Living Out Loud with Darian

The definition of family continues to change as we see many variations of loving families that fall outside of the traditional definition. Allow me to introduce you to one such family that may look a little different on the outside but contains all of the ingredients needed to make a family.

Juan and Darrow are a gay couple from Baltimore, Maryland who have been together for over eight years. Although the state of Maryland has a constitutional ban against same-sex marriage, the couple will most likely tell you they're as close to being married as the state will allow. Juan, an analyst and Darrow a social worker, have been blogging about their experience as foster parents who hope to adopt their 18 month old son Ty.

I was introduced to this beautiful family after Darrow saw a post I'd written seeking African-American gay fathers and sent me an e-mail.



Eager to start a family, Juan and Darrow learn that there is a lot that happens before a bundle of joy is placed in their care. The couple documents their experience dealing with the foster care system leading up to Ty's placement in their home on The Daddy Diaries and Meet The Fosters. Readers journey with them to certification classes, through home inspections, and also the endless waiting for a child to arrive.

Their situation is a little different because they are foster parents who are hoping to adopt, which means Ty's birth parents can decide to take him back once they've proven to the state that they're capable of taking care of him.

This small detail is probably one of the hardest realities for foster parents like Juan and Darrow who have fallen in love with their child. They frequently write about how it feels knowing that it's a real possibility that their son could not be with them long-term.

The couple is also not blind to the fact that they're family doesn't look like everyone else's and worries about the homophobia coupled with racism their son will endure.




Darrow: "I have always been hyper-sensitive to the idea of exposing my child, adopted or not, to the ugly homophobia in our society. By adopting, I am bringing him into a situation where some of the same difficulties that I have faced throughout my life will fall upon him. Though the odds are high that our son will be heterosexual, he may frequently be in the position of having to admit the "sin" of having two Dads. His coming out each and every time will be for my sake, for our sake.

At some point in his classroom, there he'll be with the question, "how come you don't have a Mommy?" And the answer is: I am adopted and I don't live with my mother; I live with my two Dads. You can imagine the rest-confusion, laughter, ridicule, children who say their parents won't let them play with him-though it may not happen all of the time-just enough of the time. There is no way for me to shield my son from these kinds of things, just as there is no way for me to shield him from the way people will respond to the color of his skin".

The courage and love exemplified by this family should be held up as a model for other families. Juan and Darrow have proven that love truly does make a family. Ty is with two people who want nothing more than to love and nurture him and provide a support system through adulthood. What a blessing.

If you're a frequent visitor to the wonderful news website created for gay men of color GBM News, then you're probably already aware of Justin Smith. He is the senior correspondent and contributes to many of the great articles that are posted within. But what many people may not have known until late last week is that Justin is also HIV positive and has been living with the virus for three years.

Last Friday on National HIV Testing Day Justin revealed his status via a YouTube video and introduced a series of videos to come that will share his experience as a person living with HIV.

"People have asked me why I am doing this, why have I put my personal business out like this. I tell them it is to help educate people, to make them aware and to make them think twice about having unprotected sex. This is my personal journey that needs to be told to help the community", said Justin.

I included a link to Justin's story on GBM News in my National HIV Testing Day post last week, but I saw it fitting to boldly highlight his story because I think it's one that needs to be told.

I sat and watched all of Justin's videos and I was extremely moved by his courage not only to combat HIV but to share something so personal with complete strangers in an effort to save a life.

HIV is not the death sentence it used to be, but it's definitely not a disease you want to live with as Justin clearly illustrates.

Thank you Justin for sharing your story. Get into his videos below and feel free to forward this post widely. You never know who it might help.

You can e-mail Justin Smith at jsmithco98@hotmail.com

by Rev. Irene Monroe
via Bilerco Project

By now many in the LGBTQ community have heard of the news about the cop beat down of Duanna Johnson in a Memphis booking room that was captured on a surveillance video. Those of us of African descent, who don't know or haven't seen a photo of Johnson, might pick up on a cultural marker, her name, assuming correctly she's an African American sister.



While police brutality is both unbridled and rampant in the African American community, hitting an African American woman several times with handcuffs wrapped around the officer's knuckles while an African American nurse goes directly to the offending white officer to see if he's okay is another cultural marker - Johnson's a transwoman.

Monica Roberts, founder of the African American transpeople online group Transsistahs-Transbrothas, in her post "Yo NAACP, NBJC...Where Y'all At?" wrote:


"While I applaud you [NAACP] for declaring a state of emergency over the treatment of African-Americans by the police, I have yet to hear any NAACP local, state or the national chapter speak up not only about this case, but about the verbal and physical hate attacks on African-American transpeople in general. As Duanna Johnson's case graphically points out, some of the problems we transpeople of African descent face are at the hands of the people who are supposed to protect and serve us," wrote

But the appalling silence Roberts experienced from major African American organizations in this country that vow to protect and serve its community was also experienced from black media.

The Duanna Johnson story will not be featured in Jet, Ebony nor Essence.

To continue reading click here.

Hey everybody! It was my intention to update the site today, but I got stuck in Mexico last night with no internet connection. So I'm pointing you in the direction of some great topics that I'd originally planned to write about today. I'll be back up to speed on Monday. Have a great weekend!




Jonathan Perry speaks with Sheryl Lee Ralph, Phil Wilson, Marvelyn Brown, and Morris Singletary for National HIV Testing Day



Justin's HIV Journal

CDC: "Troubling" Rise in HIV Among Young Black, Gay and Bisexual Men Rod 2.0



Michelle Obama at DNC Gay & Lesbian Leadership Council Rod 2.0





Friends & Lovers: The Ski Trip Part 2, B Boy Blues Movie Update, and Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom Queer Kid of Color

Photography by Justin Farkas
Styled by, BLEU's Fashion Editor Antino Angel Crowley


New York's Bleu Magazine is celebrating their second anniversary and the beginning of summer with one of their hottest covers to date. Male Supermodel Wendell Lissimore graces the cover of the new issue and gives new meaning to the word hot!

You may recognize his work from seeing him in British GQ, and on the Paris runway for designers Hermes, Emanuel Ungaro, Kris Van Assche and Prada. Most recently Lissimore was seen in the groundbreaking SEAN JOHN all black male fashion show in New York City.

It looks like Tyson Beckford finally has some real competition. But hopefully if the modeling industry has learned anything from the Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell drama is that there is room for more than one black supermodel at the top.


I'll be keeping my eyes open for more Wendell Lissimore, but for the time being you can catch him on the pages of BLEU Magazine.

Subscribe to BLEU for only ten bucks and receive a full year's subscription. Click here.

God it was painful to watch the BET Awards last night. I finally gave up about two hours into the three hour and fifteen minute show. With the exception of Usher, Ne-yo, Alicia Keys, and Chris Brown the entire show was one massive train wreck.

The state of black music is in a major crisis. I kept thinking it's a damn shame the music industry doesn't know what to do with a talent like Jennifer Hudson while I was watching Keyshia Cole sing off-key while simultaneously butchering her simple choreography.

A few questions:

1.Why in the hell is Lil Kim unrecognizable?

2.Why did Chris Brown not looked moved when the camera panned to him after Usher's performance? LOL!

3. Lord why was DL Hughley hired to host the show? Didn't his career end a while ago? He's so much better as a guest on Real Time with Bill Maher. The fool called Marvin Sapp "Warren" Sapp! And all of his jokes fell flat.

4. T-Pain. Can we say minstrel show?

5. Where in the hell was Janet? Or Beyonce for that matter, the show was screaming for real star power.


Get into loldarian.com affiliates Clay Cane and Gyant's recap. Gyant did a live blog last night and has video of all of the performances. And of course Clay's review is hilarious!

I have a confession to make. Last week I watched Bill Duke’s controversial film “Cover” and I liked it. If you remember it wasn’t too long ago that Duke announced that he was going to make a film about the down low phenomenon and the impact it was having in the black community, particularly among black females.

Gay rights activists quickly pounced on what they believed was another project aimed at further demonizing black men who identified themselves as heterosexuals but who secretly slept with other men.

I was one of those activists who after viewing the original trailer for the film was quickly put on the defensive, especially after seeing the inaccurate HIV/AIDS statistics among black women that were displayed in the trailer.





Like many others I expected the worst. More of what we’d come to expect from the media in regards to how black gay men were being portrayed.

But surprisingly, Duke’s film plays less to the “woe is me” from the central black female character and explores the dilemma of a black bisexual man who is trapped living the life expected of him versus the life he knows to be true. Particularly as it relates to the sometimes-harsh reality waiting for black men who do decide to tell the truth and come out.

James Baldwin once said, “You have to go the way your blood beats. If you don't live the only life you have, you won't live some other life, you won't live any life at all."

It seems I was living this truth before I’d even come across Baldwin’s words. When the words “I’m gay” left my mouth at sixteen and reverberated around my house it was extremely scary yet necessary. So a big part of me takes issue with anyone who feels it’s safer to hide and be deceptive versus standing in his or her truth, no matter what the consequences may be. But I also know that this is easier said than done and the potential loss can far outweigh the gains for some people.

But how long? How long must it take and how many lies must be told before you finally gather the courage to boldly affirm who you are?

We have no choice in our natural inclination towards the same sex, but we do have a choice when it comes to being honest with the people we care about. It’s incredibly sad that as gay men we’ve had to lie so much that we now have to learn to tell the truth.

Once the male lead in Cover hits rock bottom he screams 5 words that literally sent shivers down my spine. “This Is Who I Am”! Heart wrenching and affirming all at once.

I long for the day when society, black families, and the black church create a safe environment for brothers to openly be who they are without the fear of losing everything that they hold dear.

Only then will this DL phenomenon cease to exist. But in the meantime you can guarantee that lives will be ruined, books will be written, and movies will be made. Speaking of books, I think it’s time that a different story is told, one that affirms who we are as black gay men and doesn’t involve deceiving wives or girlfriends in the process.

I’ve put it off for far too long. I think it’s time.


Cover is now available on DVD. Check out the teaser I created below.

Caught On Tape

The video, recorded February 12th, shows Duanna Johnson in the booking area at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center after an arrest for prostitution. The tape clearly shows a Memphis police officer walk over to Johnson - a transsexual - and hit her in the face several times.

"Actually he was trying to get me to come over to where he was, and I responded by telling him that wasn't my name - that my mother didn't name me a 'faggot' or a 'he-she,' so he got upset and approached me. And that's when it started," Johnson said.

Johnson said the officer was attempting to call her over to be fingerprinted. She said she chose not respond to the derogatory name the officer called her.

Watch the video here.

hi-five to Pam's House Blend


Beaten Straight?

Joyce Beddell, a 61-year-old Reading, Pennsylvania woman was arrested by Reading police for beating her granddaughter with a cane and belt after finding the girl in bed with another female teenager from the neighborhood.

The granddaughter had just finished having sex with another 16-year-old girl and was in an upstairs bedroom. Beddell walked in and found them together.

Beddell's 16-year-old granddaughter suffered serious bruises to her legs and buttocks during the assault. Beddell told police that she had done nothing wrong and said she should have been allowed to discipline her granddaughter as she saw fit.

Thanks to my reader Daniel Robinson



The Other Side Of The Gay Marriage Debate

Activist/Writer Jasmyne Cannick has ruffled more than a few feathers with her latest op-ed in The Advocate, "Jasmyne Cannick Doesn't Give A Fig About Gay Marriage". According to some readers this is Cannick's most "embarrassing", "racist", and "divisive" piece to date. Their words not mine. James Kirchick of The New Republic wrote a hell of a response. Get into both here and here.

While I respect Jasmyne's opinion I definitely don't agree with her as I've stated on this site and elsewhere before. Read my response to her article as printed in the L.A. Times here.

Let's not get it twisted, one person's voice doesn't speak for an entire community. Gay marriage is important to many black gays and lesbians. I'm sure Alicia & Saundra Toby-Heath of New Jersey would agree.





Jada Pinkett Smith To Play Lesbian In "The Women"

This Fall an updated adaptation of the 1939 George Cukor film of the same name, which was based on the 1936 play by Clare Boothe Luce will be released as a feature film with an all star female cast. In the 2008 version of 'The Women', which is directed by Diane English, the film stars Meg Ryan, Eva Mendes, Jada Pinkett Smith, Debra Messing, Candice Bergen, Bette Midler, Carrie Fisher, Lynn Whitfield, and Annette Bening.

Jada Pinkett Smith will be playing lesbian character Alex Fisher. Get into the trailer here. The Women is expected to arrive in theaters on October 10th.



Sagging On Wall Street?

Another week, another crazy ass story from The New York Times. This week journalist Bill Cunningham exams "sagging" among black and latino men and compares the fashion trend to the stock market. Yeah...the stock market. Check out the audio and the visually stunning images here. I hope he had a towel nearby after looking at these pictures because from the sound of his voice he was obviously excited.

Many of you have asked me what my thoughts are on scripture that has been interpreted to condemn homosexuality and although I've wanted to respond many times I've resisted. Mainly because I'm not a theologian and the last thing I want to do is get into a debate over scripture in cyberspace. This topic is much too complex to be dealt with in a single post. But there is a post that I came across last week on The Daily Voice that I think everyone should read so I'm reposting it.

Rev. Dr. Dennis Wiley of Covenant Baptist Church sums it all up.

Why The Black Church Should Support Gay Rights
by Rev. Dr. Dennis Wiley

The Black Church has been so poisoned by homophobia and heterosexism that the idea of it actually supporting gay rights seems oxymoronic. But Black churches are not monolithic and, although the vast majority of them denounce homosexuality as a sin, there are a few that do not. Covenant Baptist Church, a traditional African American congregation in Washington, DC that my wife, the Rev. Dr. Christine Y. Wiley, and I co-pastor, is one of those few. We believe that whereas homosexuality, as a sexual orientation, is not a sin, hypocrisy is. That is why Jesus says nothing about the former, but speaks volumes about the latter.

There are numerous publications now available that help us to understand that the few biblical passages once thought to express unequivocal condemnation of homosexuality have been grossly misinterpreted. In fact, the more accurate translations of the Bible do not even mention the word, "homosexuality," a relatively new term. And, while these passages condemn same-sex behavior that is violent, abusive, or believed at the time to result in ritual impurity, the scriptures do not explicitly address sexual intimacy between two loving individuals of the same gender.

The question, then, is why has the Black Church become so hostile toward non-heterosexual persons and so vitriolic in its approach to the issue of homosexuality. The reasons are varied and complex, and are associated with the historical intersection of racism and sexuality in America. Suffice it to say here, however, that it is not the Bible, but socially-conditioned and culturally-infused interpretations of the Bible that account for the pervasive anti-gay sentiment within the Black Church.

That said, it is my opinion that the Black Church should support gay rights because homosexuals are human beings who deserve the same rights as heterosexuals. These people did not choose their sexual orientation. They did not wake up one morning and say, "Oh, I think I'll be gay," any more than others of us woke up one morning and said, "Oh, I think I'll be straight." Despite what some may argue, their sexual orientation is an integral and immutable component of their identity. It is who they are and they could not change it even if they tried.

On a certain level, I believe that many if not most of us in the Black Church are aware of this, but it is too difficult and uncomfortable for us to go against the grain of what has been taught to and instilled in us all of our lives. It is much easier for the Black Church to bash or ignore gay people, while at the same time exploiting their tremendous gifts and talents, than it is to become a safe space in which they can realize their full, God-given potential without having to hide in the closet.

I support gay rights because the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of love, not hate; a gospel of justice, not injustice; a gospel of inclusion, not exclusion; and a gospel of authenticity, not hypocrisy. Remember, Jesus spent the bulk of his time associating with those whom society rejected--i.e., the poor and the sick, the downcast and the outcast, the last, the lost, and the "least." By the same token, those whom he most harshly challenged, criticized, and chastised included not only the rich and the elite, who disproportionately enjoyed the privileges of society, but also the religious hypocrites--i.e., people who pretended to be more holy, pious, and righteous than they actually were.

If, then, the Black Church is the True Church, why would it want to foster within its fellowship, as well as within the broader society, a culture of hypocrisy rather than a culture of authenticity and integrity? But is that not exactly what the Black Church is guilty of doing when it (1) pretends that homosexuals do not exist, and (2) encourages them to pretend to be something they are not--i.e., not merely to tell a lie, but to live and, indeed, be a lie?

While some resent the comparison of gay rights with civil rights, I agree with Julian Bond that "people of color ought to be flattered that our movement has provided so much inspiration for others . . ." In the spirit of Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, and even the Declaration of Independence, the Black Church should support gay rights if one believes that all of God's children "are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, [and] that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Because the Black Church is comprised of a race of people who themselves have been, and still are, the victims of oppression, it should be the last institution in the world to condone the oppression of anyone else. For as King once said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."


Rev. Dennis W. Wiley, Ph.D., is the pastor of the Covenant Baptist Church in Washington, DC.

Since I've been writing this blog I've had the opportunity to go places, speak to people about the issues that are important to me and meet some of the most talented and amazing individuals who are using their gifts to make a difference in the world.

One such person is a young man I met last weekend who goes by the name Yolo Akili. Born Michael T. Robinson Jr. Yolo is a poet, spoken word artist, activist, astrologer, and yoga teacher in training. Simply put-a jack of all trades.

I had the pleasure of seeing Yolo perform live over the weekend with a host of talented poets and singers at The Urban Grind in Atlanta.

Unbeknownst to Yolo, I'd never attended a spoken word performance and really didn't know what to expect. Would I be blown away by what I saw or would I spend the entire night looking at my watch? Thankfully I was blown away and Yolo had a lot to do with it.



As an openly gay man Yolo uses his poetry as a form of activism and craftily infuses heart-wrenching stories with humor, making it a much easier pill to swallow for audience members, many of whom can identify with his content as it relates to the black gay experience.

One of my favorite poems of the evening was titled "We're Not The Kind of Boys We Want". Yolo tackles the effeminate male versus the highly praised and usually desired masculine counterpart by asking his audience, "who will have we, when we won't have us".

His delivery is genuine and every word seems to come from some place deep inside almost as if he's lived every word that leaves his mouth. Art really does imitate life. But during this performance I also realized that art can lead to healing.


Words have power and I'm extremely proud of Yolo and other black gay and lesbian poets who are using their gifts to affirm their right to live authentically and express exactly who they are without reservations.

Get into the video below.



Yolo will be releasing a book of poetry entitled "Poems In The Key of Green" on June 26th, so if you're in Atlanta then please support this amazing brother.

Poems In The Key of Green

CHAPBOOK RELEASE PARTY
JUNE 26TH
7:00 P.M-9:00 P.M
AT JAVA-VINO

579 N Highland Ave
Atlanta, GA 30307

If you're an African-American gay or lesbian couple and you married yesterday in California or you plan on doing so before November then I want to hear from you.

It goes without saying that yesterday was an amazing day for equality across the state of California and an example to the rest of the world that equality will always trump bigotry and injustice.

However, I would be lying if I said I wasn't disturbed by the images that have surfaced out of California of all the gay couples who are now legally married.

Where are the pictures of black gay and lesbian couples?

If the L.A. Times and The San Francisco Chronicle won't run your picture I will as well as a host of other LGBT bloggers.

E-mail me your picture along with your name, city, and a brief history about your relationship so we may all celebrate your union.

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of interviewing author Terrance Dean of the new controversial book 'Hiding In Hip-Hop' during a stop on his promotional tour. Like his memoir, the conversation was revealing and did not disappoint.

I had the opportunity to ask Terrance all of the questions that I had after reading his book as well as a lot of the questions you submitted on this site.

No matter how you may feel about Terrance Dean and his book it is his truth. I commend him for having the courage to tell his story. Although I may not agree with all of the choices he made, no two stories are the same so I'll just have to present a different truth in my memoir.

If you haven't read Hiding In Hip-Hop then let me assure you it's a good read. Now in it's second printing copies are going fast, so make sure you pick yours up. Get into the interview below.

Thanks Terrance!



Part 1 &2(with no background music)

This post is a special feature courtesy of loldarian.com affiliate Gyant from SOHH.com.

What If It Were A Boy?
by Gyant

I should warn you now that this particular post has absolutely nothing to do with Atlanta, but my feelings are SOHH strong that I can't keep them bottled inside. Late Friday afternoon the verdict was handed down against R.Kelly and his pending child pornography charges. And the juror's decision has left me feeling shameful and sad towards the future of this country.

Wendy Williams once said that the biggest problem in this country is not drug abuse, its child abuse. Robert Kelly was acquitted on 14 counts of child pornography Friday afternoon. It seems that despite the graphic material on the now infamous tape, an eye witness who came forward for the prosecution confirming the "pied piper of R&B's" identity, his brother also publicly confirming Kells identity, plus, a forensic expert confirming the authenticity of the tape, that the jury still decided that R. Kelly is an innocent man.

The way this country treats sexual predators is deeply, deeply disturbing to me. I can't help but think that once again this sends a message to our nation, as well as sexual predators, that little girls are OK to be prayed upon. After six years of said tape circulating around the world R.Kelly has emerged unscathed. And let's just forget for second that the court system once again has failed us, what about all the fans? Nobody can dispute that after the allegations broke six years ago that R.Kelly received virtually no backlash – if anything he became more popular.

Mothers, Daughters, Uncles, and Aunt's were still "Stepping In The Name Of Love". Artists across the board were still ponying up big money for Kelly to be affiliated with their musical projects. And adding even more insult to injury, since the allegations broke R.Kelly even managed to have a damn near sold out tour.

Am I the only one who is looking at all of the R.Kelly fans as pillagers and supporters of child porn themselves? How one can continue to support a man who is linked to such horrible sexual crimes/allegations is preposterous to me

Now I'm not going to argue whether or not he did it or not because I have eyes and my God given common sense. However, I can't help but think to myself what if this had been a young boy? If the same tape had emerged six years ago with a man who resembled in any small way R.Kelly making a young boy strip, pissing on his chest, and sodomizing him would all the R. Kelly fans be pumping their fists in support? I'm thinking HELL NO!

Uh, can anyone say Michael Jackson….

However in the back of societies mind when these acts are committed against our young girls [and note I didn't say "black girls" because this, isn't a black thing, it's a people thing] somehow people are able to reconcile it and never fully blame the predator. It's always somehow the victims fault. Today's verdict, in my opinion, just perpetuated that notion.

In my opinion to let this sick, disgusting, child predator get off Scott free only sends yet another example that if you're financially better than most, and if you're committing a crime against a female, particularly a young female, then everyone will simply choose to look the other way rather then stand together as a protective shield for our youth.

In a country that was built on freedom and justice for all those words seem all but gone to me. In my eyes we are a country that prides money, wealth and the deletion of the human spirit.

It's just another sad day in America!

When straight people are scared off by the political bogeyman of “gay marriage,” it’s useful to break it down into individual pieces. All but the archest conservatives will agree that we should be able to visit our partners in the hospital, keep custody of our children if one of us dies, inherit each others’ property.

But within our own community, we also need to acknowledge that marriage is more than the sum of its parts. Not just a mere collection of individual rights, it’s a collective statement about whether our relationships, and thus we as gay people, are worthy of respect, equality and justice.

More than just saying “I do,” marriage is about saying “we are.”

- Laura Douglas-Brown, Editor, Southern Voice

Congratulations to all of the gay and lesbian couples who will be legally united in marriage in California as of 5:01 p.m. today!

You may not know her now but you will.

Thanks to my boy and loldarian.com affiliate Adam Irby I discovered one of the most amazing new artists yesterday and I had to share her gift with you.

She is YouTube sensation Dondria Nicole. I'd never heard of her or watched any of her videos, but let me tell you I sat and watched all 28 videos last night. This young lady has an amazing voice and her talent has not gone unnoticed.

Dondria Nicole is the first YouTube singer to be signed to Jermaine Dupri's Atlanta based So So Def Records. Yep, this southern girl from Sachse, Texas who grew up singing in her church choir has used the YouTube platform to snag a major recording deal.

Not only does she have an amazing voice but she also has an infectious personality. Her 28,000 subscribers have nicknamed her "Phatffat"( pronounced "fat-fat") because she's always eating in her videos before she blows the roof off with her vocals.

Her debut single "Can I Talk To You" will be available on iTunes on June 17th followed by the release of her album on July 29th.

"I have never witnessed an Internet-driven phenomenon that even comes close to this in my entire career," said Jermaine Dupri." We are on the threshold of exposing a naturally gifted singer to the world as a result of YouTube's penetration into every corner of society - and that is a genuinely exciting prospect for the future."

Get into one of my favorite Dondria videos below. The hardest part for me was choosing a video to showcase here. I can't wait to hear this girl on the radio. I'm officially a fan.

Well just when I thought I'd heard it all. This right wing nut/televangelist(sorry there is no other way to describe this man unless I resort to using profanity) by the name of Bill Keller has released a video questioning Barack Obama's belief in God and whether or not he is a real Christian.

He cites Obama's support of a woman's right to choose and his support for the LGBT community as signs that he is a "fake Christian" touting new age ideals.He refers to Obama as being on the "religious left" and warns Americans not to support a candidate that doesn't align with their Christian values.

If his extreme fundamentalist approach to religion wasn't scary enough he decided to throw in images of aborted babies for good measure. Nice.

This nut job is exactly what turns people away from religion organized or not. I don't know about you but I've had about all I can take of self -righteous, bible-thumping, backsliding, hypocrites who take it upon themselves to play God and question another person's commitment to Christ. I mean you could have fooled me but I thought we were voting for the President of The United States not the Pastor of The United States.

Is the idea of separation of church and state just a figment of my imagination or is it a law that those who govern are supposed to abide by?

Americans were hoodwinked during the last election by Karl Rove and the religious right and we're still losing lives in Iraq, gas prices are soaring, HIV/AIDS cases are increasing, people are without healthcare, and the economy is in crisis.

I pray that some of us won't allow ourselves to be distracted by distorted messages of hate by the likes of Bill Keller disguised as religion.

Obama an enemy of God? Not likely, the religious extremeists...quite possibly.

Watch this madness below for yourself.

via loldarian.com affiliate Rod 2.0

Just in time for Pride season is this beautiful picture and front page story at Bay Windows. Katherine Patrick, the 18-year-old daughter of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, publicly comes out as a lesbian.

"As private of an issue as it is, we’ve sort of had to come to terms with the fact that we are a public family and there you give a part of yourself away," Katherine tells the newspaper. "And we also ... wanted people to know that it’s not only something that we accept, but it’s something that we’re very proud of. It’s a great aspect of our lives and there’s nothing about it that is shameful or that we would want to hide."

Katherine Patrick said she had never before felt more proud of her father than in June 2007 when he flexed his political muscle to defeat the anti-gay marriage amendment. "Because, of course, he didn’t know that I was gay then. So, for someone so publicly to fight for something that doesn’t even affect him was just like, ’That’s my dad,’ you know?. That’s all I could think. I was very, very proud to be part of this family, and this state in general."

Deval Patrick, who became the first elected official in the country to win statewide office after having campaigned on support for marriage equality, says he never considered his daughters' sexuality into his advocacy on the issue. "I don’t think we thought about who they loved," he explains. "You know, it’s interesting even just thinking about having this interview. Katherine and Diane and I and her aunt and Sarah were all talking about, you know, would we give an interview to announce one of our kids was straight? It’s just not about the public ... it’s just about making sure that they had the fullness of their personality and their humanity.

Thanks Rod!

I take pride in supporting LGBT films, especially when the cast is predominantly African-American. There isn't much I haven't seen by way of film festivals or endless hunting at Blockbuster, so I was rather shocked that I hadn't seen filmmaker Darius Clarke Monroe's 2006 short film "Testify".

Darius tackles three hot button issues within the black community in ten minutes and fifty four seconds; homophobia, homosexuality in the black church, and HIV/AIDS.

Testify tells the story of a broken relationship between Pastor Cyrus Biggs(Al Thompson) and his son Gene(Art Evans) who is dying from AIDS. Pastor Biggs reluctantly visits Gene during his final days after being absent from his life previously and much is revealed about both the father and son.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film and thought it was well down and packed a punch to be so short in length.

There is one theme in the film that really hit home with me and one that I thought should be discussed. Ironically, after seeing this film I received an e-mail of an article that addressed the same topic.

**Spoiler Alert** You might want to watch the film first before you read any further.



The article I received was titled AIDS:Not A Heterosexual Disease? in which Kevin De Cock, HIV/AIDS director for the World Health Organization (WHO) asserted that AIDS should not be considered a global concern for heterosexuals outside sub-Saharan Africa and that any threat the diseased once posed to the heterosexual population was in the past. The only people who were at risk were men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, and prostitutes.

I believe this is an incredibly dangerous message to be sending nearly thirty years into the epidemic. This type of thinking was commonplace in the early 80's when medical professionals didn't know any better and the religious right quickly used AIDS as a weapon to further marginalize the gay community. But it's 2008 and we should all know that HIV/AIDS does not discriminate based on sexual orientation, race, or class and can affect and infect us all.

Apparently everyone didn't get the memo. Pastor Biggs' reaction of disbelief to Gene's confession that he'd contracted the virus through heterosexual sex is a shame but not uncommon.

I couldn't help but wonder if he'd treated his son differently if he'd known all along that he'd contracted the virus from a woman and not a man? Would he have been there for him all along? Would Gene's positive status be viewed as a fatal mistake by a young man who had unprotected sex with the wrong woman versus a punishment for his homosexuality?

"Testify" shows the ugly reality of homophobia in the black church and the role it played in fueling the epidemic instead of curbing it.

Well actually it's going to be airing on BET'S second network, BET J, but it's still a step in the right direction. This news comes straight from creator/director Patrick Ian-Polk himself via his myspace blog.

Check out the air dates below:

Week of June 16
--Noah's Arc season 1 marathon June 19 from 1am--5:30am (season 1)
--Noah's Arc season 2 marathon June 22 from 1am--5am (season 2)

Week of June 23
--Noah's Arc season 1 marathon June 26 from 1am--5:30am (season 1)
--Noah's Arc season 2 marathon June 29 from 1am--5am (season 2)

And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go to the BET WEBSITE and let them know that you loved seeing NOAH'S ARC on their channel and you hope they air it in prime time!!!

Email them at: contactus@bet.com
Or mail them a letter to:

BET Networks
1235 W Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20018-1211

BET Interactive
General Inquiries
1235 W Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20018-1211

Or call them and let them know how you feel, show your support for NOAH'S ARC and that you want to see the show in prime time!
202-608-2000 or 212-258-1000

There's strength in numbers. If enough NOAH fans hit them up, you never know...

xxoo, Patrik


Alright people let's do what we can to get Noah's Arc on during prime-time. The show has a huge heterosexual female fan base and some women have even been able to convince their husbands and boyfriends to watch. The demographic that this show is geared towards is during prime-time, so let's do our part and take a moment to send an e-mail of support to BET.

Congrats Patrick and cast!

Life on Christopher Street has changed dramatically since the days I romanticized walking along the pier in New York's Greenwich Village as a kid back in Alabama. I couldn't wait to graduate from high school and get the hell out of Montgomery and recreate scenes from "Paris Is Burning". I know it sounds silly but I was just longing to be in an environment where there were people who looked and loved like me openly.

Today the pier is almost unrecognizable, but it will forever remain a huge part of New York City's gay history.

The above clip is a 77 Films feature and it examines the lives of the black and latino gays and lesbians who frequent the pier. Hip-hop's influence in the gay community and the "homo thug" is also addressed. Get into it!

Many thanks to my reader Sean for sending this clip my way.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities are very rarely in the news when it comes to supporting their openly gay students and very few have clubs on campus specifically for those who identify as LGBT. But Albert Smith and Lamont Joseph(pictured) along with thirty other brave individuals who make up the campus organization "Life Club" have rewritten their story on the campus of Medgar Evers College.

After four long years of grappling with homophobic slurs from fellow students, Smith became the school's first member of an openly gay club to graduate - an unusual achievement at Medgar Evers College.

"I made a mark for myself and the college, too," said Smith, 29, who lives in Flatbush. "It was the greatest feeling in the world to know I had so many supporters."

"Life Club" is Medgar Evers' first sanctioned openly gay club in the schools 38 year history. "The campus is rampantly homophobic", according to Smith.

At the first meeting, only Joseph and another student were present, but fears of harassment caused Medgar Evers to station a security guard outside just in case. "People weren't always welcoming, but the staff was," said Joseph, who still attends the school.

School officials said they were fully supportive of the group - it now has about 30 members - but acknowledged that bigotry on campus was rampant.
"I think it's very notable, what they've done," said Kenny Bain, assistant director of student life and development at Medgar Evers. "Sometimes in minority communities, there's a lack of understanding about homosexuality. They're trying to change that." Even guests noticed that Smith was a big deal.

"He had these beautiful white shoes, like gladiator boots, and they came above his ankle," said an awed Councilwoman Letitia James (WFP-Brooklyn), who attended the graduation and, like many others, was immediately taken by Smith.

"He ... was making history at Medgar Evers," added James, who said Smith raised the bar - and eyebrows - by wearing "big Elton John glasses."

"They were Gucci," Smith corrected, noting that his ensemble included a custom-made linen shorts set that he wore under traditional graduation garb.

"I'm really out," said Smith.

Source

hi-five Towleroad

So far it's been a slow news week. But LOGO has just released a sneak peek of the upcoming Noah's Arc movie. After months of speculation it has been confirmed that sexy star Jensen Atwood will reprise his role as Wade on the short-lived series turned movie. There still isn't any official word on wether the movie will be a theatrical release, made for TV, or straight to DVD.

I'm a big fan of the show and will definitely support it when it's released and I hope you will do the same. However, I hope that the two scenes that are now streaming on LOGO's website is not a glimpse of what we can expect from this project, if so then it looks like a recipe for disaster. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed and anxiously awaiting to sing their praises.

Do you have any ideas about the storyline? One of my readers sent this scenario to me a couple of days ago and I thought it was interesting. Get into it below:

My latest scenario on the wedding; Marcus and Junito get married!! T Money returns and shakes up Chance and Eddie's marriage;Ricky regrets the breakup; Dre guilts Wade into marriage but his love for Noah prevents him from going through with it. At the wedding, as he gets ready to say I do, he looks at Noah, who mouths I still love you with tears in his eyes; and tells Dre he's sorry ; He grabs Noah by the hand and they run off together!!

I'm loving it! Well we know Marcus and Junito won't be getting married because Wilson Cruz will not be returning.

Leave your thoughts on the movie, the trailer, and the plot in the comments section.

View the trailer here.

In Case You Missed It:

Noah's Arc Jumping The Broom (LOLDARIAN)

The Death of the Black Gay Community (LOLDARIAN)