World Humanitarian Day (Aug. 19, 2010)

http://ochaonline.un.org/whd
StumbleUpon® by QHereKidSF

This single well-conceived, well-structured, and well-designed Web-page introduces myriad discussions and debate around Humanitarianism world-wide, by articulating in simple, pointed headers and paragraph explanations the key "humanitarian principles which represent the foundation of humanitarian action," as defined by the United Nations:

1.) HUMANITY: Human suffering must be addressed wherever it is found. The purpose of humanitarian action is to protect life and health and ensure respect for human beings.

2.) NEUTRALITY: Humanitarian actors must not take sides in hostilities or engage in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature.

3.) IMPARTIALITY: Humanitarian action must be carried out on the basis of need alone, giving priority to the most urgent cases of distress and making no distinctions on the basis of nationality, race, gender, religious belief, class or political opinion.

4.) OPERATIONAL INDEPENDENCE: Humanitarian action must be autonomous from the political, economic, military or other objectives that any actor may hold with regard to areas where humanitarian action is being implemented.

This page is easy-to-navigate, and chock full of video links and "Supporting Documents," such as those entitled, "Security Trends," "Q&A," "Leaflet," and "Key Messages."

 

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
2010 World Humanitarian Day POSTER (August 19) - v.English
(cc) CreativeCommons Attribute 2010 | creators: UNOCHA, et al.
http://ochaonline.un.org/whd/posters.html

What's best about this entire social marketing campaign is, in my opinion, their poster and video campaigns. Their brand identity, imagery and messaging are all captured in a way that definitively illuminates that countless lives affected by and involved with humanitarian work across the globe.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU EXPLORE THIS PAGE, if in fact you have any interest or involvement in international development and humanitarian aid work!!

I know that, as a global HIV/AIDS advocate and activist based in and around San Francisco, CA and the District of Columbia, but doing working that is of integral importance to the Government and peoples of The Republic of Sierra Leone, I was immensely captivated and profoundly moved especially by the video PSAs & the full length feature film available for viewing on this page!!

All that I have seen here makes me exceedingly proud to be a HUMANITARIAN AID WORKER on WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY : August 19, 2010!!




http://youtu.be/Yy7lnXG5U9Q, posted by ochafilms (August 11, 2010)

The 2010 World Humanitarian Day project is a collaborative film shot in over 40 countries in under 9 weeks, on a shoestring budget - with the goal of showing the enormous diversity of places, faces and endeavors of humanitarian aid workers in 2010. It was filmed by humanitarian staff and freelance filmmakers from around the globe (over 50 contributors in total) with all time donated. Please help us by linking, embedding, tweeting and sharing this message with your friends, colleagues and contacts. Our sincere thanks to all those who contributed to the film, and to it's dissemination.

Credits:
Music by Krister Linder kristerlinder.com
2D animation by Anu Nagaraj at massmarket.tv
Title design by David Rasura

Produced by David Ohana/AVMU at
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
worldhumanitarianday.info

This film is a subtly potent portrayal of countless individuals around the globe who dedicate their lives to the good, well-fare, well-being, safety, health, and humanity of all mankind. What poignantly gripping and emphatically simple cinematography and music!!

The worldly rhythm of the score syncopates in Diasporic beats the quintessential individuality of all Humanitarian Aid Workers, while capturing in a no less than captivating fashion, frame after frame, a unified front of humanitarians one in the same, albeit all of them of different colors, races, ethnicity, gender, locations, etc.

We are ALL HUMANITARIAN AID WORKERS!! No matter where we do our work nor how, as long as we are pursuing the greater cause of the key humanitarian principles: HUMANITY, NEUTRALITY, IMPARTIALITY & OPERATIONAL INDEPENDENCE.

I am a humanitarian HIV/AIDS advocate and activist working with and for the most beleaguered and needy populations of youth (primarily of color) infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in the San Francisco Bay Area. But, I also contribute substantially to a government affairs and international development nonprofit based out of the District of Columbia and serving the government and peoples of Sierra Leone.

Through Social Media platforms such as Facebook®, Twitter®, YouTube®, StumbleUpon®, Blogger®, Windows® Live™ Spaces™, etc., I also have the opportunity to contribute my voice to the global humanitarian movement that has taken root within the USA and which is spreading ironically as rampant as a pandemic of myriad infectious diseases across the globe.

That's well said: HUMANITARIANISM IS INFECTIOUS!! Or, so this 60 sec. World Humanitarian Day PSA demonstrates so well; the cause is CONTAGIOUS!! Hallelujah! Cheers! Ciao! Namaste...

Respectfully Submitted,
Matt(e)o | QHereKidSF
Matthew D. Blanchard

Fund-Raising Co-Chair
Board of Directors
Bay Area Young Positives, Inc.
baypositives.org [baypositives.org]
twitter.com/BAYPositives [twitter.com]
facebook.com/BAYPositives [facebook.com]

Board Associate of Communications | Webmaster
Int'l. Professional Partnerships for Sierra Leone, Inc.
communications@ippsl.org
ippsl.org [ippsl.org]

ISRAEL&I : Preserving Progress

Evidence of an enduring friendship. Remarks made to console and cajole into contemplation the otherwise tamed vacancies of intellect that bridal us with ignorance and loathing prejudices. This essay is not meant to proselytize about the potency of or the pandemonium in the Israeli State, but rather, this blog entry is meant to demonstrate the intense intimacy of my relationship with my next door neighbor and In-Home Supportive Services provider: my friend, Israel R. Toro.

The following is text of a letter I recently wrote to Israel, which he will not have yet read by the time this post is published. Maybe he'll get a hint that a letter's waiting for him, when he sees a notification of this blog entry post on my Facebook Profile. This would mean that he has access to the text of the letter without having the illustrated pages in his hands first, but that's okay.  It'll still be something special for him to receive the hand-written four page letter in person when he returns from vacation in about a week.  At least, that's my hope!

Dear Israel,
Today, you left on a camping trip with your boyfriend to Washington State, where there's quick sand and where you're going to be soaked with rain. I'm home alone, listening to the silence through my walls, re-reading the hand-written note you posted to my oven fan and the text messages you sent me earlier in the day. I can't help but play back the conversation we had sitting at my kitchen table, recalling your anxiety at the thought that I possibly will no longer be your neighbor.

Frankly, I regret having been so caught up in my own excitement at the prospect of transitioning finally into independence and (hopefully!) better circumstances, that I didn't have forethought enough to anticipate your reaction or to consider your feelings. And, for that I am deeply sorry. On the other hand, I feel blessed by your reaction. Why? How? You might ask... It may seem insensitive of me to find satisfaction in your frustration and worry, but let me explain...

Through the harrowing happenstance of disease, depression disfigurement, delusions, devastation, death -- but, then through survival, salvation, sanity, sobriety, sympathy, serendipity, solace, surety, safety, serenity and yes, even through some selfish satisfaction for it all! -- I have come to believe that only one thing can sustain me in life, onward from my fight with death, and that is... FRIENDSHIP!!


Friendship is essential to my life, and since I call you proudly and gratefully a friend -- you are absolutely essential to my life. Your unexpected reaction -- unexpected to me, at least -- to some unexpected news essentially demonstrated the deep, genuine sincerity of our relationship, making real and tangible to me the enormous significance and value you bring to my life.


Essentially, by reacting with such shock, fear, anxiety and very real sadness at the prospect of losing your proximity to me, you proved to me how essential -- how necessary -- you are to my life, to my survival, and to my happiness. Don't you see now why and how I could/did find some satisfaction in your suffering?


Your pain made me happy for a brief moment, but as soon as I realized that what I was feeling could very well be wrong (or at least totally inappropriate and shameful), I shifted my perspective and my focus onto you. My focus right now is not on this satisfaction of mine that I've defined here, but it's on abetting your worry, healing your anxiety and pain by reassuring yu that I will do whatever I can that is humanly possible to preserve the status, shape, sincerity, intimacy, growth and progress of our friendship, if I am no longer to be your neighbor.

You make me happy, Israel!! You make me laugh. You make me worry. You make me proud. You make me feel lucky, special, unique, grateful...as friends should do!! I guess really that's exactly just what I want to say, and I want to thank you for saying yes, when I asked you to be my IHSS worker.  Thank you for hanging out with me when times were low. Thanks for supporting my sobriety, my health, my sanity.  Thank you for taking suck great care of me and Tanner!! 

You deserve so much gratitude in return for all the generous gifts, sympathy and friendship that you have bestowed upon me in the past seven years as my neighbor, and especially for the sacrifices that you have recently made (and that I hope you will continue to make) as my in-home care provider. 


The mutual reciprocity of our relationship (personal/professional, or otherwise!) is what gives us such trust, intimacy, potency, pride and strength when we're together; and for that, I hope never to lose you -- or our friendship. I WILL FIGHT TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH FOR YOU!! Because, in fighting to preserve our relationship, I fight also to keep my life on track, heading in the "right" direction.


NO! I don't mean to insinuate that I'm going to turn Republican on you , but I do in a way mean to say "CONSERVATIVE" -- in such a way that I'd like to conserve/preserve all the greatness, the grandeur, the bliss that has found its way into my life recently; thanks to you. BUT, I'M A TRUE PROGRESSIVE! I believe in PROGRESS. 


As my priest would say: "We are all imperfect people reaching, aiming for perfection." I personally do not know if I will ever reach perfection before I die, or if it will instead come posthumously once I enter into the gardens of ELYSIUM, but I know that in the meantime, I will only act in God's graces, and I will only surround myself with people like you. People who are not "perfect" -- per se, but whose indomitable strength of spirit only supports, encourages, buttresses (and does not contend with contemptuously) my journey toward perfection. Those who join the journey with me, only to follow their own path in the same general direction. 


That is why you are in my life. Because, in your support and through our friendship, we both come all that much clsoer to enlightenment, salvation, redemption and perfection. You sustain and nurture, cultivate and catalyze my shaping of self. And I can only dream of doing the same for you. In brotherhood, Israel, our love for one another endures... Know that I cherish you, and that there will always be a place for you in my life. Forever. THANKS!!


With Love,
Matthew

I wanted to post this text prior to delivering the letter to Israel himself, because the simple act of writing these words has inspired in me a sense of urgency in recognizing and recording the significance of this very important relationship in my life. 

What's true is that I enjoy writing (and illustrating) letters by hand to the people most important in my life; in small part, because I figure that if one day I reach infamy or celebrity or renown, then such hand-written souvenirs could be cherished as truly valuable objects. But, my immediate aim in not to reach renown. I'm not presumptuous, or even pompous enough to think that celebrity is a possibility for me in any way, so I'll settle for touching the hearts of those few and far between important people in my life who merit such gifts of graphic gab scribbled onto loose leaf paper. That's what I hope to do with this letter: touch Israel's heart! 

Maybe he'll read my blog post via Facebook, and either comment there or access my blog's true URL: http://qherekidsf.blogspot.com, to leave a comment there. We'll see!  Maybe, he'll just read the letter on loose leaf and give me one ginormous grateful, gentlemanly bear hug!! GRRRRRR. CHUB!! :) Peace Out, All! And Peace, especially to Israel! May he have a safe voyage home, and may our friendship survive the tempests and turmoil of time!!  Truth be told, he's tamed me. My gratitude is immeasurable. THANKS, IZ!!

Respectfully Submitted,
Matthew D. Blanchard
Matt(e)o | QHereKidSF
San Francisco, CA USA
[2010.05.29@18:40PST]

God's GRACE & GRATITUDE... My "Unintended Teachers!"

As was my practice after last week's FERGUSON PLACE Client Council presentation of our thoughts on "FUN!," I now present my written response to the most recent "Theme o'da Week:" GRATITUDE!

I began the process of expressing my thoughts on this hefty, weighty word as I would have started any writing practice in my journal: very off the cusp & spontaneously. My initial impulse was positive: to somehow relate my own personal gratitude directly to God's GRACE, as it is within the scope and grandeur of his love that I survive. Above all, I am grateful to be alive!! And, I only have The Lord My God to thank for that.

But somehow, the writing exercise turned into a rather pompous expression of my arrogance and self-importance as such relates to my historically weak and unstable relationship with and impression of my parents (all four of them, in fact!).


In the original opening to my essay on gratitude, which is presented in the closing of this particular post, I bereaved and berated my parents & guardians for what I presumed to be their unjustifiably "human imperfections and sin," while arguing that I was & still am, in fact, closer to God "in virtue & in practice," because of all the torment and admonishments I fell victim to as a closeted queer youth.

This was surely the wrong way to approach this exercise of contemplation, introspection and self-expression. It was indeed oxymoronic and largely hypocritical for me to begin to reveal my thoughts on "GRATITUDE" by holding in and expressing outward such stolid, stubborn, senseless resentment toward those three or four people who raised me. I'm a decent person; although, I have experienced immense suffering. But still, my parents must have done as best they could, because I turned out pretty well; I think.

So, that said... Allow me to present to my readers the text on GRATITUDE that I wrote for and presented to the clients & staff at FERGUSON PLACE of Baker Places, Inc. The "YOU" that I mention repeatedly in this essay refers to all the members of my Recovery Community: past, present & future. May they all know how grateful I am for their support, acceptance and understanding!! Read on...

As an young, impressionable adolescent or from very early on in my childhood even, I would often cry myself to sleep in anger & resentment, beseeching the Lord my God to save me from my suffering or simply screaming, "SCREW YOU!" when all I heard from him was silence.

As an adult, more conscious & aware of my myriad of divine virtues & blessings, I often find myself thanking God for all the goodness... the greatness, that he has brought into my life, even despite the immense tragedies I have lived through as a gay, HIV/AIDS+, drug dependent and miserably isolated twenty-something in San Francisco.

Now, at my first glimpse of growth, change, progress, blessings & beatitude, I immediately express my gratitute to the the Lord God through prayer & meditation. Today, I define my gratitude in practice, prayer & study under my spiritual guide in Faith: my chaplain—my priest—who happens to be wise enough and so secure in his identity & in his human nature that he graciously invites challenges & arguments contrary to the teachings he preaches in homily. We dialogue on Faith, and debate is welcome, but together, in union, we praise God; we thank God, and we worship God.


I am grateful for his presence and for the presence of so many other "unintended teachers" in my life, from whom I learn more about myself, about my addiction, and about my path toward Salvation, Enlightenment and toward the fulfillment of my true potential every waking day.

The unintended, unsuspecting teachers in my life are numerous; in fact, they are so numerous that I could never possibly name them all at once. Some are friends. Some are family. Some are providers. Some are in this room. And, some even are total strangers. They...NO! YOU. You all teach me, often through no fault or intention of your own, how NOT to live and how BEST to live.

That is to say... In the best of circumstances or by the random chance of luck, some anonymous but mightily virtuous soul will, in simple acts of «politesse,» righteousness, concern, sympathy, compassion or even in strong solemn silent stillness when faced with his own great trepidation or tribulation—poised solid, upright in unrelenting tenacity & perseverance, demonstrate to me how to live & act like him: in virtue, in «noblesse d'esprit,» in the GRACE of GOD...

I am grateful to be part of the Recovery Community, for it is within the reach of its embrace that I have found strangers who've become teachers, who've become friends or even as close as family. I am grateful to have such a patient, caring, empathetic sponsor! I am grateful to have each of you, the clients & staff of FERGUSON PLACE, in my life for all your amazing virtues and for having accepted me so lovingly and without question or hesitation.

It is as part of this community that I am constantly able & welcome (if not entirely expected!) to gain new perspectives on my life and on my addiction, on my strengths & potential, and on my deficits, as well. Thanks to these new relationships which I have cultivated in the last 65 days (or even since my illness & injury in 2007), I have been able to discover my many virtues. Or, should I say, "RE-DISCOVER...?"'

Thanks to all of you, I have been able to believe in myself again, and to trust in myself and in others anew. Thank you a thousand times; thank you!!


Once upon a time, a quarter-life ago, I relied on my faith in God and on my faith in God's faith in & love for me, to strengthen and sustain my own faith in myself. Today, I can't say that I haven't asked the difficult questions: the quandaries & conundrums, the "whys & wherefores" of my immense suffering—"How could God have let this happen to me?" OR "What did I do to deserve this misery & misfortune?"

But today, I can say that I am grateful not to have had these questions answered. Not knowing, not constantly demanding a rational reason for all things wrong in my life and wrong in the world, mitigates my doubt in a higher power and reinforces my faith—FULL CIRCLE! For that, I am grateful...

The morning after I read this essay to the residents of FERGUSON PLACE at our Client Council Meeting, I offered to escort an impassioned, progressive, politico-blogger (a recovering addict & one of my 4 roommates!) to a treatment appointment, and while we were on the bus headed to the same agency for two different reasons, he remarked on his impressions of my writing style.

First, he asked what I studied at university, so I told him: French Literature & Theatre Arts. And he just chuckled and said, "Yeah, I figured you were into something like that. You're writing style is incredible; it's almost like poetic prose." I synopsize some, but you get the gist, right?

He was paying me a compliment, so I thanked him and continued to listen to him rant vivaciously about all the bullshit comments he gets from whacked-out Republicans on his blog postings, amongst others. I don't use his exact words here, so no quotation marks; but, you catch the drift, right? HEHEHE. He's a good guy. His verve and passion is refreshing, and I appreciated his feedback. What he had to say was nice to hear. YET....

Even after being complimented in person, directly, on my writing style and on what I had to say, I feel obliged to demonstrate the prevalent, preposterous weaknesses of my written essays by presenting now the original introduction to my thoughts on GRATITUDE, which I previously mentioned at the start of this post. Here's a sample of my serious preoccupation with self-aggrandizement... Take it for what it's worth: a load of bologna!! Here goes...

As a young, impressionable adolescent or from very early on in my childhood even, I was always ever so intrigued & impassioned by the traditions of my Faith. Even when i was forced to battle the demons & devastation of my own deviant sexuality that seemed forced upon me by my heartless, insensitive peers, I found solace in the timeless practices of my religion: prayer, confession, genuflection, the Sign Of The Cross, etc.

My mother, father & stepfather (even his next wife!), who were by no means stalwart exemplars of true Catholic virtue, would still shuffle me off to church every Sunday in obedience of the saintly stricture of the "Good Catholic Family." But, there was always such an unconscionable opposition between their very human imperfections & sin and the virtuous path preached to me so often by priests.

So much so that i knew from a very young age that my parents' behaviors, lifestyles, ideas & perspectives were more often than not always misguided, ignorant, prejudiced and distant from & dismayed by the true potential of their own earthly Salvation. I, being the selfless victim of constant torment & ridicule, admonitions & condemnations for my queerness, seemed, on the other hand, closer to Christ in virtue & in practice.

However, i must be honest here and admit without shame or regret my own imperfections. YES! During the most trying times in my life: periods of isolation, abandonment, illness, pain, suffering and doubt, which seem to repeat cyclically in perpetuum for me every odd number of years, I often found myself questioning God's love for me & questioning the motives behind the many manifestations of torment & tribulation I've so often suffered through in my life.

I'll leave you with that to ponder, hoping that you will not be encouraged by this pithy, petty, perturbed state of mind to think that I am any less of a person for it. Doubt is a devious, disgusting reality of Human Nature. Questions are born of FREE WILL—from that first bite of fruit off the Tree of Knowledge.

I am a faithful, humble servant of the Lord, grateful to be alive and blessed so immensely and in so many unique ways. Just as my "unintended teachers" are numerous in my life, so are my Guardian Angels!!


But, trust me! I don't take them for granted. I'm pretty sure that I'm on my last life here... God willing! And, I'm committed to doing and making the best with it in the end, as I intend to demonstrate with this public account of my life's story day by day.

Winston Churchill once said, "If you ever find yourself in Hell, just keep going!" How profound a statement!! I've heard it four times from four different people in two days. That must mean something special! What do you think? LMK. K? Tootles for now! Godspeed...

BTW, I hope to see some of you at my birthday party tomorrow!! Don't forget! I'm a bitch to buy for, for I expect only the best, most sentimental and touching gifts of...YES! GRATITUDE... and good fortune! Keep 'em coming! Thanx y'all...

Gratefully yours, :P
Matt(e)o | QHereKidSF
Matthew D. Blanchard
San Francisco, CA 94109-7821
[MDB2009.09.17@2:35PMPST]

Gay Men: "Interrupted Adolescence" Interview by L.R.Burnett for QHereKidSF

My dear friend from college, Linsay Rousseau Burnett, who is now a student at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism (top-2 ranking in the nation), humbly asked me to participate in an interview for a 2,000 word written profile article and a 2-3 minute radio interview. The project has expanded into a full fledged video broadcast of me telling my story, which is currently under construction and in editing for further development.

Lindsay gave me a couple lists of possible interview questions; and although, we have yet had the chance to sit down for a one-on-one interview, I have taken it upon myself to write exposé in a creative, expressive style to respond to these questions. Below is my response to here first question. Installments of other written interview responses can be expected periodically as blog entries throughout the coming month. There's many questions! I'll have a lot to write! It will be revealing, for sure!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A GAY MAN
AND TO BE A GAY MAN WITH HIV?
HOW HAS THIS AFFECTED YOUR ACCEPTANCE
INTO VARIOUS COMMUNITIES, EVEN IN SF?

Through my experiences as a gay man, I have learned that most (but not all!) gay men suffer from serious social, psychological & spiritual handicaps, as they were all raised “in the Closet,” expected to conform to the mold society had contrived for & imposed on them. In turn, they respond in a reactionary manner, turning to self-destructive behaviors (patterns of neuroses) to alleviate the pressure of the prejudices & expectations of the Heterosexual Majority.

I am a gay man, like many gay man, who suffered as an adolescent, under the oppressive judgment and prejudice of a conservative community of peers, with staunchly Republican, anti-gay parents, and absolutely without any positive gay role models whom I could mimic & from whom I could learn.

I am a gay man, like many gay man, who suffered again as a young closeted homosexual student at a university whose gay community was weak, feeble, ashamed, self-destructive, and plagued by their own unhealthy, unbecoming, petty issues of intrusive control over and manipulation of the “Closet” of others. Also, during college just as during my adolescence, I suffered from innate social ineptitude and was always the unpopular, awkward outcast, like many gay men (but, of course, not all!).


I am a gay man, like some unfortunate gay men, who suffers still today, surviving under the influences of the false ideals and equally poor social & psychological behaviors of what are reputed to be the Elysian frolickers of the “Gay Mecca:” gay men in San Francisco, especially that ill-reputed, ill-at-ease, again self-destructive, socially & sexually perverse, underground community of eminently promiscuous, HIV-positive drug & sex addicts. This self-destructive majority just trolls & scavenges the Internet and sex clubs to find their next willing victim or “partner in crime” night after sleepless nights, only to quickly exhaust their sexual pairing options by being consumed by their obsessive/compulsive, neurotic, deviant sexual practices.

Today, I am a gay man, unlike many gay men, who is now grotesquely disfigured. I wear a mask. Literally. Figuratively? Who cares? And I am a gay man, part of the small minority (or perhaps of the vast majority) of gay men, who perceives himself to be a social outcast, monstrously lacking in the one key attribute that is sadly essential to the success of any gay male relationship: beauty & attraction.

I have a thought! This thought is not original. I have heard it from someone before or in previous reading, perhaps in the Journal of Homosexuality. The thought is that the oppressive gay male youth experience of “The Closet” and our resulting inability to fully explore our identity in a healthy, open way causes our adolescence to be “interrupted.” The natural experience of identity formation in youth is abruptly stopped in early adolescence, Youth, with all its ineptitudes & awkwardness, is rediscovered and finally fully explored only well after we have entered into our young adult lives. Gay young adult men are essentially still children in adult bodies (with adult hormones and adult expectations) who are forced to finally discover & realize their true identities late in the game and without the support of a sound, fit, healthy, nurturing community of family or peers. However, some gay youth are lucky, living in positive, nondiscriminatory, accepting families & communities, free to develop fully into healthy, sane, secure adults.

Sadly, neuroses, hang-ups, handicaps, bitterness, self-loathing, judgment, prejudice, confounded ill-adept spirituality & faith, drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, sexual addiction, sexual compulsion, failure, suffering, depression, trauma, drama and disappointment are all endemic to the Gay Male Community. And living with HIV/AIDS doesn’t provide much escape from or restitution for all that is already prevalent amongst gay men; it only compounds the negative. The tragedy of sero-conversion truly condemns the victim of disease (however responsible or not he might be for his suffering) to constant, complete, compulsory isolation from, rejection & victimization again by the perfectly legitimate survival tactics of the growing minority of gay men who could be seen as the representation of the ideal, the exemplar: the truly healthy, beautiful & well-adjusted HIV-negative “escapee.”


Hope for the ideal is lost. The ideal is then deranged into some unlikely perversion of itself, and human beings are lesser because of this. However, a semblance of hope can be found again within the self-destructive, unhealthy behaviors of the majority, because initiatives do exist to demand growth, development & maturity from these diseased, depressed, disruptive deviants: “adolescents interrupted.” Self-preservation & the struggle for safety, in turn, lead to “sero-sorting,” when the victims become cohorts together & culprits amongst themselves and find fulfillment finally in restricting their sexual encounters to within the HIV-positive community: a community born of negativity, suffering & incomplete identity formation—in order to prevent the spread of disease.

By sero-sorting, HIV-positive gay men distinguish themselves as nobly prevention-minded, which is essentially a positive thing; but they also ultimately commit to segregating themselves from the HIV-negative community. Therefore, they do not allow themselves to be influenced by the perhaps healthier, more stable values of the uninfected. Instead, they limit their sexual lifestyles to being permanently & pervasively deviant & destructive. This is not a positive thing, and we suffer for it, tragically!

I realize that this response rather skirts the main questions in an obtuse way, but the questions, I realized, served more as a catalyst for me to sound off on the troubles and neuroses of the Gay Community, instead of answering the questions directly. For a direct response, I will simply say: Being gay has never been easy! Especially when I was a child and an adolescent, when everyone (my peers, adults, my family) kept telling me I was gay, but I refused to admit it because I didn't want people telling me what I was before I had the chance to figure it out for myself. Children were ruthlessly venomous in their attacks. Their ridicule of me ruined my psyche! My adolescence was hence interrupted.

Life since coming out has not been any easier. I was unfortunate not to have been introduced first to the healthy gay lifestyle and community, where real life, real love, romantic relationships and profound platonic relationships between gay men can and do thrive. Instead, I was immediately (and based on my own faults and bad choices) thrown into a den of lascivious "sluttery;" barebacking as if it were a child's game. Adolescence Interrupted! This is what let me to HIV and eventually to Crystal Meth. I wish I could have been saved sooner from my own impending downfall, but finding healthy, friendly gay men to have relationships with is so difficult. The gay community, positive or negative, is not an inviting, welcoming one. That's for sure! I HOPE LINSAY READS THIS! I hope you all do!

ANP : Prop 8 - Did Mormons Go Too Far?

The following video, entitled "Prop 8 - Did Mormons Go To Far?," is footage from the American News Project's reporting on the LDS Church involvement in lobbying and financial giving for the "Yes on 8" Campaign in California, which succeeded in promoting passage of Proposition 8 - a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

I've included the YouTube Video description, as well as two examples of my own extended commentary on the issues yto demonstrate the vehemency and passion of my opinions and to embolden sympathetic readers to fight against religious bigotry disguised as "morality."

As a gay man living in San Francisco (where the movement toward Marriage Equality first erupted in California), I admit to having pointedly biased views, which could be considered derogatory, denigrating and offensive to Mormons, but which should more significantly be viewed as sensitive to and in accordance with the GLBTQ ideology and cause of "Equality for All."

Activists claim that money from the Mormon Church was the deciding factor in passing Proposition 8 in California - banning gay marriage. The church claims to have only spent a few thousand dollars on the campaign, but ANP has uncovered evidence that may expose a caping hole in the claim. ...

American News Project, "Prop 8 - Did Mormons Go Too Far?"
[Video] YouTube®, January 14, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/.
(February 20, 2009 at 4:21AM PST).

COMMENTARY #1 : MySpace™ | QHereKidSF | Matt(e)o

Did the Mormon Church illegally invest direct funds or lobbying efforts in the fight to pass Proposition 8: the ban on gay marriage in California, which was signed into law by the Nov. 4, 2008 General Election ballot measure with only a 4% margin of the votes?

As the above video highlights, we have no way of calculating the actual total amount of monetary expenditures of the Mormon Church on all "Yes on 8" efforts unless the IRS intervenes, demands greater transparency, and determines what qualifies as criminal, "substantial" lobbying efforts?

My personal impressions are that the Mormon Church systematically attacked GLBTQ civil rights proponents with their arguments of "morality," and by actively & extensively mobilizing its parishioners to contribute millions of dollars and thousands of hours of political action toward the fight against the "Gay Agenda," stripping me and my brethren of our fundamental civil rights, and getting away with it by describing their mission as a religious cause of Christ.

It's a travesty, what has happened! Perhaps, when the gay community re-mobilizes to pose a better fight for their rights, we will see the Mormons react much in the same way; only this next time, they might be challenged by the status quo (or even indeed by the IRS) to disclose their complete expenditures of their anti-gay marriage campaign. Then we'll see who wins out!!

Enjoy the video! Let me know what you think of it with a comment or a mail message. It infuriates me! It's truly lamentable, what the Mormons have done! That's just my personal opinion, worthy of feature on my myspace page.

Matt(e)o, "MySpace Profile | About Me | GAY MARRIAGE IN CA...".
[Profile] MySpace™ : A Place For Friends™, February 17, 2009.
http://www.myspace.com/qherekidsf/.
(February 20, 2009 @ 4:57AM PST).

COMMENTARY #2 : Facebook™ | Matthew Blanchard | Message
Linsay, I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to view and reply to your email here on Facebook. I haven't been paying very much due attention to my Facebook account recently and have fallen behind on replying to emails when necessary and accepting new Friend Requests.

I did however want to reply to this email in particular after viewing the video attached to it, to thank you for sending it to me. I find the news report to be infuriating but matter of fact, and full of information that I did not in any way find surprising.

The Mormon church is a corrupt institution, and in my limited, biased perspective, they are the primary party responsible for the passage of Proposition 8: a ban on gay marriage in California. The truth is evident in the reporting: the Mormon Church expended exceedingly high amounts of the institution's own money to organize a campaign and lobby for its own parishioners to fight for "Yes on 8" by donating monies to the media campaigns designed by the Church's contractors, by phone banking and by flooding the streets of suburban California with "Yes on 8" propaganda posters.

The tens of millions of dollars that the Church and its parishioners contributed to the campaign far exceeded the total amount of donations to the cause by any other individual, institution, political action committee, faith-based organization or corporation nationwide. Like I said, I view the Mormon Church as the party principally responsible for the passage of the amendment to the California Constitution banning same-sex marriage.

We'll have to see as the fight continues in the courts and in politics how the Church reacts, and if the IRS is going to demand any increased transparency from the LDS. I hope that as the fight continues, the Church is called out for its excessive, illegal lobbying and financial contribution to the anti-gay political agenda. And I am a proponent of the cause to have the Church stripped of its tax-exempt status due to their criminal activity.

Beyond that, I'm at a loss for words. I'm interested though in hearing your thoughts on the matter. You didn't include any text response to the video in your email here on Facebook, so I cannot glean much of your perspective on the dueling anti-gay and pro-equality agendas. I'd like to hear what you have to say about the video and the entire culmination and continuation of events related to the fight for equal marriage rights in California and to the Mormon Church's involvement in the anti-gay marriage "morality" campaign.

I'm sure I'd consider your opinion to be astute, wise, socially aware, culturally competent and compassionate. I look forward to continuing a conversation with you on the matter. Please respond soon! Thanks! Hope all is well!

BTW, how's school? Are you excelling in your studies of journalism? What kind of extra-curricular or professional development activities are you involved in? Are you enjoying your education and your new academic lifestyle? I certainly hope so! Hope to hear all about it real soon. Peace Out! Cheers! Namaste!

Regards,
Matt(e)o | QHereKidSF
Matthew Blanchard

http://qherekidsf.blogspot.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewblanchard/
http://www.pandora.com/people/mblanchard79/
http://www.wmalumni.com/member/mblanchard2002/

IF ONE ADVANCES CONFIDENTLY IN THE DIRECTION OF HIS DREAMS,
AND ENDEAVORS TO LIVE THE LIFE HE HAS IMAGINED, HE WILL MEET
WITH A SUCCESS UNEXPECTED IN COMMON HOURS.
— Henry David Thoreau

TO DO ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD WORTH DOING, WE MUST NOT
STAND BACK SHIVERING AND THINKING OF THE COLD AND DANGER,
BUT JUMP IN, AND SCRAMBLE THROUGH AS WELL AS WE CAN.
— Sydney Smith

THE GREAT ENEMY OF TRUTH IS VERY OFTEN NOT THE LIE,
DELIBERATE, CONTRIVED AND DISHONEST, BUT THE MYTH,
PERSISTENT, PERSUASIVE AND UNREALISTIC.

— John F. Kennedy

M. Blanchard, "Message: Prop 8 - Did Mormons Go Too Far?"
[e-Correspondence] Facebook™, February 19, 2009.
http://www.facebook.com/.
(February 20, 2009 at 5:18AM PST).

In a final effort to sum up my commentary on the ANP Internet video broadcast embedded above, I will simply reiterate that my opinions & perspective are skewed by prejudice, bias & ignorance of the Mormon Church and its followers and by my own vigorous, audacious adherence to the "Gay Agenda."

The description of the YouTube™ video by ANP, however, speaks speculatively of the evidence of fault in the claim of the church that it only spent mere thousands of dollars (not tens of millions) campaigning against Marriage Equality.

If the ANP's evidence proves valid & true, then the argument, that the LDSs were the one institution and group of parishioners primarily responsible for the passage of a ban on gay marriage in California, holds true. I want wholeheartedly to agree with and believe in each and every key point of argument in this video broadcast, because I am angry, and I am hurt.

Because, I am disappointed that my fundamental rights were thrown in the shit can to fester & rot, where I lay a muck as vulgar excrement of injustice & inequality...where I am deemed decidedly...fundamentally, an immoral, lesser person for being gay (not having decided to be gay).

I am angry, and I am sad. This is the state of mind I've succumbed to after experiencing firsthand the equally potent prejudice and immorality of the Religious Right. But I live in San Francisco. What do I have to complain about?

Here, we are invigorated and empowered by community-wide appeals to continue the fight of "Equality for All!" Here, we have hope and faith in the fundamental maxim that declares, "justice will prevail!"

Here, we chronicle, commend and encourage each tiny tiptoe toward progress change, and toward a actualization of our damned, dear, determined ideals of equal civil rights...fundamental rights, not deferred or detracted, but emboldened and glorified.

Here, we continue the fight to "Defeat H8!" We're so fortunate to be here, in the great "Gay Mecca"...The Great Fog City: San Francisco! AMEN! Alleluia! Need I say more?

PIOUS CELIBACY : Nobler Children of God!

Every week, on Fridays, since I was discarded as a patient of Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Center after recuperating for three months after my first craniofacial reconstruction (January 30, 2008), the generous, faithful, altruistic Hospital Chaplain comes to visit me in my home to offer me holy communion, a reading of the Gospel, his homily and anointment. This week's "sante scritture" were readings of the Holy Gospel according to John: Chapter 6, Verses 35-42 & 48-51. A discussion on his homily follows an image of El Greco's painting, Saint John the Apostle and the text of the Holy Gospel.


"John The Apostle, Saint: painting by El Greco." Online Photograph,
Britannica Student Encyclopedia. Jan. 2, 2009,
http://student.britannica.com/eb/art-87622/.

The Holy Gospel acc. to John 6:35-42, 48-52

35 … And Jesus siad unto them, I am the bread of life: He that cometh to me shall not hunger; and he that believeth in me shall never thirst.
36 … But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believeth not.
37 … All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38 … For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me.
39 … And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that all which he hath given me I should Lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40 … And this is the will of Him that hath sent me, that every one which seeth the son, and believeth in Him, may have everlasting life: And I will raise him up on the last day.
41 … The Jews then murmured to him, because he said, I am the bread which cometh down from heaven.
42 … And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he saith, I came down from Heaven?
48 … I am the bread of life.
49 … Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 … This is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 … I am the living bread which came down for Heaven: If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever; And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the World.
52 … The Jews therefore strove among themselves; Saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

"The Holy Gospel acc. to John 6:35-42, 48-52."
The Holy Bible: King James Version, p. 401.
Paradise Press, Inc., 2006.

PIOUS CELIBACY: Nobler Children of God!
Or The Unfathomably Complex Individual Experience in Faith:
Reaching Closer to God Through "Group/Family" Relationships

Reverend Steven Bartlett-Re's January 2, 2009 Homily for the readings of the Holy Gospel according to John: Chapter 6, verses 35-42 & 48-52 was born of our preliminary, pre-offertory discussion on current world events as they relate to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and on the antisemitism of Saint John the Apostle and therefore of all Christians argued by an elite group of fundamentalist Jewish religious leaders in contemporary theological studies.

Father Stephen compared the disingenuous belief of Jews in Jesus Christ, as depicted by the Holy Gospel according to John in the above verse and the historical tendency of various religious groups to factionalize and incite internal conflict within the (Roman) State, to the conflict between Jews & Muslims today, as well as to the disputes over Marriage Equality in the USA between the far-right Christian Fundamentalists and the GLBTQ Community today.

He then related the Christian/Gay disputes to the modern argument for "traditional family," born of an original Faith in Christ that was albeit all together egocentric and not at all family-oriented. From there developed Father Stephen's Homily on Pious Celibacy as the perfect path toward redemption, on the unfathomably complex, individual experience of Faith in God, and on the role of "group/family" relationships in the deepening of our realization of that Faith.

Father Stephen first argued that Jesus Christ was not pro-family; but instead, Christ preached that the journey into God's graces is an individual experience of learning unique to each Believer. As opposed to "group/family" relationships, Celibacy was considered the ultimately perfect & righteous path to Redemption. "Group/family" relationships only distracted the believer from his calling, blockading his path toward Salvation with inconvenient, inconsequential, troublesome distractions & conflicts.

Historical theological studies prove that most of Christ's original followers were celibate & unmarried (or divorced) and not bound to any family. Christ, in turn, created a "family" of followers of sorts, tangling his disciples in distinctly human struggles to define their relationships, hierarchy, customs, values, mores, etc.

Modern Christian values define the "family" as the center or the foundation of our Faith and of our journey toward Salvation. While Christ originally meant for his followers to learn strictly from their individual experiences in order to define and strengthen their Faith in God, today's Christians allow for a strengthening of Faith through learning of the sublime complexities of that Faith and connection to God based on "group/family" experiences and relationships.

Our journey toward Salvation remains an uniquely individual experience, only supported by our relationships and interactions with others. In this regard, Father Stephen believes that, as a Chaplain, he can not, for a believer wanting of answers and absolution to his doubting Faith, define another's individual relationship with God and "family." He can only guide them to a righteous path with scripture and teachings on godly Faith and pious action.

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender People's social history in a distinct way mimics this thesis on the value of "group/family" relationships and the complexity of the individual journey toward Salvation. It can be concluded from simple observation of their social interactions that older generations of GLBTQ Americans often beg for a return to simpler times earlier in our Community's history (c.1950-1960's), when only the right to proclaim and exhibit one's love of another was essential and not confounded by complex social mores, maxims and politics. GLBTQ elders often seek a return to a time when they existed comfortably in small, exclusive, clandestine groups that functioned as their surrogate "family."

Modern GLBTQ Culture & Community relationships and the journey toward a completely legitimized, legalized, accepted social identity (i.e., ≈ Salvation) are made more complex and deepened through shared experiences learned in larger, more open social groups (i.e., the GLBTQ "Family") and through generations. In this way, we are led to our present day struggles on the path toward Redemption: the fight for GLBTQ Civil Rights & Marriage Equality. The question remains...What's better: the life of a celibate ascetic gay believer or unions of GLBTQ couples in marriage legalized by the State and sanctified by our religious institutions?

Ironically, Modern Right-Wing Christian Fundamentalists align with older generations of the GLBTQ Community in their desire for simpler things, simpler relationships, simpler ways of being, a simpler Faith in God and a simpler journey toward Salvation, calling no heed to the influence of complex modern social relationships on their experience in God's Love. This system that strictly values former, less complex individual pathways toward Redemption makes these two vehemently opposed communities, in my opinion, prejudicial, exclusive, limited and ignorant in thoughts, values and customs.

The primary difference here between these two binary antithetical communities is that Right-Wing Christian Fundamentalists believe that their "institutions" of "traditional family" and "traditional marriage" are stricture that they are obligated to impose & enforce on all members of Society, regardless of Faith (or absence there of), while older GLBTQ generations do not impose their desire for simpler social relationships on their fellow community members, but rather they exist as an exclusive, discriminatory and relatively weak (again, in my opinion) social network that withholds or negates any of their potentially direct impact on the greater majority of Modern Gays & Lesbians.

Thus, Pious Celibacy as the ultimately perfect and higher route toward Salvation under God is an antiquated equation. In modern Christianity, according to Reverend Stephen Bartlett-Re, followers of Christ (gay & straight alike) should be guided to follow their own individual paths toward Redemption and to define their own unique relationship with and Faith in God by the influences and teachings of their worldly social experiences in groups and in "family." That is a more just, pious journey in God's Love. Preachers of Faith cannot proselytize and suggest exact redeeming actions or beliefs, but must guide their followers toward a discovery and a defining of their unique relationships with God through scripture, teachings and individual "group/family" experiences.

"Homily on the Holy Gospel acc. to John 6: 35-42, 48-52."
Spoken Word by Reverend Stephen Bartlett-Re,
January 2, 2009 1:47PM.

It has been my aim with this intimate, thoughtful essay on Faith and "family" to provoke profound contemplations & questions on the conflicts between Right-Wing Christian Fundamentalists and the GLBTQ Community, on our unique, unfathomably complex individual experiences in God's Love and on the influence of social relationships on our far-reaching, righteous paths toward a realization of Self and a realization of Faith. By offering a discussion on my intimate conversations with my in-home Chaplain, I mean to reveal and share with others the profound wisdom and guidance I receive from my personal leader in Faith.

I do not assume that every reader of this blog entry will whole-heartily agree with the conclusions presented in this discussion, nor do I seek to selfishly impose my beliefs on others. I do hope however that some random faithful soul might be touched by these teachings and have their Faith in God strengthened and stimulated by this sharing. If anything, readers could at least easily chuckle at the ironical comparison we've made between two diametrically opposed groups: Right-Wing Christian Fundamentalists and the GLBTQ Community.

May God bless each of us in our Faith with real instances of prosperity, wisdom, learning, achievements and grace in His Glory through our individual experiences and on our path, this year, further toward Redemption, and may we all be positively & profoundly influenced on our journey toward Salvation through diverse, righteous, valuable social relationships & experiences!

May we find peace amidst turmoil and strife! May we find absolution of our trespasses against others and against God, the Father! May we each have hope and trust in our capacity to grow and develop as Children of God (or of Karma and Chi gong) and in our capacity to reach ever further toward our complete realization of Self and of Faith! And finally: May we be blessed by God and by auspicious Karmic wisdom in 2009!

Beliefnet.com : The Rick Warren Interview

Rick Warren, the megalithic media phenomenon, much-acclaimed pastor of Sattleback Church and financial supporter of Porposition 8 in California: the Constitutional Amendment banning Same-Sex Marriage on November 4, 2008, remarks on Gay Marriage & Divorce in a Beliefnet.com video interview, going so far in his opposition to Gay Marriage as to equate it with the legalization of marriage based on incest, pedophilia and polygamy.


In further investigating the Rick Warren matter on weblogs and in online news journals, I came across a political commentary posted by one Kathryn Kolbert on the CNN.com Politics website, entitled: "Commentary: Choosing Rick Warren was a Mistake." Her comments were extremely revealing to me, as I am sure they were to many curious readers.

Kolbert succinctly argued against President-elect Barack Obama's choice to have Pastor Rick Warren give the pivotal, very significant and solemn inspirational invocation at his inauguration on January 20, 2009, by demonstrating in a very matter of fact manner all the ways in which Warren (a self-reputed "moderate" and "bridge-builder") exemplifies the anti-freedom & anti-gay values of the Evangelical Religious Right.

She contends with the anger & disappointment of the Nation's "progressive activists who worked so hard to elect Barack Obama" by admitting first that some people might be a bit confused by such attestations & discouragements from the extreme political left. She goes on to elucidate the whys & wherefores for the injustice and damned near disgrace of choosing Warren as invocateur for the inauguration.

Mrs. Kolbert says with regards to Warren's opposition to Marriage Equality in California that "it's not just his support for Prop. 8 that is so galling to equality activists. It's that Warren, in an interview with Beliefnet.com, has since equated allowing loving same-sex couples to get married with redefining marriage to permit incest and pedophilia."

Curious as I was, I set out to find this Beliefnet.com video interview with Pastor Rick Warren, and easily found it with a keyword search on their website. I was shocked, appalled and disgusted! Here was a man, a prominent moderate Evangelical leader, justifying anti-equality bigotry and hate-speech by actually agreeing with the interviewer that Gay Marriage is equivalent to incest, pedophilia & polygamy and by always referring back to the self-assured crux of the conversation: that it's not any matter iof whether or not Warren is opposed to Gay Marriage or Civil Unions; what is truly significant is that he opposes a redefinition of Traditional Marriage—as if to hide the bigotry, prejudice and hate behind a vapid veil of more solemn faith in a five thousand year old tradition!

The following is a dictation of the final segment of the Beliefnet.com Rick Warren Interview: On Gay Marriage & Divorce. But better yet for the full dramatic effect, just follow the previous link to view the video for yourself. The text of the interview:

RICK WARREN: "I fully support equal rights for all Americans [...] The issue for me is: I'm not opposed to [Civil Unions] as much as I'm opposed to the redefinition of a five thousand year old definition of marriage. I'm opposed to having a brother & a sister being together and calling that marriage. I'm opposed to an older guy marring a child and calling that a marriage. I'm opposed to one guy having multiple wives and calling that marriage."

STEVEN WALDMAN: "Do you think those are equivalent to gays getting married?"

RICK WARREN: "Oh, I do! For five thousand years marriage has been defined by every single culture and every single religion...this is not a Christian issue—Buddhists, Muslims, Jews. Historically, Marriage is a man and a woman, so I'm opposed to that.

"And the reason I supported Prop. 8 really was a free speech issue, because if...first, the court over-read the will of the people, but second, there were all kinds of threats that if it did not pass, any pastor could be considered doing hate speech if he shared his views that he didn't think homosexuality was the most natural way for relationships. And that would be hate speech. Well, to me, we should have freedom of speech, ok...Can we do this in a civil way?

"I have many gay friends. I've eaten dinner in gay homes. No church has probably done more for people with AIDS than Sattleback Church. Kay and I have given millions of dollars out of the portraiture of people getting AIDS through gay relationships, so they can't accuse me of homophobia. I just don't believe in the redefinition of marriage."

(S. Waldman, "Rick Warren Interview: On Gay Marriage & Divorce,"
Beliefnet.com Interviews Rick Warren | The Rick Warren Interview,
Retrieved on December 22, 2008 at 11:20AM.)

Like I've written already, I find this rhetoric appalling, shocking and disgraceful!! Funny though, how Pastor Warren speaks as though this is a global, worldly issue by including Buddhists, Muslims & Jews in his argument for Traditional Marriage, when "historically" speaking, many world religions have once (or still do) give credence and legitimacy to incestuous, polygamist, pedophile relationships between men and women; thus, invalidating his entire overture right from the start.

After seeing this video interview, I realize ever more so that I am extremely disappointed and angry with Obama's pick for his inaugural invocation. Giving such a significant role in such a major event in our Nation's history to a man who blatantly and guiltlessly promotes hate-speech and homophobia (YES! HOMOPHOBIA, Rick Warren! I'd call him a homophobe, wouldn't you?) is a bold, shameless affront to all the just and fair-minded equality activists that supported Barack Obama's Campaign for President.

I am personally offended and ultimately very disappointed that I have put so much faith in Barack Obama as a proponent of Change and as a stalwart advocate for equality, only to be let down by his choice here.

I wrote in an entry in this blog, entitled "Rev. Rick Warren: An Anti-Gay Invocation," that I could understand Obama's choice of Pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration, because, as the President-elect himself argues, he has been trying to promote a dialogue between conflicting political and social camps by bringing together a diverse array of people to participate in this monumental occasion. He says that is what his campaign was all about, and I agreed with him, wholeheartedly!

But, as a gay man who dreams one day of escaping the aesthetic judgments and prejudices of the average homosexual, passing beyond my disfigurement and finding a relationship with a man that can develop openly, honestly and lovingly into a committed union: a Marriage, I can not and will not support Barack Obama's choice to have Rick Warren, a bigoted & hate-mongering Evangelical, give the opening invocation at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. It's just not right!

As Kathryn Kolbert remarks in her CNN.com Politics Commentary:

There is no shortage of religioius leaders who reflect the values on which President-elect Obama campaigned and who are working to advance the common good: Rev. Joseph Lewery, who has been selected to give the benediction, is a life-long advocate for justice. There are others like him, and in our increasingly diverse nation, they aren't all Christian.

Rick Warren gets plenty of attention through his books & media appearances and has every right to promote his religious views. But he doesn't need or deserve a position of honor at the inauguration of a President who has given hope to so many Americans by rejecting the politics of division and emphasizing his commitment to constitutional values.

(K. Kolbert, "Commentary: Choosing Rick Warren was a Mistake,"
CNN.com Politics, December 19, 2008 at 9:41AM.
Retrieved on December 22, 2008 at 7:04AM.)

Mrs. Kolbert is right in her conclusions: there are plenty of other American religious leaders that uphold the values that Barack Obama fought for in his Campaign for President and that he could have just as well chosen for the invocation. The socio-political implications of the choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration are grave and divisive, opening the door to so many other arguments against an Obama Presidency, because of Rick Warren's other illicit values concerning as such a women's right to chose, amongst other things (as explained in the Kolbert Commentary).

I in no way can consider myself an allegiant equality activist, for I have had no frontline experience fighting for Marriage Equality and other equal rights for all under the law. I have only begun to voice my opinion on this blog and on comments I've posted to other blogs or news feeds I've read concerning these issues.

I've also associated myself via Facebook™ with ENGAGE to End Discrimination: The Marriage Equality Project, a fledgling, soon to be incorporated nonprofit organization based out of San Francisco, CA and founded by my Facebook™ Friend, Michael Friedman. I haven't been active in their Marriage Equality rallies & protests, but I have subscribed to their RSS feed on Blogger® and Google™ Reader and stay informed of developments within the organization by those means. I can't say that I am an allegiant equality activist, no! But, I can't say that, as a gay man living in California, I am just as equally disappointed and angered by Obama's choice as the best of them. In fact, ...

I can't stand this! I'm irate! Aren't you? Please, give me some feedback! Let me know if I'm letting my easily affected emotions become unhinged by something of little importance; or otherwise, affirm my disappointment & anger and join me in opposing this choice. I eagerly anticipate any feedback or thoughts I receive from my blog followers. This is a dialogue I'd very much like to have; if not, just to calm my nerve!

Maybe the choice of Inauguration Invocation Speaker should have followed more of the effect of decisions on Commencement Speakers for the College of William & Mary (speaking from experience), where candidates are selected based on writing samples and formal public speaking skills, as opposed to on popularity or stature within a particular community. What on Earth is Barack Obama trying to evoke with this choice? I can't find any good in it! Please help!

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

In closing, I must say: Peace Out! And Plenitudes of Pumpernickel & Plum-Pudding Pastries, as well as Cheer, Bliss & Merriment for you this Holiday Season! May you all experience the joy of giving & gratitude and the blessings of good tidings this wintry season. I know that I am grateful to have so many dear friends and family who care so deeply for me. And I'm thankful for the ungodly AWESOME gift that my William & Mary Theatre Assoc. friends purchased for me for Christmas—as some sort of recompense for all the tragedy I have experienced in the last year & a half. I'm eternally grateful to you all. You know who you are! :-) Happy Holidays!!