Boston FLAG Football team = wicket hot dancers

Just thought I would share this. I’m intrigued since I have met a few of the guys in and around my beautiful city.

Full up on feed overload.

Let’s break down the problem – I have WAY too many feeds that I subscribe to. I enjoy them; I really do. Still, the duplicates are starting to get overwhelming, particularly on the ‘high news’ type of days (Loss in Maine, Attack of the Cowardly Lion in NY, Adam Lambert, Levi Johnson…)

I don’t know how to tackle it. I’m like a child in a candy store… or a sex addict in a porn shop.

Here’s a list of my current feeds you may find interesting:

- Gay news daily: Towleroad.com – “Hot blog”–Newsweek

http://feeds.towleroad.com/towleroad/feed

12/8/08: 365gay news – A gay affair gone bad | Logo Online

http://www.logoonline.com/rss/hpVideos.jhtml

247Gay.com – Gay News Online Community – Gay News – Gay Information

http://www.247gay.com/rssfeed.xml

About.com Gay Life

http://z.about.com/6/g/gaylife/b/rss2.xml

Adam & Andy

http://feeds2.feedburner.com/AdamandAndy

AfterElton.com – Because visibility matters

http://feeds.feedburner.com/AfterElton

AfterElton.com blogs

http://www.afterelton.com/blog/feed

AMERICAblog Gay | A great people deserve their rights

http://gay.americablog.com/feeds/posts/default

Ask Barack about gay issues | News Story on 365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/feed/

Atom – All New Videos

http://dextr.mtvnservices.com/partner/rss/atom/full.jhtml

Average Gay Joe

http://averagegayjoe.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Awkward Boners

http://www.awkwardboners.com/feed/

Baltimore Gay Life – Maryland’s LGBT Community Newspaper – Full Feed

http://www.baltimoregaylife.com/bm~feed.xml

Beautiful Guys

http://funfotoguy.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Best Gay Blogs

http://www.bestgayblogs.com/feed/

Big Gay News

http://biggaynews.com/feed

Big Queer Blog -Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender (LGBT)

http://www.bigqueer.com/index.php?/feeds/index.rss2

Blabbeando

http://blabbeando.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Box Turtle Bulletin

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/feed

boxers or briefs update

http://www.boxers-or-briefs.com/index_files/blogRSS.php

boy culture

http://boyculture.typepad.com/boy_culture/atom.xml

Cisoto Fotos 2.0

http://feeds.feedburner.com/cisotofotos

Confessions of a Bareback Top

http://confessionsofabarebacktop.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

http://contributingeditor.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Definition of a Man

http://feeds.feedburner.com/DefinitionOfAMan

Dude Flesh

http://www.dudeflesh.com/atom.xml

Ethan Says

http://www.ethansays.com/atom.xml

Fantasies Of a Virgin

http://emylnmen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Fantasticsmag – Where Style and Culture meet in a T-Bone Collision

http://www.fantasticsmag.com/rss.xml

Fit sports men

http://fitsportsmen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: Analysis: Gay Marriage Ban …

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/feeds/posts/default

Frontlines, The SLDN Blog

http://feeds.feedburner.com/sldnblog

Gay & Lesbian Rights News – Human Rights Today

http://humanrights.einnews.com/rss/archive/lesbian_gay_rights

Gay and Lesbian Times

http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/rss/

Gay Body Blog

http://gaybodyblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Gay Dream Blog

http://gaydreamblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Gay News Bits

http://gaynewsbits.com/feed/

Gay News Blog

http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml

Gay News from Gay Agenda – GayAgenda.com

http://www.gayagenda.com/feed/

Gay News Watch | Home

http://www.gaynewswatch.com/rss.cfm

Gay News — Blogs, Pictures, and more on WordPress

http://wordpress.com/tag/gay-news/feed/

Gay Religion: news of religion and GLBT folks

http://gay-religion.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Gay Republic Daily :: international Gay news

http://gayrepublic.org/backend.php

Gay Rights Watch

http://blog.gayrightswatch.com/feed/rss/

Gay Travel:

http://lgbttravel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Gay TV Blog

http://www.gaytvblog.com/atom.xml

gay.com Gay Dating, Chat, Personals, News, Local Events, and …

http://www.gay.com/news/rss.do

Gay/Lesbian News

http://rss.topix.net/rss/news/gay.xml

GayPatriot

http://www.gaypatriot.net/feed/

GayPolitics.com

http://www.gaypolitics.com/feed/

Gays Without Borders

http://gayswithoutborders.wordpress.com/feed/

glaadBLOG.org

http://feeds.feedburner.com/glaadblog

Guys Next Door

http://guysnextdoor.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

http://holybulliesandheadlessmonsters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

homo-neurotic

http://www.homo-neurotic.com/feed/

HomoShame

http://homoshame.com/rss

Homotography

http://homotography.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Homotrophy | Sexy gay blog | Hot Men | Male Models | Fashion

http://www.homotrophy.com/feed/

HRC Back Story

http://feeds.feedburner.com/HrcBackStory

Hunk du Jour

http://feeds.feedburner.com/hunkdujour

Independent Gay Forum -

http://feeds.feedburner.com/igf

Independent Gay Forum – CultureWatch

http://www.indegayforum.org/rss.xml

InterstateQ.com

http://www.interstateq.com/feed/

jimbo.info

http://www.jimbo.info/weblog/atom.xml

Joe. My. God.

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Just Beautiful Men

http://justbeautifulmen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

KYLE’S BED & BREAKFAST

http://kylesbnb.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Law Dork

http://lawdork.net/feed/

lgbtQnews – nw_gaynews

http://feeds.feedburner.com/seaqwa/qblog

ManChic

http://www.manchic.com/manchic/atom.xml

Mens rag

http://mensrag.com/feed/

Men’s Underwear Blog

http://www.mensunderwearblog.com/feeds/posts/default

Metacafe – Gay Videos by Metacafe

http://www.metacafe.com/tags/gay/rss.xml?ff=off

Mombian

MyOutSpirit.com Gay Spirituality Blog

http://gayspirituality.typepad.com/blog/atom.xml

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force – building LGBT political power from the ground up

http://www.thetaskforce.org/rss.xml

National News – Washington Blade

http://feeds.feedburner.com/WashingtonBladeNationalNews

NCLR Blog: Out for Justice

http://nclrights.wordpress.com/feed/

NEW GAY TRAVEL GUIDE

http://newgaytravelguide.com/atom.aspx

NewNowNext

http://www.newnownext.com/rss.xml

NewNowNext Blog: Gay Pop Culture, Entertainment News, Music …

http://www.newnownext.com/atom.xml

OHLALA Mag

http://www.ohlalamag.com/en/atom.xml

Out.com Features | Fashion, Style, Celebrity, Opinion for the Modern Gay Man

http://feeds.feedburner.com/OutComFeatures

OutNext by Steph & Alek

http://www.outnext.com/on/atom.xml

Pink Paper News

http://www.pinkpaper.com/rss/pinkpapernews.asp

PinkNews.co.uk

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Pinknews

Popnography

http://www.popnography.com/atom.xml

Queer Beacon

http://queerbeacon.typepad.com/queer_beacon/atom.xml

Queer Conservative

http://queer-conservative.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Queer! – This comic is SO gay!

http://queer.comicgenesis.com/rss.xml

Queers United

http://queersunited.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

QueerSighted

http://www.queersighted.com/rss.xml

Queerty

http://feeds.feedburner.com/queerty2

Restoring Love

http://www.restoringlove.com/feeds/posts/default

SFGate Features: Gay & Lesbian

http://www.sfgate.com/rss/feeds/gay.xml

SHIRTLESS PERFECTION

http://shirtlessperfection.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

STFU Gays

http://stfugays.tumblr.com/rss

Tattooed Hunks

http://tattooedhunks.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

The Bilerico Project

http://www.bilerico.com/bilericorss.xml

The Gist

http://signorile2003.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

The Latest – Washington Blade

http://feeds.feedburner.com/WashingtonBladeTheLatest

The underwear power

http://the-underwear-power.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Too Sexy for my Shirt

http://noshirts.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Truth Wins Out » Blog

http://www.truthwinsout.org/category/blog/feed/rss2/

Twitter / AxedaSupport

http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/47656248.rss

Underwear News Briefs – A Men’s Underwear Blog

http://underwearnewsbriefs.com/?feed=rss2

UnderwearFanatic.com – Men’s Underwear & Swimwear Blog

http://www.underwearfanatic.com/underwearfanaticcom/atom.xml

Undie Fan

http://undiefan.com/blog/?feed=rss2

VGL | Hot Men. Sexy Kultcha.

http://vglmen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Video: Wisecrack

http://feeds.feedburner.com/VideoWisecrack

Washington Blade BladeWire

http://feeds.feedburner.com/WashingtonBladeBladewire

Washington Blade Blog

http://www.washblade.com/rss/xmlB2.cfm?blog_type=Blog

Washington Blade BlogWatch

http://www.washblade.com/rss/xmlD2.cfm?blog_type=BlogWatch

We Love Guys

http://www.weloveguys.net/feeds/posts/default

WetBoxersGuy

http://wetboxersguy.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Wonkette : Anti-Gay Marriage Ad: Keep Filthy Queers Out Of Our …

http://wonkette.com/tag/top/feed

youtube :: top rated

http://youtube.com/rss/global/top_rated.rss

YVY MAG – www.yvymag.com

http://www.yvymag.com/feed/

Seriously… I subscribed to “Awkward Boners”…. so NSFW…

Any advice on how to solve this particular problem? Any would be welcome.

Government of the people, by the people, for the people… really?

I was there when history was being made.

Granted, I wasn’t on the front lines leading the charge, but I didn’t just sit around and leave it to others to stand up for me.  Protesting, lobbying my elected officials personally, marching with fellow people of faith… I was there when history was being made.  The entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts, not just gays and lesbians, were the beneficiaries of the legislature’s decision not to allow ourselves to vote on an undeniable, fundamental civil rights issue–the protection of equal marriage for all citizens without regard to anything–first race, and now gender.

I showed up.  But my part was not to cast a ballot.  And, in my belief, neither should yours.

Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree counts votes Tuesday as state lawmakers in Augusta decided whether to approve a same-sex marriage bill.

I was ‘there’ as well last Tuesday, watching live streaming video of the floor debate and vote, when the stage shifted to Maine, as their House of Representatives voted 89 to 58 in favor of equal marriage.  Their Senate followed suit on Wednesday, passing the bill by a vote of 21 to 13.  And minutes later, Maine Governor John Baldacci signed LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom, into law.

The Governor made these statements in a news conference:

“In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions.  I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.”

“Article I in the Maine Constitution states that ‘no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person’s civil rights or be discriminated against.’”

“This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs.  It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees.  Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State.”

“It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine’s civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.”

Maine became the 23rd state as a result of the Missouri Compromise in 1820.  Up until then, it was the territory of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Unfortunately, our process of vetting people’s referendums through the legislature didn’t travel along with the secession…

“Even as I sign this important legislation into law, I recognize that this may not be the final word,” Governor Baldacci said. “Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people.”

There is a reason that our government was not modeled a direct democracy.  And this is exactly why.  A formal challenge to the new law has been filed, solidifying plans for a possible vote by the electorate.  The deadline for Maine opponents to collect at least 55,087 signatures will probably fall in mid-September, almost the same time Maine marriage becomes legally equal.  The referendum can then be scheduled for this November or June 2010.  And then the people could decide.

Governor Baldacci signs LD 1020

The Roman Catholic Diocese vowed almost immediately after the Maine House approved the bill that they would be spending large sums of money to launch the opposition if the governor were to sign it into law.  And he did.  Coincidentally, hours later a vote by the New Hampshire legislature authorized gay marriage in that neighboring state as well, awaiting their own governor’s approval.  The big fight is on.  Becoming the fifth state legislature to affirm equal marriage, Maine joins Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa and Vermont in allowing same-sex unions. Undoubtedly new battlegrounds will continue to emerge, and we must pray that leaders have enough clarity and fortitude to take the right action as those in the Maine House and Senate, and Governor Baldacci.

“While the good and just people of Maine may determine this issue, my responsibility is to uphold the Constitution and do, as best as possible, what is right. I believe that signing this legislation is the right thing to do,” he said.

While I do believe the people of Maine are indeed good and just, I just hope that if presented with the choice, they make the right decision.  Because even if they do choose rightly, they should never be presented with that choice in the first place.  Perhaps, along the way, a part of this civil rights campaign should be to correct the mechanisms built into the system that could very well subvert it.

JR4RJ

Aruba is the place to be

I am really loving Aruba.  Negative side: my feet hurt and I have red shoulders.

Positive side: good food and family.

Extra negative: I miss my routine, my friends, and my man.  Back to Beantown on Monday.  I’ll post again after that.

Maine Representative’s moving speech for gay marriage, Maine.

Excellent debate happening at this moment in the Maine Legislature. Currently, an older female representative is very moving (crying at the microphone):

“The only argument I have against this bill is economics. I don’t know how, on my small salary, how I am going to afford the sheer number of wedding gifts that I am going to have to buy.”

Very moving.

Marriage equality is the civil-rights issue of our generation. I cannot begin to thank all of those politicians and protesters in conservative states who are putting their careers and their reputations on the line in order to extend equal rights and equal recognition among all citizens of this great country.

Full of hope, I recognize that this civil rights movement should be resolved in less than ten years, as the opposition retires, dies off, and passes the torch to a new generation of young people who are more tolerant, accepting, intelligent, and motivated for success.

Quote of the day

“We need to take a big gay suppository and shove it up the ass of right-wing, religious America. Maybe then, they’ll loosen up a bit.”

“Let them vote on marriage” flaw

I hear this all the time. “Let the people decide whether or not they want gay marriage in their state”.

In correct analysis, the minority of people who are gay and support gay marriage or who are straight and support gay marriage recognize that it is a civil right’s issue. It is a minority asking for civil rights. Civil rights issues where the minority cannot win in an outright vote by themselves should not be raised in a vote. If that were the case, we would still not have legal divorce, legal bi-racial marriage, legal minority voting laws. If it were raised in a vote, we would still have slavery.

In this instance, it is the responsibility of the government, either through the courts or state/federal congress to recognize and protect the minority despite the attitude of the majority.

It is correct that the laws enacted in support of gay marriage should contain clauses to protect religious organizations from legal action, should they so decide not to perform gay marriage ceremonies in their private establishments. Still, if they are receiving government assistance of tax cuts based on an understanding that their facilities can be used for public use, they run the risk of losing those tax cuts or funding if they deny public use based on sexual orientation, race, creed, religion, or nationality.

What most anti-gay marriage supporters fails to recognize is the difference between sacramental/religious marriage and civil marriage. To legalize same-gender marriage does not mock heterosexual marriage in any way, shape, or form. In requesting the rights entitled to marriage and requesting the definition of marriage to be changed on a legal level to be gender-neutral in order to accord the same rights to all individuals, making this a truly free nation.

In this instance, it is not the 5% (it’s actually closer to 10% + supporters = 40%) telling the 60% opposed, but rather the 5% fighting for equal civil rights and the acceptance and recognition as anything other than second-class citizens.

In this instance, here are a list of civil rights that same-gender marriage would allocate to homosexual couples:
- Right to serve as medical proxy
- Right to file for Family Medical Leave Act to care for partner
- immigration rights for same-gender partner
- Right to assume parental rights of children when brought to family through birth, adoption, surrogacy, or other means
- Right to share joint property
- Right and entitlement to family-related social security and retirement benefits
- Right of property inheritance
- Right to extend health coverage for same-gender partner

It is obvious that the message of “tolerance” (“Live and let live”) is not enough, since the current understanding of tolerance in roughly 40 out of 50 of the states in the union have current law and legislation treating monogamous same-gender couples as second-class citizens, somehow deserving of less rights simply because a man falls in love with and is sexual attracted to another man or a woman falls in love with and is sexually attracted to another woman.

This has very little to do with religion and, in a society that has been built on the separation of church and state (the recognition that all people of all walks of life who seek peace, prosperity, and happiness are deserving of freedom from persecution), a handful of religions should not have a direct impact on the prevention of core legal and civil rights from a minority of peoples simply because they disagree with a part of who those people are.

My closet door was blown up, atomic-bomb style.

I consider myself a relatively organized person. While I don’t keep a schedule or can never find what I am looking for in my own bedroom/living room/office (curse urban living), I am very task-oriented. Coming out displayed the utmost organization. I had a plan.

My coming out story is an interesting one to tell. It isn’t so much different than other young men and women my age who undergo the same tribulation, but worth telling, none-the-less. If only in hope to inspire another individual to take that next step, or weigh the consequences and possibly wait a little longer, I am telling this story.

It all started with a feeling. Every day that went by, living two lives (one for me, one for everyone else), I felt like I was losing bits and pieces of myself. Eventually I was a point where I felt as though I had lost myself, altogether. I would make up cute little stories. Lance became Faith, Mike became Michelle, etc. etc.

I decided I couldn’t do it anymore. It’s challenging enough to live one life, none-the-less two. Schedules, work, play, all needed doing without the need to bend the truth and transform yourself into a proverbial Two-face.

Decided oust myself, once and for all. Here are the steps I took:

1) Tell myself in the mirror, multiple times.
2) Play the ropes with a friend you know would be supportive. In private is best. This’ll be the hardest person (minus immediate family) to tell. I told my best friend, but first told her “I have something to tell you, and it might take me anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours to do so, so be patient”.
3) Tell a supportive cousin over a nice lunch.
4) Tell an even more supportive sibling. I didn’t run the risk of being bitch-slapped by a bible (not the pocket version, but the massive household family versions).

Here I was, about 20 people knew and all great reactions. I then made the blessed mistake of telling someone with a metaphorical glass-skull, which soon resulted in talking with about 30 people over the phone, all family, all accepting, all interested in knowing what I’ve been up to for the past few years. Yes, that’s right. My closet was blown up, atomic-bomb style. The fallout afterwards was not received well, but managed fabulously. It feels so good not to have to hide certain aspects of my life in shadows.

In the end, I lost a little ground with some people, gained much more ground with others, and am no longer feeling guilt, shame, solidarity, or hesitation. During the entire process, I wrote this, entitled “Cleansing Abyss”:

Standing with heels on the edge of a cleansing precipice,
I recognize that I must no longer look back.
Leap of faith, the abyss consumes me.
Light and sound, smell and taste
all merged into one sense-stream.

While falling, I look forward and recognize the earth shrinking.
Gravity reversed, I am as a bird in the sky,
free to live off little while soaring into the heavens.
Free to live off little, the weight of the black collapses upon itself.

Needs fulfilled, I want for nothing. I’ve never wanted for anything.
I am an instrument of a greater Maker, recognizing
truth, hope, faith, love, charity.
I am an instrument of a greater Maker, understanding
I am a pencil; He is the writer.

The story unfolds, days of my life unravel mystery:
I am not who I once saw in the mirror.
I recognize that in looking back, the mirror was merely a window
into a world that I thought I had:
Imagination, hollow men and women, a world of masks.

I stand here, brow smooth and skin soft.
My mask has been broken by the precipice.
My Me is exposed, my Self is naked.
In full exposure, I am revealed.
In full exposure, I am beautiful.

Landing softly among the stars, I shine
like a child, just given the light.
Landing softly in the Cosmos, the light
of my heart glows ever bright,
only absorbed by those who shine the same.
Surrounded by familiars, I am content.

It is so beautiful outside

/end post

The state of Maine…

As thousands of people gather in the Augusta Civic Center in Maine to attend the beginning of the public hearings regarding same-sex marriage legislation, I begin to wonder whether Maine will uphold it’s stereotyped “outsider” mentality.

Everyone who calls themselves a New Englander has been to Maine, myself included. I was received warmly by some, but treated as an outsider by others…. a stranger… not deserving of trust. I flatter myself quite the rebel.

Still, with Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and soon to be Rhode Island and potentially New Hampshire, Maine is in a dangerous position to be the bully on the block. What I begin to find in gender-neutral marriage legislation in America is a common trend (or should I say, threat): Overwhelming support or majority support in the Senate and House, but instantaneous veto by conservative governors.

I would like to continue to think that New England is on the forefront of civil rights in this country, if it weren’t for men like Governor Jim Douglas to stand in the way.

Right now, though, we’re down to the great race: New Hampshire or Maine could be the next two states in the union to pass gender-neutral marriage legislation. Why, then, is Rhode Island the slow kid on the block?