Just yesterday The Stranger newspaper in Seattle published a pull out section on Homo History containing a chronological compendium of events in Gay history. I read all 41 articles in just a couple of hours this morning. I was duly impressed and reminded of many events that I either experienced or was aware of as they were happening. I was sorta like an instant replay of major events in my life and others on our path Gay enlightenment. The writers of the various articles are a veritable Who's Who of GLBT writers and personalities including Michaelangelo Signorile, Wayne Besen, Chris Crocker, Dan Savage, Rex Wockner, Andrew Tobias and John Aravosis. The importance of this publication is the opportunity to pass along these pieces of our history on to the next generation of GLBT youth, some of whom are not aware of the sacrifices made on the way to where we are today and to where we are going in the future. The list of events is not complete, but comprehensive in its scope and grasp of major events in Homo History. As Homo History is not readily available to most youths growing up, any opportunity to pass along recorded pieces of our lives is one not to be missed. I urge you to read it and pass the information on to those you know and love.
In other GLBT history news, there is an exhibit, Out Ranks, at the San Francisco GLBT Historical Society on Mission Street. It chronicles the lives of Gay veterans who have served with honor and distinction in spite of the threat of dishonorable discharge throughout our military history. One of the most significant displays to me is artifacts from the life of Leonard Matlovich, an USAF Sargeant who's coming out story in 1975 made the cover of Time magazine. I remember reading about Leonard, I was still in the Navy at the time, having returned from Viet Nam to be stationed in San Diego. I had not yet come out to myself (although I knew) or anyone else. It was in part because of his courage in coming out that I finally grasped the elephant in the room and began to accept the truth about myself and decided to discover just exactly who and what I really was. It cost me dearly, but I do not regret the decision to come out. Only in the acceptance of our nature can any of us truly be free. Leonard was the first to openly challenge the stupidity of the government ban on openly Gay persons serving in the US armed forces. I will forever be grateful to him for pioneering the way for us.
For those of you in Atlanta for Pride, Ryan from Boys Are Ugly will be on the Coca Cola Stage at noon talking about coming out at an early age, being an out jock at school, a little about Mike's accident and how love can get you through anything. Go on out to give him a listen, I just wish I could be there to hear him myself. CBS has also asked for an interview with him and I will pass on the broadcast information as soon as he gets it to me. He told me today that he had a blast at the True Colors concert last night at Chastain Park (his mom surprised him with tickets).
Another interesting read I ran across this week is a rather lengthy article in New York Magazine entitled The Science of Gaydar. It relates on an "extensive new body of research showing that most of us, whether top or bottom, butch or femme, or somewhere in between, share a kind of physical otherness that locates us in our own quadrant of the gender matrix, more like one another than not". The article is fascinating and well worth the time it takes to read. It reconfirms my belief in the fact of my being born Gay not choosing to be this way. That argument has always confused the logician in me as who logically would choose to be ostracized, persecuted, hated and abused if indeed they had a choice? Being Gay to me is a Nichevo thing. For those of you who have not long read me, Nichevo is the Russian term for "it can't be helped" or "you can do nothing about it". That is the way I believe, I can do nothing about being Gay, I just had to accept it and go on with my life. I have tried to educate those with whom I have come in contact, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. It has cost me mentally and physically, but I would rather be where I am than where I was before I came out.
That's about it for today, so I will close with the traditional eye candy for your. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
All photos processed with Picasa2.
In other GLBT history news, there is an exhibit, Out Ranks, at the San Francisco GLBT Historical Society on Mission Street. It chronicles the lives of Gay veterans who have served with honor and distinction in spite of the threat of dishonorable discharge throughout our military history. One of the most significant displays to me is artifacts from the life of Leonard Matlovich, an USAF Sargeant who's coming out story in 1975 made the cover of Time magazine. I remember reading about Leonard, I was still in the Navy at the time, having returned from Viet Nam to be stationed in San Diego. I had not yet come out to myself (although I knew) or anyone else. It was in part because of his courage in coming out that I finally grasped the elephant in the room and began to accept the truth about myself and decided to discover just exactly who and what I really was. It cost me dearly, but I do not regret the decision to come out. Only in the acceptance of our nature can any of us truly be free. Leonard was the first to openly challenge the stupidity of the government ban on openly Gay persons serving in the US armed forces. I will forever be grateful to him for pioneering the way for us.
For those of you in Atlanta for Pride, Ryan from Boys Are Ugly will be on the Coca Cola Stage at noon talking about coming out at an early age, being an out jock at school, a little about Mike's accident and how love can get you through anything. Go on out to give him a listen, I just wish I could be there to hear him myself. CBS has also asked for an interview with him and I will pass on the broadcast information as soon as he gets it to me. He told me today that he had a blast at the True Colors concert last night at Chastain Park (his mom surprised him with tickets).
Another interesting read I ran across this week is a rather lengthy article in New York Magazine entitled The Science of Gaydar. It relates on an "extensive new body of research showing that most of us, whether top or bottom, butch or femme, or somewhere in between, share a kind of physical otherness that locates us in our own quadrant of the gender matrix, more like one another than not". The article is fascinating and well worth the time it takes to read. It reconfirms my belief in the fact of my being born Gay not choosing to be this way. That argument has always confused the logician in me as who logically would choose to be ostracized, persecuted, hated and abused if indeed they had a choice? Being Gay to me is a Nichevo thing. For those of you who have not long read me, Nichevo is the Russian term for "it can't be helped" or "you can do nothing about it". That is the way I believe, I can do nothing about being Gay, I just had to accept it and go on with my life. I have tried to educate those with whom I have come in contact, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. It has cost me mentally and physically, but I would rather be where I am than where I was before I came out.
That's about it for today, so I will close with the traditional eye candy for your. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
All photos processed with Picasa2.
