The House of Manolo Blahnik Needs You!

Dear Friend:

By now, you have heard of the economic crisis in the United States and globally. The implications of the crisis have far reaching effects that have unfortunately and exponentially, impacted small indigenous groups who work tirelessly to improve the lives of our youth, our communities and our nation.

With a record $9 trillion US budget deficit, health, wellness and civic programs for youth as well as critical access to education are in jeopardy. Read more

Rosanne Barr Sounds Off on Prop 8

As they overwhelmingly supported America’s first chance to elect a person of color and strike a death blow to racism, they also went out of their way to misuse their votes. Read more

Brazil’s Intolerance Towards Gay Men

The religious right’s latest crusade against the LBGTQ community made me think quite a bit of Brazil and the problems that have been injected into Brazilian society by Catholicism (and Mormonism, which has grown sharply due to a barrage of Mormon missionaries). Read more

Crazy People and Woodwork

But the haters did get a victory in California. They convinced enough people that the LBGT community was enough of threat that they can’t get married anymore. Read more

To Straight People From Stirling Gardner

To all the straight dudes like me out there:

It’s the day before the election.

By the end of tomorrow, my best friend will know whether or not he can be legally married in the state of California.  And as the polls stand right now, it looks like he won’t be able to do that.  And that bums me out, brother.

If you told me when I was growing up that my best friend would be gay I’d have laughed in your face, maybe even punched you in it.  I grew up in a rural area of Maryland filled with mullets, acid wash jeans and the good ole boys that wore them both.  Hell, I was one of ‘em… part of me still is.  I went to Catholic school, a private university and didn’t know an openly gay person until I moved to Los Angeles.

I played “smear the queer”, called my friends “faggots” and if someone did something silly or stupid, I’d call him “gay”.  I simply had no frame of reference.  Perhaps if you are reading this, you don’t either and I can appeal to you in these final hours…

I know every single one of you (whether you are man enough to admit it or not) hopes to find your perfect partner… dare I say soulmate?  Personally, I have visions of finding “love at first sight”, going through the first stages of love where I can’t get enough of this beautiful woman, falling madly in love with her, marrying and living happily ever after where we both die peacefully in our sleep holding hands.

Guess what?  We aren’t the only ones that have those feelings.  Gay men and women have the exact same dreams that we do, because that is what PEOPLE do… dream.   We dream of what we want to be when we grow up, the kind of house we want to live in, where we are going to vacation and what our perfect relationship looks like.  And just like all of us straight guys where we prefer blondes over brunettes over redheads, there are some people that prefer others of the same sex.  That’s really all there is to it.  Believe it or not, they aren’t doing it to spite you.

I know that some of you who oppose same sex marriage want to make this into a huge deal where the door will be open for people to marry rabbits and aliens and anything else you can imagine, but the simple fact of the matter is, that argument doesn’t work.

My gay best friend doesn’t want to marry a rabbit any more than I do.  Or an alien for that matter.  (Although I would have sex with that hot alien chick on the new Battlestar Gallactica.)

I am in the entertainment industry and since moving to L.A., I have met hundreds of gay guys and I have to tell you all a secret… “Shhhh… they are people EXACTLY like you and me except they happen to like other dudes.” I know that seems weird to you.  It did to me too when I first moved out here, but since then I have observed them and taken notes and this is what I have found:

OBSERVATION OF THE GAYS:

1)    They have feelings just like you and me.  They experience love, hate, jealousy, disappointment and elation.
2)    Some of them actually have more successful relationships than we do.  Imagine that.  Two people in a relationship that actually works.  What would you give for that?  I’ve looked up to the sky and offered God ANYTHING for a successful relationship.  I’m still waiting and I envy ANYONE that can make that work.
3)    Gays are PEOPLE.  They are entitled to the same things all other people are: the right to vote, the right to free speech and should be afforded the right to marry one another.  It’s simply a matter of equality.
4)    Gays are generally clean.  This has nothing to do with anything, but I wanted to share ALL of the data with you.

My best friend is an amazing singer and one late night, we were hanging out with a few friends and he sang, “Loch Lomond” (look it up).  When he was finished, without even thinking about it, I said, “One day, I want you to sing that at my wedding.”  He was honored.

And then I started thinking about what honor I could bestow upon him to reciprocate.  And it hit me that I may never be able to do something like that for him if Prop 8 passes tomorrow.

I’ve seen him these last two weeks in the throws of a budding relationship and it has been a real education for me.  I’m not used to being this tight with a buddy who also happens to be gay and I have to say there are still things that open my eyes.

He’s in that beautiful, romantic phase of a new relationship where they want to spend every moment together. I’ve never seen him so happy.  So inspired.  And that makes me happy.  Although it is still hard for me to understand how he can be physically attracted to another guy (we’re loud, sweaty and not that smart), what I do understand and appreciate are the feelings.  And it is absolutely amazing to witness.

I hope he falls madly in love with this guy, they move in together and if they so choose, are allowed to marry one another in the eyes of the law and all of their “fabulous” party guests.  If that happens, I’m sure I’ll cry. (I’m a sucker for weddings).

And in the meantime, I’m going to remain positive and think about what I can do for him at his wedding.  It’s only fair.  As it looks between the two of them now, I better start taking guitar lessons tonight.

So from one bro to another, I’d like to ask this favor:  Please vote No on Prop 8.

Even if you don’t want to do it for the gay guys because you don’t know them, do it for me… a straight dude.

Because I really can’t stand having to owe anyone anything!

Thank you for reading this.

NO ON 8!

By: Stirling Gardner

Gay Relationships Don’t Work

Statistically, it CAN be said, on average, that gay relationships don’t last as long; especially between two men. Read more

Horses Patoot Salute

On September 24 I awarded the first Horse’s Patoot Salute to two youth baseball “coaches” in Michigan City, Indiana, Scott Kaletha and Mike Schwanke. These two men (who do not deserve to be called coaches) not only allowed team members to harass a 12 year old player with anti-gay slurs, the adults participated in the name-calling. They even defended their use of anti-gay slurs as “humor and joking” and “boys will be boys.”

Read more at ittakesateam.blogspot.com.

The Rosie Blog

The table’s set for Rosie O’Donnell’s holiday-season stab at reviving the variety genre.  NBC will air “Rosie’s Variety Show” live from New York on the night before Thanksgiving — Nov. 26 — at 8 p.m. Read more

The Harassment of LGBT Students

The largest ever survey of LGBT students in the USA has revealed that the majority regularly experience harassment as a result of their sexuality. Read more

National Coming Out Day!

Today is National Coming Out Day! It is my sincere hope that each of us will make the effort to do just that. I know there are many of us who feel we are completely out, but until the day we are accepted as part of “normal” society, we are not! Read more

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