I contributed my voice to the "It Gets Better" project.

I know there's some guff coming toward this project from all comers - both inside and outside the community - but I think it's a worthy cause if for nothing else than creating an easily searchable, public repository of LGBT people talking frankly about the lives they live. Not the negative issues, or the headline-worthy discrimination we face in our lives - just a flat-out affirmation of "I made it, and you can too."

Are there still problems in this world for LGBT people? Absolutely! Are there some cynical remarks that could be made about celebrities just now realizing that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender kids are bullied to suicide daily? Sure, if you want to go that route. I'm not here to throw stones, though.

Continue reading ""It Gets Better" isn't perfect, but it will save lives" »

Trevor Project Executive Director Charles Robbins wrote to point me to this new video featuring several Broadway stars singing for the "It Gets Better Project."

Please share this original song and video to help send a message of hope and support. Song available October 19th on iTunes, with all download proceeds benefiting The Trevor Project

I recorded an interview with Bilerico contributors Ryan Conrad and Yasmin Nair earlier this week on their book, Against Equality: Queer Critiques of Gay Marriage.

While I don't agree with everything they said, their critique does have some valuable components worth listening to, particularly the part about how the LGBT movement decides its priorities. It's something I've been saying for a while - there are lots of great people willing to do great work, but only some will get the funding they need to devote themselves full-time, hire staff, create a nice website and brochures, host conferences, etc. The process by which those few are chosen is left to those with money to donate.

The other part worth listening to is when I pwn Yasmin and Ryan because they inadvertently admit that they aren't actually against equality.

Visit their website and buy Against Equality: Queer Critiques of Gay Marriage.

At Equality Virginia's legal seminar at the University of Richmond on October 16, during the course of the discussion of legitimate medical and mental health research in the context of litigation, the point was brought up about the fraudulent testimony and false research introduced in lawsuits by Christianist attorneys like Matt Staver and his kindred religious zealots at Liberty Council (an institution that I view as an ongoing blight on Virginia). Time and time again, the Christianists introduce evidence and false evidence from bogus "experts" some of which tracks to Paul Cameron.

Staver has to know the proffered evidence and deliberately distorted studies are false. Cameron was thrown out of every legitimate association he once belonged to for fraudulent research and one federal judge even opined in a decision that the only fraudulent evidence before him was the testimony of Cameron. Yet Staver and others - including now Charles Cooper in Perry v. Schwarzenegger - continue to introduce the same false evidence.

Continue reading "Why Don't the State Bars Enforce Ethics Rules Against Introducing False Evidence?" »

Editors' Note: Guest blogger John R. Selig is a gay dad, writer, photographer, podcaster and activist living in Dallas, Texas. Selig produces and his "John Selig Outspoken" podcast to provide role models to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people.

Though most of us LGBT adults are frustrated with the hatred we face from the political and religious right and the slowness in our obtaining the equal rights we deserve, most of us lead relatively happy and productive lives. Having long ago accepted ourselves, built strong bonds with friends and those within our families who accept us we lead full lives. It is easy for us to forget just how difficult it is for youth coming to terms with their sexual orientation and gender identity as well as the all-engulfing feelings of being alone with little hope for a future and often feelings of deep panic and despair.

The recent spate of LGBT suicides that have appeared in the mainstream media during the past few months has bewildered us along with straight people into facing the brutal reality of just how hard it is to be young and gay. Bullying is a huge problem and it has been highlighted year after year in GLSEN's National School Climate Survey. Their 2009 survey showed that nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT students face harassment. Nearly two-thirds of students felt unsafe in school because of their sexual orientation and more than one-third felt unsafe because of their gender identity. 29.1% missed one day of class and 30.0% missed a full day of school in the past month because of safety concerns.

Often schools do little or nothing to protect their LGBT students even when the students' parents complain to the schools. Many LGBT youth do not have supportive parents as evidenced by research that show up to 40% of homeless youth being LGBT. It is shocking but not surprising that gay youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth and gay youth who attempt suicide are much more likely to succeed than straight youth.

Continue reading "You Can Save an LGBT Youth from Suicide - I Did" »

Projector Rory correctly pointed out that we didn't feature the best videos that's come out of the recent conversations springing up around bullying and teen suicide. Openly gay Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns' tearful speech at a council meeting about being bullied as a child swept the internet last week and if you missed it, be sure to have a kleenex handy.

So who better to interview the gay politician about his emotional outpouring than gay reporter Thomas Roberts? The video is after the jump.

Continue reading "After the tearful speech: Burns speaks" »

We had the single most heated debate in SameSexSunday history this week--I actually had to jump in, play referee and send our Lefities and our Righties to their respective corners. What got our round table so fired up this week?

Well, let's take a step back and go back to the beginning. Before the panel Rick Jacobs and Arisha Hatch of the Courage Campaign, and frequent guest, Open Left's Adam Bink joined Joe and me to discuss the California leg of the National Organization for Marriage's hateful bus tour. We also chatted about the tactics NOM is using to try to deceive California's Latino community into voting against a fair California.

The round table tackled (quite literally) this week's news of Judge Phillips' 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' injunction and the Department of Justice's decision to appeal Gill V The Office of Personnel Management, a Massachusetts Federal case striking down as unconstitutional provisions of the Defense of Marriage Act. We also discussed the end of the same-sex couple adoption ban as we know it in Florida, and Immigration.

Continue reading "#SSS Where Republicans & Democrats Battle!" »

One of our top stories this week was Glee's de-gaying of Rocky Horror Picture Show in their upcoming episode, but we also reported that the musical's writer, Richard O'Brien, is transgender. He played the part of Riff Raff in the movie. What else did we bring you that you might have missed? Great posts like these:

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

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Gay.com, which still exists, has an unsigned column that's.... sigh:

Do you understand what that means? This acronym that once unified people who are drawn to those of the same gender now represents people who are drawn to both genders, people who are drawn to everything, and people who aren't sure who they're drawn to, as well as people who self-identify as the opposite sex, have atypical or no sex organs, people who associate everything they do with sex, and people who don't have sex at all.

It reads like a bunch of dissimilar misfits grouped together. And if that's the case, should we throw in battered women and the Amish? They probably have sex, too. And what about WWII-era Japanese Americans? Then it could be LGBTQIAOPBAAWW2JA. Talk about a mouthful.

Usually I wonder what's up with people who complain about how long the letters could get, in the future, in ways that no one's suggesting. Are LGBT people so short on problems that we have to make up new ones?

And my normal answer is "Fine. You don't like letters. Let's all just be queer." This column at least responded to that:

Continue reading "LGBTQIAk!" »

I realize up front that I will likely be savaged and trashed for my opinions in this post. However, after receiving a plethora of e-mails from Democrats with the catch phrase "Not Voting is a Vote for Tea Party Republicans," I am beyond over the standard Democrat bogey man ploy to sucker LGBT voters into voting for those who have no intention of actually furthering our equality. Thus, I have been responding with this catch phrase: "Not Voting is Saying No to Being Played for a Fool Yet Again."

I first cast a vote in an election over 38 years ago and since that time I have never failed to vote in any city, state or federal election. That track record may change on November 2, 2010, as I seriously consider not voting. Yes, that's right, I may not vote in the coming election. From conversations with others I am not the only one who is leaning toward staying home from the polls.

Continue reading "The Case for Not Voting on November 2nd" »

Let me state, unequivocally, that I detest canvassing.

I dislike the rejection intensely. People, whom you can see sitting in their Barcaloungers, look-up, annoyed that the doorbell has broken their rapt attention to "Biggest Loser." One glimpse of the clipboard in your hand and they go right back to staring at the undulating flesh on the television.

One type of person will open the door and politely ask, "Yes, may I help you?" I watch their eyes glaze over as I explain; "I am with blah, blah, blah, and I am wondering if you are planning to vote this November?" Glazed eye people like these will tell you they "hadn't really thought about it," or they "haven't made up their mind," or they are "too busy to talk right now."

Some are frightened of a person on the doorstep, won't open the door and ask that you slip the literature underneath.

One man surprised me by simply turning away silently and closing the door softly. The movement was so sweepingly graceful and accomplished; he was gone before I began to utter my first question. I couldn't bring myself to be angry, such verve and panache had to have been spontaneous. I'd laugh if it didn't feel so demoralizing.

Did I mention I really hate canvassing?

More rejection on the campaign trail after the jump.

Continue reading "Why This Year Matters. Part One" »

I have long loved the works of Kazuo Ishiguro, the British author with the Japanese name, ever since I read "Remains of the Day" in the 90's.

And, despite the fact that most movies based on books I love often disappoint, the movie version of "Remains of the Day," a Merchant-Ivory Production with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, was a delight. I can't wait to see this new one.

Ishiguro specializes in cultural dilemmas, which is not surprising given his biography. What is surprising is how deftly he does his work. His writing is very subtle, but very engaging. There's no long descriptions of the landscape, thank goodness. Rather, he talks from inside the character, letting you hear their private thoughts, allowing them to put forth and defend their thoughts and their lives. It's prosaic stuff, for the first 50 pages.

But eventually, you realize that the character has failed to grasp the essential points that surround him or her.

As have we.

And that's where the novel catapults you into a higher consciousness.

Delicious trailer after the jump.

Continue reading "New Ishiguro Movie Must See" »