.com

Olberman gives Gay Marriage some Perspective

Out of all the arguments, articles, books, pundit sparring, cable news segments, and verbal jousting for and against Gay marriage; no one has captured and conveyed the thoughts and feelings of frustration from the Gay community better than MSNBC's Keith Olberman. I'm a loyal viewer of his show, but somehow this clip got by me. It was taken from a show he did a couple months back right after California passed Prop 8. His heartfelt plea was just as eloquent as it was profound. Watch and see for your self:



If you can't play the video clip, here's the direct url:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChanTFSmqao&feature=related


Here's a clip that exposes the hypocrisy of denying basic human rights from Gay & Lesbian couples. It takes the logic and arguments from the anti Gay marriage movement, and uses it against them. Before I watched this video, I had never thought about it that way. But, it makes perfect sense. See for yourself and let me know if you agree.

Protect Marriage, Protect Children, Prohibit Divorce - watch more funny videos

Here's the direct link just in case the clip doesn't load.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/cca5e8a78a/protect-marriage-protect-children-prohibit-divorce-from-jonathan-smith


I want to leave you with one of my favorite quotes, that I think is very relevant to this story and the time we live in.

Seek not abroad, turn back into thy self, for in the inner man dwells the truth.
-St. Augustine

GAY MARRIAGE RIGHTS

As I watch what's going on in our country played out in every current form of media you can think of, I began to see something in the human spirit that's very dark, evil, and innately insecure. Proposition 8 in California is a bill that says marriage can only be defined as one man and one woman, which basically says that if you're gay and you and your partner want to enter into matrimony, you're out of luck. I've struggled for years and years trying to understand what makes people want to persecute, oppress, and exclude their fellow human beings for not believing as they believe, or hate people because their skin pigment is different from theirs. It's amazing to me that they see nothing wrong with this. Throughout history, this same type of evil has occurred over and over again... but we've learned absolutely NOTHING from it. Nothing at all. I'm 100% sure that this gay marriage ban will be looked at as a major injustice years, maybe even decades from now. It will be seen in the same light as slavery and the holocaust. But I'm here now... we're living in the time we're living in. Sure time will bring us justice, but we don't have to wait. We've seen this same story play out a million times, and it all ends in the same way. With all of our knowledge, and with our ability to reach and communicate, and share ideas with people all over the world, we are still just as ignorant as those slave owners were in 1654, just as ignorant as Hitler and Nazi Germany was in 1933, just as ignorant as those who took part in the Salem witch trials in 1692, just as ignorant as those who supported segregation during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950's, just as ignorant as those who supported apartheid in South Africa in 1948. We learned all of this in 3rd grade. There are countless movies, books, articles, and documentaries about every one of those events... but for some reason, we're not connecting the dots. So I ask a very simple question. WHY? Some of you may say religion bears most of the blame, but I think it's a lot deeper than just religion. I believe human insecurity is the root of it all. Insecurity is a dark, evil and dangerous emotion that can cause humans to do horrible and terrible things to each other. Insecurity defies any and all logic. Insecure people feed off of each others negative energy. For some reason, they crave the feeling of superiority. They have to exclude and opress anyone that's unlike them, in order to feed that craving. They seek out "easy targets", and use whatever amunition they can find, to justify their sick behavior (like religion). Then it snowballs from there into something ugly and evil because they don't realize that negativity will never fill that void of insecurity. It boggles the mind that these so called religious leaders and organizations are spending their time and money and focusing their attention on the personal lives of two consenting adults that are in love and want to get married, and happens to be of the same gender. Who I love and who I marry, has nothing to do with them. My right to marry will in no way affect any aspect of their life. With everything that's going on in the world like famine, homelessness, desize, etc., why would they want to focus on what two consenting adults do in their personal life. They have to see the hypocrisy of it all. Nobody is that dumb. I guess I'll call it "willful-ignorance"... and I call them DUMB ASS IGNORANT ASSHOLES. Legal gay marriage will happen sooner or later anyway, so let's fast forward through all this bullshit, and accept the inevatible.

Visit www.whiteknot.org for more information. This country just elected it's first African American president. If we can do that, we can do anything.

11 Year Old Hangs Himself Because of Bullies Calling Him Gay

When I first heard this story last night, I got physically ill. I had to turn the tv off because I felt an eruption of emotion waiting to explode up out of me and manifest itself in the form of violence. Words can not describe how horrible all of this is. It made me angry, upset, vengeful, and hurt all at the same time. Anderson Cooper interviewed the boys mother on his show last night. You could see how deep her pain was just by looking at her. As she began to tell the story of what happened, I struggled to choke back tears so I could listen to everything she was saying. When she showed a picture of her son, I looked at him and saw me. We even shared similar upbringings. I immedieatly felt a connection to him. I could probably tell you almost everything going through his mind that led to his suicide. The adults, the teachers, and all other authority figures failed this child. The measure of greatness in a civalized soceity can be measured by how it treats it's weakest members. Judging from what happened to Carl Joseph, WE ALL FAILED HIM. His mother would be justified if she decides to sue the teachers, the principal, the school, the school board, and the state. Maybe this will finally make people see what intolerance can leads to. The blood of this innocent little 12 year old boy is on the hands of ALL those right-wing evangelical, hate spewing, homophobic, republican, bigots that are teaching their children that it is ok to treat gay's and lesbians like inferior 2nd class citizens, because they aren't real people anyway. They might not come out and say it like that, but that's the message they are sending when they form groups to ban gay marriage, and when they pass laws to keep homosexuals out of the military, and when they preach in their churches about how much God hates gays, and that God is sending all homosexuals to hell. It's very logical to make that leap in a child's mind, and because of this, they think it's ok to commit violent acts, and throw hate speech to gays because according to what they've been taught, Gays are evil horrible and damned by God and Jesus. WWJD? Jesus would want us to "discriminate, kill, bully, and get rid of" homosexuals". ... right? I'm only being facioious here to prove my point.
I'm trying to be optimistic about the future of this country, and the fact that we just elected the first African American President has made this a little easier, but when things like this are still going on in 2009, it's like one step foward, and 2 steps back. When are people going to finally wake up, get wise, and stop spreading their ignorance disguised as "religion". What ever happened to showing the love of God? Whatever happened to "judge ye not"? What ever happened to "Love thy neighbor"? For some reason, Christians tend to forget about those teachings when it comes to gay and lesbian people. They would rather fight for oppression, instead of learning about tolerance.

I'm just so so so very sad, tired, and depressed about what this beautiful child had to endure. It makes me feel powerless because I am only one man, and it's going to take a lot more people than just me, to change things. And no matter what I do or say, I can not bring Carl back to his mother and make things better. His pain at school was so great that he thought hanging himself with an extension cord seemed like his only option. How many more children have to die before we open our eyes and open our hearts, and finally get rid of this ugly evil stain on our country known as hate and intolerance.

Here's some links and video that explains Carls story in more detail:

RIP Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover

April 17, 1997 - April 13, 2009

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/mom_says_springfield_boy_11_wh.html?category=Deaths%20category=Education%20category=Springfield

11-year-old's suicide brings bullying to forefront

Perplexed over Obama's Choice, Rick Warren

I know I said I wouldn't get too political on this blog (which is supposed to be a lighthearted look into pop culture), but I feel this issue is important enough to veer into the world of politics just this one time. I feel justified in doing this because the line dividing pop culture from politics seem to be disappearing currently anyway (sign of the time we live in I guess).

I'm perplexed over President Obama's choice of Pastor Rick Warren to do the invocation at his inauguration. Here's a little back-story about Rick Warren:
He's an evangelical preacher with a HUGE following. He has very outspoken anti-gay views. Earlier this year he lead the charge to pass proposition 8 in California, which repealed an earlier judicial decision to legally recognize gay marriage in that state. This homophobic bigot has also equated homosexuality with pedophilia and bestiality in numerous interviews and sermons. Despite all this, his church boasts having the 3rd largest congregation in the US with a seating capacity of 3,500. He built a $20 million dollar student ministry facility called the Refinery. It houses the middle school (Wildside) and high school (HSM) consisting of nearly 1,500 students. He is most famously known for a book he wrote called "The Purpose Driven Life" which has sold over 20 million copies, becoming one of the best selling non-fiction books of all time. That's what makes this man so dangerous to anyone that believes in civil rights, and the separation of church and state. He's not some lone backwoods nutcase living out in the woods somewhere in West Virginia. He's an opportunistic religious leader with the ear of white middle America. Whenever I would hear people talk about how polarized this country is, I really didn't give it much thought. I chalked it up to media hype, and republican spin... but this whole situation with Rick Warren opened my eyes to a dark and glib reality. There's a huge force of Christian Evangelicals that are growing in number as we speak. They want to impose their beliefs and way of life on everyone living in the US. And they think anyone that's not straight white and Christian doesn't deserve any rights or protection under this government. I'm sure I made my opinion of Pastor Warren very clear. So you might ask, what am I perplexed over? I obviously disagree with this man, and his perversion Christianity... so you'd think I'd be 100% against and strongly opposed to Obama choosing him to speak at his inauguration? ...right? Well, not exactly... and here's why:

When Obama announced his decision to run for president, I really didn't know much about him. I knew he was a Senator, and I remembered what a great speech he gave during the Democratic convention back in 2004 when John Kerry was running. Other than that, I didn't know a thing about this man or his beliefs. The more I found out about him, and the more I found out about his politics, I instantly switched my whole attitude about politics from absolute cynicism, to energized optimism. I made it my business to do anything I could to help this man get in office. I happily volunteered at the local Democratic office every chance I got. I wholeheartedly believe in this man and his ability to lead this country in the right direction. When Obama won the election, he said something that made a whole lot of sense, and it was so simple and so true, it made me think why haven't I heard this before from any politician. He said that although a majority of America cast their vote for him, he still had a great number of Americans that voted the other way. He then went on to say that he's not going to be President to just the "blue states" and all who voted for him, but all of America. He said he wanted his office to be as inclusive and diverse as our country is. That means that we need to listen to those we agree with, as well as the ones we disagree with. That's what a true democracy is supposed to be. We're still extremely polarized in this country, but ignoring a particular group just gives them more power and more of a reason to separate themselves from us. In a way it legitimizes their cause. So even-though I don't agree with Pastor Rick Warren, he has very strong influence with middle America. And the way our economy is looking, we can't afford to ostracize anyone.

I think we need to change the way we look at politics. We're so use to the "status quo", of how our government and elected officials operate, that we think that is the way it should be done. For instance, everyone has made such a big deal over Obama's staff choices. He has women, men, Democrats, Republicans, Blacks, Whites, Asians, etc etc. He's picking the people that he thinks are best qualified for whatever position. Previous Presidents have always picked only staff members from their political party, and family members, and even people that they owe a favor to. We've seen this happen that way for so long, that we're blinded to the ugliness of it.

Ok, there's my "two cents" (lol). In conclusion, I strongly disagree with all of Pastor Warren's religious and political views, but I think President Obama made a wise choice in choosing him. He's reaching out to a huge Evangelical community, and showing them and all Americans a lesson in love and togetherness.

Usher WTF

Since this is the "kick off" of my new blog, I figured we'd get right down to business. I'm not going to do any long explanations of why I believe what I believe, and I'm not going to get into any deep introspective commentary on life and my opinions on the many social ills facing this great country we call America. Been there, done that, and don't want to do it again (lol). This isn't that type of party. I'll save all the dark and depressing shit for my other blog "Urban Socialite" (http://blog.demonspencer.com) . This blog is something totally different. If I had to describe it in two words, I'd call it "PURE SUGAR". To get my point across, here's another cute analogy: "DeMon's Blue Options" (aka DBO) is like People magazine, and my other blog "Urban Socialite" is like Newsweek. "Urban Socialite" is like Oprah to DBO's Maury (and you arrrrrreeeeeeee NOT the father lol). Anyway, you get the point. Now that we got that disclaimer out of the way, I can let it all out and get a lil' iggnent with yall. . . . I'm an information whore and pop culture is like my pimp. I absorb every story, comment, interview, from tv, magazines, books, blogs, gossip, no matter how small insignificant or frivolous the information may be. I see it, cook it, eat it up, shit it out, and do it all over again while loving every single minute of it. Pop culture is the entity that breaths optimism and hope and embodies the collective voice of the people. Damn... I forgot my promise not to get all deep and analytical. My bad... Ok, reset starrrrrrrrrting NOW.

Now on to the nitty gritty. Here are a couple of thoughts and observations that are on my mind right now.

#1. Has anyone heard and actually listened to the lyrics of Usher's new song "Trading Places"? That shit bugged me out for real. I first heard it in my car about a month ago while driving to NC from Atlanta. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. After it went off, I convinced myself that it was some crazy radio personality doing a paradey (*Weird Al style*) making fun of those persistent rumors about Usher's sexuality. So when I got home, I went online and found out that it wasn't a joke or paradey at all. It was a real song on Usher's real album. As if that wasn't enough, he released it as a single and made a video for it. I'm not sure if most straight people are aware of the gay references and innuendo laced and weaved thought the song. If you fall into that category (straight with no experience in speaking gay as a second language), then I suggest you read up on it, and then listen to the song afterwards. Here are a few major key words to get you started "Top" "Bottom" and "Trade". I would translate for you, but you'd never learn anything that way (I'm sure your mama & 'dem said that to you every time you asked how to spell something or asked what a particular word meant, way back in your school days.).

All of that makes me wonder what Usher's motives really are. Is he just trying to create controversy to sell more cd's? Is he trying to "come out of the closet" without actually admitting it as a fact (as in bi-sexual, or outright gay)? Is he trying to send his gay fans a little nod & wink to let us know how open and accepting he is? Whatever his reasons are, the song is HOT no matter what. And he's HOT no matter what.

I'd love to hear what you think about it, and if you have another motive that I didn't mention here.

Usher - New Music - More Music Videos