My new friend Michelle has shared with me a gorgeous story of growth and openness- in Northern Montana! Just reminded me of my own prejudices regarding rural attitudes and my own fears. Highly recommended.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Last Day To Vote For The Boys
Gregory and Jonathan are doing really well, but the couple ahead of them got a bump from a Chicago TV appearance. So WE CANNOT REST! Eyes on the target….
If you haven’t already, vote for them HERE! They’re really lovely people….
That Pesky Syphilis…
Rates for MSM are up. My Bilerico article here.
More Than Just A Crate & Barrel Wedding
I posted about Gregory and Jonathan’s Crate and Barrel wedding dreams a few days ago, but I had no idea of the powerful backstory. From my post on Bilerico:
Same-sex partners are getting married in greater numbers than before in this country, but total acceptance seems a long way off. Surprisingly, Gregory Jones and Jonathan Howard are currently in second place in Crate & Barrel’s Ultimate Wedding Contest. The DC area men, active for years in LGBT causes, decided to enter on a whim. I talked to Gregory (right) today.
“We got engaged in October, and historically parents save for their daughters to get married, but they don’t really save for their sons, so the wedding was just going to be what we could afford. And in February, we opened a monthly customer email from Crate & Barrel advertising the contest. We just thought, ‘why not?’. We didn’t think it could hurt, and we might even win.”
The couple were already well-known because of Jonathan’s survival of a high-profile hate-crime in Boston in 2008.
“We had a lot of support from people from that and now it’s turned into something way bigger than just us. Because I wasn’t family or married to him, (the hospital staff) wouldn’t let me see him right away- and we don’t want anyone else to have to go through this.We tried to take this nightmare and turn it into a fairy tale for us.”
It’s become much more than just a contest to win a fabulous wedding.
“There are so many ways people can be an activist, some high profile, some just saying ‘look at all these people who support us’. It all works together to create change. It’s become an amazing vehicle for equality- the fabric of society is changing and hopefully we can be a force for social change and the acceptance of same-sex marriage.”
And they’ve changed some minds and hearts in the process.
“So many people came out of the woodwork to support us- including a guy who bullied me in middle school. He saw the posts mutual friends posted. He apologized to me and is now supporting us.”
Here’s hoping they change some more. Vote for them here.
CPG
I spent the last few days in Helena with the State of Montana Community Planning Group for the prevention of HIV (CPG). We spent a lot of time with data, planning and discussing the rising infection rates among MSM in the state. I think my concerns about the epidemic becoming very large here in the next few years was heard, and I hammered home the new CDC prioritization of MSM as THE population in most dire need of outreach, education, prevention and treatment efforts. There’s more Montana-specific information here.
So many good people there. I really love to be there and learn from so many others’ experiences. I really know nothing about prisons, intravenous drug use, gynecological issues, Hep C- but there are people there who are experts, and they take the time to teach me and answer my questions.
There’s hope folks….
Blogswarm- Rights are Right!
The Bilerico folks (of which I’m one) are blogswarming today about The Employment Non-Descrimination Act (ENDA). The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, first introduced in 1994, would prohibit job discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. But LGBT people have never been able to achieve the enactment of the bill, known by the acronym of “ENDA”.
Read Dr Jillian Weiss’ article here. Then, my friends, do something to help. Repost this. Call Pelosi. Pray. It all helps.
Thanks.
Happy St Patrick’s Day…
or, as a friend says, “Amateur Night.”
Be safe out there.
Maybe This Will Work
The stats from my previous post seem to be slowly hitting the blogosphere- still no mention from all the other mainline LGBT bloggers or organizations, but I’m optimistic- it’s gradually happening.
We’re getting some amazing and thought-filled comments on the post over at Bilerico.
It has been reposted by Brody Levesque to help round out the discussion on his site.
LifeLube has an excellent post trying to make sense of it all.
Cross your fingers and do your part. We’re in trouble.
The Walking Wounded
Andrew Sullivan, a man I don’t always agree with politically, but who’s sensible, sensitive and compassionate work impress me, has written an article about the humanity of gay people in today’s Daily Dish. Very well worth reading.
We’re all wounded, people. (put the comma where you like.)
Bring It Back
A new Scooby Mix has arrived! His mixes are my favorite workout music- high energy and yet not all that garbage-can-chainsaw-screech that all too often seem to mean high energy to some people….
Give it a try! Download the continuous mix or track-by-track.
Previous Scooby Mixes and track list here.
From Eternity To Here 