Friday, July 24, 2009

E. Lynn Harris - We'll miss you


Harris was a huge inspiration to me for many reasons. He helped put contemporary Black literature in many more hands and he cast an important light on Black Gay Literature specifically. I'm eternally grateful for his trailblazing. Oh so very young, but his legacy will live on.

Quote

"Anxiety is love's greatest killer. It makes others feel as you might when a drowning man holds on to you. You want to save him, but you know he will strangle you with his panic."
Anais Nin

Thursday, July 23, 2009

HOPESTOCK @ SOB's this Sunday, July 26th with the divine Ms. NONA HENDRYX!!!

I was absolutely DELIGHTED by the invitation from the always wonderful music journalist and producer Christian Wikane to record a Hopestock video snippet yesterday during a beautiful sunny afternoon in Union Square Park. Once the video is up on YouTube I will post it here. Go support HOPESTOCK!!!

President Obama Criticizes Arrest of a Harvard Professor



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/us/23race.html?_r=1&hp

Thank you, Mr. President, for keeping it real. Because EVERYBODY knows, like it or not, he's right. If he got caught trying to "break-in" to his own pad on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - po-po would surely bust a million caps in his ass.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Murder Rate Against Trans People is Rising



In a report out of Washington D.C. - 200 transgendered people were murdered between January of 2008 and June 2009 - which means - every three days a transgendered person is killed somewhere in the world.

What's even more chilling about this report is that while Brazil seems to be the most dangerous place for transgendered people reporting almost 60 murders last year - the second most dangerous place is the United States with 16 trans murders. Shameful news, just shameful.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

My Interview with the beautiful Brandon Lacy Campos on his blog "My Feet Only Walk Forward." Rippin' Gender and Writi' Sex

Rippin

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One thing I love about what I do as a writer is having the opportunity and the privilege of meeting the most wonderfully talented, gifted, generous, supportive and (not to mention gorgeous) like-minded artists. This year I was fortunate enough to be a part of Charlie Vazquez's fantastic monthly literary series PANIC at Nowhere in the East Village. This series rocks - and is a MUST to check out.

The incomparable Brandon Lacy Campos - poet, playwright, journalist, and life commentator, who was named #2 Queer Latin Blogger on the Web by MiApogeo.Com was one of the amazing writers on the Double Pride Panic reading. We realized we have a special affinity for each others writing style and Brandon graciously interviewed MOI, yes me, for his website. I hope you enjoy it - and make sure you subscribe to his site to follow Brandon and all his titillating updates!!! His musings on life, love, politics (and his tasty recipes) should be a part of your daily diet.

Please comment here and let me know what you think about my interview. I'm DYING to know :)

All-Black Italian Vogue Returns — With Barbie



Okay. Italian Vogue "dedicates" another issue to Black Models because of the continued lack of color on the hottest runways. A black model is NOT even on the cover and the "supplement" is a promo for Black Barbie dolls???? Not one beautiful chocolate or butterscotch face in the issue? Hey Vogue, why even bother in the first place? Really.......

Monday, July 20, 2009

Old School or Old Fool?



Enjoying the last, few relaxing moments of my beach vacation - I had one of the most, unpleasant, uninteresting conversations of the week.

A woman, a writer, lesbian and obvious baby boomer decided to engage me in a conversation about her observation of the changing "face" of Cherry Grove, Fire Island. I know what you might be thinking....sounds like changing "complexion," doesn't it? For those of you who may not know, besides Provincetown, Fire Island - both Cherry Grove and the Pines have been a beach vacation destintation for many in the Northeast LGBT community for many years. Where the Pines attracts a predominately upscale, gay male vibe, Cherry Grove attracts more women, drag queens and LGBT snow birds. She asked if I had walked along the beach lately and have I gone into town. I said yes I have. She then asked me if I noticed the new "variety" of people that have descended on the Island. I didn't have to ask her what she meant by variety because she volunteered that she was referring to "people of different races, younger people (was she referring to children - MY child? or gay teens?), people from different socio-economic backgrounds, and different orientations (different as in not "gay"). Lot's of straights." My jaw dropped just a little. Clearly, I seemed to be one of those 'different' people she was referring to as she asked me next - was it my first time out on Fire Island. I laughed. And I told her that I'm a native New Yorker and that I've been coming out to Fire Island - off and on - for nearly twenty years. I could have continued to go on - but I asked myself - why waste my time educating an "old head." I thought her sad and hoped that she was a part of a dying breed. Going into town myself later on that evening, my party and I decided to dine al fresco at the local pizza parlor. It was a beautiful, balmy night and from the outdoor dining area you can watch folks either board or disembark from the ferry. Sitting beside us was a table of eight, which consisted of white, black, latino, mixed, male, female, straight, gay, and otherwise and a few kiddies tossed in. I wondered, what is wrong with this picture? Not a damn thing. And when I thought deeper about it, maybe 20 years ago there wasn't a lot of folks "mixing" on Cherry Grove like there are today. There wasn't a lot of children of queer families either - but to me, that table represented the future of this country. With the support of straight folks, queer folks can successfully achieve the right to marry. What's the problem if straights actually want to vacation in predominately Gay venues? My son's classmates and playmates (almost all are not of color and even more are hetereosexual) see that he has same sex parents and his home life is just as ordinary as their own. It is their generation that will be even more supportive of rights for gays to marry, to adopt, and have the same rights as other human beings of this great country of ours.

Back to Old Head.

Despite her dated point of view, she is not alone. My partner recently attended a conference attended by prominent lawyers and judges. On the panel on race, one of the conference participants turns to her and says, "now that you have YOUR (black) president - you have obviously overcome." This was from an ivy league educated legal-minded individual. With Affirmative Action being the usual explanation for the Obama's and the Sotomayer's of the world and a huge black and latino underclass who hardly feels the affects of any upwardly mobility - how can anyone actually believe that we live in a country that is now suddenly color-blind, class neutral, gender-neutral and is open and accepting to various sexual orientations - just because there is a black president in office? I don't know, but I'm hopeful that my son's generation and those after him will be able to correct the wrongs, the evils and the extensive discriminatory and prejudicial damage of generations prior in a much easier, more fair, more accepting way. It would be nice if children can go to the beaches and swimming pools of this melting pot of the U.S.A. and one day, not be judged by the color of their skin, the gender of their lovers or the orientation of their parents - but - the content of their character. Someday....