Ryan White CARE Act

The federal government funds HIV/AIDS treatment programs through Ryan White funds. The program is the third largest federal program, behind Medicare and Medicaid, and more than 500,000 Americans rely on Ryan White funds for their health care.

Why, then, is the program named for a straight, white boy? Yes, straight, white males can catch HIV and some do have AIDS, but this is a disease that has had far greater impact on gay men and people of color.

Why don't people care unless it's a straight, white male?

(I know this is random, but, well, it's Stonewall week, so I'm gonna post some militant homosexual rantings.)

Today, I quit my job.

In minutes, maybe as soon as finishing this post, I am quitting my job. Two weeks from today, I'll work full time in the recreational scuba industry. And I will be free of a desk.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Blood Letting

Today I did one of those things that seem like nothing to a young, gay Angeleno, but would seem freakishly foreign to say, Amy's 60ish dad in Tipton, Iowa. I had an HIV test.

This particular HIV test has me thinking of a few things.

1) The alternate universe of being young and gay and living in a city. When I worked at the LA Gay & Lesbian Center -- an awesome place that offers free rapid HIV testing, I'm just saying -- I would stand in the elevator with a 2 drag queens, a homeless teenager, a gray 60s radical, and a lesbian couple making out and think to myself, "Wow! Is this what mom and dad had in mind for me back in 1978 when I was born?" But it wasn't just the elevator rides. Being young and gay is unique.

My folks will probably go their whole lives without ever having an HIV test. I'm willing to bet neither of my brother's have had one. Millions of Americans probably don't see a need for it. Me, I do it every 6 months. And I don't engage in risky behavior. It's just a reality I grew up with.

2) I got this test because, before quitting my job and having to deal with a change in health insurance, I wanted to make sure I wasn't saddling myself and my new employers with a long term illness. How pathetic that we live in a country where people need to make employment decisions based on their health? How much productivity is lost because disinterested people remain in unsatisfying jobs solely to maintain their health coverage?

Thanks to a great public benefit at the LA Gay & Lesbian Center -- an asset Los Angeles should be proud of -- I am now comfortable making the switch. The test came back, as expected, negative.

What happens to the Blog after the split?

I'm thinking of making a big career change. And by thinking, I mean, I'm like 98% ready and already composing my letter of resignation. No more sitting at a desk for 8 hours in a row. No more 45 minute to hour long commutes. My life will change. So will yours.

I won't have as much time to Blog...

What should I do?

To my friends from High School

Okay. Seriously. If you went to high school with me and were in Ms. Russel's European History class you are going to love me. Look what I found on queerty.com, a gay pop blog:



If you didn't go to high school with me you probably will think I'm a freak. You are probably right.

On a Tuesday?

I'm drunk. On a Tuesday night. Why?

Because Scabies is gone on a 1 month leave of absence from the shop. We need to make sure his faggot ass doesn't come back.

Democracy Fails Again: An Excercise in Douchebaggery

I extolled my interest in Senator Hillary Clinton's Campaign Theme Song contest. She had some really interesting choices, and I thought she was approaching the exercise with a lighthearted vigor that she seems to lack. And then the "Internet voter" came and took a massive dump on the whole thing.

She's still having fun with it, even making a funny Sopranos-inspired viral video to announce the winner. The campaign clearly had fun with this project, and was willing to spend a decent amount of money on it... and brought in the Big Dog. (Except, they didn't seem to post the video anywhere that I can pull down the code to embed it. Oops.)

And the winner is...

Click Here

But close your ears first. And make sure you have an empty stomach. Somehow, somehow Celine Dion wins. She's friggin' French Canadian... and it's a love song. Ugh.

I hate democracy.

Check out my previous reporting on this project here and here.

We want what?

I was trolling around on the Positive Thinking magazine web site today. Turns out, that's the magazine my super awesome friend JenMac works for. After reviewing the site, she might be a little less awesome. Just a little.

On the site, I caught this photos. After saving my cornea from the burning and stinging caused by all the lace and wood, I got to thinking. Do gay folks really want in on this wedding action? I mean, look at that dress. Fear not, turns out that it's a photo of a daughter trying on Mom's dress. Nothing in the story says that the daughter will actually wear the monstrosity at a ceremony of her nuptials.

Please Explain it to Me

Gay men and large black women have some sort of special bond. I swear. If you don't believe me ask any gay man. If you put 100 diverse people -- all of different identities in a room -- I promise you that the gay man and the large black woman will have found each other before you have the door closed.

That might explain why I loved this video so much:



I love large black women!

Goodbye Mr. Wizard

Don Herbert, who has made a significant contribution to my geekitude, died this week. He was 89. Mr. Wizards World was one of my favorite Nickelodeon shows as a child. His voice still brings me back to elementary school. I think I might buy the DVDs of his show.

Did you know he was on the first episode of David Letterman's first late night show?

John Edwards.

"Today, we know two unequivocal truths about the results of Bush's approach -- there are more terrorists and we have fewer allies."

-- John Edwards, in a speech this week on national security policy.
(from Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

I am frequently shocked out how squeemish supposedly progressive people can be about homosexuality. Straight celebrities constantly feel the need to affirm their heterosexuality, and the media -- on television and in advertising for example -- still get giggly about gays and lesbians.

I won't even get started on our politicians, our Democratic politicians, who will take gay money by the truckload but continually sell us out for the politically easy poll points. (cough*cough Brack Obama cough*cough)

We have even become used to our own families keeping a little bit of space, not talking to us about the same things they would our straight brothers and sisters.

And you know what? That's fine. If you aren't quite comfortable with the gays, that's fine. Hell, there are plenty of 20-something closeted homosexuals living in urban communities that don't have the pink cojones to be comfortable with themselves -- or the self-respect -- so we don't expect a ton from you.

But when you do show that you are willing to embrace us, treat us with dignity, and not hide from us, you deserve the credit.

Enrique Iglesias deserves the credit.

Enrique Iglesias Thrills Gay Fan
Uploaded by funscenes3

The Back Story: Apparently, when Enrique performs his beautiful ballad Hero live, he brings a woman on stage and serenades her. Cheesy, but fun. Recently, we was playing a set at the VERY popular English gay club called, get this, G-A-Y. No doubt who his audience was. And guess what? He played up to them. He brought a boy on stage. Sang his song to a man. Danced with the man. Held the man's hand. Even embraced and hugged the man while he sang. As if it was completely normal.

Because it is completely normal.

Thank you Enrique!

MySpace Tips

Don't put photos of you in your undies in the same album as photos of your grandparents, nieces and nephews, or mom and dad. That's just creepy!

Seperated at Birth?

There is no doubt that I am tragically unhip. I listen to lame mixes on my iPod and NPR most times. I've only begun listening to Top 40 / Pop / Contemporary radio at work in the past 2 weeks. But I do know who Amy Winehouse. (Mostly because she apparently once shared a stage with Jay Brannan, which I uncovered when trying to learn more about Jay.) I've heard her song Rehab a lot, and I even like her.

But I'd never seen her until this past Sunday's MTV Movie Awards. I wouldn't typically watch something like the MTV Movie Awards, being tragically unhip and all, but Sarah Silverman was hosting and until there is a Sarah Silverman channel on cable -- or network TV -- I will continue to seek Sarah out where ever I can find her.

So, Amy Winehouse takes to the stage to perform her Rehab song... and I think it's a joke. I mean, obviously they dressed Sarah up, gave her a bad wig and bad eye make-up and are having her lip synch to the soulfoul singings of Amy, who is probably hiding back stage and will come from behind the curtain near the end to save her song. Except, it is, in fact, Amy Winehouse. Are these two women separated at birth? Do all Jewish women look the same? Am I so gay that I can't even tell the difference between two very different women?

The whole thing reminded me of the Garth Brooks / Chris Gaines fiasco mess of 1999. Remember that?

I'm being stalked by a book I'm reading. On my commute, I finally started reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which came highly recommended.

The story teller repeatedly refers to his math skills and interest in math as "maths." Maybe it's an English term I don't recognize. A friend posted a survey on MySpace today and he answered a question:

28. What's something you wish you could understand better? maths

Crazy, right? The word is introduced to me this morning and I see it used twice in two different contexts within hours.

There's also a character in the book named "Siobhan." Today, at work, I got an email -- not spam, but real business related email -- from a "Siobhan Waldron." That's the first email I've ever gotten from Siobhan.

I'm being stalked by my book.

Who's a good liberal?

Between my white guilt and my aversion to paying high fuel prices, I decided to take some action. Today, I got my ass up a little early and drove (I know, very LA!) to the Green Line train station and commuted to work on mass transit... with the masses.



The above photo is one I found on the Internets of my train station in El Segundo. It's about 5 miles from my house, but it's 5 completely traffic free miles down the coast and then through the quaint industrial city of El Segundo.

I started my journey on the Green Line which runs down the middle of a freeway. (Again, so very LA!) From there, I waited a few minutes for my connection to the Blue Line, "the busiest light rail line in the country." That's not rhetoric. It is really crowded, but I snaked a seat and was able to read in comfort. Of course, some guy made some bitchy comment because I moved quickly in to my seat and didn't offer it up to a woman on board. Deal with it lady. You might have big boobs and a nice ass, but I have little interest in either. I do, however, have a HUGE interest in my book and I would like to read it sitting down.

Finally, once downtown I connected to a bus for a 5 minute ride to the office. There's another way I can go, too, I might try that tomorrow.

The ride itself took about 20 to 30 minutes longer than if I drove myself. But I was able to read, and I haven't been reading much recently. I'm way behind and I need to start plowing through some books. It was remarkably unstressful, which I think is good for me right now. Oh, and did I mention I helped save the world while I was at it? And saved a few bucks.

See, tonight I need to meet my parents in Universal City, right near the Red Line (LA's subway) station. So I'm gonna take the Red Line, and then commute back to my car after dinner. All that extra driving would mean I'd clock in about 50 miles, about $8.50 in commuting costs and a lot of stressful traffic. LA has pretty cheap mass transit and my whole day on the bus and train will cost $3.00. Momma loves a bargain!

And I saved the world. How about you?

JenMac is following orders, how about you?

I've written a number of times about the supercool project JenMac is doing this year. You can submit ideas to her; she's doing something new every day of the year.

Last week, I gave her an idea and she did it! She went to one of those cheezy morning news show's Friday Concerts.

In the meantime, I'm recovering from strep throat that I self-medicated with drugs I bought in Thailand. You'll be happy to know they worked and this course of treatment cost me about $7, instead of the $50 or so plus about 3 hours a trip to the doctor here would've cost me.