So Gay So What

Today, California Supreme Court overturned a previous ban of same sex marriage, joining Massachusetts in the list of states that support gay marriage. Finally another step towards equality! One by one we will get there. What happened today in California may have a huge impact in other states, especially in this election years. Let’s hope U.S. elects a pro-gay marriage president to the White House so we can completely distinguish the Church from the State. That is the biggest challenge. A civil right is a civil right and should never be denied. It’s against the constitution and against what this country is supposed to be for. Religion is what stops gay rights from moving forward. Let’s keep those two businesses completely apart please. And let’s give the right to each one of us to decide if we want to put our marriage on paper or not. It’s up to us, not to anyone else. And I want more.

Ps) On an ironic note, looks like Jodie Foster and Cydney Bernard, together for 10+ years and mothers of Charles and Kit, have split up. If that is true, the world is badly made.

Last Thursday I attended my first Human Rights Campaign social event Club Blue. I’ve been contemplating the idea of getting more involved with HRC for a while but after attending the Fort Lauderdale Pride Fest 3 weeks ago, I’ve decided to take the plunge and inform myself on the issues my community is facing now and how I can actively get involved and contribute.

HRC South Florida Steering Committee is amazing group of volunteers (thanks Tony!) that organize events and meetings that are design to bring out community together and inform we all of what’s the latest in the fight for LGBT rights. Personally, it was a huge wake up call for me. I had no idea how off I was of everything that is going on right now, especially in this election year. I don’t vote. I’m not American. But I am gay and this is my cause.

I signed up to be a HRC volunteer and I have not doubt this was the best decision I made this year. I can’t wait to start, make a different and meet all those awesome super gay people of South Florida!

“Equality is in the heart of everything HRC stands for – an equal opportunity to share in the rights and responsibilities of out society … an equal hope of living free from threat of discrimination”

To know more about HRC work, go to the Human Rights Campaign website

It’s great to go to Pride Fest. You get to see, learn and meet so many cool and crazy people, its good times guaranteed.

One thing I got to find out at Pride that I absolutely loved (to the point that I kissed my boy friend) was the PDK campaign. The idea of this is to cover up the world thousands of gay kisses. You kiss, they take a picture and upload to an interactive world map that pinpoints all the locations where the kisses happened.

The rules are: the kiss has to be public and has to be on display. For every picture, PDK campaign donates $1 to charity. I even kissed a boy, due to the lack of appropriate resources. Sometimes you have to make do. Anything for charity, baby.

Check out the website start PDKing!

How cools is that? Go grandpa!

You know those moments when you catch yourself doing something or thinking something so gay that makes you realize how much gay you are? In the past, I didn’t have those moments so frequently, but as the years go by, I am really surprising myself. In a very queer way.

I am currently working on a Research Paper for school (master) about “Diverse Work Environment and LGBT Issues”. I don’t think I can live anymore without putting everything into an LGBT context. It is so important for me to understand the struggles my community have been through and realize how far we came and how much more still need to be conquered. I honestly feel privileged for not having faced discrimination in the workplace. Most of the times, I have been very open and out spoken about who I am, but for most Americans, there is fear. Equality is still an everyday battle for a lot of gays and lesbians in the workforce.

I will be doing a lot of research and I expect to learn a lot. In the mean time, visit Out and Equal website for information about the issue. They are a “pre-eminent national organization devoted to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in the workplace”. They have designed a 15 steps guide to those who seek to build a workplace where all individuals know they are equally valued and respected.

How fun it is for us to celebrate who we are along with people who are just like us? Yes, Pride 2008 is about to get started in most US cities so check out the dates and don’t forget to celebrate. Be safe and don’t forget to bring along lots and lots of gay pride!

Pride 2008 dates and cities:

On Feb 12th 2008, the 15 year old boy Lawrence King was murdered at his high school in California. Larry was a proud gay teen that had no problem expressing who he was. Friends say the reason his was murdered was his sexual orientation and gender expression.

This is when you see how much more need to be done until we can really feel safe.