Thursday, April 30, 2009

Should People Who Discriminate Against Gay People Be Made Public?

The world is full of different people with different beliefs. What makes a society great is how well we manage to get along with each others and be productive. Just as Earth continues to spin and rotate around the Sun, never stopping to take a break on the 7th day, society continues to move and progress to new levels of thought and environment. As humans we are, or should be striving to become more knowledgeable and advanced in our decision making. It should not be the goal of a society to remain at a stand still point indefinitely.

Throughout history, civilizations have had to change their way of thinking and actions to adapt to the current realities of their time, either for acceptance or basic survival. This is a never ending truth. The gift of life was never designed to allow some people to become statues stuck in one place throughout time, or worst hoping to time travel back to a life that is long gone. This only happens in movies. We are where we are because we are suppose to be here. Even if you refused to move forward in life, that would not change your environment and reality. Your world around you would continue to change and you would eventually get old and die.

With that said, why do so many people continue to remain stuck in their reality and beliefs without even trying to think outside the box? Your reality is what you make of it, and your beliefs will not change unless you make the effort to learn something new. The problem with many discontent people is that they try too hard to change others without taking a good look in the mirror. Everyone has issues that are less than positive, but to live life thinking (or acting like) you are superior to others for self-esteem purposes or whatever excuse (family, religion, etc) is where true dysfunction thrives.

If you do not agree with homosexuality, that is fine with me. Just let me know and I will choose not to associate with you. I have a right not to be friends or converse with people that may not be beneficial to my reality. I have that choice, and so does the other person. But to be the type of person that chooses to mind other people’s business and try to stop their pursuit of happiness is a different type of person. This is the type of person that either lacks self-esteem, or is a narcissist that is only concerned with their feelings and lacks empathy for others. Either way, these are not the type of people we want making decisions for others in a productive, advancing civilization.

So if these type of people decide they want to make personal decisions for other people that have absolutely nothing to do with them, do they deserve the right to privacy? If someone says to you either directly or indirectly through a protest, ballot initiative, or a vote that he or she wants to decide what you do to your own body and how you chose to live your life, should that person at least be willing to identify himself? If that person feels they have the right to tell other people how to live or what they should believe in, should not that person at least have the confidence to publicly stand up for what they believe. They are in fact attempting to force their beliefs on others, and NOT the other way around.

KnowThyNeighbor.org has posted the names of thousands of Arkansas citizens who signed the anti-gay adoption and foster care petition in 2008. I wonder if, ironically, these are the same people who disagree with abortion. I am assuming that these petitioners are not waiting in line to adopt all these children with no home. Therefore, I guess it would be fair to say that these bigoted people would rather these kids grow up without a family than to be a part of a loving, supportive gay household. What great morals these people have, huh?

The group behind the amendment wants the Arkansas Legislature to pass a law to prohibit the release of the petitioners’ “personal information”. KnowThyNeighbor.org has previously posted online the names of hundreds of thousands anti-gay petition signers in Massachusetts and Florida. Tom Lang, the director behind the Massachusetts based organization says “This is about responsibility and dialogue. These petition signers need to stand behind their signatures and be responsible for this dehumanizing attack on the gay community. It’s disgraceful that they have chosen to exercise their prejudice at the expense of children…”

So should people who discriminate against gay people be made public? Well, that’s for you to decide. But, I’m willing to bet that if they were, there would be far less people signing petitions.

I wish you strength and enlightenment.

:) The Gay Mentor

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Civil Rights and Gay Rights

Hello All,

It’s going on 10:00 p.m. and I’m tired. Usually this is the time I am full of energy, but I haven’t had my nap today and I didn’t take an energy pill. I did do a boatload of household laundry and the yard today, so I did accomplished something. I try not to overwhelm myself if it isn’t necessary.

Despite my fatigue, I really wanted to get this blog out to you today. As a bi-racial, half African-American, gay woman, I feel that April 4th is a significant day in history. That was the date of Martin Luther King’s assassination over 40 years ago. Shortly after, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 marking the textbook year end to the civil rights movement.

Now, the exact year may vary depending on who’s answering, and some will argue that the movement is still an ongoing process. Sometimes it is hard to change a reality that existed for many years. Not many people like change, but after a while, people will get use to it. I find many similarities with the civil rights movement and the gay rights movement.

Both groups of minorities have had a difficult time finding equality in the “land of the free”. Just as African-Americans fought in wars defending this country and not getting equal treatment and respect in return, so have gay people. Just as interracial dating was once illegal, so was homosexuality. And just as many Americans of different backgrounds fought against the blatant prejudices that existed less than half a century ago for African-Americans, currently we have many people standing up for the gay community.

We are progressing as a nation. Not only is homosexuality no longer considered a crime, there are several states that have legalized gay marriage. Yesterday, Iowa became the third state to legalize same-sex marriages following Massachusetts and Connecticut. There are other states that allow civil unions, but that is not equivalent to marriage. As human beings and American citizens, we are fighting for the same rights as any other American citizen.

I think the most important thing to remember is that sometimes changing a system which is not reasonable takes a fight. There are different ways to fight for equality. A thing to remember is that it takes persistence. Not everyone may agree with you, but if you take the time to help people understand your perspective, you may just win a few people over. And with enough won battles, justice will prevail.

I wish you much peace and happiness.

:) The Gay Mentor

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Up and Running

Hello to All,

I am glad you stopped by to read my blog. This is my first entry, but definitely not my last. Since it is 4:00 a.m. and I have a veterinary appointment at 9:00, I won't make this post long. I just want to cover the basics to get you and me started on this wonderful journey together into gay awareness. Collectively, as a great society, we can educate and advocate for equality.

I am not sure how you found this page. Maybe you did a Google search and found this blog or my website, www.thegaymentor.com. You also could have heard my internet radio show on BlogTalkRadio and discovered more about me from there. Whatever your method, it is a pleasure to be able to offer you more information on homosexuality. My goal is to give you a better understanding of our perspective.

Of course, your feedback is always welcome here. Feel free to email me with any comments, questions, or possible future show topics. My shows are recorded LIVE on Monday nights, if you are interested in participating in the discussion or chat, and are archived and downloadable. I also plan to add another page to my website devoted to giving advice to people in need of help. Currently, my "Questions/Advice" page consists of many questions, my response, and some additional links/numbers to other organizations that may better assist your needs.

I wish you all the best. Now I need to get some sleep.

:)The Gay Mentor