One Queer's Voice

GLBT News

2006-02-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

Logo, the "gay cable network", premiered the documentary "Beautiful Daughters" last night. "Beautiful Daughters" is a behind-the-scenes look at a re-written version of Eve Ensler's "Vagina Monologues" performed by a cast of only transgendered women (male-to-female). Eve re-wrote the show by adding monologues from some of the cast to include transgenedered women who were totally skipped over when she first wrote it. One of the cast, Lynn Conway, was quoted saying "When I did this, there were no successes." speaking about her transition in 1968.

In other news, country music great Willie Nelson, just released the song, "Cowboys are frequently, secretly, fond of eachother." This is the first gay song produced by a major country music star. The song was actually written twenty years ago by a man whose only wish was that it be recorded by Willie. In an interview with CBS News on Logo, Willie commented on how he felt that the timing was right based on the success of Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain".

Prom

2006-02-13T06:21:00.000-08:00

Springtime is rolling around and that means prom is nearing. I didn't go last year to my prom but I can still go this year and really want to go with my boyfriend but he doesn't want to go. He had said he might go until I told him about the Grand March which really seemed to turn him off.

I talked to the school already and they said that they wouldn't try to fight it at all which is good because in the 1980 case of Aaron Fricke v. Cumberland High School Principal Richard B. Lynch the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island ruled in favor of Mr. Fricke making it illegal for a school to deny you your right to bring a same-sex partner to prom.

I am hoping I can get out of the Grand March because I really don't like the idea anyway... Being paraded around in front of the local community with your date before you even get to go to prom. I'd feel like an animal in a zoo :-(

We are enough of a controversial couple without having to be paraded around in front of a small, conservative, uber-christian town. I would love to cause a ruckous by participating in the March but I don't want to ruin prom for my peers.

Brokeback Mountain

2006-02-08T07:04:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, I went and saw Ang Lee's critically acclaimed, "Brokeback Mountain" when it opened in the theater near my house. It was an amazing film though, I don't think it did as good a job capturing the emotion between two men as it could've. I would recommend this film to anyone who hasn't already seen it.

Gay-Related News

2006-02-02T06:21:00.000-08:00

In the President's recent State of the Union Adress he said:

"...We strive to be a compassionate, decent, hopeful society. In recent years, America has become a more hopeful nation.... Yet many Americans, especially parents, still have deep concerns about the direction of our culture and the health of our most basic institutions. They are concerned about the unethical conduct by our public officials and discouraged by activist courts that try to redefine marriage...."

I was so angry when I heard President Bush say that! He's comparing the unethical, self-serving conduct of members of his own party with straight Judges who (selflessly) ruled it illeagal to deny gay couples the right to marry. He talks about parents yet if you read the entire quote in context, he is not talking about gay parents... he doesn't even mention them either because he doesn't want to acknowledge their existence or because he didn't want to offend them which is something he probably did without even trying.

His saying that may have been for the better though as he angered the HRC and other Gay- and Equal-Rights groups which is quite likely to lead into a new wave of protest, angry letters, and rallies. Just the type of thing that needs to be done constantly.

When African-Americans were pushing for equal rights they didn't give up... there were always protests, rallies, demonstrations, etc. going on. It seems that many of us just don't have the heart they did... We'll rally and petition for a while then things will calm down and we'll stop a few months later they get started again... What we need is consistency.

In other news, nineteen year old navy-man John Graff(sp?) has decided to fight the Military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Policy regarding homosexuals. In case you aren't aware, the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Policy, started during the Clinton Administration, allows homosexuals to serve in the military so long as they are not "out" to fellow soldiers or commanding officers.

The punishment for being "out" in the military is a dishonorable discharge unless you are on active duty, mobilized, preparing to mobilize, or have the possibility of being mobilized. It's ok for out homosexuals to go fight a war with our military but not ok for them to be part of our military in times of peace.

In related news, photos of members of the 82nd Airborne were discovered on a gay porn website sparked an investigation and conroversy. A large part of the reason it caused a controversy is because the porn site was based in the city next to the base in which the 82nd Airborne is stationed. The number of soldiers appearing on the site are currently unknown.

Washington State recently passed anti-discrimination laws protecting the GLBT community. These laws will take effect in June unless the opposition gains enough signatures in which case the laws would be put on hold until a September vote. Washington is one of only a few states to offer anti-discrimination laws for gays and lesbians and one of an even smaller number of states that offers laws protecting transgendered people from discrimination.

Please take a stand, stand up for your rights and the rights of the GLBT community everywhere.

Queer, One Day at a time.

2006-01-30T06:59:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I am an out 17 year old gay male living in a small rural town. Most of my school is relatively homophobic, though I hope I can change that. It's my senior year and I really want to bring my boyfriend to prom but he's from the cities and doesn't want to go to a "hick prom". It caused some fighting between us and I didn't want to fight so I told him we'd just talk about it later.

I hate fighting with people over any subject (especially equal rights), whether I care for them or not. However, as Joey Comeau states, in his novel Lockpick Pornography, "We've already got more than our share of gay Gandhis. We need a General Patton." I'm not saying that we need to take violent action to gain equal rights, nor do I condone violence in any way. What I'm saying is that we need to take a much more active roll in "the movement".

I'm all for peaceful protests and rallies but they all seem to be really toned down. What ever happened to the loud "vicious" shouting and chanting like was present after the fire at Stonewall? That is the type of activism we need to draw attention to our cause... one of the biggest most important things you can do to assist in "the movement" is simply to be yourself, to live life as a Queer, one day at a time.