“Because even if Pride doesn’t change many minds in the outside world, it’s our PARTY, darlings. It’s our Christmas, our New Year’s, our Carnival. It’s the one day of the year that all the crazy contingents of the gay world actually come face to face on the street and blow each other air kisses. And wish each other “Happy Pride!” Saying “Happy Pride!” is really just a shorter, easier way of saying “Congratulations on not being driven completely batshit insane! Well done, being YOURSELF!”
I’m not worried what the outside world thinks about the drag queens, the topless bulldaggers, or the nearly naked leatherfolk. It’s OUR party, bitches. If you think that straight America would finally pull its homokinder to its star-spangled bosom once we put down that glitter gun, then you are seriously deluding yourself. Next year, if one of the Christian camera crews that show up to film our “debauched” celebrations happen to train their cameras on you, stop dancing. And start PRANCING….
But sometimes I think we are the worst people in the entire world when it comes to standing up for each other. The gay people who’d like to soothe their personal image problems by selectively culling some of our children from Pride events? They disgust me. They appall me. They embarrass me. To them I say: The very road that YOU now have the privilege of swaggering upon was paved by those queens and leather freaks that you complain about as you practice your “masculine” and give us butch face. If you want to live in the house that THEY BUILT, you better act like you fucking know it. United we stand, you snide bitches. America’s kulturkampf ain’t gonna be solved by making flamboyant people go away.” Joe My God (emphasis is mine)
Category Archives: Queer as a 3 dollar bill
Basketball’s Gay Paragon – NYTimes.com
Franki Bruni has a great piece in yesterday’s NYT, where he pre-emptively addresses his readers who “routinely tell me that they’d be less bothered by homosexuals if we’d just please shut up about it.” A snippet is below, but the entire article is excellent.
“I’m a 34-year-old N.B.A. center. I’m black. And I’m gay.”
The gay part will now define him, in the public eye, more than any other. It will be the prompt for the loudest cheers he basks in and the nastiest jeers he sloughs off.
But in the opening paragraph, it comes after his age and occupation and race, getting no more space, in that one passage and for that brief moment, than other aspects of his identity. It’s a detail among many, but not the defining one.
That’s the integrated way that things should be, the unremarkable way a person’s sexual orientation ought to be lived and perceived. And that’s precisely what Collins and his fellow trailblazers are trying to move us toward: not a constant discussion of the rightful place and treatment of L.G.B.T. people in America, but an America in which the discussion is no longer necessary. He’s letting us focus on his gayness precisely so we can focus less on others’ down the road. via Basketball’s Gay Paragon – NYTimes.com.
It’s nice when we have good firsts…
Today brings another first in American gay history: NBA player Jason Collins comes out and becomes America’s first openly gay and still-playing male major professional athlete. I’m not really a sports girl, but this is a big deal and as a queer gal I’m grateful to Jason Collins for being brave enough to be the first. I look forward to the day when this kind of an announcement is no big deal, and it’s people like him who will help us get there.
In his own words…
“But each time I tell another person, I feel stronger and sleep a little more soundly. It takes an enormous amount of energy to guard such a big secret. I’ve endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie. I was certain that my world would fall apart if anyone knew. And yet when I acknowledged my sexuality I felt whole for the first time. I still had the same sense of humor, I still had the same mannerisms and my friends still had my back….
Some people insist they’ve never met a gay person. But Three Degrees of Jason Collins dictates that no NBA player can claim that anymore. Pro basketball is a family. And pretty much every family I know has a brother, sister or cousin who’s gay. In the brotherhood of the NBA, I just happen to be the one who’s out.” via NBA player Jason Collins says he is gay – The Magazine – SI.com.
Juxtapoz Magazine – Planting Peace paints rainbow house across from Westboro Baptist Church
“The “Equality House” is the first step in a new campaign by the nonprofit, Planting Peace, which plans to wage a strong opposition against the notoriously anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church. In a bold and aggressive move, Aaron Jackson who is one of the founders of Planting Peace, bought a home across from the church’s compund and painted it to match the gay pride flag. Checkmate.” via Juxtapoz Magazine – Planting Peace paints rainbow house across from Westboro Baptist Church.
Joe. My. God.: Armisted Maupin Settles Super Bowl Bet
“Famed gay novelist Amistead Maupin made a Super Bowl bet with fellow writer Laura Lippman in which the loser would pen an ode to the winner’s hometown. Here’s Maupin’s tribute to Baltimore.
The Virtues of Baltimore (After Pondering Weak and Weary)
Who makes Baltimore so fine?
The Duchess of Windsor or Divine?
Poe and his Raven or Mama Cass?
The great John Waters or Ira Glass?
Thurgood Marshall or Adrienne Rich
Barry Levinson or – sonofabitch—
That linebacker who took a stand
For marriage equality in Maryland?
I lift my glass with a way-to-go
To Brendon Ayanbadejo.
Hit the link for Baltimore Fishbowl’s illustrated version.” via Joe. My. God.: Armisted Maupin Settles Super Bowl Bet.
Excellent life goal
The Godless Liberal Social Society via Facebook
From across the pond
“Parliament is due to pass legislation shortly to allow for the first child of Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge to rule as monarch regardless of whether they are a boy or a girl. Now Labour MP Paul Flynn is gathering support for an amendment that will extend the protection to include the eventuality that the child is gay or lesbian.
If accepted, the change to the law could lea to the reign of an openly gay or lesbian king or queen and for their same-sex partner to be recognised as consort. Any children born to the couple through artificial insemination or surrogacy would succeed to the throne so long as the couple are in a same-sex marriage or civil partnership.” via MPs to plan for gay royals marrying same-sex partners and their children becoming king or queen – PinkNews.co.uk.
Baselines and aberrations
“The only reason gay people are even expected to “come out” is that we (even the most enlightened of us) still consider straight to the the baseline and gay to be the aberration “I will assume you are straight unless you otherwise inform me,” is the most common attitude when it should be, “You seem to have brown hair and like to wear ironic t-shirts. If I want to know anything else, I’ll have to get to know you better.“” via HijiNKS ENSUE – A Geek Comic – Outward Bound, h/t to you know who for the link.
I highly encourage clicking through to read the entire post, as it’s a thoughtful and interesting piece on coming out from the perspective of the person who is being come out to. Also, I lived right outside the Gayborhood in Philly and there is definitely a Whole Foods there- I wonder if this is true in all Gayborhoods.
Coming out isn’t a one-time event.
“Still, gay people are born with the unique burden of disclosure, one that is supremely unfair. Coming out is never just a single act but a constant obligation if one is to assure that people don’t assume that they’re straight. We’re always encountering new people who won’t know, hence stuffing us back into the closet and reimposing the burden of coming out.” via Nathaniel Frank: Jodie Foster and the Queer Line Between Public and Private.
