As The World Turns Goes Gay
I don't watch soap operas ever, and I really haven't liked the few I've seen. But, last year a teen character came out to his mom on
As The World Turns. And, I just read that the writers are keeping the story going, because he is going to
come out to his best friend on tomorrow's episode.
As a teenager dealing with the gay thing, I bet I probably would've made a point to watch the show back then. From what I've read, the writers are doing a pretty good job of
exploring the good and the bad of coming out and are treating the issue with a good deal of compassion. It makes me happy to see story lines like that--where gay people can actually see their experiences portrayed on screen rather than hidden as if they don't exist.
Unfortunately, not all shows this season are following suit with the soap opera. Of the 679 characters on TV this season,
only 9 are gay, so gay TV is still pretty hard to come by. Maybe as the younger generation becomes executives and writers for network television things will change.
Anonymous Reader
I'm wondering who my reader in Austin, TX is. This person usually gets to the blog by searcing "someguysarenormal" on Google.
So, if this is you, say hi and come out of hiding...
Want to Feel Old?
Every year or so around this time the
Beloit College Mindset List comes out to let everyone know what incoming college freshmen experienced (and didn't experience) while growing up. I get a kick out of this thing every year that I see it, and this year isn't any exception.
The first thing that got me on this oneis that most incoming freshman this year were born in 1988. I was close to middle school then. Oddly enough, when I hear someone is in college, I feel more of a connection to them than I do when I hear about a young thirty-something. Is that just me? I'm holding on to every bit of my youth, I guess.
Here's some more stuff on the list (and my comments). Some I like, some I'm not so crazy about:
1. The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as the student union. (Now that is crazy!).
2. They have known only two presidents.
14. The Moral Majority has never needed an organization. (Really? I think they just renamed it).
19. "Google" has always been a verb. (I'm not so sure about that--Google came along after they were pretty old already).
24. Madden has always been a game, not a Superbowl-winning coach. (Good one!)
27. There has never been a "skyhook" in the NBA. (Yeah, but there hasn't been one in my lifetime either).
32. Reality shows have always been on television. (I guess that's not a fad after all).
34. They have always known that "In the criminal justice system the people have been represented by two separate yet equally important groups." (This one made me laugh, especially since it's my favorite show. How is it possible that I have seen every episode of it?).
68. (And just for kicks). "Outing" has always been a threat. (Maybe one day it won't...)
Is Madonna Going to Jail for Free Speech?
This post is pretty off topic for me. But, my partner is a huge Madonna fan, and he was telling me the other day that he read that some European countries are threatening to
arrest Madonna for hanging from a cross during her current tour. You see, mocking religion is a crime in some countries, and is not considered protected speech.
Obviously this is taking place in countries whose free speech laws are not as strong as those we have here in the United States. And I bet very few of you would read such a story and think that if Madonna were arrested, it might lead to similar arrests here in our country.
But, the story reminded me of the
anti-free speech case in Sweden where a pastor was tried, but acquitted, of hate speech charges because of his sermon calling gays "cancerous tumors." Many on the right were claiming that since this man was being charged in Sweden, people with similar anti-gay messages could seen be arrested in the United States. Basically the story was to let Americans know that if they don't find the "gay agenda" now, this could happen to them one day.
Of course, most realize that this type of thing wouldn't ever happen in the U.S. Even so, I wonder if anyone is worried that the possibility of Madonna's arrest may hurt free speech here in the U.S. just like they were worried about the Pastor's arrest. For the record, I'm not worried, but obviously some people aren't as trusting of free speech rights as I am.
Wedding Pictures
Ok everyone, here are two pictures from the wedding. We haven't gotten anything back from the photographer yet (who is actually a friend of ours), so these are just a couple a friend sent me. I'll try to upload a few more later. And, I still owe you guys the synopsis too.
Oh yeah--I'm the one with the darker hair.
This is J, two of my coworkers and me.
This is a picture of our first dance. The song was "This Year's Love" by David Gray.
Who Should Study Ex-Gay Success
Ok guys, I promise wedding pictures and a rundown are coming soon.
For now though, I was reading over at Randy's blog about his participation in Exodus' protest of the APA convention. Exodus was protesting the APA's stance on ex-gay therapy.
At the end of his
post under the update section, Randy says that the APA should "not waste psychologist's time drafting political resolutions and activist mantras when they could actually [be] creating comprehensive studies to get to the truth [about the success of ex-gay therapy].
My thought, though, is that if Exodus, NARTH, PFOX and so many other groups want every major medical, psychological, etc. group in the nation to acknowledge the success of ex-gay therapy, then maybe THEY should actually do a study themselves. After all, they are the ones that have access to "hundreds of thousands" of ex-gays and the ones that want to be acknowledged as legitimate.
It sounds pretty easy to me--the APA doesn't believe ex-gay therapy should be encouraged for gay patients and they have never seen any scientific proof that it works. If Exodus has been doing this for two decades with hundreds of thousands of people and are so sure it works, they should be able to put together some sort of study to prove their claims. In fact, I think it is their responsibility to do so.
I'm Hitched and I'm Back
Thank you so much everyone for your congratulations comments. It means so very much to me!
Sorry for the delay in getting back. As you can imagine, I have been swamped after having a week and a half off of work and away from reality.
So, I'm back. I don't have much time to write now, so I'll give the full update on everything soon. But a coworker that came to our ceremony (I only invited 3) told me today at lunch that she was so moved she was inspired to write her feelings down. I convinced her to send them to me and let me share them here. It's an interesting take on the evening and does a great job at expressing the emotions of the night.
Here goes. The first part is about me then on to my partner:
"Coins. That is all I heard. He was so nervous that his left hand was in his pocket, rattling the change there. Then, he spoke, "7 years ago..." and the next few minutes became timeless. I had never so much as seen him flinch, and now, as his voice shook, I knew he felt this as the single most important moment of his life. I was so moved, uncontrollable tears found their way down my cheeks, as he spoke his words of love.
And then came J. "The best thing about being with you is that you know everything about me, and you're still here." Words I'm certain I will quote many more times in my life. Although words spoken from a youthful soul, words, nonetheless, that carry such strength and love. Words to be admired; a man to be admired.
Their bravery, brought about through the power of mere love, astounds me.
I was so proud, and grateful, to be a part of such new wonder, that your love and your 'open' ceremony has touched me deeply and has forever altered my life."
