It has been a wild and tumultuous campaign season rife with scientific inaccuracies and scapegoating. It is hard to imagine that the American public has the slightest indication about the political stances of their candidates - aside from hate and general stupidity. What really stood out to me was an article I came across on The New Civil Rights Movement about an incidence involving Rick Santorum, giving a campaign speech at his alma mater, where a student reemed him out for his policies about same-sex marriage and homosexuality in general. Santorum, as you might also remember, has been throwing a tantrum because when you google his name a very vulgar yet incredibly hilarious description comes up - courtesy of Dan Savage.  The article discusses Santorum's, and other anti-gay activists, recent spell of whining about how the mean scary liberals, with their ever-ending supply of agendas, continue to cast such inspirations of reason and logic like himself, Michele Bachman, and others as bigots. Piers Morgan has called by Christine O'Donnell and Rick Santorum bigots on his show for their radical viewpoints. Rick Santorum says he would love his hypothetical gay son and then in the next breath stated that the Bible contains eternal truths and that homosexuality defies natural law and reason. 

How about this for a compromise. I will stop calling the O'Donnell's, the Bachmans, and the Santorums of the world bigots when the following happens. I will stop calling them bigots when the organizations that they support stop using fear tactics to convince the families of America that transgender individuals are waiting inside bathrooms to corrupt women and small children. I will stop calling them bigots when news anchors, who are responsible for delivering the news to America in an impartial refrain from cringing and practically vomiting on stage as they discuss Chaz Bono and what surgeries he has or has not gotten. I will stop calling them bullies preaching venomous vile when TV stars don't threaten to kill their son should he come out as gay or when a professional athlete, in a heat of frustrating moment, chooses to call a ref a fag. I pray for a world where 14-years don't feel broken-down due to incessant bullying and conclude that the only way they will find relief or peace is to end their life; I wonder what the bigots of the world pray for? Do they pray for a world where those bullies that drove a 14 year-old to end his life celebrate his death at a school dance? I wonder what other messages gay teen youth receive about their identity that they may or may not be struggling with? Conservatives are outraged that the gays have infiltrated comic books; heaven forbid the new bi-racial Spiderman might be gay and soon there will be a gay marriage in Archie. Of course they do not seem to be too concerned when actual gay soldiers in real life get booed by hateful individuals who have probably not seen a day of military service in their life. They were probably too busy kicking lesbians off of planes, citing that their public displays of love and affection, are lewd and well eventually lead to a full out lesbian orgy on the plane.

Dear bigots, you spout hate and judgement for a group of people and then fashion yourself the champion of the people and of Democracy. You rail against those sneaky liberals in Washington yet spoon-feed your constituents medically inaccurate information and sacrifice minorities for a few points on the poll. Your hatred influences the minds of Americans, because for whatever reason people have classified you as leaders, and your illogical prejudice provides them ample justification and reason to carry out their hatred. 

You can't get mad because people label you a bigot, for these are your true colors. Just as I let my big mother-fucking gay colors fly brightly everyday. 

As I am sure most of you know, Tracy Morgan - former SNL star who currently has a role on 30 Rock - made some crude and hateful homophobic remarks during a stand-up routine in Nashville. Some highlights from the "homophobic rant" - as it is now called - include such statements as:

1. Lady Gaga/Born This Way is complete bullshit because being gay is a choice and God don't make no mistakes

2. If his sons came home and told him they were gay, he would kill them

3. Bullied kids need to stop being pussies, man up, and kick the crap out of the people that are attempting to bully them.

Apparently a gay member of the audience went home from the show and shared on facebook his disgust with Morgan's set causing others to take notice. Fellow cast members disapproved of Morgan's sentiments but ultimately shared that Morgan does not truly feel this way and there is not a hateful bone in his body. Oddly enough, shortly after making such fervent remarks, Morgan has renounced his homophobic ways, is doing PSAs with GLAAD, and actively supporting gay marriage - so much so that he said that he would LOVE for his sons to come home and tell him that they were gay. Does this seem odd to anyone else?Taken from the Huffington Post

Now, I am full-figured, gay, ginger, drag queen and therefore can take and dish out jokes with the best of them. One of my favorite comedic all-stars is the brass and incredibly vulgar Lisa Lampanelliwho has a way of offending every single marginalized group in the world, without people being offended by it.  However, audience members present at the Nashville show relate that Morgan's demeanor and disposition changed when he got to this part of the set; he seemed angrier. So, from a casual observer as myself, it seems that Morgan truly has some hatred for queer people whether that hatred is conscious or subconscious. Also, that perhaps his atonement is a form of "damage control" knowing that many cast, crew and fans of 30 Rock are in fact queer. It seems a little too orchestrated and a little too inauthentic. I do not see how an individual can dramatically have such a shift in paradigm; I know from the social justice work I have done that that kind of hatred is formed over years of experiences and messages drilled into your brain and takes years to overcome your privilege and recognized the institutions of injustice in place. Morgan ended the piece by stating that because gay men can take a dick up the ass, they can take a joke. Well Mr. Morgan, I do both quite well, but there is a considerable difference between a comic making a joke about gay people appropriating the rainbow for our personal agenda and advocating for violence, death, and murder to gay people ... slightly different. In a time where gay suicide, gay bullying, anti-gay legislation, anti-gay rhetoric are still a part of the everyday landscape of America - and the world -, I cannot believe that Morgan would not take two seconds to think about the potential ramifications of his actions.

For example; while perusing articles about the incident, I noticed a number of comments that pitted African Americans against gay people - although people forget sometimes that there are gay black people, but that is another conversation altogether. Once again, it became a debate between who is the most oppressed minority group in the history of the God-forsaken world - as if this were a pageant with a tiara at stake. The fact of the matter remains is that human history is filled to the brim with one group oppressing another group whether through legislation, wars, genocide, imprisonment, slavery or feeding them to lions. However, what will the group win that proves that they in fact are the most oppressed? Do they get a gold star? Do majority populations take notice and say "woah, you really have been treated unfairly, we are so sorry".

I know that deep down Tracy Morgan is not a bad person; he is just a person who made a mistake, didn't think about what he was saying nor the impact that it would have on others. Unfortunately Mr. Morgan decided to make such mistake on stage in front a theater full of people. In the future Mr. Morgan, recognize your constituent base and not alienate the gays ... especially when the joke is not funny in the first place.  

This morning, a co-worker and I decided to take a morning walk – though it was 30 degrees and windy. In the midst of a great conversation about Princess Katherine’s magnificent dress at the Royal Wedding today, three shuttles drove past bearing the words “Have you heard the awesome news? The End of the World is Almost Here!” Apparently an assortment of fanatical religious cults has put down their cups of Kool-Aid and are now preaching that the end of the world is nearer than anticipated. Originally, I thought I had at least until 2012 until fire and brimstone began to rain from the heavens. I learned that these new groups think that Judgment Day is occurring on May 21^st while the actual Day of Destruction will occur sometime in the middle of October.

You have got to be kidding me. There is no way in hell that Judgment Day is taking place the day prior to my birthday. I don’t want to be in the midst of my birthday party, if and when, the good lord comes down from on high. I have this vision of me getting buck wild and freaky on the dance floor, mixing a martini in the mouth of a suave gentleman caller when God cuts in and stares down at me and ever so slightly shakes his head as he says “Oh Ginger”. At that point I would calmly remind God of his omniscient powers and state “Come on God, you and I both know this is not the worst thing I have done”.

I did some more research on the group in question making such allegations. I learned it is coming from a group called Family Radio, run by a man called Harold Camping. Harold’s predictions and prophecies for the fate of the world have included:

1. Harold Camping proclaimed the Lord's return would be in 1994!
2. Harold Camping now proclaims the Lord's return will be in October, 20, 2011!
3. Harold Camping taught that NO ONE was saved between 1988 through 1994!
4. Harold Camping teaches that the church age ended in 1994!
5. Harold Camping teaches that the Holy Spirit is NO LONGER working in the church!

After more scrolling I learned that “gay pride” is a sign from the good lord of the impending apocalypse – and once again it all comes back to the gays. I don’t care about “Family Radio” or their incessant need to send people into a blind panic about their salvation. We live in the city of Reno, why don’t we leave it to chance, take a little gamble, and see on May 21^stwho God condemns to an eternity in Hell. My question though is how these individuals manage to find the financial resources to purchase shuttle vehicles and billboards to spread their falsities. Are they receiving grants? Are people actually donating to the cause? Or do they happen to own some ridiculous business like Pizza Hut or Quiznos and that’s how they front all of their operations? Either way, I feel that as we get closer to 2012 the crazies are going to come out in force, each with a varying opinion on how or why the world is ending. Meh, I’m over it, if the world ends, it ends. However, if this plays out exactly like Y2K I will be pissed.