Most ridiculous thing I heard last week

I don't identify as a gay male, I just like to sleep with gay men. --said by a gay man

High School Today

I think it would really suck to be gay and in high school today. At least in my alma mater.

I've been substituting there for the past 3 weeks and not a class period goes by without me hearing someone call another student "Faggot" or say "You're so gay." It's quite a sad commentary on high school teenagers and the current hostile culture that currently exists.

I haven't met any students I automatically suspect is gay although I do have some suspicions. Even if I do come across one, he/she will probably be so far in the closet as to not get their ass kicked.

So sad. I thought things were changing.

home

10 years

10 years ago today, Matthew Shepherd was brutally murdered in what has become the most famous hate crime in our country. While I didn't know Matthew or anyone close to him, his story and life have had a profound effect on me. (I did have the amazing opportunity to meet Judy Shepherd a few years ago in the fight for a stricter hate crimes law in Utah).

You'd think that after 10 years, there'd be significant changes/improvements to hate crimes laws around our country or that awareness was much higher or that hate crimes would completely stop. Sadly, this isn't the case. Every year, there are untold stories about people being beaten or murdered because of the color of their skin, gender identity or sexual orientation.

Behind these untold stories is someone's child. Like Matthew Shepherd, there are family and friends who love and miss them. While someone we know may never be the victim of a hate crime (at least not that we know about), it doesn't mean that we can't get involved in the fight for stricter penalties and press coverage of these heinous crimes.

State laws as they currently stand (From GLAAD):

* In 11 states (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont) and the District of Columbia, hate crimes laws cover crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity or gender expression.

* In 20 states (Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin), hate crimes laws address crimes based on sexual orientation but not gender identity or gender expression.

* In 13 states (Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia), existing hate crimes laws do not cover crimes based on either sexual orientation or gender identity, although they do cover crimes against other identified groups.

* Georgia and Utah do not specify any protected classes in its hate crimes laws, rendering uncertain their application to LGBT people targeted for bias-motivated violence. Georgia's hate crimes law was invalidated by the state's Supreme Court in October 2004 as "unconstitutionally vague."

* Four states (Arkansas, Indiana, South Carolina, Wyoming) do not have any hate crimes laws.

We can organize together and ensure more aggressive laws in our states are passed. We can force Congress to finally pass the Federal Hate Crimes Statute that bears Matthew's name. On the 20th anniversary of Matthew's death, I don't want to see any more stories about how few hate crimes laws we have in our country. Matthew Shepherd should be known as someone who helped change our country for the better by all of us ensuring passage of an effective hate crimes law.

Let's not let another year pass without making sure stricter laws are passed in every single state. Let's not let Matthew's legacy be in vain. It is because of his courage that we owe that to him.

On looking Gay

Shawn and I went to see Nada Surf at the Gallivan Center tonight. He was worried that he didn't "look gay enough" because he was wearing a baseball cap and hasn't shaved in a few days.

So he rolled his pants up a few times and he achieved instant gay-looking-ness. Funny that.

Go ahead. Take away my gay card now.

I saw "Mamma Mia" the movie this weekend and I was very disappointed. Apparently I have very high expectations of of movie-musicals. I mean, c'mon; with such recent amazing productions like "Across the Universe," "Hairspray," "Rent," and of course, "Moulin Rouge," I have high tastes in the movie-musical genre.

I'm glad I went to a matinee because I would have hit myself for paying full price. As I sat through the movie, I tried to pinpoint exactly what it was I didn't like about it.

Let's see....
Hot men in bathing suits? Oh, no. That was VERY nice.
ABBA music? LOVE me some ABBA.
Hot men in bathing suits singing and dancing to ABBA on a Greek Island? Nope, that was highly enjoyable.
The surprising gay twist at the end? Um, no.
Pierce Brosnan's singing? I heard that it was kind of awful but I really didn't mind. He did look BAD though.
The bad, OVER-acting of the entire cast? Oh, yeah, that was it.
And, the annoying plot, lines and misplacement of the songs? Yup, that too.

This movie was just downright bizarre. I understand it's supposed to be funny and it's a musical and because it's a movie, it's not REAL, but I found it very hard to watch. I loved Meryl Streep's singing; she has a great voice but I found her acting strange. It wasn't just Meryl's acting; most of the cast was just really strange. I think that's why I didn't like it.

Maybe I need to see it again. It distresses me so that I found a musical I did not like (cause I love them all!).