Gay News of the Day! Proposition 8 Struck Down

In awesome gay news yesterday, proposition 8 was ruled unconstitutional by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California, and there's nothing more exciting in recent memory to hear.  Besides mine and Ryan's love for each other of course. :-).

Nearly one and a half years since Federal District Court Judge Vaughn Walker declared Proposition 8 to be unconstitutional in the landmark Perry v. Brown case, the 9th US District Circuit Court of Appeals finally announced this morning that they will be upholding Judge Walker's decision:

PROPOSITION H8 IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL!

Opponents of same-sex marriage will likely file an appeal to the decision, and the next steps may inevitably lead to a hearing before the US Supreme Court; casting the national spotlight on California's fight for the freedom to marry and putting the focus on same-sex marriage at a federal level. Most importantly, today's rulings open up the door for the same arguments to be used to the benefit of advancing pro-same-sex marriage legislation in other states. Read Full Story here!

Gay Ski Camp - Episode 5

It seems SameSame.com.au wanted to prolong the season by releasing its videos over the course of three months.  I wasn't too happy with the way the show was put together - it seemed a bit rushed, and to close out the season by releasing a 3-1/2 minute video was mediocre at best.

While the boys were hot, I felt they could have posted all 5 episodes into one - at least it would have made it more enjoyable.

At the end of episode 4 we were left with Dan and Kirk competing for the title of Gay Ski Camp Champ.  If you missed the previous episodes, or want to see them again, you can catch episode 1 here, episode 2 here, episode 3 here, and episode 4 here.

Gay Ski Camp - Episode 3

The third episode of SameSame.com.au's reality series, Ski Camp, has finally been posted, and you can catch it down below.  This five episode series was shot in Queenstown, Australia, and features five gorgeous beauties competing for the title, Gay Ski Camp Champ, Brodie, Adam, Dan, Mike and Kirk.

So far, one of the hotties has been eliminated, Adam,but don't give up on him so quickly, there's a surprising twist in episode 4 next week.  In this week's episode it was one of the contestant's birthdays, and they all went out drinking the night before a big challenge. Who will make it and who will not???

If you missed the first two episodes, you can catch episode 1 here and episode 2 here.

The Australian website Same Same and Air New Zealand are giving you the chance to win a trip to Gay Ski Week NZ this year. All you need to do is Watch Ski Camp and tell them who your favourite boy is. Enter to win a trip to NZ here!

Stay tuned for the 4th episode next week.

Gay Ski Camp - Episode 2

If you missed last week's episode, don't worry, you can catch it all right here.  Last week I introduced you to five gorgeous gay guys, Brodie, Adam, Dan, Mike and Kirk.  They are being featured in an online reality series called, Gay Ski Camp.  Each week they are competing in challenges where they'll find themselves eliminated one by one (sad face).  In this week's episode we find out who'll be the first unlucky guy to be sent home.

Gay Ski Week in New Zealand is usually around mid-July in Queenstown, so if you're not up for the hot summer months in the U.S., you can always take a flight down under, and catch all the boys having a gay 'ol time.  Only downside is, you'd miss all the gay pride events and swimming pool parties.

The Australian website Same Same and Air New Zealand are giving you the chance to win a trip to Gay Ski Week NZ this year. All you need to do is Watch Ski Camp and tell them who your favourite boy is. Enter to win a trip to NZ here!

Stay tuned for the 3rd episode next week.

The Anonymous Hypocrite

Yesterday morning I had the pleasure of waking up to an "anonymous comment" on my blog. I don't mind anonymous writers, I really don't. But when it's something like what he/she wrote, then that's a whole different story. It not only shows they're a coward for not revealing who they were, but they lack the courage to talk to me in a civilized manner.

The commenter actually wrote on one of my partner's editorials he posted back in April - "The Promotion of Hatred Exists".

Here's what the anonymous writer wrote:

When gays use the "when did you know you were straight" argument, it's silly..straight is the de-facto normal..if people weren't straight...there would be no people...

Also the "Some People are Gay Get over it" , well Some people don't like gays get over it..people dont have to like a behavior they find repulsive..gays like to compare their "struggle" to race, but a person skin color is not a behavior or a sexual act.

I was none too pleased and decided to leave them a comment of my own, and this what I had to say...

You say that being straight is normal, because without you there would be no people is almost laughable, if not the most foolish thing to think. As you know, billions of people around the world "believe in a GOD," and these same people know that there was no one who had sex to make Adam and Eve, God made them separately, they were "Born that way." Furthermore, when God banished Cain to another land, there were already other people there, you think they procreated too? Being straight is "not normal" You were born that way.

I hate to inform you of this, but yes, one can choose to be "straight." It doesn't mean they will be, but they can surely try. Being Heterosexual or Homosexual is something you cannot choose to be. I didn't wake up one morning when I was 2 or 3, and say... "oh I think I'll be gay today."

"IF" I had a choice, do you really think I'd want to choose the one where it would condemn me the most? Do you think I'd want to choose the one where people would make fun of me, spit on me, and call me names? No, I wouldn't choose that for myself.

Gay is not a behavior, it is who we are. The act of having sex is a behavior, and we don't have to like your sexual acts, just as much as you don't have to like ours.

You can "choose" to hate or love. I chose to love everyone, because this is how God created us. I have known I was gay since a child - I had two parents who loved me unconditionally. My father taught me how to take an engine out of a car, farm thousands of acres of land, and took me fishing. And a mother who made sure that when I left their home, I knew how to take care of myself by teaching me how to cook, wash my clothes, and fix my bed. They were a good Christian couple who took us to church every Wednesday and Sunday, and I'm sure they wish I had turned out differently, But I didn't. They didn't do anything wrong, I've always known, they've always known. You think my parents would want their child to be made fun of? Hell no. If they or I could choose we would.

I am what God made me to be.

The Snow Will Be Melting at Gay Ski Camp This Summer!

Actually, the snow melted last summer, but they're back to another snow-filled season in New Zealand this year.  

Check this out.  SameSame.com.au has created an online reality series covering Gay Ski Week in New Zealand. This five episode reality series took place last summer, and judging from the picture of Dan right here, it will surely knock your socks right off.

Five gorgeous gay guys will be competing in challenges until one of them is left standing, and becomes the Ski Camp champ.  Of course, with all of them being so hot, and sharing rooms together, drama is bound to happen. It sounds hot already!  The instructor and one of the boys are a couple, and there's another couple in the mix, so it's a definite "must watch" for all you boys and girls who love the gays!

The boy's names are Kirk, Dan, Brodie, Mike and Adam.  You can catch the first episode here or online at SameSame.com.au.  Make sure to share this post with your friends through email or on facebook.  This will definitely help them get more views, and amass nearly a million viewers as they did with Surf Camp.

A President's Daughter for Marriage Equality

By now everyone knows, Republicans Cindy McCain (wife of Senator John McCain), and her daughter Megan are in support of marriage equality and opposed to Proposition 8.  But what are your thoughts on a daughter of a Republican President coming out in support of Marriage Equality?  Barbara Bush, daughter of President George W. Bush has done so.  Kudos to her!

Kayla Comes Out To Entire High School

What an amazing video to watch.  While watching the video, I only wished that I could have been as strong while in High School. But those were different times, a different mindset for most folks.  You can't imagine how hard it was for all of us.  I sometimes look back wondering which friends, or who all could have been gay in school; those who never came out for fear of retribution.

Kayla came out to her entire high school while most of us spent the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday working or at home relaxing.  She tells them that she is just like them, but just happens to be attracted to other girls.  "I want to break the silence," Kayla tells the school. "And I want to make one thing very clear: I didn't choose to be gay. Facing this reality was the most challenging thing I've had to do in my entire life. … I want to fall in love with someone one day, and I want to walk down the street and hold her hand. … And eventually, I want to marry her. I want to buy a house with her."

I truly commend her for having the courage to go up during a school assembly and coming out. She is doing this for those who need help during a time of hate and violence in our country; where young students are killing themselves for fear of being outed or simply being labeled as a homosexuals.  She just helped hundreds of people in the world, and I'm going to help her by sharing this video on my blog and on Facebook.  If one person can make a difference, imagine what we can do as a family.

Glee's Blaine & Kurt on The Cover of a Magazine

So I went to check our mailbox this afternoon, and Lord and  behold I received the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly.  And who's on the cover? Blaine and Kurt.

The article was actually quite entertaining, they talk about how the producers and networks ended their years of silence and how just a glimpse of inspiration can go a long way.
I remember growing up watching shows like My So Called Life, One Life To Live, Dawson's Creek, Ellen, Will and Grace and Degrassi Jr. High, where the characters roles were hardly noticeable.  

Don't get me wrong, the episodes were great, but you usually saw just that one episode with that one gay character for just a second. The thought of a boy kissing another boy on national television, was minimal at best.  The article states it correctly when talking about My So Called Life, "he (Rickie) didn't even utter the word 'gay' on screen until the season finale.

I remember watching Ryan Phillippe on One Life to Live before he became the star he is now.  He was just a scrawny little kid then, nothing like the muscular god before us today. :-)  But I do remember his character coming out on the soap; he was trying to convince his friends and family that a pastor wasn't molesting him.  Of course, shortly after that he leaves town and you never hear from him again.

I look at today's shows and feel inspired by the storyline and plots to each season.  Who would have imagined that Kurt would be opening an episode of Glee with a cover of Beyonce's 'Single Ladies,' or he singing a duet with Blaine in the final episode before the winter break; which by the way, the article also states, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," became the most downloaded track off the Glee Christmas Album.

Now you have shows like Shameless, MTV's Skins, and Pretty Little Liars telling people that you're no longer alone, that you have no reason to be afraid, to hurt yourself or be a bully to others.

I leave you with this quote from Chris Colfer:

"They're kind of like Joanie and Chachi of our generation," says Colfer. "When we made the announcement that Kurt was getting a boyfriend, people went bats---."

Hospital Visitation Rules for Gays Have Changed!

While there are times I disagree with our President, I thank God everyday that we elected him as our country's leader. He's been able to help us gays more than any President ever has.

On Tuesday, President Obama's new hospital visitation rules went into effect. What this means for us: Ryan can visit me in any hospital that participates in Medicare or Medicaid, which is almost all of them. The regulations require these hospitals to allow same-sex couples the same rights as straight ones.

Last year, President Obama announced the regulations in response to the tragic story of Janice Langbehn and Lisa Pond of Florida. The couple was kept apart while Lisa died at a Miami hospital.

You can read more about it here: The Advocate

Look out Britney Spears, Johnny Weir is Here!

Yes, you heard right.  Better yet, you read right.

Johnny is number one in Japan with his hit "Dirty Love."  It's true! He hit the top spot on the Japanese Amazon sales chart  shortly after its worldwide release last week.  The queen of olympic skating has been keeping busy.   He is currently filming his reality show Be Good Johnny Weir, and he is on a book-signing tour for his memoir, Welcome To My World.  So Britney, you best be on the lookout, you may be a princess, but Johnny's The Queen!

Listen to Dirty Love here:

Always My Son

I posted this video on Facebook last year, and if you haven't had the chance to see it, you should.  Especially if you're a gay child coming out to your family, a gay parent learning about your child, a teacher, a counselor, a pastor, the list goes on.  This video will bring you to tears as it did for Ryan and myself, as we saw ourselves in this boy growing up in our households.  Always remember there is someone in the world who loves you! Don't use suicide as your last resort.

"Growing up gay was never easy. I knew from an early age how different I was. Other boys my age wanted to play with Ninja Turtles or Power Rangers. But I loved the Little Mermaid and Barbie dolls. These differences didn’t escape the notice of my parents. They responded in different ways, but I always knew they loved me, even though I knew my father didn’t always like who I was." -  EJ (the son)

"I thought to myself inside that everything I've ever been taught that it's an abomination and yes, he's going to hell, but I also quicky thought.... my son, he's a beautiful kid, he's compassionate, he's warm, he cares for people, he's respectful, he's kind. How? If we have such a loving God, How could God condemn my son to hell?" - EJ's Dad

Anne Hathaway Picked to Play Kurt's Gay Aunt on Glee!

It's been finalized!  Anne Hathaway will be playing Kurt's gay aunt on Glee!

"Glee" creator Ryan Murphy tells People at the awards show, "We just finalized a deal with Anne Hathaway tonight to come onto the show. She's already created her role. She wants to play the lesbian aunt of Chris Colfer. Because everyone needs a lesbian aunt."

You can read all about it on Advocate.com