People are Strange

And not just in the Doors version of it... It is amazing what some people will think.  From some GOP candidates thinking that being gay is a choice: Herman Cain: "I respect their right to make that choice. I don’t have to agree with it." (ThinkProgress.org) And others who think prayer is the answer:  Michele Bachmann with a Christian counseling clinic she co-owns with her husband Marcus offering "reparative" therapy to patients seeking to "cure" their homosexuality. (HuffingtonPost.com)


Now, in Peru, the mayor thinks that gay is in the water.  Huarmey Mayor Jose Benitez noted high levels of strontium in the tap water.  The water comes from Tabalosos, a town which a Lima-based television station once claimed was inhabited by 14,000 gay men.  (HuffingtonPost.com)  Dr. Robert Castro Rodriguez, dean of the College of Pharmaceutical Chemistry of Lima says that large amounts of strontium in the body eventually lead to bone cancer, anemia and cardiovascular complications –- but not homosexuality.

Then, right here in America - well, in Iowa - Michele Bachmann's new Iowa campaign Co-Chair, Tamara Scott says that legalizing gay marriage will lead to women marrying the Eiffel Tower.  (HuffingtonPost.com)With the phallic shape of the tower, though, that should be ok with Ms. Scott. 

Only straight women would want to marry it.

Cuz that Rainbow Could Kill Ya

Hospital employees with "rainbow identifiers" might just kill you.  That is according to the founder of a "Christian pro-family organization" and executive of Ohio State University Hospitals.  She thinks that America doesn't need anybody with rainbows on their work clothing to care for the sick and injured in hospitals.  (CBSNews.com)


Now, this has nothing to do with any "somewhere over the rainbow" reference.  Or the optical and meteorological phenomenon seen in the sky.  Nothing to do with ROYGBIV.  Nope, what this is parents needing to "think long and hard" about whether kids should be cared for by hospital workers who "proclaim a homosexual lifestyle."


So, Linda Harvey thinks teh Gays can't properly take care of the children in hospitals.  Although Dr. Desi Bailey, president of the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association says, "Sexual orientation, gender identity and other personal characteristics do not determine a health care provider's competence."  And a 2005 Gallup poll found that 78% of Americans believe lesbians and gay men should be hired as doctors. (They really had to poll that?)


Don't need to worry about rainbows... Maybe just that wicked witch: "I'll get you my pretty...and your little dog too!!!"

Wouldn't it be More "Auto" Than "Homo"?

That's what one would think.  But leave it to the "church-folk" to get it wrong.  Mark Driscoll, Pastor of the Mars Hill Church in Seattle says that "Masturbation can be a form of homosexuality."  He also is against "premarital sex, feminism, modern interpretations of the Bible, and viewing Jesus as... a neutered and limp-wristed popular Sky Fairy."  That's off topic, however.


Driscoll says that "any man who does so [masturbate] without his wife in the room is bordering on homosexuality activity, particularly if he's watching himself in a mirror and being turned on by his own male body."  Now, if he does it, either while his wife is watching/participating or with a picture of her lusting after him, then that is ok. (HuffingtonPost.com)


Women who do it (and there must be some women out there who do <wink-wink>), aren't in any trouble with Driscoll, because "masturbation is more widely practiced among men." He attributes this to the "more convenient and visible external nature of male genitalia."  Don't know if he has seen the shape of most "toys" that are sold to some women...  kinda external and convenient, really.


Oh well, what can you expect from a pastor in a church on Mars...

Coming Out

I was married for 10 years, and had two kids, and suddenly decided that marriage wasn't right for me.  I, of course did all the blaming, and we went through mediation and the divorce and all the papers and deciding what to do with those two kids.  I got divorced at 33...  I lived the 'divorcee'life for five years, got myself settled, dated - even slept with some men - and then at 38 I emailed a friend "I think I might be gay". Thankfully for me, she responded "Then do something about that!" 


So, I was 38 when I finally realized what "I" was.  Looking back at my life - I spent prom night with a girl friend at her house drinking daiquiris and smoking pot - had such a crush on her, but it never went anywhere - I had actually divorced my husband because I wasn't good at marital sex.  I finally knew I was gay.  I came out...  I found a "new" friend on some dating site and it turned out she went to high school with my sister and was married.  We were in a long term (5 years) relationship that ended abruptly and I was on my own again. 


During my "coming out", my son, who at 16 was comfortable with himself, came out.  He posted on his MySpace page that he was gay.  I commented "I am happy for you and remember... men suck". (HA HA)  We all have our places.  We, my kids and I, have had a terrific relationship - before and since.  Both my kids - the straight daughter and the gay son were in GSA way before any of this happened.  My son, almost reluctantly, had to tell his Dad.  And was very well accepted. 

I have a better relationship with their father than I ever had before, and both kids understand the "divorce" so much better.  Being honest with yourself actually does make life easier.  Being able to finally tell the world that you are who you are is the best thing. My family and friends are very comfy with who I am.  It is very much a relief.

Homophobia is stupid.  Why be afraid of something that is as natural as lactose intolerance.... some people got it, and some don't

Picking a Fight

What is the definition of Congress?  This week it might be hypocrisy.  On one hand the GOP lawmakers are fighting for eliminating federal aid for family planning and covering abortions. (Forbes.com)  They are demanding that federal money to Planned Parenthood be stopped.  They yell at the top of their lungs that things like NPR and FEMA should not receive any money either.


And here is the hypocrisy.  No spending money, unless...  "House Republicans have agreed to a new contract to pay a private law firm up to $1.5 million to defend the Defense of Marriage Act." (HuffingtonPost.com) The Attorney General had decided back in February that DOMA was unconstitutional and would no longer fight to support it.  But, House Speaker John Boehner thinks this is something that the money should be spent on.


This seems to no longer be just a fight over money.  This is definitely a fight over social policy.  And it looks like the right-wing, homophobic, anti-women's rights group is going to win the fight.

Terror In America

On this day after, terror is definitely on people's minds.  The terrorist attacks on the U.S. in 2001 were awful.  There have been quite a few of those in the history of America.  In 1920 there was a TNT bomb on Wall street.  In 1993 there was a bomb in the World Trade Center.  In 1975 there was one the Fraunces Tavern in New York.  And then there was that one outside the federal office building in Oklahoma City.  (InfoPlease.com)


The one happening in OK makes the next story sound just a little odd.  Oklahoma Republican state legislator Sally Kern thinks that homosexuality is "the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism..."  (RightwingWatch.org) One would think that folks like Tim McVeigh are more of a threat then say Elton John or Ellen DeGeneres.


She thinks that "bombarding" young people with a "homosexuality is normal" message is more dangerous than car bombs.  Or perhaps more dangerous than planes flying into tall buildings.


Maybe she should be bombarded with something.

Dancing with the Stars

A lot of people are really pissed that ABC has decided to cast Chaz Bono in the upcoming season of DWTS.  Comments on the ABC site says things like "I am sick and tired of the homosexual agenda being shoved in my face!"  And "I will not accept sin no matter how “popular” it is in hollywood."  They accuse ABC of throwing junk in "our faces" and forcing "liberalism down our throats."  (WebProNews.com)

Now, there are some who support the casting.  One of course being Chaz's mom, Cher. @Cher "I support him no matter what he chooses 2do! God! will there always be haters! It took COURAGE 2 do dwts ! TG Chaz has an Unlimited supply."  And WebProNews does state that the supporters outweigh the detractors.


If I remember correctly there was another person who was on the show who may or may not have been suited for it.  Actually, it has been noted that this particular person had "an evident lack of natural dancing talent." (NPR.org)


Where were complainers when she was on the show?  Why did we have to endure having conservatism being shoved in our faces and shoved down our throats?


Bet Chaz does better than Bristol

What is it good for...

Well, war is good for nothing.  But social media might be good for something.  Facebook actually helps fight hate and violence.  Just today, Fox News reports that a page that called for a "judgement day" and a killing all of the Jews had been removed from Facebook.


A spokesman for FB said that "people on Facebook should be able to express their opinions" but that pages with "direct calls for violence or expressions of hate" will be taken down.  That is what another page tries to do daily.  Wipeout Homophobia on Facebook presents pages that might want to spread violence and hate.
(Friend them here)


But, another thing that might be coming to Facebook will help other people.  A new service, called "Cloud Girlfriend" will create a girlfriend from a user's definition and then allow the user to connect and interact with her publicly on the social network.  (FoxNews.com)  Nothing like getting "poked" by your artificial intelligent girlfriend.


The website has yet to officially launch, but the service is already in high demand.  Oh yeah, I bet it is... where's my mouse, I need to click...

Leave it to Texas

Because only in Texas would their hate of one group get to spread to everybody.  Instead of creating an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance, Texas decided to discriminate against all.  "Corpus Cristi, Texas's Flour Bluff Intermediate School District Superintendent, Julie Carbajal, has decreed that all extracurricular clubs on campus will be shut down to prevent the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance group."  (Bilerico.com)

There is a federal law passed in 1984 that requires schools to offer "fair opportunities for students to form student-led extracurricular groups, regardless of their religious, political and philosophical leanings." 
But Texas doesn't want to do that.  They didn't want to lose their federal funding for not allowing the GSA to form in the schools, so they figured out how to avoid that.


And what is soooo wrong about GSA?  Well, "a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) is a student-run club in a high school or middle school that brings together LGBTQ and straight students to support each other, provide a safe place to socialize, and create a platform for activism to fight homophobia and transphobia." (GSANetwork.org ) Homophobia and transphobia probably run rampant in the state of Texas and they must not be up for the fight.


With all of the hate that has been spewing out and the bullying that has been going on, it would seem that allowing a group of kids to get together and fight against it would be nice.  And the GSA is a good organization.  I personally know of two high-schoolers -one straight and one gay- who were part of a GSA at their school.  And, not to sound too much like a proud mom, but they turned out pretty well.


As a good mom, I think I will definitely tell both the kids to stay the hell out of Texas.