Rainbow Glitter!

     I’ve been trying to figure out what to blog about this week. Sometimes I really wonder, and worry, about y’all. I must be crazier than I thought for y’all to find my ramblings so amusing. Oh well, thank you for understanding my nuttiness.

Happy Pride!

     Anyway, I thought I might touch on some of the Great Gays in History stuff that I’ve been posting on FB. It got me to thinking… yeah, I know. That can be dangerous for me… and you.

     I’m going to start off with how amazing it has been to read or re-read about some of the great people who happened to be gay. There are a lot of them, and I’m sure that there are many more out there who didn’t come out, or were just never recognized. The history books will often talk about these folk, but they never say they were gay.

     I find that to be…disappointing. Just think about it for a moment. How many young people would feel better about themselves if, say in high school, they learned of a great general, who was important to the American Revolutionary War, happened to be gay. Yep, there was one.

     Don’t you think that perhaps some of the bullying would stop because of some of these facts? I mean, really. How could anyone bully someone for being gay when it was revealed that there were so many great people who were gay? Maybe it’s just me, but I think that is pretty much just common sense.

     Do you ever think there will be a gay history month in schools? I never thought I would ever see the day, but then again, I never thought I would see gay marriage happen in this country. I guess stranger things have happened. I do think, however, that it would be a good idea. I also wish that there was some really solid proof that Abraham Lincoln was sleeping with that guy. I think that would be awesome.

     Another thing that ran through my head was a comment that I heard recently. “The gay ghetto is practically dead now. The younger crowd doesn’t seem to care.”

     First, let me clarify the term ‘gay ghetto’. That was a term that used to be used fairly often when describing a gay section of town. Where most of the bars, shops and restaurants were. They used to be in a bad area or at the very least, a place where ‘most people’, meaning the straights, rarely went.

     Unfortunately, like what happened in Atlanta, the gays went in, got property cheap, fixed it up and then priced themselves right out of the market. They improved the area so much that the taxes went through the roof and then the hets wanted to move and, and so they did. Why do you think that there are so many revitalized areas in towns that are suddenly the ‘in’ place to go? If you looked closely enough, or back far enough, you’ll see what I mean. I think it’s kind of funny and sad at the same time.

     Going back to that previous statement: The younger crowds. That’s when I felt like I had been bitch slapped!

     Whoa… what a fucking surprise! It took me to a place I never thought I’d ever go. Being gay is much more accepted, if not even mainstream! What??? How…, when did that happen?

     The newer generation does't necessarily need to hang out in the strictly gay sections any longer because they have less to be afraid of and they don’t seem to care, a lot of the times, who know they are gay!

     Now, of course, there are those out there who are still being bullied, abused and gay bashed, but it is a lot rarer than it used to be. The biggest thing now is that it is being reported and in this country, considered a hate crime.

     I see this as being a double edged sword. On the one hand it’s a great thing because some of the hard work that many of us fought so hard for is now a reality. On the down side of things, these kids have no idea what it cost to get them this freedom, to be able to walk about holding hands, kissing in public and being able to be totally out.

     This goes back to education. What does Gay Pride actually mean to them? Do they fully understand why we have Pride Month? Do they get why you throw change onto the flag as it is marched down the street? I know that there are a few who do, but the majority? I’m thinking no.


     That fact saddens me. I have the gut feeling that this might not be the case had we not lost an entire generation to AIDS. We tend to learn more from those who are older and pass along the stories of our history. This has always been the case throughout history. I mean hell, even the Bible is based on ‘stories’.

     There were so many were lost to that horrible disease. Where would we be today if someone like Freddy Mercury were still around? Who knows what great things might he have accomplished.

     It’s been said that if Alan Touring hadn’t gone through what he did, and then committed suicide, our world would be a much different place. The things he could have done may have obliterated anything that Steve Jobs or Bill Gates might have done. Ever think of that? How different our history, world history, might have been?

     It boggles my mind sometimes to think how different things might have been. There have been so many changes in my lifetime it is sometimes hard to fathom. Openly gay Congressmen and Senators. Gay Marriage in many states. The Supreme Court going to decide on gay marriage for the entire country. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, being abolished. I mean, the list goes on and on.

     Yes, I’m proud. I’m proud to have been arrested numerous times for standing up for our rights. I’m proud that things have progressed as well as they have, as far as they have. Yet, at the same time I’m surprised and also a little sad. I hope that we don’t forget how hard and how long the fight took and how many suffered for it. Because, as we all know, freedom does come with a price tag. Sadly, sometimes that price is very high.

     But enough of this melancholy bullshit. Go and put on your rainbow gear. Find some pretty fairy dust. Kiss a handsome gay man, or a pretty lesbian. Make sure to tell an older gay person how much you appreciate them. Tell them how proud you are of them. How much you admire them for being who they are. Dance with them in the streets. Wave your rainbow flags, or leather flags or bear flags or any other number of pride flags that there seem to be now. Toss beads. Have numerous cocktails. Have fun!

     The biggest thing that anyone can do is support local gay business, or any gay business at all. And don’t forget to write reviews for gay authors. There is nothing more important to them than to know that someone appreciates their work. That they’ve been seen and someone knows what they’ve accomplished.

     Now, as many of you may know, I have a few special charities that are close to my heart. One of them is Lost n Found in Atlanta. I’ve been a big supporter of theirs almost from the beginning. What you may not know is that they have a wish list that is constantly being updated. I often only mention this at Christmas time, since I feel that every kid should have something to open on Xmas day. Well they have this list up year round.

     Did you also know that you can sign up through Amazon so that each purchase you make with them, so that a portion of that sale goes to that charity? Yep, so every time you purchase a book, a new pair of shoes, or hell, even a fly swatter, a little bit can go to them. Part of my regular routine is to go to their wish list, which can be accessed on their website. (http://lnfy.org/) I try and spend between $30-$40 a month on that wish list. It isn’t much, but I try and do my share.

     That’s my little good deed for the month. If I can do something else for someone, that is bonus Kudo Coins for me.

     What have to you done lately for someone else? 

    Till next week, y’all… 

     Max