Tag Archives: Community

Soft Cell’s Marc Almond: ‘I hate the LGBT thing. There’s no gay community anymore’

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Marc Almond the iconic gay singer-songwriter and musician synthpop/new wave duo Soft Cell in an interview with The Scotland Herald talks about his career, personal life, and thoughts about how the gay community is broken by LGBT compartmentalization.

[In the 1970’s] “We were together. There was more of a shared experience. The community was more unified and it was us against the world. We had this camaraderie, this anti-establishment force, this secretive, clandestine world which was exciting.

“And even though homosexuality was legal, it was in name only. We were still made to feel like outlaws and as such we’d meet in secret places. And this all added to the feeling we had something to overcome, to strive for, barriers to break down.

“But now I feel [gay] people are very divided. I hate the way the LGBT thing has emerged. It separates.”

He adds, clearly riding hard on a favorite hobby horse, “I hate the fact sections have appeared, for example the transgender community, the lesbians, all divided. I don’t think there is such a thing as a gay community anymore.”

 

Prominent AIDS Activist and Journalist Brad Crelia Passes Away At 29

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Brad Crelia

 

Prominent AIDS activist and co-founder of Hivster.com  Brad Crelia  passed on away November 19, 2014 after a long battle with porphyria and other HIV related health issues. Brad was 29 years old.

Poz.com:

Six months after learning he was HIV positive, Crelia launched Hivster.com in 2010. The website ceased operations earlier this year, but their Facebook page continued.

Hivster.com describes itself on Facebook as “an online magazine for forward-thinking, hip/alternative men and women who are sex-positive, gritty, boundary pushing and politically progressive.” A print magazine was planned.

Crelia also worked with the Spokane AIDS Network and served on the board of the Odyssey Youth Center. He was active in politics, most recently working as a policy advisor for the Spokane City Council marijuana policy committee.

In recognition of his work as a journalist and activist, Crelia was a 2014 POZ 100 honoree.

I write this with a heavy heart.  I knew Brad.  he was a wonderful human being and dedicated activist not just for HIV related causes but for all LGBT equality causes.  Brads passing is a tragic loss.  After living through the plague years and all of the friends that I have lost this has never gotten easier.  In fact today it is harder.

In a 2011 interview with Dan Savage  Brad was asked:  If you could hammer one idea or concept into the heads of all gay men everywhere, what would it be?

Bard’s  answer reflected his life:  “Easy, keep on living life. Art, music, pop culture, literature are for HIV positive and negative people alike. ”

A great man. A great loss.

He will be missed.

Why Do Gay Men Fear Aging?

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Today I crossed another milestone as the Sun is in the exact position it was in on the day of my birth in 1980. I turned 32, which if you look at it in some philosophical or existential manner I’d question what is age but some sort of metaphysical awakening as a result of experiences. Or if you’re a nerd like me, you calculate that I’m actually 32 years and 10 months old. I’m in the in-between, not middle-age with grey hair but also not a bubbly (okay I’m still bubbly) 20-something going out to clubs every night. But I am still Sly, so at the moment nothing else about me has changed except a number.

My point is that typically anything over the age of about 28 is considered old, ancient, or archaic in the gay community. So being 32 means that basically died four years ago, came back and died again. Several friends have made awkward statements with this look of fear and impending doom on their faces as they say “How does it feel being THAT age” to even “Awww, don’t feel bad, you’re still great” What the hell do you mean STILL great?! I have ALWAYS been fabulous, regardless of my age. But honestly, Why is that? Why do we put so much emphasis on our age as a detriment, something to be feared, even hidden in shame?

Some say it’s because of our past. Michael C. LaSala, Ph.D, of Psychology Today states that it’s because as we were going through puberty, we were awkward and had to deal with our struggle to find our identity in being gay and what that meant to us while facing the oppression and negative perceptions  we faced from society as well as our loved ones. as a result, when we’ve embraced our sexuality, we use our youth and beauty as a sign of our self worth, that depreciates over time as we grow older.

LaSala’s description does sound accurate. It’s heavily ingrained in gay culture to be in tip top shape at all times and to use any anti-aging mechanisms that are at our disposal. There’s supplements, formulas used to help enhance and maintain our physiques. And unfortunately some do detrimental things to their bodies like performance drugs or even extreme and excessive plastic surgeries to keep that youthful appearance.

What do we do to stop this stigmatization that we place on age? LaSala believes that we should first remember that we are human, prone to make mistakes and that we’re not perfect. It’s also to realize that about not only ourselves but that this applies to everyone as well as knowing the difference between self critique and unrealistic expectations. Most of all, love yourself completely, flaws and all.

Okay I know that as we age, we have to be more mindful of our past than most consciously realize. Our experiences are the reason behind that. What I mean is that we accumulate a lot of stress because of our collective struggles as a community. We fight for equality and fight against discrimination every single day. That stress builds on us and according to an some, this can lead to mental disorders caused by anxiety, stress, and depression. Still this isn’t a reason to fear our age.

To sum this up, aging is not what should be feared in our community. Embrace it with all of your being and be thankful, for there are some that didn’t make it to that milestone. Think of your age as opportunities to change your life and others for the better not limitations. Always love yourself, every wrinkle, grey hair and know that is not what makes you valuable or beautiful, your heart does that.

Stop Comparing Race & Homosexuality: Human Rights Are For Everyone

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In the struggle for equality do you consider other groups and communities going through the same struggles like sexuality and race? Do you compare our issues with theirs? Well a recent article does attempt to compare one community against another.

In an article from The Washington Informer from the writer William Reed asks a question that (quite honestly I’m irritated in seeing) titled Is Gay the New Black? Because of the recent controversy of Chick-Fil-A the author expresses the conflict is a  “straight menace to Black values and American free enterprise” Mr. Reed continues this opinion stating“Blacks should be aware that the gay movement has eclipsed them in political potency.”

Mr. Reed concludes that the efforts of the LGBTQ community as a “coordinated, well-funded, well-connected propaganda strategy undermine thousands of years of history. It’s especially disconcerting to watch the use of the civil rights struggle as the vehicle for the strategy.”  So basically he’s saying the gay civil rights is taking attentiion away from African American issues. This is ridiculous.

As I write this what I’d like to ask this misinformed writer is where does this ideology come from? How is the LGBT community fighting for equal rights a detriment to the African American community in any way? Are African Americans suppose to protest the LGBT community standing up against a company that supports anti-gay groups? What a horrible logic.

I am so sick of this need to compare and contrast of whether the African American community or any ethnic/racial minority to the LGBT community.  have had more pain, more strife, more obstacles then the other. THIS IS ABOUT EQUALITY. The one-up mentality of who’s had it worse needs to stop.

Both communities through history have suffered oppression, disgraced and discriminated, been beaten and killed because of blind ignorance and bigotry. We all want to be treated fairly, to be treated equally and have so much both can learn from each other. Mr. Reed has made a derogatory and stagnate assertion.

Maybe if this “writer” for the Washington Informer talked to other LGBT men and women that are racial minorities, he would get some clarity from his misguided and to me ignorant assumptions.

Clay Cane wrote in the Huffington Post about his book detailing stories of LGBT men from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds. It discusses the personal strife and pain members like me that happen to be from both communities along with the fear of not coming out. You see Mr. Reed, it is necessary in this dichotomy to possess understanding along with introspection and reasoning.

Let me answer your question, NO Gay is not the New Black but it sure as hell is no better or worse and this is a ridiculous question to ask. This question causes division not unity. You should consider those of us within that demographic that you’re so easily writing off as scapegoats of a movement in which African Americans that are in fact gay, bisexual, and transgender.

Your myopic and backwards thinking Mr. Reed is more a detriment to both communities which enables more bigots to join in this sad misguided rhetoric. So don’t destroy the same people you claim to speak out for. Civil and Human Rights are for everyone and this is not a competition.