Amazingly, after I got home from work I rang my GP and was able to make an appointment for tomorrow morning! I have a growth under my arm which has become suddenly larger, discoloured and painful, and I would like him to take a look at it. It's probably nothing.
3/07/2006 07:27:00 PM

Sticks and Stones

I mean, have you looked at www.godhatesfags.com? Go on, have a look: it's fun-filled family fare. Not. And did you know that the guy responsible for that site, "Reverend" Phelps, sends out members of his church to protest at funerals of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq (including this recent protest in Midwest City, OK)?

[Church] members deliver a message that U.S. military deaths are divine retribution against a nation that it claims harbors homosexuals in direct violation of God's will.

Maybe someone should tell Phelps about Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
3/07/2006 03:30:00 PM

Happy go bye bye

I wasn't very disappointed about Brokeback Mountain not having won the best picture Oscar. I didn't see any of the other four nominated films, and as I may have said here earlier, I didn't quite know what to make of BM after having seen it. I'm not sure I would have nominated it for Movie of the Year. But then I got into work and, walking into an office and upon a conversation between two of my colleagues, I heard the following: "I mean, who would have wanted a �gay cowboy� film to win, anyway?" "I�m sure it was good, but...." and now I'm just pissed, and now I'm going to explain a fundamental fact about me that, as far as I can tell, everyone who reads this blog just doesn't get. I didn't respond to those comments because, as a gay man, for fifteen years I cultivated a conditioned response: to hide, to deny, and to conform. It has unfortunately become "first nature." I am a member of the last, largest minority subjected to blatant discrimination, sanctioned by government, church and society. Discrimination is one of the biggest reasons I moved to the UK, which contrasts with the US in these areas, among others:

• In 34 states, Gay, lesbian, and bisexual employees can be fired just for being gay.
• Current U.S. immigration law does not allow gay citizens or permanent residents to petition for their same-sex partners to immigrate.
• Same-sex couples are denied over 1,000 benefits, rights, and protections that federal law affords to married, heterosexual couples, as well as hundreds of such protections at the state level.
• Under the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, don't harass" policy, gay, lesbian and bisexual service members are prohibited from serving openly.
• Only 23 states and the District of Columbia have at least one county where Gays and Lesbians can adopt
• On July 1, 2004 the Virginia Marriage Affirmation Act became law. In addition to prohibiting the recognition of same-sex marriages and civil unions, this legislation prevents same sex couples --who can not legally marry in Virginia�from entering legal contracts that might have given them rights granted to married couples e.g. medical directives, joint custody agreements, and mutual wills.

I listed many of these in the blog during Gay Pride month last year. The point I'm trying to make now is that even though there are pockets and individuals here in the UK who are prejudiced, English society and government is Years ahead of the US in these matters, and the US is moving backwards by leaps and bounds, I believe. On a more personal level, other than hearing comments similar to those at the top, I myself have to my knowledge never been a victim of discrimination or homophobia. That may be, however, because I have "played it straight." There are only 2 or 3 neighbourhoods in all of the US that I might have felt comfortable walking down a street holding hands with my partner without fear of smirks, comments, or worse: attacks. And though I don't talk about being gay 24 and 7, it is a huge part of who I am. And though I'm not currently in a relationship, I think about it daily; I'm forced to, because I see all the "normal" heterosexual couples everywhere I look. No one ever asks me what I think about any of these issues. No one asks me what I think about the fight against AIDS. No one has asked me whether I agree with People Magazine's naming Matthew McConaughy "Sexiest Man Alive." Maybe the fact that not many people who are close to me ask me about or talk about this says more about them than it does about me....
3/07/2006 12:30:00 AM