Learning Something New...

I am stupid (well, maybe more just non-informed). I never knew the connection, but thanks to Jim over at Jim's Stuff , now I know (and so do you):

Ever wonder why so many queens are Judy Garland fans?

She suffered, she got back up when she was down, she was precociously, ludicrously talented, she liked getting smashed, she starred in the campest film on earth, and, oh yes, she played a formative role in the birth of the modern gay rights movement.

Dateline: June 1969

On Sunday 22 June 1969, Garland was found dead from an overdose in her London home. On Friday 27 June she was buried and a wake was held by her gay fans at the Stonewall Inn in New York. In the early hours of 28 June the police decided to raid the Stonewall.

Where?

The Stonewall Inn was located at 53 Christopher Street. It was an after-hours members only club that sold booze without a licence. It was a real dump.

What happened?

Some sources say that as `Somewhere Over the Rainbow` played on the jukebox, eight plainclothes officers raided the Stonewall Inn, led by Deputy Inspector Seymour Pine. Customers were allowed to leave whilst the owners were arrested. The mood was light, but then it changed when a police wagon appeared and some drag queens and a lesbian were forced into it. The crowd started to get angry, they started attacking the police, who retreated to the bar and locked themselves inside. People started to throw bricks through the windows, more police arrived, some started waving guns, and the disturbance grew into a full-scale riot.

Why?

As far as the punters were concerned, the raid was the latest example of police harassment of minority groups. Numerous gay bars had been closed down, people were running out of places to go and they just couldn't take it anymore. Everyone was sick of being criminalized by a brutal and unsympathetic police force. And then Judy died. People just couldn't take any more!

The aftermath?

Not everyone agreed that what happened at Stonewall was a riot. The New York press downplayed the events, calling it a "rampage." The whole thing took about 45 minutes, according to witnesses. But later that Saturday, in the evening, more people converged at the Stonewall Inn. They closed off the street, chanted slogans and fought back against the police. More disturbances took place over the next few nights, after which people decided to become more organised and develop their own political groups. In late July the Gay Liberation Front was formed and the rest, as they say, is history.

Judy would have been proud.

Michael and I spent the day at Chesapeake City Park yesterday. It was the first "Pride" event that either of us has really taken part of. On this, the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, it's the least we can do. So many have given so much more...

Over and "Out", from my end of the rainbow, in Portsmouth, VA.

Farewell Michael Jackson...

Remember?

Why don't more Gays look like you?

I just caught this over at The Daily Martini. Thanks...




Just listen, then decide whether you are going to be a part of your local Pride event.. This weekend is Out in the Park down here in SE Virginia. My boss is on vacation and it's up to me to cover the store. I just called and asked her to come back a day early so I can attend on Sunday...

I missed it for similar reasons last year. Actually it got postponed due to a hurricane threat and the rescheduled event was much later in the fall...

Thanks for the reminder Harvey... We are not all the "prancing around with body parts flapping" kind of queers. But unless we go, what is the rest of the community to think?

Over and "Out", two posts in one day, from Portsmouth, VA

DADT Poster Boy?

This follow up interview, on the Rachel Maddow show last night on MSNBC, just reinforces the need for President Obama to act NOW...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Many of my LGBT and blogging friends suggest that there are too many things on the Commander-In-Chief's plate to address DADT. While I agree that there are pressing Global Issues that need his attention, there is a quick fix to this. Sign an order to suspend the implementation of the policy until Congress can repeal it.

Five to ten minutes of his time to pen his autograph and take the "photo-op", is a win-win-win for our "Fierce Advocate", the LGBT supporters that helped elect him, and probably thousands of people, just like Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, serving in our armed forces.

What a brave man...

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA

Monkey Business

Check out my sidebar... I love this little guy!

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA

The Weekend from STUPID HELL!

About a month ago I took my last (reduced) dose of Effexor XR. I began taking it shortly after my "cardiac event" in 2005 to help with the anxiety that followed (every time I got indigestion or any type of tummy or chest pain I would work myself into a full blown panic attack). I figured it's been over four years, and in partnership with my doctor, I felt it was time to ween myself off of the Mood (read: MIND) Altering Drugs.

Not sure if any of my friends, family or fellow bloggers have ever tried to get off of these things before, but I never realized that you actually go through withdrawals once you start reducing the dosage. There is fuzziness, vertigo, an inability to focus, and worst of all; little or no tolerance for STUPIDITY IN OTHERS at your workplace. While I'm sure it's not indigenous to my place of business, it's just that I have been at work all weekend (bell-to-bell both Saturday and Sunday) so it's all I have really experienced recently. I would like to think that it's NOT me, but these salespeople have been with us for a while, and have always been somewhat dependant on us (the management). I just never realized how STUPID they are... I actually thought of using some politically correct term in this post, but as I racked my brain for a more polite choice of words, all I could come up with was: stupid, Stupid, STUPID, and of course: FUCKING STUPID!

They ALL have a tendency to page me or dial my extension 30 to 60 seconds (sometimes longer) BEFORE they have actually formed the question or request in their head. They also assume that I know exactly where they are on the showroom, and that I know what piece of furniture they are referring to when they point to it (like I can see through the frigging phone).

Okay... I know, I know... It's not just them, but it doesn't make me feel better to think that my brain has been "numbified" by this crazy drug for the past 4 years to the point that I have allowed them to get away with being so dependant.

On the "up" side to all this, as with most anti-anxiety meds some of the perpetual underlying side effects (you learn to deal with) have started to fade. Michael is very happy that my libido actually "sparks" now. My short term memory has returned (I think). Some of the "arthritic" type of joint and muscle aches have gone away completely and I feel good!

I figure it took 2-3 months to have this drug reroute all those synaptic pathways in my brain when I started taking it, and that it will probably take that long for it to be reversed.

Oh, and by the way. If I ever come across as being as stupid as I have described the people above, please just shoot me!

end of rant...

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth

The Many Faces of Hillary

While our president doesn't speak about the LGBT community much anymore, Hillary Clinton (not having the other distractions he may) still has us on her mind. I have plagiarized the following from a new blog-read of mine, I Should Be Laughing.

Many of you know I was not a huge supporter of "Billary" during the election, but I am all for the recognition and re-affirmation Ms Clinton took the time to convey regarding our history, our plight, and our fellow queers in government employ.

This is the Secretary of State's statement on Pride Month:

"Forty years ago this month, the gay rights movement began with the Stonewall riots in New York City, as gays and lesbians demanded an end to the persecution they had long endured. Now, after decades of hard work, the fight has grown into a global movement to achieve a world in which all people live free from violence and fear, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity...

"In honor of Gay and Lesbian Pride Month and on behalf of the State Department, I extend our appreciation to the global LGBT community for its courage and determination during the past 40 years, and I offer our support for the significant work that still lies ahead...

"At the State Department and throughout the Administration, we are grateful for our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees in Washington and around the world. They and their families make many sacrifices to serve our nation. Their contributions are vital to our efforts to establish stability, prosperity and peace worldwide...

"Human rights are at the heart of those efforts. Gays and lesbians in many parts of the world live under constant threat of arrest, violence, even torture. The persecution of gays and lesbians is a violation of human rights and an affront to human decency, and it must end. As Secretary of State, I will advance a comprehensive human rights agenda that includes the elimination of violence and discrimination against people based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Though the road to full equality for LGBT Americans is long, the example set by those fighting for equal rights in the United States gives hope to men and women around the world who yearn for a better future for themselves and their loved ones...

"This June, let us recommit ourselves to achieving a world in which all people can live in safety and freedom, no matter who they are or whom they love".

UPDATE: A few hours after Mrs. Clinton's statement, President Obama released his own proclamation regarding Gay Pride Month.

UPDATE 2: Obama's 'Proclamation' was a rehash of all the promises he made to the gay community before and immediately after the election. We have time... The world needs him more than we do (for the moment)...

Let him "do" his thing for a bit, he has not forgotten us, and apparently with good people like Hillary around, he won't soon.

Over and "Out" once again, from Portsmouth, VA.

Traditional Marriage based on the Bible

Funny:

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth (Bible Belt), VA

Passing the Buck? or WTF?

Just caught this on PlanetOut... I like the choice of words Mr. Cheney uses when he talks about "dealing with his daughter's gayness"...

The rest is a Republican cop-out... "Let the States deal with it, as they have"...

Over, "Out", and Proud from Portsmouth VA

My 2009 Pride Contribution

While I didn't take this photo (as Kelly did his), I have always found in it, a very simple sentiment: "Pull up a seat, every one is welcome". And by the way, this too is one of the stops on the "2009 Tom & Michael Excellent Adventure" tour... If you guessed Florida, you were correct. Melbourne Beach, Key West, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, then back to the Space Coast before heading home to VA.

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA

Proud of Pride

As in the past, Kelly has tasked us to spread the pride. Copy, paste, and let him know where you have posted this great photo for Pride Month!

I will be loading a Pride Photo of my own on my sidebar later today!

Over, "Out" and most definitely proud, from Portsmouth VA