Changing Hearts and Minds in America's (Black) Church Communities

Last week, we experienced a watershed moment for African-American LGBTs and the black church in America.

It wasn't a million-person rally on the mall in Washington, D.C. It wasn't a sweeping new civil rights law. It was something smaller, but nonetheless profound. It was one sermon, preached by one man, in one church outside Atlanta, Georgia. Granted, Pastor Dewey Smith is a big deal. And the church where he preaches, House of Hope Atlanta, has 11,000 members and holds services in a 7,000-seat neo-Gothic cathedral.

What's profound about this semon is that a ray of light has pierced the darkness. Painful and honest words have been spoken, and the result has not been outrage from his congregation, but rather (from what we can see thus far) celebration.

Thanks to social media, Pastor Smith's message will now spread and reverberate. The conversation about gays in the African-American church will inevitably shift, if only a little.

 Whether or not we are believers, religion and organized religion affect us all. The church's influence on the larger African-American community is profound and cannot be denied.  

Will this sermon on a Sunday in July of 2015 be remembered as "the" tipping point? Probably, no. It's too soon for that. Other pastors will need to take up Pastor Dewey's message and carry it to their own flock. But I will believe we will look back on Pastor Dewey's sermon as seminal, akin to certain key acts of bravery and leadership taken by Dr. Martin Luther King and his peers. 

When I saw the video of the sermon (above) I was dumbstruck. I shook. There were tears in my eyes.  I knew something momentous had occurred. Yet, when I shared it on social media, the response was tepid. Here's an example of an exchange from my Facebook page:

• Paul Baswell i just don't get why its so important for you to change their minds? you live your way and let them 

  live theirs. its not a form of condoning its knowing were your prioritys should be. i just don't think you can change them. many are filled with hate not only for gay people but for almost anything they see as outside. plus there is far to much religious talk out side of ones community. i find much of what is presented in the media to be disingenuous manipulation.

  Like · Reply · 23 hrs
• 

  Ben Patrick Johnson It's important to change hearts and minds because we all affect each other profoundly through our attitudes and actions. Countless young gay people are mistreated in their own homes, abused or dismissed, in the name of God and Bible. By changing hearts and minds (something that is very much possible and doable) we can make life better for millions and diminish the sort of tragedy after tragedy we LBGT activists and care providers see on a daily basis. 
  
  As Evan Wolfson said of gay marriage, "There is no marriage without engagement." We have engaged people on that subject. Public opinion (overall) is now strongly in favor of same-sex marriage. But there are communities, like the African-American and some Latino communities, where the message is slow to resonate. One of the reasons is the stronghold of the anti-gay black (and, with Latinos, Catholic) church, where bigotry and non-acceptance is preached on a weekly basis.
  
  The solution? Work within the black (and white Evangelical) and Catholic church communities to promote tolerance and acceptance of not just gays but, as you note, traditional societal outliers of all stripe. Celebrating the words and actions of a pioneer like Pastor Dewey Smith will help us. As will efforts like the Institute for Welcoming Resources, a Minneapolis-based organization that develops programs church members can take to their clergy to help shift the message coming from the pulpit to one of inclusion vs. exclusion, empathy vs condemnation.

Today, I have been asking black friends, especially musicians, for their reaction and perspective. I'll probably update this post and include some of that in the days ahead. But I want to know what YOU think, how significant you feel the church is in current civil rights challenges for gays, Muslim-Americans and other disenfranchised groups, and how you feel we can best get the message of inclusion into America's church communities.

A brief hiatus that wasn't so brief

I haven't blogged in a long time. Two years almost. I could say "Shame on me," but shame is such a useless thing. I don't wish to invoke it. Instead, I'll simply say, "Here goes." (We can talk more about shame later. And shall. Especially in reference to my relationship. But I'm getting ahead of myself.)

Maybe I should talk about why I haven't been blogging.

The simplest answer is I've been busy writing other things. Like the novel Splinters, which is about to be published by Dreamspinner Press. I also worked on a screenplay version of my novel If the Rains Don't Cleanse, which then got ditched after Hollywood producers optioned the novel and wanted a real screenplay written by a real Hollywood writer.

In addition, I lost access to this blog and every time I tried to log back in and post something, I hit a dead end and rather than keep trying to figure it out, I got distracted and moved onto something else. Like writing tweets for my Twitter page. Or sending endless Facebook pokes. Or smoking weed and playing with the cat. 

Ironically, there was a period where I was journalling prolifically. This was during a period of depression I went through in late 2013 after breaking up with Marcos. It's been broadly suggested that to be a serious writer, one ought to write 1,000 words a day. There were a number of months in 2013 where I journalled 50,000 words or more. Most of it was dreck. I don't even want to go back and review it now. Those were not quality words. They were long laments. Lists of nothing useful. Meandering, circular repetitive ... you get the idea.

And then, in December of 2013, I met Mariano Tugas, now (spoiler alert) Mariano Johnson, on a trashy hookup website. We ended up dating instead of hooking up, I came out of my depression, we fell in love, and then he went batshit crazy for a little while (maybe I'll let him be the one to blog about that.) Eventually he got un-crazy and we got married. Now we live in a big house with way too many animals and we run around most days in our underwear and sing songs to each other, shouting from room to room,  fighting like angry lobsters. (Do lobsters fight? Do they get angry? I know they're red from asthaxanthin, not anger, but maybe they have tempers. I digress.) We tried healthy food delivery for a while but it was a bust. So now we order in pizza and Chinese food. Every day, I do voice-overs in my studio and write and post things on social media in the bedroom on my laptop. Husband sits around in the family room tending his four aquariums and attempting not to kill seahorses. (He is sometimes successful at not killing seahorses.) We burn incense. We alternately sneer at each other and sing each other's praises. We frequently run out of lube. 

There are people who want to make a reality TV show about my life. About our life. Which is kooky because I spend most of my time sitting here wearing reading glasses and typing on my computer.

.

That is, when I'm not floor-skating down the hallway in my socks with my husband or fighting with him. (Yes, I'm aware this is the second time in this blog entry I've mentioned fighting with my husband. I'm deeply in love with him, but I'm not going to pretend like things are hunky dory all the time. Except, maybe on TV, I will.) I can't see how our life would make for interesting television viewing. But I'm going along with the TV people, at this point. Because I love attention. And a part of me still feels like, all these years after the TV show Extra fired me as host at age 24, I still haven't gotten my fifteen minutes of whatever--Fame? Acknowledgement?

There are a lot of blank spaces to fill in. Underdeveloped parts of me, as a human being, and gaps explaining myself. (In a blog. This blog.) I'm working on both, the Benjamin and the blog. Maybe I'll talk about shame in my next blog entry. Shame is a motherfucker. And it plays more of a role in my life, and in husband's life (and thus in mine, doubly), than I wish it did. 

Sunlight disinfects. Let's drag some of this out into the light and see what happens.

I love you so fucking bad.

I love you so fucking bad that every minute of my life is now painful. I yearn to be free of you and in the same shudder I yearn to be one with you in as many ways as two people can, in screwing, crying and wailing, in the primordial awesomeness that is infatuation.

I love you so fucking bad that I suckle on the pain. I want to lie close enough to you, always, that I am continually aware of the smell of honey or sleep on your breath. I want to press close up against you at night. I want to meet each other in our dreams and make glorious love and fly and defy gravity. If we lie close enough, it might happen. I want to live in your skin and for you to live in mine, for there to be no separation between us.

I love you so fucking bad I want to cook for you then eat with you, cross-legged on the kitchen floor, feeding each other by hand. Though who needs food? You are my food. You are my water. You are my looking glass. I want to gaze at you and not need a mirror to see my own reflection.

I love you so fucking bad I want to be reborn as yours, indivisible with liberty and justice for none. Who needs liberty when you have the heroin that is the love I feel for you?

I love you so bad that I’ll do foolish things for you. I’ll lie and steal for you. I’ll lay myself down in front of your car tires if I think you might leave me. I love you so bad that when we quarrel, I feel as though I’m dying. I can’t breathe. I can’t think straight. I can’t put a sentence together.

I love you so bad that I’ll shout it to anyone who’ll listen. I’ll post it on Facebook, spray paint it on a wall, phone my mother and embarrass myself by going on about you for an hour.

This hurts too goddamned much. I don’t want to love you like this. I want to love you a little. But my love is large and dangerous. Its flames threaten to engulf us and burn us both alive.

Help Me Make a Micro-loan Through Kiva

I'm a Kiva lender. I work with Kiva.org to help alleviate poverty through micro-lending. I'm one of 700,000 who have made investments as little as $25 in food shops, vegetable co-ops, child care centers and the like, in places like Congo, Tajikistan, and Cambodia. It's a way to help bring political stability and quality of life to developing parts of the world, and do so with kindness instead of guns, drones, tanks or rhetoric. 


Surely nothing can stabilize life more than grassroots economic empowerment. Take the economic leverage out of the hands of dictators and put it in the hands of the people. Then see what real, honest democracy looks like.


Simply put, Kiva ... works. Those seeking loans apply and submit their stories. Local orgs coordinate with larger orgs to complete the loan process and fund the recipients. They sign repayment guarantees on their honor in front of their families and communities. 


As a lender, you don't earn interest on these loans, but you have the tremendous satisfaction of knowing you've directly and vitally changed people's lives for the better. As a person of faith and follower of the Golden Rule, that's all the interest I need.


And I've had great success with Kiva! Since 2008, my Foundation and I have made twenty-one loans to small groups and individuals. Most of the loans I've chosen to fund are to women, or groups headed by women, and in countries and regions where women are typically oppressed or whose voices are not heard. I believe that when we empower women in this way, we make the world a kinder and better place.

As of today, every cent I loaned has been repaid. To me, this is remarkable -- think of the default rate in most lending situations. The result is that I currently have funds sitting in my Kiva account, waiting to be re-invested. I'd like you to help me choose where to allocate it. 

Here's what I'd love you to do:

• Visit kiva.org/lend and look at the current loan requests. These are heart-rending stories of real people who want to get ahead in life.
• Leave the name of the person or group who most appeals to you as a comment on this blog. Include a blurb about why it appeals to you, if you like.
• I'll pick the top three and make the investment on your behalf with my dollars. 
• If you are as inspired as I am by the whole process, you may become a Kiva lender yourself. It just takes a few minutes to sign up, and you can loan as little as $25.

I am really excited to see how this will go. PLEASE participate. It costs you nothing, and can help change lives!

The Longest Journey Begins with a Single Misstep

Since I was a child, my mind has churned with words, language, sound. Thoughts parade through my head at night. By day, the speed and intensity of what comes up sometimes keeps me from dealing with basic tasks effectively. Doctors have tried medication to calm my thought storms, but the treatments either don't work or dull me, dimming my light.

My thoughts fray and tire me, but without them I'm not truly myself. So I go on, crazy but oddly productive in ways that are valuable to me.

Puns, rhymes, peculiar associations come to me at the most random of times. In this instance, it was in the middle of the night. I woke with this sentence in my head:

"The longest journey begins with a single misstep."

I smiled at the play on words my subconscious had handed me, and began to wonder if it meant something or was just funny talk. As I drifted back to sleep, I tried to think of times at which a misstep might be an auspicious start to a long journey. I woke a second time, maybe an hour later, with what felt like the answer. I jotted down a few sentences on the writing pad I keep next to the bed. Here's what I've distilled from my scribbled notes:

Aeschylus, in ancient Greece, may be the first person credited with the idea that wisdom comes through suffering alone. Buddha spoke at length about suffering as a tool of transformation. In the Bible, God says “I have refined you, but not in the way silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.” (Isaiah 48:10)

C.S. Lewis, speaking also of the Christian perspective, wrote in the early 20th century, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

I got a letter from my sister Peggy last week in which she talked about Lent. She wrote about the sacrifices and hunger for which she and Catholics worldwide volunteer with the goal of spiritual transformation. There is deprivation, hunger, an acknowledgment of darkness so unflinching that it is almost an embrace. The suffering, in this instance, is willfully created and invited in. It's bracing--my sister described it as like being doused in cold water--but fortifying.

Secular voices have been divided on the point: Dale Carnegie wrote that discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. But many of his contemporaries, and popular voices since then, have instead suggested ways to avoid adversity or inoculate ourselves against its ravages through positive affirmations, self confidence boosters, and a plucky, can-do attitude.

As I lay there in my darkened room, I thought about how this short term pragmatism--being able to blinder oneself and "keep a good perspective"--might conflict with what's ultimately best and most useful for us. By suggesting we champion adversity rather than allowing it and learning from it, have countless well-intentioned teachers stripped us of our most valuable lessons?

I then thought about what we showcase in our resumes. We highlight our successes, university degrees and achievements, hoping to be seen in the best possible light. We bury or minimize what we view as our trials and failures. Yet, if our goal is to present a global perspective on who we are, and our failures really tell the story more clearly than our cum laudes and awards, we are, ironically, leaving out the best parts of the story.

As a writer, I embrace secrets and untidiness in the lives of the characters I create. In the mid 1990s, I wrote a book manuscript called Splinters. It was about a deeply troubled middle American family, and the title was drawn from the same basic notion chasing me, now, in my dreams--that it's our scars and the shards of life that lodge beneath our skin which tell our story more honestly and rewardingly than the frilly parts.

So, I'm going with Aeschylus, Buddha and the architects of Christianity who believed slogging through the painful crap in life--and letting that be our finest teacher--far preferable to assiduously avoiding suffering through a process of anesthetization.

But if this is such great advice, why don't we heed it as a matter of course?

Because it is freaking difficult. It's making the conscious choice to chew on glass when there is milk and honey at the ready. It's remarkably counter-intuitive. It requires a willed reworking of our natural tendency to shy away from pain and make a dash for the arms of comfort.

What is the longest journey? To me, it is the one from here to enlightenment, to spiritual transformation. And without a costly misstep, or suffering, that journey can never even begin.

A Valentine to my cat. Yes, seriously.

I've always had a thing for animals. But my cat Teddy and I have a particularly good relationship. To be fair, he seems to have a good relationship with nearly everyone, human and animal alike. He got the name "Teddy" at the shelter because his temperament is more Teddy Bear than cat: he's cuddly and extremely tolerant, and seems designed to hug. You could probably put a broad bow around his neck, like an actual Teddy Bear, and he wouldn't object.

Since I'm the human he spends the most time around, I am the prime beneficiary of both Teddy's delightful qualities and his occasional quirks and oddities. (Oddities like his extra-long incisors, which scrape the insides of my elbows when he presses his face in the crook of my arm as we lie on the sofa reading. His teeth leave fine scratches that turn gently, allergically pink before fading.)

Teddy the cat is unflappable and Buddha-calm. You could light a firecracker next to him and he'd barely react, parade a marching band through the room and he's look up, but you wouldn't get more enthusiasm than that. The dogs chase after him, and half-maul him, putting his head in their mouths, slobbering on him and batting him around. Teddy is remarkably permissive, allowing quite a bit of torment before batting the dogs on the nose sharply to dismiss them, sending them yelping off to their crate in the kitchen.

I used to feel badly for Teddy, almost wanting to apologize to him for the indignities he suffers at the dogs' enthusiasm. But he's clearly okay with it. As with everything else in this world, he takes their silliness in stride, sometimes grumbling to me about it briefly in funny cat-talk, but otherwise allowing what is to simply be.

One of the more endearing things he does is purr himself to sleep when he lies curled with me in bed. Whichever way I'm turned, he positions himself in the "be spooned" position, with his spine pressed against my chest and his head tucked under my chin. When I roll over, he climbs over me and reorients himself in a mirror of our slumbering poses a moment before.

At first I didn't understand that the funny sound Teddy made, sometimes for many minutes nonstop, was purring. It sounded metallic and wheezy. I thought it might be asthma, or even pneumonia. I asked the veterinarian about it. He laid a stethoscope on Teddy's chest, listening intently and looking serious for a few moment. Then he smiled, slipped off his stethoscope, and handed Teddy back to me.

"Your cat doesn't have a respiratory problem," Mr. Johnson, the veterinarian told me with a chuckle."He's just unbelievably happy."

I love you, Teddy. You're the best shelter kitty ever.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dad

Decency Knows No Political Party

I admire anyone who stands up for equality. But I particularly salute those for whom taking a stand is risky and may cost them personally and professionally. It touches my heart that some of the most moving and eloquent advocates for LGBT equality, lately, have come from within the ranks of the GOP.

It's important that we support these courageous people. While nationally we've passed the magic 51% number as far as acceptance (presumably making it a good long-term bet for ANY politician to support us), Republicans still fight uphill within their own party. And coming out in support of LGBT equality can have negative consequences for them at the ballot box and in contributions NOW, in current election cycles.

Meet my hero of the day -- Maureen Walsh, Republican State Senator from Walla Walla. Listen to her beautiful words on the floor of the Washington Senate Tue during that legislative body's debate over same-sex marriage.

And let's remember Maureen, financially and otherwise, when she's up for re-election, whether we typically vote Democrat or Republican. Because decency and justice know no political party.

No Faggots in Jack City

"NO FAGGOTS IN JACK CITY!" the gleeful, blood-thirsty cameraman says over and over.

This video is in the process of going viral. A (presumably) gay man is badly beaten outside a grocery store in Atlanta. You'll see it all over the web in the next few days. It's hard to watch, but you need to watch it.

I suspect that no human who values the dignity of others can look at this without cringing. We've come a long way toward toleration and mutual acceptance in America, but we've clearly got a long way to go. There's much talk during the current election cycle about America being a "shining city on a hill." Those are pretty words ... but we're not there yet.

Thankfully, per reports, the Atlanta PD's Gang Unit is all over this incident, and an investigation is underway. But this is one case that got caught on camera (astonishingly, by the perpetrators themselves as a twisted boast or "proof of performance" for their friends or other gang members) ... there are an untold number of similar incidents every day in America that we don't see, that don't get reported or, if reported, are sneered at and dismissed by law enforcement.

There are those of us fighting every day, as individuals and through organizations, to keep awful scenes like the one above from EVERY happening again. I entreat you -- join us. Stand beside us. Do not be silent.  Obviously, if you see something occurring, DO NOT LOOK THE OTHER WAY. But more than that, raise your voice against any intolerance when it crops up around you.

Thank you.

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!!