Tag: pride

five song friday, music musings, music suggestion

5SS: october 31

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So here’s the deal: I was extremely busy all week trying to get my school work finished so I could enjoy this weekend without worrying about how to fit all of that work in with my Pride/Halloween plans. I managed to finish everything yesterday, but the 5SF got cut because of it. However, there are NO rules against doing it a day late! So here’s the first, and hopefully last 5SS; 5SF’s will go back to their regularly scheduled day after this week! Now, let’s get to the music!

The Saturdays – Here Standing
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_1031_thesaturdays-herestanding.mp3]
I know that I was gushing about how Lose Control was the best song on the new album by the Saturdays, and while it is AMAZING, I think I might have been wrong. THIS is the best song their new album. It is amazing. It evokes the same feeling of another amazing track, No Air, and has me breathless after each listen. I still cannot get over how amazing their sophomore album is; it is even better that their debut (which was stellar, btw). The Saturdays have made some brilliant pop, and this is sitting pretty atop the rest right now; this song is epic, and totally beautiful. I am PRAYING that they release this as a single, because there is no way that it wouldn’t be number one. Seriously, this song is EPIC. BRILLIANT. AMAZING. LOTS OF WORDS IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. This record is amazing, and I can’t seem to say it enough.

Kaci Battaglia – Crazy Possessive
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_1031_kacibattaglia-crazypossessive.mp3]
WARNING: This song says fuck in it like 65 times; you have been warned. I opted not to go for the radio-friendly version, because I love the tenacity with which she screams fuck in each threatening line of the chorus. This song is a total guilty pleasure, one that uses an arrangement that borrows heavily from Soft Cell’s Tainted Love; but it is almost as if she borrowed the arrangement from Rihanna’s SOS, which borrowed its arrangement from Soft Cell. Interesting. The result is a great back beat with a fierce song about fucking up a bitch who comes after your man. Don’t fuck with Kaci; she’ll cut a bitch!

Ke$ha – TiK ToK
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_1031_kesha-tiktok.mp3]
GUILTY PLEASURE ALERT: I resisted the shit out of this song. No way was I going to concede and like someone who thought it was cute to spell her name with a dollar sign in it. However, far too many of you suggested this song to me to ignore it any longer; and what better time to post it during Pride weekend. This song is a true banger, and I am sure that it will be loved by gay boys all over; including this one. Yes ladies and gents, I give in. I love this ghetto fabulous track by Miss Kesha… I’m sorry, I mean Ke$ha. Ugh, I still don’t like that, though. Also, what the hell is up with the line, Now, the dudes are lining up cause they hear we got swagger/But we kick em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger? Someone needs to let this little cutie know that she can do better than guys that look like tired old Mick. I’m just saying; Ke$ha, don’t sell yourself short, doll.

Cascada – Evacuate the Dancefloor
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_1031_cascada-evacuatethedancefloor.mp3]
LOOK! IT’S THE GAYEST VERSION OF JUST DANCE SINCE JUST DANCE! Seriously, I tried really hard not to like this complete rip on Lady GaGa’s amazing first single, Just Dance, but I just couldn’t resist. Cascada has danced her way into my heart again, and I just can’t resist any longer. Yes, this song is pretty much a spot on remake of Just Dance; it follows the exact same formula that Lady GaGa perfected with Just Dance. However, isn’t imitation the sincerest form of flattery? If that’s the case, Cascada LOVES her some Lady GaGa, and she made this little homage so we could all get out on the floor and keep the dance party going. I have been playing this one for a few months now, probably way more often than I should, and I thought it was perfect for a Pride 5SF, so here it is. You win again, Cascada! Gays rejoice! Dance music for the masses!!

Lisa Scott-Lee – Electric
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_1031_lisascott-lee-electric.mp3]
Oh how much I love Lisa Scott-Lee; let me count the ways… a song consisting of nothing but hyper sexual double entendres, the fact that she was in the amazing pop super group Steps, and THIS… oh Lisa. This song should have been a massive hit when it was released back in 2005, but probably due to the stink that was still left on everyone’s mind about the break up of Steps, it tanked. She probably shouldn’t have promised to quit the music business if it failed, but she did, and well, it did. Regardless of the stink that surrounded this song, I have always loved it, and wanted to feature it this week; especially since I have been paying more deserved attention since reviving it during the British pop explosion I did a few weeks back. I have say, I do think it’s interesting (as D’Luv pointed out last year) that this song got cloned and turned out to be a moderate hit for Ms. Jackson, which I guess speaks to cyclical nature of the music biz. I hope the Lisa Scott-Lee reemerges someday and gives another brilliant pop gem like this one. I know of at least a couple other gay boys that would be rejoicing right along with me.

Well, I want to apologize for getting this to you a day late, but it’s better late than never. I couldn’t go another week without giving you something to listen to. I hope that everyone has a happy Halloween, and a very happy Pride weekend if you are in Atlanta. Let me know what you thought of this week’s selections, and as always, tell me what you are listening to as well! Take care!

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a (queer) monday menagerie

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– Pride in Atlanta is this weekend, and I am kind of excited about being able to celebrate Pride weekend without the heat of June, and hopefully, without the torrential downpours that usually came along with it. Anyone going besides me?

– This blog post about the (possibly diminished) potentiality of Adam Lambert’s success in the American conservative driven music market is a great read. When a queer artist doesn’t make it in the US music market, it’s difficult not to tie that to the fact that they are gay; especially when they can only be described as stellar (like him or not, Adam can really sing). If you look at artists like Will Young, Scissor Sisters, Mika, Westlife, and other queer artists that are hugely famous overseas that never get radio play here in the states, it gets even harder to not draw those same conclusions. While it was pretty clear that Adam lost American Idol because he was gay, as middle America was probably risking burning their houses down from all the rotary dialing in order to prevent that queer from beating the little straight guy, I hope that his sexuality doesn’t ruin his music career before it even starts. The boy is extremely talented, and I hope that he finds the success he deserves. Even more so, I wish American’s had more brains than they do drive to stamp out things they don’t understand, or things they equate to different, and therefore wrong.

– This makes me want to puke. Seriously? Censoring a children’s book because a character has two moms? What the fuck is offensive about SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS IN REAL LIFE? Seriously, people that believe that this type of scenario is in any way offensive or “harming to them” needs to walk over and tell me in person so I can slap in the face like the fools they are. Seriously people, gay people and gay families are normal. Deal with it. If you want to “shelter” your child and your family from it, kindly pick up and go live in a shack in the woods where you won’t bother the rest of society, okay? (h/t to the the amazing jacksonpearce)

– Kind of related to the children’s book mentioned above, Towleroad reported about a gay family that made a video, acting out a book that is also getting a lot of negative attention because two princes get married and live happily ever after. This book is being slandered to spread hate in the Yes on One anti-gay marriage campaign in Maine. Here’s their video:

Not only was this video incredibly adorable, but they have made many more, using their family as a beautiful example of what is normal about gay families. I want to personally applaud those guys for what they are doing. Gay families are normal families, and the people behind these horrible campaigns like Prop 8, and now Prop 1 in Maine, should really take a look and see who’s lives they are messing with. The hypocrisy behind anyone saying they are anti-gay marriage because of “family values”, “morality”, and “protection of marriage” when everything they are doing against gay marriage is in spite of those very things, drives me insane. When will people learn to just butt out of our lives, and stop seeing who we are as offensive to them; especially when it has NO IMPACT on them in any way?

civil rights, happenings, near and dear, show the love, that is so gay

congratulations are in order…

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First off, to Michael Phelps for becoming the first person to win 8 gold medals in one Olympics. Is there anything this guy can’t do?? I can’t help but feel this amazing sense of pride for him, because of everything he has worked for, and has now achieved. What an awesome story, and what a great achievement!!! Congratulations, Michael! You rock buddy!

Secondly, a HUGE congrats to one of the only A-list gay couples in this country on getting married this weekend!!! Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi have said their “I dos”, becoming one of only A-list MARRIED gay couples in America! All my best to Ellen and Portia, who make a fabulously beautiful couple, as well as a beautiful set of role models for all of the gay community. Being an out couple, and one with such a positive image at that, makes me so happy that they represent our community. Through their publicity, and continued positive exposure as a couple, these two amazing women help to make being gay more of a normal occurrence in this world. I hope that they had an amazing day, and I wish them love, life, and happiness together. Congratulations, Ellen and Portia!

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5SF: july (pride edition!!)

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Well, this weekend is the annual Pride celebration in Atlanta, and it also happens to be July 4th weekend; so a three-day Pride celebration is officially in full swing! We’ve got our pride flag hanging outside, and have made plans to party with our friends this weekend. Just because it’s a national holiday, however, doesn’t mean I have forgotten about the five songs for Friday!!! Today’s 5SF is going to be chock full of songs that are sure to be blaring from the speakers this weekend, as they are all super gay friendly, and mostly, banging dancefloor-ready tracks that definitely get me moving and make me want to shake my booty this weekend! Alright, here we go:

Lady GaGa – Boys Boys Boys
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_74_ladygaga-boysboysboys.mp3]
First up today is a leaked song by the AMAZING Lady GaGa. I have been going gaga over this lady since I instantly fell in love with her infectious HIT Just Dance, and I have anxiously been awaiting new stuff to satiate my appetite for all things Lady GaGa. Well, I found this little gem out there on the internets, and I have been loving every second of it. So far, Lady GaGa’s record is my most anticipated record of the year; this song shows me that she is a huge talent that is going to really deliver. I can’t wait for the The Fame! Until then, I am MAD about Boys Boys Boys!!! (And how appropriate, a song about loving boys on Pride weekend!)

Jessica Folker – To Be Able To Love (Jonathon Peters Remix)
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_74_jessicafolcker-tobeabletolove.mp3]
This is a definite blast from the past for me. I was thinking that I wanted to search my dance-music dominated past, and come up with my favorite song, and I will tell you that it was hard. I have a HUGE collection of dance music, and there are so many that really get me moving. However, when I heard this remixed version of Jessica Folcker’s hit, I knew I had to choose this one to include this week. Perhaps I will add more dance songs in nostalgia in the future after rediscovering this amazing song. I can still remember how I came to know this song… my friend Matt (a DJ) used to make CDs for his friends. Well, he handed me a CD one night, and told me simply, that the first song would make me cum. It was Jessica Folcker’s To Be Able To Love, and I can tell you, that I squealed with delight when I heard it. This song is dance music at its best.

The Pussycat Dolls – When I Grow Up
Oh Pussycat Dolls, how I have continually underestimated you. Also, is it just me, or had anyone else wondered where the amazingness that Darkchild once possessed had gone? Feedback is an excellent track, but I forgot that it was by Darkchild, mainly because it lacks the call sign in Janet’s hit. Either way, he shows us that he definitely still has it with this amazingly catchy song from the hotter than fire Pussycat Dolls. There is no denying that these ladies are smoking hot, and at least one of them can sing the shit out of a song. I am glad that Nicole stuck with the girls to make a new record, because based on their last one, we can expect many more hits from PCD this year! I seriously cannot get enough of this song… it makes me want to dance all night long! (also, I can’t help but squeal like a little girl when they say they want to grow up and have boobies. LOL!)

Ne-Yo – Closer
If I didn’t know better, I would think that this song was geared directly towards the gay market; mainly because of the extreme dance-ability of this track. Additionally, I would probably put this more under the category of house, rather than R&B, but then again, I guess that isn’t what Ne-Yo was going for (which is probably why I never noticed it before recently). Either way, it is a dance floor ready track that definitely begs to be blasted from the stereo this Pride weekend. It is also awesome to see Ne-Yo dancing it up in the video, proving that Usher isn’t the only boy who has the moves!

Chris Brown – Forever
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_74_chrisbrown-forever.mp3]
This is another song that I wouldn’t have expected from an R&B artist, mainly because it seems like it would be made by an artist more geared to the gay community because of its insane dancability. Maybe these R&B lads are realizing that we like a dance beat too, and are bringing the gays the goods? Either way, it is another great danceable song that I have been enjoying for a little while, which only continues to grow on me. A note about this song/video too; why the fuck is embedding disabled on you tube, Universal Music?? Are you afraid that people are actually going to post the video and promote the song? WTF. FAIL.

Oh well… there’s your five songs, folks. I hope everyone has an amazing 4th of July, and a amazing Pride weekend!!! Happy Pride everybody!!

all about me, hmm interesting, that is so gay, the catch-all-egory

appetites and anxiety

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It seems that lately, I have been quickly losing my appetite. I noticed it last week, but this week, I have been almost completely uninterested in eating. I don’t really know what is going on with this, but perhaps it will help me lose some weight; I weigh more than I ever have right now, and I am NOT happy about that. Don’t worry, I am not going anorexic, so don’t leave comments freaking out on me. I have been down that road, and I don’t see myself going there again.

I am getting kind of anxious about the upcoming weekend, and all of the things that go along with attending and celebrating Pride. While I LOVE seeing shows and people watching, and really taking in everything wonderful about Pride, I am really leaning towards skipping the parade. I have not been able to deal with heat lately, and it is only getting worse as the summer steam rolls on. I have gotten to where when I am outside, and it is stifling hot, I find myself dripping in sweat (like I have ran a marathon) as soon as I step outside. To top that wonderful-ness off, I get light headed and my anxiety only grows, and I sweat more. It isn’t pretty, and it is something that I have been avoiding pretty much at all costs. If I go to the parade, avoiding that state would be impossible, so I am leaning towards skipping it.

I can just go back and look at my pictures from last year’s parade in the AC; I guess that would be kind of like listening to the CD instead of going to the concert, right? Either way, I am still undecided. Other than that, I got my new lens this week, and I have been playing with it, seeing what I can do with it. I think I am going to challenge myself to use it exclusively at Pride, but I guess we will see. It was a huge expense (I am still feeling that), but I really think that it was worth it… The potential is great!

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check it: jiingo

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A friend I met a few years ago URL through the wonderful blogosphere invited me to be a part of a kick ass new website this weekend. The website, called Jiingo, is a collection of music lovers talking about music; what a great thing to be a part of for a music lover like myself, eh?

I am honored that Shan appreciates my opinions about music and included me as a contributor on the site. I look forward to contributing to Jiingo, and getting suggestions from my fellow Jiingo writers. Check it out!

This weekend was pretty fun, my friend Justin pretty much hung out all weekend, and we had a blast. I am looking forward to the upcoming 3 day weekend, which happens to also be Pride weekend.

I am apprehensive about Pride, but only because I haven’t been doing well with heat lately. If it is bad, I might skip the parade, and just go to the festival; which has moved to the air conditioned Civic Center. I really, really hope that Pride goes well this year, as I have heard some buzz that the festival pretty much needs to be a success to keep it going (since it was kicked out of Peidmont Park). I know that I will be there to support it, and will give money like I always do; Pride is an awesome celebration, and it would suck if we didn’t have it. Okay, now that I have been talking about it, I am getting all excited for Pride!

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the fate of the atlanta park festival(s)

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It appears that the drought we experienced this year in Georgia, continually has more and more interesting ways of affecting us; apparently, the city of Atlanta has said NO to having festivals in Piedmont Park this year. This means that there will be no Dogwood Festival, no Peachtree Road race, and no Pride festival, in Piedmont Park in 2008. Also, unless they can find somewhere else to hold these events, they won’t be happening this year at all.

While I understand that the city is concerned about how the park looks, and the aesthetic of having grass and vegetation, I have to wonder, is it worth losing the revenue that each of those festivals bring to the area? I mean, Pride and the Dogwood Festival alone have to be huge money makers for the city, because they literally attract hundreds of thousands of people each. Additionally, the businesses around the park benefit from those festivals; I know that Grady High school gets a major boost of funds by being able to charge for parking, which goes directly to student programs.

Additionally, I wonder about the potential impact of losing the “biggest Pride festival in the south”? How will this impact the gay population in Atlanta, and how will it impact the gay presence in midtown? If Pride is canceled this year, who’s to say they won’t cancel it in the future? It also makes you wonder, if they were looking for a viable excuse to get rid of the festival in the first place, and the drought made for the perfect scapegoat? It just seems a little extreme to cancel all of those festivals over the worry for preserving grass.

How do you feel about the cancellation of these events? I know that I personally am sad to know that something that is as huge as Pride may not happen this year; all because of “new” city ordinances on grass. I know that I, for one, am curious to see how the Atlanta Pride committee will try and make up for this blow to the fate of the festival; I just can’t imagine not having Pride in Atlanta.

Again, it just seems kind of extreme to cancel these festivals because of worry over the growth of grass. After all, what is the point of having a park in the middle of the city if you can’t use it? I for one hope that they can come to some sort of consensus between the city and the festival organizers, because it will be a really dull if Pride doesn’t happen this year. Pride is definitely something I look forward to, and definitely something that I would miss if it doesn’t happen; and even if it happens somewhere else, what will it be like? One thing is for sure, the fate of the festival rests with this decision, and I for one hope that something can be done to save each of these Atlanta institutions.

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pride 2007: recaps and reflections

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perhaps my favorite parade participantAs I stated on Friday, this weekend was the annual Pride festival in Atlanta. Let me start my recap and reflections post about Pride this year by saying, that it was, hands down, the best time I have ever had an any pride before. This year, we got a tent, and set up in the park; which was probably the best decision ever. But more on that in a bit… let’s get started.

First, Saturday morning, James left to go down to the park and set up with everyone, while I remained in bed (I am not a morning person). After setting up, he came home and picked me up, and we were off to the park. I took my camera (as my flickr contacts have already discovered), and started taking shots right when we got there. I didn’t get a lot of good pictures from pride last year because it was rained out, so I definitely wanted to make up for it this year; and I believe I did.

homo sex is sin-sational!I walked around the park with my buddy Josh, along with Daniel and Andrew, and we literally and only made a half of a lap before we were all four soaked with sweat. After seeing the sights for a quick round, we followed Josh back to his place, where some protesters from last year had set up camp. Josh, as he is known pretty well throughout the internets, got back at the protesters last year by “altering” their message; and we were here to capture it this time. I got a great shot of Josh changing their message of hate into something funnier, and something that offered a little bit of relief for the rest of us that hate to see these hate-mongers that parade around throwing the bible in our face. While we were over at his house, we made a mistake, and got into it with one of the protesters, who had brought his two young daughters out in the heat just to damn us to hell. What a prick he turned out to be. Everything that we would ask, he wouldn’t answer, and every time we would say things like “Jesus doesn’t judge”, he would tell us that he did. He was a whack job, as he turned the judgment argument into his personal mission statement, saying that it was he who was to judge. To that, I said that he must be God then, because the Bible says only God can do that. He didn’t like that very much. We also kept asking him if he really believed that he was going to convince anyone using his tactics, to which he would reply that “spreading the word was his mission”. I asked him how often he was out here “spreading the message”, which promptly shut him up about that. He also kept yelling about “accepting Jesus” as the “only way to salvation”, and I told him that I had accepted Jesus a long time ago (I have). What pissed me off, was that he just deflected that, and called me a queer living in sin, and damned me to hell anyway. Maybe he should read a little of that bible he was throwing in my face. When we walked away from him, I told him that I felt sorry for him, because I was certain that he was probably homosexual himself, and that he had to live his life in this horrible manner of self hate and denial. He didn’t say anything else and actually walked away. Hmm…

prideAnyway, back to the festival… We went back to our tent, drank and ate, and enjoyed each other’s company for the rest of the day and into the evening. As we sat in the scorching heat, we did talk about the reasons for pride, and we all agreed that we wished Judy could have held on a few more months, so Stonewall could have possibly happened in late September, and Pride could be held then instead. But, alas, June is when it is, and as such, it is why we were out there celebrating our ability to hold our heads high and come together as a community; showing the world that we are queer, and by saying it out loud, we are demanding that they take notice. It was a fun day.

donation flagSunday, we got out a little earlier, as James and I wanted to take advantage of the rapid HIV testing that AID Gwinnett was offering at their booth. I thought it was a great idea to have testing at pride, and we hadn’t been tested in a few years, so it was time. We are both negative (yay!), and there really was no reason to worry, as we are monogamous, but we still joked that we would either see everyone in 20 minutes for a day of fun, or we would just call them tomorrow. Well, glad that we didn’t have to walk down that road. After the testing, we marched over to the parade, which was nice, but way too long. There were definitely highlights (Baton BOB!), and I managed to take tons of pictures (again, on flickr — click here if you want to check out the set for yourself. James and I bailed before the end, because we were tired and it was hot. We then went back to the tent, and enjoyed the rest of the day. Deborah Gibson performed and was great, and we all had a great afternoon, just hanging out with friends, and being in the Pride atmosphere of the park. It was great. We stayed late into the evening, and then packed up and went home before the last drag performance was over.

By the time James and I got home last night, we were beat. I am still a little tired today, but I wouldn’t change a thing. It definitely was a Pride to remember. I am also sooooooo glad that it didn’t rain, because it is seriously the first pride I remember going to without a single instance of rain. And it was especially nice after having Pride rained out last year. Now I can’t wait until Pride next year; we all agreed that the tent was the best idea ever, and we will definitely be repeating that one. Hope everyone had a great weekend, and to everyone who celebrated, a happy Pride!

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pride, biology, orientation, and all things that make us gay

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Since this weekend is the 37th annual Atlanta Gay Pride festival, I thought I would reflect a little on pride, and what better way to do that, that with an article a flickr pal of mine sent to me about the biology of homosexuality? The article talks about current studies that are being conducted, many of which are looking at various biological trends in humans that indicate a biological representation of homosexuality. It builds on the studies from the past that looked at things like the differences in the hypothalamus (which was seen to be noticably different in homosexual men), and also looks at other interesting things potentially linked to your propensity to be gay, like being the youngest boy in your family, the length of your fingers, the direction of the whorl in your hair, and many other biological traits. What it goes on to show, is that the representation of these traits are sometimes significantly different for gay men, and even lesbian women, and as such, may prove to be biological markers that can be used to truly say that homosexuality is biologically determined.

While there is a lot covered in the article, and there are a lot of different points made, I thought it was interesting that first of all, we need to prove that homosexuality is somehow biological. I see how this proof would end the discussion that homosexuality was a choice, but it does open up a whole new can of worms, which is best summed up with this statement from the article:

If sexual orientation is biological, and we are learning to identify how it happens inside the uterus, doesn’t it suggest a future in which gay people can be prevented?

It appears that there is also some research looking at the possibility of genetic markers that “cause” homosexuality, and while they aren’t confirmed, it does sound both intriguing, and scary at the same time. I for one can’t imagine what would happen if it turns out that homosexuality is inherently genetic, and they do, then, start searching for a cure. (Additionally, I should note that the conclusion that lesbians are somehow “less homosexual” or even “more fluid” with their sexuality, because they haven’t identified as many markers in women is NOT something I endorse or agree with. Jumping to conclusions without research to back it up is dangerous and stupid.)

The whole notion of “curing homosexuality” is a scary thing, because I for one, don’t think that homosexuality is a disease, and as such, it certainly doesn’t need a “cure”. I am extremely proud of who I am, and being gay is a large part of that. I think that if I were meant to be born straight, I would have been. Plain and simple. I know that everyone doesn’t share my sentiment, especially those that hate themselves because they were born gay, but think about this: being gay, if it is truly biological, is essentially the same as if you were born black, red-haired, blue-eyed, female, or any other non-harmful biologically identifiable trait. The point is, that if it was meant to be, it would be. That is the way nature works.

But what about diseases, and genetically defective biological traits that can be identified and cured? Does this mean that I think that we should just let those diseases that can be prevented with genetic suppression go unchecked? No, I think that is a different argument, mainly because being gay has absolutely no provable detriment to a person’s life; other than, of course, the environmental and external influences that affect us. And we all know that just because you are gay doesn’t mean that you will be subjected to these influences, and just because you are straight, doesn’t mean you will be immune to them.

While being gay may be a “harder” life because of all that we face; discrimination, degradation, violence, hatred, etc, it is a life that we have lived, and because of what we go through, it shapes us into who we are. We are made up of both our biological selves that were given to us at birth, and we grow and are shaped by our experiences, and become who we are by combination of the two.

Now, I know for a fact that my experiences didn’t make me gay, but, they did happen to me because I am gay, and they helped me become who I am today. I am a proud, out, gay man, and I know what I know because of the journey I have been on to this point in my life. It is the journey, and what I have made from it, that I celebrate this weekend, and it is my hope that this important aspect of each gay person’s life is not lost if and when biological determinants are truly, and irrefutably identified.

Unfortunately, I am realistic about the world we live in, and I fear that the hateful, bigoted, religious extremists will force the issue of screening for these biological traits, in an effort to make gay people inferior. Even more, I fear that they will go further, and try to eliminate gay people from being born.

I hope that just because we identify that being gay isn’t because “you took dance instead of playing basketball”, and that it is because “you were born biologically homosexual”; people will NOT seek to eliminate the biological traits that make us special, unique, and wonderful.

Being gay is being different.
Being gay is being who we were born to be.
Being gay is who I am.
Being gay is who many others are as well.
Being gay is normal.

We are no less human, nor any less worthy of our lives as gay people, than anyone who is black, female, blonde haired, or left-handed is worthy of their life as who they were born. I hope that we can continue to live in a diverse world that begins to see these studies as a means of acceptance, and not as a means of elimination.

Given the tone this article has the potential to set, I for one, want to focus on the pride that I have for who I am, the community that I identify myself with, and what it means to sit here, typing this post as a proud gay man. It has been a long journey, but I know that I have a long way to go; and I couldn’t be happier that I get to take the journey myself. This weekend, I will celebrate this with my fellow gays in Atlanta, and it will be a beautiful thing. After the weekend, I will tell you all about it. Come out and see us if you can!

Happy Pride, y’all.