Spambots Are Evil

Okay, I'm not sure what to do with this blog.  I just deleted 22 spam comments from the previous post.  Blogger's anti-spam software doesn't seem to be doing a very good job.  I had to turn on comment moderation, because every new post on this blog gets a number of spam comments.  The CAPTCHA doesn't work.

I don't think that anyone really reads this blog, anyway, unless I share a post on Facebook.  I haven't really done much to promote it.  And I've been more likely to post to the St. Louis Activist Hub ever since I became a contributor there.

So maybe I should just get rid of this blog, and move the important posts to a new location.

Brief Update (Long Time, No Blog)

It's Mental Health Month.  So I will share that I have been depressed.  I have been told that I ought to write more, but I've been suffering from writer's block.

Some time ago, in fact, I was fortunate enough to conduct an interview with a major well-known DADT activist.  What have I done with that interview?  Roughly transcribed it, and not much else.  Fortunately, a fellow local activist blogger has agreed to help me get the interview into a readable form.  The news may have changed since the interview took place, but I still think it's worth putting out there.

So stay tuned for that interview.  We'll be posting it on the Activist Hub.  I'm also going to try to get my thoughts together for an official Mental Health Month post.  (ETA: Part 1 and Part 2 of my interview with Lt. Dan Choi are now online!)

In the meantime, check out this article in The Huffington Post.  Today is National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day.  Rosalynn Carter quotes the late Dr. Julius Richmond as having said, "Every day that we do not intervene with effective programs, we are losing remarkable human potential. And every child whose potential is wasted is an incredible loss to the nation."

I couldn't have put it better myself.

Daring to Live Authentically

Until now, I haven't discussed my own sexual orientation in this blog, for a couple of reasons: 1) because it shouldn't be an issue, and 2) because it is an issue.

In my opinion, my own sexual orientation shouldn't have any relevance to the issues I discuss here. What's right is right, what's wrong is wrong, and love is love, no matter how or whom the author happens to love personally. My sexual orientation ought to be a non-issue.

However, prevalent homophobia has made sexual orientation an issue. Whether due to religious beliefs or simply personal discomfort, there are many who find only heterosexuality acceptable. While I'm not terribly concerned about strangers who think or feel that way, I have been worried in the back of my mind that someone in my family who assumes I'm hetero might eventually stumble across this blog, figure out that it's mine, and reject or disassociate from me.

This morning, I came out to my father.

I told him that I'm bi, because I know he's familiar with that term. Pansexual would be more accurate, although still imperfect. Panamorous might be better, but it's a relatively unknown term. Labels are kind of a pain in the a--. The point is, I'm not hetero, and saying that I'm "bi" was the best way I could think of to get that point across to my dad, without emphasizing the "sexual," which I'd rather not discuss with him.

Awhile ago, I came out to my mother. It was more of a process, really, than a one-time discussion. She's supportive, but I get the feeling that the concept is rather foreign to her. She asks questions in an odd tone of voice -- a mixture of concern, curiosity, and something else I can't identify. I try to answer her questions as best I can. When she acknowledges my answers, she sounds as though she's taking notes.

My dad said that he isn't concerned about it either way. He said that it's my choice. I said, "Actually, it's not a choice." He said okay, and immediately changed the subject: "So, what else is new?" Then we had a brief conversation about other things. I had been planning to offer him the link to this blog, but decided not to, because he sounded uncomfortable. He sounded as though he had a forced smile on his face. (I came out to him by phone. It was my compromise between seeing him to do it, and taking the easy way out by e-mailing him.) I guess I need to give him time to let it sink in, even though he acted as though it doesn't matter (and, of course, it shouldn't).

I still haven't come out to anyone in my extended family. Most of them are pretty conservative, so it's not something I'm looking forward to. Besides, I am already a black sheep. Telling them I'm bi would be another strike against me.

But they might not all be as closed-minded as I'd previously thought. At a recent family event, someone brought up homosexuality. Someone else said, "There's nothing wrong with that." I don't know how many people were paying attention, but no one raised any objections to that statement.

I learned from the women's movement that the personal is political. Coming out provides human faces for the alphabet soup of LGBTQIA. When queers come out of the closet, prejudiced people see whom they are talking about. It is harder to discriminate against people that one knows and loves.

I have been working on having the courage to be honest about who I really am. It's a process, with many fits and starts, but well worth the effort of perseverance. I want to thank Ed Reggi and Scott Emanuel; the other 16 newlywed couples; Bill Donius; and numerous friends, lovers, and teachers for inspiring me to be me.

Introduction

Hello there! I have created this new blog as a place to post mainly political writing.

I do not think it is mere coincidence that the worst years of my life roughly coincided with the second Bush administration. Now that Dubya's departing the Oval Office, I feel as though a huge weight's been lifted. Things are looking up, and hopefully, in the coming years, we in America and around the world can begin to heal from the injuries caused by our overlord.

On Election Night, I, like so many others, cried tears of joy when Obama won. McCain's concession speech was beautiful and honorable, even though his supporters expressed bitterness about the loss. Obama's speech was hopeful as usual, and the crowd's reaction in Grant Park was positive. Still, as the commentators said, there was a soberness to the occasion. Obama seemed to recognize the fact that he has a long, hard road ahead of him.

We as a nation have a long way to go, but I think that we are headed in the right direction.