Fierce

Fierce....It's one of those terms that has passed from the gay lexicon into main stream consciousness. When some one dresses to kill for a Saturday night out we can say that they "look fierce". Well I wouldn't...but you might. While few of us could define it if put on the spot, all of us know it when we see it. It's that invisible something that makes you stop and stare in awe and(hopefully) admiration. Online definitions list it as having the qualities of savagery, aggression, and violence. And yet there is another side to being fierce, one that has nothing to do with aggression or how we look on the outside and can only come straight out of the soul. It is that quality of intensity, courage, defiance, and a rock solid core of inner strength that shines through no matter what may be happening to us.

It is most often that measure of the word that makes us stand up and take notice. Individuals, who for one reason or another have make us stand up and cheer for their sheer grit. This week I was inspired and humbled by two stories that reminded me what the true definition of "fierce" is. The first is a report about a Pride event held in Uganda..."kill the gays" Uganda. And Second is the drama unfolding with gay rights in St. Petersburg Russia.

While both may seem on the surface to be unfolding tragedies of human rights....they have also both offered us beautiful glimpses into the heart of courage and how we survive....

Superheroes

Holy Homosexuality!....Batman is Gay!

..At least he is according to a recent Playboy(via Huffpo) article quoting comic writer Grant Morrison who has written for many of DC's Batman titles. Upon reading this, I could almost imagine the entire internet replying with a resounding...."Well Duh! Who didn't know that?!"  hell...the jokes and ennuendo about Batman's percieved sexuality we passed around when I was in elementary school and are probably significantly older then that. However, for some reason, we cant stop mulling over the idea that a superhero can actually be gay and a hero at the same time. However, the article details Morrison's thoughts about the Dark Knight:

"...He’s very plutonian in the sense that he’s wealthy and also in the sense that he’s sexually deviant. Gayness is built into Batman. I’m not using gay in the pejorative sense, but Batman is very, very gay. There’s just no denying it. Obviously as a fictional character he’s intended to be heterosexual, but the basis of the whole concept is utterly gay. I think that’s why people like it. All these women fancy him and they all wear fetish clothes and jump around rooftops to get to him. He doesn’t care—he’s more interested in hanging out with the old guy and the kid.”

Now....tights, latex, perrenial unattached bachelor with a younger "ward",...the cape? Batman has always had a question mark attached to his sexuality and it wasn't put there as a part of some nefarious plot by The Riddler. this is the Batman that I grew up with....

...IF...

You may be gay when you stumble upon a club song and it rocks your world..this track from the Freemasons  just rocked mine. It seems to fit the times so well.  So what the hell...its pride month...I needed an anthem and I think this ones it...enjoy..

Small Worlds and Herculean Tasks

 Hello Everyone,

I realize my blogging has been really sporadic lately. Taking care of five kids and getting ready for an impending vacation has kept me on my toes....please forgive this harried blogger as he plays catchup with the worlds events. Namely, recent news coming from the international stage concerning the freeing of the Malawian gay couple jailed for holding a same-sex engagement ceremony and the struggle of Russian gays to hold a pride march in the face of overwhelming hostility. Both of these stories make me think about how small our world is though we often think it big enough to shield us from the suffering of others. That is, until our bubble bursts and we realize we don't stand alone in the world and that all of us are struggling in our own ways. The fight to repeal DADT touches the fight for the basic right to exist for African gays which touches a similar struggle in Russia which also reverberates outward in a spidering network of rippling effects to others as well.

Tshirt Pundits

What does gay pride mean to you? Do you see it as an expression of healthy respect for yourself and the way you were born into the world or as a flaunting of something private... that should have continued to remain private? I know I have my own specific answer to that question but, first some backround to why I ask it.

Today I ran across an article in Queerty in which the Teabaggers(*snicker* sorry...can't help it) are now selling "Straight Pride" Tshirts. The overall tone of the article suggests that these tshirts are a homo-bashing version of "white pride" style propaganda. This had queerty commenters and the heads of several large gay organizations all kinds of upset.

"Know Your Mo"...The LGBT Flag

The Rainbow flag has been a symbol of gay rights for as long as I can remember being aware of there being such a thing as "gay". It has been a source of comfort and pride as well as a source for derision. Whatever your feelings about the flag there is no denying that it is forever linked with the gay rights movement. You can't go two steps at a pride march without running into a booth hawking a zillion different rainbow colored items from keychains and tiny flags to rainbow colored vodka bottles. But what do we really know about this ubiquitous symbol of the GLBTQ community?...I was surprised to find out...