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The Gay Republican
While growing up, I was raised in a very religious and conservative household. All I ever knew was about God, the Bible and how to live a good and Christian life. I constantly remember praying that God would take my “sinful” desires away so that I could like girls just like the “normal” boys would. Safe to say, those prayers were never answered. I lived much of my young life in denial, in the closet and filled with self-hatred.
In 2008, I rallied around and voted in favor of Florida’s Amendment 2 — an amendment to the Florida Constitution that defined marriage as the union between one man and one woman. I voted against my own interests and didn’t think twice about it. I felt it was my duty to uphold what the Bible had taught me. It was my duty to make my parents proud and continue a legacy of “goodness” in an increasingly “immoral” world. I was vehemently against abortion, stem cell research, gun regulation, immigration reform, welfare programs and gay rights. I was also pro-war, slightly xenophobic with somewhat racist inclinations.
In my ignorance and backwards ideology, I had twisted parts of the Bible in order to justify my views — all while refusing to study or learn about differing opinions.
Then, during the summer of 2012, my views radically changed. I experienced an awakening that began when I immersed myself intensely into researching both sides of the political spectrum. By the time summer was over, I had made a 180-degree turn, dumped Fox News and questioned everything I had been told.
“Why would you vote for a party that sees you as a second class citizen?” I’ve asked gay Republicans. They usually give me the less religious, more modern approach of it not being about gay rights — it’s about jobs, the economy, smaller government and the constitution. “The liberals and Obama are destroying this country’s job sectors, all while ballooning the Federal Government,” some say. I guess facts such as the low unemployment rates, strong stock markets, high consumer confidence, equal rights and healthcare are all too inconvenient for many to accept. I mean, who has time for those silly facts, right?
If the economy, money or following the teachings of a religious book are more important to you than civil rights, perhaps Saudi Arabia would be a better choice for your “lifestyle”. Equality should never be a back burner issue for the sake of an economy, religious beliefs or your sheer ignorance.
So how can gay conservatives be ok with supporting anti-gay figures such as Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh or Fox News? The same reasons I did; many gay Republicans self-hate, are conflicted with their beliefs, are quietly racist, selfish or want to gain general acceptance. “I am gay and believe in gay rights but I cannot support abortion or stem cell research so I align with conservatives,” I have been told. “I love Bill Clinton and would vote for him if he could run again — just can’t support Obama or Hillary,” told me another one. “I believe being gay is wrong and that the Bible is completely right, but I was born gay and can’t change that, so I will always vote for a Christian leader” Umm… huh? My favorite line is, “I am fiscally conservative but socially liberal… so I vote Republican.” Yes, because there’s nothing like saying money is more important to you than equality.
Being gay is not a choice. Many gay Republicans though, having been raised in a heteronormative or conservative environment, make the decision to pursue a lifestyle that reflects their heterosexual counterparts. Just because you want to be perceived as straight-acting doesn’t change the fact that you are gay. I refuse to accept the notion that being gay is not an important aspect that defines you. It touches everything that defines you. You could lose your job, wealth, reputation, status and family but being gay remains with you until you die.
Masking your ignorance, religious nature, self-hatred, racism, or selfishness with the argument that you simply care more about the country as a whole — versus a “minor” issue, is an insult to anyone with a semblance of intelligence.
When you vote for a candidate that believes being gay is a choice; one that would strip you of your dignity, respect and self-worth, then you are what’s wrong with our country.
Equal rights should never be superseded by money, wealth, religion, ideology or ignorance. The Declaration of Independence doesn’t say, “some men are created equal.” We are all equal, deserving of dignity, respect and equal treatment under the law. Sadly, it’s the people who vote against their own best interests that are holding our community and nation back. Those are the people who will be remembered as having turned their backs on what’s right — especially when they were needed the most.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Beyoncé inspired Melbourne’s newest skyscraper
Australian architects and design studio Elenberg Fraser found inspiration in a slightly unusual source when developing their newest development.
Premier Tower, one of central Melbourne’s premier new developments, was inspired by one of Beyoncé’s music video – or rather, the fabric-wrapped bodies of her dancers.
Using the theory of Occam’s razor – i.e. things should not be complicated beyond necessity – to explain the theory behind the skyscraper, the studio soon revealed its shape was not just based on a problem-solving theory.
‘For those more on the art than science side, we will reveal that the form does pay homage to something more aesthetic,’ the studio said.
‘We’re going to trust you’ve seen the music video for Beyoncé’s Ghost.’
The fabric-covered dancers’ movements inspired Premier Tower’s unusual shape.
Sitting directly in front of Southern Cross Station, in Melbourne’s Central Business District, Premier Tower will be the first thing people see upon exiting the station.
Rising 68 stories high into the sky, it is set to contain 660 apartments as well as a 160-room hotel
The building’s unusual form, with the façade swelling out in various places, is ‘the most effective way to redistribute the building’s mass’ according to Elenberg Fraser.
Designed for efficiency, the tower takes everything into account – limited space, wind and the climate.
Modeled to be as effective as possible in regards of site and climatic constraints, the tower is one of the most effective yet – according to Elenberg Fraser, the building’s design also responds to ‘frequency oscillation and wind requirements’.
Computer generated images show the development to be of the highest luxury, offering spectacular views as well as a private swimming pool.
A date of completion has not yet been announced.
The post Beyoncé inspired Melbourne’s newest skyscraper appeared first on Gay Star News.
Stefanie Gerdes
www.gaystarnews.com/article/beyonce-inspired-melbournes-newest-skyscraper/
Marriott CEO: “We Have to Protect Our Right to Welcome Everybody”
Marriott International CEO and President Arne Sorenson sat down with LinkedIn this week to discuss why it is vital for companies to speak out in support of issues like marriage equality.
HRC.org
Woman “Disgusted” To Learn Her Husband Secretly Likes Guys, Says “I Can’t Compete With Other Men”
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Carol, a 43-year-old old mother of two living in the U.K., is pissed. Not only did the man she marry turn out to be gay, but now people are calling him an “inspiration” and a “role model” for coming out after spending his entire life in the closet. And she’s not having any of it.
“I was disgusted by this,” she recently told the BBC, “that someone actually considered him to be both of these things when he had spent our entire relationship lying.”
(That’s one way of looking at. Alternatively, maybe he wasn’t “lying.” Maybe it just took him a while to figure it out. Human sexuality is a complex thing, after all.)
Carol continued: “To me, there is nothing to be proud of. He destroyed our family through his failure to admit that he was, in fact, gay.”
Related: Five “Straight” Guys Who Have Grindr To Thank For Accidentally Coming Out
Carol and her husband were married in 2003. She says they were “very happy and in love” and even produced two children together.
Then strange things started happening.
About six years into their marriage, she found gay dating profiles on her husband’s computer. When she confronted him about it, he explained them away. Then, in 2009, he finally told her he was bisexual. A year after that, he came out as gay.
“I thought my whole world had fallen apart,” Carol said, “but then he came back and said let’s stay together for the sake of the kids. I didn’t know what to do so we lived a lie for two years. To anyone else we looked like a normal happy couple.”
After giving it the old college try, the pair finally decided it was probably best to dissolve their union and go their separate ways.
Related: Antigay Pastor’s Adult Gay Film Past Is Uncovered To Nobody’s Surprise
Four years later, Carol still isn’t over everything that happened.
“For me it is a trust issue,” she said. “How can I trust anyone again? I can’t compete with other men. I’m a woman. But he should have been truthful from the start.”
“It would have been easier if it had been a woman,” she continued, “at least he would have loved me in the first place. He says he loved me, but I don’t believe him.”
And as for other gay men considering marrying unsuspecting women, Carol had this piece of advice:
“You have to be honest with yourself and your partner, especially when kids are involved. Not knowing your own sexuality and taking time to decide hurts everyone involved. Be true to who you are.”
What do you think? Is Carol being too hard on her ex-husband? And is it possible that he did love her even though he is attracted to men? Sound off in the comments below.
Graham Gremore
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon Orders All State Agencies To Comply With SCOTUS Ruling: VIDEO
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has issued an executive order directing state agencies to comply with the recent SCOTUS decision on same-sex marriage, reports Fox4kc.
Nixon also called for lawmakers to pass the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act, which would ban discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, he said:
“This landmark ruling was a historic step forward for our nation, and it has some very real benefits for families here in Missouri.
“As Governor, I’m committed to protecting the rights of all Missourians, and that’s why this morning I am signing Executive Order 15-04 to ensure the Supreme Court’s ruling is implemented uniformly throughout state government.
“Same-sex couples now have the right to get married, but here in Missouri, individuals can still be fired for being gay. That’s wrong, it’s not who we are – and it must change.”
Back in 2013, Missouri GOP Rep. Nick Marshall announced plans to impeach Nixon for signing an executive order directing the Revenue Department to accept jointly-filed state tax returns of same-sex couples married in other states.
Watch a Huffington Post report on Marshall’s plan to impeach Nixon below.
(Image via Wikimedia Commons)
The post Missouri Governor Jay Nixon Orders All State Agencies To Comply With SCOTUS Ruling: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.
Michael Fitzgerald
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon Orders All State Agencies To Comply With SCOTUS Ruling: VIDEO
8 Iconic Movie Moments Reimagined With Queer Couples
For decades finding representation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Hollywood that didn’t rely on cliches, stereotyping or violence seemed like an impossible task.
Now, as queer people are gradually being folded into mainstream society and we are seeing more queer storylines and characters than ever before, we began to wonder — what would some of Hollywood’s most beloved films look like with a queer twist?
As a result, Kriti Kaur, who drew the illustrations, reimagined eight films by turning iconic cinema opposite-sex couples into queer couples. These striking images raise the question: What would all of our favorite Hollywood references mean to our culture as a whole if queer people had been as present as non-queer couples in film and television?
1. “Casablanca”
2. “Clueless”
Kriti Kaur, who drew the illustrations, came up with the idea for these images after thinking about a way to portray the universal nature of love, no matter what one’s sexual orientation or gender identity may be. She told HuffPost Gay Voices, “I came up with this when I was trying to brainstorm ideas about portraying the concept of love and how it stays the same regardless of people’s gender identities. And I do think that when people think of love, they look back to these famous films that showcase how powerful and amazing it can be. Recreating those moments with LGBT couples just made sense!”
Check out the rest of the images below.
3. “Dirty Dancing”
4. “Grease”
5. “Love Actually”
6. “Pretty Woman”
7. “Titanic”
8. “It’s A Wonderful Life”
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Firefighter could get fired for saying gay kid in viral photo should be ‘cured’
A firefighter could get fired for homophobic comments he made about the 13-year-old crying gay kid whose photo went viral.
Guy Estergall, who has worked as a fireman for 26 years, saw the Humans of New York photo on his Facebook like much of the rest of the world last week.
The young boy in the photo said: ‘I’m homosexual and I’m afraid about why my future will be and that people won’t like me’.
And while many of the 60,000 comments were supportive, including Hillary Clinton and Ellen DeGeneres, one was not.
“I’m homosexual and I’m afraid about what my future will be and that people won’t like me.”
Posted by Humans of New York on Friday, 3 July 2015
‘The kid needs psychiatric help, he’s delusional,’ wrote Estergall. ‘We need to find a cure for his kid!’
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports how he got into a heated discussion on the Facebook page, claiming the ‘overwhelming majority’ of pedophiles are gay.
‘You’re mentally ill just like the kid and the rest of the homosexuals and their supporters,’ he said.
The Cleveland Fire Department is now investigating Estergall’s comments to see if they violated their social media policy. A spokesperson said those types of statements are ‘unacceptable’. The investigation will see whether Estergall’s role as a public servant is affected by his views.
Estergall has defended his comments, saying his ‘opinion’ that all LGBTI people have mental disabilities does not affect his work.
‘Do you think I go into a fire and say, “excuse me, what’s your sexual orientation? Seriously?” he said. ‘I couldn’t care less about someone’s sexual orientation. It means about as much to me as someone’s eye color or whether they have five fingers on their left hand. It means the same to me when I’m at work.’
He added: ‘Right or wrong is irrelevant. It’s an opinion that differs from what’s popular at the moment and people are trying to take my livelihood from me.’
Estergall has not been formally reprimanded and continues to carry out his regular duties.
The post Firefighter could get fired for saying gay kid in viral photo should be ‘cured’ appeared first on Gay Star News.
Joe Morgan
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