Cyndi Lauper is planning on opening a shelter for homeless LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgenders) in New York City. She plans on naming it "True Colors" after Lauper's hit single from the 1980's. Construction of the facility begins Thursday at West 154th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Manhattan. According to Zap2It 40 percent of the homeless are LGBT people. Lauper says the residents of the shelter will pay rent based on income and have access to job assistance as well as social programs to help get them back on their feet. Many young LGBTs even lose support of their loved ones at home, winding up on the streets only to then be subjected to mistreatment and violent acts against them. I remember watching a documentary on "bridge kids". This is the term given to gay teens who hung out on the bridge, I do not remember what bridge it was, in New York City. At night these kids would usually have sex for food or money or temporary shelter with whomever was willing to pay. Kids as young as 12 were out there doing this. They did it to survive. Their families disowned them ad kicked them out because of their sexuality and they were left to fend for themselves. As we know young LGBT men and women are easy targets for many people, whether they know it or not. I hope that this is successful and spawns off into many more shelters across the nation. I applaud Cydni for this and I am going to give her 2 Digits Up. Good Luck.
In America we are free to do pretty much anything we want, good or bad in the eyes of other. In America many homosexual men and women fight for the right to marry, but they rarely have to fight for the right to be with one another in anyway they see fit. In the Middle East most of the countries there are run by a government that abides by Islamic and laws. This means that homosexuality is not allowed, to the point where many leaders swear that is does not exist int heir country and that it is only Western way of life. I would also like to note that in a lot of these countries alcohol is not allowed but it still slips in. As we know Gadhalfi's compound was taken over by rebel fighters earlier this week. In the compound they found many things that we would expect a billionaire ruler to have; a BMW, an Audi, a white Lamborghini and a Toyota, which were all driven off during the ransacking. Lots of gilded gold furniture and things. You can see more in the video below. One thing that was written was this, "In an office area in the villa, reporters saw large piles of catalogues for yachts and cars. A catalog by the firm Benetti had a yellow handwritten post-it note attached listing the price for a 30-meter-long yacht as 7 million euros. A DVD with gay porn entitled "Boyz Tracks" slipped out of the stack of documents." A gay porn DVD? Not just that but gay porn in a Middle Eastern ruler's home? I do not doubt that this is rue. I have read in the past that a large population of the Middle East has had some sort of homosexual activity, willingly, up to 75% is what I read. I read about how gay porn star and escort Malachi Marx was "bought" by a powerful Middle Eastern prince and was almost turned into his sex slave, but he escaped form the limo on the way to the airport. There is also a very common use for young boys as sex slaves, I saw the documentary, known as Bacha Bereech(Beardless Boys) and Bacha Bazi(Boy Play) in which boys, younger than 13, dance and dress up for men, much much older men, and inevitably are used for sex. Though rarely talked about in public it is widely known about, in secret of course. Consider it to be their version of "Down Low". It is very odd. In our societies even the most conservative Christians us know and understand, willingly or not, that people are going to have sex outside of marriage. Over their they are very strict, very very strict, and abide by their ultra harsh laws. Hands can still be cut off if you steal, women are stoned to death for any reason, etc. Men and women are not allowed to sleep together before marriage, though we all know this does not always happen. So what do they do? They sleep with boys... But they are not gay! They do it a lot, often times even after they are married. If they are found out to be homosexual however hey could be hung, stoned to death, beat to death, shot...any way you can think of dying it could happen to them. So although we understand why they keep it a secret, it is a somewhat badly kept secret. It reminds me of the prohibition era in America. People knew where to go to get a drink or two, but no one told anyone because it was against the law... Though some Middle Eastern countries are slightly more liberal than the others, to the point where you will not die for being homosexual, they are still not "free". Even with the gay porn being found in Gadhafi's compound it is not being talked about, which is understandable there are much more important things to talk about. I do hope that it does eventually get talked about though. Until then I am giving this subject matter a Digit Down.
Marvel Comics has a long line of comic book heroes that millions of nerds love. They are switching things up with Spider Man, on of their most successful brands and the reason we have at least 2 major blockbuster comic themed movies coming out every Summer. Above is the picture of Miles Morales, the new Spider Man. A half back half Latino teen who might also be gay... Fans will have to wait until the official Spider Man relaunch next month to find out how he came to be the superhero. Peter Parker, the original Spider Man, was killed off by the Green Goblin in June in a controversial move by Marvel which left fans aghast. Morales will have a different set of abilities beyond Spider Senses, possibly gaydar. I have a problem with modernizing things that have been so successful. On the other hand I like it. Why? hope they ruin themselves and create a major backlash with fans thus making it so I never have to see or hear about a major comic book themed movie coming out. I get that they are trying to appeal to the rising minority majority, but if that is the case why not just make him 100% Latino? He looks off unless he is some sort of Dominican mixed something or another. I am giving Marvel Comics a Digit Up. The faster they fall, the faster good movies can be made again.
Tracy Morgan has had a lot of bad press recently. We all heard about his "hateful" comments about gays he made while doing stand-up in Nashville earlier this month. He apologized and people pretty much got over it. Now he is being thrust back into the news for more bad press. He made some more politically incorrect statements while doing stand-up in New York City over the weekend. He said, "Don't ever mess with women who have retarded kids. Them young retarded males is strong. They're strong like chimps." Ouch Tracy, ouch. I wonder how he will apologize himself out of this one... Now personally I do not care about anything he says. He is a comedian, a controversial ann an edgy comedian at that. He is no different from previous comedians before him: Eddie Murphy, Red Fox, George Carlin, Chris Rock, Bob Saget, Kathy Griffin, and this list could go on for ages. Why is Tracy getting so much flack? We, as a nation, are too sensitive, we are too touchy feely and of course we are too politically correct! It is a joke, if you do not find it funny then that is you. If you go to one of his shows then you know what to expect, and if you do not know what to expect, then do not go! Freedom of speech allows anyone to say anything, most of the time, and we may not like it, but that is what separates us from many other countries. I believe that people are confusing Tracy Morgan with the character he plays on "30 Rock". Before that show, before SNL, he was and edgy comedian from the hood. He should not have to change his formula, because in the right arenas, his formula still works. However I am going to give Tracy Morgan a Digit Down because he id something that I do not lie at all, he apologized. He apologized after the touchy feely gays and gay friendly community came down on him hard after his Nashville show. Now he may have to go through this whole process again, and ever get an earful from Sarah Palin. You said what you said and it should have ended there. If other did not like it, so be it.
Elton John, or Sir Elton John, hosted Saturday Night Live last night and he was not so bad. Basically he was better than Miley Cyrus, though that is not hard to do. He made fun of himself and he confirmed that Lady Gaga was the godmother of his new son. Tom Hanks even joined in for a couple of skits along with Carmelo Anthony, what an interesting combo. Of course there were gay jokes. Actually there were a lot of gay jokes which bordered on the line of offense and unoriginal. But of course what else were they going to do and Elton was okay with them so eh. All in all Elton did just well enough to receive a Digit Up.
Wow Congress, House and Senate, actually passed something that did not fully directly benefit them for the first time in a long time. Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed and it will be singed into law by President Obama soon, very soon. It is a win for the Democrats mainly, since this is something that Obama wanted removed and a lot of Republicans did not want to talk about it. I really do not care really, it is gone and that is all that really matters. After 17 years and thousands, 13,500 to be exact, of gay and lesbian service members discharged the ban has been lifted. I do wonder now if those discharged members will be pardoned or be allowed to receive benefits that their other service members receive, it is not totally fair that they were dismissed. Actually after reading that I thin they are just out of luck, like when an old law gets dismissed, it may have been unfair at the time, but it was the law and you just have to live with it. Maybe if they ask for a pardon... That is too much to think about now. Everyone willing to serve should be allowed, gay, straight, bi, other. Now America will join the other 25 countries that allow gays to openly serve in their armed services. I must say though that just because gays are now allowed to be open,that does not mean their has to be a parade to show your ride, just celebrate and carry on :-) The President now has to deal with gay marriage, the gays will be after him on that one pretty hard. He has 2 years to dodge it, 6 if he is lucky.
Congress is getting a Digit Up tonight for doing something right, finally.
Cindy McCain is putting her LesiDo, lesbian hair-do, to use and speaking out against the things her husband, Senator John McCain, and most of his fellow Republican party members believe in and attacking those who attack gay issues. She and other stars are in a new video, I assume commercial on LOGO, and they are a little pissed.
I am sure that John knew about this. This is not the 1st time Cindy has spoken out in support of the gays. Her daughter joined her fora NOH8 campaign earlier this year. I understand what she is doing and I know that many appreciate it. If John is okay with is then so am I. Digit Up Cindy McCain.
When I think of this guy I laugh hard! This guy is anti-gay and attacked a student for his "radical" pro gay lifestyle. Everything about him a little gayer than the guy he is attacking. I saw him on The Colbert Report and I laughed so hard. I think this dude is in the closet and he is what the media would call a cyber bully. Watch and listen to him and you decide:
Now this all brings me to this: he has been fired from his job for violating office policies and for borderline stalking. This guy is very stalker-ish and creepy and reminds me of one of those guys who was never invited to the party so now he breaks them up and ruins it for others. I am okay with free speech and all that jazz, but this guy just took it way too far and I am glad that he is gone. Andrew is getting a Digit Down. Also Andrew, come out already GOSH.
While we are somewhat celebrating the possible dismissal of Don't ask, Don't tell but still struggling to help gay kids get through being bullied there is a country in Africa that is going through something much more than a purple shirt can solve. The nation of Uganda introduced a bill a year ago that would have made it legal to sentence homosexuals to death for some homosexual acts and prison for others. This was brought on a some Christian ministry visited the country claiming they could turn homosexuals into heterosexuals. Many Christian groups around the world have dismissed the claims and the bill that Uganda introduced. After many other nations and organizations condemned the bill it was shelved. Well it is a year later and although the bill never became a law many homosexuals are living in fear. A magazine printed an article with the names and pictures of Uganda's "Top 100 Homosexuals" and told it's readers to hang them. A year after the bill was introduced 20 homosexuals have been attacked and 17 have been put in prison. Uganda is a conservative nation of about 32 million people. Homosexual acts are considered illegal there as well. The magazine that printed the issue was told to stop publishing, but not because of the issue, because it did not have a license to print, shame. In the magazine it spread a lot of propaganda such as homosexuals had a deadly disease and it could not be stop and the one that we all have heard, that the homosexuals were going into schools and recruiting young kids, so far they recruited 1 million. So far 4 men from the list have been attacked, no deaths yet though. Many Ugandans are living in fear of being outed and put in prison or beaten or killed. This is a sad truth but many nations in Africa are like this. It may be 2010 here but that has yet to reach that Continent. Here in America we worry about gays in the military and gay marriage, but around the world they cannot even live a life without possibly being killed! The same goes for the Middle East as well, the Muslim countries that is. I cannot fathom this life, but I will try. I am thankful that I live here in a nation that may not be perfect but it is light years ahead of some other countries. We can only do so much here because we have our own problems, many, and we are no longer the superpower we used to be. Hopefully int he future someone or some organization will take action and put an end to this not only in Uganda but other nations like them. I am giving Uganda 2 Digits Down.
Living in Georgia now for a while has made me miss Florida with a passion. This state seems to be a little too backward or...not as culturally diverse as I would like. Now some people may love it here, and that is okay, but for me I can live without it. This brings me to 2 recent articles I read about the state. The 1st is about Georgia's plan to reach out to gay and bisexuals to help educate them about HIV and HIV prevention. On the surface that sounds wonderful and like something that should be done. But after living here and seeing the way people operate I think that may be wasted money. Why? Well because although there is a high gay and bisexual population here, it is the bisexual and the infamous Down-low (DL) crowd that you have to educate, but cannot because they are not about to be spotted doing anything that may make them seem "gay". The spread of HIV cannot be controlled if some guy is sleeping with men and then running home to be with his girlfriend or wife. There are so many DL men in Georgia, it almost feels as if every male in Georgia could be on the DL if they are not out. Married or just dating that does not mean a thing. If we may look at the latest scandal involving Bishop Eddie Long...enough said about that. Will it help? Maybe, I guess you would have to try it out and see, but I am not holding my breath. Topic #2, prescription drugs kill more in Georgia than illegal drugs. I found this one interesting. Apparently illegal drug deaths, due to overdose, were down from 2008-2009 while prescription drug deaths were up! It is so bad that Saturday the DEA held its 1st ever prescription drug take-back event. The type of drugs being abused most are pain killers and anti-anxiety drugs. Leading the pack would be: Alprazolam, or Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, Methadone, Hydrocodone, and Oxycodone. To break it down furthermore: Age 15 and under: 4 deaths
Age 15-24: 45 deaths
Age 25-34: 125 deaths
Age 35-44: 182 deaths
Age 45-54: 221 deaths
Age 64 and older: 13 deaths
-608 White
-60 Black
-2 Asian
-376 Males
-294 Females
Obviously this a major problem that will hopefully get solved. I could blame this on a lot of things but of course this will have to fall under the "Recession Umbrella".
I know that no state is perfect and every state has its own problems, but this state just seems to be a lot worse than what I am used to. Florida did have lots of problems yes, but I did not have a state income tax which helped me get over a lot of things. I am giving Georgia 2 Digits Down.
Cyndi Lauper is planning on opening a shelter for homeless LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgenders) in New York City. She plans on naming it "True Colors" after Lauper's hit single from the 1980's. Construction of the facility begins Thursday at West 154th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Manhattan. According to Zap2It 40 percent of the homeless are LGBT people. Lauper says the residents of the shelter will pay rent based on income and have access to job assistance as well as social programs to help get them back on their feet. Many young LGBTs even lose support of their loved ones at home, winding up on the streets only to then be subjected to mistreatment and violent acts against them. I remember watching a documentary on "bridge kids". This is the term given to gay teens who hung out on the bridge, I do not remember what bridge it was, in New York City. At night these kids would usually have sex for food or money or temporary shelter with whomever was willing to pay. Kids as young as 12 were out there doing this. They did it to survive. Their families disowned them ad kicked them out because of their sexuality and they were left to fend for 
themselves. As we know young LGBT men and women are easy targets for many people, whether they know it or not. I hope that this is successful and spawns off into many more shelters across the nation. I applaud Cydni for this and I am going to give her 2 Digits Up. Good Luck.
