Tubular . . . Wednesday: Thank you

Part 2: This wizened woman speaks in favor of the LGBT community. She recounts her own personal history with the gay community and how much everything that was being debated isn't JUST a gay thing, it is a human race thing. What resonates with me is how she describes those who are against and those who are for the community: the fearful side and the side willing to stand up. What side are you on?

- DeeCue

Tubular Tuesdays: Lincoln, whatcha thinkin'?

Oh, geez, Nebraska. I guess the upside to this video is that there was an actual hearing at all and the LGBT community wasn't just steamrolled and then swept under the proverbial rug. This old biddy decided to throw in her archaic two-sense. Clearly from the reaction of those two behind her, she isn't really making much of any sense - and she even had two. People, people? When are you gonna get it: we're here. We're queer. Shut the fuck up and debate something better. Get used to it, also.

- DeeCue

Sunday Tap

I'm not gonna lie: I took this story off of ManhuntDaily.com. They have some great stories.

They reported on Ryan Murphy, of Glee fame, and his new show "The New Normal," premiering on NBC - the one with the rainbow peacock. In it, he depicts two gay men played by Justin Bartha of The Hangover and Andrew Rannells of The Book of Mormon with a surrogate wanting to form a family, but more importantly validates the married gay couple. I am certain there will be arguments on both sides of the fence about this perpetuating gay stereotypes or this making breakthroughs in American cultural norms. Either way, it is up to Ryan Murphy to help dis-spell the hideous and highlight the good. But for god sake: make it funny? If you have another Curt Hummel running around, I will strangle the next twink who crosses my threshold . . . in a kinky, fetish way of course.

- DeeCue

Dignity

This is a re-post from a magazine I began writing for last year around this time. It coincides with my trip abroad.

I travelled over 3000 miles en route to Dublin this past July to go on a date with a guy I met on SCRUFF (an iPhone gay chat app) and we did the usual: movie, make out, and had sex.

We saw the critically acclaimed film "The Guard" starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. Set in the Emerald Isle, Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Gleeson) is an anything but orthodox Irish cop and Agent Wendell Everett (Cheadle) is an uptight US FBI agent in to investigate possible international drug smuggling by way of Ireland. The two make an unlikely pair with Everett's expertise in protocol and Boyle's expertise in life. Boyle's young, and straight-laced partner, Garda Aidan McBride (Rory Keenan), is murdered by the smugglers. It is later found out he is married to beautiful, non-Irish national Gabriela McBride (Catarina Cas).

While the movie's story-line involving Gleeson and Cheadle's on-screen chemistry was the craic (pronounced "crack" meaning "fucking good fun" in Irish), the tertiary plot that took place involving the McBrides' marriage was what sparked my interest. When Boyle made it his personal vow to find out what happened to his fallen partner in uniform, he interviewed McBride's wife who in total confidence revealed to Boyle that her husband was gay, but they did love each other. She married him for the VISA and he for the "dignity."

At that moment, my ears perked and my mind ran through a PowerPoint presentation of the relationship I have with the man sitting to my right who was holding my hand underneath a jacket, afraid someone might see. Vignettes of him looking around before stealing a kiss; pushing me away if I got to close in public; quickly straightening-up from lounging on the couch too closely when his roommate walked-in. For "dignity." The seeming culture of Irish men is to not express any emotion or any indication of problems that are essentially no one's business except their own - that is until they, because of their repression, develop an addiction to the pint, act on in abusive ways on others, or take their own life all for the sake of keeping their role as man and masculine.

In Ireland, up until 1993, it was illegal to be gay - so much for dignity. Finding this out from the Fodor's guidebook I purchased prior to my trek was one of the slides in that PowerPoint I was talking about. I remember reading it before I was boarding and thought it was an interesting point, but things made more sense as my time in Ireland with my beau for the next two weeks unfolded. Even though we went to the gay bars at night, it wasn't the same. The morning wasn't the same, in particular. My experiences range from The Castro, San Fran; to Chelsea, NYC; to Cedar Springs, Dallas. I wasn't used to not being affectionate in public with the guy I was fawning over. I'm not a big fan of PDA, but c'mon: does a tossle of someone's hair on the back of their head or a prolonged hug from a person of the same sex warrant stares, looks of disgust and fears of being bashed?

Our nation was built on the ideals of conservatism by the Puritans. So, I know the US isn't THE model country for equality and gay rights, but even still I take for granted the slow yet moving progression of LGBTQ rights here. I take for granted that in this area, or even this country, the LGBTQ community has made strides towards equality on the marriage front - congratulations, New York, by the way. Never will I feel pressured to marry a woman to fit in. Never will I have to play the pronoun game to hide my homosexuality. Never will I have to be ashamed.

Point of the conversation: I'm vowing to live as a proud, gay-American. You know, for "dignity."

- DeeCue

Tubular Tuesdays: Call Me Later

Aside from having this jam on my running/lifting playlist, Carly Rae's Jepsen's video to the addictive ditty "Call Me Maybe" never registered on my gaydar. Seriously though, who watches music videos anymore? I don't even know where to look. MTV plays reality crap. I can't find VH1 on the 500+ channels on my television. And Jukebox doesn't exist anymore. (Did I just reveal my age?) In any case, model Holden Nowell plays Carly's hot neighbor who doesn't really give her the time of day. Why? Just watch. If only this really happened in my world. I would play the guitar in my garage all the time.

- DeeCue

Sunday Tap

Earlier this week, President Obama had an interview on ABC News with Robin Roberts in which he affirmed he is personally in favor of same sex marriage. Previously, he had always been on the record for having opposition to the issue, but in the interview, he intimates that sitting around the dinner table with his wife, Michelle and his daughters, Sasha and Malia, his mind had evolved and his stance had changed. His daughters of the next generation don't see the big deal especially when their Girls Scout mom is a manager at the DC Home Depot and their choir leader is the Thursday night Drag Host at the Upside Down Stool. OK, kidding about those two things, but I'm sure it is true in some part of the country. But they get it, and the country needs to get it. Obama sees the need to not just allow visitation rights to change, but the country needs to change. Lest we forget that not 50 years ago, interracial marriage was illegal. The thought of it now is just crazy-talk. Earlier in the evening, before the interview was broadcast, Diane Sawyer reported that 61% of Americans under the age of 40 believe gay marriage is OK, yet 30 sates have banned gay marriage. Hm. Something is not right here. Get with it, America. Even the First Daughters get it. Mr President: you have my vote - again.

- DeeCue