The Gayest Progress You'll See this Week (45 Years On)

Eep! I can't believe I've been away almost an entire month without posting. Of course, it's been a very busy month which included my 35th High School Reunion (yes, as I've repeatedly pointed out - I am old) and a long-planned garage sale in my continuing quest to purge my house of 50 years' worth of accumulated junk. It was successful enough to pay for the new bannister I need before I can move in my impending boarder and replace the sonic toothbrush that gave up the ghost last week. But enough about me.

I couldn't let June go without a post about Pride and the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising that inspired it. On June 28th, 1969, NYPD Vice raided the Stonewall Inn, a mafia-owned gay club in Greenwich Village. Apocryphal accounts say that many were gathered at the Stonewall that night to mourn the passing of gay icon Judy Garland. Others say it was just a regular Saturday night, where gay men and drag queens had come to be themselves, away from prying eyes in the windowless club. Whatever the reason, the police choose that night to raid and tired of the abuse, the Stonewall's patrons finally fought back and inspired three nights of demonstrations, riots and protests against those who still held that homosexuality was a mental disorder with sexually deviant practices that were illegal at the time. That weekend sissy boys; drag queens; bull dykes and leather daddies stood shoulder to shoulder in defiance of police and others who labeled them 'perverts' to say they weren't going to take it anymore. 

In the 45 years since, the LGBT Community has seen many advances in our civil rights struggle. 1973 saw the American Psychiatric Association remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders, adding it to the spectrum (thanks in part to Dr. Robert Kinsey, Dr. Judd Marmor and Dr. Robert Spitzer) of normal sexual behavior. 1977 saw virulent homophobe (and former Miss America) Anita Bryant get pied by a gay activist (she responded "At least it was fruit pie"). 1977 also saw the election of Harvey Milk to the San Francisco City Council, making him the first openly gay man to hold elected office in the U.S. Milk was assassinated (along with S.F. Mayor George Moscone) a year later by Dan White, who claimed junk food made him crazy (the infamous "Twinkie Defense"). Not long after, horror was visited upon on us in the form of a virus which was first described as a "Gay Cancer." HIV/AIDS ravaged the community in the 1980's. President Reagan (a former film actor with many gay friends, including Rock Hudson) didn't utter the word "AIDS" until near the end of his second term in 1987, after millions had already perished. Over the next twenty years, more and more of us made our voices heard and acceptance slowly took hold across the nation and the world.

After many lawsuits, it wasn't until 2001 that The Netherlands became the first country to allow and recognize same-sex marriages. Belgium passed Marriage Equality in 2002, followed by Canada and Spain in 2005. Since then, South Africa;Sweden; Iceland; Argentina; Denmark; France and Brazil and five other countries have all made Marriage Equality law. Currently, 20 U.S. States have Marriage Equality on their books, including my own Pennsylvania (which happily took effect long before Uncle P thought it would). The remaining 30 states all have either had their anti-gay marriage laws challenged in court, or have been struck down pending appeal. Finally, I and most American LGBT advocates actually can envision Marriage Equality across the U.S. by 2016. 

Still, our fight for Equality is far from over. Many third-world countries have virulent anti-LGBT laws (particularly in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, as well as the current Russian regime) and many still view LGBT people as sick and/or perverted, along with many right-winged religious and political factions in the U.S. But for every Fred Phelps or Rick Santorum, there are dozens of right-thinking young people who know that gay folks are far from the evil, perverse child-molesters that Conservatives would have you believe us to be.

Of course, this is hardly a definitive or fully inclusive detail of the struggle for for LGBT rights, but I am so happy that the very closeted 1970's teenager I used to be has become an Out and Proud 2014 gay middle-ager with hope for the future of our younger LGBTs. Visibility is the key. The more Str8 folks realize they know and love queer friends and family members (as well as celebrities and sports figures), the better off we are. I truly hope that some day, Pride events will no longer be necessary and sexual orientation is no longer an issue. Of course, given the state of racism in the modern South, that probably won't happen in my lifetime. 

Never forget the events of June 28th, 1969. Let them (and the others since) guide us to full Equality in the near future. Celebrate and support the LGBT people in your life. There are probably more of us, than you realize.

More, anon.
Prospero

Is This Prospero's Gayest Week, Ever?

Michael Sam and lusty boxers aside, it seems the most interesting stuff (don't start on Shirley Temple - she gets her own post tomorrow) happening these days seems to be gay stuff. 

There's news that a bisexual skier (or something) who won a Winter Olympics medal, was later photographed 'cuddling' with RasPUTIN. Ugh. Still... maybe she was just caught up in the moment. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Winning an Olympic Medal is a big deal and emotions can cloud reason. If I won an Oscar, I'd hug and cuddle with every person in reach (except maybe Mel Gibson; Kirk Cameron and Vladimir effing RasPUTIN!). 

Hmmm... Ra's al Ghul.. Rasputin... RasPUTIN... lots of crazy going on in Uncle P's comics-addled brain tonight! Funny? Maybe. But what's not funny is the failure of the IOC and several of it's major corporate sponsors to address the Human Rights issues plaguing Putin's Russia, today. 

#CheersToSochi member Scott Wooledge, created the video below to draw attention to the horrors being inflicted on Russian LGBTs (via):

Chilling. 

But I wanted to end on a more upbeat note, so I was pleased to also find the trailer for the upcoming documentary Fagbug Nation. Director Erin Davies spent six years traveling through the U.S. in her rainbow-painted VW, finding both support and hate along the way (also via):

Now let's hope the predicted Nor'easter headed my way isn't the monster storm the news demons are projecting. This winter has been rather relentless here in the Mid-Atlantic States... Stay warm. Stay safe. And while I wouldn't actually hate having another day off on Thursday, the mess and expense hardly make it worth having...

More, anon.

Prospero

The Domino Effect?

The ACLU has filed a legal challenge to my home state's Marriage Equality ban. Similar suits have also been filed in Virginia and North Carolina. 

And it's about time. 

Since SCOTUS ruled Article 3 of the DOMA Act Unconstitutional last month, we can expect such suits being filed in the remaining 38 states which currently do not allow for Marriage Equality. And one by one, just like lined-up dominoes, we can anticipate those anti-gay laws to fall on the side of fairness and "Equality Under the Law." I don't expect it to be an easy fight. Pennsylvania's current Repugnican Governor Tom Corbett, like many of his dinosaur cronies, is against Marriage Equality. But in light of SCOTUS' recent decision on DOMA, the state where America was founded is likely to join the current 12 states and DC in legalizing love within the year (though I think my native state of NJ will be first, despite Governor Krispie Kreme's* opposition).

Yes, there are plenty of PA rednecks who live the part of my state I like to refer to as 'Pennsyltucky,' who rant and rave, but the tide has been turning for quite some time and I suspect the progressive thinkers in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh (what's up with that superfluous H?) will prevail. 

I can see the whole country eventually turning toward reason as more and more people realize that being gay is not a choice, especially if the LGBTQ community continues to make ourselves known. Yes, the haters will probably always be there, just like the racists and anti-Semitics. But even their numbers are (thankfully) dwindling. Frightened, uneducated jerks like Pat Robertson; Maggie Gallagher; Brian Brown and Bryan Fischer will be silenced soon. And the creeps at the Westboro Baptist Church have long ago become laughingstocks. 

While Uncle P has no personal stake (and at my age is unlikely to do so) in the matter, I hope that when I am truly old and decrepit, those who come after will enjoy the rights and privileges afforded every other American citizen. 

You've probably seen this Australian Equality promo before, but I think it's worth repeating:

*Yes, I went there. You hate me? I hate you. Nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah!

More, anon.
Prospero

D'oh!

D'oh!

40-odd days away from the Presidential election and I can't help but feel more hopeful than ever that the Romney/Ryan ticket is sinking faster than the Titanic. 

I'm pretty certain that the majority of my U.S. readers are liberal Democrats who agree that a Republican in the White House will only lead to more poverty, more repression of human rights and more corporate power. It is clear that Mitt Romney doesn't care about the working poor, the elderly, the ill or the LGBT community. Romney only cares about what's good for himself and the 1%. You all know that I'm an avowed Secular Humanist, but I know that nothing Romney stands for is in line with what the Bible says Christ stood for. The message of the New Testament is one of love, compassion and charity. I have no idea what the Book of Mormon says, other than what I've learned from the creators of "South Park" and The Book of Mormon, though it sounds just as insane as Scientology does to anyone with half a brain. Still, if it follows the supposed teachings of Jesus, Romney should throw himself out of the temple; denounce his wealth and set about doing good for his fellow men. I honestly don't see that happening, do you?

I wonder what the average guy thinks? Maybe the ultimate 'average guy,' Homer Simpson can shed some light on the problem.

Honestly, I'd try to kill myself if Flanders was seated next to me on the production line, too.

Uncle P lives in the swing state of Pennsylvania, where the State Supreme Court has just sent the new Voter ID law back to lower courts, deeming it unworthy of their consideration but still likely Unconstitutional. PA does issue free Non-Driver IDs via the Commonwealth's DMV. Of course, one has to be mobile enough to get to a DMV photo center in order to obtain such an ID. This limits those who are handicapped; elderly and/or without adequate transportation from obtaining such an ID. The idea behind these IDs is to limit voter fraud. The reality is that the law limits those unable to obtain such an ID (no matter what the reason) from voting at all. This Repugnican backed law is meant solely to prevent voters who would normally vote for Obama, from doing so. Who is committing Voter Fraud, now? Comedienne Sarah Silverman probably expresses this idea best in the the NSFW video below:

Here's the thing: VOTE! Vote to save our freedom. Vote to save our economy. Vote to keep religion out of politics. Vote to ensure that every American has the same set of rights. Vote for what you know is right. Vote as if your lives depended on it. Because they do. 

If you're still not sure who to vote for, read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale or George Orwell's 1984 or any other treatise on the tenets of basic human rights. Hell, read the Constitution. It's all right there. 

Do you want the country to be ruled by man who believes God lives on the planet Kolob, or a man who believes every citizen has the right to liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of his or her race, religion, sex or orientation? 

And just to touch on Marriage Equality one more time, I came upon a quote about "Two Spirit" people and I'd like to share it with you.

"Christian leaders stand on our soil and claim: 'gay marriage' has never occurred here. Over 130 tribes in every region of North America performed millions of same-sex marriages for hundreds of years. Their statements are both hateful and ignorant. Your 'homosexual' was our 'Two Spirit' people... and we considered them sacred." 

I don't have a name to attach to that quote, but I know from my personal research in my own spiritual quest that this is true. In fact, the word 'homosexual' didn't even exist until the mid-19th Century. 

And don't even get me started on the teacher who insisted that the 'homo' in 'homosexual' was rooted in the Latin for 'man,' rather than the Latin for 'same.' If she were alive today, I'd smack her silly.

Rant over, for now. You know I'll be talking about this subject again before November. I hope you'll bear with me through the idiocy of our electoral system.

More, anon.

Prospero

Exceptionally Good Riddance to Excrementally Bad Rubbish

President Obama Signs the DADT Repeal

I keep telling you Uncle P is old. I know this by the amazing number of historical events I've witnessed. The moon landing; Nixon's resignation; the Challenger explosion; Oklahoma City;  9/11; the first African-American President. So many, many more. And tomorrow I will witness the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the ability for LGBT persons to serve their country openly, with the full respect and dignity deserved by (almost) every Human Being on earth. 

And just to be clear, I say 'almost' because I can't include murderers; rapists; terrorists; pedophiles; Nazis; drug kingpins and two-faced, self-loathing bigots who vote one way and have sex the other, as people (among a few others) who deserve any respect whatsoever. In other words, people who don't read Caliban's Revenge.

Like so many, I cannot believe that I am alive to see this day. This is big folks. Probably the biggest Civil Rights victory since the 60's. And you have to give credit where credit is due. This is another one of many historical moments that will continue to be part of Obama's first term. We MUST make sure he has a second, because we run the risk of having an insane person running the asylum and all of it falling down around us like a house of cards. As much as I keep whining that Mr. Obama has to grow a pair (which he apparently did  today on his tax increase proposal), this is an amazing accomplishment. We now join Canada, Great Britain and several other Western countries that allow gays to serve openly. And you have to be honest, not only was bin Laden killed on his watch, Obama has just kept a major campaign promise to the LGBT community. DOMA is next and with it, Prop 8 goes away and the way is paved for marriage equality on a national level. I have never been prouder to be an American, than I am at this moment. You can read the official announcement here.

Tell your friends; tell your lovers; tell your boyfriends and girlfriends; tell your partners; tell your spouses (legal or otherwise); tell you parents and tell your straight allies: "Please, vote! Please make sure that the momentum is kept going; please make sure an insane person isn't elected POTUS." 

More, anon.

Prospero