With award season winding down, my Twitter and Facebook feed has been bombarded with op-ed pieces criticizing the movie Dallas Buyers Club- which ironically won best actor and supporting actor at the Oscars a couple weeks ago. So what’s being criticized? A few things:
Tag: LGBT
Sylvester- No Regrets, No Apologies
Rolling along with Black History month, it gives me so much pleasure to write about this legendary icon. Sylvester James Jr., born September 6th 1947 in LA, was an American singer/songwriter. Known by his stage name Sylvester, he is recognized as one of the great Queens of the disco era reigning along side the likes of Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor.
Freedom, Civil Rights, Equality- The Story of Bayard Rustin
Martin Luther King Jr and Bayard Rustin-1956 (Credit: Associated Press)
Bayard Rustin was born on March 17th 1912 Westchester Pennsylvania. He attended Wilberforce University, Cheyney State College and City College of New York; he never received a B.A. Mr. Rustin is cited for his involvement in The Civil Rights Movement, in which he was a leading activist from 1947-1955, and for his stances on pacifism and gay rights. He was influenced by civil rights activists W.E.B Du Bois and A. Phillip Randolph among others. He was also heavily influenced by the teaching of Mahatma Gandhi. He even travelled to India in 1948 to learn non violent civil resistance techniques from the leaders of the Gandhian movement. He influenced the lives and works of people such as Martin Luther King Jr. and James L Farmer Jr.
Black History Month
With February at my doorstep, I got to thinking about what I can do to acknowledge the significance of Black History Month in a way that’s meaningful to me. Black History in itself is filled with significance. But I wanted to dig a little deeper to see if as a gay man of colour, I can discover LGBT men/women who contributed to black history.
So this month my blog will be dedicated to celebrating black history by sharing the stories of black LGBT heroes whose legacy transcends generations and racial barriers.
Stay tuned!
Prideful Thoughts
Someone asked me a very interesting question today- “Why do gays celebrate pride” This really got me thinking and because I didn’t want to rattle off the usual answers, I did a bit of soul-searching and this is what I came up with. Continue reading
Monogamy or Polyamory?
Gay relationships.. So many different views and opinions exist about whether or not queers can have successful relationships.. Or what a successful relationship even looks like. Is it one based on monogamy– having one spouse/sexual partner? Or is it one based on polyamory– having more than one spouse/sexual partner? I think it all depends on the guys involved and what they’re looking for. But I often wonder if one ‘s better than the other. Like everyone else, I have my own beliefs around this but let’s explore what monogamy and polyamory look like.
HIV and The Gay Community
With the International AIDS Conference(AIDS2012) underway in Washington DC, I started to reflect on the history of HIV/AIDS and the destructive relationship it has had with the gay community for the past 30 plus years and I wondered whether much has changed from then to now.
Ageism
Age ain’t nothing but a number. But in the gay world, it can mean the difference between a warm welcoming smile and a nasty glare. Say hello to ageism. Ageism is discrimination against persons of a certain age group. Usually referring to the elderly. Now, you might be thinking that this issue isn’t unique to the gay community. And you’re right. It exists everywhere worldwide regardless of sexual orientation. But what makes it unique in the gay community is when you are considered to be “old” at age 40.. Some say 35!
Is Queer a bad word?
The word queer has been stirring up a lot of discussion lately. Is it a bad word? Is it too drenched in hate to be reclaimed in a positive light? There seems to be a divide in the LGBT community on this.
Pride Review
So the madness is over.. It’s been a hell of a week.. And weekend… but boy was it fun! From the looks of it, Pride 2012 was definitely a success. The community really came together to show why Pride Toronto is the largest parade in North America.
My Queer Agenda 