Petition: Appoint An LGBT Youth Advisor

Caleb Laieski, a courageous young man who left school at the age of 16 in order to become a youth advocate for LGBT teens, has taken his crusade against bullying all the way to Congress.  When I first met Caleb, he was getting ready for the day to lobby Congresspeople for anti-bullying measures.

Now he's handing around an online petition urging the President to appoint an LGBT Youth Advisor at the White House in order to work on issues that specifically affect high-school age LGBTs:

Urge the Obama Administration to appoint a youth advisor to work with the administration on the everyday emotional and complex issues that LGBT youth face. 

In the past couple of years, our country has seen a tremendous swing in regards to the acceptance of minority groups, but research and statistics still show that LGBT youth are going through personal struggles both at school and at home. Some of these struggles consist of bullying, drug abuse, homelessness, isolation and even suicide. 

According to PFLAG, approximately 30% of gay and lesbian youth drop out of school due to hardships from physical and verbal abuse. This statistic is caused by the lack of support and intervention for LGBT students by teachers and school administrators. Additionally, the few teachers that would like to intervene often do not have the proper training on how to intervene in anti-LGBT bullying.

So click here and sign it!

Absolutely NOTHING COULD GO WRONG

I am astounded by some people's ability to make the worst decisions possible.

Mike Harmon, for instance!

The Kentucky House Committee has overwhelmingly approved HB 370, a bill which would prohibit any and all bullying on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, or religion.  That's great, right?

Not everyone thinks so.  Harmon, a religious Republican lawmaker in that state, wants to amend the bill before it is brought to a vote making provisions that allow children to condemn another student's sexual orientation as sinful in order to protect Christian students' right to be true to their religion.  In essence, he wants Christian kids to be able to bully, thus invalidating the entire scope of the bill.



 Not only would he want to allow continued bullying against gay students, but he also wants an amendment permitting the carrying of concealed firearms on school campuses.  What could go wrong?

Chaz Bono To Dance On ABC, Pisses Off Bigots

Some people could really just use a hobby.  Ballroom dancing maybe?

It's been announced that Chaz Bono, the transgender son of international pop diva Cher, will be joining the upcoming cast of Dancing With The Stars on the gay-friendly network ABC.  Naturally, he will be dancing as a man, and that has many "pro-family" (honestly, I call them anti-family.  They sure don't seem to like mine) advocates in an uproar, citing supposed "thousands" of e-mails being sent to ABC to protest the inclusion of a transman on the popular show.

I love a man who looks good in a suit.

Tony Perkins (AKA T-Punk) of the Family Research Council (an official SPLC certified hate group with connections to the KKK and other white supremacists) had this to say:

Forget "Dancing with the Stars." ABC is dancing with the transgenders. Hello, I'm Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. On the 13th season of Dancing with the Stars, the indoctrination is in full swing. This fall, ABC's picked its first transsexual to compete. Chaz Bono, the famous child of Sonny and Cher, may have been born a woman--but she'll be dancing as a man. And while the gay community approves, fans certainly don't. ABC's been blasted by thousands of viewers for turning a popular show into an hour-long political statement. The message boards are full of angry parents who think ABC's gone too far. One mom wrote, "I am not about to risk the potential for on screen dialogue about sex changes and gender confusion while my 7- and 9-year old are watching... We are NOT tolerant--[if tolerance means allowing] any influences to come unfiltered into our home..." I guess if "Dancing" wants to advertise for the radical Left, they'll find out how out of step they are!

Riiiiiiiiight, Tony.  Let's talk about why this won't work.  First, you're assuming that kids give a damn who is dancing on their television.  My assumption would be that if someone tells them they are a man, that child will accept that.  Can we please remember the video of the kid who found out that two men at his Thanksgiving celebration were married-- and didn't give two shits about it?


Did you notice the complete and utter lack of discussion of sex with this boy? It was explained in easy to understand terms that had nothing to do with sexual behavior, but instead let the boy know that hey, sometimes men like men instead of women.

 Does T-Punk really want to piss off CHER?!

And really, do they know who they're up against?  ABC, owned by Disney.  That's right.  One of the richest companies in the world is in charge of this show, and they're no stranger to threats of boycott over their LGBT-inclusive policies.  Were those boycotts effective?  No.  Did Disney care, in the slightest, over these groups anti-gay views?   The American Family Association, Focus on the Family, and Southern Baptists ended their 8 year boycott of Disney back in 2005, with no effect on the media giant. 

Lastly, I asked one of my straight readers, Tiffany Smith, how she felt about the possibility of her four year-old daughter being exposed to a transman on television, and she had this to say:

I have no problem at all that Chaz Bono is going to be on TV.  In fact, I'm interested to watch him and get to know him.  I think its a wonderful thing to expose your children to healthy images of people happily being themselves!  Then she too can grow up knowing that its more important to be true to yourself than do what everyone thinks is "beautiful" and "correct."

So good luck, T-Punk.  Not only do you have Chaz Bono and Disney-ABC as opponents on this issue, but the American people are set against the denigration of LGBT families and their representation on television.

To close, another reader of mine who proudly counts herself a Christian and grandmother, Kelli, had these uplifting words to say on Facebook:

I think that it is wrong to deny your children truth. The truth is that every human being has a body and a spirit. Every spirit deserves to be nurtured and loved. Even God has addressed this issue. People who want to read something else into life need to get over themselves.

Well said.  

Boy Scouts Remove Troop Leader Cuz She's A Big Lesbian

The Boy Scouts of America have come under a lot of fire over the years for their anti-gay policies, but this is one of the more sad instances of discrimination I've seen from the organization.

One Potomac Falls mother, Denise Steele, wanted to give her son all the benefits of a happy and healthy childhood, and decided that she could best bond with him by participating in his life with the Boy Scouts. She, her partner, and their two children had lived in the Loudun County area for a decade, yet when her son became involved with BSA, they did not find out she had a partner of nearly 20 years until recently, when her female spouse picked her up after a campout. This was observed by an administrator of the troop, and actions were taken. Steele was removed from her post as assistant troop leader:

The issue of Steele being a lesbian didn’t arise until one weekend in June during a camping trip to Assateague Island. The camping trip was from a Saturday to a Monday, and Steele needed to work Monday so she asked Funk to pick her up from the campsite.

After both departed, one of the other assistant scout masters, Skip Inabinett, started questioning who the woman was who had picked up Steele.

After discovering that Steele’s partner had picked her up, Inabinett felt that she should be removed as an assistant scout master. In an email that Inabinett sent to a close personal friend of Steele’s and whose son was also in the troop, he stated, “If what you said about Denise Steele being an active [homo]sexual is true, do you feel comfortable talking with her about stepping down/resigning as an ASM … as her friend, this may be an opportunity for you to share with her about Christ’s love and the need to believe that as sinners we cannot get to heaven on our own and that we need a savior.”

This is pretty sad. Steele reports that she wanted to be involved in BSA so she could bond with her son. Now she is no longer allowed to go on Scout camping trips and the like.

I was in the Cub Scouts as a young boy, and I recall very clearly an instance where one of my fellow Scouts approached me and said "My dad says you're a fag." When we moved to a different area of town I just didn't have the same enthusiasm for the organization and we never joined another troop.

Miami-Dade Adds Transgender Protections To Anti-Bullying Laws

With new amendments to the district's policy, Miami-Dade School District has added transgender protections to its anti-bullying policy.

"Miami-Dade School District, the fourth largest in the nation, has added gender identity to their harassment and anti-bullying policy.

"Equality Florida along with and members of our Miami-Dade Safe Schools Coalition have worked for more than a decade to expand these vital protections and Miami remained one of the few large Florida cities without such a policy, until now."

This brings the number of students protected from bullying to 1.55 million in the state of Florida, representing 60% of the population.  Sweet!

Newest X-Men Comic Addresses LGBT Teen Suicide

If you're a gay comic book nerd like me (what blogger isn't) then the X-Men storylines are stories you have likely followed for years.  I myself was an unabashed lover of Storm growing up, cuz I mean, that bitch is a diva:  

Continuing the X-Men's theme as a metaphor for the civil rights struggles of our time, one of Marvel's latest ventures is Generation Hope, a book that describes the trials of mutant teens as they develop their superpowers (read: they find out they're gay) and figure how to integrate into society (read: come out of the closet).  Generation Hope #9, which hits the stores today, was teased by Marvel as follows:

"'OUT, OUT...' This is the X-Men comic that will have people talking for years! Some candles burn twice as bright and half as long. Some candles don't get a chance to burn at all. Generation Hope discover what happens when a light goes out."

In an interview with iFanboy.com, the writer, Kieron Gillen, illuminates that it is a reference to the teen LGBT suicide.  

"It was directly inspired by the conversation around the very public gay suicide stories. It doesn't get much more sensitive.

"When the stories [about gay teen suicide] started to break, the first place I heard about it was actually from Fraction. We'd just passed the baton, and he said "If I was still writing the X-Men...". I read the news and could only agree.

"It's not the type of story that fits in any other major superhero book. It's simply not what those books are about. But the X-Men? X-Men is a book about mutants, used as a metaphor about prejudice. And of the X-Men books, Generation Hope is fundamentally about new mutants trying to survive dealing with the fact they're mutants. With the metaphor in place, you can not just do a story about it - I dare say you should tell a story about it. In a real way, it's the sort of story Generation Hope exists to tell. If we can't tell this story and tell it as well as we can, the book may as well not exist."

Awesome.  Now if we could get the cast of X-Men: First Class would do an It Gets Better Video.

I figured I'd take this opportunity (I really love comics) to do a short rundown on the who's who of gay mutants in Marvel continuity:

1.  Northstar

Northstar is arguably the most famous gay comic book character ever, being the first featured in Marvel comics.  He notably also became the first to come out as HIV-positive.  He cured it, naturally, because he was half-fairy.  Whatevs.  He started out a member of the Canadian-based Alpha Flight (Canucks like gays better anyway) but then became an X-Man.

2.  Wiccan

Wiccan, a member of the Young Avengers, is a magic-using son of the probability-changing Scarlet Witch.  He originally was called Asgardian (as a nod to Avenger Thor) but changed his name when he came out as gay and dating fellow Young Avenger Hulkling.  I agree with the name change: it's probably a bit problematic to be gay and have your code name rhyme with Ass-Guardian.

3.  Hulkling

The son of Captain Mar-Vell and a Skrull princess, Hulkling has shapeshifting abilities that allow him to have increased strength and stamina.  Plus, he's a hot blond.  'Nuff said.  

4.  Karolina Dean

Karolina, a member of the Runaways, is a teen superheroine who has solar-based superpowers.  Her storyline began with an unrequited crush on the female lead of her group of teen heroes, but she has since fallen in love with Xavin, a Super-Skrull-in-training.  In fact, much like myself, she has been engaged to her partner.  She is notable for having once been suicidal, even offering herself to a vampire in hopes he would kill her.  After beginning her relationship with Xavin, she has since become much happier.  

5.  Xavin

Xavin, a Super-Skrull-in-training, was pledged at birth to be the husband of the Majesdanian Karolina Dean.  Xavin hit a snag in the road, though, when "Kar" came out as lesbian.  Luckily Xavin can change genders, which I would argue makes her not just a gay superhero, but a transgender one as well.  Xavin tragically left the Runaways title in order to protect Karolina from... um... space cops... and hasn't been heard from since.

6.  Anole

Anole is a mutant superhero associated with the X-men, with the powers of color-changing, a prehensile tongue (don't get pervy, readers) and the ability to crawl on walls.  Since his debut, he has become a fan favorite, as he has evolved in his sexuality enough that it is no longer an issue that plagues, due to his mentorship by the aforementioned Northstar.

There a tons more LGBT characters in comics, but these are certainly the most popular in Marvel.  Their recent storylines, to me, indicate that Marvel is thinking smartly about their audience.  Queers have long loved the X-Men, and now they are getting storylines that touch directly on modern LGBT issues.

Kids React To Lady Gaga

Found via Towleroad, these kids watch Lady Gaga weird it up on Letterman, then react.



Royel is clearly my favorite of the kids.  Yes, Royel, her eyes are large.

OneAngryCultist reporting for OneAngryQueer

OMG Shoes! In a report this morning by the Seattle PI, new outrage is being unleashed over shoes allegedly designed to sculpt the tokuses of young girls:

The company has miniaturized its “Shape-up” sneakers, a brand of boat-shaped shoes that features a sexified marketing campaign. The ads claim the shoes allegedly help firm the legs and butts of women, which feels less a health claim than a bid for desirability, reinforced by spokesmodel Kim Kardashian and other hotties in tiny shorts.

While there can be no doubt pushing products on kids under the pretense that it'll make them more attractive is a terrible, terrible, thing; there are some health benefits to having a functioning posterior that even our own Ian Awesome will be willing to talk about at length. Until then...

Screw Acceptance! Glee Teaches Kids To Be Gay!

Completely ignoring the actual message of last night's episode of Glee, Bryan Fischer (one of my favorite assholes) went on Fox News and decried the episode as evidence of the indoctrination of our children. 

The episode was written around Lady Gaga's hit song, "Born This Way," and taught the Gleeks that they were awesome no matter how they were born.  Whether they could sing or not, were gay or straight, or even if they have a huge Jew nose, they owned who they were and felt better about themselves for it.  Naturally, this was a sneaky conspiracy on the part of dirty AIDSy gays handing out heroin syringes!

"Keith: Bryan, what do you think of the homosexuality storylines that we’re having in more shows now?

"Fischer: Well I’m deeply concerned bout this because what these television programs are doing is glamorizing homosexual behavior, glamorizing homosexual conduct. This is conduct that carries enormous psychological and physical risks to those who engage in it. It’s just not a lifestyle, it’s not behavior that ought to be glamorized or presented in a way that makes it idealistic.

"Keith: And we all know about product placement. You throw a soda in a movie and within a few seconds later everyone in the theater is thirsty for that particular brand. Ray, what do you have to say to the people who say that this is propaganda, that this isn’t just storylines but the people have an agenda."




You're right, Keith!  We do have an agenda.  Our agenda is that you stop comparing our youth to AIDS-ridden IV drug users.

What asshats.

[RightWingWatch]

Bullying Claims Two More Victims

In one of the saddest stories I've read in a long time, two Minnesota girls, Haley Fentress and Paige Moravetz, hanged themselves in an apparent suicide pact due to the bullying they received in school.

They were only 14. 

They were so close that their families described them as "one," and in fact had hyphenated each other's names on Facebook to reflect their bond.  While there was speculation as to the nature of their relationship, it is not confirmed whether or not they had a romance.  Regardless, the family of one girl had strong words about the reasons of their daughter's death.

The Fentress family released a statement saying, "We need to stop pretending this isn’t happening or that is just a cry for attention because obviously it is not. It shouldn’t take more tragedies to realize this."

And how many tragedies will it take?  How many deaths?  With conservatives blocking ant-bullying efforts nationwide and removing the support in the classroom that gay kids need to survive-- how many people are going to die?

This isn't the first time that religious right has disregarded the death of gay people for their political ends.  I just hoped they had learned from the Reagan years.  But now...

Haley and Paige should be alive, and they should be loved, and they should not have felt that the only escape was death.  If I could say one thing to every conservative who is "protecting families" or "safeguarding children" it would be this: your efforts are killing 14 year old girls who just want to be accepted.  You are hounding them to an early death by their own hands.

But it's not their hands that will end up bloody.  You, ladies and gentlemen of the right wing, with your moral high ground and faith-based initiatives, your war on women and your campaign against gay youth, you killed these girls.  

How many of us have to die?

[TheNewCivilRightsMovement]

Big Surprise! Teen Suicide Rates Higher in Conservative Areas

A study which focused mainly on my home state of Oregon found that teens tend to attempt suicide more frequently in politically conservative areas.  Not a surprise.  What's perhaps more surprising is that the data shows that both gay and straight teens are affected regardless of whether or not they are exposed to bullying or are depressed.

"His study found a higher rate of suicide attempts even among kids who weren’t bullied or depressed when they lived in counties less supportive of gays and with relatively few Democrats. A high proportion of Democrats was a measure used as a proxy for a more liberal environment.

"The research focused only on the state of Oregon and created a social index to assess which outside factors might contribute to suicidal tendencies. Other teen health experts called it a powerful, novel way to evaluate a tragic social problem.

"'Is it surprising? No. Is it important? Yes,' said Dr. Robert Blum of Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health."

Next time you're being told that the anti-gay movement is protecting our children, this may be a salient, if extremely sad, point to bring up.  Conservatism:  killing our teens.  

[WaPo]

Disgusting Insinuations Made by Peter Spriggs

Ok.  I'll admit, Perez Hilton is by no means one of my favorite people-- his mean-spirited attacks on celebrities kinda make me gag.  Once someone compared my blog to his and I got CRAZY.  However, he certainly doesn't deserve THIS bullshit.

Peter Spriggs, the spokesperson for the Family Research Council, made a statement to the The Washington Times  (because, of course, Reverend Moon is a credible news source) about Perez's new children's book, "The Boy With The Pink Hair."  The book is meant to illustrate that we are all born different and shouldn't judge one another based on those differences... CLEARLY AN ATTEMPT TO INDOCTRINATE OUR CHILDRENS!?!!!11!!

"'He does have a known interest in children,' says Peter Sprigg, a senior fellow for Family Policy Studies at the Family Research Council, 'having published a photo of teen star Miley Cyrus that could have been considered child pornography.'

"In June 2010, the blogger took to Twitter to disseminate a picture of pop star and teen actress Miley Cyrus getting out of a car, legs spread open, and crotch apparently visible for all to see."

Listen, just because he's a gay dumbass doesn't mean he's a heterosexual child molester.  What asshats.

[Joe.My.God.]

"And Tango Makes Three" The Most Challenged Book in America

Because heaven forbid we should have a true story about parental penguins in our libraries and schools.

And Tango Makes Three is a children's book that relates the story of two Chinstrap Penguins, Roy and Silo, who were a mated pair for six years and eventually hatched a raised a baby penguin, Tango.  Roy and Silo have since broken up (some hussy named Scrappy came along and stole Silo away from poor Roy) but for years the Central Park Zoo touted the couple as their "gay penguin" couple.

Since the adaptation of the story into a children's book, unfortunately, Roy and Silo's story of acceptance has become the most attacked book in libraries and schools, and this year once again became the American Library Association's most challenged book in America.

"'And Tango Makes Three' is an award-winning children’s book about the true story of two male Emperor Penguins hatching and parenting a baby chick at New York’s Central Park Zoo. The book has appeared on the ALA’s Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books for the past five years and returns to the number one slot after a brief stay at the number two position in 2009. There have been dozens of attempts to remove And Tango Makes Three from school and public library shelves. Those seeking to remove the book have described it as 'unsuited for age group,' and cited 'religious viewpoint' and 'homosexuality' as reasons for challenging the book."

Here's hoping that most of these institutions of learning saw through the bullcrap and kept this inspiring story on the shelves.

[ALA]

Yet Another Cutie-Patootie For Equality

How is it that gay athletes and their straight allies are all such dreamboats?  I mean, srsly.  It's become something of a running feature for me to post about the increasing inclusion of LGBTs in sports and I have yet to find a proponent of athletic equality who was butt-ugly.

My latest is Blake Skelljerup, a New Zealand speed skater and all around hot piece.  He did this PSA for "Pink Shirt Day," a nationwide campaign to end bullying in schools.  It just goes to show:  If you like the queers, you just get hotter.  It's true!





[Pink Shirt Day]

The Cutest Bestest PSA EVER

BeLonG To, an LGBT organization that targets bullies, made this PSA.  It's super heartwarming and it may have made me tear up a little.  I'm just a stupid bitch, don't worry 'bout me.