WHY GAY PRIDE?

How do I feel about GAY PRIDE parades and celebrations?  I have had reservations about gay pride parades and celebrations in the past because I believed the things that people who have never gone before would say because of what the media focused on.  Yes, you may see some nudity and yes you may encounter a festive and partying crowd but these things are evident in many celebrations that are considered to be mainly heterosexual like; Mardi Gras (New Orleans, USA), Carnival (Rio, Brazil), Caribana (Toronto, Canada).  The only reason that television stations show the nudity, or the party animals is to get people to watch their broadcast and to instigate controversy – that is what sells and that is what people pay attention to the most.

I have attended many gay pride festivities, celebrations and parades and have only taken away what was important to me.  I always got emotional when PFLAG (formerly known as, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) would march by in support of sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters and mothers and fathers who happen to be gay.  I was also filled with inspiration by people who lived authentically and marched in the parade indicating the fact that they were gay professionals such as; police officers, paramedics, firefighters, teachers, members of parliament, doctors, etc.  The most emotional moment of pride parades of the past was when they had a minute of silence (die-ins) for those affected and that have passed due to HIV/AIDS.

Today, the message and advocacy continues but it is drowned out by those wanting to focus on the sensationalism of this celebration.  I hear people say things like; “it’s a marketing tool for big corporations now”, “publicity for politicians”, “it’s just one big party without a clear message”, “it’s too mainstream now” – Isn’t this what the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community want?  To become mainstream and not be victimized on a daily basis, to be considered outcasts and sexual deviants?

Most people who have issues with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people are usually those hiding behind their religious ideologies and beliefs that being gay is a choice and that it is a sin.  Well, as I have stated in previous posts – I  DID NOT choose to be gay, I happened to be born this way.  If I could so easily choose to be gay that would mean that any heterosexual could choose the same.  If those people who live strictly by the world of God and what is written in The Bible – I say this:  If God has created us in his image, than wouldn’t that make God gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, black, hispanic, German, African, Chinese, black-haired, blue-eyed, etc?

I know this – Many people have lost their freedom, died and have become martyrs for what they believe in such as; Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Dian Fossey.  That is also true for people who marched for rights for gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered people.  For me, that is what I celebrate when I celebrate GAY PRIDE – I celebrate that we have become mainstream and that corporations are raising our flag because so many gay, lesbian, bisexuals and transgendered people have lost their lives to ensure we have the rights and freedoms we have today because they lived their lives authentically and without shame.

HAPPY GAY PRIDE and THANK YOU to those who have paved the way:

JEREMY BENTHAM – Wrote first known argument for homosexual law reform in England around 1785 at a time when the legal penalty for buggery was death by hanging.

NEMAT SADAT – The first public figure from Afghanistan to come out of the closet as ex-Muslim gay, atheist, and Zionist.  August 22, 2013, Sadat made history by being the first native from Afghanistan to come out as gay.  Sadat is considered to have broken the taboos on cross-dressing and homosexuality by coming out and raising awareness about gender orientation and sexual identity.  Since coming out, Sadat has received numerous death threats.

SVEND ROBINSON – As the longest-serving British Columbia MP of his time, in office from 1979 to 2004, Sven is notable for having been the first Canadian MP to come out as gay, in the spring of 1988.  Robinson, a self-described socialist, is commonly regarded as being one of the most left-wing figures in Canadian politics.  He is best known for his negative views on American foreign policy, especially towards Cuba, his challenge of corporate power, his strident criticism of Israel, and his strong support for Palestinian leaders.

CAMILLE CABRAL – French/Brazillian politician.  The first transsexual woman to be elected in the history of the French Republic.

SHALEEN RAKESH – Poet and Gay Rights Activist.  Shaleen has been an important part of the Gender and Sexuality Movement in India for over 20 years.

ARSHAM PARSI – Activist and founder of Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees.  Lives in exile in Canada.  Parsi has faced death threats and excommunication for his activism to ensure Iranian gay citizens are not being improperly treated.

HARVEY MILK – First openly gay politician to be elected into public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.  Milk served 11 months in office and was responsible for passing a stringent gay rights ordinance for the city.  On November 27, 1978, Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by Dan White.

NIKOLAY ALEXEYEV – Russian LGBT rights activist, lawyer and journalist. Alexeyev won the first ever case at the European Court of Human Rights on LGBT human rights violations in Russia.  The Strasbourg-based court unanimously ruled that by banning threes Moscow Prides in 2006, 2007 and 2008 Russia breached three articles of the European Convention on Human Rights.

FANNYANN EDDY – Founded the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association, the first of its kind in Sierra Leone.  Activist for lesbian and gay rights in her native Sierra Leone and throughout Africa. FannyAnn, traveled extensively addressing the United Nations and other international groups.  She was murdered on September 29, 2004 leaving behind a 10-year old son and girlfriend Esther Chikalipa.

DAVID KATO – Was a Ugandan teacher and LGBT activist, considered a father of Uganda’s gay rights movement and described as “Uganda’s first openly gay man”.  He served as advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities Uganda.  Kato was murdered in 2011 by a male prostitute, shortly after winning a lawsuit against a magazine which had published his name and photograph identifying him as gay and calling for him to be executed.

JACKIE FORSTER – Was an English news reporter and lesbian rights activist.  Founding member of Gay Liberation Front (GLF) in London and was on the first Gay Pride march in the UK in August of 1971.  Was married to novelist, Peter Forster, but divorced him in 1962 when she realized her true sexual identity.

PATRIA JIMENEZ – Mexican politician and head of El Closet de Sor Juana (Sister Juana’s Closet).  in 1997, she became the first gay member of Mexico’s legislature in the country’s history-the first in any legislature in Latin America.  Both as a civil rights leader and a member of the government, Jimenez is a major Latin American voice for LGBT rights and civil rights.

KATHERINE ZAPPONE – She and her wife, Ann Louise Gilligan, founded An Cosan which supports individuals and communities to actively engage in the process of social change through transformative education.  Katherine is the first openly lesbian member of the Oireachtas and the first member in a recognized same-sex relationship.  She is a former CEO of the National Women’s Council of Ireland.

IRSHAD MANJI – Well-known critic of traditional mainstream Islam and was described by The New York Times as “Osama bin Laden’s worst nightmare”.  Manji is an author, educator and advocate of a “reformist” interpretation of Islam.  Born in Uganda of mixed Egyptian and Gujarati descent.  Her family moved to Canada when she was four, as a result of Id Amin’s expulsion of Asians.

2015 GAY PRIDE is dedicated to all these people mentioned above for creating positive change in the world and for those not on this last – past, present and future for their efforts in making this world a more positive one!

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

WE ARE ALL ONE!

There is nothing complicated about ending discrimination in the workplace!  Whether the discrimination is against people of colour, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religious beliefs – there is no place for it in the workplace.  So why are American companies finding it so difficult to end discrimination against the LGBTQ community in the workplace?  Could it be because many people still consider homosexuality a deviant behaviour and a choice people make?  Or is it simply because of peoples religious beliefs?

Writing as a human being who happens to be a homosexual, I don’t believe that I woke up one day and said, “I think I will try to have intercourse with a man today.”  I also didn’t ask for the constant bullying and verbal assaults by being called ‘faggot’, ‘gaylord’, ‘cocksucker’, ‘poof’, just to name a few.  I didn’t instigate it when a group of guys drove by and whipped bottles at me from their car just because I was walking in the ‘gay village’.  I would want to ensure this type of behaviour did not transfer into my work environment, why would I not be allowed this type of protection.

As a human being – I do my best to treat people as how I want to be treated; with respect, dignity and kindness, that isn’t too much to ask.  I give the same treatment that is given to me.  I can’t believe that so many people are still biased and show so much hate towards people who are no different than they are.  We may have different appearances but we are all derived from the same divine entity.  Religion is not the authority and should not dictate how a person should be treated.  You can’t ostracize women, people of colour, those who practice different religions or have different spiritual practices, homosexuals or anyone else who challenges religious ideologies – we should embrace this.  Engage in dialogue and come to a resolution that we are essentially the same and want to create positive change everywhere.  Those who feel different may have issues they need to resolve within themselves – racism, anger, fear, homophobia, etc.

The civil rights movement began because people of colour were being mistreated, disrespected and killed just because of the colour of their skin.  Rosa Parks didn’t sit at the front of the bus because her legs were tired – she sat at the front because she was tired of being treated as a lesser human than everyone else who wasn’t of colour.  Martin Luther King Jr., Mohammed Gandhi, Representative John Lewis, Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harriett Tubman and so many others were activists for peace, equality, justice and positive change.

Just like the civil rights movement, there have been many individuals who are directly and indirectly responsible in demanding equality for the LGBTQ community.  People like Barney Frank, Dan Savage, Michelangelo Signorile, Tennessee Williams, Oscar Wilde, Roseanne Barr, Madonna, Cher, Harvey Milk, Tony Reis, Rosie O’Donnell, Bob Brown, Sven Robinson, Li Yinhe, Rama Yade, Magnus Hirschfeld, Shaleen Rakesh, Arsham Parsi, Patria Jiménez, Nikolay Alexeyev, David Kato, Jeremy Bentham – these individuals, and so many more, have given so much (even their lives) to ensure that gays, lesbians, trans-gendered, bisexual and queer people are treated with equality, dignity and respect.

Try not to look at people based on their colour, gender, what they believe or who they love.  Judge them based on their actions and how they treat others.  Do they show compassion, are they respectful and non-judgmental and are they caring?  LOVE, COMPASSION and CARING are attributes that create positive change in the world so let’s start a REVOLUTION OF LOVE!

Together, we can make the world a more postive one!

YOU, BEING STRAIGHT…IS TOO MUCH FOR ME TO HANDLE.

I am so tired of people saying, “he’s too gay” or  “that’s so gay”.  This automatically suggests that there is something wrong or negative about the word or being gay.  I am also tired of people becoming frustrated or complaining that there is too much gay news everywhere.  Yeah right, too much gay news of bullied teens committing suicide or states denying the LGBT community some fundamental basic rights.

I knew I was gay for a long time, as far as I can remember, but I also knew that the time was not right for me to ‘come out’, as a matter-of-fact, I feared that it wasn’t safe for me to come out.  During the time that I lived as a shadow of who I was supposed to be I felt despair, anxiety, depression, anger, hate, confusion and the isolated.  I could relate to the oppression women or how people of colour felt and no-one should be made to feel so unloved or unwanted.

I could understand how activists become aggressive in their fight for equality especially after you have been oppressed and even put to death for fighting for equality.  There was a time when people of colour were not allowed to be in the same spaces as white people  – not very long ago either.  There was a time when women couldn’t vote.  Today, homosexuality is still punishable by death in many countries.  Yet, I am told that I can’t have a gay pride parade because straight people don’t have straight pride. 

I have heard people saying that it is too much for them to handle people ‘gayness’ – like it’s a bad habit such a smoking or drinking too much – I wonder how offended they would get if I told them (with all my GAY PROUDNESS) how offended I am with their straightness?  Well, you would never hear that from me because it is not conducive to creating good energy.

For all those gay people who are struggling with their sexuality and authenticity – I am here to tell you.  ALL WILL BE BETTER, just embrace and love who you are.  You will be surprised of all the allies you will have both straight and gay.  People who only see you as the loving and beautiful person you are.  There is nothing wrong with you because you are a reflection of who created you!

Here are some great and POSITIVE quotes regarding homosexuality from some people you may or may not know…..they will surprise you:

“If a bullet should ever enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door.” – Harvey Milk

“The only queer people are those who don’t love anybody.” – Rita Mae Brown

 “We are sick of hearing people say, “That band is so gay,” or “Those guys are fags.”  Gay is not a synonym for shitty.  If you wanna say something’s shitty, say it’s shitty.  Stop being such homophobic assholes.” – Pete Wentz

“Anybody can be unhappy.  We can all be hurt.  You don’t have to be poor to need something or somebody.  Rednecks, hippies, misfits – we’re all the same.  Gay or straight?  So what?  It doesn’t matter to me.  We have to be concerned about other people, regardless.” – Willie Nelson

“Some people think I am gay, which I think is awesome.” – Daniel Radcliffe

“My thoughts on gay marriage are that everyone has the right to love and to be loved, and that’s the position I take.” – Nick Jonas

“The poetry you read has been written for you, each of you – black, white, Hispanic, man, woman, gay, straight.” – Maya Angelou

“From a religious point of view, if God had thought homosexuality is a sin, he would not have created gay people.” – Howard Dean

“Tell me:  When God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?…It is necessary to accompany them with mercy.” – Pope Francis

“I could be wrong, but I think heterosexual marriage is threatened more by heterosexuals.  I don’t know why gay marriage challenges my marriage in any way.” – Elizabeth Edwards

“My life has been immensely enriched by gay mentors, colleagues and friends, any discrimination and persecution of gay people is unacceptable.” – Mikhail Baryshnikov

“By large in this country the issue of gay rights and equality should be past the point of debate.  Really, there should be no debate anymore.” – Scott Fujita

“Just being out you’re doing your part.  It’s like recycling.  You’re doing your part for the environment if you recycle; you’re doing your part for the gay movement if you’re out.” – Martina Navratilova

“It should never be a crime to be gay.” – Hillary Clinton

“Gay people are born everyday.  You will never legislate that away.” – Melissa Etheridge

“I have some good friends of my own who happen to be gay, and when it comes to gay, straight or whatever, I’m for anything life-affirmative.  I’m for gay power, straight power, male power, female power; everybody should feel empowered without oppressing anyone who’s different.” – Matthew McConaughey

“I kind of cheer the presence of any gay characters at all – I think the more we can saturate television with any gay character or lesbian character or transgender character, I think that’s a really great thing.  We’re kind of getting past the fact that they’re the punchline or that they’re the novelty.” – Jesse Tyler Ferguson

“Yeah, I had gay friends.  The first thing I realized was that everybody’s different, and it becomes obvious that all of the gay stereotypes are ridiculous.” – Bruce Springsteen

“Americans know as much about Canada as straight people do about gays.  Americans arrive at the border with skis in July, and straight people think that being gay is just a phase.  A very long phase.” – Scott Thompson

“I’m for all kinds of gay rights.  I’m almost like a gay man myself.” – NeNe Leakes

“Even in high school, I had friends that I didn’t know were gay until years later.  I’d find out on Facebook or something and be like, ‘Oh, that explains some things,’ or ‘Wow, no wonder they were so cool.” – Kellan Lutz

“Gay men in a very real way created my career.” – Marianne Williamson

“I know gay – gay people who aren’t married who are better parents than some, you know, straight people I know who are married.” – Dennis Leary

“I did a woman’s movie, and I’m not a woman.  I did a gay movie, and I’m not gay.  I learned as I went along.” – Ang Lee

“People were saying that David Geffen and I had gotten married and it just blew me away.  Not that they thought I was gay, but that they thought I could land a guy that hot.” – Keanu Reeves

And the most important quote of all (joking)……

“My sexuality doesn’t define who I am as a person – it is the way that I treat others that defines me.” – Robert Pavao

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

BRIEF BIOS OF GREAT PEOPLE and HOW THEY INSPIRED POSITIVE CHANGE

What inspires you to create positive change in the world?  Have you ever thought about the countless individuals who have risked and even gave their lives fighting for injustices around the world?  We all know their names:

Harriet Tubman:  Born enslaved, liberated herself and returned to the area of her birth many times to lead family, friends, and other enslaved African-Americans north to freedom.  Advocate for women, the Union and enslaved people.  A leader to the civil rights movement.  Escaped to freedom at the age of 27 in 1849.  Returned to Dorchester County, Maryland USA (her birthplace) approximately 13 times to liberate friends, family and other enslaved African-Americans via the Underground Railroad.

Dian Fossey:  Undertook an extensive study of gorilla groups over a period of 18 years.  Financed patrols to destroy poachers traps.  Helped in the arrest of several poachers.  Strongly opposed wildlife tourism, as gorillas are very susceptible to human anthroponotic diseases like influenza for which gorillas have no immunity.  Viewed the holding of animals in “prison” (zoos) for the entertainment of people as unethical.

Martin Luther King Jr.:  Born Michael Luther King Jr., later changed his name to Martin.  Graduated High School at the age of fifteen.  Received B. A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College and later received doctorate degree at Boston University in 1955.  In December of 1955, he accepted leadership of first great Negro nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times in the United States.  During an 11 year period between 1957 – 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times.  He directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, “I Have a Dream”.  He was awarded five honorary degrees and named ‘Man of the Year’ by Time magazine in 1963 and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.  At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King Jr. was the youngest man to have received The Nobel Peace Prize – when notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over his prize money of $54, 123 to further advance the civil rights movement.

Mother Teresa:  Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia in 1910.  At the age of twelve, she knew she had to be a missionary to spread the love of Christ.  At eighteen, she left Skopje and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India.  From 1931 to 1948 Mother Teresa taught at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta, but the suffering and poverty she glimpsed outside the convent walls had such a deep impression on her that in 1948, she received permission from her superiors to leave the convent school and devote herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta.  In 1950, Mother Teresa received permission from the Holy See to start her own order, “The Missionaries of Charity”, whose primary task was to love and care for those persons nobody was prepared to look after.

Nelson Mandela: 

Born on July 18, 1918 in Qunu, South Africa.  Son of a chief, Nelson Mandela studied law and became one of South Africa’s first black lawyers. Early in the 1950s he was elected leader of the youth wing of the ANC (African National Congress) liberation movement. When the country’s white minority government prohibited the ANC in 1960, Mandela became convinced that armed struggle was inevitable. Inspired by the guerrilla wars in Algeria and Cuba, he organized a military underground movement that engaged in sabotage. In 1962 he was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for high treason and conspiracy against the state.

From 1964 to 1982 he was confined to the notorious prison island Robben Island, together with several other resistance leaders. He was then moved to prison on the mainland until his release in 1990. During his imprisonment, Mandela became a rallying point for South Africa’s oppressed, and the world’s most famous political prisoner.

Nelson Mandela shared the Peace Prize with the man who had released him, President Frederik Willem de Klerk, because they had agreed on a peaceful transition to majority rule.

Harvey Milk:  Born on May 22, 1930 in Woodmere, New York.  Harvey graduated from New York College for Teachers (now State University of New York) and enlisted in the Navy in 1951.  Discharged in 1955 with the rank of lieutenant junior grade.  He worked as a public school teacher on Long Island, a stock analyst in New York City and production associate for Broadway musicals, including Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair.  During the 1960’s and 70’s he became more actively involved in politics and advocacy and he demonstrated against the Vietnam War.  In late 1972, Milk moved to San Francisco, where he opened a camera store on Castro Street, in the heart of the city’s growing gay community.  Just over a year later, he declared his candidacy for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors – he lost but emerged from the campaign as a force to be reckoned with in local politics.  In 1975, he ran and narrowly lost.  His close friend and ally Mayor George Mascone, appointed him to the city’s Board of Permit Appeals, making Milk the first openly gay city commissioner in the United States.  In 1977, he easily won his third bid, and was inaugurated as a San Francisco City-County Supervisor on January 9, 1978. 

Harvey Milk spoke out on state and national issues of interest to LGBT people, women, racial and ethnic minorities and other marginalized communities.  One of these was a California ballot initiative, Proposition 6, which would have mandated the firing of gay teachers in the state’s public schools. State Senator John Briggs, seeking to marshal anti-gay sentiment and an agenda of hate and diminishment for political gain, spearheaded the initiative. With strong, effective opposition from Milk and others, it was defeated at a time when other political attacks on gay people were being successfully waged around the US.

Princess Diana:  Born Lady Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961 in Sandringham (Norfolk, England).  Married Prince Charles on July 29, 1981.  Princess Diana pulled out of being patroness or president of over 100 social institutions and charitable organizations.  She took her role as patron of the English National Ballet, the Leprosy Mission and the British AIDS Help seriously.  She was known for her humanitary and fund-raising work for international charities.  She received recognition for her charity work and for her support of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.  From 1989, she was the president of Great Ormond Street Hospital for children, in addition to dozens of other charities.

“I remember I used to sit on hospital beds and hold people’s hands.  People used to be sort of shocked, but to me it was quite a normal thing to do.  These people need hope.  They also need encouragement.”

Mahatma Gandhi:  Born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, more commonly known as ‘Mahatma’ (meaning ‘Great Soul’) in Porbandar, Gujarat, in NorthWest India on October 2, 1869.  Married (via arranged marriage) at the age of 13 to Kasturba Makhanji.  Began college at University of College London at age of 18 in September of 1888.  Determined to adhere to Hindu principles, which included vegetarianism as well as alcohol and sexual abstinence, he found London restrictive initially, but once he had found kindred spirits he flourished, and pursued the philosophical study of religions, including Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and others, having professed no particular interest in religion up until then.  Following admission to the English Bar, and his return to India, he found work difficult to come by and, in 1893, accepted a year’s contract to work for an Indian firm in Natal, South Africa.  Despite arriving on a year’s contract, Gandhi spent the next 21 years living in South Africa, and railed against the injustice of racial segregation.  Witnessing the racial bias experienced by his countrymen served as a catalyst for his later activism, and he attempted to fight segregation at all levels.  He founded a political movement, known as Natal Indian Congress, and developed his theoretical belief in non-violent civil protest into a tangible political stance, when he opposed the introduction of registration for all Indians, within South Africa, via non-cooperation with relevant civic authorities.

David Suzuki:  Co-Founder of the David Suzuki Foundation.  David Suzuki is an award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster.  Dr. Suzuki is a geneticist.  He graduated from Amherst College (Massachusetts) in 1958 with an Honours BA in Biology, followed by a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961.  In 1972, he was awarded the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship for the outstanding research scientist in Canada under the age of 35 and held it for three years.  He holds 25 honorary degrees in Canada, the U.S. and Australia.  He was elected to the Royal Society of Canada and is a Companion of the Order of Canada.  Dr. Suzuki has written 52 books, including 19 for children.  His 1976 text-book An Introduction to Genetic Analysis (with A.J.F. Griffiths), remains the most widely used genetics text-book in the U.S. and has been translated into Italian, Spanish, Greek, Indonesian, Arabic, French and German.  Dr. Suzuki is also recognized as a world leader in sustainable ecology. He is the recipient of UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize for Science, the United Nations Environment Program Medal, UNEPs Global 500 and in 2009 won the Right Livelihood Award that is considered the Alternative Nobel Prize.

Ingrid Newkirk:  Animal rights activist, author and Co-Founder and president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 1980.  Born in Surrey, England.  Ingrid became an animal activist at the age of 21 after discovering that a neighbour abanded some kittens and decided to bring them to an animal shelter.  This life-changing experience let to her first job working in behalf of animals – cleaning kennels and investigating cruelty cases.  Ingrid served as deputy sheriff, a Maryland state law enforcement officer with the highest success rate in convicting animal abusers, the director of cruelty investigations for the second-oldest humane society in the U.S., and the chief of animal disease control for the Commission on Public Health in Washington, D.C.  Under Ingrid’s leadership, legislation was passed to create the first-ever spray-and-neuter clinic in Washington, D.C.  She coordinated the first arrest in U.S. history of a laboratory animal experiment on cruelty charges and helped achieve the first ever anti-cruelty law in Taiwan.  She spearheaded the closure of a Department of Defense underground “wound laboratory”, and she has initiated many other campaigns against animal abuse, including ending General Motors’ car-crash tests on animals.

Let the stories and actions of all the people mentioned above, inspire and motivate you to create positive change into our world and universe. 

Resources:

www.nobelprize.org

www.peta.org

www.gorillafund.org

www.royal.gov.uk

www.harriettubmanbiography.com

www.milkfoundation.org

www.princess-diana.com

www.davidsuzuki.org

www.ingridnewkirk.com

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

 

I AM GAY and I LOVE IT!!!

In celebration of the beginning of Gay Pride festivities around the world and Gay Pride month, I thought I would reflect on how society viewed me as a gay male and how I felt I had to oppress my feelings towards other men – ultimately oppressing my true authentic self.  First – let me say this:  I don’t remember choosing my sexuality, I just remember always being attracted to the same-sex. 

Here are some questions that people have asked me about my sexuality or comments people have made after I revealed that I was gay:

When did you realized you were gay?

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I knew that I was attracted to the same-sex.  I always knew that I was.  I enjoyed being around girls – but I didn’t feel the same way as I did when I was around the same-sex.

If you knew you were gay, why did you date girls?

Wanting to be accepted is very difficult.  Today – that concept doesn’t even matter to me but as a child, teenager and young adult, who didn’t want to be accepted and fit in?  I dated girls because I witnessed first hand how our society treated homosexuals – they were teased, bullied, mocked, threatened with violence and even threatened with death.  I didn’t want any of that to happen to me – so I thought, my best choice would be to blend in and do what everyone else was doing.  I didn’t have the strength and self-confidence I needed to be myself.  I dated girls in hopes to suppress who I truly was because society was telling me that what I was feeling was against everything.

Why didn’t you ‘come out’?

See above.  Also – coming out meant possibly losing your friends and family.  What would I do?  Where would I go?  How would I take care of myself?  

When did you decide to ‘come out’?

High school was tough.  I wasn’t unpopular but I wasn’t exactly the football jock either.  There were many guys who called me “faggot”, “homo”, “cocksucker”, “butt muncher” and “fairy” – just to name a few.  They didn’t call me those names because I was ‘out’ but because the majority of my friends consisted of girls.  I was envious of the kids who were comfortable enough to be ‘out’ and took my frustrations out on them by doing the exact same thing to them as what others were doing to me.

I suppressed my feelings and turned to alcohol – I was meeting guys secretly and became very withdrawn.  I discovered our gay community and started frequenting gay bars and began to meet other gay people.  I dated a few guys (secretly) and had “boyfriends” but I would always go back to my ‘straight’  and ‘fake’ lifestyle so that people would not discover my truth. 

I was at a bar one night and ran into a girl I used to date – I girl I thought I loved for all the wrong reasons only to realized that I love her for all the right reasons.  (It wasn’t a sexual thing but a very emotional one).  I ran into her at a very popular bar – I saw her throughout the night but didn’t want to approach her.  What would she think?  How will she react to seeing me at a gay bar?  We eventually connected and the issue wasn’t as difficult as I believed it to be.  Being truthful to someone else was great but it was even more exhilarating being truthful to myself.  This was the push I needed to begin living my true authentic life.

I met my first real boyfriend and decided to leave home and moved in with him at 21.  I never looked back.

How does it feel to be gay?

The same way it feels to be straight – I have to wake-up, go to work, pay bills, etc.  I sometimes fight with my significant other about the struggles of daily life.  I go to the bathroom the same way straight people do, I bleed the same way, I have the same feelings, dreams and goals. 

Homosexuality is a sin and an abomination.

I guess that I will wait to be judged by God.  That was my old answer.  Today, I simply allow people to believe what they want.  They can hide their ignorance behind religion and what men wrote in the Bible.  To me – God isn’t judgemental, He/She/It – isn’t hateful.  He/She/It encourages love and compassion.  I don’t answer to ‘heresay’ – I answer to how I want to live and how I want to treat others – to me that is God therefore I AM GOD, YOU ARE GOD, WE ARE ALL GOD.  So don’t hate yourself – embrace and love yourself because, loving yourself ensures you love everyone.

Why does there have to be a Gay Pride Parade – there isn’t straight pride?

Gay people – like African-Americans, didn’t have the same civil liberties as their peers.  Homosexuality is continues to be a death sentence in many countries.  Gays, lesbians, transgendered and bisexual individuals are still fighting for the right not to be discriminated against in the place they work, the right to benefit from marriage and to be deemed equals in the eyes of the law as to their straight counter-parts.  We don’t want to continue to be suppressed and oppressed – we want the right to live and to love, just like everyone else.

Gay Pride has become a corporate event.  It gives businesses the opportunity to make money and boost the local economy.  It increases tourism.  It is fun and is a party.  Gay Pride is also an opportunity to remember all those who have paved the way for those of us who are benefiting from their activism.  A time to reflect on the bath house raids of Stonewall in New York City and Toronto.  It is a time to reflect on the politicians who wanted equality and paid the price with their lives (thank you Harvey Milk).  It is a time to see mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and friends unite and celebrate each others diversity.  Gay Pride is a time of year to celebrate your sexuality and not be ashamed of it or your body.  It is a time to celebrate gay fathers, policemen, politicians, teachers, bus drivers, business men and women, and so many others living their authentic lives.

GAY PRIDE is inclusive and inspiring.  It allows others to see that we are the same as everyone else.  GAY PRIDE also gives those who are living a life that I previous lived – a life of oppression, suppression, hurt and pain and make them realize that they are not alone. 

HAPPY GAY PRIDE MONTH!

Together, we can make the world a more positive one! 

COMING OUT – WHEN LIFE BEGINS FOR THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY

How was it like for me to hide part of my true authentic self?  I was born gay, so why was I trying so hard to hide this amazing part of myself…..well, here are some of the reasons I refused talking about my sexuality:

• I didn’t want my family to be ashamed of me.
• I didn’t want to lose any of my friends.
• I didn’t want to be kicked out of my parents house.
• Society invoked violence against the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender, queer) community – so why would I want to endure that?
• Gay people were going to hell.
• Gay people get AIDS and die.
• Gay people are not “normal”.
• Gay people are not equal to normal heterosexuals
• Gay people are “dykes”, “faggots”, “sissies”, “pussies”, “gross”, “pedophiles”…..

So why didn’t I stay in the closet?  I was tired of trying to please everyone else but myself.  Once I embraced my homosexuality as part of my true authentic self – I was able to live my life with more clarity, honesty and authenticity.  No longer was I trying to hide who I was, no longer was I imprisoned by my desire to be what everyone else wanted me to be.  I was free, I was whole, I was finally me.  I was no longer afraid – I came to peace knowing that some people in my life (including family) would not accept this part of me but I didn’t care because there was nothing wrong with me.

I hope that there will be a day where gays and lesbians don’t have to ‘come out’ anymore because there is nothing to come out from.  ‘Coming out’ isn’t for the sake of making other people feel better – coming out, for me, was a way for me to liberate myself from the fears and stereotypes that society imposed on gays and lesbians.  If people accepted me already – why wouldn’t they embrace me after I empowered myself to live my true authentic life?  People fear what they don’t understand.  People are also slaves because of their religious beliefs and believe that the “sin of homosexuality” is an abomination.  Not very Christian is it?  (Please see my previous post ‘The Bible Mythology’ on many of the other things Christians should not be engaged in).

So – should we care when a celebrity comes out?  Absolutely!  What is the difference between homosexuals and heterosexuals (no this isn’t a joke)?  Nothing but our sexual preference!  As I have said many times before….I didn’t just decide to try being with men one day – I just knew I liked them and wanted to be with them in every way.  If it was that easy for me to choose to be gay – then it must have been a choice for heterosexuals to be straight.  Think about it – if, all of a sudden, I made the decision to be gay – then every other  straigh man or woman could make the same decision as I did.  Celebrities, athletes, politicians, and anyone else in the public eye should use their celebrity status as a platform to potentially save the lives of many individuals who struggle so hard in their decision to come out and live their authentic lives.  Whether you are homosexual or heterosexual – we all want the same things – to be happy, to contribute to the community, to help those in need, to love, to be compassionate and to spread positivity into the world.

I love all those who have paved the way for me, like gay icons – Harvey Milk, Liberace, Elton John, Carole Pope, Boy George, Jimmy Sommerville, Holly Johnston, Divine, Rupaul, George Michael, Barney Frank, Rachel Maddow, Ricky Martin, Ellen DeGeneres, Jason Collins, Dan Savage, Gareth Thomas, Greg Louganis, Cazwell, Frank Ocean and so many others.  I also love those who have continued to support the gay community and in our fight for equality, people like;  Madonna, David Beckham, Bill Maher, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Cho, Joy Behar, Adam Levine, Chris Evans,  Michelle Visage, Lady Gaga and so many other wonderful people.

Coming out isn’t easy – despite what others may say – coming out is about finally being able to face your fears and to go against everything that you believed to be true.  Coming out is a realization that there was never anything wrong with you and only in those that instilled their hatred, ignorance and fear about homosexuals into society.  Coming out is brave, liberating, joyous, loving, wonderful, strong and honest but, most importantly,  coming out is about loving yourself.

Enjoy these videos:

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

THE BEST SPEECH EVER!!!!

Throughout history – leaders, activists, politicians, celebrities, CEO’s, and ordinary people have given some very motivating and inspirational speeches, people like; Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Louise L. Hay, John F. Kennedy, Harvey Milk, Nelson Mandela, Dalai Lama, Barack Obama – I could go on.  No other speech has touched my heart and stirred so much emotion in me than the one I am about to share.  This speech comes from the movie ‘The Great Dictator’ starring Charlie Chaplin.  I always thought that Charlie Chaplin was a silent film actor and was never aware that he actually had a speaking role.  I am glad I came across this and that I am able to share it with you.   Let you imagination go as you listen to his words – visualize and think about what he is saying.  His words are profound and have never meant as much as they do today.  I hope this inspires you to act with compassion, without judgement, and only with love.  I also hope that this creates an awareness in you to act for the greater good of humanity so that we can all live in peace and with kindness towards one another.  The REVOLUTION of LOVE has begun and we will win!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RYlAPjyNm8

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

Original painting by Robert Pavao (please contact me if you are interested in a copy).

INSPIRING QUOTES

Here are some inspiring words from some of very inspiring people:

NELSON MANDELA

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination”

“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur.  You take the front line when there is danger.  Then people will appreciate your leadership”

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.  If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”

DR. WAYNE DYER

Wayne Dyer, PH.D., is an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development. He’s the author of over 30 books, has created many audio programs and videos, and has appeared on thousands of television and radio shows.

“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours”

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”

“What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds”

LOUISE L. HAY

RECENTLY DUBBED “the closest thing to a living saint” by the Australian media, Louise L. Hay is also known as one of the founders of the self-help movement. Her first book, Heal Your Body, was published in 1976, long before it was fashionable to discuss the connection between the mind and body.

“I find that when we really love and accept and approve of ourselves exactly as we are, then everything in life works”

“If you are willing to do the mental work, almost anything can be healed”

“All the events you have experienced in your lifetime up to this moment have been created by your thoughts and beliefs you have held in the past. They were created by the thoughts and words you used yesterday, last week, last month, last year, 10, 20, 30, 40, or more years ago, depending on how old you are”

MARIANNE WILLIAMSON

Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed spiritual author and lecturer. Six of her ten published books have been New York Times Best Sellers. Four of these have been #1 New York Times Best Sellers. A Return to Love is considered a must-read of The New Spirituality. A paragraph from that book, beginning “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure...” is considered an anthem for a contemporary generation of seekers.

“Forgiveness is not always easy.  At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it.  And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness”

“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world”

“Love is what we were born with.  Fear is what we learned”

BILL CLINTON

William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001.

“If you live long enough, you’ll make mistakes.  But if you learn from them, you’ll be a better person.  It’s how you handle adversity, not how it affects you.  The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit”

“Let me say this as clearly as I can:  No matter how sharp a grievance or how deep a hurt, there is no justification for killing innocents”

“We must teach our children to resolve their conflicts with words, not with weapons”

WARREN BUFFET

Warren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is widely considered the most successful investor of the 20th century.

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago”

“Emotional makeup is more important than technical skill”

DAVID SUZUKI

David Takayoshi Suzuki, is a Japanese Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph. D in zoology from the University of Chicago  in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001. Since the mid-1970s, Suzuki has been known for his TV and radio series and books about nature and the environment. He is best known as host of the popular and long-running CBC Television science magazine, The Nature of Things, seen in over forty nations. He is also well-known for criticizing governments for their lack of action to protect the environment.

 

“Education has failed in a very serious way to convey the most important lesson science can teach: skepticism”

 

“If we pollute the air, water and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function, no amount of money will save us”

 

“For the sake of our health, our children and grandchildren and even our economic well-being, we must make protecting the planet our top priority”

 

 

INGRID NEWKIRK

 

Ingrid Newkirk is an English-born British American animal rights activist and the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the world’s largest animal rights organization.

 

“When it comes to having a central nervous system, and the ability to feel pain, hunger and thirst, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy”

 

“Being asked to support humane meat means being asked to support the suffering of animals in transport, to approve of treatment that causes them palpable fear, their bodies shaking and their eyes wide as saucers, as they are slung by their legs into crates that are slammed onto the back of a truck”

 

“I think if you are against cruelty and you look at what happens to animals in slaughterhouses and on factory farms, you have to be completely against eating meat”

 

JOHN LENNON 

 

John Winston Ono Lennon, was an English musician, singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a founder member of the Beatles, the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in the history of popular music.

 

“Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans”

 

“I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky.  I believe that what people call God is something in all of us.  I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right.  It’s just that the translations have gone wrong”

 

“If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace”

 

WOODY HARRELSON

 

Actor, environmental activist, ethical vegan and raw foodist and supporter for the legalization of marijuana and hemp.

 

“The war against terrorism is terrorism”

 

“I think my best skill in this whole deal is as a conduit to try to bring people together, because I think it’s in our unity that we’ll have the greatest strength”

 

“The common man or women, whether they are Israeli or Palestinian or Catholic or Iraqi or American, the common man just wants to live in peace and justice in a clean environment.  When we look around the world and we see that is not the case, we know the will of the majority is not being listened to, that’s the first sign that our system is broken”

 

“There are a helluva lot more of us who care about our environment in the world than we realize.  We’re the majority, and we can do something about that” 

 

HARVEY MILK

 

Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

 

“Hope will never be silent”

 

“If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door”

 

“It takes no compromising to give people their rights.  It takes no money to respect the individual.  It takes no survey to remove repressions”

 

“Coming out is the most political thing you can do”

 

REPRESENTATIVE JOHN LEWIS

 

John Robert Lewis is an American politician and civil rights leader. He is the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 5th congressional district, serving since 1987, and is the dean of the Georgia congressional delegation.

 

“I say to people today, ‘You must be prepared if you believe in something.   If you believe in something, you have to go for it.  As individuals, we may not live to see the end”

 

“When I was 15 years old in the tenth grade, I heard Martin Luther King, Jr.  Three years later, when I was 18, I met Dr. King and we became friends.  Two years after that I became very involved in the civil rights movement.  I was in college at the time.  As I got more and more involved, I saw politics as a means of bringing about change”

 

“If you’re not hopeful and optimistic, then you just give up.  You have to take that long hard look and just believe that if your consistent, you will succeed”

 

These quotes and words come from people who were and continue to be passionate about what they strongly believe in, whether that is our environment, politics, animals, human rights and freedom – they have all been and continue to be conduits for positive change.

 

Together we can make the world a more positive one!