I Like To Make Up Awards Too

So… the elections happened. Frankly, I'm finding it hard to be too upset about anything or too thrilled about anything unless it happens in my voting district, so I don't particularly care much for the wins and losses around the country. If people want crazy-ass freaks as their elected officials, so be it! They'll change their minds again in a couple years anyway.

Here in Illinois we elected Mark Kirk as our senator. And I'm supremely confused by that. I mean, this is a closeted gay guy that can't find it in himself to support marriage equality. He supports civil unions though. Which is great, if you enjoy being treated like the family pet getting fed table scraps. Aside from that, this is also the guy that can't remember which military medals and awards he's earned, so he just makes them up. Sounds like a super fella.

But whatever, as a friend pointed out he's not the worstest Republican out there. He does at least pretend to not completely hate the gays. Here's to 6 years of frustrating hypocrisy and angry letters from me!

Take Action Tomorrow, Whatever You Do

I'm really worried about this Day Without A Gay movement tomorrow. I've said my peace and stated what I think we should do, and what I will do, but there is a lot of talk in the world today about the event. Talk is good. But too much talk and no action is bad.

As a movement, LGBT people have made powerful statements over the past few weeks. I'm not sure that tomorrow will go as planned, and the media will feast on that and say things like "Is the movement already dead?" Blah, blah, blah. We'll know that isn't true, and realize that the idea of Day Without A Gay may not have been as well thought out as necessary. But the public won't realize that, and the rabid, anti-gay twits of the world will dine on the news like it was Jesus' Last Supper.

I could be over-reacting, as I've been known to do (c'mon, you read this blog, you know full well that I can stretch things at times). I sympathize with people that do not feel they should participate… well, some of them. Not the ones that are saying that they aren't out at work and so they can't join the fight. Nah, I don't sympathize with them. They, more than any one else, need to take advantage of my proposed Day With A Gay alternate-movement.

See, many people in our community like to argue that our LGBT rights are the absolute same thing as African-American rights. But they aren't. They share commonalities, and the soul is the same, but it's because of people that hide in closets that it's not the same. Black people have to face discrimination. They have fight that look they get from bigoted people every day. Gay people do too, at least those of us who choose to live open and take control of our environment. But while we still have the large majority of our population hiding and cowering in fear, achieving equality will not be easy.

I strongly encourage you to spend tomorrow talking to friends, family and co-workers about equality for everyone and why it is important for us all. If you choose to participate in Day Without A Gay, make sure you then turn around and show the world that you're not just some lazy bum looking to take an extra day off. Make sure that you make an impact, talk to people, join a protest and/or volunteer your time to a queer-friendly organization.