IT'S ALL JUST A BLUR TO ME !!!
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citycraig's LiveJournal:
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| Sunday, October 3rd, 2010 | | 7:19 pm |
Spirit Day
Originally posted by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1) neo_prodigy at Spirit Day  It’s been decided. On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the 6 gay boys who committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes at at their schools. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality. Please wear purple on October 20th. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools. RIP Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh (top) RIP Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase (middle) RIP Asher Brown and Billy Lucas. (bottom) REBLOG to spread a message of love, unity and peace. | | Sunday, June 21st, 2009 | | 10:18 am |
| | Friday, November 28th, 2008 | | 2:23 pm |
Milk/Moscone Memorial Concert and March - TODAY 4pm at SF City Hall
Sorry about the short notice on this! Milk/Moscone Memorial Concert and March
When: November 28, 2008 - Friday
4 to 7 p.m.
Where: City Hall, San Francisco
What: Event commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the assassination of George Moscone and Harvey Milking featuring friends and family of George and Harvey and other surprise guests. This event also celebrates the 30th Anniversary of SF Gay Men's Chorus's first public appearance. Memorial concert at steps of SF City Hall 5 p.m twilight march from City Hall to the Castro. Co-sponsored by the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee and the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club.
Source: www.yelp.com | | Saturday, November 15th, 2008 | | 1:43 pm |
500 people at the Monterey Protest-H8 march and rally
Just got back from the protest here in Monterey (I'm down here for the weekend). About 500 people showed up. It was GREAT! We rallied at City Hall (where the original California Constitution was signed) and then walked through downtown and over to Monterey Beach. Hung out there with all of our signs for quite a while before returning to City Hall. 95% of the passers-by were giving us thumbs-up, honking and waving, etc. It was a wonderful experience. Salinas had a successful rally as well. YAY FOR OUR PEOPLE STANDING UP FOR OUR R IGHTS! | | 12:59 am |
| | Saturday, November 8th, 2008 | | 6:19 pm |
| | 9:28 am |
Anti-8 Protest - Sacramento - TOMORROW (Sunday, 11/9/08)
WHAT: Anti-prop 8 Protest
WHERE: The State Capitol, Sacramento
WHEN: Sunday, Nov. 9th from 1:00pm to 8:00pm
This will be BIG. Info has been circulating everywhere for several days about this. Please re-post and get the word out! | | Thursday, November 6th, 2008 | | 10:34 pm |
| | Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 | | 2:23 pm |
Andrew Sullivan on Prop 8 Today - Some calming words...
My Hunny emailed me this morning because he KNEW I was going to be sad when I woke up today. Some comforting words from Andrew Sullivan... -Craig
Heart-breaking news this morning: a terribly close vote has stripped gay couples in California of their right to marry. The geographic balance shows that the inland parts of California voted for the Proposition and the coast and urban areas voted against it.
Yes, it is heart-breaking: it is always hard to be in a tiny minority whose rights and dignity are removed by a majority. It's a brutal rebuke to the state supreme court, and enshrinement in California's constitution that gay couples are now second-class citizens and second class human beings. Massively funded by the Mormon church, a religious majority finally managed to put gay people in the back of the bus in the biggest state of the union. The refusal of Schwarzenegger to really oppose the measure and Obama's luke-warm opposition didn't help. And cruelly, a very hefty black turnout, as feared, was one of the factors that defeated us, according to the exit poll. Today this is one of the solaces to a hard right and a Republican party that sees gay people as the least real of Americans.
But I realize I am not shattered. My own marriage exists and is real without the approval of others. One day soon, it will be accepted by a majority. And this initiative in California can and will be reversed, as California's initiatives are much more fluid than those in other states; and the younger generation is overwhelmingly - 2 to 1 - in our favor. The tide of history is behind us; but we will have to work harder to educate people about our lives and loves and humanity.
It cannot be denied that this feels like a punch in the gut. It is. I'm not going to pretend that the wound isn't deep and personal, like an attack on my own family. It was meant to be. Many Obama supporters voted against our rights, and Obama himself opposes our full civil equality. The religious folk who believe that Jesus stood for the marginalization of minorities, and who believe that my equality somehow threatens their children, will, I pray, see how misguided they have become. And make no mistake: they won this by playing on very deep fears of gay people around kids. They knew the levers to pull.
But some perspective from someone who has fought this fight as long and as personally as anyone in this country. Twenty years ago, equality of gay couples was a mere idea. Forty years ago, it was a pipe-dream.
In the long arc of inclusion, we will miss our goals along the way from time to time. Today, we have full marriage rights in two states, we have many civil marriages in California that will remain in place as examples of who gay people really are, we have civil unions in many more places, and marriage rights in other parts of the world, as beacons to America. And this is a civil rights movement. It goes forward and it is forced back. The battle to end miscegenation took centuries. These are the rhythms of progress. Sometimes losing, and being shown to lose, shifts something in the minds of those watching as a small group is punished for daring to dream of full civil equality. In this battle we have already had far more defeats than victories. But each time, we have come closer to our goal. And in the hearts and minds and souls of so many, we have changed consciousness for ever.
California has full civil equality in law for gay couples. In time, full civil marriage equality - the only real measure of equality - will follow. And it will spread, state by state, more slowly now, and perhaps more organically from legislatures, rather than courts, which would not be the worst idea. And observing this backlash against us will reveal to many the cruelty of allowing majorities to take the rights of tiny minorities away.
If we had won this, this civil rights battle would be all but over. Now, it isn't. So we get back to work, arguing, talking. speaking, debating, writing, blogging, and struggling to change more minds. The hope for equality can never be extinguished, however hard our opponents try. And in the unlikely history of America, there has never been anything false about hope. |
| | Monday, May 26th, 2008 | | 12:18 pm |
| | 11:38 am |
| | 11:35 am |
I do NOT live in Iowa (someone of Bear411 stole my pic)
This is trippy... Today I was checking messages on Bear 411, and six people asked me if I'd moved to Iowa. I searched and found a profile there belonging to someone who is using MY pic and claiming to be me. I've never had this happen before. I reported his profile to Bear411 and sent him a message to tell him that what he's done is not cool. Any other suggestions? I'm kinda' freaked that someone would really do this. Current Mood:  uncomfortable | | Friday, April 11th, 2008 | | 11:07 pm |
Amazing Day!
What an amazing day! I can't believe how warm it is here, even tonight! I spent my morning writing the final chapter of the textbook I'm working on, and then I escaped to go meet a friend of mine, Ron, who was visiting from Philadelphia. I could not believe how beautiful it was outside! I had a great lunch with Ron. Nice to see him again. Then, I walked around the City and couldn't get enough of the weather! Everywhere I went there were people I hadn't seen for a while. It was SUCH a fun day. This evening Tom & I went to happy hour at the Edge. It was so much fun! Everyone seemed to be out since it was such an unbelievably warm evening. Damn, I wish we had more of these here. We walked home after dinner, and it was fascinating to see SO MANY people out-n-about! YAY for today! What a wonderful day this was! | | Wednesday, October 31st, 2007 | | 2:19 pm |
Another Earthquake
Wow, that was the third strongest quake I've felt since moving here in 1996. The biggest was the magnitude 6.5 Paso Robles quake of 2003 (THAT was a big one--scary too) and the other was the 6.0 Parkfield quake of 2004. Last night's was the first one I'd felt since moving to San Francisco from Monterey in 2005, however. I realized last night that there is a big difference between being in a 1-story building (like I was in Monterey when the 6.5 and the 6.0 both hit) versus being on the 6th floor of an 11-story building (where Tom & I live now). Once the quake had been going for a while last night, I realized that there is NOWHERE to run if a BIG one hits and I'm at home. Can't jump out off the balcony down to the ground... that would HURT!!! | | Wednesday, September 26th, 2007 | | 8:50 am |
20th Anniversary of Coming Out!
Twenty years ago today I came out. Actually, I was brought out. No telling how long I would have been neurotically buried in the closet if that cute guy hadn't come along, hit on me, and asked me if I was gay. No one had ever asked me that before. I remember freaking out and saying "NO!"... followed quickly by "maybe"... followed quickly by "YES!"... followed by "I don't know." Funny how much things have changed since 1987. I was 18 years old. There was next to NOTHING on TV about gay people. People were still very "hush hush" (I was living in Little Rock, Arkansas). Anyway, I BURNED DOWN THAT CLOSET DOOR and have been very much "out" ever since. Today I'm leaving work early to celebrate MY own Coming Out Day. And what better place to celebrate it than in the gay mecca? :-) Current Mood:  happy | | Wednesday, November 1st, 2006 | | 8:11 am |
People shot in the Castro - We were right there when it happened...
BLAM - BLAM - BLAM - BLAM - BLAM -BLAM! Six shots fired tonight just after 10:30PM. Apparently, seven people were hit by these shots. I can't believe I was right there when it happened. Richard was visiting from Monterey. We were both bitching about how it was nothing but STRAIGHT people... and rowdy, hateful ones at that. Then, we heard the shots fired right behind us. Stampede of running revelers... Now I'm home. Watched the news. Where do these fucking idiots come from? Now I understand what everyone means when they say to stay AWAY from the Castro on Halloween. The straight, ghetto people have ruined it for everyone. It really is a shame. Current Mood:  frustrated | | Monday, October 9th, 2006 | | 7:11 pm |
THIS is what it's all about...
Looking at my list of "things to do" today... Looking out the window at this PERFECTLY GLORIOUS day... Looking back at my list of things to do today... Tom just called me and said, "I hope you are not going to work on things all day". Ken just called me to ask if I was going to be out and about today. Sometimes when I wonder what the "point" of all of this is... a day like today appears! So much for working at home on the Columbus Day holiday... I'm going OUTSIDE!!!!! Current Mood: happy | | Sunday, July 30th, 2006 | | 1:10 am |
Lung Cancer?
Mom just told me Thursday night that Dad has something going on in his lungs and they think it is lung cancer. I, being great at the "denial" thing, decided to minimize this whole idea and not think about it right now. However, I spoke to Mom again today about this and she was SO upset that she paused and stopped talking a few times during our conversation. She cried. She is talking about moving back to Nebraska "when Dad dies", etc. This is really upsetting. She told me that she's been telling everyone that she will probably have to ask me to come home for a while to take care of things. Damn. I wonder if Dad is really going to die soon. I have never thought about this before. I came out to my dad in 2000 and he turned out to be very cool about it. This was a big surprise since he was such a stereotypical small town Nebraska redneck. Anyway, ever since I came out to him he has been a pretty good dad. I sure hope he is going to be okay. On August 15th they are going to do a biopsy. I'm afraid I will have a meltdown if the results are bad. | | Tuesday, June 6th, 2006 | | 11:22 pm |
Monterey Vacation
So I got a "nudge" from heypyro the other day to update my journal since I have not done so in forever. Things have been really busy for me since I finally escaped from Monterey and moved full-time to San Francisco. Without getting into all of it now, I'll just jot down a quick (yeah, right) journal entry to say what I'm up to right now.
This week I am down here in Monterey. I was asked to come down here and work at my former job at the Monterey County AIDS Project while our director is out having serious surgery (leg reconstruction). I'm here for a week, working out of my old office (where I still have my own desk, computer, phone, etc.), even though I left Monterey back in November. I've still continued doing consulting work with MCAP (mostly over the internet), so they've kept my workspace reserved for me... how nice. Next week I have to be back at City College of San Francisco since I am scheduled to work in my office there this summer.
I've been staying down here with my former partner Richard since Sunday night. That's pretty tough since I still love him in many ways. I miss him a lot, even though I was the one who left. And, it is an awkward situation to be back here in my Monterey home, looking around at many of my things that I left behind. When I left here I didn't want to take all of the things that I had acquired while Richard and I were together (for ten years) since Richard uses a lot of these things (the computers, dishes, etc.)... not to mention that we shared a lot of the same clothes too. I honestly don't remember which one of us owns a lot of this stuff anyway. Richard is such a sweet man. I really feel like a bad guy for having left him.
Anyway, I somehow have managed to continue to live TWO lives at one time... In San Francisco I have my new partner (we've been together now for over a year), my new job, new home, etc. Down here in Monterey I still hang on to my former job, my former partner, and my former home. I wonder how long I can continue to do this without having to run away from EVERYTHING?!
Anyway, that's it for tonight. Not much else to say. Tomorrow is going to be a long day and I have not been getting more than 5 hours of sleep per night since I got here. Wah wah! Time for bed pretty soon. :-) Current Mood:  nostalgic | | Friday, November 11th, 2005 | | 1:05 am |
Finally Escaping from Monterey
Wow... tonight is my last night in Monterey. Tomorrow I am moving to San Francisco FULL-TIME and will no longer be living in two cities at one time. I've been in Monterey for almost TEN years, working at the same job for almost TEN years, and living with the same partner/roommate for almost TEN years. Tomorrow I am moving in with my NEW partner, Tom. Next week I start my NEW job. I am FINALLY getting out of here! I've learned a lot about myself over the past several months. I realize now that I have a hard time letting go... especially of PEOPLE. In all the times that I've talked about leaving Monterey, I never thought about what that meant for Richard and me. I have been losing sleep over this for weeks... especially THIS week. 'Nuff said about that. Letting go of my job at MCAP has not been easy either. In fact, I am still hanging on as best as I can. I have agreed to continue working with MCAP as a subcontracted grant proposal writer/editor and part-time program director. Almost all of this will be done via the internet, so I won't have to drive the 240 mile round trip to and from Monterey very often. I have committed to working with the agency for World AIDS Day and other events. That way I will get a chance to say "goodbye" to more people AND help MCAP at the same time. Also, I am going to work in the office for two weeks at the end of the year (program reporting time). How I am going to juggle all of this is beyond me, but I know I can do it (and STILL manage to celebrate during the holiday season). Anyway, today was my "going away" luncheon in Monterey. That was kind of tough. I am really going to miss my co-workers. They are some really great people. It was also kind of strange to hear people mention that I am the LAST ONE left at MCAP from the "original team". Hmmm. All right. I have packing to do. I'm leaving most of my stuff here in Monterey until I have a chance to figure out what to bring to SF and what to give away. Moving is not easy. Tomorrow Tom and I will begin celebrating my long-awaited relocation by hitting happy hour at the Edge!!! I can't wait! Current Mood: reflective |
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