Bye for now

“The Midterm Election Can Be A Turning Point For the Gay Community”

As the midterm elections approach Gay people are hard pressed about a decision to vote or to stay home. Along with many in the Gay community, we do not feel comfortable staying home and not voting this year. We DO NOT believe that staying home will send the necessary message to the Obama administration and the Democratic Party. On the other hand, we can not see fit to vote for a Democratic candidate in support of a President who has broken his promises to the Gay community without sending a message. We have thought it through, and have come to a decision as to voting and who to vote for.

Barak Obama has betrayed the Gay community as have so many Democratic presidential candidates before him. He campaigned on the repeal of D.O.M.A, yet his Justice Department continues to defend it when it is challenged in court. Obama claims his administration is obligated to defend DOMA as long as it remains the law. This of course is not true Mr. President, and as a constitutional law professor you know this.

When Proposition Eight was struck down by a Federal court in California, the statement from the President reiterated his personal belief that marriage is between one man and one woman. Was that really necessary on the cusp of a major civil rights victory Mr. President? What are your real personal beliefs? How is it you signed a petition in support of equal marriage before becoming a presidential candidate but now say you didn’t understand what you were signing? Does your personal belief really matter, or is the equal distribution of civil rights the real issue here?

To the Gay community, do we realize former Republican vice president Dick Cheney is in support of equal marriage now, but the man our votes helped elect to the presidency continues to be against it?

President Obama's leadership on the repeal of D.A.D.T. has been equally as weak. An executive order could have stopped the discharges from the military that are still occurring today. Last week a Federal court decision stated that DADT is unconstitutional. There has been no clear communication from the White house regarding a decision to appeal this decision or to let it become law and put an end to this discriminatory military policy. The lives of Gay soldiers continue to be used as political pawns by this administration as it tries to salvage the mid term elections.

As this is a midterm election, the Gay community has an opportunity to send a message of no confidence to Barak Obama before the next presidential election in two years. Here are our options;

1: Stay home and don’t vote. This will not send a clear message of our community’s discontent and many of us can not in good conscious refuse to exercise our right to vote.

2: Vote for a Republican candidate. This too will NOT send a clear vote of no confidence to Barack Obama and will be used by the Republicans to support their argument that the country is turning back to conservatism.

3: Vote for the Democratic candidates again. Before you do this STOP, think of the message it will send. It will say to Barak Obama that the Gay community has no choice and by default will continue to vote for Democrats. It is the same reason why the Obama administration feels comfortable breaking its promises to the Gay community and riding the fence on equal civil rights for Gay people. Is this the message we want to continue to send? Do we want to say, you have our vote despite what you do or don’t do for us? We CAN'T continue to do this anymore.

As a community, decide to vote this midterm election on November 2nd, but DON'T choose any of the options above. We need to send a clear message to the Democrats and to the Obama administration about our dissatisfaction, and that our vote is not a sure thing anymore. We need them to understand that in two years they are in jeopardy of not winning re-election and that our community is a powerful voting block to be reckoned with similar to the African American community.

We will do this in one of two ways.

1: If you feel you just can’t vote for any candidate this year because of broken promises to our community, don’t just stay home. Go and vote by writing “Gay Community” in as a write in candidate. This will send a message that we are here, have a voice and are disappointed in the lack of progress and leadership over the past two years.

2: If you still feel strongly about voting for a candidate then do so, but send a message by writing “Gay Community” across the top of your ballot. Your vote will count and our message will be heard.

If enough of us across the country do this it will send an undeniable and unprecedented message from our community that we are done being taken for granted, done with broken promises and that this administration must improve it’s record on equal rights for Gay people now and earn our vote. We know the risks, but we believe at this point in history it’s worth it. We need to send the Democrats and the Obama administration a message before the next presidential election in 2012.

Will you join us this November and cast your vote for us, for the “Gay Community” !

A Facebook page to support and gain attention to this cause has been created. Please visit it and join by clicking on this link - http://www.facebook.com/VoteForTheGayCommunity

Please share with our friends and supporters.

MT

"Just a Reminder "

Sometimes,as today,I need a reminder like the lyrics to this song. Although it is well known, I thought I'd share it with you today. A suggestion,although you may know it, slow down and read the words carefully. Let them sink in,life will get along without you for a few minutes.

MT


I am what I am
I am my own special creation.
So come take a look,
Give me the hook or the ovation.

It's my world that I want to take a little pride in,
My world, and it's not a place I have to hide in.
Life's not worth a damn,
'Til you can say, "Hey world, I am what I am."

I am what I am,
I don't want praise, I don't want pity.
I bang my own drum,
Some think it's noise, I think it's pretty.

And so what, if I love each feather and each spangle,
Why not try to see things from a different angle?
Your life is a sham 'til you can shout out loud
I am what I am!

I am what I am
And what I am needs no excuses.
I deal my own deck
Sometimes the ace, sometimes the deuces.

There's one life, and there's no return and no deposit;
One life, so it's time to open up your closet.

Life's not worth a damn 'til you can say,
"Hey world, I am what I am!"

Now the time has come to leave you
One more time
Let me kiss you
Then close your eyes
I’ll be on my way
Dream about the days to come

“Being Gay In The Twilight Zone”

My husband and I own the old 1960s Television series “The Twilight Zone” on DVD. At the beginning of each DVD, at the main menu, while it waits for you to make a selection, it plays parts of scenes from different episodes. One of these scenes is of a clown’s head that says, “Who are we”? So each time we pop in the DVD I see this clown ask this question. If I take too long to make a selection the scene will repeat again and again until I do. This often happens as we are delayed in the kitchen getting snacks. I’ve come to wait for the clown and time it so I say it as he does as I enter the room.

I have not seen the episode yet so I don’t know why the clown asks the question and I don’t know if he ever gets an answer. Who are we, is a hard question to answer, but I would like to see if it can be answered when applied to Gay people. I think to answer this question for a population of people we need to start with the individual people who make up this group. I’m a Gay man. I could stop there and keep it relatively simple. Some people who don’t like me or others like me do stop there. It makes it easier to reduce me, my humanity, and my segment of the population into a one dimensional entity. This makes it easier to target me, pass judgment on me, and accuse me of sins against God and humanity for trying to live a truthful life as I was created, but is it a thoughtful logical explanation? Does it answer the question, who am I, and who are we as Gay people?

The answer of course is no. I am a Gay man. To answer the question for just me would take pages and a lot of time. Just describing Gay would take a lot of time. Describing how Gay looks on me would take even more time. I would than have to deal with what it means to be a man and how that looks on me. If I was able to answer each of those questions, I’d have to explain how I uniquely join being Gay with being a man. Still, I couldn’t stop there because how I exist today and how I manifest being a Gay man, might and probably will look different next year as I continue to evolve and make my way through life. It is a story with no ending yet, and so is yours.

To try an answer the question, “Who are we?” for the Gay community is impossible. I could perhaps sum up some commonalities we share but even in these attributes we would find unique individual manifestations of these traits. So why do we let people outside the Gay community label and box us? Why do we try to change aspects about our community so as to be more palatable and gain acceptance? It’s not only useless and impossible, it’s harmful.

We are made up, each one of us, of ever changing complex humanity as is everyone else that lives on this planet. So perhaps the best answer to the question of who is the Gay community, for us within and you without, is that we just might be more like you than different from you. Celebrate our commonalities, celebrate our differences, what good has ever come from fear and hate? Why do we allow ourselves to be judged by hate and fear? Why do we discriminate against each other in the Gay community? Why do you judge us? Why pass judgment at all, when we can't even answer the question of a clown?

MT