Shirts #2 and #3

The coffee is brewing - and Miss Kate is eating breakfast. What to do while I'm waiting? oh yes - model shirts #2 and #3. I also noticed these photos are pre-hair product. well - sometimes LJ is raw and honest. today is one of those days.


I love orange - but David suggested I find some oranges that less
resembled traffic cone orange. (i have a tshirt that is screaming
holy crap orange that he's not a big fan of) so - here ya go.


Ah back to good childhood green :) (safe space, safe space) but I
do love the stripes. its a nice warm looking shirt.

and yes surewood31, before you ask - I'm wearing pants
and a mad orgy of writhing orgasmic man flesh was not happening at
my feet in each of these photos.... (wink)

Happy Holidays!

We need a gay version of Rick Warren.....

Yep - you heard me right. that is what we need.

The amazing Chris Head capy - pointed me to this video - Rick Warren's weekly video address called "Pastor Rick's News & Views."

I watched it - all 23 or so minutes of it. I encourage each of you to do so as well. Don't just say "i don't want to hear that motherfucker" or "holy fuck why?" - it is because it's important to watch and hear and experience the polished professional voice of the opposition to gay marriage not only in California but the entire country.

There is no wonder Rick Warren is the rock star of the religious right - because he espouses seriously conservative religious views in a very basic no nonsense sort of way. He sounds totally reasonable - until you stop and listen to the basics of his argument. What I found illuminating is that his argument - is almost word for word - the opposite of the gay world view on marriage. It's like he took a paragraph from our of our blogs - reversed the language - and read it aloud. He makes blocking gay marriage in America sound totally reasonable. Is it? of course not. These are obviously not spontaneous speeches - he probably works with a team of people (just like a politician) to carefully write these spots.

After listening to Mr. Warren I grabbed my carebears lunchbox and headed to the public space on Mission street and had my lunch. I could not get the shinyness of his presentation - the sheer production value of his presentation out of my head. Warren is not Pat Robertson or James Dobson or Fred Phelps - who speak out their asses and are easily dismissed as fringe right wing whackos. Nowhere in his speeches or talks does he ever say that Katrina was because god hates fags or show up at a funeral of a dead soldier with God Hates America signs. Warren is something much more dangerous - a highly polished media savvy idealouge with multi-million dollar deep pockets. He is the face of the evolution of the religious right over the last decade. We have much more to fear from people like Warren - than we ever did from people like Pat Robertson or James Dobson. He is the worst kind of religious conservative because he makes his views seem reasonable with a wink and a smile.

So - to my point.

Who is the national leader to match Warren for the progressive GLBT inclusive world view?

HRC President Joe Solemnese? Columnist Andrew Sullivan? MSNBC's Rachel Maddow? San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom? I'm not convinced any of these people - no matter how much they agree with our world view - are the right voice.

The GLBT community and progressive voices across the country - need to develop this kind of face in the media and in lecture circles. Because here is Warren's advantage - he speaks to his congregation in LA and on the web weekly in a slick - easily digestible friendly manner. He speaks manner-of-factly and calmly.

Through election 2008 - think of the power of having used the media in that fashion to speak DIRECTLY to the GLBT community. Instead of us all scratching our heads and wondering where the millions of dollars we threw at California - we could have a voice in the media and to us, the queer community - about how to fight this opposition and what the latest news and unnews is. We need someone that is as polished - communicating to us weekly perhaps. I'm not talking a person that is a paid talking head in Fox news or MSNBC talk show - I'm talking about a person that wants to speak to the progressive movement and discuss it's issues with us the way Rick Warren discusses religious conservatism with his congregation - and lets face it - the rest of the nation. (and possible the world)

The argument has to become less about what a bad person Rick Warren is - and more about how outdated and coercive his argument is. It needs to be said calmly without judgmental tones. Am I saying that Warren isn't judgmental? not at all. but his words are chosen very carefully - and he doesn't 'appear' to be judgmental when he speaks. We need that kind of calm, but purposefully progressive and like-minded voice on our side.

Right now - we 'sound' and 'look' like a bunch of whiny tantrum throwing people who couldn't even organize well enough to win a gay marriage ballot measure in a state as liberal minded as California. The right - under the leadership of Warren and his allies - out organized and out media-savvied the very gays that claim to be the backbone of all things creative from Hollywood actors, to writers to filmmakers.

This is a underestimation and well, mistake we need to rectify - and quickly. We need an organization the GLBT community can really rally behind and leaders who communicate to our adversaries with the absolute truthfulness and understanding of how the media works that Warren's organization clearly has achieved. If we don't figure out how to make this happen for ourselves - we're going to find ourselves in a much more intense space than any time previously.

The religious right in this country knows that interest is waning for their influence - the younger the voter. So they've created/empowered a man like Rick Warren that makes fighting gay marriage, and in doing so regarding gays as second class, sound like the compassionate thing to do. As time passes - this battle is going to become more and more emotional; when it reaches places like the Congress, Appeals Courts and perhaps the Supreme Court - you can bet Rick Warren will be there for interests of his community.

Simply dismissing him as a hateful homophobe doesn't work. Dismissing him for any reason isn't going to make him go away. We need to meet him in the media with a rational argument with the words of our community - written for people outside of our community to understand. We need to be out, gay, compassionate and rational.

It is not hopping back in the closet time - it is time for us to grow our argument from simply "what do we want? equal rights? when do we want them?! NOW!" - to "we want civil rights now and here's why it's the RIGHT thing to do despite religious objections to gay marriage." It needs to be spelled out in a compassionate easily understood way for people outside our community. (and in a way that doesn't diminish us; or deny our gay-ness and fabulocity because thats a step backward as well)

That is a very tough bill to tow...... so.......

Where is the GLBT community's Rick Warren?

Does he or she exist, or are we stuck being apologetic talking heads on the internet and talk shows instead out in the world making gay equality sound like the 21st century civil rights battle that it truly is?

For our sake? I hope we reorganize in the stunning defeat of November's election - and find the leadership it takes to make our argument real in the minds of all Americans. Outside of the GLBT community - the argument for equal rights simply is not there yet. Strong - visible leadership is what it is going to take for the tide to turn in our favor.

In California - we needed 2.7% of the population to agree that marriage equality is the right thing for America - in other states - the number is more like 20-30%, higher in conservative states.

thanks for listening...

Golden Workouts!

Tonight will be 2nd workout with my new workout partner Michael Golden (aka bibliocub)! We're doing the RealJock.com Strong and Lean 12-Week Workout Plan together. I forgot how amazingly fun it is to have someone to laugh and get through a workout with. This workout takes a lot to get through - it ramps up intensity by the end of the week - then gives you an "active day" off - then right back at it. Our plan is to commit to four days at the gym a week together, and to get out and be active on the days we're not at the gym together. (oh - and to eat right) Michael and I talked on our way to the gym last night about reasons the gym intimidated him and I told him how I felt two years ago after dreading the idea of the gym. He had a great time - enjoyed the eye candy at the gym - and I think we're going to work out as awesome gym partners. So look forward to a stronger leaner Mike and Bob in spring 2009. (and our boyfriends better watch out - working out is proven to increase the drive to attack our boyfriends!)