Response to a Daily Beacon Letter

Alright, alright, here I am entering my opinion into an argument I really have no say in...again. The audacity of some people really upsets me though, and I need to express my feelings when upset.

This letter in the Daily Beacon today was a response to another letter sent in on October 20, that I actually responded to here. In the most recent addition to this trail of letters, Will decides that he is going to go on a rant about how Courtney shouldn't be demanding universal health care to help out unborn babies, because it would actually make abortion more available if the health care bill were passed. He also addresses other "beliefs" that he possesses. These are my responses.

It comes down to two very simple points for Mr. Will.

Firstly, there is NO debate on whether abortion is right or wrong. It is a matter of opinion. There is no law, to my knowledge, that says abortion is "right" and should be the way things are done. Yes, it is legal, but you can still believe that it's "wrong," just like people against gay marriage in states where it has been legalized do. Legislation doesn't force people to be individually and morally okay with abortion; people are allowed to hate something all they want. Hate does NOT justify illegality, however. Women deserve the right to choose to have an abortion if they so desire. If they want to: good for them. If they don't want an abortion: good for them. Pro-life people are more than welcome to picket and yell and hate abortion clinics all they like; that doesn't mean the clinics should be closed down.

Secondly, (and this is directed to Will individually) you really have ZERO say in the matter. Yes, you have your voting rights, but unless you get some girl knocked up, you should not care about abortion at all. You're never going to have one. You. Are. A. Male. You cannot possibly understand what it is like to be pregnant, to be carrying a future human being inside of you, or the amount of responsibility that comes with the entire situation. A pregnancy can ruin more than one person's life. It is up to the person who is pregnant (i.e., the woman) to decide the fate of the growing person inside of her. You may have your opinion, but realize that you can NEVER truly understand the situation enough to develop an accurate opinion. You'll only ever have your beliefs to go on, as will I.

As a male, I recognize and understand that I won't ever be pregnant or know what it's like to be pregnant. Therefore, it's not my place to tell other women that they cannot have a child. Personally, I see no reason to have an abortion. Have the baby and put it up for adoption if you cannot care for it. Simple as that in my eyes. However, my eyes aren't the ones that count; it's the soon-to-be mothers that need to decide to have an abortion or not. And they should have every chance to make that decision.

The entire rest of the debate is left up to opinion. Period.

Vid Exposure

This video is a funny take on anti-LGBT parents who try to suppress their children. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, but I'm curious to know how you interpret it.

(This video is NOT SERIOUS! The Onion News Network is a made-up internet parody show.)

How To Find A Masculine Halloween Costume For Your Effeminate Son

Response to a Daily Beacon Letter

Clearly Halloween is happening sometime this week, as evidenced by the plethora of articles and editorials posted by the Daily Beacon today. Oh yeah, the holiday is this Saturday; I'd almost forgot with how busy my weeks are. 4 articles were written today: one about the origins of All Hallow's Eve; one about the terrible fads that have penetrated society; one for making costumes of dead celebrities; one about the need to dress less "slutty" this year.

These articles were hilarious in my opinion, each for its own unique merits. The history of Halloween article, whether knowingly or not, hinted that Christianity is an accommodating religion, changing or altering itself to satisfy the unrest within its captured converts of the past (I'm not here to debate about religion, this is only something I noticed). The terrible fads are terribly true, and I will admit I was planning to dress up as a Twilight Cullen until I saw the price tag of a Cullen family crest leather wrist strap ($20!!!--I made a Peter Pan costume for less than $5 instead). The dead celeb costume article excluded Michael Jackson because of his obvious popularity, and the article was meant to include only celebs that might not be as popular. My favorite was Flora Theden's editorial about dressing less slutty in college for Halloween. She went on a small rant about how girls should not use Halloween as a chance to dress slutty, like in Mean Girls, which I agree with. Get creative, people!

The "Plastics" from Mean Girls

I LOVE Halloween! When I was younger, getting pounds upon pounds of free candy from friends was awesome, and now, having a night where all of my friends try their hardest to look as crazy and creatively random as possible so that we can get together and PARTY for one night is Paradise. Like I said, I'm dressing up as Peter Pan, and NO, I'm not doing it for the chance to wear sexy tights, show off my legs, and fulfill the gay boy stigma of dressing as slutty as possible. Quite the opposite, I would rather cover up the, in my opinion, unsightly body that I have (DON'T even start yelling at me from your computer screen! Odds are, unless you're one of maybe 10 people, you have not seen me without the majority of my clothes on, so you don't know what I look like. Hrmph!). But I'm going to a Disney Halloween party, and Peter Pan seemed like one of the easier/cheaper/still cute costumes for me to make. Maybe I'll post a photo on here after I wear it...you know you'd like to see that.

My costume inspiration

So GO OUT on Halloween, have fun, and wear an yexciting/interesting/creative/original/homemade/non-slutty costume!!!

Maine Gov. Loves Gays

John Baldacci, the Governor of Maine, has issued a statement saying that he supports gay marriage in Maine. He used to support civil unions, but he claims that he now recognizes that they are not the same as civil marriages and it's important for everyone to have equal rights.

The people of Maine are expected to vote on a ballot initiative that would overturn the recent legalization of same-sex marriages in Maine. Hopefully the public likes us too!

Advocate article

Glambert's Album Cover

You like? Lord, I do. I can't wait to hear his music. It's already selling prereleases so fast on Amazon.com that Glambert's #9 on the rock hit list. Poor Kris Allen is like 90-something. So sad for him; I love Adam!!!!

Bea Arthur Donates $300,000 in death

Golden Girl Bea Arthur left $300,000 to the Ali Forney Centre, a homeless shelter for abandoned gay children in New York City. She was known for her generous donations to not only this LGBT-friendly shelther, but to many others as well. The shelter has helped countless GLBT youth during its years at work since 2003, and it plans to use Bea's money to build an addition to the centre, housing 12 more youth beds.

What a wonderful thing that Bea Arthur has done in death. It warms my heart to see such compassion.

Pink News Article

Video games= Relationship Counselor

This entertaining article from MSNBC.com tells the story of a married couple who, as comes with being married, found themselves arguing and fighting over various trials of life. How does this story end? They resolve their problems by joining together to kill flesh-eating zombies and mutants in a newly released video game!

Turn this ^^

Think about it: who doesn't like a good video game? Sure, the term "good" varies from person to person, but the only person you've got to worry about is your partner. If you know what kind of game he/she likes, you're golden. The next time an argument that neither side will win ensues, try to recover by destroying a dastardly enemy in both you and your significant other's favorite video games. Never let the anger simmer; if the problem is a matter of opinion, neither of you will win. It's best to swallow your pride and reconcile over your differences with something both of you can enjoy.

Into this!!! ^^

I know for sure if my boo and I were having a tiff, and he sweetly offered to change the subject with some Dance Dance Revolution for my Wii, my tune would instantaneously flip-flop. Nothing sounds more exciting to me than make-up video games: especially fun, active ones like DDR!

Comparing the Sides of Money

The fight to keep gay marriage is quickly being left up to the religious folks, as evidenced by their current battle in Maine.

According to current measurements, the anti-gay group, Stand for Marriage Maine, has received $2.6 million in funding. Of that, $1.622 million came from the National Organization for Marriage, a clearly Mormon-influenced organization. Also, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland donated $529,666. These 2 donations account for about 90% of S4MM's funds.

In comparison, No on 1, the organization for gay marriage in Maine, has received funding from several sources: $526,000 from Maine businessman Donald Sussman; $267,589 from the Human Rights Campaign; various celebrity donations as much $10,000. However, unlike Stand for Marriage Maine, the top 10 donors for No on 1 represent less than 40% of its total donations (S4MM was 90%, remember?).

Where would the gay haters be without religion??? They'd have about $127,218 to play with in the fight against gay marriage.

When are people going to learn that religion should be separate from human rights and the government? Both are personal things and should be kept personal.

Queerty

Gay Marriage is Expected to Happen in the NYC

Governor Paterson of New York said a recent gay rights rally that gay marriage is coming to New York "in the new few weeks." He plans to introduce and push for a bill at the next special session meeting of the legislature, which is scheduled to happen in two or three weeks.

Governor David Paterson of New York

Of course, the governor cannot force them to vote for it, but he is positive that they will if given the opportunity. We can only hope he knows what he's talking about. If passed, New York would be the 7th state to legalize gay marriage in America. Although it would be much more beneficial for a nationwide legalization through the federal system, we'll take we can get for now.

Advocate.com article

Hate Crimes are Now Illegal

Hate crimes against gay people were only wrong before, but thanks to the Senate, we're one step away from having anti-gay hate crimes recognizable in a court of law. This is a major step in the fight for gay civil rights, as this is the first federal law in support of us. The bill is named after Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, both men killed because of their sexual orientation.

The bill will provide hate crime protection to people attacked or killed because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. President Obama has said he will sign the bill and is expected to do so very soon (as in a week or two).

The passing of this Federal law means that the US Government recognizes that gay people are out there and that we deserve the same rights and protections as everyone else. Hopefully this bill will open the door in people's minds to the idea that marriage is a human right too and should be available to everyone who wants it.

Advocate.com article

Do It Right, NOT Right Now

In a recent book by Joseph Galliano, Dear Me: A Letter to My Sixteen-Year-Old Self, Elton John writes in his letter that he wishes he'd lost his virginity earlier in life:

"My advice to you is to never chase love. It will find you when you least expect it. Have fun, have lots of safe sex and enjoy your sexuality. Be proud of who you are."

He continued: "I made a lot of mistakes. Stay away from drugs, they're a waste of time. Stand up for every human being's rights. Be loving, kind and strong. Set an example. You're going to have one hell of a life!"

Yeesh! I think about 20 little RED FLAGS went up while I read that excerpt. Ummm, okay, Elton John: way to be poetic and all sweet-sounding and what-not, but what kind of message is this for teenagers, really? Really???

Please, please, PLEASE, young people out there reading this: do NOT go out and lose your V-card for the sake of finding yourself!!! Trust me, you may think it's alright or it's safe or blah-blah-blah, but 9 times out of 10 the situation is not appropriate. I'm not your mother, you don't have to listen to me, and you're an adult who can make you're own decisions, but you're also probably still pretty young in the eyes of the world. I'll be the first to admit that I still have a lot to experience for the first time in this world; unfortunately sex isn't on that list.

Personal moment: I did it for the first time several years before I was ever in love. Bad idea.

They say to never regret what you do, and I try not to. But if there were ever one thing I wish could do over, it was waiting until it actually meant something to me--was with someone I cared a lot about. If you're in love in a good, lasting relationship, then that's one thing. However, following good ol' Elton and doing it to discover yourself is a definite BAD IDEA. Think about it, if you're in that situation with someone, about to cross that bridge, pause and think about this: "Next week/month/year (Oh yes, you will remember your first time a year later, if not more), am I going to look back on this moment and like what happened here?"

Elton John does make some good points about avoiding drugs, standing up for human rights, and being loving and kind, but you can do all those things without losing your virginity. Yes, if you go ahead and do it, MAKE SURE it's SAFE SEX. Always, always, ALWAYS use a condom! PERIOD!

Seriously, though, wait until the time is right, not right now.

Source: Pink News Article



DISCLAIMER: I do NOT support waiting until marriage to have sex. If we ALL waited that long, we'd never get it done. I'm just saying wait until it's RIGHT for YOU and it's with someone you want to be with. BE SMART and have some RESPONSIBILITY for your actions.

Response to Daily Beacon Letter

This letter appeared in the Daily Beacon on Tuesday, October 20, 2009, and it's makes some good points.

The anti-abortion people that were on campus recently completely gross me out, and in all the wrong ways. It is totally unnecessary to stand on campus parading around your thoughts and feelings about something in such a drastic manner as they did. It's one thing for a college organization to set up a table to advertise for a cause it's in support of, it is quite another to jump onto the campus lawn with super tall posters advertising something so controversial (in such a disgusting manner, no less--dead baby pictures??? That doesn't make me want to be against abortion; it makes me want to gag and get as far away from those protesters as possible).

As a good standing member of the Lambda Student Union, I know for a fact we would NEVER come onto campus with giant billboards of photos of men making out nude with other men (or women doing the same with other women). It's far too offensive and would never accomplish what we really want, no matter what the goal is.

I really like how the author of the letter turns around the argument of being anti-abortion by saying it would take away the right to choose, which is very true. Women should have the right to choose what they do with their bodies and lives. If a woman wants to go through with a pregnancy for whatever reason, it's her prerogative. If another woman chooses abortion for whatever reason, that too is her decision alone. No one should make that decision for her.

The idea of people trying to control how other people live their lives is quite prevalent in today's society (i.e., people wanting to tell gay people that they can't be married). Why can't people just lay off and mind their own business?

I Love Zachary Quinto!

We all know and love this hottie actor from both Heroes and the newest Star Trek movie, and apparently he loves me (and the gays) too! According to the Advocate.com, Quinto is going to appear at and participate in a reading for the Laramie Project: 10 Years Later at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center's annual gala. He will appear with other stars as well.


He's recently participated in other gay events, including a one-night-only benefit stage reading of one act plays about gay marriage, and...all the gays hope that he's gay, so he's got a lot going for him. I hope to see more of this boy soon!

New Documentary

I can't tell if this is gonna be a show-stopper or anti-Mormon propaganda. I'm kind of hoping for the first choice.

Vampire Love Makes Sense Now

Yes, I'm a Twilight fanatic, and I never understood why. I always pegged it to the eternal love of the two main characters, Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, and all of the wonderfully hot sexual tension they experience throughout all 4 books, but now I know differently. I have been corrected by Esquire magazine.

In a recent article they published, they attribute Twilight's startling success to the fact that its most popular demographic, straight women, love Edward Cullen so much because they can never have him. In the story, Bella is first attracted to him not only because he's amazingly good looking and mysterious, but because he appears to be completely disgusted by her.

Where does that sound familiar? Gay boys!

All the little gay boys in high school who were either closeted or still questioning had all the girls chasing after them because the girls couldn't have them. It makes perfect sense now.

But wait, why do I love Edward then? I'm gay, so why should I feel these feelings like straight girls? O, I know. It's because I know Edward is straight, which means I can never have him. What good logic.

Advocate article

I'm Starting to Love Joy Behar

Joy Behar (the View) has her own show, and it's really starting to grow on me, mostly cuz of her pro-gay stance that she very clearly vocalizes. In this video, she discusses the effects of the National Equality March and other recent gay things. Definitely check it out!

Ad for Equality in Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo, Michigan is about to have a bill voted on that would grant many rights to same-sex couples, marriage not included. These rights would outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in several places, including the work place. Very positive!

Here's an advert for the pro-gay campaign. Very well done, if I do say so myself.

CA Judge Shoves It To the Anti-Gays

The courts are all rumbling in California as the pleas to repeal Prop 8 are growing in strength. The presiding judge in the lawsuit filed against Prop 8, Vaughn Walker, has asked the defense attorney of Protect Marriage, the organization who spearheaded Prop 8, Charles Cooper, some very interesting and hilarious questions, to all of which Cooper had no answer. He asked the question, "What is the harm to the procreation purpose [you're using as a defense for marriage] you outlined of allowing same-sex couples to get married?" He also mentioned a straight couple he recently wed in old age, saying that he did not expect them to procreate, so why should they be allowed to marry? Cooper was flabbergasted.

Thank God some people are finally catching on to the gigantic holes in the anti-gays arguments.

Pink new article

NEM: Lady Gaga Got Her Way

Yes, Lady Gaga was at the National Equality March like me. No, I didn't get to see her, and I'm so upset!

Because Knoxville is 8+ hours from Washington, D.C., my friends and I decided to leave the march at around 3:15 to get a head start on the drive home. Lady Gaga went on stage around 3:40. I missed her by 25 MINUTES!!! I was so sad when I found out.

I watched her speech on Youtube, and I've posted it here because it is just too good to miss. Even though she's just a pop star, she still has a voice. And boy, does she use it.

Ahnold is Finally Making Me Happy

No, his name's not a typo. I'm poking fun at how he pronounces his name.

Mr. Schwarzanegger finally made me happy the other day when he signed the bill making Harvey Milk Day a real holiday. It's not school-cancelling worthy, but it's still on the calendar now. So Yay!

We were all afraid he'd veto it for two reasons: A) He did so last year. B) He had over 700+ bills to sign that night and it was expected he'd do a mass veto just to be mean. But he didn't! He signed the bill!

Note: This bill also made it alright for married couples from other states to still be considered married while they're in California. That's a big positive too, and kind of a nod from the Terminator that he might just like the gays after all.

Advocate article

I LOVE Mariah Carey

Can I just say that this is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen? Not only did this boy introduce his man to said man's favorite pop singer (I'm assuming, considering the bargain he made by saying, "I'll marry you when you introduce me to Mariah Carey), but he proposed to him ON STAGE with a Ring Pop ring just like Nick Cannon did for Mrs. Carey!! How adorably sweet is that?

I want my bf to propose to me like that...with Lady Gaga.

My Friend is On National News!

My friend, AJ Wilmoth, made it onto the cover page of the Time Magazine website main page today! His picture was taken at the National Equality March on Sunday, and that image has showed up on websites including Advocate, 365, and TIME MAGAZINE! How exciting that this event is making such big news!

AJ is on the far right in the leather jacket ^^

Time magazine article

National Equality March for Me

I had the privilege this weekend to attend the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. This event, I expect, is one that will mark history forever; to be a part of it is to be a part of the history of gay rights. This march is my generation's Civil Rights movement, and I participated.

My friends and I from the Lambda Student Union made the long drive from Knoxville, TN to D.C. (eight hours) on Friday, had fun Saturday, and marched throughout the nation's capitol on Sunday. The event was marked by the appearance of several famous people and figureheads in our country, including but not limited to: Cleve Jones, Sherry Wolf, Lt. Dan Choy, Judy Shepard, Lady Gaga, and many more. These people were the ones I was most excited to see. The rally following the march, in which all of these people and more spoke in front of the capitol building, was several hours long. Unfortunately I did not get to stay the whole time for this because we had to leave D.C. so as to not get home much later after midnight. (We left at 3:30 p.m. and still didn't get back to Knoxville to 2 a.m.)

The whole Lambda gang at the march

The march was so inspirational. I have never in my life been a part of such a large movement of people. Surveys estimate over 200,000 people showed up for the march (though I think it was much less, but still VERY large)! I can't even believe the event was so successful. People showed up from all over the country, as far away as Texas and California! It was awe-inspiring to go from seeing the Monument Mall on Saturday with just some tourists walking around to seeing the Capitol lawn FLOODED with people.

I'm so honored to have experienced the march, walking and protesting with hundreds of thousands of fellow LGBT people, getting to know them, and listening to what our generation's leaders have to teach us.

Too Much to Talk About

Hey everyone! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you. I've got so so so so SO much to say about this weekend, everything that happened, and how it's affecting America now. The problem is that I have no time right now. I should later tonight, so in a few hours I will begin the journey that is blogging about the National Equality March for you all.

See you then!

Obama Makes His Promises to the Gays

Ok, so I'm in DC tonight with my loving boyfriend, Danny, and we just watched Obama give his words to the HRC at their annual dinner right down the road (so sad we couldn't be there too). He made some big promises tonight; let's hope he can keep them.

One thing he barely addressed though was gay marriage. I mean, he talked about it and all and he said he's going to do some things for it, but there were some serious holes. I'm not going to waste your time with all the gory details cuz I'm sure I'll post the video on here later of what he actually, but I'll leave you with this. Here's a list of words he 100% did not use: equality, "gay marriage," "civil rights," love. How can he make such promises without using any of these words?

Sure, he promised that the hate crimes bill will pass and DADT will be ended; those are good things. But we need more. 100% equal rights!!!!!

I'm in DC!

Finally, after an 8-hour drive and nearly 2 hours of wandering around DC, my bf and I finally found our hotel. To go out on Friday night in DC?...um, yes! Or go to sleep and wake up at a reasonable and experience everything gay in DC?....BETTER YES! So Danny and I are off to bed now; I'll certainly keep you updated tomorrow on what starts happening with my weekend in Washington, DC.

On my way to DC now! 7 Hours est to go! #NEM

Test blog to see if i can blog by cell. I cant wait to get to DC and start experiencing everything the NEM has to offer! Let me know if youre gonna be there!

Leaving for the NEM in DC Today!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know that in just a few hours, I'll be setting off with some close friends for Washington D.C.! I'm going to attend the National Equality March this weekend, and I'm so excited!

This event is going to make history. Hundreds of thousands of people are coming out from all across the country to show their support for Equality for ALL people, and I'm going to be one of them. Of course, I'm going to blog on as much as humanly possible for me, so make sure to keep checking my blog regularly for photos and videos of the events of the weekend!

Terrible Truth

Here's a first-hand example of the rights denied homosexuals by not allowing gay marriage. See what terrible things it does to people?

If We Were Gay

I wish every straight guy saw the world like this. It'd be so much more fun.

Simple Language=Good Idea

The newly introduce bill calls for "Respect for Marriage." This bill, if passed, would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, originally passed in '96 by former President Clinton, who has recently had a change of heart. Mr. Bill now supports gay marriage and claims that all people deserve equal rights. "Thirteen years later, the fabric of our country has changed, and so should this policy."

I'm certainly very hopeful.

Advocate.com article

Smoking is Gay

A hilarious Onion news report posted on Advocate.com illustrates the hilarity of smoking by poking fun at the saying "That's so gay." A little on the offensive to us gays, but still hilarious. Definitely watch.

New Anti-Smoking Ads Warn Teens 'It's Gay To Smoke'

The Cost of Being Gay

2 New York Times journalists recently used current tax data on all of the marriage benefits that homosexual couples are currently not allowed because they cannot be wed, and they found some startling figures.

Gay couples, who have to live their lives without marriage benefits, could cost as much as $467,562 in taxes and other various legal fees, with $41,196 being the minimum. See what we get to pay because people think we're morally wrong?

Advocate article

Stand for Marriage Maine to be Investigated

Yes! NOM is finally getting caught for all of their screw-ups.

It's about time too. We all know that the Mormon church has been funding NOM and their political actions, but the organization never released any financial data about it. Turns out that's illegal...shocker there. Now the blowholes are about the have their blowholes investigated for fraud; what a wonderful turnout this will be.

If convicted, the campaign will end. If the Mormons are found out but escape trouble, the public hates the campaign because the Mormons are kinda sorta a little bit crazy, in my opinion. Win-win situation.
Pink article

New Billboard in North Carolina Stirs Media Attention

Check out this video about a new pro-gay marriage billboard in North Carolina. It's an interesting concept, especially since the billboard doesn't actually mention the word "marriage" at all.