Eddy Barrena is taking pop seriously

A number of my friends and acquaintances are performers who use their recognizability to promote social and political causes. It's fun to share both the art they create as well as their advocacy.

I'll admit that when I first became aware of Eddy Barrena, it was not in his role as an advocate/activist for LGBTs and Latino youth. It was his performance in the breakthrough 2010 "Ice Cream Truck" music video by out, gay Manhattan rap performer Cazwell that got my attention.

Cazwell's unapologetically sexy video turns the tables on the stereotype of a (heterosexual) rapper flanked by a seeming harem of scantily-clad, attractive young women. Instead Cazwell populates our screen with his visual ideal. The video was simple to the point of simplistic, yet radical at the same time. Holding court center-rear (in this pic) is Eddie Barrena.

Eddy grew up in Spain and Colombia, where he studied filmmaking in college. As soon as he was able, he packed his things and moved to New York City, where he started work on his first short film upon arrival.

It wasn't hard to make ends meet. The modeling business embraced Eddy, and work in print campaigns and as a go-go dancer led him to Cazwell and being signed as one of the "Ice Cream Truck" boys. The rest is YouTube viral history.

Now, Eddy's finding his own voice, not only as a musician, but as a filmmaker and activist. Eddie has participated in the NOH8 Campaign, shooting a portrait and speaking out for acceptance of LGBTs and youth in particular.

In the studio, Eddy delights in creating shimmery, catchy pop music.You can check out his first single State of Grace on iTunes and follow Eddie on Facebook.

On Veteran's Day, do you stand for what America stands for?

In the 50s and 60s, conscientious white Jews and Christians stood with African-Americans in their struggle. In the following decades, conscientious labor unions, the NAACP and others stood with gays in our struggle. Today, conscientious 1%-ers and unions stand with the 99% in their struggle.

These movements are very different. But they share one important commonality -- coalition. Sweeping social change can come only through coalition.

Muslim-Americans are increasingly facing withering criticism and discrimination. I believe their struggle is the next big American rights challenge. Today, Veteran's Day, in Tennessee, there is an ABSURD "Anti-Shariah Law" conference going on. A string of speakers have addressed a rabid crowd, including a former FBI officer who insists that people who choose to worship Allah "do not have a First Amendment right to do anything." 


The Tennesseean newspaper saw this coming and wrote about it in July.

On this Veteran's Day, when we memorialize American service members who laid down their lives defending the rights of free speech and religious expression, do YOU stand with the anti-Muslim fear-mongers or the freedom fighters? When it's time to build coalition and support our American Muslim brothers and sisters, where will you be?

The REAL face of the Anti-SB48 Campaign

Typical example of  anti-SB48 messaging.

Those trying to overturn California’s Fair Education Act have churned out propaganda pieces full of stock photos of bright-faced fake parents and children who are (allegedly) at risk for gay "indoctrination."

 But a more accurate picture in this discussion, one of the realfaces of who's opposing SB48, is that of Reverend Louis Sheldon.

His organization, The Traditional Values Coalition, is listed as a hate group by The Southern Poverty Law Center.

Sheldon held a press conference yesterday in Orange County. Unfortunately for him and the anti-SB48 forces, ZERO reporters or real-life supporters showed up. Perhaps this is indicative how how much support the extremists actually have?

It's a fascinating, creepy, must-watch video:

Note how Sheldon uses the standard anti-LGBT talking points (which in this case are flat-out lies.) "You're messing with the children," he says and references sexual material being taught to 5- and 6- year-olds. Then, as soon as he’s challenged by the Courage Campaign questioner, he gets agitated and walks his claim back – because it’s a lie, he knows it’s a lie, and it can’t stand up to even the slightest of scrutiny. 

Then, when asked about representation of a list of specific heroic Americans who were LGBT, he even more angrily dismisses the line of questioning, as it cuts through the frail logic of his position:

"You're on one track," he growls, having run out of ammunition, then rattles a bit further and ends the session with a final comment on "they gay agenda" and skulks off.

Yes, good Reverend, the questioner IS on one track, and it's the track of truth.

For more, visit Prop 8 Trial Tracker.

For more on Traditional Values Coalition's hate activities, including their anti-LGBT, anti-Muslim, and anti-tolerance activities, read the SPLC Fall 2011 report here.

That's Not Funny!

This morning, after a series of minor gaffes like spilling coffee on myself and forgetting my own cell number, I composed the following tweet:

Today, I embrace my inner Mongoloid.

As I played with the phrasing --"Today, I ..." or "God, grant me the serenity to accept  my own.." -- I realized this tweet might be offensive to both people of Mongolian decent as well as those facing Down's Syndrome and its challenges. So the tweet ended up on the scrap heap. But it started me thinking.

There may be a few among us who have never posted a Facebook update/comment or tweet and later regretted it (or thought one up and had the good sense NOT to share it.) The rest of us are not so lucky or self-disciplined. Some of our messages are genuinely funny or insightful, but inappropriate for one reason or other -- they are unnecessarily offensive to an individual or group, or have an unintended double-meaning, that sort of thing. Other times we are mad or drunk or tweeting post-Ambien or in a hurry or ... and we post something regrettable.

So I had this idea -- Ask my Twitter and FB friends to share their awkwardness! I'm looking for either things you've posted and regretted (after we came to our senses or someone(s) told you you were being asshole-ish and needed to check yourself ... or things you, at the last minute, had the good sense NOT to post. And here's how we'll do it: all comments on this blog are moderated. 



So I invite you to send me your gems as comments. Then, I'll strip your name and post the "best of" anonymously in a follow-up blog, however off-color or misanthropic they might be. The only no-nos are inciting violence, libel, or swipes at named people not in the public eye. This should be fun. Have it it, kids.


CLICK BELOW TO SEND ME YOUR BEST/WORST!

CA Gov Brown Vetoes Westboro Funeral Protest Bill

On Wednesday, California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed SB888, a bill that would make it a crime for protesters to disrupt a funeral and keep protesters 1,000 feet back from mourners. The bill was passed almost unanimously by the CA Legislature in response to protests by the Westboro Baptist Church. The Kansas-based congregation has a history of colorful, vocal demonstrations at events they feel condone or promote homosexuality, which in their view is in direct contrast with the will of God.

Brown's office told UPI that the Governor opposes offensive actions by protesters, but acknowledges a recent 8-1 U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing Westboro's protest of the funeral of a fallen U.S. soldier, and feels SB888 violates that decision.

Westboro targets servicemembers' funerals because, in the church's view, those soldiers were fighting to defend a nation and culture steeped in homosexuality, and therefore doomed.

Another reason for such protests is they almost guarantee Westboro a slot on the evening news and in the cable news channels' daily churn. For an otherwise inconsequential group like Westboro, this media attention is lifeblood. It keeps them in the headlines, and gives them fodder for lawsuits, several of which have proven lucrative for the organization. Clearly, Westboro has found its niche.

Brown's veto is not happy news for the CA Assembly, LGBT people and our rights organizations, the families of servicemembers, and those who beg for civil discourse. It's good news for Westboro and for civil libertarians who view First Amendment free-speech as sacred.

I have repeatedly found myself in the position of decrying Westboro's vitriol while defending their right to voice and promote the message. I've learned a lot in the process, and have had a fascinating dialogue with members of Westboro even as we have publicly sparred. There are many ironies here, and I intend to explore them in a web/magazine piece I've been gradually efforting for a few months with Westboro's cooperation.

One irony? For all the hatred, profanity and denigration Westboro heaps at the feet of gays, they're often out-zinged by the antipathy and hatred gays lob back. Westboro says "God Hates Fags" and warns of an eternity in hell. Meanwhile, a number of my gay brethren actually ideate or advocate physical harm against Westboro members. "I wish you were dead" is not an uncommon thing to see directed at Westboro in a Twitter feed or a Facebook page.

Is it our role to protect society from the potentially poisonous speech of the few? In some cases, no. So says the U.S. Supreme Court in regard to Westboro, and I agree with their decision. Our First Amendment exists to protect the speech of the few from being suppressed by society. It's easier for me to embrace this when it's rights of Gays or Muslim-Americans whose voice is being silenced. It's more difficult when it's people shouting at me that I'm worthless, calling my church pastor a whore (as Westboro did) or making other inflammatory statements.

Gay kids harm themselves because they repeatedly hear statements like those of Westboro coming from the mouths of their parents, authority figures and peers. I view this as a problem. But I don't see gagging Westboro as a solution.

More in the longer piece. But I wanted to get a few thoughts out now. You are welcome to comment. If you do, your words may be referenced in the longer article.

Thanks!

High-Protein Raw Vegan ... with help from Kevin James

I've been working hard putting together a high-protein raw vegan bodybuilding diet for myself and other athletes who want the benefits of eating raw but have protein and energy needs that go beyond that of the average person. The challenge is getting enough protein from sprouts, rice and peas, plus enough carbs that are not fruit sugars. Also, timing of meals and speed of digestion is important: spreading fast- and slow-burning carbs and protein through the day in a way that will prepare me for training and maximize recovery and growth afterward. It's a pile of math, but with Excel templates, the USDA Nutrient Database and other tools, I have a trial version of the diet up and running.

Then, today, I got a remarkable surprise via FedEx from my friend Kevin James Miniter. Kevin is working on the campaign for gay GOP candidate Fred Karger for President. You may know Kevin as the guy in the infamous Marcus Bachmann "Who's gayer?" picture that's circulated around Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere recently.

Kevin knows how much I love fresh blueberries. So he and his friend, Navy Lt. Marla Jo Metz, ventured out and picked seven pounds of giant, ripe, sweet and tart Maine blueberries and shipped them here. (Apparently, he spent several hours away from his duties on the Karger campaign last weekend romping around at a farm in rural Maine.)

I can't think of a better way to kick off the new diet than with these delicious superfood snacks. One additional thing you should know about blueberries -- they freeze well, and once frozen make excellent weapons for beaning unsuspecting pets. (Sure, the pet gets hit and startled, but then they have a little snack morsel as compensation for the insult they've just endured.) Not that I've done this. I'm just speculating.

So a GIANT thank you to Kevin for the timely, heartfelt gift. And to everyone else, wish me luck with the diet!

A final note: Kevin packaged up the blueberries carefully for shipment, padding the FedEx box with a copy of the New Hampshire Sunday News.

To show my appreciation for the gift of berries, I have taken it upon myself to read that entire newspaper, memorizing the more significant passages, which I will recite in a plaintive, sing-song tone for Kevin when I next see him in person.

Everything old is new again

In our rush to new technology, as artists we sometimes don't pay our due to simpler times and the art that has come before. While it's been a staple of music remixers for a couple of decades now to take short snippets from existing work and use them in new projects, the emphasis has always been on NEW. There are many examples of new work that does not simply borrow from, but rather treasures, the past. Here are a couple of delicious ones:

Nataly Dawn is a San Francisco-based vocalist, part of the underground internet sensation duo Pomplamoose. For all of the electronic wizardry the duo display in their other work, Nataly's new iTunes/YouTube single is a straightforward, wistful take on the title song from the 1944 movie I'll Be Seeing You.

Pogo is an Australian music/video artist. He's creating exciting new material in his World Remix Project but one of the thrusts of his work is to take existing intellectual property and re-cut it in a way that showcases the original. Wishery is his homage to Disney's 1951 Snow White.

I hope you enjoy these clips as much as I have. If you'd like to support these artists, each has a presence on the artist funding site Kickstarter.

BPJ

The Best Advice You Ever Got from a High School Authority Figure?

Earlier today, I tweeted the question, "What's the best piece of advice you ever got from a Principal or other school authority figure?"


There were a flood of interesting responses -- far more than I would have expected. 


For what it's worth, here's mine: my High School creative writing teacher Mr. Podas saw my passion, and how I suffered for it. He once told me that for every great thing I might achieve in life, I should expect to be greeted not just with kudos, but with an almost equal amount of scorn, insult, and seeming disgust from those around me. He was right -- at the age of 42, I've gotten plenty of applause and been called truly horrible things so many times, little of it surprises me any longer. 


There were too many responses to post them all here, but I thought I might share a sampling of what you had to say. Some of these are optimistic, some bittersweet, others hilarious. Hope you enjoy them as much as I have:

txlonghorn_02 txlonghorn_02 

@ 

"You think all these people are your fiends? In 5 years you'll be able to count them on one hand" #truth

mrin912 Michael Rogers 

@ 

My French teacher -- Do first; apologize later. It's much easier that way!

brettteslaa Brett TeSlaa 

@ 

Christian School AP English teacher, "It is not my place to judge gay people, but I know God wants me to love them."

LilyJaquith Lily Jaquith 

@ 

Follow your own dreams, not your parents, your friends or your significant others. Be what you want to be.

auntymana Mana 

@ 

The best advice was taught by example: Example of how NEVER to act as a human being in charge of shaping young minds.

MichaelxShirley Michael Shirley 

@ 

If you're going to smoke cigarettes on the way to high school, don't let your home room teacher see you.

jossafan Joss 

@ 

From my HS counselor: "Take college seriously, but don't let your studies drain you of your creativity."

joelygabs joelygabs 

@ 

don't get into graphic design - my guidance counselor. i should have listened.

nycdude5235 Mike 

@  

My HS principal stepped btwn me when I was bout to fight. She told me if I fought I would be expelled and all my dreams gone.

Blue_Eye28 Sarah 

@ 

a teacher once told me to always stay true to myself and I'm still living that advice :)

JFKimberley JFKimberley 

@ 

My 7th-grade teacher: "Go travel, see the world. The best education you'll ever get is to travel." And I've done just that.

SVAllie Allison D. Duncan 

@ 

don't eat glue?

PurpleOutkast Jonathan Gavaldon 

@ 

"Never pay for porn." - my high school ethics teacher

AdamSank Adam Sank 

@ 

"The higher you go on the ladder, the more your rear end sticks out, and the more people will take pot-shots at it."

MMMelissaK Melissa Kreipe 

@ 

Chem teacher Pat Anderson- "You don't HAVE to do anything. Everything in life is a choice. BUT there's always consequences"

SteveRalph1 Steve Ralph 

@ 

best piece of advice from a teacher: before you leave a club with someone ask for their ID to check their age. #400thTweet

andydrinks andydrinks 

@ 

From my English teacher who said: If you want to experience 'life in the raw' go into journalism. I did. He was right.

crookedcrack Ryan Blazer 

@ 

keep doing what you're doing and be yourself - you're going to do well

techlifter Techlifter 

@ 

"Never let someone else be responsible for your failure." Great advice from an otherwise unimpressive college English prof.

katyadotcom Kathryn 

@ 

Keep speaking your voice because your voice deserves to be heard no matter others. My HS counselor is the best!

theregards Ryan Wardana 

My 7th-grade teacher: "Go travel, see the world. The best education you'll ever get is to travel." And I've done just that.

aluminomad TrailerTrashTrez 

@ 

the higher you go on the ladder... the more people your farts will reach

BurritoElito Brian Eagle 

@ 

Invest in dot-coms, they will never go wrong.

drjosh81 Josh 

@ 

Shut up & do your work! 

AliMoonGoddess Ali McCollum 

 Quit smoking!

MadamloverOMG10 Raelyn Ddub-Girly 

"Keep smilin' always :) 

WBCVideo Rebekah Phelps-Roper 

@ 

I can't remember, but my principal *did* like my Minny Mouse shirt!

Thanks to all who weighed in!!