Living Proof

To tell you the truth, even I'm sick of this legalization of same-sex marriage. It's not because I'm against it -- I mean, how can I be? I'm married to a woman. But it's the back and forth conversations (or arguments) of those who are for it and those who are against it. I'm pretty much over it, mainly because of all of the ugliness I have seen out there. I have heard outrageous arguments -- anything from, "Well wut' next? Yew gonna marry yer' brother or sister now? Yew gonna wanna hook up with your uncle? How 'bout yer' pet," to "It's a sin and you're going straight to hell in a handbasket!" (I never understood why they would place a handbasket in the mix.) For one, not every gay or lesbian out there is a Christian. Some may happen to be Atheists. That's just for starters. And two: comparing incest and bestiality to being gay or lesbian is just ignorant. And thirdly, as you've seen plenty of my arguments o...

Just Married 2008 in MA. What a huge day for the United States! What an amazing accomplishment we have worked so hard for! I never use this many exclamation marks, but today is different! The U.S. Supreme Court now recognizes that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license marriages between two people of the same sex. Back in 2008, my wife and I were married in Massachusetts, because New York didn't recognize same-sex marriage. We waited 14 years before we could actually marry one another, not only in the eyes of God, but in the eyes of the legal system as well. It was the same time California was going through some growing pains between legalizing it, and then Proposition 8 slapping it back down. Legalizing same-sex marriage is not going to be an easy transition for many conservatives who feel that same-sex marriage is ruining their "sanctity" of traditional marriage. I think many "traditional marriages" ruined their own sanctity by just looking ...

What does it mean to be apart of the LGBT community? They have even gone as far as "LGBTQIA". Most of the 'initialed' community has a common denominator: sexual orientation, gender identity or an advocate or alliance -- people who support our rights. But what happens when someone wants to add to the mix? What happens when someone who is polyamorous wants to add the "P" into the "LGBTQIA"? First off, let me just explain what all of these terms are. There are many people who do not know what LGBT or polyamory stands for. So bear with me. What is polyamory? Polyamory -- (from Greek πολύ poly, "many, several", and Latin amor, "love") is the practice, desire, or acceptance of intimate relationships that are not exclusive with respect to other sexual or intimate relationships, with knowledge and consent of everyone involved. Basically, non-monogamy. So what does the entire "LGBTQIA" stand for? Lesbian – A female-...

All you have is right now. I've heard it and read it many times. It wasn't until I finally caught onto this concept that the future is all an illusion -- that worrying about things we have not yet to experience is just an unnecessary route to more madness. The other day I was driving home and heard that song "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac. It goes, "Don't stop dreaming about tomorrow, don't stop, it'll be here soon. It'll be here better than before -- yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone." When the song ended, the DJ said something much more profound than his listeners probably took it. He said, "If you have one foot in tomorrow and one foot in yesterday, whaddya' all doing about today?" Then he chuckled and went on about his show. Lately, I have been asked so many things about my future. Someone asked, "Well, 'if this happens' then what will you do? You need to have a plan." Nope. No plan whatso...

Before I start my letter to Kathryn, let me just say that it's very disappointing to see so many people still committing hate crimes. It's truly terrifying, because I look at these folks who allegedly had beaten up two gay men while walking down the street and they look like people I would hang out with -- they looked normal, well dressed and friendly. Was it because they were in that wolf pack mentality? When large groups are together, if one lashes out, usually the others follow. I guess humans do it too. I wonder if the situation was a bit different, say two women holding hands walking down the street -- would they have attacked them too? Gay is gay, right? But in my opinion and experience on being a lesbian myself, I find that gay men and transgender people get the worst responses from the general public -- or should I say, the ignorant public -- the hateful public. And not to say that lesbians don't get their share of idiots crossing their paths, but there is a sl...

The definition of bigot is: "a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion." So I am absolutely correct in using the word "bigotry" for W.W. Bridal Boutique. Think about it: if I walked into a Macy's and asked one of their representatives if they could help me and my partner find dresses for our wedding, what would happen if they refused us just because we're lesbians? What if we walked into a bakery and asked if they could make us a cake for our wedding and they said no due to our lifestyle? "Freedom of religion" is being abused and demonstrated as an excuse to discriminate against same sex couples. When I heard about W. W. Bridal Boutique discriminating against a lesbian couple who only wanted to purchase a dress, I felt complete sadness. On their Facebook review section , I gave them a 1 star with a few words: "★☆☆☆☆ Too many people like to play God. Remember 50+ years ago when it was illegal for interr...

It should be okay, I mean -- why wouldn't it be? Nobody cares if you're gay, straight, transexual or bisexual, right? It's strange to have this preconception that most of the world is accepting, until a celebrity outs their true opinion over their distaste in the homosexual lifestyle. That's when you see the world coming out with their own opinions and religious beliefs, condemning the LGBT people to hell. This is exactly why I'm not a "show & tell" type of person. I'm not in the closet, but if you ask if I'm married, I will say "yes" --- and that's it. I don't know your beliefs or opinions on whether or not you think being gay is a sin or it's just "gross" or whatever you may think. And why should anyone care what anyone thinks? For me, it's about safety. Safety from a possible hate crime, safety from maybe some perverted idiot or safety from just people who'll attack me with mere words and of ...

In my previous post which I put up on my Facebook page got a lot of hits regarding this topic. One lady by the name of Christina Mercer Acors decided to leave a comment. She first stated, "As you expect to be respected…respect our beliefs also." Then she went on to say, "Why should someone be surprised at a Christian's opinions? It's just a matter of the government and the media cowering to a select group." Here's my thoughts on that… Freedom of speech is a beautiful thing. We can say what we feel, we can say what we believe and not be penalized for it to some degree. But when does it come to the point where our beliefs and opinions, and yes, our "freedom of speech" causes violent behavior towards a certain group or have rights taken away from people who just want to have equality? Your beliefs are your own, but once you throw your cherry picked scriptures and cast them out with your vile opinions, making others feel horrible about them...

Each time Madelene and I stop off at a diner, we sit at the counter. Even at a restaurant, we eat at the bar. At the table, it's like your begging to be served, waiting and waiting and waiting. If you're the type to drink your fine wine with a crazy straw, then the bar and counter may just be your cup of tea. Quicker service. I found myself with an hour to kill in between appointments yesterday afternoon. I was hungry, I was tired and needed coffee desperately. I walked into the nearest diner by myself, and sat in between two old men wearing similar flannel shirts and baseball caps (with some sort of company logo on it). I grabbed a stool and put my keys and phone down. The waitress quickly noticed me and said, "Do you need to checkout, hun?" I was a little confused. "I didn't even order yet." Her cheeks turned bright red and she let's out an, "Ohhhh, you're ordering food to go?" As I sat down in my seat, I said, "No, to stay p...