¿GAY + CHRISTIAN = HARMONY?

For a while I’ve felt like we GAY folks are mere commodities for the Christians in this world; and though many of you will feel that I am passing judgment, PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM MERELY WRITING WHAT IS & HAVE BEEN SO PLAINLY EVIDENT. As a result of OUR MANY protestations to the contrary...which are prime examples of FALSE righteousness on each and every one of us, we have been used to draw other into a web of HATRED that has NO RIGHT TO EXIST! For those that doubt me, here’s an example: Who truly determines the value of an individual human being (a unit)? Why the church, NATURALLY and the rest is just par for the course. I feel that the church does NOT serve its practical purpose, therefore, to continue on with this HIGHLY MAKE-BELIEVE GAME OF CHRISTIANITY IS PRICELESS BEYOND MEASURE has gotten us to a place where it is US VS. THEM; and it will ONLY worsen as the time goes by. 

So me being me, I thought how does one combat this? I came upon a quote that said, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians.  Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."~MAHATMA GANDHI. This led me to think that depending on who you ask about this US VS. THEM scenario, you’d get both sides pointing fingers who lies on which side of the LOVE N’ HATE divide…I am sure you know where I stand and I personally feel that one of the worst mistakes you can make in life is to attach your identity to any particular religion OR philosophy, such as by saying I AM A CHRISTIAN. I feel this forces the mind into a fixed perspective, robbing you of spiritual depth perception and inhumanly limit your ability to perceive reality accurately. If that sounds like a good idea to you, how does being GAY N’ CHRISTIAN sound to you? The thought if makes me scratch my head, but I can’t help but wonder if my single, fixed perspective on this issue has prevented me from considering two separate image streams?
 

Being a Christian simply means that a person adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Son of God and had been prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. Hence being GAY N’ CHRISTIAN can actually represent a more intelligent approach without trying to force your perceptions into an artificial religious framework…What better way to change things…right? Christian truths are naturally rooted in a fixed perspective, but REAL truth is perspective-independent. So when Christians substitute religious teachings for truth, they mistake shadows for light sources. Consequently dooming themselves to stumble around in the dark utterly confused. So if a GAY person can get into that mix and represent himself, I feel clarity won’t forever elude us…crazy thoughts I know, but I figure we need  a way to bridge the gap between US & THEM…LOVE VS. HATE…

WHEN IT COMES TO BEING HUMAN BEINGS, SHOULDN’T WE BE LOVING, NON-JUDGING, FORGIVING & KIND HEARTED TO EACH OTHER? IT IS SO OBVIOUS THAT CHRISTIANITY ALONE CANNOT & DOES NOT REPRESENT LOVE N’ FAITH IN A SUPREME BEING…THERE IS A QUOTE THAT GOES, “to choose dogma and faith over doubt and experiment is to throw out the ripening vintage and reach greedily for the Kool-Aid." ~ CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS…SO TO THE MANY CHRISTIANS THAT REALLY FEEL THAT GOD HATES US, AS THEY GO TO CHURCH EVERY WEEK, SING SONGS OF PRAISE ALL DAY LONG WHILE PROCLAIMING LOVE FOR A HIGHER & SHOWING HATRED TOWARDS US IS UNACCEPTABLE…& TO MY GAY FOLKS OUT THERE THAT HATE THEM RIGHT BACK, PLEASE KNOW THAT THINGS CAN’T & WON’T CHANGE IF THERE ISN’T A COMMON GROUND WHERE WE CAN ALL STAND…IT WOULD BE NICE TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE WE ALL CAN EXERCISE OUR GOD GIVEN RIGHTS TO BE WHO WE ARE  WHICH IN MY OPINION IS ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE ENERGY SOURCE THAT GIVES THE WORLD LIFE…

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REACH

REACH was one of two official songs of the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996. It was written by Gloria Estefan and Diane Warren. It was #42 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. A Spanish version of the song was recorded under the name of "Puedes Llegar"; for this version various artists collaborated on the song, those were: Julio Iglesias, Placido Domingo, Jon Secada, Alejandro Fernandez, Roberto Carlos, Ricky Martin, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Patricia Sosa and Carlos Vives. This version can be found on the Spanish Version of the Olympics Compilation album Voces Unidas. This song undoubtedly dares us to dream BIG allowing us to create the possibilities that will help us achieve what we want. In life today we need to remember that we limit ourselves unless we make the effort to consciously REACH and lift our sights higher and aim for that brass ring…So as you listen to this song, I dare you to stretch the concept of what is possible…

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OLDIE, BUT GOODIE: ¿WHAT MANNER OF RULES ARE THESE?

I WROTE THIS A MERE MONTH AFTER NOEL & I MET EACH OTHER & I WAS SO CONFLICTED BECAUSE I KNEW HOW I FELT ABOUT HIM FROM DAY ONE BUT I WAS AFRAID TO TRUST THAT…I COULD TELL HE WAS GOING THROUGH THE SAME EMOTIONS I WAS SO WE TALKED ABOUT IT & BOTH DECIDED THAT WE WOULD TRUST EACH OTHER MIND, BODY N’ SOUL…& TO THIS DAY HE & I HAVE NO REGRETS WHAT SO EVER…I GUESS WHEN YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW…SO I SAY F&CK THE RULES!!!

I have just started dating and there are some signs that he could be someone that I can be with for the long haul. Now the thing is that things are new and I am aware that as human beings we have the tendency to be all caught up in love and not LOVE. However, if I feel that this love can blossom into LOVE then why should follow some RULES and take my chances on hindering that? For the first time in as long as I can remember, I have met a MAN that makes me SMILE from inside out. I feel that I am with someone that is in safe place where LOVE can actually go beyond itself. This is such a GREAT feeling for me because for far too long I have been cynical about love and it took my getting my heart broken to realize that. Therefore, I have decided that I am NOT following any RULES because they cause more harm than good…I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SAY I LOVE YOU WHEN I FEEL IT. I WANT TO SAY I WANT YOU NEAR ME WHEN I FEEL IT. I WANT TO SAY KISS FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN TO KISS ME WHEN I FEEL IT. However, being a mere human I understand the reasons why these RULES exist. And though we are NOT perfect, I feel that LOVE should make us PERFECT for each other. If only we could ACCEPT that love ends because could NOT grow into LOVE. Hence, the intricate web of factors that has contributed to the demise of love should be treated as a learning experience and NOT the be all and end all. Placing RULES upon our hearts prevents us from getting to the TRUE core of ourselves. How can we NOT see that when WE LOVE and not love to help us grow? So to allow some RULES to get in the way of that just do not make any sense. If one follows a RULE that stipulates that one should NOT say I LOVE YOU a certain amount of time has passed, isn’t that gradually turning up the heat on an already brewing pot that will boil over and leave a mess everywhere? Following RULES when it comes to LOVE can cause one to miss the ONE that could have brought HAPPINESS and the WHOLENESS you seek. Our logic AND reason should dictate that LOVE has no timeline AND cannot be manipulated. It is my personal feeling that if I hold back on my love for someone then I already know that we cannot ever end up with LOVE for each other. Hence, the RULES of LOVE make no sense and causes a sense of FEAR for NO legitimate reason. Therefore, we just go along with the program AND pray that it will work out…WHAT A F&CK UP WAY TO LIVE! HOW CAN WE BRAVE THE ELEMENTS OF THIS PLANET & RISE UP AS THE DOMINANT SPECIES & CRIPPLE OURSELVES WITH RULES? WHY CAN’T WE BE BRAVE & SAY F&CK THE RULES? I CANNOT DO MYSELF ANY KIND OF INJUSTICE SO I WILL LIVE EVERYDAY THANKING GOD FOR A SOUL THAT FEELS FREE TO ENJOY THE ONE THING THAT SUPPOSE TO COME WITHOUT REGULATORS. THE RULES SIMPLY EXIST TO SHOW US THAT WE ARE SEEKING love & NOT LOVE & IT IS SO SAD THAT WE ARE JUST TOUCHING THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG. WE ARE NOT GETTING A TASTE OF WHAT LOVE HAS TO OFFER. WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT IF WE REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT LOVE WE CANNOT FALL & PLAY IT CAUTIOUSLY. LOVE IS JOURNEY NOT A DESTINATION & THE RULES JUST MAKE LIFE TAXING. I AM AWARE THAT WE LEARN ABOUT LOVE BY TRIAL & ERROR, BUT PLACING RULES IN THE MIX WILL BREAK US. IF ONE CAN FOLLOW SOME RULE WHEN THEY ARE WITH ANOTHER THEN I SAY KEEP ON THAT PATH, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT HE IS NOT THAT SPECIAL ONE THAT CAUSES YOUR HEART TO SKIP A BEAT & STIR FEELINGS SO DEEP WITHIN THAT YOU ARE NOT AFRAID TO ALLOW THE RULES TO RULE.

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STAND IN THE STORM...

Have you ever felt Shadow less,

Like the world is moving

And your life is on pause?

You know when your life feels like a program on Spanish TV?

You see the images and hear the sounds,

But nothing is getting through…

 Feeling commonly cast into the wind,

Blown hither and thither by fear and uncertainty…

By way of choices…by way of fate.

And you can’t find that resolve and fortitude,

So you stare gazingly,

Exit to that place

Hoping that you could escape out of this maze,

Make your stop

While the smoking mirrors fill you with despair & desolation.

As you give into the dark no longer seeking the light…

You are that parched soul that remains dry,

Unable to drink…

 In a state of unrest,

 Times of perplexity are upon you

Because your leaving this world is the only thought that comforts you…

You are tired of being that weeping,

Melancholy child is full of guile

Pervaded by thoughts of bad intentions

You gave up on trying to attain purity,

Looking for the real,

Positive & enduring value life offers.

 Your soul is SO mentally drained from life and its teachings

You are vocally unable to utter a sound,

Sometimes silence is the best answer.

 So you think why not just end it all?

Life is a mess,

And no one would miss you anyways…

You think of how easy it would be to step outside of yourself…

 Soothe that troubled soul,

So you can vanish with your pain.

 But something inside tells you that

The last record of one's life

Is in accord with one's struggle, one's strife

 So you think,

What will last record will be?

And something tells you that you should wait and see…

 Because nothing is lost

Except illusions have their cost

So when life gets us down…

 You know you need to find a way to reverse things

Because you cannot create or destroy your form

And all you can do is stand in the storm…

©tgk

 

THIS POEM WAS WRITTEN FOR THOSE THAT THOUGHT OF ENDING THEIR LIFE...I'VE BEEN THERE BEFORE...

 

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¿IS THAT SUNLIGHT I SEE?

Today marked the beginning of what I think is a HUGE step in the right direction for my cousin. She decided that she wanted to go for counseling in order for her to get her life back on track and I couldn’t be HAPPIER! When I wrote about her about a week ago, I felt her isolation N’ pain and I was glad that she picked up the telephone and called me for help. She realized that death is not an option for her and decided that she wanted to live despite where she is in life right now…So she decided to let me know things that brought her to a VERY dark AND lonely place…She told me about the family friend that raped her this past Saturday, but not before he started doing this to her @ the tender age of ten (10). Of course that made me EXTREMELY upset because I HATE when adults use children for the sexual pleasure…This is young lady who was VERY much child like into her teens TOTALLY blew away my room-mate and friend that was @ the house when I brought her here. You see my cousin was one those girls that didn’t look her age and if you see her now you would say the same thing…She looks frail N’ thin…VERY weak and her speech isn’t what it used to be and death looks like he has her in his grip…

I only wished she had told me about her pain sooner so I could offer some help, but there is NO time like the present, right? Hearing about her struggles and how she views herself was painful for me. So I know being called a slut and everything else would make her feel even worse about herself. I told her that everything will be fine because from today onward things will change. Of course I knew that I had to get my mom, aunt and her father together to let them know how she became the person we see standing in front of us today…

So yesterday I drove to my family home to pick her up and as luck would have it everyone was there…though I didn’t see the opportunity right away, I soon noticed my chance because as she came towards me, her father said to me KISHNA TALK SOME SENSE INTO THIS GIRL PLEASE? I smiled because for me that meant talking some sense into you and the rest of my family so we can help her…I told them the past is the past and we all need to move forward, but in order that to happen we need to understand the past N’ present so we can work towards a better future…I told them what she told me and their emotions ranged from shock, pain, anger and tears…You see my family is VERY hard and they don’t show LOVE like that so to see them react this way, it surprised the hell out of me. I was all set to let them have it for the way they have treated her because I felt that they added to her pain though I am not excusing some of the things she did, I feel like they are the adults that and should have taken her cries more seriously…

But to my surprise, a miracle took place and I felt sorry for them because they are like SO many others that don’t like to confront issues dealing with child molestation…I am SO happy that I made a CONSCIOUS DECISION to go against that popular ignorant behavior…How could they deny the things she say when she gives them vivid images of what took place with her the first time he raped her and his most recent attack on her this past Saturday? For the torn underwear to him penetrating her, they realized that her not sleeping home AND going out partying was her way of not loosing herself to the pain of molestation AND lack of support from a family that she has come to know as her safety net for SO many years…

I am happy to know that she reached out to me and a friend and I were able to arrange her first counseling session today. We all know that the longer someone is in isolation, the harder it becomes to reach them. It felt GREAT when the counselor that did the evaluation on her called me into the office and told me that she is VERY open and receptive which is a good sign of someone that wants some help…And it was @ the moment that I remembered the Monday night she slept @ my house and I had to deal with her seizures and ramblings because her mind seems to be going in SO many different directions @ once. I lost two days of personal time that I can’t get back and that’s fine with me because for the first time in about four years I think I can see some sunlight peeping through those dark clouds that has been plaguing her for such a long…And though the road will long and hard, I will pray for more sunshine AND send positive energy her way every chance I get…

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MICHAEL JACKSON: A FITTING FAREWELL…

Michael Jackson was eulogized in words and song by an all-star list of musicians, athletes and other celebrities during a mournful ceremony in downtown Los Angeles, with the most poignant moment delivered by his sobbing 11-year-old daughter. "I just want to say ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him so much," Paris-Michael Jackson said before almost collapsing in the arms of her aunt Janet Jackson.

Watched by millions around the world, the memorial struck a tone more spiritual than spectacular. I LOVED the musical numbers performed by Jennifer Hudson, Usher and Mariah Carey. However the spoken word got my attention and the salutes that raised my emotions and MUST be highlighted are: 

"Michael always knew he could count on me to support him or be his date. ... We had a bond and maybe it was because we both understood what it was like to be in the spotlight from a very, very young age. I used to tease him and say, `I started when I was 11 months old. You're a slacker. You were like 5?' Both of us needed to be adults very early, but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun. ... M.J.'s laugh was the sweetest and purest of anyone I've known." — BROOKE SHIELDS.

"I'm here representing millions of fans around the world who grew up listening to Michael, being inspired and loving Michael from a distance. ... Somehow when Michael Jackson sang and when he danced ... we felt he was right there. ... He made you believe in yourself." — QUEEN LATIFAH.

  

"When he did his iconic moonwalk, I was shocked. It was magic. Michael Jackson went into orbit and never came down. Though it ended way too soon, Michael's life was beautiful." Gordy also said, "some sad times and maybe some questionable decisions on his part," the title King of Pop wasn't good enough for Jackson. "I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived." — MOTOWN RECORDS FOUNDER BERRY GORDY.

"This is a moment that I wish that I didn't live to see come. But as much as I can say that and mean it, I do know that God is good and I do know that as much as we may feel — and we do — that we need Michael here with us, God must have needed him far more." — STEVIE WONDER.

"Every time he got knocked down, he got back up," Sharpton said, and the applauding crowd jumped to its feet. Sharpton rode the moment, building to a crescendo. "There wasn't nothing strange about your daddy," he said later, addressing Jackson's three children in the front row. "It was strange what your daddy had to deal with!" – REV. AL SHARPTON. 

The ceremony wrapped up with group performances of "We Are the World" and "Heal the World" sung by Lionel Richie, Hudson and Jackson family members — including his children — before a backdrop of symbols of religions from around the world. They were joined onstage by children in white and several other people who had participated in the ceremony. Then members of Jackson's family took the stage to thank the crowd and share their own thoughts, barely able to hide their emotion as they hugged in the ceremony's final moments.

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WE’RE HERE. WE’RE QUEER. WHAT’S NEXT?

PLANETOUT DOT COM ASKS…WE’RE HERE. WE’RE QUEER. WHAT’S NEXT? SO I THOUGHT I’D ASK THE SAME THING HERE TODAY…

There was a time when as a collective group, gay people needed to band together to have our voices heard. We were persecuted, had our bars raided, had our homes taken when our long-term partners passed away and their families didn't approve of our relationships or lifestyles. the government turned a blind eye when thousands of us started dying from a mysterious disease, so heroic people within our community formed advocacy groups. These groups supported our "families" and gave us a place to turn for help when we needed it since it didn't seem that many others cared. We had medical groups, social groups and, of course, activists. It was this last category that showed the world what it had turned its gay community into: angry, frustrated people who weren't going to sit back and be ignored anymore.

One of these groups, Queer Nation, eventually adopted a slogan that many of us have embraced over the last 20 years. "We're here. We're queer. Get used to it" became a rallying cry, a line chanted at parades, outside government buildings, at events. But over time, as gay people became more and more accepted into mainstream society through TV, movies and everyday regular people feeling more comfortable to come out at work, "We're here" became something people used to toss off a joke or just say, "Hey, pay attention to me. I'm talking and I'm gay!" 

The line still has an impact but is it necessary today? Yes, we still aren't fully integrated into society and, yes, we are fighting for the basic civil right to marry our loved ones. But is telling people that we're gay and around and to basically, well, get used to it, a little aggressive? 

An article written by Christopher Ott on Salon in 1999 had a headline "We're here, we're queer, I'm sick of it," which talked about how the gay "agenda" morphed its focus from a political activist viewpoint to one of partying, when in reality we should've been focusing on obtaining equal rights. It's interesting that we're still talking about this last point today.

That said, maybe it's time to come up with a new slogan that we can all embrace and get behind. Someone jokingly said to me that we should say, "We're gay, we're pretty, please don't beat us up," at which time I told him to shut the hell up. We don't want people to think of us as weak or meager, but as equals. Not every straight man is butch and into sports. Not every straight woman is soft and feminine. Just in the same way that not every gay man or woman can be pigeonholed into stereotypically categories.

So yes, we're here and we are queer and yes, people need to get used to it. But do we need to throw it into their faces? Can't we just live our lives and let people get to know us as people and not as gay people? Of course we need people to know who we are otherwise we will never get our rights. But we've advanced tremendously in the last few decades. So is it time for a new slogan? What do you think?

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