A writing career becomes harder to scale – latimes.com

A writing career becomes harder to scale – latimes.com

Posted using ShareThis

Beauty and the Beast | Sexual Fables

Beauty and the Beast | Sexual Fables

Posted using ShareThis

Gayest Cities in America – Advocate.com

Secretly I knew Atlanta just may be the gayest city in America, but someone by the name of Mike Albo has empirical evidence to prove it, in February’s Advocate.

1. Atlanta
Georgia isn’t the most gay-friendly state, but Atlanta is undoubtedly our gayest city—with 29 gay bars here, there’s a reason it’s dubbed Hotlanta. Atlanta’s several queer events include one of the nation’s largest Prides in October (returning to Piedmont Park this year), and MondoHomo, a May event celebrating art, drag, burlesque, film, and BBQ. The gay epicenter is Midtown, anchored by Outwrite Books, a giant gay bookstore bucking the national trend—by staying in business! Atlanta guys are hunky, the ladies are gracious, the gay sports leagues are seriously well organized, and its housewives (and their gay BFFs, complete with handbags and heels) are now camp icons. And who doesn’t love the sweet lilt of a Georgia accent on a knockout guy or gal?

via Gayest Cities in America | Advocate.com.

This past year I was fortunate to attend both MondoHomo and my first Pride. Ever. I also visited my first gay club in Atlanta (though not my first gay club; this ain’t my first time at the rodeo). Both were interesting experiences, though I think I may have enjoyed MondoHomo a bit more. Perhaps because I volunteered. Perhaps because it was in May, versus Halloween weekend, though I did watch the parade from a friend’s apartment on Peachtree Street, and was able to meet Margaret Kaiser (not gay), who ran up to greet Dear while walking in the Parade. She seems like a sweet lady. Perhaps I’ll get to meet  other elected gay officials. I dunno. I found that meeting interesting. And I finally made a visit to Outwrite,  the venerable gay bookstore in the heart of Midtown. Yes, 2009 was an adventurous and gay year.

Some of the other cities on the list were surprising, and others weren’t so surprising. I can see Austin being on the list; apparently there’s an amazing film school, and where there is art there are gays. It’s science. Or perhaps art. Bloomfield, Ill. suprised me, as did Gainesville, Florida. When I went to a gay nude campground over the summer (remind me to detail about that one), I was surprised at all the North Carolina license plates. Dear informed me that Asheville was surprisingly gay. I was taken aback, not only at that information but also at how prudish I found myself. Among my friends I’m known for taking my clothes off, but once there I would not go take it all off. Secretly I was hoping that either Athens or Savannah would have made the list. As of late, I find myself becoming more and more a Georgia boy. Though I’m not so fond of their university and its physical education requirement.

Also, there’s something amiss with the point system used that I can’t quite place my finger on. One commenter noted that gay dating and hookup profiles were synonymous with closeted. I’ll have to add cruising spots to that as well. Another criterion used to evaluate the gayest city in the land was the amount of gay films in Netflix queues. Gay film in NetFlix’s favorites raises a privacy concern, for which Netflix is being sued. Some I can jump behind are:

• gay elected officials
• statewide marriage equality
• gay bars per capita
• same-sex households per capita

Because The Gays need places to live while battling borderline alcoholism as they come to terms with their nascent sexuality, and usually shack up for this purpose. I jest. That’s only my age bracket.

MLK Day of Service : Pt. II

On January, 18, 2010, people of all ages and backgrounds will come together to improve lives, bridge social barriers, and move our nation closer to the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King envisioned. Dr. Martin Luther King devoted his life’s work to causes of equality and social justice. He taught that through nonviolence and service to one another, problems such as hunger and homelessness, prejudice and discrimination can be overcome. Dr. King’s teachings can continue to guide us in addressing our nation’s most pressing needs—poverty, economic insecurity, job loss and education.

-http://www.mlkday.gov/

If you haven’t heard by now (perhaps you’ve been living in a rock, or in outerspace, or just waking up from a coma) Haiti has been hit by a disastrous earthquake. Tomorrow happens to be Martin Luther King Day of Service.

One way to definitely help, if you haven’t heard by now, is to text to a variety of organizations to help support disaster relief in Haiti. Even if you’re unable to donate time or energy, perhaps you could send a text.

The following organizations are accepting SMS donations in the US only:

• SMS text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts
• SMS text “YELE” to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti’s Earthquake Relief efforts
• SMS text “GIVE10″ to 20222 to donate $10 to Direct Relief

Google is also offering free phone calls for the next two weeks to Haiti, among numerous other contributions. More information can be found at Google’s Haiti Relief Site

Other ways to help include visiting numerous sites who are accepting cash and in-kind donations :

 Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, UNICEF (1-800-4UNICEF), Direct Relief, Yele Haiti, Partners in Health, Red Cross, World Food Program, Mercy Corps (1-888-256-1900), Save the Children, Lambi Fund, Doctors Without Borders, The International Rescue Committee, Care, William J. Clinton Foundation, Meds & Food For Kids, Feed the Children, Habitat for Humanity 

-  Google’s Site to Support Disaster Relief in Haiti.

MLK Day of Service : Pt. I

Just last night I was browsing through the In-tuh-net, and ran across an ad that chose to celebrate MLK Day by drinking and partying with scantily clad boys. I’m in no position to judge, but  I did find it a bit tasteless that some would choose to celebrate MLK Day (which most college students have off) with sex, drugs and rock and roll. Save it for Vernal Equinox. Or Saturnalia. Eh.

A couple of weeks ago Dear and I were taking Jesse, AKA Lucifer to the vet. Upon checking out, a lady walked by and commented “What a cute dog!” I went to join Dear at the front of the line and he commented to me that he felt uncomfortable cutting in front of Martin Luther King, III. I asked what he meant, and he responded by turning around and pointing toward the aisles, where I saw a man on his cell phone. The lady then commented, “Oh he’s always on his phone.” Slowly, it dawned on me that I was having a conversation with Martin Luther King III’s wife. I’ve never been starstruck in my life, but I suddenly couldn’t talk anymore. There he was standing mere feet away.

I remember being about four or five and reading a children’s book about Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the more memorable images that stick in my mind from this book is one of cross burning. After reading that book, for weeks I was afraid people would come by and burn a cross in our yard. It didn’t help that the previous Christmas someone broke into our house. I remember seeing a dark figure escape through the back as we pulled up. What did comfort me, after reading this book, was the knowledge that my family would soon be moving to California. But that image from the book stuck with me.

When we moved back to Georgia five years later, to the exact same house, I remember attending Forest Road Elemetary School. In addition to memorizing the Preamble of the Constitution (Thanks Schoolhouse Rocks), and the Gettysburg Address, we were required to remember and recite in front of the class MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Initially I was irritated at my teacher, Mrs. Walker. Looking back, I’d like to thank her. She pushed me, and saw that I was a bit ahead of my classmates and allowed me to read ahead of them. When I say ahead, I mean she had to go and find books for me to read, and would then ask me about them. While the class slowly made their way through one book I had sped through four or five. But I remember getting in front of the class, and reciting Martin Luther King, Jr’s speech. I remember reciting :

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

- PBS Transcript “I Have a Dream”

I still get chills whenever I hear, read or speak those lines. There’s a reason that speech was ranked as the top speech in the 20th century, and is on the list as one of the greatest speeches in human history. I think Miri Ben Ari’s “Symphony of Brotherhood” does the speech justice.

Fast forward to present day. I stay in Grant Park, off of Boulevard. On my way to the University of Georgia each day I pass through the Old 4th Ward, and I also pass the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. Most days I don’t give it a second thought, unless traffic catches me in front of the natatorium, or I find myself stopped in front of Fire Station No. 6., glancing at the shotgun houses in the area and wondering what those times must have been like. Sometimes I forget, and take it for granted, that I live in a historic neighborhood, and that historic means history took place in what appear to be everyday and common places. And sometimes history will intersect in the most unlikely places.

Tomorrow, I wish I were doing more on a national day of service. Hopefully my little bit helps someone.