I finally went to the clinic after more than a week of being sick. Got diagnosed with H1N1. On Tamiflu now and hoping I get better. Sad that I’m missing the rest of Exposure Fest :( and I exposed my virus to so many people over this last week. This totally blows, timing-wise. Boo-urns, I feel like crap.

Woot, Exposure starts today! A bunch of the events overlap, so I’m not really what to go to because it all sounds so awesome. I’m excited! They really stepped it up this year.

http://www.exposurefestival.ca

I used to defend Marilyn Manson. Evan after he started dating Evan Rachel Wood and everyone questioned it, I persuaded people on his virtue. Then they broke up. And he got weird. Not interesting-shock-rocker weird. Creepy weird. Legitimate, real life weird.

I’d had more than enough by the second time they’d broke up and he gave an interview explaining how he called her 200 times in one day and cut himself each time she didn’t answer. And then he said that most of the new songs on the album were about her, especially the ones that talk in extensive detail about killing. And he added that he wanted to just smash Evan’s head in with a mallet. That’s pretty much when I lost all respect for him.

But now the pity has turned into disgust. And possibly a new and different kind of pity, one that sees a once great reduced to a scorned and jettisoned teenager crying and cutting.

Witness Manson’s new video, where he brutally and disgustingly assaults/murders an Evan Rachel Wood look-alike. You’re messing with my girl, Marilyn. And it ain’t okay. There is art and then there is sick revenge fantasy. Get help! And what’s too bad, is the song is actually decent:
http://perezhilton.com/2009-11-05-despicable-marylin-manson-promotes-domestic-abuse

If I date another one of her ex-girlfriends then...I'm officially just a bad person.

DAMMIT.

- A bunch of US states had elections today where gay issues were on the ballots. The results were mixed:
Maine - Maine’s new same sex marriage law is rejected by a slim margin, continuing the so far unbroken streak of legislators passing gay marriage only to have voters veto it.
Washington - Voters uphold domestic partnership benefits.
Kalamazoo, Michigan - LGBT protections are passed.
Detroit, Michigan - Openly gay Charles Pugh wins City Council President.
Houston, Texas - Out lesbian Annise Parker is elected Mayor.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina - Openly gay Mark Kleinschmidt elected Mayor.
New York City, New York - Lesbian Christine Quinn re-elected to City Council.
Akron, Ohio - Sandra Kurt becomes first openly gay member of Akron City Council.

- Back on this side of the border we have our own government to deal with and guess what fun move PM Harper made this time? He hired a spastically anti-gay columnist as his new speech writer: http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Harpers_new_speechwriter_is_a_gay_rights_opponent-7727.aspx

Nigel Hannaford in 2005 on Trudeau’s decriminalization of homosexuality "Fine, said lots of people. Leave gays alone? Fair enough. But, let 'em be Boy Scout leaders? Have each other's benefits? Adopt kids? Marry each other? Ridiculous. Anybody seeking political office who suggested it would have been laughed off the hustings. Yet, the Liberals are ready to legalize gay marriage. How did we get to this point?" Not Boy Scout leaders, the horror!

- Uganda has decided that prison ain’t enough for homos. Time to introduce the death penalty!
http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2009-10-16-voa5.cfm

- Ex-NHL player makes a great plea to end homophobic slurs in hockey: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/columnist/bourne/2009-11-02-hockey-culture_N.htm

- Stumbled onto the story of budding 17 year old German pop sensation Kim Petras. This gorgeous young lady just happens to be the 'world's youngest post-op transsexual'.
Her story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpPb4QwkYiU
Her music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRrbxE_b3Cc and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPRXZf5GeLc and http://www.myspace.com/kimilinlein

- Obama lifts ban that prohibited HIV+ foreigners from entering the US:
http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Nutrition/4297.html

- The Advocate is all but shutting down and will become a short insert in OUT. And another gay mag folds! I’m not a fan of the Advocate, it’s always been a little too safe for my tastes, but OUT is certainly worse. Gross and attractive-white-male centric with a penchant for ignoring queer women (they famously put Katy Perry on the Hot 100 cover and buried a ton of fabulous and actually queer women inside) and it’s hard to imagine readers of OUT even being willing to read the Advocate but, any loss of gay media in this barren landscape is worth morning.
http://www.queerty.com/massive-layoffs-at-a-bleeding-regenthere-media-advocate-folding-into-insert-20091030/

- Tinky Winky robs woman:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/281456

- Filmmaker Paul Haggis (of Crash fame) has publicly split from the Church of Scientology after 35 years with the organization. His letter of renouncement has been made public and involves a variety of reasons, including one church’s support of Prop 8 and church leaders’ refusal to come out against discrimination: http://airamerica.com/entertainment/10-26-2009/paul-haggis-publicly-resigns-scientology/

- An old story about a Jamaican town promising to eradicate homosexuals is all over the net this weekend. No explanation as to why it’s popular now, two and a half years after the original posting. There is also heated debate about whether the piece is satire or not, many pointing to the “bizarre” phonetic spelling of quotes attributed to citizens of the gay-hating town. According to my research the quotes are in ‘patois’, a local dialect. The story: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/281361

Spoof or not, old or not, this story draws attention to the fact that tourist-beloved Jamaica is a disgustingly homophobic nation. The country is virulently and violently anti-gay. Queer activists have been killed, lesbians are gang raped, mobs attack, even a form of music invented on the island (dancehall) is so homophobic in its lyrics that the genre’s stars are greeted by loud boycotts in North America.

Video of someone identified as a crossdresser in Jamaica, attacked and beaten by a mob: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O9u73ZOwJo and pictures: http://savvyplannersblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/gays-must-leave-today-gay-eradication.html

General info about Jamaica’s anti-gay history: http://www.boycottjamaica.org and in the interest of not being entirely biased, Jamaican gay activists say a boycott will do more harm than good: http://www.365gay.com/news/jamaican-gays-warn-against-us-boycott

(I apologize if I’m condemning a nation and its people too harshly. I’m sure many Jamaicans are not intolerant or prejudiced but I felt the need to write this as a so many people visit the country and are unaware of the homophobia entrenched in its society. Perhaps on another day I’ll delve into the ludicrousness of visiting a place just to spend your time behind the high walls of a resort...)

- A man was arrested in Israel for a decade of terror shootings and bombings against all sorts of people, including queers. While not responsible for the gay youth killings in Tel Aviv, he was discovered while hanging flyers in support of the murders: http://www.hurryupharry.org/2009/11/01/gays-arabs-christians-left-wingers-he-wanted-to-kill-them-all

- Stephen Gately from Boyzone, the first member of a boy band to come out, died last month of natural causes in Spain. Gately came out in 1999 and wed his partner in a civil partnership in 2006. The group’s most recent music video, Better, was the first mainstream boy band video to feature a gay couple: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hc0uHs1X9s

- Interesting article on the Silver Fox and celebrities that may or may not be out without, ya know, being out. Anderson Cooper is a real big ‘mo if you don’t yet know (and his boyfriend owns a Commie themed NY gay bar): http://gawker.com/5392766/anderson-cooper-is-a-giant-homosexual-and-everyone-knows-it

- Tegan and Sara's Sainthood came out this week. Due to a bizarre combination of events, I haven't listened to it yet...but I'm sure it's awesome. The companion three book set (ON/IN/AT) is wicked, to that I can attest.

I met this really cute girl in the middle of what can only be the weirdest hot chick meeting event, halfway through a spiritual ceremony. But she was fun and the event itself required us to be thrust into a suddenly very emotionally and physically close event without so much as introductions first, so whatever, I liked her.

But this enjoyment turned out to be short-lived when I discovered only an hour later over beers that the two friends I was with couldn’t stand her. Two people that I happen to respect. A lot. Both also are usually pretty forgiving and upbeat. Not people prone to haste. One happens to be something of a mentor, I respect her that much. And this same girl basically hates new crush after spending part of one evening with her. Like she was so annoyed she tried to leave the place we were at just to get away from her. If the girl had stayed for 5 minutes longer, my friend surely would have stabbed her in the eye with a swizzle stick.

This is not exactly a recommendation.

Poo.

“Today, President Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act, critical legislation that strengthens existing U.S. laws by extending federal hate crime protection in cases where the victim was targeted because of their sexual orientation, gender, disability or gender identity.”

It’s been years in creation but finally the Dems have made it happen! I’ve been hearing lately that hate crime legislation doesn’t actually do that much to deter homophobic violence but this is certainly a leap in a positive direction. And it’s good to see Obama finally doing something beyond endless promises and gay-positive talk on stalled issues.

What’s the most shocking (and something I didn’t realize until I first saw a press release from the National Center for Transgender Equality) is the inclusion of gender identity. Headlines and news pieces are running this as a law to prevent anti-gay violence but protecting trans and gender queer people is arguably more important as they are so disturbingly likely to be attacked, raped and murdered. Anything that has a chance to stymie the gushing transphobic wound in America, a country that reports a multitude of gender variant murders every year, is a welcome one to me.

That being said, there are arguments to be made that working towards hate crimes laws is wasted energy. Law punishes, it does not prevent. It doesn’t bring Angie Zapata, Matty Shepard, Jody Dobrowski, Nir Katz and Liz Tarbushi, Gwen Arujo, FannyAnn Eddy, Aaron Webster, Lawrence King and on and on back to life. This doesn’t seem likely to end most crimes motivated by hate. We need to concentrate on the education that stops the bias in the first place. The money should be going into school programs and diverse cultural awareness. But this law tells the nation that the president and the federal government do not support intolerance towards gays.

Hopefully this is just the first of many changes.


Who are Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.?
“Ten years ago this month, Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard was brutally attacked and murdered because he was gay. A year before Matthew's murder, James Byrd. Jr. was kidnapped, beaten, and stripped naked by three white supremacists, who chained him by the ankles to a pickup truck and dragged his body for three miles.”

Went on a great date. With a different girl.

And the plots, it thickens.

Amy Millan is a goddess and a genius. That was most definitely one of the best concerts I have ever been to, by far. What musicianship from all involved! I can’t even articulate how amazing it was. Just, wow.


Before I found this place with you
My heart was kept inside a cage
But now it flies on feathered wings
And finds its way to you

Oh man, she sent me the CUTEST, long, rambly, adorable e-mail after she got home. Like 4 hours before she has to get up for work. Awww! Bah. So, so cute.

:D :D

What a day.

Went to protest George Dubya Bush's speaking at the Shaw. There was at least 250 pissed off protesters there. It was tense and angry. It almost got to the point of confrontation with police/security and the demonstrators.

Had a weird moment before the protest. On the top of Connors right near my house, a police car cut us off and parked in front of us. A cop got out and started directing traffic. Then at least 10 or 15 police and RCMP cars sped past, followed by black vans and sedans with those little Secret Service flags. The asshole drove by. And my mom gave him the finger while I took pics!

I got a lot of photos and videos from the whole thing. Will post and sort soon.

Then I went on my date. It was lovely. She’s totally awesome. We had a great time at dinner and then the play. I’d suggest checking out Everyone Goes to Mitzi’s if you can. It’s a show with a lot of heart. Quite an evening.

And did I mention my date travelled an hour and a half to see me? And an hour and a half back to her city? And she’s going to do the same on Saturday for my birthday? 3 hours for one date!

Wow. Do I feel special or what?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Meaning of Matthew by Judy Shepard
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire and Douglas Smith
PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God by Frank Warren
This Is Us - Backstreet Boys
Kaleidoscope - Tiesto
Boulder - Ferron
Lust Lust Lust - The Raveonettes
In & Out of Control - The Raveonettes
Music for Men - The Gossip

I just flipped, once again, onto this confusing new Canadian MTV show called 1 Girl 5 Gays. I honestly can barely believe it actually exists. What the hell kind of series is this? Why do queers continue to be socially accepted but only insofar as gay boys who are the helpful playthings of straight chicks in search of advice? I will say it again: gay men are not an accessory.

Oh MTV. You hurt me sometimes.

I don’t know why I watch the Hills or the City. But I do. And I can’t believe what a douche Spencer Pratt is. Like, really? He’s mean to small children! No one is mean to small children, even if they really want to be.

Also, I find Brody Jenner ridiculously attractive. He’s not all that nice but he sure is pretty. It’s weird that he seems to be back on the Hills now. Does anyone remember the Princes of Malibu? It was the really weird show that Brody and Spencer were on way back before the Hills. It also had his weird slutty mom and that mildly creepy Canadian music producer step-dad of his.

Maybe I watch the Hills and the City just so I can watch the MTV Aftershow, which is quite funny. It’s hosted by Dan Levy (Eugene’s son) and Jessi Krus-hardlastname. I like them because they’re quite smart and funny. On the last ep they played a clip of Spencer being a dick to Heidi and calling her a dictator, prompting Jessi to virtually draw glasses onto Heidi on the screen. She said “It’s Kim Jong Il!” which made everyone in the audience go “chirp” and she said “Oh. Right. Sorry tweens. It’s the Jonas Brothers!”

I can’t believe I just posted about the Hills. Well, if it makes anyone feel better, I totally ship Heidi/Lauren.

I’m getting pretty excited for ChangeCamp this weekend. It sounds like a pretty cool idea. It’s basically a free, one day conference but with a much looser structure than those types of events typically have. At the beginning of the day all the attendees will decide on what topics to discuss throughout the various blocks. It seems really exciting.

There are supposed to be a variety of different people there, from change agents to bloggers to politicians and media. Laurie Blakeman, Don Iveson and Doug (snicker) Elniski will be in attendance. Cool!

http://www.changecampedmonton.ca

So I’ve been trying for like 4 days to write a post of ‘these are the girls I’m interested in and may or may not be dating soon’ because there has been some (mild) development in that area but I keep putting it off because it’s gotten long and complicated. At the beginning of the week it was 5 girls. Then 6. Now 7. What the hell? I’m even confusing myself at this point.

I don’t know which chick I’m thinking about half the time. At least.

ETA: I double checked my partially completed doc and there are 8 girls. 8! This has gotten out of hand. Maybe I should write the entry in installments.

So I'm having two simultaneous text conversations of girls asking me out on dates. Yeah, I am.

This is damn freaky, my god.

http://lovelylisting.com/2009/07/no-no-no-no-no-no-no.html

What. The. Hell?!!