Wednesday, July 20, 2005

We Have Just Begun To Fight

His name is John G. Roberts, Jr. and you will be seeing and hearing alot about this man who will decide our future, if nominated as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

He is a conservative wrapped in a pretty bow. He is youngish, 50, and ifapproved by the U.S. Senate, will be able to shape our Nation's laws for many years to come.

What we know about this man is that he is a Washington insider who clerked for William Rehnquist when Rehnquist was an associate justice and worked in Bonzo's and Daddy's administrations.

He is a long-standing member of the Republican National Lawyers Association who gave little brother Jeb private legal advice during the 2000 presidential election recount.

He is no friend of gays or gay marriage. He was the one who convicted a young girl who was caught eating french fries on the Washington DC metro system where eating food is prohibited.
This guy likes to send a message, his message and interpertation of the law.

Some parts of his record contradicts itself when it is useful to do so. He is quoted as saying that a women's right to choose was "wrongly decided and should be overruled". When he was up for a judgeship, he played down that earlier statement, explaining that he made the administration's case against Roe V. Wade only because that was his responsibility as its lawyer.

So what we have is a guy that can speak from both sides of his mouth when it serves his purpose.

I am not personally surprised by the nomination. But the battle lines are already drawn. Look for a long and vigorous battle waged from both sides.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Hola, the First Gay Couple Weds in Spain

The first gay couple to wed under Spain's new gay marriage law are Emilio Menendez and Carlos Baturin German who were smiling broadly as they exchanged thir vows.

The ceremony took place in Tres Cantos, a town outside Madrid. Spain is the third country after the Netherlands and Belguim to grant full legal recognition to same sex couples.

The ceremony was presided over by a town councilor from the United Left Party.

The law gives gay couples the same rights as heterosexual ones. Besides getting married, they can adopt children and inherit each other's property. Truly remarkable in this overwhelming Catholic country.

Since the law took effect on July 3, 2005, about 50 couples are believed to have filed papers seeking to get married. With the gay population estimated to be about 4.3 million in Spain, there will be plenty of "Si" exchanged. I wish all of these couples the best of lives. Of course, big hairy muscle hugs of congratulations are in order. Salut!!!

Monday, July 11, 2005

Michael Cunningham, A Gay Author for Our Times

I am a big fan of Michale Cunningham's work. He has spellbound me when reading "The Hours" with all its interwined time capsules. He has pleasured me while reading his fantastic interplay of characters in "A Home At the End of The World" and writes from the heart in "Flesh and Blood"

Now Michael is at it again. His latest novel, "Specimen Days" , which I have ordered and not read yet is a collection of 3 linked novells that takes the form a ghost story, a thrillr and a science fiction tale all wrapped up in a neat bowtie.

Michael is really a cool guy. He likes long walks, his favorite East Village New York City book store haunts and peaceful times with his partner in P-Town.

The title, "Specimen Days" is borrowed from a collection of Walt Whitman autobiographical writings, beginning with a Victorian ghost story set in a rapidly industrializing, grit and dirty mid 19th century Manhattan. He next links us to New York after September 11, 2001. Then he ends it with a futuristic flare where thrill-seeking tourist pay to be mugged in a theme park called "Old New York" and where the masters of the universie use alien lizards as nannies. I kid you not.

This is an experiment in writing. He needed to top himself after his "the Hours" achievement.
And he does it with writings that stretch out over two centuries. This work may be flawed, but you can't fault the guy for exploring new territories in his writing.

He is a gay author first and foremost, but he doesn't make it the forcus of his work. I feel that this frees him to write creatively from the soul and take risks in doing so.

This won't be an easy summer read, but you'll come away with a deeper sense of awe and respect for this accomplished gay author for our times.

Friday, July 08, 2005

This Guy May Have All the Answers You've Been Looking For

Who knew? There is a gay psychic out there and he's HOT.

Dougall Fraser is the new psychic on the block who just happens to be gay.

For starters, he doesn't talk to dead people. That's a load off my mind.

He says that's boring. He's more interested in human dynamics and why we are here on this planet.

He say, "People want the mysteries of the unvierse unlocked instantly." His job, he says, is to ponto out where a guy is missing out in life. Truth being told, if everything were great, he says, why would anyone bother to come see him? Good point.

He stress self-reliance and introspection and he isn't afraid about being open about his sexual orientation.

He got a new book out called, "But You Knew That Already", published by Rodale Press.

The book is not excusively about gay issues, but a large part of it deals with is coming out process and life as a gay man.

He wants to show the public what it's like for a gay man trying to blend being spiritual and bieng human at the same time.

His book is also reported to be uplifting, with its insights into the basic life questions that so many people want answered, all written with a quirky sense of humor.

He says that the books main message is that people need to learn to trust their own hearts when confronting life's daily obsticles.

He seesy gay people as often able to achieve that more easily than straights. But gay or straight, he says the message is the same: "Worry less about trying to look into the future and focus more on applying intuition to get the most out of today." Now that's really heavy and deep.

For whatever it's worth, Dougall might be onto something. If you're looking for a beach read, this just might be what the Gay Sun God ordered. I'm going to order it and give a future review.

For anyone traveling this weekend or going/returning from vacation, wishing you the best of travels. Big hairy muscle hugs to keep you safe and happy.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

He's So Close and You Want It So Bad

In my pursuit of the ultimate safer sexual experience, I am a firm believer in intimacy exercises.

On the surface, this might sound like a bunch of crap, but don't knock them if you haven't tried them.

Woody who writes a column for the Window Media gay paper chain, has a very interesting weekly column. Here is some exerpts from last week's column. It can be found at http://www.washblade.com. Click on Eclipse and scroll down to "Need Wood"

Anyway, Woody shares these exercises with his readers.

First step, always get naked. That is definitely my kind of instruction.

Then you and your partner, sex buddy, whatever, sit cross-legged, face to face with your partner, knees touching. Your hands are resting on his knees, palm up. He puts his hands on your hands, palms down.

Then you look into each other's eyes for a few minutes with the intention of studying them. Make mental notes but don't break the silence or the eye contact.

Now take a break and cover your eyes with your hands for about a minute. Then place your hands in the same position as b efore and stare into each other's eyes. But this time, don't study your parnter. Instead, let him look at you. Receive his gaze. Let yourself be look at, undressed if you will. With this exercise, you are evaporating barriers. You are closer to him. After this experience, hard and horny, you can strap on that condom and pound him into pleasureland.

Another one is called the star crossing. Lie down on a rug and spread your arms wide. Your legs should be spread about shoulder width apart. Your partner stands over your crotch, sits his butt down on the ground between your legs and mashes his cheeks agains your crotch.
He then lays back like you did and spreads his arms out next to your feet. He puts his hands on your feet and keeps them there. He spreads his legs over yours so that his feet are next to your hands. Hold his feet. From above you both have formed a star. Your genitals are facing his but not touching. Your sexually vulnerable but emotionally connected, symbolized by the toching of each other's feet. This exercise brings up different feelings depending on where your legs are over or under your lover. Now you are again in the position to put on that condom and plug his ass silly. WOOF.

For the heck of it, try it when you and your partner feel the need to try something different. It worked for me. I felt constrained and held back, with made the sex even more enjoyable. Afterall, a little variation never hurt the experience. Try it, you might just like it.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

The Devil and his Temptations Wrapped Up With a Pretty Bow

Anyone condoning unsafe sex is a fuckin asshole, plain and simple.

I came across some quotes from the gay guru and HIV+ poster boy, Andrew Sullivan last week.

Old Andy writes that he has never felt better. "HIV transformed my life, made me a better and braver writer, prompted me to write the first big book pushing marriage rights, got me to take better care of my health, improved my sex life and deepened my spirituality."

Well, a ringing endorsement for unsafe sex unlike anything I have read before. Doesn't it just want to make you walk around with a sign, saying, "Bareback me, please".

While he glamorizes HIV, old Andy mocks HIV prevention efforts for using fear to promote safe sex. The guy just wants to have fun.

He quoted as writing, "Young negative men need to see more of us keeling over in the streets, or they won't be scared enough to avoid the disease that may, in the very distant future, kill them off."

He further states, "They, (young negative gay men) may even stop believing that this is a huge, escalating crisis, threatening to wipe out gay life on this planet. But the bottom line is that HIV is fast becoming another diabetes."

So soothing Andy. Thanks for sharing. True, that HIV is no longer the immediate death sentence for wealthy gay men, but hell, it can and does kill with horrible side effects and a constant dependence on drug therapy.

So Andy is the Good Humor guy, spreading the news that HIV and AIDS are no big deals. He takes "only" five pills a day and gives the feeling as if "AIDS meds were nothing more than taking Flinstones' vitamins."

But thank goodness there are others who don't buy this candy coated bullshit. The safer sex message is even more important today because of the "I don't care" mentality of many younger gay men.

The last thing younger gay men need to hear and read today that it is OK to ignore warnings about the dangers of contracting HIV and to find sexy alternatives to unprotected sex.

As we have discussed here numerous times, safer sex is a pleasurable alternative to barebacking. This reckless attitude fostered by Sullivan and others will no doubt lead to more HIV infected gay men.

The cycle continues because there are not enough of us to prove Sullivan and the others wrong.
Sullivan has this platform and it is too bad that he couldn't use it to promote something good, like safer sex.

That message is clear. Safer sex is the only sexual option, period. I guess it just has to be repeated and repeated over and over again.