Written: 9/23/2012

Two quotes to share with you, first up, from the amazing Minnesota kicker, Chris Kluwe:

“Every time you propagate the message that being gay is to be less than human, that same sex marriage cannot be as filled with love and laughter and tears as heterosexual marriage, that gays don’t deserve to pass a legacy on to their family, you quicken that howling storm and sweep away a tiny bit more humanity from the world, drive one more child to contemplating the cold razor’s bite, or the yawning abyss of the overdose because they simply cannot deal with the unceasing assault upon their psyche.  Well I, for one, will not stand for it.

“I will not stand for a world that demeans those it finds ‘different’ or ‘gross’. I will not stand for an ideology that promotes slavish adherence to a single arbitrary standard, that sacrifices children on the altar of oppression and control. I will not stand for one more RED TINGED MUSHROOM CLOUD second of people thinking that they have the right to live someone else’s life for them, for the complete lack of empathy so often shown in our society. I stand for gay marriage. I stand for the end of segregation. I stand for a woman’s right to vote. I stand for equality under the law, for treating others how I want to be treated, for the fundamental human right to live a happy life free of tyranny. I stand for my children.

And from David Halperin

What makes gay people different from others is not just that we are discriminated against, mistreated, regarded as sick or perverted. That alone is not what shapes gay culture. (That indeed could end.) It’s that we live in a world in which heterosexuality is the norm. Heterosexual culture remains our first culture, and in order to survive and to flourish in its midst, gay people must engage in an appropriation of it that is also a resistance to it.

“So long as queer kids continue to be born into heterosexual families and into a society that is normatively, notionally heterosexual, they will have to devise their own nonstandard relation to heterosexual culture. Gay subjectivity will always be shaped by the primeval need on the part of gay subjects to queer heteronormative culture. That is not going to change. Not for a very long time. And we’d better hope it doesn’t.”

I’m constantly impressed with the care and concern our society can pay for our children and their future.

It gives me hope.

All my best,

The King of Spades

Written: 9/23/2012

The Catholic Church is refusing to sell a piece of property to gay people.

Let’s put this in perspective.  What do you think would happen, if the Catholic Church refused to sell a piece of property to a Jewish person.  Or a diner refused to serve a Hispanic person?  Or a gas station that wouldn’t sell to women.

Yeah, outrage.  Not wringing of hands saying that they can stand up for their religious beliefs.  Public outrage, and rightfully so.

Read the story here.  And just remember, if you see a story like this, just substitute another group for LGBT and think if there would be outrage, from yourself or others.

All my best,

The King of Spades

Written: 9/23/2012

Homophobia in professional sports once again is back in the news:

Why do you hate the fact that other people want a chance to live their lives and be happy, even though they may believe in something different than you, or act different than you? How does gay marriage, in any way shape or form, affect your life? If gay marriage becomes legal, are you worried that all of a sudden you’ll start thinking about penis? … I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won’t come into your house and steal your children. They won’t magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster. They won’t even overthrow the government in an orgy of hedonistic debauchery because all of a sudden they have the same legal rights as the other 90 percent of our population—rights like Social Security benefits, child care tax credits, Family and Medical Leave to take care of loved ones, and COBRA healthcare for spouses and children. You know what having these rights will make gays? Full-fledged American citizens just like everyone else, with the freedom to pursue happiness and all that entails.

Minnesota kicker Chris Kluwe comes out swinging after a Maryland legislator tried to silence a Raven’s player.

You can read the entire letter, published on Deadspin here.

And a great followup here:

I don’t want to spend the whole column quoting Kluwe, but he asks Burns a question that should be put to all fearful haters who believe a few lines in their particular faith’s special book will excuse their loathsome bias forever: “Why do you hate freedom?

Update: Kluwe came out swinging and was an immense force for good, probably turning the tide on Minnesota not putting hate into their constitution.  He continues to be a sane voice (and a huge gaming nerd, so he’s fun to follow on Twitter), and a much welcome addition to the dialogue.

All my best,

The King of Spades

Written: 9/23/2012

The Good Men Project has an article up, that I’ve touched upon before:

Sometimes I’m so exhausted that I can’t read another hate crime horror story or risk walking down a city street holding the hand of my boyfriend because, in the back of my mind, I have to think: is it worth it? Am I going to be safe? And oddly enough, it’s not really the physical violence that scares me. It’s the words.

The truth of the matter is, I’m tired too.  Tired of having to protect myself, even when I should be able to just be myself.

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get past that, the self-protection mode is one that comes easily, and one that I default to. I hope to be able to move past that, but until then, I’ll continue on, unbeknownst to most why I always appear so tired.

All my best,

The King of Spades

Written: 9/23/2012

The Good Men Project has a great poster they’ve shared:

All my best,

The King of Spades